Chapter 592: No Matter How Many Come, They Shall Never Return!

The Empress, her head adorned with jeweled hair ornaments and dangling hairpins, now lost her composure in panic, the ornaments clanging loudly.

However, the officials of the Court of Ceremonial ignored her orders and still seized everyone.

"I command you to stop!"

The Empress, angrily, retorted: "Wang Quan, what are you doing? Are you planning to rebel?"

"I am the mistress of this harem; if you don't even regard me, aren't you afraid I'll take you down as well!"

Wang Quan then feigned deference, bowing respectfully toward the Empress: "Your Majesty, I am merely acting on orders."

"Although you are the ruler of the harem, I still obey His Majesty, for His Majesty is the lord of Great Chu, right?"

"Please do not make things difficult for me."

The Empress: "Am I making things difficult for you?"

"Now you intend to seize most of the palace staff; who is truly making things difficult for whom?"

"I ask you, what crimes have these people committed? Why are you suddenly taking them all away?"

"Did the people in my palace violate the heavenly law, or what?"

"You must be deliberately seeking enmity with me!"

Wang Quan, facing the Empress's fury, merely pretended to be frightened.

A faint, lingering smile always hovered at the corner of his mouth.

He lifted his head, staring unblinkingly at the Empress, replying word for word: "Your Majesty, you have wronged me."

"I also follow His Majesty's decree, to purge from your palace those who spread deceit, who cannot serve you properly and only know how to lead you astray."

"Please do not betray His Majesty's goodwill."

The Empress stepped back in shock.

"Is it… His Majesty?"

Since it is the Chu Emperor, she could do nothing to stop it.

Yet how could she be willing to accept it?

Moreover, the Chu Emperor had never treated her this way before; today he repeatedly affronted the Empress, which she could not accept at that moment.

"What does His Majesty truly intend? Is there some misunderstanding here!?"

"They have served me for many years; it's impossible…"

Wang Quan: "The palace staff in your residence do not follow protocol, roaming the palace all day, and even ventured near His Majesty's Qianyuan Hall."

"If you did not deliberately order it, they must have violated the lord's daily teachings, committing acts that tarnish your reputation."

"After all, if they hadn't dared to scout in front of His Majesty's hall, how would they know the Yue King's consort entered the palace?"

"His Majesty secretly summoned the Yue King's consort to discuss the Prince of Yue's position at the front, and aside from Qianyuan Hall, no one else in the palace should have known this."

"Yet the people in your palace managed to intercept her precisely on the consort's exit route. Grandmaster Ji did not falsely accuse you, did he?"

"Your Majesty, your intel is so extraordinary, yet it's because the people in your palace, one after another, break the rules, rush recklessly, and damage your reputation!"

"These vile slaves should all die!"

"Now they even spread idle gossip about the Yue King's consort and His Majesty."

"His Majesty said that if more idle talk about the Yue King's consort spreads, it might chill the heart of Prince Yue, who is still outside the city suppressing the rebels; therefore he wishes to resolve this cleanly, to demonstrate his desire to be a wise ruler."

"Your Majesty, His Majesty's action has already saved your face, since he has not personally summoned you for questioning."

"What do you think?"

"Take everyone away!"

Wang Quan waved his hand grandly, leading the majority of the Empress's palace staff away in a massive procession.

The Empress, futilely, shouted: "Wang Quan! You castrated dog, how dare you humiliate me!"

"When you come to the palace, I will certainly not spare your dog life!!"

After Wang Quan left, the Empress collapsed onto the ground.

"His Majesty—"

She clenched her palm, her heart full of hatred.

"What a hateful heart you have—"

It was Li Wu and his wife; the sudden appearance of these two lowborns changed everything!

"Attendants."

"Also send a letter back to my brother!"

The next morning, Li Qingluo woke up to Zheng Mama saying, "Miss, last night we caught two big rats."

Li Qingluo: "Big rats?"

Zheng Mama winked mysteriously: "The big rats from the Marquis of Yongning's manor."

Li Qingluo paused mid‑dressing.

"Empress?"

"It seemed she could no longer restrain herself."

"How foolish."

Her son is the Crown Prince.

She is the Empress.

Although the Crown Prince was deposed after only one day on the throne, the Chu Emperor did not vent his anger on him because of this.

Doesn't this already reveal his attitude?

It was only a matter of time before the Crown Prince would ascend.

Could the Chu Emperor possibly have another useful son?

All they need is to wait for the right moment and they will become the ultimate winners; isn't it good to use this chance to win over court officials and gain the people's favor?

Yesterday, not knowing what had happened when she entered the harem, she must have thought that she and Duan Rongshi were an eyesore blocking the way, yet she still dared to come to Nan Gong Fu to spy.

"Where are they?"

"Last night, Assassin Fourteen and Assassin Twenty caught them and immediately slit their throats. It looks like they were after the main courtyard, but they ran into their hands before reaching it."

Li Qingluo: "Sneak the corpse back to Yongning Marquis Residence."

"If they still dare to come, one comes, one dies. If a pair comes, both die."

"No matter how many come, they will never return. Understand?"

Zheng Mama, excitedly nodding repeatedly: "Your servant understands."

Li Qingluo, after finishing her early meal, went to see Cang Xuan.

"Senior brother, is today better?"

Cang Xuan indeed looked healthier today.

He nodded toward Li Qingluo: "Little junior sister, do you have any more questions for me?"

Li Qingluo: "Those who have been hunting you all the way from the Western Regions, they are the subordinates of Princess Anar, aren't they?"

Cang Xuan: "You're right."

"Princess Anar learned that I fled, so she sent people to try to stop me as well."

"It started with about thirty people; when they chased me to Nan An, only seven or eight remained."

"But by now they should all have been dealt with by the little junior sister, right?"

Li Qingluo: "Yes. That sole survivor also took the opportunity to bite his tongue and kill himself."

"Senior brother, Master sent you with the jade pendant to find me, surely to have me rescue him."

"Saving Master is my unquestionable duty, so I have decided…"

Before Li Qingluo could finish speaking, Cang Xuan stopped her.

"No! Little junior sister, wait a moment."

"I think you must have misunderstood."

"Master knows that with your status you cannot get away, and even if you are clever and wise, he would not easily interfere with your life, making you run for him."

"So he sent me to find you, not to have you rescue him."

"Master only wants you to help him find something."

"Then, have me take it to the Western Regions."

"With such an item, Master will surely be able to get away."

Borrow something?

Li Qingluo didn't understand; at a time like this, what could Master want that is more important than me going to rescue him?

"I don't know what I have that could be lent to Master… and also allow Master to get away from that princess's grasp?"

She wore a bewildered, puzzled expression.

Cang Xuan, like her, also harbored some doubts.

"Actually, I'm not entirely clear about this either."

"Master only said he wants an old painting."

"The older the painting, the better."

"The person in the painting has a beauty that eclipses the world, with a small red mole between the eyebrows."

"Junior sister, do you know who it is?"

Li Qingluo's face was full of shock.

Is this referring to Duan Rongshi or… the mother consort?

The older, the better?

Then it's the portrait of the mother consort!

And with a red mole on the forehead and a beauty that eclipses the world, it must be the mother consort!

But why would Master want the mother consort's portrait?

Or perhaps a portrait from decades ago.

What does this have to do with his ability to escape that princess?

And he even had Cang Xuan go through such trouble, bringing a token to find me, just for a painting?

Li Qingluo, full of doubt, saw Que'er running over excitedly.

"Miss, Your Highness has returned!"

"Your Highness achieved a great victory, has already led the troops back to the city. Now, at the city gate, he is receiving the people's kneelings and warm welcomes!"

Finally back?

Li Qingluo rose joyfully, about to leave, remembering that Cang Xuan was still there.

She immediately turned to Cang Xuan and said, "Senior brother, regarding the portrait, I will definitely give you an answer before tonight."

Having said that, she lifted her skirt and left cheerfully.

Watching her leave, Cang Xuan's eyes held an unspeakable loneliness.

"Master, it would have been better if I had known the little junior sister earlier."

"Unfortunately, she already has a good man, and her heart has long been given to him."

Thinking that, he smiled wryly and shook his head.

"Our identities were worlds apart to begin with; why bother with such regrets?"

"Better to…"

The voice faded softly with the wind, and no one in this world would know these quiet thoughts.

Li Qingluo rode the carriage onto the street.

Looking at the bustling crowd, everyone's face was filled with joy and excitement.

She couldn't help but smile.

"Have you heard? This Yue King could have suppressed those rebels on the first day, but he not only didn't, he lingered with them for several days. Do you know why?"

"Why, why, tell us quickly."

"I heard he drove those rebels into a mountain hollow, then without moving a single soldier, he sealed them inside."

"With no food or drink, the rebels gradually couldn't endure. In the end, the Yue King personally led men in and captured the rebel leader directly!"

"Then, after fighting that leader, the leader actually surrendered, saying he was willing to trade his own life for everyone's lives."

"What was the result? Was he killed?"

"Of course not!"

"Not only was he not killed, the Yue King also subjugated him, calling him a man of deep loyalty and righteousness."

"This can't be inviting the wolf into the house, can it?"

"Invite a fart. Right now those rebels are outside the city, and the Yue King seems to want to form them into an army."

"It depends on whether the Emperor is willing."

Thinking of the tyrant's cruel habits, everyone squeezed a bead of sweat for the Yue King.

"His Majesty sent him out of the city to suppress, and he instead incorporated those rebels. His Majesty won't think he's been fooled, right?"

"Suppressing in this way is still suppression, right? As long as there's no bloodshed, he's a good general! After all, whose son truly wants to die?"

"Exactly, winning hearts is not easy, not like beheading, which only brings misery to the people."

"Yue King! Yue King!"

"Yue King—"

The common folk of Nanan City never imagined the threat fifty li away would end without a drop of blood.

So, at this moment everyone was excited upon hearing it.

If they truly broke into the city, those nobles behind their red gates and their household guards would fight to the death, so they likely wouldn't fear any loss.

But the innocent ordinary citizens inside the city, which one wouldn't be the worst affected?

In the crowd there were naturally those cursing the Yue King as nothing more than a spineless opportunist, a scheming straw man.

Li Qingluo heard it all.

"Go, write down who these people are for me!"

She wanted to note them in a little notebook, to see if their faces would remain the same later.

Sha San, suppressing a laugh, was about to go out, and Sha Yi, covering his chest while holding a letter, came over with difficulty.

"Miss, a letter from Jinling."