He was truly finished.
The moment it was reported that Jiang Yanzhen had personally gone to Emperor Yongchang to reveal the truth about the past—and accused Li Changqing and Qiu Chuying of mixing large amounts of Wushi San into the imperial elixirs—the Eldest Princess knew:
Li Changqing was doomed!
The other crimes he committed—such as fabricating wrongful convictions or slandering Mount Mao—were nothing compared to poisoning the emperor.
What truly sealed Li Changqing’s fate was the discovery of excessive Wushi San in the emperor’s medicine.
The Eldest Princess immediately clutched Lu Mingan’s hand, overcome with emotion, tears welling in her eyes: “Good! Heaven truly has eyes—Heaven has eyes! Now, no one will believe that filthy Daoist’s claim that Ah Yuan is a jinx.”
Whether true or false didn’t matter anymore.
What mattered was—Li Changqing had fallen.
After this, Emperor Yongchang would loathe him to the bone. No one would dare bring up any of his old pronouncements again!
This had practically saved Qi Yuan’s life.
Seeing her so elated, Lu Mingan couldn’t help but smile and say, “Eldest Princess, have you ever considered—maybe this wasn’t Heaven’s doing at all? Maybe it was Ah Yuan herself?”
“What?” The Eldest Princess blinked, not immediately understanding. When she finally did, she opened her mouth in shock: “You’re saying Ah Yuan… orchestrated this?”
She remembered how terrified she and Liu Wangfei had been when Li Changqing read Qi Yuan’s fate. Liu Wangfei had gone pale as a ghost.
But Qi Yuan—she’d shown no fear, no panic, from beginning to end.
Thinking back now, the way Qi Yuan had looked at Li Changqing—her calm expression, the faint glint in her eyes—it all felt loaded with hidden meaning.
The Eldest Princess’s eyes widened. “She… how did she pull it off?”
What kind of mind did Qi Yuan have?
How was it that no matter how dire the situation, it always seemed light and effortless in her hands?
Lu Mingan’s smile deepened. He nodded with certainty: “I haven’t asked her yet, but I’d wager nine out of ten this whole thing was her doing.”
He was well aware of Qi Yuan’s abilities.
He had witnessed with his own eyes how she killed—clean, direct, and fearless.
That was her way: if you try to strike her down, she’ll strike harder. If you want her dead, be ready to die first.
Qi Yuan didn’t know about Lu Mingan’s and the Eldest Princess’s speculations. But even if she did, she wouldn’t care.
She only said to the old Marchioness, “Grandmother, please send me back to our hometown.”
The old lady had just been happily chatting with her about how the entire capital was mobilized to hunt down Li Changqing. Upon hearing this, her smile froze. “Ah Yuan, what did you just say?”
Qi Yuan’s lips curved faintly. “Li Changqing definitely still has people on his side. He’s highly skilled himself—it won’t be easy to catch him.”
The old Marchioness understood and immediately grasped her hand in fear. “You mean…”
She couldn’t help but worry.
Li Changqing wasn’t like other people. He really was someone who killed without hesitation. His massacre of bandits back in the day had become a well-known tale.
Clutching Qi Yuan’s hand tightly, she said: “Ah Yuan, the capital is swarming with Embroidered Uniform Guard and soldiers. If you just stay indoors for a while longer, they’ll catch him eventually…”
Qi Yuan gently returned the grip and said firmly: “Grandmother, no. A mad dog off the leash is bound to go berserk. Who knows what he’ll do? If I stay home, he might go insane and come after my family. We’d be caught off guard.”
So—it was better for her to be the bait.
She understood. A proud man like Li Changqing could never tolerate failure.
If she cast the bait, he’d bite.
Arrogant men tend to overestimate themselves. Even if he suspected it was a trap, he’d still believe more in his own skill than in the danger.
The old Marchioness couldn’t stop her.
She also knew that once Qi Yuan made up her mind, nothing could change it. All she could do was murmur uneasily, “I’ll speak with your grandfather.”
But truthfully, there wasn’t much to discuss.
Neither the old Marquis nor Qi Zhen could make decisions for Qi Yuan.
The old Marquis looked at her, deeply troubled. “I’ve arranged fifteen guards for you—all loyal family men with decent martial skills. And, girl…”
Qi Yuan shook her head. “I’m not bringing any maidservants.”
The maids didn’t know martial arts. Bringing them would only put them in danger.
So she chose to leave them behind.
The old Marquis sighed. “Then… shouldn’t you tell His Highness?”
The court had issued a decree assigning Xiao Yunting to Jiangxi for flood relief. He’d be leaving any day now.
The old Marquis felt he should at least know Qi Yuan’s intentions.
But Qi Yuan shook her head. “He has his path to walk, I have mine. As long as we both know what the other is doing, that’s enough.”
Some things had to be done with her own hands.
Some enemies had to be avenged personally.
Some people—had to be killed herself.
She wasn’t used to relying on others. She would never let emotions tie her down.
Seeing how resolute she was, what else could the old Marquis and Qi Zhen say?
They could only follow her lead and make sure all her arrangements were watertight.
Before she left, Qi Zhen repeatedly reminded her: “You must be careful—more careful than ever. If anything happens…”
Sigh. After all these years, Qi Zhen finally felt like a true father.
But Qi Yuan wasn’t the kind of daughter who needed her father’s protection.
“Nothing will happen.” She looked him in the eye, calm and cold. “Unless I die, Li Changqing will not live.”
…
Well—Qi Yuan did have the right to say that.
Qi Zhen let out a bitter laugh and changed his tone. “Alright then. Your grandfather, grandmother, Jialang, Yunzhi—we’ll all be waiting for you at home.”
Qi Yuan let the curtain fall.
To outsiders, the Qi family claimed Qi Yuan was going home for rest.
But everyone could sense that this was about Li Changqing’s earlier prophecy.
After all—“jinx your father and mother”—who wouldn’t be afraid of that?
Even though Li Changqing had fallen from grace and no one dared bring it up publicly, behind closed doors, many still held onto their superstitions.
No one wanted to risk what if.
Because of this, Madam Wang personally brought her daughter Wang Chan to the Qi residence to demand answers.
The old Marchioness gave a bitter smile. “In-law, don’t worry. Ah Yuan wanted to go herself. Whatever she sets her mind to, no one can stop her.”
Hearing that Qi Yuan had chosen this path herself, Madam Wang froze briefly, then quickly understood—Qi Yuan must be up to something.
She could only frown and mutter, “That child… really doesn’t let anyone rest easy.”
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