Qi Yuan had never given up on the idea of killing Xu Hai.
That man was vicious to the extreme, utterly inhumane.
Not only that, he was cunning and a master of psychological manipulation.
Back then, when the militia was ambushed, Xu Hai had firearms bought from the Portuguese—far superior to Great Zhou’s weapons—which led to devastating losses.
The little monk had shielded her, his chest blown open into a bloody hole.
Even so, the boy still held her hand and softly said, “You have to go home. You must live… go home.”
It was from that moment that Qi Yuan made up her mind—to infiltrate Qi Wang’s residence and kill him.
Because it was with Qi Wang’s support that Xu Hai could rise so quickly.
Xu Hai smuggled for him; Qi Wang gave him protection.
But before that, Qi Yuan had thought she would die that day.
Xu Hai was infamous for killing without shedding blood, someone who would never show mercy.
Yet that time, surprisingly, Xu Hai didn’t kill her. Instead, he pierced through her shoulder blade, then threw her onto the reefs. Smiling, he told her: “The tide’s coming in. Let’s see how lucky you are today. If luck’s on your side… maybe you’ll survive.”
Qi Yuan always thought she wasn’t someone who would feel fear.
But that night, as she drifted alone in the vast ocean, surrounded by floating corpses, the seawater slowly rising from her feet to her waist, surging against her body again and again—
She finally couldn’t help it. She cried out of sheer terror.
But she endured.
She survived until dawn the next day, until the Changle militia found her.
Recalling all this, Qi Yuan’s mood soured completely. Grabbing Qilin’s jaw, she asked coldly, “That’s all? Apart from helping Feng Caiwei deal with me, there’s nothing else?”
Qilin’s face twisted in agony. Qi Yuan’s grip on his jaw made it feel like his entire head was about to explode. Crying, he begged for mercy, “Miss Qi! There’s really nothing else! Please, I beg you, spare me!”
He swore he would never cross paths with Qi Yuan again.
This woman isn’t human. Whoever messes with her is doomed.
Qi Yuan stomped down hard on his elbow.
Crack! Shunzi heard it clearly and winced. “Tsk… you see? If you’d just told the truth, you wouldn’t have to suffer like this.”
Qilin truly didn’t know how to handle Qi Yuan anymore.
She was a genuine lunatic.
Qi Yuan lowered her eyes. “Feng Caiwei must’ve had leverage… something against Xiao Jingzhao. Otherwise, why would Xiao Jingzhao willingly agree to marry her? Why would Empress Feng and the Feng family tolerate her living?”
She sneered. “See? You’re still not being honest.”
Though her tone was light, Qilin’s entire body went rigid. His scalp went numb, and his limbs stiffened.
All thoughts of trying to hold back vanished. He burst into tears, crying out, “I’ll talk! I’ll talk! The Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Stables, Cao Buan—he holds evidence of the Imperial Grandson visiting Mount Longhu years ago! Once Feng Caiwei dies, Cao Buan would report everything to His Majesty!”
Emperor Yongchang loved Xiao Yunting dearly.
But precisely because of that love, if he discovered that his most beloved grandson had lied to him, the resulting fury would be tenfold.
And an emperor’s suspicion was endless.
He might even think that Xiao Yunting, after staying at Mount Longhu for so many years without ever speaking of it, knowing that the Mount Mao case was unjust yet staying silent—was deliberately hiding the truth, waiting for revenge.
Qi Yuan kicked Qilin hard. “How do you contact Cao Buan?”
This time Qilin truly had nothing left to hide. Crying, he pulled out a small seal. “This. As long as Cao sees this, he’ll know what to do.”
Qi Yuan gave a soft hum, then bent down and patted Qilin’s face.
Qilin was scared stiff. “Miss Qi, I’ve told you everything. C-could you… could you let me go?”
Qi Yuan chuckled. “Perfect timing. I do have one more thing to discuss with you. If you cooperate… I promise you won’t die. More than that—you could even get free of Qi Wang. How about it?”
Qilin closed his eyes.
All his companions were already dead.
If Qi Wang truly regarded them as confidants, as true people of his own, he would never have betrayed them.
But the truth was—he did.
Qi Wang was moody, unpredictable. He paid them well, but the moment anything went wrong—big or small—someone had to die.
When danger arose, he didn’t hesitate to throw his subordinates under the bus.
After a long silence, Qilin finally said, “I’ll do whatever you say, Miss Qi.”
Qi Yuan smiled faintly. “Good boy.”
Then she turned to order Shunzi, “Go find a doctor. Patch Qilin up properly. Not even a scratch is allowed.”
Shunzi had always been obedient to Qi Yuan—if she told him to go east, he would never even glance west.
As soon as he heard this, he nodded immediately. “Miss, don’t worry. I’ll get the doctor to fix him up good as new—not a hair out of place.”
Qi Yuan nodded approvingly.
Then she headed back to the Qi household.
Old Marquis Qi had been waiting for her. As soon as he saw her return, he asked directly, “Well, Yuan girl, is it done?”
Qi Yuan nodded. She knew exactly what her grandfather really wanted to ask, so she said, “Qi Wang’s confidant, Qilin, was among those thirty men.”
“What?!”
Old Marquis Qi was shocked. He knew about Qilin.
Most of Qi Wang’s personal shadow guards were dead already. There weren’t many left.
And yet Qi Wang was willing to station Qilin in the capital—for Feng Caiwei’s use?
Was Qi Wang madly in love with her or something?
Or had he completely lost his mind?
If it was neither of those, then this could only mean—he had a much bigger scheme.
Old Marquis Qi’s face darkened. “For Qilin to be stationed by Feng Caiwei’s side… what were they planning?”
This time they provoked Qi Yuan into clashing with the Tian family.
But who would’ve thought Qi Yuan would be like a gust of autumn wind sweeping away dead leaves—wiping out Tian Baoci and Tian Bozhi in one stroke.
Now even the Empress Dowager had come out to admit her guilt.
So what else were they planning?
Qi Yuan’s face was icy. “They hold evidence that the Imperial Grandson once lived on Mount Longhu after leaving Mount Mao. It’s enough to accuse him of deceiving the emperor. And there’s another person—Cao Pingan from the Imperial Stables.”
The Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Stables.
And right now, he was the one in charge of transporting disaster relief supplies to Jiangxi.
Old Marquis Qi suddenly felt like he’d fallen into icy water. His entire body trembled, and he blurted out, “Yuan girl! This absolutely cannot be exposed right now!”
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