Old Marquis Qi immediately became restless.
Now they were like grasshoppers tied to the same rope as Xiao Yunting — if he prospered, they prospered; if he fell, they were doomed as well. If anything happened to Xiao Yunting, they were finished too.
At this moment, Old Marquis Qi revealed his decisiveness. He said in a deep voice, “Yuan girl, I’ll go kill him!”
As long as that eunuch Cao Pingan died, all hidden dangers would disappear.
Normally, words like “kill him” were things Qi Yuan would say. This time, it came straight from Old Marquis Qi.
Qi Zhen had just stepped through the door when he heard this, and he immediately grabbed onto the antique shelf beside him for support.
Nervously, he thought, “This shelf doesn’t seem very sturdy… I really need to have someone build a stronger one soon.”
They had just killed so many people — Feng Caiwei, Tian Baozi, and Tian Bozhi.
Count it up — it was a chain of killings.
Couldn’t they at least take a break for a couple of days before killing more people?!
At the very least… at least wait until the Tian family had finished the seven-day mourning period before continuing the killing, right?
But even as he thought this, Qi Zhen knew it was just self-deception.
Because the mourning period was long over.
By now, the corpses of Tian Bozhi and Tian Baozi had already been recovered.
It was Lu Yifeng who led the team to retrieve them.
Reportedly, the bodies were completely unrecognizable — mutilated beyond belief.
But it didn’t matter. No one was going to investigate.
The remaining Tian family members were all locked up inside the mansion, with the Embroidered Uniform Guard guarding them tightly. No one knew how they would be dealt with yet.
At this point, the Tian family members were all desperately claiming that Tian Baozi wasn’t part of their family at all.
The Tian family was large, and Tian Bozhi’s branch wasn’t the only one.
The other branches had long been fed up with Tian Bozhi and Tian Baozi — both of them were overbearing and tyrannical.
But with the Empress Dowager around, plus the Tian family matriarch suppressing any attempt to divide the family, the whole clan had been forced to live together.
There had been no benefit to it — only now, when trouble struck, everyone had to suffer along with them.
“Who did we ever offend to deserve this?” The other Tian family branches lamented.
Qi Zhen knew all this because he had gone to the Ministry of Justice and happened to catch the Three Judicial Bureaus meeting to discuss the Tian family case.
The Three Judicial Bureaus — well, this was their job. They handled trials.
But what was truly surprising was Xiao Jingzhao.
This quiet, unassuming prince had shown extraordinary clarity of thought this time.
Starting with interrogating Tian Baozi’s servants, he dug up evidence that Tian Baozi had been feeding people to dogs since the age of twelve.
Not only that, Xiao Jingzhao went on to interrogate every single member of the Tian family.
No matter how difficult they were, how stubborn, he got something out of every single one.
Then, starting from the dogs, he began meticulously tracing where the dogs came from.
He cross-checked with missing persons reports in the surrounding areas.
Every single detail — nothing escaped him.
The officials of the Three Judicial Bureaus were full of praise for Xiao Jingzhao.
Qi Zhen spoke with a heavy expression, “Handling the Tian family case this time… Nanan County Prince has really stolen the spotlight.”
And that… probably wasn’t a good thing.
Qi Yuan, however, didn’t care.
If Xiao Jingzhao had no abilities, how could he have outlasted Qi Wang in their previous life? How could he have ended up ascending the throne with Feng Caiwei?
This man’s cunning and strategy were absolutely top-notch.
But that wasn’t the issue right now. She turned to look at Old Marquis Qi. “Grandfather, no need to kill anyone this time. Let them create their own mess.”
“Let them… create their own mess?”
Old Marquis Qi didn’t understand.
Qi Zhen also had no idea what Qi Yuan meant.
He didn’t even understand how the conversation had suddenly shifted to Cao Pingan.
Meanwhile, Cao Pingan himself was living quite comfortably.
With Pu Wuyong dead, the mountain that had weighed on his head was gone.
The chief eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonies was dead, and there was no suitable replacement for now. The responsibility had temporarily fallen to him.
This was truly a pie falling from the sky.
For years, he thought he would spend his life crushed under those two mountains above him.
Who knew he would see this day?
All thanks to His Highness Qi Wang.
If it weren’t for His Highness giving him opportunities in the past, letting him frequently appear before Emperor Yongchang, he would never have had this chance.
Thinking of Qi Wang, Cao Pingan secretly sighed.
“His Highness has truly suffered.”
Hongdu — though known for its abundance of natural treasures — couldn’t possibly compare to the prosperity of the capital.
Besides, His Highness had always aspired to the throne.
And now, he was confined to Hongdu.
Especially with his leg injured… how was he doing now?
At this thought, Cao Pingan’s face darkened. He lowered his eyes and coldly instructed his adopted son, “Did you take care of what I told you? I don’t want a single grain of rice delivered to Jiangxi!”
Disaster relief?
Heh. Let’s see what happens when Xiao Yunting arrives in Jiangxi, only to find the supplies are all sand and stones. What will the people think of this Imperial Grandson?
Tearing him apart would be considered mercy.
By then, even Emperor Yongchang wouldn’t be able to save him.
And this… would count as helping Qi Wang take revenge.
The young eunuch poured him tea respectfully and handed it over with a grin. “Don’t worry, godfather. Your orders — and His Highness’s matters — how could we possibly neglect them? It’s handled perfectly. Not a single mistake.”
Cao Pingan nodded with satisfaction and sipped his tea.
After finishing most of the memorials for the day, he raised an eyebrow and stood. “I’ll deliver these memorials to His Majesty. Keep sharp.”
The young eunuch quickly agreed.
But just as Cao Pingan reached the door, a little eunuch sweeping the floor suddenly crashed into him.
In an instant, the memorials in his hands scattered all over the floor.
Cao Pingan’s face darkened. He snapped, “Are you looking to die?!”
His godson, Xiao Dezi, rushed over in a panic to help pick them up, utterly terrified.
But the little eunuch who’d bumped into him wasn’t flustered at all. Instead, he lowered his voice and called softly, “Eunuch Cao.”
Cao Pingan sneered, just about to explode in fury.
When suddenly… that eunuch pulled out a seal and flashed it before him.
Cao Pingan was struck as if by lightning.
He immediately waved his hands, signaling for the other eunuchs, who were about to rush over, to retreat.
Frowning deeply, he snorted coldly. “Get inside. If you don’t kneel and confess today, don’t even think about leaving this door!”
Everyone couldn’t help but hold their breath for the little eunuch.
They all knew — Cao Pingan’s temper was unpredictable. When he was happy, he could be generous. But when unhappy — court caning was considered mild.
Once inside, Cao Pingan eyed the young eunuch suspiciously. “Who are you? And how did you get that seal?”
