Chapter 20
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This bow was used for hunting before they got married. It might have been too long. Although the bow was well maintained, the strength of the string had weakened a lot.
Zhang Siyong’s angry yell came from outside: “Who was it? Dare to assassinate me?!”
He was a martial artist who was practicing all the year round and had been through a lot of battles. Thus, once he noticed the movement, he avoided the sharp arrow that shot at his heart mercilessly.
Yun Qingci felt a little regretful.
With Li Ying’s shooting skills, if he shot faster, Zhang Siyong would have already been dead at this moment.
It’s just that when Yun Qingci came here, he didn’t think that Li Ying would really agree to let him aim an arrow at his uncle. He seemed to underestimate Li Ying’s acting skills.
This man was meticulous, and he must have expected Zhang Siyong to avoid before he dared to shoot.
Yun Qingci ridiculed him thoroughly in his heart and retracted the bow into the carriage.
Zhang Siyong had already pulled out the arrow, and blood flowed wildly over his chest. But the arrow didn’t pierce deeply and didn’t hit a fatal point, so his life was narrowly saved. He was cautious and knowing that he would go out today, he had put on his armor in advance.
Old Marquis Zhang’s soldiers quickly surrounded the carriage at the entrance of the alley. With a clanging sound, long swords were unsheathed one after another, set in formation.
Zhang Siyong’s face was gloomy as he shouted, “Who is Your Excellency, and why are you hiding in the carriage to deliberately hurt people?!”
He knew that since the other party dared to hurt him in front of the Marquis’s Mansion, he must have had a good backing. He mentally crossed out several families who had contradictions with the Zhang family and secretly clenched a sword in his hand.
Since it was a deliberate provocation by the other party, don’t blame his men for being ruthless. The country’s laws were clear, and killing in self-defense was not murder.
Even if he made trouble in front of the emperor, he was within his rights.
He stared at the carriage intently and did not notice that Jin Huan and Yinxi were looking at him coolly. Mr. Liu did not come today and His Majesty was hiding in the carriage. This guy was really bold to draw a sword at His Majesty’s carriage.
Li Ying was waiting for Yun Qingci’s instructions: “Since he is not dead, does Lord Empress want me to show up?”
Yun Qingci shrank his head and said innocently: “I didn’t hurt anyone.”
Li Ying smiled.
Outside, Zhang Siyong said impatiently: ”Whose b*tch are you…”
The carriage door was pushed open.
The emperor was dressed in a black outfit, and his splendid dragon boots poked out slightly from under the hem of his robe. Every inch of this man’s body seemed to overflow with magnificence. Just sitting there, he made people feel cold.
The unfinished words stuck in his throat, Zhang Siyong swallowed heavily.
There was a continuous ‘clang’ sound, as the soldiers dropped their swords and knelt down in horror.
“Your, Your Majesty, greetings to Your Majesty! Forgive this servant for a poor welcome.”
Zhang Siyong’s face turned pale.
In the past he had never feared Li Ying. After all, he was Li Ying’s uncle. Unless he made a big mistake, Li Ying would not touch him. But today, Li Ying appeared here and shot an arrow at him…
He was sweating profusely and didn’t even dare to ask if he had done something wrong.
There was a beautiful man in Li Ying’s arms. His face was fairy-like, but when he turned his head gently, the impression he made was that of a snake, cold and dangerous.
Yun Qingci.
Yun Qingci, what’s wrong with him?
This evildoer.
Li Ying got out of the carriage still embracing Yun Qingqi, and the latter stood beside him obediently, ready to watch how the scene would be played next.
Li Ying didn’t tell him to get up, and Zhang Siyong didn’t dare to move. He only saw the dragon boots walk up to the sword on the ground and a bamboo-white hand pick up the sword
Zhang Siyong had goose bumps all over his body.
At this moment, there was a movement in the mansion, and Old Marquis Zhang hurried out with Li Ying’s eldest uncle and second uncle.
One of these two people was an official in the Ministry of War, and the other was the chief lieutenant. Both of them were people in power who could scare civilians to death, and everything the Zhang family owned had been given to them by Li Ying during the seven years of his reign.
He ascended the throne at the age of thirteen. At that time, Prime Minister Yun was often by his side as an auxiliary advisor, but though he had been hand-picked by the late emperor, he was always an outsider in Li Ying’s eyes, not to mention that there was the Empress Dowager ready to provoke discord.
Li Ying was raised by the Empress Dowager since he was a child. He had a deep relationship with her and always respected her very much.
When they were newly married, Li Ying told him everything, including the fact that the Empress Dowager had asked him for official positions, but no matter how much he respected the Empress Dowager, he was still the emperor, and he was in a dilemma between principle and family affection.
In fact, Empress Dowager Zhang not only cried in front of Li Ying, but also in front of Yun Qingci. She cried that she was not loved by the late emperor. She cried that she had finally endured until the time the prince became the emperor, but Li Ying was distant. Was Li Ying the same as the late emperor and, after ascending the throne, didn’t want to recognize her as a mother?
Yun Qingci thought about his own mother and helped the Empress Dowager to persuade Li Ying.
He originally didn’t want Li Ying’s mother to be hurt because of such trivial things, but in the end the Zhang family was strengthened and the Yun family was weakened, and it became a matter of raising a tiger.
However, the monstrous power of his maternal family was not a bad thing for Li Ying. With the help of his maternal uncles, Li Ying’s status was only getting more and more stable.
Seeing these three people coming out, Yun Qingci thought that this scene was probably over.
As soon as these people sang in harmony, they would soon turn the matter of stealing the porcelain into a small thing.
He took the hand stove from Yinxi and indifferently watched the three of them kneel down: “Greetings to Your Majesty, we don’t know what crime this dog committed, but we hope Your Majesty will clear the misunderstanding!”
Since they asked, Li Ying clarified: “Lord Empress’s porcelain, do you have it?”
As soon as these words came out, the people breathed out a sigh of relief, and Zhang Siyong even curved the corners of his mouth.
That’s it?
Old Marquis held his waist and was lifted up by his two sons. His eyes fell on Yun Qingci’s face, his expression full of unconcealed contempt.
He smiled and said, “It turns out that Your Majesty came here for this. This old minister thought Siyong had committed some unforgivable crime.”
Li Ying stared at him.
The Old Marquis looked at Yun Qingci and said, “I really didn’t know that that thing belonged to the Lord Empress. If Lord Empress is offended, please forgive this minister’s negligence.”
There were a lot of them, and Yun Qingci naturally didn’t persist. He also smiled and said, “Old Marquis is very right. Next time I invite people to view, I will put my name in big letters, lest those who don’t have eyes offend me as a commoner.”
This was obviously meant for Li Ying.
The Old Marquis’s face sank, and he said, “Your Majesty Lord Empress, please speak with caution, my Zhang family has never bullied anyone!”
Yun Qingci’s eyes opened slightly. His fingers clenched on Li Ying’s sleeve, he hid behind Li Ying and whispered, “I never said that… Old Marquis is so fierce.”
The Old Marquis choked, “You…”
“Enough,” Li Ying said. The Old Marquis was silent, but when he saw him tilt his head slightly, his tone became lighter again: “What does Lord Empress want to do?”
Of course I want your uncle’s family to die.
Yun Qingci said, “Since we are all relatives and there was a misunderstanding, just return the porcelain to me.”
A misunderstanding?
Zhang Siyong felt suffocated. Yun Qingci obviously did it deliberately. He got shot with an arrow; if he had to return the porcelain, wouldn’t he have suffered the injury in vain?
As soon as the Old Marquis was about to make a sound, Zhang Siyong said stiffly: “Your Majesty, I’m afraid that the porcelain cannot be returned to the Lord Empress.”
Yun Qingci raised his eyebrows, but Li Ying was very calm: “Oh?”
“There was a cat making trouble in the mansion yesterday and accidentally broke it.”
Yun Qingci pinched Li Ying’s arm with a sudden force.
Li Ying did not move and confirmed with Old Marquis Zhang: “Is this true?”
Whether they were a family or not, Old Marquis reacted quickly and said, “That porcelain, it was indeed placed in his room, and the old minister doesn’t know.”
Li Ying’s eyes looking at Zhang Siyong became deep and meaningful, and he reconfirmed again: “Is it really broken?”
“Yes.” Zhang Siyong did not hesitate, saying with a respectful attitude: “This matter is indeed the responsibility of this servant, and this servant will make up for it later, aaaaa——”
With a scream of horror, Old Marquis Zhang suddenly saw the emperor swing a sword, and one of his youngest son’s arms fell on the ground in front of him.
Blood gushed out.
No one expected that Li Ying would suddenly do something, and even Yun Qingci stiffened.
But he did not see blood.
Before Li Ying moved, one of his hands pressed Yun Qingci’s head to his shoulder. Gently rotating him, he turned him around and ordered: “Help the Lord Empress get in the carriage.”
Jin Huan and Yinxi turned pale, and they hurriedly came up to help Yun Qingci.
Behind him, Old Marquis Zhang knelt down again: “Your Majesty, Your Majesty, this servant will look again! Hurry up, go and see if it is broken!”
Zhang Siyong kept rolling in pain.
Blood quickly flowed all over the ground.
Old Marquis Zhang stretched out his hand to help his son in an extreme panic, trying to block the blood spurting from the injury, forgetting about his back pain: “Your Majesty, Your Majesty, spare him, he just spoke without thinking, there was no malice, Your Majesty.”
“I’ll give you one more chance. If it’s really broken, then I’ll have him…”
The blade reached Zhang Siyong.
“…buried with the porcelain that belonged to the Lord Empress.”
Chief Lieutenant Zhang quickly rushed back with the box, threw himself down in front of Li Ying and raised his hands high: “Here, no, it’s not broken. Your Majesty, look, it’s good, it’s here.”
Li Ying looked at Jin Huan who quickly stepped forward, took the box and handed it to Yun Qingci in the carriage. After a short while, he returned and confirmed: “It’s the Lord Empress’s porcelain and everything is alright with it.”
Old Marquis Zhang felt elated, as he said, “Your Majesty, Your Majesty, after the things have been returned to the Lord Empress, please, for the sake of Empress Dowager, forgive him for being quick-mouthed.”
Li Ying said thoughtfully, with a cool expression: “Is it being quick-mouthed or is it lying to the Emperor?”
The sword was thrown in front of Old Marquis Zhang, and Li Ying said slowly, “Old Marquis should know the laws of our country. You will personally deal with this villainous official and thief.”
If one covered up for an official who deceived the monarch, it was tantamount to treason.
For conspiring to treason, the whole family had to be seized and beheaded.
Li Ying boarded the carriage.
Yun Qingci sat in the carriage in silence. He heard the clatter of horse hooves and turned around.
Outside the carriage, Zhang Siyong frantically begged for mercy: “Dad, Dad, I was wrong, father, don’t kill me, father –”
The voice stopped abruptly.
The carriage passed through the silent alley and soon arrived at the bustling street. There was a sound of lively hawking around, but it was quiet in the carriage.
Li Ying sat next to Yun Qingci, looking at him for a while. His gaze fell on Yun Qingci’s hand that rested quietly on his lap.
The wide sleeves moved slightly, and Li Ying’s palm was placed over Yun Qingci’s hand.
Yun Qingci lowered his eyes and withdrew his hand abruptly.
After a brief silence, Li Ying said, “Why are you upset?”
Yun Qingci looked at him, and for a moment, he thought that he didn’t know Li Ying anymore.
How could he do this for his sake?
Yun Qingci pursed his lips very lightly, raised his eyebrows and said, “Your Majesty, you are really cruel.”
Li Ying’s fingers trembled slightly, and it took a while for him to say, “You are blaming me.”
“How dare I?” Yun Qingci said, “Your Majesty was angry for me, and I haven’t even thanked you, how would I dare to blame you?”
Li Ying paused, took a breath and said, “If you don’t blame me, why are you so distant?”
Yun Qingci stared at him for a long time, then suddenly softened his voice: “Your Majesty.”
There was inquiry and hesitation in his tone: “Do you really have a heart?”
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Of course Yun Qingci knew, he was the one facing his cruelty nature in his first life
??? Wasn’t he the one who wanted the emperor to kill the uncle?
he didnt expect the emperor to go that far to uphold the farce of loving him