Chapter 409: Princess Qin Yu and the Empress, Crown Prince Turn Against Each Other!

Li Qingluo, in a fit of anger, gave a heavy slap to the handrail.

Her cold, fierce eyes fixed on Zu Liya as she roared, "Pour!"

"Give her three more giant sea bowls!"

Zu Liya, caught between greed and vomiting, nearly spat out his own intestines.

In the end, mouthfuls of blood were vomited, along with swine blood.

Indeed, they don't shed a tear unless they see a coffin.

This Zu Liya truly deserves to be torn apart by a thousand knives!

Li Qingluo: "Slice the flesh off her arm piece by piece! Then throw her back into the stone cell, but don't let her actually die!"

Zu Liya bellowed, "No! Kill me—just kill me—"

"Kill me—"

A mournful, harrowing scream echoed through the valley, like the wails of vengeful ghosts.

Li Qingluo had no time to linger in hesitation.

After Sha Qi's three accusations, Zongzheng Wuheng also demanded to see her, and she flatly refused.

"Zu Liya's poisoning is something he knows all too well. Perhaps he even orchestrated it!"

"Zongzheng Wuheng is truly a rotten, worthless scoundrel!"

"These days, without my permission, no one may feed him."

"Chain him together with the hyena using iron chains."

She grew fierce, and after speaking, hurried away.

Li Qingluo rushed straight to the Qingzhu Courtyard, finding Dong Siyuan and Luo Shenyi.

After she explained the matter, both their faces turned shocked.

"We must send A Jin!"

Li Qingluo: "I'll go ask her."

Fortunately, the Miao girl A Jin, hearing that the toxin would be poured into the water source, also grasped the gravity of the situation.

"I'll go with you both."

Everyone quickly mounted horses and rode straight back outside Jinling City.

Sha Qi returned to the mansion to inform the other Sha.

Li Qingluo and Sha Shi Yi led the rest and went first to the upstream of the Qinhuai River.

Along the way, they saw no suspicious individuals.

Li Qingluo, fearing delay, sent Luo Fan and the Miao girl A Jin ahead to inspect the water source.

After traveling several stretches, nearly reaching the city, they confirmed that the Qinhuai River's water showed no abnormality for the time being.

A Jin: "It could be that the toxin hasn't been activated yet."

"Or perhaps it hasn't had time to take effect yet."

Everyone's expressions grew extremely solemn.

Li Qingluo: "Regardless, we cannot sit idle and wait for disaster to strike."

"Sha Qi, you personally lead a team, arrange everyone to conduct round‑trip inspections at all upstream locations outside the city; any person showing suspicious behavior must be taken down."

Sha Qi: "Yes, miss!"

Li Qingluo decided that tonight, by any means, Princess Qin Yu must be bound!

She turned and bowed deeply to A Jin, saying, "Senior, please devise a method as soon as possible to cure this toxin that could endanger the whole Jinling City."

The others who followed—Luo Fan, Dong Siyuan, and the summoned Qin Ling—silently stared at the river.

If this water truly has been poisoned.

The entire Jinling would become a living hell.

And everyone they care about would turn into malevolent ghosts within it…

Li Qingluo knows the toxin's potency all too well, making her heart even heavier.

Luo Shenyi: "Qingluo, what do you intend to do? We will fully cooperate."

Li Qingluo: "Grandfather Luo, is there anything harmless yet capable of making the water taste strange and foul, rendering it temporarily undrinkable?"

Luo Fan: "Actually, there is. You want the city's people to temporarily stop using Qinhuai River water?"

Li Qingluo nodded heavily: "Yes. Though it's not a powerful method, it can buy us two days."

"Once we confirm whether the river truly contains toxin, we can then…"

Having said that, she entrusted the matter to Luo Fan and the others.

Then she hurried back to Jinling City.

Li Qingluo handed this news to Qingyangzi, who immediately delivered it into the palace.

Just as night fell, Zhui Yu and Po Feng arrived at the mansion.

"Miss, Your Highness said that any orders, you may freely command us brothers."

"Your Highness still has matters to attend to, so he'll be free only tomorrow."

Li Qingluo's confidence surged upon seeing the two appear.

She drew the Azure Fall Sword: "Let's go to the princess's residence!"

Princess Qin Yu's mansion was shrouded in darkness.

The severely wounded Qin Yu's former splendor had greatly faded.

The number of people in the mansion kept dwindling.

Because Li Qingluo had once bloodied it.

There is also the reason why Qin Yu, when she gets angry nowadays, will beat people to death at the slightest provocation.

All the servants in the princess's mansion are now panic-stricken, terrified of this mistress, the princess.

Li Qingluo could feel the deathly stillness inside the princess's mansion.

Sha Yi and Sha San gave Sha Jiu a hand signal.

Li Qingluo looked toward Zhui Yu and Po Feng behind her.

Everyone scattered according to the plan.

Just after returning to the mansion today, Li Qingluo summoned Sha Jiu.

After resting for half a day, Sha Jiu clearly recounted what had happened after he and Li Qingluo were separated yesterday.

He first put on a eunuch's uniform and stole an eunuch identity badge that no one noticed.

Then he followed the Imperial Household Department staff into the Empress's palace.

Princess Qin Yu had been sitting on a cold bench in the Empress's palace for an hour.

Her complexion was whiter than xuan paper.

While Sha Jiu sneaked in and felt around, the Empress had not yet appeared.

Sha Jiu then hid in an unnoticed spot while everyone was distracted.

When Princess Qin Yu was already impatient, full of resentment and about to rise and leave, the Empress finally came slowly from the sleeping quarters.

"I had a headache yesterday and couldn't sleep well all night."

"Dieyi and the others were worried about me, so they didn't say you had come."

"I just woke up and learned that I had already scolded and punished them; if you're still not appeased, shall I punish them again?"

She put on a Bodhisattva act.

"Her complexion is ruddy and her aura even more tender than that of village maidens, yet she claims she had a headache and didn't sleep well all night?"

Qin Yu felt waves of chill in her heart.

She knew the Empress was no longer the kind, motherly person she once was.

"Your Highness, Qin Yu dare not."

"It is Qin Yu who has disturbed you; please punish me."

Empress: "Get up."

"I heard you were ill?"

"This time Xia Miao didn't go either."

"Not going is actually better; this time things are truly chaotic. The Zhong family has rebelled—do you know?"

The Empress's gaze was icy cold.

Qin Yu trembled slightly.

Today she rushed into the palace in such haste originally to inquire about Consort De.

But now it seems the Empress wants to settle a different score with her!

Only the crown prince knows her identity as the leader of the Lotus Sect.

The Empress probably does not know.

Could the crown prince have leaked something to her?

Otherwise her attitude would not have suddenly turned so cold.

"Qin Yu has heard something."

Empress: "I've heard there's also the matter of the Lotus Sect. That sect will surely be uprooted by Yin'er sooner or later."

Qin Yu, hearing the threat in her words, instantly widened her eyes.

The Empress waved her hand, and Dieyi led everyone away.

Only Sha Jiu remained hidden in an unnoticed corner, motionless, continuing to listen.

"The Lotus Sect, after failing the prison break at the city wall and being besieged instead, is said to have suffered heavy losses."

"They probably... can't stir up trouble so quickly."

Empress: "As long as that heretical sect exists, the court cannot be stable. What do you say, Yu'er?"

"By the way, I heard you're returning to Great Chu?"

"Indeed, your wedding is approaching. The Western Regions are urging it, so you can't delay any longer, or you'll truly become an old maid."

"I heard that little prince is already fourteen?"

"He can father children, but you'll have to work hard to educate him into a proper husband."

Qin Yu couldn't help bursting into laughter again.

"Your Highness, you and His Highness, are you planning to completely abandon Yu'er, treating her as a discarded pawn?"

"Yu'er has done so much, front and back, for His Highness, sacrificing so much to get him to that position—do you really not know?"

"Present when needed, absent when not—now Yu'er has lost everything she painstakingly gained for His Highness, and you just say 'don't need it' and discard it?"

"Ha... truly heartless."

Facing Qin Yu's mockery, the Empress slapped the armrest heavily: "Zongzheng Yu'er! You dare to question me—do you really think you're some princess of DaLiang?"

"In the end, in DaLiang your status is not even that of Nanping County Princess."

"If it weren't for Consort Yue deliberately promoting you back then, do you think you could have obtained a princess's title and treatment in DaLiang?"

"What else do you want?"

"Best to obediently roll back to Great Chu and marry; if you're greedy and want what you shouldn't, be careful you won't even be able to leave DaLiang."

Qin Yu instead grew calm and composed.

She clasped her hands and leaned back, quietly watching Empress Gao.

You've only gotten hold of a few of my weaknesses.

I, Zongzheng Yuer, am just a worthless life; if we really start a fight, what you stand to lose will be far worse than what I have.

Empress, are you and the Crown Prince really going to turn against me?

Empress: "Don't act all mighty in front of me here!"

You're the leader of an evil cult; Yin'er has already told the Empress!

What a reckless lunatic! How can there still be a woman who defies Heaven's Dao like you in this world?

Zongzheng Yuer, based on this, even being torn apart by five horses is the lightest punishment you could get.

The Empress warns you, you'd better behave!

Otherwise, Yin'er wouldn't mind exterminating his kin again for righteousness! Besides, that would also be his achievement.

And you, just by opening your mouth, everyone around you is dead—what more could you possibly frame Yin'er for?

Qin Yu indeed lost thoroughly.

Duan Rongyin turned hostile without mercy, not even leaving any room.

The Empress even brought up old scores: "Back then in Zhaohua Hall, you ran out wearing Yin'er's jade pendant to show off, but you didn't expect to be recognized by that girl from the Pan family."

That girl openly pointed out that you and the Crown Prince have an illicit relationship.

In your passion, you actually dared to kill someone in the palace!

If it weren't for the Empress then, could you still be alive today?

Even His Majesty vaguely knows you're helping Yin'er with his affairs; otherwise he wouldn't have let you off so lightly.

Zongzheng Yuer, you still don't realize—you're merely a pawn we want to use to get Yin'er back into the Eastern Palace.

You actually think you're some Heaven‑chosen maiden? What a joke!

You want to be Yin'er's wife? Based on you? You don't even measure up to a single finger of the Crown Princess!