Chapter 414

Zongzheng Yuer saw that she seemed to be serious, and immediately shouted, "No—!"

"I may not know exactly what happened that night."

"But I do know who killed the Moon Noble Consort."

Duan Rongshi walked over, and without any pity seized her collar and pulled her close: "If you dare utter a single false word, I, Prince Su, will have your head fall to the ground today!"

Zongzheng Yuer saw the ruthlessness in his eyes, and felt as if ten thousand arrows pierced her heart.

It turned out she truly didn't care about herself at all…

She even felt a bit of disgust, perhaps?

That fact was hard for her to accept.

But to stay alive, she had to swallow her sorrow and say, "It was the Empress."

"I happened to overhear Crown Prince Duan Rongyin mention that there is someone by the Empress's side who can imitate anyone's handwriting in the world."

"Even the Emperor of Great Chu's handwriting can be copied perfectly, to the point that even the original author can't tell."

"I have been a princess of Great Chu for over ten years, and upon hearing this astonishing secret, I pressed for a few more details."

"He was in a good mood then, and said that if the Moon Noble Consort had not been because of that person, she could not have been easily overthrown."

"The rest, he said nothing more about."

Duan Rongshi: "Who is this person, do you have any clues?"

Zongzheng Yuer: "I have indeed investigated this person, and even considered bringing them under my command."

"However, the Crown Prince and the Empress have hidden this person's whereabouts tightly; I have searched for a long time and found no clue."

"But this person is definitely real!"

"And what they said makes me suspect that the Moon Noble Consort's death was linked to some correspondence."

Back then, matters concerning the Moon Noble Consort were a profound taboo throughout the palace.

Duan Rongshi started with Consort De; she ultimately preferred to kill herself rather than utter another word.

She simply went mad, claiming that everyone was the murderer of the Moon Noble Consort.

Duan Rongshi could, by his methods, wipe out the entire harem, but he wanted more to know the truth, to know what his mother truly experienced back then.

Li Qingluo looked at Zongzheng Yuer and said only, "You must have heard the fate of those two as well."

Zongzheng Yuer's complexion hardened sharply.

Had she not heard Zongzheng Wuheng and Zu Li Ya's anguished cries, she would not have forced herself into a calm demeanor and been able to talk for half a day.

Their methods were indeed ruthless.

They actually locked Zongzheng Wuheng and Zu Li Ya in this cursed place.

The frightening part is that they did not kill the two outright.

Instead, they kept them alive to torture them slowly.

Zongzheng Wuheng, as the Sixth Prince of Great Chu, came to DaLiang to do these things in order to obtain some genuine items to bring back and win his father's favor.

These not only forfeited any favor, but completely stripped him of any claim to the throne.

Not to mention whether he could even return alive…

Zongzheng Yuer could only hastily say, "My sincerity has already been expressed; whether we cooperate depends on your sincerity."

Li Qingluo: "Why don't we first hear what you want to obtain?"

Zongzheng Yuer: "You—"

She truly underestimated that village girl.

She kept, again and again, pinning herself.

More infuriating, she was helpless and could only be led by the nose.

It truly was careless.

Had I known, I should have killed her back at Fuman Lou!

Clearly Sha Lei gave me such a good chance, but my arrogance caused today's situation.

How could Qin Yu not hate deep in her heart?

"Cousin… Prince Su, does her meaning also mean yours?"

Duan Rongshi had long since released Zongzheng Yuer's collar.

He deliberately feigned weakness toward her, but only coldly held his chest, stared at her and replied, "Yes."

"Enough said, what trick are you still planning to play?"

He had long known exactly what kind of person she was.

All these years he pursued only the secret she carried, without exposing her.

Zongzheng Yuer took a deep breath, then forced her slightly trembling voice to say, "Tricks? Duan Rongshi, in your eyes, am I still somewhat special?"

"I was clearly already in your hands, yet you think I could still possess any earth‑shaking ability, right?"

"My Lotus Sect, my gambling den, were all your handiwork, weren't they?"

"I was truly foolish. Moon Fifth Uncle, Moon Noble Consort, the Fifth Prince."

"Yet I still refuse to guess about him."

Thus, Jingyun Shan Zhuang was also destroyed by his Moon Fifth Uncle.

And the ugly freak beside Moon Fifth Uncle was actually me, Li Qingluo?

Now that I think about it, in their eyes, am I just a hopping clown?

It is both ridiculous and tragic.

These years, she arrogantly thought she had already manipulated the world at her fingertips, and could, like the world's heroes, vie for the world, even a world that a woman could control.

In the end, she ended up in a complete defeat.

I just want to live.

Help me get married off smoothly to the Western Regions.

I can help you expose the crown prince's true nature.

Her conditions have been stated; whether they agree or not is up to them.

Li Qingluo and Duan Rongshi returned to the small courtyard at the back mountain.

Duan Rongshi asked Li Qingluo: "Luo'er, what do you think of Qin Yu's suggestion?"

Li Qingluo: "Zong Zheng Yu'er could accomplish so much; it's far from ordinary scheming."

If we let the tiger return to the mountain, there will surely be endless trouble.

Moreover, as a soul from another world, she could accomplish such heaven-shaking, scandalous deeds in DaLiang; in the Western Regions, she would certainly not be content to remain just an ordinary woman.

She wants to free herself, and someday make a comeback.

Duan Rongshi affectionately rubbed Li Qingluo's small face: "Luo'er, you're already so clever; I can rest easy."

However, we can actually make use of her.

As for the other results, it's up to how they end up killing each other.

A flash of gloominess passed through his eyes.

Although I myself am not exactly a good person, these people being alive are even more a scourge on the world.

Li Qingluo nodded, agreeing with the meaning of Duan Rongshi's words.

She looked anxiously out the window; at this moment she was not thinking about how Qin Yu and those few people were, but about that bloodthirsty gu poison.

At midnight, outside Ten Thousand Families Village.

Chickens flew, dogs barked.

Women screamed and cried, men roared.

Infants wailed.

In an instant, cries of alarm, wailing, anguished screams, and pleas for help came one after another from the village at the foot of the slope.

Zhui Yu rushed to report: "Your Highness, the villagers of Ten Thousand Families Village have completely lost control."

All the villagers have been poisoned; every woman in the village, as if grown a dog's snout, rushes toward these normal male subordinates.

Our subordinates have no choice but to retreat hastily.

Jin Yi: "A Lan, A Duo, quickly go to the foot of the mountain."

These guard young masters, please trouble you to help a bit.

It would be best to scatter this freshly prepared medicinal powder at the village entrance and all other points of entry and exit.

They will not leave the village for a while if they smell this unpleasant odor.

Otherwise, this place will surely be found soon.

To the villagers down the mountain, the smell of this group gathered on the slope is like a pile of fresh food.

Zhui Yu immediately led the people, A Lan, and A Duo down the mountain together in haste.

However, the result of locking them up in the village was that they killed each other.

Everyone seemed to go mad; under extreme pain, they gradually lost their reason.

Watching a perfectly fine village turn into a hell on earth in an instant…

Everyone fell silent.

All around was nothing but deadly silence.

What's frightening is that even the wind carries a bloody smell.

Li Qingluo's pupils contracted sharply.

At this time tomorrow night, it will be another onset of her poison.

She becomes an evil ghost by herself, and she does not find it frightening.

What's frightening is that everyone in the village has turned into ghosts tonight…

It's unimaginable; if Qin Yu's poison were truly dumped into the Qinhuai River, what a catastrophic disaster it would bring to all of DaLiang!

Bring them up!

As Li Qingluo's words fell, Zu Liya and Qin Yu were each dragged up.

Upon seeing the firelight and horrific scene below the slope, and hearing the genuine wailing and cries of pain, the two of them, whose gazes had been dull, also showed some change.

Qin Yu watched this scene and thought: "It really is a zombie virus! No matter what, I've really been tricked by that old woman Zu Liya."

Now this fire has also burned her; it's self-inflicted retribution.

Because just yesterday, they also made her drink the well water from Ten Thousand Families Village; thinking that in a few days she too would become like this, Qin Yu's heart turned to ashes.

Where is the antidote?

Why haven't you developed an antidote yet? Are you useless?

Faced with Qin Yu's angry scolding tinged with a little fear, no one answered her.

Qin Yu's heart gradually grew still along with the silence.

If she had known today would come, she should have really poured all these poisons into the Qinhuai River.

If she must die, she would drag the entirety of DaLiang, even the whole world, down with her as burial companions—that would be satisfying!

Qin Yu's eyes showed no trace of guilt; instead, they held a hint of madness.

Zu Liya felt nothing at all.

Looking at her own handiwork, she knew she couldn't survive, so her eyes held only a faint excitement.

What a pity, that fool Zong Zheng Yu'er actually didn't put the poison into the Qinhuai River.

Otherwise, even if she endures all the hardships, today is still worth it!

Until then, Hudie was also brought up.

And to prevent her from smelling a man's scent and uncontrollably lunging to hurt someone, she was also bound by the hands and had her mouth gagged.

Looking at her, it was as if she were another captive.

When Zu Li Ya saw her, his face began to stay steady.

Until Jin Hua's face also gradually emerged in the firelight.

Zu Li Ya's expression changed instantly: "How did you end up here!?"

She quickly looked at Hudie, then at Jin Hua.

At this moment, she already had a suspicion in her mind.

She couldn't help but whisper sharply: "What exactly do you intend to do by bringing her here?"