Chapter 177: Cannot Be Kept

The Censor: "......"

What? Even with a demon rat spirit appearing, you still want to write a memorial of impeachment?

Suddenly remembering something, the Censor nodded: "Hmm, hmm, I must write a memorial to impeach General Zhenyuan for favoring a concubine over his wife and keeping a demon rat spirit in his residence, allowing the demon to cause trouble."

The Censor wanted to find fault, and he found it spot on.

Qin Bi didn't care about impeaching others; even if the entire Zhenyuan General's family were executed, she wouldn't mind! Qin Bi reminded the Censor, saying, "The memorial impeaching me."

The Censor refused to admit it: "How could I impeach the Heir Apparent's wife? I'm not senile."

Before the demon appeared, everyone was clamoring to impeach her.

Qin Bi: "......"

"You won't impeach me anymore?" Qin Bi understood, but wasn't sure.

"I won't impeach you," the Censor said.

Qin Bi didn't know the Censor anyway. With nothing else to do, she turned and left. Her son Rong Juan was wild; the little child, fierce as a tiger cub, had used his tiny shoes to beat the demon rat spirit and followed Lin Yao, not coming back.

The Heir Apparent Rong rushed over. The Minister of War grabbed him, explaining how a demon rat spirit had appeared: "Heir Apparent Rong, a demon rat spirit appeared just now. She first bewitched people's hearts; I fell for her trick."

The Heir Apparent Rong was shocked: "Where is the demon rat spirit?"

"She ran away," the Minister of War said, pounding his chest and stamping his feet.

A rat spirit should be killed to warn others, but since no one had seen a real demon, in their panic, she escaped. However, there was no need to worry; as long as she revealed her true form, it would be easy to handle. The fear was that the demon looked human and couldn't be distinguished.

The Minister of War finally realized how powerful a demon's ability to bewitch people's hearts truly was.

Seeing the Heir Apparent Rong, Rong Juan put on his tiny shoes and ran clattering to Qin Bi. Qin Lang immediately followed. Lin Yao went to find the Heir Apparent Rong to explain the situation. Oh my heavens, he had seen a real demon!

Previously, he had only heard that demons existed in Great Chu and among the Rong and Di peoples. This was the first time Lin Yao had seen a real demon in Great Yan.

Rong Juan ran to Qin Bi: "Mother, Father will scold you."

"He will scold you, not me," Qin Bi said, tapping her chin.

"Why will he scold me?" Rong Juan asked, tilting his small head up.

"Because you followed me without stopping me," Qin Bi gave her reason: "So he will scold you."

Rong Juan nodded his small head: "Oh, I understand."

He pulled out a handful of boiled melon seeds. Rong Juan said, "Mother, eat seeds. Let's watch the excitement until we've had enough before we leave."

The Heir Apparent Rong came over, heard these words, and laughed in anger. After checking that neither Qin Bi nor Rong Juan were injured, the Heir Apparent Rong felt relieved. The Minister of War and the Censor followed over, and groups of people gathered nearby to discuss the exciting scene that had just occurred.

Thinking of the demon's bared teeth and grimacing face, the ladies and young ladies felt a chill of fear, though they had forgotten their fear while beating the demon.

Qin Bi then noticed that only the wife of General Zhenyuan, Su Shouheng, looked indifferent. General Zhenyuan Zhang Bing and his son went over to call her, but the General's wife ignored them. Seeing this, the wife of Duke Su walked over.

"Shouheng," the wife of Duke Su said, "Being framed repeatedly by the demon, you have suffered greatly."

As her sister-in-law, she had not helped her younger sister-in-law and had even been as close as sisters with Liang Yan. She couldn't imagine how difficult Su Shouheng's life had been these years, with her own natal family bewitched into believing Liang Yan over her.

Hearing these words, Su Shouheng's eyes grew hot: "No one believed me. She harmed me, and everyone blamed me."

The wife of Duke Su's eyes also reddened. Su Shouheng threw herself into the wife of Duke Su's arms and burst into loud weeping: "My child! The child I carried had her heart-blood taken by her to use as a medicinal guide. She... even revealing her true form is not enough to satisfy my hatred!"

Su Shouheng wept so sorrowfully that all the ladies and young ladies present shed tears.

"Mother," the legitimate son of General Zhenyuan called out.

Su Shouheng wiped her tears and said coldly, "I am not your mother. Your mother is Liang Yan."

"Mother, why must you speak in anger?" the legitimate son of General Zhenyuan showed a sorrowful expression. "You have always been my mother. She... she... she is a demon, but actually, she didn't harm anyone."

Thinking of the lost child, Su Shouheng shouted angrily, "Get out!"

The legitimate son of General Zhenyuan turned deathly pale, his face bloodless, looking as if he might collapse at any moment. At that moment, a cry of shock came from nearby; Liang Yan's son, unable to bear the blow, fainted.

The legitimate son of General Zhenyuan ignored Su Shouheng, ran over, and left with General Zhenyuan, carrying the boy away.

"Let their family go," the wife of Duke Su, unaffected, regained her judgment. She pulled the wife of General Zhenyuan and said, "Shouheng, whether you divorce or continue living together is up to you. Come back to Duke Su's residence with me first."

The wife of General Zhenyuan nodded: "I will go back with my sister-in-law."

Several ladies from families friendly with Duke Su's residence also supported her. The wife of the Minister of Revenue said, "Don't feel wronged. Who could live peacefully with a demon in their home? You are lucky you weren't killed."

Thinking this way, they felt a bit better.

For so many years, her husband and son had favored the co-wife. The ladies from the various residences could guess roughly how bitter General Zhenyuan's wife's life had been. They sighed; the damn demon, Liang Yan deserved to die, and General Zhenyuan was no good either.

Glancing at the retreating group from General Zhenyuan's residence, this son of theirs couldn't be kept either.

Qin Lang tugged at Qin Bi's sleeve, looking at the group from General Zhenyuan's residence: "Sister, is the son born to Liang Yan really hers? If he is, could he be a demon rat spirit?"

"Do you want to know?" Qin Bi also wanted to know.

Qin Lang nodded: "I really want to know. I'm afraid he might turn into a demon rat and run around at night."

Qin Bi held out her hand: "Ten spirit crystals."

Qin Lang: "......"

"I don't have ten spirit crystals," Qin Lang said, finding it difficult.

If you don't have them, then don't know. The Way of Heaven has its own arrangements. Qin Bi was no longer curious.

Jiang Xu and Rong Yan returned from fighting the demon rat spirit. Both were very excited. Rong Yan grabbed Qin Lang and spoke eloquently about the demon rat spirit; it was incredible. Rong Yan had never seen a demon rat spirit since childhood.

Those who had fought the demon rat spirit all acted as if they had seen great things, finding a crowd to chat with.

The Heir Apparent Rong left the Minister of War and returned with his wife and children. The youngest son, Rong Chi, was carried by the Heir Apparent Rong to his grandfather, King Rong. No one else could be trusted to take care of the child.

In the carriage, the Heir Apparent Rong did not scold anyone. He held Rong Juan and instructed Qin Bi: "Don't be so impulsive in the future. Demons are wild beasts, fierce and treacherous. It would be bad if you were injured by her."

The man was doing this for her good. Qin Bi nodded: "The wife of General Zhenyuan still owes me seven beast spirit crystals."

The Heir Apparent Rong's eyes flashed, and he nodded to indicate he understood.

Rong Juan's eyes shone brightly as he said, "Father, I hit the demon rat spirit with my shoes."

The Heir Apparent Rong was arrogant, his expression disdainful: "Of course my son fears no demon."

Upon returning to King Rong's residence, the Heir Apparent Rong carried his youngest son back to the Heir Apparent's courtyard.

The news that the equal wife of the Zhenyuan General's Manor was a spirit spread quickly, and those returning from flower-viewing boasted to everyone about having hunted the spirit.

Qin He simply did not believe it: "How could that be? I have met Lady Liang Yan of the Zhenyuan General's Manor; she is beautiful and kind-hearted. How could she possibly be a spirit?"

Qin He had a very good impression of Liang Yan.