Qi Zhen couldn’t help but feel that his luck had been terrible lately.
No, actually, his fate probably wasn’t that good to begin with.
Otherwise, how could he, in such a short time, have encountered two such terrifying women—each more fearsome than the other?
There was no need to even mention Qi Yuan. Qi Zhen had personally seen her twist off a person’s neck as easily as wringing out laundry. And her methods of killing were endlessly creative—her favorites were slitting throats or stabbing hearts, leaving her victims without even a chance to utter another word.
As for Princess Baorong, just by the sound of it, she wasn’t a harmless character either.
When she was still a child, people already said she was cursed, responsible for the deaths of countless monks, nuns, and common folk.
Are these two competing to see who can kill more?
If they really wanted to compare, even though Qi Yuan was his biological daughter and he himself was on her side, if he had to place a bet on who would win, he would still bet on Princess Baorong.
Life is unfair. What you work so hard to gain, others can snatch away with just a curl of their finger, simply because you were born into different circumstances. That’s fate. That’s how things are destined to be.
His expression turned a little odd. The roasted chicken in his hand had already started to burn, but he still had no intention of turning it over.
Qi Yuan raised an eyebrow. “Father, do you have a personal grudge against that roasted chicken in your hand?”
Do you plan to cremate it after it’s dead?
Qi Zhen snapped out of it and awkwardly tossed the charred chicken to the ground. Just by looking at its pitch-black color, one could tell it was inedible.
His mind was clearly elsewhere, and Qi Yuan was no fool—of course she noticed.
She raised an eyebrow and asked, “What’s wrong, Father? Are you worried about me going up against Princess Baorong?”
Originally, Qi Zhen hadn’t intended to say anything. But since Qi Yuan brought it up herself, he had nothing to hide.
He gave a soft grunt and said quietly, “Ah Yuan, I know you’re formidable—I really do. But you and Princess Baorong aren’t on equal footing. Do you understand?”
Qi Yuan couldn’t just go and kill Princess Baorong like she was slaughtering a chicken.
Setting aside whether she could kill her at all—this princess was surrounded by countless guards, and Emperor Yongchang had even assigned her a squad of the fearsome Embroidered Uniform Guard as her personal protection.
Even if Qi Yuan succeeded in killing her, the entire Qi family would probably end up joining their ancestors in the afterlife.
Is it really worth it?
After working so hard and coming this far, after achieving everything that needed to be achieved and exacting all the necessary revenge, wouldn’t it be better to take a step back? Why keep tangling yourself in this?
Old Marquis Qi suddenly smacked Qi Zhen on the back of the head. “Aren’t you ashamed? You’re a grown man, and you’re already panicking before anything’s even started?!”
He proudly stroked his beard and said, “In a person’s life, there are ups and downs, gains and losses. Whether you succeed or fail, you must learn to accept it. But there’s one kind of failure that I, as your father, absolutely will not allow you to accept.”
“And that is—to be defeated without even putting up a fight.”
His sharp gaze landed on Qi Yuan, a mix of admiration and expectation in his eyes.
For some reason, he had a strong feeling that this child would not let him down, that she would go much, much further.
Sure enough, Qi Yuan laughed softly.
She clapped her hands and said lightly, “That’s right. I never lose confidence in battle. Baorong is terrifying, she does have the perfect timing and advantages, she is a favored daughter of heaven, a moon floating in the sea of clouds—but so what?”
“Many victories are often snatched at the last moment with just one final breath! Until the coffin is nailed shut, even the tiniest sliver of hope must be clung to like a life-saving straw!”
Old Marquis Qi clapped his hands and roared with laughter.
Good!
Good! Good!
He praised her three times in a row.
As for Liu Wangfei, Princess Consort Lu, and the Eldest Princess, the three of them were stunned as they looked at Qi Yuan.
Especially Princess Consort Lu—he had already witnessed Qi Yuan’s skill in killing. As long as she could kill with one strike, she would never waste a second.
This girl’s resilience and conviction were unlike anything he had ever seen in his life.
He truly couldn’t keep up with the thinking and actions of young people nowadays.
Xiao Yunting stood with his arms crossed, smiling as he looked at Qi Yuan.
Even he hadn’t noticed that his smile was like a sky full of stars, pouring out uncontrollably.
He had never met a girl like this before.
Proud, self-loving, strong, and independent.
She didn’t need anyone to save her—she was her own savior.
The falling plum blossoms were swept up by the wind, landing on the heads and clothes of the people around them. In that moment, Xiao Yunting suddenly felt a dull headache, as if in some dream, at twilight, he had seen this scene before.
But the thought quickly passed.
Qi Zhen sighed helplessly and asked, “Then how do we get past this hurdle in front of us?”
He glanced at Xiao Yunting and couldn’t help but quietly mutter in his heart—after all, who didn’t know that Emperor Yongchang didn’t like the Crown Prince?
If Princess Baorong succeeded in filing her complaint this time, and truly made Emperor Yongchang believe that the Crown Prince was the one who facilitated the return of Liu Wangfei, and who orchestrated the downfall of the Minnan nobility and Duke Chu’s household in one fell swoop, then…
Then wouldn’t they all be finished?
Qi Yuan suddenly let out a soft laugh. “Father, if it were you, would you suspect the Crown Prince?”
…?
Qi Zhen’s face was full of question marks.
Why wouldn’t they suspect the Crown Prince?
He was just about to speak when he suddenly froze.
At that same moment, inside the palace, Emperor Yongchang had just left Princess Baorong’s residence. He declined the use of a carriage and walked along the long street. Eunuch Xia followed behind him with a procession of guards and imperial soldiers, carefully asking, “Your Majesty, it’s getting late. Are you heading to see Noble Consort Xiao Liu?”
According to the original plan, Emperor Yongchang was indeed supposed to visit Noble Consort Xiao Liu today.
But somehow, the thought suddenly vanished from his mind, and he said in a low voice, “Proceed to the Eastern Palace.”
Eunuch Xia was startled and felt bitter inside.
Everyone knew that His Majesty had never liked the Crown Prince.
Especially when the Crown Prince was seventeen, for some unknown reason, a Taoist priest—someone the Emperor trusted deeply—had read the Crown Prince’s fortune and said that the Crown Prince would bring misfortune to the Emperor. If they didn’t meet, it would not matter. But if they met, disaster would befall them both.
Better to believe it than not.
From that point on, Emperor Yongchang had rarely seen the Crown Prince.
But just because they didn’t meet, didn’t mean he knew nothing about the Crown Prince.
As they entered the Eastern Palace, they immediately heard the sound of music.
Someone was playing the pipa, and a woman was singing: “Falling flowers, a solitary figure; in the light rain, swallows fly in pairs.”
Eunuch Xia couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat for the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince—truly—despite his poor health, still indulged in pleasure day after day, paying no attention to state affairs.
If this continued, even if Qi Wang and Noble Consort Xiao Liu didn’t try to kill him, the Crown Prince would probably die from overindulgence with women.
At this moment, Emperor Yongchang had already entered the back garden. At a glance, he saw twenty or thirty women—some sitting, some standing—playing the pipa, playing the flute, and others teasing the blindfolded Crown Prince as he ran around.
The Crown Prince was reaching out, groping to the left and right, soon panting heavily, nearly out of breath.
Finally, he touched someone, immediately bursting into loud laughter and tightly hugging the person. “Hahaha, I caught you, I caught you!”
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