After Qi Yuan finished speaking, the room fell into a deathly silence.
The Old Marquis and Qi Zhen both sank into a strange, mutual silence.
Yes—Qi Wang’s guards, elite among elites, so many of them, and yet they couldn’t protect their own princess?
Unless—unless they were never there to protect Han Yue’e in the first place.
Just like when Qi Yuan had said those words that incited the public’s anger—it was a chance she should never have been given. So why did those guards let her finish?
Qi Zhen’s lips trembled as he looked at Qi Yuan with a complicated expression. “You… you knew Qi Wang was intentionally setting Han Yue’e up to die. Why—why would you still help him kill her?”
Just two days ago, Qi Yuan had told them the only way out of this was to kill Qi Wang.
Qi Yuan picked up her teacup and said naturally, “She humiliated my maid and almost crushed her fingers. So I killed her first. Anyway, using his strength to do it didn’t cost me much.”
…
The Old Marquis’s expression twisted.
She said it so casually. As if she hadn’t just taken the life of a soon-to-be Wangfei, but simply killed a chicken.
He couldn’t help but ask, “And what about after? Aren’t you afraid that from now on, you’ll be the only one Qi Wang targets?”
Qi Yuan looked at them strangely. “Why would I be the only one left for him to deal with?”
She smiled and reminded them, “Didn’t I say before? There’s still both of you.”
Qi Zhen and the Old Marquis’s faces darkened immediately.
What a curse of misfortune.
Qi Yuan let out a soft laugh. “If Grandfather and Father still think this grudge can be resolved, or that pushing me out to take the fall will calm the storm, you can arrest me right now.”
The Old Marquis clutched his chest.
Qi Zhen felt completely defeated. Qi Wang had always taken an interest in his affairs, asking about everything in detail. And now, Qi Wang’s scheme had been exposed, and Han Yue’e had been forced upon him as a Wangfei.
How furious must he have been? You could tell just by how quickly Han Yue’e had died.
It had only been a few days.
The imperial edict had just been announced the day before, and Han Yue’e was already “accidentally dead.”
And she had “fallen to her death” in broad daylight, right in front of hundreds of people. No one could find anything suspicious.
If this was how Qi Wang treated Han Yue’e, what would he do to the Qi family?
Qi Zhen finally broke down. “He’s a prince! Do you understand? He’s Noble Consort Xiao Zou’s son! He’s not like the others!”
The Old Marquis’s expression changed drastically. “Qi Zhen! Have you gone mad?!”
But across from them, the girl remained calm. She let out a cold laugh. “What’s so untouchable about him? Isn’t his mother just a favored consort living off the grace of the dead, waving a dead person’s banner, and clinging to a dead person’s benefits?”
…
The Old Marquis stared blankly at Qi Yuan.
What she said was completely true.
Yes—although Noble Consort Xiao Zou held the title of consort, her power in the palace was equal to that of an empress, sometimes even overshadowing Empress Feng.
Everyone knew it but didn’t dare speak.
Noble Consort Xiao Zou was favored because she was the younger sister of the late Zou Wangfei.
The late Zou Wangfei had died tragically and unjustly, and Emperor Yongchang had always felt guilty. So he brought her sister into the palace and doted on her endlessly.
Noble Consort Xiao Zou’s words in the palace often carried more weight than Empress Feng’s.
Although the crown prince was Empress Feng’s son, he was sickly and eccentric, and Emperor Yongchang was never fond of him.
In contrast, Qi Wang had been loved by Emperor Yongchang from childhood to adulthood.
Qi Yuan’s return had shocked them too many times. Now, even hearing that she knew the real reason behind Noble Consort Xiao Zou’s rise didn’t faze Qi Zhen anymore. He just felt numb.
Clutching his chest, his voice came out hoarse: “You know all this, and you’re still not afraid of dying?”
The Old Marquis didn’t speak, but that was exactly what he was thinking.
Yes—that’s the point.
Since they knew Qi Wang was Emperor Yongchang’s most beloved son, and Noble Consort Xiao Zou was his favorite consort, how could she still dare to speak so arrogantly, saying she’d kill Qi Wang?
Killing Han Yue’e was easy because Qi Wang didn’t want a disgraceful Wangfei anyway.
But Qi Wang himself was a mountain.
Qi Yuan sneered.
Perhaps it was because her smile was so infuriating that Qi Zhen snapped. “What are you laughing at? Are we wrong?”
“Why can’t he be killed?” Qi Yuan suddenly slammed her teacup onto the floor.
Shards flew everywhere, and her voice echoed in the room along with the sound of breaking porcelain. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”
Killing Qi Wang—it wouldn’t be the first time. In her previous life, Qi Wang had died by her hand.
In her past life, Qi Wang had already won everything and was about to ascend the throne. Yet she still stabbed him to death.
People were just flesh and blood. Why should Qi Wang be invincible?
If she could kill him once, she could kill him again.
Qi Zhen and the Old Marquis both felt their hearts racing and their breathing tightening.
Such arrogance.
But this time, neither of them got the chance to rebuke her.
Qi Yuan was already speaking: “Is Qi Wang the only person in court you can side with? Will you die if you don’t?”
Qi Zhen’s expression flickered.
The Old Marquis pressed a hand on Qi Zhen’s shoulder and looked at Qi Yuan. “What are you getting at?”
“If you already hate Qi Wang, then you should think about who else hates him too—and help them.” Qi Yuan smiled faintly. “You’ve been in court for so many years. Do I really need to teach you this?”
Qi Zhen finally lost patience. “You think it’s that simple?”
Never mind the crown prince’s frail health that made it seem like he could die any day—Empress Feng’s estrangement from Emperor Yongchang wasn’t something that could be easily resolved.
As soon as the crown prince died, Empress Feng might not even be able to keep her position as empress.
He let out a long, bitter sigh. “You think everyone in court is stupid? That you’re the only smart one?”
“They’re not stupid.” Qi Yuan tapped the dark lacquered table with her finger. “They just don’t know—that the incident back then wasn’t caused by the Feng family or Empress Feng at all.”
The Old Marquis and Qi Zhen were momentarily stunned.
When they processed her words, their whole bodies went cold.
The Old Marquis’s voice trembled with excitement. “You’re saying—the incident with Zou Wangfei back then…”
There had always been many versions of what happened when Zou Wangfei was ambushed by sea bandits.
The most widely accepted theory was that the Feng family orchestrated it.
Everyone believed the Feng family had done it to pave the way for Empress Feng.
Qi Zhen’s throat burned, but he ignored the pain as he stared at Qi Yuan. “Who told you that?”
