《Detective Ghost Empress》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1: Three ghosts! ¡± Ah! That really hit the spot!¡± Liu Hui Ying chugged down a big gulp of beer and let out a contented sigh before picking up her chopstick and taking a bite of the webfoot octopus. ¡± Hmmm! This is what I call life! A pic under shimmering moonlight, what more do we need!¡± ¡± Humph, that¡¯s one way to put it,¡± said a young girl in her twenties as she took a sip of her beer and rolled her eyes. ¡± You promised us a pic in a field with roses, not having me drive to this abandoned cliff.¡± She pointed to the edge of the cliff with a big boulder sitting next to it. A big signboard with safety precautions about not getting close to the edge of the cliff was hanging on top of the big boulder¨C maybe this was the reason why no human was visible in in sight. ¡± She is right, you know,¡± said an elderly woman as she sipped on her green tea and looked at Liu Hui Ying, her white hair twinkling under the moonlight. ¡± We worked so hard so that you can get the promotion, a field with roses was the least we deserved.¡± Liu Hui Ying stared at the two of them chiming after one another and raised her beer can in the air. ¡± Jia Li, Grandma Lan Fen, what are you guysining about?¡± She pointed her hand at the man who was chugging his beer down while munching on fried chicken and said, ¡± Look at Li Gang, see how he is enjoying himself quietly, do you really have to be so harsh on me? I looked long and hard to find a spot where we can have our pic without any disturbance, yet you guys are ming me.¡± ¡± He is enjoying himself because he has long given up having hopes from you, Boss Hui Ying,¡± said Jia Li with a snort, her big almond eyes sharply looking at the gloomy-looking man with a buzz cut. ¡± And he can even enjoy himself next to a trash can, what are youparing us gentledies with him.¡± Li Gang stopped his munching and raised his head and looked at Jia Li with his fox eyes that glinted sharper than any de. ¡± I have long learned my lesson to not expect anything from this miser,¡± he tipped his chin at Liu Hui Ying and snorted. ¡°It is not my fault that you guys keep having high hopes whenever she says that she is going to reward us. Last time she promised that she will get me my favourite French wine and look what she got me.¡± He raised his beer can and scoffed, ¡± A ten-dor beer.¡± As he finished speaking, he gulped the rest of the beer down in one go. ¡± Li Gang is right, you could have given us better offerings even if you didn¡¯t bring us to a rose garden,¡± said Jia Li licking her chopsticks as she ate the webfoot octopus. ¡°I wanted to eat, Peking roasted duck you know?¡± ¡± And I wished to eat some tiramisu, my sweet cravings have been getting to me these days.¡± sighed Grandma Lan Fen ..... ¡± Oi, Oi, Oi!¡± mming her hand on the ground, Liu Hui Ying stared at the three people who were munching on the food without stopping yet they were stillining about one thing after another. She tipped her head at the three of them and snapped, ¡± You all think that earning money is an easy peasy job, don¡¯t you? Do you have any idea how hard it is to raise the three of you?¡± She pointed at Grandma Lan Fen and said, ¡± Your granddaughter needed to go on a study trip, who gave her ten thousand yuan secretly? I did.¡± Then turning her head to look at Jia Li, she smiled and added, ¡± You are the one who is the most high maintenance, you want clothes with the softest fabrics and if that¡¯s not enough, you are also addicted to watching detective dramas, who pays for your subscription?¡± She pointed to herself and said, ¡± That¡¯s right, I do.¡± Finally, she turned to look at Li Gang who lowered his head before he started munching on his fried chicken. Seeing him avoid her gaze, Liu Hui Ying snorted. ¡± And this one is simply a hopeless case, from all the women he can go for, he chases the ones who are nothing but gold diggers,st time he bullied me into buying a diamond ring because apparently, the girl he found was true love and what happened? That girl vanished into thin air after she took the ring from him. And this guy is still single.¡± Sweeping a nce at the three employees of hers, she clicked her tongue. ¡± That¡¯s right, you might think that being promoted is something good but the money that you guys spend on yourself is simply astronomical. I can¡¯t even start on the expenses that you all have... especially food, you all order food without letting me know and when Ie home, you want my hard-earned money to be offered,¡± she snapped her fingers. ¡± Like this, you see?¡± Neither of the three spoke and only then did Liu Hui Ying suck in a breath and said, ¡± And as for the rose garden that you all wanted to visit so much¨C let me ask you one thing? What would we have done lest someone saw three pairs of chopsticks and three beer cans flying in the air? Maybe you have forgotten but you all are dead. DEAD. Right now except me, no one can see you all, so better be grateful and say thank you boss¨C¡± she was cut off when something or someone stepped on a leaf behind them. Eyes widening, she looked at the three ghosts in front of her and said, ¡± What are you all doing? Put those things down.¡± The three ghosts obliged at once, as Li Gang snorted. ¡± So much for a peaceful spot.¡± Liu Hui Ying simply red at him. The four of them waited with abated breath for the person to step out in the moonlight and they did ¡ª Dressed in a vibrant red wedding dress that might have been fashionable in the era of an old dynasty, a woman stepped out of the forest and headed towards the cliff. ¡± Is she trying tomit suicide?¡± whispered Jia Li with a stunned look on her face. ¡± That¡¯s not good, is it? If she dies before her time, then her soul will be eradicated.¡± ¡± And what¡¯s worse is that I will be suspended!¡± snapped Liu Hui Ying as she climbed to her feet, as the newly appointed head of the detective unit, she couldn¡¯t allow the woman tomit suicide lest the matter was chased back to her. ¡± Jeez, these people. They never let police department rest.¡± With a haughty snort, she strode towards the woman in red and called out, ¡± Hey miss, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with you but let¡¯s not be hasty, we can talk it out ...what do you say? Come with me, have some alcohol and dried squid or something ...we can make it better.¡± ¡± Ev...Everything is lost, I can¡¯t do this anymore...¡± the woman in red muttered as she continued to walk towards the cliff. ¡± Lost ...Lost ....¡± ¡± Heydy!¡± Thest thing Liu Hui Ying remembered was sping onto the wrist of the woman in red who jumped and the screams of her three ghost employees. As she plunged into the darkness together with the woman. Chapter 2 Chapter 2: Boom transmigration: poisoned wine ¡± Liu Hui Ying, wake up we are in deep shit!¡± ¡± Hui Ying! Wake up! Or else I am going to whack your ass!¡± ¡± Hui Ying dear wake up please before you be just a spirit of the dead like us!¡± Death ¡ª the word was scary enough for Liu Hui Ying to wake up at once as, though her head felt like it has been smashed with a baseball bat with a then thrown in front of a bus to be trodden on, she still sat up straight despite the rolling and tilting world. ¡± What¡¯s going on, I don¡¯t think that I drank so much right?¡± She blinked the haze out of her eyes and then looked around, what she saw made her frown ¡ª she was lying on a bed that had a circr opening with curtains hanging on both sides, the stuffing of the bed was harder than the one she was used to, and what was more the entire room was filled with the thing she has only seen in historical dramas. ¡± W..What is this?¡± She jumped out of the bed and almost stumbled because of the length of the dress she was wearing, stunned she looked down and what she saw nearly made her pass out. ¡± This ...This ..why is this on my body?¡± she asked the three ghosts hovering in the air, though what she was going through was simply unexpected but at least she had her three employees with her or else Liu Hui Ying was sure that she was going to lose her mind. ¡± What happened? Are we dragged into some shooting or something ¡± Jia Li stared at her with aplicated expression before pointing to the small mirror that was sitting on the table across the bed and saying, ¡± You better take a look at your face first, you will get a better understanding of what¡¯s happening.¡± ..... ¡± My face? Is it scarred? Did I receive stic surgery or what¨C¡± Liu Hui Ying¡¯s words were cut off the second she looked in the mirror because in the mirror, it wasn¡¯t her but the woman in red. Her peach blossom eyes blinked along with the rhythm with which Liu Hui Ying was blinking her eyes. ¡± This can¡¯t be happening ...No way is this happening...¡± muttered Liu Hui Ying as she backed off from the mirror. ¡± That¡¯s ..That¡¯s not me!¡± And what was more the girl was too slender like a frail little flower! All the muscles that she worked hard for in the police unit were gone and were now reced with silky, soft skin that was nothing like her. Even her double D¡¯s were gone! Covering her face with her hands, Liu Hui Ying shook her head. ¡± This can¡¯t be happening to me, not a night before my promotion!¡± ¡± Well, this really did happen,¡± said Li Gang as he floated down on the floor and rubbed his jaw. ¡± I don¡¯t know what happened when you touched that woman, but as soon as you caught her something weird happened and then we were here.¡± ¡± Li Gang is right,¡± said Jia Li as she too came to stand next to Liu Hui Ying and softly spoke, ¡± I know that you are shocked but the truth is that you are now in the body of the woman who was trying to jump from the cliff.¡± Liu Hui Ying stared at the two of them before snapping angrily. ¡± You two should at least let me deny my reality in peace for two seconds, can you? What is this fierce way of making me realise the truth of my situation? Do you really need to do something as cruel as that?¡± ¡± It will be better for you to get hold of yourself as quickly as possible because the woman was delivered poisoned wine just a minute ago,¡± said Li Gang causing Liu Hui Ying¡¯s thoughts to pause at once. ¡± What did you say ...what wine ...?¡± For the first time in her life, Liu Hui Ying felt like she couldn¡¯t wrap her head around a peculiar situation, which was new to her given that she was in the police and was prepared to tackle the worst out of the worst situation. ¡± Poison wine,¡± said Grandma Lan Fen as she took a sniff of the jar that was kept on the cab next to the bed and shook her head. ¡± The scent of death in there is very faint but it is there, I am afraid that even if the poison doesn¡¯t have the ability to kill you ... constant consumption will lead to a very slow painful death.¡± Liu Hui Ying chuckled, looking at therge jar and said, ¡± Who in their right mind would drink a poisoned wine?¡± ¡± They will if all the sources of water, food and everything else were taken away from the room,¡± muttered Li Gang under his breath, only then did Liu Hui Ying take a nce at the room and realised that her third employee was right. Except for the poisoned wine, there was nothing else in the room, it was as if the one who was keeping this woman here, was waiting for the woman to be desperate and take a sip of the poisoned wine. ¡± You have got to be kidding me,¡± she strolled out of the bedroom, the three ghosts following behind her. As she walked out of the bedroom, she realised that whoever had the woman locked in the bedroom was really serious¨C they really wanted the woman to die! The entire room waspletely empty of anything edible and the woman was the only one inside the room. ¡± This woman must have done something really bad,¡±mented Jia Li as she surveyed the surrounding. ¡± I mean a slow death than a painless one, it¡¯s really terrible.¡± ¡± And that terrible death is going to befall on me in case I don¡¯t get out of this room quickly!¡± said Liu Hui Ying as she headed towards the door of the room but no sooner did she push open the door than several swords were aimed at her at once. Chapter 3 Chapter 3: Informant Disimer: All characters, dynasties, names and everything else in this book is imaginary. Any corrtion is simply a coincidence. Li Gang immediately pulled Liu Hui Ying back with her cors as he murmured in her ears, ¡± I don¡¯t want to tell you this but those are the real deal, if they passed by you ...then we will be holding your funeral tomorrow.¡± Listening to his words Liu Hui Ying stiffened as she took a step back voluntarily and looked at the swords that were aimed at her and said, ¡± This is the most unlucky day of my life...I swear.¡± ¡± Your majesty,¡± a deep voice with a timbre that was hard to ignore echoed in the wooden corridor and Liu Hui Ying looked over her shoulder to see who this ¡®your majesty¡¯ was when Jia Li turned her head in the front and said, ¡± You are the one wearing a crown, what are you looking back at for?¡± ¡± Have you lost your investigation skills along with your observation? Why are you making so many mistakes one after another?¡± said Grandma Lan Fen as she stared at Liu Hui Ying with concern. ¡± You must have seen the crown in your head when you looked in the mirror right now, right?¡± ¡± You are talking like I transmigrate every day,¡± murmured Liu Hui Ying in a low voice. ¡± And with a poisoned wine waiting for me.¡± ¡± I think we can still take this many men,¡± said Li Gang rolling his right shoulder while cracking his neck. ¡± We can just go bam and then whoosh and then bam, I am sure they will be down.¡± ..... Jia Li rolled her eyes at him. ¡± Do you think that its that easy? From what I can see, we are in apletely different ce and era. We transmigrated here so surely the way of going back lies in this very ce, if we were to leave then how will we go back huh?¡± When Jia Li said those words, the lock on Liu Hui Ying¡¯s mind finally opened and she punched her right fist in the palm of her left hand. Jia Li was right, if she wanted to go back then she will have to look around for clues and see if there was any invisible path that led her back to her world. Just as she was thinking about how to go back to her world, a hand reached out to her followed by a very foul smell and she immediately dodged it. ¡± Uh oh,¡± said Li Gang with a shake of his head. ¡± You have to be kidding me.¡± ¡± That¡¯s what I think it is, right?¡± said Grandam Lan Fen as she peered at the face of the neer. Jia Li winced. ¡± Yes, it¡¯s a man.¡± ¡± Your majesty,¡± the man dressed in ck hanfu with armour on his chest looked at Liu Hui Ying and spoke cordially, ¡± This general is afraid that you cannot leave your room¨C¡± He was still speaking when Liu Hui Ying closed the door on his face and turned her back to the figure standing outside before striding in and rubbing her temples. ¡± What is that doing here?¡± ¡± You might be forgetting but we aren¡¯t in our house anymore,¡± said Li Gang with an amused voice. ¡± Man, you should see your face, you look like you have stepped in shit or something of the sort.¡± ¡± Well, men are no different from trash anyway,¡± said Liu Hui Ying feeling an itch almost crawling on her skin. ¡± Hey, I am a man too, you know?¡± ¡± You don¡¯t count.¡± Li Gang ced his hands on his waist and said, ¡± How so?¡± ¡°You are a ghost and...¡± her eyes shed before she shook her head and said, ¡± I can take you on if you try anything .¡± Seeing that her expression has turned really bad, Li Gang said nothing. On the other hand, Jia Li sympathetically floated towards Liu Hui Ying and said, ¡± Just take a deep breath and think of him as a potato or something, just like you did when you went to work and nothing more.¡± Liu Hui Ying sucked in a breath and sat down on the bed with a circr opening, her fingers drumming on the edge of the wooden frame. ¡± What we need right now, is someone who will let us know what kind of mess we are in at the moment.¡± She blinked her eyes, her curled eyshes fanning her cheeks as she looked around the almost empty room beforeing to a stop at the poisoned wine. ¡± Or else, I will have no chance but to take the most extreme step. Because no way I am getting executed like the old way ...I heard that dying like that hurts a lot.¡± Grandma Lan Fen nodded. ¡± A few years ago I met with a traitor general¡¯s soul and he told me that when he died, he was literally begging for death to take him. I don¡¯t see you begging but you never know..¡± she trailed off when Liu Hui Ying looked at her. Getting up from her seat, she started pacing around the room. ¡± I think you three¨C¡± ¡± I am telling you that my mistress is innocent and if you want to give her a prejudiced death then so be it! I will die together with her!¡± A female shouted outside the room causing Liu Hui Ying to pause and turned to walk back into the front hall from her bedroom and stare at the ck silhouette that was outside the paper sliding door. ¡± Qui Ai, listen to me¨C¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to listen to you general Yu Lingyun, I have decided my fate. If death is what awaits my mistress then I will happily follow her!¡± After saying that the female silhouette threw the hand of the man outside and pushed open the door. ¡± What the, she looks like she is sixteen or something,¡± said Liu Hui Ying taking the small tear-stricken face with round eyes. Two bouncing buns were tied on the head of the maid and she was dressed in a pink blouse with a sky blue skirt, her steps unsteady because of how much she was crying. Jia Li looked at her and pointed out. ¡± You don¡¯t look that old either, seventeen at most.¡± ¡°The Emperor must be a pervert,¡± sneered Liu Hui Ying as she stared at the maid and pped her hands. ¡± But who cares about him, I got what I want.¡± Grandma Lan Fen turned to look at the maid and said, ¡± You wanted a servant? Are we not enough for you? Did we make a mistake?¡± ¡± Shii,¡± making an annoyed sound, Liu Hui Ying looked at Grandma Lan Fen and said, ¡± I meant that I got my information ticket,¡± while peering out of the room, she pointed at the girl and said, ¡± She is going to be our informant.¡± Chapter 4 Chapter 4: ns to save her life ¡± Your majesty!¡± Qui Ai saw Liu Hui Ying peering out of her room and immediately shrieked in delight before running towards her as if she was preparing tounch herself at Liu Hui Ying causing thetter to take several steps back. Right now, she saw that the maid was being held by that man keeping guard outside, she immediately retreated and looked around before her gaze fell on a ceramic water bowl with a washcloth, though there was no water in the bowl, the cloth looked wet enough. Picking it up, she threw it at the maid, the second she tried to throw herself at Liu Hui Ying. ¡± Sheesh, what are you doing?¡± Jia Li reprimanded her with a harsh tone. ¡± Do you think she is your servant or something like us? How can you treat her so harshly?¡± ¡± Well, in a way she is my servant,¡± said Liu Hui Ying with an awkward expression. ¡± Liu Hui Ying!¡± ¡± All right, all right,¡± she snapped before turning to look at the little maid that was staring at her in shock and cleared her throat before stretching her neck in a way to look impressive as she said, ¡± Its because you were touched by a man outside, why don¡¯t you wipe that hand, ande at me after you are done wiping?¡± The maid named Qui Ai stared at her before she burst out in tears, nheless even after bursting out in tears she still wiped her arm that was held by General Yu. ..... ¡± Oh..why is she crying?¡± Liu Hui Ying was an orphan after her parents died while dealing with a particrly evil spirit and ever since then she was raised by her aunt. Because she could see spirits, she was often ostracised by her ssmates and hardly any friends other than the ghosts she talked with every day, seeing a woman cry in front of her, all of a sudden, startled Liu Hui Ying so much that she almost jumped back. ¡± There is no need to cry is it?¡± ¡± Girls are delicate things you see?¡± with the generous amount of dating experience, Li Gang immediately gave his two-piece as he looked at Qui Ai. ¡± She announced outside that she was willing to die with the owner of this body, clearly she likes the owner a lot but then you threw a wet cloth at her, she might have been hurt by that action, all right?¡± ¡± I don¡¯t want to hear it from you, have you forgotten that six months ago you were awarded as ¡® Mister Bachelor¡¯ on the fortune asion of you being single for more than four hundred years?¡± hissed Liu Hui Ying. ¡± Even ghosts younger than you are getting a chance at dating and what about you?¡± Li Gang immediately shut up but Jia Li who was standing next to him patted Liu Hui Ying on her shoulder and said, ¡°No, I think, he is onto something... he might be right.¡± ¡± You might have really hurt, that little girl with your attitude, my dear,¡± said Grandma Lan Fen with a slight nod at the maid. Seeing that they were still going on and on about how she hurt the maid, Liu Hui Ying sighed and looked at the maid as she said, ¡± Hey listen, I think¨C¡± ¡± How hurt you must have been, your majesty,¡± finally done wiping her arms, Qui Ai threw herself at Liu Hui Ying and cried out. ¡± You love the Emperor so much that you aren¡¯t even willing to touch another man indirectly and yet the Emperor locked you up without thinking about it even once, he is such a ...such a ...such a ...¡± ¡± A jerk?¡± said Liu Hui Ying helpfully, Qui Ai in her arms stiffened before nodding against her. ¡± And what did that jerk do?¡± asked Liu Hui Ying promptly, given that Qui Ai was so agitated by the Emperor, then she will surely tell her everything that she wanted to know. ¡± The jer¨C The Emperor ordered you to be locked in your courtyard after Concubine Shenined that her abdomen was hurting andter on she lost her child and indirectly med you, your majesty saying that you might have mixed something in her drink at the congrattory banquet where the concubines were asked to pay their respects to you and that too right before your wedding night, your majesty.¡± Qui Ai said everything in one breath before taking a pause and said, ¡± But you already know this, your majesty, why are you asking me this again?¡± ¡± Ah, this is because...¡± ¡°WHAT?!!!¡± After listening to what Liu Hui Ying said Qui Ai screamed out loud causing Liu Hui Ying to shush her down. ¡± Don¡¯t shout, do you want everyone to know that I lost my memory wouldn¡¯t they take advantage of the situation.¡± Immediately, Qui Ai shut up and looked at Liu Hui Ying before asking in a soft voice. ¡± Did you really forget everything, your majesty?¡± ¡± Would I lie to you if I didn¡¯t,¡± said Liu Hui Ying as she turned around and sat down on the bed before pointing at the wine in the cab. ¡°What is the scene with the wine?¡± Qui Ai looked at the jar of the poisoned wine and answered, ¡± The Emperor bestowed it on you, saying that he will be merciful and give you three days to end your life.¡± ¡± And if I don¡¯t?¡± ¡± He will end it for you.¡± ¡± Fucking bastard,¡± cursed Liu Hui Ying with a sneer. This was why she will never trust men, they just have their eyes on so many women and wouldn¡¯t care about hurting anyone. She rolled her tongue in her mouth before she leaned forward with her elbows on her knees and asked, ¡± Qui Ai, do you have a dress simr to what the general outside is wearing?¡± Qui Ai stopped crying and nodded. ¡± I do, but what do you want to do with the dress, your majesty?¡± ¡± I have my ns regarding that dress, just get me one and I will show you what I can do,¡± said Liu Hui Ying with a smile before turning to look at the three ghosts standing behind her and added, ¡± And if you don¡¯t mind, can you bring it as quickly as you can?¡± Chapter 5 Chapter 5: Brainwashing ¡± Here you are your majesty,¡± Qui Ai brought back a ck robe that was quite simr to the one that the General outside was wearing, Liu Hui Ying took it from Qui Ai¡¯s hands and took a look at the robe that she was holding on to very carefully, she looked left and right before taking in a breath and asked, ¡± Why is this robe exactly the same as the one that man is wearing?¡± If Qui Ai said that she borrowed this from theundry or something, Liu Hui Ying was sure that she was going to lose her mind and vomit all over the ce until the food she ate in her world came hurling out her stomach. ¡± This...¡± Two red spots appeared on Qui Ai¡¯s cheeks and she shyly answered, ¡± The general asked me to embroider a crane on it, he said that because he has recently received a promotion, he needs to upgrade his wardrobe but since he doesn¡¯t have a family member there was no one at the house who will do it for him, that¡¯s the reason, he handed it to me, asking me to do it for him.¡± All the while she was talking about the bastard General, Qui Ai kept twisting and turning making Liu Hui Ying¡¯s right eye twitch. This was not going to work, if this girl wanted to work as her informant that she needed to be smarter than this...can¡¯t she see that the general had no feelings for her but was just using her teenagers¡¯ pheromones to his advantage to spy on the newly enthroned and soon to be dead Empress? She ced a hand on Qui Ai¡¯s shoulder and pulled her further inside the room, as she said, ¡± Qui Ai, look I am your mistress, I will never harm you all right?¡± She whispered in the ear of the maid as she began her brainwashing. It was a good thing that Qui Ai was still young and nodded seriously upon listening to Liu Hui Ying¡¯s words. ¡± Oh here she goes again,¡± muttered Li Gang as he rolled his eyes and threw his hands up in the air, Liu Hui Ying shot him a re before turning to look at Qui Ai with a gentle and considerate expression before saying, ¡± Look, just now when you came rushing inside the room what did you say to that bas¨C General?¡± Qui Ai blinked and then a sort of childish voice said, ¡± I told him that I am going to go and follow my mistress, even if she was to die ...I will die with her.¡± ¡± That¡¯s right,¡± snapping her fingers, Liu Hui Ying patted Qui Ai on the shoulder and unhurriedly said, ¡± The man didn¡¯t even stop you from dying with me do you know what it means?¡± ..... ¡± That he understood my loyalty to you?¡± ¡± Tsk, NO!¡± clicking her tongue, Liu Hui Ying immediately rejected the super ¡®romantic idea¡¯ in Qui Ai¡¯s head and said, ¡± That¡¯s not the truth, the truth is that he doesn¡¯t care about you at all... if he did, he would have stopped you or at least said things like I care about you Qui Ai, don¡¯t do this...did he say something like that to you?¡± Qui Ai shook her head looking dumbfounded. ¡± That¡¯s what I am telling you,¡± straightening up, Liu Hui Ying waved her hands left and right as she continued, ¡± What kind of guy would he be to understand your loyalty towards me when he cannot even understand his loyalty towards you.¡± Pointing at Qui Ai, Liu Hui Ying wrapped her arm around thetter¡¯s shoulders and said, ¡± A man should keep his woman over everything else, I am not saying that he should sacrifice his everything for her but if he can, he should try his best to save the woman he is interested in, can that General save you?¡± It didn¡¯t take long for Qui Ai to nod her head. ¡± He can save me.¡± ¡± But he didn¡¯t even try,¡± with a disappointed sigh, Liu Hui Ying ced both her hands on Qui Ai¡¯s shoulders. ¡± This shows that he approached you with a hidden agenda, if he doesn¡¯t care about you, why will he try to get closer to you?¡± ¡± That¡¯s because...¡± ¡± That¡¯s because?¡± Liu Hui Ying prodded her. Though Qui Ai was young, she grew up all the while resisting the schemes of the inner courtyard after Liu Hui Ying helped her do a quick run, she immediately cottoned on and her whole expression turned livid. ¡°He was trying to get close to me so that I will help him spy on you, your majesty!¡± ¡± Aren¡¯t you a smart little girl,¡± patting Qui Ai on the back, Liu Hui Ying swiftly added, ¡± That is why from now on if you see that man evering inside our courtyard ever again, send him back. In fact, there is no need to be nice, send him packing while chasing him with a broom.¡± She cupped Qui Ai¡¯s chin and said softly, ¡± That man hurt our dear little Ai, so he doesn¡¯t deserve to be here, at all. You got that?¡± ¡± I got it,¡± Qui Ai looked like she was going to cry making the three ghosts all feel bad for her. ¡± Why did you have to be so blunt?¡± Jia Li never got a chance to have her first love, she was always in a hurry to earn more money and that was why she studied harder than ever to be a forensic expert, but who would have thought that she wouldn¡¯t be able to live past twenty and die so soon. Seeing Qui Ai¡¯s pitiful expression, she felt her heart tug and harshly reprimanded Liu Hui Ying, ¡± Why did you break her heart so cruelly? Can¡¯t you see, she is still young.¡± Liu Hui Ying heaved a heavy sigh before turning her head behind her and whispered, ¡± Be grateful, because of me this naive and pure girl¡¯s heart was saved from being broken even more severely. Imagine if she developed true feelings for that jerk? He would have just used her and then dumped her.¡± ¡± Your majesty, why are you hissing behind your back?¡± noticing that Liu Hui Ying was whispering something in the air, Qui Ai couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± smiling Liu Hui Ying turned to look at the girl in front of her and said, ¡± I was just cursing that guy for hurting you like that.¡± Chapter 6 Chapter 6: A mouse to catch ¡± All right, now you stay here,¡± pointing to the small couch that was sitting outside the room, Liu Hui Ying ordered Qui Ai. ¡± I have something really important such as preparing myself to think about how to get out of this situation all right? Let me think in peace, okay?¡± ¡± Will you be all right, your majesty?¡± said Qui Ai with a concerned expression. ¡°The Emperor¡¯s cruel decision shocked you a lot tonight, I don¡¯t want to leave you alone, why not we think something in the morning?¡± ¡± Ah no, we can¡¯t leave the matter till tomorrow, what if someone tries to harm us tonight?¡± said Liu Hui Ying with a smile. ¡± That¡¯s why you stay here and protect the room, in case someone tries to barge in the room, you need to protect me, all right?¡± Qui Ai immediately puffed out her tiny chest and patted it. ¡± Don¡¯t worry, your majesty, I will certainly do that, you can leave your safety in my hands and I will surely protect you till thest breath.¡± Liu Hui Ying simply smiled and nodded. ¡± You do that, we will talk in the morning then.¡± After that, she ignored what the little girl had to say and closed the door shut before turning to face the three employees of her. ¡± Now you three listen to me very carefully, that concubine Shen, I don¡¯t know who the fuck she is but she got me in this mess and if I don¡¯t retaliate now, then I will be writing my name backwards from tomorrow morning.¡± After thinking it through carefully, Liu Hui Ying came to the conclusion that the only person responsible for her current predicament was Concubine Shen, she was the one who schemed against this sensitive woman, forced her into a corner and pushed her intomitting suicide. So, the person that needs to be dealt with was none other than that Concubine! ¡± What are you nning?¡± asked Li Gang with a raise of his brow. ¡± I don¡¯t like that expression on your face.¡± ..... ¡± My n is very simple,¡± she walked to the bed that sitting at the end of the room and picked up the robe that she has thrown on the table and burned it, letting Li Gang wear it. ¡± From what I heard from Qui Ai, the matter only happened an hour ago ¡ª if we minus all the sympathy and pity party that might have happened at her courtyard, upon losing her child... I am pretty sure that Concubine Shen must have started cleaning the evidence right now, and from the basic structure of the servants¡¯ hierarchy here, I can be sure that she must have at least three to four loyal servants, who will help her clean the scene. Since she just had a miscarriage, then that woman will be bedridden for a few days¡± raising her head she looked at the three of them and added, ¡± Go and catch the one who is hiding the evidence and have them confess make sure that it happens within an hour, I am not patient enough.¡± Tipping her chin at the door where the crowd of guards was standing, she scrunched up her nose and said, ¡± I really hate breathing the same air as those men, get them away from me.¡± ¡± Got it, boss,¡± Jia Li took the lead as she saluted Liu Hui Ying and walked through the wall, Li Gang and Grandma Lan Fen followed suit as they came out of the room through the wall. With his hands behind his head, Li Gang snorted. ¡± She always makes us work so hard, and yet we can¡¯t even get a decent meal.¡± ¡± We will try to talk about thatter with her,¡± getting up in the air, Jia Li opened the map that was drawn by Qui Ai andter on burned by Liu Hui Ying for her to study. ¡± Right now, our main focus is to stop her from dying, if we lose this host then I am afraid we will be taken by the Grim reaper since we will lose our jobs.¡± Grandma Lan Fen shivered. ¡± I heard the grim reaper of this era were a lot stiffer and the rules of the underworld were even more strict, I don¡¯t fancy going to the underworld of this time.¡± ¡± Then let¡¯s make sure that host of ours doesn¡¯t die,¡± cracking his neck, he rose to the air and said, ¡± Let¡¯s split up, the one who gets hold of the person we are looking for, will make a loud screech for others.¡± ¡± God I hate screeching,¡± said Jia Li clearing her throat. ¡± It¡¯s such an udylike thing.¡± ¡± Then go and get another option,¡± said Li Gang before shooting out towards the north where Concubine Shen¡¯s courtyard was. ¡± I will see youter dear,¡± said Grandma Lan Fen as she too flew away while muttering, ¡± All I wanted was a nice retirement and here I am working even after death.¡± Jia Li flew to the south where the cold pce was ¡ª after staying at the forensic department she understood a few things, since they wanted to make it look like the Empress was the one who killed Concubine Shen¡¯s child then they will surely hide the evidence where the Empress would be taken away in case she made out of the ordeal alive. A cunning person always had a second option prepared. And sure enough, as she flew towards the cold pce, Jia Li saw a maid trying to sneak inside the cold pce and immediately sucked in a breath before screeching as loudly as she could, ¡± The mouse is here at the cold pce! Hurry!¡± She didn¡¯t need to add thest word as Li Gang and Grandma Lan Fen teleported at once beside her causing her to choke. ¡± Oh, I forgot that we can do it.¡± Grandma Lan Fen smiled. ¡± Isn¡¯t it nice of Hui Ying to share so much of her spiritual energy with us?¡± ¡± What nice? She only shares it with us because she wants us to get her work done as quickly as she wants,¡± muttered Li Gang rubbing his head. ¡± Then let¡¯s end this matter as soon as we can,¡± said Jia Li before flying down in the direction of the maid who was sneaking inside the cold pce. ¡± We have a mouse to catch.¡± Chapter 7 Chapter 7: Scaring the little maid The maid that was sneaking inside the cold pce was named Xiao Mi, she was the youngest out of Concubine Shen¡¯s maids but she was one of her trusted servants, after all, she once put her life on the line for her mistress and even got a scar on her face for the sake of her mistress. Thus, even if Xiao Mi was young, she was trusted by Concubine Shen because of her sacrifices, even this task of hiding the abortion medicine in the cold pce came into her hands, after all the Liu family was putting pressure on the Emperor to let Empress Liu go and since the evidence was faint, there was a chance that the Empress would be able to get away from this matter but what if they were to provide a piece of evidence? Then what will the Liu family do? ¡± Hehe, after I finish with this task, I will be rewarded by concubine Shen,¡± Xiao Mi chuckled under her breath as she skipped past the guards that were guarding the gates and walked inside the cold pce through the dog hole that was at the wall of the back of the pce. ¡± I just need to bury this thing here and then the Empress will be finished¨C¡± just as she took out a bowl to dig into the ground of the pce, she felt a burst of cold wind sweep past her, stunned she dropped the bowl and stuttered, ¡± Wh...Who is here? I am telling you...I am concubine Shen¡¯s personal maid, don¡¯t even think abouting at me.¡± A cold voice snickered as a dark shadow swept through her. ¡± Concubine Shen ...Concubine Shen she says..! Ahahaha what fun! This little maid thinks that she can scare us off with the name of a mortal Concubine, Hehehehe!¡± The shrill voice echoed through the dark courtyard causing Xiao Mi¡¯s heart to turn cold. She was already spooked when the shadow walked through her, and when it went through her, she felt like she has been dumped into a frozenke, she has been staying in the pce for a long time, and she has heard all the rumours about the cold pce being haunted because of the number of concubines and Empresses took their life here, at first she thought that they were just rumours but now that she was experiencing it, Xiao Mi felt like she was going to lose her life. She immediately threw the abortion medicine carelessly on the ground and tried to flee but she was blocked by another dark shadow and a snickering voice echoed in the courtyard. ¡± She is running, she is running..e and catch her or else our meal will be gone!¡± Meal? She was going to be eaten? Nervousness and fear flooded her system and she immediately turned around to leave but just as she was trying to run, she came face to face with a figure that was dressed in a long robe. ¡± Are you running after sinning?¡± The ck figure said in a loud and domineering voice causing Xiao Mi¡¯s face to turn purple and she shook her head, ¡± I didn¡¯t...I didn¡¯tmit a sin.¡± ¡± LIES!¡± The figure boomed loudly and raised his hand in the air as if he was clutching someone¡¯s throat and Xiao Mi suddenly couldn¡¯t breathe anymore. Her eyes popped as she looked at the figure and strutted, ¡± Please...Please let me go...I didn¡¯t...I wasn¡¯t the one who did it...¡± ..... ¡± But you lent your hand, didn¡¯t you?¡± said the ck robe figure. ¡± Because of you, an innocent soul will die... tonight ...I cannot look away from this terrible sin... you will have toe with me and be the meal of those two...¡± He unclenched his hands and Xiao Mi dropped to the floor, bursting with fear she turned her head to look over at the dark figures that were approaching her and shuddered. No, she couldn¡¯t be eaten! If she was to get eaten then what will happen to her brothers? But if she was, to tell the truth, she will be punished then as well. Li Gang saw the calctions in her eyes and he immediately smirked, fooling and ckmailing people was something that he knew best. He immediately took a step forward and said, ¡± If you don¡¯t tell the truth... and save that innocent soul from dying, then your entire family will die tonight...I will take them with myself!¡± Xiao Mi shuddered as she turned to look at the ck figure, its eyes were dark pits with a fire burning in them, she could almost imagine her family being roasted alive in that burning fire. ¡± I will...I will go and tell the truth to the Emperor right now! Just let me go!¡± Xiao Mi cried as she looked at the figure in front of her. ¡± Please ...I will do as you ask me to but let me go!¡± ¡± Uh-huh.¡± The figure shook his head. ¡± You havemitted a sin, only when you correct it will you be freed.¡± Xiao Mi gulped and unsteadily got up from her spot and walked towards the exit of the cold pce when something came zooming towards her, smacking her right across the face. She was almost going to yell out loud when she saw that it was the pouch of the abortion medicine that she was burying in the ground just now, stunned she looked over at the figure who said, ¡± Don¡¯t try to act smart with me, take out all the evidence you have against the concubine and go the Emperor with me or I will send you to hell along with your family.¡± This time Xiao Mi didn¡¯t act up anymore, she obediently walked to her room and took out all the letters and their responses that she has hidden under the cab and pulled out every single thing that she could find against Concubine Shen and brought it to the Emperor, what was even scarier...no one seemed to have seen her as she did what she does right now, it was as if she was invisible. A shudder went through her spine as she approached the Emperor¡¯s pce and announced the reason for her arrival. Chapter 8 Chapter 8: We are not flirting ¡± Your majesty,¡± the second prince, Zhai Heng came bursting inside the study of the Emperor. ¡± A maid just came in, she is saying that she is here to prove the innocence of the Empress.¡± With his long hair tied up with a crown sitting on top of his head, Zhai Tianyu flipped through the book and lightly said, ¡± Just ignore that maid of the Empress, she has beening here ever since thest hour. Yet she has brought nothing at all ...she just keeps repeating that the Empress is innocent as if someone from the Liu family can be innocent.¡± ¡± But that¡¯s the thing,¡± said Zhai Heng approaching Zhai Tian Yu¡¯s table. ¡± The maid doesn¡¯t belong to the Empress, she belongs to Concubine Shen.¡± Zhai Tian Yu snapped his book close and looked at his brother, the two of them exchanging a nce. Xiao Mi shuddered when the door of the Emperor¡¯s pce opened, she wanted to run till thest second but ¡ª her gaze flickered to the ck robe man and she almost passed out. The thing has dropped its mask and now she could see its skeletal face, it was as if someone has brought back a rotten corpse to life again,pared to that scary thing, she would rather face the Emperor. ¡± I greet the ruler of the heavens and earth,¡± Xiao Mi bowed in front of Zhai Tian Yu and ced the letters and evidence that she has collected against Concubine Shen and said, ¡± These are all the evidence that Concubine Shen¡¯s child wasn¡¯t the Emperor...that child.. it belonged to her lover.... Aftering to the pce, she was abandoned by you, your majesty and she found sce in her lover... but unfortunately, she got pregnant and couldn¡¯t hide it on time, so she used this chance to frame the Empress and kill that child altogether.¡± Once those words were said a deadly silence spread all over the courtyard, a man being cheated on was never a good thing. Whether it was the past or the future. ..... ¡°Uh huh, so that ck hair is actually dark green huh?¡±mented Li Gang with an arch of his brow. ¡± Cheated on and even named that child after himself, this might hurt.¡± Jia Li snorted. ¡± Well he deserves that, didn¡¯t you hear that he abandoned that Concubine? Does a woman have no need? Only men do? That¡¯s so sexist.¡± ¡± Why are you telling me that?¡± said Li Gang staring at her in stunned surprise. ¡± I am not the one who is whoring here and there, why are you snapping at me huh?¡± ¡± With that ugly face of yours, you can hardly ever get close to a female ghost much less whore around,¡± scoffed Jia Li, her voice disdainful. ¡± What do you mean by that?¡± ¡± I mean exactly what I said right now.¡± ¡± You bitch!¡± ¡± You bastard.¡± ¡± All right you two, that¡¯s enough,¡± separating the two of them Grandma Lan Fen said, ¡± Just look at what¡¯s happening, there is no need for you two to get all raging.¡± The two of them red at each other but then for the sake of Grandma Lan Fen, the two of them separated and turned to look at the Emperor whose face had turned purple. He motioned the eunuch behind and thetter picked the letters up and handed it to the Emperor. He took one of the letters and tore it open to read what he read must have been pretty smutty because his face turned red, then blue and finally he started looking like a badly mixed ck current ice cream. ¡± That¡¯s what you get for keeping so many wives,¡± said Jia Li channelling her inner Liu Hui Ying with a disgusted expression. ¡± I can¡¯t believe that such a good looking man is such a g of a man.¡± ¡± I just hope that he allows Liu Hui Ying to get a divorce,¡± said Grandma Lan Fen with a worried expression. ¡± Not for her sake but his... Hui Ying is a stubborn woman and she really hates womanisers, she will rather chuck herself off a cliff than consummate her marriage with that man.¡± ¡± More like chuck him off,¡± amended Li Gang as he folded his arms and stared at the Emperor. ¡± I don¡¯t think that there will be a divorce though, didn¡¯t you see that instead of sending her away, he ordered her to die...the rtionships in this era were messy, I don¡¯t think that it¡¯s going to be that easy.¡± Jia Li only sneered. ¡± Then I will pray for his and his little brother down there.¡± ¡± Where are you looking?¡± Seeing that she was staring at another man¡¯sher regions, Li Gang immediately whipped to stand in front of her. ¡± What is it to you? They are my eyes, I will look wherever I want to,¡± said Jia Li with a huff. ¡± No, you don¡¯t ..¡± ¡± Why not?¡± Li Gang moved his mouth but when he couldn¡¯t say anything he just crossed his arms and said, ¡± You just can¡¯t all right?¡± ¡± You ...¡± Grandma Lan Fen sighed and interrupted their bickering, ¡± Is this the time or ce for you two to flirt?¡± ¡± We are not flirting!¡± Chapter 9 Chapter 9: Never mention the Emperor The two of them stopped quarrelling and turned to look at the Emperor who was standing in front of the crying maid with a sullen expression, Jia Li especially liked the greenplexion that matched the green hair on top of his head and said, ¡°It is amazing, just look at the face of the Emperor, he looks like he has eaten a piece of meat that has been rotting for days, just look at that expression of his.¡± ¡± The piece of meat was indeed rotten,¡±mented Li Gang as he crossed his arms behind his head and rolled his eyes. ¡± I really can¡¯t understand what¡¯s the point of keeping so many women? It is like filling your wardrobe with a different set of clothes from teleshopping and then having trouble over what to wear every day, only to pick the two favourite clothes lying in the corner of the wardrobe.¡± Grandma Lan Fen looked at Li Gang and smacked his arm. ¡± Don¡¯t use Hui Ying to make an example, if she finds out she won¡¯t offer you any clothes, then you can go on your dates while dressed in those ck rags that you always wear.¡± ¡± How many times I have to say they are not rags, they are fashion¨C¡± ¡± Shhhh, that jerk is going to say something,¡± Jia Li immediately silenced the two as she looked at the Emperor point nkly. He was looking at the maid with an expression that can only be read as nothing but pure rage and then a scream that was enough to shake the entire courtyard echoed in front of them, ¡± Royalmander!¡± The man dressed in a midnight blue robe immediately went on his knees and shouted back, ¡± Yes, your majesty.¡± ¡± Drag this maid and have punished with dismemberment and offer white linen to everyone in Concubine Shen¡¯s courtyard, tell them to end their life before midnight or they this one shall do it for them,¡± he paused and then breathed heavily with a dejected expression added, ¡± And send word to the phoenix pce, the Empress proven innocent will be allowed to leave her courtyard and the wedding rituals shall be continued as per they were thews. Let the word that the Empress has been pardoned be spread all over the Imperial pce.¡± ¡± Yes, your majesty!¡± The royalmander cupped his hand and bowed to the Emperor who turned around and walked inside the pce with a flick of his sleeves as if he couldn¡¯t be bothered by the screams of the maid on the floor. ..... ¡± That¡¯s it?¡± Jia Li was stunned upon seeing that the Emperor actually left after saying a few words when it came to Liu Hui Ying and simply walked back inside his pce as if she didn¡¯t mean a damn. ¡± Where is the apology? The gifts? Shouldn¡¯t he be seeking Liu Hui Ying out and asking for forgiveness?¡± ¡± You watch too many dramas,¡± said Li Gang with a look of disdain on his face as he looked at Jia Li. ¡± That man was willing to watch the host of the body that is now in Liu Hui Ying¡¯s possession, do you think he will send gifts and an apology? Didn¡¯t you hear what he said just now? He said pardoned instead of saying that she wasn¡¯t proven guilty which meant that he might have notpletely believed the maid, instead he will actually send someone to see whether or not the letters that the maid showed him were real or fabricated.¡± Jia Li¡¯s mouth turned into an ¡®O¡¯ before she said, ¡± Then ... what about the concubine that he just ordered to die?¡± ¡± She must be like the host of the body, easily disposable,¡± Li Gang turned around and started to walk down the stairs, the pce of the Emperor was filled with pure Yang energy it was difficult for ghosts like them who relied on Yin energy to stay there for long. ¡± Most probably he already knew that the child wasn¡¯t his and wanted to kill that concubine sooner orter after taking care of the host but now that she was caught and confessed against, he got angry because his ns were ruined and he had no other choice but to punish her.¡± ¡± He is so ruthless,¡±mented Jia Li as she looked over her shoulder at the Emperor¡¯s pce which waspletely shut now that the entire drama was over. ¡± Killing women like they were chicken and radishes.¡± ¡± Men are often ruthless,¡± when the three of them returned and told the proceedings to Liu Hui Ying, she calmlymented. She wasn¡¯t angry or upset that she didn¡¯t receive any apology from the Emperor, in fact, she was less relieved that she didn¡¯t ¡ª if she did then that jerk would be one up and she wouldn¡¯t have liked that! ¡± But this is so wrong,¡± Jia Li threw herself on the bed and rolled around, when she was alive, she used to stay in the forensicb for days and would even forget to eat and sleep now that she was dead at least she was able to roll on the bed with ease, without worrying about anything but the spiritual energy of her master. ¡± I mean he was the one who killed off the host of this body and yet he didn¡¯t even apologise.¡± Li Gang was munching on an apple that Liu Hui Ying has offered for his good word as he interrupted Jia Li and said, ¡± Technically that man didn¡¯t kill that woman, the body wasn¡¯t poisoned, he might have handed her the gun but she was the one who shot it with her own hands instead of fighting back, didn¡¯t you see the matter was quite simple if that woman and her family would have acted quickly they would have been able to catch the culprit but they gave up before they could even fight the battle, such an easy thing yet they failed to do it.¡± ¡± Sometimes giving up seems much less easy than standing up and fighting,¡± Liu Hui Ying ced her hands on the armrest and raised one finger asking the ghosts to turn silent. As soon as she did that the door of her room opened and Qui Ai walked in and looked at the Empress with a sullen expression, seeing her unjustified Liu Hui Ying felt that something must have happened. ¡± What¡¯s wrong?¡± Qui Ai stomped towards her before she sat down in front of her with her legs crossed. For two minutes she said nothing before bursting out in anger, ¡± The Emperor went to Concubine Ji¡¯s courtyard, he knows that you have been married over as his wife and he should be spending your first night with you but instead he went to that royal Concubine! Can you believe it, your majesty?¡± ¡°Con..cubine Ji?¡± This was the first time Liu Hui Ying was hearing about this royal concubine so she raised one brow and asked, ¡± Who is this concubine Ji, that you are talking about?¡± Qui Ai stared at her before letting out a sigh. ¡± I forgot that you have lost your memories, your majesty ...concubine Ji is the Emperor¡¯s childhood sweetheart, the two of them grew up together and the Emperor is really fond of her, that woman is really too much! She knows that you just married over but instead she snatched the Emperor away so shamelessly! What is she trying to show off huh?¨C¡± ¡± Alright that¡¯s enough,¡± Liu Hui Ying raised one hand and stopped Qui Ai from going on about the concubine Ji. She calmly looked at Qui Ai with a smile and said, ¡± Qui Ai, there is one thing that you need to learn very carefully tonight, can you do that?¡± Qui Ai immediately nodded. As long as her majesty said it, she was willing to learn anything! ¡± Very good, then the thing I want you to learn is ¨CNever. Ever. Mention the Emperor in front of me again,¡± with her fingers tied around the poisonous wine jar, she squeezed it hard. Making sure that it broke into crumbs causing Qui Ai along with the three ghosts to be startled. ¡± It makes me want to vomit.¡± Chapter 10 Chapter 10: Tell me Qui Ai was terrified by Liu Hui Ying¡¯s expression, she was so scared that she didn¡¯t even dare to ask why and simply nodded. ¡± Empress Liu please take the Imperial decree offered by the Emperor!¡± The loud voice of the general echoed in the room, Liu Hui Ying raised her brow and got up from her chair, now that her ghost employees have done their work surely the Emperor would have sent word to let her out of the courtyard? She walked towards the front door of her room but was quickly stopped by Qui Ai who seemed to have gotten hold of her bearings. ¡± Your majesty what are you doing? As the Empress you should never open the door for anyone beneath yourself, the general¡¯s position is high but he is still under you, so you cannot open the door for him, let me do it.¡± ¡± Oh, is that so?¡± Liu Hui Ying chuckled with a dark expression, she wasn¡¯t allowed to open the door for him but he was allowed to point the sword at her was that it? Heh. She might have been temporarily discarded but the disrespect was just too much! Liu Hui Ying was very angry. Liu Hui Ying was infuriated to the point of no return. ¡± That damn general!¡± Enraged she didn¡¯t hold her shout back at all, causing her loud voice to echo in the courtyard causing everyone including the damn General standing outside to be left stunned, still clutching on the imperial decree that he received he pointed at the door of the Empress¡¯s room and said with a slightly confused expression. ¡± The Empress did she just curse at me?¡± One of the soldiers in his squad nodded his head after hesitating for a while. ..... ¡± I thought so too because there is no other general except me in this pce,¡± he swept his hair back looking at the door of the Empress¡¯s room, he was going to shout again but then he saw the door being opened by Qui Ai. Seeing the little maid, as usual, he shot her a soft smile that was neither too flirtatious nor too friendly but surprisingly this time the little maid didn¡¯t blush or gave him a smile in return instead, she stared at him before snorting in a very unfriendly manner then turned around to walk back inside. What in the world? Yu Lingyun touched his face before turning to look at his soldiers and asked, ¡± Have I gone ugly? Did the glow on my face turn dim? Or do I not look good?¡± This was the face many women were willing to die for. How in the world a little maid like Qui Ai dared to snort at this gorgeous face of his? Was she looking down at him? ¡± You still look as handsomely dashing as you always do, General,¡± one of the soldiers answered before adding, ¡± maybe Miss Qui is upset because of what happened tonight?¡± Yu Lingyun nodded his head and snapped his fingers at the soldier who spoke before he pointed at him. ¡± You know what I think you are right, she must be angry at me.¡± With that, he turned around cleared his throat and walked inside the room but as soon as he strode in, his feet paused in the air and he blinked because it was one thing for Qui Ai to be ring at him but even the ever gentle Empress stared at him with a gaze that could be described as a fierce tigress staring at her prey waiting for her turn to jump on it. What in the world happened in just a few hours? The Empress wasn¡¯t only cursing at him but she was also staring at him as if she wanted to eat him raw. Yu Lingyun smiled before stretching out the imperial decree in his hands and said, ¡± Your majesty, please take this...its the decree from the Emperor.¡± Liu Hui Ying peered at the scroll wrapped in a shy red paper that Yu Lingyun was calling decree and said, ¡± What is it? My execution date?¡± She knew that she wasn¡¯t going to die but that didn¡¯t mean that she was going to let those who were behind this incident off so easily. If these idiots would have done what they did now then she wouldn¡¯t have transmigrated here... she would still be in her world and would have relished the sweet taste of promotion but no! These idiots pushed that woman to die and now she was stuck here, for god knows how long...her promotion, her big house!¡± Her words caused Yu Lingyun to choke on the air that he just breathed and coughed out loud before he hurriedly cleared his throat and said, ¡°That¡¯s not it, your majesty. The Emperor has granted you amnesty¨C¡± ¡± Amnesty?¡± Liu Hui Ying parroted the word before letting out a disdainful scoff as she crossed her arms in front and said, ¡± Amnesty for what? What did I do wrong? Tell me. I am standing right here, tell me. Come on.¡± This was the first time that the Empress was acting so aggressively, Yu Lingyun who was only used to the delicate and calm Empress, was a bit stunned at her overbearing attitude. ¡± Look at that man, he looks so surprised,¡± snorted Jia Li as she watched the scene happening in the main room with Li Gang and Grandma Lan Fen. Grandma Lan Fen smiled with a sly hint as she said, ¡°Well of course he is, I don¡¯t think the Empress was half as confident as Hui Ying. That girl has always been vengeful, she never lets anyone off for causing her trouble and this time it¡¯s a big one.¡± ¡± I am surprised that she hasn¡¯t chopped that man¡¯s thing up with his sword up,¡± chimed in Li Gang. ¡± She is dealing with this matter really calmly.¡± ¡± Of course not,¡± snorting Jia Li looked down at Li Gang who was crouching on the floor to look at the scene in front of him. ¡± She is only waiting, as the wise men say best for thest, the one who will face a sword pointed at his crotch will be that ruthless king.¡± Chapter 11 Chapter 11: Allergy ¡± Your majesty, the incident that happened this evening¨C¡± Yu Lingyun began but then Liu Hui Ying took a step closer to him and raised her chin haughtily. ¡± Yes, what about the incident? Did you find any evidence that will prove that I am the culprit? If so then where is it?¡± She took out a handkerchief from the pocket of her robe and carefully spread it over her other hand as she pointed at it and said, ¡± Put it right here, I want to see the evidence that will show that I was the culprit, given that you are here with the amnesty granted by the Emperor you must have brought the evidence right?¡± Yu Lingyun looked at the back of her hands and then at her face that was looking at him brimming with impatience. ¡± Your majesty there is no evidence¨C¡± began Yu Lingyun, the maid of Concubine Shen confessed so how was it possible for them to pursue the matter? What was more the evidence was hard to refute. Everything was written in ck and white, from asking for the abortion medicine to asking the maid to frame the Empress everything was written on paper. With such conclusive evidence was there any way to still prove that the Empress was the one who caused the abortion? ¡± Oh then it means that I wasn¡¯t the culprit at all from the beginning, so how in the world will I be granted amnesty when I am not even the culprit?¡± With her head tilted to the side, Liu Hui Ying questioned once again looking at the man in front of her with a point-nk stare. ¡± Tell me?¡± With her hands crossed behind her back, she retreated. ¡± How can one pardon someone when they are not even proven criminal?¡± Her questions were valid but that didn¡¯t mean that she could question the Emperor like that, she might be the Empress but even she has to bow in front of the Emperor. How can she say such things? ¡°Your majesty, I know that you are angry but¨C¡± ¡± I am angry?¡± Liu Hui Ying questioned back interrupting Yu Lingyun again causing him to grind his teeth in anger. ¡® Will you just let me finish?¡¯ ..... Seeing his face turning red, Liu Hui Ying¡¯s lips curled up. This was so easy, just ask a few rational questions and men like him will get angry. At times like this, she couldn¡¯t help but remember her senior who was different from others, he always treated women with kindness and respect¨Cwas attentive to what they said, in fact, it was better to say that he was the only man who didn¡¯t re her allergies. With her lips curled, she sighed and added, ¡± I am not angry at all, if I was angry then I can assure you General even the heavens would have felt my wrath.¡± As she said that the temperature of the room dropped to freezing point causing everyone inside along with those who were standing outside shiver with cold, Yu Lingyun looked at the Empress and then looked over his shoulders¨C it was the middle of summer how in the world the room got so cold? But if he was surprised by this much, then he was in for a lot of trouble because someone went ahead behind his back caught his hand and raised it before bringing it down as a heavy p thatnded on the face of the soldier¡¯s face. Both Yu Lingyun and the soldier were stunned as they looked at each other before the soldier said, ¡± General why did you hit me? Did I do something wrong?¡± What can Yu Lingyun say? He didn¡¯t know what just happened either ¡ª all he knew was that he was standing silently on the side but then all of a sudden his hand moved and struck the soldier. Liu Hui Ying stared at the General in front of her before she nodded her head Li Gang who was standing behind Yu Lingyun raised his hand and this time instead of striking the face of either the soldier, he pped Yu Lingyun on the face causing a sudden hush to fall all over the courtyard. Once Li Gang was done, he let go of Yu Lingyun as thetter brought his hand down and stared at the palm that was supposed to be in his control. What was happening? Hitting his soldier was one thing but hitting himself? Was he no longer in control of his limbs? ¡± Oh look even the heavens are angry about you spouting nonsense,¡± said Liu Hui Ying causing the entire crowd to turn silent at once. Yu Lingyun raised his head to look at the Empress, he wanted to think that this thing had something to do with the Empress but when he took a look at his hand, he didn¡¯t find any invisible string or anything attached to it¨C it was as if he really hit himself in the face but why will he hit himself? Did that even make sense? ¡± Maybe you should have phrased it like this....¡± Liu Hui Ying took a step closer to Yu Lingyun as she continued, ¡± Your majesty, even though you were innocent neither the Emperor nor I could be bothered with an innocent life being lost so we ignored you. No, in fact we were more than happy to do so ...because we didn¡¯t want you to make it out alive of this ce, that¡¯s why we did that but now that there is a conclusive piece of evidence that we cannot deny, we have no other choice but to let you go but our ego is too big for us to ignore, so that¡¯s why we¡¯re going to act as if you were in the wrong and we were the bigger person here...oh my, a bit impulsive aren¡¯t you?¡± She said with a sudden sharp intake of breath as she took a step back when he aimed the sword right at her neck. ¡± Please do not make me force my hand, your majesty,¡± said Yu Lingyun with his sword at Liu Hui Ying¡¯s neck. ¡± The Emperor is a great ruler¨C¡± ¡± Oh, he is such a great ruler that he cannot even apologise when he is in the wrong?¡± Liu Hui Ying blurted out before she could stop herself, behind her Jia Li and the other winced. ¡± She really can never let a man have one up over her can she?¡± said Jia Li with a grimace. ¡°And this habit of hers is going to get us all killed,¡± Li Gang already had his hands over his eyes as he said, ¡± Anyway it was good knowing you all... I will miss our time together.¡± Just as he said that Yu Lingyun moved and so did Liu Hui Ying, she wasn¡¯t going to stand still and let that man make bloody holes in her body but what she didn¡¯t expect was that even though she was in apletely different body¨C her brute strength was still with her! With a quick snap she dodged the sword that was aiming at her, caught Yu Lingyun¡¯s wrist, and with her hand on his waist she did a spectacr body throw! ¡°Ahhh?!!¡± ¡± General!¡± ¡± Your majesty!¡± At once three people moved themander of the army, Yu Lingyun who slumped on the floor and Liu Hui Ying who screamed in pain. ¡± I touched a man! I touched a man! Qui Ai bring a vat of water as soon as you can!¡± As soon as she said that red dots started to appear on her skin causing Qui Ai and Yu Lingyun to get startled. ¡± Your majesty, I will bring the royal physician at once,¡± Qui Ai shrieked in panic but before she could run away, she was stopped by Liu Hui Ying who blew on her rashes and said, ¡± I don¡¯t need the royal physician, I need a bath and kick these men out of my room! They are the ones who made my skin be like this..¡± ¡± You mean to say your majesty...¡± before Qui Ai could say anything, Yu Lingyun shrieked. ¡± You are allergic to men?¡± Liu Hui Ying was already in bad mood because of the allergic reaction and now that Yu Lingyun shouted all of a sudden, she got even more furious as she red at him with such a cold gaze that Yu Lingyun swallowed in a gulp. ¡± Your majesty...¡± ¡°It¡¯s you ...you are the one who red my allergies up...¡± she was furious enough to chop Yu Lingyun up as she approached him and pulled him by his corner. Yu Lingyun was six feet tall with sturdy muscles and a powerful build but as Liu Hui Ying picked him up like he was a weak chicken, Yu Lingyun¡¯s eyes popped but before he could even stomach the shock¨C he was thrown out of the room with a bang. ¡± General are you okay?¡± The soldiers that came with Yu Lingyun were only three to four and when they saw the brute strength of the Empress they didn¡¯t dare to say anything much less make a move. But they didn¡¯t need to make any move as Liu Hui Ying was already on move, scratching her face she red at Yu Lingyun and his soldiers as she said, ¡± I don¡¯t want to see any men ever in this courtyard, as long as I am here, you all stay away and...¡± with her eyes coldly sweeping at their group she added, ¡± If either of you let a word about my allergy then let me warn you, if I find out that the information is leaked then I will find you all five of you, I have burned our faces in my mind and when I find you ...¡± her gaze skimmed to a certain part of their body before she raised her hand and stomped on the floor heavily causing the wooden tform to break. Almost at once Yu Lingyun and his soldiers closed their legs in fear. ¡± You understood right?¡± asked Liu Hui Ying with a sharp grin. Did they have any other choice other than nodding? Chapter 12 Chapter 12: Zhen¡¯s fault ¡± You are here?¡± Zhai Heng raised his head from the memorandum that he was reading as Yu Lingyun walked in, however, upon seeing his drooping appearance he frowned and further asked, ¡± What happened why are you looking like that? Did the Empress make things difficult for you?¡± Zhai Tianyu was working on the new army strategy upon hearing his brother¡¯s question, he took raised his head and looked at Yu Lingyun, the Empress dowager and the Liu family has been keeping an eye on him from the day he rose to the throne, fortunately, his childhood friend and cousin Ji Yue was there to screen his actions, an hour ago he went inside Ji Yue¡¯s courtyard and then walked out of there while wearing a guards uniform, he knew that he should have gone to the Empress¡¯s courtyard since it was their wedding night but breathing the same air as someone from the Liu family was simply impossible for him to do so. That was why he went to Ji Yue instead of visiting Liu Hui Ying, anyway he was famous for his treacherous, fickle and debaucher nature, no one was going to suspect anything. Of course, he might receive tant criticism from his grandmother but he was willing to listen to it. Yu Lingyun let out an exaggerated sigh as he slumped on the chair in front of Zhai Tianyu and threw his head back. ¡± Making things difficult for me will be putting it lightly, she was jumped on me like a fierce tigress I was afraid that if I stayed even a minute there, I will lose my life and my manhood altogether.¡± ¡± What kind of things are you spouting?¡± Zhai Heng admonished him lightly as he shot a nce at the Emperor who was looking at Yu Lingyun with a frown. ¡± I am not saying nonsense!¡± Yu Lingyun set up straight as he looked at his two friends and colleagues. ¡± You know when I went to the Empress¡¯s courtyard to let her know that she was granted amnesty, do you know what she did?¡± ¡± Threw a vase at you?¡± guessed Zhai Heng. ..... ¡± No, she must have scolded him,¡± said Zhai Tianyu, he knew Liu Hui Ying before marriage and had a good understanding of her spoiled nature, she was the princess of the Liu family and her father was known for his corrupt activities used to favour her to high heavens as far as he heard the rumours Father Liu has decorated the entire room of his daughter with gold, silver and antiques. ¡± Most probably said some rude things andshed out on the soldiers.¡± But Yu Lingyun simply shook his head and said, ¡± You are wrong. She didn¡¯tsh out at me, she was angry but totally rational, she straight up looked me in the eyes and asked, what crime did shemit for her to be granted amnesty?¡± This time both Zhai Heng and Zhai Tianyu ced the scrolls in their hands down as they looked at Yu Lingyun. ¡± Did she really say that?¡± as far as Zhai Tianyu knew the Empress was a childish, easy-to-manipte person, there were two reasons he sanctioned this marriage, number one, he wanted to get the Liu family off his back. These days they have been mouring a lot in the court and the second reason was to make use of the Empress¡¯s foolishness and discard both Liu Hui Ying and the Liu family but for these two things to work he needed Liu Hui Ying to be as irrational and arrogant as she was before getting married to him. In case she suddenly start to act smart what was he going to do? ¡± Of course, she said that, do you think I will lie to you?¡± Yu Lingyun ced one arm on the table and enunciated each word as he looked at Zhai Tianyu with a slightly offended expression. ¡± No, it¡¯s just that if the Empress is not like the soft persimmon as I thought she is then all our ns are going to be ruined,¡± what was more he even took away the title that Ji Yue deserved from her all to get rid of the Liu family if he couldn¡¯t get rid of the Empress and her maternal family, how will he look Ji Yue in the eyes? ¡± If the Empress is really not acting as we want her to then it¡¯s going to be troublesome,¡± said Zhai Heng fretfully, the reason Zhai Tianyu didn¡¯t visit the Empress was not only because he didn¡¯t want to stay in the same room as someone from the Liu family but also because he wanted the Empress to blow up her top and act unreasonably that way Zhai Tianyu would have been able to scold the Liu family on the pretext of them not teaching their daughter how to be big-hearted and act in ordance with how yin was supposed to respect the yang. That way they would have knocked the Liu family down a notch or two. But if the Empress was calm then the person to be criticised will be Zhai Tianyu! Zhai Tianyu¡¯s eyes shed and his knuckles turned white because he was clenching his fists so tight, he was able to already imagine how the Liu family was going to use this matter tomorrow morning in the court and taunt both him and the Ji family ministers, they will also make use of what happened tonight to drag Ji Yue in the mud along with him. ¡± We underestimated the Empress, she is smarter than we thought. Of course, someone from the Liu family can never be, after all, it¡¯s Zhen¡¯s fault that Zhen believed her to be easily manipted.¡± ¡± There is no need to get angry, your majesty,¡± said Zhai Heng as he reached his hand towards his younger brother¡¯s shoulder and patted him lightly. ¡± The Empress might be able to stop herself today but I am sure that once she sees you giving out favour to everyone other than her, she will definitely blow up.¡± ¡± Zhen¨C¡± ¡°I doubt that,¡± before Zhai Tianyu could say anything, Yu Lingyun snickered. ¡± I bet the Empress will be truly happy if he never visits her.¡± Both brothers turned to look at Yu Lingyun as Zhai Heng frowned and said, ¡± what do you mean by that?¡± Yu Lingyun looked left and right before whistling at the guards who were keeping guard on the roof and said, ¡± Leave us for a while,¡± only when he sensed that the two guards were gone, did he lean toward Zhai Tianyu and Zhai Heng as he whispered, ¡± The Empress is allergic to men.¡± Chapter 13 Chapter 13: Not easy to bully There was an awkward silence followed by Zhai Heng¡¯s admonishing voice, ¡± What in the world are you talking about? Do you even know what you are saying? Saying such things can get you in a lot of trouble, don¡¯t you know that?¡± ¡± I am not lying though,¡± said Yu Lingyun with a slightly hurt expression, his lips pouting as he looked at his childhood friends. ¡± When I went to announce the decree to the Empress, she said some things that made me lose my temper and I raised my sword against her. But she wasn¡¯t intimidated by it instead, she grabbed my wrist and then ...¡± he paused with a confused expression on his face before continuing, ¡± I don¡¯t know what she did but her move was swift, brutal and very painful ...¡± he whispered, afraid that someone would hear him saying such things. ¡± Anyway, she did some ...¡± with very violent moments of his hands to exin the move that Liu Hui Ying used on him, Yu Lingyun said, ¡± Something really weird and bang before I knew it ...my sword dropped on the ground and I was lying on the floor without a weapon in my hand, I thought that I will die then and there but then suddenly very ugly, red rashes started to pop all over the Empress¡¯s skin.¡± With his arm ced on the tabletop, Yu Lingyun leaned forward and looked at Zhai Heng and Zhai Tian Yu. ¡± After what I witnessed I am sure that the Empress really hates man.¡± He drawled the word ¡®hate¡¯ nice and long. ¡± And what¡¯s more when I was facing her, she didn¡¯t look like the naive, spoiled andpletely bumbling young miss as everyone make her out to be, she looked me in the eye like an equal. Not as a frail woman who needs to rely on a man but as an equal, do you get what I am saying? From what I saw I can tell you one thing for sure, she doesn¡¯t need a man.¡± This information of course didn¡¯t bring any joy to either Zhai Heng or Zhai Tianyu instead the two of them looked at each other with an rmed expression on their faces. ¡± If what Lingyun said is true then I am afraid, all our ns will fall through...Yu¡¯er, what are we going to do now?¡± asked Zhai Heng, his eyes popping wildly as he looked at his younger brother. The Empress ...if she really hates man then what will happen to all the ns that they have made? For the sake of those ns to work it was very important for the Empress to be under the palms of their hands. Zhai Tianyu said nothing but the brush in his hands snapped in half because of the strength that he was putting at it. ¡± She yed a really, really smart game, just like my mother.¡± ..... The Liu family belonged to a very old n and had been in power since the era of his great-great-grandfather, the power that the Liu family have umted was no joke. This was the reason that even though he inherited the throne and became the Emperor, he was still fearful of the Liu family ¡ª every move that he made, he had to be cautious, worrying about being caught by the Liu family, if he was to make the slightest bit of a mistake then he will be nothing but a puppet in the hands of those ministers of the Liu family who have been eyeing him like a bunch of vultures. Making a mistake wasn¡¯t an option and angering the Liu family was even more impossible for him to do. For the sake of silencing their mouring, he had to make his childhood sweetheart Ji Yue a royal concubine while leaving the seat of Empress to someone from the Liu family. Only he knew how badly his heart bled that day when he had to bring Ji Yue into the pce like a small, insignificant Concubine. She was his beloved and deserved nothing less than being brought into the pce dressed in bright red veils apanied by gongs and a big hoo-hah..yet because he was being suppressed by the Liu family he had to bring Ji Yue silently like a dirty little secret. As for the daughter of the Liu family, she came inside the pce with such a big and high fanfare that she might as well dere herself the ruler of the world. He didn¡¯t want Ji Yue to be bullied that was why he chose a woman who was naive and easy to take care of from the Liu family but never did he think he would be crossed like this! ¡± Zhen, really made a big mistake choosing that woman didn¡¯t he?¡± Zhai Tianyu threw the broken brush in the basket where all the trash from his study was thrown and then turned to look at his brother. ¡± To think we made such a big mistake, just like our father ... what will happen to us now? Will we be killed¨C¡± ¡± Don¡¯t!¡± Zhai Heng immediately reached his hand out and stopped Zhai Tianyu from finishing the words that he was going to say before he said, ¡± I am sorry for stepping out of my line, your majesty. But you don¡¯t need to fear, no matter how smart that woman is, she can¡¯t take care of all of us at the same time can she? We also have the great Empress dowager with us... there is no way she will have the chance to retaliate against you.¡± Zhai Tianyu smiled softly but there was a hint of mncholy to it as he turned to look at the moon shining in the sky. ¡± You are right, even if she has the Liu family behind her, it wouldn¡¯t change the fact that she was destined to die, the second she stepped inside this pce. No matter how strong she is, in the end, she is all alone, isn¡¯t she? Zhen will love to see how long she will be able to defend herself against us.¡± ¡ª¡ª¨C ¡± Don¡¯t worry your majesty, I am always with you..no matter what happens with little Ai here, you will never be alone,¡± Qui Ai kept on chattering as she made Liu Hui Ying¡¯s bed, maybe it was because she was young but she kept yammering on and on until Liu Hui Ying started to feel her ears twitching, maybe if she heard to Qui Ai¡¯s chatter a few more minutes, her ears will really fall on the ground. ¡± So what if the Emperor didn¡¯te to see you? I am sure as soon as left prime minister Liu finds out what he has done he will scold the Emperor until he is willing to spend the night with you, your majesty.¡± There was no need for anyone for the left prime minister to do anything of the sort like that, she was very happy without the Emperor trying to get close to her. With Qui Ai being such a loudmouth, Liu Hui Ying didn¡¯t even have to ask anything about the owner of the body. Qui Ai who firmly believed that her mistress was the best in both worlds told her everything that she wanted to know after finding out that Liu Hui Ying lost all her memories. Turns out the owner wasn¡¯t a daughter from an easy-to-bully family, she hailed from the biggest n that has been ruling over this country for more than a hundred years, their history was deep and it wasn¡¯t easy to knock them down either. The Left prime minister about whom Qui Ai was talking was the uncle of the owner of this body that Liu Hui Ying was upying, from what she heard it was clear that even though there was a right prime minister, the court was sort of ruled by this uncle of the owner all alone. After listening to what Qui Ai had to about the Liu family, Liu Hui Ying wasn¡¯t surprised that the Emperor tried to take the Empress down before she could gain a firm foothold in the inner courtyard of his pce. He was already being rolled around like a ball by the left prime minister, surely he wouldn¡¯t want to be ruled by another one from the Liu family in his inner courtyard will he? ¡± Your majesty¨C¡± ¡± Little Ai, I think it¡¯ste, you can go and take a break now,¡± Liu Hui Ying was more than just tired after listening to Qui Ai¡¯s chatter. She was supposed to be head of the detective department, she liked solving cases with her ghost employees and taking care of thugs by beating them every now and then... when has she ever sat down and gossiped to anyone like this? It was one of the most boring things that Liu Hui Ying has ever faced in her life. But because she didn¡¯t want the little girl to start crying again, she smiled and looked at her. ¡°It¡¯s been a tough day, hasn¡¯t it? You ran around so much for the entire night, you deserve to lie down on afortable bed and sleep in peace.¡± ¡± What about you, your majesty?¡± asked Qui Ai with her head tilted to one side. ¡± About me? Haha, I think I will stay awake a little more.¡± How can she sleep? Her promotion was gone! Her body was gone and now she was stuck in this annoying ce! It was good enough that Liu Hui Ying didn¡¯t go crazy, what sleep! Chapter 14 Chapter 14: I will shove her soul right back in Liu Hui Ying said those words as calmly as possible with the intention of not making Qui Ai cry but thetter took a look at her and before Liu Hui Ying knew Qui Ai¡¯s lips were wobbling as big drops of tears started to fall from her eyes. ¡± Hey..Wh..why are you crying now?¡± It was safe to say that Liu Hui Ying was stunned as she looked at the young girl who was crying in front of her. ¡± W..What did I say now huh? What¡¯s the matter with you?¡± She didn¡¯t understand what was going on with Qui Ai but a secondter as the young girl¡¯s hoarse voice echoed in the silent room she understood what exactly was going on in her head of this young girl. ¡± Uwaa! My missy can¡¯t even sleep because of heartache and that ..jer¨C¡± she paused before huping twice. ¡± And that bad Emperor is sleeping with his concubine with ease, what a bad emperor!¡± She cried as she turned around and left the room causing Liu Hui Ying¡¯s lips to twitch as she shook her head and looked at the back of the sobbing maid. ¡± She really has some great imagination,¡±mented Jia Li as she stared at Qui Ai who shut the door behind her, as soon as the door slid close, her cries became muffled returning to the calm of the night. ¡± I have to say if she was born in the modern world, she could have directed a hell of a lot of melodramatic dramas and I am not even kidding when I say that they all would have been a hit.¡± Liu Hui Ying threw her head back and let out a heavy moan as she red at the closed door and smacked her arm on the windowsill. ¡± I just can¡¯t understand ...exactly how much did this woman loved the Emperor for everyone to link every single thing I do with that dog of an Emperor! Like I just want to sit here and calmly stare at the beauty of the moon, what is there to cry about!¡± She threw her hands up in the air and moved her butt to continue looking at the moon, only to get stuck in the ce because of the heavy skirt that she was wearing. Liu Hui Ying looked at the fabric that was twined around her legs and impatiently tore it away from her skin before snarling, ¡± And what is this? What in the world is this? Do they want me to train my core or something, what is the meaning of making me wear this heavy skirt?¡± She was angry, she was really angry and she really missed herfy pants what exactly was this ... she couldn¡¯t even take off the piece of cloth that was tied around her chest. What a stifling situation aargh! ..... Though she was angry she didn¡¯t show her temper as she would have when she was in the modern world, instead, she calmly turned around and looked at the moon with a scowl on her face. ¡± I have to go back...there is no way I can stay here. Myfort, my delicious snacks, my beer and most importantly my promotion...¡± Liu Hui Ying dragged thest word with a cry as she smacked her head on the arm that was resting on the windowsill. ¡± I need to go back, I have to go back! Or else that evil man Xue Jing will take away my hard-earned opportunity!¡± The three ghosts were startled by her loud cry and they exchanged a look with each other before turning around and looking at Liu Hui Ying. Li Gang was pushed to the front of the battle line by Jia Li and Grandma Lan Fen, he red at the two of them before he summoned his courage and said, ¡± Umm, I think this is not bad either, I mean ...you are the Empress¨C I am sorry...¡± he immediately changed his words when he saw Liu Hui Ying raise her head and re at him. Mommy! He was a ghost but this woman was really scary! ¡± Yes this is amazing, I am an Empress that has a sword hanging at the back of my neck!¡± snapped Liu Hui Ying as she picked up a pillow that was resting on the small wooden cab-like sitting stool and threw it at Li gang. ¡± Can¡¯t you see my life is in danger here! If I stay here, I am sure it wouldn¡¯t take long for those dog men to turn me into a ghost-like you three! No, I have to look for this woman¡¯s soul and catch her, since she was the one who brought me into this world then she will be the one who will send me back! There is no other choice!¡± ¡± But will that woman agree?¡± asked Jia Li with a confused expression on her face. ¡± I mean she was the one who you know jumped off the cliff, you also heard what she said when she was preparing to jump, she said that there was nothing left for her. If the spirit doesn¡¯t have anything to hold on to wouldn¡¯t they just move on to the next life?¡± ¡± No, I felt a very heavy grudge emanating from her soul,¡± Liu Hui Ying shook her head as she leaned her chin against the back of her hand. ¡± She might have said those words but she had a very deep regret...she wouldn¡¯t have moved on..no, it¡¯s better to say that she can¡¯t move on...most probably she is somewhere around here, we just have to find her and shove her back in this body!¡± ¡± Can you do that? I mean if she isn¡¯t willing to return then how will you do it?¡± Li Gang arched a brow as he looked at Liu Hui Ying. ¡± If she wanted to return then she would have returned by now, after all, we solved her predicament.¡± Liu Hui Ying squinted her eyes as she red at Li Gang and said, ¡°It¡¯s not up to her to decide whether she wants toe back in this body or not, I am a celestial master and if I want I can blow her soul into pieces with a snap of my fingers,¡± and did she snap her finger. ¡± I don¡¯t believe that shoving a spirit back into its original body is going to be that hard and even if it¡¯s hard, I will still do everything in my power to get her inside for the sake of my promotion!¡± Chapter 15 Chapter 15: You are just trying to ck off ¡± I don¡¯t think this is going to work,¡± said Li Gang as he went plop on the bed. ¡± If that woman wanted toe back to her body, she would have already done that..but she is not here, so who knows?¡± Jia Li and Grandma Lan Fen turned to look at him before shrinking their neck when they saw Liu Hui Ying turning her head and staring at the three of them, something about her gaze made them feel terrified even when they knew that they couldn¡¯t die again. ¡± If she doesn¡¯te back then I am not the only one who is going to suffer in fact I will suffer a lot lesspared to the three of you.¡± ¡± What does that mean?¡± Li Gang immediately opened his eyes and sat up straight before looking at Liu Hui Ying who was smiling at him with a sly glint in her eyes. ¡± What else can I mean? If we don¡¯t go back then neither of you can move to the afterlife,¡± she turned to look at Grandma Lan Fen and smiled sharply. ¡± Grandma Lan Fen, you want to see your granddaughter go to college and get married right? But if you are stuck in this world how are you going to that? With us being stuck here for who knows how long maybe by the time we go back to our world, your granddaughter will be an old grandma herself?¡± Grandma Lan Fen felt as if something seemed to have stuck in her chest, even though her heart was no longer beating, she swore that it jumped several heartbeats. Then Liu Hui Ying turned to look at Jia Li with a sympathetic expression and continued, ¡± You too Jia Li, you worked so hard for six months and helped me solve so many cases..all because you wanted me to buy you the premium membership of your favourite Chill and Flix site, if you stay stuck in here then how will you watch all your favourite romantic, thriller and horror dramas? Wouldn¡¯t your membership expire if we don¡¯t go back? Then what will you do? Didn¡¯t you want to spend the rest of your time doing nothing but eating fried chicken and binge-watching shows?¡± Jia Li¡¯s immediately ced her hands on her ears not wanting to listen to anything that Liu Hui Ying was saying. However, Liu Hui Ying wasn¡¯t done, she turned around and looked at Li Gang who stared back at her with a slightly defensive expression. ¡± And you Li Gang, if we don¡¯t go back what will happen to your dream? Didn¡¯t you want to find a hot, voluptuous, sizzling subus to get married to? But if we don¡¯t go back then where will you find that hot diva-like subus for yourself? Don¡¯t forget we are in ancient times, the only ghosts you are going to find now will be those soft, conservative types who will blush twice before even holding your hands. Without the modern set-up, you will have no choice but to make do with one of those ghosts, have a ghost marriage with them and move on to the afterlife, because if I can¡¯t go back then you three will stay here with me as well.¡± ..... Silence ensued in the entire room before Li Gang jumped to his feet. ¡± That damn woman, I swear I am going to drag her even if that¡¯s thest thing I have to do.¡± ¡± That¡¯s right,¡± greatly affected by what Liu Hui Ying said, Jia Li too jumped up. ¡°Everything in this world can expire but not my subscription to Chill and Flix, I don¡¯t think I will be able to withstand the grief.¡± The two of them turned to look at Grandma Lan Fen who sighed and got to her feet as well. ¡± I am not one to support something this boorish but for the sake of my granddaughter ... I will drag this woman¡¯s soul even from the gates of hell!¡± Seeing that she has sessfully riled up her three employees, Liu Hui Ying got to her feet and arched her back before patting the three of them on the shoulder. Since she was their master and the three of them were more or less of poltergeist, it was easier for her to touch them though she did feel an icy feeling sweep right against her skin when she touched the three. ¡°It¡¯s good that you three understand where I aming from now, so listen to me carefully..¡± she swept her gaze at the three ghosts and lowered her voice. ¡± The woman had a very deep grudge along with heavy regrets, she couldn¡¯t have moved onto the afterlife with that many regrets, you see? That¡¯s why ...you three just need to look around for her, since she died in this pce, then her soul is bound to be stuck here, just work hard! All right¡± After saying so, she shrugged her shoulders and yawned. ¡°Any way you three go and look for that woman, I will take a small nap... this entire night has been such a hassle that I feel really sleepy.¡± ¡± Ok¨C wait a minute,¡± Li Gang already had his feet lifted in his air when he paused and turned around to look at Liu Hui Ying. ¡± What about you though? Are you going to just close your eyes and sleep?¡± ¡± What else?¡± Liu Hui Ying sat down on the bed, took off her shoes and then squeezed her toes before raising her head to look at Li Gang with one brow arched. ¡± I can¡¯t walk through walls or make myself invisible from others, after such a thing happened surely that dog Emperor would have his gaze locked on me like some evil spirit. If I leave wouldn¡¯t I be delivering my head to his door on a silver tter, if I die then what will happen to the three of you? Don¡¯t forget that it¡¯s because of me that the grim reaper hasn¡¯t dragged you to the underworld.¡± Jia Li however wasn¡¯t going to let go of Liu Hui Ying so easily, she pursed her lips and sullenly looked at Liu Hui Ying. ¡± You are just trying to make excuses, if you want even the king of the underworld can catch you. Because you don¡¯t want to work hard, you areing up with one excuse after another.¡± ¡± Who says I am not working hard?¡± With a pout, Liu Hui Ying pushed herself off the ufortable bed and looked at the three ghosts. ¡± Whose spiritual energy you three are sucking up to do things? Mine. All right, I am sharing my great spiritual energy with you three even when I haven¡¯t eaten anything aftering here, do you know how tiring this is? How dare you say that I am trying to ck off ?¡± Chapter 16 Chapter 16: He is still young The three ghosts were shocked into speechlessness by Liu Hui Ying¡¯s shamelessness but there was nothing they could say against her because she was indeed right. She was sharing her spiritual energy with the three of them and even if they wanted to say that just because she was sharing her spiritual energy doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that she was doing all the hard work here while they were having the time of their afterlives, they couldn¡¯t do it¨C so, with a heavy heart, Jia Li and Grandma Lan Fen dragged Li Gang away who was cracking his knuckles as if he was preparing to throw fists at their master. ¡± Why did you two drag me out? Li Gang tore his arms away from Jia Li and Grandma Lan Fen and angrily pointed at the courtyard where Liu Hui Ying was. ¡± Do you really like being ordered around by that woman? She always spouts out difficult orders left and right as if they are easy to carry out, don¡¯t you think she is being too much? She might be sharing her spiritual energy with us but we are the ones who are doing all the hard work here.¡± Jia Li rolled her eyes at him as she simply said, ¡± Then go ahead and tell her that you don¡¯t want to follow her orders, I and Grandma Lan Fen will wait for you right here.¡± ¡± Do you think I don¡¯t dare to? I will do it.¡± Li Gang looked at Jia Li with great determination if she dared to say anything against him, he will definitely raise his fists and fight with her. ¡°Go ahead then,¡± with her chin slightly tilted Jia Li tipped her head towards the courtyard. ¡± Go and tell her that you are done taking orders from her and won¡¯t be following her anymore.¡± ¡± Fine,¡± with a grave expression Li Gang turned around and rolled his shoulders making it look like he was preparing himself to step into the battlefield but inwardly he was praying that Grandma Lan Fen would stop him. He really didn¡¯t want to say anything against Liu Hui Ying because thest time he went against her, she trapped him in a small ss bottle and refused to let hime out until he started begging her. He raised his feet and then looked over his shoulders but as soon as he turned around and looked at Jia Li and Grandma Lan Fen, he was surprised to find that the two of them were actually looking at him without any intention of stopping him. His momentum slightly iled as he said, ¡± I am really going in.¡± ..... ¡± Go then,¡± replied Jia Li with her arms crossed and her face a mask ofplete calmness. Seeing that she really wasn¡¯t bothered, Li Gang swallowed and then turned to look at Grandma Lan Fen as he said, ¡± Grandma, I am really going in...so if something happens to me then make sure to sacrifice some good wine as offerings for me.¡± After saying this, he turned around and started walking towards the wall of the courts but under his breath he kept muttering, ¡± Please stop me, Please..please, I am banking my hope on you Grandma Lan Fen.¡± ¡± Wait!¡± Just as he reached the wall and raised his feet to step inside, Grandma Lan Fen¡¯s voice came from behind stopping Li Gang just on time. His heart soared and his lips curled into a big smile but then he suppressed the grin and then turned around to look at Grandma Lan Fen as he looked at her with a solemn expression. ¡± What is it, Grandma Lan Fen? Do you know that you are being annoying?¡± ¡± I am sorry dear but,¡± with a hesitation-filled heart, Grandma Lan Fen looked at Li Gang as she said, ¡± If you go in there then you know what she will say.¡± As soon as Grandma Lan Fen said that, those horrifying memories of the past came surging up as they all remembered the lecture that Liu Hui Ying gave them thest time they tried to go against them. [ It was one fine day in summer and they were looking for a serial murderer because the case was tricky the three of them had to work extra hard given that the murderer never buried the body as soon as he killed his victims, instead he would keep their body trapped somewhere and would only dump it after the body waspletely rotten. What was even more surprising, the murderer knew how to disguise himself in such a way that he wasn¡¯t caught by the CCTV cameras in fact with his makeup skills he was able to escape right under the nose of the police department. The three of them were asked to work overtime and when they refused. ¡± Are you saying that you don¡¯t want to work overtime?¡± Liu Hui Ying had looked at them with a calm expression, her sses resting at the bridge of her nose, she didn¡¯t shout or get angry with them instead she calmly looked at them, leaned forward on the table and dangerously whispered, ¡± If you don¡¯t work overtime then I do not have any use forzy bums like you, since you don¡¯t want to work hard, then you all can go to the underworld, I will look for some other ghosts, I bet many of them want to escape the clutches of the grim reaper.¡± After that neither of them dared to say a word.] But till this day they could remember the spiritual pressure that Liu Hui Ying used on them. ¡± Grandma Lan Fen¨C¡± Jia Li wanted to tell Grandma Lan Fen that there was no need for them to worry about Li Gang since they weren¡¯t the ones who were finding trouble with Liu Hui Ying this time but before she could say that Li Gang interrupted her at once. ¡± Fine, Fine ...since you two are such scaredy cats I won¡¯t go and make trouble with Hui Ying, lets¡¯s go we will look for the ghost of that Empress.¡± Then he swaggered past Jia Li as if he was worried she will stop him again. ¡± You should have just let him poke the tiger in the eye,¡± muttered Jia Li as she rolled her eyes at the haughty profile of Li Gang. Grandma Lan Fen chuckled and said, ¡°It¡¯s all right, he is still young.¡± ¡ª- Chapter 17 Chapter 17: I caught you ¡°Your majesty, Your majesty please wake up.¡± Liu Hui Ying covered her face with the nket ignoring the calls of the desperate maid as she tried to wake her up as gently as possible. However, no matter how many times Qui Ai called Liu Hui Ying, thetter simply ignored her before turning her head to the left and then ignoring what the little maid was saying. Even though Liu Hui Ying was awake she didn¡¯t want to wake up, after all, who would want to wake up in this horrible nightmare? Qui Ai looked at her missy who was bent on ignoring her and sighed with a bit of annoyance, really what happened to her mistress? Every day she was the one who woke up before everyone else and even lit incense for the Gods and her ancestors yet now she was still in bed even when dawn was approaching. ¡± Your majesty, I know that you are tired but you really need to wake up now, if not you will bete for your greetings to the Grand Dowager Empress and she will have another chance to take jabs at you!¡± This time Liu Hui Ying¡¯s eyes did snap open as she sat up straight on her bed and looked at Qui Ai in surprise. ¡± What did you say? I am meeting whom?¡± Seeing that her mistress was finally awake, Qui Ai smiled at her before answering her questions in a rapid-fire motion, ¡°It¡¯s like this your majesty since you have newly married over, you need to go and greet the Grand dowager Empress before offering her tea.¡± Liu Hui Ying stared at Qui Ai¡¯s smile while her eyes flickered with shock and disbelief. These people! They were simply not human! She almost died yesterday...no, this woman whose body she was upying was already dead yet instead of giving her a day to get over the shock, they wanted her to go over and greet them as if nothing happened? So heartless! So freaking heartless! ..... Why don¡¯t these crazy freaks ascend and rebel in the heavens? ¡± Do I really have to go?¡± asked Liu Hui Ying, if there was a chance for her to get out of this mess then she was very much willing to do so. Who wanted to greet that old hag from the opposition party? Surely, nothing good wille out of this stupid greeting! Qui Ai thought that her miss was nervous about meeting the Grand Dowager Empress, so she smiled excitedly and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared your majesty, this time the Emperor will be apanying you, so there will be no problems at all.¡± Liu Hui Ying was still in a sort of daze but after hearing these words, all her sleepiness vanished as she looked at the smiling Qui Ai and asked, ¡± What did you say? Who is apanying who?¡± Seriously, this ce was really dangerous. She only stayed here for a night and already felt like her IQ was slowly going down. ¡± The Emperor!¡± Qui Ai saw the shocked look on the face of her miss and thought that she was shocked silly by the news that the Emperor wasing to see her and was even willing to apany her to the pce of the Grand Dowager Empress. She sped her hands and with eyes that were brimming with happiness and excitement, she gushed like a love-sick girl, ¡± I bet the Emperor felt sorry for what he did yesterday that¡¯s why he is trying to make it up to you, your majesty!¡± Liu Hui Ying turned her head to look at her three employee ghosts who looked just as stunned as her and realised that she didn¡¯t mishear anything. The emperor was really here and he was actually looking for her? That demonic, irrational only cares about his own skin murderer? ¡± YOUR MAJESTY! SOMEONE COME AND CATCH HER MAJESTY, SHE IS RUNNING!¡± Qui Ai had expected a lot of reactions, from her miss getting angry to shyly scolding the Emperor but what she didn¡¯t expect was her missy to run away from the bedroom! And that too in her nightdress! What in the world was this? Even if her missy forgot about all her memories there was no way she would forget even her noble teaching and elegance that everyone praised her for. Right? Right? But as Liu Hui Ying ran out of the main hall like an excellent runner, Qui Ai realised that her missy was no longer the same as she was before! ¡°Your majesty please stop! Someone catch her majesty!¡± Will Liu Hui Ying listen to Qui Ai? No. Not even if the hell was to freeze here and now. Seeing that old hag was already bad enough but now she has to apany that devil as well? Why not just ask her to jump off the cliff and chuck her life in a pit? Running like an Olympic runner, Liu Hui Ying dodged the eunuchs and the maids who were running behind her, trying to catch her as per Qui Ai¡¯s orders. Fortunately for her, her courtyard was simple, maybe it was a small f*ck you to the Liu family by giving their daughter, the Empress of this country a simple courtyard like this but Liu Hui Ying was very d about its simplicity. Just a main hall with an aligned bedroom, bathroom and a dining room all, as for the rest of the courtyard it was nothing but corridors and empty rooms. Running through them was like running into a maze something that Liu Hui Ying was happy to do! ¡± Your majesty! Please stop and listen to what I have to say, if you run like that then you will surely bete for your meeting!¡± Qui Ai shouted behind Liu Hui Ying causing thetter to increase her pace even more. Gettingte? That¡¯s exactly what she wanted! Who wanted to ept this marriage certainly not her! So, why should she serve that old hag tea and ask for her blessings? She was fine without those stupid blessings! ¡± Ah careful!¡± shouted Jia Li who was flying right beside her but she was a step toote as a pair of arms reached Liu Hui Ying¡¯s waist and hugged her. ¡± I have caught you, your majesty!¡± Chapter 18 Chapter 18: I want to go home ! ¡± I got you, your majesty!¡± Liu Hui Ying turned to look at the face of the elderly woman standing behind her, with her lips that were painted redder than the apples, powdered to the point that she looked paler than the moon and wrinkles that cross crossed their way throughout her face, the woman looked just as scary as the ghost. Liu Hui Ying who was suddenly caught by this strange-looking woman stared at her face for two seconds before she turned around and started to il in the arms of the woman again. ¡± I don¡¯t know who you are but you better let go of me before I deliver a German suplex to you, just so you know I am a very strong woman!¡± ¡°Yes, yes..her majesty is really strong,¡± the woman didn¡¯t let go of Liu Hui Ying but at the same time spoke to her as if she was coaxing a child, Liu Hui Ying who for some unknown reasons was treated as a six-year-old at the spiritual age of thirty-six, turned to look at the woman with goosebumps crawling all over her skin as she scrunched up her nose and spoke in a disgruntled voice, ¡± You speak to me in that voice again and I am gonna make your soul fly off, old woman!¡± ¡± O..Old woman?¡± This time the elderly woman did let go of Liu Hui Ying as she sped the spot where her heart was and cried in a loud voice, ¡± Your majesty! What¡¯s wrong with you? I just left you for three days, howe you became like this?¡± ¡± Looks like she knows you,¡±mented Li Gang as they stared at the wailing and howling old woman with tears running down her cheeks. ¡± Shouldn¡¯t you stop her, she is looking scarier than me.¡± That much was true since there was no such thing as waterproof makeup at this time as the old woman sobbed tears of agony, her powdered face started to look more and more scary. Liu Hui Ying looked at the old woman before she raised her hands but she only used her hands to beat others, she has never used to coax anyone, especially someone who cried this loud. After a long pause as she iled her hands, she took out her handkerchief and covered the face of the old woman. ..... Since she couldn¡¯t see her face, there was no need for her to feel bad either. ¡± She is hiding the evidence,¡± said Jia Li. ¡± I didn¡¯t think that you were such a person, Ying¡¯er,¡± chimed in Grandma Lan Fen with her hand cupping her cheek. Li Gang on the other hand sped his hands behind his head and said, ¡± But I knew that you were this kind of ruthless person, you truly deserve to be the boss of a gang leader like me.¡± Liu Hui Ying: ¡°.....¡± I don¡¯t wish to acknowledge them! ¡°Nanny Gong!¡± Just as Liu Hui Ying was feeling a bit hopeless about her situation, Qui Ai came running in their direction. She hurried over to Nanny Gong as she crouched on the ground and asked worriedly, ¡± Nanny Gong, what¡¯s the matter? Why are you crying like this who made you cry?¡± The guilty Liu Hui Ying tried to slowly sneak off but this time Qui Ai was prepared, she immediately raised her head and ordered the maid below her, ¡± Catch her majesty and don¡¯t let her run away.¡± Immediately a bunch of maids stepped forward and apprehended Liu Hui Ying like a criminal. Seeing her situation, Liu Hui Ying¡¯s right twitched as she inwardly thought, ¡® they are quite fortunate that they are women if not I would have broken their hands! How dare they treat her, the head of City Y¡¯s detective department! Do they even know who she was?¡¯ ¡± WHAT?!! HER MAJESTY LOST HER MEMORIES?¡± Nanny Gong who was coaxed and calmed by Qui Ai shrieked as she whipped her head to look at Liu Hui Ying who was sitting on a stool while wearing the most ufortable dress of her life. ¡± Your majesty, you don¡¯t remember... your favourite Nanny Gong?¡± ¡± No,¡± answered Liu Hui Ying rubbing her waist, gosh why did they have to tie so manyyers? It felt like she was going to be crushed! Seeing that Nanny Gong¡¯s eyes once again filled with tears, Liu Hui Ying instantly raised her hands. ¡± Don¡¯t...Don¡¯t cry again or else your makeup will be ruined.¡± And my mood. Nanny Gong sniffed as she summoned her tears back and wiped her eyes, ¡± If I knew that something so terrible will happen I wouldn¡¯t have even thought about leaving you, your majesty.¡± ¡± It doesn¡¯t matter, Nanny Gong,¡± Qui Ai too sobbed as she patted Nanny Gong¡¯s arm. ¡± Her Majesty is all right, that¡¯s what matters the most, right?¡± ¡± That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right,¡± said Nanny Gong as she nodded and picked up the heavy crown on the cab next to the dressing table and approached Liu Hui Ying. Though she was holding a golden crown, Liu Hui Ying felt like she was approaching her with an axe, as she retreated back and tilted her neck back. ¡± You are kidding right, you want me to wear that thing?¡± ¡± Your majesty, please be respectful ...this is the crown of the Empress,¡± nanny Gong hurriedly looked around to make sure that no one heard Liu Hui Ying and then without giving Liu Hui Ying a chance to refuse strapped the crown in ce causing Liu Hui Ying¡¯s neck to bury a few inches. ¡± This the evidence of your identity, your majesty... please be polite to it.¡± ¡°Yeah, I can totally feel it....¡± This heavy of a crown can only belong to a heavy position like the Empress! ¡± Okay now, you are ready your majesty,¡± said Nanny Gong as she helped Liu Hui Ying up. ¡± Watch your step, your majesty!¡± She hurriedly caught Liu Hui Ying when thetter iled and almost broke her neck. Liu Hui Ying sped her fingers around her throat and suddenly started sobbing, ¡± I want to go home.¡± Look at this she only wore this stupid crown and almost died! Chapter 19 Chapter 19: I deserve to die your majesty ¡± Tell me again, why do I have to see the jerk who nearly killed me yesterday night and that too with so much fanfare.¡± Liu Hui Ying stared at her reflection in the mirror, it was one thing for her to wear a crown that weighed a ton but it was apletely different thing if they were to make her wear at least seven pieces of clothing including a floaty long veil like a thing that was attached to her shoulders leading all the way up to wrists. What was even more amazing was that despite making her wear all this they even added a corset-like thing wrapped around her waist to make her look even slimmer than usual like she needed to look any more slim! This woman¡¯s waist was already thin as a stick, just one wrong move and she would snap into half like a twig. Looking at her frail figure Liu Hui Ying really missed her six-pack abs, ten years ... it took freaking ten years for her to get a body that could overthrow any man down and now that body was gone. Bloody hell, she was so saddened by the loss of her muscr body that she wanted to cry tears of blood. Refund! Give her a refund at least! ¡± Your majesty, you cannot call the esteemed emperor a jerk...¡± Nanny Gong¡¯s eyes teared up instinctively as she looked at Liu Hui Ying. Goodness, her majesty who was the embodiment of ss and manners actually called the Emperor a jerk! ¡± How shocked you have been to start acting like this, it¡¯s all my fault if I hadn¡¯t left the Liu mansion for my family emergency then something like this would have never happened, I deserve to be killed, your majesty!¡± As she shouted Nanny Gong got to her knees and kowtowed in front of Liu Hui Ying. It was a good thing that Qui Ai helped Liu Hui Ying up before dropping to her knees along with Nanny Gong. Once she and nanny Gong were on their knees the other maids followed suit, dropping to their knees one by one. ..... ¡± Oh this looks fun,¡± Li Gang looked at the row of maids who were on their knees in the long corridor and nodded his head in appreciation. ¡± I don¡¯t know about you but when I was the leader of my gang, my underlings would greet me like this as well! Man, this is taking me back down to my memoryne.¡± ¡± If you are going down memoryne you might as well drown there already,¡± deadpanned Jia Li as she looked at the maids kneeling in front of them before yawning. ¡± Man, I really want to go and get myself a coke or something of the sort, this is all too boring.¡± ¡± You call this boring? It¡¯s so much fun!¡± ¡± Have you not seen the current drama that I was watching? That was what I call interesting and fun, this is simply a repetition of actions, just how many times have we watched them go down their knees and repeat the same thing over and over again? I am getting tired of listening to the same thing. They all look like freaking NPCs!¡± Liu Hui Ying had to agree with Jia Li this time, these maids have been going on with the same routine ever since the morning. She didn¡¯t have time for this damn it! She didn¡¯t get a chance to finish her beauty sleep, nor did she get the chance to look for this woman¡¯s soul and now she has to listen to their cries. She was tired. They were even more annoying than the new intern in thepany! Maybe she should really ¡ª ¡± Calm down, violence is never the answer.¡± Grandma Lan Fen¡¯s calm voice broke through the daze that was covering her eyes. That¡¯s right, she shouldn¡¯t let her anger rule her like this ... even though these maids were annoying they were still her only way to get information about this ce. Since they were still useful, killing them was a big no-no. ¡± Look you all, I know that you all are very upset with the happenings of yesterday but nothing is going to change if you keep crying like this, you all need to calm down and take a deep breath,e on follow me.¡± As Liu Hui Ying spoke, she even demonstrated how to breathe in and out showing her maids to calm down. ¡± Forgive me, your majesty,¡± nanny Gong was the first one to recover her wits as she bowed her head in front of Liu Hui Ying and apologised. ¡± This servant should have paid attention to her bearings before showing you such an unsightly sight in front of you. But what am I supposed to do, seeing you like this makes me want to die.¡± ¡± Look I can kill you if that¡¯s what you want,¡± Liu Hui Ying offered generously but then Nanny Gong¡¯s head snapped up and she looked at her in shock and fear, so Liu Hui Ying had to back peddle immediately. ¡± But that is not going to solve anything will it?¡± Nanny Gong shook her head and Liu Hui Ying smiled at her with a polite attitude. ¡± See, you dying for me won¡¯t change a thing. Then why don¡¯t you calm down and show me the way?¡± Just get on with this already! I need to take this crown off my head! Chapter 20 Chapter 20: Meeting the Emperor ¡± How long?¡± Liu Hui Ying felt her legs tremble as she carried the heavy weight of being the Empress on her neck while her entire body was so tightly wrapped that she felt like she was going to star in one of those S and M shows. The dress was so heavy that even all those sumo squats felt like baby steps in front of it. ¡± We are just almost there,¡± stated Nanny Gong as she smiled at Liu Hui Ying with a patient expression that only pissed Liu Hui Ying even more. ¡± You said the same thing ten minutes ago, Nanny Gong,¡± retorted Liu Hui Ying as she looked at the path that didn¡¯t seem to have any end at all, wasn¡¯t this pce a bit too big for the small courtyard she was living in? Nanny Gong raised her hand and pointed at the wall that was at least a kilometre away from where they were as she smiling said, ¡± The Emperor is standing right behind the wall, your majesty. Just push yourself a little then you will be able to meet the Emperor!¡± ¡® Who wants to meet that bastard?¡¯ snarled Liu Hui Ying inwardly, that man was lucky that he was born with a diamond spoon coated with tinum or else she would have smashed the only tree in his forest all the while enjoying the sight of him writhing in pain. The cause of her predicament was that man! If he hasn¡¯t fed the poisoned wine to this woman then she would have never been dragged to this ce! How she wished she could punch that guy just once! ..... ¡± Just a bit more your majesty!¡± Nanny Gong pushed Liu Hui Ying forward with her hands while thetter simply trembled with all the weight that she was carrying, damn if this was her body she would have definitely walked this far without a hitch but ¡ª ¡± I can¡¯t let¡¯s cancel it, I am done... I can¡¯t walk anymore,¡± Liu Hui Ying felt like she was dying, she couldn¡¯t breathe nor could she walk it was as if she has been pushed to do at least a thousand squats in just a day. ¡± We are almost there, your majesty!¡± cheered Qui Ai as she dragged Liu Hui Ying to the front gate that was at least three kilometres away from the courtyard where she stayed. Feeling like every bit of her energy was drained, Liu Hui Ying leaned against Qui Ai as she huffed and puffed, this was a killer workout. They might as well buy a casket when they bring her back! ¡± Your majesty, please straighten up.¡±Nanny Gong pulled Liu Hui Ying off Qui Ai¡¯s shoulder and had her stand up straight before tucking the strand that escaped past her carefully tied-up bun. ¡± As the Empress, you have to be the embodiment of nobility and ss, if you act like such then many Concubines will look down on you.¡± ¡± Honestly, Nanny Gong with all due respect I don¡¯t really care if they look down on me.¡± Anyway, she was going to escape from this ce after finding out the reason as to why her soul fell in this time slip. Once she gets hold of the thing that made her transmigrate she was going to fly back to her world, who cares whether the women of that jerk¡¯s harem look down on her? Did she look like she cared about it? ¡± And stop crying,¡± she firmly stated when she saw that nanny Gong was going to cry again. She softly held the hand of the elderly woman and wiped her tears. ¡°If you keep on crying over such small things like this then you will have end up crying a river.¡± Then she turned to look at the guard who was staring at her and her procession with a bemused look, all the softness that she had on her face vanished at once. ¡± What are you waiting for? Are you waiting for me to send you an invitation to open the door?¡± The guard felt his brows jump as he hurriedly opened the door, why was it that the Empress was so soft and careful with her nanny but she spoke to him as if she wanted to him skin alive? ¡± Calm down Hui Ying,¡± Jia Li hurriedly stopped her from saying anything more. ¡± You have to remember that we are in a ce where we don¡¯t know anyone if you show off your hatred for men so much. Everyone will find out that you are allergic to them, you can¡¯t hand in such a big bomb in the hand of someone else.¡± Liu Hui Ying rubbed her temples and nodded Jia Li was right, she cannot hand such ammunition in the hand of just anyone but the problem was ¡ª The door opened with a loud creak and a man dressed in a matching white robe with a red undershirt and embroidery came into her sight. ¡± Oh, he looks even good when he is dressed up.¡± Jia Li gushed as she looked at the man over Liu Hui Ying¡¯s shoulders. ¡± Tsk what is so good about him?¡± Li Gong rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms in front of him. ¡± He looks like a pretty boy at best, do you have to exaggerate so much?¡± Liu Hui Ying didn¡¯t have any good feelings towards men, her mind simply distributed the men she came in contact with ¨Cas someone she could bear and as someone she wished would be obliterated the very next second. So, when her gaze fell on the Emperor, whose long hair was carefully tied with the golden crown, his respondent and bright clothes sitting a bit too well with his skin and those sharp phoenix eyes that were staring at her, she didn¡¯t even think twice before dumping in thetter list. Even with that charming smile and handsome face, she wished that she wouldn¡¯t have to see him anymore. ¡°We greet the esteemed majesty!¡± The maids along with Nanny Gong bowed in front of the man and just when Liu Hui Ying thought that she wouldn¡¯t be bowing to anyone, nanny Gong kicked her in the shin and she dropped to her knees under the weight of the crown. Chapter 21 Chapter 21: Do you forgive me my queen? ¡± My Queen, I am d that you are feeling all right and I know that you are feeling really happy after seeing me but there is no need for you to greet me with such a deep ceremonial bow.¡± The Emperor¡¯s voice was nice to listen to but Liu Hui Ying has never been appreciative of men or anything rted to them. She did swoon at the sight of the man in front of her nor did she feel her heart tickle instead what she felt was nothing but annoyance¨C a deep ceremonial bow? Happy to see him? Why does he not simply soar to the high heavens? Can this man even withstand the impact of her, Liu Hui Ying¡¯s bow? ¡± Here,¡± a hand with long slender fingers stretched out in front of her, with those veins sticking out of his skin and slightly tanned skin, even the hand of the Emperor looked like it has been carved by the most skilled craftsmen but it was a pity that Liu Hui Ying was no appreciator of this art. She didn¡¯t take the hand in front of her instead she ced her hands on the ground and stood up straight, not even ncing at the Emperor before taking several steps behind. His scent was making her dizzy, so dizzy that she almost fell on her butt. She hasn¡¯t been allergic to men all her life but after what happened to her sister, Liu Hui Ying developed a subconscious instinct of staying away from men. Her psychiatrist told her that what she wascking was trust in men as long as she was able to walk past the hurdles that were inside her heart, she would be able to get used to the presence of men but the thing was that Liu Hui Ying never found men whom she could trust. The men she met all wanted to either belittle her and her opinion or they wanted to drag her down such that they will be able to take her position, having grown up in such an atmosphere it would be surprising that she even had the slightest bit of trust in men. After taking a few steps Liu Hui Ying exhaled and took a fresh breath but the scent of jasmine tea that was lingering on the sleeves of the Emperor¡¯s clothes was so strong that even after walking further away from him, she wasn¡¯t able to get rid of that scent. Her gag reflexes started working and she almost threw up, if not for the stupid ceremony of serving tea to her mother-inw as soon as the sun woke up and without eating any breakfast, she would have really hurled all over the ce. This was why she always chose to work with females instead of men. ¡± Are you feeling okay?¡± Jia Li noticed the paleplexion of Liu Hui Ying and couldn¡¯t help but softly ask, she knew just how much Liu Hui Ying hated men but now ¡ª she raised her head and looked at the three men standing in front of them. One was of course the General whom they already sawst night what was his name¨C oh yes, Yu Lingyun. The man in the ceremonial clothing must be the Emperor as for the other one Jia Li hasn¡¯t seen him yet. ¡± My Queen, are you feeling okay?¡± The Emperor repeated Jia Li¡¯s question despite not hearing it, his gaze skimmed at Liu Hui Ying¡¯s face and thetter felt goosebumps break all over her skin. The memories of that night fluttered inside Liu Hui Ying¡¯s head and she almost shivered¨Cno, she cannot show any weakness in front of a man. They will surely take advantage of her if they found out that she still held some fear when it came to men, she has already handed the biggest ammunition in the hand of that general, she could not allow any more slip-ups to happen. ¡± I am fine,¡± she straightened her back and took a few more steps away from the Emperor. ¡± Or at least as fine as a woman who was almost poisoned to death can be.¡± ..... Her barbed words have been her defence for a long time and so did her sarcastic tongue. Many men have thrown their hands in front of her after engaging in a battle of wits with her, she did not believe that the Emperor was any better than those men. However, thetter deserved the position of Emperor, even after listening to her arrogant tone and sarcastic jab, he did not even flinch in the slightest instead he smiled apologetically and said, ¡± Forgive me as I am nothing but human, my queen. Last night I made a grave mistake by trusting a woman who wasn¡¯t worthy of my trust and made you suffer... but believe me, I did not for one moment wanted something like that to happen, if not for me falsely believing that the woman was carrying my child, I would have never done something as foolish as that, I was subjected to falsehood and blinded by my emotions, that is why I made a mistake such as that ... I sincerely and humbly ask for your forgiveness. Please ept my sincere apology and let bygones be bygones.¡± ¡°Yeah right, I can feel your sincerity.¡± Sincerity to kill me ¡ª This woman¡¯s body was poisoned yet this man did not even send a physician to check up on her, it didn¡¯t matter whether her spiritual powers stored in her dantian was able to heal her or not, what actually mattered was that this man was very sincere in killing her. The Emperor¡¯s lips curled into a smile as he softly asked, ¡± Does that mean, you forgive me, my queen?¡± ¡°Does it matter?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked back with the same soft smile. ¡± I don¡¯t think that my forgiveness means anything to the esteemed Emperor, after all, I am nothing but a subject that can be killed at any moment.¡± As soon as she said those words a terrible silence fell upon the people standing in front of her courtyard. Good, this was what she wanted as long as this Emperor was disgusted by her, she would be free to look for a way to return to her world. Chapter 22 22 I will walk Liu Hui Ying caught a glimpse of Nanny Gong¡¯s almost going to faint expression and shrugged casually. Did they really expect her to put on a freaking smile and look at the man who was the cause of her predicament like he was literally her blinding sun and she was his oh-so-poor servant? If not for this man here pushing this woman to kill herself off, she would not be trapped in this body. Oh, her promotion, her money and her million dors house. She has worked so hard to achieve all of that just how many cases did she has to take before she was able to save that much money and climb up the ranks? Now because of one man, all her hard work has gone into drains...even if she was to return now who knows how much time might have been wasted already? If she was to go back now maybe she will find that annoying Mr Guo sitting in her position! Damn it! Today was supposed to be her most amazing day and it turned out to be a horrible nightmare! Now she was dressed in this freaking dress that was choking the life out of her and heading to her doom, why her? Why not someone else? She might be a little greedy and a bit too awkward with men but...but she was a good woman! What did she do to deserve this? ¡± My Queen, do you mean to say that you do not forgive me?¡± The man in front of her called her again and Liu Hui Ying almost snapped her teeth at him, what was up with him? Why was he calling her my queen, my queen at every turn? Liu Hui Ying drew to her full height or at least tried to with the crown weighing down on her as she crossed her arms and said, ¡± Why not I pick up a sword and drive through your chest right now, esteemed majesty? Let¡¯s see if you have the heart to forgive me then.¡± ¡± Your majesty!¡± ¡± Her highness, what are you saying?¡± ..... This time both Nanny Gong and Qui Ai nearly fainted as they looked at Liu Hui Ying. What was the empress doing? She was talking about harming the body of the esteemed Emperor? Did she not know that doing something like that may get her killed? They all turned to look at the Emperor who was staring at Liu Hui Ying waiting for him to blow up but instead... ¡°Hahaha, looks like my queen knows how to joke now,¡± the Emperorughed jovially as he looked at Liu Hui Ying and nodded his head. ¡± That¡¯s great, that¡¯s great, a pair of husband and wife should have such jesting happening between the two of them, only that way will we get close to each other.¡± ¡± I would rather jump in front of a hungry tiger than get close to you,¡± Liu Hui Ying shot back with a disgusted expression on her face, getting close to a man? She would rather choke on cat vomit. ¡± Joking, Joking!¡± Seeing that everyone has stiffened again Nanny Gong immediatelyughed out loud as she dragged Liu Hui Ying back and murmured, ¡± What are you doing your majesty? That is the esteemed emperor how can you be this rude to him?¡± ¡± Be d that I am only being rude to him,¡± said Liu Hui Ying in a whispering voice. ¡± What I want is to kick him right in between his legs and end the misery of this country once and for all.¡± Nanny Gong turned to look at Liu Hui Ying with a shocked expression before shaking her head while thetter simply nodded her head and said, ¡± You better not stop me or else...¡± she made a kicking motion and nanny Gong immediately let go of Liu Hui Ying. ¡± It seemed that my queen and her nanny have a lot of things to talk about,¡± the two women had been whispering but the Emperor with his Martial arts skills was able to hear everything, a part of him wanted to think that Liu Hui Ying was only pretending to be angry with him and this was all her n. After all, he knew how treacherous the Liu family could be but as Liu Hui Ying turned to look at him, he noticed that there was indeed no infatuation she had in her eyes before instead she was now looking at him with disgust as if seeing him caused her eyes to hurt. Was it because she was the daughter of the Liu family? They were indeed poisonous snakes who knew how to hide in the dark. So maybe the empress was simply doing something simr to what her uncle and aunt were doing to him? ¡°It¡¯s nothing, esteemed majesty,¡± nanny Gong bowed even lower as she answered his question. ¡± I am just telling her majesty what she can and cannot do, as a young miss and the only child she is a bit wilful please don¡¯t mind us.¡± Zhai Tianyu: ¡°....¡± I heard everything but then again Nanny Gong was indeed speaking the truth, she tried to stop the Empress from hitting him. ¡± Ahem, let¡¯s go shall we?¡± He motioned to the pnquin that was standing behind him and said, ¡± I believe that we are runningte we do not want grand dowager empress to wait anymore¨C¡± ¡± Where is mine?¡± Before he could finish speaking Liu Hui Ying very arrogantly and conveniently interrupted him. But being the gentlemanly and soft to the fairer gender Emperor he was, he smiled at her and said, ¡± What do you mean, my queen?¡± ¡± My ride,¡± she pointed to the pnquin behind him and added, ¡± Where is mine?¡± What did she mean by hers? Zhai Tianyu wanted to know what game she was ying but he still calmed the annoyance in his heart and said, ¡± We are supposed to share a ride on the first day of our marriage, my queen.¡± He saw her getting stunned by his words before she turned to look at her nanny who nodded her head and then.... ¡± I will walk.¡± Chapter 23 23 Bottom low ¡± You will what?¡± For a second even Zhai Tianyu thought that he might have misheard her, did she really say that she was going to walk all the way to the grand dowager pce? Was she really serious? Nanny Gong noticed the stunned expression on the face of Emperor¡¯s face and then the stubborn expression on the face of the Empress before she carefully trotted to Liu Hui Ying¡¯s side walking through Grandma Lan Fen and shivering when she felt a chill crawl up her spine. Turning around she looked at the spot where she just walked past, what was that? ¡± My, My she seemed to have been scared by me,¡± Grandma Lan Fen chuckled but took a step away from where she was standing when she noticed that Nanny Gong was carefully stretching her hand to touch her. ¡± Of course, she just walked past you, she should be scared no matter what,¡± said Li Gang. Walking past a ghost was not a pleasant feeling, as far as he knew it was like being pressed by an ice boulder for a millisecond. Even if humans couldn¡¯t see them, they could at least sense their presence, so it would be surprising in case Nanny Gong wasn¡¯t scared. The three ghosts took a few steps back simtor and Nanny Gong who didn¡¯t feel a simr chill crawl up her spine also left the matter in the back of her head as she turned to Liu Hui Ying and tugged at her spine before saying, ¡± Your majesty, the pce of Grand Dowager Empress is at least three kilometres away from here. How will you walk that far? Isn¡¯t it better for you to take the pnquin?¡± Three kilometres? She might die after walking for that long with this damn crown on her head but ¡ª Liu Hui Ying turned to look at the pnquin that looked like a fking lovers¡¯ seat and decided to hold on to her will. There was no way she was going to sit on the dumb pnquin with that damned Emperor! Last night that man gave this stupid woman a poisonous wine who knows what he might be nning right now? And what¡¯s more, if she really went down to sit next to her then it will be her funeral! ¡°I will walk,¡± Liu Hui Ying gritted out, she didn¡¯t want to itch to death so even if that pce was thirty kilometres away she would have still chosen to walk to that pce. So, a three kilometres distance didn¡¯t scare her! ..... With her determination rejuvenated, Liu Hui Ying picked the long skirt that was trailing on the ground up to her shins ignoring the ¡®oh mys¡¯ and ¡®oh dears¡¯ and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡± Your majesty you cannot raise your skirt like that!¡± Nanny Gong almost fainted when she saw Liu Hui Ying raise her skirt like that, what the hell happened to her elegant and noble missy? ¡± Your majesty, please wait for us!¡± Qui Ai chased after Liu Hui Ying who was walking ahead of them acting as if she couldn¡¯t hear a thing that they were saying and dragged the swooning nanny Gang together with her. The Queen¡¯s procession rushed after her while the Emperor who came to escort his queen was left behind. ¡± She...She really left like that?¡± General Yu stared at the Empress who was walking ahead of them with a stunned expression on his face. What the hell happened to the most graceful daughter of the Liu family? Didn¡¯t they say that Liu Hui Ying was their most carefully raised daughter and that she was a woman who knew what she could and could not do? So why was she suddenly doing something so udylike? ¡°Carefully raised? More like carefully riled,¡± muttered Zhai Heng while looking at Liu Hui Ying sideways. ¡°She looks like she wants to kill us and if not for our positions and powerful stature, she really would have jumped on us.¡± ¡± And you two said that I was joking when I told you thisst night,¡± pointed out Yu Lingyun as he rolled his eyes and looked at Zhai Tianyu as he asked, ¡± What now? If the Empress is not in love with you what are we going to do now?¡± Zhai Tianyu didn¡¯t say anything, he looked at the back of the woman with an indescribable expression on his face before calmly muttering under his breath, ¡± Allergic to men was it?¡± ¡± Your majesty, please take a breath and calm down!¡± Nanny Gang chased after Liu Hui Ying who was climbing the stairs of the Grand Dowager pce and fanned her with a handkerchief as she tried to stop thetter from climbing the stairs anymore. ¡± Your face is turning red, please stop and take a breath.¡± ¡± And whose fault do you think it is huh?¡± snapped Liu Hui Ying as she snatched the handkerchief from Nanny Gang and wiped her face. Whose idea was to make this ce this big? Why did they have to make this entire ce as big as a freaking city, what was more they did not even have signboards ced on every corner and turn, she had to double back at least half a mile before she was able to find this pce. What was even more annoying she has to carry so much weight on her shoulders! ¡± Maybe you should have taken the ride with the Emperor,¡± said Nanny Gang with a hesitant expression. ¡± The Emperor might be rash sometimes but he is a good man, he treats his concubines really well.¡± ¡± Can you like stop telling me about how well he treats other women? It is going to make me puke.¡± Liu Hui Ying turned her head sideways and rolled her eyes at nanny Gang, she of course knew that the Emperor was a phnderer but there was no need for Nanny Gang to repeat the same thing over and over again, it was making her annoyed. Like she needed any other reason to hate that man! Her impression of that man was already bottom low! You see! Chapter 24 24 Better than taking someone¡¯s life as a joke. ¡± Hah! Why do they call this pce? Why not dere it as a district huh? maybe better dere it as a freakin city, this was three kilometres? More like thirty kilometres!¡± Liu Hui Ying felt her legs almost give out when she climbed the fiftieth step that led to the Grand dowager Empress¡¯s pce, why was it that this pce had such excessive grandeur but her pce looked like a puny shack? Was this about the difference in their positions or was it about her not being favoured by the Emperor? ¡®These assholes if they had the slightest bit of guilt then they would have at least given her time to recover, this body was still recovering and thanks to them, she was on the verge of fainting again.¡¯ Liu Hui Ying pulled her skirt even further as she took a trembling step forward and almost stumbled to the ground if not for Nanny Gong and Qui Ai holding her from her waist, she would have smashed her face on the step ahead of her. ¡± Your majesty, this is why I said¨C¡± ¡± Don¡¯t you dare,¡± Liu Hui Ying raised a finger as she silenced Nanny Gang with a stern voice, an annoyed expression shing on her face as she pushed herself off the ground and wheeled to look at Nanny Gang and Qui Ai staring at the two of them fiercely. ¡± Don¡¯t you dare to say that the Emperor is a gentleman and I should have taken a ride with him, if he was that much of a gentleman then he would have allowed me to take the ride alone, it¡¯s not like his majestic self wascking a pnquin or two? But no, he let me walk away, he could have stopped me and told me to take the pnquin but did he? No, he didn¡¯t! Instead, he let his wife who is still recovering from the poisonous wine walk this far and for your information, he was the one who sent that jar of wine to me! So don¡¯t call him a gentleman, you are putting all the gentlemen in this world to shame!¡± Nanny Gang and Qui Ai immediately shut up seeing that Liu Hui Ying was angry, noticing that the two of them had turned silent Liu Hui Ying finally breathed a sigh of relief and then turned to look at the pce that was still far away and stomped her feet. ¡± Why? Why is that pce situated at such a high ce? Is the Grand dowager Empress looking for booking the first ss ticket?¡± The first-ss ticket that Liu Hui Ying talking about was of course to the heavens. Why else would someone live in a pce that was so high up? Of course, no one understood a word she said given that the term ¡® first-ss ticket,¡¯ was something that they have never heard before. A good thing too because if anyone understood what she was saying then Liu Hui Ying would have been dragged to the execution ground, after all, what she just said could be counted as her cursing the Grand dowager Empress. Liu Hui Ying looked at the pce that was nearly touching the sky and huffed a tired breath as she picked up the skirt in her hands and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ..... Because she knew that even if she was to die on these steps today, she has to shove that brewed tea down the throat of that old hag or else why would she, a woman who was just almost poisoned to death be pushed to do something like this? Who knows if she was to die on these very steps these people might have her corpse brew tea for that Grand Dowager Empress because of their so-called customs. ¡± My Queen, you are here?¡± As soon as Liu Hui Ying reached the top of the steps, her gaze fell on the jerk who didn¡¯t seem to have broken even a drop of sweat and looked as refreshed as he did when he came to see her in the morning, of course, he did! That damned jerk had a pnquin! She nced at his impable appearance and then looked at her sweaty appearance before letting out a snort. If anyone dared to call this jerk a gentleman in future, she was going to fight them to death, what gentleman? He was a ck stain on the name of gentlemen! ¡± No, I am not here,¡± replied Liu Hui Ying taking the handkerchief from Qui Ai and wiping her face. ¡± This is my ghost, my body is somewhere down on the steps, wait for a few minutes, it¡¯s trying its best toe up.¡± Another stretch of silence settled between the group before nanny Gang pped her hands and said with a smile that was worse than crying, ¡± Joking, her majesty is just joking hahaha, ha...¡± ¡± Haha, it seems that the Queen has learned how to joke,¡± said Zhai Tianyu as he chuckled along with Nanny Gang. Liu Hui Ying twisted her lips from left to right in a disdainful manner before scoffing. ¡± At least it¡¯s better than taking someone¡¯s life as a joke, goodness the price of life here sure is cheap.¡± This time theughter stopped at once as Nanny Gang shot a fearful look at the Emperor before lowering her head but Liu Hui Ying who was the target of Zhai Tianyu¡¯s gaze hitched up a brow and curled her lips in a mocking smile. ¡± What? You didn¡¯t like my joke? I thought that you of all people will understand it, your esteemed majesty.¡± She was an officer, a detective who was used to more danger than this pretty boy can even think of, did he believe she was scared of dying? Hah, if he was under this delusion then he was going to be very disappointed. ¡°It seems that the Queen is like a ming ze when she is angry,¡± said Zhai Tianyu breaking the sudden silence as he looked at Liu Hui Ying with a smile that was as serene as the breeze of the spring. ¡± I didn¡¯t know that the Queen can get this upset.¡± Liu Hui Ying smiled back at him but her smile was as harsh as the blizzard of winter as she said, ¡± There are a lot of things that your esteemed majesty does not know about me, what a pity that you will never get a chance either.¡± ¡ª P.s: Please support this book by powerstones! Chapter 25 25 Kidnapped Please support this book by golden tickets and power stones. ¡± Should we go in?¡± Zhai Tianyu stretched his arm out, proffering it to Liu Hui Ying who took several steps back while looking at Zhai Tianyu with a suspicious look on her face. ¡± What? What do you want to do?¡± ¡± Aren¡¯t we newly married?¡± Zhai Tianyu smiled at Liu Hui Ying, using his most charming smile that would make any woman fall for him. ¡± We should go hand in hand to see my grandmother, she will like seeing us getting along.¡± ¡± I would rather get along with a pig than you,¡± snapped Liu Hui Ying casting a disgusted nce at Zhai Tianyu, behind her she could hear Nanny Gang¡¯s coughing and Qui Ai¡¯s ¡®Oh my¡¯s¡¯ but she did not look at them instead she raised her hands and made a move away gesture. ¡± Instead of getting along why don¡¯t you walk on yourne and I will walk on mine? I believe in world peace you see? There is no need to start a world war by making a woman angry, so just let¡¯s go separately.¡± ¡± World war? Lane? World peace? My queen... I only left you alone for a day and yet you have learned to speak rather weirdly.¡± Zhai Tianyu¡¯s brows scrunched up a little as he looked at Liu Hui Ying before stretching his arm. ¡± I know that you are angry but there is no need to be stubborn like this, lets go¨C¡± He did not get a chance to say anything as a hand covered in a handkerchief pped his palm away making everyone gasp. Yu Lingyun who was standing behind Zhai Tianyu leaned in closer to Zhai Heng and said, ¡± You see that, she is all weird like that, is she okay? Do you think something happened to her? Are you sure that you gave her a poisoned wine and not a... personality-alternating wine?¡± ¡± If I had such a thing then I would have given it to you first,¡± Zhai Heng solemnly shot back as he pped Yu Lingyun¡¯s head away. ¡± And why don¡¯t you use your spiritual energy to shout out to the world that we gave the queen poisoned wine, do you think that we don¡¯t have enough trouble as it is? The Liu family is waiting like a prowling tiger to pounce on us and here you are making things difficult for us.¡± ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Yu Lingyun bowed his head and then turned to look at the sight in front of him before chuckling. ¡± But this is really entertaining don¡¯t you think so? I believe that the days in the pce are going to be really interesting.¡± He faltered when Zhai Heng nced down at him and cleared his throat awkwardly. ¡± I mean¨C¡± ..... ¡± Say another word and I will have his majesty send you to the cold north, I heard the people there stay alive by living on stale fish and coarse pancakes.¡± ¡± Sorry, really sorry...¡± under Zhai Heng¡¯s threats, Yu Lingyun could only shut his mouth. ¡± You pped Zhen?¡± Zhai Tianyu who has never been pped in his entire life was so shell-shocked that he looked at Liu Hui Ying in surprise. In fact, his shock was so great that he even forgot to get angry at Liu Hui Ying. ¡°You actually pped Zhen?¡± ¡°Why you tried to touch me without my permission, what did you think I was going to do?¡± Liu Hui Ying shot back, a heart attack she almost got a heart attack. If this man had touched her right now, her allergy would have red up pretty badly. ¡± I am your husband, do I need to have your permission to touch your hand?¡± Zhai Tianyu echoed in shock and surprise, this was the first time someone has said something like this to him. ¡± Did you know me before marriage?¡± asked Liu Hui Ying with a raise of her chin causing Zhai Tianyu to frown as he shook his head, seeing that he was shaking his head Liu Hui Ying pped her hands together and pointed at him and said, ¡± You see, we didn¡¯t even know each other before getting married, that means we are basically strangers and strangers are not supposed to get close to each other, strangers don¡¯t touch each other and they definitely not talk with each other.¡± She frowned and then looked at him with an inquisitive look. ¡± No one taught you that you should not be talking to strangers? Gosh, you can be kidnapped, pay attention to your surroundings and stay away from strangers, in fact, it would be better if you don¡¯t talk to strangers at all.¡± Then after dumping this ¡®useful¡¯ information on the naive emperor who did not even know that he should not be talking to strangers she walked towards the pce¡¯s courtyard leaving Zhai Tianyu behind. ¡± Forgive us, your majesty!¡± Nanny Gang wanted to say something more to Zhai Tianyu but she couldn¡¯t think of what she should say, in the end, she could only bow to Zhai Tianyu and run after Liu Hui Ying, following her was Qui Ai who deliberately ignored Yu Lingyun waving at her and chased after Liu Hui Ying. ¡± Goodness women are so hard to understand,¡± muttered Yu Lingyun as he looked at Qui Ai¡¯s vanishing back and then turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who was staring into the space with a shocked look on his face and tapped him on his shoulder.¡± Your majesty, are you okay?¡± Zhai Tianyu snapped out of his daze and then turned to look at his elder brother and best friend before opening his mouth with a rather torn expression on his face. ¡°Zhen ....why do I think that the queen just made a fool out of me?¡± ¡± You are probably overthinking, your majesty,¡± said Zhai Heng with an ever-calm expression. ¡± I believe that the Queen is just angry and making you confused, don¡¯t let her stray you... all right?¡± Zhai Tianyu nodded as he pursed his lips and took a step forward but then suddenly stopped causing his procession to stop all of a sudden and knock into each other. ¡± But what does kidnapped means? ¡± Maybe a kid taking nap?¡± suggested Yu Lingyun wisely. ¡± Why will a kid nap if I talk to strangers?¡± Chapter 26 26 Golden goose ¡± The Grand dowager Empress really likes to eat sweet things, her favourite colours are ck, navy blue and purple,¡± Zhai Tianyu was indeed thrown off by what Liu Hui Ying said but soon he picked himself up and started to go on and on about what the Grand dowager Empress liked and what she didn¡¯t like a good husband. Liu Hui Ying on the other hand hummed ordingly but inwardly she was cursing the emperor. She has sent her ghost servants to see around the pce earlier and they have risen to the task amazingly, after all, if they were going to stay in this ce then it was better to know the enemy base properly and from the information that her ghost employees have collected¨C the Grand dowager Empress hated everything that was sweet and she almost killed one of her maids when she bought a bolt of ck cloud silk. Apparently, the grand dowager Empress lost her daughter a few years ago and she started hating the colour ck and white from then on. So, this bastard was actually telling her a lie! If she didn¡¯t know better she would have lost her life without even knowing what she did wrong! Schemers every one of them was a ck-hearted schemer! She has to get out of here or else¨C Liu Hui Ying turned to look at the Emperor and her left eye started to twitch looking at that innocent smile, if she didn¡¯t use to deal with psycho killers and murderers on daily basis she wouldn¡¯t have known what was going on inside this man¡¯s head. ¡± What are you looking at my queen?¡± as if just sensing her gaze, the emperor turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who in turn smiled and said, ¡± Just wondering how can your smile be this innocent.¡± When you are nning to murder me so tantly asshole. Zhai Tianyu¡¯s lips curled even more as he looked at her and said with a happy smile, ¡± Really? Even my royal grandmother says that I was born with a distinct innocence, apparently, she is very fond of telling everyone that I was born with an angel-like smile¨C why are you looking like that my queen?¡± ¡± Nothing...¡± said Liu Hui Ying as she pressed a hand over her mouth and stopped her gagging reflex, honestly she never thought that one day she would be so disgusted by someone¡¯s nonsense that she would want to vomit everything out. She nced at the Emperor who was looking at her with a politely bewildered nce and she couldn¡¯t help but scrunch up her face ¡ª really, just how in the world anyone can say such bullshit without cringing even once? Thankfully, the two of them reached the doors of the grand dowager empress¡¯s pce and Zhai Tianyu¡¯s nonsense stopped seeing that he has stopped speaking, Liu Hui Ying heaved a sigh of relief, and finally, he stopped yammering in her ears. ..... ¡± My Queen?¡± Just as she was relishing the peace, she heard the same annoying voice drifting over to her ear and she twisted her head with such a fervent angry re that even Yu Lingyun who was standing behind Zhai Tianyu took a step back. ¡± What?¡± She snapped with such annoyance in her voice that Zhai Tianyu forgot to speak, he could see that Liu Hui Ying was really angry this time and in case he said anything that was foolish, it will be her hand and his cheek. ¡°Nothing,¡± he wasn¡¯t scared of her not at all, it was just that a good man never tried to test the waters with an angry woman. Seeing that he was not going to say anything Liu Hui Ying turned to look in the front nursing her forehead, she was really getting a bad feeling about this. ¡± The Esteemed Emperor and the Empress are here!¡± The guard standing in front of the doors announced their arrival and opened the door, as soon as the doors were opened Liu Hui Ying could see two women sitting in the hall that was well furnished with every rare antique the Emperor could have found, a wonderful and convenient brazier burnt in the middle of the hall because the grand dowager Empress pce was always could since it was at such a height. But Liu Hui Ying did not even nce at the rare antiques or the manyforts, her gaze didn¡¯t even stray to the young woman sitting next to the Grand dowager Empress, instead, all her attention was focused on the pale woman with many injuries and a dagger sticking out of her throat. She haphazardly greeted the Grand Dowager Empress after following the Emperor and returned her attention to the woman, though her skin was pale with many rotting wounds and dirt sticking to her face, Liu Hui Ying could see the resemnce between her and the grand dowager empress. ¡± That¡¯s...¡± Jia Li began but Liu Hui Ying cut her off with a snicker in her head. ¡± Oh, I am going to make this old hag suffer so much just you wait.¡± Just as they were looking at the ghost woman, the woman who was standing behind the grand dowager empress with her hands on her shoulder also looked up and gazed straight at Liu Hui Ying and her three ghosts. Liu Hui Ying saw the ghost¡¯s eyes widen but she did not move away from the grand dowager empress, Liu Hui Ying knew why she didn¡¯t do that. Ghosts who have lingering attachments to this world would either fade away or they would turn into malicious spirits only to be exorcised by the ghost exorcisers. If they didn¡¯t want that to happen then they had no choice but to clutch onto someone who would be their anchor holding them down without letting them be an evil spirit. The ghost woman seems to be dead for a long time and from the looks of it she was carrying a lot of resentment as well, if not for sticking close to her mother, she would have really lost consciousness by now. Liu Hui Ying¡¯s lips curled slightly as a wave of glee shot through her. Oooh, her first golden goose was here! Chapter 27 27 *beep* ¡± You two are here?¡± The Grand Dowager Empress raised her head and looked at Liu Hui Ying and even though she was being suppressed by a spirit, she still looked rather vigorous and active, her eyes sharply nced at Liu Hui Ying who raised her brow as she noticed the evident dislike in those elderly eyes. Awesome, just what she needed another enemy without doing anything at all. ¡± Grandmother, I hope I find you in great health?¡± Zhai Tianyu walked in front leaving Liu Hui Ying behind, of course for Liu Hui Ying who has been breathing short intakes of breath because of Zhai Tianyu¡¯s proximity it was like liberation from year-long restraints, she looked at the Emperor leave and took a deep breath. Finally, she was free! Because she was busy inhaling a long gulp of air, she didn¡¯t even look at the Emperor who took a seat next to a rather delicate-looking woman very naturally. It was only when Nanny Gang gasped and silently moaned, ¡± What is she doing here?¡± Did Liu Hui Ying raise her head and took a second look at the female who was sitting next to the Emperor with a soft smile ying on her lips? Liu Hui Ying wasn¡¯t someone who would judge someone by their looks but after she looked at the woman sitting next to the Emperor and was reminded of the looks of the woman¡¯s body she was currently upying, she couldn¡¯t help but reach an understanding. Sure enough, the wise men were right, love was really blind. Though the woman sitting next to the Emperor was beautiful she wasn¡¯t an ethereal beauty like this woman who was left to die,pared to this woman¡¯s look, the woman next to the Emperor was a bitcking. But that wasn¡¯t something that she has to care about, was it? It was totally fine if the emperor was to get cosy up to that woman in fact it would be even better if just kept getting cosy with that woman. That way she would be able to look for a way back in peace and then get out of this ce as soon as she can! However, Liu Hui Ying soon realised that the emperor wasn¡¯t the only one who has problems with his eyes, his grandmother was the same. Even though it was supposed to be her tea ceremony, the grand dowager empress didn¡¯t even take another look at her, she kept yammering on and on about this and that with the woman who was sitting next to the emperor. She didn¡¯t even allow her to sit down, did she think walking three kilometres with this baggage on her back was an easy task? This damned hag! ..... ¡± What do you say, if I punch that old hag in her face would I be executed?¡± She asked her ghosts, since her ghosts and she was in perfect coordination, Liu Hui Ying didn¡¯t need to speak anything aloud for them to hear, she could always what she wanted to say in her head and with their link, the ghosts were able to hear her without any problem. ¡± I bet you will be,¡± replied Jia Li after thinking a little. ¡± I mean that man does look like he cares a lot about his grandmother.¡± ¡± I say you should try punching that old witch,¡± chimed Li Gong from the side as he looked at the sight in front of him with his hands crossed over his head, he carelessly shrugged and added, ¡± Maybe if you die, you will be able to return to our world.¡± ¡± And what if I really die and get stuck in this world?¡± ¡± Then we can say that we are tired? I mean being a ghost is not that bad and the pain of death is the only thing that¡¯s scary.¡± ¡± I don¡¯t think that she should do something as stupid as that,¡± snapped Jia Li in an angry voice as she looked at Li Gong disapprovingly. ¡± I saw in one of those historical dramas that the punishment of defying the royalty is to be cut in half, it said that after being cut in half, the executioners ce your behind in front of your eyes since a person retains their consciousness for quite a while even after being cut like that..at least that was what they showed in the drama.¡± ¡± Cool, I kind of want to see that...hey Hui Ying try hitting that woman, I will back you up!¡± Li Gong eximed excitedly after all he was a gangster and every time he saw something that was gore and bloody, he would get thrilled at the sight of it, having never seen such an execution before he sort of forgot that Liu Hui Ying was his master. ¡± Even if you die, we all can look for a new master.¡± ¡± Li Gang,¡± said Liu Hui Ying in a stoic voice as she turned to look at a corner and said, ¡± Go and stand in the corner before I burn you to a crisp.¡± ¡± Yes, mam.¡± Seeing that Liu Hui Ying was serious, he did not dare to say anything anymore and obediently floated to stand in the corner. ¡± Ara!¡± Just as Li Gang floated to a side, the grand dowager Empress turned to look at Liu Hui Ying with a surprised expression as if she was just realising that Liu Hui Ying was standing in front of her. ¡± Forgive me, child, I was so engrossed in talking with my grand-niece that Ipletely forgot that you are also here,¡± she turned to look at the woman in front of her and lightly pped the back of her hand and said somewhat admonishingly, ¡± Look at you, Yu¡¯er... you always make me lose track of time, see Ipletely forgot about little Ting.¡± ¡± Grandmother doesn¡¯t hit Yu¡¯er, she is just trying to make you happy,¡± said The Emperor with an expression of heartache as he softly caressed the woman¡¯s hand and added, ¡± And the Queen¡¯s name is Ying, not Ting.¡± ¡± Aiya! Look at my memory!¡± Grand dowager Empress smacked her forehead as she turned to look at Liu Hui Ying with an apologetic expression but her eyes were full of proactiveness as she said, ¡± Forgive me, little Ying... I am getting old and can no longer remember things as easily as I used to.¡± Knowing what the three of them were ying at, Liu Hui Ying simply smiled and said, ¡± No, it¡¯s okay... your majesty, there is no need for you to apologise to me.¡± You three just you wait, I am going to fck your *beep* up! Chapter 28 28 Making things difficult for her There were many things that Liu Hui Ying hated¨C 1) being ignored, 2) being looked down upon and 3) being treated like air and currently, all three things were happening to her at once. ording to what Nanny Gang told her she just needed to serve tea, take the gift that the grand empress dowager has prepared for her and then go back to the safety of her own room where she was free to do whatever the freak she wanted to do but it was as if these blind dogs could not even see her. She has been standing next to the grand dowager empress with the cup of tea in her hands while the old hag was busy giggling andughing with that concubine Ju and the jerk who sat next to her. It was a rather humiliating sight as too, the grand dowager empress, the emperor and his beloved Concubine were all sitting on chairs while she alone like the rest of the maids was standing with half of her waist bent as she waited for the old hag to pick up the cup and take a sip. Fortunately, Liu Hui Ying who was used to hitting walls while solving cases had a lot of patience and was able to withstand this ordeal without throwing the cup of tea at the head of the old dowager empress. If someone else other than her was standing here, they might have lost their patience by now and dumped the entire thing. But not Liu Hui Ying, oh she was smarter than that, she knew that these three idiots were looking forward to her making a fool out of her but she remained as calm as ever and remembered what was important ¡ª all right, alright, she was on the verge of losing her temper as well, okay. But after she listened to Jia Li and Li Gang, she realised that she was no longer in the modern world where they had all thews about no killing, not murdering anyone and absolutely no execution until very necessary. This was the era where she would be chopped to death if she made the slightest mistake, now she wasn¡¯t very scared of death, knowing how vengeful she was, Liu Hui Ying was very certain that the person who wille to regret her death would be that prissy jerk, given she will make his life simr to living in hell. However, she would like to die in a rather simple way instead of being hacked into the middle and most certainly she didn¡¯t see her half-chopped butt as thest thing before dying, that was the only reason she was silent till now or else she would have long thrown this teacup at the bastard who was giggling as if Concubine Ji was telling him some real good joke. What was there tough about her maid spilling tea and almost slipping on it? Was there anything tough about in it or was there an inside joke? She sure as hell wasn¡¯t getting why the heck they wereughing. Just when she was nning to do something, the grand dowager Empress once again let out a startled yelp and then turned her head to look at Liu Hui Ying. ¡± Aiya, what are you standing there for huh, little Ying? Come here and sit down.¡± Though she did take the tea cup from the tray, the sly grand dowager Empress did not take a sip of it. ..... The meaning was clear she didn¡¯t ept Liu Hui Ying as her daughter-inw. Nanny Gang and Qui Ai¡¯s expressions turned to sour but Liu Hui Ying didn¡¯t care, why did it matter to her whether the grand dowager Empress epted her as her daughter-inw? The thing that mattered the most was whether she epted her as her grandmother-inw or not, after all, Liu Hui Ying didn¡¯t need this old hag to help her out, in fact, it was the grand dowager Empress who needed her. Or else how will her daughter go to the underworld and attain reincarnation? Forget about drinking tea, just wait until she does her thing.. she will make that old hag worship the ground she walks on. Liu Hui Ying sat down and took a long breath, the crown on top of her head was heavy enough and after standing for half a day with her waist bent, she felt like she was almost going to die. ¡± Little Mimi, go and bring the gift that I prepared for little Ying,¡± the grand dowager empress turned to look at the maid behind her, however just as the maid turned around, the grand dowager empress stopped her and then said, ¡± Wait, how could I forget such an important thing... little Mimi, I prepared something for Yu¡¯er go and bring it as well.¡± Little Mimi, Little Ying and Yu¡¯er,... so the old hag was treating her in the same manner as she would treat her maid huh? Liu Hui Ying curled up her lips as she skimmed the red embroidered roses on her dress and licked the inside of her lips. She was so going to make this old hag beg her, can her precious Yu¡¯er send her daughter to the afterlife? She raised her head and looked at the ghost woman who was standing behind Grand dowager Empress and smirked, seeing the amount of grudge this woman has, forget about grand dowager empress precious Yu¡¯er not even a celestial master of great attainment will be able to take care of her at all. Liu Hui Ying caught sight of Zhai Tianyu¡¯s gaze as he quickly looked at her, seeing him look at her, she not only nodded her head, she even shot a dazzling smile at him as she thought inwardly¨C ¡®I am going to make this man¡¯s life so hard, he has no idea about it, disrespecting me? If your granddaddy was to wake up from his grave now, even he will have to bow down to me and call me master, how dare you... a man who don¡¯t even know the ways of the world make things difficult for me and disrespect me like this, just wait and watch.¡¯ Chapter 29 29 Rob her down to her underwear. Little Mimi soon returned sooner than Liu Hui Ying thought that she would, at first she thought that she will take her sweet time just like the Grand Empress Dowager did but after a second Liu Hui Ying understood why little Mimi came in a rush. On the tray she was carrying were two hairpins, one was simply made out of some cheap quality jade and the other one was made of gold, so exquisitely designed that it was clear from one nce that a highly skilled craftsman has made it. And even before the Grand Empress dowager said anything, Liu Hui Ying already knew which hairpin she was going to get and sure enough, a secondter she heard the grand Empress dowager speak, ¡± Little Ying, I have heard that your father is a very sessful merchant and he always brings you all kind of treasures from all over the country, that is why I chose this hairpin of mine. When I was first married to thete grand Emperor, my mother-inw gifted this hairpin to me, back then it was a rare treasure, though it can not bepared to what your father has brought for you this hairpin is something that I really cherish.¡± ¡® At least polish the hairpin properly before lying through your teeth,¡¯ Liu Hui Ying thought in her head as she looked at the jade pin that looked so old and carelessly taken care of that she was sure that the old hag simply asked her maid to look for the cheapest and old hairpin that she no longer use and yet the old hag called it her most cherished hairpin without a change in her expression? Did she look like a blind fool to her? ¡± Thanking grand empress dowager for her grace,¡± though Liu Hui Ying was cursing the old hag in her head, she didn¡¯t show it on her face. She could sense that not only Zhai Tianyu but even the concubine and the two most trusted of people were looking at her trying to gouge her reaction. Haha, she once served in the detective department of her city, one that dealt with the most dangerous cases in the city, did they think that she was so easily angered? Heh, little kids. As a detective she not only has to act as a bumbling woman but also had to pretend to be someone¡¯s arm candy, she was a woman who has seen all. These little tricks were so poor for someone of her calibre. Jia Li and the others who can hear what she was thinking: ¡°...¡± Can she not see the throbbing nerve in the back of her hand? She looks ready to kill. Seeing that Liu Hui Ying was still calm, the grand empress dowager empress was a tad bit upset, she thought that with her skills she will be able to take a woman like Liu Hui Ying down with just a few swift moves but instead of angering Liu Hui Ying, she was the one who was getting angry. Just what kind of thick skin this woman had? Not only was Liu Hui Ying silent when she ignored for ages but she was also able to stomach such a humiliation. What happened to the noble Liu Hui Ying, whose pride was bigger than her heart? ..... Zhai Tianyu also clenched his fists, he hadn¡¯t expected Liu Hui Ying to be so difficult to deal with, he wanted to make use of his grandmother to rein in Liu Hui Ying and the Liu family, the n was to anger Liu Hui Ying to the point that she will be disrespectful to the Grand dowager Empress but even after being humiliated as such, she was able to smile at him. It was as if she was looking at a bunch of clowns performing a show in front of her, this arrogance... this arrogance was just like the rest of the Liu family. They all too thought that he was easily controlled and manipted like they knew better than him. He wanted to shake Liu Hui Ying awake and have her act as she used to when she wasn¡¯t married to him, like an idiot but he couldn¡¯t do it. He has to keep a close leash on his temper because he was here to find ammunition against the Liu Family and not the other way around. Turning his head to look at his grandmother, he cleared his throat and the grand empress dowager¡¯s expression went through another change as she benevolently smiled at Ji Yu and said, ¡± Yu¡¯er, I have been looking for a perfect gift for you, after all, you have done so much for me these past few weeks, seeing how filial you are... I asked master Wu to prepare this hairpin for you, I also especially ordered him not to replicate this hairpin¡¯s design for anyone, so I assure you that you will be the only owner of this beautiful hairpin.¡± As she spoke, the Grand dowager empress nced at Liu Hui Ying who caught her gaze upon seeing that she was looking in her direction and smiled at her, looking like a generous and benevolent wife leaving the Grand dowager Empress to feelpletely helpless. However, what the Grand dowager empress didn¡¯t know was that Liu Hui Ying was indeed furious inside. Not because she was being treated like Ji Yu¡¯sckey but because she lost that gold hairpin¨C Goodness, look at that shine, if she got her hands on that gold pin then she would have sold it for a good sum of money! Though the dowry that Liu Hui Ying brought with her was grand, she has heard from Qui Ai that the dowry was currently under inspection and it will take at least a month before she will be able to warm her hand with those shiny silver, a month ¨Chow was she supposed to stay without money for a month? The more she thought the angrier she got, surely it must be the n of this jerk and the old hag, not only were they dying her dowry inspection, but they were also snatching the chances of making money from her. How dare they! ¡± Jia Li, Li Gang, Grandma Lan Fen... go and look for every precious thing that this old hag has,¡± said Liu Hui Ying suddenly causing Jia Li and the others to be startled, they turned to look at each other before Jia Li hesitatingly asked, ¡± Are we...?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right we are going to rob this old hag down to her underwear.¡± Chapter 30 30 Something better Liu Hui Ying of course wouldn¡¯t steal the underwear of this old hag but that didn¡¯t mean she wouldn¡¯t make this bag of old bones dirt poor! She swept her gaze through the entire room but she couldn¡¯t find anything worthwhile¨C, antiques she didn¡¯t care about them nor did she care about that jewellery that was spread all over the dressing table, those didn¡¯t look like they were of going to be sold for a good sum of money. Her eyes twitched when she looked around the room only to find that the entire hall was filled with nothing but religious scriptures with some books, she wasn¡¯t interested in those either. Her gaze inadvertently skipped the ghost woman who was standing behind the grand dowager empress before her gaze fell on a small cab that was resting behind the screen, of course, Liu Hui Ying did not possess any infrared vision, she couldn¡¯t see what was behind the screen but she could feel a grudgeful resentmenting from behind the screen, her eyes lit up and she immediately sat up straight before speaking to her ghosts inside her head, ¡± You three go and see what is behind that screen, in the cab, go and find out at once, see if that thing can help me raise my cultivation level o not.¡± Jia Li and Li Gang turned to look in the direction in which she was looking and frowned when they saw the dark ck yin energy swirling around the small cab that had a talisman stuck to it, with just one nce they could see that the talisman didn¡¯t have much strength left in it, it was just a matter of days and then it will snap under the pressure of the evil that was inside the cab. Grandma Lan Fen too looked at the small cab and couldn¡¯t help but pursue her lips as she looked at the heavy yin energy flowing through it, whatever was locked inside the cab wasn¡¯t supposed to be taken out but she knew that this was how Liu Hui Ying raised her spiritual energy. She would look for ornaments, dolls and anything that was covered in the malevolent Qi of the dead and suck it all up to level up her spiritual energy, it was the most dangerous way of cultivating but for Liu Hui Ying who didn¡¯t want to go through the trials and tribtions of the heavens, this was the perfect way to be a highly skilled exorcist. The three of them rose in the air while Liu Hui Ying pretended to listen to the high praises that the Grand dowager Empress was singing for concubine Ji, she kept her lips curled in a smile throughout the entire time making Zhai Tianyu furious enough to grind his teeth. And the more he ground his teeth the happier Liu Hui Ying was, who asked him to look down on her? ¡± Come to think of it, Yu¡¯er is really capable in Guqin and calligraphy, you might not know this little Ying but she is praised as the most talented woman in the capital,¡± The grand dowager empress also noticed that Liu Hui Ying wasn¡¯t ying by the rules that they have set up and could only change her tactics, fine since she wasn¡¯t getting angry upon hearing the heap of praises that she has for Ji Yu, then she might as well humiliate Liu Hui Ying to the point where she will have no other choice but to fly into a rage. ¡°However, I have heard Yu¡¯er y Guqin loads of times, why don¡¯t we make a little change and you y the Guqin for me?¡± Liu Hui Ying¡¯s lips started twitching, she can knock a man out in twenty seconds and pop his bones in rhythm but ying an actual musical instrument and that too the one that was this old? She might as well do the walk of shame here and now. ¡± That thing in the cab is a bead ne from the dynasty of Tan,¡± Jia Li swooped down next to her along with Li Gang and Grandma Lan Fen as she blinked her big eyes and then pointed at the ghost woman who was still standing behind the grand empress dowager. ¡± She told us that it belongs to the high priest, he was killed by the emperor of his time because he made a prediction that the Emperor will lose his throne if he doesn¡¯t learn from his mistakes and starts caring for his people when the emperor heard it, he took his sword and killed the high priest then and there when the priest died that ne was in his hands and it collected the grievance and anger that the priest felt when he died.¡± ..... ¡°Ah, so he was killed by a jerk like the one who is sitting in front of me?¡± mused Liu Hui Ying as she curled her lips into a derisive smile. ¡± I swear half of these people who died with grudges were killed by bastards like him.¡± She nced at Zhai Tianyu and shot him a disdainful nce before rolling her eyes. ¡°Anyway, it doesn¡¯t matter.. that bead ne is going to be my wheel of fortune.¡± She turned to look at the Grand Empress dowager and blinked her eyes while smiling at the old woman as if she was one of her potential customers, whom she was going to sell a rip-off product. ¡± ying Guqin is something anyone can do nowadays,your majesty... of course, I am not looking down on anyone here,¡± ¡®of course, I am looking down at you, what¡¯s so good about ying a musical instrument, all because she wanted to gain the attention of that whore of a man? If that Ji woman has be some sort of idol or something I would have respected her a lot.¡¯ She added in her head before ignoring the offended look on the faces of the people who were looking at her as if she has cursed their mother, she continued, ¡± I can do something much better than that, would you like to see it, your majesty?¡± ¡ª¡ª- Chapter 31 31 Medical skills ¡± You can do something much better than ying Guqin?¡± The Grand Empress dowager clenched her fingers so tightly that her knuckles turned white but she still smiled at Liu Hui Ying, she was indeed rather upset with what Liu Hui Ying has said just now, Ji Yu was not just her the granddaughter inw that she loved and adored but she was also her grand-niece, she has watched Ji Yu grow up in front of her, how can she let anyone disrespect her like this? ¡± What else can you do sword dance or something of the sort?¡± As far as she knew Liu Hui Ying was indeed a woman who knew the womanly arts much better than Ji Yu but she has always beencking, unlike Ji Yu who was a genius, Liu Hui Ying has to try hard for everything that she had in her life, the grand dowager empress didn¡¯t even consider Liu Hui Ying as a threat to her niece, the only reason she was able to wear that crown of Empress was all because she was born in a family much bigger than her Ji Yu! ¡± Oh no, that¡¯s ... I don¡¯t think I canpare my skills with concubine Ji when ites to that,¡± said Liu Hui Ying, they wanted to embarrass her? They were much too naive to do something like that. She raised her hand and folded her hands on herp as she looked at the Grand Dowager Empress with a mysterious glint in her eyes. ¡± I do know a little medical skill why not I show it to you? After all,petition should be fair right, my lousy skills couldn¡¯t bepared to concubine Ji simrly my medical skills can not bepared either.¡± ¡± Medical skills?¡± Grand Empress dowager didn¡¯t say anything she simply chuckled on the other hand it was Zhai Tianyu who looked at Liu Hui Ying with a sort of superiorly mocking look in his eyes as he chortled hard. ¡± My Queen, if you cannot y something there is no need for you to try so hard... Zhen understands that you are having a hard time,¡± then he turned to look at Ji Yu and said, ¡± My dear Yu¡¯er why don¡¯t you y¨C¡± ¡± The grand dowager Empress might feel extremely stifled these days as if something is weighing on her shoulders, even after going through countless massages, acupressure and medical treatment your condition might still be the same as it has been before,¡± Liu Hui Ying did not let the Emperor finish his mockery, instead she shot off one thing after another as she looked at the grand dowager empress, her eyes resting on the dark hands that were covered with thick Yin energy. ¡± Around three in the morning your conditioned gets even worse and you feel extreme chill crawling up your spine as if you are locked in an ice-cold cer even though you do not have any cold, am I right?¡± Her words caused not only the Grand Empress dowager¡¯s eyes to pop out, even the Emperor turned to look at her with a wild look in his eyes. This...how did she know this? Because they didn¡¯t want the Liu family to take advantage of the Grand Dowager Empress¡¯s situation they have been keeping it under wraps, all the physicians they hired were carefully selected and dealt with, no one should know about the condition of the Grand Dowager Empress, so how did Liu Hui Ying know? ¡± How... How do you know this?¡± Finally, the Grand Dowager Empress couldn¡¯t help but ask causing Liu Hui Ying¡¯s lips to curl even more as she looked at the old woman and replied calmly, ¡± I did say that I am an expert in these things, didn¡¯t I? If you give me a chance then I will be able to help you, your majesty.¡± Grand Dowager Empress leaned back on her chair, she didn¡¯t trust anyone from the Liu family, there was a chance that the woman in front of her was simply trying to dwindle things and make her lose sight of what was important but ... she rolled her shoulders but paused when she felt something press on it. She stiffened and then turned around to look behind her but there was nothing, if she didn¡¯t know better she would have thought that she was being haunted by something evil. ¡± Are you sure that you can help me with my shoulder pain?¡± asked Grand Dowager Empress, if not for the physician and everyone else running into a hard wall she would have never taken of someone from the Liu family. ..... ¡± Grandmother...¡± Zhai Tianyu also knew that his grandmother was having a hard time because of her stiff and heavy shoulders but falling for Liu Hui Ying¡¯s sweet talks, was simply a desperate move. ¡± I know what I am doing your highness,¡± said Grand Empress Dowager as she turned to look at Liu Hui Ying, who nodded her head confidently and said, ¡± Of course I can, the ailment has been for years that¡¯s why it will take some time for you to recoverpletely but I can at least give you a moment of peace for a day and night, would you like to try it? I mean, it has been a very long time at least six years ever since you had a decent sleep, your majesty?¡± She nced at the ghost woman who looked at her nkly, she watched as the woman dug her nails into the grand empress dowager¡¯s shoulders causing thetter to wince. ¡± If only she pierces the skin...¡± she murmured under her breath causing everyone to turn and look at her. Grand Empress dowager looked at her with confusion before nodding her head. ¡± Okay I will give you a chance to show your skills but let me tell you if you make a mistake then you will be thrown into the cold pce after all the punishment for lying to us is not as simple as getting grounded in your own courtyard, do you agree?¡± ¡ª please do support this book by gifts, powerstones andments for regr update! It gives me motivation! Chapter 32 32 Beads of blood wood. Liu Hui Ying understood at once that the old woman was trying to set her up, she cursed the old hag in her head until she dug the grave of her ancestors and whipped them up but the smile on her face didn¡¯t falter, instead, she looked a bit hesitant as she dropped her gaze a little and blinked her eyes. That cursed beads ne was something that she very much wanted to raise her spiritual energy, since she was a woman who had a severe allergy to men, her bodycked the Yang energy that she needed while raising three ghosts, only by sucking the Yin energy of cursed things and ghosts was she able to maintain her life. Now that she found something so appetising she could not let go of it! So, she tilted her head and looked at the old woman with a slight wince on her face. ¡± Punishment? I thought we were just showing off our skills, from where did this talk of punishment pop up, your majesty?¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s different, my queen. ¡± Zhai Tianyu has cottoned on to the scheme of his grandmother, he turned to look at Liu Hui Ying with an innocent expression that had a slightly troubled smile on his face as if he was really in a bad situation. ¡± Grand dowager empress¡¯s body is not something that you can experiment on, of course, the stakes will be high...if you can¡¯t do it why not just drop the entire thing, my queen? There is no shame in epting that you couldn¡¯t do it. No one will say a word about it outside,¡± then he turned to look at his headmander and General before sternly saying, ¡± Don¡¯t breathe a word about this outside.¡± ¡± We won¡¯t your majesty,¡± said Zhai Heng as he lowered his head while Yu Lingyun simply nodded but Liu Hui Ying could see the mocking glint in their eyes. ¡± See my queen, there is no need for you to force yourself,¡± Zhai Tianyu turned his head and looked at Liu Hui Ying with a doting smile, even his eyes were filled with warmth as if he truly cared about her. ¡± If this man lived in our world, he would have won an oscar,¡± Liu Hui Ying muttered in her head. Jia Li nodded her head seriously as she flew in the air and took a sit on the invisible chair. ¡± That¡¯s true, he is really good... if we didn¡¯t know any better, I would have thought that he truly adores you but it¡¯s clear from the small crinkle of his be that he is finding this situation really annoying .¡± She has been working in the forensicb ever since she graduated from college and after solving so many cases she could even detect the slightest bit of change in the emotions of a person from the smallest change in their physical anatomy. ¡± And he is baiting you, dear,¡± said Grandma Lan Fen, when she was a police officer, she has seen many psychological tactics by the criminals, they would threaten the police in a such manner sometimes. Baiting them to make a move when they knew that they had the situation under their grasp. ¡± It will be foolish for anyone to jump in this carefullyid trap but ...¡± ..... ¡± But you are not just anyone,¡± Li Gang threw his hands back and locked them behind his head and smirked at Liu Hui Ying. ¡± I bet you are already thinking about how to counterattack them and push them into the pit that they are digging for you.¡± ¡± Of course,¡± Liu Hui Ying turned her eyes slightly to look at her three ghost servants and said with a slight curl of one end of her lips, ¡± Who do you think I am.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± said Liu Hui Ying as she turned to look at Grand Dowager Empress and caught the sh of victory that glinted in her eyes. She suppressed the mocking curl of her lips before she continued speaking, ¡± I will take my chances and see what I can do.¡± ¡± Oh my dear,¡± she heard Nanny Gong groan behind her and from the way two maids tried to hold her up, it was clear that she almost passed out again. Liu Hui Ying slightly turned her head and looked at the extremely pale Nanny Gong and Qui Ai and winced slightly as she mumbled an apology to them in her head, ¡® I am sorry Nanny Gong and Qui Ai, but you both better get used to it because I am going to continue dancing with the Devil.¡¯ So, she deliberately ignored Nanny Gang and her pallid-looking maid as she smiled at Grand Dowager Empress and pped her hands as she said, ¡± But if there is a punishment then, there must be a reward as well, right? After all, that is only fair....right?¡± She dragged thest syble as she looked sharply at Grand Dowager Empress and smiled with a knowing glint in her eyes. Seeing that glint, Grand Dowager Empress was a bit stunned. It was as if they weren¡¯t the one who was in control of the situation but instead it was Liu Hui Ying was the one who was making a fool out of them, did she really know some medical skills? Grand Dowager Empress turned to look at her grandson who calmly closed his eyes and opened them, only then did her heart ease a little. That was right, if Liu Hui Ying knew any medical skills they would have known, how can such a thing be hidden? Surely, this girl was just trying to make a fool out of them by looking all confident like that, Grand Dowager Empress calmed her heart and smiled at Liu Hui Ying before she asked, ¡± A reward, what is it that you want?¡± Though she asked that, she already knew what Liu Hui Ying was going to ask, she looked at the hairpin that Ji Yu¡¯s maid was holding and snorted mockingly. Who in the empire didn¡¯t know that Liu Hui Ying liked topete with Ji Yu, surely she will ask for the hairpin or something simr to it. ¡± I want the beads of bloodwood.¡± Chapter 33 33 Contempt. ¡± I see, I will get the craftsman to ...¡± Grand Dowager Empress began speaking, she was expecting Liu Hui Ying to ask for a simr hairpin as Ji Yu which was why her reply was already set but when Liu Hui Ying¡¯s words registered in her head, she frowned and then raised her head to look at Liu Hui Ying with a frowning expression as she asked, ¡± What did you say ...what do you want?¡± Liu Hui Ying only smiled in the face of the Grand Dowager Empress¡¯s frown as she repeated her words, ¡± I want the beads of cursed blood wood, your majesty...you know the one that you received as a gift from someone.¡± Her words shocked everyone in the hall, everyone knew that the beads of bloodwood were a cursed item that was snuck inside the gifts that Grand Dowager Empress received on her fiftieth birthday. At first, she didn¡¯t know what it was and casually wore it since she was a religious woman, to begin with but then after she wore it, weird nightmares started to bug her. She couldn¡¯t sleep for a week and her appearance turned haggard, at first she couldn¡¯t understand what was happening, butter on when little Mimi pointed it out, she realised that her nightmares started the day when she started wearing the beads. As an experiment, she closed the beads in a cab where she prayed and that night she was indeed not bugged by any nightmare! The Grand Dowager Empress was spooked and she immediately threw the beads away but after a week she realised that the beads were still in her room, it was as if she never threw them away, afraid that something was up, she immediately called a priest who locked the beads away and told her that she can never throw the beads away unless someone voluntarily takes them. By the time she found out about it, the rumours about the beads had already spread all over the ce and she couldn¡¯t give them to anyone. In the end, they stayed with her locked and forgotten in the cab where the priest locked them but now Liu Hui Ying was saying that she wanted them. For what? ¡± You want the beads of bloodwood?¡± Grand Dowager Empress was simply stunned, she was expecting Liu Hui Ying to ask for a hairpin or two but she didn¡¯t expect her to ask for that cursed thing. What was going on in her head? Did she know that she cannot throw that thing away once she gets her hands on it? ¡± Of course, if I didn¡¯t want it then I wouldn¡¯t have asked for it, your majesty,¡± said Liu Hui Ying as she smiled brightly at the Grand Dowager Empress. ¡± Do you agree, I mean there is no need for you to not agree...after all, if I can¡¯t treat you then you can punish me as you wish your majesty and if I treat you then you don¡¯t need to have to lose anything, this entire thing is a win-win situation for you.¡± It was indeed a win-win situation, thought Zhai Tianyu as he looked at Liu Hui Ying, he could not understand what was going on in her head, but he couldn¡¯t let her have the beads of bloodwood, so easily. He has seen his grandmother¡¯s condition back then and he knew that it was a horribly dangerous thing, to leave such a thing in the hands of someone from the Liu family, he didn¡¯t like the thought of it. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Liu Hui Ying with suspicion as he asked, ¡± Why do you want it, what do you have in mind?¡± ..... Liu Hui Ying turned her head and the smile on her face dropped at an rming rate while facing the Grand Dowager Empress she at least had a smile on her face but when looking at Zhai Tianyu, her eyes glinted contemptuously as she looked at him. ¡± Why do you think that I will do any harm to others your esteemed majesty? As far as I know, the beads couldn¡¯t be given to someone else without their consent and everyone knows about the beads of the bloodwood, who will take it from me?¡± Was it his imagination or the way the Queen was talking to him with a tone that was even more contemptuous than how he talked about her? Even the Grand Dowager Empress found it bewildering, as far as she knew Liu Hui Ying has tried her best to marry her grandson but now that she was married to him, why did it look like she didn¡¯t like him as much as they thought that she did? Zhai Tianyu¡¯s lips twitched as he looked at Liu Hui Ying and smiled softly, seeing that the hard approach wasn¡¯t working he wasn¡¯t shy of giving the soft approach a try. ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that, my queen. I am just worried about my wife, can¡¯t I be worried about you?¡± When he spoke, his voice was full of love and affection ...Liu Hui Ying who despised everything that had to do with men and their affection, shivered as goosebumps broke all over her skin as she leaned back on her chair as if she was trying to get away from the invisible, fake love that was flying in the air. ¡± There is no need for you to worry about me, in fact...¡± she paused when she felt someone pinch the back of her neck, stunned she turned around and looked at Nanny Gong who was looking at her with a pleading look on her face. ¡± Please... your majesty have mercy on us,¡± Nanny Gong said in a pitiful voice causing Liu Hui Ying to clear her throat ufortably as she turned around and decided to ignore the emperor altogether, she knew her habits too well, if she was to look at him much less hear what he has to say, she would not be able to stop herself from splitting his butt! Chapter 34 34 Taking care of the grand dowager Empress Liu Hui Ying took a deep breath and crushed her desire to chop the neck of the Emperor as much as she hated him, there was nothing that she could do to him. If she so much as touched him, Liu Hui Ying was afraid that she will have to see the sight of her chopped butt before dying, so for the sake of dying beautifully, she chose to magnanimously ignore the Emperor. Out of sight, out of mind! ¡± Grand Empress Dowager, what do you have to say?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked as she turned her attention to the old woman, as long as the person in front of her was a woman, no matter how scheming and despicable she was, Liu Hui Ying was confident in controlling her temper. She ced a hand on her bosom and solemnly spoke to the grand dowager Empress. ¡± Everyone knows about the beads of bloodwood, its impossible for me to harm anyone with it, if you still do not trust me then you can send the word out that you have given the beads to me, I believe then even if I am nning something, it would note to fruition, isn¡¯t that right?¡± Liu Hui Ying was indeed right, they could always stop her from doing something like sending the beads of the bloodwood to someone else after all, but if she didn¡¯t want the beads for the sake of harming someone, why was she asking for the beads? ¡± Very well,¡± though the grand dowager Empress was indeed confused by the peculiar request of Liu Hui Ying, she wanted to see what thetter was nning. After all, they all know very well that no one from the Liu family would do things without any benefit in return, sooner orter Liu Hui Ying will show her vixen tail and they just have to make sure to catch it on time. ¡± I agree, I will give you the beads of bloodwood, but do remember Empress if you do not hold the side of your promise then you cannot me me.¡± ¡± Of course, I won¡¯t do something like that Grand Dowager Empress,¡± said Liu Hui Ying as she pushed herself off the chair and stood up before walking towards the Grand Dowager Empress. Seeing Liu Hui Ying walk towards the Grand Dowager Empress, Nanny Gong ced the back of her hand on her forehead and grimaced slightly, ¡± Little Ai, why do I see the light?¡± Qui Ai heard nanny Gong¡¯s words and was terrified, she immediately caught hold of the elderly woman¡¯s arm and said, ¡± No, Nanny Gong! Don¡¯t go into the light...just wait for a while we all will go into the light in a while, I don¡¯t want to leave alone, I am scared!¡± ..... ¡°It¡¯s just a figure of speech!¡± seeing that Qui Ai was taking her words seriously Nanny Gong immediately snatched her hand back from her, when did she say that she was willing to die? What idiot said that, she was still too young to die damn it! The two of them bantered as softly as possible but Liu Hui Ying heard everything that they were saying with her sharp senses, though she was smiling, her entire face was stiff as she walked towards the grand dowager Empress. ¡± They really have no confidence in you, do they?¡± said Li Gang, his eyes filled with amusement as he looked at the two women who were muttering behind them. ¡± Well, you don¡¯t really look reliable....¡± ¡± If you want to starve today then you can continue that sentence you know?¡± Liu Hui Ying didn¡¯t get angry at Li Gang instead she smiled dashingly at him, which only made him fly and hide behind Grandma Lan Fen who shook her head and chided him lightly, ¡± If you cannot go against her, why do you even try to do it?¡± ¡± Who says that I can¡¯t go against her? I ...I totally can go against her...¡± though he said that his voice was quivering making Grandma Lan Fen sympathise with the young ghost, he was once the thug boss of his group but now he was scared of a young woman after his death. What a pity. Liu Hui Ying didn¡¯t pay any attention to her ghost servants, she already knew that the three had no good feelings for her, and paying attention to these three might just get her blood pressure high. ¡± Then please ignore my rudeness, your majesty,¡± said Liu Hui Ying as she came to a stop in front of the Grand dowager Empress who was sitting on the sit of head and then crouched down such that she was at eye level with the elderly woman. Seeing Liu Hui Ying get so close to his grandmother, Zhai Tinayu was scared out of his wits, though he sat in his seat and remained unmoved, Ji Yu could see that his fists were clenched tightly in his sleeves. She patted him on the back of his hands before turning her head and motioning to her maid to move closer to the Empress, in case the Empress tried anything then her maid would be able to intervene. Ji Yu¡¯s maid was called Xiao Bai, when she noticed that her mistress was asking her to keep an eye on the Empress, she nodded her head and then moved ever so slightly so that she was able to see what the Empress was doing. Of course, Liu Hui Ying also noticed the changes that just took ce, as a detective her senses were more alert than anyone in the room. She didn¡¯t avoid the gaze of the maid who was looking at her instead she calmly ced her hands on the shoulders of the grand dowager Empress. To others it looked right she was simply putting her hands on the shoulders of the grand dowager Empress but only Liu Hui Ying and her ghosts knew that she was actually holding the wrists of the ghost woman who was using the grand dowager Empress as her anchor to this world. Liu Hui Ying smiled at the ghost woman who looked shocked at the sight of Liu Hui Ying being able to hold her but then her shock turned into pain when Liu Hui Ying instilled her spiritual energy and wrenched the hands of the ghost woman away. ¡ª¡ª Chapter 35 35 Just tickled ¡± What are you ...¡± at first the grand Dowager Empress was surprised at Liu Hui Ying¡¯s actions, after all, what kind of medical treatment can Liu Hui Ying give her with no instruments whatsoever in her hands? But then she felt a warm current flow inside her body, surprised she blinked her eyes as she touched her shoulders and then moved them slightly, her expression full of astonishment as she looked at Liu Hui Ying. ¡± How did you...How did you do it, no doctor has been able to ease my pain, even with their skilled hands they couldn¡¯t take the pain off my shoulders, so how did you?¡± Liu Hui Ying smiled at the Grand Dowager Empress, with her arms behind her back as she softly asked instead of answering the Grand Dowager Empress¡¯s question, ¡± Your majesty, you are feeling all right, right? Your shoulders are no longer in pain, am I right?¡± ¡± That¡¯s...That¡¯s right, they no longer hurt,¡± Grand Dowager Empress was stunned, when she agreed to Liu Hui Ying¡¯s request, she truly had no intention of believing that Liu Hui Ying would be able to help her. She was, in fact, waiting for her to perform some lousy set of skills but instead, she actually healed her years-old pain with just a slight massage, how was it possible? Did Liu Hui Ying really learn some medical skills? If so, why didn¡¯t they have any idea about it? Zhai Tianyu¡¯s eyes widened after he finished listening to his grandmother¡¯s words, it seemed like Liu Hui Ying truly knew what she was doing. He clenched his fingers even tight, so tight that his fingernails dug into his palms, what else was the queen hiding from him? Liu Hui Ying sensed a re at the back of her head, a bit surprised she turned to look at the person ring at her but when she turned her head, her gaze met with the Emperor¡¯s smiling face and her mood turned sour, surely this two face was the one who was ring at her but seeing that she was turning to look over her shoulder, he started smiling. Such duality, why was he born a man? He should have been a woman ying schemes like a white lotus in the pce. She smiled at him in return before she returned to her seat and sat down and ced her hands on herp while waiting for the grand dowager empress to bring out the wheel of fortune, she could already feel the powerful grudge from those beads surely, she might be able to raise her spiritual energy to level five? That way she can share more spiritual energy with her ghosts, at present only Li Gang was the one who could turn into a poltergeist and that too for a very short amount of time. Those beads can help her a lot! ¡± Little Mimi, go and bring the beads of bloodwood,¡± Grand Dowager Empress didnt want to give those dangerous beads to Liu Hui Ying but a promise was a promise, she has already given her word that she will reward Liu Hui Ying with those beads if she was to take care of the pain in her shoulder. ..... Now that she has given her word, she of course couldn¡¯t take it back. Little Mimi squeaked in surprise causing everyone to turn and look at her, seeing that everyone¡¯s attention was on her, the little girl shivered. ¡± D..Do I have to bring it out, your majesty?¡± The beads of bloodwood were cursed, it was said that whoever touched it would have to see their worst memories, thest time Grand Dowager Empress touched them, she cried in pain and agony for three days every night. For her to touch such a thing she was really terrified at the thought of it! ¡± What else do you want me to bring it out?¡± Grand dowager Empress asked in an eximing voice as she looked at her maid, her maid was really quick and efficient but she was too straightforward and didn¡¯t think before speaking. This was one thing that she was really afraid of and unsatisfied with. ¡± I... I will go and get it,¡± the little maid replied with a teary sort of voice as she hurried behind the screen. Liu Hui Ying watched her take the beads out of the cab that was locked with a talisman. Even though the talisman did not have much Yang power left in it, the second it was pulled away from the cab, everyone felt the sudden change in the temperature as the entire room plunged into darkness and they all shivered. Little Mimi who was in charge of bringing the beads out of the cab was shivering so much, she resembled a shivering cat in rain. ¡± Here, here you go your majesty,¡± she rushed to Liu Hui Ying¡¯s side with the beads tied in a white handkerchief before opening her mouth as she said, ¡± Your majesty please be careful don¡¯t¨C¡± she wanted to tell Liu Hui Ying not to touch the beads by her hand but before she could say anything Liu Hui Ying has already picked up the beads from the handkerchief and ced it on top of her palm. No sooner did she touch the beads, a familiar voice rang in her head¡ª ¡± Ying! Run! Don¡¯te here!¡± The image of her bleeding sister popped into her head and she clenched the beads tightly in her head as her right eye twitched, ah she forgot how her sister looked when she died. ¡± Hui Ying, are you okay?¡± She was snapped out of her daze as she heard Grand Dowager Empress¡¯s voice and raised her head to look at the old woman who was looking at her with an inquisitive gaze. ¡± You look rather pale, is everything okay? Did you see anything unsightly?¡± ¡± I am fine, your majesty thank you for your concern,¡± Liu Hui Ying closed her eyes as she looked down at the ckend beads and smirked. ¡± I am just tickled a little by the cute attempt.¡± Chapter 36 36 Yin defying Yang ¡® Should I kill him?¡¯ This was the first thought that came to Liu Hui Ying¡¯s head the second she stepped out of the courtyard of the Grand Dowager Empress, she has gotten what she wanted and now all she needed was to take off this heavy burden that she was carrying on top of her head and just roll around her bed but ever since she stepped out of the archway that led to the stairs of hell, she has gotten a tail that she couldn¡¯t rid of, and that tail was none other than ¡ª ¡± My Queen wait! Zhen has something that Zhen wants to talk about with you.¡± The Emperor strode towards her after stepping off his pnquin, Concubine Ji and the others too followed suit as they got off the pnquin and walked behind the Emperor. ¡® Son of a bitch!¡¯ Liu Hui Ying sourly looked at the pnquin behind them her lips twitching in anger as she clenched her fists. Just one hit, she just wanted to hit this man for once! ¡± You can¡¯t,¡± said Jia Li with a heavy sigh as she looked at Liu Hui Ying¡¯s clenched fingers, she has been with Liu Hui Ying long enough to know that she wasn¡¯t even joking when she said that she wanted to hit the Emperor. ¡± You do know that if you die right now, then this tight corset and everything else will be your dress code?¡± She motioned to herself and pointed to her penguin pyjamas and deadpanned, ¡± I am embarrassed every day and which brings us to the promise you made to mest month, you said that you will get me a Chanel dress!¡± ¡± Are you an idiot?¡± She turned her head and shouted at Jia Li who wasining about her dress code all of a sudden but in her anger, she forgot to shout inside her head, instead, she shouted out loud at Qui Ai who was standing behind her. The little girl¡¯s eyes filled with tears as she blinked at Liu Hui Ying rapidly and asked with a sobbing voice, ¡± M..., your majesty, are ..are you okay why are you shouting at me like this, di...did I make a mistake ?¡± ¡± No, no, no, it¡¯s not you...¡± Liu Hui Ying shot a re at Jia Li who started whistling and looked away as if she couldn¡¯t see Liu Hui Ying¡¯s re leaving thetter to coax Qui Ai. ¡°It is not your fault, I ... I was just thinking something and lost control, don¡¯t cry okay?¡± Qui Ai nodded her head but she still had a sullen pout on her face causing Liu Hui Ying¡¯s head to throb. ¡± My queen?¡± And of course, the Emperor has to open his mouth when she was in a sullen mood. Liu Hui Ying turned her head with a ferocious expression on her face that caused Yu Lingyun to step back and drag Zhai Heng with him as he muttered, ¡± Stay alert the Queen do a fantastic shoulder throw.¡± ..... Zhai Heng: ¡°.....¡± He turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was as frail as the small peach blossom, easily crushed and trodden before turning to look at his friend and the general of the army as he calmly and sternly advised him, ¡± Do not drink so much at night...and start working out a little, I see that you have gotten smaller than before.¡± This time it was Yu Lingyun¡¯s turn to be speechless, he was a six feet tall man with nothing but muscles and buff, yet he was being called small just because he was an inch shorter than Zhai Heng. Ptui! Fine! Just go and do your thing, he will enjoy the show when the Queen throws him over her shoulder if she was to get her hands on him. Seeing Liu Hui Ying¡¯s ferocity even Zhai Tianyu was a bit surprised as he took a step back instinctively causing everyone to look at him. It was only then did he realise what he just did now and cleared his throat ufortably, ¡± Ahem, my queen what Zhen was trying to ask was where did you learn your medical skills from?¡± ¡± And why do you care about that, your esteemed majesty?¡± asked Liu Hui Ying with a raised brow as she looked at him with a haughty smile on her face. Why did those words ¡®esteemed majesty¡¯ sound like ¡® what are you looking at pig?¡¯ to him? Zhai Tianyu shook his head and then looked at Liu Hui Ying with a smile as he crossed his hands behind his back and said, ¡± Why else? Zhen just wants to know more about you queen.¡± ¡®More like you want to see how strong I am beforeing up with a perfect n to get rid of me,¡¯ Liu Hui Ying inwardly scoffed before she raised a finger and said, ¡± Did you ever try to know me before we got married your esteemed majesty?¡± ¡± No,¡± replied Zhai Tianyu as he clenched his eyes as his pupils contracted, he did try to find out more about Liu Hui Ying but that was only for investigation purposes and it was his men who did the investigation and he has never really paid any attention to Liu Hui Ying before. ¡± That¡¯s right, you didn¡¯t give any damn about me, so it¡¯s better for you to keep it like that,¡± said Liu Hui Ying with her arms crossed as she looked at him with a slight tilt of her head. ¡°Let¡¯s get along as we did before, you do your thing and I will do my thing, all right? That way we will live a happy and long life because I don¡¯t know about you ...but if I was to look at your face, my lifeline sure is going to get short.¡± ¡± How long are you going to talk to me like that?¡± Zhai Tianyu could not help but ask with an annoyed voice, originally he wanted to be nice and gentle to Liu Hui Ying but thetter was simply not showing any respect to him at all. ¡± Zhen is your husband and Emperor, a wife should be respectful and obedient to her husband, how dare yin defy her yang?¡± ¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 37 37 Stay in the pyjamas of husband Liu Hui Ying blinked at the outburst of the Emperor, the servants were already on the ground and she could feel the shivering Qui Ai tug on her skirt but Liu Hui Ying simply snatched her skirt out of her grasp and scoffed, ¡± How dare Yin to defy Yang? I am going to defy you at every turn what are you going to do? Cut my head and hang it on the city wall? Do it! Maybe granting someone poisonous wine and forcing them to a blind corner is something that you can forget with ease and sleep peacefully at night but to me, it was the most horrifying thing to happen because of you... you have no idea what I have to lose! I am going to defy you, not only today but every day in the future what are you going to do huh? HUH?¡± Silence descended upon everyone as they all looked at the Emperor with bated breath, this was the first time that a woman dared to say such words to his majesty, was she not afraid that she will lose the favour of the Emperor and be discarded? What was she doing by going against him? Even Zhai Tianyu felt that Liu Hui Ying might have gone crazy afterst night¡¯s ordeal, she not only retorted to him, she even said that she was going to defy him at every turn possible, by saying those words where was she putting his face? How dare she! ¡± Zhen is your husband!¡± Zhai Tianyu roared as anger surged to his head, to hell with being kind and nice to this woman. She was simply his bane, a disaster born to ruin his perfect facade, with just a few words she made his heart stifled with anger. Why did he know that Liu Hui Ying had such a talent for angering someone? ¡± How dare you say that? Are you not afraid that you will be an abandoned woman, how can you even say such a thing to your husband, the lord of your life¨C¡± ¡± Then divorce me, divorce me now!¡± Liu Hui Ying interrupted Zhai Tianyu with a loud scream, lord of her life? Was this man high or something? He wasn¡¯t even the dirt beneath her shoe, who told him that he was the lord of her life? ¡± I don¡¯t care, I might as well live a peaceful life as an abandoned woman and then be married to you, lord of my life! No one is the lord of my life, I am the one who owns my life, I will decide whether I stay alive or die, who are you to make that decision for me? You didn¡¯t give me birth and neither did you not raise me, what have you done to be my lord?¡± ¡± Zhen is your husband! Zhen married you!¡± ¡± Hah! Just because you married me?¡± sneered Liu Hui Ying as she flicked her hair strands that were falling on her forehead and pushed them back. ¡± If you think that I am going to give you leverage just because of that, then you are wrong as hell! I am not going to give it to you, your esteemed majesty. If you are a husband then stay in the pyjamas of being a husband, and don¡¯t try to be my god, if you want to be my God then you might as well try to bring me hundred of mountains of gold and a few countries to rule before calling yourself, my lord!¡± After that, she flicked her hair and then turned her back on Zhai Tianyu who has been retorted to the point where he became speechless. Seeing that Liu Hui Ying was actually leaving, he raised his hand and chased after her, ¡± You... Don¡¯t you dare to turn your back on Zhen!¡± ..... He stretched his hand to get hold of Liu Hui Ying, whose eyes widened and she snatched her hand away and raised it high in the air, seeing that Liu Hui Ying has snatched her hand away, Zhai Tianyu went to hold her other hand but Liu Hui Ying snatched that hand away as well and raised it overhead, now both her hands were raised in the air as if she was standing in punishment. ¡± What are you doing?¡± asked Zhai Tianyu as he looked at Liu Hui Ying with a frown. ¡± Is this how an Empress of the country should behave?¡± Liu Hui Ying did not reply to him at once, instead, she bunny-hopped three steps back and then heaved a deep breath before dropping her hand and looking at him with an annoyed expression. ¡°That¡¯s supposed to be my line! Did I not ask you to stay away from me like three feet away? Why are you even getting close to me and trying to hold my hand, I don¡¯t want you to hold my hand.¡± Zhai Tianyu felt like he was going to have ulcers by the time he finishes talking to Liu Hui Ying, he closed his eyes and then pointed at her with a trembling finger while his temple throbbed dangerously. ¡± I am asking you to stop! So stop who are you to turn your back on me?¡± He was so furious that instead of addressing himself as ¡®Zhen¡¯, he ended up using ¡®I¡¯. ¡± Why? Am I your dog?¡± Liu Hui Ying shot back as she tipped her chin and raised her pupils slightly with an exaggerated raise of her brows. ¡± If you ask me to stop I will stop, if you tell me to roll on the ground, I will roll?¡± ¡± I am just trying to have a conversation with you, my queen...¡± Zhai Tianyu gritted out as he looked at Liu Hui Ying with a forced smile on his face. Why was it that no one ever told him that Liu Hui Ying¡¯s tongue was covered with barbed wires? He said one thing and she will retaliate with a thousand more words, what kind of teaching did Second old master Liu has given to his daughter? Not only she had no respect for her husband, but her tongue was sharper than his sword Chapter 38 38 Assassination attempt He took a calming breath before asking in a softer voice than before, ¡± Zhen just wanted to know a little about you, my queen...there is no need for you to throw a tantrum at Zhen like this.¡± ¡± Tantrum?¡± Liu Hui Ying scoffed with a mocking look in her eyes, he has some guts! Does he think that she was some child who was throwing a tantrum because she didn¡¯t get her favourite toy? This was why she hated most men, they were self-centred, selfish and just thought about themselves, if they had another cell in their body that told them how to be considerate of women then maybe her sister wouldn¡¯t have died like that. She cracked her neck, if she was being honest, she wanted to crack someone¡¯s eggs but because she was no fan of carrying her chopped butt after her death, she tried to keep very good control of her temper as well as powers, thest time she lost control, she raised at least a hundred corpses from the graveyard and it was a huge mess, she could still remember the number ofints that were filed into the police department when so many corpses were dug out of their graves and ended up falling on the streets and parks after she retracted her spiritual energy, she couldn¡¯t have something like that repeat itself. ¡± Look,¡± she said after she was done giving herself a short prep-up talk. ¡± When I said that it¡¯s toote for you to know anything about me, I meant it.. alright? This is not me throwing tantrum or trying to gain your attention, okay?¡± She looked into the eyes of the Emperor hoping he would see just how serious she was being. ¡± I just want to stay alive doing my own thing, I am not asking for much right?¡± The Emperor didn¡¯t say anything for a while before he nodded his head and raised his hand to ce it on her shoulder but how could Liu Hui Ying allow him to do that, she dodged almost at once and Zhai Tianyu dropped his hand to his side. ¡± I understand... I understand everything that you are saying, my queen.¡± ¡± Well thank goodness,¡± Liu Hui Ying was overjoyed that she was able to get her facts straight with the thick-skulled Emperor, now that he said that he understood what she meant then does it not mean that she will be able to live a peaceful life¨C ¡± I understand that you are angry that I didn¡¯te to see you on our wedding night,¡± she did not even get a chance to stay happy for more than three seconds when the Emperor opened his mouth and dumped a bucket of cold water on top of her head. ¡± What ...What did you say?¡± Liu Hui Ying was sure that she might have misheard him, she stared at the man in front of him in disbelief as she asked the one question that came to her head as soon as she heard the Emperor speak. Zhai Tianyu smiled at her as if he to say ¡®you naughty woman¡¯ and said with a shy expression on his face as he whispered such that it was only her who would hear what he was saying, ¡± If I knew you will be this upset just because I didn¡¯te to see youst night, then I would have made an exception, I just thought that you went through so many things and might be tired that is why I decided to change my n but if that has upset you, my queen... I will make sure that I satisfy you tonight as much as you want.¡± ..... Silence, utter silence descended upon the two of them and their procession as Liu Hui Ying stared at the Emperor in front of her, what in the world? ¡± Ha..haha, you are sure a funny guy,¡± Liu Hui Yingughed as she took another two steps back. ¡°I wasn¡¯t joking my queen, this is my sincere feelings for you,¡± said Zhai Tianyu as he smiled at Liu Hui Ying, however even though he was smiling his eyes were cold as ice. He needed to know what the queen was nning, everyone knew that the Liu family had nothing but contempt for him and his grandmother. With their strength the Liu family has always been suppressing them, for someone from the Liu family to help his grandmother alleviate her symptoms and even take the cursed bloodwood away without any reasons or benefits, that was impossible. He needs to go to the Prosperity hall and see what the Queen was nning only then will he get rid of the boulder that was pressing on his shoulder but for now¨C he has to make sure that if possible the Queen never returns to her hall intact. ¡± Are you an idiot¡ª¡± Liu Hui Ying was so disgusted by the corny line that the Emperor shot at her that she ended up speaking what was on her mind but unfortunately for her no one heard her. Why unfortunately? Because the second she opened her mouth the crowd erupted in screams and shouts of anxiousness as they pointed at something in the sky. Stunned, Liu Hui Ying turned her head to look at where the crowd was looking and was surprised to find that an arrow was heading towards her. No, it would be better to say that she was not surprised, now she understood why the Emperor was trying to stall for time, he was waiting for this. She turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who has already retreated and was holding concubine Ji in his arms, her lips curled in a sneer as she muttered, ¡± Li Gang.¡± At once Li Gang who was flying in the air shot at her like a bullet and embedded his soul with hers, possessing her body for only long enough to catch the arrow that was heading towards them. And once he was done, he carefully stepped out of Liu Hui Ying and touched his groin. ¡± Damn it, even after so long I can¡¯t get used to it ...the feeling of losing my happiness is really too much.¡± Chapter 39 39 Really wanted her dead, One shot kill! Liu Hui Ying gasped as the chill that was covering her body vanished into thin air before she turned her head and looked at the arrow that she was holding in her hand. Not only was the thing sharp enough to drill into her skull its tip was even poisoned! This man really wanted to kill her but he could still look at her and say those flowery words, no wonder the original owner of the body died without knowing anything, this man¡¯s heart was like a needle in the ocean. His ruthlessness was so deeply hidden that his victims wouldn¡¯t even get a chance to ask for water before dying. ¡± The Yin energy is really thick this time,¡± said Li Gang as he came to stand next to her and peered down at the arrow that she was holding. ¡± It was a one-shot kill, if I hadn¡¯t helped then you would have died the second it pierced into your skin, how are you going to reward me huh? You better get me that ck pepper chicken that you promised, now that you are the queen you cannot make excuses like you don¡¯t have enough funds.¡± ¡± I am d that you are this worried about me,¡± Liu Hui Ying smiling looked at Li Gang causing thetter to shiver as he flew back and hid behind Grandma Lan Fen as he sulkily said, ¡± Why is she getting angry at me huh? What did I do? If she is angry then she should take it out on the Emperor after all it¡¯s clear as the day that he is the one behind it.¡± ¡± Do you think we can¡¯t tell?¡± said Jia Li as she rolled her eyes at him, ¡± We can see it with our own eyes as well, and if you look carefully Hui Ying is trying her best not to snap.¡± She pointed at the nerves that were throbbing at the back of Liu Hui Ying¡¯s hand that was clutching the arrow and added, ¡± I have to say that I was expecting her to snap and do something unexpected, she is holding it in much better than I thought she will.¡± ¡± She is not holding it in,¡± said Grandma Lan Fen with a heavy sigh. ¡± The Emperor and the assassin both have to pay for what they have done.¡± ¡°Jia Li,¡± no sooner did Grandma Lan Fen speak, they heard Liu Hui Ying speak as she slowly turned her head and looked at the three of them with a devious smile ying on her lips. ¡± Go and get hold of that assassin to make sure you teach him a good lesson.¡± Jia Li rolled her eyes, and huffed heavily before she rose in the air she said, ¡± Anything is fine as long as I don¡¯t kill him right?¡± ¡± That¡¯s right,¡± conceded Liu Hui Ying as she nodded her head and then turned to look at the crowd that was finally recovering its wits. In the entire crowd, only Nanny Gong and Qui Ai tried to throw themselves in front of Liu Hui Ying but because they were at quite a distance because of the Emperor being close to their mistress they couldn¡¯t reach her. ..... For an instance, they thought that they were going to lose Liu Hui Ying and now that they were looking at her holding the arrow that was aimed at her, both of them almost passed out with fright. ¡± Your majesty, why are you holding onto that thing, throw it away!¡± Nanny Gong grasped her skirt that was hindering her movements and rushed towards Liu Hui Ying. ¡± Your Majesty! Your majesty,¡± Qui Ai on the other hand was so shocked that tears were pouring down her cheeks, if she was a bit faster and didn¡¯t slide down because of her skirt then she would have gotten to her mistress faster and then she would have taken that arrow with a smile on her face. Goodness, how can she be so ipetent in the face of danger? What if her mistress got hurt because of her ipetence, even her head wouldn¡¯t have been enough to pay for that sin. ¡± Are you okay your majesty?¡± Nanny Gong carefully assessed Liu Hui Ying from top to bottom and only when she saw that thetter was totally fine did she heave a breath of relief. ¡± I was so scared, your majesty...if something happened to you then I would have no choice left but to smash my head and die with you here and now.¡± ¡± Forgive me, your majesty,¡± sobbed Qui Ai as she twisted her hands left and right as she looked down at the ground. ¡± I am so useless, I couldn¡¯t even save you when you were in danger .. if only I was a bit faster then I would have been able to save you but I am just so... wahhhh, I should die... I deserve to die for not being able to save you.¡± Liu Hui Ying heard the two women fussing over her and the anger in her heart rose another degree as she stared at the emperor in front of her. That¡¯s right, if she died right now then nanny Gong and Qui Ai would have to die as well since they failed to protect her and even if they didn¡¯t die, they would have lived a life worse than death. Let¡¯s say that he has a reason to kill her, so does he have a reason to kill these two women as well? What excuse did he have to shed the blood of these innocent women? ¡± Don¡¯t cry, little Ai,¡± she pressed her hand on top of Qui Ai¡¯s head and ruffled her hair with a smile before turning her head and looking at the procession of the Emperor as she continued, ¡± An Emperor, a general and headmander along with a total of ten guards couldn¡¯t do anything, why do you me yourself, it¡¯s not like your martial arts failed in the face of danger, no matter what you do not need to be ashamed of yourself.¡± ¡ª- can I get some powerstone and gifts? Chapter 40 40 Don¡¯t me me Zhai Tianyu could of course hear the sarcasm in Liu Hui Ying¡¯s words, for a moment his entire body stiffened as he raised his head to look at her. The woman was still the same as she was yesterday, the same small frame with the inherited arrogance of the Liu family. ¡®You have to love me, that¡¯s your only choice if you want to survive.¡¯ And the same woman who stood in front of him as she threatened him with tears in her eyes. So, what changed? ¡± My queen, I apologise, I was just so startled by the sudden¨C¡± he wanted to go through the excuse that he came up with before promising that he will investigate this matter but before he could do that, he heard a loud snap and paused. His gaze fell on the arrow that Liu Hui Ying was holding and his pupils quivered when he saw that she actually snapped the arrow in half. He might have asked his men to use the cheapest quality arrow there was for assassinating the queen since he didn¡¯t want to make any mistakes. If the Liu family found out that he was the one who wanted to kill the empress, then they will surely create a huge fuss and he would inadvertently allow their grasp on the court to get even tighter. But the arrow was still sturdier than a twig that could be snapped with just a mere woman, seeing that Liu Hui Ying actually used her hands to break the arrow in half without so much as letting out a yelp, he couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly terrified. This woman, was not as simple as everyone told him ..what was the reason for the Liu family to send a woman like her to his pce. Ji Yu too nced at the Empress and her delicate brows scrunched up slightly, she married Zhai Tianyu because he wished to have a woman by his side who will divert the attention of the Liu family from him to her. Of course, she understood the dangers and was prepared to deal with them, one of the dangers was Liu Hui Ying, she thought that the Empress was nothing but a fool whom she could easily clean up for the Emperor but now, she could not help but feel a bit terrified by her. The Empress was not a small kitten whom they could squash under their feet, her quick agility and strength were enough for her to make a strong opponent. She was a fierce tigress who will tear them limb by limb before throwing their corpse away. Attacking her without a n was nothing but foolishness on their part. ¡± If there is nothing else that you have to say to me then I will take my leave,¡± said Liu Hui Ying, she knew that she might have raised their guards against her but she wasn¡¯t afraid. It was true that she wanted to make it out of this situation alive, she wouldn¡¯t just let herself be the damsel in distress. She has felt the pain of being stabbed with something and she was no fan of that feeling, she might as well save the pain even if it means raising suspicions against her. ..... After all, it wasn¡¯t as if the Emperor had any goodwill towards her. But more importantly, if she stayed here, she might really take the arrow and stick it up the man¡¯s ass. He was really ...a huge jerk! She shot him a look of pure mockery before she turned around and walked away with her procession, leaving Zhai Tianyu stunned. Of course, he was sharp enough to catch the mocking glint in the eyes of the Empress and he even caught her lips moving as she turned around¨C ¡® What a coward.¡¯ The Empress did not know that he has long learned the art of reading lips when he was young, which was why she wasn¡¯t on guard against him and spoke what was on her mind. However, Zhai Tianyu for the first time in his life wished that he didn¡¯t understand what she was saying. A coward him? He has never done something cowardly in his life and if not for her family that was pressurising him, would he have to make use of such tactics? As a member of the Liu family, she should know that it was her fault and that his killing her was only fair and justifiable, after all just how many lives the ministers of the Liu family have taken away. That was what he believed so why was his heart sinking with guilt like this? And did the Queen know something, or else why would she look at him like that? If she was doubting him, then just how much did she know? Zhai Tianyu nced at the Queen who was walking away and narrowed his eyes, he has to clean this matter up as quickly as possible. He turned around and then walked past Zhai Heng before whispering something in his ears, his voice was so low that only the ones who have practised martial arts could hear what he said, only then did his procession make a move. Jia Li on the other hand caught up with the assassin, since Liu Hui Ying was sharing her spiritual energy with her, it wasn¡¯t difficult for her to knock the clueless assassin down and carefully noted his appearance in her mind. ¡± Hmm, a scar running down the eye, check... stature of six feet two inches, check ....¡± She continued until she checked the man from the top of his head to the bottom of his toes, once she was done, she stood up from the ground and wiped the nonexistent dust on her hands. Peering down at the assassin, Jia Li said calmly, ¡± Look mate, I really don¡¯t have anything against you but since you have angered Hui Ying, then be thankful that I am the one who will be taking care of you if that crazy.... I mean the kind woman was to take hold of you then you will cry tears of regret until you flood an entire river. So....¡± She cracked her knuckles and smirked. ¡± Do not me me for this.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 41 41 Get lost Dedicating todays chapter to Nok_Pullum. ¡± Take it off, take it off!¡± Liu Hui Ying groaned as she shouted in pain, she wanted to silently go along with this torture but the second she sat down on the stool in front of the mirror, she couldn¡¯t take it anymore and shouted at her maids to move their hands as fast as they could. ¡± Just wait for a second, your majesty,¡± Nanny Gong coaxingly said as she untied the straps of the crown that Liu Hui Ying was wearing and then with the help of Qui Ai set it aside, only then did Liu Hui Ying heaved a sigh of relief as she rubbed her nape and let out a low painful moan. ¡± Damn, I really thought that I was going to die, then and there... if only...¡± she paused before turning to look at the line of maids that were standing beside her with nanny Gong and Qui Ai in lead, their eyes brimming with tears. Oh god, she didn¡¯t have the power or energy to deal with them at the moment, she heaved a breath and then turned her head to look at Qui Ai and Nanny Gong before saying with a smile, ¡± I want to be left alone for a while, if you all don¡¯t mind it can you please ....¡± She tilted her head to the entrance door hoping that Nanny Gong and Qui Ai will get her message. They did get what she was trying to tell them but unfortunately for her, they got it on the price of Qui Ai bursting into tears as she cried and sobbed, ¡± Your majesty, how scared you must have been... wahhhh¡± ¡± There, there leave the empress to take a break, there is no need for you to cry so inappropriately, have you forgotten where you are standing,¡± Nanny Gong half coaxed and half chided Qui Ai as she took her out of the room. In their eyes, Liu Hui Ying was now a broken-hearted woman who has to suffer through an assassin attempt yet her husband went to save his childhood sweetheart instead of her. Of course, she would suffer from shock and heartache. It was true that Liu Hui Ying was indeed suffering but it was neither heartache nor shock, the only thing she was suffering from at the moment was anger! Once the maids left her room, she pped her palm on the armrest of the chair in which she was sitting and snarled, ¡± Aish that Emperor, he is bent on killing me,¡± she pulled one of her legs up and ced it on the chair as she leaned on her hand that was resting on its elbow on the other armrest, the leg on the floor continued to shake as she bit on her thumb. ¡± Two attempts were made on my life in just a day, if this goes on then it wouldn¡¯t be long before that man severe my head from my neck.¡± ..... She shook her head as she pushed herself off the chair and started pacing around the room, ¡± No, I cannot allow that to happen... we have to look for a way out of this ce, if we were dragged into this ce then surely we can go back to our world as well, there is no way we can stay here for long... we need to find the link that caused us to be entangled into this mess.¡± ¡± But we would not be able to find it so soon,¡± said Li Gang with a frown. ¡± You have already seen the entire pce is bigger than an entire city, who knows where the portal or whatever that dragged us here is, it might take months for us to get close to it...why don¡¯t you try to get along with the Emperor till then?¡± ¡± Shii!¡± Liu Hui Ying scrunched up her nose in disgust as she let out an annoyed hiss and looked at Li Gang with a furious expression. ¡± Why don¡¯t you ask me to dress up as a psychiatrist, put on my sses and start taking sessions with the Emperor and tell him, how he should not kill anyone without any rhyme or reason?¡± ¡± You can try maybe it will work?¡± Li Gang said with a yful glint in his eyes and Liu Hui Ying picked up the teacup from the stand to throw it at him. ¡± Why don¡¯t I send you to the grim reaper before you can make up for all the wrongs you have done, I bet he will have a great time boiling you in hot oil.¡± Li Gang shivered as he turned around and looked at Grandma Lan Fen who sighed in tiredness. ¡± And how long will you be following me?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked as she looked at the ghost woman who has followed her out of the Grand Dowager Empress¡¯s pce, she thought that she would leave if she continued to ignore her but the ghost woman was more stubborn than she expected her, even after being ignored like she never existed, she continued to follow her from start to end without even so much as showing any sign of deterrence. The ghost woman winced before she looked at Liu Hui Ying with a slightly hesitant expression and said, ¡°I need your help, you are the only one who can help me.¡± ¡± Of course, you need my help,¡± sneered Liu Hui Ying with a scoff as she turned her gaze away from the ghost woman and sat back down on her chair and leaned her cheek against her clenched knuckles and said, ¡± Every ghost roaming on the surface of the earth needs my help but do you think I will help them just because they ask me to do so?¡± Titling her head back she smiled at the ghost woman, Liu Hui Ying delivered onest blow, ¡± And maybe you have forgotten your mother humiliated me just now in her own territory, you want me to help you despite knowing that you are her daughter? What do you take me for a god? Angel?¡± She turned her face away and waved her hand. ¡± Get lost, I do not wish to help you, do what you have been doing till now, either move on or keep haunting your mother.¡± Chapter 42 42 Help me please ¡± I want to move on as well but I cannot,¡± said the ghost woman, she lowered her head and bit her lower lip. Who didn¡¯t want to move on to the cycle of reincarnation after dying? She has been trying to move on for ages but she couldn¡¯t, the thing that has been holding her back wasn¡¯t resolved and even if she wanted to let go and move on, her heart was unwilling and without letting go of her regrets the guards of the underworld weren¡¯t willing to let her move on, now she was stuck in this ce. If not for sticking to her mother all these years, her soul would have been disintegrated by the grim reaper, however, her mother was no longer young, she was getting on age and if she continues to suck her Yang energy then her mother would die very soon. The ghost woman was slowly getting anxious with each passing day, she was as anxious as ants on a hot pan, she hoped that she will be found by a powerful master and he or she will help her in moving on to another world but even after so many years she could not find any powerful master until today. It was just her luck that her mother offended the one master who could help her, the ghost woman also knew that there was no chance for Liu Hui Ying to help her, if she wanted to help her she would have done so at the heavenly blessing pavilion but she didn¡¯t, clearly, she had no ns to help her reincarnate. But other than following Liu Hui Ying, she had no other choice...she has waited for six years for a powerful master who can handle her Yin energy to appear, only she knew how shocked she was when she saw Liu Hui Ying grab hold of her like she was some naughty child clutching onto a toy and wrenching her hands away from her mother¡¯s shoulders, even she wasn¡¯t able to let go of her mother all these years but Liu Hui Ying did it in a matter of seconds, this much was enough to let her know just how strong this niece inw of her was. And if she was to let go of this opportunity then she might never be able to reincarnate. Who knows maybe if this continues after a few years, she and her mother would haunt the Heavenly blessing pavilion together. The ghost woman shook her head, she couldn¡¯t let her mother suffer because of her, she has to make Liu Hui Ying agree to help her or else she would never be able to forgive herself. ¡°Please..¡± said the ghost woman as she beseeched to Liu Hui Ying, she didn¡¯t care about anything at the moment, if Liu Hui Ying was to ask for her to get on her knees, she will do that without so much as questioning her. She just wanted to move on from this world, it was too cruel and cold for her soul ...now all she wanted was to move on to her new life as soon as she can. ¡± I beg of you if you want I will be your ve just help me this once to move on to the underworld.¡± ¡± You say like it¡¯s an easy job, do you think I am chummy friends with the guards of the underworld?¡± said Liu Hui Ying as she threw her arm back and twisted her head slightly to look at the ghost woman before continuing with an annoyed expression. ¡± You cannot move on until you resolve what¡¯s holding you back...¡± she pointed to Li Gang and Grandma Lan Fen. ¡°You see them right? These two have been hovering over this ne for like twenty or so years but cannot move on because they haven¡¯t given up on the ties that are holding them back, even after working for me for more than eight years, they are still here, what makes you think that you can cut the line? I am a very fair woman, no cutting of lines allowed.¡± ¡°Pfft,¡± hearing her call herself a fair woman, Li Gang burst intoughing causing both the ghost woman and Liu Hui Ying to turn around and look at him. The ghost woman was not terrifying enough for Li Gang to be scared but Liu Hui Ying on the other hand ...that woman made shivers do the conga on his spine. He immediately lowered his head and apologised, ¡± I am sorry, it was a momentarilypse of my will to stay alive as a ghost, please ignore my stupidity.¡± ..... Liu Hui Ying scolded Li Gang silently before she turned around and looked at the ghost woman before coldly hitching a brow up. ¡± I can¡¯t help you, you can leave now all right?¡± The ghost woman didn¡¯t want to leave, she really wanted to move on from this world. She stared at Liu Hui Ying who was heartless enough to turn her head around even when she was begging her, in the end, the ghost woman had no choice but to walk in front of Liu Hui Ying and go on her knees as she loudly kowtowed. ¡± I was born as a prideful princess, other than my father and my mother, I have never lowered my head in front of anyone. I, princess Zhai Chenguang, the daughter of the Grand Dowager Empress, the wife of General Zhang Dingbang humbly beg you to help me, please .¡± Zhai Chenguang thought that this would make Liu Hui Ying¡¯s heart move but when she raised her head and looked at the woman sitting in front of her, she was surprised to see that Liu Hui Ying was totally unmoved. She looked at her with a nk expression, her head resting against her clenched fist, while she looked down at her with boredom. ¡± Are you done?¡± ¡± I ... why don¡¯t you want to help me?¡± Zhai Chenguang asked, she lowered her head and begged but she still didn¡¯t want to help her. Why? ¡ª¨C Chapter 43 43 Vamp of the show Liu Hui Ying smiled at Zhai Chenguang¡¯s oblivious expression and kicked her legs before she lowered her upper body such that her face was at eye level with the kneeling woman, though she was smiling, her eyes were colder than ice causing Zhai Chenguang to shiver. ¡± You want to know a secret?¡± ¡± Secret?¡± mused Zhai Chenguang as she stared at Liu Hui Ying nkly, what kind of secret was more important than her moving on? But she still nodded her head causing Liu Hui Ying¡¯s lips to hitch up higher. ¡± This woman is dead,¡± said Liu Hui Ying as she sat up straight and crossed one of her legs such that she was resting it on the knee of the other one. ¡± She died yesterday after drinking a ss of poisoned wine that was sent to her.¡± She threw her arm around the back of her chair and raised a brow. ¡± And do you want to know who delivered that poisoned wine to her?¡± She dragged the question until Zhai Chenguang¡¯s anxiety was palpable before answering her question, ¡± It was your nephew, if not for him and his unjustified killing of this woman, I would be living a happy life in my world but because of him, I was dragged here without any rhyme or reason, you tell me why should I help someone from his family when he ruined my life ?¡± There was nothing Zhai Chenguang could say, she stood up from the floor and then headed out of the room, her head drooping with sadness as she vanished from the Prosperity courtyard. Only after she left the pavilion did Li Gang turn to Liu Hui Ying and disapprovingly said, ¡± That was really rude, you made her cry ... I saw her crying when she left... anyway you could have helped her. How could you be so heartless in the face of someone begging you with everything that they have got, we are already here why are you holding grudges, it¡¯s not like by not helping that woman you will go back to our world?¡± Grandma Lan Fen also nodded along with Li Gang as she looked at Liu Hui Ying with a slightly upset expression and chimed in, ¡± He is right, you could have helped her a little...that girl looks so young but she died at such a beautiful age, she already has enough to cry for, why did you have to be so rude to her like that. You could have been a bit understanding towards her.¡± ¡± If I am understanding towards her, then who will be understanding towards me?¡± questioned back Liu Hui Ying with an annoyed expression. ¡± And anyway if I helped her just like that then it would have been no use to me.¡± ¡± What do you mean by that?¡± Li Gang asked with a frown feeling quite unjustified by the treatment of his kind by Liu Hui Ying. ..... ¡°It¡¯s simple, if I agreed to help her, then what would have happened?¡± Grandma Lan Fen scrunched up her face before she answered Liu Hui Ying¡¯s question, ¡± She would have thanked you, you would have umted a lot of goodwill if you helped her.¡± ¡± Exactly!¡± She pped her hand on her thigh and pointed at Grandma Lan Fen. ¡± I would have gotten just her goodwill, do I need that? I am already helping you three collect some good karma meaning I am set to go to heaven, what¡¯s good is that woman¡¯s goodwill to me? If I am staying here then I need money, shiny, glittering, bling bling gold.¡± She leaned back on her chair with a calcting glint in her eyes as she broke it all in front of Grandma Lan Fen and Li Gang. ¡± I might be the Empress but everyone can see that I am more and less of an abandoned woman for whom the Emperor doesn¡¯t have the slightest bit of goodwill. That means I am just a pawn that could be discarded at any point, can¡¯t you see? In just a day, I was attacked twice, TWICE!¡± Liu Hui Ying raised her fingers to show them the digits as she emphasised on the sword that was hanging on her neck, ¡± What I need to do is to make sure that we find the link that brought us here and get away from this ce as soon as we can, in case we cannot find the link then what do you think will happen to me, who has no money, no husband to take care of me, with no power?¡± Neither Li Gang nor Grandma Lan Fen said anything. ¡± I will die that¡¯s what¡¯s going to happen to me,¡± seeing that neither of them was answering, Liu Hui Ying answered her own question. ¡± I need to get hold of my dowry that the old hag is keeping in her tight grasp and make some additional money, in case we really ...¡± she gulped loudly and shivered at the thought of the worst possible oue. ¡± Get stuck in this era for a very long time...¡± Liu Hui Ying shook her head with a ¡®brr¡¯ before she continued and said, ¡± That is why I need a backup, that woman is my n B, she is desperate that¡¯s something we all know but she doesn¡¯t know that we are just as desperate, I need to just push her a little more and then she will bring me half of the treasures in the Grand Dowager Empress pce along with my dowry.¡± She smirked as she licked the back of her teeth. ¡± That will teach that old hag a good lesson as for the arrogant jerk, I will get my hands on him soon.¡± She made a violent move with her hands as if she was catching something in the air before squashing it just as ruthlessly. ¡± And when I do get a good hold on him, I will make him kneel in front of me just like his aunt!¡± Li Gang: ¡°....¡± Grandma Lan Fen: ¡°.....¡± We didn¡¯t know that you were such a boss viin! What are you the vamp of the show? Chapter 44 44 Tears of Grand Dowager Empress ¡± Who are you going to crush?¡± Jia Li asked when she saw Liu Hui Ying furiously smashing something imaginary with her hands, she just went to take care of the assassin what happened in just a few minutes, why was her boss acting up again? ¡± Who else, it¡¯s the Emperor,¡± replied Li Gang as he turned his head and looked at Jia Li, seeing that she was all right, he snapped his fingers at her and said, ¡± You go girl, I thought you will be caught in a mess but somehow you returned safe and sound.¡± In the modern world every time Jia Li shared Liu Hui Ying¡¯s spiritual energy to enhance her powers and skills as a poltergeist, she would end up being caught in a mess or another. She was just that clumsy, there was one time she almost stumbled into a grim reaper, if not for Liu Hui Ying, she would have been dragged to the underworld back then. Jia Li rolled her eyes before she picked up a pillow from Liu Hui Ying¡¯s bed and threw it at Li Gang but it didn¡¯t hurt thetter at all instead it went through Li Gang¡¯s smoky profile with a wheezing sound and knocked the vase sitting on the small round table down. ¡± You are one to talk, do you think that you are any better?¡± snapped Jia Li as she folded her arms and haughtily raised her chin at Li Gang. ¡± Every time, Hui Ying sends you to investigate a case, you will end up chasing the female ghosts on the streets, shooting corny lines at them. At least I dy my work because of my clumsy footing, you on the other hand run around the city like a h*rny dog.¡± ¡± H*rny dog? You are calling me a dog in heat? How dare you!¡± Li Gang rolled his sleeves as he waved his fists at Jia Li. ¡± If you want to have a go against me, then just say it... I will show you what I can do!¡± Jia Li raised her hands in the air as well as she started moving back and forward like she was apetitor in a mixed martial arts tournament. ¡± Fine then, do you think I am scared? I am ready youe at me!¡± ¡± Arghhh!¡± ..... ¡± Wahhh!!¡± Grandma Lan Fen ignored the two childish things and then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying before rising in the air and flying close to Liu Hui Ying such that she was standing beside her. ¡± Are you sure that this will be fine? I mean I am afraid that if others were to find out about your powers then¨C¡± ¡± I know,¡± Liu Hui Ying hasn¡¯t forgotten what happened to her sister, she of course knew the dangers that were involved in disying her skills but currently she had no other choice. ¡± But if I don¡¯t do this then I will only be putting myself in a much more vulnerable position at least this way I will throw in a favour on the Grand Dowager Empress¡¯s head... given that she still dresses in such pale clothes and eats a vegetarian diet, she is still pinning on the death of her daughter ... if I was to send her daughter to the cycle of reincarnation, that old hag has to ept me, even begrudgingly¨C¡± She was still speaking when something came flying past Grandma Lan Fen and hit her squarely on the chest. ¡± Oh, my,¡± Grandma Lan Fen gasped while Jia Li and Li Gang who were scratching and pulling each other¡¯s hair paused before turning to look at Liu Hui Ying who pulled the pillow off her face and snarled, ¡± You two foolish jerks!¡± .... ¡± What do you say little Mimi, my daughter was the brightest and gentlest woman, she must have gone to heaven right?¡± asked Grand Dowager Empress as she took the portrait of her daughter from Little Mimi¡¯s hands and caressed it carefully, making sure that she wouldn¡¯t crease the paper before taking a velvety soft dry cloth from the girl¡¯s hands and started wiping the portrait that was lying on herp. ¡°I bet she might have already reincarnated into a loving family, she was such a sweet child there is no way the King of Yama wouldn¡¯t have taken pity on her.¡± No sooner did Zhai Chenguang walk through the wooden walls, she heard her mother say those words. Her gaze dipped down at the portrait that her mother was cleaning and she bit her lips hard but because she was already dead not a drop of blood oozed out of her lower lip. Reincarnated? She wasn¡¯t even being allowed to walk past the gates of the underworld, how was she supposed to reincarnate? She was still here waiting for some sort of miracle to happen while sucking the Yang energy of her mother. Grand Dowager Empress didn¡¯t know that the soul of her daughter was standing just a few feet away from her, she was still engrossed in her daily habit of wiping her daughter¡¯s portrait. She carefully skimmed her fingers at the frozen memory of Zhai Chenguang as she rubbed those familiar eyes that were so much like hers. ¡± She was such a beauty, if she was alive right now...then maybe I would have seen my beautiful grandchildren ying in my courtyard before closing my eyes once and forever.¡± Tears welled up in Grand Dowager Empress¡¯s eyes as she hungrily looked at her daughter¡¯s portrait, caressing it again and again but she was afraid of ruining the carefully drawn portrait that was why she didn¡¯t even dare to touch the paper, her hand always stayed an inch above its surface. If she was to ruin this portrait then from where will she get another one? The person smiling at her from the Ivory paper was no longer there. She couldn¡¯t even ask her painter to make another portrait of her daughter nor will she be able to see this beautiful smile ever again if she was to ruin it. Grand Dowager Empress sniffed as she wiped the tears that were flooding down her cheeks not allowing them to fall on the portrait afraid that they will stter the ink all over the paper. ¡± How good it would have been if I was the one who died that day instead of Chenguang? At least that way I didn¡¯t have to see my daughter¡¯s cold and unmoving body lying in the casket.¡± ¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 45 45 Schr Wei. ¡± Your majesty!¡± ¡± Mother!¡± Both Little Mimi and Zhai Chenguang shouted at the same time but only Little Mimi¡¯s voice reached Grand Dowager Empress. ¡°Don¡¯t say something so hurtful, your majesty,¡± Little Mimi hurriedly poured a cup of hot water and handed it to the Grand Dowager Empress. ¡± If his highness was to hear it, he will definitely be upset ... after all who does not know, you are the one he adores the most.¡± ¡± You are right, if Tianyu was to listen to me speak like this, he would definitely be upset but ...¡± Grand Dowager Empress wiped her tears and then stared at the portrait that was lying on herp as she shook her head and smiled sadly, ¡± I really have no will to continue living, I lost my son ... and my daughter consecutively, one after another. It¡¯s really hard for me to get past these days... little Mimi, it¡¯s so lonely without them.¡± Little Mimi understood the feelings of her master, she knew how painful it was for Grand Dowager Empress to lose her son and then her daughter as well, however, she was sent here to make sure that the grand dowager Empress stayed happy and contented, if the Emperor finds out that she could not perform her duty properly, he will definitely punish her. ¡± Your majesty, please drop such heavy thoughts...after all, you still have to see the fall of the Liu family with your own eyes, only then will you be able to face thete Emperor in the underworld, if you were to leave without punishing his murderer then how will you face thete emperor? Would he not me you for not taking revenge for his death?¡± Little Mimi used the one tactic that has always worked on the Grand Dowager Empress. Sure enough, no sooner she said those words, the Grand Dowager Empress¡¯s expression changed and she recovered her vitality at once. ¡± You are right, I have to wait till the day when I see the end of the Liu family with my own family.¡± She ced the portrait of Zhai Chenguang on the tea table in front of her and clenched her fists on herp hard enough to dig her fingernails in her palm as a vicious expression surged past her gentle temperament. ¡± Since they dared to scheme against my son and daughter, they will have to pay for what they have done until I see every single person of the Liu family die I will not let this life of mine end!¡± ¡°I have to see their blood cover the grave of my son only then will I close my eyes!¡± ..... This was the vow she took when she buried her son six feet underneath the ground, there was no way she was going to let anyone from the Liu family go, no matter what! Not unless they bring the soul of her son from his grave and have him tell her otherwise! Zhai Chenguang saw her mother¡¯s hatred towards the Liu family and trepidation overwhelmed her, her mother hated the Liu family so much, so how was she going to convince her mother to ask Liu Hui Ying for her help? No, firstly she has to make sure that Liu Hui Ying agrees to help her only then she can make a move. But how? Liu Hui Ying hated her mother and nephew just as much as the two of them despised her, how was she going to make Liu Hui Ying agree to her request? Just as Zhai Chenguang was thinking about what she was supposed to do, the eunuch serving her mother came rushing inside the hall of the Heavenly blessing courtyard and then came to a stop in front of Grand Dowager Empress and bowed his head with his hands carefully tucked in front. ¡± Schr Wei is requesting to see you, your majesty, shall I let him in?¡± ¡°Schr Wei ?¡± Grand Dowager Empress¡¯s parroted what the eunuch has said before she sat up straight and smiled widely. ¡± Of course, invite him in...why did you even have to ask for such a thing? Haven¡¯t I told you to let my son-inw inside as soon as hees to see me, why do you have to worry me like this every time, Eunuch Qi?¡± ¡± Forgive me, your majesty.¡± Eunuch Qi sunk into another deep bow as he apologised. ¡°It¡¯s just that the Emperor has asked me to make sure that no one disrupts your peace, that is why I have to make sure that you want to see the person before letting them in.¡± ¡± Oh that grandson of mine,¡± Grand Dowager Empress shook her head with a silly yet doting smile. ¡± He is always so overprotective of me, but you don¡¯t have to worry about schr Wei, that man has been mourning for my daughter for so many years, he could have married someone else but he hasn¡¯t even brought up the topic, how can such a man harm me? Just let him in the next time.¡± ¡± Yes, your majesty.¡± Eunuch Qi bowed his head and then walked out of the hall, it did not take long for him to send schr Wei inside the hall. Grand Dowager Empress raised her head when she heard the door of her hall slide open and smiled at the handsome and tall man who was walking towards her with an elegant gait. The man wasn¡¯t just handsome, he was a gentleman through and through, with a smile that could cause many women to fall for him but the one woman who made this man fall for her was none other than her daughter. Just the very thought of how her daughter won over this man was enough to make Grand Dowager Empress feel proud. ¡± You are here,¡± Grand Dowager Empress started to rise from her seat but she was stopped by Schr Wei who reached her in a few quick strides and ced his hands on the shoulders of Grand Dowager Empress and pushed her back on the seat. ¡± You don¡¯t have to be so formal with me, mother-inw, didn¡¯t you say that I am just like your son? How can a son have his mother stand up and greet him like this?¡± ¡ª- Dedicating todays chapter to everyone who supported my work with powerstones, golden tickets and gifts. Chapter 46 46 A childish promise ¡± Husband,¡± Zhai Chenguang¡¯s eyes teared up with pearly see-through tears as she stared at the man with whom she promised to spend the rest of her life but could not fulfil it. She died leaving him all alone in this world and he was now leaving a lonely life waiting for his time toe such that he will be able toe and see her. She walked towards Wei Junfen but stopped when she noticed that he was rubbing his arms because of the chill that was emanating from her. Even though she very much wanted to embrace the man in her arms, Zhai Chenguang knew that she couldn¡¯t do it, after all, if she was to touch him, she will snatch a considerable amount of Yang energy from her husband causing him to go all weak and tired. Zhai Chenguang knew that her husband worked really hard as a schr and even though he could have climbed up ranks riding on her coattails, he was very much satisfied with the position of the fifth rank official that he earned with his own strength, this was one of the reasons why she admired him. He was different from all the men she has met and didn¡¯t rely on her like it was a normal thing to do. She loved him with all her heart and he loved her too, if not then he would not be living alone in that big house without even epting a legal concubine. ¡± Junfen sits down,¡± Grand Dowager Empress¡¯s old face crinkled as she smiled at the middle-aged man who came to see her. She patted the chair that was next to her with a smile as she asked in a soft and jolly voice, ¡± When did you return from the city of Doughdou? Was the trip to that city all right? Were you able to finish your lectures in peace?¡± ¡± Of course,¡± answered Wu Junfen with a soft smile as he took a seat on the chair next to the grand dowager empress and turned his head slightly such that he was looking at her, every bit of his action was refined and gentle. ¡± I was able to arrive at the city without any trouble and after I spent time with the children there my uneasy heart calmed down and I was able to change my depressive outlook as well.¡± He paused and then added swiftly with a smile, ¡± What I meant to say was that you shoulde with me on an outing as well Mother Empress, I promise you will feel much better than being cooped in this courtyard of yours.¡± His words caused Grand Dowager Empress to feel slightly guilty when her daughter newly married Schr Wei, she childishly took a promise from him that he would never marry any other woman if she was to die, it was something that Zhai Chenguang spoke in the heat of their newly married life but who would have thought that her words woulde true? Now Schr Wei was living a lonely life without a wife or child fulfilling the promise that he made to her daughter. ¡± Of course, I will talk with Tianyu, you know how overprotective he can be,¡± Grand Dowager Empress wished she could tell Schr Wei to marry again and have a child but she knew that he will get angry, so she didn¡¯t bring up the topic, instead she let him change the topic as he wanted and said, ¡± What good things did you bring for me from this trip of yours? I bet you came bearing gifts for me, right?¡± ¡± Of course, how can Ie empty-handed to see you, your majesty?¡± Schr Wei smiled as he conceded before turning to his aide and motioning him to bring the things that he has brought for Grand Dowager Empress. His servant boy bowed his head and retreated towards the entrance of the hall before he slid open the door and called all the maids who were standing outside with the gifts that Schr Wei has brought with him. ..... A bunch of young maids strolled inside the room carrying bronze tes that were covered with velvety red cloth and ced the gifts on the tea table one by one until the entire table and its surrounding chairs were filled with the gifts that Wei Junfen has brought for the Grand Dowager Empress. Grand Dowager Empress looked down at the gifts that were ced in front of her and were speechless, she looked at the number of bronze trays that were ced in front of her as she asked in shock, ¡± Junfen, how many times have I told that I do not need you to buy so many gifts for me? Why do you not listen to what I say?¡± Wei Junfen smiled as he motioned his servant boy to lift the cloth of each bronze te and then spoke in a slightly gentle voice, ¡°I asked you toe with me to the city but you could note with me your majesty, that is why I brought the entire city for you to look at.¡± He pointed at the bright red apples that were lined on the trays to the candied Hawthorns that were aligned just next to the apples and then pointed at the silk bolts that were sitting at the centre of the table. ¡± Doughdou is a small city and does not have many ces to visit but their street fruit and apples are really famous, even this silk bolt is of much better quality than other provinces.¡± ¡± Junfen you...you are going to spoil me,¡± Grand Dowager Empress said with an emotional voice as she looked at all the gifts that were piled in front of her and clutched her chest. ¡± You are one of the sweetest men I have seen in my life.¡± Wei Junfen shook his head and simply said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, your majesty ...now that Chenguang is not here, I will have to make sure that you do not feel lonely. If not for me being so busy, I woulde to look for you every day until you get bored of me.¡± Grand Dowager Empress waved her hand and said, ¡± Of course not, I will never be bored of yourpany, you cane to look for me at any time.¡± She paused and pped her hands softly as she asked in a slightly eximing voice, ¡± Oh before I forget, did you have dinner?¡± ¡± No, your majesty.¡± ¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 47 47 It¡¯s the wedding night Grand Dowager Empress at once asked her maid to bring the dinner from the Royal kitchen and since the meal belonged to the Grand Dowager Empress, the kitchen worked swiftly and within minutes Little Mimi returned with the dishes that were prepared for the Grand Dowager Empress courtyard and had it ced over the dining table. ¡± I apologise if the dishes aren¡¯t to your tastes,¡± said Grand Dowager Empress slightly embarrassed when she saw that not a single dish had any meat in it. She was used to eating a vegetarian meal and she has been living a simple life ever since her daughter died, it has been years and she was used to it but the same could be said for Schr Wei. ¡°It¡¯s all right, your majesty,¡± Schr Wei simply picked up his chopsticks calmly and smiled at the Grand Dowager Empress as he took a bite of the stir-fried beans. ¡± I am not very fond of meat dishes myself as well, eating simple and clean is a must sometimes.¡± ¡± That¡¯s exactly what I say to everyone else,¡± said Grand Dowager Empress with a soft chuckle as she picked up her own chopsticks and used them to scoop some rice drizzled with vegetable soup. ... ¡± What¡¯s the matter with you? What happened?¡± Unlike the Grand Dowager Empress¡¯s courtyard which was filled with nothing but peace and serenity, the Emperor¡¯s pce was filled with tension. Zhai Tianyu looked at the guard who was responsible for assassinating the Queen and was surprised at the condition of the man, the guard said that he made a mistake and tumbled down from a tree while he was trying to escape but why did it look like he was beaten up by someone and that too quite brutally. ¡± Are you sure that you fell and were not caught by someone?¡± asked Yu Lingyun as he looked at his clumsy soldier, it would be too embarrassing for him if a man under hismand caught himself in such trouble that he tumbled off a branch and then rolled around the ground before smashing his face into a boulder. ¡± Maybe you can¡¯t remember it but someone might have hit you, you can not receive so many injuries just from rolling down on the ground.¡± The soldier shook his head, Jia Li has done her work excellently and the soldier even after being beaten up didn¡¯t dare to say anything unpleasant. To him, he was speaking the truth, what he did not know was that after he fainted, he was caught by Jia Li who possessed his body and used the sturdy hands of the man to hit himself. Since she was simply a soul possessing the body Jia Li did not feel any pain and let the man beat himself up until his entire face turned ck and blue. ..... Now that the man sat kneeling in front of Yu Lingyun, Zhai Tianyu and Zhai Heng with his face swollen like a pig, it was clear that neither of them wanted to believe his words but this was one of their most loyal guards and knew that he will never betray him for someone from the Liu family, not after losing his wife and son in the hands of the master of the Liu family. ¡± All right you can leave,¡± Zhai Tianyu was sure that something was really wrong but he couldn¡¯t grasp hold of it after all there was no way the soldier would not have caught hold of anyone chasing him and as far as he knew he made sure that the Queen¡¯s hidden guards that were sent to her by the Liu family were taken care off, so howe this guard was beaten like this? Zhai Heng watched the man slip out of the study room before he turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and asked, ¡± Are you sure that no one chased after him? What if one of the queen¡¯s hidden guards was left behind? Did you really make sure that no one would be able to protect the Queen?¡± ¡± I did make sure of everything,¡± Zhai Tianyu murmured as he sped his hands behind his back and swept a gaze at his broad study room. ¡± But experience has told me that no matter how well I prepare, the Queen has her own way to get out of every trap that I haveid for her.¡± His eyes flickered slightly as he carefully thought over the happenings of the afternoon. It was clear that the Queen knew something and she knew it better than anyone else... at least she was very much aware of the fact that he wanted to kill her. If the queen knows about his n then does it mean that the Liu family knows about it too as well? No, that would be impossible. If the head of the Liu family knew about his n or if he caught so much as a wind about his true personality then he would have surely made a move by now but left prime minister Liu hasn¡¯t made any move till now. So, how did the Queen find out that it was he who was nning everything from behind the scenes? As far as he knew he never made any mistake in front of her. So howe she caught hold of his intentions? ¡± The Queen is smart,¡± summarised Zhai Heng as if he was reading his mind. ¡± Either she has someone who is guiding her or she has always been a wise woman who pretended to be a fool.¡± The reason the Liu family sent Liu Hui Ying to the pce as the candidate for Empress was simple, they wanted someone whom they can easily control even when she sits on the throne of the Empress, a woman without a brain just like a puppet in their hands. And Zhai Tianyu epted her as his empress because she fit his taste as well, he could have easily taken her down but now ... ¡± I will go and see what the Queen is hiding,¡± said Zhai Tianyu after a long pause as he ced a halt on his pacing, his eyes glittered with murderous intent. ¡± I will see how long she will be able to y this game...after all tonight is our wedding night.¡± Chapter 48 48 Thing that I asked ¡± Achoo!¡± Liu Hui Ying sneezed feeling a shiver crawl up her spine as she looked around the bathroom before sniffing loudly. ¡± I bet that jerk is talking shit behind my back, not only did he try to kill me at every possible turn, he is even badmouthing me ..most probably he must be scheming how to kill me!¡± Nanny Gong sighed as she picked up the scented oil from the table that was sitting next to the wooden bathtub and then pulled Liu Hui Ying back by her shoulders, for the first time in her life, her reality was worse than her nightmares. Her soft-spokendy who would not even dare to raise her voice at anyone was now boldly cursing the Emperor. Seeing her like this even nanny Gong wanted to curse the Emperor, why did he have to give herdy that poisoned wine? Now her entire personality was flipped over, if not for the royal physician telling her that herdy was perfectly healthy she too would have burst out cursing. No, wait! What was she thinking? She was actually thinking about cursing the Emperor? Was her head all right? Nanny Gong stared at her reflection in the water before she walked towards the bathtub and ced her hands on the edge of the wooden tub, she might have really lost her head, how can she even think of doing something like that? She needed to clear her mind up! With that thought in her head, she dipped her head down in the hot water startling Liu Hui Ying who turned her head and stared at Nanny Gong with wide eyes. ¡± Wh..why are you doing this? Are you okay old... Nanny Gong?¡± Nanny Gong pulled her head out of the hot water, her extraordinarily pale cheeks were flushed now that the white powder with which she painted her face was washed off because of her actions. ¡± I am all right, your majesty,¡± said Nanny Gong as she took the wiping cloth from Qui Ai and wiped her face with it. ¡± Now that I have cleared my head I will be a lot better which is why I will ask you not to continue cursing the Emperor, what happened today was indeed an unfortunate ident but I can assure you that the Emperor would never do something as outrageous as killing his own queen.¡± Liu Hui Ying wanted to let Nanny Gong know that men were outrageous, to begin with, but then she thought about how nanny Gong has stayed in the pce all her life and didn¡¯t have much experience with men, so she pursed her lips and swallowed her words back. ¡± You are ignoring that he tried to kill mest night, nanny.¡± ..... ¡± That was a misunderstanding, your majesty,¡± replied Nanny Gong at once as she poured a generous amount of scented oil into her hands and started washing Liu Hui Ying¡¯s hair. ¡± It was because of that cunning witch like Concubine that the Emperor made a mistake like that, I can assure you that he did not have any intention of harming you, if not for that sly Concubine, the Emperor would have doted on you just like he dotes on concubine Ji, maybe even more.¡± Liu Hui Ying almost gagged at Nanny Gong¡¯s words, yeah right ... it was simply a foolish excuse to fool one¡¯s heart. That Emperor was fully prepared to hold this woman¡¯s funeral and he might have seeded if not for her upying this woman¡¯s body. Now that he failed in doing so his methods were getting more brutal..today he sent an assassin after her, who knows what he will send tomorrow? Poisoned food maybe? Or maybe he will ask his darling sweetheart to make a move against her? ¡± Nanny, you know if you continue speaking about the Emperor then I will not be able to eat my dinner, do you want me to sleep on a hungry stomach?¡± Liu Hui Ying was in no mood to hear about the Emperor, he might be a nice man but it did not concern her, she was just a guest in this ce and she needed to make sure that she goes back to her proper life instead of being involved in this drama. Once...just once, the second she gets hold of this woman¡¯s soul, she will stuff her up and go back to her world, her promotion was still waiting for her! Nanny Gong knew that Liu Hui Ying was angry with the Emperor so she didn¡¯t say anything anymore, instead, she and Qui Ai cleaned Liu Hui Ying up nicely before the two of them helped her wear her night clothes. Liu Hui Ying looked at the pale pink blouse and fluffy light blue skirt before turning to look at Nanny Gong as she asked, ¡± You want me to sleep in this?¡± Nanny Gong who was using an incense burner to dry Liu Hui Ying¡¯s hair paused and then looked down at the mostfortable piece of clothing she could find and replied with her head lowered, ¡± This is one of your mostfortable sleepwear, your majesty ... if you want I can show you the others but they are not as good as this one.¡± As Nanny Gong turned to ask Qui Ai to bring the rest of the clothes, she was stopped by Liu Hui Ying. ¡± No it¡¯s okay, I will wear this,¡± she said with an annoyed and sullen expression, no matter how many dresses this woman owned, they could never evene close to herfy pyjamas .. sigh, her life in the future seemed to be rather dark and bleak. She tugged at the frilly skirt and then heaved a depressed sigh before she turned to look at nanny Gong and said, ¡± I hope you will serve me good food at the least. Has the kitchen prepared everything ording to what I said?¡± Nanny Gong heard Liu Hui Ying¡¯s words and then paused in her actions of putting the incense burner down and said with an awkward expression, ¡± They have prepared everything ording to your will, your majesty but are you sure that you will be all right with eating what you have asked for?¡± ¡± Of course,¡± said Liu Hui Ying with an eye-roll. ¡± Why else will I waste my energy to tell you what I want?¡± ¡ª¡ª- Chapter 49 49 So much food ¡± I see,¡± nanny Gong was still in a bit of shock even though it has been hours since Liu Hui Ying told her what she wanted for dinner but even now Nanny Gong felt like she was sleepwalking. However, as a maid and the servant of the Queen, she was taught to keep her nose in her business and never poke it into Liu Hui Ying¡¯s matters since the Queen has said that she will be fine then surely she will be fine? ¡± I will as the maids to bring your dinner,¡± Nanny Gong bowed in front of Liu Hui Ying before leaving the room. Liu Hui Ying peered at Nanny Gong¡¯s back and then stood up from the stool before she headed straight to her hall where a small dining table along with a pillow was prepared for her. Liu Hui Ying stared at the dirty pillow that was lying on the floor and then raised her leg to trodden the pillow cushion under her feet, immediately a cloud of dust billowed out of the pillow cushion and she scoffed with an annoyed expression, ¡± I bet there is no queen as pitiful as this woman, her family doesn¡¯t seem to care about her, her husband hates her and wants her dead and her life is worse than a vagabond roaming on the streets, no wonder she chose tomit suicide, if I was her I would have killed myself as well.¡± ¡± The only difference is that you would have killed the Emperor along with you,¡± objected Li Gang at once, he knew Liu Hui Ying too well, she wasn¡¯t the type of woman who would just simplymit suicide, she was the type of the woman who would drag at least two people with her before she went inside the casket. ¡± Isn¡¯t that natural?¡± Liu Hui Ying was not at all offended as she patted the pillow cushion with her feet and then sat down at the dining table. She turned her head and shot a look at Li Gang, ¡± Isn¡¯t it only fair that the one who is responsible for all the ¡®worse things¡¯ happening in my life toe down to hell with me? You know I am a sweetheart if someone is nice to me, I will be nice to them but if they are an a-hole to me then I will do everything in my power to make them rue the day when they woke up and decided to go against me.¡± Li Gang rolled his eyes but when Liu Hui Ying turned her head to catch him in the act, he immediately raised his head and looked around the ceiling as he muttered, ¡± There are too many cracks in the ceiling that Emperor sure is an a-hole.¡± Jia Li scoffed at his antics while Grandma Lan Fen simply shook her head and sat down on the floor next to Liu Hui Ying before she said, ¡± What are you both doing? Come on sit down, it¡¯s time for dinner.¡± Only then did Li Gang and Jia Li sit down on the floor. No sooner did they sit down, the maids responsible for bringing the dinner opened the sliding door and then one by one they entered bearing trays that were filled with bowls and tes that were filled with food to the brim. ..... Li Gang rubbed his hands as he took a whiff of the food and sighed in content, ¡°I can smell my ck chicken! Haha! At leasting here brought me some sort of advantage!¡± ¡± How boorish,¡± Jia Li muttered in distaste as she sat down politely and waited for the dishes to be served. ¡± What do you know,¡± Li Gang retorted at once as he looked at her. ¡± Showing your excitement for your meal means that you are respecting the chef who cooked it for you... if you went through an empty stomach for more than a week then you would know how it feels to be me.¡± Jia Li opened her mouth but she was silenced by Liu Hui Ying who shot her a look. Seeing that the fight was diverted, Grandma Lan Fen drew in a breath of relief before she calmly said, ¡± No fight kids, we don¡¯t want you making things difficult now, all right?¡± Li Gang and Jia Li did not say anything instead they turned their faces away from each other with a harumph. Maybe it was because she was paying attention to the two of them Liu Hui Ying had no idea when the maids finished setting up the four tables worth of food, she only snapped out of her daze when she heard nanny Gong speak, ¡± Your majesty, the meal has been set up, you can eat now...¡± As for how Liu Hui Ying was going to eat the food that was worth four tables and more Nanny Gong had no idea. ¡± Oh yes,¡± Liu Hui Ying picked up her chopsticks but then she paused and then smiled at Nanny Gong in embarrassment. ¡± Nanny, why don¡¯t you go out in another room, I am afraid that you will find me displeasing to the eye if you see me eat.¡± Nanny Gong wanted to say that she would never find Liu Hui Ying displeasing but then again she understood that herdy wanted her to go out with Qui Ai, so she bowed her head and brought Qui Ai who was done with tasting the food to another room. Liu Hui Ying kept smiling until the two went out before she turned to Jia Li and asked, ¡± Are they gone?¡± ¡± Wait I will see,¡± Jia Li once worked in the forensic department and it was said that no matter what clue or even the smallest injury could not escape the scrutiny of her eyes. Her powers only exceeded even more when she died and became a ghost, now she could not only see things miles away like an eagle, she could even see through walls and paper. So, she didn¡¯t even have to get up from her ce as she turned her head and looked past the paper door and raised a thumb. ¡± They are gone!¡± Chapter 50 50 A dog ¡± Now lets this party get started,¡± said Li Gang as he rubbed his hands and looked at the food that was ced in front of him, he turned his head and looked at Liu Hui Ying with shining eyes like a dog that was waiting for its master to throw a juicy bone to him. He wasn¡¯t the only one even Jia Li and Grandma Lan Fen looked excited as they both stared at the meal that was steaming hot on the table. Seeing them like this, Liu Hui Ying was stunned speechless. ¡± Why are you acting like this? You all are behaving like I haven¡¯t given you any food or anything for years... did I not cook for you when we were in our world? What is with this attitude of yours?¡± ¡± Yeah, you have cooked for us but the thing that you have cooked for us can hardlypare to this,¡± said Li Gang with a roll of his eyes. ¡± You used to cook us ramen with some fried bacon or either toast with omelette and the most decent meal that you served us was on New Years¡¯ when you cooked a bunch of fried food.¡± ¡± I am notining but he is right about that, Hui Ying,¡± said Jia Li as she looked at the irritable Liu Hui Ying and quickly amended her words, ¡± I mean to say that your cooking is very delicious as well but you have never really cooked for us this extravagantly.¡± ¡± Of course, I haven¡¯t,¡± said Liu Hui Ying sounding annoyed as she ced her hands on the table. ¡± I have to run around all over the city, where do you think I will get the chance to cook a sumptuous meal for you three and why are you evenining about the food? Strictly speaking, you three are dead ... in a perfect sense why do you need food?¡± ¡± So that we can save ourselves for your selfishness,¡± muttered Li Gang causing Liu Hui Ying to narrow her eyes as she said, ¡± Have I ever told you? I really do not like you in the least.¡± ¡± Aww, I love you too!¡± ¡± I think we should start with our dinner,¡± said Grandma Lan Fen desperately, sensing that another quarrel was going to start soon enough. ¡± We all are tired and we need some rest, so why not finish eating the meal and be done with it before going to bed?¡± ..... ¡± Fine,¡± said Liu Hui Ying as she turned her gaze away from Li Gang sounding a bit severe. ¡± I will let you off just because I am tired, if not I would have punished you nicely by starving you of spiritual energy !¡± ¡± I solemnly apologise!¡± Liu Hui Ying scoffed before she turned her attention to the meal that was sitting in front of her and closed her eyes and when she opened them, the mysterious cks were reced withplete whites. If someone was to see her like this, they would have been scared stiff, fortunately, no one was there to witness the sight as Liu Hui Ying¡¯s body turned extraordinarily pale and the temperature of the entire room fell to freezing degrees. She blew out a breath causing mist to raise in front of her lips before she leaned down and muttered a spell under her breath. Then she inhaled deeply and then blew a glittering mist over the dishes and bowls that were sitting on the table, once the glittering mist settled over the bowls of food, she closed her eyes and those pearly whites returned to their natural state. ¡± Eat your meal,¡± said Liu Hui Ying as she picked up the chopsticks as she snapped her fingers. ¡± Make sure to eat as much as you can because if I see even a single grain of leftover rice in the bowl, then I will surely make sure to have you three write the importance of grains. If you don¡¯t want to be punished like a bratty kid then you better finish the meal properly.¡± ¡± You don¡¯t have to worry about it ..¡± said Li Gang as he picked up the bowls and chopsticks that were offered to him and took a big bite of the spiritually enriched rice. ¡± I am not even going to leave a single grain of rice behind forget about leftovers.¡± ¡± That is right,¡± Jia Li took a bite of themb chops and then sighed in contentment. ¡± These are so good to be left behind as leftovers.¡± Though Grandma Lan Fen didn¡¯t say anything, her speed of eating told that she was just as impressed by the meal. Liu Hui Ying saw the three ghosts who were eating like they have never eaten anything good and were slightly sullen. What was so good about this meal? Was her cooking that bad? They were simply exaggerating. But as she took a bite of the carefully tenderised chicken, she had to admit that the cooking of the chef of this pce was indeed rather good. ¡± I hope that the chef is old,¡± She suddenly said causing everyone to look up at him in surprise. ¡± Why?¡± asked Li Gang in between the big bites that he was taking. ¡± So that if he dies then I will be able to take him with me,¡± replied Liu Hui Ying with an ¡® isn¡¯t that simple¡¯ expression causing Li Gang and the others to choke in surprise. There was silence as she finished speaking before the three ghosts looked at each and then buried their faces in their bowls, there was nothing they could say about this, at most they could feel sympathetic towards the chef while hoping that he was as young as possible or else he will be the ve of a tyrant and crazy woman like her! With the silence taking over, the meal finished without any problems. Liu Hui Ying stared at the clean bowls and was a bit speechless, she did tell them to finish the food without leaving any leftovers but she never asked them to lick them all clean until nothing was left! If anyone was to see these cleaned bowls, they would think that she was a dog! ¡ª¨C Chapter 51 51 Oh my lord ¡± Are you sure that you want to do this?¡± asked Zhai Heng as he walked his brother to the Queen¡¯s courtyard. ¡± I mean what if the queen does something unexpected to you? Wouldn¡¯t you be letting Ah Yu down?¡± ¡± I am not going to do anything with the Queen, elder brother,¡± replied Zhai Tianyu sharply as he looked at Zhai Heng. ¡± And please forbid from saying anything like that, you will make others misunderstand and both you and I know, I do not even take the Queen as a woman, why will I do anything unexpected with her?¡± He paused and then he sinctly added, ¡°As for Ah Yu, you know it very well that I only brought her to the pce because I would rather have someone trustworthy by my side, the two of us are not like that where I will be letting her down if I were to fall for any woman and she knows it too. But if you are worried then I can assure you that nothing will happen for I know that the woman inside is my enemy.¡± Zhai Heng looked at his brother while fighting the urge to tell Zhai Tianyu that he was underestimating Ji Yu¡¯s feelings for him but he has promised Ji Yu that he will not let Zhai Tianyu on the secret that she has shared with him. ¡± I see, but still be wary of the Empress, from what I have seen we cannot underestimate her anymore.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Yu Lingyun nodded fervently by Zhai Heng¡¯s side. ¡± The Queen is really, really strong as well.. so strong that if you are not paying attention then she will overwhelm you, make sure that you are on your toes no matter what or you are going to suffer.¡± Zhai Tianyu was amused by Yu Lingyun¡¯s words and said, ¡± Dear general, aren¡¯t you underestimating Zhen too much? Do you think a small and petite woman take me down?¡± No matter how strong Liu Hui Ying was, she could never be as strong as him. He has trained himself in martial arts while hiding his talents from his mother and the head of the Liu family, with his talent there was no way that he will be taken advantage of by the queen. ¡± I am just warning you, your majesty,¡± said Yu Lingyun as he desperately tried to make Zhai Tianyu understand,st night he was a fool and underestimated the Queen and was rewarded with a shoulder throw, even now his back was hurting a little. ¡± Just be a bit careful when you are with the Queen, it¡¯s not wrong to be on alert when you are in an enemy base.¡± Though Zhai Tianyu thought that Yu Lingyun was thinking too much, he still nodded and said, ¡± Very well, Zhen will remember what you have said, General.¡± ..... As he spoke he walked inside the courtyard of the Queen leaving Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun inside. Yu Lingyun watched Zhai Tianyu go and then asked suddenly, ¡± He didn¡¯t believe a thing that I said right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said Zhai Heng as he stared at his brother¡¯s vanishing back. ¡± He is so going to suffer,¡± muttered Yu Lingyun as he rubbed the back of his waist. ¡± I just hope that the Queen will go easy on him when throwing his majesty over her shoulder.¡± Zhai Heng: ¡°....¡± ??? Was Yu Lingyun speaking the truth? Zhai Tianyu didn¡¯t have any idea that his friend was already mourning for him, instead, he walked past the cobblestone path that led to the inside of the Queen¡¯s courtyard and frowned when he suddenly felt a chill rise up his spine. What was this? If he wasn¡¯t wrong, the weather was still hot and he was sure that the Queen¡¯s courtyard that he arranged for though a bit dpidated was located in one of the best ces in the pce. There was no way this courtyard that was situated at the centre of the pce would be this close in the middle of summer right? ¡± Why am I feeling more and more cold with each step?¡± Zhai Tianyu paused in the middle of the path as he rubbed his arms and the small hair on the back of his neck started to rise. He looked around the well was covered and so was the pond, there was nothing else that would cause this sudden decline in the temperature either, so why was the entire courtyard as chilly as if someone has built it inside an ice cer? Zhai Tianyu was surprised at the chill that was coating his shoulders, for a second he wanted to turn around and leave but when he thought about his n, he had no other choice but to grit his teeth and enter the courtyard. And no sooner he took a step inside the silent courtyard than he felt that he might as well have jumped inside water filled with ice. It was that cold, so cold that even his heart shivered¨C he looked around the dark corridor and then swallowed the nervousness that was rising in his body and took a brave step but the closer he got to Liu Hui Ying¡¯s room, the more his heart turned cold. Maybe it was the darkness or maybe it was the chill but his heart suddenly started thumping more and more harshly. Or maybe it was both of them because never before has he felt this terrified, it was as if something was going to pop up suddenly and chop his neck in half¨C No sooner did he think of it, than he heard something scrape on the wooden board and he turned around at once, clutching his heart that was thumping a bit too loud. However, as soon as he turned around he saw nothing other than the moonlight that was spilling inside the dark corridor through the sieve-like window pane and heaved a sigh of relief. There was nothing, Zhai Tianyu shook his head before he scolded Yu Lingyun, it was because of that man he was this scared. He was the one who said all that nonsense and scared him like this... be on your toes! Damn that man! After he was done scolding, he turned around and raised his head, hand still clutching his chest when his gaze met with that of a pearly white woman, dressed as up as a weird animal. If that was all, maybe Zhai Tianyu would not have done what he did but then he noticed that the woman standing in front of him was transparent and his eyes rolled as he screamed¨C ¡± OH MY DEAR LORD!¡± ¡ª If you are liking this book leave a review andments please ! Chapter 52 52 It¡¯s a mess Liu Hui Ying was going to lie down in her bed and sleep but then she heard someone cry wretchedly like they were being held at a gunpoint and asked to wash a week¡¯s dirtyundry, she sat up straight in her bed and looked around as she turned to Li Gang and asked, ¡± Where is Jia Li?¡± Even without having any idea what happened outside she already had a hunch about what might have taken ce in the silent corridors. ¡± I don¡¯t know,¡± Li Gang replied sounding a bit rmed as he looked back at her. ¡± I am not her personal assistant, she said she was going on a walk and that she wille back after she was done finding a nice spot to sleep and take a rest.¡± As ghosts they could not just close their eyes and start floating where ever they wished, for the sake of cultivating their spiritual Yin energy they needed to find a spot to which they would feel connected and that was why Li Gang was the first one to call dibs on the ancient scroll that was hanging in Liu Hui Ying¡¯s room as for Grandma Lan Fen, she chose the calm and peaceful pond outside, ording to her, she was a nature lover when she was alive and would cultivate properly in the nature as well. The only one who was left without a spot was Jia Li and even after roaming around the entire room and the outside garden, she could not find a decent spot, so she told Liu Hui Ying that she was going on a hunt. That was what she said but after hearing that wretched scream, Liu Hui Ying was a bit sceptical about Jia Li. ¡± Should I go and look at what is going on?¡± Liu Hui Ying was feeling rather tired, she has been dragged around the entire pce and her legs were almost on the verge of giving away. All she wanted was to lie down on her bed and sleep ignoring the cry for help, she has, after all, sensed that it belonged to a man and there was no need for her to disturb her rest for a man right? ¡± I guess?¡± Li Gang replied while arching his back. ¡± Jia Li is your ghost servant if she was to make a mess, you as her boss should go and take a look at it.¡± Liu Hui Ying shot him a deadpan look and said, ¡± What are you talking about? If we go by that then you as her senior will have to go and take a look first, I as your boss wouldest...that¡¯s how the corporate world works, all right?¡± ¡± I ....¡± Li Gang didn¡¯t get a chance to say anything when Jia Li came rushing through the wall next to him, she looked a bit excited and scared as she jogged to the spot and eximed, ¡°It¡¯s a mess, it¡¯s a mess! I think I made a mistake!¡± Li Gang exchanged a look with Liu Hui Ying before he raised his hands and calmly said, ¡°It¡¯s all right, you are always making a mess, there is no need for you to be so excited...Woah what are you doing?¡± He added when he saw that Jia Li caught hold of his wrist and started dragging him along with her. ¡± Where are you taking me? Hey! At least tell me, woman!¡± ..... Hearing theirmotion Grandma Lan Fen also floated inside the room and asked Liu Hui Ying, ¡± What¡¯s going on? Why is Jia Li looking so scared like that?¡± ¡± Who knows?¡± Liu Hui Ying rolled her shoulders as she cracked her neck. ¡± Maybe she ended up dropping something precious, you know how clumsy she can be, right?¡± With that, she was prepared to lie back on the bed and sleep but then she heard Li Gang rushing together with Jia Li and this time he too was jogging on the spot as he yelled, ¡± This is a mess! A big mess! You have toe and see it, boss!¡± Liu Hui Ying frowned but seeing that Li Gang was calling her boss, she decided to push herself off the bed, Li Gang hardly ever called her boss and that too when the situation was indeed serious. So, she put on her shoes and then followed the two ghosts who rushed out of the room. When Liu Hui Ying stepped outside of the room, she wasn¡¯t surprised that the maid responsible for guarding her including Nanny Gong and Qui Ai was fast asleep, in the presence of three ghosts, normal people like them could never withstand the chill and depressing energies. They were bound to fall asleep. She tip-toed around the row of maids and then chased after Li Gang and Jia Li who weaved through confusing corridors with apt uracy and then rushed towards the corridor that led to the entrance of the courtyard, watching the two of them rush towards the entrance she was a bit confused. What was it? Did Jia Li knock a guard or something? But then her gaze fell on the golden silk robe that glittered under the moonlight and her heart jumped to her throat. There was no way her luck was this bad right? There was no way, this would be happening to her, right? But as she got more and more closer to the tall figure that was lying in the corridor, Liu Hui Ying had to take out her handkerchief to cover her nose as she took a nce at the face of the man who has fainted on the floor and almost swooned. Fortunately, today the poltergeist powers were being shared by Grandma Lan Fen and she caught her just in time. Liu Hui Ying closed her eyes as she shook her head, ¡± Maybe if I don¡¯t look at him, then he will go away.¡± She really very much wanted to avoid her reality! ¡°Let¡¯s count to ten,¡± she cheered herself up. ¡°Let¡¯s count to ten and then open our eyes, I am sure this jerk will be gone by the time we are done....Let us go..one ...two ...¡± she counted to ten before opening her eyes. However, when she opened them, the Emperor was still lying on the wooden floor. ¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 53 53 Saw her secret. ¡± Jia Li!¡± Liu Hui Ying turned her head to re at Jia Li anxiously, of all people she could run into she ran into the Emperor? Why not take advantage of the ghost hour and just run around the pce screaming that she was a ghost exorcist? ¡± I am sorry!¡± sobbed Jia Li, she too knew that she might have made things difficult for Liu Hui Ying but she really did not expect the Emperor toe to this courtyard, did he not send an assassin at Liu Hui Ying in the morning? Can he really stomach sleeping with the same woman he hated so much but looks like the man had a lot more sturdy heart than she expected him to...the only downside was that he seemed to be terrified of ghosts. ¡± I did not mean it, he just came rushing inside as bold as brass, what was I supposed to do? And it¡¯s the starting of ghost hours!¡± The hours after midnight was when the Yin energy started to get stronger and at three in the morning, it would reach its peak. Ghosts who roamed on the surface of the earth would sometimes be visible during these hours and ghost servants who shared spiritual energy with their master would be even more visiblepared to other ghosts. It was just that the yang energy of many humans was not up to the mark and they could not catch hold of sight of ghosts like them, but the Emperor was a different case. He was the Emperor of this country and he was born with a special and magnificent Yang energy which could not bepared to othermon people, thus when he came inside Liu Hui Ying¡¯s courtyard andid his eyes on Jia Li who shared a spiritual connection with Liu Hui Ying, he was able to see her. Last night they didn¡¯t have the chance to suck the spiritual energy from Liu Hui Ying given that they did not get a chance to eat but today was not the same case, they ate well and now they were stronger than other ghosts who didn¡¯t have the luck of sharing spiritual energy with a ghost hunter. ¡± Jia Li is right, what is he doing here? Shouldn¡¯t he be in his own pce?¡± Li Gang asked while picking at the stubble on his chin. He crouched down and tilted his face such that he was looking at the Emperor¡¯s cold face as he pursed his lips and said, ¡± Damn his Yang energy is indeed really abundant, I have never seen such a powerful and majestic aura, no wonder he is the Emperor. He was born with the fortune of being a ruler, it¡¯s clear from the lines on his be that he is destined to rule at least sevennds, this is what I call being born with a diamond spoon in his mouth that¡¯s coated with gold and tinum.¡± He leaned forward as he sniffed and mused, ¡± He has so much life force, it would not matter if I suck a few days right?¡± Li Gang was oblivious to it but the fingers inside the sleeves were tightly clenched, Zhai Tianyu woke up just a few seconds ago before Liu Hui Ying came looking for him. He wanted to get up and leave but then he heard four voices, one that of a man... who was talking with Liu Hui Ying. He wanted to catch Liu Hui Ying having an affair such that he will be able to take care of her once and for all but then as soon as they got near him, he felt the temperature of his body drop to the point where he was shivering. Zhai Tianyu has seen many things and he was wise enough to sense that if he was to open his eyes at this moment, he will definitely find himself in trouble, he needed to find out what was happening before he could think of a best possible solution to his predicament but then he heard things that he was sure that no one might have heard before. ..... Ghost hours? Yang energy? What were they talking about? But the more he listened the more he understood, the things that were talking with Liu Hui Ying were not humans but instead, they were ghosts! No sooner he came to this conclusion, Zhai Tianyu scared himself but he was even more terrified when he heard the ghostly man say that he was going to suck a few days off his life. No matter how long his life was, would he not rue them if they were sucked off like that? Zhai Tianyu was going to open his eyes but then he heard Liu Hui Ying¡¯s voice. ¡± Stop,¡± said Liu Hui Ying as she pulled Li Gang back, she peered down at Zhai Tianyu and turned her attention to Li Gang before adding, ¡± Never forget that you are here because you swore never to harm any human, if you dare to use the dark mystic arts to raise your cultivation, then I will end you with my own hands, don¡¯t even think about it.¡± Only then did Zhai Tianyu unclench his hands but then he heard an elderly woman ask in worry, ¡± But what are we going to do with him? We can not leave him here and you cannot take him to your room either, you are severely allergic to men... if you bring him then...¡± Liu Hui Ying didn¡¯t say anything and that made Zhai Tianyu almost girt his teeth anxiously, was this woman going to do some voodoo magic on him? To make him forget or maybe she will just vanish him altogether? After all, he did see her secret. Now what? He waited anxiously for Liu Hui Ying to decide his fate and then he heard her say, ¡± Just throw him to the back of the courtyard, even if it¡¯s a bit chilly, its not that cold... so, he will not die. Just leave him there and once it¡¯s the morning we will just tell everyone that he was too drunk and lost his way.¡± Zhai Tianyu: ¡°.....¡± He was too soft-hearted for a second he thought that she was going to be kind to him! ¡ª¨C if you like the chapters then leave a gift or ament please QAQ Chapter 54 54 Fox demons ¡± Are you sure?¡± asked Jia Li fretfully as she looked at the unconscious man who was lying on the floor. She was feeling a tad bit guilty given this happened because of her, if she was a bit careful then something like this would not have happened and the Emperor would have been kicked out of the courtyard in a much more human way. ¡± The backyard of this ce is full of mosquitoes, if we leave him there for an entire night who knows what will happen to his handsome face.... No, I mean to say it will slightly disturbing if he was to get harmed in your ce.¡± Li Gang whipped him faster than a whirling top spinning on the floor, he turned to look at Jia Li and narrowed his eyes dangerously as he said, ¡± No, you are just upset that his handsome face will be damaged, I will be a booger in his nose if you cared half about the consequences of what will happen to Hui Ying if he was to get harmed in her pce.¡± ¡± I am just trying to be considerate ¨C¡± ¡± You wouldn¡¯t have to be considerate if you were careful enough not to be caught!¡± ¡± Who thought that this man would pop out of nowhere and that too at night!¡± Jia Li immediately shouted in an attempt to prove her innocence. ¡± You all should be thankful to me, he was sneaking inside Hui Ying¡¯s courtyard who knows maybe he had some sort of ill intentions towards Hui Ying, if not for me he would have gotten closer to Hui Ying and then what..what would you have done if Hui Ying¡¯s allergies red up? It¡¯s because of me that she ispletely fine! So be thankful to me!¡± The entire corridor turned silent even Zhai Tianyu who was lying on the floor was speechless by the things that he heard, was he being treated like some sort of lecherous bastard? Strictly and firmly speaking, Liu Hui Ying was his wife, right? So, what was wrong with him trying to get inside her courtyard and more importantly he did not have any ns of doing anything to Liu Hui Ying! Li Gang too was stunned by what Jia Li said, he stared at her before he almost rolled his eyes and said to her, ¡± You are just trying to make it sound nice! If you care so much about Hui Ying then you have to throw this man out of the courtyard with your own two hands! In case he stays close to Hui Ying then her allergies are going to be red up anyway!¡± ¡± That...¡± ¡± What can¡¯t bear to? His handsome face is making you waver?¡± cooed Li Gang as he looked at Jia Li who raised her hand to hit him but was stopped by Liu Hui Ying who sighed and held one of her hands up. ¡°Enough of you two messing around, just drop him off to the back yard... Li Gang is right, I cannot sleep properly with him sleeping in the same space as me.¡± ..... She didn¡¯t have any trust in men, no matter how good everyone told her that they were. Her foolish sister once believed that she knew men better and she paid for it heavily, she too has opened her doors for a man in the night andmitted the biggest mistake of trusting him and as a reward for her stupidity, she left broken and bleeding on the floor. Li Gang shot Jia Li a victorious look before he turned to look at Zhai Tianyu prepared to have the man thrown out of the courtyard but the second he turned his legs trembled slightly when he saw that the man who was lying on the floor with his eyes closed was now looking at him with a nk expression. ¡± I hope you are doing fine?¡± Zhai Tianyu said as he raised his hand and waved at Li Gang who sputtered in shock and surprise before turning to look at Liu Hui Ying. She was already looking at Zhai Tianyu with her brows scrunched up, clearly, she was really displeased upon seeing that he has woken up. ¡± What now?¡± Grandma Lan Fen asked in worry as she stared at the sight in front of her. ¡± What else, we will have to make sure that he doesn¡¯t say a word about this to anyone else,¡± stated Liu Hui Ying as she took a step back and then dropped the hand clutching the handkerchief that was covering her mouth and smiled at the Emperor. ¡± I hope that you know what you can say and cannot say your majesty... because as far as I know, you will not like being haunted by ghosts at night, right?¡± Zhai Tianyu pushed himself off the floor and then wiped his robes as he nodded and said, ¡± Of course, I wouldn¡¯t but I believe that you will not like being troubled by a ghost exorcising priest as well?¡± Liu Hui Ying¡¯s lips twitched as she looked at the man in front of her, he was threatening her, wasn¡¯t he? ¡± You can try sending them here but,¡± she ced a hand on her chest and said with a subtle hint of arrogance, ¡± But they will never be as good as me, if I want then I can exorcise any ghost I want.¡± ¡± That might be true but it seems that my Queen does not know that the crime of doing ck magic is being executed by your extremities and head tied to horses,¡± Zhai Tianyu smiled at her with just as much arrogance. ¡± If you do not want me to write down the imperial decree of your execution, then I suppose...¡± he turned around and nced at the three ghosts who were standing behind Liu Hui Ying. ¡°It¡¯s time for us to have a decent conversation, it would be too much of a shame if you die without getting a chance to defend yourself, don¡¯t you think so?¡± Liu Hui Ying stared at him, all traces of smile wiped from her lips as she threw her hands in the air and let out an annoyed scream, ¡± Aish! This is why I hate men! Sneaky little fox demons!¡± ¡ª¡ª Chapter 55 55 Who are you then? Zhai Tianyu was crowned as an Emperor when he was a young boy, ever since then he has been served in a lot of ways by a lot of people but he was sure that he has never been served in his entire life like he was being served in Liu Hui Ying¡¯s courtyard. He watched as the woman in the weird dress apparently it was called pyjamas and the bird was called penguin pour him hot tea before bringing it to him while hovering an inch above the floor as she ced the cup in front of him and said, ¡± Please go easy on her and of course, I am not saying this for her sake it¡¯s for yours, she is crazy when she is angry.¡± ¡± Is it hot enough?¡± asked the elderly Grandma Lan Fen as she lit up the brazier and sighed apologetically, ¡± Forgive us, Hui Ying¡¯s constitution is a perfect match to our Yin energies and that is why she has never felt cold, we never thought that the other people were having a hard time because of our presence.¡± ¡± Oh no it¡¯s all right,¡± Zhai Tianyu was half expecting the ghosts to try and attack him but apparently they were more or less just like him and the other living ones, except they were a bit pale and transparent. ¡°It¡¯s more than enough.¡± He then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was sitting on the other end of the room with her head almost leaning out of the window as she stared at him with squinted eyes, the ghostly man called Li Gang had the same expression as his master and did not seem to any more weing than Liu Hui Ying. ¡± So you really are allergic to man?¡± ¡± Of course do you think I would have walked around three kilometres back and forth if I wasn¡¯t?¡± Liu Hui Ying replied waspishly as she looked at her two ghost servants serving that heartless jerk and almost severed their contracts. ¡± If I wasn¡¯t allergic do you think I would have suffered like that? Or did you think that I was trying to attract your attention or something of the sort, if you did then just so you know I am kicking you out?¡± Zhai Tianyu paused and then embarrassingly touched his nose, he did think that but that wasn¡¯t his fault after all the Liu Hui Ying he knew wasn¡¯t allergic to men or anything. ¡°It¡¯s just that when I met you before, you were not allergic to men..so howe all of a sudden...¡± He noticed that as soon as he spoke, the three ghosts exchanged a nce with Liu Hui Ying whonguidly stretched on the long chair next to the window sill and said casually while looking at her nails, ¡± That¡¯s because that woman is dead.¡± ¡± Wha...What?¡± Zhai Tianyu choked on his tea as he raised his head and looked at Liu Hui Ying in shock and surprise. ..... Liu Hui Ying spared him a nce and then said with a brow hitched up, ¡± What? Did you really think that a woman who drank poisoned wine would be fine? She drank the wine you sent her most probably she knew that she wouldn¡¯t be able to survive it. So, she chose the most painless death.¡± Zhai Tianyu stayed silent for a few minutes before he opened his mouth after a hard swallow and asked, ¡± Then what about you? Are you a ghost as well? Did you possess this body after finding out that the owner has died?¡± ¡± Wha...Hahahaha!¡± Liu Hui Ying burst outughing after she finished listening to Zhai Tianyu¡¯s words, she pped her thigh and wiped the tears that were spilling out of her crinkling eyes before she suddenly paused and stared at him straight in the eyes. ¡± Do you really think that I would do something as stupid as possessing this body? I am just an unfortunate soul that was dragged here by you and that woman.¡± She leaned back on her chair and then threw her arm on the window sill before she scoffed. ¡± Being Empress might be a real treat for someone like you and your sweetheart but I can¡¯t care less about this position. I am not even from this world, you see? I want to go back... and I will be going back as soon as I find the soul of this woman and then I am stuffing her back in this body and after that, I will be off to where I belong.¡± The more she thought about the injustice she has suffered, the more angry Liu Hui Ying got as she smacked her hand on the seat of her long bench-like couch and turned her head to look at Zhai Tianyu, ¡°It¡¯s your fault, who asked you to give that woman a poisoned wine? No matter what she was innocent. Do you even have any idea what is the cost of killing an innocent person?¡± She pointed to Li Gang who was standing next to her and said, ¡± He mistakenly killed someone and ever since then he is being hunted by the grim reaper if I wasn¡¯t kind enough and took him in, his soul would have been disintegrated by now... that is the price of killing an innocent.¡± ¡± It was extremely important for me to kill her,¡± replied Zhai Tianyu as he looked at Liu Hui Ying with an upturned gaze and said, ¡± If you think that I am cruel then you have no idea how ruthless and evil Liu family is, they have killed hundreds ofmoners and the districts under them are nothing but a centre of corruptions and greeds, honest officials being executed and the crooked being rewarded, its amon practice under their rule... having an Empress from the same family as them would be simr to handing them a tag that they can kill anyone, anywhere at any time.¡± ¡± Then you don¡¯t have to worry since she is already dead and I will be leaving soon as well,¡± said Liu Hui Ying with a wave of her hand, she sensed that he was hesitant so she decided to throw in a bait that will secure her survival. ¡± It will be wise of you not to touch me because if you touch me then you will be cutting off the road to the reincarnation of yourte aunt.¡± ¡ª dedicating todays chapter KalisteKitten, thank you for your amazing gift! Chapter 56 56 Life in my hands ¡± What did you say?¡± Zhai Tianyu raised his head, his eyes glinting sharply as he looked at her with a stern face. From just his expression it was enough to see that he was going to force-feed poison to Liu Hui Ying if she so much as dared to say nonsense to him. ¡°I said that if you want your aunt to be on her way to reincarnation then you better stay away from me and be as respectful as you can or else I will leave her to walk on the surface of the earth without so much as moving a finger,¡± Liu Hui Ying leaned forward on her elbow that was resting on her knees when Zhai Tianyu got on his feet and aimed the sword at her neck. Jia Li and the others immediately flew next to Liu Hui Ying prepared to make a move when Liu Hui Ying lowered her head and looked at the sword that was aiming for her neck, for a second she did not speak before she scoffed and said, ¡± Impertinent, aren¡¯t you? Still can¡¯t see who is the one in charge here?¡± ¡± I have your life in my hands, my queen, literally,¡± he replied as he edged the sharp end of the sword towards Liu Hui Ying. ¡± I can kill you if I want given that you dared to curse someone from the imperial family.¡± ¡± Kill me he says,¡± Liu Hui Ying rolled her eyes as she turned to Li Gang and raised her brows as she said, ¡± What are you waiting for? Christmas?¡± ¡± I was waiting for your order, who knows? If something happens,ter on, you might dump the me on my head,¡± Li Gang rubbed his hands and then ced them t on the de of the sword before smiling at Zhai Tianyu. ¡°It¡¯s nothing personal mate, but you dared to aim your sword at my master, I will have to protect her right?¡± And before Zhai Tianyu could understand what was happening, his world tilted and then rolled to the left. With a loud thump, Zhai Tianyu fell on his back as he gasped for breath, his sword lying a few feet away from him while he was looking at Liu Hui Ying upside down. That audacious woman smiled at him causing his cheeks to redden as he scrambled to his feet and turned to look at her with a heavily offended look on his face. ¡± Do you know what you have done? How dare you attack the Emperor? I can have your hands chopped you know!¡± ¡± Go ahead then,¡± said Liu Hui Ying with a tone as if she was coaxing a small child as she looked at the man in front of her. ¡± What are you going to write in the imperial decree? That I ordered a ghost to attack you? And logically speaking I did not even so much as touch you since I cannot get closer to men. So, if you can... you can try to chop the arms of my ghost servant.¡± ..... With that, she leaned back on her couch and then waved her hand casually at Li Gang. ¡°Go on offer your hands to the esteemed majesty, I bet that he will like to spend the night trying to chop your hands.¡± Li Gang did as she ask him, he held his hands in front of Zhai Tianyu and smiled at him. ¡± Here you go, your majesty ... if you can .. . My hands are excited to be chopped into pieces, it has been years since Ist felt any pain.¡± Zhai Tianyu was furious at the jeers and teasing that were being aimed at him. He narrowed his eyes at Liu Hui Ying, he would have very much wrung the neck of the woman who was so disrespectful to him but he knew that if he was to so much as try to get close to her then her ghost servants would attack him first. Maybe he would be possessed and made to do things that he did not want to, so under the pressure and after careful consideration, he decided to take swallow his anger temporarily. That¡¯s right temporarily. He was definitely going to make Liu Hui Ying pay sooner orter for the disrespect she has shown to him. ¡± I will let this slide,¡± he said as he slid back to his seat and then ced his hands on top of his knees as he continued, ¡± But I would like to have you know that you cannot make any rude and ufortable remarks regarding myte imperial aunt. She passed away in peace and you making suchments will definitely upset my grandmother.¡± ¡± There is a chance that your grandmother will be upset but she will be more upset to find out that your aunt is still hanging around her,¡± Liu Hui Ying¡¯s smile widened when the Emperor¡¯s eyes narrowed ever so slightly. ¡± Why do you think that I was able to treat your grandmother esteemed majesty? It is because she is being haunted by your aunt¡¯s soul. If you do not believe me then you can have an imperial physician check up on her... you will be surprised to find that even though your grandmother looks perfectly well, she is getting weaker and weaker by the day....most probably she only has a few months left.¡± This time Zhai Tianyu could no longer sit still, he jumped to his feet and stared at Liu Hui Ying fiercely. To him, his grandmother was like the only beacon of light in this grim world, he could not lose her. He stared at Liu Hui Ying long and hard before he turned around, intending to leave but then he paused and then looked over his shoulder as he said, ¡± If I find out that what you have said is nothing but a bunch of foolish words then I will have your neck severed from your body.¡± ¡± Bring me some gold the next time youe looking for me then,¡± said Liu Hui Ying not at all worried by the threat Zhai Tianyu has given her. ¡± If you are so generous with your threats make sure that you reward me handsomely in case it turns out to be the truth.¡± ¡ª¡ª- Chapter 57 57 Pig blood. Zhai Tianyu did not say anything about bringing gold and silver to her, instead, he took a pouch from his sleeves and threw it at Liu Hui Ying who caught it looking excited. ¡± What is this? Are you already paying me? I knew you were a smart man.¡± But then her praise stopped as she tugged the pouch open and then looked down at the red and coppery-smelling liquid that was inside the pouch, stunned she looked up at Zhai Tianyu and asked, ¡± What is the meaning of this? Do you want me to spill your blood is that what are you asking me to do?¡± ¡± You will be having your virginity test tomorrow,¡± replied Zhai Tianyu as he pointed at the white sheets that Qui Ai and Nanny Gong has spread over her bed. ¡± Strictly speaking today was supposed to be our wedding night and with meing here you will be tested. In case the sheets do not have drops of blood then you will be counted as impure.¡± ¡± And what about that?¡± Liu Hui Ying did not think that it was too big of a thing for her to fail the purity test. ¡± You will be sold to the brothel if you fail the test, my queen,¡± replied Zhai Tianyu with a smile and he was overjoyed when he saw Liu Hui Ying¡¯s eyes widen as she stared at him in shock and surprise. ¡± In case you do not want that to happen make sure that you sprinkle some blood drops on the sheets, it will be too much of a shame if you sold off into a brothel.¡± ¡± What the fck!¡± Liu Hui Ying shouted in anger as she pointed her finger at Zhai Tianyu and said, ¡± What about you? What kind of test do you have to pass to sleep with me?¡± Zhai Tianyu was heading out when he paused and then tilted his head back as he asked, ¡± Excuse me?¡± ¡± You have been excused,¡± said Liu Hui Ying as she waved her hand and repeated her question. ¡± Answer me, what about you? As my husband should you not be doing a test as well?¡± ¡± You seem to be confused, my Queen,¡± stated Zhai Tianyu as he crossed his arms behind his back and smiled at Liu Hui Ying. ¡± I am a man and the Emperor, do I need to pass a test? As the Emperor it¡¯s my duty to give birth to as many kids as possible, so how is it possible for me to have¡ª¡± ..... ¡± Stop!¡± Liu Hui Ying raised her hand interrupting him looking sickened as she ced a hand on her chest and gagged. ¡± This world ..this horrible world, I have to get out of here as soon as I can.¡± She paused and then turned to look at the Emperor who seemed to be amused by her actions before asking, ¡± Whose blood is this? Don¡¯t tell me you have brought me the blood of a human or something.¡± Zhai Tianyu saw that she was very casual with him, he was a bit ufortable with her calling him ¡®you¡¯ but he still shrugged it off and said, ¡°It¡¯s the blood of a pig.¡± ¡± A what?¡± ¡± A pig.¡± There was silence in the room and then, ¡± You freaking jerk!¡± ..... Yu Lingyun tilted his head as he looked at Zhai Tianyu, he came looking for the Emperor because he wanted to discuss something with him but then he caught sight of the purplish bruise that was sticking out on Zhai Tianyu¡¯s face and he asked, ¡± Did I not tell you to be careful with the Queen?¡± ¡± This wasn¡¯t done by the Queen,¡± Zhai Tianyu helplessly replied as he embarrassingly touched the wound on his face and hissed. Last night, the Queen did attack him after he told her that he has brought the blood of a pig for dropping it on the sheets but he wasn¡¯t a man who would let anyone attack him that easily. He had dodged the attack of the queen but then his foot was caught up against the foot of the maid who was sleeping next to the door of the queen¡¯s room. His sudden move caught the maid by surprise and she woke up in a daze, maybe it was him dropping on the floor in front of the maid or maybe it was the Queen¡¯s scream but the maid ended up punching him in the face. Zhai Tianyu never expected a small maid to have such a heavy hand but unfortunately for him, the Queen¡¯s maid¡¯s hands seemed to be made out of pure iron, with just one hit she caused his eye to turn purple. The entire incident was so humiliating that he did not dare to tell anyone. ¡± You don¡¯t have to lie,¡± Yu Lingyun sympathetically patted him on the shoulder and said with a heavy sigh, ¡± The queen is really strong and her temper is really fierce as well. I can already imagine her getting angry at you.¡± Zhai Tianyu pped Yu Lingyun¡¯s hand off his shoulder and said, ¡± Why are you here? Didn¡¯t I send you to keep an eye on the head of the Liu family?¡± ¡± I was keeping an eye on him but that man is really sharp, he did not go anywhere unexpected he stayed in the pce for the entire morning and then went to the Dowager¡¯s Empress pce, most probably they are nning on how to deal with you and the grand dowager empress, after all, you even though they think that they have you under their control, they wouldn¡¯t take the matter of you trying to kill their family¡¯s empress that lightly but this is not why I am here,¡± Yu Lingyun looked around the room and then conspiratorially whispered, ¡± I heard that Third rank Official Liu will be submitting a memorandum against your actions in the court. Unexpectedly, he has gotten a few ministers to sign on the memorandum under the pretext that you are torturing his daughter.¡± Zhai Tianyu¡¯s face changed, he did not want to attract attention to the matter but because of concubine Shen being caught... his n went downhill. ¡± Try to suppress it,¡± he said while tapping the back of his brush on the table. ¡± Ask third-rank official Liu to take his request back no matter what his condition might be.¡± Chapter 58 58 Being spied on. Fortunately, for them, third official Liu was a businessman at heart and he loved money more than anything, as long as he was given a few benefits, he would definitely agree to take back theint. This was one of the reasons why the Liu family chose Liu Hui Ying as a candidate for the Empress position. Just like her father, she was a naive fool and did not think about things properly, which made it easier for the Liu family to control her. ¡± I will see what I can do,¡± said Yu Lingyun as he took a seat on the chair that was sitting in front of Zhai Tianyu¡¯s table and then ced his hands on the surface of the table as he said, ¡± I have been keeping an eye on the Liu family for a few days, from what I have seen, the second brother of right prime minister Liu is moving a lot these days. Apparently, he is meeting with the Shen family¡¯s head, what do you think they are nning by meeting the Shen family and that too sote at night?¡± Zhai Tianyu paused for a while and ced his brush on the table as he raised his head and looked at Yu Lingyun and exined, ¡± What else? The Shen family¡¯s daughter tried to scheme against their family daughter. Even if the Queen might be a receable chess piece, it¡¯s only for the Liu family and no one else. Only the right prime minister can drag Liu Hui Ying down from the throne on which she is sitting in, if not him then the matter lies in the hand of the Empress Dowager.¡± He picked up the brush and then started drawing something on the nk piece of paper. ¡± For the Shen family¡¯s daughter to make a move against the Empress of their family, surely the Liu¡¯s won¡¯t be happy... most probably they are trying to get hold of something in return aspensation.¡± ¡± And this is the type of body that I like to sleep with,¡± said Zhai Tianyu suddenly as he turned the ck page to Yu Lingyun that had a body of a voluptuous woman drawn on it just as the sliding door was pushed open and the eunuch in charge of his day time care walked in. ¡°I am a bit disappointed that the Queen wasn¡¯t up to the mark but there is no need to worry I will tell her my likes for the uing selection of the Concubines, surely the Queen will look for a ...¡± he waved his hands and made a vulgar gesture in the air before continuing with a smile. ¡± A decent woman who would be to my liking a little more.¡± Yu Lingyun caught on and he hurriedly picked up the brush that was sitting next to Zhai Tianyu and then made the two balls even rounder on the stick figure and said, ¡± That¡¯s not even good enough to grab... you need more meat only then would you like the feel of squeezing the doorway to heaven, do you understand your majesty?¡± The eunuch responsible for cleaning the study hall of the emperor widened his eyes as he looked at the paper that had a stick figure with two balls drawn on it and then shook his head, why was it that Empress Dowager asked him to pay attention to her son? Except for frolicking with that Concubine Ji and the rest of the Concubines what else did the Emperor even do? Was there even a need to worry about him? While the two of them were talking about the figures and women, the eunuch cleaned the room and then walked out of the study silently. Zhai Tianyu carefully listened to the footsteps of the eunuch and only heaved a sigh of relief when he knew that the eunuch was gone far. ..... ¡°How long do we have to go on like this?¡± Yu Lingyun asked as he crumpled the paper with the figure of a woman in front of him and then red at the surface of the table. ¡± I am the General of the imperial army, with a good and handsome-looking build but no one in the Empire wants to marry me why? Because I am rumoured to be a perverted fool who sleeps with women every next hour! Heavens know that I have never even so much as touched a woman!¡± ¡± Were you not getting chummy with one of the maids of the Queen?¡± asked Zhai Tianyu as he ignored the question that Yu Lingyun has asked him, he too had no answer as to how long it was going to take. As far as he knew, as long as he did not get his hands on a piece of decent evidence that would lock the Liu family up in the prison, this game of cat and mouse will never stop. Yu Lingyun rolled his eyes as he fake smiled at Zhai Tianyu. ¡± Haha, like you don¡¯t know... the maid was all nice to me a few days ago but who knows what the Queen told her, she suddenly seem to have grown horns. Every time I get near her, she will hit me with those horns of hers. I tried to tell her that she was mistaking my intentions and even tried to get close to her but talking to that woman is like talking to a wall, she isn¡¯t listening to half of the things that I am telling her.¡± That was something that Zhai Tianyu could understand, he shot Yu Lingyun a sympathetic look and the man in question only rolled his eyes as he looked around and questioned, ¡± By the way, where is that shadow of yours? Your elder brother... I haven¡¯t seen him, don¡¯t tell me that he has rebelled against the group of us single bachelors and is going around meeting his lover? Oww¨Cwhat the hell?¡± Yu Lingyun was suddenly smacked on the back of his head, he turned to scold the person who hit him but then he caught sight of Zhai Heng¡¯s cold gaze and swallowed his words back as he forced a smile and said, ¡± You are here, Brother Heng ?¡± Chapter 59 59 A home run Zhai Heng ignored Yu Lingyun¡¯s attempts to ttering him, instead, he turned to look at his younger brother and then said in an important voice, ¡± I have sent an imperial physician to the Grand Dowager Empress¡¯s pce, he will be returning any time soon.¡± Zhai Heng paused and then asked, ¡± Why did you send the imperial physician to grandmother¡¯s pce, is something the matter? Are you still suspecting that the Queen has done something wrong to grandmother?¡± ¡± Something along the lines,¡± Zhai Tianyu was indeed suspecting the Queen but he wasn¡¯t suspicious of her harming his grandmother, he was suspicious of the words that she has told himst night, which was why he sent the imperial physician to the Heavenly blessing courtyard. He was sure that what the queen has told him was nothing but bullshit but when he was reminded of the three ghosts, he could not help but worry about whether or not the Queen was telling him the truth? If he was to ignore her words and instead harmed his aunt and grandmother at the same time, he will never be able to forgive himself. To make sure that everything was fine or not fine, Zhai Tianyu asked his brother to bring the imperial physician to their grandmother¡¯s courtyard secretly. Given that both he and Zhai Heng were pretending to be vulgar and pedantic perverts. ¡± Did you tell the imperial physician what he should take care of ?¡± asked Zhai Tianyu, thest thing he wanted on his te was the Liu family or his mother finding out that he was sending an imperial physician to treat his grandmother secretly when the Liu family very much wanted to see his grandmother dead. Zhai Heng nodded and said, ¡± You do not need to worry about it, I have made sure that the imperial physician would not be caught by anyone.¡± The life they all were currently living was full of dangers, even the smallest mistake could cause him and his brother their lives, in case they made a mistake. ¡± Your Majesty, the imperial physician is asking for a meeting, shall I allow him?¡± The guard outside the study shouted from the other side of the room and Zhai Tianyu nodded his head in reply. Seeing his nod, Zhai Heng turned to look at the door and replied, ¡± Let the imperial physician inside!¡± ..... The guards slid the door open for the imperial physician and allowed him to enter. The imperial physician was in the middle of his thirties, his hair was still ck and he looked rather active as he kneeled in front of Zhai Tianyu and greeted him politely, ¡°It¡¯s my esteem fortune that you called for me, your majesty!¡± ¡± You may rise,¡± Zhai Tianyu waved his hand and the imperial physician rose from the floor picking up his wooden box in which he carried all of his medical equipment. ¡± How is the Grand Dowager Empress doing? As far as I know, thest time you checked up on her, you said that she was doing all right.¡± This was why he was suspicious of what Liu Hui Ying told him, his grandmother waspletely fine a month ago, howe she would get so sick that she would be left with only a few months? That was what Zhai Tianyu thought but then he noticed that the imperial physician seemed to be hesitating. His heart lurched as he exchanged a nce with his brother before asking, ¡± Zhen is asking something, why are you not paying attention to what Zhen has said? Answer Zhen, how is her majesty the grand Dowager Empress?¡± The imperial physician dropped to his knees and immediately kowtowed as he rubbed his forehead on the hard floor and replied, ¡± Answering his majesty, the grand dowager empress seemed to have caught a chill. I don¡¯t know when and how it happened but now the grand dowager Empress¡¯s condition is really poor, I am afraid if she does not recover soon, then she won¡¯t be able to survive this winter.¡± A very peculiar scene happened in the afternoon at the Empress¡¯s pce, the Emperor who only spent a few hours away from her came looking for the Queen in a hurry. The maids all looked at the Emperor who was opening one room after another of the Queen¡¯s courtyard looking for the Empress, he was in such a hurry that hepletely forgot to ask a maid whether or not the Queen was in the courtyard or not. It was only when the Emperor was done looking at thest room that he turned to look at the maids, who were eyeing him curiously from the floor and asked, ¡± Where is the Queen?¡± ¡± H..Her majesty is at the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce,¡± replied one of the maids and Zhai Tianyu¡¯s expression turned grim. .... ¡± I heard that the Emperor spent the night at your pce yesterday?¡± asked an elderly woman who was pouring tea in the cup instead of asking her maid to do it for her. Liu Hui Ying looked at the woman who was sitting in front dressed in pale white colour clothes with wooden jewellery adorning her hair, as she calmly raised her head to look at Liu Hui Ying. ¡± Thete Emperor, he died years ago right?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked her ghosts, who immediately nodded their heads as Li Gang responded, ¡± I found out from the ghosts who roam around the pce, the Late Emperor passed away when the Emperor was only sixteen.¡± It means that it has been more than ten years, so why was this woman still dressed up as a newly widowed woman? ¡± Hmm? Hui Ying, did you not hear my question?¡± Though Empress Dowager seemed to be smiling, Liu Hui Ying noticed the cold glint in her eyes. She shivered as she nodded her head and shyly responded, ¡± En.¡± Only then did the Empress Dowager smile at her genuinely. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that the Emperor has bestowed his grace on you... I just hope that you will live up to this grace.¡± As she spoke the gaze of Empress Dowager dropped to Liu Hui Ying¡¯s t belly. Fck! Do you think your son is some sort of ace striker? That he will score a home run in one ball? What exactly do you think can happen in just a night? Chapter 60 60 Agree or not Liu Hui Ying was simply lost for words, it was one thing for them to marry off a seventeen-year-old to a man but it was apletely different thing for them to expect her to get pregnant with her petite body. Where was she supposed to carry a baby? She looked down at her tiny waist which was so small that it could not even fit her daily meals before she cleared her throat and shyly replied to the Empress Dowager, ¡± I will try to make you proud, your majesty.¡± Earlier Qui Ai has told her that Empress Dowager was a woman who hated anyone crossing her, and that was why she decided to keep her mouth tightly shut. As much as Liu Hui Ying hated the old woman who was pressuring her into attracting the Emperor¡¯s attention and getting pregnant as soon as possible, she was smart enough to sense that Empress Dowager was a rather paranoid and stiff woman. Her gaze dipped to the right hand of the Empress Dowager including the heavy Yin energy that was floating in her room and knew that the woman was not someone whom she could offend. The number of murders this woman hasmitted directly and indirectly was no joke! ¡± As long as you know what you are doing,¡± said the Empress Dowager as she took Liu Hui Ying¡¯s hand in hers and patted her carefully on the back. ¡± You might be thinking that I ...your cousin aunt is pressuring you a bit too much but you will,ter on, realise that I am only doing this for your own good. Hui Ying, you have no idea but that girl from the Ji family has wrapped his majesty around her tiny finger. Something that you and I know better than anyone after all his majesty epted her as his concubine just a day before marrying you, anyone can see where he is putting our family.¡± Liu Hui Ying winced when she felt the grip of the Empress Dowager tighten on her hand, however, she took one nce at the furious look on the face of the elderly woman and she hurriedly lowered her head. It was better for her to say nothing at the moment, who knows when she might end up putting her foot on andmine. ¡± His majesty has been blinded by that girl from the Ji family and he only listens to her now, the Ji family in turn have started to raise their heads and look us in our eyes, something that never happened in the past twenty years!¡± The voice of Empress dowager got even more ferocious as she spoke and so did her grip on Liu Hui Ying¡¯s, now Liu Hui Ying was biting her lips hard as the woman¡¯s long nail dug into her skin. ¡± Now the future of the Liu family depends on your shoulders, Hui Ying ..if that girl from the Ji family got pregnant before you then surely we will be losing our foothill in the court...what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± asked the Empress Dowager when she saw Liu Hui Ying bending over the table while lightly patting the surface of the top with her other hand as if surrendering. ¡± Your majesty, your nails...your nails!¡± The servant girl standing behind Empress Dowager tipped her chin at the nails that were digging into Liu Hui Ying¡¯s skin. ..... Seeing that she has lost control Empress Dowager immediately let go of Liu Hui Ying¡¯s hand, who in turn slumped on the table and breathed in relief, right now she thought that she was going to lose ayer of skin. ¡± Ahem, Forgive me,¡± said the Empress Dowager when she saw Liu Hui Ying sit up straight in her chair. ¡± I got a bit overexcited while speaking, but do forgive me for hurting you.¡± ¡± There is no need for you to apologise to me, your majesty,¡± even though Liu Hui Ying was smiling on the surface she was cursing the old woman for being a bit too much. Did she think that she was made of steel, what was she thinking while digging those sharp nails into her skin? ¡± You are a good child, that is why I worry about you...with that naive attitude of yours how will you fight against that Ji girl, she with her schemes will eat you alive in just a few days!¡± The Empress Dowager covered her cheek as she looked at Liu Hui Ying as if she was looking at an easily bullied rabbit and sighed. ¡± I am sure that you know that the Ji girl has been getting cosy with the Grand Empress Dowager, surely that woman is teaching her new skills to woo the Emperor, after all, why else will she bring her grand-niece to the pce? Isn¡¯t it because she wanted to have that woman enthral the Emperor?¡± Liu Hui Ying watched as the Empress Dowager leaned forward and spoke to her in a sharp note, ¡± I know that you are having a hard time, that is why I will ask you to keep an eye open and you might as welle see me every second day that way I will be able to help you out when the situation arises.¡± Liu Hui Ying was sure that the Empress Dowager did not care about her in the least, the reason this woman was in fact trying to get her on her side was all because Ji Yu was on the Grand Dowager Empress¡¯s side. ...maybe it was because of the loss of control or maybe the Dowager Empress wanted her to stay next to her to bnce the power that has gotten out of her control. The Dowager Empress was worried that Liu Hui Ying will side with the Grand Dowager Empress, which was why she was being straightforward and tried her best to talk badly about the Grand Dowager Empress and Ji Yu in front of Liu Hui Ying because she wanted Liu Hui Ying to agree with her. If Liu Hui Ying was indeed the soft-hearted woman who killed herself, she wouldn¡¯t have seen through the tricks of the Dowager Empress but she wasn¡¯t the same woman, she could see the tricks the elderly woman was pulling. But the question was ..whether she should agree or not? ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 61 61 What do you want me to do? Getting closer to the Dowager Empress was not at all wrong, after all that Concubine Ji had the grand Dowager Empress as well as the Emperor on her side...as for her, she was all alone. Honestly, she did not care about the politics of this pce nor did she care about the Dowager Empress or the Emperor. But she has to care about the original owner right? Once she leaves this ce what will happen to the poor owner of this body? Without any support she will be like a loaf of meat waiting to be chopped on the board of a butcher, maybe she should agree with this coboration? ¡± Your majesty, I¨C¡± she hardly opened her mouth to reply when the eunuch standing outside the door shouted, ¡± The son of the heavens and earth, his majesty, has arrived!¡± Dowager Empress frowned as she heard the announcement of the eunuch, as far as she knew that son of her did not have any time for her these days. He has been tied up so tightly by that witch from the Ji family that he hardly came looking for her, so why did he suddenlye looking for her today? At first, she was confused but then she turned her head and looked at Liu Hui Ying who was sitting on the chair opposite to her and an understanding glint passed in her eyes. Looks like the training that her brother has given to her niece was perfect, she really knows how to please a man, look at her son now... he only spent a night in her courtyard and yet he was already looking for her again. ¡± It seems that I was worried for nothing,¡± said the Dowager Empress with a pleased smile as she looked at Liu Hui Ying even more favourably than before. ¡± You have done rather well, Hui Ying.¡± Liu Hui Ying: ¡°...¡± ¡± Haha, thank you, your majesty,¡± Liu Hui Ying replied dryly, she really wished she could overturn the entire table but she decided to hold her hands close to her. So, her worth was being counted by whether she can or cannot please that jerk huh? What a tragic world! Zhai Tianyu walked inside the hall of his mother¡¯s pce and found the person he was looking for all along sitting opposite his mother. He didn¡¯t know why but he was a bit upset seeing Liu Hui Ying in the presence of his mother,st night when she and him had a decent talk, he thought that the two of them have ovee some differences but now that he was seeing her sitting and talking with his mother, he couldn¡¯t help but clench his fingers. It was him who was a fool, he thought that the Queen was different but in the end no matter who she was, the blood of the Liu family still flowed inside her. ..... He turned to look at his mother and greeted her with a smile before he strode towards the tea table and then stood next to Liu Hui Ying, he heard her take a deep breath and then turn silentpletely. Was her allergy this bad that she couldn¡¯t even smell his scent? ¡± Is there something the matter, your majesty?¡± asked the Dowager Empress as she smiled at her son politely. She was looking at Liu Hui Ying who has shyly (not) lowered her head in front of Zhai Tianyu and the fact that her son was looking at Liu Hui Ying with that doting (not) gaze was enough to make her rx. See, she was right! What true love, what childhood sweethearts? She knew it as long as she was to bring in a more beautiful and worthy woman, her son was going to forget that Ji Yu, see, didn¡¯t her n work? ¡°It¡¯s nothing, mother Empress,¡± replied Zhai Tianyu as he broke his gaze away from Liu Hui Ying and looked at his mother with a smile. ¡± I went to look for the Queen earlier this afternoon, but she wasn¡¯t there... the maids told me that she was here, so I came looking for her... if you don¡¯t mind mother Empress can I take her? I have something to say that I.. heh...¡± he broke away embarrassingly as he rubbed his nape and shyly smiled at his mother. ¡± That I could not sayst night to her.¡± ¡± Of course, you can! You can talk to her as long and deeply as you want, your majesty,¡± to Dowager Empress this was like some miraculous news. She smiled at Liu Hui Ying, the more she looked at her, the more pleasing she found her to the eyes now. She was sure that as long as Liu Hui Ying keep up with this, she will be able to get pregnant with the heir to the throne! ¡± Thank you, mother empress,¡± Zhai Tianyu bowed his head slightly to thank Dowager Empress before he turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and said, ¡± My queen, pleasee with me... Zhen has something to say to you.¡± Liu Hui Ying already knew why he came looking for her in a hurry, so she took her sweet time before getting up from the chair and even bid the Dowager Empress goodbye for a very long time only then did she sit on her pnquin and said to the Emperor, ¡± Heh, huh?¡± ¡± Don¡¯t you dare to tease the emperor,¡± warned Zhai Tianyu as he got into his own pnquin and then motioned his procession to walk to the Queen¡¯s pce. Liu Hui Ying watched the man¡¯s arrogance and then curled her lips in a slightly annoyed manner as she scoffed. ¡± I am going to make this man rue that tone he just used with me.¡± .... ¡± I sent the imperial physician to the Grand dowager Empress¡¯s pce,¡± no sooner did Liu Hui Ying take off her crown, did Zhai Tianyu walk inside her room following her hot on her heels. Just as she expected. Liu Hui Ying had Qui Ai loosen the corset of her dress before she turned to look at the Emperor and arched a brow. ¡± So? What do you want me to do?¡± ¡ª Can you check out my new work, Hot Bloodsuckers¡¯ Obsession? Please I beg you! Chapter 62 62 No ¡± What can you do?¡± For a moment Zhai Tianyu was sure that he has misheard Liu Hui Ying, after all, she was the one who told him that his grandmother¡¯s life was in danger and now she was acting as if she had nothing to do with this matter. He looked at the woman who was humming a tune under her breath while Qui Ai, her maid washed her feet. From the looks of it, she did look like she wasn¡¯t in a hurry at all! Zhai Tianyu swallowed his anger before he turned to look at the wall beside him and red at it long and hard, only then did he huff a breath and then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and said to Qui Ai, ¡± Leave I want to talk with the Queen.¡± Qui Ai paused in her actions of wiping Liu Hui Ying¡¯s feet, she looked at the Emperor but did not move instead she turned to look at Liu Hui Ying, who nodded at her only then did Qui Ai get up from the floor and then walked out of the room shutting the door before leaving. ¡± You have a rather loyal maid, she dared to ignore the order of the Emperor,¡± Zhai Tianyumented sullenly, he could not believe that a maid has actually turned a deaf ear to his orders. ¡± You say as if your subjects wouldn¡¯t do the same if I was to order them around,¡± said Liu Hui Ying as she picked up the towel that was left behind by Qui Ai and finished wiping her feet. ¡± Anyway, what do you have to say to me? Why were you looking for me?¡± Zhai Tianyu was sure that he was going to lose his temper, he could not understand why every time he tried to have a decent conversation with his Queen, thetter would push him so much that his patience which he was rather of, would run dry. He closed his eyes, and chanted a few Buddhist scriptures to calm his head and then only then did he open his eyes, he curled his lips in a small smile and then looked at Liu Hui Ying with a polite expression on his face. ¡± My dear queen,st night you told me that you will help my aunt to go on the road of reincarnation have you forgotten about it?¡± ¡± I am not the one who forgot about what I said to you, it¡¯s you..your esteemed majesty,¡± Liu Hui Ying threw the cloth with which she wiped her feet and then turned to look at Zhai Tianyu with an expressionless face. ¡°It¡¯s you who forgot the end of the deal.¡± ¡± I forgot?¡± What did he forget as far as he knew, he didn¡¯t seem to be forgetting something. Seeing the bewildered and confused look on the Emperor¡¯s face, Liu Hui Ying knew that he has forgotten what she has told himst night, annoyed she flung the cloth that she used to wipe her feet at Zhai Tianyu¡¯s face and cheered up momentarily when she saw it hitting the jerk in the face. ¡± The rewards, didn¡¯t I say that in case I am proven right then you will have to reward me? Where is it? Where is my mountain of gold, silver and shiny rubies?¡± ..... Zhai Tianyu realised that even though the queen was different than before, she was still third officer Liu¡¯s daughter. Her father was just as greedy for money as she was, he pulled the wet cloth that was sticking on his face and threw it on the floor before taking out his handkerchief and wiping his face, only then did he look at Liu Hui Ying with an annoyed and slightly enraged expression. ¡± I will reward you if that is what you want but can you help my grandmother and aunt?¡± ¡± You forgot the magic word,¡± said Liu Hui Ying as she tipped her chin at the fruit basket that was sitting in front of her and motioned Grandma Lan Fen to cut an apple into pieces for her to eat. Zhai Tianyu poked the inside of his cheek with the tip of his tongue, his finger clenching and unclenching as she looked at Liu Hui Ying who was lying on the bed as if she was the Emperor and he was her ve. ¡± My Queen, do not take things too far,¡± he said with his teeth grinding against each other loudly. ¡± What do you mean by do not take things too far?¡± Liu Hui Ying questioned as she looked at him with a slightly upturned gaze. ¡± Have you forgotten because of whose fault I am stuck here? I will take things too far, bite my ass if you can!¡± ¡± Y..you what kind ofnguage is that?¡± Zhai Tianyu¡¯s cheeks flushed red as he covered his face with the long and wide sleeves of his robe, slightly embarrassed and a great deal angry at the Queen¡¯s choice of words. ¡°It¡¯s mynguage, I am going to use it however I want ..what is it to you?¡± Liu Hui Ying picked up a piece of apple and then took a bite of it. ¡± If you do not like listening to me talk then you can leave.¡± With that, she even made a ¡®you can leave now¡¯ gesture at Zhai Tianyu causing thetter¡¯s face to turn even redder with anger. A part of Zhai Tianyu indeed wanted to leave but then he thought about his grandmother and his aunt who couldn¡¯t get peace despite roaming on the face of thisnd for six years and then he suppressed his anger. ¡± Would you please help my grandmother and myte aunt, my queen?¡± asked Zhai Tianyu, this time a lot more politely. He even shelved his arrogance and pride as the Emperor before requesting the Queen to help him, surely this time she will agree to his request right? After all, he has asked her so politely. He studied Liu Hui Ying with a smile and studied him back with a piece of apple in her mouth and two minutester after she was done chewing and swallowing the piece of apple, she opened her mouth and spat one word. ¡± No.¡± ¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 63 63 Get lost ¡± Of course, you would..¡± Zhai Tianyu paused as he looked at Liu Hui Ying before blinking his eyes as he said, ¡± Did you just refuse me or is it my ears that are ying tricks on me?¡± ¡± You didn¡¯t hear her wrong, she told you a big, fat ¡®no¡¯,¡± said Li Gang who was floating in the air with his back lying on nothing but as if he was lying on an invisible bed. ¡± Grand of you to assume that she will agree to your request.¡± Zhai Tianyu was speechless, a part of him was shocked and then the other part of him waspletely lost. He couldn¡¯t help but think that he was taken advantage of after all she was the one who asked him to say the magic word but when he did she refuse to agree to his request, what kind of injustice was this? ¡± But I just said please to you, what else do you want?¡± He said with a bewildered and shocked look on his face, fine she was allergic to man, maybe she was not the same woman he married but that does not change the fact that she was his wife, he married her and he was the Emperor of this entire Empire, his ¡®please¡¯ was a lot more expensive than any other gifts! ¡± Aww are you going to cry?¡± cooed Liu Hui Ying as she looked at the Emperor and then rolled her eyes at him. ¡± Do you think that your please is some sort of magic spell? That you will say it and I will start working ording to your tune?¡± Looking at his affronted look, she was sure that he was thinking in the same direction as well. ¡°Ohe on,¡± she said with an annoyed look on her face. ¡± Please is something that not only you but everyone else who wants their work to be done should say, you are the one who is requesting my help so, of course, you have to say please, it¡¯s up to me whether I agree to the request or not.¡± Zhai Tianyu: ¡°....¡± He wanted to refute but there was nothing for him to say, in the end, he simply drew in a breath and asked, ¡± Can you at least tell me why are you not helping me?¡± ..... ¡± That¡¯s simple,¡± said Liu Hui Ying as she kicked her legs on the bed and sat up straight rolling her shoulders ufortably, seeing this the ghost named Jia Li flew up to her side and then started massaging her shoulders, only then did Liu Hui Ying continue speaking, ¡± The reason is that you haven¡¯t paid me yet, I don¡¯t do business on credits you see? I want the shiny money in my pocket before I help anyone but because you are the Emperor I let you know in advance that your grandmother is sick... and allowed you to bring moneyter on.¡± ¡± You did not bring money with you, that means you still owe me ... until or unless you clear up this little debt that you owe me, I will not help you any further.¡± Zhai Tianyu stared at his Queen, it was as if she has snatched his ability to speak, no matter how many times he tried to open his mouth and say something, he could not do it. This woman? Did she only open her mouth for asking for money and eating? In just a few minutes she might have as well asked for money more than ten times. She was truly the daughter of third officer Liu! ¡± Have you forgotten my queen, you told me the truth about my grandmother¡¯s condition for you feared that I will kill you.¡± Zhai Tianyu kindly reminded her but Liu Hui Ying who has been working in the modern world, where the race of earning money was rather hard immediately deflected his attack and shot back, ¡± I did but then you did not believe me, my goodwill vanished because of your constant suspicion and now you have to pay my fees, your majesty.¡± Zhai Tianyu: ¡°....¡± Can he even win against this thick skin woman? ¡± No, you can¡¯t,¡± said Liu Hui Yin as if she was reading his mind. ¡± Don¡¯t even try winning over me, if you do then you will only end up embarrassing yourself.¡± Zhai Tianyu looked rather ufortable at her sudden words, he tugged on the cor of his robes and carefully eyed Liu Hui Ying before he asked in a hesitant voice, ¡± H..How do you know what I was thinking? Can you even read minds?¡± ¡± Why are you nning something against me? That you need to hide?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked in return and Zhai Tianyu rxed a little, turns out that he was the one who was thinking too much. ¡± Ahem, fine if that¡¯s what you want then I will bring you the rewards that you want, gold..silver anything,¡± said Zhai Tianyu for the sake of his grandmother he would be willing to make a small loss at least he will be able to save his grandmother and send his aunt off to the underworld. ¡°That¡¯s better,¡± said Liu Hui Ying as she stood up from the bed and then raised her head to look at Zhai Tianyu with an impatient look on her face. When Zhai Tianyu saw the impatient look on her face he was a bit confused and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡± What?¡± ¡± What do you mean by what? You are done, right? So get lost now, I have to eat my lunch and you are ruining my appetite by breathing in front of me.¡± Liu Hui Ying snapped at Zhai Tianyu not caring about the offended expression on his face as he pointed his finger and trembled in anger. ¡± I am your Emperor, how dare you ask me to get lost?¡± ¡± Like this,¡± Liu Hui Ying turned to face him as she pointed to her mouth and slowly very slowly repeated, ¡± GET LOST.¡± This time Zhai Tianyu was very mad, so mad that he turned around and left the courtyard of the Queen without closing the door. Chapter 64 64 Why did you reward her? ¡± Prepare some rewards and bring them to the Queen¡¯s pce,¡± Zhai Tianyu turned to look at the eunuch who has been serving him since he turned sixteen, though the man has always pretended and acted as if he was loyal to him, Zhai Tianyu knew that behind the scenes this eunuch master was someone else. And that someone was none other than his mother, he knew that he has to send gifts and rewards to Liu Hui Ying but he was trying to dy it as much as he could, at least that way he would be able to send out the message that he wasn¡¯t close to the Queen or the Liu family. That way the Ji family will have a chance to suppress the Liu family behind his back but now that he needed Liu Hui Ying¡¯s help, he could only do as she asked. If rewards were what she wanted then he will reward her just as she wished at least then he would get her to work for him. ¡± And make sure that you prepare them ordingly,¡± added Zhai Tianyu, in fact, he already knew that since Eunuch Li was serving his mother, he will definitely prepare the rewards generously in fact lot more than he did when Ji Yu entered the harem. But he still needed to act ording to his role, so he smiled at Eunuch Li with a shy expression like a fool and said, ¡± The Queen has made Zhen very happy.¡± ¡± As you wish your majesty,¡± Eunuch Li bowed his head with his hands sped in front, his eyes excitedly flickering with emotions, this time as long as he was to do a good job then the dowager Empress would reward him generously! Maybe he will get a pouch full of gold taels. ¡± I will prepare the gifts and rewards for the Empress properly and with utmost respect and care!¡± Eunuch Li shouted loudly causing Ji Yu who just arrived in front of the study of the Emperor pause, the smile on her face dropped as she blinked her eyes. She was holding a basket with a bowl of chicken and duck blood soup when she heard the words of Eunuch Li, and her grip on the handle of the basket tightened. The Emperor was already rewarding the Empress didn¡¯t he say that he will use Liu Hui Ying as an example to beat the Liu family down a few pegs? Then why was he rewarding the Queen? Though Ji Yu had a lot of questions, she knew that Zhai Tianyu had his own ns, he wouldn¡¯t do anything that would mess with their n of taking control of the Liu family, so even though she was feeling a bit upset, she still hitched her lips into a smile and then turned to the guard and nodded her head. Only then did the guard open his mouth and announced her arrival. ¡± Royal Concubine Ji Yu is entering!¡± Zhai Tianyu raised his head from the document that he was reading and then smiled at Ji Yu who was standing on the threshold of his study, seeing the Emperor smile, Ji Yu¡¯s heart fluttered and then she turned to her maid Xiaolin. ¡± You wait here,¡± she told her with a calm and gentle smile. ¡± Do not make any trouble for anyone I wille back in a jiffy.¡± ..... ¡± I will wait for you as long as you want, missy,¡± replied Xiaolin as she bowed her head with a serene smile. ¡± You can take your time,¡± she lowered her voice and added swiftly, ¡± I know that you have missed the Emperor.¡± ¡± Shush, you...what are you saying,¡± Ji Yu chided her maid who poked her tongue out of her mouth and then went to stand on one side, seeing that Xiaolin was standing on a side and wouldn¡¯t be caught up in any trouble with anyone, Ji Yu turned around and headed inside the study with a smile on her face. ¡°Ji Yu greets you, your majesty.¡± She bowed a little in courtesy but Zhai Tianyu immediately helped her up as he rose from his seat and then sped Ji Yu by her arm. ¡± How many times I have told you? You do not need to bow in front of me, after all, you and I go way back.¡± He led her to the tea table where he helped her sit down on a chair and took a seat himself. A young eunuch who was standing in the corner of the study stepped forward to prepare the tea for Zhai Tianyu and Ji Yu but he was stopped by Zhai Tianyu who raised his hand and said, ¡± Everyone leave, Zhen wants to spend some time alone with his royal Concubine.¡± The young eunuchsplied after all everyone knew that Zhai Tianyu and Concubine Ji were childhood sweethearts, whenever the two of them were together something was bound to happen. So, the young eunuchs left the study one by one as Zhai Tianyu picked up the teapot and ced it on the delicate brazier that was prepared for him and then tilted his head slightly to look at Ji Yu as he asked, ¡± As always, jasmine tea right?¡± ¡± Of course your majesty,¡± Ji Yu ced the basket that she has brought with her onto the table and then opened the lid before taking out the steaming bowl of soup. ¡± This one prepared this soup for you, your majesty. This one was worried that it will get cold and that is why this one came in a hurry, this concubine hopes that she didn¡¯t disturb you.¡± ¡± Not at all,¡± Zhai Tianyu took her hands in his and patted her on the back as he said, ¡± How could you have disturbed me? And be at ease. There is no need for you to address formalities when you are alone with me.¡± He picked up the teapot once he smelled that the tea was ready and then let go of Ji Yu¡¯s hand and poured two cups of tea as he said, ¡± You seem like you want to ask me something, don¡¯t be polite with me say what you have in mind.¡± ¡± Then your majesty... I wanted to know why did you reward the Queen ?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 65 65 Think before doing anything. Dedicating todays chapter to KalisteKitten! Thank you so much for such an amazing gift! Ji Yu heard his words, and though she was hesitant in her heart she still ced her hands on herp and asked softly, ¡± Then your majesty, I wanted to know why did you reward the Queen?¡± Zhai Tianyu¡¯s actions of pouring the tea into the tea cup paused as he turned to look at Ji Yu who hurriedly corrected herself, ¡± I mean, I am not ming or questioning you, your majesty but you said that you were going to use the queen to knock the Liu family a peg down or two but if you reward her after making it look like you have spent the night with her then the Liu family will be even more arrogant.¡± ¡± I know,¡± Zhai Tianyu sighed lightly, too did not want to gift Liu Hui Ying anything but she has made it clear that she wasn¡¯t going to help his aunt move on to the afterlife without any reward, which was why he was forced to hand her the rewards. ¡± But you don¡¯t need to worry, the n hasn¡¯t changed. It¡¯s still the same, Liu Hui Ying... she will have to be disposed of as the Queen sooner orter.¡± He wasn¡¯t lying and from what he could see the Queen didn¡¯t care about the throne either, in fact from all the raving he has heard, he was quite certain that she cared a lot more about the thing called ¡®Four motion¡¯ ( he is saying promotion). Since, neither of them wanted her to sit on the throne of the Queen, disposing of Liu Hui Ying will be a lot easier, he just have toe up with a n that will make her agree. Ji Yu did not know what was going on in Zhai Tianyu¡¯s head, she heard that he was still nning to dispose of the Queen and her heart that has been taut rxed a little. She knew that her feelings were stupid and so was the desire of Zhai Tianyu loving her but at the very least she did not want Zhai Tianyu to fall in love with someone else and more importantly not Liu Hui Ying! ¡± Then these rewards¨C¡± ¡± They are nothing, there was something that the Queen helped me with and that is why I rewarded her, nothing more,¡± Zhai Tianyu replied before Ji Yu could finish her question, in his head Ji Yu was worried about the n they have been moving on till now. The n was obviously for the betterment of the country, there was nothing wrong with Ji Yu¡¯s worry upon seeing him deviate from the n. Ji Yu frowned upon hearing Zhai Tianyu say those words, even more, the Queen helped Tianyu? With what and since when did someone from the Liu family start helping them? ..... At this point, she was reminded of the words her mother has told her before she entered the harem. She told her to be aware of Liu Hui Ying¡¯s every move asking her to be on her guard no matter how naive and foolish Liu Hui Ying looked, now that she was looking at Zhai Tianyu who was talking about Liu Hui Ying as if she was a good friend of him, Ji Yu was worried that Zhai Tianyu was getting fooled by Liu Hui Ying. After all, he knew better than anyone else how tricky and scheming the members of the Liu family can be, if not then her brother would still be alive! He was the one who was fooled by someone he shouldn¡¯t have, he trusted someone from the Liu family and lost his life in return. Ji Yu couldn¡¯t let Zhai Tianyu walk on the same path as her brother! ¡± Your majesty,¡± she thought over the words that she wanted to say to Zhai Tianyu carefully before she raised her head and looked Zhai Tianyu straight in the eyes and said, ¡± I don¡¯t know what the Queen has told you but I hope that you are doing everything after careful consideration. Make sure that you have carefully considered everything for we all know how ruthless the people of the Liu family can be... you haven¡¯t forgotten Brother Chen right?¡± At the mention of Ji Chen, Zhai Tianyu¡¯s face turned grim. Back when they were young, Ji Chen fell for a daughter from the Liu family who promised him that she will marry him but everyone knew the rivalry between the Ji and the Liu family. So, when Ji Chen told them that he fell for someone from the Liu family, they all tried to make him see sense but thetter didn¡¯t hear a thing and simply went ahead on the path he chose. In the end, their rtionship wasn¡¯t epted by their families, this was something everyone expected but what they did not expect was that Ji Chen was so enthralled by that woman that he was willing to elope with her but on the day when they were supposed to elope instead of finding the woman from the Liu family on the spot where Ji Chen was supposed to meet her, he met a bunch of assassins who killed him on the spot. As for who sent the assassins everyone knew who it was. That was how Ji Yu lost her brother and the enmity between the two families became even more intense. Now it hase to the point where one family wasn¡¯t willing to stand another. ¡± I remember everything, Yu¡¯er,¡± Zhai Tianyu rubbed his temple and couldn¡¯t help but think over again, what if this was indeed some sort of trap? After all, he has never seen his aunt or spoken to her, unlike the ghosts that always stayed with Liu Hui Ying. What if Liu Hui Ying was indeed making a fool of him? Then what was he supposed to do? ¡± Your majesty are you okay?¡± seeing that Zhai Tianyu has stopped speaking Ji Yu called him softly snapping thetter out of his daze as he smiled at her and said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Concubine Ji.¡± But inwardly he has already decided to go and look for Liu Hui Ying. ¡ª support the book with powerstones,ments or gifts! Chapter 66 66 What does she have ? Ji Yu stayed with the Emperor for a few more minutes before she left his study, when she was with Zhai Tianyu, her lips were curled into a smile but the second she stepped out of the study, that smile fell ever so swiftly. Xiaolin who noticed that her mistress looked rather upset hurriedly chased after her as the two of them left the courtyard together. ¡± What¡¯s the matter, missy?¡± asked Xiaolin as she looked at her mistress who was frowning, her face was taut and she was even biting her lips. This only happened when her missy was rather upset! ¡± Did his majesty say something to you?¡± ¡± No,¡± Ji Yu shook her head as she replied to Xiaolin. ¡± His majesty was ever so kind to me, he even prepared tea and cakes for me.¡± If the emperor did not say anything to her missy then why was she looking so upset for no reason at all? Something must have happened or else her miss would never show such an expression. After all, she was not like those concubines who would throw tantrums at the smallest thing. ¡± Then what happened, miss?¡± asked Xiaolin urging Ji Yu to tell her what was going on in her mind. ¡± You were so happy just this morning when you were stewing the soup for his majesty and now that you have seen him, you look upset like this, please tell me what happened miss or else I will not be able to sleep at night.¡± ¡± You are always so pushy,¡± Ji Yu remarked as she turned her head to look at Xiaolin, she gave her a light re but Xiaolin did not take her seriously. She knew that her mistress was too kind to punish her, the two of them have been together since they were young and her miss has always treated her more like a sister than a maid. That was why she was able to speak so freely in front of Ji Yu. ¡± If I won¡¯t push you then you will never tell me anything,¡± said Xiaolin as she took the wicker basket from Ji Yu and smiled at her miss. Ji Yu was two inches taller than her which was why Xiaolin have to raise her head to look at Ji Yu, with her chubby face and cheerful expression, Xiaolin indeed looked rather cute and Ji Yu who has always wanted a sibling after losing her brother has gotten closer and closer to Xiaolin who was with her in her hardest times. ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious,¡± said Ji Yu with a soft voice as she walked towards the entrance of the Emperor¡¯s pce, along with Xiaolin, she brought two other maids that were gifted to her by the Grand Dowager Empress when she entered the harem butpared to Xiaolin, she did not trust the two maids. This was why she always kept them at bay, even now when she came to meet the Emperor, she asked the two maids to stay at the entrance. ..... Which was a good thing or else she wouldn¡¯t have been able to talk freely with Xiaolin. ¡°You are ever kind, that is why you are being bullied by the concubines in the pce,¡± huffed Xiaolin angrily. ¡± You can always use the affection of the Emperor to teach those concubines a lesson but you have been keeping everything to yourself. If you were as scheming as they are then you would have already kicked half of the harem out, after all, who here does not know that the Emperor cares for you more than he does for the entire harem.¡± Ji Yu sighed as she poked Xiaolin on the forehead and said, ¡± How many times I have told you? We are no longer at Ji mansion where you can speak as you want, be careful. Even if you are my maid, I am just a concubine as well. My status is not any higher than the other concubines, if they hear you bad mouth them, then how will I save you?¡± ¡± I am always careful miss, aren¡¯t I saying this only because we are in the Emperor¡¯s pce?¡± Xiaolin poked her tongue out as she lightly spoke to her miss but then as the two got closer to the entrance, her expression turned serious as she looked at her miss and asked with all the seriousness that she could muster. ¡± Miss, you need to tell me what is the matter... I mean you never tell anyone anything and then keep it to yourself until you have stewed over the matter for days, why not tell me? I might be of some help to you.¡± Ji Yu was still hesitant but then she thought about the changes in Zhai Tianyu and she paused in her stride before turning to face Xiaolin. ¡± Lin Lin, tell me what do you think about the Emperor gifting the Queen a round of gifts? Earlier he promised me and everyone else that he wouldn¡¯t give the Queen any gifts even after ...¡± she lowered her voice as she said, ¡± Even after faking his wedding night with her but now he has given her a bunch of gifts, you were there too. You heard him right? He was telling everyone that he wasn¡¯t going to let the Liu family raise their heads in front of him anymore by making use of Liu Hui Ying but now he went back on his words.¡± Xiaolin knew that her miss has been pinning after the Emperor for all these years, though she has never confessed her feelings everyone could see that she had the Emperor in her heart. How can she not be ufortable seeing another woman get closer to the Emperor? ¡± Miss, you are thinking too much,¡± Xiaolin tried to ease the worry lines on her mistress¡¯s face. ¡± We all know that the Emperor hates the Liu family more than anyone and after all when you lost elder master, you were not the only one who lost a brother, his majesty did too. I don¡¯t think that after seeing just how poisonous the women of the Liu family are, the Emperor will try to get close to the Queen.¡± She paused and added, ¡± And whenpared to you, what does the Queen even have?¡± ¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 67 67 Surrounded by idiots. ¡± One¡± ¡± Two.¡± ... ... ... ... ¡± Ten¡± ... ¡± Twenty.¡± Liu Hui Ying grounded out as she pushed her body to finish the twentieth push up but then her hands started to tremble and she fell on the floor with a loud thud. ..... ¡± Your majesty, what are you trying to do?¡± Qui Ai was fanning Liu Hui Ying who was covered in sweat, her eyes filled with worry as she looked at her missy¡¯s weird antics. ¡± Why are you doing something so painful when you can¡¯t? Isn¡¯t it okay to sit down and drink a cool summer drink?¡± As she said this Nanny Gong who was pouring ice into a cup of juice immediately jumped off the porch in the backyard and then rushed to Liu Hui Ying as she ced the chilled juice in front of Liu Hui Ying and said, ¡± That is right, your majesty... the chef has made this sour and sweet sugar plum juice for you, why not drink this and relieve the heat?¡± ¡± Oh keep it away from me,¡± Liu Hui Ying pushed the cup of juice away from her face when she saw that Nanny Gong was trying to ce it against her cheek and said, ¡± I am covered with sweat, if I drink something this cold just after working out then I will catch a cold.¡± ¡± But your majesty, why do you have to do something so strenuous?¡±Nanny Gong cried as she scrambled to her feet when she saw that Liu Hui Ying has gotten to her feet as well. ¡± I mean why punish yourself like this? You have been doing so great, did the Emperor say something to upset you? Is this why you are trying to hurt yourself like this?¡± Liu Hui Ying was preparing herself to start rabbit hopping but then she heard Nanny Gong¡¯s words and almost fell face-first on the floor. ¡± Your majesty!¡± ¡± Your majesty!¡± Both Qui Ai and Nanny Gong screamed as they reached to help Liu Hui Ying who was almost on the verge of falling and then helped her stand up straight. Liu Hui Ying whose heart was still thumping wildly blinked her eyes and then took a deep breath as she turned to stare at Nanny Gong. ¡± Nanny, are you sure that you are here to take care of me or are you here to get me a heart attack? How can you say something so disgusting? I punish myself for that jerk? Who is for me to hurt myself?¡± ¡± Of course, not your majesty,¡± Nanny Gong¡¯s eyes widened as she dropped to her knees and knocked her head to the ground. ¡± This one lives and dies for you, your majesty... how can I ... even think of hurting you? I would rather have the heavens strike and kill me before I so much as hurt a strand of your hair!¡± ¡± Goodness, I was just ...I was just joking, stop hitting your head, all right¡± Liu Hui Ying stopped Nanny Gong from hitting her head any further as she looked at the elderly woman and said in a heavy voice, ¡± Nanny Gong, if you want to stay by my side then you better learn how to take a joke, I can¡¯t have you smashing your head every time I say something weird. Got it?¡± ¡± I will do as you say, your majesty,¡± replied Nanny Gong as she wiped her tears and sniffed. Liu Hui Ying was sure that even though Nanny Gong said this, she would do the same thing again in the future as well, she sighed in both annoyance and tiredness before she turned to look at Qui Ai and asked her to bring her a jar of ointment. ¡± Nanny Gong,¡± Liu Hui Ying took the old woman to the porch and then helped her to sit down before she took the ointment from Qui Ai and then opened the lid of the porcin jar. ¡± I am not punishing myself, this is called exercising, I am trying to make my body strong.¡± ¡°But why?¡± Nanny Gong was if possible even more scandalous, she could not understand why her miss wanted to get stronger. After all, she was the Queen and there were enough guards and people to protect her, was there any need for her to work so hard and make herself strong? ¡± Don¡¯t you have guards to protect you, your majesty?¡± ¡± I had guards even thest time when I was attacked, what happened?¡± said Liu Hui Ying as she finished applying the ointment on Nanny Gong¡¯s forehead. She stood up from the porch and then rolled her shoulders as she added, ¡± Those guards are useless,st time if I wasn¡¯t quick enough then I would have already died.¡± ¡± Your majesty!¡± Nanny Gong interrupted her as she rushed over to Liu Hui Ying¡¯s side and said, ¡± You cannot say such unfortunate words!¡± ¡± I am not saying unfortunate words, I am speaking the truth, Nanny,¡± Liu Hui Ying patted Nanny Gong on the shoulder. ¡± I know what I am doing since we cannot rely on anyone. Then we must rely on ourselves, you understand Nanny Gong? We are not going to rely on men with ulterior motives, we are going to rely on ourselves!¡± And her ghosts. As the thought of her ghosts popped into her head, she turned around she looked at her ghosts who were eyeing the pond with fascination, apparently, they have seen such big koi fish for the first time in their lives and they have been taken by those koi fish ever since the morning when Grandma Lan Fen told them about it. Li Gang sensed her gaze and cheerfully raised his head as he said, ¡± Hui Ying, can we eat them?¡± Liu Hui Ying: ¡°....¡± These fools someone woulde and kill me and these guys wouldn¡¯t even know that their master has been killed! ¡± What are you thinking about, your majesty?¡± seeing that Liu Hui Ying has stopped speaking, Qui Ai asked her, looking in the direction where Liu Hui Ying was looking. ¡± Is there something in the pond?¡± ¡± Nothing,¡± said Liu Hui Ying as she crossed her arms behind her back and then squatted on the floor as she sighed heavily. ¡± I just realised that I am surrounded by idiots in one way or another.¡± Chapter 68 68 Lets go on a walk ¡± I am bored,¡± Liu Hui Ying slumped down on the floor as she took the cloth from Nanny Gong and started to wipe her sweat. There was nothing interesting in this world and maybe because she did not have the authority unlike she did in her world, Liu Hui Ying wasn¡¯t getting any important cases to deal with and the one she was dealing with ...she wasn¡¯t getting paid for it! That jerk, he said that he will go and send her the rewards that he promised but it has been so long and she was yet to get her money. She was indeed right, depending on men was simply foolish maybe she should go and look for some other cases! Just how difficult was it to send a few gold taels huh? Qui Ai who was fanning Liu Hui Ying heard her words and then carefully said, ¡± Your majesty, why don¡¯t you go outside then? The pce is blooming with flowers at the moment, you will certainly enjoy the sight of them.¡± Liu Hui Ying wasn¡¯t interested in flowers but when she heard Qui Ai, she knew that thetter was right. Ever since she came here, she has been staying inside this courtyard, on the first night she was busy trying to save her life, and then in the morning, she was dragged to the old hag¡¯s ce. And in the night when she was nning to take a look at the pce and find the ghost of this woman, she was interrupted by that Emperor causing the ghost hour to slip by and now in the morning, she was taken away to her so-called aunt¡¯s pce. Strictly speaking, she has been running around the entire pce like a spinning top but she didn¡¯t even get the chance to take a good look around the pce. ¡± Very well then,¡± Liu Hui Ying used her core to sit up straight and then turned to look at Qui Ai as she said, ¡± Go and get my clothes, I will go out and take a walk.¡± Even if she couldn¡¯t see the ghost of this woman roaming around, she will at least find some sort of clue right? ..... ¡± I will take your clothes out, right now, your majesty!¡± Qui Ai was a lot more excited now that she saw her missy agreeing with her. Clearly, her missy was the one who was the ruler of the harem yet it was that Concubine Ji who was the childhood sweetheart of the Emperor who acted as if she was the one who was ruling the harem. And her maid! She was simply too obnoxious, that Xiaolin would deliberatelye to the kitchen at the same time as her and then she would stay beside her and keep on egging Qui Ai. She would tell her how her missy would sooner orter be kicked out and that they shouldn¡¯t get familiar with the pce too much. What was even more annoying, was that Xiaolin would every time tell her that Concubine Ji was much more beautiful than her majesty, the Queen. Like hell she was! Clearly, her missy was the most beautiful woman in the harem! Today, Qui Ai was determined to have her missy make her presence known! What did the women in the pce think? That they can do anything they want just because her missy was targeted and punished unjustly? ¡± I will make you look the prettiest, your majesty, don¡¯t you worry!¡± Qui Ai swore as she rushed inside in a hurry. ¡°You don¡¯t have to work so hard,¡± Liu Hui Ying was rmed when she saw that Qui Ai was acting so hyped up, she was afraid that the little girl would force her to wear that crown again but fortunately for her, her bad premonition did not be her reality. Qui Ai indeed worked hard but she only worked hard on her make-up and hairstyle. From using the powder to make her look fairer to using the red tint that made her lips look as red as rose petals. The maid worked hard for an hour and a half, and by the time she finished helping Liu Hui Ying in getting ready, Liu Hui Ying was done with her mid-noon nap. ¡± Your majesty, I am done,¡± Qui Ai woke Liu Hui Ying up, she was not at all offended by Liu Hui Ying who fell asleep instead she was more than understanding of Liu Hui Ying¡¯s actions. The emperor came to see her missyst night and then he came to see her in the morning as well, clearly, the Emperor must have tried her missy out. Fortunately for Qui Ai, Liu Hui Ying could not read her thoughts or she would have gotten several smacks on her back. ¡± Oh you are done,¡± Liu Hui Ying stretched her arms and yawned as she took a look at her reflection in the mirror, however, once she took a look at her reflection, Liu Hui Ying¡¯s eyes went wide as she turned to look at Qui Ai and asked surprised, ¡± Is this me?¡± ¡± Of course, your majesty,¡± replied Qui Ai happily as she ced the tiny brush on the table and smiled at her mistress. ¡± Didn¡¯t I do a good job in making you pretty?¡± A good job? She did a fantastic job! Liu Hui Ying has never been one to get ready or do anything like dressing herself up or something of the sort, that was why she never understood the power of makeup but now that she was looking in the mirror with her face painted ever so delicately, she could not help but nod. ¡± No wonder women are obsessed with this makeup thing, itpletely makes someone look out of this world.¡± ¡± Shall we go now?¡± asked Li Gang who was getting tired of waiting, he was looking at the Koi fish in the pond but then he heard that Liu Hui Ying was going to go out and explore the pce, that was why he was willing to go with her but it has been an hour and yet... she was still getting ready! ¡ª¨C Chapter 69 69 Used to it ¡± What are you getting annoyed for,¡± said Liu Hui Ying with an eye roll. ¡± When we were in the modern world, didn¡¯t you like women who wore the same delicate makeup as this one? Why is it that now I am wearing it, you are getting impatient??¡± ¡± I only like the result not the process!¡± countered Li Gang as he pointed to the sun and impatiently said, ¡°When you started getting ready it was twelve in the noon and now it¡¯s one past fifteen minutes! I have been waiting for you for an hour and fifteen minutes and that too just because I want to go on a walk!¡± As a ghost, it was dangerous for them to go anywhere alone without the permission of their celestial master. In case they meet with the grim reaper then they will have to go through all the processes of verification and whatnot including giving him proof that they belonged to a celestial master and had a decent job. And this happened in their world, if they were to be caught by a grim reaper from this world who knows what might happen to them, that was why neither of them wanted to go around looking at the pce without Liu Hui Ying. Not unless it was extremely dangerous, or else they would have to bring the grim reaper to Liu Hui Ying and have him meet her like a naughty kid being caught by the neighbourhood¡¯s strict old man and then brought back to their parents forints. Li Gang was sure that he couldn¡¯t live the same humiliation all over again! The day he was caught by the grim reaper because he ran away from home after fighting with Liu Hui Ying was one of the days he wished he could forget. Honestly, the way the grim reaper wasining about him to Liu Hui Ying...it was like attending the parents¡¯ teacher meeting all over again. Liu Hui Ying studied him for a while before she nodded and said, ¡± Now I understand why you are not getting a girlfriend.¡± ¡± What does this have to do with me not being able to get a girlfriend?¡± He demanded in anger while Jia Li and Grandma Lan Fen shook their heads and one by one said, ¡± You are indeed a bit too much, Ah Gang.¡± ..... ¡± With that temper of yours, you deserve to stay single.¡± ¡± You...all shut up!¡± ... Li Gang was in a very bad mood even when he got out of the courtyard but then he caught sight of the maids walking into the pce and his eyes lit up. ¡± Well, Well, well would you look at this? It seems like the maids here are all little beauties.¡± ¡± Of course they are,¡± said Jia Li knowledgeably. ¡°I have seen in the pce drama that a king is allowed to have uncountable numbers of bed maids. Apart from having a queen and four royal concubines and several lower-rank concubines. Surely, the officials must have chosen these maids and sent them to the pce in hope that they will be able to get close to the Emperor.¡± She looked at the well-dressed maids and their palm-shaped faces that were dreadfully decorated with makeup and added, ¡± A few days ago after that concubine Shen was killed, there is an empty slot in the lower ranks of concubines, surely they are all trying to gain the attention of the Emperor.¡± ¡± Wow,¡± said Li Gang suddenly sounding sour as he rolled his eyes and spat in the air. ¡± This is what I call having your ten fingers in a pot of butter and your head in the vat, that man was born with such a stroke of amazing luck. These women are all looking forward to catching his attention and when I used to show attention to women, they all would turn around and run away like I was a monster! What an unfair world!¡± Jia Li simply rolled her eyes at him, she wanted to let him know that it wasn¡¯t the world that was unfair. It was his luck, not only was he born poor, even his facial features were so scary that any woman would run away after taking a look at his face. But seeing that he was getting annoyed and was mumbling curses under his breath, she decided to keep her thoughts to herself. Liu Hui Ying, on the other hand, was looking at the maids who immediately lowered their heads when they saw her walk by, she could see that some of them were trembling as to why, but she did not stop to ask. After all, she was pretty sure that the woman was not a cruel woman and she has never been to the pce before getting married, so most probably this had to do with the surname ¡®Liu¡¯ who lived in the pce. ¡°They really,¡± Nanny Gong too caught the maid trembling as if her mistress was walking towards them with a sword and looked at them in a disapproving manner but before she could scold the maids, Liu Hui Ying stopped her. ¡± There is no need, even if you scold them, it¡¯s not like they will learn anything.¡± Fear was something that no human was able to rein on unless they wanted to, clearly, these maids did not have enough guts to face their fears. Even if Nanny Gong was to scold these maids, they will simply apologise and then go back to hating and fearing her again. Nanny Gong pursed her lips but she obeyed her mistress¡¯s orders, as the three of them walked past the maids they heard several maids heaving breaths of relief. Immediately, Nanny Gong and Qui Ai¡¯s faces turned ck, their miss clearly has not done anything to anyone. Yet they were treating her like she was a monster! ¡± Your majesty...¡± Nanny Gong was worried that her fragile missy will be hurt, she wanted to say some good words to her missy but she was stopped by Liu Hui Ying when thetter smiled at her and said, ¡°It¡¯s all right.¡± She was used to such reactions when she was young, she did not know that people feared ghosts or the dead. She would often tell them what she saw and it was after a very long time did she realise that her ssmates and friends started to fear her. Back then she was alone and she had to face all sorts of bullying,pared to that...this wasn¡¯t even worth mentioning. Chapter 70 70 Face off Liu Hui Ying did not want to get into trouble but that did not mean that trouble won¡¯te looking for her. The pce did have a garden that was only exclusive to the women of the harem but the garden was exclusive to every woman in the harem! When Liu Hui Ying arrived at the garden that was covered with flowers, she had to admit that the garden was indeed beautiful. With flowers like roses and peonies fluttering in the soft breeze of the summer, it was a wonderful ce to rx. Even Jia Li and the others liked it a lot, they swooped down on the floor and then started to look around the garden asking Liu Hui Ying to spread her spiritual energy around such that they will be able to smell the flowers as well. Though Liu Hui Ying was petty when it came to spending money, she treated her ghosts rather nicely which was why the three even after having so manyints about Liu Hui Ying stayed with her for so many years. When Liu Hui Ying heard her ghost¡¯s requests she was willing to spread her spiritual energy all over the garden when she heard some noisesing from the entrance of the garden, slightly surprised she turned to look in the direction from where the noises wereing from and blinked her eyes when she saw that it was none other than Ji Yu! The childhood sweetheart of the Emperor! When Liu Hui Ying noticed Ji Yu, thetter too noticed Liu Hui Ying who was standing in the middle of the garden. This garden might have been exclusive to every other woman but other than her no one liked toe here even when she was young she woulde here with Zhai Tianyu alone. As for the other Concubines, they would spend their time in the garden that was closest to the Emperor¡¯s pce. But what they did not know was that the Emperor would sneak to this ce to have a walk with her than stay in the garden that was closest to the Emperor¡¯s courtyard. For all these years this ce has been a secret meeting spot for her and Zhai Tianyu, now that Ji Yu was seeing Liu Hui Ying in the garden that was supposed to belong to just her and Zhai Tianyu, Ji Yu couldn¡¯t help but feel ufortable. She knew that as the emperor it was Zhai Tianyu¡¯s responsibility to take on as many concubines as possible but her heart did not want to ept the fact, if anything it was twisting rather painfully upon seeing Liu Hui Ying. ..... Years after years she worked hard hoping that one day she would be able to surpass Liu Hui Ying and when she did, thetter showed her skills in another field making her look like some idiot. What did she say back then? Yes, anyone could y Guqin and dance elegantly. In just a few words Liu Hui Ying had degraded her to nothing but a girl among millions of others. Ji Yu clenched her fists, she hated Liu Hui Ying and she hated everyone in the Liu family. It was because of them that her brother was now resting in a grave six feet under the ground. And yet everyone in the Liu family was living in peace as if what happened to her brother had nothing to do with them. Her eyes flickered and then she hooked her lips in a smile as she walked towards Liu Hui Ying but before she reached closer to Liu Hui Ying, she turned around and looked at the maids called Ga Ya and Ga Yu. ¡± You two go and get me something to drink, I am thirsty.¡± ¡± Yes, your highness.¡± ¡± Yes, your highness.¡± The two maids bowed their heads as they turned around to walk out of the garden only when the two of them left did Ji Yu return her attention to Liu Hui Ying. These days she could feel that the Dowager Empress was monitoring her, she didn¡¯t know whether the two maids that were sent to her pce were bribed or not that was why she was keeping the two of them at arm¡¯s length. In the pce the lesser people you trust the better. ¡± Your majesty,¡± Ji Yu bowed to Liu Hui Ying with an impable bow before greeting her with an undertone. ¡± It seems that you have recovered rather nicely, I was getting worried that you were still sick because of what happened.¡± Liu Hui Ying never saw any drama and she had no interest in the pce¡¯s catfight either but Jia Li who has been keeping a keen eye on everytest pce drama immediately gasped and said to Liu Hui Ying, ¡± She is trying to remind you of your status!¡± When Liu Hui Ying turned to look at Jia Li in confusion thetter rolled her eyes and shot her a look that said ¡® are you an idiot?¡¯ Before she exined in a hurried manner, ¡± You don¡¯t understand what she is telling you right? She is basically telling you that you have no ce in the heart of the emperor! That you shouldn¡¯t be proud and that you are not really free of the charges that were hurled at you!¡± ¡± She said so many things in just a few sentences?¡± Liu Hui Ying was amused and bewildered by what Jia Li told her. She was sure that the concubine Ji only said a total of three to four sentences to her, howe it turned into such vicious sentences? ¡± What do you know?¡± Jia Li flipped her hair behind her shoulder and then knowledgeably looked at Liu Hui Ying. ¡± This is how the concubines and the Empress of this time used to show disdain for each other, they were considered the embodiment of grace and elegance do you think they would fight like a shrew on the streets? Of course, they would use words filled with elegance to hit each other.¡± ¡± Then what am I supposed to say to her?¡± asked Liu Hui Ying, would she be counted as a shrew just because she spoke her mind? What a hard world man. ¡ª¡ª Chapter 71 71 Only I am the viin? ¡± Just tell her that you are d that she worried for you,¡± said Jia Li after careful consideration. ¡± But make it look like you have understood the meaning of her words and nce at her in disdain like you cannot even bother yourself with the likes of her.¡± ¡± Will that be okay?¡± Grandma Lan Fen was ever the peace-loving elder, she did not want to see any catfight happening in front of her for absolutely no reason. ¡± Why not,¡± said Li Gang with a casual shrug. ¡± She was the one who hurled the bat at us first, shouldn¡¯t we retaliate? I mean if we let her go that easily, she will think that we are a bunch of pussies and I do not want to be in a gang with a bunch of scaredy cats.¡± Liu Hui Ying has always been the type of person who wouldn¡¯t bother someone in case they don¡¯t bother her but clearly the same could not be said for Concubine Ji who came waving her horns and trying to hit her. So, she smiled just like Jia Li asked her to with a hint of disdain and said, ¡± I am thankful that you were worried about me concubine Ji.¡± Ji Yu caught the disdain in Liu Hui Ying¡¯s eyes and her anger soared past her head even more. Why? With what right was this woman looking at her like this? She was the one who belonged to a highly corrupt and cruel family, with what confidence was she looking at her like this? ¡± Of course, I have to worry about you, your majesty,¡± seeing that her words didn¡¯t seem to incite the reaction that she intended to, Ji Yu tried again, if she was to sessfully get the Empress to hit her then Zhai Tianyu will be able to use it against the Liu family. ¡± As the royal concubine, it¡¯s my responsibility to make sure that you remain in good health.¡± ¡± What does she mean by this now?¡± questioned Liu Hui Ying as she flicked her nce at Jia Li. ¡± She is asserting dominance,¡± replied Jia Li with a wise look on her face. ¡± She is the Emperor¡¯s childhood sweetheart and the two of them have been together with each other for so long meaning that she knows more about the Emperor than you do... and she seems to be treating you as a guest. If I am not wrong then I am sure that she is using her words to undermine you by insinuating that you will be kicked out sooner orter.¡± ..... She then paused and added, ¡± I saw her stiffening when she saw you in the garden from what I can summarise from her attitude and the overly offensive behaviour... I think that this garden holds a special ce in her heart.¡± Liu Hui Ying did not have any interest in the throne or the crown that she had at the moment. Maybe to women like this one right here, this might be a grand thing but to her, her freedom was what mattered the most. ¡± I see, if you are here to tell me to leave then you should say it outright,¡± Liu Hui Ying did not want to y along with Ji Yu, anyway she was going to leave this ce sooner orter, she did not have even the slightest bit of attachment to anything here. So, Ji Yu¡¯s actions were nothing but child y to her as she nced at Ji Yu dismissively and added, ¡± I don¡¯t like people who go round and round in circles.¡± Her words were nothing less than a verbal p on Ji Yu¡¯s face, thetter¡¯s entire body stiffened but Liu Hui Ying wasn¡¯t Zhai Tianyu, she wouldn¡¯t care about Ji Yu just because thetter looked hurt or as if she was on the verge of crying. She nced at the paleplexion of Ji Yu and then walked past her, her head held high but she didn¡¯t even take ten steps away from Ji Yu when thetter turned her head and sharply said, ¡± Your majesty, sure knows how to speak ..have you forgotten how your family killed my brother?¡± Liu Hui Ying frowned in annoyance, she wasn¡¯t Liu Hui Ying of this world and she did not have any connections with the Liu family either but she was still troubled like this, she turned her feet slightly such that she was looking at Ji Yu and asked in a firm voice, ¡± Did I give the order to kill your brother? Or did I drive the sword through his heart?¡± Ji Yu¡¯s face turned pale but when she didn¡¯t reply Liu Hui Ying smiled and said, ¡± From your expression, I can see that I didn¡¯t ... then why are you questioning me with that ming expression of yours? If you have the courage why don¡¯t you go and question the one who was behind the order? Or is it that you do not have the courage to do so?¡± ¡± It was your family who did it!¡± Ji Yu did not want to hear Liu Hui Ying speak like that she did not want this woman to shirk off the me that she was supposed to carry. After all, the woman who got her brother killed was none other than this woman¡¯s sister! ¡± Hmm, do you mean to say that your family¡¯s hands are clean?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked with an amused smile as she looked at the woman in front of her, when Ji Yu did not say anything, she crossed her hands behind her back and smilingly added, ¡± It would be better for you not to forget how many lives your family have taken from the Liu family if I was to speak the truth...just the way you lost your brother, I lost my sister... do I need to say anything more?¡± ¡± Wha..what?¡± Ji Yu asked in confusion when she caught sight of Qui Ai and Nanny Gong¡¯s red eyes while Liu Hui Ying¡¯s eyes glimmered cruelly as she smiled at her. ¡± Oh my, it seems that your family only knows how to make mine a viin, concubine Ji. The day when your brother was supposed to meet with my sister, she was assaulted and then killed off, my father didn¡¯t even let me see my sister¡¯s body. Be d that my family was kind enough to let you have ast look at your brother¡¯s body.¡± ¡ª Can I get some support inments, powerstones and gifts? Chapter 72 72 Ask your father. ¡± What are you talking about?¡± Ji Yu thought that Liu Hui Ying was actually trying to muddle the entire thing up bying up with a weird story. She had heard from her mother that the woman with whom her brother was supposed to elope married off to another town and she was living a very happy life. There was no reason for her mother to lie to her right? ¡± Why don¡¯t you ask your father what I am talking about or maybe even the head of your family?¡± Liu Hui Ying heard Qui Ai and Nanny Gong¡¯sints, she also heard them when they were trash-talking about the Ji family, calling Ji Yu a hypocrite. It was true that the Liu family did not want their daughter to elope with the son of the Ji family, they were the ones who were behind sending the assassins after Ji Yu¡¯s brother as well but the Ji family wasn¡¯t filled with soft persimmons either. They too got wind of the fact that their son was eloping with someone from the Liu family, on the surface, it looked like the Liu family was the only one who was corrupt and cruel while the Ji family was filled with people with morals. But if the Ji family was such an honest family then it wouldn¡¯t have survived for so long against the Liu family. So, when they found out that their son was eloping with this body¡¯s big sister, they sent a bunch of assassins after that woman as well. Unlike the Liu family who only gave the orders to kill, the Ji family took it a bit far and gave the sister of this body a fairly disrespectful death. In this way, it could be said that neither of the families was innocent, it was just that the Liu family was used to being pushed into the front of the battle and they were also hesitant to reveal the fact that a daughter of their family was killed like this. That was why they never brought the matter up in the court for they didn¡¯t want to lose face, this was one of the reasons why the Ji family ordered the group of assassins to kill the sister of this woman like that for they knew that they would be able to make use of this opportunity to turn the entire Liu family into viins while escaping worried free. Seeing that Ji Yu¡¯s face was rather pale, Liu Hui Ying smiled mockingly and then added swiftly, ¡± If I may add, you should ask your father whether he finds it easy to sleep at night after dishonouring a young maiden like this and spreading such disgusting lies about a woman who died under his hands.¡± She paused and then ced her forefinger on her chin before contemptuously sneering. ¡± I believe that he might find it easy after all if he had the slightest bit of humanity left within him then he wouldn¡¯t have done something so ah, shameless and viinous.¡± Liu Hui Ying smiled at Ji Yu before blinking both her eyes in a teasing manner and turning around to leave. ¡± Don¡¯t make your family sound so pitiful, concubine Ji ... I find it rather disgusting.¡± She turned her head and looked over at Ji Yu whose face was pale and haughtily stared down at him. ¡± You might like the idea of making me sound like a viin but at least my family isn¡¯t a bunch of hypocrites.¡± ..... After that, she turned her head to face the front and then walked out of the garden leaving a stunned Ji Yu behind. ¡± Miss!¡± Xiaolin shouted for Ji Yu staggered to her feet and then almost dropped to her knees as she stared at Liu Hui Ying¡¯s vanishing back. She turned to Xiaolin and clung to her arms as she said, ¡± There is no way right, Xiaolin? There is no way for my family to do something like this right? She must be lying. She must be!¡± For years she has hated Liu Hui Ying and the Liu family but now she was being told that her hatred was without a base? How can she ept it? Xiaolin too was confused by the Queen¡¯s words, she too believed that it was a lie but the Queen was too confident for that, in the end, she thought about it and carefully answered, ¡± Missy why don¡¯t you write a letter to the master and ask him whether it is true or not? Maybe the Queen was just telling a bunch of lies to make you feel guilty.¡± ¡± Yes... I will do that, I will go and ask my father what exactly happened back then,¡± Ji Yu agreed with Xiaolin¡¯s suggestion and then let her maid help her up, she was a bit too overwhelmed, and her mind was running with a bunch of thoughts. She has to think over things carefully but with her head buzzing like this ... she rubbed her head and turned to look at Xiaolin. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the special squad training centre, my head seems to be stuffy... I will make use of the time and practise some swordsmanship.¡± Ji Yu was unlike the other girls who didn¡¯t learn the martial arts skills from hunting to using swords she knew everything and that was why she was confident that she was the one who deserved to stay next to Zhai Tianyu but now ¡ª She watched the entrance of the garden, she of course could no longer see the Queen but at the same time, she couldn¡¯t help but bite her lips. What if what Liu Hui Ying said was the truth? ¡± That Concubine Ji, she is really!¡± Qui Ai did not finish her sentence but anyone could see that she was rather furious. ¡°It¡¯s clearly their fault as well but they only me my missy for what happened back then, what¡¯s wrong with them? Do they have no heart!¡± ¡± If they had a heart, they would not have done something so inhuman to thete miss,¡± Nanny Gong interrupted Qui Ai¡¯s diatribe with a solemn look on her face, she nced at Liu Hui Ying who was walking in front of her and silently worried inside her head ¡ª the missy was once again reminded of that incident, was she okay? ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 73 73 Killing Concubine Ji and cing the me on the Queen! Liu Hui Ying was more than okay in fact she was feeling quite refreshed now that she has smacked that annoying woman in the face. Thest time she was in the old hag¡¯s courtyard that Concubine Ji had annoyed her together with the old hag and that jerk, now that she was able to verbally smack her in the face, how can Liu Hui Ying be not happy? ¡± Nanny Gong, would you look for¨C¡± she wanted to take a break that was why she was going to ask nanny Gong to bring her to a ce where she could take a break but then suddenly the temperature around her dropped and Liu Hui Ying felt the presence of someone. Hurriedly, she whirled around to look in the direction from where the heavy yin energy wasing when she caught sight of something silvery. The being had no form it was more or less like a small orb of glowing right but Liu Hui Ying could see that the shiny glob of light was a soul as for whose ¡ª She narrowed her eyes and then bundled up her skirt in her hands, this ce might be filled with a number of souls but even if it means catching each soul and taking a look at their faces, she was willing to do so after all one of these souls belonged to that woman, and only by bringing the original soul back to this body will she be able to go back to her world! ¡± Nanny Gong, I have something to do, so you two can go back first,¡± after she finished speaking, Liu Hui Ying shot towards the shiny ball of light with all her strength it was as if the sooner she caught it the sooner she will be able to return to her world. ! Seeing Liu Hui Ying run like her life depended on it how can Nanny Gong turn around and go back to the courtyard? She was worried that her missy will be caught up in trouble if she was to so much as take her eyes off her, that was why she immediately rushed after Liu Hui Ying. Qui Ai too ran after her mistress, worried that her missy will fall and break her neck but the two of them were unlike Liu Hui Ying who was willing to bundle up her skirt in her hands and run after the ball of a shiny orb. They were too shy to do something like that and which was why the two were soon left behind by Liu Hui Ying. ¡± Your majesty! Please...huff...please wait!¡± Nanny Gong was old and her old bones couldn¡¯t take her more than half a metre away, soon she started panting as she shouted after Liu Hui Ying. But Liu Hui Ying was running after her ticket to return to her world, how can she even take a break and stop to listen to what Nanny Gong was saying? ..... Nanny Gong realised that Liu Hui Ying was not going to stop, so she could only hand the baton to Qui Ai as she panted and said, ¡± You... I will leave her majesty in your hands!¡± As she spoke Nanny Gong went to lie down in the middle of the path. This missy of hers, she was going to make her lose her life someday! Qui Ai immediately rose to the responsibility that was handed to her, she left nanny Gong behind and rushed after Liu Hui Ying, swearing that she wouldn¡¯t let Nanny Gong¡¯s sacrifice go in vain but then she too lost sight of Liu Hui Ying! She blinked her eyes and stared at the deep forest where she arrived because of chasing her missy and pursed her lips as she shouted, ¡± Your majesty, where are you?¡± At this moment Liu Hui Ying too was standing in the forest, her eyes sweeping over the ce as Li Gang and the others tried to look for the shining orb of light as well. ¡± I can¡¯t see it, in fact, I can¡¯t even sense it! This hasn¡¯t happened before,¡± Jia Li was stunned, she couldn¡¯t believe that she lost the shiny orb that could bring her back to her beloved chill and flex subscription! ¡± This is impossible! How is this even possible!¡± Li Gang who was itching closer to go back to his beloved subus was also stunned, what was this? How in the world did this happen? They have never seen any soul that could hide its presence so easily! ¡± It must be a special grade,¡± said Grandam Lan Fen with a worried expression. ¡± Only a spirit that has been roaming this ne for a long time can reach up to such a high stage of cultivation, this woman died just a few days ago there is no way that she would have reached that stage in such a small period of time. Hui Ying, you didn¡¯t sense the difference between the cultivation level of the spirit as well?¡± Liu Hui Ying did sense the difference when she was chasing the shiny orb of light but while she was chasing the orb, she felt a sense of familiarity as if she knew the soul, which was why even though she knew that the shiny orb wasn¡¯t the soul of this woman, she was willing to chase after it. ¡± I ...¡± She began but then she heard the rustling of the leaves and she paused, cing a finger on her lips she asked her ghosts to remain silent. She thought that it was the soul that escaped her grasp behind the bushes but when she carefully walked towards the direction where the sound wasing from she was disappointed to see that it wasn¡¯t a soul but two young maids. Liu Hui Ying sighed, it seems like she will have to wait for the shiny orb to show itself again. Just as she was going to tell her ghosts to leave she heard the maid say in a low voice, ¡± Are you sure that we can do this? I mean killing Concubine Ji and pinning the me on the Queen?¡± ¡ª Can you guys please support me with powerstones, gifts andments or reviews? If you like my writing then you can check my new books Hot Bloodsuckers¡¯ obsession in case you are in reverse harem and if you like action and horror please check overlord: The demon duke¡¯s daughter fell for me. Chapter 74 74 We will have fun today Liu Hui Ying paused as she turned her head and hid behind the tree whose trunk was wide enough to hide her. She didn¡¯t know who exactly did she offend that she was meeting one death g after another, now what in the world was this? ¡± You don¡¯t have to worry,¡± maid number two whose face was sprinkled with freckles immediately looked around and Liu Hui Ying had to duck behind the tree in a hurry or else she would have been caught by the maid who was looking around just now. Once the maid was sure that the two of them were quite alone, she turned to her partner in crime and said, ¡± The concubine hase up with a full proof n, if we seed in following her n properly then no one will even think about so much as doubting us.¡± She rummaged in her pocket before pulling out a small silk pouch with strings tied around it. ¡± Do you know what this is?¡± ¡± I don¡¯t,¡± replied the maid looking a bit confused as she stared at the red silk pouch with green leaves and flowers embroidered on it. ¡± What is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the poison of silver grass,¡± answered the maid with a satisfied smile. ¡± You don¡¯t know, but this poison is something that only the nobles can get their hands on ...and I have already hidden one pouch in the Queen¡¯s courtyard after bribing one of the maids working there. More importantly,¡± the maid paused but her face was shining with excitement as she added, ¡± The queen and Concubine Ji seemed to have gotten in a scuffle earlier in the garden many maids witnessed it as well, even God seem to be helping us today! If we are sessful then not only will we be able to shift the me on the queen and make her the murderer but we will also be rewarded by madam!¡± Liu Hui Ying stiffened and the ghosts behind her stiffened as well, all three of them turned to look at Liu Hui Ying whose expression has gone dark and then shook their heads. Looks like the two maids will die today, after all, they knew better than anyone how much Liu Hui Ying hated being med for things she didn¡¯t do. ¡± But will this be all right?¡± The first maid was still a bit hesitant even though her missy sent her next to Concubine Ji¡¯s side to kill her, she has never killed anyone in her entire life. For her to suddenly kill someone and frame the Queen of the country, it was as if someone has asked her to butcher the Emperor with her hands. ¡± Of course!¡± The second maid replied fervently as she looked at her friend, she understood that the maid was a bit scared by her n but this was their only chance to get the freedom that they have always wanted. ¡± You know it as well, Xiao Xhi if you want to get out of the pce and go back to your family you will have to do this. And it¡¯s not like we will be questioned. Everyone knows that the Emperor and the Queen¡¯s rtionship is like oil and water, they are together but they will never mix together. Once Concubine Ji is harmed surely the Emperor will be furious enough to kill the Queen in one sweep!¡± ..... ¡± But¨C¡± ¡± No buts!¡± The second maid snapped at her friend before rolling her eyes at her and saying, ¡± I know that you are afraid but you need to know that the ones who are scared to take a bite will starve themselves but the ones who are daring to take a bite will stuff themselves. Do you want to starve yourself of the opportunity that has been handed to you?¡± The first maid thought about it before she gritted her teeth and then nodded. ¡± Fine let¡¯s do it.¡± She too wanted to return to her family with lots of money and freedom to stay with them throughout her entire life. The two maids walked away but Liu Hui Ying stayed where she was, for just a small period, it was as if she has slipped down a memoryne she didn¡¯t want to ever visit. ¡® Did you hear? The Liu girl from the ss one actually killed her sister!¡¯ ¡® She was the only one beside her sister when the girl died, I have always said that the girl had something weird going on with her but no one believed me, see now what she did!¡¯ ¡®Liu Hui Ying? That girl has always been weird, I am not surprised that she killed someone.¡¯ ¡® No matter what the police say, I am still certain that it was that girl who killed her sister.¡¯ ¡®She is a murderer!¡¯ ¡®Get lost!¡¯ ¡± Hui Ying?¡± Jia Li hesitatingly called Liu Hui Ying who was scratching the bark of the tree with her nails, she was digging her nails so hard into the bark that her finger tips were almost turning red because of the scraping. ¡± Hui Ying?¡± Something within Liu Hui Ying snapped as her lips curled up into a smile as she raised her head and looked at her three ghosts with eyes that were slowly turningpletely ck. ¡± I think we are going to have some fun today.¡± ¡± We are done,¡± Li Gang muttered quietly as he looked at the demonic aura around Liu Hui Ying. ¡± Her powers are almost on the verge of snapping.¡± ¡± Hui Ying, calm down all right?¡± Grandma Lan Fen could feel the temperature dropping until the entire surrounding was freezing and couldn¡¯t help but remind Liu Hui Ying. Thest time she lost control of her powers, the graves in the graveyard were all dug up and the streets of the city were filled with corpses. If Liu Hui Ying was to lose control then ¡ª ¡± Don¡¯t worry, Grandma Lan Fen,¡± Liu Hui Ying smiling looked at her with a wink. ¡± I know what I am doing and you don¡¯t have to worry about it at all.¡± Grandma Lan Fen and the others: ¡°...¡± Say that after easing that murderous glint in your eyes will you? ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 75 75 I said move ¡± Your majesty! You are finally here!¡± Qui Ai who was looking for Liu Hui Ying caught sight of Liu Hui Ying and heaved a sigh of relief. She has been looking for Liu Hui Ying for so long but she couldn¡¯t find her, the pce was so big and there was no way that she alone could find Liu Hui Ying in such a big ce. ¡± Where did you go? I was so scared! Your majesty¨C¡± Qui Ai paused when she saw that something was wrong with Liu Hui Ying, though she was smiling something was very wrong about that smile and why was the entire ce getting so cold all of a sudden? ¡± Your majesty, is everything all right?¡± Nanny Gong caught a stitch in the side of her waist and was taken to the courtyard and now that Qui Ai was alone, she was a bit worried upon seeing her mistress like this. What was going on? What happened in just a small period of time? She only left her missy alone for a few minutes! Liu Hui Ying did not answer Qui Ai instead she ced her hand on Qui Ai¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡± Little Ai, do you know where Concubine Ji is at the moment?¡± ¡± She must be at the training grounds of the special army,¡± replied Qui Ai instinctively, she knew that Ji Yu was friends with not only the emperor but even Zhai Feng and Yu Lingyun. The three of them together with the Emperor have practised martial arts but no one of them was any good. Only Concubine Ji understood a bit of sword fighting and other than her no one knew how to take care of swords, not even the Emperor. ¡± I see,¡± Liu Hui Ying patted her on the shoulder and said, ¡± Then would you mind taking me there?¡± Qui Ai stared at her missy with a stunned expression as she let out a ¡®huh?¡¯ ..... ¡± Take me to the training grounds,¡± seeing that Qui Ai was shocked and did not seem to be understanding what she said, Liu Hui Ying repeated again and this time Qui Ai snapped out of her daze but she seemedpletely out of her mind with worry as he said, ¡± But your majesty why do you have to do something like this? Why are you going to the training grounds, if you want to look for Concubine Ji then you can look for herter on¨C¡± ¡± Qui Ai,¡± Liu Hui Ying spoke suddenly putting a stop to Qui Ai¡¯s babbling as she smiled at her coldly. ¡± Do what I have told you, I asked you to bring me to the training grounds then you have to do as I asked.¡± Qui Ai realised that she might have overstepped her boundaries so she lowered her head and said, ¡± Forgive me, your majesty, I will take you to the training grounds.¡± .... ¡± Don¡¯t move your body, don¡¯t il like that and what are you doing with that girly strokes of swords? Move them like you will when you are facing your enemy!¡± Zhai Heng observed the soldiers who were supposed to train in the special army grounds while he looked at Ji Yu who was swinging her sword on the fighting tform in the centre of the training grounds. He looked at her perfect form and nodded his head, no wonder his brother chose Ji Yu as his life partner, she was the perfect woman for him. Just as he was going to praise Ji Yu for her wonderful form, a guard came running towards him and whispered something in his ear. Zhai Feng¡¯s expression changed at once as he swept a look at the soldiers and said, ¡± Stop your training.¡± The soldiers who were practising suddenly stopped even Yu Lingyun who was practising his sword skills stopped and looked at Zhai Heng who was striding towards the entrance of the training grounds, it was only then did they saw the Empress who was standing outside. Immediately, Yu Lingyun¡¯s expression changed as well as he followed after Zhai Heng. Why was the Queen here? No more importantly what was her objective toe here, was she here to keep an eye on the training of the special army? Zhai Heng came to a stop in front of Liu Hui Ying stopping her from going inside the training grounds, and so did Yu Lingyun as he came to stand beside Zhai Heng. ¡± Your majesty, what are you doing here? This is not a ce for you toe.¡± Zhai Heng¡¯s words might have been polite but Liu Hui Ying could see the contempt in his eyes. If he did this any other time, then she would have yed along with him but at the moment she was too ¡®engrossed¡¯ in her own thing to pay any attention to Zhai Heng. ¡± Imperialmander, I will say this one time, get out of my way,¡± said Liu Hui Ying as she stopped a few steps away from Zhai Heng. However Zhai Heng did not move, he stayed where he was and stared down at Liu Hui Ying with annoyance. ¡± Your majesty, this is not a ce for you, please return to your courtyard. I do understand that you want topete with Concubine Ji but this is not the time or ce for you to do so. Please don¡¯t make things difficult for us.¡± ¡± That¡¯s right, your majesty,¡± Yu Lingyun chimed from the sidelines as he nodded. ¡± You should go back, in case you get hurt then we will have to answer his majesty.¡± Liu Hui Ying stared at the two of them before scoffing as she raised her head and stared them in the eyes. ¡°It seems like there is some sort of misunderstanding. Do you think that you two are above the Queen?¡± Both Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun stiffened, they didn¡¯t expect Liu Hui Ying to use her status as the queen to suppress them. ¡± Your majesty,¡± Zhai Heng began but he was cut off by Liu Hui Ying. ¡± Imperialmander Zhai, it seems that you do not understand your position. When I order you to roll then it means you have to roll, how dare you go against me? I told you to move so MOVE! ¡± Chapter 76 76 ring maid Zhai Heng was stunned, he never thought that the Queen would dare to be this forceful, but he still did not budge from his spot. He didn¡¯t trust anyone from the Liu family and Ji Yu was also on the training grounds, what if the Queen tried to do something to her? Seeing that Zhai Heng was not moving Liu Hui Ying wasn¡¯t angry, instead, she was amused she tilted her head and said, ¡± My it seems that the imperialmander really thinks that he is above the Queen, I wonder what the right prime minister will think when I tell him about this.¡± As soon as she brought the right prime minister and the head of the Liu family, Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun stiffened at once. They couldn¡¯t risk being found out by the right prime minister, if he was to start keeping an eye on the two of them especially because of Liu Hui Ying then it will be terrible! This was something Ji Yu knew as well, she didn¡¯t know why Liu Hui Ying was trying to make things difficult for Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun or why she was even insisting toe inside the training grounds but she knew that she couldn¡¯t let the matter reach the ears of right prime minister. They worked hard for all these months and she gave up the position of the Empress all because they wanted to deflect the attention of the right prime minister, if Liu Hui Ying was to tell him that Zhai Heng tried to restrict her from taking a look at the training grounds then surely the right prime minister will pay attention specifically to this small training ground. They couldn¡¯t afford to let that happen. Ji Yu knew that the reason Zhai Heng was refusing to let Liu Hui Ying in was that he was worried about her, so she tugged her lips to a side and called out to Zhai Heng, ¡± Imperialmander Zhai Heng, please don¡¯t think so much... after all, the queen is here to y a little. There is nothing wrong with her trying to get rid of her boredom.¡± On the surface, Ji Yu seemed to be helping Liu Hui Ying but everyone could understand the meaning behind her words, she was making fun of Liu Hui Ying foring to the training grounds when she couldn¡¯t even raise a sword and didn¡¯t seem to have any idea how martial arts worked. Liu Hui Ying too understood the meaning of Ji Yu¡¯s words thanks to Jia Li who told her what Ji Yu was trying to say by throwing such sarcastic words. ¡± Concubine Ji...¡± Zhai Heng began he understood that Ji Yu was still upset by the fact that Liu Hui Ying has dragged her downst time but he didn¡¯t want such a dangerous woman to be near her. ..... ¡± You heard her,¡± but he was interrupted by Liu Hui Ying who raised a brow and smiled at Zhai Heng coldly. ¡± I am here just to y with her, I hope that you are not scared that I who have no martial arts skill would do something to Concubine Ji who knows how to wield a sword and bow?¡± When Liu Hui Ying dragged his thoughts out of his head and ced them in front of him even the ever-stoic Zhai Heng¡¯s expression turned bad. He turned his head to look at Liu Hui Ying who was staring at him with a flicker of knowing look in her eyes, it seemed that she was smarter than he gave her credit for. In the end, even when Zhai Heng did not want to let her inside the trading grounds, he did not have the slightest bit of leeway left in front of him. If he was to refuse her from entering the training grounds then this spoiled woman would run to her uncle and ry everything that happened here to her uncle. He couldn¡¯t allow that to happen, he and Zhai Tianyu were already being closely monitored by the Liu family, and if something like this was found out by them then he might end up making things difficult for his brother. ¡± Pleasee this way, your majesty,¡± Zhai Heng stepped aside and then bowed deeply in front of Liu Hui Ying. Even though he had his head bowed in front of Liu Hui Ying, his heart was on fire. He was silently hoping that one day he would be able to take care of the Liu family and her such that she would never be able to say something like this again to him. Liu Hui Ying nced at Zhai Heng lightly she had no interest in him, so after just a nce, she turned her head and then focused her attention on the tform where Ji Yu was with her maids standing behind her. Her eyes fell on the de of the sword that was covered with dark mist, depicting that it was coated with ayer of something sinister that will cause instant death. Her eyes flickered slightly before she climbed the stairs of the tform one by one until she reached the top of the uneven stone tform. ¡± That sword can you give it to me, concubine Ji?¡± She asked as she pointed to the sword that concubine Ji Yu was holding but then paused in her actions as she slightly curled her lips and added, ¡± Don¡¯t tell me that this is one of those things that despite being allowed to be used by everyone only exists for your use?¡± She was clearly taunting Ji Yu for being upset about her entering the garden. Ji Yu¡¯s face flushed in embarrassment as she bit her lips, she knew what Liu Hui Ying was talking about and she was surprised that thetter has actually cottoned on to her feelings with such ease. ¡± The Queen is surely joking,¡± she handed her sword to Xiaolin who took it carefully and brought it to Liu Hui Ying. ¡± Of course, you can take the sword as well as everything that you wish to have.¡± ¡± Hmm, if only the people of the pce thought the same,¡± Liu Hui Ying took the sword from Xiaolin but then noticed that the maid was actually ring at her. ¡ª¡ª- Chapter 77 77 Bet Liu Hui Ying usually would not pay attention to anything like this, she was after all over such things but when her fuse snapped she was like a crazy dog that would bite anyone at any time if they so much as breathed wrongly. Seeing that the maid was actually ring at her, Liu Hui Ying unleashed her aura and said softly, ¡± What pretty eyes, are you showing them off to me because you want me to gouge them out and y with them?? For I have never seen anyone ring at me like this before.¡± Her words were light but anyone could hear the threat in them, Xiaolin who has never been treated like this shivered and her hands that were on her sides clenched slightly. Why...why was the queen so scary? However, she didn¡¯t even get to finish the thought either as a hand reached out and grabbed her chin so hard that she almost yelped out loud. When Xiaolin raised her head, she was surprised to find that it was Liu Hui Ying who was holding her and even worse, she could actually see that the Queen¡¯s pupils have gonepletely ck like a demon! ¡± Gh...¡± ¡± Why aren¡¯t you saying anything hmm?¡± Before Xiaolin could shout the word ¡®ghost¡¯ she was interrupted by Liu Hui Ying who sneered at her. ¡± Shall I take that imprudent act of yours as the will of yours or the will of your master? If its the will of your master then I will deal with her but if it¡¯s your will then I will have you know the sensation of having your eyes plunged out isn¡¯t nice at all, it¡¯s like as if a million flesh-eating ants have been unleashed on you, first it will be piercing pain then excruciating twisting and finally a hollowness that you can¡¯t even withstand.¡± Xiaolin was so terrified that she started shivering, she was being attacked from two sides, on one side it was the Queen¡¯s monstrous pupils and then on the other side it was the Queen¡¯s threat, she was worried that if she was to say anything unnecessary then she will be killed without even getting a chance to say a word! ¡± That¡¯s enough, your majesty,¡± before Liu Hui Ying could say anything anymore she was stopped by Ji Yu who has gone pale all of a sudden. She has never seen any woman acting so boldly and that too while unleashing such a heavy bloodthirst, she looked at Liu Hui Ying who had her fingers around Xiaolin¡¯s cheeks in a death grip and then her gaze fell on the shivering Xiaolin. This was why she told her maid not to overstep, again and again, she was her maid whom she treated like a sister but it couldn¡¯t be said that the others would treat her just as nicely Xiaolin has never left the courtyard of the Ji family and even if she did, she only came to the pce where she was respectfully treated by Zhai Tianyu and the others who knew how important Xiaolin was to her. ¡± I will apologise in her stead,¡± said Ji Yu causing Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun to clench their fingers, they have always treated Ji Yu as their sister but now because of Liu Hui Ying they have to watch her apologise to Liu Hui Ying. ..... However, just as Ji Yu was going to bow down to Liu Hui Ying thetter said, ¡± Please do not do that Concubine Ji, I am afraid that if you were to bow down to me then I will be weed by another jar of poisonous wine.¡± She let go of Xiaolin who dropped on her bottom and then gasped loudly, she raised her head and looked at the Queen whose pupils have gone back to normal and shuddered. Something was wrong, something was very wrong with the Queen! She got to her feet and rushed to Ji Yu¡¯s side not even daring to look at Liu Hui Ying, seeing her like this Ji Yu¡¯s heart ached and she swore that she will make Liu Hui Ying just as embarrassed and scared as she did to Xiaolin. ¡°Xiaolin, you go and sit down,¡± Ji Yu patted Xiaolin¡¯s shoulder and then asked her maids to take Xiaolin to the side and only then did she turn to look at Liu Hui Ying who was examining her sword. When Ji Yu saw that Liu Hui Ying was unfamiliar with swords, she smiled contemptuously. This was going to be easy, and with that, she took her stance and said, ¡± You can go first your majesty.¡± Liu Hui Ying was still looking at the de of the sword that was covered with poison as she smiled as if a demon has possessed her and said, ¡± Are you sure that you want me to go first ?¡± ¡± That¡¯s right since you do not know how to sword fight then I will go easy on you,¡± Ji Yu said that but she seemed to be fully prepared to take Liu Hui Ying down in one swift move. Liu Hui Ying curled her lips and then nodded. ¡± If that¡¯s what you want.¡± Everyone was waiting for the Queen to make fun of herself but then to their surprise, they watched the Queen move with such agility that their mouths dropped one by one especially Yu Lingyun who was torn between idolising Liu Hui Ying¡¯s footwork and cheering for Ji Yu. The sword didn¡¯t even hit Ji Yu even once, but everyone could see that the one who was getting overwhelmed was none other than concubine Ji! They all stared at Liu Hui Ying who was moving her sword with such a quickness that she seemed to have created an illusion that she was holding on to two swords and from the expression of concubine Ji who looked shocked and troubled they could already predict the oue of this game. Those who ced a bet on Ji Yu were regretful on the other hand Qui Ai was already rubbing her hands, prepared to count the money she won. Chapter 78 78 Dark soul ¡± What is going on? Why is Ji Yu being pushed around like that?¡± Yu Lingyun asked Zhai Heng, he was the one who taught Ji Yu how to use a sword, he knew better than anyone how good Ji Yu was when it came to using a sword. So, how was it possible for anyone to push her into a corner like this? He stared at Liu Hui Ying who was hardly breaking any sweat, even on her forehead there were barely any drops of sweat, in fact, she looked like she was having quite fun with the way she was ying Ji Yu around on the fighting tform, it was simply unbearable to watch! ¡± Is she deliberately allowing the Queen to win? Is that why she is doing this..there is no way she will be defeated so easily right?¡± Yu Lingyun questioned again, he has taught his friends and knew just how good they were when it came to swordsmanship. Even though Ji Yu was a woman, she could give any man a decent fight yet she was now having a hard time fighting with Liu Hui Ying, what does this mean? Zhai Heng on the other hand didn¡¯t say anything to Yu Lingyun, for he knew that Ji Yu wasn¡¯t deliberately trying to lose to Liu Hui Ying, she was having a hard time fighting back! His pupils shook as he looked at Liu Hui Ying who looked like a crazy beast in heat, what should he do? Should he ask them to put an end to this fight but if he was to do that then he will be admitting defeat instead of Ji Yu. And he knew that Ji Yu would not be able to bear admitting defeat in front of the Queen, whom she detested so much. So, what was he supposed to do now? ¡®What am I supposed to do?¡¯Asked Ji Yu in her head as her sword met with Liu Hui Ying, a loud shing sound echoed in the training grounds and even Ji Yu felt her heart tremble as she watched Liu Hui Ying attack her again and again. ¡± What¡¯s wrong, Concubine Ji?¡± She heard Liu Hui Ying say as she dodged the attack that was aimed at her. ¡± We are ying, right? Then why aren¡¯t you ying with me? I am not having fun, don¡¯t you see? I want you to fight back. So, show me what you have got!¡± As she said this, Liu Hui Ying¡¯s attacks got more and more fervent and for the first time in her life, Liu Hui Ying realised the difference in their strengths. When she heard Liu Hui Ying say that she wanted to y with her, she thought that it would be her who would y with her but turns out that it wasn¡¯t her who was ying with Liu Hui Ying, it was Liu Hui Ying! ..... If Liu Hui Ying was aiming to kill her, then she would have maimed her by now. Ji Yu shivered as she tried her best to fight back but the more she tried to go against Liu Hui Ying, the more she realised that she couldn¡¯t even attack Liu Hui Ying. The Queen was so quick and agile that she was spending most of her time defending herself, Liu Hui Ying was not even giving her a chance to fight back much less attack her. ¡± What is she doing?¡± Jia Li asked Grandma Lan Fen as she looked at Liu Hui Ying who has lost control of the soul she was supposed to keep tied within her body. ¡± Why is she not restraining her? She will kill someone if this goes on!¡± ¡± Don¡¯t worry, even if she is trying to surface there is no way that Hui Ying would let her take control of the situationpletely,¡± replied Grandma Lan Fen but she too looked worried. ¡± I just don¡¯t understand why she lost control of that horrible soul, this has hardly happened before...and thest time it happened was when she ...¡± Grandma Lan Fen trailed off as she shuddered, she was dead but that day she realised the true horror of a celestial master. In fact that night she was rather d that she was dead or else. ¡± She is making a statement,¡± said Li Gang simply as he carefully eyed the fight and kept track of that soul that was trying to get out of Liu Hui Ying¡¯s body. ¡± You know why she hates getting med for something she did not do...after all, she was med for her sister¡¯s death for years, and the same thing was going to happen today as well, how can she be not angry? She is using this opportunity to warn everyone who wants to use her name that using her will be the most foolish mistake they can make.¡± ¡± That¡¯s stupid what if someone gets hurt,¡± said Jia Li in exasperation. ¡± You know how crazy that soul is, she will kill anyone the second she makes her presence known, and Liu Hui Ying knows that as well yet she is not restraining her!¡± ¡°It¡¯s toote,¡± Li Gang stated as he looked at Liu Hui Ying whose shoulders were now covered with dark mist, if one was to look carefully, one can see w-like hands clutching onto them. ¡± She is here, now bloodshed is inevitable...someone will definitely die and they will die so painfully that they will fear death even in the underworld.¡± Grandma Lan Fen gasped and then retreated, and so did Jia Li. That soul, they had no fondness for it, even though Liu Hui Ying was willing to be its vessel, they hated and despised that soul for she was so cruel. ¡± Should we stop her,¡± asked Jia Li quietly as she looked at Liu Hui Ying who swung her swords at Ji Yu. ¡± What if she kills that woman? She is the childhood sweetheart of the Emperor, we can¡¯t have her get killed.¡± Li Gang licked his lips and shook his head. ¡± That soul cannot be stopped now, if we go there now, then it will be suicide and what¡¯s more the saviour of that woman is here.¡± He added as he turned his head to the entrance of the training grounds. ¡ª¡ª- Chapter 79 79 Aiming to kill Liu Hui Ying swung her sword at Ji Yu and this time she was a lot more heavy-handed than before, Ji Yu who wasn¡¯t used to such strength or attacks stumbled and the sword from her hand flew from her hand. Liu Hui Ying caught the sword in her hand with a swift move and then with a swift kick of her feet, she twisted on the tform. Two swords crossed together one on another was aimed at Ji Yu, seeing something like this happen Ji Yu stumbled and closed her eyes as if she thought that doing something like closing her eyes would hurt a bit less. ¡± Concubine Ji!¡± ¡± Ji Yu!¡± However, the pain that Ji Yu was expecting never came, stunned she opened her eyes and saw Liu Hui Ying who have stopped the swords an inch away from her neck. Ji Yu looked down at the sharp edges of the des and then heaved a sigh of relief just now she felt like she was going to die. ¡± Queen! What are you doing!¡± A familiar voice shouted from behind and Liu Hui Ying smirked, she didn¡¯t turn her head instead she looked at Ji Yu who was staring at Zhai Tianyu¡¯s figure with stars in her eyes and said, ¡± Guess your knight in shining armour is here, Concubine Ji.¡± Ji Yu¡¯s face flushed in shame and humiliation, she wanted to teach Liu Hui Ying a lesson and yet she was the one who was on her bottom. Zhai Tianyu strode over to Liu Hui Ying who now took the swords that were aimed at Ji Yu¡¯s neck, his face was pale and he was trembling with rage, right now when he saw Ji Yu being attacked by Liu Hui Ying, he was so terrified that he wanted to attack the queen but then he saw Liu Hui Ying stop in time and he somehow managed to restrain himself. But that did nothing to ease the tension in his body, he hurriedly climbed one step after another and reached the top of the tform before rushing next to Ji Yu and crouching next to her. ¡°Yu¡¯er are you all right?¡± He asked carefully as he looked at Ji Yu. ..... If this was any other Concubine then she would have thrown herself in Zhai Tianyu¡¯s arms and cried until she filled a river but Ji Yu was not like that, she nodded her head simply and replied, ¡± I am fine, the queen has fantastic control over her sword, she knew what she was doing and didn¡¯t touch me in the slightest.¡± Ji Yu indeed hated Liu Hui Ying but she wouldn¡¯t do something as portraying her as the viin when thetter has never harmed her, it was her who egged the Queen first despite being unskilled whenpared to her, Liu Hui Ying did nothing that could be counted as wrong. In fact, she deserved to be admired, a woman who has always stayed in the courtyard of her house actually had such skills. Ji Yu did not me the queen but Zhai Tianyu did, he didn¡¯t care whether the Queen hurt Ji Yu or not, when he saw Liu Hui Ying attack Ji Yu, he was sure that she was aiming for the kill, that stance, that agility... no one would use it in a mock fight. ¡± Queen, would you mind telling me what is wrong with you?¡± Zhai Tianyu asked though he was keeping his voice in check one could see that he was barely restraining himself. If not for the Liu Family he might have killed Liu Hui Ying for raising her sword at Ji Yu. ¡± Why were you trying to kill concubine Ji? No matter how jealous and enraged you are, should you not know what you can and cannot do?¡± ¡± Jealous? Kill he?¡± Liu Hui Ying mused before she threw her head back andughed without restraint. ¡± That¡¯s ....hahaha, that¡¯s amusing, this is funny. You think that I was aiming to kill her, huh?¡± She questioned and only then did Zhai Tianyu see that there was a pair of dark hands attached to Liu Hui Ying¡¯s shoulders. This pair of hands were different from the ghosts he has seen, they were kind and didn¡¯t seem like they would harm anyone but this ghost ...it was dark and sinister, and he could sense the blood thirsting from it with ease. ¡± I wasn¡¯t aiming to kill her,¡± he heard Liu Hui Ying say as he wrenched his attention away from the pair of dark hands and then looked at Liu Hui Ying, her lips were curled up sinisterly like she was the devil, himself. ¡± I was just ying with her and if you want to me me for aiming to kill her, then let me tell you how I would kill someone.¡± She threw Ji Yu¡¯s sword on the tform and then tucked hers nicely on the edge of her dress while she walked towards the maid who came to stand next to Ji Yu and ced her hands on her cheeks cupping them. The maid was the same freckled one who was nning to kill Ji Yu and then put the me on Liu Hui Ying. Seeing that the Queen was holding her, the maid stiffened and looked at the Queen with terror in her eyes. ¡± My...My queen?¡± ¡± I will ce my hand on someone whom I want to kill swiftly first,¡± Liu Hui Ying started speaking without saying a thing to the maid, before she smiled at the maid and then added, ¡± Then I will go like this ....¡± She twisted the neck of the maid so fast that no one could understand what was going on, it was only when the maid whose face was clutched in the hands of the queen, slumped down on the floor like a puppet whose strings have been cut, did everyone understand what just happened. The Queen killed someone and she killed them with her bare hands! What in the world! Chapter 80 80 Give us justice A deafening silence fell over the entire training centre, no one knew what to do and for a few minutes, they all stared at Liu Hui Ying in surprise and horror. The queen killed someone with her bare hands? Was this for real? ¡± Tha...That¡¯s, I am dreaming right?¡± Yu Lingyun still could not believe that Liu Hui Ying has killed someone so easily, he stared at the maid as if he was waiting for the maid to get up and tell everyone that it was nothing but a joke. However, no matter how hard he stared at the maid, she remained limp on the ground as if she was never going to wake up, he turned to the soldier who was standing on the side and then held his arm up. ¡± Quick pinch me! I want to see whether or not I am dreaming.¡± The soldier too was in awe, he didn¡¯t even see who was talking to him, all he heard was that someone was asking him to pinch them. In his daze, he forgot to control his strength and then pinched Yu Lingyun so hard that thetter screamed in pain. ¡± AHHHH, YOU IDIOT, I ASKED YOU TO PINCH ME NOT BREAK MY SKIN!¡± As he screamed he raised his hand and pped the idiotic man who pinched him so hard that his skin turned red. Seriously, was this some kind of joke? His skin was delicate all right! However, the pinch did its work. This time not only Yu Lingyun and the soldier who was pped snapped out of their daze, everyone else who was at loss too snapped out of the haze. They all looked at Liu Hui Ying and then looked down at the maid, whose eyes were open and she was staring at the sky with a fearful expression on her face, the terror she felt before dying was etched on her face perfectly. ¡± AHHHH,¡± the maid who has been in cahoots with the maid who just died screamed in terror and pain. ¡± Xiao Min? Xiao Min? Open your eyes. Open your eyes and look at me, you cannot die like this!¡± The maid was shocked, just half an hour ago, she and Xiao Min were nning how to get away from this pce and then redeem themselves, finally letting of their status as ves but now Xiao Min was dead and killed by the woman whom they were supposed to pin the me on! Concubine Ji gasped and shuddered as she looked at Liu Hui Ying in disbelief, she wanted to get angry because Liu Hui Ying killed the maid who worked for her but then she raised her head and took a nce at Liu Hui Ying¡¯s face and she was surprised to find that there was no anger, no guilt, nothing on the face of the woman. In fact, she looked rather bored, it was as if the death of the maid who just died was not as fascinating as she expected it to be and it terrified Ji Yu. ..... ¡± LIU HUI YING, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!¡± Zhai Tianyu was shocked at the Queen¡¯s actions, maybe he might have used her wrongly but that did not mean that she showed show how she would have killed someone if she was intending to kill Ji Yu by actually snapping someone¡¯s neck and killing them. ¡± What? Didn¡¯t the esteemed majesty say that I was trying to kill his beloved Concubine? I am just putting my side that if I wanted to kill her then I would have done it before you could even stop me.¡± Liu Hui Ying nced at Zhai Tianyu and for the first time in his life, he didn¡¯t have the slightest bit of idea as to what to do with someone like Liu Hui Ying. ¡± Your majesty! You have to serve Xiao Min justice,¡± Zhai Tianyu and Liu Hui Ying were still engrossed in their staring match when the maid sitting on the side of the corpse threw herself in front of Zhai Tianyu, her head knocking harshly against the tform as she shouted, ¡± Your majesty, this lowly one and Xiao Min has been serving concubine Ji with all our heart for so many months. This one swears that this one has never done anything wrong to concubine Ji during the entire time and neither did Xiao Min, I ept and agree that her majesty can do anything to small maids like us but please at least for the sake of our loyalty to Concubine Ji, please show us some mercy and give her justice.¡± The maid knew that the n was off the rails now that Xiao Min was dead, she was no longer as confident to pin the me on the empress or kill her but she could at least use the affection of the Emperor for concubine Ji and then have him punish the Queen, at least that way she wouldn¡¯t be punished by her miss. ¡± Why are you asking him for justice?¡± Before Zhai Tianyu could say anything Liu Hui Ying walked closer to the maid with a sword in her hand like impending death, he didn¡¯t even see when she took it off her side. ¡± I am the one who killed your friend or should I say partner in crime?¡± When Liu Hui Ying said those explosive words her expression was calm and it was as if what she was holding in her hands was a rose but not a sword. ¡°I was the one who killed her, so you should get on your feet and ask me to serve her justice, right? After all, if I hadn¡¯t killed her today then it would have been me who would be kowtowing like this.¡± The maid stiffened and her eyes widened in fear, did the queen know that she and Xiao Min were nning to frame her? Was this the reason she killed Xiao Min? As the maid thought it over she realised that it indeed made sense after all the Queen had no reason to kill a maid as small as Xiao Min in front of everyone and that too so tantly. She could have done that without letting anyone know but she didn¡¯t, doesn¡¯t this show that she actually knew everything? ¡ª¡ª- Chapter 81 81 Look me in the eyes The maid¡¯s eyes widened and she clenched her fingers so hard that her nails started to dig into her palms. It was over she thought in her head, the queen knew everything, if she was to confess then she might as well drag her and Xiao Min¡¯s family together with them. The maid was worried more about her family than her life, at that moment she decided to pretend naive, even if the queen was to kill her if she didn¡¯t confess before dying then no matter what the queen do in the future she wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything about the me that would be ced on top of her head. Maybe if she was to sacrifice her life as well then concubine Ji and the Emperor would surely punish the Queen for killing two innocent women. ¡± This one does not know what the queen is talking about,¡± the maid said having determined what she needed to do now. ¡± This one has never done anything against her conscience.¡± ¡± Oh, you are one with a very clean conscience huh?¡± Came a sneering voice from the top of her head as a sharp de was ced on the edge of her neck, it didn¡¯t dig into her skin but it sure made her terrified. Even though she was determined to die at the moment, when the de was ced against her neck, the maid didn¡¯t dare to even breathe. She just hoped that the queen would kill her in one swift move like Xiao Min and end her life such that she would not suffer. ¡± Then get on your feet and repeat the same words while looking me in the eyes, don¡¯t you know? The one with clear conscience speaks while looking others in the eyes?¡± The queen said to her from above, but the maid didn¡¯t dare to raise her head, she was afraid if she was to look the Queen in the eyes then she would blurt out everything. ¡± Your majesty, I cannot¡ª¡± ¡± If you don¡¯t stand up then I will have no choice but to painfully kill you,¡± Liu Hui Ying nced at the maid who was still on the ground with a calm look in her eyes. ¡± Do you know the most painful way for a person to die, is being skinned alive or being buried six feet under when they are still breathing? If you don¡¯t get up then I will do both of those to you, I will first skin you alive till your bottom and then bury you in the ground leaving you alone to die, but if you think that I will let you die that easily then you are wrong. I will take you out of the pit and then wake you up and feed you a decent meal before digging the pit even deeper and then burying you again, I will continue doing it till you confess what you are hiding in your heart.¡± Liu Hui Ying¡¯s words were so terrifying that even Zhai Tianyu felt a chill rise in his heart, he has never seen a woman with such ferociousness and anger. She was too wild and she looked rather untamed with that sword in her hand, he wanted to tell her that she needed to stop but then Liu Hui Ying turned her head to look him in the eyes and spoke as if she was reading his mind, ¡± If you care about your beloved Concubine then I hope you will let me interrogate this maid.¡± ..... ¡± Is that a threat my queen?¡± He asked with narrowed eyes as he looked at Liu Hui Ying who smiled and said, ¡± No it¡¯s a fact, if you stop me today your majesty then the culprit who wants your dear Concubine dead will escape and then what will you do? me it on the wrong and innocent person again?¡± She was obviously reminding him of the time when he had her locked up with a wine jar. Zhai Tianyu didn¡¯t like her questioning him again and again but when he heard that it was Ji Yu¡¯s safety on the line, he was willing to see what the queen was trying to do, after all, it was just two maids, they were easily receable. ¡± This one didn¡¯t..this one has never harmed the concubine.¡± The maid continued to cry as if she was being wronged making everyone feel sorry for her. They found it quite a pity that a good woman like her was being bullied by the queen like this. ¡± Psst,¡± Yu Lingyun nudged Zhai Heng as he whispered, ¡± Why isn¡¯t his majesty saying anything? Doesn¡¯t he find that maid pitiful?¡± ¡± The Queen has questioned the intentions of the maid, making it sound like she was trying to harm Ji Yu, of course, his majesty will listen to what the queen has to say for herself.¡± Zhai Heng stared at the sight that was happening in front of him, he didn¡¯t know why but it was getting harder and harder for him to look away from Liu Hui Ying, was it because she was being so bold and daring that he was worried that she will attack his brother? If so why did he not feel the disgust as he did earlier? ¡± But what if the queen is lying?¡± Zhai Heng paused and frowned slightly when a glimmer of worry shed in his heart. ¡± If so then the Queen better pray that his majesty would be willing to forgive her for being so casual about someone¡¯s life and death is something that even the majesty cannot tolerate.¡± ¡± Again, did I not say that you need to speak what you want after getting on your feet and looking me in the eyes?¡± Liu Hui Ying repeated as she pushed the de against the neck of the maid. ¡± You better get up before I am nice because I have more than one way to prove that you were involved in some sort of scheme, maybe if you listen to me I will be willing to pardon your pitiful life.¡± Chapter 82 82 Stabbed in the heart The maid did not have a choice even if she wished she did she didn¡¯t, she was just like a small ant that could be crushed at any time but she hoped that before dying she would be able to make good use of her life and bite the Queen so hard that she will remember her for a very long time. With the sword against her shoulder, she pushed herself off the ground and then stood up. Her entire body was shivering like a leaf in a storm and her eyes were red, she looked like a pitiful rabbit in front of the Queen who was staring at her with a nk and bored look like she wasn¡¯t holding a sword against the neck of a maid. ¡± Now, let¡¯s do this shall we?¡± The Queen did not raise her voice but she somehow had the ability to make everyone listen to her. Maybe it was her aura or the killing intent that was wafting off her body as she looked at the maid. ¡± We will do it nicely first since you are good at acting. I will suggest that you do not wait for me to turn nasty because then it will be a real pain in your bottom for you, I am not patient when I am angry. So, let¡¯s do this again, shall we? You and that maid were nning to kill concubine Ji and hoping to pin the me on my head on whose orders?¡± The maid had her head lowered which was why no one was able to see her quivering pupils, she sped her hands together and then said in a shaky voice, ¡± I don¡¯t know what the queen is talking about, I have never done anything to harm the concubine, I am as loyal as anyone can be towards their master.¡± ¡± Tsk,¡± Liu Hui Ying clicked her tongue as she dropped the sword on her side from the neck of the maid and rubbed the back of her nape before rolling her head with her eyes closed as she sighed in annoyance. ¡± You know I really hate it when someone drags things like this. I have no time to waste my energy on you but here you are annoying me, I should have just hecked you to death but looks like you are someone who wouldn¡¯t speak unless you are at the doors of the death. Fine I will fulfil your wish if you like it so much ..¡± With that, she raised her hand and aimed straight at the heart of the maid. ¡± Queen what are you doing? You haven¡¯t proven that the maid was behind any assassination attempt yet, you cannot kill her as you wish!¡± Zhai Tianyu hurriedly tried to stop Liu Hui Ying, he couldn¡¯t let the matter rest just like this, he needed to find out whether the maid was telling the truth or the queen was. ¡± Who says that I killed her?¡± asked Liu Hui Ying as she turned her head to look at Zhai Tianyu with an eerie smile on her face. ¡± She is very much alive, aren¡¯t you darling? Why don¡¯t you look at the esteemed majesty and smile?¡± The maid coughed out a mouthful of blood, she couldn¡¯t believe it. When the pain of her heart being stabbed shot through her body she was certain that she was going to die but then she only felt her entire body being set aze on fire other than that she was still breathing and her heart was still beating, how was that even possible the maid had no idea. ..... Liu Hui Ying had a secret when she was young, she lived with her sister. Her elder sister was nice just like her, she never did anything wrong and she was willing to help everyone around her no matter whether it was a ghost or a human. As long as they knocked on their door, her elder sister would help them, she wouldn¡¯t even care if the ghosts or people who wereing for exorcism had the money to pay for her hard work or not. She just did what she could to help them, it was as if she believed that she was super invincible or something of the sort and that was why money was always tight in their house. Liu Hui Ying asked her sister to take only the clients who can pay her and not waste any more time on someone like ghosts who can¡¯t pay. But her sister didn¡¯t listen, she did her own things and told her¨C ¡® They are so pitiful roaming on the surface of the earth like that, they should have the chance to move on.¡¯ So, even after her objection, her sister continued to take on clients who were poor, lost and didn¡¯t know how they died. And one day when Liu Hui Ying was gone from her house, her sister died. It was stupid, so stupid. She had a small fight with her sister and left her alone when she knew that there was a client who was possessed by a demonic creature. She thought her sister was strong and she would be fine but when she returned, she found out that the entire house was enclosed by a ghost wall and she could only hear her sister¡¯s pleas and screams, she might have sensed that Liu Hui Ying returned home that was why she shouted at her to leave and scared by the noise, Liu Hui Ying fainted from fright as for her sister... her sister was broken and torn. The client who killed her was gone by the time she regained consciousness and Liu Hui Ying too didn¡¯t remember him, all she knew was that he was a man. When she stepped inside the house, she found her sister¡¯s dead body and her spirit was filled with a grudge. Her sister¡¯s soul wanted to kill the man but she couldn¡¯t because she didn¡¯t remember him. But that didn¡¯t ease her hatred for months while Liu Hui Ying was learning how to rein on the soul of her sister, her sister attacked a bunch of men and killed them when she saw them attacking women. It was a massacre. That was when Liu Hui Ying decided that she will be the vessel to lock her sister¡¯s vengeful spirit. ¡ª¡ª Chapter 83 83 A viin News of men¡¯s death and the fact that her house was haunted by screams spread all over the entire town, Liu Hui Ying knew that sooner orter she will be dragged into a heavy mess and coupled with the guilt she felt towards her sister, she was willing to tie her sister¡¯s soul with hers. It was a foolish experiment but she somehow manage to seed in it. Now that her sister¡¯s soul was within her body, she was able to restrain things like death with the heavy yin and cadaveric Qi, as long as she wasn¡¯t willing a person wouldn¡¯t die easily. The maid whose heart was wrapped up by the Yin energy of the dead wouldn¡¯t die unless Liu Hui Ying was willing to retract the Yin energy from her heart. She would feel the pain of her heart being torn and pierced but she will never die, not unless Liu Hui Ying agrees. ¡± Surprising is it not?¡± She asked the maid who was staring at her with terror in her eyes. ¡± Your heart has been stabbed but you are still alive, if I may say that¡¯s really scary isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Scary?¡± Yu Lingyun mused beside Zhai Heng as he took several steps back, then remembered that he was this close to seeing the Queen¡¯s unhinged side, he was so terrified that his legs turned to jelly. ¡°It¡¯s not scary, it down right some crazy fcked up thing, she has stabbed the heart of that maid and yet the maid is still alive and breathing, painfully but even then she is alive is she not? How is that even possible?¡± Zhai Heng did not know any better than him, he couldn¡¯t understand how in the world the Queen was able to do it. But he didn¡¯t agree with Yu Lingyun, the thing did look scary but it wasn¡¯t unhinged or mad, it was smart. She has delivered the pain of death to the maid and yet she hasn¡¯t killed her off meaning that the maid has been cornered to an end sessfully. If the Queen was telling the truth then the maid wouldn¡¯t have any other choice but to say the truth and admit that she was indeed involved in an assassination attempt. ¡± And do you know what is even scarier?¡± Liu Hui Ying continued with a bright smile on her face but that smile didn¡¯t reach her eyes, the two mysterious orbs were filled with cold fury while she stared at the maid. ¡± That I can keep you alive for seven days or more like this, if you don¡¯t speak the truth then I have more than one way to make you regurgitate everything that you know.¡± ..... The maid¡¯s eyes widened in terror, even now she was wishing that she would somehow die to make this pain go away and here the queen was telling her that she have to stay like this for a week if she didn¡¯t tell her the truth. ¡± But if you speak honestly, then I will give you a swift death like that friend of yours,¡± Liu Hui Ying added as she enunciated each word. ¡± You want to die right?¡± She did, she wanted to die as soon as possible but if she was, to tell the truth then she would be dying in vain wouldn¡¯t she? Seeing that the maid was hesitating, Liu Hui Ying twisted the sword that was sticking in her chest ever so slightly, her moments were light but the consequences of her actions were terrifying, the maid screamed out in pain as if a pig was being butchered alive. ¡± I did tell you that I am not a patient person,¡± stated Liu Hui Ying over the screams of the maid. ¡± I can adjust the level of pain that you are feeling to light, heavy and mild...it depends on my mood and currently I am really pissed off, if you do not want to die a pain worse than an animal, you better tell me who is the one behind you.¡± She paused and then swiftly added, ¡± Don¡¯t think that you will be dying in vain, think about it carefully if the person behind you didn¡¯t make things difficult for you and the maid then you wouldn¡¯t be suffering like this, it¡¯s the fault of that master of yours who did this to you. Don¡¯t you want to make them pay? Or do you want to suffer alone like this?¡± ¡± No, please no! I will speak, I will tell you the truth!¡± The maid was terrified when she heard that she will have to suffer, even more, she closed her eyes and spat out. ¡°It¡¯s concubine Chu! She was the one who ordered me and Xiao Min to kill concubine Ji and then pin the me ...ah, pin the me on the Queen.¡± ¡± There is more,¡± said Liu Hui Ying as she turned to look at Ji Yu who looked shocked and dropped her gaze at her womb which seemed to be covered with dense ck mist, from the looks of it, it will take a lot of efforts on concubine Ji¡¯s part to be a mother. ¡± Your master asked you to do something more to the concubine didn¡¯t she?¡± ¡± She asked us to add poison to concubine Ji¡¯s food,¡± confessed the maid with tears brimming in her eyes. ¡± The quantity of the poison is low and the concubine never found out but it harmed her womb.¡± ¡± You bitch!¡± Xiaolin was the first one to shout out loud as she stared at the maid who harmed her missy so badly, she wished she could rush up and tear the maid into bits but she stopped herself, the Queen already had the maid suffering enough for her sins. ¡± My missy treated you so well and you ..you harmed her like this?¡± Ji Yu was so shocked that she swayed on the spot her hands clutching her womb, Zhai Tianyu was even more stunned. He didn¡¯t love Ji Yu as a man would do to a woman but he cherished her and wanted the heir to the throne to be birthed by Ji Yu...now, what? ¡± Tsk, Tsk, you are clearly a viin,¡± said Liu Hui Ying with a click of her tongue. ¡± I always wanted to see whether the heart of a viin was ck or not, it¡¯s a good thing... looks like I will be finally satiating my curiosity.¡± And then she wrenched the maid¡¯s heart out of her body. Chapter 84 84 Terrifying. Blood gushed out from the body of the maid like a lid being lifted off a fountain, it not only sttered on the ground and stained it red, but it also sttered on Liu Hui Ying, turning her pastel blue robe into blood red. ¡± Oh,¡± she mused as she looked down at the still-pumping heart that was sticking at the edge of the sword and curled her lips on one side. ¡± I thought that it will be coloured ck but looks like yours was just like that of a normal human, what a shame.¡± She tilted her sword straight such that the heart would slide down from its tip and continued, ¡± Looks like a viin is no different than the innocent ones huh, no wonder I am often treated as the viin, we have no proof to point the wrong ones from the right, hmm.¡± ¡± That¡¯s not cool at all,¡± she murmured as she raised her feet and smashed the heart into a pile of minced flesh causing even more blood to gush out. ¡± It sort of makes me mad.¡± ¡± She is crazy,¡± Yu Lingyun remarked with a loud gulp as he dragged Zhai Heng back with him as he headed towards Zhai Tianyu and Ji Yu. ¡± She is crazy mad, I never thought that I will be scared of someone so much but I am, I mean I ept that the maid kind of deserved what wasing for her after what she did to Ji Yu but this ...this was simply too much!¡± Zhai Heng, on the other hand, didn¡¯t say anything, he furtively looked at Liu Hui Ying and felt his heart flutter, maybe he was wrong to feel like this but for once he felt that Liu Hui Ying was rather cool. ¡± Qui Ai,¡± Liu Hui Ying called the maid who despite being scared was collecting the money that she has won in the bet. ¡± Bring me a towel.¡± At this moment, if Liu Hui Ying asked the people in the training ground to take off their clothes and dance for her, they would have been very much obliged to do so. So, when she asked for a towel, not one but many hands were stretched out carrying what looked like a towel used to wipe their faces. ¡± My missy doesn¡¯t like the scent of males,¡± said Qui Ai as she walked to Xiaolin and haughtily raised her chin at the maid who wanted to rush up to her missy and asked, ¡± My missy saved your missy¡¯s life the least you can do is to give her a towel to wipe the blood off.¡± ..... Since they did not n on going to the training grounds, Qui Ai did not bring anything like a towel to wipe face with her, if not she would have never asked for anything from someone like Xiaolin who liked to talk down on her missy. Xiaolin¡¯s face turned red with embarrassment, she has always badmouthed the Empress, she would even call her good for nothing whenpared to her missy but now the Empress not only beat her missy in a match fairly but she also saved the life of her missy, now Xiaolin felt like she behaved like an unreasonable bully. ¡± Y..yes you can,¡± she hurriedly handed the towel to Qui Ai wishing that thetter would leave as soon as possible, her attention was on her missy who was still in shock as she clutched her womb. If not for the Emperor, she would have rushed to her missy already. Qui Ai took the towel to Liu Hui Ying who took it from her hands and then turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who was silently coaxing his woman and calmly looked away. She wasn¡¯t interested in watching this lovey-dovey scene anyway, she wiped the blood off her face and then pushed back the strands of her hair that fell over when she was sparring with Ji Yu and then turned to look at Qui Ai as she said, ¡°Let us go back Xiao Ai, I am tired and sticky, I wish to take a bath in the hot water.¡± ¡± Right away miss,¡± Qui Ai wasn¡¯t scared of her missy, in fact, she was really proud of her missy this way everyone will think twice before bullying her, missy! She took the bloody towel from Liu Hui Ying¡¯s hands before she used the towel to clean the blood on the stairs, the towel was already dirty because of the blood and it could no longer be used after being stained with the blood of that lowly maid who harmed one of the Concubines like this. It was better for Qui Ai to use the towel and clean the stairs such that her missy won¡¯t slip, right? ¡± Pleasee with me now your majesty,¡± said Qui Ai after she was done cleaning the blood on the stairs, everyone around the training ground looked at the maid of the Empress with the same horror as they were looking at the Empress, what was this huh? What was this? Even the maid wasn¡¯t shocked by the sight in front of her just how many times did see something like this happening in front of her? What they did not know was that Qui Ai was so loyal to Liu Hui Ying that if thetter had ripped her heart out instead of the maid, she would have still dragged her cold corpse to use it as a stepping stone for her mistress such that her shoes would not get dirty because of her blood. ¡± Make sure to wipe your shoes,¡± she added as she ced the towel on the edge of the stairs and continued, ¡± I heard that the flesh of a heart is somewhat smooth and slippery, maybe you will slip in case you aren¡¯t paying attention to where you are going, so make sure that you wipe your shoes carefully on it.¡± Everyone in the training ground: ¡°...¡± Scary! Both the master and the maid are just as scary! QAQ what kind of monster did their poor Emperor marry? ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 85 85 Nagging Zhai Tianyu couldn¡¯t care less about what others were thinking about him, his priority at the moment was Ji Yu who seemed so shocked by what she just found out that even her breathing turned shallow. He picked her up in his arms and then rushed out of the training grounds not even bothering to say anything to Liu Hui Ying on his way. ¡± Watch that fcker run,¡± she sneered under her breath as she too walked out of the training ground. ¡± Not even handing out an apology, as for gratitude I might as well dream about it in my head.¡± Qui Ai didn¡¯t hear what her missy was talking about but she could still understand that her missy was upset with the fact that the Emperor left without a word of thank you, she stared at the Emperor who was carrying Concubine Ji and ran towards her courtyard along with Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun. ¡± Your majesty, I think you were right,¡± said Qui Ai silently as the two of them walked towards their courtyard. ¡± Men are simply not one to be relied upon.¡± Her missy did so much, she was the one who saved concubine Ji and she was the one who found out that the womb of concubine Ji was affected by the poison that the maid has fed her but the Emperor didn¡¯t even say a word to her. The least he could have done was to say ¡®thank you, my queen.¡¯ Her missy was right in calling the Emperor a jerk! ¡°It¡¯s nice that you think like this, little Ai,¡± said Liu Hui Ying as she breathed hard and then tried to suppress the soul of her sister who was trying to break free of the restraints that she has put on it. ¡± As long as you remember this, you will be able to save yourself a lot of trouble.¡± ..... ¡± What in the world happened to you, your majesty?¡± Nanny Gong swooned when she saw that Liu Hui Ying was actually covered in blood, her hair was dripping with reddish-brown liquid and her entire clothes were stained with nothing but blood. She only went on a walk, howe she got so bloodied in such a small amount of time? ¡± Don¡¯t tell me that you met with another assassin, your majesty.¡± ..... Nanny Gong was helped by Qui Ai who rushed towards her when she saw that the elderly woman was stunned to the point where she was on the verge of fainting and then helped her to stand straight. With the support of Qui Ai, Nanny Gong rushed to Liu Hui Ying and checked her thoroughly to make sure that she didn¡¯t receive any injuries at all. ¡± I think I will still call the imperial physician, we need to make sure that her majesty is not harmed at all and maybe let the Emperor know about it.¡± ¡± No one attacked me, nanny,¡± Liu Hui Ying stopped the old woman from rushing out and then bringing back an imperial physician to fuss over her. She was tired enough already and she had no energy to deal with a stupid imperial physician at the moment. ¡°And in case there was an assassination attempt at me then it would be most probably sent by the Emperor himself.¡± With that, she walked towards the bathhouse where she ordered the maids to pour hot water for her. ¡± Wh..if there was no assassination attempt at you, your majesty...how in the world did you get covered with blood like that?¡± asked Nanny Gong as she chased after Liu Hui Ying, she couldn¡¯t understand why her mistress was covered in blood like this and yet she was saying that there was no assassination attempt made on her life, then how did she bath in so much blood. Qui Ai knew that she would not be able to hide the fact that their mistress fought with the concubine Ji and even unfurled a mystery for long, so she immediately decided to tell everything to Nanny Gong. ¡± Oh my dear goodness,¡± Nanny Gong shrieked in terror as she ran inside the bathhouse and waited for Liu Hui Ying to change into her bathing clothes only when Liu Hui Ying stepped out wearing a thin, transparent robe did Nanny Gong rush to her and started yelling in Liu Hui Ying¡¯s ear. ¡± What were you thinking your majesty, you have never learned any sword fighting if not for thete missy¡¯s skills you would have been almost killed by that concubine Ji, how can you even think of doing something so scary like that? And what is with you trying to deal with the problem head-on, what if the people in the pce find out that you actually killed a maid this brutally?¡± ¡± If they do then they will be doing me a favour,¡± sighed Liu Hui Ying as she climbed down the stairs that submerged into the water of the wooden bathtub and then sat down at the end step and leaned her head back such that Nanny Gong could wash her hair. ¡± I can see that the concubines of the pce are taking me a bit lightly since I am not bothering them, shouldn¡¯t I send out a nice message to them? In case they think I am a soft persimmon that they can trample on any moment?¡± ¡± But still,¡± Nanny Gong picked up the washing grass and rubbed it with her hands and thenthered it nicely before she started scrubbing Liu Hui Ying¡¯s scalp. ¡± A woman is not supposed to be violent, what will the Emperor think of you now, huh your majesty? You might have done a good deed but the Emperor and the others won¡¯t think of it as one, they will think that you did something very bad, a woman is supposed to be gentle and she is supposed to be filled with virtue and calm..¡± Liu Hui Ying closed her eyes and tuned Nanny Gong out of her head, she wasn¡¯t willing to listen to her yammering but then she heard Jia Li shriek in her head just like Nanny Gong. Chapter 86 86 Dowager Empress call (part 1) ¡± What were you thinking,¡± Jia Li screamed as she came flying to float in front of Liu Hui Ying as she red at her boss, with her eyes narrowed as she looked at Liu Hui Ying and iled her hands in desperation. ¡± You killed someone in front of the Emperor, do you think we are not in enough shit already? I just want toze around and go back home, why are you making such a simple thing so difficult?¡± ¡± I am not making things difficult,¡± Liu Hui Ying rubbed her temples when she heard Jia Li scream in her ears. She didn¡¯t tune out Nanny Gong to listen to Jia Li¡¯s screams. ¡± And would you stop screaming? I am the one who is your boss, it¡¯s not the other way around. Got it?¡± Jia Li had to close her mouth even when she didn¡¯t want to because as her master Liu Hui Ying¡¯s orders were absolute, she couldn¡¯t go against her as per thews of a contracted spirit. ¡± But you just showed off your powers to almost everyone in the training ground, do you think that they will leave you alone now that the rumour about your might is going to spread all over the pce?¡± Jia Li still couldn¡¯t help but grumble under her breath. ¡± You said that you weren¡¯t here to get yourself involved in anyone¡¯s mess, but you helped that Ji woman for no reason today and ...¡± ¡± And saved my life,¡± Liu Hui Ying rolled her eyes as she calmly turned her head to the side and then looked at Jia Li. ¡± You are right, we are not going to get entangle ourselves in anyone¡¯s mess but this mess was indirectly linked to me, and that is the only reason that I was willing to take matters into my hands other than that I really don¡¯t care what happens to Ji Yu or the Emperor. Now go and stand in a corner, I am trying to take a rxing bath, and it¡¯s proving impossible with you screaming in my head.¡± Jia Li still looked unsatisfied but there was nothing else she could do, with a dissatisfied sigh she flew in the air and then came to stand next to Li Gang who was hovering in the bedroom with his arms crossed behind the back of his head. Even Grandma Lan Fen looked calm, it was as if she was the only one who was being as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. ¡± Why aren¡¯t the two of you scared?¡± Jia Li walked towards the bed and sat down as she turned to look at Li Gang and Grandma Lan Fen. ¡± Aren¡¯t you worried that Liu Hui Ying will be involved in some other drama?¡± ¡± Even if she is there is nothing that we can do,¡± replied Li Gang as he flipped over and then started flying on his tummy. He turned his head and locked his gaze on Jia Li and said casually, ¡± You might think that you can control Hui Ying but she is not as easy to rein on, and her temper is really ugly as well. Being attacked like this, again and again, she was bound to explode, I am d that she exploded on someone who was not very troublesome.¡± ..... ¡± Exactly, remember the time when she caught hold of the superintendent who was trying to get cosy with her?¡± Grandma Lan Fen offered as she chimed in together with Li Gang. ¡± You might not remember him but the man was trying to get all chummy with Liu Hui Ying, asking her toe on a date and when she refused he tried to get her drunk and take her home with him, have you forgotten what she did to him?¡± ¡± How can I forget?¡± Back then Liu Hui Ying was running for the head of the detective department because she was pretty and rich many men were willing to marry her. But Liu Hui Ying was allergic to men, getting married to men was simply impossible for her. So, she refused every proposal that was handed out to her, one of the proposals belonged to the superintendent of the department who thought he could bite more than he could chew. In the end, his balls were almost smashed by Liu Hui Ying who was enraged upon realising that the superintendent tried to force himself on her. This was one of the reasons why despite being the best detective, Liu Hui Ying had to wait till her mid-thirties to be the head of the department. ¡± You should be d that the maid was of no importance and that no one wille looking for trouble with us at least,¡± Li Gang who was used to Liu Hui Ying causing trouble everywhere she went was used to it. He wasn¡¯t worried but then he was pped in the face very soon. Liu Hui Ying hardly stepped out of her bathhouse when the maids who were standing on guard announced that the Mammy from the Empress dowager¡¯s pce was looking for her. ¡± I knew it,¡± Jia Li was the first to jump up from the bed where she was lying and then rushed to Liu Hui Ying¡¯s side. ¡± I knew it, most probably the empress dowager was on the same side as that Concubine Chu or maybe she already knew what was going on with Ji Yu and now that you have interrupted her, surely she came looking for trouble with you.¡± Something behind them exploded and Liu Hui Ying turned her gaze sideways and said, ¡± Stop agitating my sister, she hates it when I am in trouble.¡± Now that her sister was more awake than she was before, Liu Hui Ying could feel her presence even more strongly within her and surely he sister could hear everything that was going on around her. Everyone turned to look at the vase that was on the floor and blinked their eyes before Nanny Gong frowned and then turned to look at the maid who was in charge of closing the windows after cleaning them. ¡± Why didn¡¯t you close the window? Can¡¯t you see that the hot summer breeze is flowing even more intensely than ever? Now, what are you looking at me for? Clean.¡± ¡ª¡ª- Chapter 87 87 Dowager Empress call (part2) ¡± Yes, nanny Gong,¡± the maid bowed her head and walked out of the room just as Empress dowager¡¯s mammy, Shi Luo walked inside Liu Hui Ying¡¯s living room. She might have been in her fifties but she was sturdy and didn¡¯tck the vigour of a young woman either. Mammy Shi walked inside and came to a stop in front of Liu Hui Ying before she bowed her head and greeted Liu Hui Ying, ¡± This one greets you, your majesty.¡± ¡± You may rise,¡± Though Liu Hui Ying was a bit ufortable with the fact that someone from the Empress dowager¡¯s pce came looking for her, she still gulped her nervousness. ¡± Her Majesty, the Empress dowager has invited you to her courtyard,¡± No sooner did Mammy Shi straighten up, she ryed the reason for her arrival. When Liu Hui Ying heard her words, she found it hard to stop herself from frowning. What was with this Empress dowager? The least she could do was to let her take a breather why was she in such a hurry to call her? Liu Hui Ying was fairly upset and wary but she knew that she would not be able to ignore this invitation. ¡°I see, then I will get ready for my meeting with my aunt,¡± Liu Hui Ying smiled politely but when she turned around and headed towards her bedroom, she couldn¡¯t help but bite her thumbnail. What if Jia Li was right? What if this was a n of that old hag number two? Liu Hui Ying was slightly anxious but then she took a deep breath and decided to simply deal with the problem head-on, the old hag number two needed her just as much as she needed that old witch to stay alive, it was impossible for that old witch not to make things difficult for her but she would not kill her. ..... Because she still needed Liu Hui Ying to stay seated at the seat of the Empress. ¡± Help me get ready,¡± she told Nanny Gong and Qui Ai who looked just as worried as her. Seeing their concerned expression, even Liu Hui Ying¡¯s expression softened a little and she patted them on the shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s all right don¡¯t worry, aunt would not make things difficult for me.¡± ... And as she knelt in front of Empress Dowager who was staring at her from the high tform where she slept behind the screen, Liu Hui Ying realised that she spoke too confidently. However, if it was just the Empress dowager, she would have handled the matter in her hands properly but the thing was, that it wasn¡¯t just the Empress Dowager in the room, there was someone else. Someone who both scared and annoyed her. She raised her head slightly and nced at the man who was dressed in a ming red robe with a golden crown set up on his head. He was holding a light metal rod in his hand, as big as a chopstick and was circling it around an empty bowl, that it was producing such a sound that even Liu Hui Ying couldn¡¯t help but be terrified, she has never been scared of anything but now she was. Liu Hui Ying raised her head further and then looked at the cloud of heavy death Qi that was hovering over the head of the man and clenched her fingers. If she thought that the Empress dowager was a scary woman then this man surpassed her by a long shot. He wasn¡¯t just terrifying, he was heart-gripping horrifying. So many deaths.... Such a dense ck Qi ..just how many people did this man kill? ¡± Are you done looking at me, Hui Ying?¡± said the man calmly causing Liu Hui Ying to jump, she was startled by the fact that the man could sense her looking at him, she was sure that no one has ever been able to catch her so swiftly. ¡± I ..forgive me,¡± Liu Hui Ying bowed her head, she did not know who this man was but from the looks of it, he didn¡¯t seem like someone who could be offended. Something about him was different from others, he was calm but he was calm that Liu Hui Ying couldn¡¯t help but get suspicious of him. ¡°It¡¯s all right, you are the Empress now...there is no need for you to apologise to your uncle like this,¡± said the man with a pleasant smile on his face. ¡± And there is no need for you to be this scared as well, this is nothing but a small family meeting after all.¡± ¡± He is smart,¡± muttered Jia Li from the side as she stared at the man in distaste. ¡± He warned you and at the same time taught you how an Empress is supposed to behave but at the same time he told you subtly that you shouldn¡¯t use your authority as the Empress in front of him, it¡¯s like he is ..¡± ¡± He is taming me,¡± Liu Hui Ying didn¡¯t know who this man was at first but then he reminded her by calling himself her uncle. This man was none other than Liu Dong Ming ...the left prime minister of the current court.¡± No wonder he was so smart as to start teaching the Empress so quickly he didn¡¯t want her going far from his grip. ¡°Hui Ying, is it true that you killed the maid who was aiming to kill Ji Yu?¡± Liu Hui Ying have to however put a hold on her thoughts as she turned her attention to the Empress and bowed her head before replying. ¡± I did your majesty, but that is only because they were thinking about pinning the me on my head, I did not have any other intentions.¡± ¡± That we have heard and we do have to agree that the daughter from the Chu family has really overstepped her boundaries, trying to attack our niece.¡± The Empress dowager pursed her lips arrogantly but then she turned her attention back to Liu Hui Ying and said, ¡± But that isn¡¯t the reason why we called you here, we called you to ask you about the reason why you told the Emperor about Ji Yu¡¯s condition?¡± Oh boy. Chapter 88 88 Can¡¯t get pregnant ¡± We won¡¯t ask you why you killed those maids, once we are done dealing with this matter, we assure you that the Chu family will be answering us soon, but what we want to know is why did you have to do something this stupid?¡± When Empress dowager found out that the daughter from the Chu family tried to scheme against the daughter of their family, she was of course furious. But when she found out that Liu Hui Ying has actually let the maid confess that she has poisoned Ji Yu¡¯s womb and even told it to the Emperor, she was enraged. How can someone from the Liu family be this foolish? How can they be this big of an idiot to let such a golden opportunity pass by their hands? ¡°Ji Yu is the biggest obstacle in your path, don¡¯t be at ease just because you are the Empress it doesn¡¯t mean that no one can shake your position, if Ji Yu gets pregnant before you then the Ji family will surely make a fuss and with the Grand dowager Empress behind them, they will be emboldened even more.¡± The more the Empress dowager thought about this matter the more worried she became, even though the Emperor has consummated his wedding night with Liu Hui Ying, it goes without saying that he will always favour that little bitch from the Ji family. After all, that little slut has been sticking close to her son ever since he was a young boy and her son who was a fool waspletely enchanted by that little slut. Even if the Emperor was a bit enthralled by Liu Hui Ying, she knew it was a moment of passing passion. This was something that Empress Dowager was very sure of, yet Liu Hui Ying didn¡¯t take advantage of this opportunity and even helped Ji Yu. ¡± Why? Just why would you do something so foolish? Have you forgotten what they did to your sister?¡± The Empress Dowager still haven¡¯t forgotten the pain of losing her eldest niece, that girl was sweet tongue and knew how to win anyone¡¯s heart in just a few minutes and what was more she was the eldest and the firstborn daughter of her brother, she too doted on her but of all people, that foolish girl fell for that brat from the Ji family. And look where it brought her and on top of it, the Ji family med their family for killing their son, knowing fully well that no one from the Liu family will say a word about the death of their daughter. ..... Every time the Empress dowager was reminded of the cruelty of the Ji family, she wished she could rip them limb by limb with her bare hands. ¡± I haven¡¯t forgotten what they have done to my sister,¡± Liu Hui Ying felt that she was being unfairly treated, first she was dragged into the mess by that Chu woman and now she was being scolded again. ¡± And you misunderstood me, your majesty. The only reason I told the Emperor about Ji Yu¡¯s condition is that I was worried that concubine Chu would use that matter to drag me down with her.¡± She already knew that once the Empress dowager finds out about the matter, she was going to question her which was why she already thought of a way to leave a leeway out for her to escape. ¡± What the Empress is saying is indeed correct your majesty, after all even a cornered rabbit would bite back if it¡¯s threatened,¡± Liu Dong Ming who was busy ying that terrorising tune finally stopped and Liu Hui Ying felt the oppressive atmosphere from earlier vanish and she sighed in relief. But before she could even take a deep breath and rx, she heard Liu Dong Ming speak again, ¡± But what I don¡¯t understand is why you have to let the Emperor know. If you were worried that the woman from the Chu family wille looking for trouble then you should havee to me or her majesty, we would have made sure that nothing happened to you...but the fact that you let the Emperor know about this ...¡± The only reason she let the Emperor know about Ji Yu¡¯s condition was that she was afraid of being troubledter on, if she knew that she will be troubled like this any way she wouldn¡¯t have bothered herself. Looks like she has to finally use her ace card. ¡± Your majesty, Eldest uncle... the reason I told his majesty about it was that I was thinking of using this opportunity to make him get close to me.¡± Gag, puke ¡ª Eww. Liu Hui Ying had to work hard to make herself sound like a woman in love as she said those words, with every word, she could feel the hair on the back of her neck stand up straight. ¡± If the Emperor finds out that concubine Ji Yu was poisoned through me then he would feel a certain amount of goodwill towards me and then I will be able to take advantage of that goodwill... I mean even though I do not know much about him and concubine Ji, I can see that his majesty adores her.¡± When she said it like that, there was nothing that the Empress Dowager could say but she was still dissatisfied. This was a good opportunity tough in the face of the Ji family and now they have lost it just like that. ¡± But that does not change the fact that Ji Yu will one day bite you in the back, she won¡¯t be as grateful as you think she will be once she recovers, maybe now that she knows that her womb is in danger like this, she will work even hard to get pregnant .¡± This was what Empress Dowager was worried about the most. ¡°Who says that she will recover your majesty?¡± Liu Hui Ying wasn¡¯t willing to show all her cards but she knew that if she wanted to survive, she could never go against these two big shots who were responsible for her safety at the moment, they were her golden talismans! ¡ª- Chapter 89 89 Only God can help ¡± What do you mean by that?¡± When the Empress dowager heard Liu Hui Ying¡¯s words, she couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¡± What are you trying to say? That little minx from the Ji family will never be able to recover?¡± ¡± That¡¯s right your majesty, after what happened to sister... I learned a little about physiology and poisons because I too hate the Ji family just as much as you do, and I can assure you that concubine Ji isn¡¯t blessed to have a child, if you don¡¯t believe me then you can ask the imperial physician.¡± Earlier when she was facing Ji Yu, Liu Hui Ying has taken a good look at the facial features of Ji Yu. Even though Ji Yu was indeed very pretty, her eyes were slightly sunken and her cheeks were hollowed instead of full, to others she was pretty and cute but in terms of the mystic arts, she was born with a physique of a sinner. Most probably she harmed a child in herst life and which was why she was destined to have no children in this life. The Empress dowager and Liu Dong Ming exchanged a look with each other before Liu Dong Ming motioned the eunuch serving under him and asked him to bring the imperial physician. Now that the Empress Dowager was calm she asked her mammy to serve some tea to Liu Hui Ying, earlier she was too agitated when she found out that they have lost such a great opportunity but now that she has lost some of her steam, she was calmer than before. By the time Mammy Shi finished preparing the tea, the eunuch serving under Liu Dong Ming returned with the imperial physician. ¡± I greet, her majesty the Empress dowager, I greet, the royal left prime minister, and I greet, her highness, the Empress,¡± the imperial physician was dressed in a pale white robe with navy blue pants. He bowed his head in front of Liu Hui Ying and the others one by one before he cupped his hands and knelt in front of the Empress Dowager. ¡± Your majesty, this humble official is here to serve you.¡± ¡± There is no need for such a big greeting, you can be at ease,¡± Empress Dowager waved her hand before she blinked her eyes slightly and Mammy Shi went to stand outside the room together with the eunuch serving Liu Dong Ming. ..... Only then did the Empress dowager turn to look at the imperial physician and asked imperiously, ¡± What is the condition of Concubine Ji¡¯s womb, can it recover in due time?¡± The imperial physician has been working in the pce for years and of course, he understood that the reason the Empress Dowager was asking this wasn¡¯t that she wanted to know about the condition of concubine Ji but instead it was because she wanted to know whether or not Ji Yu will be able to recover or not. ¡± Answering her majesty, the womb of concubine Ji was harmed severely by the poison that was fed to her on daily basis,¡± replied the imperial physician with his head lowered and his hands cupped. ¡± The poison seemed to have been given to her from morning till night, so even though it was administrative in a rtively short amount, I am afraid it¡¯s toote for concubine Ji to recover.¡± ¡± I see,¡± the empress dowager nodded as she waved her hand and excused the imperial physician who lowered his head, thanked her for her grace and walked out of the room. No sooner did he walk out of the room, he was handed a pouch of something heavy by mammy Shi who nodded at him and said, ¡± You know what you need to do Physician Zhu, do not dare to betray her majesty.¡± ¡± I wouldn¡¯t even dare to,¡± replied the imperial physician as he lowered his head and then turned around to leave. The hush money was kept securely in his pocket. .... ¡± Hahaha! This is what I call karma!¡± The Empress dowager smacked her hand on the table in front of her seat and guffawed loudly, she looked rather thrilled and amused by the confirmation. ¡± This will teach a lesson to those arrogant dogs of the Ji family, humph, they had quite fun when our family¡¯s daughter was harmed by them. .. now it¡¯s our time.¡± She turned to look at Liu Dong Ming who was now silently slurping his tea looking leisurely as she said, ¡± You know what to do, don¡¯t you Brother Dong Ming?¡± ¡± Don¡¯t worry, your majesty,¡± Liu Dong Ming replied in a soft voice, his expression calm and serene as he picked up the snow cake from his te and took a bite of it. ¡± Tomorrow morning at this time, the Ji family will rue the day when they killed our niece.¡± And as she looked at the man who was sitting calmly without the oppressive air from before, Liu Hui Ying came to the conclusion, she has to stay away from this man at all costs. .... ¡± What do you mean you cannot do anything?¡± Grand Dowager Empress shrieked in agony and frustration as she looked at the best imperial physician of the pce. ¡± You haven¡¯t even tried yet how can you say that there is nothing that you can do huh? Do something before raising your hands in surrender!¡± The imperial physician bowed his head and knocked it heavily on the floor. He knew that if he offended anyone present in this room, he will have to hand his head on a silver tter, so he was very careful in choosing his words. ¡°It¡¯s not that I haven¡¯t tried, your majesty ...there is nothing to try left in Concubine Ji¡¯s womb. It has been poisoned beyond the point of saving... I am afraid that at this point only some godly miracle can save her.¡± Zhai Tianyu who has heard these same words over and over again, snatched the sword from Yu Lingyun¡¯s side and then aimed it at the neck of the imperial physician and said, ¡°Then why don¡¯t I send you the god? You can ask for godly assistance from him them if you are this incapable.¡± ¡ª Last update of this month can I get some gifts and powerstones Orz. Chapter 90 90 Goddamn miracle ¡± That¡¯s enough, there is no need to take your anger out on an imperial physician, your majesty,¡± Ji Yu stopped Zhai Tianyu from taking any step when he was angry. She knew that Zhai Tianyu was a fair ruler but this time his anger was justified, in this pce he only trusted her alone and that was why he was willing to have kids with her. Their son was destined to be the heir to the throne as for the other women they were allowed to live in the pce only to fill the space and nothing more. Even though Zhai Tianyu and her haven¡¯t consummated their marriage yet, it was only because Zhai Tianyu wanted to make the pce safe for their kids by taking care of the Liu family first because he knew that as long as the Liu family was still standing they will surely harm her children and Zhai Tianyu wasn¡¯t willing to let their children be put in the harm¡¯s way. And now that the imperial physician was telling him that she can no longer give birth, it was simr to announcing the end of the Zhai lineage. No one was willing to me Zhai Tianyu but at the same time, they couldn¡¯t let him kill such a talented imperial physician either. ¡± Concubine Ji is right your majesty,¡± Zhai Heng was the first one to catch hold of Zhai Tianyu¡¯s wrist as he slowly took the sword away from Zhai Tianyu. Even Zhai Tianyu knew that he was being unreasonable by demanding the imperial physician treat Ji Yu which was why he let Zhai Heng take away the sword and dropped his hand on the side in defeat and helplessness. He was so focused on the greater evil that hepletely forgot that there was a lesser evil lurking in the corners of the pce. He was busy trying to keep Liu Hui Ying away from Ji Yu but hepletely forgot about the other concubine who entered before her, it wasn¡¯t his fault either. Those women have been living in their courtyard calmly without making any fuss and now all of a sudden they were making moves one after another. If he knew he would have taken care of those women as well, it was just that he didn¡¯t want to shed any more blood than he intended to but maybe his mother was right, showing weakness was nothing but a mistake. ¡± Yu¡¯er, I am your sinner,¡± Zhai Tianyu turned around, his eyes filled with grief and pain as he walked to the edge of Ji Yu¡¯s bed and held her hands in his. ¡± You can punish me however you want, I was the one who brought you to the pce knowing how dangerous it could be for you and yet I couldn¡¯t protect you. If I knew that I was this powerless in the hands of those ministers, I would have definitely never brought you here.¡± ..... Ji Yu¡¯s heart ached to see Zhai Tianyu shed tears for her like this, she raised her hand and then wiped the tears that were sticking to the corner of his eyes and said, ¡± Your tears are more valuable than my life your majesty and it is not you who brought me here, I was willing toe here on my own ord, whatever the consequences are, I have to face them... I ... it is just that I do not have the fortune of giving you a child, your majesty.¡± Ji Yu¡¯s words came from her heart, when she fell in love with Zhai Tianyu all she wanted was to marry him even when he didn¡¯t love her as she did and when he proposed to her saying whether or not she was willing to give birth to his child, she was more than willing. Bing the mother of Zhai Tianyu¡¯s child was her dream but now ... She didn¡¯t shed any tears because she didn¡¯t want anyone to me themselves but it would have been better if she had med them instead because a secondter, Grand dowager Empress burst into tears and Yu Lingyun who was feeling like he was going to shed a few tears as well took her to the patio with him. On the other hand, Zhai Tianyu once again turned to the imperial physician and asked, ¡± Is there no hope left for Concubine Ji?¡± The imperial physician was in a difficult position too, he knew that the poison was really deadly and with his skills it was hard enough to trap the poison in its ce and detox it, asking him to heal the womb was simr to asking him whether or not he was a God. ¡± Forgive me, your majesty, this official is ipetent,¡± the imperial physician once again knocked his head on the floor as he sighed heavily and said, ¡± Concubine Ji¡¯s womb has been affected beyond the point of recovery...now its impossible to heal her but we can always hope for some sort of miracle to happen.¡± Miracle? That¡¯s a right miracle! Zhai Tianyu stood up from the spot on the bed where he was sitting and then turned to look at the imperial physician as he asked, ¡± Are you sure that a miracle is all that we need?¡± The imperial physician was stumped by the question but he still nodded his head and replied, ¡± That¡¯s right if some miracle was to happen then...¡± He did not even finish his sentence when Zhai Tianyu turned to look at his brother and said, ¡± Elder brother please take care of Yu¡¯er for me, I will go and see what I can do.¡± ¡± Where are you going?¡± Zhai Heng was confused by his brother¡¯s sudden request, where was he going all of a sudden? Shouldn¡¯t he stay with Ji Yu? ¡± I am going to see if I can make a miracle happen or not,¡± Zhai Tianyu answered vaguely as he turned on his heels and then walked out of Ji Yu¡¯s room. If Liu Hui Ying can make a pierced heartbeat then surely she can take care of something like this right? He knew that he was selfish for wanting her to save Ji Yu but she was his goddamn miracle. ¡ª- Chapter 91 91 a fly ¡± I feel a shiver up my spine,¡± Liu Hui Ying who just returned to her room felt something crawl up her spine as goosebumps broke all over her skin, she turned to look at the door of her room with a suspicious gaze and then turned to look at Jia Li as she asked, ¡± Go and see what is going on, is that old witch¡¯s mammying to get me again?¡± As she said that Liu Hui Ying clicked her tongue and then spread her legs wide as she sat down on the bed with her hands resting between her legs. She sighed and then spoke in an annoyed voice,¡± This ce is even more annoying than the department where I work. Like even that bald egg doesn¡¯t have so many issues with me as these people do, if I get caught up in a mess they will me me and if I don¡¯t get caught then too they will me me.¡± She smacked her thigh and shook her head. ¡± What exactly do they want from me?¡± Jia Li rolled her eyes as she floated past the wall of the room in an attempt to escape Liu Hui Ying¡¯s nagging while Li Gang and Grandma Lan Fen simply let Liu Hui Yingin. They knew that when she was in one of these moods, it was better to just let her release the steam than interrupt her and more importantly... ¡± Where is lunch by the way,¡± she asked as she rubbed her tummy. ¡± I don¡¯t know much about time but...¡± as she peered out of the window and looked at the sky she hummed andmented, ¡± I think that they arete today, I am feeling hungry.¡± She has to share her spiritual energy with three ghosts and on top of that, she had to suppress her sister¡¯s soul that was trying to break through the restraints, after working so hard it was given that she would get hungry like this. ¡± I think they are only five minuteste,¡± said Li Gang as he turned over in the air and then sat cross-legged as he looked down at Liu Hui Ying who was sitting on the bed. ¡± You won¡¯t die with that much dy, you are being a tad bit too harsh on Qui Ai.¡± He has gotten a bit sweet on Qui Ai ever since he saw how crazy and calm she was when Liu Hui Ying ripped the heart of the maid. Now he was acting even more protective towards Qui Ai than Qui Ai¡¯s father. ¡± Oh shut up,¡± when Jia Li returned and heard Li Gang defending Qui Ai for the neenth time, she was seriously annoyed by him. She rolled her eyes and looked at him with a stern expression and said, ¡± Be more reasonable, you are already so old and yet you are targeting a young girl like her.¡± ¡°I was eighteen when I died!¡± ..... ¡± Oh, I forgot,¡± remarked Jia Li as she floated over to Liu Hui Ying and came to stop in front of her. ¡± You look so old that even if I want to fool myself, I can¡¯t bring myself to believe you are eighteen. And what¡¯s more, even if you died young...you have been dead for so long, don¡¯t you think you are too old for that maid.¡± ¡± I will have you know ghosts don¡¯t get old!¡± snapped Li Gang as he looked at Jia Li who was condemning him. ¡± And what¡¯s wrong with a few years difference?¡± ¡± Twenty years, you mean? Just look at yourme fashion.¡± ¡± Shut up penguin head!¡± Jia Li who was dressed up in a penguin pyjama looked offended but then she turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and said, ¡± You have to give me a new pair of clothes once we go back. I am not listening to any excuses this time.¡± ¡± Fine, I will use the money that I was going to spend on Li Gang for his good work in thest case to buy a new set of clothes for you.¡±Liu Hui Ying replied as Jia Li cheered with her hands over her head. ¡± Why? Why? Why? Why will you give her a new set of clothes from my hard-earned money¡± Li Gang was so upset that he swooped down so fast that he smashed into the wall and was sent flying outside. For two seconds his voice was cut off and then he came marching back into the room and continued, ¡± I was the one who worked hard for that money!¡± Liu Hui Ying arched a brow and pointed to Jia Li as she said, ¡± Who was the one who started this? Did you have to call her a penguin head?¡± Li Gang pursed his lips he wanted to say something but then the door of Liu Hui Ying¡¯s room was pushed open and in came Qui Ai who was bringing lunch with the other maids, seeing Qui Ai walk inside the room, Li Gang dropped the fight and then flew over to Qui Ai as he started chattering. ¡± Qui Ai, you are here? Ah, I can see that you have worked hard... I was thinking that we should go on a moonlight walk tonight what do you say?¡± ¡± Does he not know that he is dead ...like dead ¡®dead¡¯?¡±Asked Jia Li as she turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and whispered with her voice hushed. ¡± He does know that he is dead,¡± Liu Hui Ying sighed as she stood up from her spot and then walked over to where Qui Ai was and then smacked Li Gang like he was a fly after summoning the spiritual energy in her hand. When Qui Ai felt something rustle past her, she raised her head and smiled at Liu Hui Ying as she asked, ¡± Is something the matter, your majesty?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Liu Hui Ying smiled as she looked at Li Gang who was crouching on the floor and ming her foring in between his love and said, ¡± There was an annoying fly stuck to you.¡± ¡ª can you check Hot bloodsuckers Obsession if you like reverse harem? Chapter 92 92 You came here for her right? ¡± Now, let¡¯s get this party started ~¡± Liu Hui Ying picked up the piece of a braised chicken and ced it in her mouth, as soon as the fresh and savoury taste of the chicken spread all over her mouth, she hummed in delight. ¡± This is what I call life...good food, goodpany and no disturbances at all.¡± ¡± Did you forget the small hup where you just wrenched the heart of a maid?¡± asked Li Gang while munching on his braised pig trotter as he looked at Liu Hui Ying who was now acting like the angel of peace now that she has calmed down. Liu Hui Ying huffed as she turned her head a little to the left and smiled at Li Gang with narrowed eyes as she said, ¡± Just like you said it was a minor hup. If you think that you would like to work overtime rather than going through a minor hup then I will not do something like this in the future.¡± She shook her head from side to side before using her chopsticks to pile even more food in her mouth one by one. Li Gang did not want to work overtime so he closed his mouth and then turned his attention back to eating his meal. Why did he even try talking to her? Contradicting Liu Hui Ying was simply impossible. ¡± I really want to meet the chef who cooked all of this,¡± said Liu Hui Ying as she finished eating the food that she piled in her mouth. ¡± If he is old then I do not mind waiting for him to die and then taking him to our world with us, at least that way we will have decent meals every day.¡± In their group, neither Liu Hui Ying nor Jia Li knew how to cook and Grandma Lan Fen even though she was a ghost but when she died her memory started to deteriorate, so many times when she was left in charge of cooking, she ended up adding salt twice when she was cooking and that day Liu Hui Ying had to call for take out. And as for Li Gang, it was even more impossible when he was given the responsibility to cook a meal, Liu Hui Ying had to order a whole new kitchen. ¡± Maybe I will go and see whether he is old or not,¡± Jia Li too was hooked on the cooking of the chef, she really did not want to go back to the days when they have to rely on instant noodles to survive. ..... ¡± That¡¯s good¨C¡± Liu Hui Ying began speaking when the door to her room slid open suddenly. Startled that someone hase inside her room when she has clearly ordered them not to, three pairs of bowls and chopsticks fell on the table with a thud while Jia Li, Li Gang together with Grandma Lan Fen went into hiding. Even Liu Hui Ying started to think about what she was going to say to the person who opened the door regarding the bowls and chopsticks flying in the air but then the sudden visitor stepped inside the room and Liu Hui Ying¡¯s mood soured as she mmed her chopsticks on the table and hissed angrily, ¡± Jeez and there goes my good mood. You threee out, it¡¯s his esteemed majesty who came to visit our humble abode.¡± With that she snorted heavily and then returned her attention to finishing her meal, this jerk can he not announce his arrival like a normal emperor? He scared the life out of her. ¡± Oh, it¡¯s the Emperor,¡± Jia Li heaved a sigh of relief as she came out of her hiding spot and then sat back in her ce where she was sitting. Her heart ached when she noticed the amount of spiritual rice that has been spilled on the table. ¡± Ah, now I have to waste my energy to pick it all up.¡± ¡± Why?¡± Li Gang asked as he ced his hands on both sides of the mess and leaned his head down such that he was licking the rice like a dog. ¡± Justp it all up.¡± ¡± You are disgusting.¡± ¡± And you arezy.¡± ¡± So what did you bring your heavenly presence to disturb me, your majesty?¡± asked Liu Hui Ying over the loud voices of Li Gang and Jia Li. ¡± Shouldn¡¯t you be saying why I disturbed my heavenly body bying here?¡± corrected Zhai Tianyu but he forgot who was in front of him. Liu Hui Ying heard his words and scoffed before she shook her head and then smiled at him. ¡± Did you hear me fcking stutter, your majesty?¡± Zhai Tinayu blinked his eyes as he looked at Liu Hui Ying and said in a pouty sort of way. ¡± My queen you are always very rude to me.¡± I didn¡¯t see you acting sweet to me either, your majesty.¡± Liu Hui Ying shot back with ease. ¡± Do you want me to act sweet with you, my queen?¡± asked Zhai Tianyu with a smile as he ced his hand on his mouth with a shy gesture. ¡± If that is what you want then I ...¡± ¡± If you so much as imagine doing any hanky panky with me, I will kill you,¡± he didn¡¯t even get to finish saying what he wanted to when he heard Liu Hui Ying threaten him and that too with a rather twisted expression. She was serious, if he tried to tease her any further than this, she will definitely kill him. ¡± Ahem, I am sorry please forgive me, my queen, it seems I overstepped on your boundaries,¡± he said as he coughed and then returned to his former elegant and noble self. ¡± Oh yeah you did and don¡¯t do that again,¡± she rolled her sleeves and showed him the small hair that was standing all over her arms and said, ¡± You gave me goosebumps... I was scared that you were here to sacrifice your body for me.¡± Heat rose to Zhai Tianyu¡¯s face when he saw Liu Hui Ying show him, her arms. He turned his gaze away from her and then said, ¡± What do you mean by that, my queen?¡± ¡± Ji Yu..you came here because of her right?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 93 93 Beg me. ¡± You are rather smart, my queen,¡± said Zhai Tianyu, he dide to Liu Hui Ying¡¯s courtyard after having determined that he will do anything she asked him to do as long as she treats Ji Yu. Even if it meant breaking his vow and giving his body to Liu Hui Ying but from the looks of it, he thought too much, the way Liu Hui Ying was looking at him was simr to how one would look at a cockroach that they couldn¡¯t get rid of no matter how many times they stomped on it. ¡± I am indeed smart,¡± she was simply guessing, the matter with Ji Yu was already closed and she has proven herself innocent as well so there was no need for Zhai Tianyu toe looking for her regarding Ji Yu¡¯s case but now that he was here, she already knew why he was here. ¡± You are here to ask me whether or not I can help Ji Yu, right?¡± ¡± That¡¯s right,¡± Zhai Tianyu nodded sounding hopeful. When Liu Hui Ying heard his hopeful voice, she sneered. How selfish and self-centred, he was the one who killed this woman because of whatever reason that he had and now that he needed her help, he came looking for her? ¡± I am sorry but I cannot help you,¡± Liu Hui Ying replied without even thinking about what will happen to Ji Yu if she didn¡¯t help her, as far as she knew Ji Yu was a nobody to her. Sure, she might be kind to others but she and her ¡ª-they had nothing inmon for her to go against the heavens. ¡± You are lying,¡± Zhai Tianyu was stunned at first but then he calmed down and then hurriedly said, ¡± You can even keep a pierced heart alive, how can you not treat a poisoned womb? You don¡¯t have to worry about the rewards, I will give you whatever you want...whether it¡¯s money or jewels... you can ask anything that you want¨C¡± ¡± Hahaha, you are funny, your esteemed majesty,¡± Liu Hui Ying suddenly startedughing causing Zhai Tianyu to frown as he looked at her. ¡± What are youughing at?¡± ¡± I amughing at you, your majesty ...who else? Ho, what a joke,¡± she wiped a tear from the corner of her eyes and then shook her head. ¡± What will be next? Are you going to dere me as your God and start praying in front of me?¡± ¡± What nonsense are you sprouting, my queen¨C¡± ..... ¡± I am not sprouting nonsense,¡± before Zhai Tianyu can finish speaking, Liu Hui Ying stoppedughing as she looked at him with a dead serious expression. ¡± You are the one who started to joke around first, you are here because no one in the imperial physicians could heal your sweetheart and now that you are pushed into a corner, you want me to heal her. How? Something that even your imperial physicians can¡¯t do, you are asking me to do that ...which basically means that you are asking for a miracle to happen? Do you think that miracle can happen just because you give out money, jewels andnds, your majesty?¡± She scoffed as she continued while looking at Zhai Tianyu mockingly. ¡± For a miracle even if you hand over your throne to me, it won¡¯t be enough...because what you are asking for is something that only gods can do ...so if I am your God,¡± she dipped her eyes on the floor and smiled coldly, ¡± Bow before me. Your. Majesty.¡± Zhai Tianyu could feel that Liu Hui Ying was mocking him, he could sense that she was looking down at him as well. But he was desperate, he was the one who was at fault if not for him, Ji Yu wouldn¡¯t have been harmed like this. ¡± I know that you hate me, my queen,¡± he said finally after taking a deep breath. ¡± But don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s too unkind for you to watch an innocent life being harmed in front of you like this?¡± Liu Hui Ying paused in her actions of eating her meal when she heard his word, she raised her head and then looked at Zhai Tianyu with eyes filled withughter asughter bubbled inside her throat, a side of her lips curling as she said, ¡± Oooh that¡¯s riching from your majesty, I did think that men were hypocrites but I never pegged you as one. This tells me how wrong I can be in my judgement sometimes.¡± Hypocrite? ¡± When have I ever¨C¡± and that was when it hit him, she was talking about Liu Hui Ying whom he killed on their wedding night. His fingers clenched and unclenched as he looked at Liu Hui Ying who was smiling at him, she must have sensed that he understood what she meant and pursed his lips. ¡± I just did what was good for everyone, the Liu family¨C¡± ¡± Has nothing to do with her,¡± Liu Hui Ying finished for him, when he looked at her in disbelief, she nodded her head. ¡± The woman was innocent but just because she was linked to the Liu family and not the Ji family you handed her a death sentence, pray to tell me why should I help Ji Yu, your majesty. After all, she might be innocent but she is from the Ji family, that is enough for me to turn a blind eye to all of her pain and more importantly... I am not obliged to help her anymore, you see.¡± She hummed as she lowered her head and took a bite of her meal and then added, ¡± She was destined to die today...¡± She smiled upon seeing Zhai Tianyu¡¯s eyes go wide as he looked at her in shock. ¡± I saved her life, so you should be happy with what I have given her instead of what I am not giving her.¡± ¡± You won¡¯t change your decision even if I were to order you, my queen?¡± He asked with gritted teeth. And Liu Hui Ying leaned forward as she licked her front teeth. ¡± And that¡¯s where you are wrong, your majesty..when a man needs me to do something for him, he needs to be on his knees not looking me in the eyes.¡± She smiled when anger zed in his eyes and delivered the final blow. ¡± If you want me to help her why don¡¯t you go on your knees maybe I will think about it?¡± ¡ª¨C If you are a fan of vampires with mind control, seduction and reverse harem please check my work Hot Bloodsuckers¡¯ Obsession. Orz! if you liked the chapter leave ament, review or a gift or powerstones! If we hit five hundred golden tickets this month, I will release four extra chapters next month. Chapter 94 94 Coward ¡± You go too far, my queen!¡± Zhai Tianyu couldn¡¯t stay silent when he heard Liu Hui Ying ask him to kneel in front of her. Who does she think she was? How can she ask the Emperor to kneel in front of her? The Emperor of a country wouldn¡¯t even kneel in front of his mother, why would he do so for his wife? ¡± Who started it, your majesty?¡± Liu Hui Ying arced a brow as she looked at Zhai Tianyu with a smile. ¡± You are the one who is asking me to go against heaven¡¯s will and heal your sweetheart. Why should I do something like that and for whom?¡± Zhai Tianyu pursed his lips and clenched his fingers, he could feel his anger reaching its peak point but he knew that Liu Hui Ying was the only one who could help Ji Yu. So, even if his pride was shouting at him to turn around and leave, he stayed where he was and then looked at Liu Hui Ying with a calm expression as he finished taking calming breaths. ¡°You will be saving the life of an innocent woman is that not enough for you? As a member of the royal family, we should have a broader mindset, protecting the innocents is our responsibility... I too am working hard to protect the innocent people of my country.¡± ¡± Well hurrah for you,¡± Liu Hui Ying said as she picked up her chopsticks and started looking for what she wanted to eat then added fluently, ¡± You might have a big heart but I don¡¯t, your majesty. I am a petty-hearted and vengeful woman, and in your words, I am the same devil spawned from the blood of the Liu family, sooo....¡± She spread her hands helplessly. ¡± There is nothing that I can do for you.¡± ¡°But why!¡± Zhai Tianyu couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡± You can save her, right? You ...you have the power to do so, then why aren¡¯t you saving her? This is something that you can do right.¡± ¡± I am doing this for my own greater good, your esteemed majesty,¡± replied Liu Hui Ying with a smile as she looked at Zhai Tianyu with crinkled eyes. ¡± Like you killed this woman for the greater good as per your opinion, I am choosing to keep my hands off the matter of concubine Ji. You are right, I can save her and I do have the powers to make her womb all healthy and nice but ... she is someone from the Ji family, if I help her then I will be losing the protection of the Liu family. Concubine Ji can survive because she has you but what about me? Can you promise me that you can protect me? That you will keep your prejudices aside and let me go? That even if the Liu family turns their backs on me, you wouldn¡¯t ?¡± Zhai Tianyu did not say anything and Liu Hui Ying popped a piece of chicken in her mouth. She nodded and pointed at him with her chopsticks before saying, ¡± You see that ...you know it yourself that you don¡¯t have any desire to protect me, you will be grateful to me yeah...but you will sacrifice me willingly for the greater good of yours,¡± she quoted the words ¡®greater good¡¯ with her fingers. ¡± I am not an agent of god who will let you take advantage of me and then let you have my life in your hands, I am no fool, your majesty. If I am going down, I am taking a hundred people together with me.¡± ¡± I only killed Liu Hui Ying because that was what I thought was for the best! We can not have an empress from the Liu family¡ª¡± ¡± Aren¡¯t they just excuses?¡± Before Zhai Tianyu could finish speaking, Liu Hui Ying smiled at him mockingly. ¡± You might have told yourself this excuse a hundred times but the reason you watched Liu Hui Ying die silently is that you hated her for the blood that was running in her veins.¡± ..... She mmed her chopsticks on the table as she heatedly said, ¡± You killed her because she was the easiest of all, you are afraid of facing the Liu family and you know that you can not take them down with your strength. So you killed Liu Hui Ying, don¡¯t let your empty morals blind you, your majesty. The truth is that you are a coward! Liu Hui Ying was just as innocent as Ji Yu, why didn¡¯t your heart ache for her when she was dying? When she thought that everything in her world was gone? You stayed silent because you didn¡¯t care about her, you didn¡¯t save her because she was no one to you! Then why should my heart ache for Concubine Ji Yu? She is nothing to me and I don¡¯t care for her!¡± Zhai Tianyu¡¯s breathing turned heavy as he lowered his head and bit down on his lips hard from screaming ¡®shut up,¡¯ to Liu Hui Ying. Seeing that he was breathing harshly, Liu Hui Ying sniggered. ¡°It¡¯s hurt, doesn¡¯t it? When you realise that not everything will go ording to your will, do you your majesty? You need to understand that if you are willing to respect others¡¯ passion, and the people that they care about then they will be willing to respect yours back as well. Stop thinking that you are so important that you can be disdainful of the lives of those and their loved ones when you don¡¯t care about them but it should be reversed in your case. That everyone should take your loved ones seriously when you aren¡¯t. It¡¯s bizarre and disgusting.¡± Zhai Tianyu closed his eyes and then turned around to leave because he was enraged he didn¡¯t even close the door behind him instead he simply stormed outside, his face livid as his golden robes billowed behind him. ¡± Argh that man,¡± Liu Hui Ying spat in the spitting bowl and picked up a cup of refreshing tea and took a sip as she scoffed. ¡± He makes my mouth taste disgusting every time hees to see me.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 95 95 a fair fight ¡± And how long are you going to chase after me?¡± she turned to look at the ghost of Zhai Tianyu¡¯s aunt and hitched up a brow. ¡± Didn¡¯t I tell you that I am not going to help you? Without any reason whatsoever.¡± Zhai Chenguang came looking for Liu Hui Ying when her mother copsed, Grand Dowager Empress who lost her daughter raised Ji Yu as her granddaughter and doted on her as she would dote on Zhai Chenguang. It could be said that Ji Yu was her walking stick in old age, so when her mother heard that Ji Yu was poisoned she was shocked to her core and she couldn¡¯t sit still. Even after returning to her courtyard, her mother has been crying nonstop. Even when the imperial physician told her mother that crying so much might cause her to go blind, her mother didn¡¯t listen to a thing that the imperial physician said, instead she continued crying, mourning the loss of grandchildren that she will never have, The grand Dowager Empress cried and cried for a long time and because of Zhai Chenguang sticking to her, she couldn¡¯t withstand the pressure on her body and then fainted due to extreme weakness. Zhai Chenguang was worried that her mother would get even sicker, which was why she left the courtyard and came looking for Liu Hui Ying, she thought that she will be able to convince Liu Hui Ying to help her but now that she saw how ruthless Liu Hui Ying was, she couldn¡¯t even bring herself to say what she wanted to say. This woman was heartless, she cared about no one other than herself, and she didn¡¯t even care about Ji Yu who has been poisoned, there was a chance to save her life but Liu Hui Ying was refusing to do so even when handed jewels and money ...a woman like her.... She would definitely not help her who was dead and gone from the world without anything in her hands. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± she replied softly. ¡± My mother fainted because of me and that is why I came looking for you but I guess even if I ask you now, you wouldn¡¯t help me, will you?¡± ¡± You are right, I will not help you..¡± Liu Hui Ying turned her attention back to her meal. ¡± If you want my help either bring me a treasure map or something and if you can¡¯t do that then you need to bring me the soul of this woman, she escaped from this mess and left me to clean it up for her. I am having enough trouble as it is... if you help me go back to my world, I will help you move on... it¡¯s a win-win situation for both of us.¡± Zhai Chenguang¡¯s eyes lit up, she could do something like looking for a soul. After all, she was a ghost as well, it shouldn¡¯t be that difficult now, should it? ... ..... ¡± Where were you?¡± Zhai Heng asked when he saw Zhai Tianyu return to Ji Yu¡¯s courtyard, when his brother said that he was going to look for a miracle, he was rather happy but now he was looking gloomy and angry. What happened? Where did he go? But the answer soon came to him, after all in the pce only one woman was capable of making his mother raging mad like this. He sighed and asked, ¡± Did you go to the queen?¡± ¡± I did,¡± Zhai Tianyu answered without hiding anything, he looked at Ji Yu who was asleep and then heaved a breath. ¡± She was the one who told us that she knows some medical skills and she even took care of grandmother¡¯s shoulder pain when no one else could do it. This was why I thought that she would be able to treat Ji Yu as well but...¡± he finished off bitterly as he scoffed. ¡± Did the queen say that she cannot treat, Yu¡¯er?¡± asked Zhai Heng He thought that Zhai Tianyu was angry at his fate that even the miracle that he was banking on didn¡¯t seem to be of any help to him but to his surprise, Zhai Tianyu shook his head and said, ¡± Oh the queen can heal Yu¡¯er, she said so with her mouth but she is selfish and petty. She is still ...¡± he paused and then closed his eyes before continuing, ¡± She is still ming for what happened back then, she doesn¡¯t want to help Yu¡¯er. She said something about me being selfish, saying that I am being self-centred, that I only care about myself and the people I care about.¡± He chortled mockingly. ¡± Said that I need to understand that as an Emperor no matter who it was... as long as they were innocent their problems were mine and vice versa but I have the mentality that my problems belong to everyone while I don¡¯t care about others.¡± He sighed and rubbed his face with his hands and said, ¡± She was really ruthless.¡± Zhai Heng was shocked upon hearing that Liu Hui Ying could heal Ji Yu but when he thought about how she was able to treat their grandmother and knew how to keep that maid alive even with her heart pierced most probably she also knows how to treat Ji Yu¡¯s womb. In fact, he wasn¡¯t surprised that Liu Hui Ying refused to help Ji Yu. The two of them even though they hardly conversed, they had a lot of friction between them. ¡± Now what are we going to do?¡± Zhai Heng asked, Liu Hui Ying wasn¡¯t willing to help them and there was no one in the imperial pce who could help Ji Yu either. ¡°. I don¡¯t know,¡± the truth was that as long as Zhai Tianyu pushed Liu Hui Ying into a corner he would have seeded in making her give up and treat Ji Yu but he didn¡¯t want to do that, it was a weird feeling. But he didn¡¯t want to threaten her ...maybe it was because he knew that she wouldn¡¯t bend in the face of his threat. He turned to look at Ji Yu who was sleeping peacefully and sighed heavily again. ¡± I always thought that what I was doing was right but now I can¡¯t help but question myself.¡± He turned his head to look at Zhai Heng and added with a confused look on his face. ¡± I thought killing Liu Hui Ying was the right thing to do but now ... it seems like I was nothing but a coward who went for the weakest chess piece in the Liu family¡¯s court, elder brother are we really fighting a fair fight if we are willing to spill the blood of innocents like the Liu family?¡± Chapter 96 96 sneaking out of pce Zhai Heng pursed his lips, he knew that Zhai Tianyu has been a soft-hearted boy ever since he was young. He wouldn¡¯t let anyone in his world but once he did he would care about them to no end, but what was kind-heartedness in his eyes might be selfishness in the eyes of others. Only cared about people who were involved in his world while leaving those who had nothing to do with him alone, however, Zhai Tianyu was the emperor and no one dared to say anything to him. But Liu Hui Ying was different she was the type of woman who would say what was in her head without any qualms. Most probably when Zhai Tianyu went looking for her to help Ji Yu, she must have spoken some bitter truth that Zhai Tianyu refused to face. ¡± Tianyu, you only need to remember that you are doing everything for the country, the Liu family is like a rotten pus-filled sore that needs to be eradicated for the sake of the betterment of the Empire, you don¡¯t have to feel sorry for the Queen,¡± Zhai Heng said even though his heart was beating harshly against his chest telling him what he was saying was wrong but he still went ahead with it. Because the future of their country was more important than his heart and what he wanted. He heaved a deep breath and ignored the resistance of his body before continuing, ¡± The Queen might be innocent but so were a lot of people whom the officials of the Liu family killed under the reign of the Dowager Empress. You don¡¯t have to feel guilty for what you did.¡± ¡± No,¡± Zhai Tianyu shook his head, a mncholic look on his face as he stared at his hands and smiled disdainfully. ¡± If I don¡¯t feel guilty for doing what I did to the Queen then what is the difference between me and those officials of the Liu family? They killed innocent people without any remorse and I did the same as well. Because of my arrogance and selfishness, I brought Ji Yu to the harem and left her in this vulnerable state, I was the one who married the queen and promised in our vows that I will protect her but on the night of our wedding, I offered her a jar of poisonous wine. No matter how I look at it,¡± he raised his head and looked at his elder brother. ¡± I was indeed a coward, I feared being controlled like a puppet by the Liu family and made all sorts of retaliation against them but not once did I go against them instead I went for the Queen who was the weakest of all.¡± He dropped his gaze down to the floor and sighed heavily. ¡± Grandfather always said that one should never burn bridges entirely, yet I was foolish enough to hurt the Queen and now I can¡¯t save the woman who means the most to me....¡± ¡± You can always force the Queen, your majesty,¡± suggested Zhai Heng. ¡± No, I have,¡± Zhai Tianyu closed his eyes as he shook his head. ¡± I have done enough damage to the Queen, no more. If I push her into a corner, then I will be shamelessly degrading myself even further in her eyes. Right now she thinks of me as a coward, if I were to force her then she will think of me as a tyrant and that is one thing that I never want to be.¡± He pushed himself off the chair and then walked around Ji Yu¡¯s bed before sitting down and skimming his fingers over her head. ¡± I guess, this will be the end of the Zhai family. But at least I will make sure to eradicate all the pests that have been digging in our roots before ending everything.¡± ..... ¡ª ¡± Your majesty, do you really have to do this?¡± Qui Ai asked in a voice that was below a whisper as she handed the male servant¡¯s clothes to Liu Hui Ying who took them from her and then carefully took a whiff. When she was sure that the clothes were fresh from theundry and didn¡¯t have the scent of a man, Liu Hui Ying ced them on the bed and immediately hopped off the bed where she was lying. ¡± Of course, I have to do it,¡± answered Liu Hui Ying as she ced her hands on her blouse and started taking it off. ¡± Do you have any idea how annoying is to stay in this same ce and just do nothing but eat and sleep? ¡± At first, Liu Hui Ying was enjoying the peace that was suddenly handed to her but now she couldn¡¯t help but think that it was better for her to simply get out of this ce and return to her own world. After all, if she was to stay here who knows how much trouble she has to get entangled into? ¡± But what if you are caught?¡± asked Qui Ai in a worried voice, even though she said that when she noticed that Liu Hui Ying was having a hard time changing her clothes, she still helped her mistress. ¡± The women of the harem are not allowed to leave the pce, if anyone finds out that you left the pce and that too at such an odd hour, I am certain that it will be really troublesome your majesty. Even the Dowager Empress would not be able to save you if that happens. And the Ji family who has been eyeing you for so long will have a field trip.¡± ¡± No one will be able to catch me,¡± Liu Hui Ying winked at Qui Ai as she showed a victory sign to her maid. ¡± I am not someone whom they can catch so easily anyway. I am just going to look around the pce and then go outside to buy a few things, after that, I will return as soon as possible, you just have to hold the fort till then.¡± As soon as her skirt was reced by the wide pants, Liu Hui Ying handed her clothes to Qui Ai and said, ¡± Just drape the robe and lie down on the bed, in case nanny Gonges to check on me.¡± ¡ª¡ª Chapter 97 97 Caught! ¡± But your majesty, how can I wear the royal robe!¡± Qui Ai was stunned when Liu Hui Ying handed her the robe of the Empress after all she was just a maid, and no matter how well her mistress treated her, she couldn¡¯t wear the clothes of her mistress! ¡± What are you talking about?¡± Liu Hui Ying rolled her eyes as she pointed her finger at Qui Ai and said, ¡± if you don¡¯t wear it then Nanny Gong will find out that I am missing and then she will wake up the entire pce with her screams, do you want that to happen? I mean Nanny Gong does not mean to do any harm but she is the type of woman who would somehow create some sort of trouble.¡± And this time Qui Ai had nothing to say because what Liu Hui Ying said was the truth if nanny Gong found out that their missy went out of the pce she will raise the sky over her head. ¡± All right, your majesty,¡± for the sake of protecting her mistress, Qui Ai agreed but she still looked terrified as she draped the bright red robe over her figure and then added in a hurry, ¡°please do remember toe as soon as possible, I do not wish to see you punished again your majesty. And while you are outside please stay away from the Emperor, I heard that he has the habit of frequently visiting the brothel with his friends.¡± Liu Hui Ying, who was walking towards the window to sneak out of the room, paused in her stride and then turned to look at Qui Ai and asked in a confused tone, ¡± Doesn¡¯t the Emperor has concubine Ji? Why does he need to frequently visit the brothel?¡± ¡± For a man no matter how many women he gets to hold, they are less,¡± replied Qui Ai simply and Liu Hui Ying¡¯s remaining respect for the emperor vanished in an instant as she turned around and ced her hands on the window sill as she said, ¡± Don¡¯t worry, I will never stay under the same roof as that jerk.¡± With that, she jumped out of the window and then snuck out of the queen¡¯s courtyard. ¡± Ah now I feel like I am alive,¡± she stretched her arms over her head as she twisted her neck side by side and then walked around the pce. At night the big imperial pce looked rather scary but to Liu Hui Ying the entire pce was like a child¡¯s park. She wasn¡¯t scared of the souls that were lurking in the dark nor was she scared of the sounds of crickets and animals that would hop out of the wild. ¡± Thank goodness you came out of that courtyard, I was getting bored while being cooped in there,¡± said Li Gang as he looked around the entire ce and then flew down to stand next to Liu Hui Ying. ..... As the ghost servant of Liu Hui Ying, neither of her ghosts could go away more than three hundred metres away from her in case she didn¡¯t give them special permission. Something she rarely gave them since it required a lot of spiritual energy. ¡± Do you think I brought you out so that you can have fun?¡± Liu Hui Ying snickered as she turned her head to look at Li Gang, seeing her smile so creepily made Li Gang take a few steps back. ¡± I brought you three out with me because I want you to look around the pce and find out whether or not you can feel the presence of this woman, go around and ask the ghosts who are lurking in there whether they have seen this woman roaming around or not.¡± ¡± Why don¡¯t you go ahead and ask them?¡± Li Gang asked sounding a bit annoyed and angry. ¡± You are the celestial master, you should be the one doing the interrogation! Why should we be working when you are going out to have fun?¡± Liu Hui Ying smiled as she raised her hand and then ced it on top of Li Gang¡¯s head as she said, ¡± Who do you think I am, Li Gang?¡± ¡± Hui Ying Sama,¡± quaked Li Gang as he felt the pressure of the spiritual energy coursing through his existence. ¡± That¡¯s right, I am your boss the reason for your very existence, if you do not work for me then you can very well get lost in the underworld, do you want me to send you to the underworld?¡± asked Liu Hui Ying with a demonic smile and Li Gang shook his head left to right like a rattle. ¡± That¡¯s good,¡± she then turned to look at Jia Li and Grandma Lan Fen before she asked. ¡± Do I have to make you two agree as well? Or are you going to go on your own?¡± ¡± We will go and take a look at once, Hui Ying Sama,¡± ¡± There is no need to trouble yourself, my dear.¡± Jia Li and Grandma Lan Fen flew in the direction where the ghosts were lurking and Li Gang ran for it as soon as Liu Hui Ying loosened her grip on his head. Seeing the three ghosts leave, Liu Hui Ying nodded and then arched her hands over her shoulders. ¡± Ah, I think I will go and take a look at the market that Qui Ai was talking about.¡± She took out the small paper on which Qui Ai has drawn the directions of the town market and then started walking in the same direction as the one that was supposed to take her there but as she walked past the harem of the Emperor and headed towards the South Gate, she heard someone call her from behind. ¡± You there where do you think you are going?¡± Liu Hui Ying¡¯s eyes widened as she ced the map back in her sleeve pocket and then turned to look at the guards who were responsible for patrolling around the harem at night. She blinked her eyes as she bowed her head and gritted them with a smile. ¡± Can I help you two?¡± The guards looked at each other and then looked at Liu Hui Ying before frowning. The guard on the left with a sword in his hand asked, ¡± Who are you? We have never seen you here.¡± ¡ª- If you like reverse harem please do check out my other work Hot Bloodsuckers¡¯ Obsession. Chapter 98 98 Looking down at her Liu Hui Ying cursed her luck, she didn¡¯t even get a chance to step out of the pce and she was already caught! But somehow she managed to keep her calm as she faced the guards and answered their question, ¡± I... I am a eunuch working in the pce of the Queen, she was missing some candied hawthorns from the shop in the market which is why she asked me to buy some for her.¡± As she spoke she took out the pce badge, that was looked like a shiny golden tablet with inscriptions written on it, Liu Hui Ying didn¡¯t have to worry about anything given that Qui Ai has taken care of everything from sneaking the clothes of a eunuch out of theundry room, she even prepared an identity tablet for Liu Hui Ying. ¡± This is my identity tablet,¡± Liu Hui Ying showed the golden tablet to the guards who took a look at the name that was written on the golden te. ¡± Junior eunuch Li,¡± the guard on the left read the identity tablet and then frowned as he looked to his colleague who shrugged and said, ¡± Don¡¯t look at me, do you know how many eunuchs are there in the pce? He must be newly hired by the pce after the arrival of the Queen since he is still a eunuch in training.¡± ¡± But still,¡± said the guard on left with his brows furrowed as he looked at Liu Hui Ying and brought his hand to his chin as he pondered over something. ¡± He is the eunuch of the Queen¡¯s courtyard, should he be allowed to leave thiste in the night?¡± Everyone has heard about the Queen who just married over to the pce, it hasn¡¯t been more than three days and yet the fame of the Queen has risen so much that even the guards with the lowest rank have heard all about her. ¡°Didn¡¯t the queen kill a maid and feasted on her heart?¡± The guard on the right said suddenly with a shiver as he looked at his colleague. ¡± Xiao Li, I think we should let the little eunuch go, if the Queen finds out that we stopped him, then what will you do if she came looking for our hearts as well?¡± Xiao Li also stiffened and then swallowed hard as he said in false bravado, ¡± What are you saying? The maid was a sinner and that is why she has to hand over her heart to the Queen, I haven¡¯t done anything wrong.¡± ¡± Do you think the queen will think the same?¡± asked the other guard and Xiao Li stiffened even more as he turned to look at the little eunuch with a terrified look on his face. ..... Liu Hui Ying listened to the conversation between the two guards and was simply speechless. She has been here for less than two days and now she was already being rumoured as a heart-eating monster. Well they weren¡¯t wrong, she indeed went for the heart of the maid but she did not feast on it! ¡± But can we allow the eunuch of the Queen to leave the pce at such an odd hour?¡± Xiao Li asked, he was worried that he will be punished by the head guard. ¡± I mean everyone knows that the Queen is not favoured, no offence to your mistress,¡± he added quickly as he spoke to Liu Hui Ying. ¡± None taken,¡± replied Liu Hui Ying with a wide smile that nearly closed her eyes. Haha, even these guards knew that she wasn¡¯t favoured? What an interesting life she was living. That damned Emperor he really didn¡¯t want her to survive did he? Even these small fries were looking down on her! One of these days she will get hold of his tree and ... ¡± Why? Why can¡¯t my sister¡¯s eunuch leave the pce as he pleases? Now even you puny guards are looking down on my sister?¡± A masculine voice came from behind and the guards turned to look at the man who was walking towards them with a fan in his hands. His swagger was cocky and he looked rather arrogant with that tilt of his head. ¡± Prince Kang, that wasn¡¯t what we meant,¡± the two guards bowed in front of and Liu Hui Ying followed suit as she bowed in front of the man. ¡± We were just worried that we will be med after all the royal kitchen can prepare anything that the Queen wants to eat, allowing the eunuch to leave at this hour...it will be suspicious.¡± The man prince Kang raised one of his brows and smiled at the two guards as he asked, ¡± So are you saying that the Liu family is acting suspiciously?¡± ¡± No, absolutely not¨C that¡¯s not what we meant...¡± the two guards started speaking but Prince Kang wasn¡¯t willing to listen as he scoffed at the two of them. ¡± Then what did you mean?¡± he asked them imperiously. ¡± If you are questioning the eunuch of the queen then you are questioning the Queen and if you are questioning the queen, aren¡¯t you questioning the Liu family?¡± He leaned down and then snapped his fan close as he sneered at the two guards who were shivering. ¡± Should I tell my uncle that you are questioning the Queen and the Liu family? He will be very willing to see you two. ¡± ¡°No, No...we did not mean that,¡± the two guards shivered as they hurriedly gave their permission to the eunuch who belonged to the Queen¡¯s courtyard and then even sent him off respectfully. Liu Hui Ying saw how the two of them were acting and was speechless. Seriously, the power struggle has been embedded in the very vein of this country. Earlier these two men were acting so obnoxiously but no sooner the prime minister was called out they sent her off so respectfully? What unfair treatment! She was really upset but she didn¡¯t even have the chance to be upset as she looked at the man who was walking next to her with a smile on his face. Now, what should she do with him? ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 99 99 The queen is pregnant? ¡± Thank you,¡± Liu Hui Ying said to the man called prince Kang as she took several steps back and bowed in front of him. She was hoping that the guy would just take her thank you and then leave her alone but she was very wrong! ¡°It¡¯s all right, there is no need for you to thank me like that, you can stand up straight, there is no need to bow in front of me,¡± Prince Kang waved her apology aside and then allowed her to stand up straight. Liu Hui Ying stood up straight and then she only took one nce at the man in front of her and she started to feel rather tired. Maybe it was that obnoxious, foolish smile or maybe it was the fact that the man hasn¡¯t left her alone yet. ¡± You said that you are out to buy hawthorns for my sister?¡± Prince Kang asked as he looked at her, his lips curled slightly. ¡± That is right, my lord,¡± replied Liu Hui Ying as she was taught by Qui Ai. ¡± The Queen was craving some candied hawthorns and she asked me to buy them for her.¡± Prince Kang blinked his eyes and then tilted his head to the side before he naively asked, ¡± But my sister absolutely hates candied hawthorns, don¡¯t tell me¨C¡± he said with a gasp causing sweat to trickle down Liu Hui Ying¡¯s spine. ¡± That my sister is pregnant!¡± ¡± Cough!¡± Liu Hui Ying choked on air as she patted her chest and then tried to ease her startled heart. ¡± The Queen is not pregnant!¡± She eximed loudly with frustration lining her face. How in the world did this mane to this conclusion? She will jump down the cliff before getting pregnant with that bastard¡¯s child! ..... ¡± She isn¡¯t?¡± Prince Kang¡¯s brows furrowed as he raised a finger and pointed at Liu Hui Ying and asked, ¡± How do you know that? There is no way my sister would tell you something so serious.¡± ¡± I am the Queen¡¯s most trusted servant, of course, she will tell me if something like this was to happen and,¡± she looked around and then added hurriedly, ¡± What kind of child will pop out in three days?¡± If that jerk can get her pregnant in three days then he might as well dere himself as one shot Emperor. Prince Kang seemed to be pondering over what Liu Hui Ying said as he nodded, Liu Hui Ying thought that he understood what she was trying to say but then she heard him say, ¡± Does that mean my sister was pregnant before getting married?¡± Liu Hui Ying all of a sudden felt like she was drained out of every bit of her energy, this man ...was he trying to get her killed? ¡± The queen is not pregnant!¡± Liu Hui Ying repeated but this time her voice was firm as she looked at the man with a deadly gaze. Stop trying to put a fcking baby in her womb when she didn¡¯t want it damn it! This time her face was so fierce that Prince Kang took a step back and said, ¡± All right, she is not pregnant but why are you getting angry like that?¡± ¡± I am not getting angry,¡± stated Liu Hui Ying, she truly wasn¡¯t angry. It was just that her blood pressure was spiking up because of this man. ¡± So, if she isn¡¯t pregnant...then why does she want to eat candied hawthorns?¡± ¡± AHHHH! FORGET ABOUT CANDIED HAWTHORNS, MAYBE JUST SHOOT THEM ALL!¡± Damn those candied hawthorns! Even if she wasn¡¯t pregnant now, if this goes on then she will get pregnant with a hawthorn¡¯s baby! .... ¡± This is what the queen asked me to buy,¡± she showed the yellow talisman paper to the man who for some reason was following her. ¡± The Queen is missing her mother and wanted to write some letters to her and burn them, but if she gets caught then it will be troublesome, that¡¯s the only reason she asked me to bring this secretly.¡± Prince Kang looked at the yellow papers and nodded sympathetically, ¡± Well it¡¯s understandable, my sister is under so much stress these days. She must be missing aunt a lot now that she is living in the pce.¡± He shook his head and then added, ¡± You should tell my sister that she should not worry so much, I am sure that aunt must be watching over her no matter where she is at the moment.¡± ¡± Yes, yes...¡± Liu Hui Ying replied dryly, boy if he knew. If this woman¡¯s mother was indeed looking over her then she would definitelye to haunt her. ¡± Anyway, are you going to the pce now?¡± Prince Kang asked as he looked down at her and Liu Hui Ying frowned as she nodded. ¡± But why? The night is just getting young! Tell you what, I will take you to a rather fun ce!¡± Prince Kang snapped his finger at Liu Hui Ying and without giving her a chance to refuse he caught hold of her sleeve and dragged her with him. ¡°Hey let go!¡± Liu Hui Ying shouted, fortunately, the sleeves of the eunuch¡¯s robes were too long and the man didn¡¯t touch her skin but if he was to then her allergies will re up in the middle of the street! ¡± Now, Now... you are the eunuch of my sister, I should treat you well! Come with me I will let you have lots of fun!¡± ... ¡± So, this is your version of fun?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked as she pped the hand of the woman who was trying to dig deep into her shirt. Prince Kang chuckled appreciatively as he wrapped his hands around the waist of two women and replied, ¡± Isn¡¯t this fun even if you can¡¯t do the deed the least you can do is have a bit of fun, right?¡± Liu Hui Ying stared at the man who has dragged a supposed-to-be eunuch to a brothel and then asked quietly, ¡± Prince Kang, you don¡¯t have any friends do you?¡± ¡± How do you know that?¡± ¡± I just made a guess.¡± ¡ª¨C If you like reverse harem would you please support mypetition book Hot Bloodsuckers¡¯ Obsession? Orz Chapter 100 100 Drunk. To bring a eunuch to a brothel, how can a man be this tactless! Liu Hui Ying pped the woman¡¯s hands away from her as she turned to look at the woman who was serving her, seeing that she was looking offended, Liu Hui Ying smiled and said, ¡± There is no need to serve a small eunuch like me is it?¡± She pointed to Prince Kang who was being saddled by two women and added, ¡± You can go and serve him instead, he will be a lot more fun wouldn¡¯t he?¡± The woman, however, shook her head as she lowered her head and said in a whispering voice, ¡± Prince Kang always ys too hard, I find it really difficult to wake up the next day if you don¡¯t mind, I would rather stay with you, Sir.¡± What a hassle, thought Liu Hui Ying as she looked at the little woman who was refusing to go over to Prince Kang¡¯s side, she was still thinking about what to say to the woman to push her to Prince Kang¡¯s side when she heard her say, ¡± Prince Kang has already paid for your drinks, sir. Each of the drinks cost more than ten silver taels, would you not take a sip? These drinks are the oldest ones in our winery.¡± ¡± What did you say?¡± Liu Hui Ying turned her attention to the wine jars that were ced in front of her, these wines cost more than ten silver. Strictly speaking, they cost more than a thousand copper coins, right? That means they were really expensive! Liu Hui Ying has always been a fan of good wine, when she heard that each of the wine jars that Prince Kang ordered was more than ten taels, the drunkard in her woke up and she eyed the wine jars greedily, what was more they werepletely free of cost! ¡± Are you sure that I can drink this wine for free?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked as she pointed to the jars of wine, the only reason she was acting so reserved till now was that she didn¡¯t want to share the bill with this so-called prince, but if he has already paid then.... ¡± Of course,¡± replied the woman who was sitting beside her as she gave her a nod. ¡± Prince Kang¡¯s ount has been linked with the Liu family for a very long time as long as hees to our brothel and says that the tab is to be put under the Liu family then he can buy anything without paying.¡± Oh looks like the Liu family was indeed a force that cannot be offended. ¡± If that is the case then,¡± Liu Hui Ying rubbed her hands and motioned the woman to pour the wine into her cup. ¡± Go ahead and fill my cups, God knows how much stress I have been piling up.¡± ..... ¡± As you wish my lord,¡± replied the woman as she picked up the wine jar while another woman who was sitting idly in the corner scrambled to Liu Hui Ying¡¯s side and softly said, ¡± Master do you want me to massage your shoulders? I bet you will feel much more rxed like this?¡± Prince Kang already chose the woman he wanted to spend his night with, which was why he was dragged out of the room to the private room while Liu Hui Ying was the only one who was sitting in the drinking room. Liu Hui Ying looked at the sickly woman who looked rather skinny and clicked her tongue before she took out two gold coins from the pouch that was left behind by Prince Kang and handed them to the woman. ¡± Here you go, make sure to eat something nice this month.¡± ¡± How can I...¡± the woman said as she caught the coins and then shuddered as she looked at the shiny gold. ¡± The prince will question me¨C¡± ¡± The prince will be so pissed drunk by tomorrow morning that he will not even remember where he shoved his junk,¡± replied Liu Hui Ying as she pped her hand. ¡± And if you want to serve me then you better wash your mouth and hands, I don¡¯t like the scent of another man.¡± Given that the woman was sticking her tongue inside Prince Kang¡¯s mouth just a few minutes ago, it was really important for her to wash her hands clean along with her lips, if she didn¡¯t do it then it will only make Liu Hui Ying feel icky. ¡± As you say master,¡± the woman bowed her head as she rushed out of the room to wash her hands and lips while the woman in red continued to serve Liu Hui Ying wine. .... ¡± No wonder men likeing to this ce,¡± Liu Hui Ying huped as she smashed the cup down on the table and then looked at the two women who were drunk beyond their limits and were now lying on the floor with their cheeks flushed red. ¡± What¡¯s wrong? Did you two got drunk so quickly? Tsk, tsk...too bad, I was going to offer more gold coins to you.¡± As she huped she picked up the pouch of gold coins that were left behind by Prince Kang and ced them in her sleeves. ¡± Well, this is something that my little cousin left behind... as his older sister I have full right to keep them with me.¡± ¡± Aish,¡± she pushed herself off the floor and then stumbled before knocking into the table as she raised her hand and apologised, ¡°Sorry about that, I am feeling a bit woozy. I am not drunk ...just a bit woozy.¡± As she repeated those words, she stumbled out of the room and then peered out into the corridor. ¡± Sheesh, so many men... how annoying.... But I need to go.¡± She mumbled as she rubbed her abdomen as her dder protested against her. ¡°Now where should I go?¡± ... ¡± I will be going to the restroom,¡± said Zhai Heng as he pushed himself off the chair he was sitting in and arched his back, because they could not discuss the military tactics in the imperial pce, he and Zhai Tianyu along with Yu Lingyun would oftene to the brothel to spend time alone. In the eyes of others, they were messing around with women together but behind closed doors, they were actually discussing military tactics. Zhai Tianyu looked at his empty tea cup and sighed. ¡°I wille too, I drank a lot of tea as well.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 101 101 What are you doing? ¡± You two are leaving me alone?¡± Yu Lingyun suddenly said as he raised his head from the document that he was reading and then narrowed his eyes at Zhai Heng and Zhai Tianyu as he said, ¡± What¡¯s this the brothers are aligning together against me?¡± ¡± Are you serious?¡± Zhai Heng asked as he looked at Yu Lingyun who was teasing them and said, ¡± We are only going to the restroom and we will be back by the time you are done with this document, what kind of nonsense are you saying?¡± Zhai Tianyu looked at Yu Lingyun and shook his head. ¡± Brother Yu, it seems that I am not giving you enough work, your mind is diverting over things of no importance.¡± ¡°No, you are giving me enough work... I am so busy that the documents that I need to do are piled up to my neck, all right? There is no need for you to trouble yourself by giving me more work.¡± As he said this Yu Lingyun turned his attention back to the document and then added, ¡± What are you two looking at me for you are disturbing my work! Go, shoo.¡± Zhai Tianyu rolled his eyes while Zhai Heng simply smacked Yu Lingyun on the back of his head as the two of them walked out of the room. Zhai Heng pushed open the sliding door and then allowed Zhai Tianyu to walk in front of him. ¡± You don¡¯t need to observe such formality when we are alone big brother,¡± said Zhai Tianyu feeling a bit awkward when he saw that Zhai Heng was still opening the door for him. Strictly speaking as the elder brother he should have been chosen as the crown prince but for some reason unknown instead of choosing Zhai Heng as the crown prince, their father chose Zhai Tianyu as the crown prince. ¡± Formality cannot be forgotten no matter where we are,¡± replied Zhai Heng stiffly Zhai Tianyu knew that his brother wouldn¡¯t listen to him, so he walked out of the room and then allowed him to close the door. Zhai Heng fell a step behind Zhai Tianyu as he closed the sliding door shut and then started to walk towards the restroom. The two have beening over to this brothel for so long that they knew theyout of the brothel much better than any other customer of this ce. ¡± Will this be okay?¡± Zhai Heng asked as he looked at Zhai Tianyu who was walking beside him. ¡± Discussing military tactics and the ns to take the Chu family down when Ji Yu is like that? Will she be all right?¡± ..... ¡± She will be fine, in fact, she was the one who sent me here,¡± Zhai Tianyu replied with his fingers clenched in his sleeves. ¡± If the information that the Emperor went to the brothel even though concubine Ji was injured was to spread around then I am sure that many concubines who are eyeing Ji Yu will think twice before attacking her. Ji Yu was the one who came up with the idea, as long as I pretend that I don¡¯t care about her as much as everyone thinks I do, not only will she be able to keep herself safe for the time being even the Chu family will rx giving me a chance to take them down.¡± Zhai Tianyu wanted to rush down to the Chu family and take every single person down with his sword but the Zhai Tianyu who sits on the throne didn¡¯t even know how to use a simple dagger much less a sword and which was why even if he wanted he could not unsheathe his sword for the Chu family if he were to unsheathe it then it would be for the Liu family who waspletely stained with corruption. ¡± You don¡¯t have to worry about the Chu family for the time being,¡± stated Zhai Heng as he thought about the situation and then sharply added, ¡± We have collected enough evidence to punish the father of concubine Chu¨C¡± ¡± That is the thing, elder brother,¡± Zhai Tianyu paused in front of the restroom door as he ced his hand on the smalltch of the wooden door and said, ¡± I want to bury the entire Chu family down together with Yu¡¯er¡¯s dream of bing a mother.¡± .... The two brothers stepped inside the restroom and were preparing to relieve themselves with everything prepared and notched to aim when the door of the restroom was kicked open and then came in a figure that the two of them didn¡¯t recognise. Zhai Tianyu took a simple nce at the man who was staggering inside the restroom and shook his head when he saw that it was just a small eunuch. Who would have thought that a eunuch in training would dare toe to this ce? He turned his attention back to the job that he was doing when he felt someone stand next to him. Next to him and not leaving a stall? Was this man that drunk? ¡± Ah dang why do you have that annoying thing?¡± But before he could ask the man to kindly take the stall next to the one he was standing in front of, he heard a rather familiar voice and stiffened. There was no way right? There was no way, she could be here... He looked at the person beside him who was ring at his little brother and was rolling her sleeves. ¡± Damn why am I seeing such a disgusting thing? I will rip it out and then you will feel better.¡± As she spoke she went for his little brother looking very serious as if she was really going to snap his thing in half. ¡± What..what are you doing here queen?¡± Zhai Tianyu asked in shock as he cleaned himself and then tucked his thing back in his pants, his cheeks flushed red in embarrassment. Not even Ji Yu saw him like this and yet ...the Queen whom he didn¡¯t even consider as his wife .... ¡± Who?¡± Liu Hui Ying raised her head and looked at him, her eyes were glossy and her lips seemed to be swollen. Was she kissed by someone? Strictly speaking, it should not even affect him in the slightest but as he looked at Liu Hui Ying who was stumbling around with those swollen lips, his stomach started to ache. That was right, it was his stomach and definitely not his heart. ¡ª if you like the chapter please vote with ps, gifts and golden tickets. Chapter 102 102 don¡¯t lie to me boy ¡± What are you...¡±Liu Hui Ying drank a lot of alcohol and because of that reason she couldn¡¯t even stand straight but she could still make out Zhai Tianyu¡¯s features when she raised her head, her eyes narrowed as she looked at him and then roared, ¡± You! You are here as well? What are you trying to kill me you jerk?¡± ¡± No, my Queen...¡± Zhai Tianyu knew that there was no point in talking to a drunk woman and immediately tried to escape from her but Liu Hui Ying wasn¡¯t someone who would let go of someone who bullied her. She red at him with her nostrils ring as she sneered while rolling her sleeves, ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that you are here. I will take you down right here and now, a man like you should not be having kids, murdering innocent people left and right, and eating up my position as the department head! Because of you that bastard is going to be the head of the detective department, youe here for me, I will send your little pee pee to meet his maker and then you can follow him or maybe you might as well be the first eunuch Emperor¨C¡± With that, she stretched her hand to grab hold of Zhai Tianyu¡¯s little brother but thetter escaped from her grip as he turned to the side and then started to run out of the restroom. Whatever, he will not be wasting his time with the Queen when she was clearly in a murderous mood like this, with that thought in his head, he ran out, his hands keeping a tight hold of his pants as he ran with the belt untied. While Zhai Tianyu turned to run away, Liu Hui Ying¡¯s attention was attracted by Zhai Heng who was standing in the corner of the room. She smiled at him like a demonic female and in Zhai Heng¡¯s eyes, she even had a dark smoke whirling around her body. ¡± You are in cahoots with that man aren¡¯t you? I will teach you a good lesson for looking down at me! You dared to look down at me this afternoon didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡± No, your majesty,¡± worried that the Queen will attack him like she attacked his brother. Liu Hui Ying¡¯s eyes narrowed dangerously as she looked at him and sneered, ¡± Don¡¯t you lie to me boy!¡± As she ran towards him, Zhai Heng thought that he was going to get it but then the Queen stumbled giving him a chance to escape as he dodged her and then he too ran out of the restroom. Terrible. The queen was simply terrible. Even assassins attacked the hearts of people they were supposed to kill and she was actually going around killing them by snapping their manhood in half, really? Zhai Heng ran out of the restroom and immediately chased after Zhai Tianyu who was still trying to tie his belt while running. He came to run beside his brother and then huffed,¡± I thought we were brothers for life! What is the meaning of this?¡± ¡± Haven¡¯t you taught me, brother? On the battlefield, every man is for himself and that was a war if I was to get caught by that woman!¡± Zhai Tianyu didn¡¯t know that the Queen was this vulgar and dangerous when she was drunk and what exactly was she doing here? ..... ¡± You two stop for your mommy!¡± Yin Zhu shouted from behind, her sleeves still rolled as she red at the back of the two men who were running away from her, these past few days she was under so much stress because of these two men especially the one who was running with his hands on his pants. ¡± I will teach you how you should respect a woman!¡± After she roared she ran after Zhai Tianyu and Zhai Heng causing the two to increase their pace as they ran away from Liu Hui Ying who was chasing them like a haunting ghost. ¡± Run faster big brother, if not then she will catch you,¡± facing Liu Hui Ying like this neither Zhai Tianyu nor Zhai Heng had a very good idea about what they should do after all they have seen this woman stabbing someone in the heart without any care in the world before stomping on their very heart if she was to catch them then who knows they might be killed as well! ¡± I am running what do you think I am doing?¡± Zhai Heng snapped as he ran after Zhai Tianyu what exactly was going on? Why was the Queen here even if she was here, she should not be chasing him right? He hasn¡¯t done anything to do her at least until now! ... The two brothers ran as fast as they could if someone was to find out that the Emperor and the headmander were running from a woman half their size then they will be a wonderful joke in front of other! ¡± Woah what is going on?¡± While running the two ran into someone, and both of them turned to look at Yu Lingyun who was looking at them in confusion. They pushed him aside as they ran for the exit of the brothel, seeing that the two were running as if their lives were depending on it, Yu Lingyun was amused as he said, ¡± What are you two running for, is there a monster chasing you¨C¡± He swallowed his words when he saw that Liu Hui Ying was running in his direction with an eerie smile on her face. Yu Lingyun still haven¡¯t forgotten the horror of the morning, he took one look at Liu Hui Ying and then took several steps back as he ran after his friends. ¡± You two wait for me! You jerks!¡± ¡± You won¡¯t be able to get away from me!¡± Liu Hui Ying shouted at them as she too chased after the three men under the confused gazes of the crowd who were stumped upon seeing a duck size eunuch scaring three burly men. ===== Chapter 103 103 surrounded by thugs ¡± Damn she is really persistent, I mean I knew that she hated men and us especially but I didn¡¯t think that her hatred would reach a point where she wants to kill us like this,¡± Yu Lingyun was hiding behind the wall of a small house as he looked at Liu Hui Ying who was still shouting threats even though she couldn¡¯t see them. Zhai Heng and Zhai Tianyu also peered out and watched as Liu Hui Ying kicked a stone and then cursed, ¡± Those fcking assholes, I will kill them once I get my hands on them, how dare they stress me so much? I will have them ruined in my hands!¡± ¡± I never asked this but why does the queen hate men so much?¡± Zhai Heng asked as he raised his head and looked at Zhai Tianyu who shook his head. He has never been interested in the queen and from what she said, she wasn¡¯t even the same woman as the one he knew, so for him to find out the reason why she hated men...this was something hard toprehend and it wasn¡¯t like Liu Hui Ying was going to let him on the secret right? ¡± Imagine being on the top of the list of a serious men hater,¡± Yu Lingyun mumbled while he was crouching on the floor. ¡± I mean you will think with everything we do, we deserve a break but no here we are hiding from the woman who is chasing to kill us.¡± He paused and then twisted his head such that he was looking at Zhai Tianyu and asked, ¡± Isn¡¯t this the perfect time for us to take care of her, the Liu family wouldn¡¯t be able to me us either.¡± Yu Lingyun was right as long as they told the Liu Family that the Queen ran out of the pce they will be able to pin the me on them and with a pinch of drama added like her meeting a secret lover at night or something like that would only help them even more. ¡± No,¡± Zhai Tianyu immediately rejected the notion, he did not know why he was even refusing such a good suggestion but for some reason, he didn¡¯t want Liu Hui Ying to die. Maybe it was because she knew how to treat Ji Yu? ¡± The Queen knows of a method to treat Yu¡¯er if she dies then it will be troublesome for Yu¡¯er and me.¡± Yu Lingyun exchanged a look with Zhai Heng before he shrugged and said, ¡± If you say so ...¡± The two turned to look at Liu Hui Ying again but then immediately hid when they saw that Liu Hui Ying was looking in their direction. ¡± This is really great, I mean if someone was to find out that the Emperor, the headmander and the general were all hiding from a woman, then we might as jump down the cliff and end our lives because this is simply too much!¡± Yu Lingyun spat as he ttened himself against the wall of the small house. ..... ¡± You say that but you look the most terrified of the three of us,¡± stated Zhai Heng. ¡°What are you talking about? I am only pretending to make you two feel less bad.¡± ¡± You are shivering, brother Lingyun,¡± Zhai Tianyu pointed out and Yu Lingyun closed his eyes as he admitted, ¡± Fine that woman terrifies me,¡± he turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was walking towards some uneven path and then continued, ¡± I don¡¯t know ...this morning when she was fighting with Ji Yu, I felt that she had no murderous intent, she was calm in fact she was so calm as if she wasn¡¯t waving a sword but somethingpletely harmless as if she knew that she could do more harm than a sword.¡± He paused as he looked at Liu Hui Ying¡¯s back and then added with a solemn expression, ¡± And when she killed the maid it was like she didn¡¯t even feel the slightest bit of remorse, you might not know this but a woman like her is the most terrifying. For them death is not the worst possible end ... it¡¯s like she has seen the worse and couldn¡¯t care less about dying. For her the lives of people around her are clearly non-existent, the more calm she is the more dangerous of a woman you can take her as and you know what something about her is really weird, I can¡¯t tell but¨C I would rather go to war and face thousand of enemies than face this woman.¡± ¡± What are you saying?¡± Zhai Heng asked if he understood what Yu Lingyun was saying but wasn¡¯t he making Liu Hui Ying more terrible than she was? ¡± You don¡¯t understand, brother Heng,¡± replied Yu Lingyun as he looked at him. ¡± If I were to face an army and sacrifice myself, I will be treated as a hero even my opponents will respect me but with her ....¡± He turned his head and pointed at Liu Hui Ying. ¡± It will be like someone worthless dying in her eyes, I would rather not die such a meaningless death, you see?¡± ¡± That...¡± ¡± Oi, little eunuch where are you heading to?¡± Zhai Tianyu just opened his mouth to say something when he heard a thuggish voice of a man. He turned his head to look at Liu Hui Ying who was suddenly surrounded by a group of men who were looking down at her while leering at her. If this was someone else then she would have cried but Liu Hui Ying on the other hand calmly looked at the men in front of her and then said, ¡± Get out of my way if you do not want to suffer.¡± ¡± She is built differently isn¡¯t she?¡± Yu Lingyun muttered as he looked at Liu Hui Ying who was unaffected by the sudden threat in front of her. ¡± Like instead of shouting for help she is actually threatening the thugs right back.¡± Maybe the thugs were stunned as well, they took a look at Liu Hui Ying before they turned to look at each other and burst outughing. ¡ª if you like the story please support me with ps, golden tickets and gifts. Chapter 104 104 Something happened ¡± Step aside he says,¡± said the thug who looked like the leader of the group, he pointed at Liu Hui Ying and then chuckled appreciatively as he turned his head to look at the thugs of his group and then added, ¡± Look at this little guy here, he is asking us to step aside or he will make us pay for it, can you believe it?¡± The other thugs chuckled as well, they all looked like they were having fun while mocking Liu Hui Ying. ¡± This is bad,¡± Yu Lingyun whispered as he looked at the way how things were turning around. ¡± If this goes on then the queen will be surrounded by those men, I mean she is good in one on one fights but will this be okay? I mean the number of enemies that she is facing is clearly a lot aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡± Should we intervene?¡± asked Zhai Heng from the side, it was true that the three of them didn¡¯t like Liu Hui Ying that much but for them to leave her alone when she was being attacked like this, will be too much wouldn¡¯t it? Zhai Tianyu looked at the men who were surrounding Liu Hui Ying and his hand reached for the hilt of his sword. ¡± I think we should intervene.¡± With that he stepped out of the hiding ce but then his arms were caught by Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun who dragged him back. ¡± What are you doing?¡± He asked but instead of replying to him, Yu Lingyun pointed to where the Queen was, Zhai Tianyu turned his head and looked at where Yu Lingyun was pointing and immediately felt his heart leap up in his throat. ¡± What in the world is she doing?¡± Liu Hui Ying didn¡¯t seem to be worried that she was being surrounded instead she looked calm enough to force her way past the group as she tried to walk around the thugs who were stopping her from moving forward. Seeing her move so bravely without even bothering to look at the men who were threatening her, Zhai Tianyu didn¡¯t know whether he should make a move or not, he stayed where he was and then turned to his brother and friend. ¡± What are we supposed to do in this situation?¡± ¡± Don¡¯t ask me,¡± Yu Lingyun shrugged as he watched the Queen walk past the thugs while stepping on their shoes and pushing them in the ribs, throughout the entire time she didn¡¯t even touch them in the slightest. ¡± She looks like she is doing fine, right? And will she be grateful if we were to save her? I mean she will only get annoyed if we were to help her.¡± ..... ¡± So are you saying that I should ignore my wife?¡± Zhai Tianyu snapped at Yu Lingyun, he didn¡¯t know why he suddenly called Liu Hui Ying his wife all of a sudden but he already called her that and there was no way for him to take it back. ¡± If something happens to her then I will be the one who will get into trouble!¡± With that, he turned around to walk towards the group of thugs who were teasing Liu Hui Ying just as one of the thugs reached out his hand and then took off Liu Hui Ying¡¯s hat that she was wearing to cover her face. ¡± What the¨C she is not a eunuch but a woman! And a pretty one at that!¡± The thug who took Liu Hui Ying¡¯s hat off cheered up as he looked at his friends. They all seemed to be looking at Liu Hui Ying as if she was some treat, seeing how the men were leering at his wife like she was eye candy, Zhai Tianyu took out his dagger and was preparing to throw it at the man when suddenly something happened ¡ª Something eerie happened. The ground underneath his feet started to shake and his footing started to get uneven as he tried to stand up straight. What¡¯s going on? He thought in his head but then ¡ª ¡± UWAAAH what is that?¡± A thug screamed as he pointed to the ground, the other thugs also retreated as they all looked at the ground. An ugly hand that looked like it was rotting was sticking out of the ground and then following it was another hand and then another. ¡± What is the¨C¡± Zhai Tianyu was stupefied but before he could take a closer look at the happenings in front of him, he was dragged by Zhai Heng who also noticed the peculiarity of the situation. ¡± What is that? Is that¨C¡± ¡± A hand of a corpse.¡± Yu Lingyun answered him as he swallowed hard. ¡± And it¡¯s moving!¡± The hand was indeed moving and not only was it moving, the thing inside seemed to be trying to crawl out as the thugs tried to stay away from the thing but one by one the things that were inside the ground moved and then a horrible sight came over in front of their eyes. The corpses, rotting, decayed¡ª of all kinds dragged themselves out of the ground as the thugs who were leering at Liu Hui Ying screamed, a bunch of them pissed themselves as they stared at her in shock and horror. ¡± Monster!¡± ¡± AHHH it¡¯s a demon!¡± ¡± SOMEONE SAVE ME!¡± The thugs broke into screams but no matter how they screamed the corpses didn¡¯t stop nor did they show any pity maybe it was because they didn¡¯t know what pity meant being dead and everything. The corpses attacked the men and Zhai Tianyu and the others shuddered in horror as they watched the corpses piercing the chest of a man with their hands, they seemed to be looking around for something as they took out the heart of the man coupled with a few organs. The man who was attacked dropped to the ground but even after death he didn¡¯t receive peace, the corpses continued to attack him like man-eating monsters before they wiped him clean, bone and flesh alike. The other men who saw this all screamed in terror as they tried to run but it was toote. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 105 105 She is a danger ¡± That¡¯s ..That¡¯s... You two are you looking at the same thing that I am?¡± Yu Lingyun turned his head to look at Zhai Tianyu and Zhai Heng, his teeth were chattering and for the first time, he felt true fear because this time around the opponent wasn¡¯t human but something that he couldn¡¯t fight. What was he supposed to do? Was he supposed to burn paper money? Should he go look for a casket or should he just run for his life? Zhai Heng didn¡¯t say anything instead he looked at Zhai Tianyu who looked surprised but not shocked, it seemed that he had a very good idea of what was going on. Did he know that the Queen could do something like this? Even though Zhai Heng wanted to ask a number of things but he didn¡¯t say anything else after all this matter wasn¡¯t something that could be expressed so openly. The three of them waited until everything was finished and only stepped out when they saw the corpses were gone. ¡® They slowly approached the queen who was standing in the middle of the street but Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun stopped at a distance away from Liu Hui Ying leaving Zhai Tianyu alone to get closer to Liu Hui Ying. As Zhai Tianyu saw how his own brother and best friend left him alone to deal with this situation, he couldn¡¯t help but question their loyalty. These two they actually left him alone to face such a difficult situation? But even though the queen was a danger at the moment, she was his wife and in short his responsibility. ¡± What?¡± He heard the queen say when she was looking at the thugs who were wiped clean and for one second he thought that she has caught him but then he heard her say, ¡± This all these men had? How useless.¡± And then her knees buckled as she dropped, Zhai Tianyu went to catch her with his hands carefully tied with a handkerchief. He didn¡¯t mean anything but if the Queen was to hit her head then who knows how she will explode? A few thugs annoyed her and she killed them, if she was to hit her head on the ground then she might as well destroy the entire empire for daring to inconvenience her. Who knows? ..... ¡± Now,...Now what?¡± Yu Lingyun asked as he looked at Liu Hui Ying who was unconscious in Zhai Tianyu¡¯s arms. ¡± Should we wipe her out?¡± ¡± What are you saying?¡± Zhai Tianyu didn¡¯t know but the idea made his heart ache slightly, for some reason he didn¡¯t like Yu Lingyun saying that they were going to wipe the Queen. Zhai Heng wasfortable as well but when he thought about what he just saw he couldn¡¯t help but agree with what Yu Lingyun was saying. ¡± He is right, if the Queen is this strong then there is a chance that they might use her against her, it will be better for the empire and us to deal with her as soon as we can,¡± he looked down at the unconscious Liu Hui Ying who passed out after drinking too much. ¡± And I think that right now the time is perfect.¡± Perfect time to take the Queen out? Zhai Tianyu looked down at Liu Hui Ying who was unconscious and his fingers clenched around her waist as he thought about it and then swallowed before replying, ¡± No, we can¡¯t do that.¡± ¡± Why? You just saw what she is capable of, didn¡¯t you?¡± Yu Lingyun couldn¡¯t help but ask as he looked at Zhai Tianyu, thinking that he was getting soft on the queen he couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¡± You.. you are thinking of letting her go?¡± ¡± Don¡¯t tell me that you have gotten soft on her?¡± Zhai Heng asked, his train of thought was exactly like Yu Lingyun¡¯s as he looked at his brother, he didn¡¯t know why for some reason he couldn¡¯t help but think that his brother was getting a bit too friendly with the queen. ¡°You know that she can be dangerous right? What if the queen goes against you and then harms someone we care about, she can¡¯t be left alone. She is our enemy, your majesty.¡± He deliberately used the term his majesty to remind Zhai Tianyu of his responsibilities and his position, in his position he couldn¡¯t afford to go soft with anyone, not even the woman who was his wife. ¡± If she does kill someone then I will behead her with my own hands,¡± Zhai Tianyu picked Liu Hui Ying in his arms and then stood up from the ground. ¡± You do not need to worry, my heart is still the same it hasn¡¯t deviated at all, I know what is important and I will never lose focus of what is important, as long as the queen turns her back on me, then it¡¯s her head and my sword.¡± .... Qui Aiy on the bed of Liu Hui Ying with bated breath as she breathed in and out, she carefully strained to hear the sound of his mistressing back but instead of the voice of her mistress, she heard the front door slide open. At one moment she thought that it was Nanny Gong who came to check up on the queen but then she heard the voice of the Emperor. ¡± Get up. I know that the queen has snuck out of the pce.¡± When she heard the voice of the Emperor, Qui Ai was so scared that she jumped feet up in the air but then she didn¡¯t even have the time to be scared as she rolled off the bed and then dropped to her knees as she bowed her head in submission before asking for forgiveness, ¡± Forgive me, your majesty, the Queen...the queen was feeling homesick and that is why¨C¡± ¡± Do you know the punishment for lying to the Emperor?¡± Zhai Tianyu interrupted the obnoxious maid who was talking nonsense, not only the Queen but even her maid was now courageous enough to lie in front of him now? Chapter 106 106 Unclear emotions If Zhai Tianyu wanted he could have punished the maid but then he decided against it, he didn¡¯t want to be the tyrant that Liu Hui Ying has used him to be by killing an innocent life just because she was trying to protect her mistress. He drew in a breath and then closed his eyes before he opened them again when he was done clearing his head and calmed the blood of a ruler coursing in his veins that was asking him to send the head of this maid flying for lying to him. ¡± Get up and clean the bed,¡± he ordered, he could see that Liu Hui Ying¡¯s skin was breaking into red marks and from all the whines she was making, those red marks must be hurting her. When she told him that he was allergic to men, he never once thought that her condition was this bad but he couldn¡¯t do anything other than bring her with him, if he was to leave her in the hands of someone else then her condition might have be even worse. Qui Ai was stunned when she heard the emperor asking her to clean the bed but when she snuck a nce at the person, the Emperor was holding in his arms, she stiffened as if she has been struck by lightning¨C the Queen.....the Queen was caught by the Emperor! ¡± Your majesty, this .. the queen was just missing her mother and that¡¯s why¨C¡± ¡± You don¡¯t have to lie for her unless my dead mother-inw¡¯s soul is hovering in the brothel, which is highly unlikely given that she was a woman of great pride and elegance, I don¡¯t see why the queen was at that ce,¡± Zhai Tianyu wasn¡¯t willing to punish the queen by killing her but that didn¡¯t change the fact that she broke the rules of the imperial pce, no concubine including the Empress was allowed to go out of the pce without written permission from him. Qui Ai¡¯s face turned pale as she looked at the Emperor in shock, the queen was found in the brothel. No this wasn¡¯t going to be good all right. ¡± Tell her that she is not allowed to leave her courtyard for the time being,¡± this was the most lenient punishment that he can think of at the moment, if he was to ignore her then his brother and Yu Lingyun would think that he was being too nice to the Queen by not punishing her. A punishment was necessary. Qui Ai too thought that this punishment was still better than being taught a lesson by the Emperor, so she bowed her head and thanked Zhai Tianyu. ¡± This one thanks the emperor for his grace.¡± ..... After thanking the emperor she got to her feet and then started cleaning the bed before taking a step back and then allowing the Emperor to let Liu Hui Ying down on the bed. Zhai Tianyuy Liu Hui Ying on the bed and ignored the subtle pang in his heart that rang in his body as soon as he helped Liu Hui Ying to the bed. His gaze fell on the red marks that were spread all over her skin and then turned to Qui Ai before asking, ¡± Do you know how to treat these red marks?¡± If she didn¡¯t then he will have to call an imperial physician but at the same time, he was hesitant to call an imperial physician after all even the imperial physician in the pce were all men, if he was to call them wouldn¡¯t Liu Hui Ying¡¯s allergy re up even more? ¡± Her majesty always has such a reaction when she is in contact with a man,¡± answered Qui Ai just as Liu Hui Ying moaned in pain, seeing her in pain Qui Ai¡¯s eyes reddened and then she blinked her eyes to will the tears away. ¡± I don¡¯t know why her body reacts like this when she is close to men but this is what happened when she is touched by a man.¡± ¡± Is there no way for her to recover?¡± Zhai Tianyu frowned as he asked the little maid, for Liu Hui Ying to react like this every time she was touched by a man, wasn¡¯t it something really severe, if this goes on then how will they get along¨Cwait, Zhai Tianyu pped his cheek as soon as the thought came to his head startling Qui Ai who raised her head and then dropped at once before cautiously asking, ¡± Your majesty?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Zhai Tianyu said as he turned his head away from Liu Hui Ying¡¯s extremely red face and then turned around to leave her bedroom, his cheeks getting heated up as he hurriedly said, ¡± Take care of the Queen, Zhen ...Zhen wille and see her if Zhen gets the time.¡± With that, he strode out of the room in a flurry. Qui Ai watched him leave and then tilted her head in confusion, she couldn¡¯t understand what was going on in the head of the Emperor. Why did he suddenly p himself and then leave like something was chasing him? Wasn¡¯t it the Emperor who said that a ruler never runs? She blinked her eyes before she turned to look at the Queen and anxiously eximed, ¡± Oh your majesty, what did you get yourself into?¡± As she spoke, she hurried to the bathhouse where she picked up a water vat filled with warm water and then rushed outside to clean her mistress, she knew that the allergy will not go down for a few hours but the least she could do was to hurry the process right? ... Qui Ai was worried about Liu Hui Ying and Zhai Tianyu was also worried about her but his worry waspletely different from Qui Ai¡¯s, he couldn¡¯t believe that even for a second he thought of Liu Hui Ying as his wife, how can he do something like this? She was his enemy. The daughter of the most corrupt official of his court and yet ... he was having such thoughts about her? Was he sick in his head? ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 107 107 Wenyi...the name that cannot be called. Zhai Tianyu paced in his study, he didn¡¯t understand what was happening to him but he knew one thing and that was ¡ª The Queen was affecting his decisions and before she starts taking even more control over his decisions, he has to take care of her. The two of them had done the talks and he was very much aware of the fact that she did not want to be the Queen, if so, he can dethrone her without her hating him¨C ¡± Damn it!¡± He banged his fist on the wall feeling annoyance bubbling in his chest, there it was again. Why will he care about the Queen hating him or not? He has never given a second thought to any other woman hating him other than Ji Yu, he has never put any woman in his mind, so what made the Queen any different? A part of him wanted to strangle the queen such that she will stop making his heart unstable like this, but then again he would be doing exactly what she used him of acting like a tyrant. He was not a violent person, no he wasn¡¯t...if he was then he would have killed the Liu family long ago. He was the type of man who wanted the best for everyone in his empire if not for the Liu family crossing the line, he would have never done something like scheming against them. Yet something about Liu Hui Ying brought the monster in him out and he wasn¡¯t even kidding. He exhaled a sharp breath and dropped his arms to the side, instead of punching the wall for no reason, he scrubbed his hands down his face and closed his eyes. ¡± You seem to be upset,¡± the voice of his brother snapped him out of his daze as he looked up and found his brother standing at the threshold of his study, he didn¡¯t see Yu Lingyun which was a good thing given that man never knew when to shut up and worse of all, he saw through him better than his brother did, maybe it was because the two of them were at the same age and he was well closer to him than he was with his brother. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I was just thinking about something,¡± Zhai Tianyu replied as he stiffly smiled at his brother, if he was to make a mistake here then his brother will find out about the continuous struggle that he was going through, he didn¡¯t want that to happen. ¡± And I lost control of myself for a moment.¡± ¡± Is this about the Queen?¡± asked Zhai Heng reading the expression of his brother better than anyone else. ¡± No,¡± Zhai Tianyu replied but he said it too quickly and his brother only got even more suspicious of him as he narrowed his gaze a fraction of an inch and then he was looking at him with a questionable expression. ¡± You aren¡¯t being shaken up by the Queen, are you, your majesty?¡± He asked, his tone usatory as he looked at him. ¡± If you are then you will be putting a lot of things on the line, our hard work for years and the promise that you made to Yu¡¯er ... you promised her that you will make her your empress and that she will be your only wife. You do remember it right?¡± ..... Zhai Tianyu stiffened but he nodded. ¡± I know I remember everything that I have said to Yu¡¯er.¡± ¡± Then you should keep remembering it and most importantly you should never forget what kind of danger the Queen is, you might want to keep her alive at the moment but the second she turns a danger then I hope that your promise of beheading her will still count, your majesty.¡± He was wrong, his brother saw through him as much as Yu Lingyun did. Zhai Tianyu closed his eyes and then sighed, ¡± You don¡¯t have to worry about it, brother... I know what I am doing. As soon as the Queen bes a threat to us then I will be the one taking her down.¡± ..... ¡± Gosh my head,¡± Liu Hui Ying nursed her head as she closed her eyes and then sighed in pure agony. Her body was hurting and she wasn¡¯t even surprised ording to Qui Ai, she was brought back by the Emperor given that a man touched her, Liu Hui Ying was sure that her allergy must have red up even if she had no recollection of it and with nausea that was rising in her throat due to being hungover and her allergy, Liu Hui Ying felt like she was dying. ¡± Your majesty, you are lucky that you were found out by the Emperor when his mood was good,¡± said Qui Ai as she brought the hangover soup from the kitchen and then ced it in front of Liu Hui Ying. ¡± If not then it would have been terrible, you were so drunk that you couldn¡¯t even tell me apart,¡± Qui Ai paused and then said, ¡± You seem to be calling for someone called Wenyi, who is Wenyi...your majesty?¡± Liu Hui Ying stiffened before she smiled and took the hangover soup from Qui Ai and said, ¡± No one, I must be thinking about someone I met in the brothel.¡± She could never tell Qui Ai, who was Wenyi ... if she was to tell Qui Ai about Wenyi then she was sure that her sister will definitely get crazy mad. She was surprised that her sister was in control despite her uttering that name ¡ª ¡± That¡¯s because she already caused a blood bath,¡± answered Li Gang as he stepped out of the scroll that was hanging on the wall next to Liu Hui Ying¡¯s bed and then arched his bed, when he noticed that Liu Hui Ying was looking at him in confusion, he rolled his eyes and further exined, ¡± You came smelling like death... I think that your sister lost control while you were drunk and then got tired enough not to care about that name.¡± He paused and then shuddered. ¡± If she was awake then I shudder to think what she would have done upon hearing that name.¡± ¡ª If you like this story please support it with power stones, gifts and golden tickets , it will motivate me to work hard. Chapter 108 108 eldest master Liu Liu Hui Ying winced, she hoped that she hasn¡¯t done anything while drunk but looks like she did do something and from the looks of it, the Emperor knew of it. If he knew that she was in the brothel, then surely he knew about the rest of everything that went down the rabbit hole. She raised her hand and then nursed her forehead, she was willing to lie to herself and think that there was nothing that the Emperor saw but from Qui Ai¡¯s words, the man ran away afterying her down on the bed, surely he saw something that terrified him and there was nothing that Liu Hui Ying could do about it. Was she supposed to ask him what he saw? But she already had a good idea about it did she not? She must have done something simr to the time when she lost control years ago and as for why she did it... it was better to not know about it. She wasn¡¯t a curious person, to begin with, she was azy bag of bones with nothing in her head other than putting the least amount of effort to get the maximum result and more importantly she knew her sister well, if she lost control then surely it had to do something with men. Liu Hui Ying pressed her lips together as she felt nausea strike her again, as she rubbed her hand down her face and then covered her mouth, she waited until the urge of hurling everything out was gone and then asked, ¡± Where is Nanny Gong?¡± No wonder her head wasn¡¯t hurting as much as it was supposed to Nanny Gong was missing and so was her usual chatter. ¡± Oh she is out to see her granddaughter,¡± Qui Ai replied as she ced the hangover soup in front of Liu Hui Ying when she saw that Liu Hui Ying wasn¡¯t drinking it. ¡± Her granddaughter is sick and her eyesight is getting weaker, Nanny Gong worries that this will be thest time that she will be able to see her granddaughter and which is why she asked for a day off from the pce.¡± ¡± Her granddaughter is sick?¡± Liu Hui Ying frowned upon hearing Qui Ai¡¯s words. ¡± Why didn¡¯t Nanny Gong tell me that her granddaughter is sick?¡± ¡± This is the duty of the servants, your majesty,¡± replied Qui Ai calmly. ¡± We are not supposed to tell our masters about the things that trouble us, this is what we are taught when we be the servants of a noble and Nanny Gong has been serving you for a long time, surely her manners are more proper than anyone else .¡± Liu Hui Ying pursed her lips, this was simply stupid. Nanny Gong was the one who raised this woman ever since she was a child but she was the one who was hiding the fact that her granddaughter was sick because of some stupid rule. ..... ¡± When she returns, reward her with some money from what the Emperor sent me,¡± Liu Hui Ying was petty but she wasn¡¯t petty to her own people. ¡± Tell her to have her granddaughter be treated by someone skilled.¡± The imperial physicians were quacks here anyway, she couldn¡¯t think of what kind of physician Nanny Gong was bringing her granddaughter to. ¡± I will tell her that, your majesty,¡± Qui Ai bowed her head as she acknowledged what Liu Hui Ying said and then swiftly added, ¡± But please do finish drinking the hangover soup, there is no point in trying to pretend that you cannot see it.¡± ¡± Ah it smells so bad,¡± Liu Hui Ying was trying to escape from the hangover soup but seeing how Qui Ai was bent on making it drink it, she had no other choice but to close her eyes and take a sip of it but she only took one sip and then almost spat everything out, if not for Qui Ai who ced her hands on her mouth and said, ¡± You are not allowed to spit, your majesty...please drink it all.¡± Under the fierce care of Qui Ai, Liu Hui Ying had no other choice but to drink everything. ¡± That was hellish,¡± Liu Hui Ying moaned as she slumped on the table and then gagged in disgust. ¡± What kind of gutter water did he use to make this thing?¡± ¡± The royal chef has always been very careful with the meals of the royal family, your majesty, I don¡¯t think that he will make such a mistake or even dare to use something so dodgy.¡± Qui Ai hurriedly corrected Liu Hui Ying who rolled her eyes and said, ¡± I know, I was just trying to tell you that the hangover soup tasted like sewage water.¡± Qui Ai didn¡¯t say anything for a few minutes but then Liu Hui Ying heard her say, ¡± Well maybe this will teach your majesty not to go crazy while drinking.¡± Liu Hui Ying raised her head and looked at Qui Ai before snickering, ¡± You are not at all scared of me are you?¡± ¡± I used to be,¡± she answered with a cheeky smile. ¡± But then her majesty, the queen became friendly like now and then I was no longer scared of you.¡± ¡± Is that so ?¡± Liu Hui Ying sat up straight and then leaned her head against her cheek as she said, ¡± Then who do you prefer? The Queen of now or the past?¡± Qui Ai¡¯s expression turned terrified at Liu Hui Ying¡¯s question but then she heard Liu Hui Ying speak, ¡± Don¡¯t be worried you can say what is on your mind, I will not get angry.¡± Her words caused Qui Ai to ease a little before she licked her lips and then said, ¡± Then ...then the queen of now,¡± she tightly sped her hands in front of her and then added, ¡± Back then the queen would always let everyone walk over her but now ... you are different your majesty. You fight back and teach good lessons to those concubines who think that they can dance on top of your head.¡± ........ Chapter 109 109 Disapproval ¡°Well, I can¡¯t even imagine letting anyone walk all over me,¡± thest time someone tried to step on her, that woman got two broken teeth and several stitches around her mouth. These women should be d that she couldn¡¯t reach them or else it would have been them instead of those maids. ¡± That¡¯s exactly what I have been telling you, your majesty,¡± Qui Ai picked up the empty bowl from the table and then ced it in the tray. ¡± You are the empress, you are supposed to be the one evoking fear in the hearts of those Concubines not the other way round but you never listened to me, the loss of your memory seemed to be really timely.¡± ¡± Haha,¡± only if she knew the truth, Liu Hui Yingughed the matter off as Qui Ai rose from her spot and started walking towards the door when suddenly the door was slid open and a maid whom Liu Hui Ying has hardly seen knelt in front of her and said, ¡± Your majesty, your brother Liu Yuyang is here and he is asking to meet you, should I let him in?¡± ¡± My brother?¡± Liu Hui Ying turned to look at Qui Ai in confusion as thetter hurriedly came to sit next to her and then started telling her about Liu Yuyang. ¡± He is the elder brother of your majesty,¡± Qui Ai told her in a whispering voice. ¡± But he is not your biological brother, he was adopted by your father when he was young because your mother passed away after giving birth to you. Your father already knew that you will be sent away to the imperial pce and you won¡¯t be able to inherit his wealth, which is why it was your father adopted a child from a distant rtive, you and he have always been close and before you got married, he went to another city. He must have returned which is why he came to see you.¡± When Liu Hui Ying looked confused as to why Liu Yuyang came looking, Qui Ai seemed to have understood her confusion as she exined further and said, ¡± It has been like that for ages, every time the eldest master left he wille looking for you first and he will bring a bunch of gifts for you. Most probably in his eyes, you are still the young girl who would ask for gifts when he returned from another city.¡± Liu Hui Ying frowned as she turned her head to look at the maid who was still kneeling in front of her and was suddenly torn, should she allow the brother of this body toe looking for her? If he was really that close with this woman then he might realise that something about her was different, wouldn¡¯t he? ¡± This is going to be difficult,¡± Jia Li who has just woken up stepped inside the room as she stretched her arms behind her back and then looked at the maid who was kneeling on the floor. ¡± If this guy is really as close as the maid says, then he will definitely catch something.¡± Liu Hui Ying was aware of this as well, she thought about it and then turned to look at Qui Ai to tell her to send the man back but then she heard Qui Ai say, ¡± Thest time the eldest young master brought you a ruby the size of a chicken egg, I wonder what he might have brought this time.¡± ..... ¡± Oh no...¡± said Jia Li as she smacked her hand on her forehead. ¡± There it goes,¡± Li Gang shook his head. ¡± Our Ship is going to sink now.¡± ¡± Call him then,¡± only Liu Hui Ying knew how hard it was for her to buy those paper talismansst night, that Emperor seemed to be trying to keep her as downtrodden as possible, but he didn¡¯t send her any money. Instead, he sent nothing but pieces of jewellery...the one that was only exclusive to the Empress, she couldn¡¯t even bring the jewellery with her because she knew that she will definitely be treated like a thief. In the end, it took her a long time to find a piece of jewellery that could be sold in the market. If she was to get something then she will be able to buy all kinds of herbs and instruments to break the curse on the beads that she got from the grand dowager Empress. ¡± As you say, your majesty,¡± the maid kneeling on the threshold bowed her head and then got up from the floor before shutting the door close and then walking away. Once she was gone, Jia Li turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and said, ¡± You are so going to be caught.¡± ¡± Where are my popcorns when I need them?¡± said Li Gang on the other hand as he looked around, when both Jia Li and Liu Hui Ying turned to look at him, he casually shrugged and said, ¡± What are you looking at me like that for? I am dead, enjoying a show is what I deserve in the least.¡± In return for his response, he received a spiritual electric current that made him drop on his four. ¡± Never learns his lesson, does he?¡± Jia Li clicked her tongue as she looked at the crouching Li Gang before turning to look at Liu Hui Ying. ¡± You do know what you are doing right?¡± ¡± Nope,¡± said Liu Hui Ying honestly as she turned her head to the side. ¡± But that man is my lottery ticket, he will be the one who will help us advance in our cultivation.¡± When Jia Li and Li Gang heard that there was a chance to raise their cultivation, both of them raised their heads and then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who smiled at them and said, ¡± Just wait and watch.¡± It didn¡¯t take long for Liu Yuyang toe knocking on her door, as he pushed the sliding door aside, Liu Hui Ying had to click her tongue in disapproval. She looked at his handsome face and the perfect way he carried himself and shook her head, just what did the man of this world grow up eating? They were just too perfect! Chapter 110 110 Why was she acting nice Liu Yuyang was prepared to be turned away even though for the rest of the world, he and Liu Hui Ying were really close. He knew in his heart that he was anything but close to Liu Hui Ying, the woman has always disliked him, even though when he tried to be nice to her, she had always hated him. In the eyes of the world, she was someone who would smile like a blooming flower when she saw him but in reality, she was only pretending to be nice to him all because she didn¡¯t want anyone to realise her true face behind all that elegance that she showed in the presence of others. In her eyes, he was the one who snatched everything from her, even when he didn¡¯t ask master Liu to adopt him as his son¨C Liu Hui Ying always med him because he was easier to bully rather than her father who was behind the decision of adopting him. So, when the maid allowed him toe inside the courtyard, Liu Yuyang was shocked. He only came because his adoptive father told him that Liu Hui Ying suffered after being married off to the imperial pce, even though in his heart he thought that Liu Hui Ying deserved it very much he still told his adoptive father that he will go and see her. He thought that she will turn him around now that she was married in the pce and even became the empress but to his surprise she allowed him toe inside her courtyard. A part of him thought that something was really weird but he was already here and there was nothing he could do now. ¡± I greet your majesty,¡± Liu Yuyang bowed his head in front of Liu Hui Ying already imagining the satisfied look on her face. He believed that Liu Hui Ying will let him kneel on the floor for like another ten minutes or so before allowing him to get up but then he heard her say, ¡± All right there is no need for such formality, you are my eldest brother...you shouldn¡¯t kneel in front of me like this.¡± Liu Yuyang was stunned when he heard her say this but he still raised his head expecting her to sneer at his face, maybe she will taunt him. Maybe she will tell him how she was the one who deserved all of this because she was better than him and that it was his fault that he was the one who took her wealth from her and that he was the one behind the loss of her beloved person. ¡± I thank your majesty for her grace,¡± Liu Yuyang thanked Liu Hui Ying with his hands cupped in front of him, he was waiting for her to say something to him, calling this karma for his greed but nothing like that happened. Instead, he watched Liu Hui Ying call Qui Ai as she asked her to bring tea and cakes for him. ¡± Hmm, what are you sitting there for eldest brother?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked as she tilted her head and then pointed to the chair in front of her and smiled. ¡°You can sit here, there is no need for you to kneel on the threshold like that.¡± ..... Liu Yuyang¡¯s gaze turned wary as he stood up from the ce where he was kneeling and then sat in front of Liu Hui Ying. ¡® She must be nning something for me,¡¯ thought Liu Yuyang. ¡® My lottery ticket is here,¡¯ Liu Hui Ying did a happy dance in her head. ¡± So how have you been, your majesty?¡± Liu Yuyang tried to make some small talk as he looked at Liu Hui Ying, he kept looking left and right as if he was trying to see any trap that was set in the room but no matter how he looked, nothing seemed to be out of the order. Liu Hui Ying thought that Liu Yuyang was trying to know about her health and everything that happened to her in the pce so she smiled and then ced the back of her hand on her cheek and then replied, ¡± Everything is fine, except a few hups here and there.¡± ¡± I...I see,¡± Liu Yuyang blinked his eyes in surprise, he was stunned when he heard Liu Hui Ying¡¯s response, should she not ignore him as she has always done before? Why was she suddenly being so nice and chatty with him? He looked around the room and was even more surprised to see that no one was in the room even then Liu Hui Ying was willing to talk to him. For whom was she pretending? ¡± Your majesty, has everything good with his majesty?¡± The emperor must be treating Liu Hui Ying really nicely now that she was proven to be innocent, maybe this was the reason why Liu Hui Ying was in a good mood? ¡± Why did you have to bring that man up?¡± ¡± Huh?¡± Liu Yuyang looked at the disgusted expression on the face of the queen and then he suddenly knew nothing about anything at all. Who was he? Where was he? What was he doing? ¡± Cheh, you just have to bring that annoying man up,¡± Liu Hui Ying clicked her tongue as she ced her elbow on the table and then sniffed in annoyance, it was as if she was really going to get sick at the mention of the Emperor. ¡± Now I am in no longer any mood to talk with you.¡± She was waiting for this man to bring out the egg-sized rubies and whatnots to make her feel better and here he was bringing the Emperor that jerk up. That man not only did he catch her going all crazy, he even saw her lose control and even brought her here to her courtyard causing her allergy to re up. Her weak points were getting known to him one by one and she was really not happy about it! ¡ª The second lead is here!! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 111 111 Comparison of hate ¡± Now it¡¯s your responsibility to make me feel better,¡± Liu Hui Ying told Liu Yuyang who felt like he was dreaming, the queen¨C the woman who has always looked down on him was actually acting spoiled with him. Really? He was really confused about what was happening around him, for a second he thought that he was dreaming which was exactly why he pinched his thigh and then looked at Liu Hui Ying who was still looking at him with a sullen look on her face. This was really happening? ¡± Ah, forgive me, your majesty,¡± Liu Yuyang didn¡¯t know why Liu Hui Ying was upset at the mention of the Emperor but since she asked him to entertain her then he would have to do it. He raised his head and then pped his hands, the maids who were waiting outside with all the gifts that he has brought for Liu Hui Ying came walking inside the room. When Liu Hui Ying saw the maids carrying a bunch of stuff in their hands as they ced them on the table and the space around her, her eyes started to shine, she wanted to take the cover off the trays one by one and see what kind of expensive good this man has brought for her but she resisted that urge instead she waited for Liu Yuyang to unravel the goods that he has brought for her. ¡°Here,¡± Liu Yuyang pinched his fingers and then picked up the cloth that was covering a box of wood on the tray before he picked the box up and undid its lock and flipped it open. As soon as Liu Hui Ying saw the golden hair clip inside it, her eyes turned green with greed ¡ª this was it! This was what she was waiting for! If she was to sell it then she will definitely earn a lot of money right? That old hag was still holding onto her dowry and who knows how long will it take for Zhai Chenguang to find the woman whom she was looking for, if she was to take a lot of time then the old hag will drag the matter of handing her dowry to her even more and if she was to go to the Dowager Empress, then that old witch will forever hold this against her. Liu Hui Ying knew that even though that aunt of hers and the uncle of hers cared about her but their care was more like that of caring for their treasure that will bring them a great fortune when sold. They only saw her as someone they could use and Liu Hui Ying had no desire to be used by them, which was why she was going to rely on herself and get away from this ce, anyway, this wasn¡¯t her mess and nor was this her life. ¡± This is something that I brought from the country of Cai Shi ( totally made up),¡± Liu Yuyang told Liu Hui Ying, he went on and on about how costly the piece was and how long he had to bid before he was able to get this, for a little while hepletely forgot that he was actually talking to Liu Hui Ying, he treated her as his friend and it was only when Qui Ai returned and ced the tray in front of him, did he snap off his daze and then snapped his head to look at Liu Hui Ying who was listening curiously to him. Liu Yuyang cursed himself for being carried away and then lowered his head. ¡± I am sorry please forgive me for speaking too much.¡± ..... Now he was surely going to get an earful, she will definitely tell him how he was wasting the money of the Liu family for the sake of showing off, even though he brought these things because his parent asked him to bring them for Liu Hui Ying but that wasn¡¯t the concern of Liu Hui Ying was it? ¡± Oh then you have worked hard, the eldest brother,¡± Liu Hui Ying replied as she picked the teacup in front of her and then took a sip. ¡± It must have been hard on you, I appreciate your efforts in looking for this hair clip for him.¡± Liu Yuyang was once again stunned, Liu Hui Ying was actually being nice to him and even saying that he worked hard. He has been working hard for years but she has never been nice to him and she has never said such words to him either. What was going on? Liu Yuyang was stunned throughout the entire time, he didn¡¯t understand what was going on but as Liu Hui Ying continued to chat with him, he continued to listen to her. And at a certain point when he noticed how her eyes would shine at each treasure, he could not help but feel a sense of satisfaction in his heart, he didn¡¯t know that Liu Hui Ying¡¯s gratitude for his hard work would make him this happy but it did and he was really contented by the time he left Liu Hui Ying¡¯s pce. ... ¡± You seem to be in a good mood, young master,¡± Liu Yuyang¡¯s aide was used to seeing his master bursting out in anger every time he went to meet the missy of the Liu family alone but today he was actually smiling. How was that possible? No even better how in the world did such a miracle take ce? ¡± Yes,¡± Liu Yuyang replied as he walked out of the doors that were being guarded by the guards and then waited for his aide to open the door of the carriage and then smiled softly. ¡± The weather today is after all rather cheerful.¡± The aide: ¡°.....¡± the weather was cheerful everyday master. And why are you smiling like this? I thought that you hated the missy! .... ¡± I thought that you hated men,¡± Jia Limented as she looked at Liu Hui Ying who was asking Qui Ai to ce the treasures inside the locker room after cleaning them. ¡± Howe you don¡¯t hate that man.¡± ¡± I hate him all right,¡± Liu Hui Ying replied calmly. ¡± Butpared to the Emperor my hate for that man can still be managed.¡± ¡± And what¡¯s the degree of your hate for the Emperor?¡± asked Li Gang. ¡°It¡¯s to the point where I wished that the man bes a eunuch and I should be the one to do that.¡± ¡ª I got covid the updates will be slow. Chapter 112 112 Hell ¡± What do you mean that I cannot sell this?¡± Liu Hui Ying was flying into the seventh heaven when Qui Ai came into the room and burst her bubble by telling her that she couldn¡¯t sell the expensive hairpin when Liu Hui Ying asked her to sell it to a shop. ¡± This is beautiful and looks rather pricey, what do you mean that it cannot be sold for money? I haven¡¯t even worn it once, why are you saying that it couldn¡¯t be sold for money?¡± Qui Ai did not know why her queen was so bent on making money seeing that the Queen was still talking about selling the hairpin that the eldest master has given her, Qui Ai sighed and then replied with a tired sigh, ¡°It is not that I am not willing to sell it, your majesty. But the truth is that no one would be willing to buy it, everything that the eldest master buys is rare and cannot be brought on the streets, this hairpin too was bid in an auction by the eldest master meaning its price is a lot more than any merchant would be willing to give. If you sell it then either the shopkeepers will refuse to buy it or they will try to take advantage of you by buying it for a cheap price, you haven¡¯t been to any shops yet your majesty and you don¡¯t know how terrible those merchants can be.¡± Liu Hui Ying stared at Qui Ai with a shocked look on her face, if she coldly sell these things then Qui Ai should have told her this before now didn¡¯t she waste her smiles and all that sweet words that she spoke to the man who was the eldest brother of this woman? Her smiles weren¡¯t cheap either all right! ¡± Then nothing can be sold to the shopkeeper?¡± She asked as she motioned at all the gifts that she has gotten from that man called Liu Yuyang, she might be able to sell at least one of these things right? But her hope was set aze when she saw Qui Ai shake her head as she refused, ¡± That is impossible, your majesty. Everything that you are seeing on the tray is nothing but rare jewels that cannot be brought to the store, even if you were to try and sell them no one would dare to buy them and in case you were to go to an auction house then the Liu family will get wind of the fact that you are selling your pieces of jewellery.¡± ¡± How in the world will they find out about it now?¡± Liu Hui Ying looked at Qui Ai in shock and disapproval, she has to be kidding her right? ¡± Of course, they will find out, all the auction house in this city belongs to the Liu family if you were to sell something even under the guise of someone else, someone will recognise you, your majesty...after all the auction houses are run by the subordinates of your father, they have watched you grow up...for them to not recognise you ... that will be simply impossible.¡± Qui Ai broke down the brutal reality in front of Liu Hui Ying who stared at her nkly, this has to be a joke but as she looked at the honest expression on the face of her maid, she understood that it was anything but a joke. Liu Hui Ying went smack on the table as her face hit the surface of the table and then she groaned in both pain and disappointment. Her action was so sudden that her maid was startled, Qui Ai immediately rushed to Liu Hui Ying and helped her up as she started fussing over her, ¡± My queen why did you hit your head like that? You don¡¯t have to be so upset, I am sure that the grand dowager empress will soon give you, your dowry.¡± ..... ¡°Like hell, she will,¡± scoffed Liu Hui Ying, that old hag wanted to make her as miserable as she could because she snatched the position of the empress from her niece, if she was to hand her dowry without a fuss then she will be dance conga. ¡± This is seriously hell,¡± as Qui Ai went to look for an ointment Liu Hui Ying let loose of the lock that she had around her tongue in the presence of the little maid. ¡± I really want to let loose and just watch this entire world fall into ruins, I can¡¯t sell my things, I don¡¯t have money in my pocket and then there are enemies eyeing me from top to bottom waiting for my head to be served on a silver tter, Cheh, I can¡¯t take a shit in peace these days! Even going to the restroom is a task, what if that bastard has sent someone after me? Maybe after finding out my strength he fears that he won¡¯t be able to kill me so he is thinking of taking me by surprise, if so then who knows I might be killed by a sword while relieving myself!¡± Liu Hui Ying banged her fist on the table and then clicked her tongue. ¡± What a sorry way of dying will it be.¡± ¡± Yeah imagine you roaming in no pants after dying in the most shameful way?¡± Li Gang sniggered as he received a heavy blow to his gut but even that blow wasn¡¯t enough to make him turn serious, he still crouched on the floor andughed in agony as he imagined Liu Hui Ying bing a pant-less ghost. ¡± Anyway now, I really hope that I will be able to do something about this poverty of mine! If this goes on then I will seriously go crazy!¡± Liu Hui Ying gritted her teeth as she looked down at her empty hands, this was her first time feeling like this when she was young, she didn¡¯t only care about money but after losing everything that was important to her and realising the power behind money, Liu Hui Ying was adamant on making more and more money possible. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 113 113 asking for help Just as Liu Hui Ying was wondering whether she should go and ask her ghosts to steal from the imperial pce¡¯s treasury, she heard the sound of someone walking in as the temperature of the room dropped. Surprised, she turned her head to look at Zhai Chenguang and immediately beamed in excitement, forget it. Now it didn¡¯t matter whether or not will she be able to make money here, with this ghost returning she too will be able to return to her world. ¡± So, where is she?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked as she turned to look at Zhai Chenguang and hitched one of her brows up, surely she found out where the ghost of this woman was, this was why she came to look for her right? However, her hopes once again were set aze as Zhai Chenguang kneeled in front of her and said, ¡± Forgive me, I couldn¡¯t find her even after looking for so long, it¡¯s as if she has deliberately hidden herself away or maybe she might have just moved on to the next¨C¡± She didn¡¯t even finish when Liu Hui Ying banged her fist on the table and then snarled, ¡± So are you by any chance trying to say that I am stuck here forever? I hope you are not saying that because then I will get really mad.¡± Zhai Chenguang immediately turned silent as she carefully thought over what she was going to say, at first she wanted to tell Liu Hui Ying to stop looking for the ghost of this woman whom she was searching for but seeing how desperately she wanted to escape from this world, Zhai Chenguang pursed her lips and changed the topic, ¡± I know that I can not find the soul of this woman since she does not want to be found out, which is why I am asking you to help me in exchange of something else.¡± ¡± You have something that you can also exchange?¡± Liu Hui Ying looked at Zhai Chenguang as far as she knew a ghost should not have anything that they could hand out to anyone else after all a person who died would have his or her property shared between their loved ones, for Zhai Chenguang to still have something that she can exchange was really a surprise for her. ¡± I do,¡± Zhai Chenguang nodded as she carefully thought over what she wanted to say and then closed her eyes and continued speaking, ¡± Before I died, my mother, she gifted me a mine ...its a gold mine, something that should never fall in the hands of the Liu family which was why I was hesitating to hand over to you or not. But now that I think about it, you wouldn¡¯t hand that mine to the Liu family either which is why I am willing to have you take over it with the papers and everything attached to it as long as you help me out.¡± She opened her webbed eyes and then looked at Liu Hui Ying before continuing, ¡± The gold mine is not something useless either, as long as you are willing, you will be able to make good use of it as well.¡± Liu Hui Ying didn¡¯t say anything instead she carefully pondered over what Zhai Chenguang was saying, seeing her think so carefully like that, Zhai Chenguang thought that she was still hesitating, so she hurriedly said, ¡± Don¡¯t look down on the value of gold as long as you know how to make use of it you will be able to get a lot of money and more importantly the mountain where the mine is located is also full of lush herbs and a bunch of things that can be useful for alchemy if you want then you can use them as well.¡± ..... Only then Liu Hui Ying raised her head and looked at Zhai Chenguang before straightening her spine and saying, ¡± And you are going to hand that to me as long as I help you without any attachments?¡± At her question, Zhai Chenguang smiled mockingly as she answered, ¡± Of course, I have been in this world for so long even if I am angry that I have to part with the gift that my mother handed over to me, I have long reached the understanding where I know that it is of no importance to me even if I cling onto it, it wouldn¡¯t be like I will be able to use it. It is useless to me, so clinging onto it would be pointless.¡± Liu Hui Ying noticed the sincerity in Zhai Chenguang¡¯s voice and knew that she was speaking the truth, she closed her eyes and then sighed heavily. ¡± Very well, if this is what you want then I will help you but...¡± Just as Zhai Chenguang was going to smile in delight, she heard Liu Hui Ying¡¯s but and then immediately paused as she looked at Liu Hui Ying with a wary and confused expression. ¡± But?¡± She handed everything that she could to Liu Hui Ying but thetter was still refusing why? ¡± Don¡¯t mistake it for my refusal,¡± seeing the helpless expression on the face of Zhai Chenguang, Liu Hui Ying raised her hand and added in a hurry. ¡± I am not refusing nor am I saying that I will not help you but the thing is that you need to understand that even if I want to help you, I am bounded by thew of the celestial masters. If I want to disrupt the course of your existence then I will need a channel and that channel can only be a human, you understand that right?¡± From the bewildered look on Zhai Chenguang¡¯s expression, it was clear that she did not understand what she was saying so for the sake of her convenience, Liu Hui Ying immediately made it simple for her. ¡°It¡¯s like this if a ghost is to be exorcised then it will have to make disruption in the world of the humans only then a celestial master will harm it, simrly if a ghost wants the help of a human celestial master then it will have to ask it through the medium of a human that is to say someone has toe and ask for help instead of you .¡± Chapter 114 114 Revenge on the grand empress dowager. ¡± I ... I don¡¯t think I understand what you are saying,¡± Zhai Chenguang tried to understand what Liu Hui Ying told her but even after pondering for so long she didn¡¯t seem to understand what Liu Hui Ying was telling her, she was dead already how will someone find out that her soul was at unrest? Except for Liu Hui Ying, no one could see her, then who wille asking for help in ce of her? She looked at Liu Hui Ying who was looking back at her and then licked her lips, she didn¡¯t feel the wetness like she used to when she was alive.. sensing theck of feeling Zhai Chenguang paused and then retracted her tongue back in her mouth before awkwardly saying, ¡± I am already dead if you don¡¯t help me when I request you then who will?¡± ¡± I am not saying that I will not help you,¡± Liu Hui Ying patiently replied, it was surprising for both Jia Li and Li Gang to see Liu Hui Ying acting so calmly towards a ghost who came to bother her asking for help. Usually, she would treat them like a bully who was asking for lunch money, why was she suddenly treating Zhai Chenguang so nicely all of a sudden? Li Gang turned to look at Jia Li and then said to her, ¡± Is she treating her this well because that woman handed her a mine of gold?¡± ¡± I don¡¯t know,¡± Jia Li whispered back while she kept her gaze on Liu Hui Ying and Zhai Chenguang. ¡± I have seen her treating many clients who offered her million like trash, why she is treating this woman so well, I have no idea at all.¡± When they were in their world, Liu Hui Ying has never acted so sweetly to any of her clients not unless they gave her a lot of money or when ¡ª ¡± She is nning something,¡± said Jia Li finallying to a realisation. ¡± She is definitely nning something,¡± Li Gang conceded agreeing with Jia Li, the two of them knew Liu Hui Ying too well, thus they understood what was going on in her head at once after careful consideration. ¡°Poor child,¡±mented Grandma Lan Fen as she floated past the opposite and came to stand between Li Gang and Jia Li. ¡± She has no idea what ising for her.¡± ..... Zhai Chenguang really did not have any idea what was going on in the head of Liu Hui Ying, she blinked her webbed eyes at Liu Hui Ying and waited for her to speak. Liu Hui Ying noticed that Zhai Chenguang was waiting for her exnation and she hurriedly suppressed the smug smile that was itching toe up on her face. ¡°It¡¯s really simple, the world of living and dead has always been divided into two parts. The one who lives on this surface cannot interfere with the ones who live in the underworld and those who are in the underworld cannot interfere with the ones who live in the world of the living, that¡¯s how the world works right?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked with a smile and Zhai Chenguang who was finally understanding what she was saying nodded. ¡± But..¡± Liu Hui Ying drawled as she raised her hand and then pointed at Zhai Chenguang and continued, ¡± Existence like you are exceptions, you neither belong to the underworld nor the world of the living and for every exception, there are exceptions like me, whom we all call celestial masters but we are still living and dead aren¡¯t we? As someone dead you do not have the right to make a living do anything for you and as a living, without offering anything in return I cannot make you do something, so if you want me to help you then you will have to get a living to request me that they want me to help you, only then can I help you out, do you understand that?¡± ¡± Then ... Then I have to get someone to help me from this world? But how? I can¡¯t even talk to anyone!¡± Zhai Chenguang asked, if she could do something like talking to the living then she would have done that already! ¡± That¡¯s because you don¡¯t know how to do it,¡± Liu Hui Ying replied as she exined to Zhai Chenguang how she could talk to a living, the more she exined the more Zhai Chenguang¡¯s eyes widened, she listened to everything that Liu Hui Ying and said, ¡± That will terrify them!¡± ¡°It¡¯s all part of the process,¡± Liu Hui Ying shrugged casually. ¡± If you do not wish to do this then you don¡¯t have to, you can look for someone else.¡± Zhai Chenguang bit her lips, she has been waiting for someone to help her for so long, now where will she go and look for someone else? ¡± Then, will it be fine if I go and look for my husband?¡± ¡± Can you?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked in return and Zhai Chenguang turned silent because she was more attached to her mother and the ce where she grew up, so when she died her soul ended up drifting to the imperial pce and she ended up getting tied to this ce, she could of course go and haunt her husband but the thing was that her husband was a schr who hardly stayed in the same ce for long, she didn¡¯t even know when he will return to the Empire and even if he was to return will she have enough time to wait for him? With all the lectures he took and gave, it would be impossible for her to keep waiting for him. ¡± Then will it be fine if I go and haunt Tianyu?¡±pared to her mother, Zhai Tianyu was young, he will be able to withstand the shock right? ¡± If you ask him then you might as well wait on the waiting list,¡± Liu Hui Ying rolled her eyes while smiling at Zhai Chenguang. ¡± You already know that I hate men, if you bring that man here then you might as well note here.¡± And if Zhai Chenguang was to go and call that jerk then how will she take her revenge? ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 115 115 Bang! Zhai Chenguang was very much aware of Liu Hui Ying¡¯s hate of men and especially towards her nephew if she was to bring Zhai Tianyu then Liu Hui Ying who have agreed to help her might just go on and refuse. In the end, she couldn¡¯t help but cry silently as she scolded her nephew for offering Liu Hui Ying a poisonous wine on their wedding night. That nephew of hers could have given Liu Hui Ying anything, like a baby or something of the sort but he just have to give her that poisonous wine. No, but if her nephew had tried to give Liu Hui Ying a baby then he would have lost his ability to give a baby to anyone else. ¡® Dear God, just what kind of mess did you get me entangled in?¡¯ Zhai Chenguang silently sobbed in her hands but she couldn¡¯t say anything out loud in the end, she nodded and said in a choked-up voice, ¡± I will go and see what I can do,¡± she paused and then added swiftly, ¡°But my mother, she will fine right? I mean I do not wish to shock her to the point where she bes a ghost like me.¡± ¡± Oh don¡¯t worry that old ha¨C old grandma has a very long life ahead of her, she will not die even if you were to scare her with a bunch of ghost friends of yours.¡± Liu Hui Ying smiled sweetly at Zhai Chenguang who naively thought that she was really helping her but Jia Li and Li Gang knew that Liu Hui Ying was nning something. Zhai Chenguang did not know Liu Hui Ying that well and therefore she didn¡¯t have much idea about what was going on in Liu Hui Ying¡¯s mind, so she agreed with what she said and then stood up from the floor before wafting past the wall and left for good. Li Gang and Jia Li waited until she was gone for good and then they turned to look at Liu Hui Ying before they rushed over to her side and then looked at her with bewildered looks on their faces. ¡± What are you doing?¡± ¡± What¡¯s going on in that tricky head of yours? I don¡¯t think you are this good of a person to help someone like this?¡± Both Li Gang and Jia Li asked Liu Hui Ying one by one. ..... Liu Hui Ying turned her head to look at the two of them and the two immediately closed their mouths at once. ¡± I...I am not saying that you are an evil woman but what I mean to say is that you are not someone who will do something like this for no reason,¡± Li Gang immediately backpedalled when Liu Hui Ying red at him, instead, he raised his hands in the air and spoke in a soothing voice, ¡± I just wanted to know was why are you doing this, I mean if you want then you will be able to help her without the request of a human right? Then why are you doing this, it¡¯s not like you have followed thews before anyway.¡± Jia Li too narrowed her eyes and added sinctly, ¡± That¡¯s right you call the guy in the sky a super stupid old hag, don¡¯t you? Why is it that you are suddenly following the rules that she has set for you celestial masters.¡± ¡± What are you talking about? I am a woman who is very conscious about the rules what are you talking about,¡± Liu Hui Ying innocently looked at the two who were attacking her left and right but when she saw the look of disbelief on their faces, she sighed and then rolled her eyes as she raised her hands and finally admitted, ¡± Yeah, fine ... you got me I deliberately sent that woman to the Grand dowager for all the troubles that she gave me.¡± As she said that her smile turned sinister and she continued, ¡± That old woman, she made me stand behind her and serve her tea like I am her little nanny, I am going to teach her such a good lesson that even her forefathers will remember it!¡± Jia Li and Li Gang exchanged a look with each other and tilted their heads to the side, they knew it. They knew that Liu Hui Ying was scheming something in her head, there was no way she was going to let go of that old grand dowager empress. .... ¡± Ah, this right here,¡± Grand dowager Empress moved her neck to the side and then asked Xiao Mimi to massage her neck while sighing in contentment but then she sighed in a rather painful manner and then said, ¡± I don¡¯t understand what kind of luck does our Ji family has, after so many years, there was one chance for us to make aeback and yet somehow we managed to mess it up as well.¡± She was obviously talking about Ji Yu getting poisoned, the Chu family will of course be punished but the damage that they have caused was something from which they will never be able to recover. ¡± How can they be so daring?¡± Grand dowager Empress banged her fists on the armrest of the chair as she pursed her lips and then breathed harshly as she red at nothing in particr. ¡± Ji Yu is our niece and Tianyu adores her more than anything and yet they were courageous enough to harm her, what in the world were they thinking? Did they think that they would be able to climb to the top of the throne if the Empress and the Royal Concubine were gone? Are they idiots or what?¡± Xiao Mimi did not say anything, she knew that even though the grand dowager empress was expressing her opinions to her, she wasn¡¯t actually asking her anything. She just wanted someone to vent out and here she was, willing to listen to her chatter. ¡± Humph, do not know even how to look at their faces in the mirrors...even if there was no royal concubine or empress, they are still hundred years too soon, there is no way we will select an empress from the Chu family¨C¡± BANG, BUDUM, BANG! ¡ª send me two luxury chair and get two chapters extra at the end of the momth. Chapter 116 116 What did she saw ¡± What was that?¡± Grand Dowager Empress asked as she looked back at the end of the room where a bunch of things were scattered on the ground, the books that she adored together with a hairpin and jade paperweight were on the floor, and the jade paperweight was still spinning out of control on the floor. Grand Dowager Empress frowned but did not think much of it, after all this was her favourite spot and she was used to keeping her things under the window most probably the window pane that was opened because of the wind knocked the books down together with the other things, she turned to look at Xiao Mimi who was already on her way to pick those things up and then nodded in appreciation, this was why she liked this servant girl of hers. She knew exactly what she wanted and what she needed to do and when. So, when Xiao Mimi finished picking up the things from the ground, The grand dowager Empress didn¡¯t give her a hard time about it, the window pane have been loose for ages and they would open at the slightest amount of wind, Zhai Tianyu has been asking to have then fixed for a very long time but the Grand Dowager Empress has been the one who was refusing him all along. ¡± Your majesty, you should get those panes repaired before the winter,¡± said Xiao Mimi as she walked back to where Grand Dowager Empress was sitting and then ced her hands on the shoulders of Grand dowager Empress as she started massaging her shoulders. ¡± This one does not worry about herself but if you don¡¯t have them repaired then you will be definitely troubled, we can¡¯t let you catch a cold when your health is not good, to begin with, your majesty.¡± ¡± Yes, Yes ... I will see what I can do,¡± Grand Dowager Empress sighed as she took one side look at the window pane. ¡± I don¡¯t mind them getting repaired but the carpenters make the lock too stiff for me to open.¡± ¡± You don¡¯t need to worry about that your majesty,¡± replied Xiao Mimi as she picked up a small porcin bottle and then poured a generous amount of oil into the palm of her hand and then ced it back on the table before rubbing her hands together as she started to rub the shoulders of the Grand Dowager Empress. ¡± If you find it troublesome then Xiao Mimi will wake an hour earlier to open it for you, all you need to do is call for Xiao Mimi, I will be here to serve you no matter what.¡± ¡± Aish, you are such a wonderful servant and then there were those maids,¡± the Grand Dowager Empress¡¯s mouth was once again filled with distaste when she remembered those two maids who made Ji Yu unable to be a mother by poisoning her. ¡± If they have fallen in my hands then I wouldn¡¯t have killed the so easily, I would have skinned them alive!¡± ¡± You don¡¯t need to worry about that your majesty,¡± Xiao Mimi pressed her thumbs on the acupressure points behind the neck of the grand dowager Empress. ¡± I heard that the Empress was really cruel, she ripped the heart of the maid who poisoned Concubine Ji.¡± ..... ¡± That is the most surprising thing,¡± Grand Dowager Empress frowned with her lips pursued even more as she thought about what she has heard this afternoon. ¡± If someone else other than Yu¡¯er told me that the Empress saved her I would have never believed them. For the Liu family to suddenly save someone from the Ji family, this is simply beyond what I cannot evenprehend.¡± This was something that Xiao Mimi couldn¡¯t understand either but since she wasn¡¯t asked and didn¡¯t have anything to say she decided to stay silent as she rubbed the shoulders of the Grand Dowager Empress and then ced the small jade stone with which she was massaging the shoulders and neck of the Grand Dowager Empress only then did she walk in front of the Grand Dowager Empress and then ced her hand in front of her and said, ¡± This one thinks that your majesty should not stress yourself because of such things, you should take some sleep and calm your heart. This one believes that Concubine Ji won¡¯t be happy if your majesty keeps worrying about her by putting her life on the line.¡± Grand Dowager Empress sighed as she rose from her chair with the help of Xiao Mimi and then walked back to her bed where she sat down and then took the medicines that Xiao Mimi has poured out for her from the bottles that were given by the imperial physicians. ¡± I just can¡¯t help but feel sorry for Yu¡¯er, without a child she will have a hard time protecting herself and what¡¯s even more troublesome is that she won¡¯t be able to be the Empress,¡± Grand Dowager Empress¡¯s heart was weighing down because of this worry, now without Ji Yu¡¯s child they will not seed in dethroning the Empress and this worry was eating her heart up. She could never let the family who killed her son stay on top! ¡± Don¡¯t worry, your majesty, this one believes that the Emperor wouldn¡¯t let this matter rest just like he will do everything in his power to heal Concubine Ji,¡± replied Xiao Mimi as she helped the grand Dowager Empress lie down on the bed and then stood up from the floor before she walked over to the end of the room and then blew out the candle that was flickering in the candle stand and then bowed to grand dowager empress before walking out of the room and closing the door behind her. The room immediately drowned in darkness with only the light of the mooning from the window that was covered with a woven wicker curtain. Grand Dowager Empress closed her eyes prepared to sleep when she heard the sound of something thumping against the floor. ¡ª¨C If you like the chapters please leave a gift and power stone, yourments make my day so make sure to leave them as well. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 117 117 what did she saw (-2) Grand Dowager Empress opened her eyes with a frown she couldn¡¯t understand where exactly the sound wasing from but then she heard the sound of thumping again, her brows scrunched up as she pushed herself with a sigh of annoyance. ¡± Who is it? Who is annoying us? Do you want your head to be cut off your body, is that what you want?¡± The thumping stopped and Grand Dowager Empress scoffed before she lied down on the bed and then closed her eyes again but this time she didn¡¯t even close her eyes for a very long time when she suddenly felt something drip down her face, with an annoyed sigh escaping her lips she opened her eyes a little and then raised her hand to touch the water that was dripping on her face but when she used her tips to wipe the liquid of her face she realised that the liquid was hot and sticky. ¡± What the...¡± she opened her eyes even further and then nced at the red liquid that was staining her fingers, Grand Dowager Empress¡¯s lips trembled as she looked at the blood that was sticking on her fingers and then raised her head to look at the roof that had blood dripping off it, the Grand Dowager Empress parted her lips but no sound came out. She panted with her mouth open as she scrambled out of the bed on her fours and then rushed to the door of her room wanting to run out but as she ced her hands on the door she realised she couldn¡¯t move it, the door was stuck and her roof was bleeding blood! ¡± Xi...Xiao...XIAO MIMI!¡± Grand Dowager Empress screamed as she banged and scratched the paper of her room¡¯s door but the paper that used to break at the slightest touch usually, for some reason unbeknownst to her was as sturdy as rock tonight, it didn¡¯t budge nor did it break and neither did Xiao Mimie to her rescue. ¡± Wh...What¡¯s going on ?¡± No sooner had Grand Dowager Empress asked this, than she heard something fall behind her, scared out of her wits she stiffened but then the sound of rustling and something scratching on a surface caused her curiosity to be piqued and then she turned to look at the direction from where the sound wasing from and then what she saw made her mouth open and tears flood her eyes. Against the mirror, someone was writing, who...she couldn¡¯t see and nor did she understand what the person was writing. ¡® REHTOM I SAW DEREDRUM.¡¯ What was written on the mirror but Grand Dowager Empress couldn¡¯tprehend what was written on it instead she looked at the weird words and then the ring red that was used to write those words and coupled with the ck shadow that was sort of visible in front of the mirror and then her eyes rolled back in he sockets as she fainted and then slumped on the floor. ..... .... Zhai Chenguang finished writing what she wanted to write and then turned to look at her mother, she was prepared to see her mother¡¯s tearful eyes and her looking at her like she wanted to rush up and hug her but when she turned around and looked at her mother she was surprised to see that her mother was slumped on the floor. ...? ¡± Mother!¡± ¡ª- In the middle of the night, suddenly the entire pce was woken up. The Emperor was seen rushing out of his imperial pce dressed in his night clothes and hair flying behind him, when others saw that he was running towards the Grand Dowager Empress¡¯s pce like that many thoughts that the Grand Dowager was dead for good they congratted each other for seeing thest of the old hag who made things difficult for them. While the others like Ji Yu immediately put on their clothes and ran to the Grand Dowager Empress¡¯s pce. ¡± Aunt!¡± Ji Yu screamed as she ran inside the room of the Grand Dowager Empress and then rushed to the side of her aunt she held the hand of her aunt and then turned to look at the doctor who was studying the nerves of the Grand Dowager. ¡± How is my aunt, why did she faint all of a sudden?¡± ¡± I think that she received a huge shock,¡± the imperial physician replied while he checked the eyes of the Grand Dowager Empress, he took a look at those terrified pupils and then hummed. ¡± It seems that before fainting she saw something that she shouldn¡¯t have and that was why she was stimted into fainting, though your highness does not need to worry, her majesty is alright and her life is not in any danger, she is just stimted to the point her nerve endings are standing on the edge.¡± ¡± And what did she saw?¡± questioned Zhai Tianyu, he has assigned a number of hidden guards and there was no way for an assassin to sneak inside the chambers of the grand dowager empress, if they did then it only means that his hidden guards were not as good as he thought they were. At his question, the doctor turned to look at Xiao Mimi who squeaked and then pointed at the mirror on which someone has written with dark red liquid. ¡°REHTOM I SAW DEREDRUM,¡± read Zhai Tianyu as he frowned before turning to look at Xiao Mimi and asking, ¡± What is the meaning of this?¡± ¡± This one does not know,¡± Xiao Mimi replied. ¡± I was sleeping outside the chambers of the Grand Dowager Empress and didn¡¯t hear anything from inside but then after a while, I heard her majesty scream and woke up, I hurriedly ran inside and then saw this thing as soon as I rushed inside. I was startled because no one was inside and the grand dowager empress was lying on the floor with her eyes closed, I was scared that someone snuck inside the room to hurt her majesty but when I called for guards no one found anything!¡± Chapter 118 118 who do you think did this? ¡± What is the meaning of this?¡± Zhai Tianyu asked as he looked at the mirror that was painted red, he could, of course, read the words written on it but the meaning was simply unclear to him and more importantly, the red, dripping words looked rather scary, was it a prank or something else? ¡°I just don¡¯t understand why someone would do something like this?¡± Ji Yumented from the side while she was helping Xiao Mimi cover the grand dowager Empress, she was dressed in a night robe with a pale violet flower embroidered at the border of the robe looking gentle as ever but there was a frown ying on her face as her eyebrows were furrowed while she looked at the mirror with a distressed look on her face. ¡± This could have killed aunt, she might be a woman of strong calibre and she has been getting better these days but it does not change the fact that she is an elderly woman for someone to do something so scary in the middle of the night, I am not surprised by the fact that aunt fainted like this.¡± Zhai Heng was frowning as well, he too didn¡¯t understand why someone would sneak into the courtyard of the queen only to leave this cryptic message behind instead of properly assassinating the grand dowager Empress, truly he was relieved that his grandmother was safe and sound but at the same time he could not understand why would someone do anything like this? Like they snuck so deep into the security of the grand dowager Empress¡¯s pce only to leave this message? For what and why? They all heard the sound of the door opening behind them as someone slid it to the side and entered, the three of them turned to look at Yu Lingyun who was walking inside the sleeping chambers of the grand dowager Empress with a solemn frown on his forehead before he saluted Zhai Tianyu with a deep ny-degree bow. ¡± You may rise, ¡± Zhai Tianyu has always found this ufortable, if not for his mother¡¯s insistence that he became the king then he would have been standing in the position of his brother and looking up at him but because of the Dowager Empress¡¯s constant insistence, he was made the king and ever since then he was watching his brother and his best friend bow down to him like this. ¡± Did you find anything?¡± Zhai Tianyu further asked when he saw that Yu Lingyun has straightened up. ¡± I didn¡¯t,¡± Yu Lingyun replied with a frown as he continued to look around the room, only after looking around the entire room did he turn his attention to look at Zhai Tianyu and shook his head. ¡± I have assigned the best shadow guards for the grand dowager Empress, it¡¯s impossible for someone to sneak in without them finding out, ording to them¨C they have been guarding the grand dowager empress with all their hearts, they have not seen anyone entering the room nor have they seen anyone leave, if they heard the smallest sound they would have been alerted but they only heard the sound of the grand dowager Empress¡¯s scream and nothing else.¡± The shadow Guards that were assigned to the grand dowager empress and Ji Yu were no novices, they have been to war and back and they knew what and how they needed to do... they were fully aware of their responsibilities and if anyone was to say that they didn¡¯t then the shadow guards were such thick skulled soldiers that they would hand over their heads at once. Zhai Tianyu knew that the shadow guards were not the ones who made the mistake of not paying proper attention either the one who snuck inside the pce was too good of an assassin or they were not human at all¨C instantly he felt something click in his head and his hold on the mirror tightened, he knew that the queen was not a bad person but she was not a good person either. ..... She was the type of woman who will retaliate at the smallest grievance as she was petty and unforgiving, what if she did something and caused his grandmother to faint like this? There was only one way to find out about this. He turned to look at Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun before he raised the mirror in his hand and then told them, ¡± I will go and see what I can do, I am sure that I will be able to get a small piece of evidence through this...you two look here and I will go and see somewhere else.¡± The way he spoke was confident and from the taut expression on his face, one could see that he already had a very good idea about who was the one behind this, Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun nodded after exchanging a look with each other. ¡± Very well, we will wait for you in the study room after we are done investigating, will that be okay?¡± Zhai Heng asked and received a nod from his brother who was heading towards the door of the sleeping chambers with the polished te mirror in his hands. Ji Yu watched her husband leave and then frowned as she turned her head to look at Zhai Heng and asked, ¡± Where is his majesty going? Surely, he is not going to look for the culprit himself right?¡± By now both Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun seemed to have understood why and where Zhai Tianyu was going, after all in this imperial pce only one woman was capable of assaulting the grand dowager empress by sending an invisible assassin and that was the Queen. Surely, Zhai Tianyu was rushing off to see her and ask what she was trying to do by scaring the grand dowager empress. ¡± You don¡¯t need to worry, Concubine Ji,¡± replied Zhai Heng with a polite smile on his face, as the two of them have been together ever since they were children, Zhai Heng has always treated Ji Yu quite nicely. ¡± I am sure his majesty has something in his mind or else he wouldn¡¯t have rushed out in a hurry.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 119 119 She hated it here. ¡± Why am I being woken up so early and why in the world are you all taking my clothes off?¡± Liu Hui Ying was dead tired, she was thinking of a way to sneak out of the courtyard but then when she tried to leave she was caught by the soldiers who were patrolling outside the courtyard and told her that she could not leave! Damn! After that, she tried to sneak out of the pce courtyard through the wall but then she was caught by Nanny Gong who was returning from her house, she caught Liu Hui Ying jumping out of the courtyard and she almost snapped her vocal cords by screaming at Liu Hui Ying. And after that Liu Hui Ying had to spend a good two hours listening to the lectures of Nanny Gong and because of that she had a hard time sleeping by the time she was allowed to sleep it was alreadyte and now that the dawn was yet to break, she was being dragged to the bathhouse to take bath, how can Liu Hui Ying be not annoyed? ¡± The grand dowager empress copsedst night,¡± replied nanny Gong as she hurriedly untied the belt on Liu Hui Ying¡¯s robe and then took the robe off before taking another robe that was pale and transparent and started covering Liu Hui Ying with it as she continued speaking, ¡± I am sure that all the concubines will be going to see the grand dowager empress any time now, this one heard that the concubine Ji is already at the courtyard of the grand Dowager Empress with the emperor, you have to be there as well your majesty. You cannotg behind lest others say that you are not being caring enough as thedy of the Harem.¡± Liu Hui Ying clicked her tongue in annoyance, so basically she has to go ahead and giggle like an idiot while asking for the condition of the grand dowager empress, all right. What fun! Not! ¡± Can¡¯t we just ignore that old ...the grand dowager empress?¡± Liu Hui Ying changed her words when she noticed that Nanny Gong was looking at her with a narrowed gaze. ¡± I mean, I am not being rude but I think there is no need for me to go and look for her, I bet that without me... the grand dowager empress will recover more rapidly, in case something was to happen then I will be med.¡± Nanny Gong could not refute this, she knew it very well. The queen had a talent for angering people to death, she was someone who could drive someone to death with just her words, after living with her for so long she knew it the best. Only Nanny Gong knew just how high her stress levels were these days, she was sure that if this keeps on then she was going to die of high blood pressure. ¡± This one understands what you are saying, your majesty,¡± said Nanny Gong as she sighed and then rubbed her temple. ¡± But you have to listen to me, when everyone is going to go and check up on the grand dowager empress ..you cannot stay behind. As the queen, it is your responsibility that you check up on the grand dowager empress, if not then you will be inviting trouble for yourself because the grand dowager empress wouldn¡¯t take it kindly when she wakes up but she will also make things difficult for the Liu family, please listen to this one¡¯s humble request and stop making things difficult for yourself and us as well.¡± Liu Hui Ying did not like the idea of showing fake concern to anyone, she wasn¡¯t fake like the women of this harem. She could not smile at others just because they wanted her to smile at them, if she hated someone she hated them ...if she liked them then it will show on her face. ..... Yet this world was cruel she couldn¡¯t even be herself, she has to smile and suck up to others just because they had more power than her. What an annoying world. She hated it here and wanted to go back but with the owner of this body gone she couldn¡¯t find a way to go back and that was driving her insane, which was literally the reason why she was driving everyone else insane as well. ¡± Fine, I will go and smile like a baboon in front of the grand dowager empress, after all that¡¯s what I am,¡± Liu Hui Ying snapped as she tugged her hands-free off the maids and walked inside the bathhouse and when the other maids tried to follow her, she turned around and looked at them with annoyance. ¡± I am taking a bath not performing a strip tease you all have to follow me and enjoy the show!¡± With that, she closed the door of the bathhouse at the face of the maids who looked at each other and then looked at nanny Gong and asked, ¡± What is the meaning of strip tease, Nanny Gong?¡± ¡± Who knows?¡± Nanny Gong replied rubbing her forehead as she had a very good idea of what her mistress just said, day by day her words were getting more and more vulgar maybe it was time to look for an etiquettes teacher for the queen because she continued to act like this then she will surely get herself caught in a mess from which she wouldn¡¯t be able to disentangle herself. ... On the other side, Liu Hui Ying shook off her clothes after untying the belt. ¡± What¡¯s the point of bathing with two robes on? Can the water even pass through this thickyer of clothing?¡± She continued to mutter as she took off her robes one after another and only stopped when she had her undergarments on, since she didn¡¯t want to be a naked ghost in case someone attacked her it was better to leave something on. With that, she started to climb down the stairs and then submerged her body in the water but then she noticed the bubbles in the water as something started to protrude out from it. ¡ª Please leave ament ,gift and golden ticket if you like the story. Chapter 120 120 pped on the face ¡± What¡¯s that?¡± Jia Li asked as she looked at the ck spot in the middle of the bathtub with her hand over her eyebrows she tilted her head while focusing her attention on the ck dot that was slowly getting bigger and bigger with each second. ¡± Why do I think that something is going to go very wrong here?¡± She didn¡¯t even finish speaking when suddenly the dot grew bigger and she immediately took several steps back with a frightened and questioning look on her face. ¡± W..What? What is this about? What¡¯s going on in here?¡± Grandma Lan Fen too stood up from the spot where she was sitting and then stared at the slowly growing ck spot that was getting bigger by the second. The two of them exchanged a look with each other before they turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was frowning slightly, the three of them continued to look at the growing ck spot, little by little it grew big and then suddenly a woman with her hair covering her face jumped out of nowhere as she screamed, ¡± LIU HUI YING!¡± ¡± ARGHHHH!¡± ¡± WHAT IS THAT THING!¡± Both Grandma Lan Fen and Jia Li screamed at the same time as they backed away from the woman that popped out of the water, Liu Hui Ying on the other hand raised her hand and then smacked the ghost on the face with a loud smack causing the woman to stop in her stride and cover her cheek with a stunned look on her face. ¡± Aish, what are you doing? Do you want me to send you to the underworld the hard way?¡± Liu Hui Ying snapped at Zhai Chenguang who popped out of the water giving her a scare, even though she did not show it on her face, she was a delicate woman all right? She was scared as well! ¡± Do you think that I am treating you too well and that is why you are acting like such? Is that the reason you tried to pull this prank on me?¡± After she was done scolding Zhai Chenguang, she turned to look at Jia Li and grandma Lan Fen before rolling her eyes at them and sneering, ¡± And why are you getting all scared out of nowhere? You two are dead already!¡± ¡± Oh, it is just that she popped out of nowhere and startled me all of a sudden, nothing else,¡± Jia Li patted her chest, even though her heart was no longer beating she sure as hell felt her dead heart jump in her chest right now, she has to admit that a ghost who has been left to walk on the surface of the earth for a very long time was indeed rather scary than others. ..... ¡± I am old and I get jumpy easily,¡± grandma Lan Fen replied from the side as she looked at Zhai Chenguang with a reproachful look on her face. ¡± I might be a ghost but I died of old age, you cannot expect me to act all mighty with my aged body... even if it does not exist any longer.¡± Liu Hui Ying scoffed and that only made Jia Li and Grandma Lan Fen flush in shame, even though they didn¡¯t turn red theirplexion did turn a shade darker as they turned to look at the culprit and couldn¡¯t help but take their anger out on her. ¡± What is this about? Why did you jump on us like that?¡± Jia Li asked with a frown as she looked at Zhai Chenguang, they haven¡¯t been rude to her andpared to other ghosts, Liu Hui Ying has been rather polite with her. Zhai Chenguang lowered her head as she sniffed and then pointed at Liu Hui Ying who was sitting at the edge of the stairs and then replied, ¡± You said that nothing will happen to my mother but she fainted the second I went to tell her about my situation! You lied to me!¡± ¡°When did I lie to you?¡± Liu Hui Ying looked at Zhai Chenguang with a frown, seeing her acting innocent like this Zhai Chenguang was rather angry but before she could explode at Zhai Chenguang, thetter raised her hand and started counting everything off her fingers as she said, ¡± I told you that your mother has a long life ahead and will not necessarily die but I never said that she will not get a scare either, did I say that? I did not say that. In fact, not once did I say that she will be finepletely when seeing a ghost, fainting is the mostmon thing to happen, it¡¯s your fault that you did not think that far.¡± ¡± But..¡± Zhai Chenguang began speaking, she was frowning looking a bit confused but then she was stopped by Liu Hui Ying who raised her hand and snapped her fingers in front of her face as she said, ¡± Did I or did I not say that your mother will be fine? She is alive, right? That¡¯s what I took a guarantee for, if she died then you could havee to me andined about my service but I didn¡¯t say that she will not faint, no guarantee was given about that ... in short I and my team are not responsible for this little hup that you faced at the moment.¡± Zhai Chenguang looked at Liu Hui Ying with a bewildered look on her face, she could feel that something was wrong and that Liu Hui Ying was sort of making a fool out of her but then she thought about what Liu Hui Ying said to her before sending her to her mother¡¯s courtyard and she couldn¡¯t find anything to say, even if she wanted to find a reason toin, she slowly realised that Liu Hui Ying was right. She did not once say that her mother will not faint but¨C ¡± But you said that if I do this then I will be able to get what I want! My mother fainted and she will not bring my case in front of you and ask for your help!¡± That¡¯s right, Liu Hui Ying said that if she did that then she will be able to get justice and find out who killed her but nothing like that happened. ¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 121 121 what are you thinking ? Oh, she was smart, Liu Hui Ying thought in her head. In fact, she didn¡¯t want to help Zhai Chenguang without bullying the grand dowager empress for a good deal of her time but who would have thought that the grand dowager empress¡¯s heart was this weak, she fainted with something so small? She wanted to have some more fun with her and now that she has fainted so easily, it will take some time for her to convince Zhai Chenguang to continue with her scare tactics. Yes, if she wanted she could have helped the grand dowager empress and Zhai Chenguang but she wasn¡¯t a kind woman. She was not her foolish sister who will help just anyone as long as they were in need of her help, she was petty and vengeful. Since the grand dowager empress treated her so casually why should she make her daughter¡¯s case her priority? Her priority was to get away from this ce and as for the rest of things, they were her side chicks. ¡± Look,¡± after thinking for a long time Liu Hui Ying carefully started her n of brainwashing Zhai Chenguang, she still wanted to have some fun with that old hag, but just once wasn¡¯t enough. ¡± When you were alive, you might have gone sick a lot of times right?¡± Zhai Chenguang nodded, she didn¡¯t understand where Liu Hui Ying was going with it but she still answered, ¡± That¡¯s right, I used to go to the imperial physicians when I got sick but what does that have to do with this?¡± Liu Hui Ying rolled her eyes as she got up from the bathtub and then twisted her body such that she was facing the wall on the other side instead of Zhai Chenguang. It wasn¡¯t that she was scared but Zhai Chenguang died because of an ident and her injuries weren¡¯t light either coupled with the fact that she was also stabbed, she looked rather gruesome. Looking at her for a rather long time made Liu Hui Ying heave herst night¡¯s dinner. ¡± Then take it like this,¡± Liu Hui Ying picked up the towels that were ced on the side of the cab by the maids and then started wiping herself as she turned to look at Zhai Chenguang and continued, ¡± I am your doctor and you are my patient because I am the only one who can help you at the moment, so if you did you question the imperial physicians when they were treating you?¡± ¡± No,¡± Zhai Chenguang replied with a shake of her head. ..... ¡± That¡¯s right,¡± Liu Hui Ying shrugged off her wet undergarments and then started dressing up, usually this was done by a maid but Liu Hui Ying didn¡¯t like the idea of anyone touching her so, she took the responsibility of dressing herself up. ¡± You did not question them, so don¡¯t question me as well, listen to what your doctor says and your doctor says that you keep doing what you did tonight, only then your disease will be treated, got it?¡± As she spoke she walked straight to the bathroom door and slid it open but as soon as she slid it open, her gaze met with a rather solemn-looking Zhai Tianyu. ¡± EEP! You...¡± She jumped three steps back and covered her face with her hands at once. ¡± What ...What are you doing here? Why are you standing there like a creep? Don¡¯t tell me...¡± her eyes widened as she looked at him with a stunned look on her face. ¡± You were¨C¡± ¡± You are wrong,¡± she didn¡¯t even finish when Zhai Tianyu interrupted her furiously, he didn¡¯t even have to listen to her to know what she was thinking in her head. ¡± I just came here and wanted to ask her what was going on when I heard you speak because the maids left the rooms when I came, I thought that you needed something and came to see but then I heard something and I lost the chance to get away from here.¡± He noticed that Liu Hui Ying still had her hands over her mouth and sighed as he waved his hand and the scent of his perfume vanished with the gust of wind that blew in the room, even he stepped back and made sure to clean the scent left behind by him. Seeing that Zhai Tianyu was walking away from her, Liu Hui Ying heaved a sigh of relief but when she saw Zhai Tianyu use his spiritual energy so smoothly she was impressed. ¡± You are really talented when ites to martial arts,¡± she paused and then turned to look at him with a scrunched-up look. ¡± Should you not hide this from me?¡± ¡± How do you know I am hiding my skills from others?¡± Zhai Tianyu asked, he was sure that he hasn¡¯t told anything to her about this and never made a show of it either. Liu Hui Ying rolled her eyes and then scoffed with a mocking curl of her lips. ¡± Of course I know, I can see your spiritual energy... I can see a lot of things if I am paid.... I can even tell you, your future if you want, you just have to pay me a nice, hefty sum and nothing else.¡± ¡± Thanks but I will like to pass, I know that if I was to ask for your help, you will suck me dry of my money,¡± Zhai Tianyu didn¡¯t spend much time with Liu Hui Ying but he had a very good idea about how big her appetite for money was, if he allows her, she might as well take the entire imperial treasury under her control. ¡± I am not here for that, I am here because I wanted to know what you mean by this, my queen?¡± He lifted the copper te that had letters written on them and solemnly looked at Liu Hui Ying, his voice usatory. ¡± You could have killed my grandmother with your small vengeance, was it not possible for you to let go of such a small grievance? After all, I was the one who was behind everything, if you are upset then you cane at me.¡± ¡ª If you like this chapter then can you take me to the top three of the win win please? Chapter 122 122 it¡¯s not me Liu Hui Ying looked at the man with a nk look on her face but then she burst outughing, when she was scheming against the grand dowager empress not once did she think about this man, the only reason she nned this entire thing was that the grand dowager empress made trouble for her earlier on, not once did she think of Zhai Tianyu and more importantly, she did this because this was the only way to help Zhai Chenguang. The deceased could never ask a human to help them because if they do that then it will certainly disrupt the flow of the world every time the deceased needed help from the celestial master they will either have to disrupt the flow of the world themselves or haunt their loved ones until they asked for help in their stead until then the celestial masters could not do anything for them. Even if they wanted to, even when they could see what was going on they have to turn a blind eye to everything because that was how the world was Liu Hui Ying has seen what happened when a celestial master tried to interfere in a matter that wasn¡¯t brought to them by a human and the consequences of going against the heavens were something she would rather not take again. ¡± You are overestimating your worth in my life,¡± Liu Hui Ying sighed as she walked towards the other side of the room and sat down on the bed after kicking off her night robe to the side and then crossing her legs, her actions caused her calves that shone like jade to show and Zhai Tianyu who has never seen a woman¡¯s body before immediately turned his head to the side upon seeing the skin that was revealed in front of him. Liu Hui Ying who was used to wearing two-piece bikinis when she was in the modern world did not understand the actions of the man in front of her, instead, she continued speaking, ¡± I did not do this because I wanted to take revenge on your grandmother¨C¡± when Zhai Tianyu heard her he turned to look at her in disbelief despite his desire to not look at Liu Hui Ying exposed calves. ¡°Are you speaking this with your consciousness clean, my queen?¡± He asked as he looked at Liu Hui Ying with a stunned look on his face, as far as he knew he was very much aware of how petty Liu Hui Ying could be, this woman wouldn¡¯t let go of the smallest grievance for her to leave the matter alone of her getting humiliated back then was something that was simply impossible. Under Zhai Tianyu¡¯s questioning gaze, Liu Hui Ying did feel a little guilty but then that small guilt was washed away when she remembered how this man killed this woman whose body she was upying, she cleared her throat and then raised her hand as she pointed at Zhai Tianyu and said, ¡± Look, I have no qualms with you as long as you stay away from me I don¡¯t care what you do, even if I do have one with you, I am not cowardly enough to attack someone else in your stead.¡± ¡± Then how do you exin this?¡± He asked as he lifted the mirror he was holding onto such that Liu Hui Ying could see the gruesome words that were written on it with a red blood-like thing. ¡± If you did not send one of your ghosts to scare my grandmother, who else can do something like this? I mean do you see any sense in scaring someone like this and then leaving without assassinating them?¡± Liu Hui Ying looked at the words, earlier she only nced at them so she did not see what was written on them but now that she was seeing it much more carefully, she could see that Zhai Chenguang have gone straight for the hit by smashing the hammer straight on the head of the nail. ..... Her lips curled but she didn¡¯t tell what was written on the bronze te to Zhai Chenguang instead she raised her brow and said, ¡± So you do admit that if I wanted to kill you, then I could have done that cleanly right?¡± Zhai Tianyu paused as he looked at her with a helpless expression on his face before he closed his eyes and said, ¡± Are you trying to show off your powers to me? Is there a need to say such things I can see that you are indeed strong enough to take my family down if you want to...¡± he paused and then added swiftly, ¡± I have no intention of killing you at the moment¨C¡± ¡± It will be better if you don¡¯t even think about it or else I will make your entire family suffer,¡± before Zhai Tianyu could finish speaking Liu Hui Ying interrupted him causing him to suffer in silence, this woman! She really did not let anyone have the top hand over her in any situation, does she? ¡± Yes, like you said I fully understand that there is nothing that I can do against you, so would you mind stop giving my family trouble like this?¡± He deadpanned while pointing at the mirror that had the red words written on it. Zhai Tianyu did not know what to do with Liu Hui Ying, she wasn¡¯t someone whom he could deal with easily which was why he was willing to turn a blind eye to her actions, anyway the woman said that she will leave this ce sooner orter there was no need for him to make any move against her. Though he felt slightly upset about her leaving but then he thought about how she was in between his goal and the decline of the Liu family, and he was willing to suppress that feeling in his heart. ¡± That¡¯s where you are wrong, I am not the one who is giving your family any trouble,¡± Liu Hui Ying leaned back on her bed as she looked at Zhai Tianyu with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s your aunt who is giving the trouble to your mother.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 123 123 She died in andslide so how? Zhai Tianyu stiffened as he looked at Liu Hui Ying who snapped her fingers and Li Gang who was floating over the roof descended with an elegant twirl of his feet and thennded on the floor as he came down and then picked up the bronze mirror on the table that was lying on the dressing table with the help of the spiritual energy that Lin Hui Ying was sharing with him and then walked over to where Zhai Tianyu who was holding the bronze mirror and then pulled it up such that bronze mirror he was holding reflected the words that were written on the bronze te in Zhai Tianyu¡¯s hands. At first, Zhai Tianyu didn¡¯t understand what the ghost man was trying to do but that confusion vanished when he read the words that were reflected on the bronze mirror that Li Gang was holding in his hands. ¡± Mother, I was murdered,¡± Zhai Tianyu read the words that were written on the bronze te out loud, his eyes widened and then the bronze te that he was holding slipped from his hands and shock and terror started to flood his entire body, he breathed heavily as he looked at the bronze te that was on the floor and then mouthed the words that he just read again and again as he closed his eyes and then rubbed his face as the reality of what he has read finally sunk in. ¡± My Aunt...Zhen...Zhen¡¯s aunt... was murdered?¡± Zhai Tianyu closed his eyes as he stumbled back and if not for the cab¡¯s support he took, he would have sunk to his knees. If not for withstanding the rules and regtions of the emperor he would have really let go of everything and sunk to his knees, how can this happen? Who in the world had the guts to murder his aunt? ¡± You seem to be surprised,¡± Liu Hui Ying asked, her tone was rather casual and she didn¡¯t look like she was at all affected by the fact Zhai Chenguang was murdered after all she has seen many cases like this in the detective department. Women whose bodies were found in the trunk of their cars, men who were murdered by someone after they were pushed off their office building and what followed was a bunch of crying and yelling as their heartbroken family members crying for their dead ones. ¡± And you don¡¯t look the least bit affected my queen,¡± Zhai Tianyumented as he looked at Liu Hui Ying who did not look bothered by the fact that his aunt was murdered in fact she didn¡¯t even seem to be affected by his grief as well. Liu Hui Ying¡¯s smile widened as she turned her head to the wall in front of her and then sighed heavily before she tilted her head to the side and said, ¡± Maybe it¡¯s because I have been lonely for so long that I have forgotten how it feels to lose your loved ones,¡± she turned her head to look at Zhai Tianyu and cheekily blinked her eyes as added softly, ¡± I was an orphan in my world you see, I have seen people lose their loved ones for a long time but I have no recollection of how it feels to lose someone whom you are closer to, that¡¯s why I am a bit broken....but don¡¯t feel bad, if you want to cry or yell then you can go ahead, I will listen to your mourning.¡± This confession came out of nowhere and Zhai Tianyu did not know what to say about it, he licked his lips and then moved his head slightly wanting to say something but couldn¡¯t think of anything, after all, he has only coaxed Ji Yu and no one else and he was sure the tactics that worked on Ji Yu would never work on the queen who was considerably different from his concubine. So, instead of saying anything he sat down on the chair that was beside the cab and asked, ¡± How long have you known that my aunt was murdered?¡± ..... ¡± I knew it ever since she came to haunt me,¡± Liu Hui Ying replied while studying her nails, she was waiting for Zhai Tianyu to start sobbing but when he didn¡¯t she raised her brow and looked at him in surprise. ¡± She was the one who told me everything about her and what happened to her, I am surprised that you did not know that she was murdered, howe you never found out that she was dead because someone killed her?¡± ¡± That¡¯s because....she died in a carriage ident,¡± Zhai Tianyu still remembered the day her aunt died, she was going to see her husband who was giving a lecture in the next province. The imperial family prepared a bunch of soldiers to go with her but unfortunately for them, that day ...Rain started to fall really harshly like water pellets were showering upon thend and then before they knew it the news of Zhai Chenguang dying in andslide arrived to the pce. Of course, the imperial pce immediately went on a search operation hoping that they will be able to get Zhai Chenguang alive out of thendslide but when they dug her body out of thendslide it was so damaged that they couldn¡¯t even see what happened to her, they all thought that she was dead because of the ident and the mountain falling on top of her carriage but now that Zhai Tianyu was thinking about it, he couldn¡¯t help but carefully consider what happened back then, after all, no matter how hard the rain was falling it wasn¡¯t to the point where andslide will happen. And even if it did happen how was it that it took every single soldier along with it, it was as if someone was aiming to have them all killed in one big sweep. His eyes coldly glinted as they narrowed and he clenched his fingers tightly in anger. ¡ª- Health update the medicines are weakening my eyes QAQ. Chapter 124 124 I spied on you when you were bathing Zhai Tianyu has never doubted the death of his aunt because of how careful the person was behind it, while he was investigating the cause of his aunt¡¯s death, not once did he find any traces of any second person behind it. From thendslide to the corpse of his aunt, everything was taken care of rather well. In this world, there was no such thing as an autopsy of a human body and even if there was one, the physicians here wouldn¡¯t be able to differentiate the stab of a knife that waster reced by a small piece of wooden nk, but Jia Li who was used to seeing a different kind of stabs was able to differentiate it with just one nce, she even told Liu Hui Ying the length and the width of the de that might have been used in the assassination of Zhai Chenguang. ¡± I thought that her death was a simple ident,¡± Zhai Tianyu spoke suddenly as he lowered his head and looked at his hands, his voice carrying a hint of me as he closed his eyes. ¡± If I had tried a little more then maybe I could have caught the culprit behind it.¡± Liu Hui Ying nced at the man who had his head lowered, she frowned at his ming voice. She hated it when people like him med themselves for something that was totally out of their control, it wasn¡¯t like he knew that his aunt was going to get killed nor was it like he knew that his aunt was killed and yet turned a blind eye to it, so what was the point of ming oneself? What was going to happen if he was to me himself? ¡± Are you done?¡± She asked after a few seconds ticked by, she was not good with such things and she didn¡¯t know how to deal with such moments either. She has been practical instead of emotional and even though many considered her insensitive, Liu Hui Ying did not care about it. Zhai Tianyu raised his head and looked at Liu Hui Ying, his expression was nk but when he saw the flustered look on her face, he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. This was the first time he was seeing the queen look so awkward, he has seen her angry, arrogant and ruthless but maybe this was the first time him seeing her look like she had no idea what she should do. And as he looked at her awkward expression more and more, his soft chuckle ended up turning into a burst of full-blownughter. ¡® Has he lost his mind?¡¯ She asked her ghosts who shrugged their shoulders as well, they did understand why the Emperor wasughing but telling Liu Hui Ying would only cause her to raise her to guard even more and then wipe the remaining emotions that she hardly showed on her face. ¡®Maybe he has?¡¯ Jia Li answered throwing the pot on top of Zhai Tianyu¡¯s head. Since he was the one who wasughing then he should be the one to carry this pot as well. ..... ¡® The poor child lost his aunt and just now found out that she was murdered by someone¡¯ Grandma Lan Fen did not want Liu Hui Ying to ask Zhai Tianyu the reason for hisugh so she went ahead and lied to Liu Hui Ying. ¡® Such a reaction is normal for a person who just found out that he has lost his aunt because of someone.¡¯ Liu Hui Ying frowned but she still didn¡¯t consider the fact that she might have shown her emotions on her face. For her showing her true expression on her face was something really rare and vulnerable, and for her to unconsciously show it to Zhai Tianyu would only make her feel icky. It was better if she don¡¯t know about this, the three ghosts thought simultaneously as they exchanged a nce with each other. ¡± Why are youughing?¡± in the end Liu Hui Ying could not help but ask. Zhai Tianyu raised his head to look at her but behind her he also saw the three ghosts shaking their heads in unison, asking him not to tell her anything. He didn¡¯t know why it was such a big deal but then he remembered how Liu Hui Ying has always kept everyone at bay and nodded before replying, ¡± Nothing, I was just thinking how easily the murderer fooled me and I allowed him to do that.¡± ¡± You speak like it will take a lot of effort on the part,¡± Liu Hui Ying scoffed as she rolled her eyes and added, ¡± You don¡¯t even know that the young Concubine who just entered your pce three days ago, is nning to drug you tonight ¨C¡± she paused and then turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who was tilting his head and looking at her with a grin that did not reach his eyes. ¡± So my queen knows that her husband is going to get drugged yet she chooses to stay silent, hmm?¡± Liu Hui Ying felt a bit awkward but then she rubbed the tip of her nose and said, ¡± That is not important, what is more, important is that we need to look for the culprit behind the killing of your aunt.¡± Though she was speaking like she truly cared about Zhai Tianyu¡¯s aunt, inwardly she was scolding herself for making a fool of herself. Now that she has let slip this crucial information surely Zhai Tianyu will be on his guard and she will miss the soap drama that would have taken ce when Ji Yu catches in with him in the act. Damn! ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten about that, what I wanted to know is how you know about Concubine Yun¡¯s n of trying to drug me?¡± He asked with his eyes narrowing slightly, he already had an idea and he was not liking it at all. ¡± My ghosts are friends with the ghosts of the imperial pce,¡± Zhai Tianyu heard her reply and then his eyes went even more narrow before he asked, ¡± And you use them to spy on others?¡± ¡± No of course not!¡± Liu Hui Ying spluttered as she ced her hand on her heart like she was offended and said, ¡± I will never ask my ghosts to do something like that, I can swear to heavens¨C¡± ¡± I spied on you when you were in your bath.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 125 125 Poked him in the eyes ¡± Why?¡± ¡°¡® When?¡± ¡°Oh my dear!¡± Jia Li¡¯s confession came out of nowhere, startling not only Liu Hui Ying but even Li Gang and Grandma Lan Fen who looked at her in surprise and shock, they stared at her while their mouth opened and closed as they stared at Jia Li in shock. Especially, Liu Hui Ying who was looking at Jia Li like she was looking at a traitor, she looked quite offended, even more, offended than Zhai Tianyu who was peeped at. ¡± You...how could you do that? You have snapped my nose in half by peeping on a man!¡± Liu Hui Ying was not upset about Zhai Tianyu¡¯s virtue, she was angry at Jia Li for peeping at a man. Zhai Tianyu: ¡°....¡± If you are going to get angry then at least get angry at her for peeping at me while I was bathing. ¡± I was just curious whether or not his physique was as good as his face,¡± Jia Li replied with an innocent expression on her face but no one took her expression seriously, seeing them look at her like that, Jia Li rolled her eyes and simply scoffed. ¡± I was not eyeing him like that, you know I used to cut and examine a body for autopsy, I like watching naked bodies because to me they are like works of art. I was thinking about how I will cut him in case he dies and I get a chance to examine his body.¡± Li Gang scoffed as he turned to look away from Jia Li and then floated in the air beforeing to a stop next to Liu Hui Ying as he muttered under his breath, ¡°Even ghosts will not believe your nonsense. What a perverted woman!¡± ¡°Hey!¡± ..... ¡± What?¡± ¡± I was saying that you shouldn¡¯t do that,¡± Zhai Tianyu saw that they were getting away from the topic and immediately put a hold on the fight that was starting between Li Gang and Jia Li, he eyed them curiously because he could see that there was something weird about the two of them. But this was something that he did not want to mess with, this was the matter between the two of them which was why he turned his attention to Liu Hui Ying and said, ¡± I would appreciate it if your ghost would stop peeping on me while I am in the bath¨C¡± ¡± Why are you being so shy, you have so many concubines surely your body is not an exclusive secret, if you can share with them then you can share with me as well for research purposes,¡± Jia Li felt rather at a loss when she heard that she wouldn¡¯t be able to see the awfully gorgeous body that she found interesting. She still haven¡¯t thought about how she was going to cut him if he was to be stabbed in the back, she wanted to study his physique a little more. ¡± Just because I have a lot of concubines does not mean that I am sharing my bed with them¨C what?¡± He asked when he saw Liu Hui Ying looking at him with a confused look on his face but Liu Hui Ying simply shrugged her shoulders and said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I am just seeing how ruthless men can be when they want to.¡± ¡± They are all given to me by my officials!¡± Zhai Tianyu felt wronged, he clearly did not do anything to the women who were sent to his imperial pce by his officials and yet he was still being med and was being called ruthless. ¡± Yes, Yes...your esteemed majesty, I can see how desired you are in the eyes of others,¡± Liu Hui Ying waved her hand and Zhai Tianyu felt a nerve throb in his head but she still calmed down and then closed his eyes before he heaved a breath and then said, ¡± That is not important, I want to know if you can help me talk with my aunt.¡± ¡± Why you do not believe what I say?¡± Liu Hui Ying raised a brow and asked, she thought that Zhai Tianyu was asking about this because he didn¡¯t trust her but then she watched him shake his head as he replied, ¡± I am only asking you this because I want to see my aunt and ask for her forgiveness, she has been roaming in this world for so long because I was a fool.¡± Liu Hui Ying no longer refused when she heard Zhai Tianyu¡¯s reply instead she held her hand out. Seeing her stretch her hand out caused Zhai Tianyu to frown in surprise as he looked at her empty hand and asked, ¡± What is the meaning of this?¡± ¡± Hah, what else...¡± she rolled her eyes as she tipped her chin at her empty hand and said, ¡± You have to pay me for my work right? If you want to see your aunt then ce the money in my hand and then we will talk.¡± Zhai Tianyu was speechless but when he saw that Liu Hui Ying was not joking, he sighed and then rummaged in his pockets before he dropped a bunch of coins in Liu Hui Ying¡¯s hands when he saw that Liu Hui Ying ced the coins in her pockets without wiping it, he couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡± You don¡¯t find my scent on the gold coins annoying now?¡± ¡± The scent of money wipes yours.¡± Was all Liu Hui Ying said and Zhai Tianyu once again speechless, he really could not win with this woman can he now? He sighed and then ced his hand in front of her and then said, ¡± I have paid now please hand me the talisman or whatever that will allow me to see my aunt.¡± Liu Hui Ying, however, did not hand a talisman instead she stood up from the bed and then studied her nails and said, ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that I cut my nails today.¡± ¡± What are you¨C¡± Zhai Tianyu began speaking but then before he could finish, Liu Hui Ying poked him in the eyes. ¡ª Chapter 126 126 how will you find the culprit ¡± Oh god!¡± Zhai Tianyu covered his eyes as a sharp pain shot through his skull and eyes, he was stunned at first but then the pain overwhelmed his thoughts and he let out a loud yelp and then lowered his head in hisp. Seeing her nephew yell in pain like that Zhai Chenguang was stunned and then she rushed to his side while fussing over Zhai Tianyu. ¡± Tianyu does it hurt really bad?¡± ¡± Do you want auntie to blow on it?¡± ¡± Come here, auntie will foo foo on it.¡± Zhai Tianyu did not know that his aunt was fussing over him at first, he red at Liu Hui Ying and snapped, ¡± Do you know that I can have your head snapped in half for hurting the Emperor!¡± His eyes were tearing up and he was sure that his vision has gone much worse than it was before, now he could not even see the living forget about the dead! ¡± Calm down,¡± Liu Hui Ying rolled her eyes at his whining. ¡± There is no need for you to act like a snowke, close your eyes and try to channel your spiritual energy carefully inside you. Calm your energy and then open your eyes, you will be able to see the world differently than you are at the moment.¡± Zhai Tianyu did as she told him, he closed his eyes and then channelled his energy such that he soothed the pain in his eyes and when he could no longer feel the pain, he opened his eyes. This time his vision cleared up a lot and then he could see the three ghosts more clearly than he could before and that was when he also noticed another presence in the room, this time a person was standing rather close to him and he was able to see the face of the woman at once nce. ¡± Aunt?¡± ¡± Tianyu..¡± Zhai Chenguang¡¯s eyes brimmed with pearl-like transparent tears, she has been trying to talk with her family for so many years but they couldn¡¯t hear and after realising that there was no point in haunting her family, she gave up but now that her nephew could see her, her eyes couldn¡¯t help but tear up. ¡± Its aunt...I...¡± she looked down at her appearance and when she saw the stab wound on her chest that was still bleeding a ck liquid and felt a bit awkward. ¡± I don¡¯t look like as I used to but its aunt...look my eyes look just like you.¡± ..... Zhai Chenguang thought that Zhai Tianyu couldn¡¯t recognise her, after all, he hasn¡¯t seen her for so many years but what she did not know was that the reason Zhai Tianyu wasn¡¯t speaking was that he was stunned upon seeing his aunt¡¯s soul like this when Liu Hui Ying told him that his aunt was still roaming on the surface of the world, he thought that his aunt had some work that has been left unfinished after her death but now that he was seeing her soul that had many stabs marks and wounds all over her body, he couldn¡¯t help but feel his veins on his forehead twitch under his face. Someone really dared to kill his aunt. The next second he stood up from the chair causing the chair to slide backwards as a sharp noise resounded in the room. He turned to look at his aunt and asked, ¡± Aunt you... do you remember seeing anyone before dying?¡± He wanted to give justice to his aunt as soon as possible, his aunt died years ago and it has been so long since she stayed on the surface of this world. It¡¯s about time for her to go to the underworld and get reincarnated. Zhai Chenguang¡¯s eyes lit up when she heard Zhai Tianyu call her aunt but then her gaze turned gloomy and she shook her head before replying, ¡± I don¡¯t remember seeing anyone, I just know that when I was on the verge of losing consciousness someone came and stabbed me in here,¡± she pointed to her chest which had a long gash that was bleeding a ck miasma like substance. ¡± I wanted to see who was killing me as well but my vision was not clear because of all the injuries that I received when I was pushed down the cliff.¡± Zhai Chenguang did not remember how she died but she did know that her carriage was pushed before thendslide happened, it was only when she was thrown off the cliff that thendslide happened, it was as if someone wanted to make sure that she will have no chance to make out of that situation alive. ¡± I was alive, my body was hurt and bleeding but I was alive, if not for the culprit digging me out and stabbing I could have been saved.¡± This was what made Zhai Chenguang grit her teeth, she did not understand how can anyone hate her so much. That they wanted to make sure that she will die and so brutally at that. ¡± After they stabbed me they did not cover me with the debris of thendslide again instead they kept stabbing me again again with their sword until I was out of breath!¡± When Zhai Tianyu heard his aunt¡¯s reply he could understand why his aunt stayed on the surface of this world, her resentment was too big but then again, she died so horribly. The person who was behind the killing of his aunt hated her so much that they dug her out of her man-made grave and then stabbed her until she died. There was no way she would let go of something like this without finding out who was the person who killed her so savagely. ¡± Aunt you don¡¯t need to worry, I am sure that we will be able to find out the person who is behind this scheme¨C¡± Zhai Tianyu began but then he was stopped by Liu Hui Ying who raised her hand and asked him, ¡± How are you going to find out the culprit?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 127 127 Be a good boy and stay put ¡± What do you mean by this?¡± Zhai Tianyu asked as he looked at Liu Hui Ying who was calmly looking at him while sitting on the edge of the bed with her head leaning on the back of her hand. ¡± I am the Emperor of this country surely I can find the culprit behind the murder of my aunt.¡± After saying that he turned to look at his aunt, he didn¡¯t say anything anymore but he did nce at Liu Hui Ying waiting to see what she was going to do now, after learning about her for so long, he knew that she was someone who wouldn¡¯t let anyone get the top hand in a fight and sure enough, he saw her open her mouth, unknown to him a faint smile appeared in his eyes. He wanted to see what she was going say, even if she was to stop him then he would see what she wanted to say, after all, it will be really interesting. The next second he heard her speak clearly, ¡± I do know that you are the emperor of this country but you need to understand that this case is under my investigation, you cannot cut in the line in between like this, your aunt came to me first and this is a typical case of firste first served...so would you mind getting lost?¡± She didn¡¯t even hide the contempt that she felt for him and went ahead to take the straightforward road. Zhai Tianyu was so angry that heughed, although it was a coldugh, hisugh could bewitch the hearts of people in one sweep move. Of course, Liu Hui Ying was totally unmoved by hisugh. He looked at Liu Hui Ying who was looking at him like he was a bully trying to snatch her business, her expression was rather cute. ¡± Why are you looking at me like that? What are you going to do in this case? Do you even have any leads?¡± ¡°Why do you care about that?¡± Liu Hui Ying eyed him warily, in the detective department there were many times men tried to snatch the leads from her and then showed off as if they were the ones who found them. What if she was to boast unconsciously and then this guy would end up snatching such a good opportunity from her? ..... Her eyes narrowed another inch as looked at Zhai Tianyu in an unfriendly manner, ¡®this guy was sure sly he is trying to snatch my client, right from under my nose, but I won¡¯t let him do it!¡¯ She thought in her head as she scoffed and said, ¡± The leads I found all belong to me, don¡¯t even think of snatching them, understand ?¡± When Zhai Tianyu heard Liu Hui Ying¡¯s words, he was stunned. He thought that Liu Hui Ying was just shooting blind arrows when she said that she can help his aunt but looks like she knew in which direction they needed to search. ¡± You..what do you know?¡± He asked, in the past, he wouldn¡¯t have taken the initiative to talk to Liu Hui Ying but now Zhai Tianyu couldn¡¯t stop himself from asking one thing after another. When they were matched to get married, it was Liu Hui Ying who would always take the initiative to talk to him but now the dynamics between the two seemed to have changedpletely. She told him that she was allergic to men and wanted him to stay away from her and he too has kept his distance, surprisingly, Liu Hui Ying has nevere to him. Not once. Even if she was another woman, should she not try to suck up to him? After all, getting closer to him and pleasing him was the only way to live afortable life in this pce but the current Liu Hui Ying would do anything but please him. ¡± What I know has nothing to do with you, does it?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked with a slight curl of her lips. ¡± I am the one who is in charge of this case if you dare to snatch it away from me then...¡± her gaze dropped to the unspeakable part of Zhai Tianyu and immediately a chill crawled up his spine as he looked at Liu Hui Ying and shifted ever so slightly before clearing his throat and saying, ¡± What are you doing? Where are you looking?¡± ¡± Don¡¯t worry I don¡¯t have such thoughts towards you,¡± Liu Hui Ying waved her hand when she saw that Zhai Tianyu was acting like some sort of young maiden who has been teased by the pervertedndlord of hernd. ¡± I was just warning you that if you were to snatch this case from me then I will do something that will make you regret your decision, do not interfere with my work. If you don¡¯t then I will leave you alone but if you then you will not like how I will interfere with you.¡± She was someone who did not like anyone interfering with her work, she has been taking care of all her cases with her ghosts, and never once did she need anyone what she hated even more than anything was when someone snatched her work from her. No matter how hesitant and annoyed she was by a case, it was supposed to belong to her and she wouldn¡¯t let anyone off who took her work. ¡± Are you threatening Zhen?¡± Zhai Tianyu asked though it looked like he was reprimanding Liu Hui Ying, his face was devoid of any anger. He just calmly stared at Liu Hui Ying who twisted her neck while sitting on the bed and then curled her lips in a mocking smile. ¡± I am not giving you a threat, threats are often empty. I am warning you if you go against me and try to look for things that you shouldn¡¯t, not only will you receive retaliation from me but you will also face something that you wouldn¡¯t be able to fight. So, listen to me like a good boy and stay put.¡± Chapter 128 128 she refused to tell me ¡± So what did she say?¡± Zhai Heng asked as soon as Zhai Tianyu walked inside the study room of his pce, his expression looked rather sombre but he also looked a bit flustered as he strode towards his study table. His pace was hurried and there was a hint of red at the back of his neck but because Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun were looking at his back, they did not notice the redness on the back of Zhai Tianyu¡¯s neck. Zhai Tianyu was indeed really flustered, he has never been teased by a woman before but today Liu Hui Ying treated him like a little boy and asked him to stay put, a part of him wanted to retort but then he was stopped by his aunt and the three ghosts who told him silently that it was better for him to silently ept what she was telling him to do. Even though Zhai Tianyu did not want to listen to her, he had to agree with her suggestion that she has given. Once he agreed, Liu Hui Ying simply asked him to leave her alone and he was more or less pushed out of her sleeping room by the three ghosts who told him that it waste in the night and that he should be sleeping in his chambers. Though the words they told him sounded nice even an idiot could see that they were kicking him out! He, the husband and the Emperor of this entire country was kicked out by his wife whom he legally married and brought to his pce! He couldn¡¯t even tell someone about this, if he was to tell them, he will surely be a joke! And more importantly, what was even worse was that she called him a good boy...what was he? A small kid who needed her coaxing him? How dare she treat him so lightly! Zhai Tianyu was furious, no he was enraged! ¡± Tianyu, calm down,¡± Zhai Chenguang who finally found someone with whom she could talk with has followed after her nephew, she wished she could talk with Liu Hui Ying who was looking for the culprit behind her murder but then she looked at Liu Hui Ying who was like one of the scariest and difficult people to talk with and decided to chase after her nephew,pared to Liu Hui Ying, her nephew was less scary. Zhai Tianyu at first paused, he was still not used to seeing his dead aunt in front of his eyes like this, so when he heard her speak, he was a bit startled but then he closed his eyes and then nodded at his aunt who was standing in front of him. ¡± I am calm, I am very ...¡± he banged his hand on the table when he remembered how Liu Hui Ying called him a little boy and then repeated what he was saying earlier, ¡± I am really very calm.¡± Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun frowned as they looked at Zhai Tianyu who was turning red like a tomato with anger and then walked over to his side before they walked over to the study table where Zhai Tianyu was sitting and took a seat in front of him. ..... Yu Lingyun who did not know that Zhai Chenguang was standing next to him sat down on the chair on the left and ignored the chill that was rising in his heart as he looked at the tantrum-throwing Zhai Tianyu and asked, ¡± So what did the queen say to you this time?¡± ¡± How do you know that the queen said something to me? Were you spying on me?¡± Zhai Tianyu asked with a sharp glint as he looked at Yu Lingyun, thinking whether he should just rip the tongue of this friend out of his mouth because he couldn¡¯t allow him to spread the word that he was called a ¡®good boy¡¯ by his wife in the pce. Though Yu Lingyun did not know why Zhai Tianyu was acting in such a manner, he was rather smart and his luck has always been on his side most of the time which was why he was able to sense the iing danger that was heading his way. He blinked his eyes and nervously swallowed before he looked at Zhai Tianyu and answered, ¡± Because you only get this angry when the queen says something rude to you, your majesty.¡± He studied Zhai Tianyu who was studying him right back like a hawk eyeing its prey, Yu Lingyun was worried that if he said something wrong just now then it will be his head and Zhai Tianyu¡¯s sword. But then Zhai Tianyu looked away from him and he heaved a sigh of relief, looks like he managed to escape the cmity this time. ¡± She did not say much to me,¡± Zhai Tianyu absolutely refused to let anyone know that he was called a good boy, which was he deliberately ignored the part and told Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun everything that the Queen has told him, at first Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun were surprised, a part of them did not want to believe what Liu Hui Ying had told them but then they remembered her powers and immediately all their objections were silenced. Zhai Heng¡¯s expression was rather sombre, he looked at his younger brother and then asked with a stern voice, ¡± This ...does the Queen also knows who was the one behind the assassin? If so shouldn¡¯t you have asked her who it was?¡± He was furious upon finding out that his aunt with whom he has yed when he was a child was killed by someone, if it was left to him he would have gone to look for the person who was behind this on his own. ¡± The Queen told me that she does have a lead of who was behind,¡± replied Zhai Tianyu snapping out of his anger when he heard his brother asking him the question. His eyes glinted with a sharp gleam as he clenched his fingers on the dagger that was sitting inches away from his hand. ¡± But she refused to tell me anything.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 129 129 Say it on your own. She refused to tell you anything and you came back without making her vomit the answer? Zhai Heng roared in his head as he looked at his brother who was sitting in front of him with a pondering expression on his face. He was speechless seeing Zhai Tianyu act like this¨C this was his brother, the same brother who came up with the scheme of taking the Liu family down, the one who ruthlessly killed the entire Shen family in one go. But when it came to the Queen, his brother always had thisx kind of attitude that made him worry. Why was his brother so rxed when it came to the Queen, what was with this attitude of his? Why did it look like he was getting used to trusting the Queen? ¡± And what if she is simply hiding the identity of the culprit?¡± questioned Zhai Heng as he looked at his brother with a sort of helpless look on his face with a hint of anger hidden underneath. ¡± We all know that our family and the Liu family have been against each other ever since the beginning, if we think about it carefully, don¡¯t you think that the Liu family might be the one behind this? If so then she might never let you know about the identity of the culprit.¡± His words sort of disappeared the haze that was covering Zhai Tianyu¡¯s mind, making his head think of multiple possibilities but then he paused and thought about what Liu Hui Ying have told him earlier, she did not seem to care about Liu¡¯s family at all, she only cared about the Liu family only because she wanted to protect herself by having a backing behind her and nothing more, to her the Liu family was like a shield that will protect her in the face of danger. But other than that if he was being honest, Liu Hui Ying cared more about money other than anything. Even the Liu family has to take a second position in the list of priorities the head of the Queen. ¡± She is not hiding the identity of the culprit,¡± after thinking about it carefully, Zhai Tianyu answered his brother, he was not trying to protect the Queen but he knew that she was speaking the truth when she said that she only had a lead about the case and not the identity of the culprit. ¡± And I believe that even if it was someone from the Liu family, she will definitely tell me about the identity of the culprit.¡± There he goes speaking like the queen was the most trusting person in his life, thought Zhai Heng as he looked at his brother who was looking at him with a determined look on his face. Seeing him act like this Zhai Heng felt like his head was going to explode, why was his brother so trusting of the queen? ¡± Tianyu, I am not saying this to you as your aide but as your big brother, how can you believe her like this?¡± Zhai Heng stared at Zhai Tianyu, this was something that he could not understand ¡ª the Queen was indeed not showing any signs of finding trouble with them but that did not mean that they could trust her without using their own brains. ¡°It¡¯s because aunt has given her the mines that belonged to her when she was alive,¡± Zhai Chenguang did not hide anything from Zhai Tianyu, she told him about how she used her inheritance as a means to pay Liu Hui Ying. Zhai Tianyu knew that even though Liu Hui Ying was a woman who was rather weird and did not seem to have any respect for anyone ¡ª she was responsible and reliable, as long as she took the responsibility of solving the case then she will definitely do it if she was paid for her it. ..... His aunt promised Liu Hui Ying her mine and Liu Hui Ying who was a sucker for money would not let go of this opportunity. ¡± WHAT!¡± ¡± WHAT?!!¡± Both Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun looked at him like they were thinking of punching him in the face. They looked furious but at the same time, they looked like they were exasperated at his actions, especially Zhai Heng who was looking like he wished nothing more but to hit Zhai Tianyu. ¡± You...¡± he nursed his forehead before he closed his eyes and then breathed heavily before calming himself down. ¡± Your majesty, those mines are ore mines, if the queen gets ownership of those mines, do you think that she will keep it to herself? I bet she will let the Liu family take control of those mines and then what will happen to our n? You are adding unnecessary variables that might prove dangerous to us, your majesty!¡± Zhai Tianyu was very much of the danger but ¡ª ¡± Commander Zhai, you need to understand that Zhen cares more about the country than you,¡± Zhai Tianyu did not want to use his authority on Zhai Heng or Yu Lingyun but when he thought about how they might create trouble unnecessarily, he could not help but tell them to stay in their limit. ¡± Zhen knows what Zhen is doing, if Zhen says that the Queen will solve this case then Zhen speaks with a surety. Do you think that Zhen will do something as stupid as ruining the hard work that we have put in throughout these years?¡± When Zhai Heng heard Zhai Tianyu¡¯s stern voice he closed his mouth, he was not feeling reconciled but there was nothing that he could say now when Zhai Tianyu was chiding him for overstepping his boundaries. He knew that he might have gone overboard but he was just worried about the Liu family taking over them. Zhai Tianyu also knew that his brother meant well, which was why he softened his voice and added, ¡± And this decision was taken by aunt herself, I was not the one who offered her the mines. If you have anything to say then you can ...¡± he extended his hand to his left where his aunt was standing and added, ¡± You can tell her right now.¡± Don¡¯t forget to vote the story with powerstones or golden tickets. Chapter 130 130 Fake love ¡± Where?¡± Yu Lingyun asked as he looked at his friend and boss, a bad premonition rising in his heart, as he followed his gaze to where Zhai Tianyu was pointing. This...This was this not just next to him? Was it not? ¡± Here, right next to you¨C¡± Zhai Tianyu did not even get a chance to finish what he was saying when he saw Yu Lingyun jump in the air so hard that he sent the chair behind him flying, seeing him jump like this surprised both Zhai Tianyu and Zhai Heng, both of them looked at Yu Lingyun who was looking at the spot next to him with a terrified expression. They were not the only ones who were startled even Zhai Chenguang who has been standing next to Yu Lingyun was also startled, she jumped in the air as well and let out an ¡® EEP¡¯, before cupping her face as she looked at Yu Lingyun, her expression matching Yu Lingyun. She despite being a ghost was just as scared as Yu Lingyun! ¡± What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Seeing that his aunt got sacred because of Yu Lingyun, Zhai Tianyu could not help but shoot a reproachful look at Yu Lingyun who was standing behind Zhai Heng. ¡± You scared aunt by screaming like this, what are you doing, General Yu?¡± ¡± I scared her?¡± Yu Lingyun asked in a squeaky voice while pointing at himself. ¡®Bro, you need to take another look and see for yourself who scared who because the fck you are talking about! How can I scare a ghost?¡¯ Yu Lingyun roared in his head while looking at Zhai Tianyu but seeing that his friend only cared about his dead aunt more than his still ¡®alive¡¯ friend he decided to say nothing at all. What a world he was living in, the dead has more importance than a living human! Yu Lingyun was upset but he did not say anything instead he simply turned to look at Zhai Heng for support but when he saw the man looking at him with admonishment as well, he knew that he was done with this fake love for once and for all. ¡± Whatever,¡± Yu Lingyun muttered as he looked at Zhai Tianyu who was still looking at him and then frowned with a questioning expression on his face as he asked, ¡± What now?¡± ¡± Who is going to apologise to aunt?¡± Zhai Tianyu asked as he pointed to the empty space beside him and then looked at Yu Lingyun with a ¡® you better apologise now,¡¯ expression causing Yu Lingyun to feel even more abandoned than he was earlier. ..... Was this real? These guys were asking him to apologise to a ghost? However, when he saw that both Zhai Heng and Zhai Tianyu were looking at him with impatient looks on their face, he knew that they were not joking. They were really serious! What the hell! What was this fake love? What happened to their years of friendship huh? However, he still smiled externally and then bowed respectfully where Zhai Tianyu was pointing and spoke in an apologetic tone, ¡± Forgive me Aunt Chenguang, I was startled by the news and that was why I reacted like this, if I have offended you then I will apologise to you.¡± ¡± Oh no it¡¯s okay,¡± Zhai Chenguang who could now talk to Zhai Tianyu forgot that she was dead for a while and ended up getting scared like this but now that she saw Yu Lingyun bow in front of her, she realised that she was already dead what was she doing getting scared like this by a living man? A ghost getting scared because of a human, it was a good thing that no one else saw her or else she would have been embarrassed even after death. ¡± There is no need for you to apologise, I was the one who was at fault here,¡± Zhai Chenguang replied while iling her hands as she asked Yu Lingyun to stand up but when thetter stayed in the bowing stance she realised that only Zhai Tianyu could hear her, so she turned to her nephew and said, ¡± Ask him to stand up there is no need for him to apologise to me like this.¡± Zhai Tianyu thought that Yu Lingyun indeed needed to apologise to his aunt but now that his aunt was asking him to let Yu Lingyun stand up straight, he could not ignore her request. ¡± Stand up,¡± Zhai Tianyu told Yu Lingyun causing the man to let out a sigh of relief and only then did he stand up straight and looked at the empty space where Zhai Tianyu was pointing before turning to look at Zhai Tianyu again and cleared his throat before speaking, ¡± Now what? Are we going to leave this matter in the hands of the Queen?¡± He paused and then added carefully, ¡± I know that the Queen might be willing to help you but in case the culprit behind aunt Chenguang¡¯s killing is a member of the Liu family then what will happen?¡± Zhai Tianyu knew that even if he was willing to ce his trust in the queen, neither Yu Lingyun nor Zhai Heng wouldn¡¯t be willing to, after all, they did not know that the Queen was a different person in the soul. ¡± I know that there is a chance that the Queen might hide a few things from me but you are forgetting that I can see aunt at the moment, even if the queen is willing to hide something from me, aunt will definitely let me know because the reason she cannot move on is that she wants to see her criminal getting punished.¡± Only then did Yu Lingyun nod but Zhai Heng still looked suspicious, he looked at his brother who was willing to trust the Queen and then pursed his lips before rising from the chair in which he was sitting and then sombrely said, ¡± I am not saying that I do not trust your majesty but I still need to keep an eye on the queen, I will take a look at what she has to say and only then I will see whether I should leave it to her or not.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 131 131 please turn into a eunuch for an hour After speaking Zhai Heng bowed in front of Zhai Tianyu and then turned around to leave the study room. Zhai Tianyu watched his brother leave the study room and then sighed in frustration, his brother was really stubborn, because of what happened in the past, the wound that his brother received from the Liu family was still throbbing inside his chest. Even if he could bring himself to trust the Queen because she was another person who had nothing to do with the Liu family and what was, even more, was that he knew that Liu Hui Ying did not have any other intention than robbing him until only his underpants were left. ¡± He can be really stubborn sometimes,¡± Yu Lingyun mumbled while looking at the shut door of the study room and then turned to look at Zhai Tianyu. ¡± But this is the one thing that is the most adorable thing about him, after all, he is so protective of his little brother.¡± ¡± Shut up!¡± ... Liu Hui Ying was eating grapes while being fanned by Qui Ai, a frown on her face as she munched on the grapes like she was chewing someone¡¯s flesh, when she heard the sound of the door of her hall being slid open and when it was opened, a woman dressed in the dress of a maid, that had a white blouse with a pale pink skirt that reached to her ankles hiding her feet until only the tip of her shoes could be seen was kneeling at the threshold of the door. ¡± What is it?¡± Qui Ai who too saw the woman who was kneeling on the threshold of the room asked in a confused voice, as far as they knew the Grand dowager Empress¡¯s pce was no longer epting any visitors and they have to return halfway through from the entrance of the grand dowager and this was the reason why Liu Hui Ying was still frowning. She was worried that if the grand dowager empress was asking the Queen toe and look for her again, then her mistress might really snap at this moment. While thinking like this Qui Ai sneaked a look at Liu Hui Ying and sure enough, the woman was looking at the maid with eyes narrowed as she munched on the grapes with even more ferociousness, while looking at the maid, like the second this maid spoke that the word ¡®grand dowager empress¡¯, her missy will pounce on her like a hungry lion. ..... ¡® Please don¡¯t tell us that the grand dowager Empress is calling us, please, please!¡¯ Qui Ai prayed in her head while looking at the maid. ¡± Themander of the special army, Lord Zhai is here to see her majesty, he is asking for a meeting with her, should I allow him in the courtyard?¡± The maid asked her head lowered, she too was feeling the pressure from the queen¡¯s gaze and even if the queen hasn¡¯t said a word till now she could see that she was waiting for her to take a tumble. By the time she finished speaking, the maid was shivering. Qui Ai who heard that it had nothing to do with the grand dowager empress sighed in relief, as she turned to look at her missy but then she saw that her missy¡¯s expression has actually gotten worse she was startled even more. ¡® No! Why are you making that face now, my queen?¡¯ Qui Ai asked in her head but then she remembered that her missy was allergic to men and Lord Zhai Heng no matter how she looked at him, was also a man. ¡°My queen?¡± Qui Ai who was already feeling regretful at the fact that Zhai Heng was a man and not a eunuch called her missy tentatively. And when Liu Hui Ying raised her head and looked at her, Qui Ai felt a shiver dance down her spine as invisible tears started to trail down her face. ¡® Lord Zhai, can you be a eunuch for like half an hour?¡¯ Qui Ai cried in her head. ... Zhai Heng was waiting outside the courtyard of the Queen when he felt a chill crawl up his spine and he whipped his head to look around the surrounding. Right now, he felt something ...someone was eyeing him dangerously, though he did not feel the gaze of the person, he could indeed feel the chill on his spine. ¡± Lord Zhai?¡± Zhai Heng was startled when he heard a soft voice and then turned to look at the maid who was standing in front of him, it was only then did he realise that this woman was the one who went to ask for the Queen¡¯s permission when he asked for permission to enter. ¡± Did the Queen allow me to enter the courtyard?¡± Zhai Heng asked as he looked at the little maid who was shivering for some reason, at first he thought that the Queen did not allow him to enter the courtyard but to his surprise, the maid bowed to him and stepped aside to walk inside the courtyard. Zhai Heng was bewildered when he saw that he got permission to enter the courtyard, if he was allowed to enter the courtyard then why was this maid shivering like this? However, when he entered the courtyard he realised why the maid was shivering. ¡± What do you mean by this?¡± He asked as he looked at Qui Ai who was holding a porcin bottle with scented water in her hands, it would have been fine if the scent was a bit masculine but the scent was actually that of a peony, he has only smelled this scent on women and no one else. Qui Ai was shivering like the maid who allowed him inside the courtyard as she lowered her head and then raised the porcin bottle in her hand and looked at him with a pitiful expression as she squeaked in broken sentences, ¡± Th...The...The Q..Q...Queen have as..asked l..lord to s..spr..sprinkle this scent bef..before ent..entering her room.¡± ¡ª If you like the book please do add it into your library, vote for it and gifts are more than wee, please keep supporting the author because your support is the one thing that I need the most. Chapter 132 132 Driving him mad ¡± Are you serious?¡± Zhai Heng looked at the scented water that was being handed to him and couldn¡¯t help but ask, he was a man, no matter how he looked, how can he even sprinkle the scent of peony water on his clothes? What will others say if he was to smell like a maiden? Especially, Yu Lingyun that guy will never let him hear the end of this if he was to walk around smelling like a bouquet of peonies! Qui Ai knew that she was asking for too much but there was nothing that she could do either, after all, her missy had to tell her that after taking care of the Emperorst night, she did not have the energy to deal with another man. It was only when Qui Ai told her that Lord Zhai was an important figure in the imperial pce and cannot be turned away at will, did she agree after manyints. And this was the condition that Liu Hui Ying came up with when she agreed to see Zhai Heng, her reason was simple ¨Cshe spent a huge amount of time with the Emperor and can no longer withstand the scent of a man if Zhai Heng wanted to see her then he either be a woman or a eunuch since neither option was right, Qui Ai came with this solution. ¡± The Q..queen have said that if Lo...Lord Zhai does not ag..agree then he can a..always be a eunuch to c.e and see her,¡± Qui Ai repeated what Liu Hui Ying told her to say in case Zhai Heng refused to apply the scent that the young women and maids used in the pce. She knew that she was overstepping the boundary but as a servant what can she even do? Qui Ai took a tentative look at Zhai Heng and squeaked before dropping her head and looking at the floor, it was just as she expected, Zhai Heng was looking mutinous! And Zhai Heng could not be med either, this world was different than the one that Liu Hui Ying was used to. In this world men and women were separated cleanly, no man tried to act as a woman and no woman would try to act as a man, this era was where women were looked at as inferior to men and even though Zhai Heng was rather respectful of women and did not use them as a tool to release his sexual energy or birth giving piece of instrument. He was still one of those men who considered themselves as true alpha, for him to apply a scent that only young women applied on their clothes, it was so embarrassing! ¡± This is what the queen has asked you to do, Lord Zhai,¡± Qui Ai upon seeing that Zhai Heng was still looking at her while trembling in anger, could only repeat what she has said earlier. ¡± You know that her majesty does not see the men favourably so, this is the only way for you to see her.¡± Zhai Heng of course knew that the Queen did not like men and if all the man was to say west in case a disaster was to strike then the queen would yell east and rush in the opposite direction even though it was heavily inflicted with disaster. ..... ¡± Give it here,¡± Zhai Heng sighed as he stretched his hand in front of Qui Ai to take the scented water because he needed to see the Queen, he had no other choice. If he was to turn around and leave then what? What will change even if he was to leave? The queen¡¯s distaste for men will stay as it was at the moment and there will be no change in this matter, so if he was to return then the one who will be in a disadvantageous position will be him and not the queen. Qui Ai handed the scented water bottle to Zhai Heng who took it as if he was heading for the gallows, she could see that he was holding the bottle with so much anger that she was surprised that the scented bottle did not break. With an expression that could be counted as nothing but twisted, Zhai Heng unscrewed the scented bottle and then sprinkled the scented water on his clothes and then breathed heavily as his masculine scent of pepper and wood was reced with that of peonies. ¡± Can I go in now?¡± Zhai Heng asked through gritted teeth as he looked at Qui Ai and then he handed her the bottle back. Qui Ai took the bottle back and then gulped before nodding as she shifted on her feet and then turned around to walk inside the hall where the Queen was waiting for them. Once they got closer to the hall, Qui Ai opened the sliding door by pulling it to a side and then stepped aside allowing Zhai Heng to go in first because as a maid of the imperial pce now, Zhai Heng could be considered her master as well. And as her master he had the right to step inside the room before her, if she was to walk in front of him then it will be counted as nothing but imprudence. Zhai Heng nodded when he saw that at least the maid of the Queen knew the basic manners of the pce and then stepped inside the hall which was decorated with minimum furniture and then frowned, he knew that Zhai Tianyu and they might have been a bit negligent to the Queen but there was no way, a queen¡¯s pce could be this simple right? But this was not something he should care about, so the thought only stayed in his head for like a second or so before he turned his attention back to the Queen who was sitting on the main seat and then bowed in greeting, ¡± This one greets your majesty, I hope that you are in great health.¡± Because his head was bowed, he could not see what kind of expression Liu Hui Ying had on her face but then he heard her hum as shemented, ¡± You really applied the scent? I thought you will refuse.¡± And Zhai Heng gritted his teeth in anger. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 133 133 Confession? ¡± You may rise,¡± seeing that the man was already trembling with rage, Liu Hui Ying was really amused. She hasn¡¯t even begun teasing this man and yet he was already reacting like this, on the other hand, his biological brother, the Emperor seemed to have a bit more patience and control. At least he would not get angry so quickly like this, but this man ..Tsk, tsk, he was really quick-tempered, it was hard to believe that this man came from the same womb as the emperor. Zhai Heng who finally received permission to stand up sighed in relief and then lifted his head to look at Liu Hui Ying. Qui Ai seemed to have walked closer to the Queen because now she was fanning the queen and was no longer standing behind, next to the door. ¡® This girl, she really is talented, I did not even hear the sound of her footsteps,¡¯ Zhai Heng praised Qui Ai in his head before he focused all his attention on the queen and said, ¡± Your majesty, there is something that I want to talk to you about, do I have your permission?¡± Liu Hui Ying crossed her legs at the ankles and then leaned back in her throne-like chair that she used when seeing someone who was not allowed in her bedroom and then tilted her head as she asked, ¡± What if I tell you that I won¡¯t be giving you the permission to speak? Will you stay silent and leave me alone?¡± Zhai Heng: ¡°....¡± I kind of miss the old queen. ¡± Your majesty this is important,¡± he told Liu Hui Ying who looked like she was in the mood to have fun, seeing that she was not taking him seriously, Zhai Heng could not help but point it out to her. He did not want to talk nonsense with her, this was not why he applied that scented perfume that women used! ¡± See, if you are going to ask me anyway then what is the meaning of saying ¡®do I have permission?¡¯ You don¡¯t seem like you need my permission.¡± Liu Hui Yingmented and Zhai Heng felt like his patience, the one he was so proud of was slowly running out. He was a man who learned martial arts from scratch while being hindered by the Liu family and yet he has never lost his patience while learning and hiding from the Liu family. And yet the queen caused his head to throb with just three sentences. He closed his eyes and then breathed in and out while chanting in his head as he told himself that he could not hurt or yell at the Queen. Only when his heart was calm and the evil of anger has left his heart, Zhai Heng opened his eyes and then looked at the queen again. ..... ¡± I meant to say that there is something that I need to talk to you about, your majesty, will you listen to me, your majesty?¡± Zhai Heng tried to change his words but he heard the Queen ask with curiosity, ¡± What if I don¡¯t want to listen to you?¡± ¡± Your majesty!¡± Zhai Heng no matter how patient he was could no longer stay calm when he saw that the queen was treating him so lightly. Why was she treating him like this? Did he apply the scented perfume for this? ¡°All right, all right, keep your pants on,¡± Liu Hui Ying was only trying to tease Zhai Heng a little after all this man was the one who stopped her from entering the training ground when she wanted to take care of the maids. What did he think? That she has forgotten about him? Haha, of course not. She tilted her head to the side as she leaned her head on the hand whose elbow was resting on the armrest of the chair. When she saw that the man was actually flushed in shame, she raised her brow and asked, ¡± What? Are you embarrassed because I talked about your pants?¡± As Zhai Heng flushed, even more, she understood that she was correct. ¡± Your majesty, please refrain yourself,¡± Qui Ai who was standing next to Liu Hui Ying could not help but say as she looked at the queen, she knew that her queen was a bit uncouth when she spoke but this was Lord Zhai, a man who has nothing to do with her, in the end, she could not help but whisper, ¡± This is Lord Zhai and not the Emperor, you cannot be like this in front of the man who has no rtionship with you.¡± Even though Qui Ai was whispering Lord Zhai still heard what she said and then he was even more speechless, so this was how the queen treated his brother when he came to meet her? No wonder his brother was drinking tonics to ease his blood pressure despite being only twenty. The reason behind was this woman! ¡± What a mess,¡± Liu Hui Ying clicked her tongue as she straightened up and then turned her attention to Zhai Heng before taking a deep breath and then heaving loudly as she continued, ¡°Fine, Lord Zhai what do you want to say to me?¡± Zhai Heng who saw that the queen was finally willing to talk to him without any teasing, turned serious as well and then nced at Qui Ai who was fanning the queen, when he turned to look at her Qui Ai frowned and looked back at him, wondering why he was looking at her but then her question was answered almost immediately as Zhai Heng spoke, ¡± This is something that this one only want to discuss with you, your majesty. If you do not mind then can you please send your maid out of the room? I cannot discuss this in the presence of someone. This is my humble request.¡± He added in case Liu Hui Ying teased him even more. ¡± Hmm,¡± Liu Hui Ying hummed softly as she leaned back and then asked with a frown, ¡± Are you going to confess your love for me?¡± ¡ª- Victims of the queen: Zhai Heng: The queen asked me whether or not I am in love with her. Zhai Tianyu: I don¡¯t feel good, Yu Lingyun. Chapter 134 134 A new crush? ¡± Your majesty!¡± ¡°Your majesty, please watch what you are saying!¡± Both Qui Ai and Zhai Heng were stunned when they heard what Liu Hui Ying said, was she trying to get them into trouble or what? If someone was to hear what she said and took it in the wrong manner then there will be another round of trouble for them. Zhai Heng shivered after just thinking about the kind of scandal this will make¨C Brother of the Emperor stabs him in the back, and falls in love with the Queen! He will never hear the end of this! And more importantly, he wasn¡¯t even here to confess his love! Even though he knew that his brother will not me him but just the rumours alone were scary enough for him to look at the Queen in fear and condemnation, did she really have no idea what she was doing or was this her n? Now that she cannot make Zhai Tianyu fall for her, she was aiming for him. As this thought came to his head Zhai Heng thought that he has realised the true intentions of the Queen but when he raised his head and looked at the Queen who was looking at him with a bored look on her face and then blinked his eyes. What was it? What was the queen thinking? ¡± All right, all right,¡± Liu Hui Ying rolled her eyes, she was just making a joke but she never thought that these people will not be able to take a small joke. Was there anything that she said for them to react like this? Yet they were screaming at her like she has said something horrifying. ¡°Keep your hair on, I was just teasing you a little, Lord Zhai,¡± Liu Hui Ying waved her hand and then rubbed her temples, if this man was here to confess his love then she would have been the first one to kill him. And if she hadn¡¯t killed him then her sister would have done it for her when she was sleeping or drunk. Liu Hui Ying turned to look at Qui Ai and then told her to leave the room, Qui Ai though did not think that it was right of her to leave the room. Not because she was worried that Lord Zhai would do something to Liu Hui Ying but because she was scared that her missy will do something to harm Lord Zhai and then create another bunch of trouble for herself. The rumours of her being a monster who ate maids alive were yet to die down, if something happened with Zhai Heng then they might as well dere her missy as a witch. ..... ¡± Please do take care of yourself, your majesty,¡± Qui Ai did not forget to remind Liu Hui Ying as she bowed and then walked out of the room but even after leaving the room, she did not forget to re at Liu Hui Ying with a warning re. She red at Liu Hui Ying to keep track of her words and actions but Zhai Heng thought that the maid red at him, after all, what can a woman do? Qui Ai must be reminding him to take care of decorum and not upset the queen like he did thest time. ¡± Don¡¯t worry, your majesty, I will not overstep my boundaries this time, I¨C¡± he began speaking telling Liu Hui Ying that he was not going to hurt her but before he could say anything more Liu Hui Ying raised her hand and then turned to look at him with an amusement filled expression and said, ¡± That look was not for you, it was for me, she is warning me not to overstep my boundaries with you.¡± She dropped her hand and then cracked her knuckles before leaning forward as she spoke in a low-pitched voice, ¡± If we are alone in this room, then Lord Zhai...I am not the one who is alone in the room with you. It¡¯s you who is alone in the room with me, so you better be careful, all right?¡± She winked at him and Zhai Heng had to clear his throat as he looked down at his shirt to see whether or not his robe was perfectly tied or not and when he saw that a string was untied, he immediately tied it up. Right now, he was feeling rather scared was this normal? ¡± Ahem,¡± he coughed and then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying with a clear look in his eyes and said, ¡± Your majesty, I heard from the Emperor that you have the key to solve the case of my aunt¡¯s murder?¡± Liu Hui Ying raised a brow and then smirked, ¡± So he told you?¡± She pursed her lips when Zhai Heng nodded and said, ¡± The Emperor does not hide anything from me.¡± ¡± What are you? His wife?¡± Liu Hui Ying taunted and Zhai Heng clenched his fingers in hisp before he replied in a stoic voice, ¡± I might not be the wife of the Emperor but I am his most trusted aid and he tells me everything.¡± ¡± He even tells you when he goes to take a dump?¡± ¡± Your majesty!¡± Zhai Heng was so tired of dealing with the Queen that he wished that he came with Zhai Tianyu. This woman how can she say such words with such ease? Just what kind of education did the old minister Liu gave his daughter? Or did he save money there as well and not give his daughter a decent education? After all, how can a daughter of an official say such things with a straight face? ¡± I was just joking,¡± Liu Hui Ying consoled him seeing that he was looking at her as if she has made things really difficult for him. ¡± You were looking so stern and angry that I thought I should lighten the mood a little, so his esteemed majesty told you about me having a lead¨C then what are you here for? Are you here to snatch it from me ?¡± ¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 135 135 please leave ¡± You are mistaking my intentions, your majesty,¡± Zhai Heng indeed came to ask about the lead but he did not have the intention of stealing anything from the queen at all. ¡± I am just thinking about how the woman of the harem will take a look at the case. Isn¡¯t it nice to have someone to help you instead?¡± Liu Hui Ying smiled until her eyes crinkled as she cooed, ¡± Aww you are so cute.¡± Then the lips that were curled in a smile dropped and she looked at him with annoyance. ¡± Do you think, I who have been thinking of a way to stay away from men will take help from one?¡± ¡± Your majesty, I understand that you don¡¯t have any good feelings for men but you have to understand that with you being the queen, there is no way you can step outside of the Harem,¡± Zhai Heng reminded her, it was not his intention to look down at Liu Hui Ying but he was speaking the truth. Liu Hui Ying with the title of Queen will never be able to take a step out of the Harem, for her to investigate the case would be impossible. Liu Hui Ying stared at Zhai Heng for a good two minutes before she burst outughing, her tinklingugh made Zhai Heng¡¯s heart jump. Jump? Zhai Heng¡¯s eyes widened as he raised his hand and then ced his hand on the spot where his heart was thumping and then looked at the woman in front of him. Surely, his heart was only beating because he has never seen any womanugh like that right? That¡¯s right he must have been startled by her loudugh and nothing more. ¡± You don¡¯t need to worry about that,¡± Liu Hui Ying smiled at the man in front of her and Zhai Heng whose heart was already beating loud enough to startle him started to thump even harder than it was before, why? He thought in his head as he looked at Liu Hui Ying who was smiling at him. This smile ... wasn¡¯t as pretty as Ji Yu¡¯s so why was he feeling like all the blood in his body was rushing to his cheeks? Liu Hui Ying who did not understand emotions like love and crush did not understand anything when she saw Zhai Heng¡¯s cheeks turning red or when his eye pupils trembled when she smiled at him, she continued speaking as she was before, ¡± There will be someoneing to call me soon enough.¡± And behind her Jia Li who was looking at the happenings in front of her snickered as she looked at Li Gang and curled her lips. ¡± I can see that things are going to be really interesting in the future.¡± ..... ¡± Just look at that,¡± Li Gang bitterly spoke while looking at Zhai Heng and Liu Hui Ying. ¡± Those who are in no need of love or anything, they are getting it in a bulk offer and here I am waiting for a ghost woman to fall for me and yet none have fallen for me. This is the ssic example of even God being biased!¡± ¡± Don¡¯t be like that my dear,¡± Grandma Lan Fen patted Li Gang on the shoulders and then tried to ease his gloomy expression. ¡± You will get someone as well, after all even if she is getting a lot of options. It¡¯s not like she is going to appreciate them, right? Don¡¯t worry you will get the best out of best soon enough.¡± Li Gang nodded but he was still staring angrily at Liu Hui Ying, feeling like he was going to die of anger once again. .... He was not the only one who was feeling like that Grand Dowager Empress who has woken up an hour ago and was in no better condition. Last night was her worst night, someone sneaked into her courtyard and then they even scared her until she fainted like a coward, she was certain that once the Dowager Empress finds about it she will surely make fun of her! ¡± Did Tianyu find out who was the one who snuck inside our courtyard?¡± She asked Ji Yu who was massaging her legs while sitting on the side of the bed. When Ji Yu heard the Grand Dowager Empress¡¯s question, her hands that were massaging her grand aunt¡¯s legs paused and then she shook her head as she replied, ¡± Whoever was behind it was really careful, not even the shadow guards caught them. This concubine does not think that his majesty will catch someone so soon.¡± Grand Dowager Empress was even more upset when she heard this, she was angry enough to hit someone but then she saw that her niece was sitting at the end of her bed and somehow managed to calm her heart but she still snarled angrily, ¡± We swear that once we get our hands on the one who was behind this then we will definitely make them suffer, how dare they attack us!¡± ¡± Please be calm, grandmother,¡± Zhai Tianyu who have just arrived heard his grandmother¡¯s words and was not surprised when he saw that his aunt hid behind him. Even though his grandmother could not see his aunt, her words were vicious enough to startle anyone. With the bronze te in his hands, he walked over to his grandmother¡¯s bed and then bowed his body in greeting before speaking to her, ¡± You do not need to be worried, I have a clue in hand as to who is behind this.¡± Grand Dowager Empress immediately straightened up in her bed and then looked at her grandson with shining eyes and asked in a hurried voice,¡± Who? Who is the one behind this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s...¡± Zhai Tianyu began speaking but then his gaze fell on Ji Yu and he paused, he carefully thought about what will happen if he was to let Ji Yu on this small secret and then decided that it was better to send her out of the room. This way he will be able to keep Ji Yu safe in case something was to happen in the future after all the Queen¡¯s powers were something that defied the heavens. ¡± Yu¡¯er would you please the room?¡± ¡ª If you all help me reach the top three ranking of the win-win then I will release two extra chapters in the next month! Remember the offer is for this week only! Chapter 136 136 a joke? Ji Yu who was massaging Grand Dowager Empress¡¯s legs paused as she looked up at Zhai Tianyu, her eyes widening in shock. Never before even when he was nning something, Zhai Tianyu has never sent her away, so why was he sending her away now? She was stunned by his request but seeing that he meant what he said, Ji Yu, bit her lip and then rose from her seat. Since he has asked her to leave then she will leave after all as a good wife, this was her duty...she needed to listen to what her husband tells her to do. ¡± Why are you sending her away?¡± Even though Ji Yu was willing to understand Zhai Tianyu, Grand dowager Empress who have heard that these days Zhai Tianyu was getting closer to the Empress from the Liu family was not willing to understand. Why was it that he was asking her grandniece to leave? She was the one who has been with him ever since he was a child. If he could not trust her then who else can he trust? ¡± She is my grandniece first before she is your wife, if I want her to stay then she can stay, who are you to send her away?¡± Grand Dowager Empress asked with a sullen voice, she did not like the idea of her grand-niece being treated as such. This was how that little minx of the Liu family was supposed to be treated, while her grand-niece was supposed to be treated like the Emperor¡¯s beloved. Zhai Tianyu also knew that his request was a bit harsh but this was rted to the secret of someone else. This was not his secret to be given away, if it was then he would have definitely not hidden it from Ji Yu and would have told her everything but this secret belonged to Liu Hui Ying. The reason he can divulge it to his grandmother was that he already asked Liu Hui Ying about it and she was fine with it but the same cannot be said for Ji Yu. The two of them had some friction earlier and even if Liu Hui Ying saved Ji Yu, it would be impossible for them to let go of the hatred that they had for each other. ¡± I know if you want her to stay then she can of course stay behind but then I will not be able to say what I want to say, grandmother,¡± Zhai Tianyu was stubborn as well when he saw that his grandmother was not willing to listen to him, he went ahead and stated his stance as well. Seeing that he was adamant Grand Dowager Empress was on the verge of exploding but then she was interrupted by Ji Yu who was feeling a bit embarrassed as well. If the Emperor did not want her to stay then there was no need for her to stay either right? ..... ¡°It¡¯s all right, grand aunt,¡± Ji Yu stated firmly as she bowed her back and then asked her grand aunt to calm down. ¡± If his majesty wants this concubine to leave then this concubine will leave, please do not get upset for me.¡± As she finished speaking, she turned to leave and not once did she look at Zhai Tianyu. Ji Yu knew that she should not act wilful like this now that she was Zhai Tianyu¡¯s concubine but her heart which was feeling uneasy was too angry to even listen to what her mind was telling her. Once she left the room, Grand Dowager Empress picked up the jade pillow on her bed and threw it at Zhai Tianyu who caught it carefully in his hands and then snapped at him with eyes red up in anger, ¡± Look at what you did, you angered Yu¡¯er! What are you going to do now? Don¡¯t tell me that you are falling for that woman. I am telling you that I will not ept her no matter what!¡± Zhai Tianyu was speechless when he heard his grandmother scold him. He just asked Ji Yu to leave the room, it was not as if he asked her to leave the pce! Why were they acting like he said something wrong? And he did this for his grandmother and no one else! ¡± You are misunderstanding my intentions, grandmother,¡± Zhai Tianyu felt wronged but he still maintained his dignity as the Emperor and then ced the jade pillow back on the bed of the grand dowager Empress as he walked closer to the bed and then straightened up while looking at his angry grandmother. ¡± I did not send Yu¡¯er out of the room because I want to hide anything from her, I did that because I am worried that she will get scared after hearing what I am going to tell you and nothing more.¡± When the grand dowager empress heard what Zhai Tianyu said her expression turned solemn as she said, ¡± Is there something serious happening behind the scenes? Was this done by the Liu family? I know that mother of yours is waiting to see me die.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing to do with the Liu family,¡± Zhai Tianyu said as he ced the bronze mirror on the edge of the bed of the grand dowager empress¡¯s and then went to look for another mirror, and he found it in the small cab. It was smaller than the mirror on the bed but he knew that it was big enough for the job that he wanted it for and then returned to his original spot. He stood in front of the bronze mirror that was on the edge of the bed before turning to look at his grandmother who was looking at him in confusion. ¡± Please take a look at what is written on the mirror, grandmother. You will understand what is happening.¡± Grand Dowager Empress was bewildered by the actions of her grandson but she still turned to the mirror that Zhai Tianyu was holding and read everything one by one, as she finished reading what was written on the mirror, she immediately sat up straight and shouted, ¡± What kind of joke is this, Tianyu!¡± ¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 137 137 If that is what she wants ¡± This is not a joke, grandmother.¡± Zhai Tianyu knew that his grandmother was feeling confused but he needed his grandmother to believe what he was going to tell her. Liu Hui Ying has only given him one chance to make his grandmother believe the existence of his aunt if not then she will continue it the way she nned. That was to scare his grandmother until she agreed that there was something haunting her. Zhai Tianyu knew that his grandmother was a woman whose heart was sturdier than most men but that does not mean that he can let Liu Hui Ying scare his grandmother every night. There was a chance that it might backfire. Even though Liu Hui Ying assured him that nothing will happen to his grandmother, he knew that the woman was scary enough when she was angry and with his grandmother on her list, that woman surely will make his grandmother suffer a good deal. ¡± I am telling you the truth,¡± Zhai Tianyu looked at his grandmother solemnly as he stared at her while silently trying tomunicate to her that he waspletely serious. ¡± Aunt is here with us, when she was going to see uncle-inw, she was killed by someone and she has been roaming on the surface of this world because of her grudge.¡± When he finished speaking the small hairpin that was sitting on the cab dropped from the top of the bedside cab startling the grand dowager empress so much that she turned to look at the bedside cab and then turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who nodded and confirmed her suspicions. ¡± That was aunt.¡± ¡± Tianyu, how ...what is going on?¡± Grand Dowager Empress was shocked by what Zhai Tianyu was saying to her but what he told her was just the tip of the iceberg. As Zhai Tianyu started speaking and told her everything including Liu Hui Ying¡¯s powers, Grand Dowager Empress was so shocked that she forgot to close her mouth. For a long time, she didn¡¯t know what to say as she looked at her grandson and finally asked in a low voice, ¡± Are you sure that what you are saying is the truth, what if the Liu family is using her to hoodwink you?¡± ¡± I thought the same too but then...¡± he paused as he turned to look at his aunt who nodded when she saw her nephew giving her the sign that she has been waiting for her and then went ahead to the side of the room where she started picking up the things and then threw them in the air before she started using the skills that she has learned in this world when she was alive. These skills were something that Grand Dowager Empress has seen many times, so when she saw the way the things were being juggled, she immediately recognised the technique and her eyes turned red as she looked at the corner where the things that were hovering in the air dropped one by one. ..... ¡± Chenguang¡¯er...??¡± There was no response but Grand Dowager Empress did feel some sort of cold wind blow past her and she choked on her sobs. Her old eyes glistened as she closed her eyes and then covered her face as her shoulders started to tremble. No mother would be this useless as she was, she lost her children one after another and yet she did not give justice to anyone of them. How can she even show her face in front of her husband? He will definitely me her for being foolish and trusting people whom she should have never trusted. ¡± Mother,¡± Zhai Chenguang¡¯s eyes also turned teary but she did not get closer to her mother. She has already scared her mother enoughst night and the elderly woman was yet to recover her strength if she was to touch her then she will only harm her mother even more. She could only watch her mother helplessly cry as she turned to look at her nephew who was at loss as well but when she turned to look at him, he still nodded and then walked closer to the Grand Dowager Empress and hugged her such that she was crying against him. No one knew how long Grand Dowager Empress cried but when she pulled back, her eyes were determined as she looked at Zhai Tianyu and said, ¡± Did you say that the girl from the Liu family can give justice to Chenguang?¡± ¡± That¡¯s exactly what she said,¡± Zhai Tianyu knew that the queen wouldn¡¯t have acted so confidently in front of him if she was not sure that she will be able to catch the culprit behind the killing of his aunt. ¡°Let¡¯s go then,¡± Grand Dowager Empress did not care about her face at the moment, the only thing that she cared about was finding out who was the one who killed her daughter. She wanted to see who it was, who dared to hurt her daughter and was able to get away from the punishment for so long. Her daughter whom she has treated like the most vulnerable flower and raised her even more carefully than she took care of her most fine and delicate porcin doll was killed so ruthlessly by someone, how can she not be furious? She was really furious! And there was no way she was going to let go of the matter so easily now that she knew her daughter was killed! ¡± Are you sure grandmother?¡± Zhai Tianyu asked his grandmother, he did not want his grandmother to plea for help in front of the Queen but thetter was quite clear when she said that she will only be epting the request of the grand dowager empress and no one else. ¡± I am willing,¡± Grand Dowager Empress too did not like the idea of pleading with anyone especially someone from the Liu family but after what she heard from her grandson, she knew that only Liu Hui Ying can help her daughter. If so then there was no point in waiting. ¡± For my daughter, I will willingly lower my head in front of that woman if that is what she wants.¡± Chapter 138 138 Two big shots The imperial pce was once again stirred up when they saw that the Grand Dowager Empress actually left her courtyard, everyone knew that the Grand Dowager Empress was someone who stayed in her courtyard in peace and quiet and hardly ever came out. Unless very important or to go against the Dowager Empress, the grand dowager empress will never step out of her pce, for her to make a presence something severe must have happened! ¡± What is going on? Did the dowager empress make any move?¡± a maid who was carrying a water bucket looked at the procession of the grand dowager empress that was heading somewhere and then asked the maid who was standing next to her. ¡± And even the Emperor is with her! What happened?¡± ¡± Why are you being so nosy?¡± The maid who was being asked these questions looked at the woman who was next to her and then pursed her lips before lowering her head and adding swiftly, ¡± We are just maids who are we talk about what is going on in the imperial pce. And if you were to carefully look at the direction of the procession, you will see that they are heading towards the Empress¡¯s pce, do you want to talk about this matter?¡± Everyone still remembered what the Empress had done to the maids who tried to harm her, the fact that she killed two maids in front of the Emperor and even got a confession out of one was enough to let everyone know what kind of woman she was¨C a woman who feared no one and nothing. The maid who was asking questions immediately turned silent, she did not want to get involved with the Empress, and even now she was having nightmares after listening to the ount of what happened with the two maids. The procession of the Grand Dowager Empress arrived at the pce of the Empress, when the guards of the Empress saw the two great figures of the imperial pce arrive at the same time at the Empress¡¯s pce they were stunned. One of the guards looked at the sun to make sure that it was the sun that was shining in the sky and not the moon, why was it that the Grand dowager Empress and the Emperoring to visit the Empress? Was the world still moving as it was supposed to? The guards were stunned and the people in the procession were just as stunned, they still could not believe that they were asked toe to the Empress¡¯s pce. Even now when they were standing in front of the pce of the Empress, they were still not back to their senses. ¡± What are you waiting for?¡± The grand dowager empress asked when she saw that the guards were staring at her in surprise, she was a bit embarrassed that she has made her distaste for the Empress so known to everyone that even the guards knew that she did not like the Empress. ¡± Are you waiting for us to get down and open the door by ourselves?¡± ..... Back then she had thought that she did not need to worry about the Empress at all but now that she needed the queen¡¯s help, her past actions wereing on her like raining ps. The guards looked like this was like a reminder of what she has done and now that she needed the help of the queen, she could not help but think about what was going to happen to her. The guards snapped out of their daze and immediately opened the door of the pce allowing the procession of the Grand Dowager Empress to enter the pce of the Empress. ¡± What is going on?¡± Nanny Gong was already having enough worries on her te, with his granddaughter who was getting sicker day by day and with the personality of her missy changing from a sweet young girl to a messy troublemaker was bad enough to make her hair strands turn grey and now Lord Zhai came looking for her. That was bad enough and now there was noiseing from the entrance of the pce. She turned to look at Qui Ai and for the hundredth time asked, ¡± Why did you let him inside? You know how the Queen is, she will definitely offend him and thest thing we want is the eldest brother of the Emperor getting offended at us as well!¡± Qui Ai was wronged, she wanted to say that there was no way that she would be able to stop Lord Zhai who was the elder brother of the Emperor. If her majesty has allowed him to enter then what could she have done? But she still pursed her lips and let Nanny Gong scold her after all she was her junior and there was nothing she could do. Qui Ai could not do anything but Li Gang who has be bored with Zhai Heng and Liu Hui Ying¡¯s conversation flew out of the main hall, when he saw Qui Ai being scolded, he looked at Nanny Gong and immediately snapped at her, ¡± What do you mean by this? What could have little Ai done when such a big shot like Zhai Heng came knocking on the door?¡± He hovered next to nanny Gong who could not even see him much less hear him and continued chattering while Jia Li and Grandma Lan Fen also peeked out of the wall when they heard Li Gang scolding someone, they thought that another ghost came looking for them but now that they were looking at Li Gang who was getting angry at nanny Gong for the sake of Qui Ai and shook their heads before Jia Li scoffed, ¡± Love has gotten to his head.¡± ¡± He has always been a little foolish when ites to love anyway,¡±mented Grandma Lan Fen as the two of them snuck back into the room. No sooner did they snuck back in the room, The grand dowager empress and the Emperor appeared at the end of the corridor when the two of them appeared, Nanny Gong was the first to see the two of them and immediately felt her knees go weak. Lord Zhai still haven¡¯t left, so who called these two big shots here? Chapter 139 139 Suffer ¡ª¡ª¡ª Nanny Gong looked at the closed door of the main hall before she sank to her knees and then immediately greeted the Emperor and the Grand Dowager Empress. ¡± Your majesty the Grand Dowager Empress and your majesty the Emperor, this humble one greets you two!¡± As soon as she sunk to her knees, Qui Ai who has been looking at her also turned around and followed Nanny Gong¡¯s greeting but she too was feeling confused when she saw the Grand Dowager Empress. The emperor would visit the Empress¡¯s pce once in a while and it was a normal urrence for them, his presence was not that shocking but the grand Dowager Empress arriving here out of nowhere and for no reason scared them so much that they started shivering. ¡± You may rise,¡± the grand dowager empress was the one who came here to ask for help, she could not show her pride in front of the close servants of the Queen. Right now, she could not even think of going against that woman, given her personality, she was already going to find trouble with her because she bullied her on the first day of her wedding, if she was to find out that she tried to show off her arrogance in front of these servants then she will only be digging her grave even deeper. Nanny Gong and Qui Ai rose to their feet but they still kept their heads lowered as good servants they knew that they have to keep their heads lower in front of the imperial family members, even though the queen treated them like family and asked them to raise their heads in front of her but the same could not be said for the Emperor and Grand Dowager Empress. If they were to make a mistake in front of these two then they would really be in big trouble. ¡± Is the queen inside?¡± The grand dowager empress asked, she was in a hurry to talk to Liu Hui Ying, so the second Nanny Gong and Qui Ai rose to their feet, she immediately asked about Liu Hui Ying. ..... Her anxiousness to talk to the queen was so palpable in her voice that even Nanny Gong and Qui Ai heard it, the two were confused by the anxiety of the grand dowager empress but then they nodded and Nanny Gong replied respectfully, ¡± The Queen is inside but Lord Zhai is talking with her at the moment. He said that he needed to talk to the Queen about something and asked us to leave the room.¡± Nanny Gong was worried that the grand dowager empress would think that something was going on between the Empress and Lord Zhai so she carefully exined everything, after all, even though Lord Zhai was the eldest brother of the Emperor, there was a chance that Grand Dowager Empress would make a fuss. That was what Nanny Gong thought but instead of making a fuss or snarky remarks, the Grand Dowager Empress smiled in an understanding manner and said, ¡± Is that so? Then there is nothing to worry about after all the brother-inw and sister-inw should get along with each other a little.¡± Her words met with a shocked look on Qui Ai and nanny Gong¡¯s faces after all they knew just how badly their missy was being treated in the imperial pce for the Empress to suddenly treat her this well what was she thinking? The Grand dowager empress was a bit embarrassed, she will agree that she has not treated the Empress that well but she has not been cruel to her either and if not for the Liu blood flowing through her veins she would not have said a word about her, after all, they were the ones who were behind her son¡¯s death, she too did not likeing here to this pce. But of all people who could have helped her daughter to attain reincarnation turned out to be this Liu Hui Ying! She cleared her throat and then looked at nanny Gong before saying, ¡± Announce our arrival.¡± She knew that it was going to be difficult for her to deal with the Empress but there was no other choice left for her, she has to get along with Liu Hui Ying or else her daughter will have to roam the face of this world like an evil spirit. Nanny Gong was stunned but she still nodded and then opened the door of the main hall in a hurry before announcing in a loud voice, ¡± The grand dowager empress and the Emperor are entering!¡± ... Zhai Heng was still thinking about what the queen said when he heard about the arrival of his grandmother and younger brother, stunned he turned to look at the two of them who were walking inside the main hall and then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was smiling at him with an ¡®I told you¡¯ so the expression on her face. ¡± This one greets your majesty,¡± Liu Hui Ying who finally saw her money baging towards her rose from her seat and then bowed her head in front of the grand dowager empress and the Emperor, she deliberately acted in such a manner to make the Grand dowager empress and sure enough her actions were enough to make the grand dowager Empress look a bit awkward as she looked at Liu Hui Ying who was bowing in front of her. ¡® This woman when she had to lower her head in front of me she was acting so lofty and now that she doesn¡¯t have to lower her head in front of me, she is bowing so respectfully,¡¯ Grand Dowager Empress was a bit flustered but she still nodded and said, ¡± You may rise.¡± Liu Hui Ying straightened up and then shed a smile at Grand Dowager Empress as she nced at the Emperor who was standing behind his grandmother and asked in an innocent voice, ¡± So what brought you here, grand dowager empress?¡± She batted her eyshes as she sweetly called Grand Dowager Empress by her title distancing the two of them. Grand Dowager Empress: ¡°.....¡± I should have asked her to call me grandmother. Now I will have to suffer. Chapter 140 140 How can they allow it? Grand Dowager Empress was feeling awkward, she has not even opened her mouth yet Liu Hui Ying was already facing her head on her like this, how was she supposed to bring the matter of her daughter in front of Liu Hui Ying? But for the sake of her daughter, she has to bite her tongue and lower herself in front of Liu Hui Ying. With that Grand Dowager Empress breathed heavily and then she smiled at Liu Hui Ying sweetly. ¡± My dear granddaughter-inw, We hope that you are doing well?¡± ¡± I am doing really well for someone who was poisoned and did not get any medical treatment,¡± Liu Hui Ying replied with a nod and Grand Dowager Empress was once again speechless, she has to admit that this woman was truly petty. Just look at her it has been so long yet this woman was still taunting them because of that incident! Even Zhai Tianyu was speechless, he knew that Liu Hui Ying was not going to make this easy for them but he did not expect her to act so difficult, she has already taken the money yet she was acting like this. Was she not afraid that she will be called a fraud? As he thought about this, he red at Liu Hui Ying asking her to not go too far but the thing was that the woman in front of him was Liu Hui Ying, not only was she scared of him, she even raised her brow and shot him a sneering smile making Zhai Tianyu stiffen. This woman! Was she saying that she was going to find trouble with his grandmother? Grand Dowager Empress too understood that she has hit a wall which was why she did not get angry, instead, she took a seat as Nanny Gong and Qui Ai were done cleaning the seats next to Liu Hui Ying, she sat down and then turned to look at Qui Ai and Nanny Gong before saying, ¡± You two can leave us, there is something that we want to talk to the queen about something.¡± Nanny Gong and Qui Ai frowned inwardly, the Grand Dowager Empress also wanted to talk to the Queen about what was going on. Howe the Queen became so popr out of nowhere? The two were confused but they still walked out of the room and the second they stepped out of the hall, both of them turned to look at each other, confusion mirroring their eyes. If they were not wrong then the Queen was the least favoured despite being the ruler of the Harem, why was it that she was suddenly sought out by both the Emperor and the grand dowager empress? ..... Once the two of them left the room, Grand Dowager Empress turned to look at Liu Hui Ying, she did not know how to start and where to start speaking. The wrongs that they have done to Liu Hui Ying were not small and if the girl wanted to sit down and settle them all, then maybe she will have to ask her grandson to bring her case in front of Liu Hui Ying after her death. But at the same time, Grand Dowager Empress felt rather wronged, who would have thought that there will be a time that a member of her family will need the help of someone from the Liu family, clearly they were the ones who killed her son and caused her to almost lose everything and yet she was the one who had to lower her head in front of the younger generation of the Liu family. ¡± Queen, I know that you are upset about what happened on the night of your wedding but I promise that I will ask my grandson to repay you for it by working as hard as he can,¡± for the sake of her daughter¡¯s peace, Grand Dowager Empress did not feel upset about pushing her grandson in front of the fire. After all, Zhai Tianyu was Liu Hui Ying¡¯s husband, a husband¡¯s duty was to make his wife happy, right? Zhai Tianyu who was suddenly sold out by his grandmother felt shocked to the core, he stayed where he was and looked at his grandmother with his mouth hanging open as he looked at her in surprise. Work hard as he can? It was one thing that Liu Hui Ying hated men and would not want them to work hard at all but in case she asked him to work hard then what? What would have happened to him? Grand Dowager Empress did not look at her grandson who was looking at her with a questioning look on his face and made a point to just stare at Liu Hui Ying as she said, ¡± I know that we had our fair share of differences but you can have my grandson make it up to you¨C¡± ¡± That is not what I want, your majesty,¡± Liu Hui Ying replied as she ced her cheek on the back of her knuckles as she sighed heavily. ¡± As you can see I am having a lot of trouble, this ce is really not fit for anyone to live in, one it¡¯s at the corner of the pce and there is no good scenery in here either. I can¡¯t even walk around the backyard and since the garden is exclusive to Concubine Ji, I cannot go there as well. What¡¯s more, I am currently dirt poor with no money in my hands with my dowry still being checked.¡± She turned to look at Grand Dowager Empress who was looking ufortable and smirked, ¡± I think if someone was to ask for my help they have to show their gratitude, right?¡± Grand Dowager Empress was feeling a bit torn at the moment, and though she wanted to ask for Liu Hui Ying¡¯s help, her initial desire to keep Liu Hui Ying as downtrodden as possible haven¡¯t left either. She did not like the idea of giving Liu Hui Ying a new pce and money to improve her lifestyle, if she was to do that then others would think that she was supporting Liu Hui Ying as well! How can allow that to happen? ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 141 141 Someone else ¡± But hasn¡¯t aunt already paid for you to look for the murderer?¡± Zhai Cheng too thought that Liu Hui Ying was asking for a lot of things if they were to hand so many things to her then everyone will think that they were supporting the Liu Family, if so then it will bring unnecessary trouble to them in the future. When Grand Dowager Empress heard that her daughter has paid for the case, she became emboldened and turned to look at Liu Hui Ying before she raised her brow and asked, ¡± Is this true?¡± Liu Hui Ying smiled she did not look at all ufortable under the scrutiny of the three people in fact she was rather calm. She straightened her posture and then sighed before cing her arms in front of her on the table and then intertwining her fingers together as she looked at them with a smile, ¡± Your majesty the grand dowager empress, do you have a piece of very expensive silk?¡± Grand Dowager Empress frowned before she nodded and replied. ¡± I do have a piece of expensive silk along with many other dresses but what does that have to do with this?¡± ¡± I will exin it in due time, first answer me,¡± Liu Hui Ying kept smiling as she stared the woman in front of her in the eye and continued, ¡± You keep your precious silk in safe containers right? Making sure that they do not get infected or dirtied by anything? That they don¡¯t catch a worm, right?¡± ¡± That is right,¡± even though Grand Dowager Empress did not understand what Liu Hui Ying was trying to exin by this example but she still nodded in response. ¡± Silk is really hard to take care of which is why I have even hired a few workers to take care of it.¡± ¡± That¡¯s right, silk is delicate, it cannot be dirtied or else it will be destroyed if not taken proper care of, you must be keeping it in a very wonderful and secured wooden box right?¡± Liu Hui Ying smiled and reached out to point at Zhai Chenguang who was standing behind Zhai Tianyu and said, ¡± A soul is just as delicate as a piece of silk fabric, its locked in the container of what you call a body and when the body is gone, it is taken away by caretakers who will take care of it but by any chance that does not happen then do you know what will happen? The soul will start getting destroyed slowly with the dirt of this world, such that it will no longer be epted by the caretakers.¡± Grand Dowager Empress raised her head as she looked at Liu Hui Ying in shock who continued to smile as if she was not telling Grand Dowager Empress that her daughter¡¯s soul will not be epted by the people of the underworld. ¡± In case the soul is damaged either it will have to wait until it is disintegrated or it will have to wait for people like me who will help them return to their original form, to say in simpler words- exorcising a soul, if you want me to exorcise her soul then you will have to pay me another sum of money do you understand? Because what your daughter has paid me for is to look for the murderer and nothing more, is that clear now?¡± ..... It could not be any clearer than this! Grand Dowager Empress despite being unwilling could see that Liu Hui Ying had thought of everything. When Liu¡¯s family pushed her grandson to marry their family¡¯s girl, Grand Dowager Empress had already sworn that she will make things difficult for this woman till the very end but now it looks like Liu Hui Ying was the one who was going to make things difficult for her! From her dowry to another ce to stay, Liu Hui Ying has won everything back from her! ¡± Very well,¡± but before Grand Dowager Empress could think of a way to get herself out of this mess she heard Zhai Tianyu speak and what was more, he actually agreed to the requests that Liu Hui Ying made, what the hell? She immediately whirled around to look at Zhai Tianyu and spoke in a reproachful voice,¡± Tianyu what are you thinking ?¡± ¡± I am thinking straight grandmother,¡± Zhai Tianyu was not wrong either, these days the Liu Family was making a lot of fuss regarding Liu Hui Ying¡¯s living conditions in fact they have already summited quite a lot of memorandum. He was even thinking of giving Liu Hui Ying another ce to stay and this was the reason why he did not say anything when Liu Hui Ying asked for another courtyard. He had to give her a new ce to stay anyway, did it really matter if she was to get that ce a bit earlier than before? Grand Dowager Empress was rather upset but she still pursed her lips and left her grandson to deal with this case. Anyway since he said that he was thinking straight then he might have thought of something before agreeing to Liu Hui Ying¡¯s request. She was already old there was no need for her to fuss anymore, she inhaled sharply and then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying before asking, ¡± Now can we move past this? Are you willing to ept?¡± ¡± Sure,¡± now that she has stolen everything she could from this old hag, Liu Hui Ying did not have any more trouble either, she snapped her fingers and then a scroll that had all the conditions written on it came flying before unravelling itself in front of the Grand Dowager Empress, to others it flew but only Zhai Tianyu could see that it was Jia Li who brought the scroll in front of his grandmother. She too seemed to be excited to get the money when Jia Li caught his gaze, she lifted her hand and said, ¡± Liu Hui Ying has promised me that if we buy enough money she will allow me to peep at the gigglos in the red light district, even though they are not as good looking as you, I will take what I can.¡± Zhai Tianyu: ¡°.....¡± Chapter 142 142 Warning ¡°However, your majesty, how will you look into the case?¡± Zhai Heng asked after his grandmother signed the scroll after reading what was written on it, it was one thing that the queen had the powers to take care of the matter but her gender was another thing, she was a woman and no woman who was married to the Emperor was allowed to get out of the harem. ¡± You are the queen, for you to step out of the harem. It will cause a lot of fiasco for everyone, I am sure.¡± The women of the harem were not allowed to leave the pce and if the Queen who was the ruler of the Harem, if she was to leave the harem then the people will surely talk, especially the Liu family and if they were to tell the powers of the Queen to others then the Liu family might use the powers of the Queen against the imperial family. ¡± You do not need to worry about that,¡± Liu Hui Ying picked up the scroll that was on the table and calmly replied, ¡± I have already taken the job, haven¡¯t I? I will certainly do it with a finesse that you need not worry about anything. I will get on the work tomorrow morning, so when you hear that someone is looking for you no matter what the name, other than that you don¡¯t need to think about anything else.¡± After she finished speaking she looked at the three people in front of her while politely smiling at them as she added in a sweet voice, ¡± Now we are clear, aren¡¯t we? I think that you all have very scarce time to spare me, given that neither of you had the time to call a...ah doctor for me after finding out that I was poisoned.¡± Grand Dowager Empress understood that Liu Hui Ying was kicking them out and was slightly upset but seeing how she was the only one who could help her daughter¡¯s soul, she did not speak much but she did softly remark, ¡± You do not seem to be a forgetful woman, dear queen.¡± ¡± Of course, I am not,¡± Liu Hui Ying stood up from her seat when she saw that the Grand Dowager Empress stood up from her seat and smiled at her but her smile did not reach her eyes. ¡± I am not someone who would forgive and forget, if someone wrongs me then they will have to suffer a hundred times fold, you are fortunate your majesty, that you are my family or else I would have refused you outright. It¡¯s just that you are my close family which is why I epted this case. Maybe to you poisoning someone to death is a small matter but you don¡¯t need to think when you are not the one who suffered the pain of dying.¡± Grand Dowager Empress: ¡°....¡± What about the money that you snatched from me? But there was nothing that the Grand Dowager Empress could say at the moment, the money was already gone and ording to what was written on the scroll, she did not have to worry about Liu Hui Ying going back on her words, she has given her a copy that said that if the case was not solved she was free to take the money back. ¡± Very well, then we will be waiting for the results then,¡± Grand Dowager Empress did not want to spend another second in the presence of this woman who did not have the slightest bit of patience, a woman was supposed to be generous and kind. With a heart that was magnanimous and yet here, they were, dealing with a woman whose heart was as small as the tip of a needle. ..... That incident of poisoning her has happened so many days ago but yet the woman was still harping on the matter not letting it go, her niece Ji Yu was so much better than her, she was the one who was asked to leave the room and yet she did it without saying a word of objection. Unlike this woman who wantspensation for the smallest thing. ¡± I will be sure to deliver the results then,¡± Liu Hui Ying did not miss the contempt in the eyes of the Grand Dowager Empress. She however did not care about the Grand dowager empress¡¯s hate or feelings towards her after all she was not someone who lived to please someone. Grand Dowager Empress gave Liu Hui Ying a nod before she turned to walk out of the room, once she left the room, Zhai Heng too bowed in front of Liu Hui Ying and walked out of the room taking his leave and then the only one who was left behind was the Emperor who did not seem to have any intention of leaving. ¡± Do you mind?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked as she tipped her chin at the door as she looked at the man who was standing in front of her, she did not like staying in the same space as this man who was the cause of her current predicament, if he has been kinder than she wouldn¡¯t be dealing with such an annoying old hag. Just look at the way the woman was looking at her, she was the one who came asking for help but yet she dared to disdain her. Zhai Tianyu nced at the door before turning his head back to Liu Hui Ying as he blinked his eyes and then looked at her with a slightly calm expression on his face, he pretended as if he did not listen to what Liu Hui Ying just said, instead he looked at her and spoke in response, ¡°I was going to leave but then I thought of something and then stopped.¡± ¡± And what might that be?¡± asked Liu Hui Ying as she looked at him with a frown. ¡± A warning,¡± he solemnly answered her. ¡± Do not trust anyone in the pce and let them know what you can do but in case they find out then you will be in a lot of trouble my queen, so make sure that you control your strengths.¡± Only then did he turn around and leave. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 143 143 Trust ¡± The Emperor and the grand dowager empress went to the queen¡¯s pce, your highness,¡± Ji Yu heard Xiaolin tell her as she walked inside the room with a tray of meals in her hands, even though the scent of the meal that Xiaolin brought her was enough to make even the stomach of a dead rumble, Ji Yu did not feel like eating at all. When she agreed to be the royal concubine, Zhai Tianyu promised her that she will be the only one in his harem as for other women, he will not even look in their way and yet here he was going to the queen¡¯s pce every now and then, what was going on? Why was Zhai Tianyu suddenly interested in the queen out of nowhere? As she thought about it, the brush in her hand that was being used to draw on white paper paused. The brush has been dipped in ck ink, with the tip of the brush hanging an inch over the paper, the drop at the end quivered and then finally fell on the nk white paper destroying it with a stain of ck ink. Xiaolin who was putting the dishes on the dining table saw that her mistress was sitting like a stone statue and then couldn¡¯t help but look at her with pity. She rose from the floor and then walked to where her mistress was and then caught her hand in hers. Feeling a subtle warmth spreading through her limbs, Ji Yu snapped out of her daze and looked at Xiaolin who was smiling at her with a sympathetic glint in her eyes. ¡± Xiaolin?¡± ¡± Your highness, I know that you are scared but you need to understand that his majesty and you have been together for a very long time, he will never let you down, so don¡¯t worry,¡± Xiaolin consoled her miss, she knew that when the Emperor was not married to anyone even then her missy worried that he will fall for someone. In Ji Yu¡¯s head as long as she was working hard she will be able to reach Zhai Tianyu¡¯s heart after all one never falls in love at first sight with anyone. If they did then it was simply a fatal attraction and nothing more for one to fall in love they will have to know about someone and see if they arepatible for them because attraction will fade what will stay was the true feelings that they have nurtured after careful understanding. That was what Ji Yu thought but now that Zhai Tianyu was getting close to the queen, she could not help but feel worried. She was thankful to the Queen for saving her and helping her find out that she was poisoned but the feeling of her gratitude was not so much in her heart that she would want to see the man she loved for the queen. ¡± Did the Emperor stay back in the pce for a long time?¡± Ji Yu asked feeling a bit troubled when she thought about how the queen was slowly attracting the Emperor. ..... ¡± No, your majesty, his majesty left just as soon as the others did,¡± Xiaolin knew that her mistress was worried that the Emperor was falling for the queen was she was willing to console her mistress who was like a sister to her. ¡± You do not need to worry about anything your highness.¡± ¡± I hope that you are right, Xiaolin,¡± Ji Yu muttered as she looked at the window that was showing the setting sun. .... ¡± Your majesty, what is going on?¡± Qui Ai unlike Xiaolin was feeling rather happy, today not only the Emperor but even the grand dowager Empress came to see her mistress, she was feeling rather happy about this sudden visit. At first, she thought that they were in mistake but then the grand dowager empress and the Emperor left the courtyard and nothing happened to them meaning that they came here not to punish them but for something else. Now that she was sure that they were no longer in danger, she could not help but ask the queen about the reasons why the three prominent members of the imperial family came to see Liu Hui Ying. ¡± Nothing too much,¡± Liu Hui Ying let Qui Aib her hair since she was feeling toozy as she thought about what the Emperor has told her, though she did not see the reason as to why Qui Ai and Nanny Gong will betray her she knew that they were the servants of the Liu family, ultimately there was a chance that they will support the Liu family would they not? And she did not like the idea of bing someone else puppet. Qui Ai did not think much when she heard Liu Hui Ying answer like this and continued tob Liu Hui Ying¡¯s hair. Once she was done, she ced theb on the cab that was in front of Liu Hui Ying and then turned to look at her mistress before saying, ¡± If you do not wish to tell me then I will not say anything, your majesty but I will let you know that I am always by your side. No matter what you do.¡± Liu Hui Ying felt a bit bad when she heard Qui Ai say this, she wanted to let her know what she discussed with the Grand dowager Empress and the Emperor but then again, it was better to keep this to herself for she was yet to solve the case. In case something went wrong at least she will be able to keep Qui Ai and Nanny Gong safe given that the person who was behind Zhai Chenguang¡¯s murder was able to hide themselves for so long, there was a possibility that she will not be safe while investigating this case in the iing days. ¡± I know, you don¡¯t have to tell me,¡± Liu Hui Ying rose from her seat and then ced her hand on Qui Ai¡¯s. ¡± You just have to wait for the right time, then you will know it soon as well.¡± Chapter 144 144 Starting investigation Before dawn broke, Liu Hui Ying woke up early because she needed something she had to do today. She flung her feet off the bed and then walked over to the cab where Qui Ai and Nanny Gong ced the white powder and rogue thing that they used to ready her usually, she raised her hand and then picked up the thing that the people here called foundation and ced the tip of her finger inside the white powdery substance in the small wooden box but after she rubbed it between the pads of her fingers, Liu Hui Ying clicked her tongue. ¡± This won¡¯t do,¡± she ced the wooden box back on the cab and then clicked her tongue. ¡± This is too thin and white if I use it then there is a chance that I will look like a clown and more importantly, this is not waterproof. The task of investigating requires a lot of running around, there is no way this will work if I was to use it.¡± Then she picked up the rogue that was sitting next to the foundation and then picked it up as well, she took a good look at the rogue and then shook her head. ¡± And this can¡¯t be used as well, I need something to contour my features, this will not do the job.¡± She turned to grandma Lan Fen and then asked, ¡± Can you still do your usual things while being here? Don¡¯t tell me that your spaces are not going to work here ?¡± ¡± I can try,¡± Grandma Lan Fen was one of the police officers who had to live undercover for a very long time and in very different cases as different people. Thus, she was used to doing a lot of makeovers for the sake of looking like how the person involved in the case that was handed to her looked, which was why when she died she got the power to use her hands as a great makeover artist. Like Jia Li who inherited her forensic tools and Li Gang inherited his great strength, after their family members burned those things before burning their corpses, the thing that she got was¨C Grandma Lan Fen closed her eyes and then stretched her hand out, as she stretched her hands, the entire space of the room turned into a small makeover room, as the small and ancient cab turned into that a high-quality dressing table with a number of masks, brushes, wigs and makeup objects like foundation and eyeshadow boxes. ¡± Looks like we still have our powers with us,¡± Jia Li excitedly pped her hands, she was worried that she would not be able to summon her forensicb with her but now that she knew that she could summon that space as well, she was really happy. ¡± I can¡¯t wait to examine the corpses anymore.¡± ..... ¡± You will get a chance soon,¡± Liu Hui Ying replied as she walked over to the stool that was sitting in front of the dressing table with a number of tools on it, the heels of her feet thumping over the marble floor that has reced the wooden floor. She pulled the stool behind by dragging it by hooking her feet around the legs of the stool and then sat down as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. In the bronze te, her reflection was not that good and now that she was looking at her features that seemed to have softened by a hundred points, Liu Hui Ying clicked her tongue andmented, ¡± Make sure to make me look fierce, I don¡¯t want to look like a sweet eye candy.¡± This girl looked like a sweet girl who wouldn¡¯t harm a fly no wonder everyone thought that she was easy to be bullied. ¡± Aiye, Aiye mam,¡± Grandma Lan Fen saluted upon receiving themands and then raised her hand to pick up the brushes that were ced on the cab and then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying before she ced her hand at the bottom of Liu Hui Ying¡¯s chin and tipped her face up. ¡± Now please close your eyes, I am going to start now.¡± Liu Hui Ying did as Grandma Lan Fen said and closed her eyes before she allowed Grandma Lan Fen to do her makeover, she knew that the woman was good with her hands which was why she was not at all worried that she will make her look like a clown and as Grandma Lan Fen asked her to open her eyes after fifteen minutes she knew that trusting Grandma Lan Fen was the right thing to do. .... When Qui Ai woke up, the first thing she did was stretch her body and then walk over to the small kitchen where she boiled water for Liu Hui Ying to wash her face. She hummed a soft tune as she poured the water that has been boiled nicely into a small bronze bowl and then mixed some cold water when she saw that the water has gotten a bit warmer than it was needed. After she was done, she picked up the bronze bowl and ced it on the tray and then walked out of the small kitchen, as usual, she walked back to the courtyard like usual and pushed the door of Liu Hui Ying¡¯s room as usual but what was unusual was that there was no sleeping Liu Hui Ying in the bedroom. At first, Qui Ai thought that her mistress was inside the bathroom taking a bath but when she did not hear the usual ¡®Bam Bam,¡¯ song from inside that her missy sang every time she took a bath, Qui Ai peeked inside the bathhouse but the second she peeked inside the bathhouse, she saw that there was no one inside. This time Qui Ai was a bit worried which led her to look all over the courtyard and when she did not see Liu Hui Ying in the courtyard she felt her heart thump just as she was thinking about what she needed to do, she saw a small paper scroll on the cab of the dressing table and picked it up, her eyes grazed over it and then she shouted, ¡± NANNY GONG!¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 145 145 A gentleman Liu Hui Ying on the other hand did not care about the fiasco that was going on in her courtyard instead she walked over to the pce where Zhai Tianyu worked, she has never gone to that pce before but she has seen it while she was on a walkst time. This was why she did not have to think twice before setting on her journey and nor did she ask the directions to his workce. It took her at least fifteen minutes before she arrived at the ce where Zhai Tianyu worked and as soon as she arrived at the foot of the pce, she looked at the building and clicked her tongue in annoyance, ¡± Look at that, my entire ce is not as big as that number of steps that are in front of this pce.¡± ¡± You are right,¡± Jia Li agreed with her as she ced her hand over her eyes and then peered over the pce that was so big that at least ten pces the size of the one where they were staying. ¡± When I saw it thest time, it did not look this big but now that I am here, I feel that this is just as big as those skyscrapers.¡± ¡± And that too without an elevator,¡± Li Gangmented from the side as he looked at Liu Hui Ying who was standing in front of him. ¡± Your legs are going to give away halfway through, I just counted this ce has at least fifty more stairs than the Grand Dowager Empress¡¯s pce.¡± Liu Hui Ying looked at the pce and then pursed her lips before she licked the front of her teeth and said, ¡± There is no other choice, with my current get-up, I don¡¯t think that I will be able toe here to the pnquin, now can I?¡± Even though she said that she still hated the fact that she has to climb so many stairs again but there was no way around this time around as well. So, with no other choice in front of her, Liu Hui Ying sighed and then said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, there is no point in standing here and looking at this ce.¡± With that she walked over to the foot of the stairs but as soon as she got closer to the ce, the guards standing on both sides dressed in vibrant red uniforms with their hair tied in long ponytails moved and stopped her by raising the swords that they were holding in their hands. ¡± Who are you? Why are you here?¡± One of the guards asked her as he looked at her with a frown, he looked at Liu Hui Ying. As far as he knew, he has never seen this person, and even though this person looked rather good-looking and well-versed, he could not allow him to enter the pce without identifying this person¡¯s identity. ¡± Ah, Sir! I am a subject whom his majesty has hired just yesterday,¡± Liu Hui Ying replied in a different voice that no one has heard, as she showed him the letter that Zhai Tianyu has handed her, allowing her toe inside his pce. ¡± Can you let me go? There is something that this one wants to discuss with his majesty. As you can see, his majesty has asked me toe and see him today which was why I am, if I gette then I will be punished.¡± ..... The guard took the letter and took a quick look at the content that was written on the letter and when he was done reading, he looked at the seal that belonged to the Emperor and nodded before putting down his sword as he stepped back. ¡± I see, you can go inside.¡± He returned the letter and Liu Hui Ying took it by curling her fingers around the scroll while covering the tips with the fabric of her sleeves and then bowed to the guards as she walked passed the two guards and started to climb the stairs. As Li Gang predicted it did not take her a long time before she started to heave like a walrus as she walked up the stairs. ¡± I am going to kill him someday,¡± Liu Hui Ying gritted her teeth as she climbed the stairs. ¡± Why are they bothering with making new ways to torture someone? Why don¡¯t they ask them to climb these stairs ten to seventy times, they will die out of tiredness.¡± Liu Hui Ying continued to climb the stairs even when she wasining because there was no other choice for her. And by the time she arrived at the top of the stairs, she flopped on the top causing the guards who stood next to the door of the Emperor¡¯s study. When they saw someone flop in front of them, they were stunned and as their eyes widened they looked down at the person in front of them. After a short while, the guard on the right asked, ¡± Are you okay?¡± ¡± I... I am okay,¡± Liu Hui Ying panted as she raised her hand while still on the floor as showed it to the guards. ¡± I am here to see the Emperor as per the appointment he has given me.¡± The guard crouched down and then took a look at the letter before turning to look at his colleague on the left and saying, ¡± Go and tell the Emperor that there is someone who came to see him.¡± After saying this, he turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was on the floor and asked, ¡± Are you sure that you are all right? Do you need me to bring you some water?¡± ¡± No, I am okay.¡± Liu Hui Ying responded, she could not even pick herself up from the floor but she still pushed herself off the floor and smiled at the guard. ¡± I am doing fine, thank you for asking.¡± The guard nodded after confirming that Liu Hui Ying was fine while the guard on his side walked inside the study after receiving permission from the Emperor. ..... Zhai Tianyu was studying a book that made him look like he was learning some sort of perverted knowledge when the guard of his study entered his room, he raised his head and asked gently, ¡± What is the matter?¡± ¡± A gentleman is here to see you, your majesty,¡± replied the guard. ...If you like my writing can you check out hot bloodsuckers¡¯ obsession. Chapter 146 146 Who are you? You imprudent brat ¡°A gentleman?¡±Zhai Tianyu ced the eighteen-plus book on the table in front of him and then turned his head to the side such that he will be able to look at the guard, his eyes clouded with confusion as he looked at the guard who was standing in front of the door of his study. ¡± That is right, he even has a letter of acknowledgement along with your seal imprint, your majesty ¨Cthe letter reads that you have asked the gentleman toe and look for you this morning. Should I allow him to enter your study if you are willing to see him, your majesty?¡± Zhai Tianyu was confused as far as he knew that the only person he was supposed to meet today was the queen but the guard told him that the person outside was a man. Did he really ask a gentleman toe and see him? But if so how was it possible for him not to remember? There was no way possible for him to forget an appointment but ¡ª he was only human, there was a chance that he might have made a mistake, he thought. He was so busy with a number of things these days that maybe something skipped his mind. ¡± Let him in,¡± Zhai Tianyu did not have any reason to deny the man who was standing outside his permission to enter his study, after all the man did have a letter that imed that he had the permission of the Emperor to enter the pce today. Turning him away did not seem right to Zhai Tianyu but at the same time he could not help but wonder who this man was, was he someone whom Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun have sent to him? ¡± I will do as you have ordered your majesty,¡± the guard lowered his head as he bowed his body in a ny-degree bow and walked right out of the study in that posture. Not once did he show his back to the Emperor, not even when he closed the door of the study. ¡± You can go in now,¡± the guard told the man who was now standing on his feet, after finding his breath that has been lost while climbing the stairs to the study of the Emperor. ¡± Make sure that you do not show your unsightly side in front of the Emperor or else you will be punished.¡± The guard did not know that the person in front of him was the Queen which was why he was warning Liu Hui Ying with goodwill in his heart. The young man who was standing in front of him looked rather spirited, it would be too much of a shame if he was to be punished by the Emperor for showing something that he should never show in front of the ruler of the country. ..... ¡°I understand,¡± Liu Hui Ying replied but in her head, she was already snickering, if the emperor dared to make things difficult for her then he can rest assured that he won¡¯t be getting any sleep for the next week¨C and she was not talking about bedroom activities, oh no...she was talking about how she was going to drive him crazy by sending ghosts after ghosts to his room. ¡± Then go,¡± the guard nodded before stepping to the side. Liu Hui Ying nodded back to him before she walked to the door of the study and pushed it open, once she opened the door, she walked inside the study after closing the door of the study and headed straight to the study table where Zhai Tianyu was sitting. When Liu Hui Ying entered the room, Zhai Tianyu who was reading his p*rn book also raised his head and looked at the man who was striding inside his study like he owned it and felt his brows furrow a bit. He did not seem to know this man, but the way the man was walking straight inside the study without even greeting him, was he someone he used to know? Zhai Tianyu tried to recall but the second the man turned to look at him, his frown turned even more severe than before because he knew that there was no way he would have forgotten this man if he had seen him before, the man¡¯s face was too charismatic for him to turn a blind eye to him and even forgot him. But the man in front of him simply raised his brow in an obnoxious manner like that of a queen, as soon as this thought came into his head, Zhai Tianyu shook his head. What was he thinking? Why was he thinking of the queen all of a sudden? What was going on with him? How can this young man be the queen? Was he somehow rted to her then? Their actions were too simr after all! Just as he was thinking about what rtionship this man could have with the Queen, the young man has already dragged the chair in front of his study table making a squeaking sound as the legs of the chair rubbed against the floor. This action of the man made Zhai Tianyu frown as he watched the man¡¯s imprudent action, he watched as the man sat down in front of him with a slight sigh and then crossed his left leg over the right one and then turned to look at him. Did this man have some sort of death wish how can this man even think of sitting in front of him without even greeting him? He was not a tyrant man but he wasn¡¯t lenient either, for someone to show such tant disrespect he will definitely have him punished but before he called the guards and order them to drag this man out of the study, he still needed to know what this man was thinking, after all, he needed to know how this man had the guts to act so imprudently in front of him. ¡± Who do you think you are for you to not greet your emperor?¡± He asked his voice cool and stoic. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 147 147 A big catch When Liu Hui Ying heard what Zhai Tianyu said, a part of her was amused while another part was greatly in awe. She should maybe try to share more of her spiritual energy with Grandma Lan Fen, she did just a good job that even this man who was supposed to be her husband and the Emperor couldn¡¯t recognise her. A part of her wanted to tease him a little but then she stopped and carefully thought about what Jia Li had told her about all the historical dramas that she has watched on the television. Hmm, from what Jia Li told her, it was not right of her to tease this man anymore, maybe if she did then she will be punished in a manner that she didn¡¯t even imagine. This was why she cleared her throat and then answered in a deadpan voice, ¡± Your wife.¡± It only then did theprehension dawned on Zhai Tianyu and his eyes widened in shock as he looked at the man ...no woman in front of him. He was sure that he has never seen anything like this before, there have been urrences where a woman tried to dress up as a man but she was easily caught in the way she walked, dressed and talked but Liu Hui Ying. She did a phenomenal job in disguising herself as a man, she looked like she was a young man who has just celebrated his eighteenth birthday, her skin bright and supple yet had a hint of tan. One could even see her prominent Adam¡¯s apple along with the tight nerves on the back of her hand, she looked nothing like she did when he went to her courtyard there was no hint of sweetness nor was there any hint of innocence. Looking at her like this was like looking at a man who knew the way of the world better than he did, when Zhai Tianyu looked at Liu Hui Ying and took a good look at her face, half of his head was telling him that second this woman was going to turn into a macho man and challenge him for his throne. She looked even more like a man than Yu Lingyun! ¡± Liu Hui Ying?¡± He asked in a low squeaky voice, his mouth dropped open in shock as he looked at the woman in front of him. How was this possible for any woman? ¡± That¡¯s me,¡± Liu Hui Ying replied as she looked at Zhai Tianyu who was looking at her like he was going into a quick deliberation over where the world was going and said, ¡± There is no need for you to look at me like that, I am still hundred and ten percent a woman.¡± ..... ¡± How did you this?¡± He asked feeling rather curious when he confirmed that it was really Liu Hui Ying, no other woman will have the guts or the desire to talk to him with that much arrogance, only this woman who has never thought much of him would treat him like this. No wonder he felt that familiar feeling when he saw her walking inside the study dressed up as a man, nearly causing his heart to go boom boom. ¡°It¡¯s just make up,¡± she carelessly waved her hand and did not talk much about how she achieved this look, she needed to still keep some ace cards to herself lest she was to get in trouble. ¡± Anyway, I am here as promised. Now if you can give me another room, I will be able to get started.¡± After speaking she turned to look at Zhai Chenguang and said, ¡± Your body how long has it been since it has been buried? Is it any condition for us to examine? It will be better if we can take a look at your body instead of your soul. It might be an echo of how you died, there will be a chance of miscalction if we don¡¯t take a proper look at your wounds.¡± ¡°It¡¯s in a rather good condition,¡± replied Zhang Chenguang as she turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who was looking rather sickened at the thought of seeing his aunt¡¯s body after six months or so. ¡± The physicians made an ointment to make sure that my body doesn¡¯t deteriorate that easily which is why my body is still in a stable position, there might have been some damage but it has been so many months since I died.¡± ¡± Are you saying that you need me to have the body of my aunt dug out?¡± Zhai Tianyu asked Liu Hui Ying who nodded solemnly and said, ¡± Or else? Do you think that it will be all right if you don¡¯t? Your esteemed majesty, the first thing we need to find out is the kind of weapon that was used which will bring us closer to the culprit who has killed your aunt, given that there are a hell lot of suspects, I would like to see the body, only then can I narrow the list of suspects down to a small list and we also need to look for the weapon that was used.¡± Her words seemed to make sense which was why Zhai Tianyu nodded and pushed his body off the chair as he said, ¡± Very well, you cane with me then.¡± As he walked towards the door of his study, Liu Hui Ying followed him. She did not know where the grave of Zhai Chenguang was which was exactly why she was willing to follow this man, the two of them stepped out of the study room and the guards who were standing next to the door bowed their heads when they saw that the Emperor wasing. Liu Hui Ying noticed the actions of the guards and couldn¡¯t help but look at the man with a sly glint in her eyes. Maybe she should have asked for more money from this man, a man who was ruling over such a big empire definitely had more money hidden in his pockets than just a few gold taels. As if sensing her looking at him, Zhai Tianyu turned his head to the side and looked at her with confusion brimming in his eyes before asking, ¡± Why are you looking at me like that?¡± ¡± You are a rather big catch aren¡¯t you?¡± Chapter 148 148 Not right ¡± I am quite a catch, did you not know that?¡± Zhai Tianyu asked as he turned his head to the side to look at Liu Hui Ying, he did not know why she was suddenly calling him a great catch but he decided to agree with her because he was indeed a wonderful catch no matter what Liu Hui Ying said about him. Liu Hui Ying hummed after taking a nce at the man next to her, she has never been rather fond of men, especially with her sister raging inside her even now she could feel her sister carefully narrowing her eyes as she looked at Zhai Tianyu, maybe it was because of his Emperor aura but her sister did not seem to have any idea about what to do with this man who was neither harmless nor harmful to them. Currently, she was seriously judging him with annoyance brimming in her entire existence. The two of them did not talk much but as the two approached the top of the stairs, Liu Hui Ying¡¯s feet ended up being caught by the long pants that she was wearing and her body tumbled forward, seeing the number of stairs in front of her Liu Hui Ying¡¯s eyes widened and she was prepared to use one of her talisman or ghost as her cushion when she felt someone catch her arm as they pulled her back. ¡± Be careful,¡± said Zhai Tianyu who was the one who caught Liu Hui Ying, he carefully dragged her back to the top of the stairs where he was standing and then added swiftly, ¡± The stairs have been uneven for quite some time, if you are not careful then you will end up falling on the bottom of the stairs without getting a chance to save yourself.¡± Liu Hui Ying too looked down at the small space that was empty because of the stone being chipped off it and she couldn¡¯t help but snort as she snatched her hand away from Zhai Tianyu and said angrily, ¡± If you know that there is something wrong with the stairs then you should have repaired them already what are you waiting for? Someone to fall down the stairs and then only will you repair these stairs your esteemed majesty?¡± The guards who were standing on either side of the study felt their mouths drop as they looked at the man who was scolding the Emperor like he had every right to do it and then shook their heads, the young man looked smart but looked like he was not going to be able to live past a single day in this imperial pce. But to their shock, the Emperor did not get angry at the young man instead he very softly and calmly said, ¡± I understand, I will ask someone to repair these stairs, it will be troublesome if someone was to fall.¡± Guard no 1: ¡°....¡± ..... Guard no 2: ¡°....¡± This was their Emperor, right? The one who was like a tyrant idiot who did not let anyone say anything dissatisfactory in front of him? He was actually letting this young man who did not even know what he was saying get away after acting so imprudently? Was this truly their emperor? ¡± That will be better,¡± Liu Hui Ying scoffed before she turned her head to look at the stairs and swallowed heavily, now she has to climb down these stairs again. While she was looking at the stairs, the Emperor was looking at the stairs as well, he knew that Liu Hui Ying was dreading walking down the stairs again, so he pondered over it for a minute and too before he turned to look at the guards who were behind him and said, ¡± Ask the pnquin bearers to bring another pnquin for this gentleman here as well.¡± He was only being nice to her because he needed her help and nothing more! Liu Hui Ying too did not think much about it, she nodded to herself as she sighed in relief. At least now she did not have to worry about going down these hellish stairs, with her heart at ease she threw the worries in her head away, on the other hand, Li Gang who was eyeing the Emperor narrowed his eyes. ¡± This man does not look right to me,¡± Li Gang told Jia Li as he red at the Emperor who was standing a bit further away from Liu Hui Ying. ¡± What do you mean?¡± Jia Li questioned as she turned her head and looked at Li Gang who was ring meanly at Zhai Tianyu. ¡± Isn¡¯t he just sucking up to Hui Ying because she is going to help him?¡± ¡± Bah!¡± Li Gang scoffed through his nose. ¡± The next-door neighbour who lived in the apartmentplex used to look at the young miss on the third floor as well, he used to say that he was only looking out for her because she helped him once when he needed it very much and you know what happened six monthster?¡± ¡± He got her pregnant,¡± Grandma Lan Fen¡¯s gossipy spirit was roused when she heard what Li Gang said and then she pped her hands as she continued to gush in a rapid-fire motion. ¡± It was such a huge shock for even that man¡¯s granny who haunted the toilet of the first floor, she said that she too did not have any idea how her grandson did something so sly.¡± ¡± Exactly,¡± Li Gang squinted his eyes even more in Zhai Tianyu¡¯s direction and sneered, ¡± That man used to look at the young missy like that as well, acting all prim and proper but when he got the chance he turned a wild beast causing the rice to be cooked and the bun to bake.¡± Jia Li did not understand what he was saying but she still nodded and said, ¡± So what, even if he is looking at Liu Hui Ying like that why does it matter?¡± ¡± Why does it matter?¡± Li Gang looked at Jia Li like he did not expect her to say something stupid and hissed sharply, ¡± If Liu Hui Ying gets involved with him then we won¡¯t be able to go back home, is that what you want?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 149 149 Zhai Chenguang¡¯s tomb ¡± You are thinking too much,¡± in the end Jia Li could not help but say as she blinked her eyes and looked at the man who was insistent on ming Zhai Tianyu even though he had done nothing to hurt Li Gang, not like Zhai Tianyu could have done anything to him anyway. ¡± I am not thinking too much,¡± Li Gang rolled his eyes, he has seen too many men like Zhai Tianyu. They knew that the woman in front of them was out of their reach but men like these couldn¡¯t help but be attracted to her because even if he was to ignore it Liu Hui Ying was a very charming woman, one whom no man can ignore. If not then so many men who were refused by Liu Hui Ying would not havee together to harm her from time to time, with her wit and beauty, she was aplete package in herself. Even if Zhai Tianyu knew that Liu Hui Ying was someone who will not ept him, it does not mean that he will be able to rein on his feelings for a long time and sooner orter this man will surely start to pursue Liu Hui Ying strongly. ¡± You can take it as I am speaking nonsense but that does not mean that I am going to ignore this,¡± Li Gang was sure that he has caught the tail of the Emperor who acted like he was above all, he was sure that the man had some sort of feelings for Liu Hui Ying because that was the only way to exin the soft re in his eyes. Soon the pnquin bearers came bearing two separate pnquins and sat them down in front of the Emperor who was helped in the pnquin by the bearers while Liu Hui Ying ignored the outstretched hands of the man and sat down on the pnquin by herself, thest thing she wanted was a man to touch her. Her actions of jumping straight into the pnquin startled the bearers as they carefully peeped at the Emperor who did not seem too surprised and waved his hand as he said, ¡± Go to the tomb of our aunt, Zhen wants to pay respect to aunt together with his friend, Sir Tang here.¡± He did not know how to introduce Liu Hui Ying, so he could only introduce her as one of his friends, after all, if he was to say that she was someone special then his mother woulde knocking on his door and the left prime minister Liu wille to gouge the real identity of Liu Hui Ying. Not that he wouldn¡¯t now but at least he will be able to handle this situation. The pnquin bearers did as Zhai Tianyu ordered after all there was nothing new with the Emperor trying to pay respect to his aunt, he has been doing this ever since his aunt died. With the pnquin bearer heading towards the tomb of Zhai Chenguang, the news of the Emperor heading towards the tomb also spread all over the imperial pce and as soon as Dowager Empress heard about it from her nanny, the cup in her hand was smashed on to the ground. ..... ¡± Your majesty, please don¡¯t harm your health,¡± the mammy rubbing Dowager Empress¡¯s shoulders cried when she saw that the Dowager Empress has thrown the teacup in her hand on the floor, she knew that the Dowager Empress hated the Ji family and the grand dowager empress which was why it was normal for her to get angry at the news but she still didn¡¯t think that it was good of Dowager Empress to get upset like this. ¡± Hah, who cares whether we live or die? His majesty is our son but he does not visit us instead he visits that old hag and that dead bitch far more than he does us, thest time he came to see us was when it was the new year and ever since then he hasn¡¯te to our courtyard if we were to ignore the time when he came to call Hui Ying¡± Dowager Empress was furious when she thought about how her son didn¡¯t pay any attention to her. ¡± His majesty has been hoodwinked by that bitch from the Ji family, your majesty,¡± the mammy hurried to pick up the shards of the tea cup such that no one will get hurt as she cajoled Dowager empress. ¡± If not for Grand Dowager Empress making a move so many years ago, his majesty would have seen the true face of the Ji family long ago.¡± ¡± A bitch is a bitch no matter what,¡± Dowager Empress agreed as her eyes shed ruthlessly. ¡± That Ji Yu is no different from that bitch who made our life hell, we hope that Hui Ying will be able to win the heart of his majesty or else she won¡¯t even know what will happen to her life. Maybe she will lose her child and husband as we did in the past.¡± .... While the Dowager Empress was raging in her courtyard, Liu Hui Ying arrived at the tomb together with the Emperor, the two of them came down the pnquin and then Zhai Tianyu sent the pnquin bearers away from the tomb. ¡± Stay there and keep your distance for the time being and onlye here when we call for you.¡± The pnquin bearers all lowered their heads as they epted their orders and then turned to walk away from the tomb while Liu Hui Ying walked inside the small tomb that was built at a certain distance away from the imperial family on the ground where the members of imperial wereid to rest. Zhai Chenguang¡¯s tomb was simple with a coffin sitting in the middle, there was a portrait of Zhai Chenguang hanging on top of the tablet with a bunch of incense burning in front of the tablet, as soon as they arrived at the tomb, the caretaker of the ce came running as he burst inside the small tomb and then kneeled behind the two of them while shouting loudly, ¡°This lowly one, greets his majesty!¡± .... As promised you all will get extra chapters from tomorrow. Chapter 150 150 Lift up the lid ¡± There is no need for you to bow so low, Mister Wu,¡± Zhai Tianyu crouched down as he helped the man who was crouching on the floor and then helped him to stand up straight. ¡± You have been taking great care of this ce, it¡¯s all thanks to you that this ce is so clean despite the absence of our presence for months.¡± ¡± This is what I am supposed to do your majesty, taking care of the rest of those who have departed on their other world journey,¡± Mister Wu politely replied before turning to look at Liu Hui Ying who was standing to the side of the grave examining the entire tomb with a great curiosity seeing her like this, Mister Wu couldn¡¯t help but turn to look at Zhai Tianyu who was helping him. ¡± Your majesty, this is...?¡± Zhai Tianyu didn¡¯t know what to say to Mister Wu, this man was loyal to him but at the same time, he did not want to disclose the identity of the Queen. Even if someone was loyal to him, it did not mean that there will be no such thing as a change of heart which was why he turned to the man and repeated what he has told others, ¡± This young man is my friend, we used to y together when we were kids.¡± ¡± Oh is that so!¡± Mister Wu¡¯s face lost all the suspicions from before as he turned to nce at Liu Hui Ying and then bowed respectfully, ¡± Good day to you my lord.¡± Liu Hui Ying was studying the tomb when she heard the old man greet her, she nodded in response to his greeting before she said, ¡± Good day to you too sir.¡± She might have no good feelings for men but that does not mean she will be rude to an elderly like Mister Wu as well. ¡± You are here to pray with his majesty as well, sir?¡± Mister Wu asked Liu Hui Ying, he has watched Zhai Tianyu grow up in front of him which was why he was like an old grandpa whenever he saw Zhai Tianyu bringing his friends here, Mister Wu knew that under the pressure of the Wu family, Zhai Tianyu has never been able to befriend a lot of people which was why he always felt happy when he saw Zhai Tianyu with people whom he could trust. ¡± Yes, you can say that,¡± Liu Hui Ying replied before she swept her gaze at the tomb, she did not feel any Yin energy from this tomb but she did feel as if someone hase in here and their energy was visibly different than the old man who took care of this ce. ¡± I see then I will leave the two of you alone,¡± the old man bowed his head before turning on his heels and then walking out of the tomb leaving Liu Hui Ying and Zhai Tianyu alone in the tomb, once the man was gone, Zhai Tianyu turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was surveying the coffin now that she was done looking around the entire ce. ..... ¡± When are you going to start looking at the body of our aunt?¡± He asked when he saw Liu Hui Ying standing in front of the grave with her arms folded. Did she have some superhuman powers that she was able to look through the coffin as well? ¡± When you lift the lid of the coffin,¡± Liu Hui Ying replied calmly as she turned to look at the man who looked at her in shock and surprise. ¡± You want us to lift the lid of the coffin?¡± Zhai Tianyu asked, his voice full of exasperation as he looked at the woman in front of him, was she seriously asking the Emperor to lift the lid of a coffin? ¡± What? You want me to lift it? What kind of man will you be if you were to ask a woman to do something while standing on the side?¡± Liu Hui Ying said in a mocking voice as she pointed to the grave and said, ¡± You are the man, you do it.¡± Zhai Tianyu stared at the woman in front of him before he twisted his neck to the side and then grounded his teeth, ¡± She can touch a dead body but she does not want to lift the lid of the coffin, what a fussy woman.¡± ¡± Did you say something?¡± ¡± Nothing, my queen.¡± ¡± I thought so.¡± Liu Hui Ying narrowed her eyes as she turned to look at the coffin and tipped her chin at it and said, ¡± Go on, open it.¡± Knowing that there was no way he would be able to get away with this, Zhai Tianyu pursed his lips and rolled his sleeves up as he walked over to the coffin and then started lifting the lid from the coffin, the coffin was made of pure marble something that Zhai Tianyu had paid a rather huge sum for but now that he was picking up the heavy marble lid, he realised that he was a bit too stupid for doing that. ¡± What? Don¡¯t tell me that you cannot even pick up a marble lid.¡± Liu Hui Ying taunted from behind causing Zhai Tianyu to grit his teeth in anger, this woman ...can¡¯t she stay silent for a few minutes? Was it necessary for her to taunt him like this now and then? With a little use of his spiritual energy, he was able to lift the lid and ce it on the side before turning to look at Liu Hui Ying and smirking at her smugly, seeing his smug smile Liu Hui Ying scoffed before she walked over to the coffin and took a look at the body that was lying inside it, for a second she was surprised to see that the body of Zhai Chenguang was in such a wonderful condition when she heard that Zhai Chenguang has been dead for a very long time she expected her body to have deteriorated badly but now that she was looking at the intact corpse with hardly any damage she could not help but say, ¡± You have got some wonderful skincare here.¡± Chapter 151 151 Novice ¡°It¡¯s just a concoction that slows down the process of damaging a body and nothing else,¡± Zhai Tianyu did not understand what Liu Hui Ying meant by ¡®skin care¡¯ but he did understand that she was in awe upon seeing that his aunt skin was not damaged. ¡± Yeah I know but this is really amazing,¡± Liu Hui Ying nodded as she turned to look at Jia Li who nodded in return and then rolled up her sleeves. ¡± All right let¡¯s get down to business shall we?¡± She turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who was looking queasy at the mention of her tearing and examining the body and somewhat sympathetically said, ¡± You can go out if you feel sick.¡± ¡± No, it¡¯s all right if I was to go out then there will be trouble,¡± Zhai Tianyu shook his head, if he was to go out then Mister Wu will certainly ask why he left Liu Hui Ying alone in the tomb and queue in will the questions that he will find ufortable. ¡± As you wish but if you throw up then I am kicking you out of the tomb got it?¡± As she spoke she took out a white handkerchief and ced it on the spot where Zhai Chenguang was stabbed and then turned to look at Jia Li before saying, ¡± You can take it away from here.¡± ¡± Aye Aye, boss!¡± Jia Li made another set of signs before she summoned the set of forensic instruments that she used in the modern world. She took a pair of sses out of her box before she ced it on the bridge of her nose and then rummaged with her fingers before taking out a scalpel and a pair of handles, that was more like hooked metal straws. ¡°I will be starting now,¡± she announced to everyone before she raised her hands up and then took a look at Zhai Tianyu. ¡± We are not joking when we said that we kick you out if you throw up make sure that you don¡¯t even think of throwing up, I hate it when people do that, it makes me think that you are looking down on my profession, got it?¡± ¡± I understand,¡± Zhai Tianyu sensed that neither Jia Li nor Liu Hui Ying was joking which was why he nodded and agreed with what they were saying at once, seeing that Zhai Tianyu has buckled up, Jia Li brought her hands down and then made a tear on the handkerchief causing the threads that were holding the skin to open up as well. Liu Hui Ying stepped forward and took a look at the tear, her eyes skimming over the tear that Jia Li made and watched as Jia Li studied the wound, her eyes noticing every single detail as she turned her hand to the side and asked, ¡± Hand me the paper and brush.¡± ¡± Here you go,¡± Li Gang handed the paper and brush with ink stone that Liu Hui Ying has asked him to bring with him. ..... Once Liu Hui Ying grasped the paper and brush in her hands she turned to look at the wounds again before she ced the tomb over the surface of the coffin that was t and started drawing. Seeing Liu Hui Ying work together with Jia Li, Zhai Tianyu turned to look at Grandma Lan Fen and asked in a calm voice, ¡± What is she doing?¡± Compared to Li Gang, he found Grandma Lan Fen a little more sociable which was why he was willing to talk to her more importantly at the moment Li Gang was ring at him for some reason he did not know about at all. ¡± Oh, she? She is drawing the weapon that was used to kill your aunt, when one is looking for the culprit it is important for us to look for every possible clue that is possible,¡± Grandma Lan Fen replied in a good-natured manner. ¡± I see,¡± Zhai Tianyu nodded before turning to look at Liu Hui Ying who was still working on the paper. Zhai Tianyu did not know how long it took but by the time Liu Hui Ying was done, the door of the tomb was pushed open and he watched his brother together with Yu Lingyun walk in, his eyebrow jumped as he looked at the two men and asked, ¡± Why are you two here?¡± ¡± We found out that you came to the tomb with someone, so we came looking for you,¡± Zhai Heng answered as he looked over at Liu Hui Ying who was finishing up thest touches of her painting and asked, ¡± Is that the queen¡¯s man?¡± ¡± She is the queen,¡± replied Zhai Tianyu and no sooner did he say that Yu Lingyun turned to look at Liu Hui Ying with shock in his eyes as he squeaked, ¡± This is the queen?¡± ¡± Yes, you have something to say about that?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked as she raised a brow and looked at the two men who came uninvited. And then motioned for them toe closer, though Yu Lingyun and Zhai Heng were shocked when they saw Liu Hui Ying dressed as a man given the things that she could do, this much was still believable. So, they soon got over their shock and then walked over to where Liu Hui Ying was asking toe over. ¡± Look here,¡± she took the scalpel from Jia Li and then started showing the wound that was still the same even after being sewn together. ¡± If we ignore the wound caused by the wooden nk that was shoved inside after the murderer was done killing your aunt, you can see that there are many miniatures wounds, that are hidden under the skin...it¡¯s impossible to see without using the scalpel and hook but now I am sure that you can see them, you can right?¡± When Liu Hui Ying asked this question, the men in question nodded. Seeing that they have understood, she went on with what she wanted to say and then added swiftly, ¡± These wounds are not made in an even pattern instead they are like someone used a pestle to grind something, there are too many stab marks that makes it impossible for you to see it clearly. But if you see it carefully, you will be able to see that there is this alteration which shows that the person behind this is a novice... the person who killed your aunt was not an assassin instead this was done by someone who has never killed before .... In short, your aunt was killed by someone whom she trusted very much.¡± Chapter 152 152 Theory ¡± You ..are you trying to say that the person who killed our aunt was ...¡± Zhai Tianyu¡¯s eyes widened, it wasn¡¯t that he hasn¡¯t thought about it, he has but the thing was that he was willing to believe that something like this was impossible after all, his aunt¡¯s inws and close friends were really good to her but now he realised that those people were no different than the people in the imperial pce while smiling at their faces they all were waiting for the right time to kill his aunt. ¡± But that is impossible,¡± Zhai Cheng was the first one to refuse the notion as he looked at Liu Hui Ying, he wasn¡¯t willing to ept that the person who killed his aunt was someone whom he trusted, how could someone throw dirt in his eyes and kill his aunt right under his nose? It was impossible! ¡± I know that this is the most difficult thing for you to ept but it will be better for you to believe it as soon as possible,¡± Liu Hui Ying stayed firm as she looked at the men in front of her before she showed them the scars that week hidden under the deep gash that was left behind by the gash left by the wooden nk. ¡± If you carefully look at the stab, you will see that it is being covered by multiple stab marks, and these stab marks are made in a rather unprofessional way like the person who made these stabs did not have a stable hand while holding the sword.¡± She then walked over to the drawing of the weapon that was used in the killing of Zhai Chenguang and then solemnly continued, ¡± The stab marks are thinner than the usual swords and the fact that the person who stabbed your aunt did not have a stable hand only proves that the person who is behind this killing is a person who has never picked up a sword in their entire life, which was why they gave the order of a light sword to be made.¡± ¡± But..¡± she paused as she once again walked back to Zhai Chenguang¡¯s body and then looked at the stab wound again, her eyes flickering at the small bumps and uneven stab marks that were thin at the end but wider at the middle before continuing, ¡± But it seemed that the person who was behind this was someone in a hurry, they did give out the order for this sword to be made but then they seemed to have found out about the trip that your aunt was taking which was why they have taken this sword half made.¡± She took off the sses that magnified her vision and handed them over to Zhai Tianyu, seeing that he was hesitating she frowned. ¡± What is it?¡± ¡± That... it¡¯s my aunt, how can I ...¡± he felt a bit awkward peering at the stab wound since it was right over his aunt¡¯s heart. No matter what his aunt was still a woman how can he even look at her chest this closely? ¡± What nonsense !¡± Liu Hui Ying thrust the sses that she had in his hands and then scoffed. ¡± You need to understand that when a person dies they are no longer a man or woman, they are just a body since there is no life in left in them which is why. And it is better for you to see the piece of evidence that I am finding with me, lest you or anyone say that I am wronging someone else by saving someone.¡± As she spoke, she turned to look at Zhai Heng who flushed red in shame and then lowered his head as he stared at the body that was in the coffin in front of him and then heaved a breath before he turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and nodded. ¡± You should take a look since the queen is asking¨C¡± ..... ¡°I am not asking, I am just saying this because I do not want to be troubled,¡± Liu Hui Ying interrupted before Zhai Heng could finish speaking, she narrowed her eyes and then slightly gave him a side eye before she continued speaking, ¡± I know that you three still do not trust me yet that is the only reason I am willing to share this investigation with you three, usually I do not allow the members of the dead to see the procedure of the investigation.¡± She then turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and said, ¡± Go on and take a look, we don¡¯t want you to suspect meter on in case you don¡¯t think things are not adding up.¡± Zhai Tianyu hesitated for a while before he sighed and then ced the weird-looking sses on the bridge of his nose. As soon as he ced the sses on his eyes, he realised that the things in front of him seemed to have suddenly be erged as he turned his gaze at the wound that Liu Hui Ying has carefully spread open, he could indeed see the uneven stab marks that were not visible without the sses that he was wearing. ¡± As you can see the marks are uneven, some of the marks are thinner at the edge but if you look carefully you will see that the wound are thicker in the middle,¡± Liu Hui Ying told him and Zhai Tianyu did look at the centre of the wound and he was surprised to find that the wound was indeed a bit thicker whenpared to the edge, after looking he gave the sses to Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun one by one such that they can see it too. While the three men were looking at the wounds, Liu Hui Ying continued with the theory that she hase up with. ¡± From what I think is that the person behind did not have the information of your aunt¡¯s trip but found out about it suddenly which was why they took the sword that was unfinished to kill your aunt but the sword being heavier than they could hold ended up causing the stab marks to be uneven like this, they must have thought that it might give them away which is why they stabbed your aunt with something bigger to hide their wed murder.¡± Chapter 153 153 Who is in charge? ¡± This...¡± Zhai Heng was done looking at the stab wound and now his heart was in chaos, he has thought that the person who was behind the murder of his aunt was from the Liu family but now that he was looking at the stab wound he realised that he was thinking in the wrong direction. The Liu family might be the most ruthless family of all the families in the imperial city but they never dirtied their hands, they believed that they were too noble for doing something like this which was why they always hired an assassin to kill anyone who came on their target list. So, if this was not done by the Liu family then who was the one who did this? Zhai Heng bit his lips as he thought about everything that might have gone down but even after thinking it over and over again, he could note up with a decent conclusion while looking at Zhai Tianyu who was narrowing his eyes peculiarly he knew that his younger brother did not know anything better than him. ¡°If someone knew about everything about your aunt, then I am afraid that they were either with her all day long or someone whom she trusted a bit too much to hide her actions from,¡± Liu Hui Ying summed up her theory as she pushed the drawing that she has made while looking at the wound. On the paper was a sword drawn with careful precision, one look at it and Zhai Tianyu thought that it was made by some sort of a skilled artisan, he looked at the drawing of the sword and then asked, ¡± Do you want me to look for who was the one who made this sword?¡± ¡± No,¡± Liu Hui Ying shook her head with a solemn look in her eyes. ¡± The reason I drew that was to tell you that this was the weapon we are going to look for and on the basis of the sword, we can narrow down the list of suspects.¡± As she finished speaking, she turned to look at Zhai Chenguang who was staring at the drawing of the sword and asked, ¡± How many people you had next to you when you were alive, Miss Zhai.¡± ¡± I ... there was a lot of maids with whom I use to live with but I did not tell them everything that was going on in my life... there was, of course, my mammy and personal maid but,¡± Zhai Chenguang remembered the time she spent with her mammy and personal maid before she bit her lips and clenched her fingers tightly, she has never thought that she would be betrayed like this but she still could not believe that those two women would betray her and the reason was ¨C. ¡± But they were selected by mother, they would not betray me.¡± The mammy and the personal maid both of them were selected by the Grand Dowager Empress, even though Zhai Chenguang and her husband schr Wei married after falling in love, the old Grand Dowager Empress was still worried that her daughter will be bullied which was why she sent her own people in the Wei house, the mammy and personal maid being one of them. ¡°In such a situation it¡¯s better to bring them under the suspect list,¡± Liu Hui Ying said not caring about how upset Zhai Chenguang will be after finding out that she might have been betrayed by someone whom she has trusted but there was nothing that she could do either. She was here to work, not go all go go and ga ga with Zhai Chenguang, if she was to sympathise with her then how was she supposed to work? ..... She then turned to look at Zhai Chenguang and asked, ¡± Anyone else?¡± ¡± No one else¨C¡± Zhai Chenguang began but Liu Hui Ying shook her head as she crossed her arms in front of her and then exined the question that she has asked a bit more clearly. ¡± What I wanted to ask was the people you were close to, that includes your husband and everyone else rted to him or you.¡± Zhai Chenguang got immediately worked up when she heard Liu Hui Ying suspect her husband, she hysterically shook her head and then said, ¡± There is no way that my husband would be involved, he was on a lecture and the city where he was, is at a distance of two days away from the imperial city there is no way that he will be involved in the killing.¡± ¡± She is right,¡± Zhai Tianyu too chimed in and then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying, he knew that she was just doing her work but he has to admit that his uncle-inw was not someone who would kill his aunt given that he has always cared about his aunt, when his aunt died, his uncle inw stayed next to her grave for a very long time, he woulde to see her every night and did not leave till the morning. ¡± Schr Wei is not someone who would do something like this,¡± he confirmed and Liu Hui Ying snorted. ¡± Who is the one overlooking the case and investigating?¡± Liu Hui Ying questioned as she looked at the man in front of her. ¡°It is you, my queen,¡± Zhai Tianyu replied feeling a bit awkward as Liu Hui Ying smiled at him and then sweetly said, ¡°That¡¯s right, I am the one who is in charge of this investigation, so would you please leave it to me? If you think you can do it better than you are free to do so...¡± she paused as her face twisted maliciously. ¡± If you think you can.¡± Zhai Tianyu took a step back as he looked at the expression on the face of Liu Hui Ying, when Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun looked at him with a pathetic expressions on their faces, he narrowed his eyes and then hissed under his breath, ¡°If you two think that you can deal with this matter much better than me why don¡¯t you try?¡± Zhai Heng: ¡°.....¡± Yu Lingyun: ¡°.....¡± Both of them took a look at Liu Hui Ying¡¯s expression and then took a step back simultaneously. They could not deal with this woman. Chapter 154 154 Where is the evidence hidden? ¡± Now, that we are done crossing the obstruction that was ever so minutely raised..why don¡¯t you tell me who you were closed with?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked again, her voice was still sweet as she turned her head slightly to the front such that she was looking at Zhai Chenguang again, when she turned her head to look at Zhai Chenguang, thetter was still hesitating, seeing that Zhai Chenguang was still not speaking Liu Hui Ying rubbed her forehead and then decided to go back to her usual state. ¡± Come on, do you want me to use my hands and make you spit everything out?¡± Liu Hui Ying¡¯s expression changed as she threatened Zhai Chenguang. ¡± If you waste my time then I will have you known I will raise my price as well, do you want me to suck your precious nephew¡¯s blood now? If you want then you can go ahead and waste my time. Anyway, your nephew will be the one who will have to pay for it.¡± ¡± My husband and his disciple,¡± Zhai Chenguang replied, she knew that Liu Hui Ying will really do what she was saying and she did not want to trouble her nephew anymore than she has already done which was why she lowered her head and told what Liu Hui Ying was asking her. ¡± My husband was the one who was closest to me and his disciple Ren Shu Chen was the one who stayed with me when my husband left for work, the two of them were the only ones with whom I spent my time.¡± ¡°That Ren Shu Chen, are they a woman?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked Zhai Chenguang who shook her head and replied, ¡± He is a man, he was adopted by my husband when his friend died and ever since then the two of them have been living like a schr master and disciple.¡± ¡± A man huh?¡± Liu Hui Ying pondered carefully as she tapped her chin and then looked at the coffin that still had a lingering Yang energy, one could see that the person who came to see Zhai Chenguang was a man as well but together with him was a woman because there was a hint of Yin energy. If the disciple of Schr Wei was a man then this woman can be his lover, since Schr Wei had an alibi. ording to what Zhai Chenguang said, she was heading to see her husband in the next city and from what she has heard the man was in the next city that was at a distance of two days away from the imperial city. Meaning that schr Wei more or less had an alibi that could prove that he was not at the imperial city. ¡± This disciple, did he leave the city with your husband?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked to which Zhai Chenguang nodded in surprise. ¡± Disciple Ren did go with my husband. But because he broke his ankle, he departed a dayter but he still left before I decided to go to my husband, there is no way that he would have known that I was leaving.¡± ¡± Hmm.¡± Liu Hui Ying pursed her lips before she turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and said, ¡± Where did the ident take ce again?¡± ..... .... The cliff where Zhai Chenguang¡¯s ident took ce was at a distance of three hours from the imperial city, it was a deste cliff with nothing but sandy dunes and a narrow path that led to the other city, because this time period did not have anything that was called dynamite which was the cliff was carved in a way that a narrow path was made out of it which was why the carriage driver was driving the carriage really carefully by the time Liu Hui Ying and the others arrived at the top of the cliff, the sun was on the way to set down. ¡± This is where it happened,¡± as Zhai Tianyu stepped out of the carriage and then waited for Liu Hui Ying to step out before he pointed to the path that has caved in after thendslide that took Zhai Chenguang took ce. The entire path was still half covered in dried mud and stones, and only the part that was dug up to rescue Zhai Chenguang was clear other than that the entire ce was full of dirt and debris. Liu Hui Ying peered at the caved-in path before she turned to look at the t surface of the cliff, her eyes surveying the entire space before she took out the beads of blood that she has taken from Grand Dowager Empress from her hand where she has been wearing it for a long time to refine it in a good weapon to be used. She did not think that it wille in handy so soon thought but it was a good thing that she has been refining it for a long time, and now she will finally be able to use it. ¡± But why are we here?¡± Zhai Tianyu asked, he did not see why Liu Hui Ying asked them toe back here when he has been telling her that there was nothing on this cliff. ¡± My soldiers have already searched this entire ce and yet they have found nothing, I don¡¯t think that we will find anything here.¡± ¡± That is where you are wrong,¡± Liu Hui Ying told him as she smiled at the cliff that has been left alone for a very long time. ¡°It¡¯s true that your soldiers did not find anything but ...¡± she paused causing Zhai Tianyu to stiffen. ¡± That is when they were looking around, that is to say on the day when you all found out that Zhai Chenguang is dead but after that did either of youe to look at this ce?¡± She turned her head over her shoulders and then looked at the Zhai Tianyu. After realising what Liu Hui Ying said, Zhai Tinayu¡¯s mind started to function at a rapid speed as he shook his head in response. ¡± You mean to say¨C¡± ¡± The perfect ce to hide a piece of evidence is where no one will look ever again.¡± Chapter 155 155 the weapon ¡± The perfect way to hide evidence of a murder is either to destroy it but if it cannot be destroyed then it is to hide it somewhere no one can find,¡± Liu Hui Ying undid the string that was curled around her wrist and then continued speaking, ¡± For example lets say that a wife who wants to hide her savings from her alcoholic husband, she won¡¯t hide it somewhere her husband will look for it, instead she will hide it in a ce where her husband will not even think about looking for it, that is to say in his own belonging.¡± She then threw the string of beads that were on her hand in the air and then watched it fall from the air to the floor. ¡± The killer still seems to be visiting the grave of your aunt which means that they are still feeling a bit smug about the kill that they have made without being caught which is why I think that instead of destroying the weapon, they must have hidden it somewhere you can look for it but haven¡¯t which is why it is like a rewarding and thrilling experience for them.¡± Liu Hui Ying turned her head and looked at Zhai Tianyu whoseplexion has gone rather bad and smiled, ¡± To fool the Emperor I think they are feeling quite good about this.¡± ¡± Those bastards!¡± Yu Lingyun¡¯s face flushed in anger as he realised what Liu Hui Ying was trying to exin, the ones in charge of investigating the happening were his soldiers, to think that the culprits behind the killing of Zhai Chenguang could fool him like this. They actually hid the evidence here right where he has spent hours looking for something that would exin what might have happened with Zhai Chenguang, now that he has found out what actually happened, he could not help but get furious. If Yu Lingyun was furious then Zhai Tianyu¡¯s anger simply knew no limits at all, he could not believe that someone has made a fool out of him but as he looked at the string of beads that have fallen on the ground, what he could not understand was why would someone think of something so sinister and even spent so many efforts to fool him? ¡± Maybe they have a grudge against you or the imperial family,¡± Liu Hui Ying answered as she raised her hand and then took out a knife that Zhai Tianyu hasn¡¯t seen her carry before she walked over to where the strings were ced and then dragged the sharp end of the knife on the back of her palm, a long gash appeared on her palm yet Liu Hui Ying did not even flinch as she picked the knife that has cut her skin in half and then ced it over the string of beads letting the drop of blood fall on it. Her actions were so swift and ruthless that even Zhai Tianyu did not know what to say, it was only when she turned to look at him and then further continued to speak in a low voice did he snap out of his daze. ¡± That person must have had a deep grudge against the imperial family which is why their specifically targeted your aunt and even left the evidence intact such that they will be able toe back again and again and see what kind of amazing feat they have done years ago.¡± ¡°That is..¡± Zhai Tianyu did not get the chance to finish speaking as the string of beads started to smoke and then the entire space was surrounded in ck fumes like night have already fallen. ..... ¡± What the... what is going on?¡± Yu Lingyun shouted as he looked left and right but before he could even look for a way out, he saw a multitude of shadows on horses looking around for something, he saw the ck figures and then his eyes widened as he turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who solemnly said, ¡± This is an echo of what happened that day.¡± ¡± Ding Dong, you are right.¡± Liu Hui Ying said in a sing-song voice as she turned to look at the sight that was happening in front of her. ¡± This is simply a mirage repetition of what happened that day and how you all were looking for evidence because I have a feeling that the murderer might havee to hide his weapon here after everything turned silent, we are going to see where exactly he might have hidden it on this big cliff.¡± And in front of them, as the shadows on horses vanished, a figure after a few minutes limped out, their long hair flying behind them wildly from the shadow of the figure one could see that it was a man but no sooner did the man rushed at the cliff, another figure, one that was smaller and petite rushed towards him and in the hands of the shadow was a sword like a lengthy rod. Zhai Tianyu and the others watched as the two shadows talked with each other before they started digging the space a bit further away from them, as they crouched down to bury the sword the mirage vanished and then Zhai Tianyu turned to look at Yu Lingyun to tell him that he needed to dig the sword out but he did not even need to do that because Yu Lingyun who have taken great personal offence over being fooled by someone was already on his way to dig the sword out. Even Zhai Heng who was upset at the thought of being fooled by aplete novice walked over to the spot where he watched the two people bury the sword, it was funny. He was the headmander and yet he was fooled by someone who did not even know how to kill someone! The two of them did not have any digging tools with them unlike the shadows who were carrying a digging tool with them but they still somehow managed to dig the spot. How? With the use of their spiritual Qi, Yu Lingyun did not even need a digging tool instead he simply used his sword to destroy a part of the cliff with ease causing a cloth-covered old sword with blood spots on the cloth as well its de to surface. Chapter 156 156 What now ? ¡°It really is here,¡± Yu Lingyun gasped as he looked at the sword that was buried in the ground, he did not think that something like this could have happened but now that he was looking at the sword that was in front of him, he realised that he was indeed fooled by someone. ¡± That damned killer!¡± Upon realising that they were fooled by a novice killer, Yu Lingyun wished to jump down the cliff and end his life. He was the prideful general of the imperial army, the general who have won multiple wars but was actually fooled by someone who did not even know how to kill someone. Zhai Tianyu¡¯s face was even more sombre, he looked at the bloodied sword and then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was standing on the side with a calm expression on her face. ¡± What should we do now?¡± ¡± Cover it with a cloth and bring it with you,¡± Liu Hui Ying told him, she had no idea how she was going to get the fingerprints of all three people who were involved in the case but it was still better for her to search for those whose fingerprints could be found, that way she would be able to deal with this matter as quickly as possible. If the fingerprints turned out to be one of the maids or the nanny then she did not have to chase after the disciple and the husband of Zhai Chenguang. But in any case with the help of the fingerprints, she would be able to get hold of the situation rather well by narrowing the suspects¡¯ list in either way. ¡°Cover it with cloth and bring it with you,¡± Zhai Tianyu turned to Yu Lingyun and ordered, he did not dare to go against Liu Hui Ying now that he knew that she was this skilled in solving a case that has been under the wraps for so long, with her help they were able to find the clues so quickly, there was no need for her them to ignore her anymore. ¡± I understand, your majesty.¡± Yu Lingyun bowed his head as he epted Zhai Tianyu¡¯s order and then bent double in front of the sword before taking out a handkerchief from his pocket. The handkerchief that men used was ratherrge and thus, itpletely covered the sword with ease, he did not even leave the handle alone. Only after covering the swordpletely, did he pick it up from the ground and then stood up from the ground. Now that the weapon that was used to kill Zhai Chenguang was in their hands, Liu Hui Ying was certain that she would be able to catch hold of the culprit who was behind this murder very soon! ..... ... The four of them returned to the pce very quickly, Zhai Tianyu who wanted to get even closer to the culprit asked the carriage driver to drive the carriage at the fastest speed possible. No sooner did they arrive at the imperial pce, Zhai Tianyu asked everyone to follow him to his study, seeing that the emperor was not in a good mood no one in the imperial pce dared to even let out the smallest sound. The maids who were walking knelt at once as for the guards, they lowered their heads not even daring to breathe loudly, among these people there was a person who did not know what was going on and that person was none other than concubine Ji. Ji Yu heard from her maid Xiaolin that the emperor have left the imperial pce, at first she thought it was the Empress but then Xiaolin eased her worries by telling her that it was a man. However, Ji Yu still felt a bit worried when she remembered how the Emperor hasn¡¯te to see her even when she left the room of the grand dowager Empress in anger. This has never happened before, Zhai Tianyu always cared about her the most and he has alwayse to her whenever she got angry with him, but yesterday he didn¡¯te and this change made her heart unsettled, throughout the entire night she rolled left and right but she did not felt at ease. During this time she was reminded of what Grand Dowager Empress told her, that for the sake of making sure that the Emperor do not forget her and for that she needed to make sure that she visits him every now and then. If this was before, she would not have worried about this..after all, she was sure that Zhai Tianyu will not care about any other woman. That man was so focused on his n of getting his revenge that he has never cared about any woman but the thing was that ever since Liu Hui Ying came into their life, Ji Yu was feeling sort of weird feelings in her heart like she was going to lose something important. This was why she couldn¡¯t calm her heart down, she thought that today she will go and have breakfast with Zhai Tianyu but before she could leave her courtyard she found out that the emperor left the pce. ¡± Your highness, his majesty is now back!¡± Xiaolin knew that her missy was in a bad mood because of not being able to have breakfast with the Emperor, which was why she was keeping an eye on the imperial pce of the Emperor. When she saw the carriage of the Emperor stopping in front of the gates of the Majestic pce that belonged to the Emperor, she rushed back at once. ¡± He is back?¡± Ji Yu was trying to read one of her books but no matter how much she tried to focus on it, she could not even think of a way to read a single word, after all, her head waspletely lost in what happened yesterday. Her head was in a daze to the point where she could not even think of anything other than Zhai Tianyu and his sudden loss of affection towards her. So, when she heard that he was back, Ji Yu immediately jumped off her seat with a glittering smile on her face. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 157 157 Romanticising his concubine ¡± Help me get ready and ask the kitchen to heat the soup that I have brewed ever since the morning,¡± Ji Yu hurriedly ordered as she walked over to the mirror on her cab, her shows that were tied loosely on her feet nked on the floor. She walked towards the cab and then crouched down to drag the stool back, but she was stopped by Xiaolin who caught hold of the stool and then pulled it back. ¡°Please leave such things to me, your highness,¡± Xiaolin told her as she pulled the stool back and then helped her missy sit down on the stool she bent down and then pick up the small red blush that was sitting on the table, with the help of a delicate and small cloth sponge she applied the red blush on the cheeks of Ji Yu causing her already red cheeks to flush even more. After applying the blush, Xiaolin put the small wooden container back on the table and then picked up the red rogue that was applied on the lips of a woman. She picked up the delicate brush that was used to apply the red rogue and then applied it on the lips of Ji Yu, like this, she continued to prepare Ji Yu for her meeting with the Emperor. It did not take long for Ji Yu to get ready and the soup that she has asked Xiaolin to heat up was also ready by the time she walked out of the courtyard, with her face red with excitement, Ji Yu walked over to the imperial pce of the Emperor. .. Liu Hui Ying has just stepped out of the carriage when she noticed a woman walking towards their direction. Seeing Ji Yu walk over to their carriage, she stepped away from the Emperor who was in front of her, she did not want to get involved in whatever was going to happen now. When Zhai Tianyu saw that Liu Hui Ying has stepped away from him, a frown appeared on his face. Why was this woman stepping away from him? His question was answered almost at once as Ji Yu walked closer to him and greeted him sweetly, ¡± This Concubine greets you, your majesty.¡± He did not know why but when he saw Ji Yu appear in front of him while Liu Hui Ying was standing beside him, he suddenly felt like he has been caught in some sort of affair. No...no it should be the other way around right? He should be feeling guilty towards Ji Yu right? Why was he feeling guilty towards Liu Hui Ying? And for what? He turned to look at Liu Hui Ying, who was looking somewhere else while humming, it was as if she was giving him the privacy to talk with Ji Yu. This woman, does she not feel jealous of him, even the slightest bit? ..... ¡± Your majesty?¡± Ji Yu called again and this time Zhai Tianyu turned to look at the woman who was standing beside him. He was slightly annoyed by Ji Yu¡¯s disruption but he thought of it as nothing but simple annoyance because of the dy in solving the case of his aunt. ¡± Is there something that I can help you with, concubine Ji?¡± Zhai Tianyu¡¯s voice was soft and he did not seem to be annoyed at her at all but for some reason, Ji Yu felt that there was something off about Zhai Tianyu, however, she ignored it as nothing but tiredness after working so hard and smiled, ¡± I have brought something for you, your majesty. I heard that you haven¡¯t had your breaks yet, why don¡¯t you give the opportunity of having breakfast to this concubine?¡± Ji Yu¡¯s request was nothing big and Zhai Tianyu knew that as well but for some reason he was annoyed by the request that she has put forth but there was no reason for him to refuse what she has asked him, right? Then why doesn¡¯t he want to agree to her request? ¡± Your majesty?¡± Ji Yu looked at Zhai Tianyu with her smile dropping off her face as she looked at the man who was not replying to her. In the past he agreed with whatever she wanted at once, so why was it that he was no longer replying to her the way he used to, but why? ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± seeing that Ji Yu was no longer smiling and seemed to be on the verge of crying, Zhai Tianyu felt his heart droop with guilt. This woman came to the imperial pce because of him but now he was acting like this towards her, he turned to look at Zhai Heng, Yu Lingyun and Liu Hui Ying especially Liu Hui Ying who was watching him with curiosity. ¡± I will return to the meeting in a minute, please wait for me a little,¡± Zhai Tianyu told them but he was actually speaking to Liu Hui Ying, if Liu Hui Ying was a woman who knew about the feelings of a man, she would have understood that the man in front of her was actually pleading to her but it was an unfortunate situation for Zhai Tianyu because Liu Hui Ying did not have any idea about the feeling of a man. She nodded without a care in the world and said, ¡± We will wait for you, your majesty.¡± But in her head, she was already thinking of moving on to the next step, since the Emperor wanted to waste his time romancing his concubine then why should she waste her time over him? Zhai Tianyu too understood that Liu Hui Ying did not understand what he was trying to tell her, he sighed and then turned to look at the two men who were standing next to her and then said, ¡± I will be back, do not move on to the next point of the investigation without Zhen.¡± ¡± We understand,¡± both Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun agreed with what Zhai Tianyu said but as they thought about how forceful Liu Hui Ying could be they were no longer as confident as they were before. Chapter 158 158 Fingerprints ¡°Let¡¯s get on with this,¡± Liu Hui Ying asked Yu Lingyun to ce the sword that he has brought with him on the study table, now she was going to make an imprint of the fingerprints that were left on the des and the handle of the sword since this world did not have the fine dusting powder and the fine dusting brushes that were used by the experts. Unlike her who had both regr and maic powder to detect the fingerprints sticking on the surface of the sword. Seeing that she was starting with the investigation, Yu Lingyun turned to look at Zhai Heng and tugged on his sleeve as he said, ¡± Do something, she is starting her work. His majesty asked us to not start until he returns, he will be really unhappy if he was toe and find that we are already on the third step.¡± ¡± If you were so worried, then why did you hand the sword to her?¡± Zhai Heng hissed at the man who was acting up behind him and then red at him with his eyes. ¡± You were scared of her, so you gave her the sword and now you are asking me to do something? You coward.¡± ¡°I ...I am the general of the imperial army, how dare you call me a coward?¡± Yu Lingyun retorted with an upset expression on his face. ¡± If that is the case then you tell her that she needs to stop,¡± Zhai Heng pulled Yu Lingyun to the front but the man started to pull his arm away from Zhai Heng¡¯s hold and then lowered his voice as he said, ¡± Fine, I am not scared of the enemy armies but this woman scares the living daylight out of me, all right? You happy now?¡± Zhai Heng was no longer as happy as he was supposed to be because now that Yu Lingyun has pulled back, it was his responsibility to take the matter of telling Liu Hui Ying to stop his hands. But there was no other choice, so even though Zhai Heng did not want to say anything to Liu Hui Ying, he had no choice but to take a deep breath and say, ¡± Your majesty, the Emperor told us to wait¨C¡± However, the rest of his words were interrupted when Liu Hui Ying raised her head and then looked at him with those eyes that were flickering with solemn seriousness. ¡± And?¡± She asked with one of her brows hiked up. ¡± Should we not wait for his majesty?¡± Zhai Heng was feeling scared as well, especially when he knew that this woman had three ghosts as servants and they always stayed next to her. He was worried that if he was to push her too much he might end up lying on the table to be studied as a corpse as well but as the vicemander of the special force he could not pull his feet back. ..... ¡± What is the Emperor doing?¡± She asked as she stretched her hand out for Jia Li to ce the special maic dusting powder on her hand. ¡± He is having breakfast with concubine Ji,¡± replied Zhai Heng in a slightly confused voice. The Queen knew where the Emperor was right? So why was she asking such a question? ¡± That¡¯s right, he is having breakfast with his beloved but I am still hungry. I haven¡¯t eaten anything and yet I am working hard here,¡± she sprinkled the powder on the sword before taking the fine dusting brushes from Jia Li and then raised her gaze ever so slightly such that she was looking at the two of them. ¡± Why should I wait for that man who is busy romancing his concubine? And that too on an empty stomach?¡± ¡± Oh so you are jealous, your majesty¡ª¡± Yu Lingyun hardly said those words when something zoomed past him, giving him a scare. He did not even sense something being hurled at him, it was only when it flew past his cheek and hit the wall behind him. When he felt something zoom past him, Yu Lingyun turned to look at the wall behind him and then squeaked when he saw that the brush that was sitting on the study table was now sticking to the wall behind him. ¡°Ark,¡± Yu Lingyun shuffled closer to Zhai Heng such that he was hidingpletely behind him and then looked at the Queen while peeking out of Zhai Heng¡¯s back. ¡± Your Maj..majesty?¡± ¡± If you want to die then you can just say it,¡± Liu Hui Yingmented while she was waiting for the adhesive activity of the powder to start working. She waited for a few minutes before she picked up the brush and then started cleaning up the powder that was sticking to the sword. As soon as she cleaned up the adhesive powder that was sticking to the handle of the sword and the de, once the maic powder was cleaned the fingerprints that were sticking to it started showing as well. ¡°At least not many people touched this sword,¡± she sighed in relief as she looked at the sword that was sitting in front of her, she then turned to Jia Li and said, ¡°Take the imprints of these fingerprints.¡± ¡°Right away,¡± Jia Li to the special ck powder that she has invented and then carefully sprinkled it on the maic dust powder, as soon as she poured the special ck powder, it melted and morphed into the shape of the fingerprints after that she just needed to press the paper that was sitting ideally on the side on the fingerprints. ¡°It is done.¡± Jia Li stated as she pulled the paper and on the white paper were three different fingerprints on the sword. ¡± Here you go.¡± Liu Hui Ying took the paper from Jia Li and then smiled with a sly note in her voice. ¡± So let¡¯s go and get to the bottom of this matter, shall we?¡± Now that she had the fingerprints on her hand, she was sure that she was another step closer to the killer. ¡ª Please support the work with power stones, golden tickets andments. If I get a total of four luxury cars, I will release another two chapters as extra. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 159 159 No longer his enemy? Zhai Tianyu felt a pinprick of dread as if he had lost something important, he turned to look at the window that was open on his left and then looked at Ji Yu who was pouring a generous amount of soup into his bowl. Maybe she noticed his gaze because she raised her head and smiled at him with a delicate curl of her lips. ¡± Is something the matter, your majesty?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing,¡± Zhai Tianyu was in a hurry to finish eating, he knew that Liu Hui Ying was not a patient woman. If he was to dy then she was going to charge in the case on her own, he was worried that the woman would end up getting in trouble which was why he was in a hurry waiting for Ji Yu to finish with the breakfast but she was taking her own sweet time. ¡± Your majesty, are you upset with me?¡± Seeing that Zhai Tianyu was not even looking at her and kept looking out of the window, Ji Yu bit her lips as she tilted her head to the side and then looked at the man who was no longer as attentive towards her as he used to be, what changed? ¡± Of course not,¡± Zhai Tianyu snapped out of his daze as he turned his head to look at Ji Yu who was looking at him with a concerned expression on her face. He knew that his actions were hurting Ji Yu, after all, the two of them have been good friends ever since they were young but now that because of the circumstances, he could not pay as much attention as he used to pay her before. ¡± Then why are you in a hurry?¡± Ji Yu asked, it was not that she couldn¡¯t see that Zhai Tianyu was in a hurry but she was trying to not be impertinent which was why she did not question him but now that she was seeing that the man wasn¡¯t even paying attention to her, Ji Yu could not help but ask the question that was bubbling inside her. ¡± Is it because of the Queen?¡± Zhai Tianyu frowned, he was indeed in a hurry to see the queen but it was not in the manner Ji Yu was thinking and since when did Ji Yu be insecure of the Queen? It wasn¡¯t that he has shown any kind of affection to the Queen nor had he spent any alone time with the Queen, even now Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun were with him. He forgot that when Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun came, he was annoyed by their presence. ¡± You are thinking too much Concubine Ji,¡± Zhai Tianyu calmly responded as he picked up the bowl that Ji Yu has ced in front of him and took a sip. ¡± The Queen and I have nothing to do with each other and even if I am meeting with her,¡± he paused as he carefully thought about what he was going to say and after clearing it up in his head, he added, ¡± It will be because of something important, to me the Queen is like an acquaintance and nothing more.¡± ¡± Acquaintance?¡± Ji Yu mused her lips curling in a mocking smile as she looked at Zhai Tianyu, she was willing to trust him but he wasn¡¯t being honest with her even now. The Queen has been meeting Zhai Tianyu for just a few months and yet she already became his ¡®acquaintance¡¯ from the enemy, what about the next month? She will be his lover? Then his bedmate and then the mother of his child in the next? ..... On what basis? ¡± I thought that she was your enemy,¡± Ji Yu remarked while looking at Zhai Tianyu with a sharp glint in her eyes. ¡± Howe you have forgotten that she is the daughter of your enemies, your majesty?¡± Zhai Tianyu was no fool, he knew that Ji Yu was mocking him. He ced the bowl in his hands on the table in front of him and then said, ¡± Concubine Ji, you are crossing the line.¡± His voice went slightly cold as he looked at Ji Yu with a warning glint in his eyes. Liu Hui Ying was helping him in finding the culprit who has killed his aunt, if she wanted that woman could have kept this matter to herself and left his aunt to rot in this world if she considered him as her enemy but she did not do that, instead, she told him and now she was even helping him to find the culprit who was behind the killing of his aunt. He was a man who respected those who helped him and now that Liu Hui Ying was standing by his side, he will not find trouble with her unless she touches his bottom line. And as a man who was grateful to Liu Hui Ying, he will not allow anyone to say anything offensive towards Liu Hui Ying. But Ji Yu who was already feeling insecure because of his closeness with the queen took it the wrong way when she thought that the Emperor was protecting Liu Hui Ying. ¡± So this is how it is,¡± she muttered in a soft voice. ¡± The Queen seemed to have taken a spot in your heart.¡± ¡± Concubine Ji!¡± Zhai Tianyu smacked his palm on the table in front of him, his anger getting the better of him. ¡± You are forgetting that even if you are my Concubine, there are some things that you cannot ask Zhen!¡± ¡± Is that so? I thought that we were partners, thank you for showing me my ce!¡± Concubine Ji shouted back, her eyes turning red as she looked at the man who was looking like a stranger to her. ¡± That will be enough,¡± Zhai Tianyu pushed himself off the chair and then closed his eyes as he tried to calm himself down but even then he couldn¡¯t feel but angered at Ji Yu¡¯s question. He did not understand why he was feeling angry but subconsciously he knew that the reason he was this upset was that Ji Yu¡¯s question seemed to have prickled him in the heart, not wanting to see her heartbroken expression, he turned around and walked out of the room. Chapter 160 160 a man Xiaolin was standing outside the private room where her mistress and the Emperor were having their lunch when she suddenly heard the sound of arguing. At first, she thought that someone outside was arguing but when the sound of a bowl breaking came from inside and the Emperor stepped out of the private room with an angry expression on his face, seeing that the Emperor was angry, Xiaolin did not dare to raise her head, instead, she lowered her head and stared at her feet. And she continued staring at her feet until the Emperor walked away, only when the Emperor was far from the private room did Xiaolin raise her head and walked inside the private room where her mistress was on her knees, her eyes twinkling with tears as she stared at the door from where the Emperor left just now. ¡± Missy?¡± Xiaolin saw that her mistress mood was not good which was why she approached Ji Yu tentatively and then crouched down as she tried to help her mistress up from the floor. But as she reached for Ji Yu¡¯s hand, she saw that his mistress was clenching her fingers so hard that she was digging her fingernails into her palm until she caused her palm to bleed. ¡± Your highness, you ... you are bleeding!¡± Xiaolin screamed in panic as she hurriedly tried to get her mistress up from the ground but the second she tried to help her mistress up from the floor, thetter snatched her hand from Xiaolin and said, ¡± Let me bleed! Let me bleed to death! What is the point of my life when the man I have adored for so long, no longer holds any affection for me!¡± Ji Yu was the daughter of the Ji family and in the Ji family, it has always been her brother and cousin who been treated affectionately by her parents, Zhai Tianyu was the first man who adored her for her skills and wits but now... that man was no longer looking at her with as much admiration as he used to, if she lost his affection as well, then what was the point of staying in the pce and waiting for that man to love her again. It was better for her to die! ¡± Your highness please snap out of your daze!¡± When her thoughts took an even more gloomy outlook, she was snapped out of her daze by Xiaolin who spoke to her by her shoulders looking at her with worry in her eyes. ¡± Please snap out of your depressing thoughts! There is no need for you to hurt yourself, as long as you are alive and know what you are doing, you will have a chance toe back!¡± Xiaolin did not understand what happened between the Emperor and Concubine Ji but she knew that something severe must have happened or else her missy wouldn¡¯t have said such a thing to her. But she knew that she couldn¡¯t let her missy think of a such thing like this, if she continue like this then her mistress will lose her true self in the schemes of the imperial pce and be what she shouldn¡¯t. As her sister, she has to make sure that her mistress wouldn¡¯t be able to lose her path. ..... ¡± Xiaolin...¡±Ji Yu softly spoke and allowed her maid to help her up from the ground and then sat down on the chair where she was sitting and then watched as Xiaolin fussed over. ¡°Your highness, now you are a concubine, you shouldn¡¯t lose your temper like that and even if you lose your temper then you should never hurt yourself, see what you did to yourself!¡± Xiaolin scolded Ji Yu sternly as she walked to the small cab of the private room and started searching for the ointment that was kept all over the pce lest any member of the imperial family gets hurt. Once she found the ointment, she picked it up from inside the cab drawer and then walked back to where Ji Yu was and then crouched down on the floor as she opened the screw of the ointment bottle and then started rubbing the ointment on the injuries of Ji Yu. ¡± What are you going to do if I leave your highness?¡± Xiaolin shook her head as she sighed and then blew air over the scratches where she applied the ointment. ¡± Without me, you will get injured every second day.¡± ¡± What are you saying? Where will you go? Don¡¯t forget that you always have to be by my side.¡± Ji Yu¡¯s heart calmed down after listening to Xiaolin¡¯s scolding, her maid was right. As long as she was alive, she will be able to regain the affection she has lost and it wasn¡¯t as if she was any less than the Queen, now was she? ... ¡± Achoo!¡± Liu Hui Ying sniffed while looking down at the man who was having a poetrypetition with his friends and was smiling happily, next to him was a maid who was standing quietly on the side. While staring at the man, she clicked her tongue as she turned to look at the two men who were sitting next to her. ¡± Are you sure that he is the disciple of Schr Wei?¡± ¡± He is indeed the disciple of Schr Wei,¡± replied Yu Lingyun as he pointed to the young and dashing man who was sitting next to his friends while chatting about poetry and something else. ¡± I thought that this man would turn out to be something else,¡± Liu Hui Ying muttered, she was expecting the man who was under the wing of Schr Wei to be a woman but now that she was seeing the abundance of Yang energy in his body, Liu Hui Ying couldn¡¯t deny the fact that this man was a hundred and ten per cent male. If he was a man then who was the woman involved in the killing? She tapped her fingers on the table and then lifted her gaze such that she was looking at the woman behind him. ¡± And what about that woman?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 161 161 got the fingerprints ¡± That woman worked as the aunt¡¯s personal maid but when Aunt died that woman was epted by the Wei family.¡± Zhai Cheng stated calmly as he too turned his head to nce at the maid who was standing behind the man who was drinking with a stance that was neither overbearing nor servile. Liu Hui Ying leaned back on her chair and then tilted her head to the side, she carefully studied the woman who was standing next to the disciple of the Schr Wei and then turned to look at Grandma Lan Fen who was standing next to her and said, ¡± Go and get me the fingerprints of that man and woman, make sure that you do not make a mistake.¡± ¡± I will definitely make you proud, boss!¡± Grandma Lan Fen saluted Liu Hui Ying before she floated in the air and then went to get the fingerprints of the two people who were involved in the matter of the murder of Zhai Chenguang. Once Grandma Lan Fen left the temperature of the private room of the tea house where Liu Hui Ying was sitting with the others. Yu Lingyun whose teeth were chattering with the low temperature that was surrounding him. He was sure that if he continued to sit here, his butt was going to freeze and then it might as well stick to the chair. ¡± We did not wait for his majesty, surely he will be upset,¡± Yu Lingyun told Liu Hui Ying who was watching Grandma Lan Fen, the elderly woman¡¯s ghost was waiting for a chance to get the fingerprints of the two people. When she heard Yu Lingyun say those words, she turned to look at him and scoffed, ¡± You do understand that we are not going to have fun, don¡¯t you? How can we wait for someone while we are looking for the culprit who killed Aunt Zhai? Today we were able to get our hands on this man, if we were even an hourte then this man would have left the tea house. And it¡¯s not like we did not wait for the Emperor, it¡¯s him who waste and made us wait for so long.¡± ¡® But you only waited for his majesty for less than five minutes!¡¯ Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun thought in their heads. ¡± It seems like my queen is rather upset with me causing a dy,¡± A familiar voice came from behind and both Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun stiffened as they looked at Zhai Tianyu who was now walking inside their private room. He nced at Liu Hui Ying who nced back at him without so much as turning her gaze away from him and more importantly she even parted her lips with a haughty look on her face and then said, ¡± What ?¡± Her tone was indeed rather bossy, no wonder those three ghosts were so scared of her. She was like the boss of the underworld, look at that haughty expression on her face, it was as if she was the Emperor and he was her eunuch. ..... ¡± Nothing,¡± He knew that there was no point in entangling himself in a squabble with the Queen and instead he turned to look at Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun before mouthing. ¡± Coward traitors.¡± Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun pursed their lips angrily, look ...look at that! This man, he could not say anything against the Queen, so he was taking it out on them. Zhai Tianyu did not even look at the two men instead he took a seat next to Liu Hui Ying who was watching a man who was sitting on the table at the bottom floor with rapt attention, even though the Emperor recognised the man as the disciple of the Schr Wei, he still found Liu Hui Ying looking at the man for so long, quite annoying. ¡± My Queen,¡± wanting to get the attention of Liu Hui Ting, he called her from the side. ¡± Hmm?¡± Liu Hui Ying who was watching disciple Ren turned her attention to Zhai Tianyu who was looking at her. ¡± What¡¯s wrong, your esteemed majesty?¡± ¡°Did you find something?¡± He asked, he himself did not know why he stopped Liu Hui Ying from looking at the man. It wasn¡¯t as if her looking at the man would make him wear a green hat. ¡± I am trying,¡± Liu Hui Ying did think that there was something wrong with Zhai Tianyu but there was nothing she could do to make him spit out when he did not want, so she simply pointed to the young man who was sitting on therge table and said. ¡± I have asked Grandma Lan Fen to bring me the fingerprints of that man and his maid, who once worked as the personal maid of your aunt. She will be bringing those fingerprints to me at any moment now.¡± No sooner did these words leave Liu Hui Ying¡¯s lips, Grandma Lan Fen who was standing behind Disciple Ren walked inside the body of the man and then took possession of man¡¯s body. Disciple Ren who was writing another poem immediately paused when Grandma Lan Fen possessed his body. ¡± What¡¯s wrong?¡± Seeing that disciple Ren has turned stiff, the other young men on the table were stunned but then their shock turned to surprise when they all turned to look at disciple Ren who was now painting his fingers with the ck ink that was dripping at the edge of the brush. ¡± Disciple Ren??¡± One of the young men gawked at disciple Ren who ced his tainted fingers on the paper and then caused the paper to be stained with the imprint of his fingers. Once Grandma Lan Fen was done getting the fingerprints of the man, she moved to the maid who too did the same thing and then had her press her ckened fingers on the paper. The second the maid was done pressing her thumb impression on the paper, Grandma Lan Fen had her throw the paper in the trash can and then left the maid¡¯s body. As for the aftermath of her actions, she left the two people to deal with it. Chapter 162 162 Tricky case ¡°What are you doing?¡± One of the schrs asked as he looked at the two who pressed their fingers on the paper and then threw the paper away. Was this some kind of new ritual? Disciple Ren shivered lightly, just now he was sure that something took over his body and he was not joking at all when he said that because something just happened to him right now, for a few minutes he felt everything go nk and now that he could hear what his friends were saying, Disciple Ren was rather confused and scared. However, even if he was confused there was nothing that he could do or ask, if he was to tell them that the reason he did that was all because something came over him, he was sure that his friends would start treating him differently after all being possessed or having something weird happening to someone was not treated lightly by the people of this time. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, my brush seemed to have lost some of its smoothness which was why I tried to see what was wrong with it,¡± Disciple Ren chuckled as he awkwardly looked at his friends who were looking at him in confusion but he needed to say something to save his reputation, so he could only go along with this half baked excuse. ¡± Isn¡¯t that right, Xiao Li?¡± He asked his maid who nodded and replied, ¡± The brush has lost a bit of its touch, which is why I had to check the brush when I saw master checking the tip on his own.¡± The schrs did not seem convinced but seeing that both disciple Ren and his maid were saying the same thing, they could only drop the matter and go back to theirpetition. While Master Ren was working on the next poem, Xiao Li walked to the spot where the paper should have fallen but when she arrived at the other end of the room, she was stunned to see that there was no paper. ¡± What the...¡±Xiao Li looked left and right, her gaze dancing all over the ce as she looked at the tea house¡¯s main room. Where did the paper with her and Master Ren¡¯s fingerprints go? Who will take that paper and why? ... ¡°I have brought the paper with their fingerprints,¡± Grandma Lan Fen came floating towards Liu Hui Ying and then ced the paper that she brought with her in front of Liu Hui Ying who picked it up and then praised Grandma Lan Fen for her work, ¡± You have worked hard, Grandma Lan.¡± ..... ¡± Oh this was nothing,¡± Grandma Lan Fen waved her thanks aside but one could see that she was rather pleased after listening to Liu Hui Ying¡¯s praise. Liu Hui Ying rolled her eyes when she saw Grandma Lan Fen blush because of the praise she gave her and then took the paper with the fingerprints from the sword that she has brought with her out of the pocket and then looked at the fingerprints carefully trying to find out whose fingerprints matched with the one she has gotten just now. However as she studied the fingerprints, her brows started to scrunch up more and more. ¡®What is this?¡¯ She frowned while looking at the fingerprints, she turned to look at the maid who was still searching for the paper and then she nced back at the paper in front of her. This was going to be hard, she thought in her head before tucking the paper carefully back in her pocket and then asking, ¡± What about Schr Wei? When will he return?¡± Zhai Tianyu who was waiting for Liu Hui Ying to tell him that the killer was Master Ren but instead he heard her ask about Schr Wei. His heart fell slightly as he looked at her with an anxious expression on his face and said, ¡± Is this rted to Schr Wei? There is no way he would have harmed my aunt.¡± ¡± I am not saying that he is the one who is behind this killing,¡± Liu Hui Ying very calmly stated. Her eyes flickered slightly as she licked the inside of her teeth and said, ¡± There is something about the situation that is a bit messed up and I need to clear up the situation only then can I say that something further but for that, I need to know where I will find schr Wei.¡± Zhai Tianyu exchanged a look with Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun who looked back at him with simr torn expressions. Fortunately, their aunt could not leave the pce and did not follow them because if she has heard Liu Hui Ying ask about Schr Wei, she would have gone crazy. ¡± He will be back in a few days.¡± Zhai Tianyu answered in a thick voice, his expression heavy as he clenched his fists that were sitting on his thighs. Schr Wei? Schr Wei ...how can that man do something so cruel to his aunt? ¡± Don¡¯t jump to any sort of conclusion,¡± when he was thinking about how he was going to kill that man, a warm voice stopped him. He raised his head and the ice in his eyes melted as he looked at Liu Hui Ying who was looking at him with a calm expression on her face. ¡± Until and unless I tell you that the person is a killer hundred and ten per cent, you stay silent and keep your hands away from your swords.¡± ¡± But you just said¨C¡± ¡± I never said that those two are innocent either, there is a key missing and I need to get that key before I can announce anything.¡± Liu Hui Ying raised an eyebrow as she crossed her arms in front. ¡± I don¡¯t want an innocent to be killed which is why I have to take a look at this mysterious Schr Wei before I can announce the identity of the murderer and the reason why they did that.¡± Because if what she was thinking was right then Zhai Chenguang will definitely go crazy. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 163 163 Pervert ¡°Let¡¯s go back,¡± she raised her body from the chair and then looked at Zhai Tianyu who was looking at her with a twisted expression on his face. ¡± I think that this much is today, like you said that Schr Wei will be back in the capital after a few days, right? We can wait till then.¡± ¡°If everything goes all right then Schr Wei should be back in two days,¡± Yu Lingyun who knew where Schr Wei was because of his exchange with the soldiers who went with Schr Wei to protect him. ¡± Then I think there is no need for you to worry,¡± Liu Hui Ying remarked as she arched her back and then walked out of the tearoom. ¡± I will see you three when Schr Wei returns, see you.¡± As she spoke she pushed the door of the tearoom and then walked out after closing the door behind her, as soon as she stepped out, her calm expression turned serious as she turned her head and looked at Master Ren with a disgusted look on her face. ¡± That man is a schr, what a tragedy.¡± After that, she walked away from the tearoom while Jia Li and the others followed after her. ¡± What should we take this as?¡± Zhai Heng who heard what Liu Hui Ying said after stepping out of the tearoom asked his brother. ¡± From the looks of it, Master Ren is definitely involved in the matter but if he is involved in this matter then why is the Queen asking about Schr Wei, did she not say that a man and woman were involved?¡± ¡°Maybe she wants to talk with schr Wei about Master Ren?¡± Yu Lingyun suggested with a nk look on his face. ¡± After all Master Ren is his disciple, she might want to show his true face in front of Schr Wei.¡± ¡°No, the Queen seemed to know something but she is not willing to tell us,¡± Zhai Tianyu too kicked his legs such that he was standing straight on the floor, his expression stormy as he looked down at the table where the teacups were sitting. ¡± For the next two days, I suggest we should be prepared for the worst.¡± ... ¡± I never expected that something this disgusting will happen,¡± Jia Li gagged for the third time but because she was a ghost she couldn¡¯t throw up anything that was in her stomach. ..... Li Gang too looked a bit disturbed. ¡± When Hui Ying said that those people were sick in the head, I thought that they were sick like that but never like this.¡± ¡± Poor Chenguang,¡± Grandma Lan Fen sighed with a sad note in her voice, she was rather fond of Zhai Chenguang given that the girl would bring her all sorts of gossip but now that she was closer to finding out what happened to her, she shook her head. ¡± Hui Ying makes sure that you don¡¯t push that poor girl too much, she might not be able to take it.¡± Liu Hui Ying had her eyes closed as she took a small power nap with her head left on the carriage¡¯s wall, she was expecting to sleep a little but the chatter of her ghosts stopped her from doing so. She heaved a sigh and with her eyes still closed asked, ¡± What do you want me to do? Tell her a sweet lie and then wrap it up? You know that is something that we cannot do, as detectives and a training celestial master, if we hide it from her then we might as well quit working as one because this will be negligence of our duty.¡± ¡± But she won¡¯t be able to withstand the pain¨C¡± ¡± Her life was a lie and so was her death,¡± Liu Hui Ying opened her eyes. ¡± I found it weird when she said that she did not see who killed her but I am sure she knows who killed her but the shock was too much at the time of her death that she decided to leave that memory behind. She was weak then and refused to ept it causing her to stay in this world for so long, if she doesn¡¯t ept it again, then she might as well stay where she is now.¡± When Jia Li and the others heard this, they all turned silent. Even if they wanted to save Zhai Chenguang, hiding the truth from her was not the way. ... Soon the carriage in which Liu Hui Ying was travelling arrived at the imperial pce and just like how she did in the morning, she snuck inside her courtyard. It was a good thing that when she arrived in the courtyard no one was there and she was able to sneak inside her bedroom through the window, however as she sneaked inside the room and walked over to the bathroom where she wanted to take a bath, the door of the bathroom was pulled open and Qui Ai who was looking haggard appeared in front of her. When the door to the bathroom opened, for two seconds neither Qui Ai nor Liu Hui Ying said anything. Instead, they simply stared at each other and then ¡ª ¡± AHHH, A PERVERT SNEAKED INSIDE HER MAJESTY¨CGASP¡± Qui Ai who was screaming immediately turned silent when Liu Hui Ying covered her mouth and then stopped her from shouting anymore. But she was still a step toote because Nanny Gong who was waiting for Liu Hui Ying to return heard Qui Ai¡¯s scream and immediately picked up the broom on the side of the room where she was standing and then ran inside the room where Qui Ai was. As soon as she barged inside the room, she saw a man covering Qui Ai¡¯s mouth and stopping her from shouting and she immediately raised the broom in her hand and let out a fierce roar, ¡± You bastard how dare you to attack someone in the honourable bedroom of the Queen? Shameless brat! This olddy will teach you a lesson today!¡± ¡ª- If you like the story leave a gift, power stones orment! I adore you all thanks for supporting me so much! Chapter 164 164 Its me Nanny Gong did not wait for the man to say anything as soon as she rushed forward and got closer to the man, she started hitting him with the broom that was in her hands, the broom wasn¡¯t light either and each time the broom fell on the back of the man, it caused a loud sound to echo in the room. Bang, Bang, Bang. The sound echoed harshly and fast, each hit seems to be personal and Liu Hui Ying who was, on the other hand, being punished bit her lips as she let go of Qui Ai who was scratching her hands and shouted, ¡°It¡¯s me you idiots!¡± Her voice carried the pain she was feeling at the moment as she cursed the two women in her head, seriously they were hitting her with a broom? And that too so hard. When her voice echoed in the room both Qui Ai and Nanny Gong paused and then looked left and right before they looked at each other. They seemed to have a very good idea of where the voice came but after what they have done, they were hoping that they were wrong as they turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was standing in front of them. ¡± Where did the voice of her majestye from?¡± Nanny Gong asked to Qui Ai who pointed to her left where the man was standing next to her and squeaked. ¡± I think from here.¡± As soon as she said this Liu Hui Ying turned to look at Nanny Gong with a nk expression and said, ¡± You really know how to hit someone nanny, I am sure with your strength you might have broken my back.¡± Nanny Gong¡¯s legs turned into jelly as she dropped to her knees and knocked her head on the floor. ¡± I havemitted a grave crime, your majesty. Please kill me!¡± Following her Qui Ai too went to kneel next to her and knocked her head on the floor and then shouted loudly, ¡± I havemitted a grave sin, please kill this servant, your majesty. I did not know that it was your majestic hands that I was biting please let this servant ask for forgiveness!¡± Liu Hui Ying rolled her eyes as she looked at the two and then walked over to her bed where she sat down and then said, ¡± What do you mean by this? I thought that you were my loyal servants and yet you couldn¡¯t see that it was me, how is this going to work? If this goes on maybe one day you two will beat me to death.¡± ¡± We don¡¯t dare your majesty!¡± The two women on the floor cried together and they knocked their heads on the floor once again, they truly did not have any idea that the man who snuck inside the room was her majesty but if they did then they would have never done something like this! ..... Nanny Gong was the one who was feeling the most regretful, she wanted to scold Liu Hui Ying for sneaking outside the house but instead, she was the one who had to ask for forgiveness, if she hadn¡¯t hit Liu Hui Ying with her broom, she would have been able to scold her for sneaking out but now ¨Csob, sob, she wouldn¡¯t be able to scold her fiercely. Liu Hui Ying knew that Nanny Gong wanted to scold her which was why she was acting stern with the two of them because she knew that if she was to forgive them easily, she will have to listen to the lectures of nanny Gong, something that she was not rather fond of. ¡± You may rise but let me tell you that I am severely disappointed in you two,¡± Liu Hui Ying made sure to use her acting skills to the best of her ability, if she wanted to avoid getting scolded then she would have to make sure that Nanny Gong would not be able to scold her at all because of the guilt she was feeling at the moment, and she wasn¡¯t lying when she said her back was almost broken. Nanny Gong.... She looked like a frail old woman but she had too much strength. ¡± Your majesty,¡± Qui Ai raised her head with a sobbing expression on her face, she pouted her lips and spoke in a whiny voice, ¡± But you look so much like a man that I couldn¡¯t even see a hint of your true face, how can I see that it was you...if you told me that you were going out like this then nothing like this would have happened.¡± Liu Hui Ying¡¯s expression twisted as she looked at Nanny Gong whose body stiffened when she heard Qui Ai¡¯s words. She raised her head and from her expression, Liu Hui Ying could see that Nanny Gong was going to scold her or at least she was preparing to throw a diatribe at her which was why Liu Hui Ying immediately red at Qui Ai fiercely. For the sake of avoiding getting scolded, she raised her chin arrogantly and then snapped at Qui Ai before Nanny Gong could snap at her. ¡± What are you talking about? I am the Queen, right? I can go anywhere, anytime...dressed as I want! Even if I was to step outside with my clothes torn up and dancing like a duck, no one should question me. How can you even question your queen? Huh?¡± Qui Ai lowered her head while Nanny Gong who was preparing to say a few words to Liu Hui Ying immediately pursed her lips and then decided to stay silent. Even though she wanted to say something to Liu Hui Ying but seeing that Liu Hui Ying was in a bad mood, she thought that it was better for her to stay silent at the moment. But...she narrowed her eyes at Liu Hui Ying who was trying her best to avoid her gaze. This matter was not over! She was definitely going to scold her missy sooner orter! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 165 165 An Emperor who became bent over a night ¡± You cannot dance like a duck with torn clothes, your majesty.¡± Qui Ai said with a sad expression on her face, she was not in the wrong but she was still scolded by her missy. Seeing that Qui Ai was getting upset because of getting scolded Liu Hui Ying decided that it was time for her to change the topic. She drew in a breath and then asked with a suggestive smile, ¡± I look really handsome don¡¯t I ?¡± Qui Ai still looked rather upset but when she heard Liu Hui Ying ask this question she raised her head with a shy and angry expression on her face and said, ¡± You look just as handsome as the Emperor, your majesty.¡± ¡± I do, don¡¯t I ?¡± Liu Hui Ying smirked as she pushed her bangs to the side and winked at Qui Ai whose entire face turned red as she snorted andined, ¡± You are such a flirt, your majesty.¡± ¡± And a rather naughty brat as well,¡± Nanny Gong who was waiting for her chance chimed in as she looked at Liu Hui Ying who was teasing Qui Ai. ¡± You snuck from the courtyard and went to who knows where your majesty...if his majesty finds out then you will be in a lot of trouble.¡± ¡± I was with his majesty, if he scolds me then I will simply tell him off for wasting my time as well,¡± Liu Hui Ying did not think much given that she has never been interested in a rtionship between a man and woman but Nanny Gong who has seen a lot of things in her life was stunned, she looked at the clothes that Liu Hui Ying was wearing and then remembered about how there were rumours of the Emperor being interested in the same gender but because he was the ruler of the country he had to hide his skeletons in the wardrobe. Does this mean, his majesty was calling her majesty dressed up like this because he wanted to do that with her? ¡± Goodness,¡± Nanny Gong covered her mouth as she moaned and shook her head, her actions caused both Liu Hui Ying and Qui Ai to frown as they looked at Nanny Gong who was acting like she seemed to have caught hold of some sort of secret. The two of them looked at each other but they both saw the helplessness and confusion in their eyes so they once again turned to look at the Nanny Gong who was now looking at Liu Hui Ying with a pair of shiny eyes. ¡± Your majesty, I knew you would be able to win the favour of his majesty.¡± ..... ¡± What¨C¡± Liu Hui Ying was feeling confused with what Nanny Gong said but before she could say much less ask something from Nanny Gong, thetter jumped on her feet and then sped hold of her hands and eximed in pure delight, ¡± Who cares that you are getting the admiration of the Emperor because of dressing like a man, as long as you can get an heir of the throne in your belly, I am sure no one will say a thing.¡± Liu Hui Ying did not understand what Nanny Gang was saying but when she said those things Liu Hui Ying understood what she was trying to say and when she realised the implications and her face twisted in shock and disgust, was Nanny Gong for real? What does she need to do to get Nanny Gong to stop mentioning the bedroom matters in front of her, there was no way she was going to let that man get her pregnant! ¡± That¡¯s not¨C¡± Liu Hui Ying began but when she saw Nanny Gong¡¯s eyes that were shining with little stars, she did not have the courage to say the truth and the truth was something she did not want to say what she did this morning after all if she was to tell Nanny Gong that she was performing autopsy this morning, the old woman might die of fright. So she decided that instead of going through all the fuss and screams, she decided to go along with Nanny Gong and it wasn¡¯t like her reputation was going to be ruined. It was the Emperor, so why should she pick up unnecessary trouble? ¡± That¡¯s right,¡± she agreed with Nanny Gong as she nodded with her face twisted into an awkward expression. ¡°It¡¯s just as you said.¡± Nanny Gong¡¯s eyes filled with even more stars and she straightened up with her hands excitedly pping as she said, ¡± You have worked really hard your majesty... I will go to the kitchen to prepare something nutritious for you! Who knows maybe you might already be carrying the child of his majesty!¡± As she excitedly spoke, she did not even listen to what Liu Hui Ying was saying and then rushed outside the room leaving Liu Hui Ying to cover her face with a tired look on her face. ¡± This has to be the worse thing happening to me,¡± in the modern world she would have at least said whatever she wanted and cursed how she liked but now she was hiding the fact that she was looking into a case. With a sigh, she dropped her hands that were covering her face but when she dropped her hands, she was surprised to see that Qui Ai was looking at her with a frown as she asked, ¡± Is ...Is his majesty really like that ?¡± ¡± Of course do you think I would lie to you?¡± Liu Hui Ying said with an innocent look on her face. ¡± Look at that,¡± Li Gang pointed at Liu Hui Ying with his entire palm and said, ¡± She is lying to pure little Ai with such a serious face, like can she go any faker than that?¡± Jia Li turned to look at Li Gang, she was studying the drawing that Liu Hui Ying had made but when she heard the man say those words, she abandoned her task and said, ¡± If you feel so sorry for her why don¡¯t you go and tell her?¡± ¡± You should be happy that she is only lying to your little Ai,¡± Grandma Lan Fen opened one of her eyes while meditating and said, ¡± Think of the poor emperor, despite being perfectly straight he has been reduced to a bent one. I suppose sooner orter that poor child have to give a proof of being straight and potency.¡± Chapter 166 166 Raid ¡± Achoo!¡± Zhai Tianyu who was far away in his imperial pce sneezed as he looked at the n that the special army hase up with to raid Liu Hui Ying¡¯s father¡¯s treasury. ¡± Do we need to do this now?¡± He asked Zhai Heng who was sitting in front of him when he saw that his brother was looking at him with a confused look on his face. ¡± And you don¡¯t have to look at me like that, I am simply asking this because I am worried that the Queen will stop the investigation.¡± ¡± I know that this is not the time to do this but the special army needs funds to function and you know that we won¡¯t be able to get any funds from the imperial pce, the finance ministry ispletely in control of the left prime minister and the Dowager Empress.¡± Zhai Heng reported the situation as it was to Zhai Tianyu who pursed his lips in silence. ¡± You do understand that if we were to bring the petition of funding the special troops what we will get right?¡± ¡± I understand.¡± Zhai Tianyu closed his eyes, he did not want to raid the house of the Queen¡¯s father tonight given that he still needed her help but given that the special troops needed funds he could not ignore it. His eyes glinted sharply as he looked at the astronomical amount that was in front of him, he would be lying if he did not find it humiliating. He was the Emperor, there should be nothing that he could not buy but the truth was that he was still a mere puppet in the hands of the Liu family. They did not even let him have enough money to squander, he did have a budget but that budget was nowhere enough for him to use on his special troops. It would not be wrong for him to say thatpared to him who was the Emperor, Liu Hui Ying who was the Queen was a lot richer given the dowry that she brought with her was bigger than his monthly budget. ¡± We will raid Minister Liu¡¯s house tonight, you can make preparations ording to it, Vicemander.¡± .... ¡± I feel a chill crawling up my spine,¡± Liu Hui Ying who was holding her chopsticks suddenly spoke causing Jia Li and the others to pause as they all turned to look at her in confusion and said, ¡± Since when did you start to have chills ?¡± Li Gang asked as he took his seat and then picked up the chopsticks that were kept in front of him. He rolled his eyes and added, ¡± You are the only one who can bring chills to others¨C¡± ..... A loud bang echoed in the room as Li Gang was sent toppling to the ground when a talisman was thrown at the back of his head. He groaned in pain but neither Jia Li nor Granny Lan Fen had any sympathy for him, in fact, Jia Li even rubbed salt on his injuries by calling him an idiot. ¡± I just feel like I am going to make a loss today,¡± Liu Hui Ying picked up the pickled pig feet and then brought it to her mouth before taking a bite as she pursed her lips and slowly chewed it. ¡± I don¡¯t understand how I am going to take a loss today. As far as I know, it should be the opposite of making a loss right?¡± She thought over what she had done today and no matter how she thought over it, she couldn¡¯t think of anything that will make her face a loss. But her instincts were telling her that something was wrong, was it not? But if something was going to go wrong what was it? ¡± Your majesty,¡± a voice came from the other side of the sliding door and Liu Hui Ying raised her head to look at the delicate door that was closed at the moment and asked, ¡± What is it?¡± ¡± Your majesty, Concubine Ji is here to see you,¡± the maid who was standing outside answered and Liu Hui Ying pped her hands and pointed at the sliding door and eximed, ¡± I knew that my gut feeling can never make a wrong guess.¡± ¡± Your majesty?¡± Because her voice was not soft at all, the maid who was standing behind the door heard her and was startled causing Liu Hui Ying to soften her voice as she said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, send her in.¡± ¡± As you say, your majesty.¡± The maid walked away and Liu Hui Ying waited until the maid was gone before she turned to look at Li Gang who was now rubbing his head and said, ¡± You see? My instincts are not wrong at all.¡± ¡± I still think thatpared to that delicate woman, you are much scarier ¨CWoah!¡± He was once again interrupted when he was turned upside down with his legs dangling over his head, thankfully he was no longer alive or all the blood in his body would have rushed to his head. ¡± What are you doing?¡± He asked Liu Hui Ying who shrugged her shoulders and said, ¡± What do you think I am doing ?¡± Li Gang wanted to demand that she get him down from the ceiling but as he opened his mouth he realised that he could not speak anymore, his mouth that was opened, and closed immediately and he could only make ¡®Mhmm¡¯ sounds as he motioned wildly with his hands. Again no one sympathised with him and Jia Li shook her head as she spat one word that was directed solely at Li Gang and that was, ¡± Moron.¡± And Li Gang started to il even wildly as he looked at Jia Li and fervently as if trying to tell her that she was a moron. ... The door of the room was slid open by the maid and then Ji Yu who was standing outside with her maid walked inside Liu Hui Ying¡¯s room and bowed appropriately before speaking in a soft voice, ¡± This Concubine greets her majesty.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 167 167 a hypocrite ¡± You may rise,¡± when Liu Hui Ying saw that Ji Yu was actually willing to lower her head in front of her she was half-convinced that she was nning something because there was no way a chicken woulde looking for the weasel for no reason at all. Li Gang: It¡¯s good that you know that you are a cruel weasel and that girl is a delicate chicken¨C Liu Hui Ying who could hear his thoughts waved her hand and caused Li Gang to spin like a top as he looked at her in shock and surprise while his head lolled from one side to another. Only then did Liu Hui Ying turn to look at Ji Yu who was now sitting in front of her and then asked in a soft voice, ¡± Is there something that concubine Ji wants from me?¡± Ji Yu stared at the table instead of looking at Liu Hui Ying, she pursed her lips and then hesitated for a while before raising her head and looking at Liu Hui Ying with a soft look in her eyes as she said, ¡± I am here to see her majesty because there is something that I need you to ask you.¡± ¡± I see? And what is it that you need to ask me ?¡± Liu Hui Ying did not see any need for Ji Yu to be here and much less ask something from her but she still went along with the woman and asked what she wanted to say, after all, she did not think that Ji Yu would say anything too shocking. Big mistake on her part. Because the next second she heard Ji Yu say, ¡± Your majesty, are you trying to steal his majesty from me because of what happened to your sister?¡± Liu Hui Ying has taken just a sip of her soup when she heard Ji Yu¡¯s question, she immediately choked upon hearing this and then looked at Ji Yu with an incredible look on her face. She has expected a lot of things but she did not expect Ji Yu to be this straightforward, she wiped her mouth with the tablecloth that was sitting on the side and then looked at Ji Yu with a slightly different expression on her face as she asked, ¡± So you received a concrete answer of what happened back then right?¡± Ji Yu did not reply to this question but her silence was enough, she did not believe a word that Liu Hui Ying told her back then which was why she immediately wrote a letter to her family when she returned to the courtyard. She was expecting to receive a letter that would bash Liu Hui Ying and her overly smart imagination but what she received was a confirmation. ..... Her father knew that now that Liu Hui Ying and her were in the same pce, some secrets cannot be hidden from her which was why he confessed in his letter that what Liu Hui Ying was telling her was the truth. It was just as Liu Hui Ying told her, her brother was not the only one who was killed back then, they too have killed Liu Hui Ying¡¯s sister and after having her defiled because they wanted the Liu family to keep it under wraps such that they will still continue to have the trust of the Emperor while pitting the Liu family as cruel and vile. ¡± Ah, this is funny,¡± Liu Hui Yingmented when she saw that Ji Yu was not saying anything and then chuckled softly. ¡± So when are you going to tell the emperor about the truth?¡± Hearing Liu Hui Ying¡¯s words, Ji Yu snapped her head up and looked at Liu Hui Ying who was looking at her with an amused expression on her face. ¡± What do you mean?¡± ¡± I mean what you think I mean,¡± Liu Hui Ying was not someone who would be gentle with someone just because they believed that they were supposed to be pampered. Ji Yu was a delicatedy and she indeed had her wits at moments but she was too much of a damsel in distress waiting for her Prince Charming to save her. It was honestly quite pathetic to watch, a girl who could have been a wonderful woman lose herself because of so-called love. ¡± You said that I am taking his majesty away from you, which is what you should have of course deduced on your own,¡± Liu Hui Ying said as she picked up the slice of chilled cucumber and ced it in her mouth and chewed it properly. ¡± I couldn¡¯t care less about his majesty but if this is what you think, you can always defeat me by telling him the truth, can you not sweetheart?¡± How can she tell Zhai Tianyu the truth? If she was to tell him that her family was just as scheming as the Liu family, Zhai Tianyu will lose all his trust in her and what will be left of her? Ji Yu thought in her head as she bit her lip and then clenched her fingers, there was nothing that she could say at the moment. ¡± Oh, it looks like you cannot tell anything to his majesty,¡± Liu Hui Ying continued to speak as she looked at the woman who had her head lowered and thenughed lightly as she said, ¡± Do you know how you look right now?¡± Ji Yu raised her head and looked at Liu Hui Ying whose eyes were colder than ice. ¡± You look like a hypocrite, you are quick to judge me because you think that you are losing something important, strictly speaking, you and I both are the wives of the Emperor, I have as much right on him as you do but you don¡¯t want to lose your sole position. Your family has wronged mine for so long and have created a chaste appearance in front of the Emperor, the same could be said for you, you could have said the same thing to the Emperor, asked him to pay more attention to you but instead you came to me because you don¡¯t want the Emperor to know how jealous and vain you are, right?¡± Chapter 168 168 High altitude Ji Yu stiffened, she wanted to say something but soon she realised that she could not say anything. She tried to open her mouth and say something many times but no matter how many times she tried to speak, there was nothing she could say to Liu Hui Ying, with her face burning in shame she stood up from the floor and then without even bidding Liu Hui Ying goodbye, she turned around and left. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t know that she was in the wrong, she did. She knew better than anyone that she was in the wrong ...what she was asking from Liu Hui Ying waspletely unreasonable but what happened in the morning caused her to be worried about losing the man she has been chasing for such a long time. She, however, when thought about how the Queen has been getting closer to the Emperor after their confrontation, and could not stop herself which was why she came looking for Liu Hui Ying. Back then she did not think that there was anything wrong with it. But now that Liu Hui Ying has pulled all the thoughts that she was hiding in her heart out, she could no longer face her anymore. Watching Ji Yu escape from her room, Liu Hui Ying clicked her tongue feeling slightly annoyed. She banged her chopsticks on the table and let out an annoyed ¡®Cheh¡¯ before saying, ¡± Damn, she ruined my mood. How long do I have to suffer like this? Dang, it! Is that man some sort of golden eggying chicken or what, why are these women so obsessed with him?¡± ¡± In a way he does,¡± Li Gang and the others stayed silent when they saw that Ji Yu came looking for Lin Hui Ying. They too heard what Ji Yu said and couldn¡¯t help but agree with Liu Hui Ying who was muttering about the ipetence of a woman who did not know about her worth. ¡± That man is the Emperor of the country as long as they are with him what else do they need to worry about?¡± ¡°But this is pure obsession,¡± Jia Li said with a sage-like expression on her face as she picked up on a spot on her chin and then floated to the seat where she was sitting and then picked up the chopsticks that she has smashed into the bowl of hot and sour soup when she saw that someone wasing. ¡± She might be acting like she is someone who is not obsessed with the Emperor but I can smell obsession when I see one, she is going to be a lot of trouble if we stay here.¡± ¡± I agree with Li Li,¡± Grandma Lan Fen too sat down where she was sitting earlier and then looked at Liu Hui Ying. ¡± I think it will be wise of you to leave this ce as soon as possible, that girl...she smells nothing but trouble to me.¡± ¡± What do you think I am doing?¡± Liu Hui Ying snapped at them with a fierce expression on her face. She once again smacked her hand on the table and then said with a grimace, ¡± I have been trying to look for the soul of this woman but I couldn¡¯t look for her at all, it seems like she has moved on but I cannot sense her doing that either, I just cannot understand where the soul of this woman go!¡± ..... This was her first time being fooled by a soul but even after looking at the soul who was in charge of doing something like this to her, she could not find her at all. Just the very thought of how she was dragged into this ce in exchange for some cowardly, annoying little crybaby was enough to make her grind her teeth. How the freak can a soul just vanish into nothingness like it never existed? ¡± What if...¡±Li Gang suddenly spoke with a soft voice. ¡± What if this woman exchanged her soul with yours? I mean there is a chance of her doing this as well right?¡± ¡± There is but I know that she hasn¡¯t done something like that,¡± Liu Hui Ying tapped her fingers on the table as she narrowed her eyes and recalled what happened to her on the cliff. ¡± She is here, I have a feeling ...she is hiding but she is here, something about this entire mambo jumbos feels off to me. The woman¡¯s soul is locked by something, there is something that she wants very much and because of that she must be still roaming here.¡± She rubbed her chest and added, ¡± I felt that ache of wanting something but not getting it when she came here.¡± ¡°Does she wants the Emperor?¡± Jia Li asked with a glittering interest in her eyes as she looked at Liu Hui Ying when she saw that Liu Hui Ying was not getting what she was trying to say, she immediately turned on her seat and then said with a snicker, ¡± I mean it, after all when we saw the woman the first time, the woman was saying something about losing everything and then we know that the Emperor was cold to her which was why she killed herself. Maybe what she wants is the love of the Emperor?¡± She waited for Liu Hui Ying to understand what she was trying to say but then she heard Liu Hui Ying shake her head as she waved her hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s just focus on getting back home, there is something that we should be missing...something...¡± a look ofprehensive fell on her face as she snapped her fingers and with a finger pointing at no one, she excitedly said, ¡± Its the cliff, that woman appeared at the edge of a cliff and a ghost only appears at the ces where they have great memories or obsession with, I bet that the soul of this woman has something that she can only find at a cliff.¡± ¡ª P.S.- if you like the story please leave a review, ament and some power stones or gifts. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 169 169 Stealing from the father of the Queen ¡± A ce with high altitude?¡± Qui Ai was confused but there was something else that Liu Hui Ying caught in her eyes, it was wariness. A sort of fear that something was slipping past her grasp and she couldn¡¯t do anything about it, only confirmed Liu Hui Ying¡¯s suspicions, this woman had some sort of connections to ces that had high altitudes. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± but she could not show her true emotions to Qui Ai if she was to find out that she was nning to get away from this ce surely she would stop her and she could not let Qui Ai stop her, she needed to get out of this ce and that too as quickly as possible because just as Jia Li pointed out Ji Yu was soon going to go cray cray and she did not want to witness it. Better leave this to the woman who jumped into this fire pit. ¡± I just want to enjoy the moon while drinking alcohol and nothing more,¡± Liu Hui Ying was indeed telling the truth, she did not have any other n than drinking a little and investigating about this woman some more, given that Qui Ai and nanny Gong were not going to tell her anything. ¡± Well, if you are going to insist on this your majesty then, there is indeed a spot where you can go but I believe that you won¡¯t be allowed,¡± Qui Ai said after much pondering as she looked at the floor while cleaning the dishes of the table that were scattered all over, one by one she ced them on the tray and then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying with a subtle frown on her face as she said, ¡± That spot is only reserved for men and no one else, especially at night ...no woman is allowed to be there lest she is taken by his majesty.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case then there is no trouble at all,¡± Liu Hui Ying happily eximed she did not think that her disguise will be this handy for her but now that she was seeing its use, she couldn¡¯t help but pat herself on the back for being so smart. ¡± I will be able to go and enjoy a nice alone time there if I were to be a man right?¡± ¡°You are treading on a rather dangerous spot, your majesty,¡± Qui Ai said in a soft voice, she understood the reason why her missy wanted to get out of this ce and do what she wanted, she has been like this ever since she woke up after getting poisoned not liking the fact that she was trapped in the pce all the time but she was, in the end, a woman, for her to leave the pce of the Queen every time she wanted to go out, if someone was to find out then she would be in a lot of trouble. ¡± I know but it¡¯s just going out for a short while,¡± Liu Hui Ying assured Qui Ai as she started to n how she was going to sneak out of the pce tonight. ¡± You said the same thing in your letter and look what you did, you were gone for the entire morning.¡± ..... ¡± That¡¯s because I was with the Emperor and now that I am alone, I don¡¯t need to spend extra time doing something wasteful like I did in the afternoon.¡± ¡± Your majesty, please treat his majesty with kindness.¡± ¡± Is he someone who deserves my kindness ?¡± ..... ¡± Achoo!¡± Zhai Tianyu who was skulking outside the house of minister Liu sneezed as he covered his nose and then sniffed violently. ¡°Am Iing down with flu?¡± He has never sneezed this much in his entire life but now he was constantly sneezing during the day as well as at the night. But he quickly three that thought in the back of his head and then turned to look at Zhai Heng who was dressed in all ck with only his eyes showing, he nodded at his brother who nodded back before the two of them jumped down from the tree they were hiding in and then using the spiritual Qi, snuck inside the house of Minister Liu. Zhai Heng took a smoke bomb that had sleeping drugs inside it and then lit it with a flicker of themp that was glowing next to the pir where they were hiding and then threw it over to where the guards were standing, his precise aim was quick. No one was able to detect anything amiss as Zhai Tianyu and Zhai Heng hid in the dark corner again along with their special guards. The guard who was standing in front of the warehouse yawned and covered his mouth with the back of his hand before he turned to look at the man who was standing next to him and said, ¡± I don¡¯t know why but I am kind of feeling sleepy tonight.¡± ¡± Don¡¯t go around messing,¡± the older guard who was standing next to him seemed to be affected by the burning sleeping drugs as well but he still managed to somehow stand straight as he red at the man who was yawning. ¡± If the lord finds out that you were sleeping while on the duty, he will definitely punish you.¡± As he spoke, he too started to yawn causing the other man to snicker. The two men chattered for a long time before the effects of the sleeping drug started to work and they slumped on the floor one by one as they started snoring. Once the two men were down, Zhai Heng and Zhai Tianyu snuck out of the corner and then rushed towards the warehouse. Zhai Tianyu used his sword along with spiritual Qi as he shed the big lock that was hanging out of the warehouse and the two pieces were caught by Zhai Heng who was standing next to Zhai Tianyu. The two of them worked together and then opened the warehouse for their guards to take whatever they could from the warehouse. And soon the warehouse that was filled with jewels and whatnot was reduced to an empty storehouse. Chapter 170 170 Warehouse on fire Zhai Tianyu and Zhai Heng would have attacked the warehouse next to the one they raided as well if they had the time but as soon as they turned their attention to the next warehouse that was beside the one from which they have already stolen, the guard who was in charge of patrolling arrived. At first, neither of them moved but then the guard snapped out of his daze and shouted, ¡± Thieves! Thieves are attacking the warehouse!¡± As he shouted, he fished out the bell that he was carrying with him, which was tied to his waist and started ringing as frantically as he could. No sooner did he start ringing the bell, the servants and guards of the Liu family woke up and rushed out of their rooms. Seeing that the Liu family was awake, Zhai Tianyu and Zhai Heng nced at each other, they shared a nod before they signed the guards who came with them to leave, they waited until the guards left before they turned around and threw a string of bombs over the warehouses, only then did they hop over the wall of the house that belonged to Minister Liu. The warehouses that were raided immediately burst into fire as soon as the bomb exploded, sending the guards who were chasing after the two people to stop and be thrown into chaos. The guards were all thrown into chaos but there was someone who did not flinch in the slightest as Zhai Tianyu and Zhai Heng jumped over the wall, the man chased after the two while ordering the guards to douse the fire. And then the shadow closely chased after them. Minister Liu who was peacefully sleeping was woken awake by the noise that was going on outside, he frowned before he slipped down from his bed while d in a loose robe, his portly belly causing him to almost stumble on the floor because he was still feeling sleepy. But after iling for a few minutes, he straightened up and then wore his slippers before he rushed out of his room. As he ran out of his room, he saw that many guards including the ones who were under his adopted son were also running towards the ce where he has built his warehouses. Seeing them run towards the warehouses, Minister Liu blinked his eyes and then hurriedly trotted over to the guard who was carrying a bucket as he rushed towards the warehouse. ¡± What¡¯s going on?¡± Minister Liu asked as he panted while chasing after the guard who was dragging a huge bucket of water. ¡± Why are you dragging such a big bucket of water?¡± ..... The guard turned to look at his master who looked like he has just woken up and was speechless, the house was on fire and his master was still asleep. Though the guard was speechless and was scolding his master, he still replied respectfully, ¡± There were thieves who snuck inside the house, master... they stole everything from the main warehouse and set it on fire, I am carrying this water bucket to douse the fire¨Ccough, cough.¡± The guard was still speaking but minister Liu who heard that his main house was raided immediately rushed towards the backyard of his house leaving a storm of dust behind him. When the guard saw that his master was rushing towards the backyard, he too rushed after him. Minister Liu as soon as he saw that his warehouse that had all his precious things were on fire, he immediately let out a broken-hearted scream as he turned to look at his guards and then scolded them fiercely, ¡± You all, what were you all doing? How can you all allow something like this to happen? Do you even know that the warehouse held at least a hundred thousand gold taels? Now, what am I going to do? Huh?¡± As he thought about how he lost more than a hundred and thousands of gold taels, he clutched his heart and then stumbled back, if not for the guard who stopped him from falling on the ground, there was a chance that he might have broken his back tonight. ¡± Oh my money!! Those bastards! They could have stolen anything but they took my Hui Ying¡¯s money!¡± Minister Liu sobbed, his voice full of remorse as he leaned against the guard who was helping him up. ¡± Master, don¡¯t worry.¡± The guard tried to hold the mini boulder that was leaning on him and consoled his master while his legs were shaking. ¡± Young master Yuyang chased after the thieves, as long as nothing goes wrong, he will be able to catch those thieves.¡± Only then did Minister Liu stop crying as he wiped his eyes and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right, I still have Yuyang...that boy will not let those who have harmed his father off so easily.¡± ... Liu Yuyang chased after the two figures who were running if he wanted he could have chased after the others but from the way these two men weremanding the others, he was sure that they were the leader which was why he decided to chase after these two instead of chasing after the others who were running in different directions. While chasing after the two men, he realised that the two of them were deliberately turning into the narrowed and confusingne to make sure that he wouldn¡¯t be able to chase after them, what they did not know was that before he became the young master of the Liu family, he was someone who yed in small streets like these. It was with ease that he was able to chase the two men and as they tried to turn another corner, Liu Yuyang took a sharp dagger from his sleeves and threw it at the man who was running right in front of him. The dagger was aimed precisely at the back of the man¡¯s head, if it was a normal thief, he would have been dead by now but the man was not a naive and rookie thief, he turned on his heel and immediately dodge the dagger with the precise aim only losing a bit of the cloth of his sleeve. ¡ª¨C Chapter 171 171 Who are you and what are you hiding No sooner did the man turn to look at Liu Yuyang, thetter narrowed his eyes as he looked at the man. He did not know why but for some reason, he thought that he has seen this man before, but where? ¡± You two do not seem like bandits,¡± Liu Yuyang took his sword out from its sheathe and then raised it such that he was aiming the tip at the neck of the man who was standing in front of him. ¡± The things that you stole all belong to my sister and I cannot allow you two to take them, hand it all over or I will have your head and deliver it to my sister.¡± Zhai Tianyu ground his teeth, of all the warehouses from which he could have stolen money, he just have to steal from the warehouse that had things that belonged to Liu Hui Ying. But then again who would have thought that Minister Liu will keep such a big amount for his daughter, just how much that man adored his daughter? If he was wrong then Liu Hui Ying had at least twenty thousand or even more gold taels in her dowry and the silver taels were simply uncountable. If not his grandmother wouldn¡¯t have kept the money in her hands, the Money that the Queen owned was too much to be given to her. But what happened had already happened, there was no way he would be able to change it. After much pondering, he realised that there was only one option left in front of him and that was ¡ª He took his own sword out of its sheath and then aimed it at Liu Yuyang who was already aiming his sword at him, when Liu Yuyang noticed his actions, his eyes narrowed as he sneered, ¡± I see, you have a lot of guts to steal from the Liu family.¡± As soon as he spoke, he pounced at Zhai Tianyu with agile footing he reached Zhai Tianyu within seconds and even though Liu Yuyang looked calm and fragile, his swordsmanship was not a joke. Not only did he attack with apt precision but all his attacks were ruthless and cruel, if Zhai Tianyu was not his opponent, the other person would have died by now. Zhai Tianyu dodged the sword that was aimed at his throat by blocking Liu Yuyang¡¯s sword with his own. Zhai Heng made a move but Zhai Tianyu shook his head, he might be working as a thief tonight but he was not a bandit who will kill his victim by making use of the fact that his opponent was alone. ¡± As expected,¡± Liu Yuyang caught the small movements of the two men and his eyes narrowed even further as he started to put more pressure on the sword that he was holding. ¡± You two are not bandits are you?¡± Then he raised his hand and then added swiftly. ¡°Let¡¯s see who is behind this mask.¡± ..... However, as soon as he raised his hand to take the mask off of the man who was standing in front of him, the man twisted his body such that he turned to the left and then dodged his hand sending his sword back. Liu Yuyang understood that something fishy was going on, if the man was a simple bandit he would not have shown such a huge reaction just because his face was being disclosed to someone. His eyes flickered with a strange glint as he rushed at the man again and started attacking him with renewed enthusiasm but the more he tried to see who was the one who was behind the mask, the more the man tried to hide his face. ¡°What are you hiding?¡± Liu Yuyang asked as he swept his sword at the mask of the man who leaned his body back and dodged the attack that was aimed at his face. Seeing him dodge Liu Yuyang took advantage of the fact that the man could not defend himself and stretched his hand to take the mask off but as soon as he stretched his hand to take the mask of the man off, the one who was behind him threw a small bomb at him. When Liu Yuyang heard the slight hiss of the bomb that came rolling under his legs, he immediately took a step back and flew over to the roof of the abandoned hut that was on his left. The two bandits took advantage of the fact that Liu Yuyang was away from them and then ran away using their exceptional Qing Qong just as the small bomb exploded sending the dust and pebbles flying all over the surrounding. Liu Yuyang covered his face with his sleeves and then waited for the smoke of the bomb to vanish before he jumped off the roof and then walked over to the corner where the dagger that he has sent at the man sticking. The dagger¡¯s tip had a small piece of cloth that was cut off from the sleeves of the man who was hiding his face. He took hold of the cloth and rubbed it with his thumb and fingers before he narrowed his eyes and looked at the cloth whose fabric was much finer than the one a bandit could even use. ¡± A rich man huh?¡± he mused as he tilted his head to the side. ¡± Why would a rich man steal from Hui Ying¡¯s treasury?¡± .... Liu Hui Ying who was sneaking out of the courtyard suddenly felt her eyes twitch as she looked behind her, she did not know why but suddenly she felt as if she has made a big loss. ¡± What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jia Li asked her when she saw that Liu Hui Ying was not jumping from the roof of her courtyard. ¡± Why are you looking behind?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± Liu Hui Ying turned to look in the front and then hopped off the roof of the wall that was covering her courtyard and then said, ¡± I just felt something important was taken away from me.¡± ¡°Stop talking about that...¡±Li Gang muttered while pointing to the horizon as he said, ¡± Look at that, that pearly orb is back.¡± Chapter 172 172 Do you think I am scared of her? Liu Hui Ying turned her head to look at the orb of blue mes, at first she thought that Li Gang was making fun of her given how he was always so unserious about everything but as she turned to look in the direction where Li Gang was pointing at she was surprised to see that there was indeed an orb floating over the branch of a tree away from them. The second her gaze fell on the orb, she jumped down the wall and then said to her three ghosts, ¡± What are you all waiting for? Go and catch it for me!¡± She wanted to see whose soul was this, only a soul that has cultivated for at least a few years could be this powerful to morph its shape and hide its figure like this. ¡± Yes!¡± The three ghosts chimed together as they rushed after the orb of mes that was hovering over the branch but as soon as they went over the orb, the orb of mes flickered and started flying in the opposite direction to where it was hovering a moment ago. ¡± What the...¡± Li Gang who was chasing after the orb muttered as his eyes widened when he saw the orb flying away from them. ¡± Don¡¯t tell me that the thing is ying with us? Why is it that it was staying still when we were not chasing it but the second we started chasing after it, it started to fly away from us.¡± ¡°Or maybe it wants us to chase it,¡± Jia Li tried to break the situation as properly as it could in a sensible manner. ¡± Like Hui Ying said that those souls that do not have anyone who could help them, they do something like this. They attract the attention of celestial masters and then have them exorcised but that is not our worry at the moment, the one thing that we need to worry about is, to make sure that we see to whom this soul belongs to.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Grandma Lan Fen nodded as she increased her pace of chasing the orb of mes. Liu Hui Ying on the other hand chased after the three who were flying in the air with her feet, even though she was no longer as agile as she was when she was in her own world where she lived beforeing here, she was still able to keep up with the pace of the three ghosts. The orb of mes teased them by turning here and there, it turned left and then right causing the three ghosts who were chasing after it to bump into things, one time Li Gang bumped into the tree that was right in front of me and then Jia Li who was chasing after it ended up rolling past the leaves of the thick fauna that was surrounding the imperial pce. Even Grandma Lan Fen who was flying slower than Jia Li and Li Gang ended up tumbling the second when the blue orb turned its left again and then flew past the veils of ivy. But the one who suffered the most was Liu Hui Ying, the three ghosts could easily go past the things they tumbled past but Liu Hui Ying was not a ghost, she ended up stumbling into things left and right, and by the time she emerged out of herst fall, her hair was filled with leaves and her cheeks were covered with scars. ..... ¡°Arggg! That is enough!¡± She shrieked as she took out a talisman from her pocket. ¡± Forget it, I will just catch you and exorcise you here and now!¡± No sooner did she say this, the orb of blue mes flickered and then vanished in the darkness of the night. Liu Hui Ying who saw the blue orb vanish all of sudden felt like all her sufferings came forth, she looked at the spot where the orb was and then looked left and right, when she did not see the orb, the anger she was suppressing in her heart burst forth as she let out a scream. ... Zhai Tianyu who returned to the pce turned his head to the cliff where he often had drinks with his ministers and frowned as he asked, ¡± Did you hear that? I heard someone screaming .¡± ¡± Most probably a wild bird or animal,¡± Zhai Heng did not think much as he sat down on therge boulder that sat on the side of the path that was carved in the middle of the barrennd that was cleared off after taking down a part of the forest to build the imperial pce. He nursed his calves and then sighed, ¡± The ce is built at the centre of the forest, there is no way that there will be nothing that will not cry at night.¡± ¡± That¡¯s true but...¡±Zhai Tianyu as he turned to look in the direction from where the scream came and frowned. ¡± I think that the voice belonged to the queen.¡± Zhai Heng shot Zhai Tianyu a look of exasperation as he rolled his eyes and then threw his head back with a sigh. ¡± You are thinking too much, your majesty. Why will the queen be at the cliff? You are simply feeling guilty because of what happened in the Liu family and nothing more.¡± He then paused and then added with a subtle look in his eyes. ¡± Don¡¯t go around messing anymore, Tianyu. I am telling this as your big brother ...thest thing that you want is to confess that you stole from her family, the Queen is a miser, and she will have you vomit every single tael that we have taken. And if that happens then what will happen to our soldiers? Do you want to have them all killed?¡± ¡°I am not going to do anything,¡± Zhai Tianyu told Zhai Heng as he pursed his lips and then turned to look away from the direction from where he heard the voice of the Queen. ¡°And why will I confess to the Queen? Do you think I am scared of the Queen?¡± ¡°Hah,¡± Zhai Heng scoffed as he pushed himself off the stone on which he was sitting and then turned to leave. ¡± What? Are you trying to say that I am the one who is scared of the Queen? Are you mistaking me for Lingyun? Hey! Big brother!¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 173 173 Why are you here It took a long time for Liu Hui Ying to calm down before she breathed in and then out, only then did she turn to look at the surroundings where she was and when she saw that the ce where she was standing was dimly lit with the light thating from the moon. She blinked her eyes and her mouth fell open in shock because the ce where she was standing was not at the centre of the forest, No instead she was standing at the edge of the forest that was overlooking the cliff that had a small arc made of wood standing in the middle of the cliff, the wooden arc was standing in the middle of the cliff was supported by the pirs that surrounded the entire ce. And on the left of the space that was used by the Emperor to spend time with his ministers and drink was a moon gate. The moon gate was not something wonderful, it was simply two stone pirs that overlooked the moon, the space between the two pirs showed the half-moon that was shining brightly in the sky. When Liu Hui Ying saw that she was actually standing where she intended toe, augh escaped her lips as she looked at the cliff and shook her head slowly before she muttered, ¡± What is going on?¡± The orb of the mes actually brought her where she wanted toe but why? Why was that orb helping her so much? ¡± I don¡¯t know,¡± Jia Li too was surprised upon seeing that they were standing on the cliff, she looked around but she did not sense the presence of the orb like she was earlier. She turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and ryed this information as it was, and then said, ¡± That orb is gone, I can¡¯t feel it anymore ...why is that?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t be certain but there are many reasons for this to happen,¡± Liu Hui Ying answered with a subtle frown as she stepped out of the forest and brushed off the leaves and many other things that were sticking to her clothes and hair. ¡± Maybe the orb is an essence of the soul of a being or maybe it knows how to hide its presence.¡± As she walked out of the forest and headed towards the moon gate, the cold wind that was blowing in the forest fluttered past her causing her hair to flutter behind her. She came to a stop in front of the moon gate and then surveyed the entire thing before her eyes fell on the marks of at the bottom of the gate. Those marks seemed like they have been made by someone¡¯s sword, with a frown she stepped into the middle of the gate and peered down at the chasm that led to the river that was flowing like a violent storm underneath the chasm. Its currents were violent and unstoppable. The second her gaze fell on the river, a sort of longing and heart-crushing feeling rose in her heart as if she has lost something really important to her. ¡°Ouch,¡± Liu Hui Ying covered her chest as she stumbled forward, her hand slipping past the pir that she was holding. She was in no danger of falling down the cliff given that she was still a good distance away from the tip of the cliff but if someone was to look at her, they would definitely think that she was trying to jump off the cliff. ..... ¡± What are you doing?¡± A voice shouted at her as she was pulled back from the edge of the cliff and then dragged behind the cliff. Liu Hui Ying was still recovering from the pain that shot through her heart and didn¡¯t even realise that she was dragged by someone. ¡± Are you mad?¡± Zhai Tianyu only came here because he wanted to confirm that he really misheard, never did he think that he will see something like this happening. As he looked at Liu Hui Ying who was looking rather pale and with her lips trembling as if she was going to cry any moment now, he could not help but worry about the what-ifs that came into his head, if he hadn¡¯te here looking then the Queen ¡ª His heart ached a little at the thought, no scratch that¨C his heart was hurting a lot at the thought, he could not think about the death of Liu Hui Ying, nor did he want to think of losing Liu Hui Ying either. ¡± Say, what were you doing?¡± Zhai Tianyu asked again, this time his voice more forceful than it was before. ¡°I...I wanted to go back,¡± Liu Hui Ying gasped out loud after a short while, her heart aching as she nursed her chest. What was that? Why was she feeling like this? Why was it that she was feeling so lost and hurt? ¡± Wanted to go back?¡± These words brought a chill to Zhai Tianyu¡¯s spine, he thought about how Liu Hui Ying told him that she was a soul that belonged to another world and wanted to go back home. Back then he did not feel anything but now that he was listening to Liu Hui Ying the same thing all over again, his heart throbbed under his skin. For some reason, he did not like the idea of her leaving and going somewhere he could not see her. ¡± How can you leave? I haven¡¯t...you still haven¡¯t helped my aunt, I still need you!¡± Zhai Tianyu ended up blurting out but because Liu Hui Ying was lost in her thoughts, she did not hear what he said but she did hear someone scream at her, she frowned and looked at Zhai Tianyu who was holding her arm. She flung his hand away from her arm and nursed her head as she looked at the man and asked, ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡± I...I said you cannot leave right now, you haven¡¯t found out who is the culprit behind my aunt¡¯s death,¡± Zhai Tianyu too snapped out of his daze as he realised what he just said and amended his words. ¡± You don¡¯t need to worry about it, I am just checking around and it¡¯s not like I am going to leave right now, I am just looking for a way out.¡± Liu Hui Ying stated with a scrunched-up look on her face. ¡®I hope you never find that way out,¡¯ Zhai Tianyu thought inwardly when he heard Liu Hui Ying say that she was looking for a way to return home and no sooner did this thoughte into his head, he pped himself. Chapter 174 174 Found her ¡± Have you finally gone mad?¡± When Lin Hui Ying saw that Zhai Tianyu was pping himself, she did not show any sympathy to him instead she coldly nced at him as if she was looking at an idiot. ¡± I haven¡¯t, can¡¯t you see that there are multiple mosquitoes in a ce like this?¡± Zhai Tianyu waved his hand to make a show of waving the mosquitoes away from his face acting as if he just did not think of something rather upsetting just now. ¡± I can¡¯t understand how you are standing here.¡± Liu Hui Ying raised her brows and then looked around as she took a nce at the surroundings that was devoid of any mosquito and then turned to look at Zhai Tianyu with a nk expression on her face, ¡± It seems that you are not only attractive to women here but also to mosquitoes, you are quite an enchanting personality, your majesty.¡± Her tone was mocking but Zhai Tianyu was not in the mood of getting into a squabble with her, so instead of retorting he simply said, ¡± You should go back, my queen. Schr Wei will be back by tomorrow night and I am going to send an invitation to him and invite him to the pce, you should take a good night¡¯s sleep because you won¡¯t be able to get any sleep tomorrow.¡± ¡± Woah...¡± Liu Hui Ying hardly opened her mouth to say something when she heard Jia Li gasp, she turned to look at thetter who was looking anywhere but at her. She did not understand why Jia Li gasped like this, seeing that thetter did not have any intention of saying anything to her, she turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and replied, ¡± I understand I will go and take a nap, your majesty.¡± She needed to go back and think over the reason why she felt the pain in her chest just now, which was why she did not waste her time with Zhai Tianyu anymore. Liu Hui Ying turned around and walked past Zhai Tianyu, her long robe fluttering past. The wind on the cliff was rather violent but sometimes the wind would slow down and change itself into a gentle breeze just like it did now, when Liu Hui Ying walked past Zhai Tianyu, thetter smelled a sweet smell of roses and something sweet wafting over to him and for a second he felt like he was in a daze. Zhai Tianyu stayed where he was with a conflicted look on his face, he did not understand why he was in a daze just because of the scent that came from the Queen but as he stood where he was Jia Li who was floating past him tittered, she looked at him with a sly expression on her face and then winked at him. ¡± You have fallen, soldier!¡± ..... ¡± What?¡± He wanted to ask what she meant by this but before he could say anything Jia Li turned around and fluttered past him not paying any attention to him. And as soon as she left Li Gang who was behind her, floated past Zhai Tianyu and bumped into his shoulder causing Zhai Tianyu to shiver as the unpleasant feeling of being doused with cold water overwhelmed him. He turned to look at Li Gang who was walking past him with a disdainful smile on his face. ¡± You better stay away from my boss, if you don¡¯t then I will..¡± he raised his hand and showed it to Zhai Tianyu warning him to not even think about getting close to Liu Hui Ying. His actions only caused Zhai Tianyu to blink his eyes and get even more confused, he looked at the ghost who was threatening him to stay away from Liu Hui Ying and scrunched his brows up. He was already staying away from the Queen, wasn¡¯t he? Was there any need for this ghost to threaten him like this? It wasn¡¯t as if he was going to cling to the queen, was he? But before he could even think of something more, Grandma Lan Fen came walking behind Li Gang and patted him on the shoulder causing him to feel ufortable all over again. She shot him a sympathetic look and sighed. ¡°It¡¯s all right even if you are like this, you will find a way.¡± ¡± Find a way for what?¡± He asked but Grandam Lan Fen did not reply to his question and simply flew past him. He watched the ghosts leave and with an expression that was full of frustration, he shouted, ¡± Find a way for what ?¡± ... Liu Hui Ying did not care about the Emperor so even when she heard his scream, she did not turn around and looked for him. Instead, she went on her way and returned to her courtyard where she changed her clothes and then went to bed, she was rather rxed upon finding out that the schr Wei will be back in the imperial city tomorrow. As soon as she solves this case she will be able to look for her a way to go back home without any worry. But somewhere between her feeling of rxation, she was a bit confused as she rubbed her chest while lying on the bed. She knew that the soul of the woman whose body she was upying was no longer inside her body because she was carrying her sister¡¯s soul with her, a body as weak as this wouldn¡¯t be able to store three souls at once. And no soul will be able to take over a body that still had a soul within it, at least a celestial master like her wouldn¡¯t be able to make a mistake like not realising that there was another soul attached to her own. Drumming her fingers on her t abdomen, Liu Hui Ying thought over what happened tonight and could onlye to one conclusion and that was that the link to her condition was tied to the blue orb of mes. Because of the pain, she could not sense it perfectly back then but when she was near the cliff, she felt the presence of another soul lurking in the dark and this body seemed to have resonated with the pain of that soul. Chapter 175 175 An Qian Liu Hui Ying was sure that the soul whose presence she felt was none other than the soul of this woman, the presence was rather weak only for a moment but that presence appeared when the blue orb appeared on the edge of the cliff. ¡± There must be some sort of connection to that cliff and the blue orb,¡± she muttered as she thought over what happened tonight but no matter how many times she thought it over, she could not understand how was it possible for the woman¡¯s soul to hover at the edge of the cliff when she died in this very courtyard. While she was thinking her eyelids started to feel heavier and slowly she fell asleep. Liu Hui Ying felt like she has hardly slept when suddenly the entire courtyard was filled with Qui Ai¡¯s scream, her scream shook the entire courtyard and Liu Hui Ying who was sleeping on her bed sat up straight in a flurry. ¡± What..what? Who died?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked her eyes dazed as she looked left and right, it took a few minutes for the haze in her eyes to diminish before she saw what was happening. When she turned her head to the side, she was surprised to find a woman dressed in all ck sitting next to her bed, her expression sombre and solemn as if she was attending a funeral. Upon seeing a woman dressed in all ck with a face that seemed to be fit only for a funeral, Liu Hui Ying looked down at her body making sure that she was alive before she turned to look at the woman and asked, ¡± Whose funeral are you attending?¡± The woman did not say anything instead she started to sign a number of hand movements to her causing Liu Hui Ying to frown as she looked at the woman who was kneeling on the floor and said, ¡± You are a guard sent by the emperor?¡± ¡± Your majesty,¡± Qui Ai who was lying on the floor crawled up from the spot where she was lying and then looked at Liu Hui Ying in surprise, when she entered the room she saw a woman in ck staring at her queen unblinking. For a second she was startled but the next second she calmed down and then tried to ask the woman who she was but instead of replying to her, the woman started to make all sorts of weird signnguage causing Qui Ai to think that she was doing ck magic. With that thought in her head, she tried to attack the woman but was instead sent flying, now that she was watching Liu Hui Ying understand what the woman was trying to say with those weird signs on her hands, she was really surprised. ¡± You can understand what this woman is saying?¡± ¡± Of course, I can,¡± Liu Hui Ying once worked as an undercover agent while taking down an organisation that sold women who were mute and deaf to rich men and women who would use them as they pleased, which was why she had to learn signnguage. ..... So, when the woman tried to tell her that she was the guard sent by the Emperor she was able to understand what the woman was trying to tell her. ¡± Your majesty, you are amazing! There is nothing that you don¡¯t know!¡± Qui Ai did not find anything weird about Lin Hui Ying understanding anguage that she has never learned before in her eyes Liu Hui Ying was a very strong entity who knew almost everything. ¡± That¡¯s right, your master is the best!¡± Liu Hui Ying was rather pleased when she saw Qui Ai praise her, she smiled at Qui Ai and rubbed her nose feeling rather happy when she saw the admiration in the eyes of Qui Ai. Only then did she turn to look at the woman who was kneeling on the floor before asking, ¡°Why did the Emperor send you here?¡± Was that man trying to spy on her? She could not think of any other reason why that man would send a woman to guard her. Maybe he was afraid that she will leave without taking care of the case that she had in her hands and leave his aunt to wander the surface of the earth. Just thinking about how distrustful that man was of her, Liu Hui Ying was speechless. Liu Hui Ying was, however, only half correct. Zhai Tianyu was indeed worried that she will leave him but the reason he sent the guard was not that he wished to spy on her but instead he wanted to keep ount of what Liu Hui Ying was doing and stop her the second she tries to leave. This was the reason why he sent a guard to keep an eye on Liu Hui Ying and not because he was distrustful of her. The woman on the floor thought for a while before she replied to the question that Liu Hui Ying asked with the help of her hands and only then did Liu Hui Ying understand that the Emperor sent this woman to her in the light of what she was doing at the moment, given that the person who was behind the killing of his aunt was smart able to escape without being caught there was a chance that they might get a hang of what they were doing and try to harm her when she was in her disguise. For the sake of her safety, the Emperor sent his own guard to Liu Hui Ying. ¡± I see,¡± Liu Hui Ying nodded before she crossed her arms even though she pretended to ept the exnation the woman has given her, Liu Hui Ying still thought that the Emperor sent this woman to spy on her. ¡± Then what is your name?¡± The woman made another set of moves with her hands replying to Liu Hui Ying who hummed and said, ¡°Your name is An Qian?¡± With a nod, the woman replied to her. Chapter 176 176 Not happy Liu Hui Ying was slightly offended when she saw that the Emperor sent someone to keep an eye on her but she did not say anything to An Qian, she did not have anything against this woman. She was only doing her job, but she underlined the name of the Emperor with a red line in her heart, one of these days she was going to make that man suffer. ¡± You can stay here but I don¡¯t like being followed by anyone, it will be better if you make your presence as inconspicuous as possible.¡± Liu Hui Ying told the woman who nodded and then vanished from the spot where she was hiding, Liu Hui Ying could, of course, sense the presence of the woman but at least she no longer has to see the face of that woman. She breathed heavily and then pushed herself off the bed, she was truly not in the mood of dealing with the emperor but looking at how he was trying to drive her mad the first thing in the morning, she was going to have that man turn impotent sooner orter. With that thought in her head, she picked herself up from the bed and then headed straight to the bathhouse where she bathed herself and then dressed in new clothes but even after taking a cold bath, the anger in her heart was stewing more and more. Why was it that she was being spied on by a guard? She was not a criminal! ¡± That dumb man!¡± She finally exploded as soon as the breakfast was served as she red at the seafood porridge that was sitting in front of her. ¡°He did not even know that his aunt was killed, if not for me telling him, he would have been under the impression that his aunt died in an ident and he would have never understood a thing and yet now that I have helped him, he sent a guard to spy on me.¡± Somewhere she knew that she might be overreacting but Liu Hui Ying grew up under the watchful eyes of her neighbours who found out that her sister died with her being in the house. Liu Hui Ying was very young back then there was no way she would have killed a fully grown woman who could have taken her down at any moment but even then someone in the neighbourhood spread the rumour that she was the one who killed her sister when thetter was asleep because no one went into Liu Hui Ying¡¯s house and they did not hear anyone scream either given that her sister felt secure with the presence of whoever was in her house. Back then everywhere she went she had to withstand the res of the neighbours and because the police could not provide any evidence that showed that Liu Hui Ying was not involved in the murder, no one believed her and kept an eye on her as if waiting for her to go crazy and kill one of them. Right now, with An Qian near her even though her gaze was not hostile and suspicious, Liu Hui Ying felt really ufortable. ..... ¡± Don¡¯t think too much,¡± Jia Li tried to coax Liu Hui Ying, she has seen the Emperor¡¯s expression when Liu Hui Ying told him that she wanted to go back home. That poor guy looked like someone kicked his puppy. ¡± Yeah, don¡¯t get so upset with the presence of that little girl,¡± Li Gang too did not like the fact that the Emperor has sent someone to their courtyard, more people meant he has to reign into himself even more. But he knew that if Liu Hui Ying got angry then they will have to suffer under her, if she was upset then she will not share her spiritual energy with them and if she does not share her spiritual energy with them, this meal will taste like dirt. Which was why he tried his very best to calm Liu Hui Ying. ¡± The Emperor might have sent someone to spy on you but it¡¯s not like we don¡¯t know how to take her down, now do we?¡± ¡± Exactly, when that bald head of your department sent someone to spy on you didn¡¯t we take that man down as well?¡± Grandma Lan Fen said as shedled the porridge into her bowl and waited for Liu Hui Ying to instil her spiritual energy in the food such that she could take a bite of this savoury porridge. ¡± Don¡¯t try to act nice, I know you all are saying these nice words because you want to eat,¡± Liu Hui Ying narrowed her eyes as she scrunched up her face into an ¡® I know what you are thinking¡¯ look, nheless she still shared her spiritual energy with the ghosts. ¡± I just think that this is too much, that man seemed to be overestimating himself these days because I acted nice to him.¡± Nice? All the three ghosts paused when they heard Liu Hui Ying say that she has been treating the Emperor nicely but then they thought about how she always treated other men by throwing them or either kicking and kneeing them in their crotches and had to agree that she was indeed treating the Emperor rather well at least she still hadn¡¯t kicked him in the only tree that stood tall in his forest. Though Li Gang would have liked to tell her that her definition of treating a man nicely was widely different than the one that was popr among the men, he decided to keep quiet after all this matter had nothing to do with him. And more importantly, he would miss out on this delicious porridge if he was to say anything at the moment. While the three ghosts were busy with their meal, Liu Hui Ying was upied with the idea of making the Emperor suffer and as she thought and thought, something came to her head and she smiled sinisterly before turning to look at Jia Li who almost dropped her chopsticks when she saw that sinister smirk on Liu Hui Ying¡¯s face. ¡ª¡ª Chapter 177 177 Liu FeiFei ¡± W..What are you looking at me for?¡± Jia Li asked with a nervous gulp as she looked at Liu Hui Ying with her hands paused, her chopsticks holding the bite of rice that she was going to take, she did not know what was going in the head of Liu Hui Ying but she knew one thing and that was anything that the woman was thinking in her head was nothing good. This woman must have something sinister going on in that messed-up head of hers or else she would not be smiling like this! ¡± Li Li, did you not say that you really like the idea of taking a look at the naked body of the Emperor?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked causing both Li Gang and Grandma Lan Fen to cough and choke as they looked at Liu Hui Ying who was looking at Jia Li who looked thoroughly confused but still nodded slowly. ¡± I did, what about it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I want you to go and peep at the Emperor, tell him that I too feel ufortable at the thought of leaving him alone, which is why I want him to have an extra guard that no one else did,¡± since that guy wanted to make her ufortable, then she might as well make him ufortable! ¡± Wh...Why!¡± Before Jia Li could say anything, Li Gang exploded as he looked at Jia Li and then at Liu Hui Ying with a confused look on his face. ¡± Why are you sending her to peep at the Emperor?¡± Liu Hui Ying did not get angry at his words instead she turned to look at Li Gang and raised a brow with a questioning look in her eyes as she innocently asked, ¡± Don¡¯t tell me that you want to watch the Emperor shower and wash? I did not think that you swung that way Li Gang.¡± ¡± You....¡± Li Gang was so speechless that he did not know what to say, just because he said one thing Liu Hui Ying started to question his sexuality, though he had nothing against those who liked the same gender but he liked women all right! ¡± That¡¯s not what I said, I was only trying to ask you why are you sending this perverted girl to the Emperor and supporting her perverse habits. This is a vition of a man¡¯s private time.¡± ¡± You better shut up before I make you go and follow the Emperor no matter what he is doing, including when he is in bed with another woman or when he is taking a dump,¡± Liu Hui Ying hissed and suddenly Li Gang became rather interested in the rice grains that were in his bowl. Once Li Gang stopped talking she turned to look at Jia Li and said sweetly with a sinister glint in her eyes and said, ¡± What are you waiting for?¡± Jia Li looked at the rice bowl in front of her and then looked at Liu Hui Ying before asking, ¡± Do I have to go now?¡± ..... ¡± Now.¡± Liu Hui Ying only said one thing and Jia Li sighed as she hurriedly piled up a bunch of dishes in her bowl and then vanished on the spot. No sooner did she vanish Liu Hui Ying turned to look at Li Gang and Grandma Lan Fen who was looking at her like they were looking at a devil before she smiled and said, ¡± You have something to say?¡± Both of them shook their heads as they turned to look at the meal in front of them and started eating their meal as fast as they could. They did not want to be sent to work with a bowl that was full of food dangling in one hand. Because the two of them ate rather fast, the meal in front of them vanished rather quickly and once the table was empty, Liu Hui Ying called Qui Ai to clean the dishes but instead of Qui Ai replying from outside, she heard nasally voiceing from outside. The voice was rather annoying and when Liu Hui Ying raised her head a frown was decorating her face causing everyone to breathe carefully around her. After all, an angry Liu Hui Ying was not someone they wanted to deal with at the moment especially when she was already in a bad mood. ¡± What¡¯s going on¨C¡± she did not get a chance to say anything because the second she opened her mouth the door of her room was slid open and the woman who was making a ruckus outside walked inside without so much as greeting her. ¡± Oh dear cousin,¡± the woman said with a smile that was a bit too obnoxious for Liu Hui Ying¡¯s liking. She looked at the table that was full of food and then tutted her tongue before asking, ¡± You did not get any food at uncle¡¯s house, how can you eat so much? What will the imperial chef think of our Liu family hmmm?¡± Liu Hui Ying did not say anything to the woman instead she turned to look at Qui Ai before she asked in an annoyed voice, ¡± What is this thing?¡± She was talking as if a dog or cat have sneaked inside her room and was disturbing her. ¡± This thing... I mean this is your cousin, your majesty,¡± Qui Ai hurriedly replied as she noticed the bad expression on the face of Liu FeiFei, she knew that this cousin of her missy was rather arrogant because she was the adopted daughter of the left prime minister. The left prime minister was someone who did not get married, his excuse was that he wanted to serve the imperial city with all his heart but the truth was that he was a man who did not trust anyone which was why he never took in a woman in his courtyard. As for Liu FeiFei, she was an adopted daughter who was forcefully stuffed in the courtyard of the left prime minister because no one wanted the left prime minister to be a powerful entity whom they could not control even the Dowager Empress thought that she has to be careful of the left prime minister since he was a man whose thoughts were not known to anyone. Chapter 178 178 Where is your apology Liu Fei Fei in short was Liu Hui Ying¡¯s elder cousin even though she was at the same age as Liu Hui Ying because her father was Prime Minister Liu who was Liu Hui Ying¡¯s father¡¯s older brother, Liu Fei Fei was used to bullying Liu Hui Ying with the help of her position being superior. And even Liu Hui Ying who was scared of her eldest uncle would let Liu Fei Fei bully her behind everyone¡¯s back, after all, she was not close to her father after the loss of her mother. Every time Liu Hui Ying saw Liu Fei Fei, she would lower her head and let her do what she wanted and even after getting bullied to the point where her hair was scattered and ripped off her scalp even then she would not say anything to her father who would ask her with whom she fought with, in fact, it was better to say that she would snap at her father for being too nosy. This was what Liu Fei Fei was used to but now all of a sudden she was seeing Liu Hui Ying look at her like she was not even worthy of her time. Her eyes were brimming with confidence and she did not look scared of her at all, in fact from the challenging glint in her eyes one could see that she was hoping Liu Fei Fei toe at her such that she would be able to teach her a good lesson. Seeing these changes in Liu Hui Ying made Liu Fei Fei rather speechless and stunned, on the other hand, Qui Ai who was looking at the happenings in front of her was rather proud. She knew that her missy was no longer the same scaredy cat who would get bullied by just anyone who wanted to bully her, seeing her missy look Liu Fei Fei in the eyes made Qui Ai puff her chest out as she shot a proactive look at the maid who was with Liu Fei Fei. The maid who was with Liu Fei Fei was called Gu Xiao Xiao, just like her mistress, she was really arrogant and would often bully Qui Ai. Because Liu Hui Ying never fought back, Qui Ai would have to suffer under Gi Xiao Xiao as well, because she had no support to back her up. Because of this, she was beaten up by Gu Xiao Xiao many times but this time she was sure that she would be able to take this woman who has bullied her for more than ten years. Gu Xiao Xiao saw the smirk that was ying on Qui Ai¡¯s lips and was really furious, she wished her missy would teach the Empress a good lesson such that she would be able to take Qui Ai down as well, does this woman think that she was in a better position just because she was the maid of the Empress? Who here did not know that the only reason Liu Hui Ying became the Empress was that she was the only legitimate daughter of the Liu family, if not then her missy would have be the Empress instead of Liu Hui Ying, but never mind that now. Once her missy was done dealing with Liu Hui Ying, she will be crying and they will step out of the room as the victors. With that thought in mind, Gu Xiao Xiao raised her head and looked at Qui Ai with a face full of arrogance causing thetter to narrow her eyes and re back at Gu Xiao Xiao who red right back, sending sparks to fly all over the room. ..... These two were not the only ones who had sparks flying between them, because Liu Hui Ying and Liu Fei Fei were ring at each other in the same manner. They stared at each other before Liu Fei Fei smirked and she walked over to the small cushion that was sitting in front of the table where Liu Hui Ying was sitting, what she did not know was that Li Gang was sitting on the spot where she sat down. Li Gang who was suddenly straddled by a woman was stumped, he immediately scrambled to the side but he was still a step toote because Liu Fei Fei sat on hisp causing her to shiver. Liu Fei Fei shivered as she looked back but did not see anything, she couldn¡¯t understand why she was feeling cold all of a sudden but she could still sense that something was wrong which was why she rubbed her arms and then tried to calm herself down before she turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was eyeing her with amusement. ¡± What are you looking at me like that for?¡± Liu Fei Fei was rather upset when she saw Liu Hui Ying who was looking at her like she was enjoying a show. Seeing that she was acting like this, Liu Fei Fei was not happy ¨Cshe was the one who was supposed to enjoy making fun of Liu Hui Ying and not the other way around. Liu Hui Ying shrugged as she looked at Liu Fei Fei and answered with a soft smile, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I am surprised that you are acting like this in front of the Queen, are you that confident that I would not call my maids and have you punished because you acted like this in front of me? Where are your greetings, Concubine Liu ?¡± Even though the two of them were cousins, it did not change the fact that she was the Empress and Liu Fei Fei was nothing but a concubine for her to sit down without greeting the Empress and even enter the room of the Empress without even announcing her name was nothing short of being a punishable crime. If Liu Hui Ying wanted she could always have Liu Fei Fei dragged away and her punished but she did not say anything instead she exerted her aura on Liu Fei Fei who shivered in return and said in a soft yet no-nonsense voice, ¡± Where is your apology? Concubine Liu?¡± ¡ª¡ª Chapter 179 179 Disgust her ¡± Please forgive, your majesty!¡± Liu Fei Fei blurted out before she could even stop herself, she not only lowered her head but she even spoke those words in a soft voice like she was scared of getting punished but the second she said those words, her eyes widened and she looked at Liu Hui Ying with a snap of head as she looked at Liu Hui Ying who smiled calmly at her and said with a smiling voice, ¡± Its all right, I will forgive you generously because you are my cousin.¡± Liu Fei Fei pped her mouth lightly, she could not believe that she just apologised to Liu Hui Ying. It was something that she has never done in her entire life, after all, she was used to beating and teasing Liu Hui Ying, thetter has never opposed her actions much less ask for an apology which was really surprising in itself but what was even more surprising was that she actually lowered her head in front of Liu Hui Ying and even apologised to her! So what if Liu Hui Ying became the Empress, she was still the gloomy and scaredy girl who did not know what was best for her! The one person who was even more shocked than Liu Fei Fei was her maid, she has never seen her missy ask for forgiveness from anyone, especially Liu Hui Ying. How was it even possible for Liu Fei Fei to even ask for forgiveness from Liu Hui Ying? Qui Ai on the other hand was really pleased, as she looked at Liu Fei Fei and Gu Xiao Xiao. Her missy was someone who could make even the Emperor lower his head in front of her, what kind of big stuff was Liu Fei Fei? With a scoff, she turned her head and walked over to Liu Hui Ying with a twist of her waist. Seeing her arrogance strut Gu XiaoXiao gritted her teeth as she looked at the woman with her eyes spewing fire. ¡± So, what are you here for?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked as she ced her chopsticks aside and then made space for the bowl filled with water to wash her hands and then looked at Liu Fei Fei with a slight raise of her brows. ¡± I don¡¯t think that you woulde here looking for me for no reason, Sister Fei Fei.¡± Liu Fei Fei was still stunned over the fact that she apologised to Liu Hui Ying, which was why she did not answer at once, it took her a bit more time to process the question that Liu Hui Ying has asked her before she raised her neck like a prideful swan and said, ¡± Its nothing, you and I have been selected as the Empress and concubine of the imperial family for a long time and yet I did note to see you which is why I came to meet you, sister Hui Ying.¡± She tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and then smiled at Liu Hui Ying with a smile that showed a hint of superiority. ¡± His majesty has just gifted me a courtyard that has an imperial rose garden, it¡¯s such a beautiful ce that I don¡¯t even want to leave my courtyard¨C¡± ..... ¡± Then why did you?¡± Before she could finish, she was interrupted by Liu Hui Ying who washed her hands and then took the cloth that Qui Ai was handing her and then wiped her hands with it. ¡± What do you mean?¡± Liu Fei Fei asked not understanding what Liu Hui Ying said which was why she asked Liu Hui Ying what she meant by what she said, after all, what was she supposed to make out of this question? ¡± I asked why did you leave the courtyard if you did not want to leave?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked her question this time making it moreprehensible. ¡± I mean I was fine without youing to see me.¡± When Liu Fei Fei heard what Liu Hui Ying said, her face blossomed like a red rose and she red at thetter with an annoyed expression. The reason she mentioned the imperial rose garden was that she wanted to make Liu Hui Ying jealous and nothing else, why was it that the woman took what she wanted to say in another direction and asked such a stupid question? She should have turned envious when she heard that the Emperor has gifted her an imperial rose garden should she not? Why was she asking such a useless question? ¡°It is true that it¡¯s a beautiful courtyard but I cannot stay in the courtyard all the time, right?¡± Liu Fei Fei was rather upset when she did not see the jealous expression on Liu Hui Ying¡¯s face but she could not say that she actually came to see Liu Hui Ying getting jealous over the fact that she did not get a response garden. ¡± You should think of staying in the courtyard all the time,¡± Liu Hui Ying told her as she wiped her mouth and then handed the cloth back to Qui Ai before turning to look at Liu Fei Fei. ¡± You will be safer and the others will be happier.¡± Was she calling her a nuisance? Liu Fei Fei thought in her head with her face twisting in anger. ¡°Your majesty, I understand what are you saying but the reason that I came here was that I wanted to see what the Emperor gave you after all, you are the Empress aren¡¯t you? Surely the Emperor must have given you something even more fascinating than he did to me?¡± Liu Fei Fei¡¯s reason toe here was simple, she wanted to disgust Liu Hui Ying and nothing else after all, she hasn¡¯t forgotten the fact that she was chosen as a concubine despite being the daughter of the prime minister. And yet Liu Hui Ying was chosen to be the Empress just because she was the legitimate daughter of the Liu family even though her father was nothing but a useless merchant. Chapter 180 180 What are you doing Liu Hui Ying looked at the woman who was acting all proud and fussy in front of her, a part of her did not care because the woman who was sitting in front of her was a young woman of only sixteen there was no need for her to get angry with her but the Emperor...he was another case. She had a very good idea as to why the Emperor epted this Liu Fei Fei in his pce and even pretended to dote on her. Just like every other scheme of his, he most probably wanted to use this woman against her as well or maybe the woman whose body she was residing and from what she could see, this woman was most probably used to bullying the previous Liu Hui Ying, there was this glint in her eyes. That confident glint, one that she was used to seeing from every other bully who liked to bully her when she was in the school all because she was an orphan, without someone to back her up. And Liu Hui Ying hated people like her, the most. ¡± I don¡¯t know about courtyards and jewels but I do know that the Emperor likes toe and see me every now and then,¡± Liu Hui Ying said in a calm voice as she looked at Liu Fei Fei with a smile ying on her lips since the Emperor wanted to use this woman, she was going to use him against her. ¡± Do I need to care about petty things like the courtyard and jewels when I have the ruler of the country in my hands?¡± Liu Hui Ying snapped straight at one nerve that caused the most harm to Liu Fei Fei. It was true that the Emperor gifted her all those jewels and courtyards but he has never once visited her, she has heard from her maid that the Emperor would go to see Liu Hui Ying every now and then but he would nevere to her. For so many weeks she has waited and waited for him toe and see her but he hasn¡¯t done that, not for once and she could not understand why he was doing something like this to her. If he adored her then why doesn¡¯t hee and see her and if he did not adore her then why did he gift all those things to her? It was confusing and simply beyond her understanding, she wanted to understand what was going on in the head of the Emperor but Liu Fei Fei knew that she was not smart enough to do that, if she was then she wouldn¡¯t be stuck in this ce as just a concubine. ¡± You speak a bit too confidently, Hui Ying,¡± Liu Fei Fei replied even though her heart was in pain she was still smiling on the surface because this was not the first time she has been disregarded by someone, her father did the same thing every time she went home or ever since she went to his home. ¡± You seem to have forgotten that the Emperor has a childhood sweetheart, you will never get closer to that woman¡¯s ce in the heart of the Emperor.¡± ¡± Do I have to?¡± In response to Liu Fei Fei¡¯s words, Liu Hui Ying looked at her with a confident smile and took the tea from the hands of Qui Ai and said in a soft and mocking voice, ¡± I just need to surpass her spot in the heart of the Emperor, and you know what, I am very good at snatching.¡± She lowered her voice dramatically with a sinister devil-like smile on her face, her eyes shining with malice as she added, ¡± I can even snatch someone¡¯s life if that is what I want, you know that right?¡± ..... Liu Fei Fei stiffened when she heard Liu Hui Ying¡¯s words, she seemed to have forgotten that Liu Hui Ying was a woman who was willing to kill the maid who tried to scheme against her but now that she was reminded of that incident she threw in the back of her head, fear seemed to be crawling back up her spine as she got up from the cushion on which she was sitting and then hurriedly said, ¡± There is something that I need to do.¡± ¡® And after that she did not even look behind before she turned around and left the room, Liu Hui Ying watched her leave and scoffed derisively before taking another sip of her tea. She was someone who has seen the worst in people, was there any need for her to even fight with someone like Liu Fei Fei who did not even know that someone who was standing by her side was worse than she can ever imagine? ¡± That woman...she is dying, isn¡¯t she?¡± Grandma Lan Fen did find Liu Fei Fei a bit disrespectful but the idea of someone as young as her dying did not seem like a nice thing to her. ¡± Why are you feeling sorry for her?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked Grandma Lan Fen using her powers such that Qui Ai would not hear anything. ¡± I just feel that it is too soon for a young woman like her to die,¡± Grandma Lan Fen answered, she would have liked Liu Hui Ying to help Liu Fei Fei but she knew that Liu Hui Ying could not save Liu Fei Fei given that it was toote. That woman was beyond the point of saving and even if they tried to pull her away from the doors of death, they will only enrage those who have already written the fate of that woman. Liu Hui Ying nkly looked at the door that was closed and ced the teacup in her hand on the table as she hummed. ¡± You are right, that is indeed a pity but you need to understand that there is nothing that we can do about it, after all just how many people die every day? We can¡¯t save everyone just because it is a pity.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 181 181 You can choose to believe me Liu Fei Fei was not the only person who was angered by Liu Hui Ying, there was someone else who was very much annoyed by her but because of reasons known best to him, he could not say a word to Liu Hui Ying because that woman always did what she wanted and would not listen to anything that he has to say anyway. ¡± Your majesty ...did you...did you bath with your robe on?¡± eunuch Li was someone who was sent to the Emperor¡¯s pce by the Dowager Empress, though he would often tell the Dowager Empress what Zhai Tianyu did and where he went, he was very apt with his work and knew how to do his job without irking Zhai Tianyu. And more importantly, he was the one with whom Zhai Tianyu grew up which was why Zhai Tianyu was willing to withstand his presence because he knew that Eunuch Li only had limited guts to himself and did not have much courage to assassinate him, and his influence over the imperial pce there was a chance that if he was to send Eunuch Li away, he would get a eunuch who would assassinate him. This was the very reason he was willing to leave Eunuch Li alone and the old man was also good at handling his temper and day-to-day chores, so the two of them went along in a silent and unspeakable manner. But today for some reason that silence was broken as Eunuch Li watched Zhai Tianyu step out of the bathhouse with his robe on and water spilling around his feet as he walked out of the bathhouse, though he knew that the Emperor hated the fact when anyone touched him and did not like anyone seeing his naked body which was why he would bath alone despite the decorum telling him to have someone who will wash and clean him by his side. This was something Eunuch Li was used to, what he was not used to was watching the Emperor dressed in a wet robe and in a messy appearance like this, usually, when he went to the bath he would at the very least take off his clothes, what happened to him all of a sudden? Was his habit of not showing his body other than a man to anyone else getting even more severe and he was starting to hide his bare body from his own very eyes as well? ¡°It¡¯s nothing just bring a change of clothes and a wipe cloth as well,¡± there was no way Zhai Tianyu can tell Eunuch Li that he was being stalked by a very perverted ghost at the moment and even if he did, there was no way Eunuch Li would believe a thing that he was telling him. Eunuch Li shot another nce at the Emperor who has gotten another weird habit of bathing with a robe on and decided that he was going to tell this to the Dowager Empress as soon as possible after all, she needed to know what her son was up to. Once Eunuch Li was gone Zhai Tianyu once again turned to look at Jia Li who was haunting him for no reason at all, and asked in a wary and tired voice, ¡± How long are you going to go on with this thing? Are you not tired I mean this is truly too much. Don¡¯t you feel ashamed at the thought of peeping at a man in the bath?¡± ..... He will ept the fact that he might have overstepped a bit when he sent An Qian to guard the Queen but that was only because he did not want the Queen to be vanishing without him knowing anything and nothing more, why was it that he was being harassed like this? It was simply too much! Jia Li on the other hand waspletely unabashed as she shrugged calmly and then looked at Zhai Tianyu with a snicker. ¡± I am a ghost, what kind of ghost will feel abashed at the thought of peeping at a mortal man? It¡¯s not like as if I am doing something unspeakable to you. And my actions of peeping at you are purely educational. You are the one who is making it perverse.¡± ¡± Yeah, right,¡± he heard her whistle when he went to take off his robe, there was no way this ghost was studying his body because of purely educational purposes. If he was to believe it then he was aplete fool. ¡± You can choose not to believe me but if you were to believe me then you will have a better sleep at night,¡± Jia Li told him and Zhai Tianyu was on the verge of using her that she was peeping at him because she liked it when the door of his bedroom was slid open and in came Zhai Heng who seemed to be in a hurry as he said, ¡± I heard from Yu Lingyun, Schr Wei is back in the imperial city. I am going to send him an invite¨C what are you doing?¡± He suddenly paused when his gaze fell on the Emperor who was dressed in a wet robe with water pooling around his feet. ¡± What are you doing?¡± ¡± Nothing.¡± ..... Liu Hui Ying wiped her lips as she threw the cloth in the bowl and stood up from the table, when she turned around she saw An Qian kneeling behind her, because she did not expect the woman to appear out of thin air, she was surprised causing her to yelp as she looked at the woman who was on the floor. With a little jump, she patted her chest and muttered angrily, ¡± Did I not tell you not to appear out of thin air and startle me? And why are you even here? I think I told you to stay away from me, did I not?¡± An Qian did not show that she was feeling upset at Liu Hui Ying¡¯s scolding instead she signed with her hands and the angry expression on Liu Hui Ying¡¯s face changed into a different one as she muttered softly, ¡± Schr Wei is back?¡± ¡ª Please send some gifts it¡¯s seriously demotivating to see no gifts being sent! The chapters number will drop at this rate if I realise that you guys are not liking this story. QAQ Chapter 182 182 Watch yourself ¡± My Queen, you are here?¡± Zhai Tianyu turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who has arrived to stand next to him, behind her were Li Gang and Grandma Lan Fen who seemed to be excited over the fact that they were finally getting a chance to get into action. Liu Hui Ying hummed as she came to a stop in front of Zhai Tianyu who was looking at her in an aggrieved manner, she raised a brow at him when she noticed that he was looking at her like she might have done something wrong to him. ¡± Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Her question only caused Zhai Tianyu to choke as he looked at her with a pointed look on his face. ¡± Do you really think that you have done nothing wrong? You sent a perverted ghost after me, and I could not even take a bath!¡± Never did he has ever suffered like this before, a woman was watching every single second of his day without giving him a chance to breathe, even when he was eating Jia Li looked at him and kept onmenting things like ¡ª ¡® What a great posture.¡¯ ¡®Such a long tongue, no wonder you have so many women all charmed up.¡¯ ¡®What a pretty mouth, I bet those women who kissed you were the luckiest.¡¯ Thements became more and more vulgar with each word which was spoken by Jia Li, causing Zhai Tianyu to feel like he was being teased by a hooligan. While he was being teased by Jia Li, he came up with at least ten ways to improve the safety of women in his country and he swore that he was going to implement everyw by this evening. ¡± Aww, did you feel bad?¡± Liu Hui Ying snickered as she looked at the man who was looking at her with a wronged expression on his face. Her voice seemed to be mocking him as she cooed at him before she turned to look at the carriage that was standing in front of the pce gates of the Emperor. ¡± Did you think how ufortable I felt when you sent a woman to guard me, your majesty?¡± She nced at him sideways and sneered. ¡± I hate being watched, if you want to stop Jia Li from following you then call your guard back and then we will talk.¡± She was not lying when she said that she hated being watched, the scars of the past were not that easy to forget. After being med for killing or hurting someone when she hasn¡¯t done it, she hated being watched the most¨C Zhai Tianyu was lucky that he was the Emperor of this ce or else she would have sent Li Gang and taught him a good lesson. ..... Sending Jia Li was her being nice and giving him a chance to change his decision and nothing else. ¡± My queen, you seem to be misunderstanding something,¡± Zhai Tianyu sighed as he shook his head slowly. ¡± I did not send An Qian to keep an eye on you, I sent her because I want to make sure that you will not be harmed by anyone. As the Queen of this ce, I believe that you will face a number of dangers in the future.¡± ¡± I believe that I am in most danger when ites to you,¡± Liu Hui Ying scoffed as she looked at Zhai Tianyu with an impatient glint in her eyes. ¡± I was not asking you when I said that I hate being watched or kept track of my actions like a criminal, ask her back and I will leave her alone and if you don¡¯t then you might not know what I might do, your majesty.¡± She finished in a soft voice but the threat in her voice rang louder than the gong that was being beaten telling the passing of another hour. Zhai Tianyu looked at Liu Hui Ying who was looking at him with a confident expression on her face but at the same time he could see the fear and difort hiding in the bottom of those dark pupils, she was not lying when she said that she was ufortable with the idea of being watched by someone. He wanted to ask her why she hated something so simple as this but then he stopped himself, something told him that even if he was to ask her she will not tell him the truth. This was why he heaved a breath and then took a step back, ¡°I will agree to what you are asking me to do, I will not send anyone to guard you but can you do a small thing for me in return?¡± Liu Hui Ying frowned slightly at his question and he knew that what he was going to ask her was even weirder than this question but he still silently waited for her answer. It took a while as the chilly winds of the evening fluttered her long hair while the setting sun lit up her side profile causing a sort of golden glow on her pale skin. ¡± What is it?¡± She asked with a slight tilt of her head, her eyes locked on his. He swallowed feeling as awkward as any man could while saying these words to a woman whom he once wanted to see dead. ¡± My Queen, if you were to ever leave this ce, can you at least let me know that? I ...I would like to say goodbye if that were to happen.¡± His nerves went taut while he waited for her response, she did not answer him at once instead she waited for a long time before she burst outughing. Her tinklingugh echoed in the silent surrounding, this was his first time watching the Queenugh and he has to admit that the Queen¡¯sugh was really nice¨C it was at least much better than theugh of his Concubines who were too scared to even raise their voice whileughing. Liu Hui Yingughed for quite sometime before herughter slowly died down and she looked at him with a shadow of herughter in her eyes before she looked at him and said with a mocking smile, ¡± Watch yourself, your majesty. Or else I will start thinking that you fell in love with me or something, we don¡¯t want your precious getting jealous now do we?¡± ¡ª- Leave a gift or powerstone please? If we reach top two then I will release extra two chapters or maybe an extra one! Total three chapters! Chapter 183 183 Truth can not be hidden for long Zhai Tianyu stiffened when he heard Liu Hui Ying¡¯s words, he did not know how to respond to this but he did not need to respond to Liu Hui Ying at all because thetter turned around and walked over to the carriage and climbed up the carriage with the help of the driver. On the other hand, Zhai Tianyu stayed where he was, he licked his lips and then carefully thought about what Liu Hui Ying told him. If he was being honest, he never really knew what love was after all, he has watched his mother betray his father and he has also seen a bunch of Concubines taking advantage of his father¡¯s adoration to their advantage to cause havoc in the harem. The number of times he was targeted by those concubines, he seemed to have lost count of it which was exactly why he swore that he will only dote on just one woman and no one else and that too under the limitations of staying sane and not losing his head over a woman. Ji Yu was indeed his childhood sweetheart but he couldn¡¯t say that he loved her, he cared for but that was because she was the only woman who cared about him but other than that, there were no other feelings involved. But the feelings that he had for the Queen were considerable different than he had for Ji Yu but he did not know how to name these feelings and he was feeling overwhelmed because of these feelings more and more. ¡® Was it admiration?¡¯ He thought to himself, there was no way he was going to fall in love with a woman knowing how dangerous it could be and there were a bunch of things that he needed to do, including his revenge on the Liu family for killing his father, he could not lose his sight on the goal by getting involved with the queen. As the emperor, he could not lose control of his feelings. And he knew the consequences of his actions as well, which was why he threw the feelings that were making his head and heart unstable. This was nothing but admiration and nothing else, he was admiring the Queen who was strong enough to walk side by side with him. Right? ..... The sound of a teacup shattering on the floor echoed in the room and Xiao Mimi who was startled by the noise, immediately knelt on the floor as she apologised to the Grand Dowager Empress, ¡± Please forgive me, your majesty.¡± She cried with her head kneeling on the floor. ¡± This one did not know how something so ominous happened with this one¡¯s hands, please do forgive this small servant.¡± ..... The Grand Dowager Empress who was ying Go on the small jade board looked up and calmly said, ¡± There is no need for you to apologise, We are sure that this is not because of you but someone else...someone whose presence is not weed here.¡± ¡± Your majesty¡ª¡± no sooner did the Grand Dowager speak, than the guard standing outside the door announced, ¡± Her Majesty, the Dowager Empress announces her presence!¡± No sooner did the guard announce her presence, than the Dowager Empress walked inside the room. Her face had an elegant smile and her pace was graceful as she walked over towards where Grand Dowager Empress was sitting, when she reached a respectful distance the Dowager Empress paused in her stride and then lowered her head as she respectfully greeted the Grand Dowager Empress, ¡± I greet you, your majesty. Why did you ask me toe and see you? Is there something that this one has done wrong?¡± ¡°There are too many wrongs for me to count if that was the reason I called you then we will spend the rest of our lives sitting in this room,¡± Grand Dowager Empress calmly responded as she picked up a Go piece and then ced it on the jade board before she continued speaking, ¡± I called you here because I was getting bored, sit down and y a round with me. The winner has to ry their ns to each other, sounds interesting right?¡± Dowager Empress¡¯s lips twitched when she heard the Grand Dowager Empress calling her a source of entertainment. But she still sat down on the stool in front of the Grand Dowager Empress and then picked up a go piece herself as she skimmed over the jade board and then ced it down before speaking, ¡± Being called out of my courtyard to entertain you, your majesty. I can¡¯t help but be exhrated at the very thought.¡± Her sarcasm matched that of Grand Dowager Empress who chuckled and then started to counterattack the move that Dowager Empress made as she spoke, ¡± I have to say that you are still the same, even after killing my son, you can smile like that. I have to say not many women can be this ruthless, killing their husbands and ruining their lives yet being able to smile.¡± Dowager Empress did not look offended, on the other hand, sheughed out loud. Her gaze did not move from the Go board, she nodded and hummed before speaking, ¡± And you are just as same as thete Emperor, always acting like the good guy but hiding your true face behind that kind mask you always wear,¡± she breathed in heavily as she looked up at the Grand Dowager Empress and the smile on her lips fell from her lips. ¡± It has been so long and you are still carrying on with the act of not knowing the truth, I would love to see how long will you be able to hide the truth, your majesty. Because truth can never be hidden for long.¡± .... ¡± Your majesty,¡± Schr Wei entered the small pavilion that the Emperor booked whenever he came to see him. He bowed as soon as he walked inside the pavilion and greeted the Emperor who smiled at him pleasantly before he waved his hand aside and said, ¡± There is no need for you to worry with the formalities, uncle-inw. Come on sit down.¡± Despite his airy voice, his hands were clenched in hisp. Chapter 184 184 New identity and meeting Schr Wei Liu Hui Ying raised her head and looked at the man who has walked inside the room, Schr Wei was just like she imagined him to look like, with his face that was extremely good looking the man looked exceptional with his sharp eyes and lips that were red and full like blossoming roses. With one nce she was able to understand why Zhai Chenguang fell for him, she turned to look at the woman in question. Just as she expected Zhai Chenguang was looking at Schr with eyes that were shining with love and affection. Seeing her like this Liu Hui Ying simply shook her head, she knew that a woman would go blind when it came to love but she never expected Zhai Chenguang to gopletely blind to the point where she would miss everything that this person has done to her. ¡± Uncle Wei,¡± Schr Wei took a seat as Yu Lingyun pulled him down. He looked at the man sitting next to him and then smiled at him with a pair of glittering eyes. ¡± Where were you? We were missing you!¡± Schr Wei looked a bit ufortable with Yu Lingyun hugging him, he cleared his throat and shrugged off Yu Lingyun¡¯s arm and then looked at Zhai Tianyu with a polite expression on his face before he asked, ¡± Your majesty, is there something you want this one to do for you? If so there was no need for you to trouble yourself, even if you sent a simple message to me with a eunuch, I would have done the job.¡± He was a man who did not speak much, other than the Grand Dowager Empress, Schr Wei hardly ever talked with anyone, this was what everyone was used to but now that Zhai Tianyu knew that Schr Wei was involved with the killing of his aunt, he realised that the reason this man has never talked with them might be because he did not want to slip up. It had nothing to do with his introverted nature, this was more to do with his own selfishness because he feared getting caught. His gaze turned to look at Zhai Chenguang who was standing in the dark corner of the room where Liu Hui Ying was standing and noticed the love-stricken gaze that she had on her face and felt heavier by the second that was passing, his aunt even after dying loved this man. If she was to find out that this man was really involved in her death, what will she do? Will she even be able to rest in peace? He thought in his head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± said Zhai Tianyu as he turned to look at the server who poured a generous amount of wine into their cups. He waited until the server was done pouring the wine into his cup, once it was filled to the brim, Zhai Tianyu picked up the cup and then took a sip of the mellow wine. ¡°Zhen just called you for having wine and to spend a little time with Zhen, it has been such a long time since aunt left us but Zhen misses her every day as if she died just yesterday which is why Zhen called you, uncle Wei. Do you me Zhen for this?¡± Zhai Tianyu looked at the man in front of him, he kept looking at the man¡¯s face worried that he would miss any change in the expression of the man but to his surprise, the man did not show any change in his expression except looking a bit sad as he lowered his head and then sighed, ¡± You are right your majesty. It has been such a long time already but I still miss her as if she left me just a few days ago .¡± He raised his head and even had a few tears glittering in his eyes as he looked at Zhai Tianyu and wiped his tears. ¡± I still can¡¯t believe that is no longer with me.¡± ..... Zhai Tianyu looked at Schr Wei who was looking at him with tears in his eyes. This man was either a very good actor or he really was not involved in this case, but there was no need for him to think over this matter so much. The expert was already here, there was no need for him to use his head. ¡± I understand your pain, uncle Wei,¡± Zhai Tianyu muttered but then he raised his head and looked over Schr Wei¡¯s shoulder and his eyes shone with a glint as he loudly eximed, ¡± Oh you are here lord Chen.¡± Schr Wei turned to look at the man who was walking inside the room, he has never seen this young man with the emperor before and somewhere in his heart he started to feel a bit stifled when he saw this sudden change, why was it that no one told him that the Emperor found a new friend? Liu Hui Ying dressed up as a frivolous young man this time to avoid raising suspicions, which was why Zhai Tianyu gave her a new identity of Lord Chen, what was more they did not want Schr Wei to find out that she was investigating the death of Zhai Chenguang because of this they decided to keep changing her appearance for precaution purposes. ¡± Your majesty,¡± Liu Hui Ying was used to acting out various roles as a detective, the tone, the movements and her facial expression that she made as soon as she came to a stop in front of Zhai Tianyu werepletely like a good for nothing, young master. She bowed with a lot of waving of her hands before she straightened up and looked at Schr Wei along with everyone else, ¡± You all are already here?¡± ¡± This is ...?¡± Schr Wei turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who was sitting opposite him and asked, he seemed to be rather thrown off at the sudden arrival of the young man whom he has never seen before. ¡± He is Chen Rui,¡± replied Zhai Tianyu having finalised the name of the appearance of the young man that Liu Hui Ying used. ¡± He is one of my friends, you don¡¯t know him because you haven¡¯t seen him before, he just returned to the city before this he was travelling outside.¡± Chapter 185 185 A eunuch Schr Wei looked at Liu Hui Ying who was dressed as Chen Rui and nodded before he cupped his hand and greeted her politely after standing up from his seat, ¡± Lord Chen, I am schr Wei. You can call me Sir Wei or Master Wei as you like, it is a pleasure to meet you.¡± ¡± Likewise,¡± Liu Hui Ying replied but instead of cupping her hand, she stretched her hand in front of Schr Wei who looked at her outstretched hand dubiously, he turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who nodded but even after receiving his permission, Schr Wei did not shake hands with Liu Hui Ying. Seeing this Liu Hui Ying took Schr Wei¡¯s hand and shook it fervently, ¡± What are you looking at his majesty for, Master Wei? It¡¯s just shaking hands why are you acting like you cannot even do that much.¡± Schr Wei who was suddenly touched by Liu Hui Ying immediately pulled his hand out of her grip and then said somewhat stiffly, ¡± I do not like the touch of others which is why I would like to keep my distance from others.¡± As he spoke he even took a few steps away from Liu Hui Ying whose eyes glinted as she nodded slightly and Li Gang who was standing behind Schr Wei walked right into his body. When Li Gang walked inside Schr Wei¡¯s body, thetter stiffened and a ssy look came to his eyes, he stayed like this until Li Gang walked out of his body and as soon as Li Gang walked out of his body, he shuddered and coughed while rubbing his chest. ¡± What¡¯s wrong master Wei?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked as Li Gang nodded to her and her eyes narrowed slightly, her voice deepened a little as she finally realised what the case really was, even though this case had nothing to do with her but upon thinking about Zhai Chenguang, her heart started to burn in the mes of fury that she was trying her best to suppress. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Schr Wei replied as he rubbed his chest and then swallowed heavily for he has never felt like this before, just now he felt his entire vision go ck and even though he could hear everything around him, he could not move his body which caused him to get terrified for a moment. ¡± I think I have drunk a lot, maybe I should just leave¨C¡± ¡± Woah what are you talking about?¡± Liu Hui Ying threw her arm around Schr Wei and then pulled him to his chair. ¡± I just got here, how can you leave as soon as I came? Do you hate me, Master Wei?¡± Schr Wei looked at the arm that was holding him and shot Liu Hui Ying a cold look, seeing his cold expression, Liu Hui Ying made a sheepish expression as she dropped her arm and then sat down on the chair next to Yu Lingyun before saying, ¡± I am sorry, please forgive me. I have never seen a man who gets this offended about getting touched.¡± She turned to look at Yu Lingyun and hugged him with one arm causing Yu Lingyun to slightly tilt his body towards her. ..... To Yu Lingyun who worked and trained with both women and men, this was not something that he was unused to, which was why he did not feel anything but the thing was as soon as he leaned closer to Liu Hui Ying, he suddenly felt a cold breeze wafting over to him. His spine straightened up as he turned to look around the room to see what was happening. And that was when his eyes met with the chilling pair of Zhai Tianyu¡¯s eyes. What was this? Why was the Emperor looking at him like this? But before he could understand what was happening, Liu Hui Ying let go of him and the gaze that Zhai Tianyu was shooting was also gone, once he realised that Zhai Tianyu was no longer looking at him, he turned to look at Zhai Heng who was sitting beside him and asked, ¡± What was that¨C?¡± But before he could finish his question as he turned to look at Zhai Heng, he realised that the man was also ring at him. Yu Lingyun: ¡°...¡± What the fck man? What the fck? Liu Hui Ying did not seem aware of the war that was going on around her, instead, she looked at Schr Wei who looked at her with a slightly cold look before turning to look away as he said in a soft voice, ¡± This is not what I meant, I just don¡¯t like it when other try to touch me and nothing else.¡± Seeing how he was acting, Liu Hui Ying did not say anything. She did not need to touch him any further, what she wanted to find out was already found out. There was no need for her to press her hot face against this man¡¯s cold bottom any longer. With that in her head, she sat down calmly as the men started to talk about something before she turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who seemed to understand what she was trying to say and then turned to look at Schr Wei before asking again, ¡± Uncle, Zhen was thinking about going to aunt¡¯s tomb are you willing toe with Zhen?¡± ¡± Of course, she was my wife, there is no way that I will not agree toe to her tomb and pray for her peace.¡± Schr Wei nodded as he agreed with what Zhai Tianyu said before cing his cup on the table as she sighed. ¡± I wish that she goes to heaven and nowhere else.¡± ¡± Uncle?¡± Liu Hui Ying faked a confused look on her face as she looked at Zhai Tianyu and then turned to look at Schr Wei who turned to look at her with a calm expression on his face. ¡± You were married ?¡± ¡± That¡¯s right.¡± The man replied and that was when Liu Hui Ying tilted her head to the side and calmly asked, ¡± How can a eunuch marry a woman? And that too the aunt of the Emperor?¡± Please leave a few golden tickets,ments and powerstones. Remember if we reach the top 2 then I will publish three extra chapters. Chapter 186 186 Prove that you are a man ¡± What nonsense are you talking about?¡± As soon as Liu Hui Ying¡¯s words fell, the entire tea room got drowned in a wave of silence, no one said a word, even Yu Lingyun who never shut up felt like he has lost the ability to talk, he turned to look at Schr Wei along with Zhai Tianyu and Zhai Heng who too turned their gazes slowly towards Schr Wei who has jumped up from his seat, no one spoke anything until Schr Wei who was in a daze snapped out and jumped up from his seat. He was like a cat whose tail has been stepped on because he red at Liu Hui Ying with eyes that no longer held their usual grace, instead of those gentle glimmers that shone in his eyes, they were flickering with a wild energy that made him look almost maniacal. ¡± What kind of joke is this?¡± He shouted with an enraged voice while his eyes drilled into Liu Hui Ying¡¯s. ¡± Do you think this is fun? Questioning the masculinity of a man? A schr with pride?¡± Liu Hui Ying did not say anything while the man was shouting at her, instead, she calmly looked at him and waited until he was finished shouting. She looked at the man who was no longer aplete man in the terms of this world and her eyes for he had hurt a woman who waspletely innocent, she leaned back in her chair and then said in a soft voice, ¡± Your yang energy is all over the ce, your skin is cold and I do not feel the masculine energy running in your veins as it does in other men, instead your yang energy has depleted in an uncanny manner, which shows either that you are impotent or you have lost the proof of your masculinity.¡± ¡± But if you were impotent then your Yang energy would not be scattered all over your body, it would have been stored in a ce because of no release or it might have beenpletely missing,¡± she tilted her head to the side causing Master Wei to stiffen as he realised that she was not making a joke out of him but was actually using his physiognomy to back up her facts. ¡± But instead it¡¯s scattered all over your body that shows that you lost your masculine strength because of a sudden ident, your eyes are sunk even though you are using powder to hide them but I can see them all very clearly, yourplexioncks the healthy glow of a man who has been married meaning that you have never once engaged in sexual activities but ...¡± She trailed off and tapped her fingers on the armrest. ¡± If you were married how is it possible for you to not have any sexual intercourse?¡± Her questions came rapidly and with facts that would back her up, as soon as someone was to take a look at Schr Wei properly, they will be able to see that what she was speaking was the truth. Unlike Zhai Tianyu, Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun, Schr Wei looked weaker and someone who could be easily beaten up but there was something else, his body looked almost too sickly. ¡± What...What nonsense!¡± Schr Wei¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at Liu Hui Ying but even though he looked highly affronted, he was not able to retort Liu Hui Ying causing the others to take a long look at his physique, when Zhai Tianyu saw what Liu Hui Ying said was indeed true. Even though Schr Wei has taken great care of his face, one could see that he was looking a bit weaker than them. At first, they thought that it was because he was a schr and did not have much strength but now that he was looking at Schr Wei even more carefully he realised that the man looked far weaker than the other schrs as if he was sick with some serious disease, almost at once Zhai Tianyu¡¯s face sank as he realised that he has been fooled by a eunuch. ¡± If you think that I am speaking nonsense then why don¡¯t we do this, we can call a eunuch and have him check you up,¡± Liu Hui Ying curled a side of her lips with a mocking look in her eyes. ¡± If you don¡¯t like it then we can always have someone among these three to check up on you, after all, you were a man once as well, no... that¡¯s wrong.¡± She paused as she leaned her cheek on the knuckles of her hand and then looked at Schr Wei. ¡± ording to you, you are still a man. There is no need for you to shy away and show your masculinity to them right?¡± ..... ¡± No...how ....this is senseless...aplete sphemy!¡± Schr Wei acted as if he has been wronged but he did not say a word that will show that he was agreeing with Liu Hui Ying at all. Instead, he became even paler than he was before like he was scared of getting his secret known to others. ¡± I will do it,¡± Yu Lingyun stood up from his seat as he looked at Schr Wei with his jaw set and his lips pressed in a thin line. He has never thought that they will be fooled like this, if what Liu Hui Ying said was the actual truth then he can say that the entire imperial family has been yed by this man and everyone else who was with him. Schr Wei¡¯s eyes turned as wide as saucers as Yu Lingyun stepped closer to him, he looked at the man in front of him and then turned to look at Zhai Tianyu before he said in a stuttering voice, ¡± Your majesty, you can not have them disrespect me like this... I am a man, I am your official. If I am disrespected what will others think of me? Don¡¯t let them do this to me.¡± But Zhai Tianyu was no longer in a sane mood, he looked at Schr Wei and coldly said, ¡± If you prove them wrong then I will have his head chopped off and the general¡¯s hands chopped away as well but for now, prove your identity as a man, Uncle.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 187 187 Running away ¡± No, you cannot do this, your majesty!¡± Schr Wei looked like Zhai Tianyu has actually announced his execution date instead of asking him to prove his identity as a man. But Zhai Tianyu did not listen to his plea at all, why will he? If it was proven that Schr Wei was not a whole man then it meant that he fooled not only his aunt but also him because no man who has lost his manhood was allowed to be an official other than a eunuch in the pce or the house of a minister, what was more a man was only turned to a eunuch under two conditions. One that he gives it up by himself once he sells himself or when he was caught in a crime and was punished with the punishment of not having a child or a family in the future. If either of these was right, then it meant that Schr Wei has broken the most importantw of the imperial family. ¡± I have assured you that there will be punishment if they are making a mistake and not one thing less,¡± Zhai Tianyu¡¯s hand curled on hisp. ¡± But if they are speaking the truth, then be prepared to be punished as the sinner of the imperial family .¡± Bing a sinner of the imperial family meant that they will never be allowed to die in one swift kill, those who were called the sinner of the imperial family were killed slowly over the days. Either they were tied on the streets where they were killed by the public who were ordered to throw stones at them, or they were hanged on the wall half alive where they were slowly eaten by crows and vultures. If they were proven to harm the imperial family members then they were made a public spittoon after tearing their limbs off and thrown into a stone bowl that was ced in the busiest street of town or city where they were left to die while being used by the people of the city as they wanted to use their bodies. When Schr Wei heard this, all the blood drained from his face before he looked at the people who were sitting in the tearoom with a helpless expression on his face but then something moved in his eyes and then he cursed out loud, ¡± Damn you all to death!¡± As he screamed he threw something at Liu Hui Ying who was surprised by his action, even Zhai Tianyu and Zhai Heng were stunned. The two of them stretched their hands to stop the thing from reaching the Queen but as soon as the thing was touched by Zhai Heng¡¯s hand, it exploded at once causing the entire room to be filled with smoke. ¡± What...¡± Zhai Tianyu who saw what was happening was stunned at first before he shouted at Yu Lingyun and the other guards. ¡± Catch him, don¡¯t let him run away!¡± ..... But the smoke was so thick that no one was able to see anything, even Yu Lingyun who was used to fighting in dust and debris could not see anything. He even tried to make a wild catch but he could not do it because the smoke seemed to be filled with chilli powder, his eyes were filled with tears and he could not do anything with his vision blinded like that, only the ghosts were unaffected. Jia Li saw that Schr Wei was running and thus she turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was covering her eyes and asked, ¡± Should I chase after him?¡± ¡± What else? Are you waiting for me to hand you an invitation card or something of the sort?¡± Liu Hui Ying was rather annoyed when she heard Jia Li¡¯s question, she could not even see and yet her ghosts were making fun of her at this moment. ¡± I was just asking since you told us to not make a move without asking for permission,¡± Jia Li poked fun at Liu Hui Ying who raised her head and snarled, ¡± I am temporarily blind not permanently, just wait until I start seeing properly. I will make you cry just you wait!¡± Seeing that Liu Hui Ying was getting angry, Jia Li and the others immediately flew out of the room worried that they will be punished heavily which was why they did not dare to make fun of Liu Hui Ying anymore. .... Once the smoke disappeared, Liu Hui Ying used the water that was in the jug in front of her to wash her eyes. She was worried that she will really go blind if she did not wash her eyes and as soon as her vision cleared up, she was surprised to see that even Zhai Tianyu and Zhai Heng were crouching with their eyes covered. It was really shocking that these men who were used to practising martial arts were defeated by such a small trick. ¡± Here you go,¡± she pushed the jug in front of Zhai Tianyu who was covering his eyes. ¡± Wash your eyes with water or else they will burn even more.¡± As soon as she spoke Zhai Tianyu raised his hand and then picked up the jug that Liu Hui Ying was holding in front of him and started washing his eyes he blinked them rapidly and then pushed the jug to his brother who started washing his eyes before pushing the jug to Yu Lingyun who was cursing. Yu Lingyun washed his eyes while he cursed under his breath, ¡± I am going to kill that man, no eunuch! How dare he make use of such a trick and even make fun of us. For so many years he has made a fool out of us, I am going to pull his extremities out and then kill him!¡± ¡± You have to wait for that,¡± Liu Hui Ying turned to nce at Zhai Chenguang whose face was covered with shock and disbelief, she stared at the door from where her husband ran away as her Yin energy fluctuated and Liu Hui Ying was sure that she was remembering the forgottenst moments of her life. Please leave golden tickets, powerstones and gifts! Thank you to all who are supporting this book, a lovely hug to each one of you who sent a gift to me! Chapter 188 188 The day of ident Author¡¯s note: Thank you for supporting this book, I can¡¯t thank you all for supporting this work. Hugs to all of you! Zhai Chenguang stared at the door, she did not chase after Schr Wei like Jia Li and the others did, instead, she looked at the door with a dazed look on her face as she slowly stumbled back and slid down the floor. ¡± How? H..how?¡± She asked no one in particr as she looked around the room, her expression full of disbelief. But even if she did not want to believe what Liu Hui Ying said, the memories of the day when she died came over to her mind flooding her vision with what happened to her and she could no longer ignore the truth at all. On the day of the ident. She was travelling to the city where her husband was giving a lecture, dressed in his favourite shade of pink, she packed everything that Schr Wei liked to eat after cooking the dishes with her own hands. The city was quite a distance away from the imperial city which was why her nephew sent a bunch of soldiers with her because he was worried that she will end up getting attacked. ¡± Mistress, do you think that you did a good thing by leaving the pce for Schr Wei?¡± Her maid who was working for her ever since she married in the Wei household asked her with a hesitation-filled expression, she seemed to be thinking about something and wanted to tell Zhai Chenguang something but something was stopping her. Zhai Chenguang did not seem to understand what the maid was trying to say, she tilted her head to the side and then looked at the maid who was looking at her with a half-sympathetic and half-pitiful expression. Her gaze did not sit well with Zhai Chenguang but she was not a woman who would get angry at such a small thing, if she was not this gentle then her husband would have never fallen for her, who was even more soft-hearted than many women who came from the schr family. She smiled at her maid and then replied softly, ¡± Of course, it was worth it, the lord treats me well and soon we will be looking forward to having a child,¡± she caressed her belly with an expression full of motherly love. ¡± I am sure once I give birth to a child, he will definitely adore me even more.¡± She has been taking the medicine that the doctor from the imperial family gave to her, the doctor was renowned for his heavenly hands, it was said that he could even bring back the dead to life, which was why she was certain that the doctor will definitely help her. Upon hearing her words the maid turned even more confused, her expression twisted slightly as she swallowed hard and then said in a soft voice, ¡± Mistress you will never be able to have a child.¡± ..... This time Zhai Chenguang frowned as she looked at the maid and chided her lightly, ¡± What are you talking about? Are you cursing me?¡± The maid however shook her head as she hurriedly dropped to her knees and then said in an apologetic voice, ¡± Please forgive me, mistress, my intention was not to hurt you. I am not cursing you but I want to let you know that the reason you can never be a mother is that the lord is not aplete man....he ..he is a eunuch!¡± ¡± What did you say ¡ª¡± as soon as the maid finished speaking and Zhai Chenguang¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, the surrounding area around her suddenly plunged deep as if the sand was drowning in the sea of nothingness. The carriage in which she was travelling tilted to the left and then Zhai Chenguang did not get a chance to ask the maid what she was trying to say anymore, she stretched her hands out to stop herself from falling but there was no point in doing so because the carriage was falling itself, even if she tried to save herself how was she supposed to do that when the carriage in which she was travelling was already falling? The carriage rolled down as screams burst all over the ce, the soldiers who were travelling with her fell down the cliff together with her as thendslide came falling over them. The maid who was sitting opposite to her threw herself against her, she covered her body with her own as she continued speaking, ¡± Mistress, the lord was the one who was nning to kill you. Everything that is happening now is ording to his n. He threw me with you because he knew that I was getting closer to you, he was worried that I will mess up with his ns. That man...he approached you with an intention in his mind, he deliberately came closer to you. Mistress, I am sorry ...if I had been courageous before then you could have run away from this scheme, please forgive me and don¡¯t me me too much.¡± ¡± You...¡± Zhai Chenguang¡¯s words were caught in her throat as the carriage came down and was crushed because of the impact that fell over the carriage as soon as it fell down the cliff. The impact caused her mind to go in a daze but the impact was softened because of the fact that the maid who has thrown her body over her hadpletely covered hers. Zhai Chenguang opened her eyes once the ringing in her ears slowed down, she looked at the maid whose body was squashed by the wood and she softly called the maid, ¡± Meng Yi...?¡± But the maid whose body was squashed by the wood did not move, the scent of blood overwhelmed Zhai Chenguang, and her eyes turned red. Even if the maid was not loyal to her all along but at least she stayed loyal at the very end and even gave her life for saving hers. ¡ª¡ª- Chapter 189 189 I will kill you Dedicating todays chapter to KalisteKitten, Alda87 and SaekoPhantom. Thank you for sending me gifts ! Hugs! Zhai Chenguang pushed the maid¡¯s body off her own, she looked around the debris and the remnants of the carriage, there was no way she would be able to get out of this ce but if what the maid said was the truth then she would have to get out of this pile of wood and sand before running back home and telling Zhai Tianyu the truth. Though her heart was hurting really badly because of the betrayal that she has received she was the princess of this imperial city. Being calm and collected in the face of danger and death was something that she was trained to be, which was why she immediately sat up straight in the spot where she was but as soon as she stood up, she realised that her legs were squashed by the carriage and she could move them. With a slight purse of her lips, she dragged her legs with the help of her hands trying to get closer to the small opening from where she could get out of this ce but as soon as she arrived at the opening, she heard the sound of footsteps rushing towards her direction. A bad premonition rushed in her heart as she tried to escape from the shadows that were covering her through the light peeking from the space between the wooden boards but as soon as she stumbled back, Zhai Chenguang realised that she could not run away anyway, there was no space for her to sneak out and the only space that was present was covered by someone who most probably came to see whether or not she was dead. Dread filled her heart as she turned to look around the entire space but she did not find any ce from where she would be able to get out while she was looking around, the person outside started tugging the wooden nks aside, one by one the nks were taken away from the pile and Zhai Chenguang who was trapped in a small space felt death knocking on her door. Soon, the pile of wooden nks was wooden aside as the sand covering the pile fell from the top of the pile. ¡± Goodness she is still alive!¡± eximed a familiar voice. ¡± Of course she is, I told you that the maid she was with was getting quite cosy with her, look at that, she killed herself to save this woman.¡± sneered another voice with whom Zhai Chenguang was rather familiar, she covered her eyes from the raindrops that were falling over her face. She turned to look at the two figures that were standing over her behind them was a third figure and when she saw that figure her eyes widened even more, she looked at her maid who was given to her by her mother and she couldn¡¯t believe her eyes for one second. ¡± Xiao ...Mi...you too?¡± ..... Xiao Mi simply looked at her without even saying anything but she did get closer to the man whom her husband has taken as a disciple. Zhai Chenguang understood what was going on and her heart was filled with rage, she turned to look at Schr Wei who was standing over her with a contemptuous look in his eyes and sneered, ¡± So, you were working so hard for this? Are you happy seeing me like this?¡± Schr Wei was surprised by her patience and calm, he did not understand why she was not screaming and yelling at him but he did not seem to care, he shrugged and said, ¡± I am...I am so happy that my heart that has been weighing down at the thought of marrying you is finally liberated and the rest of unease will go away when I see you go to hell.¡± ¡± Hell?¡± Zhai Chenguang scoffed as she spat on Schr Wei¡¯s shoes and sneered. ¡± I think you are mistaking something here, the ones who will be going to hell will be you three.¡± She tipped her chin at Schr Wei, Schr Ren and the maid who betrayed her for love. ¡± People who killed an innocent are sinners of the heavens, you all are sinners of the heavens! And you...¡± she turned to look at Schr Wei. ¡± You aren¡¯t even aplete man, who are you to curse me to death? You aren¡¯t even going to be epted by either heaven or hell! Ahh¨C!¡± She screamed in pain when the glint in Schr Wei¡¯s eyes changed into something malevolent and then he stabbed her with the sword that he was holding by his sides. Pain burst into her body as the de of the sword shed flesh and blood spurted out of her skin staining the ground, the man who has always pretended to be gentle in front of her, seemed to have lost his mind. He continued to stab her again and again, her gaze turned to look at the two who stood beside the man without stopping him, seeing this she smiled and spat in a cold voice, ¡± I curse you three...¡± Schr Wei paused when he heard her cold voice. ¡± No matter how long it takes, I wille back for you three and have you punished with the greatest punishment known to the imperialw. You three just wa..wait for me to return...¡± these words took thest of her strength as she fell back on the ground. Her eyes flicked to Schr Wei with thest of her haunting smile as she said, ¡± I will be back.¡± But in her heart, she wished she could forget this day and everything else. As everything came flooding back to Zhai Chenguang, she covered her face with her hands. How could she have forgotten this? How could she forget that her husband killed her? ¡°Aunt,¡± Zhai Tianyu looked at his aunt who was crouching on the floor. ¡± Don¡¯t lose yourself.¡± He told her when he saw that the dark smoke around her was getting thicker and thicker, to the point that it was covering her whole. But before he could say anything more, his aunt stood up from the ground, her eyes turning wide as her features distorted to something more evil, as she screamed, ¡± I am going to kill him!¡± Please leave ament, powerstone, gift or a golden tickets if you are liking the story. Chapter 190 190 Satisfaction is a must ¡± You need to stop if you want to burn in the eighteen levels of hell,¡± Lin Hui Ying could understand the anger that Zhai Chenguang was going through, she was never betrayed by anyone but she felt the same anger when she found out that someone killed her sister. Back then she too wanted to kill everyone and watch the world burn while she did that which was why she understood Zhai Chenguang¡¯s anger better than anyone. But as a celestial master, she understood the consequences of giving in to that anger as well. Zhai Chenguang could not kill Schr Wei because she did not have the right to do so, as a ghost who was lingering at the surface of the earth because of her regrets, she could not hurt or kill anyone, she wasn¡¯t even allowed to bring her own case to a celestial master, so how can she even think of hurting someone? Zhai Chenguang was, however, no longer in any condition to listen to what Liu Hui Ying was saying, she was angered to the point where nothing but the scent of blood was overwhelming her. She wanted nothing more than death, pain and blood for her anger to be released but before she could do anything like she nned to do, she was stopped by Liu Hui Ying who used the beads of strings that were tied around her wrist to tie Zhai Chenguang¡¯s soul. Liu Hui Ying has been refining the beads ever since she took them from the Grand dowager Empress. She has wrecked her sleep by exchanging it with the nightmares that have been repeating in her head every night when she closed her eyes but she has worked hard to make sure that her nightmares were worth it, she has refined these beads until they could be used in the manner they were supposed to be¨C that was the soul restrainer. It was a lot of hard work on her part where she has to relive the day when she lost her sister but she has done it. Did a better job than she has expected and now she could use the beads as they were supposed to be used, with her eyes gleaming slightly she looked at Zhai Chenguang¡¯s soul that was trying to get past her restraints. ¡± Don¡¯t fight you will not be able to get past these restrictions,¡± she told Zhai Chenguang who was trying her very best to get away from her and the long beads that were wrapped around the soul that was crouching on the floor. ¡± You don¡¯t need to do anything, I am your bridge to this world. If there is something that you want me to do then you need to tell me because I can kill those who have hurt you without any retaliation from the heavens, I have the power to do that, you know that right?¡± Zhai Chenguang raised her head before her gaze flickered to the fiery red eyes of Liu Hui Ying while she was restraining her with beads that glowed bright blue. She looked at Liu Hui Ying as she heaved heavily and then gritted her jaw before she said, ¡± I want him to suffer, I want him to neither die nor stay alive, can you do that?¡± ¡± Just that much?¡± Liu Hui Ying smirked with a grin ying on her face. ¡± I am telling you that I am your guardian in this world, since I took your case then I promise that I will give you guaranteed satisfaction.¡± .... ..... Schr Wei ran out of the shop where he was stopped by the guards but with the help of the smoke bomb that he has made with chilly powder, he was able to run away from the shop without being caught by the guards who were trying to stop him. As soon as he ran out of the shop after pushing a bunch of customers who were in his way, he rushed straight towards the carriage in which he came to the sea shop. The carriage driver saw his master running towards him and was stunned when he saw the messed up condition of Schr Wei, he has never seen Schr Wei look like this, his master has always been calm and controlled, his expression gentle and he has never even walked in a hurried pace much less run like this in panic. Seeing him run like this the carriage driver was stunned, he looked at his master and hurried down from his seat before he asked in a panicked manner, ¡± My lord, what happened?¡± He peered inside the tea house, he was worried that something really bad happened to either his majesty or his friends. ¡± Did something happen to the Emperor?¡± The carriage driver was being polite but the second Schr Wei heard the name of the Emperor, his eyes popped out of his second and he reacted violently. He caught hold of the driver by his cor and then pushed him aside as he shouted, ¡± Shut up!¡± His scream garnered a lot of attention from the people who were around the tea shop and on the street, they all paused to see what was going on. Schr Wei has always been insecure about his weakness and now that the weakness was out in the open, he got even more insecure. It was as if everyone knew that he was not a whole man and that they were looking at him with a contemptuous looks in their eyes. ¡± What are you looking at?¡± He shouted as he red at the people who were looking his way and then hurried over to the carriage where everyone was standing and then pushed the people who were surrounding his carriage violently. He was acting like such a crazed man that no one stopped him instead they let him leave like he was a mad dog who has been left unattended by his master. Schr Wei rushed to the carriage and then climbed up the seat before he raised the whip and started hitting the horse that was tied in front of the carriage in a rush as if he was trying to leave the marks of the whip on the skin of the horse. ¡ª¡ª- Chapter 191 191 She is sending her regards. Dedicating todays chapter to KalisteKitten, weeelizabeth, dia, DaoistxOg3Te, Daoist207304. The horse in front of the carriage stood on its hind legs before it rushed past everything and everyone. Seeing the carriage run past Jia Li clicked her tongue and then turned to look at Li Gang and Grandma Lan Fen before saying, ¡± He will be so mad once he finds out that he won¡¯t be able to get away from the punishment that ising for him.¡± Li Gang rolled his shoulders and then cracked his knuckles as he tilted his neck side by side before he remarked, ¡± He is going to get what he deserves, does he think that this is fun? Ruining a woman¡¯s life and then even killing her so brutally? He deserves this.¡± ¡± You are right dear,¡± for the first time even Grandma Lan Fen looked really mad, she red at the carriage that was driving away and then harrumphed. ¡± I am going to make sure that this man gets what he deserves no matter what!¡± Jia Li grinned as she floated up in the air and then said, ¡± Then shall we go? We have a criminal to catch !¡± .... Schr Wei did not know that he had three trackers after him, he rushed to the small house where he and his disciple lived together, away from the imperial city. Throughout the entire time he did not even stop his carriage for one second not even when he saw that the people were on the verge of getting squashed by him, he kept driving his carriage like he was wishing it to fly in the air and then barged inside the house where he, Master Ren and Xiao Mi, the maid lived. Because he was in a hurry, he did not wait for the guards to open the gates of his house, instead, he barged inside the house like he was flying inside, crashing against the door that was at the front of the house causing a loud noise to echo in the silence of the surrounding. ¡± What was that?¡± Schr Ren looked up from the calligraphy on which he was working hard and then looked at Xiao Mi who was grinding ink. She looked at him and shook her head, telling him that she did not know what was going on which was why Schr Ren stood up from the cushion on which he was sitting and walked over to the sliding door. But the second he reached the sliding door, he was surprised to see that the door was pushed open in a hurry and the one who was standing outside the door was none other than his master, Schr Wei. ..... ¡± What is wrong, master?¡± Ren Wei asked as he looked at Schr Wei who was panting, he looked at his master and then nced behind his master. Why was it that his master was running like someone was after him? Did something happen? ¡± Wei¡¯er, we have to run!¡± Schr Wei immediately caught hold of Ren Wei¡¯s cor and he pulled him towards him. ¡± We have to run away, we have been found out, the Emperor ..the Emperor knows that we were the ones who killed his aunt, we have to get away from here. Hurry before hees here!¡± Ren Wei¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at Xiao Mi whose eyes were as big as saucers, she looked back at him and then rushed towards the cab where they kept their money and other precious things. While she was taking the money out, Ren Wei turned to look at his master before he asked, ¡± What is going on? How did the Emperor find out about it after so long? It has been so many months already!¡± They killed Zhai Chenguang months ago, how was it possible for the Emperor to find out about what happened to Zhai Chenguang, after so long? ¡± I do...don¡¯t know,¡± Schr Wei panted as he ced his hand on Ren Wei¡¯s shoulders and then blinked his eyes while sucking as much breath as he could, he has been rushing the carriage so fast that his entire body was hurting. He was a schr and did not have much strength to fight against things much less run like his life depended on it. He ground his teeth, as he thought about the man who has let his secret out. ¡± I don¡¯t know where the Emperor got another friend from, he found out that I am not a man the second he saw me. And the second he found out that I am not a man, he went on and on unravelling one thing after another, I believe that we did not fool that heir of the throne at all, that man was already doubtful of us. He might have been waiting for that sly fox toe back.¡± ¡°Sly fox? Are you talking about me?¡± A new voice joined them and Schr Wei¡¯s eyes widened as he whipped his head around and looked at Liu Hui Ying who was standing behind him. ¡± You...¡± ¡± Hello,¡± Liu Hui Ying smiled at him as she made a hand seal and summoned a long chain scythe, this was the weapon that she used in the modern world but because there were certainws that barred the killing of humans, she could not use it that much but now that she no longer need to restrain herself, she was no longer hesitant at all. ¡± I am here because Zhai Chenguang sent me here to make you three suffer.¡± Ren Wei and Schr Wei stepped inside the room while Xiao Mi dropped the money that was in her hands. Wei De¡¯s eyes quivered as he looked at the man in front of him with trembling lips as hisplexion turned pale. ¡± You are lying,¡± he spoke in a hurry as soon as he realised what Liu Hui Ying finished speaking, he was in such a hurry that he ended up stumbling over his words. ¡± That woman is dead! She is in hell.¡± ¡± Who said that?¡±Liu Hui Ying asked as she rotated the chain scythe in her hands with a devil-like smile on her face as she threw it at Wei Dei¡¯s legs and looped it around such that the sharp de dug into his skin. ¡± She is here right next to you and is sending her regards to you.¡± And then she pulled the scythe causing Wei De¡¯s leg to be torn in half. Chapter 192 192 Kill you slowly Schr Wei felt as if his body was being torn into half, but the pain was too much for him to even realise what was happening around him. ck spots danced in front of him as he looked at the ceiling of his room. Why was he lying on the floor? Why was he looking at the ceiling? The pain in his leg was too much for him to bear. For a while he did not understand what was going on, it wasn¡¯t until the screams of Ren Wei and Xiao Mi echoed in his ears, did he snap of his daze as he looked at Ren Wei who was looking at him with an expression that was full of panic. ¡± Master! Master! Can you hear me?¡± He called him loudly and Wei De who was lying on the floor had to blink several times before he regained his senses but as soon as he regained his senses unfortunately for him the second he regained his consciousness, he ended up regaining his sense of pain as well. Pain, burning and churning shot through his calf, he went to clutch his leg but as soon as his fingers reached his left leg he realised that he could not touch his leg at all. Instead of his leg, he touched the air causing him to push himself off the floor. Even though he felt like he was dying, Wei De still pushed himself off the floor after summoning his courage and what he saw made him pass out again, he looked down at the space where his sturdy leg once was and screamed out loud. Blood was spurting out from the point where his leg has been chopped off staining the entire floor, as he looked at the floor that was full of blood and nothing else. His leg that was torn off was now lying at a short distance from him, the nerves within it were still pulsating even though it was now separated from him. ¡± What...What are you doing?¡± Wei De shouted at Liu Hui Ying who was standing in front of him. He wished he could go against this man who was trying to kill him but he was a schr, who has never indulged himself in martial arts, how was it possible for him to fight a man who knew skills that were beyond his understanding? ¡± What do you think I am doing?¡± Liu Hui Ying said with a gentle smile as she looked down at Wei De who was lying on the floor. ¡± I told you didn¡¯t I? Your wife sends you regards, I never said that her regards were warm regards? They were regards one would hand out at funerals.¡± Wei De stiffened as he looked at Liu Hui Ying who was approaching him like a devil, he swallowed hard and then looked around his room. After he killed Zhai Chenguang, it wasn¡¯t as if he did not feel that something was wrong ¡ª every time he went to the imperial pce, he did feel like someone was watching him but he has always pushed those thoughts away, in fact even now he felt that the room was slightly colder than it usually was even though there was a brazier burning at the centre of the room. His instincts were on spot, unlike Zhai Tianyu and the others who were still rushing towards this ce, Zhai Chenguang arrived here with Liu Hui Ying, who used her powers to arrive as fast as possible. ..... Right now, she was watching Wei De suffer as she did when she died at his hands. ¡± What are you trying to do?¡± Ren Wei stood next to his master, he wanted to tackle Liu Hui Ying down but his gaze fell on the long scythe that she was holding in her hands and looked at the de that was dripping with blood and shivering. He would not be able to fight this person, even if he wanted to there was no way possible for him. Which was why he stayed where he was, just now he saw how quickly this person used that de to chop Wei De¡¯s leg. It could be said that this man knew and have seen the worst because even when he tore Wei De¡¯s leg, there wasn¡¯t even the slightest frown on her forehead, which was why he did not dare to go head-on with the man with a chain scythe in his hands. A man who was not at all bothered while killing someone without even the slightest change of expression was someone who can do anything. Going against this man was like trying to invite death to his door even earlier than it was scheduled. ¡± We can talk this out,¡± Ren Wei knew that he would not be able to get away from this situation not when the person who was in charge of killing them was already standing in front of him like a grim reaper. At this moment he could only do one thing and that was to make this person drop the idea of killing them. ¡± We have money as well, we can give you as much money as you want. ..just let us leave, I promise that I will give you as much money as you will need in your life. You wouldn¡¯t have to work for your entire life, just l..let us go, please.¡± ¡± Do you really think that it is going to work?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked with a raise of the brow. Her smile did not falter as she looked at the man who was trying to haggle with her, it was true that she loved money but that did not mean that she loved it so much that she will do something wrong like allowing murderers like them to roam free on the streets. ¡± And if you really wanted to talk to me about giving you a chance then you should have made sure that no one would sneak up on me to smash a vase on my head.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 193 193 Tell me why you did it Xiao Mi who was sneaking behind Liu Hui Ying paused when she saw that Liu Hui Ying was only paying attention to Ren Wei and Wei De, she thought that Liu Hui Ying was not paying attention to her at all but now that the woman suddenly called her out, she stiffened and looked at Liu Hui Ying who turned her head slightly and smiled at her. ¡± Are you going to hit me or not? I am in a hurry here, if you are going to hit me then you might as well do it.¡± No sooner did she say these words both Xiao Mi and Ren Wei exchanged a look with each other and then hurried forward, Xiao Mi had a vase in her hands while Ren Wei had a small dagger in his hands. They thought that even though they were not as talented as Liu Hui Ying they will be able to take Liu Hui Ying down which was why they were very confident as they rushed at Liu Hui Ying. It was then that Zhai Tianyu arrived at the house where Wei De and the others were hiding. His gaze fell on Liu Hui Ying who was surrounded and his heart jumped to his throat, he immediately took his sword out as he rushed forward with a startled cry, ¡± My Queen!¡± But when he reached the room, he realised that Liu Hui Ying did not need him at all. She threw two talismans at Ren Wei and Xiao Mi one by one, one of the talismans struck Ren Wei who was sent flying into the wall opposite and then turned to look at Xiao Mi who froze in the middle of her attack because Jia Li intercepted her by catching her hands. ¡± You are really smart,¡± Liu Hui Ying turned to look at Xiao Mi who had an exploding bomb talisman sticking to her right arm. ¡± But the thing is that you are not as smart when ites to using that head properly, do you think that this was a wise move?¡± She spoke as she approached Xiao Mi who was standing behind her. ¡± If you were smart you would have gotten to your knees and begged for your life, given that your life was in my hands but instead you did the exact opposite. You tried to attack me, what did you think? You will be able to take me down?¡± A smile etched on Liu Hui Ying¡¯s face. ¡± What you don¡¯t know is that I was confident toe here alone, which means that I can kill you all three without even trying.¡± As she finished speaking, the talisman on the arm of Xiao Mi glowed brilliantly before it exploded and the entire room was filled with the scent of blood. Xiao Mi who was standing on her two feet dropped to her side as half of her body exploded into pieces but even though half of her body was torn into half, she was still awake very much conscious of what was happening around her. ¡± Xiao Mi!¡± When Ren Wei saw that Xiao Mi was attacked and that too so brutally his entire body turned cold, he did not move from the spot where he was lying because he knew that Liu Hui Ying was going toe after him next and he was right on the mark, Liu Hui Ying turned to look at him with the chain scythe in her hands as she looked at him with a smile that was yet to flicker. ¡± Now, what should I do to you?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked dragging the chain scythe behind her. ¡± Should I snap your neck? Or should I skin you alive?¡± She looked at Ren Wei who was lying against the wall with a fearsome look on his face. She turned to look at Zhai Chenguang who was standing beside her and raised a brow before she asked, ¡± What do you want me to do them? Do you want me to kill them or do you want me to drag this painfully?¡± ..... ¡± Drag it painfully,¡± Zhai Chenguang¡¯s hatred was too simple to end just because these people died which was why she wanted them to die slowly. ¡± I want them to feel the same pain that I did when I was stabbed again and again.¡± But then she paused and added, ¡± Before that, I want to know why they killed me, I want to know the truth.¡± Liu Hui Ying smiled as she looked at Ren Wei who was watching her carefully. ¡°Let¡¯s make a deal shall we? I will make your death swift if you tell me the truth, why did you kill Princess Zhai Chenguang? If you answer me honestly, your death will be faster than the other two, if you lie then I will have my fun with you, and believe me you wouldn¡¯t like my way of having fun with you.¡± She raised the chain scythe and then rolled it such that it was whirling in the air like a small cyclone. ¡± If you don¡¯t answer me properly, I can assure you that I will kill you here and now, first I will take your toes off then your feet, then your knees followed by your legspletely and then leave your torso for a week to rot and inme, before taking off your fingers, your palms and your hands. I will leave you again for two weeks beforeing to your head, even then I won¡¯t take it offpletely, it will your eyes, your lips, your tongue and then your teeth. And if you think you will die after all this.¡± Liu Hui Ying dipped down and curled a side of her lips into a smirk. ¡± You are very wrong, it is not going to happen. I will keep you alive as long as I want to.¡± Ren Wei did not know whether what Liu Hui Ying said was the truth or not but he did not want to drag his death slowly, he saw how ruthless she could be if she wanted to which was why he pursed his lips and then nced at Wei De who was lying on the floor, his eyes were staring at Ren Wei but he did not say anything, it was clear that he has given up the hope of getting away from this situation. They all knew that they were going to die, but now what mattered the most was how will they going to die and that was as quickly as possible. ¡ª Did gifts got expensive? I am seeing a sudden decline. Chapter 194 194 The truth Liu Hui Ying looked at Ren Wei whose head was lowered she saw that he was not saying anything and raised her feet to press on his chest. ¡± I am telling you, I am not a patient woman. If you think that you can act dead and get out of this ordeal then you might as well tell me what colour coffin you want, that is if you can get one.¡± Ren Wei stiffened, he wanted to dy this matter as much as he could but seeing that he could not, he breathed in a sharp breath and then opened his mouth before he started talking, ¡°If we tell you the reason why we killed Zhai Chenguang, then will kill us at once?¡± He raised his head and looked at Liu Hui Ying, he did not dare to say anything without getting the guarantee that he and his master will be able to die without any pain and as swiftly as possible. Liu Hui Ying raised her head and turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who nodded in response, seeing that the man has given his word. She turned to look at Ren Wei who was lying on the floor and promised, ¡± As long as you tell me the truth, I promise that I will not kill you.¡± Seeing that Liu Hui Ying agreed, Ren Wei opened his mouth and started speaking, ¡°It¡¯s because of thete emperor.¡± His words caused Zhai Tianyu to stiffen, he was prepared for anything but not his father¡¯s name to be mentioned, he looked at Ren Wei who was hatefully gritting his teeth as he looked at him. ¡± The previous Emperor wanted to use his power to take on the neighbouring country but the truth was that even though he was really powerful in the end he was not as strong as the leader of the army of the neighbouring country, thete Emperor knew this as well but his greed of bing the most powerful Emperor of his age was too big for him to ignore the strength of the neighbouring country,¡± Ren Wei gritted his teeth as he clenched his fingers before he raised his eyes and red at Zhai Tianyu with hatred. When Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun saw that he was ring at Zhai Tianyu they moved in front of Zhai Tianyu protectively but thetter stopped them from standing in front of him. Instead, he met the hateful re of Ren Wei head-on and waited for him to continue speaking, as he looked at Ren Wei and Wei De, he wanted to see what kind of hatred these two had for his father that they killed his aunt. ¡± Our father was the then strategist of this country, he fought many battles alongside the Emperor and won many battles of thete Emperor, when thete Emperor put forth his desire of winning over the neighbouring country, our father told him that it was impossible given our military strength but your father!¡± Ren Wei suddenly became too emotional as he looked at Zhai Tianyu with eyes that were burning with passion and hatred. ¡± Your father told him that he was being too cowardly and pushed our father to be the strategist of the military again telling him that if he failed then he will be killed along with our family.¡± ¡± Our family, you mean to say¨C¡± Zhai Tianyu suddenly realised the one thing that he has never taken care of, he turned to look at Wei De who smirked at him through the pain. ¡± He is my younger brother, your majesty...when our father saw that thete Emperor was not willing to listen to him, he knew that our family will be in danger sooner orter.¡± ¡± He could not hide me because I was already studying in the academy but my Wei¡¯er was still young, our father faked his death and sent him to one of his friends to be raised, that way he was making sure that our family lineage will be able to continue even if something was to happen to him.¡± ..... ¡± That¡¯s right,¡± Ren Wei bit his bottom lips as he looked into Zhai Tianyu¡¯s eyes. He bit his lip until he tasted blood but even then he couldn¡¯t ease the hatred that was burning in his heart. ¡± Your father knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to win but he still pushed forth with his crazy ideas. And when he lost he pushed every single bit of responsibility on our father!¡± ¡± You hear that! He was the one who did not listen to anything that our father had to say to him but when he failed he went and med everything on our father, saying that he did not do enough, that he did not think enough! That if he tried then the lives of those who died could have been saved like hell, they could have been saved!¡± Ren Wei shouted as he lost all control of his feelings. ¡± Your father was the one who was in the wrong but in the end, because he did not want toe out as someone who was not good enough he went ahead and pushed the bucket of the me on our father.¡± ¡± You have no idea how painful was it for us to see our father being dragged on the streets like a criminal where he was thrown eggs and rotten tomatoes, with his face smeared with ink and being treated as if he was the enemy of the country!¡± Ren Wei¡¯s eyes turned red as he thought about the day when his father was dered as the sinner of the country and was dragged through the streets where he was covered with trash and dirty water in the kitchen and outhouse. It has been years ever since that happened but even now he could not forget that day, it was still in front of his eyes as if it just happened a few days ago. From a young boy he became an adult man but the sight...that horrifying sight, it was still in front of his eyes and every time he closed his eyes, he will relive that day. ¡ª¨C Chapter 195 195 Your loss is bigger than mine Author¡¯s note: Please don¡¯t read it on other sites for free, it¡¯s disappointing and demotivating. ¡± And that wasn¡¯t all,¡± Wei De gritted out through his teeth as he clutched his half-torn legs and pushed himself off the floor and looked at Zhai Tianyu. ¡± He even got our father to be executed, it should have been enough...should it not? But no, your father thete Emperor punished our entire family. He sent an executioner to me and made me a eunuch as for my mother, her eyes were gouged out and then she was sent to one of his favourite officials where shemitted suicide after getting tortured!¡± ¡± Your father was the one who came up with the n, he was the one who did not listen to a thing that my father told him and yet he stood tall and haughty in that imperial throne of his while my family was destroyed.¡± Wei De spat on Zhai Tianyu¡¯s shoes but was unable to do so when Zhai Heng who was looking stony face pulled Zhai Tianyu back. ¡± So, isn¡¯t it only right that his family got destroyed as well? He wanted to see my family live in poverty and see the end of my life without having a child much less a life.¡± Wei De¡¯s lips curled in a triumphant smirk as he looked at Zhai Tianyu. ¡± But look at this not only did I marry his sister but I also became a schr just by hiding the fact that I was able to get out of that ident alive. The Emperors of all ages think that they are smart, that they know everything when the truth is that they are fools, who do not know what is going around their surroundings.¡± ¡± If I speak the truth, I will have to say that I truly adore the fact that I was able to make an idiot out of you, your majesty,¡± Wei Deughed mockingly as he looked at Zhai Tianyu. ¡± I killed your aunt right under your nose and yet you could not even catch me, even now if not for this man here, you wouldn¡¯t have found out that I was the killer of your dear aunt. What a fool you are your majesty!¡± ¡± How dare you...¡± Zhai Heng moved to hit Wei De when he heard the man call his brother a fool but he was stopped by Zhai Tianyu who looked at the man who was on the floor. ¡°I do admit that I am a fool.¡± ¡± Your majesty!¡± Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun simultaneously turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who shook his head and calmly looked at Wei De who was looking at him in surprise like he could not believe that Zhai Tianyu was willing to admit that he was in the wrong. ¡± I was a fool who thought that he knew everything but now that I am looking at the world through another outlook, I can see that I was indeed foolish,¡± Zhai Tianyu only knew that his father was one of the most powerful rulers of this world but other than he did not know anything about his father. His grandmother would tell him the brave stories of his father and wouldpletely ignore the fact that her son too had some ws like every other emperor. As a ruler, he should have made note of this fact given that for every mother, her son was the best no matter what kind of man he truly was in the reality. ..... ¡± But that does not change the fact that you have killed a member of the imperial family, my father no matter what he did ...he was your criminal, not my aunt,¡± Zhai Tianyu told Wei De firmly with a gaze that was both disappointed and angry. ¡± She truly loved you, even though you were a eunuch and did all sorts of things to trick her, do you think that you were so smart that she did not catch anything amiss? She was the princess of this Imperial country, she was wiser than most women. In this world what did she not see?¡± ¡± The reason she chose not to ask you anything, not to doubt you even worse was simple. She cared about you, she loved you enough to ignore everything else and that was the only reason and nothing else, and you made a joke out of her love.¡± Zhai Tianyu walked over to where Wei De was step by step. ¡± If you hade to me and told me what my father did, I promise you that I would have given you a decentpensation maybe I would have made an exception of letting you be the first schr who was a eunuch. But instead, you made a foolish trap, something that is both stupid and pitiful, Lord Wei.¡± Wei De looked at Zhai Tianyu who was looking at him with a sympathetic gaze and growled. ¡± Don¡¯t look at me like that, I know that all of you are just the same your father was the same and so are you. You act like you truly care about me but the truth is that you don¡¯t! No one cares about people like us.¡± ¡± Even if I don¡¯t care about you, do you think you were in the right to do something like this?¡± Zhai Tianyu asked lightly as he looked at Wei De, he was no longer as angry as he was before, in fact in his eyes this man who was acting like a spoiled brat was simply a pitiful man who did not know what to do when he lost everything. ¡± By doing this you only lost everything that you had, if possible even more.¡± ¡± What are you talking about,¡± Wei De looked at Zhai Tianyu with a re even though his leg was throbbing with pain and he was on the verge of losing consciousness, he wished to make this man suffer with him. ¡± I did not lose anything at all, it¡¯s you who lost¨C¡± ¡± You lost the one woman who loved you despite all your ws, lord Wei,¡± Zhai Tianyu interrupted him with one simple sentence. ¡± If we see it like this, your loss is bigger than mine.¡± Chapter 196 - 196 Chapter 196 196 Chapter 19Dedicating todays chapter to everyone who sent me a gift, powerstones and golden tickets hugs! Wei De looked at Zhai Tianyu with mockery in his eyes, his lips curled up derisively before he spat coldly, ¡± Your majesty sure knows how to speak such flowery words, the second your aunt found out that I was a eunuch, she cursed me to die and go to hell. You say that woman loved me even though I was wed? Please kill me instead of making fun of me like this.¡± Zhai Tianyu did not get agitated at all, he was a man who has seen many schemes throughout his life. He knew that Wei De had this crazed obsession to prove that he was smarter than the rulers of this imperial city and even though he feared pain, he did not fear death. Maybe when he came up with this n, he was already prepared to die which was why Zhai Tianyu knew that killing was not the way to deal with Wei De. He wanted Wei De to regret his actions and the killing of the innocent he has done in his anger and blind revenge. He breathed lightly before he parted his lips and started speaking coldly, ¡°As I told you, lord Wei, do you believe that you can fool a princess with that broken body of yours? My aunt already had a good idea that there was something wrong with you, her visiting every imperial physician and hearing that she waspletely fine and that there was no problem with her body, her having the knowledge of what happens between a man and woman when they get married. With that knowledge alone she might already have a good idea that something was wrong with your body.¡± ¡± But she unconsciously denied it because she loved you or maybe she knew that you were not the man who she thought you were but she was willing to ignore the odd things that were rted to you because she was in love with you,¡± Zhai Tianyu finished speaking as he coldly stared at Wei De whose face was turning pale with each word that he was saying out loud. ¡± You were busy scheming against her and she was busy trying to make excuses for you. A woman who epted your ws and would rather take on the me of not having a child on herself, do you think any woman would love you this much ?¡± ¡± Even when the imperial physicians were telling her that she waspletely fine and asked her to bring you to the imperial pce for a check-up, did she ever ask you toe to the imperial pce with her?¡± Zhai Tianyu coldly threw this question in front of Wei De and the man who has been sneering till now could no longer say anything, all he did was look at Zhai Tianyu while he tried to think of a way toe up with an exnation of Zhai Chenguang¡¯s actions but no matter how many times he thought about it, he could note up with any excuse. Zhai Chenguang looked at the man who was kneeling on the floor with a paleplexion and pursed her lips. She would be lying if she said that she never doubted Wei De, she did ¡ª¡ªcountless times but she was willing to ignore it, thinking that as long as he love her then she did not want anything else. Not even a child, but even though she knew it, she unconsciously ignored it all thinking that the man with whom she was in love can never be a man who was going to stab her in the back. Only if she has been a bit wiser than that then she would have survived this scheme that wasid in front of her. Wei De did not say anything and Zhai Tianyu did not speak any further, he turned to look at Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun, his expression heavy as he said, ¡± Deal with that as every criminal of the imperial family is treated as, there is no need for you to take them lightly or even think of who they were before you found out the truth.¡± ..... As he finished speaking Ren Wei who was kneeling on the floor hurriedly raised his head and looked at Liu Hui Ying who was walking outside the room alongside Zhai Tianyu and shouted in panic, ¡± But you promised that you will let us go! You will pardon us with an easy death and won¡¯t drag this matter of killing us too far.¡± Zhai Tianyu paused, his hands crossed behind his back as he slowly turned to look at the man who was sitting behind him on the floor and then calmly said, ¡± He might have promised you but the same cannot be said for me, I did not promise that I will let you go easily. And since I am the Emperor, my word is thew.¡± ¡± Is he saying that my word doesn¡¯t count even though I am Empress?¡± Liu Hui Ying muttered under her breath causing Zhai Tianyu lips who was standing next to her to twitch as he looked at her sideways and then whispered, ¡± Your word of course counts my queen but currently you are not dressed as the Empress and..¡± he paused and asked, ¡± Do you want to let these people go?¡± ¡± Of course not,¡± Liu Hui Ying scoffed as she turned on her heels and red at the men who were kneeling on the floor. ¡± They do not deserve any pity at all.¡± She already knew that men were not trustworthy but now that she was looking at these two men, her feelings of hate towards men only got deeper even further. Zhai Tianyu did not know that his road to chasing his wife got even more difficult because of these two men if he knew this then he would have never let these two men go as easily as he was doing right now. ¡± You three will be punished ording to the imperialw, be grateful that your Emperor is willing to leave your bodies a grave each to rest in, take it as thest mercy from me.¡± With that, he swept a nce at the three people and then turned around to leave. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 197 - 197 Moved on 197 Moved on ¡± Thank you,¡± Zhai Chenguang bowed in front of Liu Hui Ying who did not show any expression on her face, but Zhai Chenguang did not mind her cold face at all. She knew that even though Liu Hui Ying had a hard mouth, her heart was soft, if she hadn¡¯t cared about her then she wouldn¡¯t have taken the responsibility of taking Wei De down and even punish them with her own hands just to make sure that her hands were not dyed with blood. She straightened up and looked at her nephew who had his head lowered, she knew that this foolish boy was ming himself, thus she stepped forward and then cupped Zhai Tianyu¡¯s cheek. Even though her touch was cold, Zhai Tianyu felt warmth seep into his body as he raised his head and looked at his aunt. ¡± Don¡¯t me yourself too much Tianyu,¡± Zhai Chenguang told him with a sobbing voice. Her eyes were shimmering with pearly tears as she looked at him with a motherly expression on her face, she has watched her little nephew who couldn¡¯t even walk properly turn into a young man who started to use his own head to think about everything and even rise up to the throne when his father died. ¡± You were not at fault in this case, if anything ¡­¡± she frowned and then added bitterly, ¡± It was my big brother who has never even thought about anything carefully that he caused such a tragedy to happen. But then again, with him being a man who did not listen to anyone but himself, something like this was bound to happen.¡± ¡± You need to learn from your father and look at things past everything Tianyu,¡± she told him further as she nced at Liu Hui Ying, she thought about how the Ji family has been hiding behind the back of the Liu family tomit a bunch of atrocities and then added with a solemn voice, ¡± You need to build your views from the scratch, Tianyu. People will tell you that they are standing next to you and that they are doing everything for your own good but you need to understand one thing and that is, you have to look at everything and make a choice by yourself¡­because as you have already seen people aren¡¯t what they show themselves as.¡± The actions of Ji Yu came to her head and then she wisely advised her nephew. ¡± And sometimes people change as well, make sure that your past does not create a hindrance for you to see in the future.¡± ¡± I understand aunt,¡± Zhai Tianyu knew why his aunt was suddenly telling something like this to him which was why he nodded his head in understanding. ¡± I will keep my head as clear as possible and see who is standing by my side truly and who is not.¡± As he spoke he looked at Liu Hui Ying whose face was illuminated by the harsh moonlight that was shining in the sky, even though she was wearing a mask, he could still see the soft curves of her face that were hidden inside her mask. He only nced at Liu Hui Ying lightly before he turned to look at his aunt worried that he will be caught by Liu Hui Ying who was looking in front, he was fortunate that he turned his head on time because Liu Hui Ying turned her head just as he turned his, if he hadn¡¯t moved his head on time then he would have been caught staring at the Queen like a creep. ¡± I will take care of grandmother and everyone in the imperial family,¡± he promised his aunt who smiled and then nodded. ¡± I trust you.¡± ..... Liu Hui Ying who was waiting for Zhai Tianyu and Zhai Chenguang to finish talking took out a yellow talisman paper and then drew an array on it, once she was done drawing the talisman she threw it over Zhai Chenguang such that the array doubled in its size and then covered her entire soulpletely. Zhai Chenguang raised her head and looked at the array that was hovering over her head, she closed her eyes and let the warm energy from the array cover her from head to toe, her soul that was covered in dark Yin energy suddenly turned a vivid white before her soul scattered into millions of tiny pieces, the night returned to its usual calm and the coldness that was surrounding them also turned around and returned to its usual warmth or as warm as the night of autumn could be. ¡± She is gone,¡± Zhai Tianyu looked at the space where his aunt was standing a moment ago and then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was staring ahead of them. ¡± What else were you expecting to happen?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked him as she turned around to walk back to where their carriage was standing, now that she was done with her work, she wanted to go back to the pce and sleep. What was more she has used a lot of spiritual energy today making a soul move on from the earthly ties was not a small matter. Even if they were to let go of their regrets there was still a need for her to push that soul such that they will be able to move on. And when she was to give a push to the soul she would have to use a lot of spiritual energy and that will make her feel tired and restless like she was feeling right now. ¡± You don¡¯t look too well, my queen,¡± Zhai Tianyu took one long nce at the spot where his aunt was standing just a few minutes ago and then turned to leave together with Liu Hui Ying. Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun already left earlier because they had to bring Wei De to the department ofw and order, which left the two of them alone. ¡± Try moving on a soul to the underworld with your spiritual energy and you will feel the same as me.¡± Liu Hui Ying told him with an impatient voice. ¡± Hmm, if I was to say ¡­you think you are in a mood to drink,¡± he suggested with a smile. ¡± ording to me as long as you are in a bad mood, drinking solves everything. Even if you feel like your bones are aching, a good drink will make all the pain go away.¡± Chapter 198 - 198 Messed up feelings 198 Messed up feelings Liu Hui Ying looked at Zhai Tianyu who was inviting her to a drink and scoffed, ¡± Just say that you need someone to apany you while you are mourning the loss of your aunt, there is no need for you to beat around the bush like this,¡± she originally wanted to refuse him after all she was tired as well but when she saw the gloom of loneliness hanging around Zhai Tianyu¡¯s shoulders causing his entire back to bend, she decided to be generous towards him and give him some of her time. ¡± This is going to cost you though,¡± she told him as she flicked her hair behind her shoulder as she curled a side of her lips. ¡± I am tired and I only promised that I will only help your aunt move on to the next life, now that I am done with my work, this is going to be counted as working overtime, you need to pay me for my time, your esteemed majesty.¡± Zhai Tianyu was no longer surprised when he heard Liu Hui Ying mention money again, after all, he knew that she adored ¡­no, it was better to say that she loved money even more than her life. At this moment a sudden thought came to his head as he remembered that he has stolen a lot of goods from the Liu house that belonged to Liu Hui Ying, a shiver danced down his spine when he remembered it. He hoped that Liu Hui Ying will never find out that he stole from her house or else she will send him after his aunt given how much she loved her money. Because he did feel a bit guilty about stealing from Liu Hui Ying, he nodded and replied in a calm voice, ¡°It¡¯s all right, as long as you are willing to give me your time, I will be willing to pay you as per your choice. You don¡¯t need to worry about something like this either.¡± ¡± You are being a bit too generous, your majesty,¡± Liu Hui Ying said suddenly as she finished looking at the man who agreed to pay her a sum of money just because she was willing to spend some time with him. Listening to her words caused Zhai Tianyu to stiffen but then he calmed down and said in a polite voice, ¡± There is no need for my queen to overthink about something as small as this, isn¡¯t it because you have been working hard for this case for so many days? There is no other reason for me to be generous towards.¡± Liu Hui Ying looked at his expression for a few more seconds a part of her was telling her that he was lying but then again she couldn¡¯t think of a reason for this man to lie to her either because what he said was the truth, she has indeed been running around while solving this case, getting some extra money was what she deserved. ¡± All right then let¡¯s go,¡± she said after a quick nod but then she stopped and then turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who was going to heave a sigh of relief but paused when he saw that she was looking at him. ¡± But make sure that you keep your hands to yourself if you get drunk and try to take advantage of me, I will break your only tree in the forest, you get it?¡± Zhai Tianyu did not have any intentions as such in his heart, he was a man who never touched a woman even though he had countless Concubines in his harem, his reason was simple. He wanted to make the imperial city liveable and take care of all the corrupted officials before giving birth to a child after all, if his royal Concubine was to give birth to a child then his enemies will be able to target him even more easily which was he was holding himself back. ..... In the past, he only thought of having an heir and leaving the matter as it was because he did not care about the matters between man and woman, to him it was simply a matter of procreating and nothing more but ¡­ His gaze skimmed to Liu Hui Ying¡¯s lips which were full and had a tint of redness to them as if they have been dyed red with blood. Before he pursed his lips and then thought about how it would feel to kiss those lips ¡ª¡ª but no sooner did this thoughte to his head, he pinched himself on the waist. What the hell was thinking? One thing was sure his feelings towards Liu Hui Ying were admiration but howe his feelings for her were turning so perverted in such a small time? No, it must be because he was too tired and overwhelmed by what happened today, there was no other exnation. He has promised that he will only have a single child and that too through Ji Yu¡¯s womb, since she could no longer give birth, he was going to let go of the matter of having an heir ever again but he will never betray her ever. That was what Zhai Tianyu told himself but as he looked at Liu Hui Ying, his heartbeat continued to escte more and more. Seeing that he was no longer responding, Liu Hui Ying frowned as she looked at him and then waved her hands in front of him with a light frown. ¡± What are you looking at? Are you looking at something that only you can see? Why are you staring into space for no reason, your majesty?¡± Zhai Tianyu snapped out of his daze and looked at Liu Hui Ying who was looking at him with a slight scrunch of her brows, her lips were pouting slightly and suddenly Zhai Tianyu felt like his throat was very parched, he licked his lips and swallowed hard before squeaking out a reply, ¡± You don¡¯t have to worry my Queen, I will keep my hands to my side. There is no way I will touch you.¡± Chapter 199 - 199 Not him! 199 Not him! Hugs to KalisteKitten and everyone else who are supporting this work! Liu Hui Ying did not think much about his gaze, she simply thought that he was acting reserved because of what she said after all Zhai Tianyu has showed her this side of him a lot of times before which was why she calmly nodded and then turned around to walk towards the carriage, she did not take Zhai Tianyu or his actions to heart at all. In her mind, Zhai Tianyu already had someone he wanted to be, surely he wouldn¡¯t think of her in any other way. If only she knew how to read the thoughts of a man, or much less had a little experience with men, she would have understood that Zhai Tianyu¡¯s gaze was not that of a man who was looking at simply an acquaintance. Li Gang who was very familiar with such gazes wanted to warn Liu Hui Ying but he was stopped by Jia Li and Grandma Lan Fen. Seeing that the two of them were stopping him, Li Gang was really angry he looked at the two of them and red at them simultaneously while the two clutched his arms. ¡± What are you stopping me for? Can¡¯t you see that the man has some schemes over our boss? What will you do if he was to make a move?¡± Li Gang no matter how much he teased and taunted Liu Hui Ying cared for her a lot, to him she was like a younger sister whom he has seen grow up in front of him, which was why he cared about Liu Hui Ying a lot. He has seen her struggles and has seen how she was treated by the men of the world where she had no one to turn to, her distrust towards men were not just because of what happened to her sister and the resentful soul that was trapped in her body but also because of all the experiences that she has gone through, which could be said that they were not light at all. ¡± You are simply jumping the gun too much and too early,¡± like Li Gang, Jia Li cared about Liu Hui Ying as well after all she and Liu Hui Ying were like a sister even if the two of them squabbled a lot, she cared about Liu Hui Ying just as much as Li Gang did, but she also knew that what was important and what wasn¡¯t, more importantly, she was able to keep a good reign of her temper which was why she could see the importance of this development. ¡± I know that you are upset with the Emperor but you have to see that Liu Hui Ying is at least tolerant towards him, what if he somehow manages to treat Liu Hui Ying¡¯s wounds? Even though Liu Hui Ying is happy and she acts like she is fine, don¡¯t you think that she is lonely too?¡± ¡± Doesn¡¯t she has us? Why will she be lonely?¡± Li Gang was not at all convinced ..... ¡± We are going to move on sooner orter,¡± Jia Li reminded him causing Li Gang to pause in his struggle as he looked at Jia Li who was solemnly looking at him. ¡± Even though we have been with Hui Ying for so many years, even though we are like a family, you will have to understand that you and I and Grandma Lan Fen will move on from this world once we are done letting go of our regrets when that happens what will happen to Liu Hui Ying? She will be all alone. Do you want her to be alone?¡± ¡± What¡¯s more she only has us as her friends, even if I do admire her but I think that her staying in the world of the dead and befriending the dead is a bit too much,¡± Grandma Lan Fen chimed from the side when she saw that Li Gang has stopped struggling. ¡± You might think that this is wrong but think about it, apart from the dead have you ever seen Liu Hui Ying get close to another person before? A living one?¡± Li Gang pursed his lips as he thought over it but then he rolled his shoulders and took the arms of Jia Li and grandma Lan Fen off his arms as he red at the two of them and said, ¡± I will ept anyone for Hui Ying but not that treacherous Emperor, not only does he has someone in his heart¡­there is also the fact that the man thinks nothing of Liu Hui Ying in front of his ambitions, in case Liu Hui Yinges in his way of acquiring what he wants, I am sure that he will harm her which is why I do not believe him at all, you can say what you want but this man¡­he won¡¯t do!¡± After speaking he flew after Liu Hui Ying like a bodyguard he red at Zhai Tianyu who was simply standing on the side and did not even do anything, seeing Li Gang ring at him, Zhai Tianyu touched his nose guiltily. It wasn¡¯t as if he has forgotten the warning that Li Gang gave him before and knew that his line of thoughts did not sit well with either Li Gang or himself, which was why he was willing to reflect on himself. When Liu Hui Ying noticed that Zhai Tianyu was not moving, she turned her head and looked at the man who was still standing like a statue at the spot she has left him and then frowned as she asked, ¡± What is wrong with you? Why are you standing there like a mute, your majesty?¡± This was the first time Zhai Tianyu heard anyone curse him, he shook his head and then walked over to Liu Hui Ying before he loudly said, ¡± You do know that you can get punished for that my queen?¡± ¡± Try if you can do that, your majesty.¡± Liu Hui Ying teased Zhai Tianyu as she winked at him and then turned around to walk ahead of him. ¡± But you will be the one who will suffer the most.¡± Chapter 200 - 200 Lets get drunk 200 Lets get drunk Zhai Tianyu did not say anything while they were riding the carriage, he brought Liu Hui Ying back to the imperial pce with a calm expression on his face but as the two of them sat in the small enclosure of the carriage he felt some sort of giddiness up in his heart but on the outside, he kept his expressionpletely calm because he knew that every time he tried to say something to the queen, thetter would look at him with a frown and then say something that would cause them to be in a fight. ¡± You are being abnormally silent,¡± Liu Hui Ying told him as they descended from the carriage. She was the first one toe down the stairs of the carriage which was why she was looking over her shoulders at Zhai Tianyu who wasing down the carriage after her. ¡± Your majesty, is there something that you want to ask me?¡± There were multiple things that he wanted to ask Liu Hui Ying but he decided to keep his thoughts to himself first. There was no need for him to ask Liu Hui Ying why his heart was beating so hard just because he looked at her face, what was more she was the same woman whom he had tried to kill, even though she was not the same woman, it was still rude of him to say something like ¡® My heart beats crazily for you,¡¯ after everything that they have gone through. And more importantly, he needed to understand his feelings first because he had a lot of responsibilities and there was also Ji Yu. He could not wrong her and what if he was feeling towards Liu Hui Ying was simple admiration that was getting to the point of infatuation? He couldn¡¯t say that he was someone who would fall for a woman but at the same time, he was not someone who could never fall for any woman, which was why he needed to make sure of everything. Only then he can make a move lest he ends up hurting two women at the same time. More importantly, he raised his head and looked at Liu Hui Ying whose face was illuminated by the glittering moonlight. She was from the Liu family, he has to see whether or not she was worth messing up his ns, the ones he has been set on makinge true for years. There was also what his aunt has told him before she passed on ¡ª¡ª¡¯ there was more to a person than you can see,¡¯ he understood that she was warning him against Ji Yu and at the same time against the Ji family because he has always been trustful of them because of his grandmother and Ji Yu who were his only supporters when his mother hated his very existence. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± he replied to her trying to calm his heartbeat that was going at a pace a bit too fast. ¡± I just have a lot to think and nothing more.¡± Liu Hui Ying did not say anything, she wasn¡¯t caring about the men around her from the beginning especially the man whom she knew who only came into her life for a short while. She turned around and headed towards the small cliff where Zhai Tianyu entertained his officials, the pavilion that was gloomy and dark thest time when she came on the cliff while chasing the orb was now lit up withmps that were zing quite hard because of the winds that were blowing at the top of the cliff. ..... ¡°It¡¯s a fascinating ce,¡± shemented as she looked around the pavilion and walked inside the wooden tform with no windows and only a long table with small, clean stools and cushions on top of them. Two maids were waiting to serve them which was why Liu Hui Ying lowered her voice as she spoke such that her voice would sound like that of a man. ¡± Your majesty,¡± she quickly added when she saw that the maids were turning to look at her with confusion in their eyes. ¡± Leave us alone,¡± Zhai Tianyu saw that the maids were looking at Liu Hui Ying questioningly, he did not want to spend his time with her while she has to care about her formalities with him which was why he sent the maids away. The maids looked at each other, they were surprised that the emperor was sending them away without letting them serve him and the official with whom he came but they still nodded and bowed their heads before taking their leave. They were properly taught by the head maid of this pce that they needed to listen to every order andmand of the Emperor no matter what kind of order he gave them, which was why they didn¡¯t even dare to think about the reason why they were being sent away. Once Liu Hui Ying saw that the two maids were gone, she heaved a sigh of relief and then rxed on her small stool which was only a few inches above the ground making her feel like she was sitting on a flying cushion. Her body went pliant against the table as she whined in an annoyed voice, ¡± The rules here are so strict, you can¡¯t even breathe without muttering ¡®your majesty¡¯ every next second.¡± She turned to look at Zhai Tianyu while her head was lying on the floor and then she asked in a questioning tone, ¡± Why are you even called your majesty and not by your name? Are you that proud of being born with a silver spoon in your mouth, your esteemed majesty?¡± ¡± More than being proud, its a matter of regtion and order,¡± Zhai Tianyu calmly responded, when Liu Hui Ying showed him a confused look, he sighed and then said, ¡°Let¡¯s say that if we were two friends would you have listened to me if I told you that you were in the wrong and you need to be punished?¡± ¡± Of course not,¡± Liu Hui Ying chuckled. ¡± I would have never done that I would have fought with you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Zhai Tianyu picked up the jar of wine in front of him and poured a generous amount of wine into his own cup before pushing the jar in front of Liu Hui Ying. ¡± Take the authority of the emperor away from him and no one will listen to anything that I say, thews will be in a mess but as long as I remind them that I am above them and that I can punish them for their crimes they will be scared of me. It¡¯s not me being proud of my birth but a reminder of the authority that my title holds.¡± He paused and then smiled in mockery. ¡± Take my authority away and I will be nothing.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 201 - 201 You are drunk 201 You are drunk ¡± You don¡¯t seem to be proud of being born as the emperor,¡± Liu Hui Yingmented as she noticed the derision that Zhai Tianyu had for his title as the Emperor of this imperial city. ¡± I am not,¡± Zhai Tianyu honestly told her with a calm expression on his face as if he was not saying something outrageous, for the Emperor to say that he was not proud of his title was a crime but he was fortunate that he said something like this in front of Liu Hui Ying who did not care about anything that he said nor did she has any intentions of using his words against him. This was the only reason why Zhai Tianyu could say something like this in front of her after all if he had told this to Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun then they would have definitely asked him to watch his words and even Ji Yu would have tried to have him change his mind, telling him that he should be proud of the fact that he was born with the powers of changing the fate of this country. He waited for Liu Hui Ying to say something simr to them because from what he has seen she seemed to be in love with the idea of making money, most probably she would love the idea of being at the top of the power. ¡± Hmm, I would have hated to be the Emperor as well,¡± Liu Hui Ying to his surprise said somethingpletely different than what she has expected her to which was why he looked at her in surprise. She might have noticed his surprise because she turned to look at him with a questioning expression as she said, ¡± What?¡± ¡± I thought you would love to be the Emperor because you like money,¡± he told her and no sooner did he say that Liu Hui Ying who had her head lying on the tableughed out loud. She pushed herself off the table and sheughed at his words before taking a breath as she stretched her hand and picked up the jar that was in front of her. ¡± I do love the idea of making money but more than making money I adore my freedom. I do not like the idea of being bound to a chair that has more respect than I do.¡± She took a sip of her wine and trembled in delight and surprise as the wine¡¯s fruity and savoury taste exploded in her mouth. ¡± You might think that I would ept anything that is thrown at me just because I was handed the money but more than money, I care about my life and the freedom that I enjoy. I won¡¯t take any case that will put my life in danger and nor will I give up my freedom for the sake of money. I like the life that I lived, why do you think that I want to go back to my world? I am tired of the ties and bounds of this world.¡± Zhai Tianyu¡¯s fingers gripped the cup that he was holding in them a bit more tightly than he would have usually when he heard her say that she still wanted to go back to her world. ¡± I see,¡± he nodded before he looked at Liu Hui Ying, he wanted to tell her that he could give her all the freedom that she wanted and she wouldn¡¯t have to leave but there was no point in doing so because he knew that he could not give her the freedom that she wanted in fact even he did not have the freedom to do anything that he wanted from waking up to sleeping in his bed he has to take proper care of everything that he did in his entire day because everyone in the pce was watchful of what he did or what he was doing. ..... The two of them stopped speaking Liu Hui Ying continued to drink the wine like she was drinking water while Zhai Tianyu took proper care of how much alcohol was going down his throat. He wanted to tell Liu Hui Ying to take a look at her own intake as well but when he turned to look at her, he realised that she already had a flush of red on her cheeks and her eyes were slightly dazed. Zhai Tianyu looked at her with a slightly helpless expression on his face as he said, ¡± If you keep drinking like this I am worried that you will pass out my Queen .¡± ¡± You don¡¯t need to worry,¡± Liu Hui Ying slurred with a smile on her face. ¡± I am a very heavy drinker something as small as this wouldn¡¯t be able to get me drunk.¡± ¡± You are slurring my queen,¡± he told her patiently as he set the cup in front of him as he looked at the woman who was slowly on the verge of passing out. If he knew that she was this bad when it came to alcohol, he would not have asked her to drink with him, it was all because she was too wild that he thought that she would be fine with alcohol and that she will know how much alcohol she could take inside her body. But he expected way too much from this woman who did not have any sense of danger. ¡± My queen, I think you are too drunk.¡± He tried to take the jar away from Liu Hui Ying but thetter hugged it and then red at him as she twisted on her side, ¡± Why? You bad man do you think I cannot drink because I am a woman?¡± Zhai Tianyu was feeling helpless, he has never seen a woman who drank wine like water and that too when she could not hold it, he looked at Liu Hui who was hugging the wine jar and then said in slight exasperation, ¡± I am telling you to stop is because I know that you are too drunk and not because you are a woman, you are slurring and you can¡¯t even sit straight.¡± ¡± I am not drunk!¡± ¡± You are drunk my queen!¡± ¡± I am not.¡± ¡± You are.¡± ¡± I am not drunk!¡± ¡± MY QUEEN.¡± Chapter 202 - 202 Rise of the dead 202 Rise of the dead Zhai Tianyu looked at Liu Hui Ying who was hugging the jar of wine, he wanted to snatch it from her but he knew that if he was to do that then Lin Hui Ying will surely get angry with him. But if he was to let her get drunk then who knows what will happen? ¡± My queen,¡± he did not want to startle Liu Hui Ying, he caught hold of her arm gingerly making sure that he would not touch her skin. He did not know how to deal with Liu Hui Ying¡¯s allergy, a part of him was still shocked at the fact that Liu Hui Ying was allergic to men but the other part was really curious because it wanted to understand why she was allergic to men. But he was not close enough to trespass the boundary which was why he has never asked her this question. ¡± You have drunk a lot, you should let go¡ª¡ª¡± Zhai Tianyu opened his mouth to ask Liu Hui Ying to leave the jug of wine but before he could finish speaking, he felt Liu Hui Ying move as soon as she moved, he tried to let go of her but before he could let go of her, he felt her hands reach for his throat. ¡± My Queen¡ª¡ª¡± He yelled but his words copsed under the rustling winds as Li Hui Ying choked the air out of his lungs. ¡± You¡­ are you happy now that you have killed me, huh?¡± Her voice was no longer slurry but coarse and cruel like it has been blowing over blocks of ice carrying the coldness of those blocks with it. Zhai Tianyu tried to pry her hands off his throat but he realised that Liu Hui Ying¡¯s body was cold, terrible cold like she wasn¡¯t even alive. ¡± You think that I will let you go just because I am dead?¡± Her words were already shocking enough for him to lose the trail of his thoughts but when he heard her say that she was dead, he was sure that he misheard but he did not get another chance to say anything or ask anything because the grip on his throat tightened even more. His eyes were almost going to roll back in their sockets as he tried to take Liu Hui Ying¡¯s ws that have an iron grip on his throat and then swallowed hard as he looked her in the eyes, in his panic he did not notice but her eyes seemed to have gone darker and that darkness was spreading all over the whites slowly. His pupils quivered as he looked at Liu Hui Ying and choked out, ¡± Who are you?¡± ..... ¡± Hehe, after killing me you think that you can pretend that you do not know anything?¡± Liu Hui Ying snickered coldly as she pressed her fingers even more into the skin of his throat, her nails were not long but they were long enough for her to draw blood as she pressed her nails in his throat causing Zhai Tianyu¡¯s lungs to almost copse as his air supply was cut off. ¡± You are a murderer! You killed an innocent woman!¡± As she spoke the smile vanished from her lips and her eyes turned red while big drops of tears rolled down from the corner of her eyes, dropping straight on his lips such that he would taste the salted liquid. a heartbroken expression etched on Liu Hui Ying¡¯s face as she looked down at him and she murmured, ¡± I had so many dreams I wanted to bring my sister to the city, I wanted her to live a wonderful life. I had dreams, I had feelings ¡­I wanted to get married, find someone who loved me ¡­and live my life to the fullest¡­but you¡­ you ruined it for me¡ª¡ª-¡± Her heartbroken expression morphed into something malevolent as she went for the kill but because she was lost in her thoughts for a few minutes, her grip on his throat was loosened. Zhai Tianyu took advantage of that opportunity and overturned the situation by pushing Liu Hui Ying off him as he pressed on the artery in Liu Hui Ying¡¯s neck causing her to go slump against the floor. ¡± I thought I was going to die,¡± Zhai Tianyu coughed out loud as he rubbed his throat, just now he would be lying if he said that he wasn¡¯t scared. Liu Hui Ying¡¯s grip was so tight that he was sure that if he wasn¡¯t fortunate the others would have found his corpse in the morning, for two seconds he literally saw the light of heaven! He coughed as he tried to get up from the floor but because of the scare that he just received Zhai Tianyu was feeling rather weak, his entire body was yet to get used to the feeling of being able to breathe with ease as he shook his head and tried to take as much air in his lungs as possible. Just now what happened? He wanted to ask someone about this but when he looked around he did not see anyone even the three ghosts who followed Liu Hui Ying were gone. ¡± They have to leave when I wanted to ask them something,¡± Zhai Tianyu muttered angrily, he did not know where the ghosts went but most probably they went to the fourth concubine¡¯s pce, he has heard that the fourth concubine was very much attracted by the new dramas that were ying on the streets these days and would always call the drama troupe from the streets to y for her. He also heard that there was a rumour of ghost sightings going around in the fourth concubine¡¯s pce. And being the one who knew where these ghosts wereing from, Zhai Tianyu knew that it was most probably the ghosts of Liu Hui Ying. ¡± Uh¡­¡± Liu Hui Ying moaned from the side and Zhai Tianyu was so scared that he scampered to his feet and went for the sword that was lying next to his cushion, he was worried that he will be put in a chokehold as he turned to look at Liu Hui Ying whose eyes has gonepletely ck at this point, she was having trouble opening them as she looked at him with a panicked look on her face and muttered, ¡± Please ¡­I want to live.¡± ¡ª¡ª Chapter 203 - 203 Let her sleep in the cold 203 Let her sleep in the cold Happy Republic Day to everyone in India! Zhai Tianyu sensed that she was looking at the sword that he was holding in his hands, he looked at her panicked expression and then hesitated for a while, he did not want to let go of the sword. After all, what will he do if she was to jump up and attack him again? However, Liu Hui Ying did not move from the floor, she simply stared at the sword. What Zhai Tianyu did not know was that Liu Hui Ying has been long unconscious, and the soul that was looking at him was of Liu Yue, the eldest sister of Liu Hui Ying who has been killed by a man. She has been trapped inside Liu Hui Ying¡¯s body because every time she saw a man in her surroundings she would go crazy and then try to kill them. For years she has been looking for the man who killed her such that she would be able to descend to the heavens after making him suffer, this was the reason why Liu Hui Ying became a detective because she wanted to find the man who killed her sister but the incident happened so many years ago and no one knew what and how it happened, even Liu Yue could not remember the face of that man. Because of this finding the man who killed her was even more difficult than it was supposed to be, and Liu Yue whose resentment has reached its peak almost went crazy when she saw that there was a man close to her. Seeing that Zhai Tianyu was still holding the sword, Liu Yue was worried that he will attack her. If he attacked her then what will happen to her little Hui Ying? Will she have to leave her Hui Ying behind? If she left her Hui Ying then this man will kill her sister as well! ¡± D..Don¡¯t hurt my Hui Ying,¡± she croaked out as she tried to drag her body in front of Zhai Tianyu even if her body was not moving she was still conscious. ¡± Don¡¯t hurt my sister.¡± Zhai Tianyu heard Liu Yue¡¯s words and paused, he turned to look at the woman who was struggling on the floor and then in a spilt second made his decision before he dropped the sword on his side. He did not know why he was surrendering like this, the fact that this woman has tried to kill him was enough for him to use this matter and kill everyone in the Liu family. It could be counted as treason and the Liu family will be definitely dragged down with Liu Hui Ying, he would be able to uproot them without doing anything but the thought of Liu Hui Ying being executed ¡­.it did not sit right with him. ..... But this was what he wanted right? To kill the Liu family? To end the corruption that they have spread all over the ce right? Then what was he doing? Why wasn¡¯t he calling the guards to imprison Liu Hui Ying? It was simple he could do it with ease so why wasn¡¯t he doing it? ¡± Don¡¯t hurt my Xiao Ying!¡± Liu Yue shrieked as she picked up the jar that was on the floor and threw it at Zhai Tianyu who timely dodged it and moved to the side. He looked at the jar that has been broken and then looked at the woman who was ring at him with hatred, ¡°Murderer of innocent you will pay for your sin, if you kill my sister today, I will avenge her¡­ I wille after you no matter what even if it means rotting in the eighteenth level of hell.¡± Murderer of innocent? Zhai Tianyu swallowed hard at those words, he could bet on his conscience that he hasn¡¯t killed anyone who was innocent other than just one woman but murder was murder ¡­and even if he was to wipe that memory clean from the head of everyone¡¯s head, there was no way he would be able to wipe his sin away. He did not say anything instead he ced his hands in the air and then solemnly said, ¡± I do not mean any harm, please rest in ease.¡± He did not understand what this woman meant by ¡® Xiao Ying¡¯ but given that her eyes has turned ck and her entire body was covered with a chill that seemed to be emanating through her skin, he knew that this woman was not Liu Hui Ying even though the body belonged to Liu Hui Ying. Maybe his words worked because the resentment in the eyes of the woman disappeared or maybe it was the fact that the ghost hour thatsted between the early morning around three and four has passed because the next second the woman¡¯s eyes closed and then she slumped on the floor. This time she looked like she was indeed passed out but Zhai Tianyu did not dare to get closer to her instead he waited for a while and only when he was sure that she was not moving did he let out a sigh of relief and then slumped on his seat. Just now he thought he was going to die and on top of that, there was also a feeling of guilt that he did not think was possible for him to feel. Zhai Tianyu turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and then raised his hand to rub his throat, his fingers swiped up the blood that was trickling down his throat and then pulled his hand away from his throat before he looked down at the red drops that were sticking to the palm of his hands, he pursed his lips silently and then red at Liu Hui Ying who was on the floor. He was a fool to think that he had any feelings for this woman¡­there was no way he was going to have any romantic feelings for a woman like this who knows if she was to lose control she might even kill him when he was sleeping! With that he harrumphed preparing to leave, this woman almost killed him it was all right for him to leave her here and sleep in the cold! Chapter 204 - 204 Hot piece of news 204 Hot piece of news Zhai Tianyu wanted to leave Liu Hui Ying behind, one part of him ¡ª- the part that was closest to his throat that was still throbbing wanted to turn his back on her and then walk away but he was a gentleman and he did not like the thought of leaving his wife behind and even if Liu Hui Ying was not his wife, he wouldn¡¯t have left her behind because she was a woman. He sighed and then crouched down before he stretched out his hands and then carefully picked up Liu Hui Ying from the ground, even though he brought her in his arms, he made sure that he did not touch her skin and was very careful while making sure that there was no skin to skin contact. ¡± I must have done some major sins in my past life that I am suffering under your hands like this,¡± Zhai Tianyu muttered as he looked at Liu Hui Ying who was now lying in his arms with a peaceful look on her face. He snorted seeing how she was sleeping calmly after she has almost killed him, it was her luck that he was a good man and he did not want to find trouble with her by killing her for touching him. If there was another emperor instead of him to whom Liu Hui Ying did something like this, he would have already thrown her into prison and would have killed her as quickly as possible such that he would fulfil the goals that he wanted to seed in but here he was bringing this wild woman back to her courtyard after her finding trouble with him. With a subtle nce, he looked at Liu Hui Ying¡¯s peaceful face and then said with a huff, ¡± You better treat me right my queen, I am giving up on the very thing that I married you for¡ª¡ª that is to bring your family down in one swift move.¡± Zhai Tianyu then walked out of the small pavilion where he was drinking wine with Liu Hui Ying and then walked towards the path that led to the courtyard of the queen. While he was walking he paid attention to his surroundings, he wanted to make sure that no one would see him carrying Liu Hui Ying not because Liu Hui Ying was the one in his arms, he did but because he was worried that someone would see him carry a man in his arms. But no matter how careful Zhai Tianyu was, he could not escape the prying eyes of the pce. The maids who were returning from theundry room caught a glimpse of Zhai Tianyu carrying a man in his arms. When the maids saw that the emperor was carrying a man in his arms, their eyes widened and then gasped. One of them even dropped the wooden bucket that she was carrying in her hands on the floor. ¡± Did ¡­did I see it correctly?¡± One of the maids asked her friend as she stared at the path on which Zhai Tianyu was walking just a moment ago. She could not believe her eyes, she has been working in the pce for years and had never seen the Emperor carrying any concubine or even concubine Ji Yu who was his childhood sweetheart. ..... But now all of a sudden he was carrying a man in his heavenly-blessed arms? Was this really happening? The maid who was asked also had her hand on her mouth as she looked in the front, even though Zhai Tianyu was already gone. The sight of him carrying a man in his arms was still fresh in the eyes of the maid who was looking at the road where the Emperor was walking just a minute ago. ¡± I ¡­I saw his majesty carry a man in his arms as he left for somewhere, did you see the same thing?¡± The maid asked as she looked at the one who was behind her and then saw how her friend solemnly nodded. The two of them looked at each other and then smacked their mouths before their eyes widened in surprise and a gossipy glint started to flicker in their eyes. Though gossiping about the members of the imperial family was a crime but they were not gossiping this time, were they? They just wanted to discuss what happened right? ¡­. Zhai Tianyu did not know that he has left a piece of hot news behind him while he was bringing Liu Hui Ying back to her courtyard. Qui Ai was no longer as surprised as she used to get when she saw the Emperor for the first time, she calmly cleaned the bed of the Queen and then allowed him toy Liu Hui Ying down. While she was doing this, she acted all fussy towards Liu Hui Ying and did not even nce at Zhai Tianyu. Seeing that he has been pushed to the side, Zhai Tianyu was simply speechless. First, it was the queen and now her maid was walking on the same path as her¡­he the Emperor of this imperial pce was standing right next to her and she was acting as if she could not see him, what a mess! Qui Ai who was covering Liu Hui Ying with a quilt turned around and looked at Zhai Tianyu who was standing behind her, when she saw him standing behind him, she tilted her head and then asked with a naive voice, ¡± Your majesty, is there something that you want?¡± And if there is nothing then can you please get out? Though she did not say what was going on in her head, Zhai Tianyu understood her meaning. He looked at Qui Ai with an exasperated look on his face, he looked at the maid who was throwing him out and couldn¡¯t help but pursed his lips in annoyance. This maid ¡­she was truly following her master! She was kicking the Emperor of this pce out of the room that belonged to his queen! What kind of King was he? ¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 205 - ADD ADD 205 misunderstandings piling up But since she was kicking him out Zhai Tianyu did not want to stay any further, he walked out of the room and then rubbed his throat which was still aching a little because of the grip that Liu Hui Ying had on his throat just a few minutes ago. ¡± I hope that I will not regret this,¡± he muttered as he rubbed his throat with his fingers as he looked at the wooden wall in front of him hard. It was as if he would be able to see the future in the wall in front of him if he red hard at the wall and he did try to re at the wall with a pointed re but then he sighed and then rubbed his face with the back of his palms. He was going to regret this, he knew it in his heart but even now he did not want to call the guards because he did not want to kill an innocent woman again. ¡­ ¡± What did you say?¡± Ji Yu dropped the paintbrush that she was holding in her hand and then turned to look at her maid, her eyes blinked rapidly as she looked at Xiaolin. She shook her head as she ced her hands on her ears and then rubbed them hard before she turned to look at Xiaolin and asked, ¡± What did you say, Xiaolin? Can you repeat that for me, please?¡± Xiaolin hesitated, she did not want to tell something like this to her mistress but they did not dare to hide it from mistress after all, even if she was to keep the truth from concubine Ji, she will find it from others. This was the reason why he heaved a breath and then replied with a soft voice, ¡± The maids of the kitchen were talking about how they saw the Emperor carrying a man in his arms, this news is all over the pce ever since the morning and the maids are having quite a thrilling time while discussing the matter.¡± She paused and then licked her lips before she continued speaking, ¡± I have punished them by sending the head eunuch to the kitchen but I don¡¯t think that this matter will rest that easily. Missy, did you know about this ¡­.this fantasy of his majesty.¡± ¡± Xiaolin! Watch what you say!¡± Ji Yu snapped at Xiaolin asking her to not say anything nonsensical, when Xiaolin heard Ji Yu¡¯s admonishing voice, she lowered her head and did not say anything to her missy anymore but at the same time, she thought about how she has heard the gossip from the maids and could not help but sigh for her missy. If the Emperor was interested in men then there will be a lot of trouble in the future. Ji Yu was thinking along the same line as well, even though she scolded Xiaolin she was lost in her thoughts, she did not want the Emperor to be interested in other women but that did not mean that she wanted him to get interested in another man! As she thought about the gossip that she has just heard from Xiaolin, she immediately turned to pick up the teacup from the table that was sitting beside her and then drowned the cold tea in her mouth in one single sip. She then clutched the cup in her hands with both her hands as she pursed her lips and then looked at Xiaolin who was kneeling on the floor silently. ..... She waited for a while before hesitatingly asking, ¡± A..Are you sure that the man in the rumours is the Emperor.¡± She did not want the Emperor to be interested in a man, with the women of the harem, she could still fight, she still had a chance but if the Emperor was to fall for a man then how was she supposed to fight against a man? Ji Yu was hoping that Xiaolin will tell her that she was just joking or that the rumours that were flying around the imperial pce were nothing but rumours without any base but then she heard Xiaolin say, ¡± I speak the truth, your highness, the gossip is that two maids saw the Emperor carrying a man in his arms.¡± ¡® carrying in his arms? Tianyu hasn¡¯t even carried her in his arms! Even when she twisted her ankle, he left her alone and then waited for the eunuch of the pce toe and pick her up!¡¯ Ji Yu never thought that she will feel upset over a man and that too in a way where she will be jealous of him! She bit her lips and smacked her hands on the table as she hurled the teacup in the air and smashed it into bits. Xiaolin flinched in surprise but before she could say anything, she heard a sound of a dog crying. She looked left and right in wonder, thinking about where the sound of a puppy crying wasing from but then she noticed that the sound of puppy woe wasing from the front. Surprised she turned to look at her front and was stunned when she saw that her missy was ugly crying with her face scrunched up and snot with tears trickling down her cheeks and nostrils. ¡± Your highness please do not cry like this!¡± You will scare someone if you continue to cry in this ugly way. Xiaolin however was smart enough and did not to say the following words but she still couldn¡¯t help but pick up a handkerchief from the table as she wiped Ji Yu¡¯s face with the white handkerchief. ¡± You don¡¯t need to act like this just because his majesty had always been with you hasn¡¯t he? Surely he must adore you, your highness.¡± ¡± If he adores me then why does he not look for me in the night? I thought he was speaking the truth when he said that he did not want to have kids but now I am incapable of having one but he still does note looking for me at the night, don¡¯t you think that there is something wrong with him?¡± Ji Yu cried even more loudly when she thought about how she was being ignored by the Emperor because of a man. Chapter 206 - 206 Get on your knees 206 Get on your knees ¡± Wh...Who was that man?!¡± This was the only roar that could be heard in the imperial pce in the morning every concubine who lived in the pce could be seen biting their handkerchief as they ordered their maids to find the identity of the man. As for the man, she was currently lying on her bed with her hand mping and rubbing her forehead as her head throbbed and ached because of the consequences of her actionsst night. Liu Hui Ying had no idea that she has caused the entire bunch of concubines to get restless for the entire week, right now she was cursing the weak body that she was in at the moment. ¡± Ah, this darn woman,¡± she groaned as she rubbed her temples with an annoyed look on her face. ¡± She can¡¯t even take a few sips of alcohol when I was the great detective Hui Ying, I could drink a least three bottles of wine before passing out!¡± When she was working as a detective she had to train her body like that of a man which was why she was used to drinking every now and then, there was also her sister who was trapped in her body. If she was to pass out then her sister would regain consciousness and take over her body ¡ª¡ª Wait! Liu Hui Ying¡¯s eyes snapped wide open as she sat up straight but because her head was hurting so much, she plopped down on the bed again because she could not sit still without her vision whirling around in front of her eyes like a top. However, even though she felt sick, Liu Hui Ying bullied her brain to remember what happenedst night, she wanted to know whether her sister took control of her body or not. But no matter how much she tried to remember nothing came to her mind, it was as if the memories ofst night has long been cleaned. This only annoyed Liu Hui Ying further, she angrily punched the bed under her with her fists as she snapped, ¡± This woman is simply useless, she can¡¯t even remember what happenedst night, it¡¯s fine if you cannot handle alcohol the least your body can do is to remember things!¡± ¡°The yst night was really amazing,¡± Jia Li who has finally found a way to entertain herself was really happy,st night she went to see the y that was being performed in the second concubine¡¯s courtyard. It was a simple drama of a young miss being thrown out of her house but then regaining her title and position by framing and scheming against her family, it was a simple plot but at least the actors knew what they were doing and she really enjoyed it. Who would have thought that she would be able to find a substitute for the chilly flix subscription that she has lost? ¡± I know right, the climax of the scene where she killed her half-sister who schemed against her was really interesting, I am more excited to see how the y will go on after that twist,¡± Grandma Lan Fen was an old woman who did not have much to do either when she was dragged to the y she did not want to go after all she liked the peace of the back courtyard a bit too much but in the end, she was a woman as well, soon she was attracted by the plot and she did not feel much resistance and thoroughly enjoyed herself. ..... ¡± Especially the male lead, he was very handsome as well right?¡± Jia LI gushed excitedly as she cupped her cheeks. ¡± Hmph, you are easily satisfied,¡± Li Gang knew that the man was handsome but he did not want to admit it. After all, he was not willing to agree that someone other than him was more handsome, call him a narcissist if you wanted but with his ck hair that was carefully cleaned in a buzz cut and his tall and muscr build he was better than any featherless chicken that had his hair tied in a ponytail with no muscles at all. ¡°You just know how to talk nonsense!¡± Jia Li red at Li Gang, that male lead was her new ¡®specimen¡¯ to be researched on, how dare this man say that the man was no good, there was no way she was going to listen to anyone talk badly about her research specimen at all! ¡°If you are jealous then just say it, why do you have to be like this?¡± ¡± What do you know¡ª¡ª¡± Li Gang was prepared to scold Jia Li but before he could say anything, he was stopped by a re that was directed at him, he turned around and looked at Liu Hui Ying who was ring at him and the other two before swallowing his words back. Uh oh, they seemed to have forgotten about this devil¡¯s heir. ¡± So,¡± Liu Hui Ying slowly pushed herself off the bed and then red at the three of them with her cold eyes. ¡± I was left alone in the pavilion while you three were enjoying a y? It seems that you all have forgotten who your master is, how dare you run around recklessly like that? Do you even have me in your eyes?¡± Liu Hui Ying could not be med for getting angry, her head was throbbing and she could not remember what happenedst night, she was banking on these three ghosts to tell her what happened but instead of waiting by her side, they all turned around and went to see their y! What kind of servants were these? They actually left their master to watch y? She was going to go mad with the three of them finding trouble with her! As she thought about how she has left these three ghosts to cover her back and trusted them only to be stabbed in the back by them, Liu Hui Ying could not help but grit her teeth in anger. Leave her back to these fools? It would be better to let her enemy stab her to death! ¡ª- Chapter 207 - 207 summoned by the dowager empress 207 summoned by the dowager empress ¡± We did not mean to do something like that as well but you were having such a good time, we thought it was not right of us to disturb you.¡± Li Gang who was now kneeling on the floor said aggrievedly to Liu Hui Ying, he did not want to go to the y but he was taken away by Jia Li who kept praising the man who was ying the male lead, saying that the man was too handsome and whatnot. ¡± I did not mean anything, I am old and muddleheaded..there are times when I cannot make proper decisions please try to understand,¡± Grandma Lan Fen who was an elderly woman and was thus allowed to stand without kneeling on the ground. She looked at Liu Hui Ying who was ring at her with a terrible expression on her face and lowered her head, she wanted to say something more but knew that there was no way she was going to be forgiven which was why she did not say a word and simply pursed her lips. ¡°¡­I did not think that you will be caught in trouble either¡­you were having your own fun which was why I thought that it was all right for us to have fun as well, please don¡¯t get angry at us like this,¡± Jia Li knew that she was in trouble she looked at Liu Hui Ying who was brimming with anger and then joined her hands in prayer as she squirmed nervously and added, ¡± It was just a single night, we worked so hard shouldn¡¯t it be all right for us to have some fun as well, why are you ring at me like that?¡± Liu Hui Ying did not understand how these three ghosts could be so cheeky was it because she was treating them too well, was this the reason why she was getting ignored by them like this? ¡± You three, you are too much! I left my back for you to cover and you went to enjoy a y! If this goes on what will happen if one day I get attacked and have to fight for my life? You three will be gushing over a y¡¯s climax and then I have to go and look for a ce to haunt! You three are supposed to be by my side no matter what happens and until I say that you are free to leave you cannot leave!¡± ¡± I did not want to leave, I was telling them that if we leave the hell raiser will surely skin us¡ª¡ª-¡± Dong. A loud echo reverberated in the room as Li Gang who was speaking felt his head twist back with a spiritual force and then felt his head fly away from his body. When he saw that he was punished by Liu Hui Ying for calling her a hell-raiser, he immediately flew into a rage while his body picked itself up from the ground and then walked over to where his head was, he continued to rap in a rapid-fire manner, ¡± Why are you getting angry at me for? These two were the ones who wanted to go to that concubine¡¯s pce and watch the y I was just ying along with them, why is it that you are getting angry at me and not them? Don¡¯t you think that you are being too biased by doing something like this?¡± As soon as he spoke Jia Li wished she could throw the man out of the room, it was such a small matter what was wrong with him if he was to take the matter on his head tonight? ..... ¡± You don¡¯t need to worry about it, I will definitely deal with the two of them,¡± Liu Hui Ying has not forgotten that these two have caused just as much trouble as Li Gang which was why she was not going to let this matter off as easily. But before she could think of a way to deal with Jia Li and Grandma Lan Fen, Nanny Gong who was working in the small kitchen came bustling inside the room, she was still covered in sweat after working in the small kitchen but despite being covered with sweat already she had to turn around and run to the courtyard. Liu Hui Ying who saw Nanny Gong run inside her room was stunned she wanted to ask what was going on but before she could say anything Nanny Gong immediately announced, ¡± The Dowager Empress has called for you, your majesty! You need to head to the pce now!¡± After that Liu Hui Ying did not even have the time to open her mouth because she was pulled off her bed and then she was pushed into the bath that was like a small swimming pool in an enclosed space. Nanny Gong did not hear a thing that she has to say and insisted on bathing her like a child by the time Liu Hui Ying was pulled out of the bath and was dressed up, she was pouting and huffing like an angry bull who was the verge of losing control. ¡°You need to smile a little more your majesty, you look like you are going to meet someone who went back on his words and reneged their debts,¡± Nanny Gong tried to pull Liu Hui Ying¡¯s lips up but she could not even touch those frowning lips before Liu Hui Ying opened her mouth and fiercely bit down on Nanny Gong¡¯s fingers causing thetter to yelp a loud, ¡± Aiya, what are you doing? Your majesty!¡± Nanny Gong was really wronged it was not like she was the one who wanted to do this, the dowager empress sent the word that she wanted to see Liu Hui Ying, what else was she supposed to do other than follow her order? She aggrievedly blew on her finger and then looked at Liu Hui Ying who was looking like she was on the verge of losing her temper. Now she just hoped that her majesty would stay calm while seeing the dowager empress as for her acting like ady? She might as well forget it. Chapter 208 - 208 Choked 208 Choked Liu Hui Ying did not want to go to the Dowager Empress, she was unwilling but no matter how unwilling she was, there was no way she would be able to ignore the order of the Dowager Empress which was why even though she did not want to agree, she had to sit down on the pnquin and allow the people who were forcing her to the Dowager Empress pce take her there. ¡± I greet her majesty!¡± Liu Hui Ying even though hated the fact that she has toe and see this schemingdy, she bowed politely and looked at her with a respectful expression. If not for her perfect acting skills she would not have been able to work as an undercover detective for such a long time, her expressions were even more wonderful than the real Liu Hui Ying causing Dowager Empress to look at her with a smile. ¡± You child, there is no need for you to look at me like that and, there is no need for you to act all polite with me,¡± Dowager Empress immediately said as she asked her Mammy to help Liu Hui Ying up, she looked at Liu Hui Ying like she was looking at her favourite niece causing Liu Hui Ying¡¯s smile to widen even more. ¡® No need to act so polite? Why don¡¯t you look at that overly satisfied face of yours first? Clearly, you love seeing people bow to you!¡¯ Liu Hui Ying thought in her head as she let the mammy help her up, she walked over to the chair that was opposite Dowager Empress and sat down with a polite expression on her face while she ruthlessly curse the Dowager Empress in her head. ¡± Did you want to see me for something your majesty?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked as she looked at the woman who was sitting in front of her, she was sure that this woman did not call her to the pce to enjoy the sight of the fluttering apricot leaves. The two of them were currently sitting in the garden that no longer had the charm it did when it was spring, the green leaves were slowly turning a subtle shade of brown, and some were even fluttering down with the wind that was rustling past them. Liu Hui Ying surveyed the surroundings carefully and her eyes flickered when she noticed a chill that has nothing to do with the weather that was changing. ¡® A soul¡¯ she muttered in her mind as she looked around the garden her eyes flickered left and right but she could not find the soul that was hiding and before she could focus on the yin energy she felt that the soul has vanished without a trace. This ¡­just how many souls were trapped in this ce? ¡± I called you because there is something that I want to ask to you,¡± Dowager Empress suddenly spoke causing as she looked at Liu Hui Ying causing thetter to snap out of her daze as she looked at the woman who was speaking to her. ..... Liu Hui Ying was prepared to be questioned about a number of things like why she was no longer in the courtyard and why she was leaving and where she was going after all there was a chance that the maids who were looking after her and were working in her courtyard were spies of Dowager Empress she has never been a fool to think that the Dowager Empress and Grand Dowager Empress would leave her alone. The two of them thought they were opponents, the two women were cut from the same clothes¡ª¡ª they were distrustful of others and were simply unreasonable there was no way she would not know that they would nt spies in her courtyard. But as she was waiting for Dowager Empress to ask what she was thinking she noticed that the woman¡¯s face has turned weird as she looked at her and then said in a soft voice, ¡± Hui Ying, when you told me that his majesty went to see you at the night where you two consummated your wedding, you were speaking the truth right?¡± Liu Hui Ying clenched her fingers, what was this? Was the woman suspecting her? She was a bit confused but she still lowered her head and shyly responded, ¡± of course it is true, how can I dare to lie to you, your majesty?¡± Though she replied like that, she was carefully thinking about the night that took ce, what happened¡­did she miss something but howe she missed something? She has never made a mistake before! Just as she was thinking about whether to use her talisman on the Dowager Empress knowing that she will have to do something or else because of the sin of lying to the dowager empress she will get the punishment of beheading. But before she could even take the talisman out,she heard the Dowager Empress heave a sigh of relief, stunned she looked at the woman whose face was obviously very clear and she did not look like she was going to go on a verge of attacking or punishing anyone, seeing this Liu Hui Ying was surprised but before she could say anything she heard Dowager Empress say, ¡± I knew that there was no way what they were saying was the truth!¡± ¡± Your majesty?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked in confusion, what was she talking about? Seeing that Liu Hui Ying was looking at her with confusion Dowager Empress thought that she has not taken the rumours to her mind and felt even more proud of her niece. Clearly, her niece knew what her son was capable of and was not even willing to believe what the others were talking about, it was only those women who did not know what was good for them and had never felt the happiness of what it meant to fly up to the heaven which was why they have they were believing such rumours. ¡°It¡¯s nothing the others are saying that his majesty is interested in men.¡± No sooner did the Grand Dowager Empress say this than Liu Hui Ying who has drank a sip of the tea served by the nanny choked. Chapter 209 - 209 Drowned to death 209 Drowned to death ¡ª ¡± Cough, cough,¡± Liu Hui Ying was so shocked by this revtion that she did not know what to say, the Emperor was interested in men. Since when did this happen and how? Liu Hui Ying was stunned as she looked at the woman who was looking at her in surprise and hurriedly wiped her mouth with a handkerchief that Qui Ai has offered her and then said with a smile, ¡± I...I was just shocked upon hearing that people would believe on anything now.¡± But as she spoke she was really troubled by the fact that she might have caused trouble for Zhai Tianyu, what if he was really interested in men and she created a mess for his sexual orientation to be turned around? Butpared to Zhai Tianyu¡¯s sexual satisfaction she cared about her life which was why she immediately pushed the guilt that she was feeling in her heart to the side, she shouldn¡¯t think too much after all she was the one whose life was on the line as for Zhai Tianyu wasn¡¯t he already having fun with the man or whoever he was with? ¡± Right!¡± When Dowager Empress heard Liu Hui Ying¡¯s words she smacked the table with a harsh bang of her hand. ¡± I was telling mammy An the same thing, there is no way my son will be interested in men, even if I haven¡¯t raised him. I know him better than others, there is no way he will go around frolicking with eunuch and whatnots, it¡¯s just some people who don¡¯t know what is right and what is wrong for them.¡± As she spoke she started to get more and more angry but then she did not say anything and simply cursed those who were saying a bunch of things about her son who was the Emperor of this pce. ¡± Yes, yes ¡­you are absolutely right your majesty,¡± what else could Liu Hui Ying say? She nodded her head and then smiled at the Dowager Empress as if she was agreeing with every single word that the older woman was saying but in her heart, she was rolling around in pain and guilt. Did she force a bend man to be straight? But howe that man wasn¡¯t straight, did he not have a white moonlight? As she thought about Ji Yu, Liu Hui Ying remembered the features of Ji Yu that despite being delicate had a masculine charm to them and suddenly understood something very important. Of course! This was not about beauty it was about the essence! Now that she understood what was going on Liu Hui Ying thought that she might have understood something! Though before she could say anything she heard a maid¡¯s hurried footsteps and then she watched as the maid who was standing outsidee running as she came to stand behind the mammy. Mammy An did not move instead she stood where she was before she looked at the person, Mammy An did not move at once but she waited until she was done before she turned around and then walked over to where the maid was, she looked at the maid who leaned in closer and then said a bunch of things to her, at first Mammy An did not understand what was going on but then her eyes widened as she rushed to Dowager Empress and said in a panicked voice, ¡± Liu Fei Fei is dead.¡± ..... ¡­. Liu Fei Fei was one of the most important chess pieces that the Dowager Empress and the left prime minister has chosen, she was supposed to be the backdrop of Liu Hui Ying making sure that if there were no benefits brought by Liu Hui Ying then they could turn to Liu Fei Fei, what was more with Liu Fei Fei in the harem they would be able to keep a rein on Liu Hui Ying after all they wanted to make sure that she knew that if they could make her the Empress then they can even make Liu Fei Fei the empress as well. But now one of the legitimate daughters of the Liu family was killed and the others who were stuffed in the imperial pce were only worthy to be the imperial concubine. When Dowager Empress heard that Liu Fei Fei was dead, she felt like she has been smacked in the face. Someone actually dared to make a move against the daughter of the Liu family and that too right under her nose? How dare they! ¡± My Fei Fei!¡± When both Liu Hui Ying and the Dowager Empress arrived at the courtyard where Liu Fei Fei lived they could see the nanny who has taken care of Liu Fei Fei ever since she was a child crying over the corpse that was lying on the floor. Liu Hui Ying looked at the corpse that was on the floor, it seemed to have been taken out of the pond, as her entire body was swollen and Liu Fei Fei who seemed like a delicate beauty was now looking like she was some sort monster. ¡± She was drowned by someone,¡± earlier Jia Li and the others were really bored when they were with Liu Hui Ying they wanted to leave but after the lesson that Liu Hui Ying has taught them, they no longer dared to do that which was why they stayed where they were, luckily they did or they would have missed this case! Liu Hui Ying¡¯s eyes shed as she looked around the room and indeed she noticed the heavy yin energy that was full of vengeance and anger, Liu Fei Fei was here and she was currently really angry. Most probably she was trying to look for the person who killed her and wanted to take her revenge, she looked at the corner of the room where the walls seemed to have gotten slightly wetter and narrowed her eyes while no one was looking at her, she turned her Yin and Yang eyes on and sure enough, she saw Liu Fei Fei sitting inside the small space with her eyes drilled on her corpse with a vicious look on her face. Chapter 210 - 210 How much? 210 How much? Liu Hui Ying wasn¡¯t surprised when she saw that Liu Fei Fei did not move on and stayed in this world, after all, when she met with this little cousin of hers, she saw that the woman was petty and vengeful. What was more important, this woman was very arrogant, her arrogance surpassed even that of the jerk. As soon as she thought about a certain jerk, the man who was currently sitting in his study and was looking at the documents in front of him without knowing that a troublesome murder has taken ce right under his nose, sneezed loudly. She was going to look away from the soul that was hiding in the small closet that was in the room when suddenly the soul that was sitting inside the closet turned around and looked at her when Liu Fei Fei saw Liu Hui Ying, she eyes widened and then she stood up from the spot where she was gloomily sitting in the corner. Seeing her stand up Liu Hui Ying¡¯s eyes quivered, and she silently screamed in her head. ¡® No, No! Don¡¯te over!¡¯ She just got some free time after solving the case that was rted to the aunt of the Emperor¡¯s aunt. She did not want to get involved in another case so soon! But even if she wanted to stay away from the trouble it did not mean that she will be able to avoid it. Just as she turned her gaze away, Liu Fei Fei came to stand in front of her ¡ª¡ª she looked at her with a smile that was ying on her face and opened her mouth, ¡± I was thinking what to do, but now that you are here, I think that I don¡¯t need to find trouble myself.¡± ¡® Ignore her, ignore her,¡¯ Liu Hui Ying told herself, she stared in front and looked at the Nanny who was crying while nanny An tried to console her but from the looks of it, it seemed that the grief that Liu Fei Fei¡¯s nanny was suffering from did not seem to be a minor one. She kept on crying while hugging Liu Fei Fei whose body was on the floor, she shook her head as she tried to shake off the people who were trying to snatch Liu Fei Fei¡¯s body from her. ¡± Don¡¯t take my missy, she is so scared of the cold. What are you doing? I have to cover her up and make her feel the warmth.¡± When Liu Fei Fei heard her nanny howl like that her eyes turned red as she blinked away the ghostly tears that were brimming in her eyes but she did not cry. She knew that there was no point in crying over this matter, she was already dead and even if she wanted to coax her nanny she could not do it which was why she turned to look at Liu Hui Ying with a determined look on her face and said, ¡± You don¡¯t have to look ahead like this, I can see the extreme yin energy wafting off from your body. And there is also that baleful aura that resembles the guardians of the underworld. You are clearly a celestial master, instead of ignoring me like this, you should listen to me!¡± Celestial masters were different from those who only existed to exorcise the soul existing in this world no matter if they were good or bad. Those people were called ghost busters or more like ghost exorcisers but celestial masters were different as long as a soul brings up the case in front of them, they will have to help them. ..... Now that Liu Fei Fei was a ghost she obviously knew of all these things. Liu Hui Ying heard Liu Fei Fei¡¯s domineering voice and her lips twitched, she could see that the uing days will be really difficult for her with this overbearing girl. Even though Liu Fei Fei was screaming in her ears, she still continued to act as if she could not see anything¡ª¡ª after all, she really did not want to get involved with this woman. Seeing that Liu Hui Ying was still ignoring her, Liu Fei Fei¡¯s lips curled as she looked at the woman with a dark smile and added, ¡± I can see that you have three ghosts behind you, why don¡¯t you stop with that pretence of yours? If you don¡¯t agree then I will haunt you even when you are old and withered maybe we might even share the same tomb together.¡± Since she was not going to get what she wanted she was definitely going to go all out. So what if she was shameless? As long as she could find out the culprit who was behind her death, she will be able to move on and if she did not then she will roam in this world without solving her vengeance. ¡± Fck, Hui Ying! I think you met your match in terms of shamelessness!¡± Li Gang eximed as he peered past Liu Hui Ying¡¯s shoulders at Liu Fei Fei who was daring enough to threaten Liu Hui Ying causing Liu Hui Ying to erupt as she violently smacked her hand on the right and pped Li Gang with all her might. Her actions were so ruthless that Li Gang was smashed directly into the wall behind him, seeing him like this Jia Li clicked her tongue in distaste while Grandma Lan Fen only sighed, what should she do about this foolish boy? How can he let the cat out of the bag so soon? ¡± Aha!¡± Liu Fei Fei smugly looked at Liu Hui Ying who has sent Li Gang flying and then sneered with a cold look in her eyes as she pointed at Liu Hui Ying in triumph. ¡± Now what do you have to say for yourself? You have been caught on the spot. Why don¡¯t you look at my eyes now, dear sister?¡± Liu Hui Ying understood that she would not be able to get away from this situation, so she helplessly sighed and asked, ¡± How much?¡± ¡ª- Chapter 211 - 211 The Queen killed Liu Fei Fei! 211 The Queen killed Liu Fei Fei! ¡± How much what?¡± Liu Fei Fei did not understand what Liu Hui Ying was trying to say but the next second she saw the woman¡¯s eyes suddenly be fierce as she calmly said, ¡± What else? I am asking about what and how you are going to pay me for my work?¡± Though she was not willing to take this order there was no other choice left for her either, if she really got stuck in this ce then she definitely did not want to share the same grave as Liu Fei Fei, who knows maybe if she and Liu Fei Fei to spend an eternity in their graves together then she might truly lose control and return from the gates of the underworld to fight with this woman who snatched her grave. ¡°What are you saying? You are a celestial master, shouldn¡¯t you be helping me? I am a pitiful spirit and you are a big master, how can you bully me like this? Is this how the heavens work?¡± Liu Fei Fei asked indignantly she could not understand why she would have to hand money to Liu Hui Ying, even though she wanted her help she was not going to help her in getting rich by using her wealth. ¡± So what if I am a celestial master? Don¡¯t you think that I don¡¯t need to eat food and that I don¡¯t need to do anything like buyfort? You came to see me when you were alive and you can see that I don¡¯t have manyforts but you clearly had so many things, why don¡¯t you share with me, dear sister?¡± Li Gang was terribly wrong there was no way anyone would be able to snatch her title of the most shameless woman. She wasn¡¯t someone who would give up her title without defending it! When they saw that Liu Hui Ying was indeed trying to suck Liu Fei Fei dry when she was dead already, their lips twitched. This was also right even if Liu Fei Fei acted up, there was no way she would be able to defeat Liu Hui Ying who was full of the ck stuff in her belly. Seeing that Liu Hui Ying was actually trying to smuggle money out of her pockets, Liu Fei Fei felt like she was going to be mad with anger! But then she held it in and gritted her teeth before snapping, ¡± Fine, I will let you take my jewellery¡ª¡ª¡± ¡± Are you mad ?¡± Liu Hui Ying turned to look at her with an ¡® are you serious look¡¯ on her face. ¡± I am telling you that I have no need for your pieces of jewellery, you need to give me money, I want hot, rolling money do you get it? What will I do with jewels?¡± She was speaking the truth after the lesson she has learned she knew that there was no way anyone would be able to sell the jewellery that was owned by the imperial family and what was more no one would buy jewellery that belonged to a dead person, even in the modern world no one would dare to buy a thing that was left behind by a dead person much less in this era. ..... Liu Fei Fei was speechless, she looked at Liu Hui Ying. She didn¡¯t think that this woman would be this shameless! But before she could say anything a maid came running inside the room, she was carrying a paper in her hands as she hurriedly stuffed it in the hand of the nanny who was crying. The nanny took one look at the paper before her head shot up and she looked at Liu Hui Ying before she shot up and roared, ¡°It¡¯s you! It is you who killed my missy!¡± As she spoke she pounced at Liu Hui Ying whose eyes narrowed as she raised her hand and smacked the woman so hard that she fell on the floor. The nanny was old and did not know anything about what was happening, she only knew one thing and that was she was pped by Liu Hui Ying whom she has attacked. A side of her was shocked but Liu Hui Ying did not give her a chance to think and calmly said, ¡± Have you snapped out of your daze?¡± Liu Hui Ying looked down at the woman who attacked her, she did not know what was written on the paper but she was already very clear about one thing, that paper had her name on it. ¡°It¡¯s her!¡± The nanny pointed at Liu Hui Ying and shouted again as she looked at Dowager Empress. ¡± She is the one who killed my missy, your majesty. Please give my missy an answer!¡± As she spoke she opened the paper that was in her hand and showed the name that was written on it, one could see that the name that was written on the clean paper was none other than Liu Hui Ying¡¯s! Seeing this Liu Hui Ying¡¯s eyes narrowed as she looked at Liu Fei Fei who shrugged and said, ¡± I am not the one who wrote that, the handwriting does look like its mine but it¡¯s not me who wrote that, someone copied my writing and then wrote your name.¡± When Liu Hui Ying heard that her eyes flickered, even more, looks like she was the one who was being targeted this time but why? She hasn¡¯t made a move at anyone yet. Even Dowager Empress¡¯s eyes started to flicker, she looked at the name that was written on the paper and then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was standing behind her, she, however, did not say anything, instead, she waited for Liu Hui Ying to say something. Liu Hui Ying noticed that the woman was looking at her and then said calmly, ¡± Why will I kill her your majesty? And even if I did ¡­I am sure that I am smart enough to not leave a piece of evidence behind after all I am the legitimate daughter of the Liu family. I don¡¯t need to dirty my hands by using my own people.¡± She carefully looked at Liu Hui Ying who was looking at this situation shrewdly and her eyes glimmered with pride. This niece of hers was not as soft as she thought¡ª¡ª Chapter 212 - 212 Scheme 212 Scheme ¡± You must be jealous of my missy!¡± The nanny whose grief was beyond control red at Liu Hui Ying. She forgot in her sadness that she was just a servant who did not have any power in front of Liu Hui Ying or anyone else standing in the room but she was the one who raised Liu Fei Fei ever since she was a young girl, she was a widow who lost her husband when she was very young which was why she did not have any children and this was why she poured all of her love on Liu Fei Fei. Now that the girl whom she treated as her daughter was dead how can she not be upset? How can she not cry? This girl might be a nobody for those who lived in the Liu family and the Emperor but for her, she was her entire world. Without Liu Fei Fei, how was she supposed to stay alive? ¡± Nanny Cheng, watch who you are talking to!¡± nanny An who was coaxing Nanny Cheng till now immediately changed her countenance when she saw that thetter was shouting at the Empress, she understood that Nanny Cheng was suffering the most upon seeing the death of Liu Fei Fei but that did not give her the right to scream at Liu Hui Ying who was the Empress. Can she not see that the Dowager Empress¡¯s facial expressions were changing? She was courting death by shouting at the Empress right in front of Liu Hui Ying after all she was still the legitimate daughter of the Liu family while Liu Fei Fei was nothing but an adopted daughter, how dare she raise her voice in front of the Dowager Empress and that too at the Empress? Nanny Cheng too realised that she seemed to have overstepped her boundary but she still defiantly looked at the Empress like she was hoping that the woman will die here and now in front of her. Seeing Nanny Cheng act like this Liu Hui Ying sighed while Liu Fei Fei on her side let out an arrogant scoff, it was as if she was certain that Liu Hui Ying will now have to help her without asking for money. But Liu Hui Ying would never help anyone without anything in return which was why she calmly looked at the Dowager Empress who was staring at the corpse with aplexion that was slowly turning purple. ¡± Your majesty, do you think that I will kill Concubine Liu?¡± Instead of panicking she calmly ced her thoughts into words and then began speaking, she knew that at this moment she did not have the time to scold the nanny who was yelling at her, if she did that then she would simply waste her time which was why she did not get angry instead she blinked her dewy eyes and then looked at the Dowager Empress without even the slighted frown. ¡± I will admit that she and I did not get along with each other since she always bullied me,¡± her words caused both Nanny Cheng and Liu Fei Fei who were standing beside her in her ghostly form stiffen as she turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was looking at her with a hidden smirk. ¡® Ruthless, this woman was simply ruthless she was actually going to ruin the reputation of even a dead woman!¡¯ Liu Fei Fei scolded Liu Hui Ying who was standing beside her. ..... ¡± But that does not mean that I will kill Concubine Liu, after all, there is no need for me to get jealous over her. His majesty dotes on me and I am also the legitimate daughter of the Liu family¡­and even if I did not have such things, I am sitting on the throne of the Empress do I need to do something foolish like this?¡± Liu Hui Ying exined everything that she was thinking in her head before she turned to look at Nanny Cheng who was looking at her with confusion as if she was finally thinking straight. ¡± As for the note if we think carefully, as nanny Cheng said she just went to look for something to drink for Liu Fei Fei and she hardly left her alone for less than fifteen minutes, if that is the case then Nanny Cheng did you leave a paper, brush and grounded ink with Concubine Liu?¡± Liu Hui Ying hurriedly started to state all the evidence that she could use to make herself get out of this situation. ¡± Or was there any ink that has been groundedst night?¡± ¡± No there was no ink left, my missy wrote a letter to her father earlier this week and she did not write anything else,¡± Nanny Cheng replied now that she has calmed down, she could think straight. Liu Hui Ying was the Empress there was no need for her to do something like this, if she wanted she could have always asked the Liu family to take care of Liu Fei Fei instead ofing to the courtyard and pushing Liu Fei Fei herself and even if there was a feud between the two sisters, her missy knew that she was an abandoned chess piece, if she dying in the hands of Liu Hui Ying then she would have died silently. When Liu Hui Ying heard that Liu Fei Fei did not write anything for a week, she heaved a sigh of relief. It was a good thing that Liu Fei Fei was an idiot and was not a nerd like Ji Yu who busied herself all day long while doing calligraphy and drawing, if Liu Fei Fei was second Ji Yu then she would have had a really hard time to exin this situation. ¡± Then was Concubine Liu capable of grinding the ink stone in just a mere twenty or twenty-five minutes?¡± She further asked nanny Cheng who looked confused but shook her head as she replied, ¡± No, Missy has been raised with all sorts offorts and servants, she did not even know how to grind an ink stone.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 213 - 213 She committed suicide. 213 Shemitted suicide. ¡± Isn¡¯t that so? If she cannot even grind an ink stone and there was no spare ink left then howe she was able to write my name before jumping down the pond? And even if she was nning to jump ahead and even wrote a letter then I can only say that the servants here were not doing their jobs up to the mark because howe it is possible that no one here knew that she was going to jump in the pond?¡± Liu Hui Ying pointed out as she looked at Nanny Cheng who was kneeling on the floor. She was slightly nervous because this ce was where no one cared about the life of a human and she knew that if she did not carefully tread on thin ice then there was a possibility that the Emperor might barge in and dere her as a criminal after all she was someone who was being targeted by him because of the Liu family, she did not think that the man would let her leave just because she helped him a little bit. Men were all selfish. Liu Hui Ying had learned this lesson the hard way, being touched, groped and bullied by a bunch of them. Which was why she was not going to be trusting of that man even if they solved a simple case together. She smiled and then looked at Dowager Empress with a calm voice and continued speaking, ¡± Maybe¡­.¡± ¡°Maybe?¡± Dowager Empress asked as she looked at Liu Hui Ying who was looking at the corpse and was hesitating to say something, seeing her hesitate, Dowager Empress immediately said, ¡± What do you want to say? Just say it without any worries.¡± Liu Hui Ying was just waiting for this, she licked her lips and nervously continued speaking, ¡± Your majesty, Liu Fei Fei was killed and I was med, Don¡¯t you think that someone is trying to target both of us at the same time? Maybe they want to kill Liu Fei Fei and dethrone me, if that happens then wouldn¡¯t the Liu family suffer? I will be removed from the post of the Empress and Liu Fei Fei is dead as well which means that the influence of the Liu family on the harem will be significantly reduced.¡± When Liu Hui Ying said this Dowager Empress who was thinking about the incident immediately understood what was going on and she gritted her teeth. ¡± The Ji family!¡± In the imperial city no one other than the Ji family no one wanted to see the Liu family fall. They had a lot of enemies but only the Ji family could be this bold, since they dared to do something like this they must have thought that she would punish Liu Hui Ying or maybe they were giving an opportunity to the Emperor to dethrone Liu Hui Ying as well when she thought about this Dowager Empress¡¯s eyes shed and then she turned to look at the maids who were standing in the room with a nervous expression on their faces. ..... They were young and naive but this did not matter to the Dowager Empress, for the sake of keeping her family¡¯s power stable and punishing those who have wronged her family and her. Her eyes flickered as she looked at her nanny An who was sturdy and nodded, once she did that Nanny An whistled in a low voice. As soon as she did that three shadows appeared out of thin air, the maids realised what was going on and wanted to scream but were stopped by Dowager Empress who narrowed her eyes and said, ¡± If you listen to me then your family will still be able to get out of this situation alive but if you don¡¯t then you will be buried with your families.¡± At once those maids who wanted to scream turned silent and were taken away by the shadow guards when Liu Hui Ying saw this her smile faltered as she looked at the expression of the maids who had their heads lowered, she wanted to stop Dowager Empress but she knew her limits. Even if she did not agree with the killing of the innocents, she knew that the Dowager Empress was too distrustful, if she said anything to save those women then she will be attracting more attention to her. Once the maids were taken away, Dowager Empress then turned to look at the woman who was kneeling on the floor. ¡°You...Your majesty, I have served the Liu family for so many years¡­¡ª¡ª¡± Nanny Cheng started pleading but was stopped by Dowager Empress who interrupted her with a scheming look on her face. ¡± You are right.¡± She motioned to Nanny An who tugged the paper out of Nanny Cheng¡¯s grip and threw it in the stove that was still burning next to the corpse. Immediately the paper started burning with a flicker of sparks, one could see that Nanny Cheng wanted to save the burning paper but did not when she saw that the Dowager Empress was standing in front of her with a nk look on her face. ¡°It¡¯s a pity that poor Fei Fei could not withstand the pressure of staying in the imperial pce, I am saddened by her suicide but you know Nanny Cheng, such deaths cannot be avoided, so I hope that you will be able to forget this incident and move forward,¡± Dowager Empress calmly told Nanny Cheng as if she has not just killed someone with just a few words. ¡± But because you have been working so hard for the Liu family, I will give you a reward. From now on you will start working for the Empress, take care of her just as you took care of Fei Fei, do not let me down, do you understand?¡± Anyone could see that Dowager Empress was threatening Nanny Cheng, and from the defiant look in the eyes of Nanny Cheng, it could be seen that she wanted to fight back since she was not reconciled but before she could say anything Dowager Empress repeated with a cold voice, ¡± Do you understand?¡± Chapter 214 - 214 Threats 214 Threats Nanny Cheng felt wronged but there was nothing that she could do, she lowered her head with clenched fingers as she replied in a low voice, ¡± I understand your majesty.¡± Anyone with a working head could see that the Dowager Empress was threatening Nanny Cheng, she was telling her not to breathe a word to anyone else because she was worried that Nanny Cheng might end up slipping something out of her mouth because of her anger and emotions which was why she sent her to Liu Hui Ying¡¯s pce where she knew that Liu Hui Ying will not let her speak any nonsense. ¡± Very well, I knew that no nanny of the Liu family will be a fool,¡± Dowager Empress nodded with apparent grace as she straightened up and looked at Nanny Cheng as if thetter was nothing but a worthless insect she could curse at any second. ¡± There is no ce for fools in the Liu family anyone whose head is filled with water deserves to be under six feet rather than walking alongside us. If you cannot be wise enough to understand something so small then I can arrange a new residence for you¡­it will be a little small and cramped but you will be in a better ce, what do you say, Nanny Cheng?¡± Dowager Empress¡¯s words were soft and filled with affection if no one knew her, they would have thought that she was telling Nanny Cheng to retire and go to the countryside with little to nofort but everyone in the room was very much aware of what kind of woman Dowager Empress was and thus they knew that the woman was talking about a coffin instead of a house. Her cold words cause Nanny Cheng to shiver as she lowered her head and repeat her words in a slightly clear voice, ¡± I don¡¯t dare to betray the Liu family, your majesty. Even if I die, I will not say a word about today.¡± When she said these words they nearly killed her, Liu Fei Fei died unfairly and someone killed her but for the sake of stopping the investigation from taking ce, she has to make the murder sound like it was suicide. Her poor little mistress ¡ª¡ª she will be buried without ever getting the justice that she deserved. ¡± You are wise indeed, Nanny Cheng,¡± Dowager Empress¡¯s lips curled in a soft smile as she stared at the back of Nanny Cheng¡¯s head. ¡± I was thinking that you might have gone muddleheaded with your advancing age but looks like you are still young enough to work for a few more years, take care of your body and mind, and more importantly your mouth that way you will be able to stay alive for a very long time.¡± After she spoke, she nced at Liu Hui Ying who was silently standing by her side and her lips for the very first time curled in a genuine smile. ¡± I knew that no niece of mine wouldn¡¯t be cut out for the role of the Empress.¡± She raised her hand and then took off a ring from her finger before she stretched out her hand with the ring clutching between her fingers. ¡± Take this, if not for your careful consideration, we would have lost more than just a young girl¡¯s life.¡± Liu Hui Ying did not want to take the ring at all, who knew how many people¡¯s blood was covering this very ring but she knew that she would not be able to do so which was why she pursed her lips and then took the ring before lowering her body in a polite bow. ¡± I thank your majesty.¡± ..... She looked at the golden ring with her lips twitching, the ring had a beautiful red ruby attached to the golden band but for her, this ring was not at all worthy to be worn on her finger. It smelled of corruption and absolute control, something that she was not a fan of, which was why she was going to throw this ring in the back of her jewellery box once she goes back to her courtyard. Dowager Empress nodded and then she flicked her sleeves before she walked past the crowd and the corpse that was now covered with a white cloth, her nanny has asked the maids to cover the body of Liu Fei Fei given that she was looking a bit unsightly with her body getting swollen. With a brisk walk, Dowager Empress walked away she did not even nce at the body as if the girl who died was not even from her family much less her niece. There was no pain or sadness on her face if there was anything it was anger, her delicate face that has been fighting a war with the turn of time was scrunched up and one could see that there was a storm that was raging inside her heart as she walked past the corridor of the courtyard that belonged to Liu Fei Fei. All the maids who were standing in the narrow courtyard immediately pushed their bodies back and stuck their backs to the wall that was behind them and then lowered their heads, not even daring to breathe loudly, they knew that if they were to say anything at this moment they will be the one who will be getting that small and cramped. ¡± Are we going to ignore this matter, your majesty?¡± Nanny An asked as she looked at her master, she knew that even though the Dowager Empress has given up on the Phoenix seal, she was still very much in control of the harem, this was the reason that when Liu Fei Fei died¡ª¡ª the matter was made known to Dowager Empress first instead of the Empress and the Emperor. It was the Empress¡¯s good fortune that she was with the Dowager Empress and was able to avoid getting into trouble if not she would have had a time exining herself, not that the Dowager Empress would not have protected her. ¡± Of course not,¡± Dowager Empress¡¯s face twisted into a vicious sneer. ¡± Since they like the thought of killing so much, then they might be willing to see the consequences of their actions. Ask the guards to send the dead bodies of those maids to the Ji family, let them know that I have a very good idea what they are doing.¡± She paused as she clenched her fingers and then tugged the side of her lips in a cruel smile. ¡± And I do appreciate it very much, they will receive a return gift for this wonderful gift that they have given me.¡± ¡ª¡ª Chapter 215 - 215 If its you I am willing 215 If its you I am willing Liu Hui Ying returned to her courtyard beside her was Liu Fei Fei who was very much affronted as she continued toin in her ears. ¡± I cannot believe that aunt would do something like this even if she could not investigate you, something that I am not even going to ask given that I know that someone from the Liu family needs to stay in power. But she could have at least dragged the Concubines into this mess and have them taught a lesson.¡± As she spoke she pursed her lips and then carefully tucked a strand of her hair before continuing, ¡± I am certain that this n with so many loopholes must belong to that woman, Ji Laoyu. She is the daughter of the third Concubine of the second master Ji¡­I bet she was upset when I told her that the hairpin that she was boasting about was not from the Mingzhi province and was brought from a small stall.¡± ¡± No, it must be that woman¡­ that Ji Xi, I heard that she was recently admitted into the imperial pce which was I brought her a special gem that his majesty has gifted me. Because she was a concubine-born daughter who was not favoured, she did not even have a worthy piece of jewellery to match the gem that I gifted her which was why I oh so generously told her that I will make her a new set of jewellery since she was so poor.¡± ¡± Or maybe it was¡ª¡ª¡± ¡± Just how many people have you offended,¡± Liu Hui Ying was tried after listening to her chatter, she was thinking that she will be able to round down the number of suspects but instead she ended up getting so many names that she was getting worried that she will have to summon at least an army of ghosts to investigate these people because there was no way her three ghosts will be able to investigate this many people. ¡± Are you sure you did not offend the entire pce while you were alive?¡± She was talking with Liu Fei Fei with the help of her spiritual link which was why she did not have to worry about anyone hearing her. ¡± Maybe,¡± Liu Fei Fei replied with a simple shrug as if she was not talking about her murderer but about the weather. ¡± I never really liked ying by the books, I knew that my father would not care about what I did which was I never had any qualms while getting into trouble. After all, no matter how many times I get caught up in trouble my father will not care.¡± As she finished speaking Liu Hui Ying noticed that Liu Fei Fei¡¯s voice has turned bitter. No wonder this girl was always so bitter and gloomy, she has been turned away by her father and his absence seemed to have made Liu Fei Fei¡¯s heart turn cold. ¡± This is going to be hard,¡± Jia Li muttered from the side as she looked at the young woman whose soul was drifting alongside them. ¡± She has offended so many people, it will be impossible for us to narrow the number of people down to a few. It seems that we have to do it from the scratch.¡± ..... If they could narrow the list they only needed to keep an eye on the track of the suspects but now they would have to look for every single bit of clues. ¡± No we won¡¯t be doing anything as such because I haven¡¯t epted this case yet,¡± Liu Hui Ying stated firmly causing Liu Fei Fei¡¯s eyes to turn wide in surprise as she looked at thetter and said, ¡± Are you being serious?¡± She floated in front of Liu Hui Ying suddenly causing thetter to walk past her, because she did it all of a sudden Liu Hui Ying did not have time to stop herself and walked right past Liu Fei Fei causing her entire body to turn even colder as she shivered. ¡± Your majesty, are you okay ?¡± Qui Ai asked delicately, she thought that her mistress was getting the scary blues now that she was back in her safe ce. Her little miss has never seen a coffin much less a dead body, their master wanted to protect his daughter from all the bad things in the world after all, thest time when their little miss saw her mother¡¯s dead body she went into shock, which was why he did not allow her to see any dead people any more and kept her safe. But now her little miss has to look at the body of Liu Fei Fei, how can she not be scared? If Qui Ai knew that her little miss was at this moment talking to the soul of Liu Fei Fei who has been killed, then she would surely lose her mind. ¡± I am fine,¡± Liu Hui Ying knew that Qui Ai was worried about her but because she was annoyed with Liu Fei Fei who was constantly chattering in her ears, her tone was rather harsh and breathy. Qui Ai who was loyal to bones when it came to Liu Hui Ying immediately felt her eyes go red as she looked at her miss. ¡®Oh my poor little miss, she has been scared silly by the death of Lady Fei Fei, I should be kinder to her tonight.¡¯ Qui Ai thought in her head as she helped Liu Hui Ying inside the room while Liu Fei Fei continuously screamed at Liu Hui Ying on the side. ¡± What do you mean that you will not be helping me? Can¡¯t you see that if the matter is not solved that I will stay with you, throughout your entire life and even in death, I will not leave you alone!¡± Liu Fei Fei thought that she has scared Liu Hui Ying into giving in to her because she saw the disgust in Liu Hui Ying¡¯s eyes and which was why she continued to harp on this very thing. Seeing that she was actually trying to push her, Liu Hui Ying smiled and then turned to look at Qui Ai as she said, ¡± Little Ai can you go and warm some water for me? I want to take a bath.¡± ¡± Of course, your majesty!¡± Qui Ai nodded and then rushed to go inside the room that had a bath inside it, once she was gone ¡­Liu Hui Ying turned to look at Liu Fei Fei who snorted her from the side and then walked forward before she used her spiritual powers and grasped Liu Fei Fei¡¯s chin as she said: ¡± If it¡¯s you then I am willing.¡± As she spoke her voice turned really breathy and seductive. Chapter 216 - 216 A storm brewing 216 A storm brewing Dedicating todays chapter to Mari_Hassegawa_2299. ¡± You..you¡­what are you doing?¡± Even though Liu Fei Fei was a ghost, she was spooked when she saw that Liu Hui Ying was actually trying to get ¡®spooky¡¯ with her, she looked at the woman with her eyes widening as she looked at the woman in front of her. Why ¡­.why was she holding her chin and why in the world was she talking to her like she was some sort of hooligan. Liu Fei Fei was really startled but the three ghosts behind her were not at all surprised, they knew that Liu Hui Ying would do something like this to send Liu Fei Fei away. It was just that they just did not expect her to be this shameless, for the sake of money this woman might even haggle with the devil and then send him packing once she was done with him. ¡± What do you think?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked with a smile as she pulled Liu Fei Fei closer to her face and whispered seductively, ¡± If his majesty can juggle between then why shouldn¡¯t I get to have the fun as well hmm? Why should men have all the fun, don¡¯t you think so?¡± Liu Fei Fei: ¡°¡­..¡± A wretched scream echoed in Liu Hui Ying¡¯s courtyard and a ghost was seen rushing out of the small building while clutching her skirt in her hands as if something evil was chasing after her. ¡± You are the only one who can scare a ghost like that,¡± Li Gangmented as he watched Liu Fei Fei run out of the room, he was sure that if that woman was human she would have still run past the wall by breaking it with her own body. ¡± She should have left me alone when I asked her to, what are you ming me for?¡± Liu Hui Ying shrugged her shoulders with a tant attitude of not giving a damn about anyone but as she turned around to walk towards her bed, her eyes turned slowly and a glint shed through them as she thought about what happened today. ¡­. ..... Soon the matter of Liu Fei Fei being killed was spread throughout the entire imperial pce. The concubines who did not have any backing were startled, they were worried that they will be the ones who will be killed next after all if the daughter of the Liu family was killed then what will happen to them? Even though they said that it was suicide but no one was a fool. Liu Fei Fei was jumping around the pce just a few days ago, she did not look like she was depressed why would she kill herself? On the other hand, the Concubines who were bullied by her were overjoyed if not for being scared about getting caught by someone from the Liu family, they would have thrown a victory banquet for themselves. ¡± What do you think about this, your highness?¡± Xiaolin asked Ji Yu while carrying a flint in her hand as she lit up themp inside the study of her mistress. As soon as she lit themp, a golden hue covered the inside of the room and immediately the dark room lightened up with the light that themp was emitting. ¡± Concubine Liu died, I fear that the Liu family will not let this matter rest.¡± Even though Xiaolin heard that the maids of the pce were discussing the death of Liu Fei Fei as nothing but suicide but she has been working in the backyard of the Ji family for a very long time, and she had a very good idea that there was no way if Liu Fei Fei reallymitted suicide then the Liu family would have epted it. They would have made use of the death to target her miss for sure, then howe they did note to look for trouble for them? Ji Yu was reading a book when she heard Xiaolin¡¯s words and paused, she raised her head and then looked at her maid who was blowing air on the flint that was still burning before speaking, ¡± I believe that the Liu family would not let this go either but there is little to nothing that we can do about this.¡± Xiaolin dropped the flint in the small box where she ced the remaining flints and then said with a worried nce at her miss, ¡± Your Highness, you should write to your father and tell him about everything that is going on in the pce, for the Liu family to call the death of Concubine Liu as suicide and stay silent. I believe that they might be thinking of doing something terrible.¡± Ji Yu turned silent when she heard Xiaolin say this, she knew that she should be telling everything to her father but after she found out the truth about her brother¡¯s death and the fact that the Ji family actually made the Liu family suffer the brunt of that incident alone, she did not wish to have any conversation with her father at all. ¡± I will think about it,¡± Ji Yu replied as she went back to reading the book which she was holding in her hands, her mind in a daze as she thought about the incident that took ce today. Most probably her family had a hand behind this incident and the person who was supposed to take the burnt of Liu Fei Fei¡¯s death was Liu Hui Ying this must have been the reason why the Liu family did not me her, they were afraid to get this matter investigated and get Liu Hui Ying involved in this matter. ¡® Should I do it? Should I ask his majesty to investigate this matter, if I do then the Empress will have to give up on her throne¡ª¡ª-¡® Ji Yu immediately closed the book that was in her hands with a loud bang causing Xiaolin to look at her in surprise and fear. ¡± Your highness, what happened?¡± ¡± Nothing,¡± Ji Yu replied while biting her bottom lip, a dark expression on her face. ¡± I just lost myself for a moment and wanted to wake myself up.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 217 - 217 A storm brewing part 2 217 A storm brewing part How could she even think of something like that? Ji Yu chided herself, she was a woman whose heart was kinder than others. This was why Zhai Tianyu liked her because she was better than other women who schemed against each other, so how in the world did she even think about something so scheming? Ji Yu breathed in a long breath and then ced the book down on the table in front of her, maybe she was too tired. ¡°Let¡¯s go Xiaolin, we should go for a walk,¡± she told her maid who was crouching on the floor and sewing new shoes for her miss, this was something that Xiaolin liked to do even when Ji Yu told her that there was no need for her to make embroidered shoes for her anymore. ¡± We should go and pay respects to the deceased even though she never got along with us, it would be rude of us to not pay our respects when she is still in the imperial pce.¡± ¡± Oh, oh,¡± Xiaolin hurriedly ced the shoe on which she was working and then walked after her miss who was heading out of the room. However, after taking a couple of steps, Xiaolin paused and then turned to look at her miss and asked, ¡± Your highness, why are you going to see concubine Liu? I heard that even her majesty hasn¡¯t gone to see the deceased yet.¡± As Empress Liu Hui Ying was supposed to be the one who should have gone to see Liu Fei Fei and pay her respects but instead she stayed where she was in her courtyard and did not even say anything nor did she send any word of mourning to the courtyard that belonged to thete Concubine Liu Fei Fei. ¡°It¡¯s because the Empress has never been close to Concubine Liu,¡± replied Ji Yu with a calm expression as she turned to look at the little girl who was walking a step behind her. ¡± And she knows that showing closeness and respect to concubine Liu now will only cause everyone to suspect her even more, which was why she won¡¯t be showing her face so soon. Instead, she will go to pay her respects after Dowager Empress does. After all, she is no fool.¡± ¡­.. ¡± Concubine Liu was killed,¡± Zhai Heng returned to Zhai Tianyu¡¯s study after he was done investigating everything, even though there was an obvious sign of someone cleaning up the crime scene but even then it would be impossible for them to wipe everything off which was why he was able to get enough evidence to prove that the woman was killed instead ofmitting suicide. ¡± Someone dragged her body after she was drowned and there was something in her hands, there is obvious damage from someone scratching her hand, but what she was holding in her hand or what was taken out of her hands there is no sign of it,¡± Zhai Heng reported to Zhai Tianyu who was sitting on his seat with a sombre look on his face, his fingers were linked together as he carefully thought about what he needed to do now. ..... ¡± If someone killed her then it is obvious that she knew something,¡± Zhai Tianyu¡¯s eyes flickered as he remembered the woman who was an obvious idiot. She acted smart but the truth was that she did not even have enough wits to save herself from a little bee if it was to attack her. ¡± The girl though witless was nosy, she must have seen something that she should not have and was thus silenced but what worries me is what did she see?¡± Zhai Tianyu murmured as he looked at his brother who shook his head. ¡± I don¡¯t know, I tried to ask her nanny if she knew something but the woman refused to say that her miss really did kill herself over the fact that you never went to see her,¡± which was the truth, Zhai Tianyu has indeed not visited any women other than the Empress and Ji Yu in the harem, even those two women cannot be said to have gained his affections. ¡± But I don¡¯t think that the nanny is speaking the truth, she is most likely being threatened by someone because she was really resentful throughout the time I was there.¡± ¡°Must have been the Dowager Empress,¡± even though no one knew that the Dowager Empress and Liu Hui Ying went to see Liu Fei Fei, nothing could be hidden from him as long as he wanted to find out about it and since he was bent on finding everything that happened, Zhai Tianyu was able to find about the visit of Dowager Empress and Liu Hui Ying to the Liu Fei Fei¡¯s courtyard. And was so looking forward to getting an answer from the Empress once he was done with the work. ¡± Did the left prime minister say anything?¡± He asked if he knew that Liu Dong Ming was not a man who will silently take a loss. Liu Fei Fei might have been a worthless chess piece for him but she was a chess piece that was controlled by him, for someone to throw that piece away and then make it irrelevant, Liu Dong Ming would not be pleased with it. ¡± He did not say anything,¡± Zhai Heng crossed his arms behind his back and answered respectfully. ¡± But I think that this is scarier than him speaking, that man has never taken a loss in silence every time something like this happens to him, he had retaliated ten times fold. I worry that the iing days will not be peaceful.¡± Zhai Tianyu¡¯s gaze turned heavy at his brother¡¯s words, he had to admit that what his brother said was the truth, Liu Dong Ming was a man who has never taken a loss without making his opponent pay him back ten times the interest for him to stay silent at this moment and agree that Liu Fei Fei¡¯s death was indeed suicide¡­. A storm seemed to be brewing. Chapter 218 - 218 I wanted to sleep with you 218 I wanted to sleep with you Zhai Tianyu knew that the left prime minister was not a good man and that for him to stay silent was like a dormant volcano waiting to explode. He pursed his lips and was just going to ask his brother to go back when a woman walked past through the door of his study, no it would be right to say that she was not a woman because no woman would be able to walk past doors as she did, it was most certainly a ghost. And that ghost belonged to none other than Liu Fei Fei. ¡± What in the ¡­¡± he trailed off as his actions stopped and he stared at the woman who was now looking at him with a smile on her face. Her shy expression was very simr to the one she used to have when she was alive and he used to visit her in the past, only the difference was now the red was contrasted againstplete ck and grey smoke instead of her usually pale skin. ¡± What¡¯s wrong?¡± Zhai Heng turned to look in the direction in which his brother was looking but he did not see anything. Was there something in the study room for his brother to be startled like this? Zhai Heng questioned himself before he turned to look at his brother and asked, ¡± What are you looking at your majesty?¡± ¡± You can see me, your majesty?¡± Both Zhai Heng and Liu Fei Fei spoke at the same time causing Zhai Tianyu¡¯s forehead to throb, hepletely forgot that Liu Hui Ying hasn¡¯t taken away his ability to see ghosts and now that he has seen Liu Fei Feo given how stubborn and clingy she was, there was a chance that she would not let him go. It looks like he caught himself in big trouble. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Zhai Tianyu waved his hand as Liu Fei Fei walked towards him and then came to stand beside him with her hands clutched in her front as she gushed, ¡± Oh your majesty, you have no idea how much I wanted to visit your study when I was alive. I was lurking around the pce and came to see your study after all, I could note here when I was alive that was why I came to see you but who would have thought that you will be able to see me, now I do not feel as lonely as I was feeling earlier.¡± ¡® Ah her chatter,¡ª¡ª how can I forget that she was a chatterbox when she was alive?¡¯ Zhai Tianyu was already feeling a headacheing, he was of course sorry for Liu Fei Fei¡¯s tragic death but he still felt that she was a bit too talkative, this was something that didn¡¯t change even when she died. Even when she was alive, she had so much to say that he almost felt his ears bleed whenever he shared an hour or two with her, and the feeling of regret was even sharper than ever. He should have ignored her when he saw her walking through the door and made his way straight to Liu Hui Ying¡¯s pce and should have asked her to tell him what was going on. ¡± You sure about that?¡± Zhai Heng asked as he looked at Zhai Tianyu with a concerned expression, his brotherly feelings getting the best of him as he raised his hand and then ced the back of his hand on top of Zhai Tianyu¡¯s forehead. ¡± Forgive me your majesty but I need to see if you are really all right, you have been working too hard these days.¡± ..... Zhai Heng noticed that Zhai Tianyu did not have any fever before he pulled his hand back and then said, ¡± You don¡¯t seem to have a fever, your majesty. Why is it that you are looking so pale then?¡± ¡± I just feel like I have a lot of troubles with no end to them,¡± replied Zhai Tianyu, he tried to tune out the chatter of Liu Fei Fei but thetter was so enthusiastic to spend her time with him that he did not even stop for a second to take a breath. As soon as this thought came to his head Zhai Tianyu wished he could p himself for his stupidity, how in the world was this woman supposed to breathe when she was not even alive? Was he losing his head as well? ¡± You don¡¯t need to worry about prime minister Liu, he will not make any move unless he is sure that he will be able to get away from it.¡± Zhai Heng knew Liu Dong Ming really well. The two of them worked together many times and he has of course learned a lot about the man, not to the point where he would be able to see the base of the darkness that lurked inside the heart of that man. ¡± I know,¡± Zhai Tianyu nodded as he turned to look at Liu Fei Fei who was still smiling at him with her eyes glittering with stars in her eyes. How was he supposed to tell his brother that his worries did not concern that devil-like scheming man but a ghost who was haunting him for no reason at all? What kind of sin did he evenmit to suffer like this? ¡± Don¡¯t think too much,¡± Zhai Heng thought that his brother was still worried about Liu Dong Ming. ¡± Just take a breather and go to sleep, you look really pale.¡± With a ghost breathing down his neck? It would be impossible for him to sleep when someone was looking at him like Liu Fei Fei was looking at him like he was some sort of trophy that she won through sheer luck. ¡± Your majesty, you are going to sleep?¡± He heard her say with her hands clutching her cheeks as she gushed excitedly with eyes shining with light. ¡± I really, really wanted to see you sleep, your majesty! Should Iy your bed down? I am perfect at making a bed.¡± She paused and then stretched out her arms as she curled them around Zhai Tianyu¡¯s neck after hesitating for a while. ¡± Or maybe I can be your body pillow?¡± Zhai Tianyu the eternal bachelor: ¡°¡­..¡± if I sleep with such a cold body pillow I will not even wake in the morning. ¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 219 - 219 What if she attacks you 219 What if she attacks you ¡± Your majesty, your hair has gotten more and more silky,¡± Qui Ai praised Liu Hui Ying who was sitting on the stool with her front facing the mirror te that was ced on the small cab with multiple essories scattered all over the surface of the wooden cab. Qui Ai was holding ab in her hands and was skimming theb through the locks of Liu hui Ying¡¯s hair, as shebed Liu Hui Ying¡¯s hair that was slightly wet because of the bath that she has just taken. ¡± I think the hair oil that Nanny Gong brought with her seemed to have brought with her, I am telling you that you should keep on using the oil that Nanny Gong has brought¡ª¡ª in just a week your hair has gotten this silky, I think that with continuous use of this oil will make your hair thicker in a few weeks.¡± ¡± You are right,¡± Liu Hui Ying had to admit that the oil was indeed a good thing, the hair thatcked a certain lustre seemed to have regained its lost shine and seemed to have gotten a bit longer than before making her want to run her fingertips through it. What a pity that such a thing cannot be found in the modern world, with all the stress she took regarding the solving of a case, she lost a lot of hair strands because she was busy worrying about this and that. ¡± Little Ai, make sure that you get the recipe for this oil,¡± she told Qui Ai who wasbing her hair with a sharp glint in her eyes. ¡± I want the process of how this oil is made.¡± ¡± Your wish is mymand, your majesty,¡± Qui Ai replied with a small smile, she was d that her majesty¡¯s mood was changing and she was no longer brooding over what happened today, maybe she should ask Nanny Gong and allow her to let her majesty ck off a little tomorrow morning and sleep in a little. ¡± And there is also¡ª¡ª¡± Qui Ai wanted to say something more but then she was stopped by the announcement of the guard who was standing outside the room of Liu Hui Ying. ¡± Nanny Cheng wants to see her majesty!¡± The guard announced before a maid pushed the door of the room and then walked inside the room with her hands sped in front and her head lowered as she rushed to kneel in front of Liu Hui Ying and greeted Liu Hui Ying, ¡± This one greets her majesty, the Queen.¡± ¡± You may rise,¡± Liu Hui Ying was still not used to being greeted like this but Nanny Gong has told her that this was custom and no one could ignore this not even the Queen even though she was sitting at the second topmost position. ¡® What is the point of standing at the top when I can¡¯t even do what I want?¡¯ Liu Hui Ying thought in her head before she turned her attention to the maid who was kneeling on the floor and then said, ¡± What are you doing here?¡± ..... ¡°It¡¯s Nanny Cheng, she is asking for her majesty to give her permission t enter the room, I am here to ask for your permission on behalf of nanny Cheng, your majesty,¡± replied the maid who was kneeling on the floor, her head still lowered in submission as if she did not even have the slightest bit of guts to raise her head and look at Liu Hui Ying, she stayed on the floor like a good servant who knew what was due to her. Liu Hui Ying nodded while Qui Ai¡¯s face turned sombre, she was upset with Nanny Cheng. Everyone knew that the Empress was already having a hard time with what happened to consort Liu, she did not even get the time to move past the incident that happened today and now Nanny Cheng was here to make things difficult for her miss again, what was she doing here? ¡± Your majesty, you don¡¯t need to meet Nanny Cheng,¡± Qui Ai told Liu Hui Ying with a stern look on her face. ¡± I will send her away, after what happened this morning how can she even think ofing to see you? Do not worry, I will make some excuse and then send her packing.¡± ¡°There is no need,¡± Liu Hui Ying however stopped Qui Ai who was already walking towards the door of the room with every intention to send Nanny Cheng away. ¡± I will hear what she has to say and then send her away by myself, it¡¯s not like I cannot deal with an old woman.¡± ¡°But your majesty,¡± Qui Ai was very reluctant to let that woman meet her mistress because she knew that Nanny Cheng would try to hurt Liu Hui Ying again, she knew that the Dowager Empress sent Nanny Cheng to the courtyard of the Empress but Qui Ai was not a fool who will think that Nanny Cheng would not do anything to the Empress and would stay loyal to her after all who did not see her attack the Empress? ¡± What if she attacks you again?¡± Qui Ai tried to change the mind of her mistress, she did not want that senile old woman and her mistress in the same room at all. ¡± You do need to worry about anything as such,¡± Liu Hui Ying waved her hand and quickly reminded her of the time when she took care of the maid who tried to make use of her name. ¡± Do you think that I need anyone to help me at all? If I want to stop that woman from attacking me then I can certainly do so, you should not worry about me instead worry about the old woman who will be with me in the room.¡± Liu Hui Ying smiled at Qui Ai with a confident smile causing thetter to be stunned by the impact of her smile. Chapter 220 - 220 can you withstand it 220 can you withstand it Nanny Zheng who was waiting outside was given permission to enter the room of the queen with Liu Hui Ying¡¯s concession to let her enter. Once she walked inside, she only nced at Liu Hui Ying who was sitting on the seat in the main hall where she was supposed to meet her visitors but after a quick nce Nanny Zheng lowered her head and immediately. She took a few tentative steps forward and then knelt in front of Liu Hui Ying with a submissive attitude as she banged her head on the floor hard before parting her lips and saying, ¡± Your majesty please help my missy, I understand that you do not have any favourable impression of my young miss but my missy was truly a poor little girl with no one by her side ¡­.she ¡­she was just lonely, your majesty.¡± ¡± Are you saying that she bullied me because she was lonely?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked as she looked at Nanny Cheng who had her head lowered and was not looking at her but everywhere she could, with her head lowered Nanny Cheng bit her lower lip and gritted out after a long pause, ¡± I know that you would not believe me but that was how my missy was, she was insecure and was worried that you will look down on her which was why she acted as if she was really knowledgeable but the truth was that she just wanted to y with you.¡± ¡± You really say anything Nanny Cheng,¡± Liu Hui Ying stated as she looked at the old woman who was still trying to make Liu Fei Fei sound like she was a delicate young woman who did not know what was good and bad. Nanny Cheng knew that she would not be able to make Liu Hui Ying soften her stance which was why she raised her head, her forehead sporting a bluish bump because she has knocked on the floor as hard as she could and then stared at Liu Hui Ying. She did not want to plead for her young missy with Liu Hui Ying because she knew that the woman did not have any good feelings for her young mistress but as Liu Fei Fei¡¯s nanny who has watched Liu Fei Fei grow up, she could not simply ignore everything which was why she bit her lips and then lowered her head in front of Liu Hui Ying again. She has to get her missy justice this was the only thing that she could do for her missy. ¡± I understand that you do not want to listen to what I have to say, your majesty. After all, what myte mistress did cannot be treated as if she has never done anything but for the sake of fairness would you please help her?¡± Nanny Cheng thought about how her smiling and yful missy suddenly turned into a cold corpse and her entire face lost three shades of itsplexion, her eye rims turned red and she shed a few tears before wiping them and kowtowing in front of Liu Hui Ying again. ¡± I am not saying that I want her majesty to forget everything but please as her little sister give her the justice that she deserves.¡± ¡± My missy was bossy and she was a bully with no filter on her mouth but she was not someone who would kill anyone or much less hurt them physically. She was a good woman or as good as the women of the imperial harem could be, your majesty ¡­just for the sake of my missy who lost her life so unjustly can you ask for an investigation to take ce?¡± ¡± You want me to go against the Dowager Empress for your missy? Have you forgotten that she and I have nothing to do with each other and I don¡¯t think that she has ever done anything for me that I will think of helping her, so what makes you think that you can make me such a request?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked as she leaned down and looked into the eyes of Nanny Zheng who stiffened and lowered her head even more. ..... That was right, what right did she have to ask her majesty to help her missy when she has done nothing to help her? The two of them have been like fire and water never mixing together, it would be surprising that the Queen will help her mistress get her justice. ¡± Please, your majesty!¡± In the end Nanny Cheng decided to give up on everything that held dear to her. ¡± I will give you everything that I have if you want I will be your loyal dog until the day I die just help my missy once. Just once, your majesty and I swear that I will never do anything to go against you, your majesty I promise. Just ¡­just investigate the death of my missy and punish those who were behind her murder.¡± ¡± I have raised her ever since she was a young child who did not even know how to say anything and now all of a sudden that child whom I have brought up is lying in a coffin ready to be buried, can¡­can¡¯t you just pity me a little?¡± Nanny Cheng spoke as she raised her head and looked at Liu Hui Ying with her eyes shining with new tears as she thought about how she will have to let go of her missy without giving her proper justice if the Queen did not agree. Liu Hui Ying looked at Nanny Cheng who was looking at her through her grey eyes that were glittering with tears and asked, ¡± Do you really want to find the truth?¡± Her sudden question caused Nanny Cheng to look at her in surprise. ¡± Your majesty?¡± ¡± Sometimes you might believe that the truth is what you want but once you find it ¡­you will receive nothing but a bone-crushing defeat¡­. Despite knowing this will you still look for this so-called truth of yours?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 221 - 221 Take this off 221 Take this off Nanny Cheng did not understand what Liu Hui Ying meant by this but she still nodded her head and said, ¡± I am willing, I am willing ¡­no matter what the truth is I am willing to hear it if it means to give justice to my mistress.¡± ¡± If that is the case then,¡± Liu Hui Ying leaned back on her bed and then crossed her legs one over the other while she smiled pleasantly at Nanny Cheng. ¡± As you already know I don¡¯t have much money, even though his majestyes to see me every once in a while because of my family, he is still wary of me which is why I am asking you to give me some money in exchange of investigating the truth about your missy¡¯s death.¡± ¡± Money?¡± Nanny Cheng was really shocked when she heard the words of the Queen. Since when did the Queen be so poor that she started to ask for money from servants? ¡± Don¡¯t look at me like that,¡± seeing that the woman was looking at her in surprise, Liu Hui Ying easily smiled at her and waved her hand. ¡± Don¡¯t you already know that the Liu family is not treated nicely by the Emperor, my dowry is in the hands of the Grand Dowager Empress and I don¡¯t have any money in my hands either, if I want to help you investigate the truth then I will have to hire some personal guards and look in the matter on my own since we cannot attract the attention of the Dowager Empress who told us that the matter has been closed, you understand?¡± Nanny Cheng did understand what the queen was saying but a part of her was telling her that something was very wrong which was why she looked at the Queen with confusion and then said, ¡± but I don¡¯t have any money, how should I raise money for you, your majesty?¡± ¡± You don¡¯t have much money but yourte mistress did right? Even if you want to keep the money with you what will you get it from? You might as well give me the money and then we will be able to bring justice to your mistress, don¡¯t you think this n is more concise and suitable?¡± ¡°There she goes, what a money grubber¡ª¡ªshe does not even let go of anything or anyone,¡± Li Gang muttered under his breath but he was red at by Jia Li who said, ¡± What¡¯s wrong with her asking for money, don¡¯t forget that we need a lot of things as well. Have you forgotten we are running low on talisman papers and paper money? I need some burning money for my daily shopping as well.¡± ¡± Where the hell you are going to go shopping now?¡± Li Gang asked as he looked at Jia Li who was obstinately ring at him. ¡± I will look for something, I am done wearing these penguin pyjamas,¡± she red at Li Gang and then narrowed her eyes. ¡± If there could be a ghost festival in the modern world then I am sure that there will be a ghost festival in this ce as well, I just need to make sure that I get my money from Liu Hui Ying only then will I able to get myself something nice.¡± ..... Grandma Lan Fen would sometimes be the wise woman in such scenarios but tonight even though she was very much silent, this tea was sold in the ghost market at a very high price when she was in the modern world. Some vendors called it Emperor tea and said that it was really expensive which was why she could never try it but surely now that she was in this ear she would be able to get that tea at a suitable price, right? With that thought in her head, even Grandma Lan Fen stopped worrying about everything and threw the matter at the back of her head. What was more important than money anyway? Nothing! Nanny Cheng too thought that it was reasonable after all the Queen has already agreed with her request, there was no need for her to make things difficult for her which was why she was willing to ept what Liu Hui Ying came up with but a part was telling her that she was falling in a bigger trap. She looked at Liu Hui Ying who was smiling at her while her maid used a big hand fan to wave air at her and then shook her head. What trap could she even fall into? The Empress was helping her even though she had a feud with herte mistress, this was already good enough what was she thinking about making things difficult for the queen? ¡± I understand your majesty, I will certainly bring you the money that has been saved up by mistress,¡± Nanny Cheng replied as she got to her feet and then looked at the queen before bowing her head. She did not turn around instead she slowly and very carefully walked backwards before reaching the sliding door only then did she turn around and opened the door to leave. Once she was gone, the smile on Liu Hui Ying¡¯s lips falter and then she dropped the curl of her lips. Even though Nanny Cheng said that she will not regret it, she was certain that once the truthes to the light ¡­no one will regret it more than Nanny Cheng. But this was not what she needed to worry about after all she has already asked and Nanny Cheng has indeed agreed with her suggestion even after listening to what she had to say, there was absolutely nothing more that Liu Hui Ying could do for nanny Cheng now. She raised her body from the throne-like seat in the main hall and was going to walk back to her bedroom when she heard the sliding door behind her being pushed open in a hurry causing the door to ricochet with a loud bang as the man who was responsible for it came bursting inside with long strides. ¡± Get this off from me.¡± As he said that he pointed to the long robe that he was wearing. Chapter 222 - 222 Buried together 222 Buried together Liu Hui Ying looked at Zhai Tianyu who was pointing to his robe and asking her to take it off for him and narrowed her eyes as she said, ¡± Have you gone mad? What are you talking about?¡± She then nced at the man who seemed to have rushed out of the bath and frowned even further. ¡± If you are feeling heated all of a sudden then you should go to your beloved concubine why are you here for? I believe she will be more than happy to help you.¡± She did not see anything other than the robe that has been haphazardly worn by him and was thus very unhappy when she saw that the man was asking her to take his robe off. Zhai Tianyu was stunned when he heard Liu Hui Ying¡¯s response, he did not anticipate her to reply in such a manner which was why he looked at her in confusion for a while before he realised that she did not understand what he was trying to tell her. Slightly flustered, he turned to look at her with an expression that was full of exasperation and turned around causing the ghost of Liu Fei Fei who was clinging to his back toe into view. ¡± I am not asking you to take my robe off, I am asking you to take this ghost off me! She has been clinging onto me like this for almost half an hour and I am on the verge of dying because of all the chills that I am receiving.¡± He was not lying, a ghost being attached to his body was not a small matter as him being a man and a living one at that was full of Yang energy while Liu Fei Fei was full of Yin energy. Ghosts loved Yang energy which was why Liu Fei Fei was more than happy to stick as close as possible to Zhai Tianyu but for a living person having their Yang energy sucked off was not a good feeling which was why Zhai Tianyu was looking sick like he was on the verge of dying. Liu Hui Ying looked at Liu Fei Fei whose expression seemed to be extremely contented as if she was living her dream life and then looked at Zhai Tianyu who was breathing heavily with his body stiff and taut like a bowstring that was prepared to snap at any moment and then said calmly, ¡± Do you have to be this ruthless she already died why don¡¯t you give her some happiness such that she will be able to pass on to the next life happily?¡± ¡± Do you want me to die?¡± Zhai Tianyu asked as he turned around and dragged Liu Fei Fei who was clutching onto his robe to turn around as well, he looked at Liu Hui Ying who was looking at him as calm as a cucumber and asked, ¡± Do you know what will happen to you, if I die because of chills tonight?¡± Liu Hui Ying shrugged and then said, ¡± What else? I will have to live as your widow right?¡± Maybe if this man died then she will be able to move around the pce more easily than before. ..... ¡± No,¡± Zhai Tianyuughed out loud as he red at her and then said in a cold voice, ¡± If I die tonight then you, my queen will be buried together with me in my coffin. Alive. If this is what you want then be my guest!¡± When he spoke these words Liu Hui Ying who was sittingnguidly on the bed immediately sat up straight and looked at him with surprise in her eyes. ¡± What did you say?¡± ¡± I said that you will have toe down to the underworld with me if I lose my life tonight,¡± Zhai Tianyu was very smug when he said these words and noticed a flicker of unease in Liu Hui Ying¡¯s eyes. Looks like this woman was indeed scared of something. ¡± Why? For what?¡± Liu Hui Ying could not believe her ears, she will have to be buried alive together with this man just because he died what kind ofw was this? Does this not mean that her life was very closely tied to this man? She could of course run away but where will she go? Liu Hui Ying did not like the idea of living like a fugitive. She was a woman who liked herforts and was not willing to hide in the shadows like a refugee. ¡± Because you are my one and only official wife,¡± Zhai Tianyu for once was happy that Liu Hui Ying was his official wife, if not then he wouldn¡¯t have any leverage over her and she would have done everything ording to her whims. Liu Hui Ying was speechless, she did not like the smug look on the face of the bastard who was looking at her with a smug smile on his face and then turned to look at Jia Li who nodded and said, ¡± I did see this happening in one of the dramas if the Emperor dies then his wife will have to follow him into his tomb and then die there from starvation.¡± ¡®What a man ruling world this was! So unreasonable!¡¯ Liu Hui Ying cried in her head as he turned to look at the man who was looking even smugger after listening to what Jia Li has said, even though she hated men, Liu Hui Ying has to admit that this man was indeed one of the prettiest men she has ever seen, with those charming eyes and beautiful lips, he was one of the men who could make anyone¡¯s heart thump¡ª¡ª What the ¡­.? Why the hell was she thinking about how good looking this man was? Was it because he was smiling for the first time in front of her? Dear lord! ¡± Stop smiling like that,¡± Liu Hui Ying snapped at him causing Zhai Tianyu¡¯s lips to drop down at once, she red at him and then turned to look at Liu Fei Fei who was clinging on to Zhai Tianyu and said, ¡± Get down we are going to investigate the cause of your death.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 223 - 223 chasing after his wife 223 chasing after his wife Liu Fei Fei did not make a move, she simply clung onto the robe of Zhai Tianyu as she rubbed her face against the bright vermillion robe and then said, ¡± Give me a moment, I just want to suck up a little more.¡± She seemed to be enjoying the feeling of rubbing against Zhai Tianyu but contrary to her, Zhai Tianyu who was being rubbed against was on the verge of fainting from the chills. Every time Liu Fei Fei rubbed against him, he would shudder like he was being electrocuted ¡ª¡ª ¡± My queen do something!¡± In the end, he couldn¡¯t withstand the feeling of being rubbed against by Liu Fei Fei and then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who sighed and then turned to look at the ghost who did not seem too fond of getting off Zhai Tianyu¡¯s robe. Seeing that the woman was not going to listen to her, Liu Hui Ying strode over to where Liu Fei Fei was and then caught hold of the back of her cor, unlike Zhai Tianyu who could only see ghosts, Liu Hui Ying could touch and hold them. This was why she was able to drag Liu Fei Fei off Zhai Tianyu with ease and dragged Liu Fei Fei to a corner, where the ghostly woman red at Liu Hui Ying and said with a pout, ¡± You ¡­you are just jealous of me! Aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡± No, I just don¡¯t fancy dying in a locked tomb,¡± Liu Hui Ying deadpanned, of course, worste to worst she will simply explode the entire tomb where she was locked but if possible she would very much like her life-saving talisman to continue breathing. ¡± And did you not say that you wanted to go and investigate who and why killed you ?¡± Liu Fei Fei immediately stood up from the ground and then looked at Liu Hui Ying with aplicated look in her eyes. ¡± But didn¡¯t you say that you were not going to help me? Why are you suddenly willing to do so?¡± ¡± That was before but now I want to investigate, why? You don¡¯t want to?¡± Liu Hui Ying did not tell Liu Fei Fei that her nanny has promised her that she will give all the savings that Liu Fei Fei has saved till the day she was alive. Liu Fei Fei was very much suspicious of the sudden grace that was being handed to her but Liu Hui Ying was the only person who could help her, even though she did not fancy going to the underworld for reincarnation, she wanted to see who was the one behind her murder. ¡°Fine,¡± even though she was suspicious of the reason why Liu Hui Ying was willing to help her, Liu Fei Fei decided that she was going to let Liu Hui Ying do her thing, anyway as long as she did not have to pay for anything, she was not bothered by anything at all. ..... Liu Hui Ying nodded before she turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who was standing behind her and then stretched out her hand. ¡± Now it is your turn, hand me a gold tael for taking her off your body.¡± ¡± You want a golden tael to take a ghost off my body?¡± Zhai Tianyu looked at his wife in bewilderment, why was it that she was such a money grubber? His aunt has given her the mine that had iron ore in it and Liu Hui Ying was already thinking about how to make money out of that mine but she was now acting like this, what kind of money grubber was she in her past life? Did she not even have enough money to eat? Zhai Tianyu was very much concerned about his wife who seemed to have suddenly be a very poor person in his eyes. Liu Hui Ying did not know what he was thinking in his head when she saw that he was not paying her money. She frowned and said, ¡± You don¡¯t want to pay? Should I ask her totch onto you again?¡± As she asked about this, she turned to Liu Fei Fei but was stopped by Zhai Tianyu who said, ¡± Wait for a second, I never said that I will not pay!¡± He immediately took a gold tael out of his personal pocket and then handed it to Liu Hui Ying who clutched it in her hand and then smiled at Zhai Tianyu. ¡± Thank you for your patronage.¡± Then she turned to look at Liu Fei Fei and said, ¡±e on, let us go and catch the culprit who was behind your murder.¡± She turned on her heel and then walked out of the room while Liu Fei Fei and Jia Li followed her along with Li Gang and Grandma Lan Fen, only Zhai Tianyu who was stunned stayed where he was standing and then said, ¡± My queen? Are you going to go out in your night clothes? My Queen? MY QUEEN!¡± ¡­ He realised that Liu Hui Ying was not going to respond to him which was why he immediately chased her making sure that she will not get out of the courtyard wearing her night clothes but he was still a step toote and Liu Hui Ying who was already charging ahead was already out of the courtyard while the guard who stood on either side of the door was staring at her in surprise not knowing where to put their eyes. ¡± Dear lord this woman!¡± Zhai Tianyu was speechless when he saw that Liu Hui Ying was acting so tactless, he immediately rushed inside and got long of the small wardrobe that was sitting in the corner of the room before he rushed after Liu Hui Ying like his entire existence was on fire. Qui Ai went to grab something to eat with Nanny Gong when the two of them returned the sight that they saw was of his majesty running with Liu Hui Ying¡¯s robe in his hands. ¡± Nanny Gong, didn¡¯t the rule states that his majesty should never run?¡± Qui asked Nanny Gong who was standing by her side with a shocked look on her face. ¡± That is indeed the rule, little Ai.¡± Chapter 224 - 224 There is no we 224 There is no we Liu Hui Ying did not know that because of her, Zhai Tianyu broke one of his protocols that were not supposed to be broken at all and continued walking ahead of him, it was only when something warm was wrapped around her did she look up at her husband who was already staring at her. ¡± What are you doing?¡± She asked Zhai Tianyu with confusion brimming in her eyes, she did not understand why Zhai Tianyu covered her with a robe and that too in such a hurry that his face was now covered in sweat because of the sprint that he just did. ¡°It¡¯s night and even if you don¡¯t feel cold, autumn is almost here,¡± replied Zhai Tianyu, he did not want to tell Liu Hui Ying that he was ufortable watching other men look at her. He cleared his throat and then continued, ¡± You will catch a cold if you roam in your nightwear, just tie the robe around your body such that you will not feel the shivers.¡± Liu Hui Ying looked at him with a frown but she did not make a move to tie the robe properly around her body, seeing that she was not listening to him, he rolled his eyes and then leaned down to tie the belt of her robe but was stopped by Liu Hui Ying who immediately took a few steps back and red at him. ¡± What do you think you are, your majesty?¡± ¡± I am tying the belt for you since you cannot do it,¡± he said easily causing Liu Hui Ying to roll her eyes as she looked at the man who was looking at her with impatience and a bit of nervousness. But he did not let his nervousness show and continued in a stubborn manner, ¡± If you do not listen to me then I will have to tie the belt with my own hands, and if I do that then I will touch your body. So, do you want me to tie it for you or are you going to do it on your own?¡± Never in her entire life, Liu Hui Ying has ever been threatened like this, she stared at the man who looked like he was truly going to do what he said and hurriedly tied the belt around her light violet robe with white lilies embroidered on it. ¡± Happy now?¡± She asked after she was done tying the belt on her waist but instead of agreeing with her Zhai Tianyu pointed to her hair that was left loose and was not tied in a bun and said, ¡± You need to tie your hair up as well, you are now married to me which means that your hair should be tied in a bun, people will talk if you don¡¯t do it.¡± He quickly added when he noticed that Liu Hui Ying was brimming with impatience causing him to shiver a little, why in the world was he scared of this woman who was tinier than him? Liu Hui Ying did not like tying her hair in a bun but what she hated, even more, was unreasonable trouble knocking on her door which was why she listened to what Zhai Tianyu had to say and immediately tied her hair in a bun, it was a good thing that she had a hairpin rolled in her hair to tie it or else she would have to make another turn back to her courtyard. After she was done twisting her hair into a bun, she turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and asked with a glower, ¡± Is this enough or should I go and take a bath as well?¡± ..... ¡°It¡¯s enough,¡± Zhai Tianyu¡¯s eyes softened when he saw her listen to him, he thought that she was going to refute him but now that she has listened to him and done what he asked her to do, he was more than contented. Especially when he saw that she was wearing her hair in a bun, he did not know why but every time he saw her with her hair down, he was reminded of the fact that she did not want to ept him as her husband, which was something that spooked him. He shouldn¡¯t be caring about Liu Hui Ying not epting him as her husband because it will only make things easier for him but he did care about such little things. Liu Hui Ying huffed at him before she turned around and continued to walk over to the entrance door of her courtyard. Zhai Tianyu who was standing behind her was stunned when he saw that Liu Hui Ying actually snorted in front of him but contrary to his expectations he was not at all annoyed by her, instead, he found her even cuter than he usually did, his lips curled in a small smile as he chased after Liu Hui Ying who was walking in front of him. When he caught up to her, he turned to look at her sideways and said, ¡± Where are we going, queen?¡± ¡± There is no we,¡± Liu Hui Ying paused in her strides as she turned to look at the man who has suddenly be herckey even when she did not ask him, she nced at Zhai Tianyu and pointed to herself, ¡± I will go to Liu Fei Fei¡¯s courtyard and examine her body while you, on the other hand, will go back to your pce or the courtyard of your concubines whichever you like.¡± ¡± But I want to be with you, your queen¡ª¡ª I mean to say that I like investigating with you ¡­.no what I mean to say is that Liu Fei Fei was my concubine as well, I have the right to know what happened to her which is why I have to follow you,¡± Zhai Tianyu had to change his wording again and again because his words caused Liu Hui Ying to take a step back and frown at him. Liu Hui Ying wanted to say something but before she could even bring herself to say anything, she heard someone call out from behind. ¡± Your majesty, what are you doing here?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 225 - 225 Dissect you 225 Dissect you Both Liu Hui Ying and Zhai Tianyu turned to look at the source of the voice, when Liu Hui Ying saw the person who appeared out of thin air, she heaved a sigh of relief but Zhai Tianyu on the other hand stiffened as he looked at Ji Yu who was walking in his direction with her maid who was carrying antern in her hands. Ji Yu¡¯s eyebrows were furrowed in a small frown and she was looking at him with confusion in her eyes. ¡± I am¡ª¡ª¡± Zhai Tianyu wanted to tell Ji Yu that he was working on something and was busy but then he caught the sly glint in the eyes of the Queen and his muscles went taut even more, he has seen this look in the eye of the Queen before as well, thest time when she nced at him in such a way, she made quite a trouble for him and now that she had the same look in her eyes Zhai Tianyu was a bit scared as a feeling foreboding raised in his body. He wanted to stop Liu Hui Ying from speaking but the woman was a step ahead of him, she smiled at Ji Yu and said, ¡± His majesty and I were just going on a walk but now that you are here, I will take my leave since I do not want to be a third wheel between the two of you.¡± And then before he could even stop her, Liu Hui Ying skipped past him and continued to walk at a hurried pace as if she was worried that he will stop her from leaving. Zhai Tianyu watched Liu Hui Ying leave with aplicated look in his eyes before he turned to look at Ji Yu and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± He did not notice that his voice that has been gentle like a calm spring breeze when he was talking to Liu Hui Ying has turned cold and impatient. However, Ji Yu noticed the changes in Zhai Tianyu. Never before did he talk to her in such a manner but now ¡ª¡ª he was treating her in the same manner as those concubines he detested so much. Ji Yu was unhappy with his attitude but she did not dare to show it on her face and simply curled her lips into a smile even though her hands inside her sleeves were curled into fists and her sharp nails were digging into her skin. ¡± I am out on a walk, I went to pay attention to consort Liu and was returning to my courtyard when I saw that the night was truly serene with the moon shining up above,¡± she replied swiftly as she looked at Zhai Tianyu, her smile dimmed a little when she noticed that he did not take the ever so subtle invitation that she extended in front of him. Seeing this, Ji Yu¡¯s heart burned even more but she continued to smile as she said, ¡± Your majesty if you are not in a hurry ¡­can you pleasee with me on a walk? It has been so many months since thest time you and I went on a walk, what do you say, your majesty?¡± ..... Zhai Tianyu was half distracted when Ji Yu was speaking but he still managed to hear what she was trying to say and then replied in a hurried manner, ¡± Maybe some other day, Royal consort Ji ¡­ I have something to do, right now.¡± After he was done speaking, he continued to walk in the direction where Liu Hui Ying went and left Ji Yu alone. Once Zhai Tianyu left Ji Yu who was smiling like a gentle princess immediately curled her lips into a mocking smile, she turned to look at the vanishing back of Zhai Tianyu and then parted her lips before speaking, ¡± You know Xiaolin, the wise men were right ¡­ men truly our distrustful.¡± ¡­.. ¡± Why did you leave your majesty with that witch?¡± Liu Fei Fei who was walking side by side with Liu Hui Ying asked immediately as soon as they stepped inside the imperial funeral hall where the members of the imperial family wereid to rest before getting buried in their tomb. ¡± She is someone who likes to pretend that she is above all when the truth is that she is just like every other scheming woman in this pce, what if she hoodwinks his majesty?¡± ¡± If he gets hoodwinked by a woman that easily then I¡¯m not sure why you are even worried?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked as she stepped inside the big hall that had a coffin in the centre which was parched up in the air with the help of a table and multiple flowers wreath around it. A basket of fruit was sitting on the corner of the coffin along with an incense burner that had multiple incense sticks that were releasing smoky rings as they burned bit by bit. ¡± His majesty is not a child and if he loses sight of himself and chose someone else then I don¡¯t think that you should be shedding tears for him, if anything just let him go,¡± Liu Hui Ying continued speaking as she walked over to the coffin and then peered at Liu Fei Fei¡¯s body that was lying in the ufortable coffin. She has been dressed in vibrant red clothes with gold jewellery, and even her face was powdered in such a manner that she looked like a sleeping doll instead of a dead woman, but Liu Hui Ying could still see the signs of drowning as she raised her hand then turned to look at Jia Li who nodded and closed her eyes. Jia Li summoned her Yin energy and then morphed the inside of the funeral hall into that of her forensicb causing Liu Fei Fei to yelp in surprise as she looked around the entire space that lookedpletely out of everything that she has seen before, she turned to look at the entire space before turning to look at Liu Hui Ying. ¡± What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡± What else?¡± Jia LI answered as she picked up a scalpel from the drawer of her table and then looked at Liu Fei Fei, ¡± We are going to dissect you to see what caused your death.¡± Chapter 226 - 226 Crying like a baby 226 Crying like a baby ¡± No, No, No! I will not let you dissect me! No, you will never touch my body!¡± When Liu Fei Fei heard that these people were going to use a sharp knife to cut her body into pieces she was stunned, shocked and terrified. What kind of autopsy was this where her body has to be shed and cut what were they thinking of doing? She stretched both of her arms in front of her and then looked at Liu Hui Ying and the other three ghosts with a fierce expression on her face as she said, ¡± Don¡¯t even think about it! If you dare to get close to my body with that knife of yours, I will haunt you to death! I will literally haunt you to death!¡± ¡± I am already dead,¡± Jia Limented as she tried to walk past Liu Fei Fei who was trying to obstruct her from doing her work, seeing that the other person was not budging, Jia Li ced her hands on her hips and then pointed at Liu Fei Fei with the scalpel in her hands as she said, ¡± You better get out of my way or else I am going to be very rude while doing your autopsy.¡± ¡± You are not doing an autopsy all right!¡± Liu Fei Fei red a Jia Li who red right back. ¡°You might not know this but it is taboo for a body to be shed or cut after they die, it is said that if anyone is missing even an inch of their skin they will not be epted by their forefathers.¡± ¡± You want to be epted by your forefathers?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked with an astonished expression on her face as she looked at Liu Fei Fei. ¡± Like damn, were they that good? As far as I can see no one in the Liu family looks like a good guy to me and yet you want to be epted by them? You really have it hard.¡± Liu Fei Fei red at Liu Hui Ying who was talking down about their family but she did not say anything after all she knew that what Liu Hui Ying was saying was correct as well. She simply glowered unhappily at Liu Hui Ying and then said, ¡± I am not allowing you to cut my body! You hear that!¡± ¡± Aww, look at her¡ª¡ª allow she says,¡± Jia Li cooed at Liu Fei Fei who was hopping mad at their attitude when she saw that none of them was taking her seriously. ¡± I am telling you that you are not allowed to cut my body,¡± Liu Fei Fei saw that Jia Li was not listening to her which was why she immediately turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was standing on the side. ¡± You are not going to cut my body, don¡¯t touch my unblemished skin with that knife of yours.¡± ¡± Liu Fei Fei,¡± Liu Hui Ying finally turned to look at Liu Fei Fei with her arms crossed in front of her as she looked at the woman and said with a soft smile, ¡± Are you really not going to move aside?¡± ..... ¡°No!¡± Liu Fei Fei refused at once causing Liu Hui Ying to raise her eyebrows as she sighed and said, ¡± I did not want to do this but you seem to have forced my hands.¡± Before Liu Fei Fei could understand what Liu Hui Ying was trying to say, she felt a sudden pulltching on the back of her belly and then she felt her entire soul being uprooted from the floor. ¡± What...What is going on?¡± Liu Fei Fei shrieked as she was sent flying back before she could understand what was happening to her, she felt her body getting stuck on the wall of the funeral hall. Once her back mmed into the wall, she tried to struggle and get away from the wall but no matter how hard she tried she could not get rid of the spell that was keeping her in ce. Immediately, Liu Fei Fei whirled to look at Liu Hui Ying who was getting closer to her body with her ghosts and yelled, ¡± You are not going to touch my skin! I will never forgive you if you dare to mark my skin with that ugly scalpel thingy! I swear!¡± Jia Li who was in charge of doing the autopsy dug her pinky in her ear and thenined in an annoyed voice, ¡± She is too noisy, I cannot concentrate. ¡± ¡± Is that so?¡± Liu Hui Ying turned to look at Liu Fei Fei who was screaming at the top of her voice and nodded. ¡± You are right, she is indeed a bit too noisy,¡± as she spoke, she waved her hand and then sent another talisman flying towards Liu Fei Fei, the second the talisman got stuck to Liu Fei Fei¡¯s body, her screeches came to a sudden halt causing Liu Fei Fei¡¯s mouth to open and close like a goldfish. ¡± Now I feel that we are doing all right,¡± Jia Li sighed in relief as she picked up the scalpel in her hand and then ced its tip on thepel of the robe that Liu Fei Fei was wearing, seeing the tip of the knife approach her body, Liu Fei Fei felt like her soul was going to lose its own soul. ¡® No, No, No! I want to be buried beautifully!¡¯ She shouted in her head as she looked at Jia Li who was now running the scalpel down the back of her neck and seemed to be scraping something that was stuck on the back of her neck taking along a few strands of hair as well. ¡® My beautiful hair! Sob, sob!¡¯ Liu Fei Fei cried inwardly as she looked at the horrifying sight that was taking ce in front of her eyes. ¡± I am done,¡± after scraping a little skin as well as the hair Jia Li stood up and turned to look at Liu Fei Fei. ¡± See I did not touch you¡ª¡ª¡± but before she could finish speaking she noticed that thetter was looking at her with a glowering expression, her pale grey eyes reddened with grief. Jia Li: ¡°¡­..¡± she was crying for a few strands of hair? What a baby. ¡ª¨C Chapter 227 - 227 A hoax 227 A hoax Can you all check my new book Hot Bloodsuckers¡¯ Obsession? Pretty please. ¡± My beautiful hair,¡± Liu Fei Fei looked at the small patch on the back of her head, even though the small patch was not visible, Liu Fei Fei who was obsessed with her beauty noticed it at once. The second Liu Hui Ying took away her magic spell, Liu Fei Fei crawled over to where her body was lying in the coffin and then crouched by her own coffin as she shed tears of regret and me. ¡± You ruined my beautiful face, if anyone sees this bald spot they will surely call me ugly.¡± ¡± Like they have been praising you till now,¡± Jia Li muttered under her breath as she examined the scrapes of skin that she has taken from Liu Fei Fei¡¯s body under the microscope since Liu Fei Fei died with her head being pushed into the water, she wanted to see if the murder left anything behind. While Jia Li was looking at the small scrapes of skin Liu Hui Ying was looking at the condition of Liu Fei Fei¡¯s body. This was her first time taking such a close look at Liu Fei Fei¡¯s body, she did not see Liu Fei Fei¡¯s body earlier because Dowager Empress was right next to her, which was why she did not see the weirdness of the swelling of Liu Fei Fei¡¯s body, Liu Hui Ying¡¯s eyes nced at the figure that was lying in the coffin and then carefully lifted Liu Fei Fei¡¯s robe such that she could see her legs. Her gaze dropped to Liu Fei Fei¡¯s legs and her gaze turned sombre as she looked at Liu Fei Fei¡¯s legs but as soon as she raised the white robe that Liu Fei Fei was wearing she heard a shriek behind her as Liu Fei Fei came running and then immediately caused her to drop the edge of the robe that she was holding in her hands. ¡± What¡­what are you doing? Why did you raise my robe?¡± Liu Fei Fei hasn¡¯t forgotten how Liu Hui Ying tried to hit on her just a few hours ago which was why she did not think that the woman was trying to investigate her death at all, instead, she thought that Liu Hui Ying was trying to take advantage of her body when she could not move. Liu Hui Ying was slightly annoyed when she saw that Liu Fei Fei interrupted her examination but when she noticed the wariness and subtle suspicion in Liu Fei Fei¡¯s eyes she could not help but get amused, was this woman still thinking that she was interested in her? If it was someone else then they might have used their heads to think that Liu Hui Ying was just trying to tease them but Liu Fei Fei whose narcissism did not know any limits really thought that Liu Hui Ying was interested in her which was why she was ring at Liu Hui Ying like she was a perverted hooligan trying to take advantage of her dainty body. ¡± Are you really going to hide such a beautiful body from me?¡± Seeing that Liu Fei Fei has been fooled by her Liu Hui Ying couldn¡¯t help but tease Liu Fei Fei a bit more as she looked at thetter and leaned her body closer to Liu Fei Fei¡¯s soul. ¡± I couldn¡¯t see you when you were alive, why don¡¯t you let me take a closer look now that you are leaving me forever hmm?¡± ..... ¡± You¡­you¡­!¡± Liu Fei Fei was speechless, she did not understand whether or not she should call Liu Hui Ying a pervert or a monster who was lusting after a dead person but before she could say anything, she heard Jia Li speaking from behind. ¡± All right, that is enough teasing on your part today, Hui Ying,¡± Jia Li walked forward with the report that she hase up with and then stopped Liu Hui Ying who was teasing Liu Fei Fei like a bully. She nced at Liu Hui Ying and then turned her gaze to Liu Fei Fei before saying, ¡± Don¡¯t trust anything that she says, you will end up losing your life if you listen to her talk. Not that there is much but ¡­ you get what I am saying right? This was how she got all of us to work for her¡­make sure that you don¡¯t fall for her antics.¡± ¡± You speak as if I am making you work for free,¡± Liu Hui Ying rolled her eyes as she walked over to where Jia Li left a very stunned Liu Fei Fei behind. ¡± I pay for everything that you three do, do you think that without me you three would have been able to stay in the human world for this long?¡± Under Liu Hui Ying¡¯s subtle reminder, Jia Li rolled her eyes but she did not say anything and then ced her report on the table that was sitting in the centre of the autopsyb. ¡± I detected a few traces of nail colour,¡± she told Liu Hui Ying as she showed the small scraps of red colour that has been erged under the lens of the microscope. ¡± I think it is very clear that the person behind her death is one of the maids who work in her courtyard or any other maid who was sent from another courtyard.¡± ¡°How can you be so sure that it¡¯s a maid? What if it¡¯s a concubine?¡± Li Gang asked as he looked at the red dots in the middle of the pale skin molecules. ¡± What if it is one of the concubines? I mean you cannot deduce that it¡¯s a maid just because there is some red nail colour left on the back of this one¡¯s neck.¡± He tipped his chin at Liu Fei Fei who was still using her brain really hard. ¡± Because the quality of the red colour is really bad,¡± Jia Li replied calmly as she looked at the report. ¡°It is not used by Concubines but the maids, I am certain that it was done by a maid.¡± After speaking she turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and asked, ¡± What do you think?¡± Liu Hui Ying stared at the report with a nk expression before she spat only one word, ¡°It¡¯s a hoax.¡± Chapter 228 - 228 A fool 228 A fool ¡± What do you mean by a hoax?¡± Jia Li could not help but ask, she was very much certain that she has made no mistake while examining the clues that were found on Liu Fei Fei¡¯s body ording to what thetter has described she was certain that the things that she found should have been sufficient but now Liu Hui Ying was telling her that she was wrong? How can she be certain about this and that too in such a manner that she was telling her so confidently that Liu Hui Ying was the one who made a mistake? ¡± You only listened to what she had to say,¡± Liu Hui Ying calmly replied while looking at Jia Li who was staring at her with a really affronted look on her face, she did not say anything to Liu Hui Ying and instead waited for her to finish speaking. Seeing that Jia Li was listening to her words so seriously Liu Hui Ying smiled and then turned towards the coffin that was ced on the side and continued speaking, ¡± You only examined her neck because she told you that she has been choked by someone from behind coupled with the testimony that has been given to you by others also caused you to be overly confident that what Liu Fei Fei told us was right.¡± With her arms still crossed Liu Hui Ying turned to look at Jia Li and then looked at her sideways, the moonlight that has been sieved past the window of the funeral hall was falloff over the face that was filled with youth and when Liu Hui Ying turned to the side everyone could see that her delicate skin that was like porcin was shimmering under the sunlight with her eyshes curling up slightly as she lowered her head to look at Jia Li. ¡± You forgot that sometimes ghosts only remembered a few moments before their death as for the rest they have no inkling of what happened to them,¡± Liu Hui Ying calmly told Jia Li who did not seem to understand what she was saying when Liu Hui Ying saw that Jia Li was not getting what she was trying to say, she sighed and then walked over the table where the tools of doing an autopsy were kept and then picked up a brush and some powder to enhance the features of the body that were hidden under the pale skin and injuries that the corpse received before dying. This was something that Jia Li hase up with when she was very young, the woman was talented but she was too impatient which was why even though her mind was exceptionally brighter than the others, she did not get many chances at doing autopsies and was only used as a genius who coulde up with different tools and various new types of research for forensic research this was the reason why Jia Li would often get too excited whenever she got a chance to do an autopsy, though she was talented her impatience and habit of ignoring the facts in front of her was simply her enemy. Liu Hui Ying sprinkled some powder on Liu Fei Fei¡¯s mouth and wrist and waited for an entire minute before letting the powder take effect before she raised her hand and then used the brush that was in her hand to wipe the visibility powder that was sticking to Liu Fei Fei¡¯s skin. Once she was done wiping the visibility powder off Liu Fei Fei¡¯s skin one could see small marks and abrasions on her wrists and mouth as if she has been tied up by someone before she was killed. When Jia Li saw the marks she was stunned and then turned to look at Liu Fei Fei who looked just as equally stunned as her. Seeing this Jia Li was simply speechless, how can someone forget that they were kidnapped before being killed off, she understood that Liu Fei Fei could not remember the face of her killer but she actually forgot that she was kidnapped as well. ..... ¡± Why are you looking surprised as well?¡± Li Gang at this moment chose to vocalise the question that was going on in everyone¡¯s heads as he looked at Liu Fei Fei who was looking like she could not believe her eyes at all. ¡± You were the one who was killed right, you did not even remember that you were tied up before you were killed? How is it possible for you to simply forget something so important?¡± Li Gang was literally speechless when he saw that Liu Fei Fei was looking at the abrasion marks on her skin with the same amount of surprise as them. Why was she looking at her body as if this was her first time seeing this? How can someone forget how they died? Just how thick this woman¡¯s skull really was? Li Gang was speechless and Grandma Lan Fen was just as surprised at Liu Fei Fei¡¯s forgetfulness but she still kindly looked at Liu Fei Fei and advised her politely, ¡± My dear when you go to the underworld make sure that you tell the guardians there that you want a wonderful memory in your next life, they will surely give you some rxation since you were killed.¡± She then paused and added, ¡± Will you remember this or should I write it down for you?¡± Liu Fei Fei did not say a word instead she looked at Liu Hui Ying who was casually brushing her feet with the same visibility powder causing the dark ck and purple veins to be even more proficient than they were before, she hesitated for a few seconds before she turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and asked, ¡± What¡­What does this mean?¡± When Liu Hui Ying heard Liu Fei Fei¡¯s question she did not answer her at once instead she waited to wipe the powder off Liu Fei Fei¡¯s feet before she calmly raised her head and looked at Liu Fei Fei as she replied, ¡± It means that you were a fool whose head is emptier than that of a panda.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 229 - 229 Killed after getting tortured: Cannot remember anything! 229 Killed after getting tortured: Cannot remember anything! Can you guys please check my new story Hot Bloodsuckers¡¯ Obsession? Its apetitive book in need of your support. Liu Fei Fei was stunned when she was scolded by Liu Hui Ying, she wanted to say something to her but then she stopped herself and turned to look at her body that was lying in the coffin. She really couldn¡¯t remember getting kidnapped, all she knew was that her face was pushed into the water and then she lost her life apart from that she did not know anything else. When Nanny Cheng said that she saw her body in the pond, she thought that she has been killed by someone who pushed her body into the pond from behind after killing her but now that her body was covered in bruises and rope marks, the truth she knew about her death seemed to be contradicting itself. ¡± How is this possible?¡± Liu Fei Fei murmured as she tried to remember what happened to her but all she remembered was her head getting shoved inside the water and nothing else. She did remember that she has been pushed under the surface of the water and that she could not fight her captor but other than that she did not remember anything else and that made her feel really at loss, what was she supposed to do? Now, who was she going to pin the me for her death? Liu Hui Ying was not at all surprised by Liu Fei Fei¡¯s actions, she already had a very good idea that the woman might have not remembered what happened to her before she died. Liu Fei Fei was not the first of her clients who did not have any memories of what happened to them before they were killed off, most of them were brutally tortured but since they wished to forget the trauma that happened to them while they were alive, their soul naturally forgot the major part of the murder. However, in midst of being killed they would also feel a heavy grudge towards the person who killed them which was why even though they forgot everything that happened to them, they would still go around looking for the person who killed them if not then how was it possible for anyone to exin as to why her sister who was a celestial master herself forgot the face of her killer and just turned hostile to every man that was in the vicinity closer to her. ¡± You were most likely killed very slowly,¡± Liu Hui Ying told Liu Fei Fei as she pointed to Liu Fei Fei¡¯s feet which looked more swollen than the other part of her body, without the proper pieces of equipment it was impossible to tell when was the right time of Liu Fei Fei¡¯s death and what was more there was also the fact that the Dowager Empress turned the entire case into that of a suicide which was why Liu Fei Fei did not even receive the basic autopsy from the people in the judicial department. With her hand pointing to Liu Fei Fei¡¯s feet, Liu Hui Ying then pointed to her hands and then her upper body. ¡± As you can see, if you were to look carefully¡­you will realise that the swelling of your body slowly disappears as take a look at your upper body, don¡¯t you think that this is weird? If you drownedpletely then the swelling on your body should have been even but it¡¯s not.¡± ¡°It¡¯s more like as if your feet were left in water for far too long followed by your torso and then finally your upper half of the body that was left,¡± Liu Hui Ying pursed her lips as she picked up a tracing pencil that had a blunt edge instead of a sharp one and then skimmed the tip over the marks that were left on Liu Fei Fei¡¯s wrist as she continued speaking, ¡± You were not pushed to the pond and died on the spot, you were most likely kidnapped in the night and then you were tied up and ced in a vessel that slowly got filled with water.¡± ..... ¡± That is why your feet are more swollen than your face,¡± Liu Hui Ying exined everything to Jia Li who was listening to her every word and then turned to look at Liu Fei Fei. ¡± You stayed in the water vessel for an entire night before you lost consciousness and once you lost your consciousness, your killer took you out brought you over to the edge of the pool and then pushed your head under the water before pushing you inside the pool to make it look like as if you were pushed inside.¡± Liu Fei Fei¡¯s head started to buzz if she was being honest, she did feel a bit stiff at the back of her neck as if she has been hurt severely but she took it as her getting killed now that she was listening to Liu Hui Ying¡¯s words, she could not help but try to move her neck, as soon as she tried to move it in a circle she felt her neck make a weird creaking sound before it dangled lopsidedly on the side. Her neck ¡­ was truly broken, and how else would it get broken? By being pushed into the water again and again with a force that was too much for her body to bear! Her entire existence froze. Why did she not remember something so important? How can she even forget something so important? Liu Fei Fei felt that she was really stupid before she turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and asked, ¡± Then what about Nanny Cheng? She said that I was sleeping in my room in the morning before she woke me up and then left to get breakfast.¡± ¡± You did not notice it did you?¡± Liu Hui Ying was very calm as she turned to look at Liu Fei Fei who was slowly turning agitated. ¡± Nanny Cheng¡¯s eyesight has been getting worse in the past few years, she can see but her vision is not clear, most probably the person who killed you took your spot and then mimicked your voice and actions to fool Nanny Cheng. With her deteriorating vision it is not a surprise that she failed to notice that you were missing.¡± Chapter 230 - 230 A cramped space 230 A cramped space Liu Hui Ying pinned Liu Fei Fei with a stoic gaze and asked, ¡± Nanny Cheng cannot even see anything clearly, do you think that she can even see whether or not you were in the room? She most probably saw someone lying on the bed on which you usually slept and then took it as if you were the one who was sleeping there.¡± She noticed Nanny Cheng¡¯s struggle when she was trying to look at her, she was a detective and she did not have to stay with someone for a long time to see if there were any problems in their normal behaviour and she indeed noticed that Nanny Cheng had difficulty narrowing her vision, it took her a long time to focus on someone and that too when she was staying still if she was moving then Liu Hui Ying was certain that Nanny Cheng only relied on her hearing senses to find out who was the person who was standing in front of her. This afternoon when she tried to attack her, Liu Hui Ying stayed put and she did not move from her spot at all but Nanny Cheng still was not able to hit her, her footing was unstable and her eye pupils were moving and flickering more than a normal person did which was why Liu Hui Ying knew that the woman had some problems with her eyesight. Her suspicions were confirmed when Nanny Cheng came to see her at the night, during the entire time Nanny Cheng was there Liu Hui Ying could see that the woman was blinking more than a normal person would do at a regr pace. She kept blinking in a flurry while she was looking at her, if it was someone else they would not have thought much about it but Liu Hui Ying was someone who knew too much about normal human behaviour and was able to detect the abnormalities in nanny Cheng after a simple nce. ¡± I ¡­I did not know,¡± Liu Fei Fei felt terrible as she ced her broken neck in ce and then looked at Liu Hui Ying while biting her lip, she has been with Nanny Cheng all her life but she did not know anything about Nanny Cheng at all. She did not even know that the woman who has been taking care of her for such a long time was actually having problems with her vision. ¡± Of course, you did not,¡± Liu Hui Ying was not surprised, she was not an expert in psychology or human behaviour but she was smart enough to detect the small actions of people around her. The first time she met Liu Fei Fei, she knew that the girl was warped in her own world so much that she did not even have time to look at others, it wasn¡¯t that Liu Fei Fei did not care about Nanny Cheng, she did, she truly did care about Nanny Cheng but the thing was that she cared about herself more than she cared about anyone else. ¡± You have always been wallowing in your self-pity so much that you could not see that you were losing people around you,¡± Liu Hui Yingmented as she swept the robe that Liu Fei Fei was wearing aside and then took hold of her feet as she ced her other hand on top of the toe and moved it, her eyes flickered slightly as she scoffed. ¡± I would not be surprised that you ended up offending someone while you were on the way, for them to tie you up and keep you in a small ce. I don¡¯t know what you did to them.¡± Jia Li looked at Liu Fei Fei¡¯s stiff leg which seemed to have a little abnormal bent to it and then pursed her lips. ¡± This is going to be difficult, before finding out the culprit we have to find out where she has been locked up only then we will be able to find out who was the one behind it.¡± ording to Liu Fei Fei and Nanny Cheng, the crime scene was the pond but now that Jia Li was looking at the abrasions on Liu Fei Fei¡¯s legs and the slight curl of her toes and knees, she could see that Liu Fei Fei was left to kneel in a cramped up space which was exactly her size or else she wouldn¡¯t have scarped her knees on the surface of the space where she was locked. ..... ¡± Examine her body,¡± Liu Hui Ying told Jia Li who was now standing beside her. ¡± And this time don¡¯t be in a hurry to hand in your report, we are not in a hurry and you have enough time to enjoy your dramas as well ¡­so do a good job this time.¡± The reason Jia Li was impatient was that she did not like working for too long after her death, she only liked to dissect bodies and not examine them. Jia Li poked her tongue out before she turned to look at Liu Fei Fei¡¯s body and started to examine her carefully this time, even Liu Fei Fei who understood how important this was did not say a word and simply watched Jia Li examining her body. ¡°There is a bloody froth in the airway and I need to test it to check the presence of diatom algae,¡± Jia Li said as she took out a small amount of blood that was clogged up inside Liu Fei Fei¡¯s throat because thetter did not want her body to be cut open, Jia Li had a hard time using a small thin iron thread that she sent inside Liu Fei Fei¡¯s air passageway through her nose. ¡± I will see what kind of algae she has inside her body or whether or not she even has one, that way we will be able to narrow down the ces that we need to investigate.¡± Liu Hui Ying nodded but before she could say anything more she heard a low thump outside the door of the funeral hall. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 231 - 231 Rejection 231 Rejection Can you all check my new book Hot Bloodsuckers Obsession? Please it is apetitive book and I would like to win! Zhai Tianyu rushed right after Liu Hui Ying after shaking off Ji Yu but thetter was too fast and she went inside the funeral hall before he could which was why he walked over to the funeral hall and wanted to go inside as well but as soon as he remembered that Liu Hui Ying was actually examining Liu Fei Fei¡¯s body he decided that it was no right of him to do that which was why he stayed where he was but even after waiting for an hour, he did not see Liu Hui Yinge out and that sort of made him worry. Ever since he was young, he has seen all kinds of poison and has even seen many incidents in which the examiner would get poisoned because of the poison that was present inside the body that he was examining this was the reason why he thought that something simr happened to Liu Hui Ying. At first, he did not want to go inside the funeral hall but then he thought about how Liu Hui Ying might need his help in case she contacted something that she should not have and tried to open the door of the funeral hall. But to his surprise, the door of the funeral hall could not be opened! The door as well as the funeral hall were newly built it was impossible for it to get stuck for no reason at all, Zhai Tianyu who could not open the door even after using a hint of spiritual energy thought that if he could not open the door Liu Hui Ying who was inside could also not open it which was the reason as to why she did note outside the funeral hall after examining Liu Fei Fei¡¯s body. He was just thinking about breaking the door and barging right in to bring Liu Hui Ying back when the door of the funeral hall was pulled to the side and Liu Hui Ying who was standing in front of him with a scowl on her face as he very rudely asked, ¡± What is the matter your majesty? Why were you trying to interrupt my work?¡± Zhai Tianyu who was thinking of saving Liu Hui Ying from a locked room was stunned when he heard her scold him, he blinked his eyes and then answered honestly, ¡± I thought that the door was stuck, I was trying to open it but it did not open which was why I thought that you were trapped¡­¡± he trailed off and then looked at Liu Hui Ying with a shake of his head and then added, ¡± Are you done with your examination what did you find, my queen?¡± ¡± Nothing much,¡± Liu Hui Ying¡¯s eyes glinted slightly even though she and Zhai Tianyu worked on a case together that was because it was rted to him but this time she had no desire to work with him, she was used to working alone which was why she pursed her lips and smiled faintly at Zhai Tianyu. ¡± I have everything in control, I will find the culprit pretty soon. You can leave everything on me, your esteemed majesty.¡± Liu Hui Ying was a mysterious woman, she was part greedy, part serious and part dangerous¡­ she was a woman who came with a sign that said ¡ª¡ª ¡® Approach at your own risk,¡¯ which was something that Zhai Tianyu knew but he still could not help but approach her and even though he could not say that he understood her really well, he could indeed say that he understood a bit about Liu Hui Ying. ..... And he knew that at this moment, she was trying to push him away. His heart was slightly annoyed at her actions of keeping her distance from him but in the end, he decided not to push his luck ¡ª¡ª he and Liu Hui Ying were not that close, to begin with each other anyway and there was nothing wrong with her trying to keep her distance from him, and just because he wanted to get closer to her and was annoyed at her indifference, he could not push his will on Liu Hui Ying, could he? Suppressing the annoyance in his heart, Zhai Tianyu looked at Liu Hui Ying who was standing in front of him and said with a soft voice, ¡± You cane to me at any time, my queen¡­.as long as you say a word that you need my help. I will certainly do anything in my power to help you.¡± He was not someone who will make promises to anyone but now that Liu Hui Ying was under his wing, he will do everything to protect her. ¡± Yo, why is his esteemed majesty feeling so generous towards me?¡± Liu Hui Ying teased as she tilted her head to the side and looked at Zhai Tianyu with a smile on her lips. ¡± Don¡¯t tell me you are falling for me? Watch your tone your majesty, or else your sweetheart wille after my a*s.¡± As she spoke she chuckled before she crossed her arms to walk past Zhai Tianyu who was standing in front of her. She expected him to ignore her now that she has brought Ji Yu up but to her surprise, she felt the man move slightly to the side as he looked at her sideways and then said, ¡± You cane to me, my queen¡­.it has nothing to do with love or liking but you are still my woman even in name. I should protect you.¡± Only Zhai Tianyu knew how hard it was for him to say these words because ever since he was a child his grandmother had told him that the Liu family was the murderer of his father and that they were his enemy but now he was telling a member of that Liu family that he was going to protect her. Even though it was something small on his part, he was very sincere. Liu Hui Ying turned her head to the side and then arched a brow, her lips still curled in a smile but her eyes were two chips of ice as she said, ¡± Don¡¯t ever mistake me to be your woman, your esteemed majesty. I might be upying the body of your wife but always do remember that we were not the ones who got married. Physically yes but not spiritually, I am not your wife nor your woman, and never will be.¡± Zhai Tianyu turned pale when he heard Liu Hui Ying¡¯s words, the woman did not even nce at him as she walked away after stomping on his sincerity. Chapter 232 - 232 A broken hearted husband 232 A broken hearted husband ¡± Your majesty?¡± ¡± Your majesty?¡± ¡± Tianyu what are you doing!¡± A voice hissed in Zhai Tianyu¡¯s ears causing thetter to open his eyes in shock and surprise as he turned to look at Yu Lingyun who was standing beside him for some reason. When Zhai Tianyu saw that Yu Lingyun was standing in front of him, he was very surprised and could not help but ask, ¡± What are you doing here?¡± He was sitting on his throne and without his permission, no one even the general of the imperial army did not have the right toe forward, but for some reason, Yu Lingyun was standing right in front of him, this caused Zhai Tianyu to be stunned, as far as he knew Yu Lingyun was not someone who would carelessly throw the rules and moral conduct of the imperial courtroom. ¡°It is great that you still remember that you are sitting in the imperial throne room,¡± Yu Lingyun continued whispering as if he was worried that he would be heard by someone. ¡± You were sitting in a daze like an idiot, I thought you were pitch drunk! You are supposed to be holding the court, your majesty, what are you doing? Staring off at the horizon? Are you trying to summon the Gods or what ?¡± Only then did Zhai Tianyu remember that the two sections of the imperial court have called for a meeting and he was supposed to be paying attention to what they were saying but ever sincest night, Zhai Tianyu could no longer pay attention to anything that was happening around him, it would be better to say that half of his mind was still lost in that hour of night where the Queen refused him and left him behind. He has been sincere and caring when he told Liu Hui Ying that he wanted to protect her but thetter has thrown his sincerity away in just a few words, he wanted to look for the Queen and ask her what she meant by that she will never be his wife butter on he realised that he truly did not have the right to do so, again and again, he has tried to kill her even though it was when he did not know that there was another soul inside that of his wife¡¯s body but it did not change anything. Nor did it change the fact that he almost killed Liu Hui Ying in the second attempt, it could be said that she was very lucky and had the skills to stop the attack on time or else¡ª¡ª- ¡± Your majesty, what are you doing?¡± Yu Lingyun saw that Zhai Tianyu was once again lost in his thoughts and wished he could grab Zhai Tianyu by the scuff of his robe and shake him awake, was this the ce for him to be sleeping? This was the throne room! The imperial court, if they were caught cking then the two sides of the Ji and the Liu family might as well go to war physically in this very courtroom! ..... It wasn¡¯t as if they have not already but still! What kind of behaviour was this? ¡± Forgive Zhen,¡± Zhai Tianyu snapped out of his daze for the second time and then turned to look at the front of the imperial court where the ministers from the Liu and the Ji family were all looking at him, the Liu family were a mix of both the military and the schrly ministers while the Ji family only relied on their schrly attributes to stay in the court. Usually, they would be dressed in vibrant red with white clothing but today only the Ji family were dressed in their vibrant red uniform while the ones from the Liu family were all dressed in white and at the moment were ring at the Ji family with burning hatred in their eyes. Seeing this Zhai Tianyu¡¯s eyes flickered slightly and he was reminded of what his aunt has said to him before she passed on, he turned his attention to the Ji family and noticed quite a few gloating expressions, they were hidden very well but maybe they thought that him being the puppet Emperor, would not be able to see through them. Zhai Tianyu¡¯s fingers clenched as he took in a breath sharply, he always thought that it was only the Liu family who looked down on him but now that he was seeing the court with unbiased eyes he could see that the people who looked down on him in the Ji family were just as much as the Liu family. ¡® The Ji family will always be by your side.¡¯ This was what his grandmother told him back then and as a child, he believed everything that she said to him. Though his insides felt like they have been scooped out, and his entire body was sweating like all the air from his guts have been knocked out, he still morphed his expression to that of an idiotic smile and said, ¡± Zhen drank too muchst night, which is why Zhen was in a daze for a little while. I hope that no one will mind my little mess up, it would be too awkward for me.¡± As he spoke, he looked at the Ji family ministers and Liu family ministers who were looking at him with their heads raised, he noticed that among the ones who did not look down at him with a contemptuous gaze in their eyes was Liu Dong Ming. That man has been known for his sharp and ruthless tactics and with his tactics, he should have been looking down at him the most, since he was acting like a fool but the man¡¯s gaze was very calm as he met his gaze and then parted his lips as he replied, ¡± We ministers don¡¯t dare to question the authority of his majesty. It¡¯s understandable that after losing one of your concubines you were slightly heartbrokenst night, it¡¯s nothing to apologise about.¡± In just a few words Liu Dong Ming changed the entire situation of the court, Zhai Tianyu who was supposed to be called out for hisck of attention suddenly became a heartbroken man who lost his wife. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 233 - 233 The Queen was behind it ? 233 The Queen was behind it ? Zhai Tianyu has seen Liu Dong Ming¡¯s skills and he has to admit that the man was really smart, in just a few words not only did he save his reputation, but he also made use of this opportunity to uplift the position of Liu Fei Fei in the eyes of others. For a man to not even let go of something so small, it would be terrifying to realise just how scarily fast his mind worked. ¡± Ah, that¡¯s right, that¡¯s right,¡± Zhai Tianyu did not know why Liu Dong Ming did not make use of his smallpse in attention to do something other than use it for Liu Fei Fei who was already dead, as far as he knew Liu Dong Ming did not care about Liu Fei Fei at all, he has never even spent some time with Liu Fei Fei after she was sent to his family. Did he do it because he wanted to help him? Or was this an act of a little bit of kindness for Liu Fei Fei who lost her life? Zhai Tianyu looked at Liu Dong Ming and realised that he could not understand the man at all, it would be wrong of him to say that Liu Dong Ming was a good man because he wasn¡¯t, he has done a bunch of things that should have been enough for him to lose his life but at the same time whenever Zhai Tianyu marked him as an evil man, Liu Dong Ming will turn around and do something nice and confused him. He was neither ck nor was he white. Liu Dong Ming was grey¡­.pletely neutral. ¡± I was too upset after losing my concubine and lost my head for a moment, I apologise,¡± Zhai Tianyu did not want to embarrass Liu Fei Fei after she died as well, even though he has never epted her as his wife, he was willing to give her the respect of one. ¡± Where were we?¡± As he asked he turned to look at Yu Lingyun with an innocent expression pretending like he was a harmless kitten. If Liu Hui Ying saw him at the moment, she would have called him shameless. ¡± We were discussing the incident that happened yesterday, your majesty,¡± the right prime minister Ji Yang spoke as he took a step forward in front of the ministers and looked at Zhai Tianyu with a polite expression on his face. ¡± I was just discussing that the incident did not look like a suicide, as far as I know ¡ª¡ª Consort Liu has been treated really well by you, for her to suddenlymit suicide, doesn¡¯t it strike as something really unbelievable?¡± ..... It was clear that Ji Yang was trying to target the Liu family by questioning the authenticity of the news that has been sent out to everyone. ¡± The only thing that strikes me as unbelievable, Prime minister Ji is¡ª¡ª that you are paying too much attention to my daughter,¡± Liu Dong Ming was not one to be messed with either, he calmly and stoically raised his head and looked at Ji Yang without the slightest flicker or change in his expression as he spoke, ¡± I know that with your long and hooked nose, you want to poke it in other people¡¯s businesses but I can assure you that you do not want to poke your nose into mine. I have lost my only family member and I do not appreciate your meddling especially when my daughter is yet to be buried.¡± ording to the customs, those who died were buried after three days during this period of time the family of the deceased would keep vigil from the very next day once the funeral rituals were performed and they were usually performed in the day instead of the night given that it was believed that the light of the day would guide the dead to the path of the underworld instead of being lost in the world. Thus, Liu Fei Fei who died in the evening was only cleaned and her body was kept in the coffin as for the funeral rituals none of them were held at the night. Ji Yang¡¯s face twisted when he heard Liu Dong Ming talking back to him, what was more, he was actually attacking him outright. A part of him was eager to p Liu Dong Ming in the face while the other half was still terrified of this man¡¯s means. Last night, more than twenty bloodied corpses of maids were found in the bedchambers of the women of the Ji family, no one knew how and who snuck inside the house but Ji Yang knew that the one who was behind this incident was none other than Liu Dong Ming, he was angry and enraged at the fact that the Ji family tried to target the Liu family again and thus sent a warning. But even though he was scared of Liu Dong Ming, Ji Yang understood the fact that even if he was to stop now Liu Dong Ming won¡¯t, Liu Fei Fei was his daughter and the reason why Liu Dong Ming kept her by his side was simple he still had use for that woman, but because of his interference Liu Dong Ming¡¯s ns were disrupted and with his understanding of Liu Dong Ming, Ji Yang knew that he was a man who would never suffer a loss without proper retaliation. Most probably the man will attack him again in the future and this time worse than before which was why he did not want to give Liu Dong Ming a chance to retaliate against him, he has to make sure that the man would be too busy to care about the Ji family while being engrossed in his own family matters! ¡± I am not trying to pull anything by asking such questions, prime minister Liu,¡± stated Ji Yang with a smile as he looked at Liu Dong Ming with a smile on his lips. ¡± I was just trying to say that the reason you are actually stopping me from investigating the death of consort Liu¡­. Is it because you are worried that her majesty, the Queen will be targeted?¡± Chapter 234 - 234 Not a hypocrite 234 Not a hypocrite Ji Yang¡¯s words caused the entire court to go silent, the Liu family ministers looked at the people from the Ji family who were looking rather smug and contented. Seeing them act like this, the ministers of the Liu family were very troubled they knew that the Ji family was trying to take Liu Hui Ying down and bring Ji Yu to the throne of the Empress, they were not even surprised when they saw that Ji Yang was trying to target Liu Hui Ying, after all, they knew that the Ji family had a hand in the death of Liu Fei Fei. The members of the Liu family were very upset, especially Liu Hui Ying¡¯s father Second official Liu, Liu Song Lei. He looked at Ji Yang who was trying to drag his daughter and immediately said, ¡± What are you trying to say, prime minister Ji? My daughter has always been delicate, she has never even seen a dead body in all her life and even the very mention of death scares her, are you saying that my daughter who is even scared to see someone die is behind the death of Consort Liu and that too who was her own cousin? Are you trying to pull someone¡¯s leg by saying this? Where will my daughter learn something like this?¡± The more Liu Song Lei spoke the angry he got, his daughter was the apple of his eye, ever since she lost her mother, he was the one who raised her and taught her everything. There was even a time when she broke her arm and could not eat, back then he was worried that someone would try to harm his daughter when she was vulnerable and took care of her with his own hands. For his daughter he was her father as well as her mother, he has always protected Liu Hui Ying with all his heart and this time if not for his brother telling him that they needed to send Liu Hui Ying to save their family, he would have never allowed Liu Hui Ying to marry the Emperor. In his eyes, even the Emperor was a rotten man who did not deserve to marry his daughter! What was so good about the Emperor? In the morning Pei Pei? In the night Li Li, so many concubines were waiting for him throughout the entire day, why should his daughter be one of those women? But because his elder was the head of the Liu family, he had no other choice but to listen to his orders and send his daughter to this fire pit and now that his daughter has jumped into this fire pit, the Ji family was targeting her. On what basis? ¡± Maybe the right prime minister is trying to say that we teach our daughters to kill innocent people every day,¡± Liu Dong Ming suddenly spoke causing the entire court to suck in a breath because this was their first time seeing Liu Dong Ming attack someone upfront like this. With his expression as calm as ake with no ripples in it, Liu Dong Ming looked at Ji Yang who despite the easygoing expression on his face his body has stiffened. ¡± Maybe he is trying to say that we the members of the Liu family teach our kids to kill from a very young age, if not then how can they be so skilled in killing when they are still so young?¡± ¡± Left prime minister Liu is thinking too much,¡± Ji Yang understood that Liu Dong Ming was not going to ept his defeat so easily, which was why he immediately toned his aggressive stance down and then smiled at Liu Dong Ming in a friendly manner. ¡± I was just saying that there is a rumour going around in the imperial harem that the Empress is the one who is behind consort Liu¡¯s death, ording to some, the Empress and Consort Liu had some scuffle with each other a few days ago, I was only saying this because I thought that you would want to prove the innocence of the Empress.¡± He paused as a sly glint shed in his eyes. ¡± I mean you would not want her majesty¡¯s reputation to get tarnished now, will you prime minister Liu?¡± There was indeed a rumour like this going around in the imperial pce of course it was because of the servants under the Ji family who were ordered to do so but the more rumours like these were to spread the more they will take the form of a ferocious tiger before the Liu family gets implicated along with Liu Hui Ying. ..... Sharpening the de without letting it fall on the neck of his enemies, Ji Yang was very much skilled in this technique. Liu Dong Ming stared at Ji Yang who was trying his best to pretend that he was not the one who was behind the death of Liu Fei Fei and that he was simply trying to help the Liu family solve a problem. With his skills of course Liu Dong Ming could sense that Ji Yang was targeting Liu Hui Ying but the problem was¡ª¡ª he turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who looked very much tensed as he looked at Ji Yang and mentally shook his head. The Emperor was very much trusting of the Ji family, he asked his sister to treat Zhai Tianyu well when he was a kid but ¡­. His eyes shed and hatred surged in his heart, if he was in the ce of his sister he too would have never epted that child. But Liu Dong Ming did not let his emotions take control, he knew that this was not the time for him to lose control of himself and then raised his head to look at Ji Yang who was only a bit short of showing a smug smile on his face as he said, ¡± Did her majesty say that she was the one who was behind this case? If so then I might believe that she was indeed the one who killed my daughter.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 235 - 235 Let us investigate the case and dethrone the Empress 235 Let us investigate the case and dethrone the Empress ¡± What did you say?¡± Ji Yang thought that Liu Dong Ming has lost his mind, who in their right mind would even say that they have killed someone? They will definitely try to keep the matter as hushed up as possible but he was asking whether the Queen said that she killed Liu Fei Fei. Was he looking down on him or was he looking down on his niece? Liu Dong Ming knew that Ji Yang was underestimating him and was even looking at him with contempt what this man forgot that he was someone who has always been a step ahead of him which was why he calmly looked at Ji Yang and said in a soft voice yet powerful voice, ¡± I said that whether or not the Empress agreed to kill my daughter? Because as you know already if the Liu family was behind a matter they will never hypocritically hide their presence and pretended to be innocent. If the rumours say that the Queen is behind it, surely she would have said something about it?¡± His words werepletely nonsensical but to Ji Yang, they were like a p on his face, he was not a fool, he could see that Liu Dong Ming was actually condemning him and his family and was calling them hypocrites. His eyes flickered as he red at Liu Dong Ming hatefully but he still did not say anything and just kept smiling but his hands were already clenched in fists on his sides as he looked at Liu Dong Ming. The matter that happened three years ago was still fresh in the minds of Liu and the Ji family, it was just that the Ji family were proud of what happened back then while the Liu were full of anger and vengeance. Seeing that there was no point in talking with Liu Dong Ming, Ji Yang turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who was watching the facade that was happening in front of him like he was nothing but an idiot, seeing him act like this Ji Yang was a bit upset. Clearly, he was giving Zhai Tianyu a good chance to take the Empress down but this man for some reason was not taking the bait that he was handed to him, slightly angry with Zhai Tianyu, Ji Yang once again opened his mouth and said, ¡± Your majesty what is your take on this? Don¡¯t you think that we should get consort Liu¡¯s death investigated ?¡± It was all right, he already knew that Zhai Tianyu was not as smart as his father. There was no need for him to worry, this man was a puppet in the hands of his ministers anyway, as long as he hands him the bait, the man will take it. Zhai Tianyu too knew that his grand-uncle was handing him bait and was waiting for him to take it, but this time he did not want to take it. He knew that this was the perfect time to take the Empress down but ¡ª¡ª if he was to take her down then what will happen to the two of them? He remembered the indifference and arrogance of the Queen fromst night and suddenly felt a bit choked up, she was like this when he hasn¡¯t even made a move against her for a very long time. If he was to remove her from the throne then the Queen might never even look him in the face for the rest of her life. She might not care about the throne but that did not mean that she was going to forgive him and let him do what he wanted either. She will be nonchnt and careless about his matters along with his sincerity. ..... Was he prepared to face a Queen like this? Zhai Tianyu questioned himself for the first time and realised that he was indeed not prepared to see a queen like that, in fact, he still felt a bit choked up remembering the calm and stoic look on the face of the queen fromst night. He swallowed and then nodded before saying, ¡± You are right, we should indeed let someone investigate the death of consort Liu.¡± As soon as he said this the Ji family were more than happy but the Liu family member¡¯s faces all turned into a grimace as they looked at the Emperor, even Liu Dong Ming clenched his fingers but at the same time his lips curled in a mocking sneer. In the end, Blood does not lie. ¡± Then why don¡¯t you allow me to investigate the death of consort Liu, your majesty?¡± Ji Mo who was Ji Yu¡¯s elder brother stepped forward and looked at Zhai Tianyu. He was the head of the investigation department and shared his powers with Liu Hui Ying¡¯s third uncle, though young, he was skilled and was just as wise as his father. ¡± I will make sure that the truthes to light.¡± As he spoke he heavily looked at Liu Dong Ming who was still looking at the people of the Ji family with a nk expression with no sign of agitation at all. It was as if what the Ji family members were saying had no connection to him, he was still as detached as ever, and seeing him like this Ji Mo was very much angered. Pretend! Keep on pretending, we all know that you are more than affected by this! Ji Mo thought savagely in his head while he looked at the nk face of Liu Dong Ming, does this man thinks that he will be able to make aeback now? Not even in the million years would they be able to tackle this case, after all his father has taken quite a lot of measures to make sure that this time the Queen was dragged down from her throne. As long as the case falls in his hands he will surely make sure that the Queen and her family lose everything! How dare they try to kill his brother! Ji Mo was certain that he was going to make the Ji family suffer but then he heard the Emperor say, ¡± Actually, I have already asked someone to investigate this case.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª please check my new work ¡ª¡ª Hot Bloodsuckers¡¯ Obsession. Orz. Chapter 236 - 236 Investigate the Emperor 236 Investigate the Emperor ¡± What do you mean by this, your majesty?¡± Ji Yang was truly surprised when he heard Zhai Tianyu say that he has already looked for someone to investigate the case of Liu Fei Fei¡¯s death as far as he knew the investigation of such cases fell under the hands of Ji Mo and the rest of the crime investigation department. ¡± This the responsibility of the investigation department then why¡ª¡ª¡± ¡± Because I realised that even the worthy and capable investigation department can make a mistake, everyone knows what happened with my aunt and even though I want to leave the matter in the hands of the investigation department I do not wish to do so,¡± Zhai Tianyu knew that this was going to bring him a lot of trouble, he was supposed to be the puppet king. If he started to act now then the two families will truly try to get their hands on him, they might even start investigating him, which might not be beneficial for him but¡ª¡ª If he does not stand up now then there was a chance that he will lose something more important, Liu Hui Ying¡¯s involvement in the case cannot be denied. If the Ji family as targeting the Queen then there was a chance that they will try to get Liu Hui Ying implicated in this matter. When Zhai Tianyu refused the crime investigation department to investigate Liu Fei Fei¡¯s death Ji Yang was stunned, he could not believe his ears. It was as if the pet dog that he has been raising for so many years finally decided to turn around and bite him when he raised a stick to hit him. What happened to the Emperor, didn¡¯t his sister say that she has taken care of Zhai Tianyu for a very long time and that he wouldn¡¯t dare to go against her and the Ji family? Not now not ever? Why was it that Zhai Tianyu was now refusing him? Ji Yang was not happy with the rejection, it was true that the Liu Family was the one that controlled the Zhai Tianyu on the surface but the truth was that the Ji family too had a hand in controlling the puppet emperor. The Liu family did it tantly on the surface by forcing Zhai Tianyu into a corner while the Ji family did it behind the scenes, where Zhai Tianyu wouldn¡¯t even realise that he was being controlled by them, who would have thought that the Emperor who has always listened to everything that the Ji family had to say would now refuse them? But Ji Yang could not refute Zhai Tianyu either, what the man said was right. The investigation of Zhai Chenguang¡¯s death was under Ji Mo¡¯s father and he made the major mistake of ignoring the clues that were right in front of him, this was a matter of great grievance and embarrassment for the Ji family. In fact, because of this matter, even the Grand Dowager Empress was upset with their family, even though Grand Dowager Empress cared about the Ji family but Zhai Chenguang was still her biological daughter, how can she be not upset when she found out that her daughter was married to a eunuch and that it was her own family who wronged her daughter by not investigating the case properly. Ji Yang has been trying to reach out to his sister these past few days wanting her to make sure that the Emperor would agree to his request but because of the case of Zhai Chenguang, he was not able to see the Grand Dowager Empress at all because she was refusing to see him, Ji Yang was not happy with what was happening and he wished that he has persisted and met the Grand Dowager Empress even when she refused to do so. ..... ¡± Your majesty, I do understand that you have some qualms when ites to handing the investigation to the crime investigation department but you need to understand that one mistake does not count as the failure of the entire department, I assure you that the investigation department will not make a mistake again,¡± as he spoke he turned to look at Ji Mo who was standing beside him. Ji Mo too was stunned upon receiving the refusal from the Emperor, he never thought that Zhai Tianyu would refuse their Ji family but when he saw his father asking him to say something, he snapped out of his daze and then turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and said, ¡± Your majesty, why don¡¯t you leave it in our hands? I understand that there might be a bit of hesitation with what happened but I assure you that our investigation department will do a good job this time and won¡¯t give you an opportunity to be disappointed with us.¡± ¡± I wish I could hand this case to you, Official Ji but the truth is that I have already handed this case to my friend who investigated the case of my aunt, I am afraid that he has already found quite a lot of clues by now, if I change the person in charge now, then there might be a chance that the clues and shreds of evidence might get affected and then we will go nowhere,¡± he calmly replied to Ji Mo whose entire body stiffened while Ji Yang despite the smile on his face had a very ashenplexion while looking at Zhai Tianyu. One could see that neither of them was happy with Zhai Tianyu¡¯s decision and what was even more they seemed to be rather upset about Zhai Tianyu using his own head instead of listening to them silently. In the end, Ji Yang who did not want to let go of this chance where he could drag the entire Liu family down and step on their head tried once again, ¡± Your majesty are you sure that you want to leave this matter in the hands of a man who has lived in another country for all his life? Are you sure you can trust a foreigner than your own countrymen?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 237 - 237 is she even worth it 237 is she even worth it This was Ji Yang¡¯sst attempt at coercing, he wanted to make use of the identity of the man who has always lived on the other side of the world and force Zhai Tianyu to hand the investigation to his family, he has worked so hard used so many tactics before he could get someone who could bring his family to the top. That man has clearly told him that if he fails this time then he wouldn¡¯t help me without double the price that he has given him earlier ¡­just thinking about the price made Ji Yang¡¯s scalp numb. He cannot fail, if he failed then that man will certainly make him do something even more sinister than he had to do thest time. Zhai Tianyu wished to tell everyone that the person investigating the case was none other than Liu Hui Ying but he couldn¡¯t do so because if he was to let this cat out of the bag then he will surely get Liu Hui Ying into trouble. Women were not allowed to interfere with the work of the imperial court, and even though Liu Hui Ying was the Queen of the imperial city if the matter of her interfering with the investigation were toe out then she will surely be executed for going against thews of the imperial court. How useless, Zhai Tinayu mockingly scolded himself. He was the Emperor of this imperial city, strictly speaking, he should have the power to let his wife do whatever she wants to do but instead of letting Liu Hui Ying do what she wanted, he was here sitting like a criminal whose hands were tied. ¡± I understand that you all have your opinion about this matter but I assure you that my dear friend is not someone who would do anything against me or our country,¡± Zhai Tianyu suppressed the anger he was feeling in his heart, he has of course expected this from the Liu family since they did like to push him into a corner but he never expected that the Ji family would do the same thing as the Liu family, funny how he thought that the Ji family was different from the Liu family. All of them were the same! ¡± But your majesty¡ª¡ª¡± ¡± That will be the end of this court¡¯s session!¡± Zhai Tianyu interrupted Ji Yang and then raised his body from the throne before walking down the stairs that were in front of the seat of the throne. He did not even look at Ji Yang who was looking at him with a twisted look in his eyes, one could see that the ministers of the Ji family were not happy with this oue. The reason they wanted to take this investigation into their hands was because of fact that they wanted to get Liu Hui Ying involved they never wanted to investigate the death of Liu Fei Fei! ..... Who cared what happened to that girl? She was useless from the very start! ¡± What now father?¡± Ji Mo asked his father who was standing next to him, he looked at his father whose entire face was stiff and frigid. ¡± The Emperor did not take the bait, is he going out of your hands?¡± ¡± He is not,¡± Ji Yang refused to admit that the Emperor was going out of his hands, after all, the Emperor¡¯s powers came from the Ji family, and if he goes against them then he will be left with nothing. Even if he was a foolish man, he was not an idiot, he wouldn¡¯t go against them for the time being. Ji Mo hesitated and then looked at his father who was certain that the Emperor would not go against him. ¡± But what if he is trying to escape your grip? The Emperor has never gone against you and listened to everything that you say to him, why is he is suddenly going against you? Doesn¡¯t it mean he has someone else backing him?¡± Ji Mo¡¯s words were like a wake-up call to Ji Yang who clenched his fingers and said, ¡± Go and investigate the Emperor, see what is he doing and ¡­¡± he paused with eyes shing with ruthlessness. ¡± If he is involved in something that he shouldn¡¯t be then you take care of that matter ¡­. And make sure that the me falls on the Liu Family this time as well ¡­just like before, make sure that the Emperor is disgusted with both the Liu family and that bitch who is behind these changes.¡± ¡­. ¡± Are you being dimwit on purpose or are you trying to pull something else here?¡± Yu Lingyun asked Zhai Tianyu as he looked at the man who was sitting calmly on the chair of his study and looked at thetter with his gaze drilling into Zhai Tianyu. ¡± What is going on in your head? Why did you refuse Ji Yang? You do know that even if he is not Liu Dong Ming, he is not a smiling cat¡­he is a smiling tiger and he will be truly upset if you were to go against him like this. Are you not worried that he will start thinking that you are doing something behind his back?¡± Zhai Tianyu pursed his lips and did not say anything, he simply looked at Yu Lingyun who was already staring at him before he parted his lips after a bit of hesitation and said, ¡± If I didn¡¯t do that¡­then Ji Yang would have caught the Queen in a mess, I could not allow that to happen.¡± Yu Lingyun stared at Zhai Tianyu for a long time before he let out a soft snicker and then that soft snicker turned into a big chuckle as he turned to look at Zhai Heng and said while pointing at Zhai Tianyu, ¡± Did you hear that? His majesty is showing off his cards that he has been hiding from his ministers for years just because of the queen!¡± He whipped his head to look at Zhai Tianyu and hissed with a furious expression. ¡± Is she even worth this? She does not even give a damn about you!¡± Chapter 238 - 238 She is your enemy! 238 She is your enemy! Zhai Tianyu did not say anything regarding Liu Hui Ying, he was just as conflicted as the others and did not have any answer to this question either, was the Queen worthy of all the sacrifices that wille with this decision that he has made? He did not know, there was no way he would be able to measure her worth when he did not even know what she meant to him. Did he think of her as a woman? Or did he think of her as an acquaintance? Or a partner in crime? There was no answer to these questions that he had in his mind which was why he couldn¡¯t even bring himself to answer the questions that Yu Lingyun was asking him. ¡± Maybe if you were looking at the situation in the court carefully without your biased beliefs then you would have seen that the Ji family was actually trying to get the Empress¡¯s name deliberately dragged in the matter,¡± Zhai Tianyu replied since he could not do anything and he could not reply to the question that Yu Lingyun was asking him then all he could do was to change the direction of the conversation. ¡± I have no qualms in handing the case to the Ji family but the bottom of the matter is that they wanted to use this case as a means to drag the Queen down.¡± ¡± I do not wish to use someone¡¯s death as the base for dragging the Liu family down. If I do that then what is the difference between me and the people from the Liu family.¡± ¡± Are you out of your mind?¡± Yu Lingyun could not care that the person who was sitting in front of him was the Emperor, at this moment he was looking at Zhai Tianyu like he was looking at an idiot and said in exasperation, ¡± You think that the Liu family will hand another opportunity like this to you? They will only get even more cautious after being caught off guard like this, surely they will keep their guard up in the next few months, do you think that there will be another golden opportunity like this one presented to you again?¡± Yu Lingyun was right, the power of the Liu family was increasing day by day, that family has given the imperial city a lot of Empresses and thus it was given that their power would be on par with that of the imperial family, if they did not do anything to stop the growing strength of that family then surely they will definitely lose a lot of lives and years of sacrifices that they have made. ¡± I understand what you are saying,¡± Zhai Tianyu understood this fact better than anyone else, he knew that if he was to lose this chance surely he might never get another opportunity to drag the Liu family down but he has promised Liu Hui Ying that he will protect her. Even if his fight was against the Liu family, he will not win that fight at the price of losing the Queen. ¡± But I am not going to use the Queen as a wager to win against the Liu family, I will win against them and that too with my own skills,¡± he raised his head and then looked at his brother who was staring at him with an assessing look in his eyes while Yu Lingyun looked at him with nothing but shock in his own. ¡± If I was to use a woman to win against the Liu family then surely I do not deserve to sit on this throne.¡± ¡± Then why did you marry that woman!¡± Yu Lingyun was frustrated with the headstrong attitude of Zhai Tianyu, he was the one who wanted to use Liu Hui Ying as a chess piece to control the Liu family and ruin them together with Liu Hui Ying if he was to take a step back and do nothing to Liu Hui Ying then what was the point of agreeing to that marriage? ..... Zhai Heng on the other hand understood his brother a bit too well than others, he pursed his lips and then looked at Zhai Tianyu with his eyes darting from left to right, ¡± Is the Queen the one who is making you hesitate?¡± He asked knowing that if this was before then Zhai Tianyu would have definitely not chosen the path that he did this morning, the reason he was willing to take this decision and stick to it must have been because of the Queen. His eyes flickered slightly with a cold glint in them as he took a step closer to Zhai Tianyu and said, ¡± You told me that you will never let the Queen impact your choices and goals, yet you are willing to put all your cards on the table for her?¡± ¡± I am not putting all my cards on the table!¡± Zhai Tianyu clenched his fingers when he saw that his brother and Yu Lingyun were not willing to understand what he was trying to say, he raised his head and looked at Yu Lingyun and Zhai Heng before he continued speaking, ¡± The Queen helped me and my aunt if not for her then we would have known that we were raising a wolf under us, it was because of her that I was able to find the truth behind the death of my aunt and you want me to use her as a wager against the Liu family?¡± ¡± I did not know that you two had these thoughts for me.¡± Zhai Tianyu paused and then added, ¡± And yes the Queen is making me think over those decisions of mine that I wouldn¡¯t have before.¡± His words caused both Yu Lingyun and Zhai Heng to stiffen as they looked at the man who once swore that he will bring the Liu family down, especially Zhai Heng whose entire face turned ashen as he banged his fist on the study table before gritting out through his teeth, ¡± She is the daughter of the Liu family, the same Liu family who killed our father! You want to romanticise her?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 239 - 239 Nanny Gong and Little Ai, the little assistants 239 Nanny Gong and Little Ai, the little assistants ¡± I do not have such thoughts,¡± Zhai Tianyu stiffened under the ring eyes of his brother but he still stubbornly raised his head and did not falter under the stern gaze of his brother as he said, ¡± You already know that I do not see the Queen as a woman, the only reason I am willing to do this is that I do not wish to stab my people in the back.¡± ¡± Your people?¡± Zhai Heng was so angry that heughed out loud, his calm face for the first time twisted into a sneer as he looked at his brother with little fires burning within his eyes. ¡± That woman¡¯s uncle and aunt were behind the murder of our father and yet you are saying that she is one of your people? Why did I not know that you were this big-hearted Tianyu? Or is it that your heart only got this big for that woman?¡± ¡± She is your queen!¡± Zhai Tianyu reminded Zhai Heng in a low voice as he looked at the man who was contradicting him while showing his contempt for Liu Hui Ying so tantly. ¡± I do not ept her as my queen!¡± Zhai Heng felt his heart burn, he did not understand why he was not liking the idea of Zhai Tianyu getting closer to the Queen, but when he heard that Zhai Tianyu was indeed making certain changes in his ns because of the Queen, he did not like it at all. ¡± She is not my queen, she was given that throne because she was supposed to die! Your majesty, you are befriending your enemy, I hope that you will not regret this!¡± After speaking Zhai Heng did not give Zhai Tianyu a chance to say anything he turned around and then walked out of the room leaving Zhai Tianyu alone with Yu Lingyun who was just as annoyed with Zhai Tianyu¡¯s actions but was trying his best to stay cordial. Seeing Zhai Heng leave Yu Lingyun took a deep breath and then turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who was seated on the seat of the Emperor and said, ¡± I understand that you are attracted to the Queen¡ª¡ª¡± ¡°I am not attracted to the Queen,¡± Zhai Tianyu replied crossly interrupting Yu Lingyun who was speaking to him as if he understood him better than he understood himself. ¡± There is no need to get angry, your majesty,¡± Yu Lingyun raised his hands in the air with an innocent expression on his face as he looked at Zhai Tianyu and said, ¡± You are not as experienced in these affairs as me nor do you understand women that well, but I still want to warn you, your majesty. You need to carefully and very delicately think whether or not you are doing this because you are interested in the Queen or because you are just intrigued by her powers.¡± ¡± Because if you make a mistake determining your own feeling there is a chance that you will lose something way more important.¡± As Yu Lingyun finished speaking, he turned on his heel and then walked out of the room, leaving Zhai Tianyu to ponder in silence alone. ¡­.. ..... ¡± Your majesty, where are you going?¡± Qui Ai who came out of the courtyard with Liu Hui Ying was truly surprised by the skills of her majesty. Her majesty when dressed as a woman looked like a rose growing in the lone garden with cold dew collected on its petals but now that she was dressed as a man she looked just as good-looking as his majesty! If not for the fact that she knew that this was her missy, she would have fallen in love with her already! ¡± Shh, little Ai stop making a fuss like this, if someone hears that you are talking about her majesty then they will be suspicious of us three,¡± Nanny Gong who was beside Qui Ai immediately hissed at the little girl who was speaking out of the context. ¡± Oops sorry!¡± Qui Ai immediately apologised as she deepened her voice to that of a man and asked, ¡± Is this okay?¡± ¡± Now you are acting like a man!¡± Nanny Gong nodded making the long white beard that was sticking to her chin flutter. ¡± Why are they here again?¡± Jia Li asked as she looked at the two women who were following after Liu Hui Ying and asked in a low voice, ¡± What made theme here and why did you even agree to their requests?¡± Liu Hui Ying was feeling upset, it was not that she wanted to drag Qui Ai and Nanny Gong with her but the two of them did not listen to a thing that she has to say and insisted toe with her. Ever since they found out that she was working as the private investigator of the Emperor, the two were worried that she will get caught in a mess which was why they wanted to stick closer to Liu Hui Ying. She was used to working with the dead and did not like the idea of being followed by the living¡ª¡ª she has been so lonely and was so used to doing things on her own that shepletely forgot how it felt to have someone by her side, which was she wanted to refuse nanny Gong and Qui Ai, who were bent oning with her. But Nanny Gong simply sat on the ground and then sprawled on the floor saying that if Liu Hui Ying was to leave her and Qui Ai alone and take this dangerous task alone then she will have to stab her in the heart and leave because she was not going to let Liu Hui Ying leave alone. In Nanny Gong¡¯s words ¡® If her majesty gets caught we can help you by distracting others and you can run away, if you can¡¯t then we might as well die protecting you than stay here and do nothing but watch you get executed. If you die we will die as well, if you live then so will we.¡¯ This was the first time Liu Hui Ying was so touched by someone¡¯s loyalty, that she couldn¡¯t stop Nanny Gong. But at the same time, she was very jealous, if she had someone like nanny Gong and Qui Ai in the modern world then her life would never have been so difficult. All her life she craved for someone to save her, care about her and love her with all their sincerity but the woman who had all of this, gave up on her life so easily, if it has been her ¡­she would have fought to stay alive no matter what. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Leave a gift,ment or a ps if you like the story, I am feeling a bit down will be thankful if you cheer me up. Chapter 240 - 240 Zhai Heng wants confront Liu Hui Ying 240 Zhai Heng wants confront Liu Hui Ying ¡± Let them be,¡± Liu Hui Ying did want to send the two back but she knew that they will not listen to her which was why she decided that she will not say a thing to them, in case she asked them to leave there was a chance that the two might actually follow her silently and that will only get them into more trouble it was fine as long as they were with her, she wouldn¡¯t have to be worried about them getting involved in trouble where she would not be able to save them. ¡± At least tell them to be silent, they are talking so loudly¡­if someone was to hear them then they will know that you are the one who is dressed as a man,¡± Jia Li too did not want to send the two women back but they were chattering so much that she could not help but remind Liu Hui Ying, she didn¡¯t like the idea of being captured and executed at all which was why she chose to warn Liu Hui Ying. ¡± You are right about that¡ª¡ª¡± but before Liu Hui Ying could warn Qui Ai and Nanny Gong to keep quiet, she noticed that the two of them have gone silent on their own and were now looking at the front with scared looks on their faces. Seeing them act like this Liu hui Ying frowned before she turned to look at the person who came to stand in front of them as soon as they reached the courtyard that belonged to Liu Fei Fei and her frown deepened only further when she saw that the man was none other than Zhai Heng. ¡± What are you doing here?¡± Did this man has something to do with Liu Fei Fei? If not then why else was he visiting her courtyard after her death? If only Liu Fei Fei has followed her instead of going to look for Zhai Tianyu, she would have asked her. ¡± I am here to help you in investigating, your majesty,¡± Zhai Heng replied stiffly as he looked at the woman who was standing in front of him, he did not say anything to Liu Hui Ying but one could see that he was slightly hostile towards her, in fact, the way he was clenching and unclenching his fingers made Liu Hui Ying think that he was actually thinking about whether or not to squeeze the life out of her. Seeing this Liu Hui Ying narrowed her eyes and then took decent steps away from the man as she stated firmly, ¡± Don¡¯t even think about attacking me, I will get you to scream for your mommy before even your tips of fingers touch me, you understand?¡± As she spoke, she turned to walk inside the courtyard wondering why the Emperor sent this man after her, was he trying to make her ufortable because she refuted himst night or something? Zhai Heng who was threatened before he could even ask Liu Hui Ying the questions that he wanted to, was stunned. He did not even say anything and that woman was already threatening him! Just what did his brother see in this woman for him to go against the Ji family? ..... There were a bunch of things that Zhai Heng wanted to say and he was expecting Liu Hui Ying to even question him but contrary to his expectations the woman did not even nce in his direction much less about him about his intentions foring here, throughout the entire time while they were walking inside the courtyard, she kept on ignoring him like she could not be bothered by him at all! Liu Hui Ying has always been very clear about her actions towards others, the only reason she was less than willing to deal with Zhai Tianyu was that she could see that the man did not have anything against her at the moment, at least he was not as hostile as Zhai Heng who looked at her like she owned him something. But towards people especially men like Zhai Heng who was doubtful and suspicious towards her actions, she would not bother her breath on them. She has been there once and there was a time when she literally screamed the truth out while brawling her eyes out that she was not the one who was behind the murder of her sister but no one believed her. In fact, they have called her tears fake saying that she was just acting, pretending to be naive and innocent when she was in reality a woman who was dangerous. So dangerous was exactly what she became after letting go of her tears and the softness of the woman she had in her heart ¡­it was surprising to see how many people called her out even then saying that she was finally willing to show her true self. Not even knowing that it was because of them she was like this. Liu Hui Ying understood the fact that for others, the truth was only the one that they believed in and nothing more, no matter how much you cry and shout as long as the others were not willing to believe it, you will always be a liar. She could sense that Zhai Heng did not care about her nor did he trust her, so why will she bother herself by listening to him or much less even paying attention to him? ¡± You two stay here,¡± she turned to look at Qui Ai and Nanny Gong when she reached the crime scene, she did not want the two of them to receive another shock when they see her working with ghosts and she could also sense that they were a bit nervous in the presence of Zhai Heng, not wanting to cause them any more difort, she asked them to stay behind. She was greedy and cruel, yes but to people who cared for her, she was naturally very nice to them. Nanny Gong wanted to say that she was going to follow Liu Hui Ying inside when she heard Zhai Heng say, ¡°Fewer people should go inside, where the murder spot is, lest the clues get messed up.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 241 - 241 ignoring him 241 ignoring him Nanny Gong wanted to say something to Zhai Heng but seeing the gloomy and sunken face of his, she did not dare to say anything. She has heard that the eldest son of the Dowager Empress was born on the day when the ill star was shining brightly in the sky and his birth caused a lot of trouble for the Dowager Empress which was why he was not treated well by the Dowager Empress and was sent away by her. The n of sending Zhai Heng away of course came from Liu Dong Ming who thought that his ill fate was bringing disaster to the Liu family given that as soon as he was born, the Emperor brought another concubine who was already pregnant back then, it could be said that the Liu family had a hard time getting rid of that concubine and her child in the past. Even though Zhai Heng did not say anything to the Dowager Empress nor did he try to avenge himself, one could say that he was not close to the Liu family and even hated them. So, when she met Zhai Heng¡¯s gaze, she was a bit startled and immediately turned her eyes away from him, what was more the scar that ran up at the corner of Zhai Heng¡¯s lips was never sewed close causing his mouth to be a bit wider than other. Because of this even though he was handsome, he often scared others. ¡± Your ¡ª¡ª my lord, we will stay here but if you need something please call us,¡± Nanny Gong did not have any strength nor was she strong enough to go against Zhai Heng but if it was for the sake of saving Liu Hui Ying then she was going to fight this big beast to death! As she thought about this, she puffed up her chest and looked at Zhai Heng with an unfriendly gaze, warning him not to even think about going against her mistress, she was just a bit short on telling him not to even think about bullying Liu Hui Ying other than that her stance was very clear. Zhai Heng raised a brow when he saw that Nanny Gong was actually looking at him with an unfriendly look on her face, he, of course, found out that the two people who were following Liu Hui Ying were none other than her maid and Nanny, after all even though Liu Hui Ying¡¯s appearance was hard to catch on, Nanny Gong and Qui Ai¡¯s was not as good as Liu Hui Ying¡¯s which made it easier for someone like him who was trained in martial arts to know that the two were none other than Liu Hui Ying¡¯s followers and the remaining confusion vanished when he saw how protective they were regarding Liu Hui Ying. He nervously licked his lips because of the fact that the corner of his mouth was shed a bit longer than others many were scared of him, but he wasn¡¯t even surprised when he saw that nanny Gong was actually so scared of him¡­after all, he did look a bit terrifying, if not then he wouldn¡¯t have stayed unmarried for so long. No young miss wanted to marry him, as he thought about this, he turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and think, ¡® Was she scared of me as well?¡¯ ..... The thought caused him to be unsettled in a very weird way. Liu Hui Ying understood that nanny Gong was trying to protect her which made her feel both awkward and happy. The number of people who wanted to protect her could be counted on one finger and she would be lying if she said that except for her sister, no one has ever tried to be protective of her, with that thought her smile turned a bit more genuine as she looked at Nanny Gong and said, ¡± Don¡¯t worry, do you think that he can even bully me?¡± Nanny Gong looked at Liu Hui Ying who was as tiny as a pixie and then looked at Zhai Heng who looked like he was a monster who descended from the mountain, she wanted to nod but then she thought about how Liu Hui Ying was very capable of protecting herself and didn¡¯t say anything but she still narrowed her gaze at Zhai Heng who raised his eyebrows and looked at the woman with knitted brows. Why does she keep ring at me? He was not happy with the continuous res but there was no way he would be willing to fight with a woman who was old and couldn¡¯t even withstand his strength which was why he did not say anything and simply pursed his lips and acted as if he couldn¡¯t see the res that were pointed in his direction. ¡­ Liu Hui Ying left nanny Gong and Qui Ai behind to guard the doors while she walked inside, she did not care about Zhai Heng who was following her inside. He already knew about her powers which was why she did not need to hide anything from him¡ª¡ª calm as a cucumber she walked inside the room where Liu Fei Fei¡¯s body was kept after she was pulled out of the pond and ordered, ¡± Jia Li, do your thing.¡± Jia Li has been waiting for this moment, the second Liu Hui Ying asked her to start her investigation, she walked into the centre of the room and then pulled out her kit from the space that only belonged to her. The kit that she used to investigate a case was very simple ¡ª¡ªa white metal box that had no particr difference but the things that were inside it were totally different from normal investigation tools. These things were what Jia Li discovered when she was young and had a lot of free time, the first thing in her investigation kit was ¡®tracing powder¡¯ it looked like a normal white powder when it was kept inside the small ss bottle but in truth, it was a miraculous thing and if its report was published on time when Jia Li was still alive then she would have been awarded a noble prize! Because the second she picked it up and sprinkled it all over the floor, footsteps that were as old as a day started appearing right in front of the eyes of others causing Zhai Heng who was behind Liu Hui Ying to gape in shock at the sight in front of him. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Please leave a ps, golden ticket or gift ¡ª¡ª you all love your author san, right? If you do then support author san please! Chapter 242 - 242 A clue 242 A clue Zhai Heng was surprised when he saw something so magical happening in front of him, he wanted to say that it was simply impossible for them to find any clues after so long but then all his words were swallowed up by him as he looked at Liu Hui Ying who was carefully looking at the foot marks on the floor with a very serious look on her face. ¡± What are you doing?¡± Earlier he came to question Liu Hui Ying the same question, he wanted to ask her what exactly was she doing to her brother but he could no longer ask the same question as domineeringly as he wanted to instead now he was looking at her like some little subordinate who could not understand what was going and could only look for his superiors. Liu Hui Ying raised her head and turned to look at Zhai Heng before she pointed to herself and asked, ¡± Are you talking to me?¡± ¡± Can you see someone else here, your majesty?¡± Zhai Heng asked while a nerve throbbed in his forehead, this woman ¡­.she was really too much clearly, the two of them were the only ¡®living¡¯ ones in this room, who else was he supposed to ask if not her? ¡± Oh, I thought with how much you hate me, you were asking my ghosts,¡± Liu Hui Ying casually replied as if she was talking about her assistants without the word ¡®ghosts¡¯ added in front of the very term¡­.:) Zhai Heng was speechless as he looked at the woman, though he has never made a secret of his dislike towards her but he has always been upfront about his feelings towards a lot of people but never has he seen someone so¡­. petty as her. Will she get constipated without dragging him down and answering his questions politely without the unusual sarcastic remarks? ¡± I was not asking the ghosts, your majesty,¡± even though he did not get the reply that he wanted, Zhai Heng still maintained basic cordiality on the surface as he repeated his question. ¡± I was asking you, what are you doing by sprinkling this powdery substance on the floor and using it to make the foot marks from the past few days appear? Are you going to look for the culprit with the help of these?¡± He was curious as to how it was possible for Yin Zhu to look for the culprit with the help of the foot marks on the floor. ¡± Hmm, I am,¡± she responded without even looking in his direction as she ced her knuckles under her chin as she looked at the footmarks and continued speaking, ¡± The person who killed Liu Fei Fei was someone who stayed inside the room throughout the entire night before they killed Liu Fei Fei, which means they only went out the room just one time and that was to take Liu Fei Fei¡¯s half unconscious body out and then push her into theke, which meant that they never needed to walk back inside the room.¡± ..... Zhai Heng has already heard about the in and outs of the matter, but he still could not believe that someone would kill a woman who was weak and vulnerable like this, no matter how arrogant and despicable Liu Fei Fei was, she was a human and no one deserved to be killed as such and that too in a manner that was so depressing and cruel. ¡± How can you be certain that the culprit never walked inside the room again, your majesty?¡± Zhai Heng questioned, he wanted to know how Liu Hui Ying came to that conclusion. If the person who killed Liu Fei Fei was a maid who worked in this very courtyard then it would only make sense for her toe inside and act like she was startled by the incident. ¡± Because, ording to the testimony, the first person who saw Liu Fei Fei¡¯s body was none other than nanny Cheng but Nanny Cheng is old and she does not seem to be strong enough to drag a body out and then shove Liu Fei Fei¡¯s head inside the pond, even if she did it Liu Fei Fei would have been able to fight against her,¡± Liu Hui Ying carefully broke the entire incident in front of Zhai Heng while she continued to look at the foot marks on the floor. She walked over to the trail of foot marks that only went out and did not return again inside the room and continued to speak, ¡± What¡¯s more, you are not aware of the psychological mind y that goes inside the head of those who are willing to kill anyone for the sake of some benefits, revenge or any other motive behind their actions.¡± ¡± Do I even need to understand those criminals?¡± Zhai Heng looked at Liu Hui Ying with a mocking sneer, why will he even try to understand such filthy people who only knew how to ruin others¡¯ life? ¡± You need to,¡± Liu Hui Ying, on the other hand, replied as she turned to look at him, the sky was slowly turning dark and the moon that was hiding under the glow of the setting sun was now shining up in the sky causing Liu Hui Ying¡¯s figure to be illuminated by the silvery moonlight. ¡± If you don¡¯t even understand how the mind of a killer works, then how are you going to draw conclusions regarding a case? When investigating something you need to think about the case in the same manner as the killer.¡± She paused and then walked over to where the pond which was neither too big nor too small was and then crouched down as she followed the trail that was left behind by the killer and swiped her fingers on the wet grass before she said, ¡± Killers are naively arrogant, they only kill after going through their ns again and again before finally choosing to act on it. Their arrogancees from the pride that their n is wonderful, which is why ¡­.¡± She pulled out an old hairpin that has been snapped into half, its red and old paint chipped and broken. Before she turned to look at Zhai Heng and added, ¡± They often miss the important things.¡±¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 243 - 243 Body was not hidden in the courtyard 243 Body was not hidden in the courtyard ¡± Take a look at it, is this the same paint as the one you found on the back of Liu Fei Fei¡¯s neck,¡± Liu Hui Ying handed the hairpin to Jia Li who took it without saying anything and then started to silently examine it. She was blessed with photogenic memory which was why she was easily able to decipher that the material with which the hairpin was painted was the same as that of the pain that was found at the back of Liu Fei Fei¡¯s neck. ¡°It¡¯s the It¡¯s but she was not stabbed by this hairpin.¡± This was what made Jia Li even more confused why would someone press an old hairpin in the back of Liu Fei Fei¡¯s neck when they were not going to stab her, what were they even thinking? Jia Li was confused but Liu Hui Ying was very calm as she took the hairpin back and carefully rubbed the pad of her thumb at the rough surface of the hairpin as she looked at it. Clearly, the hairpin was less than ten years old and belonged to a child¡­for it to appear here for no reason and rhyme, it was truly confusing indeed but she was certain that there was some sort of link between this hairpin and the person who killed Liu Fei Fei. But that was not important at the moment what was important was that she needed to find the ce where the culprit tied Liu Fei Fei up and then left her to die slowly for an entire night. She turned to look at the small wooden vat that was sitting on the side of the pond and then turned to look at Jia Li and the others before she said, ¡± Examine traces of human involvement in every water body that is within this courtyard, once you have found something,e back and report to me.¡± Liu Hui Ying thought that she would be able to make a breakthrough in this case soon enough but after looking around the entire courtyard, the three ghosts returned and told her that they could not find anything. There was not a shred of evidence that will tell that Liu Fei Fei has been captured and kept in captivity before she was killed, if not for the injuries that her body received before she died even Liu Hui Ying would have thought that she might have made a mistake. ¡± Are you sure you cannot find anything?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked as she looked at the three ghosts who shook their heads at once. ¡± No we cannot,¡± Jia Li had a bitter expression on her face as she replied to Liu Hui Ying, this was the first time they have received such a dead end, not once did any of them thought that Liu Fei Fei was being kept outside the courtyard that belonged to her but if she was not in the courtyard and her captive did not trap her in any of the water bodies that were inside this very courtyard then it meant that they dragged Liu Fei Fei outside! The entire pce was filled with water bodies, how were they supposed to find one such water body where Liu Fei Fei was kept? Even Li Gang had an ugly grimace on his face after all, he knew it very well that the imperial pce at least had more than a hundred ponds and the number ofkes was simply beyond his limit. There was even a fierce river flowing down the valley, does it mean that they have to look for clues in every freaking water body? At this point, he might as receive his reincarnation in the next life! ..... Grandma Lan Fen was simply stunned as well, she never thought that the people in this era would be this smart but looks like no matter what the time, the people who were lost were just as dangerous as the ones in the future. ¡°I believe that we need to take another look around the courtyard, lest we miss something¡ª¡ª¡± She was still speaking when she heard the sound of a carriage being dragged inside, surprised everyone including Zhai Heng turned to look at the small cart that was being dragged inside Liu Fei Fei¡¯s courtyard and his eyes shed when he looked at the overlyrge water barrels made of wood. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± He asked as he looked at the three men who were dragging the water barrels inside the courtyard after he walked down the steps that led to the backyard of Liu Fei Fei¡¯s courtyard and then walked over to where the cart was standing. ¡± Do you not know that this courtyard has been sealed off because of the death that took ce a few days ago? Why are you here?¡± The three men were only responsible for bringing water to this courtyard, they were mere servants who were just following the orders that were given to them but all of a sudden they were being questioned. The leader was stumped but given that the person who was asking him was none other than the elder brother of the Emperor who had good rtions with his majesty, he could only lower his head as he replied, ¡± Answering to my lord, we are responsible for bringing water to the harem and since no one told her to stop bringing water to this courtyard we are only fulfilling the order that our master gave us.¡± Only then did Zhai Heng look at their dresses and realized that these men were actually eunuchs who worked for the kitchen, the imperial harem did not have any water facility other thankes and ponds which was why the kitchen would send their workers with water barrels to fill the drinking vats and vessels in the harem. ¡± You are saying that you were not told to stop delivering water?¡± Zhai Heng questioned the eunuchs again who shivered in fright and then nodded before the leader replied, ¡± Consort Liu is going to be buried soon which is why ording to the ritual, her courtyard is supposed to be washed and cleaned to be purified, we were asked to bring water for the ritual¡­is there something wrong?¡± Leave a ps, golden ticket or gift please Orz! Chapter 244 - 244 Fall 244 Fall Zhai Heng¡¯s questions stumped the servants who were responsible for bringing the water into the courtyard, it was not that they were willing toe into this courtyard either the reason they came dragging this cart here was because they were ordered to do so, if not then who would be willing toe to this courtyard where someone died? ¡± We did not know anything,¡± the eunuch who was the one leading the others said agitatedly as he wrung his hands and his shrill voice continued to grow more and more shrill as he looked at the ground under his lowered head. ¡± We were simply doing what we were asked to do and nothing more.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± the other eunuchs who were worried that they will be dragged into trouble also spoke up one after another. ¡± We only did what the leader of the kitchen ordered us and nothing more, if we knew that this ce was barred from entering we wouldn¡¯t have done so!¡± What a joke, this courtyard was covered in gloom and dread ever since consort Liu died, even those who had a lot of guts would not cross this ce at the night. There were many rumours about this ce being haunted because of the incident that took ce which was why neither of them was willing toe here either, they only came here because they lost the bet against the others in the kitchen or else they would have stayed where they were supposed to be! Zhai Heng did not say anything and just looked at the three eunuchs who were so nervous that they were sweating it was as if they were waiting for their execution order to fall on them. But what they did not know was that Zhai Heng was simply looking at the big barrels that were full of water and then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who nodded. Upon receiving a nod from Liu Hui Ying, he pursed his lips and then turned to the three eunuchs and asked, ¡± From where do you bring these barrels?¡± ¡°The...They are filled by the staff of the kitchen,¡± the eunuch who was the leader was stunned when he heard Zhai Heng ask this question, everyone knew about these barrels being brought from the kitchen right? So why was Lord Zhai asking about this? But he did not dare to say anything to Zhai Heng and could only answer honestly which was why he lowered his head and then honestly answered, ¡± The barrels are too heavy for us to lift which is why they are left on the cart while the staff who works in the kitchen would fill the barrels by climbing on a smalldder. Is there something wrong, my lord?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Zhai Heng replied as he looked at the water barrels even though he did not have Liu Hui Ying skills he could decipher that the culprit used these water barrels to kill Liu Fei Fei slowly. ¡± You all can leave now.¡± The eunuchs who were allowed to leave felt like they received amnesty, they all immediately turned around and left while hopping on one leg, it was as if they were worried that using another leg would be too time taking and they will be once stopped which was why they all rushed away from the courtyard as fast as they could while Liu Hui Ying and Zhai Heng stayed back and studied the barrels. ..... They did not even pay attention to the eunuchs who were running like they were getting riches at the price of alms. Liu Hui Ying walked over to the cart on which the barrels were and then casually rolled the hem of her pants up causing her jade-like calves to be on disy. Zhai Heng who has never seen a woman¡¯s hands much less her calves was stumped as he turned his head away from Liu Hui Ying and then coughed in embarrassment, ¡± Your majesty watch what you are doing please.¡± If others were to find out that he caught a glimpse of Liu Hui Ying¡¯s calves then what will they think about him? They will certainly think that he was doing something unspeakable with the queen. ¡± What are you talking about?¡± Liu Hui Ying did not understand what Zhai Heng was trying to say by these words, she simply kicked her foot on the ground and then hopped onto the cart. ¡± It does look like it¡¯s big enough for a human to fit inside it,¡± shemented as she examined therge water barrels that were filled with water. Though their size was not big enough for a human to fit into it while they were standing, if they were forced to crouch down then they can easily be fit inside the barrels. ¡± If these barrels were the ones that were being used for imprisoning consort Liu, howe no one realized it?¡± Even though the barrels were big as long as someone was to step on the cart they will be able to see what was inside the barrel right? ¡± That¡¯s because no one climbed on the cart, you heard the eunuchs they all use adder and pour water bit by bit inside the barrels and do not care what goes inside the barrels and given that they have to deliver water to the entire harem, I don¡¯t think they will have the time to care about the barrels and what is inside them,¡± Liu Hui Ying took hold of the lid of the water barrel and then opened the barrel up, she looked inside the water barrel and sure enough she noticed no signs of barrels being cleaned up. Good thing she was used to drinking boiled water or who knows what kind of disease she might have contracted. ¡± When I examined Liu Fei Fei¡¯s body I noticed that she slowly drowned from foot to head, and if she was tied up and kept in this barrel then surely that theory is going to fit, right?¡± She raised her head from the inside of the barrel and then turned to look at Zhai Heng and said, ¡± Where is the kitchen now?¡± But because she was in too much hurry of hopping down the cart, she did not notice that her foot caught the hem of the long pants, causing her to stumble and fall. ¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 245 - 245 For the first time 245 For the first time Please check my new book Hot Bloodsuckers¡¯ Obsession and stop pirating my hard work, I beg you. This is my only way to earn and you are kicking on my stomach by publishing it on pirated sites, don¡¯t be heartless. When Zhai Heng saw Liu Hui Ying stumble, his body reacted before he could stop himself. He rushed and caught the woman in his arms, he only did it because he did not want to watch Liu Hui Ying fall to the ground and break something but as soon as he reached and caught her in his arms, something inside him shivered and snapped as Liu Hui Ying¡¯s soft body fell into his arms. Under the moonlight, a man and woman stood together if they were seen by someone at this very moment many scandals would have broken throughout the entire pce the very night. Liu Hui Ying too did not expect something like this to happen, she was stunned and her entire mind was dazed but then suddenly she felt her skin go itchy causing her to jump from Zhai Heng¡¯s arms. She rushed to the water barrels that were full of water and then started to wash her skin as it turned an angry red. Seeing her actions Zhai Heng was shocked but then his lips curled in a mocking sneer. Was she that disgusted by his touch? Why just because he did not look as good as Zhai Tianyu? But before he could say anything, he noticed Liu Hui Ying¡¯s skin and face that was slowly turning red her face getting swollen, seeing this he was surprised and only then did he remember that Liu Hui Ying was allergic to all kind of men, she was not washing her skin because he touched her. She was washing herself because she was allergic to all men, he did not know why this small thing caused his heart to suddenly get lightened as he looked at Liu Hui Ying who was rubbing her skin with water. He cleared his throat and then took out calming balm from his pocket that he carried with him everywhere and stretched his hand out while asking Liu Hui Ying to take it from him. ¡± Here, this is an ointment that I brought from the Xiang province, it¡¯s supposed to ease itching and rashes, try to apply it on your skin, maybe it will help.¡± Since Liu Hui Ying was not disgusted by just him and was disgusted by the entire male poption, he could at least treat her with cordiality. After all, she was better than most women who treated Zhai Tianyu like he was a treasure while he was a monster who came to ruin them. Liu Hui Ying nced at the small wooden box and then looked at Zhai Heng with confusion in her eyes before she said, ¡± I cannot use what is touched by a man.¡± ..... ¡± You don¡¯t have to worry about this, I did not use this box¡­it¡¯s fairly new and yet to be opened,¡± Zhai Heng replied as he looked at Liu Hui Ying whose skin was getting redder and redder, he did know that she was allergic to men but never did he once think that she would be this allergic to a man. Her entire skin was turning red as if she was being slowly cooked in a pot, seeing her getting sick like this he could not help but say, ¡± You should take this lest you get even sicker. I am telling you that this is really good ointment when ites to treating rashes.¡± Liu Hui Ying did not believe a word that he said but since she did not have any other choice, she took the small box of ointment from Zhai Heng and carefully opened its lid. As soon as she opened it, the scent of medical herbs filled the air and she raised her head to look at Zhai Heng, it was just as he said the box was untouched and he hasn¡¯t even swiped his finger on the ointment, it waspletely untouched and totally clean. ¡± Are you really going to believe what he is saying?¡± Li Gang looked at Liu Hui Ying who was actually holding the box of ointment handed by Zhai Heng, seeing her act so naively, Li Gang was speechless. ¡± Have you forgotten what the boys of your school did when they found out that you were allergic to men?¡± When Liu Hui Ying was young and without a family to support her, she joined a public school with the help of government policies that allowed talent students to win schrships back then the boys of the public school would bully Liu Hui Ying because they all thought that she was using their hard-earned money that their parents paid through taxes. Of course, this was told to them by their parents who asked their sons to stay away from Liu Hui Ying because she was an orphan and her past was not clean. During that time, the boys of the school found out that she was allergic to men, back then Liu Hui Ying was naive and believed one of the boys who said that he wanted to save her but the medicine that he gave only made her allergic reactions worse. Dayster when Liu Hui Ying returned to school, she heard the boy joke about her condition with the rest of the boys who were responsible for bullying her, ever since she has never trusted any man. Liu Hui Ying looked at the ointment that was in her hands and hesitated, should she really trust this man? He has made no effort to hide his hatred for her, what if this was his n to hurt her? After all, no man was good ¡­they could not be trusted! Just as she was thinking about this, a long stick reached out and then scooped out a small ointment from the box, surprised Liu Hui Ying raised her head and turned to look at Zhai Heng who very calmly brushed his fingers at the edge of the stick that had the ointment on it and then rubbed it on his face instead of his wrist and hands. He did not say anything for a few seconds and waited for the ointment to be soaked in by his skin, only then he turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and said, ¡°It¡¯s safe your majesty.¡± Liu Hui Ying looked at him and then scoffed with a yful smile as she scooped a generous amount of ointment with her fingers and then said, ¡± Now that I am looking at you, you look much pleasing to the eyes.¡± And when Zhai Heng saw that teasing smile, his heart skipped a beat for the first time as his cold heart slowly started to warm up and pump again. Chapter 246 - 246 may the best man win 246 may the best man win The ointment that Zhai Heng gave her was indeed amazing, even though Liu Hui Ying did not have many expectations when she was rubbing it on her skin, she was honestly surprised to see that the ointment that was warm and sticky when touched suddenly became cool and non-sticky the moment it touched her skin, even the rashes that were itching calmed down¡­though the swelling remained it was much better than before at least Liu Hui Ying did not want to scratch her skin off her body. She looked at the box of ointment and then at Zhai Heng who was watching her put the ointment on her skin, she thought that he was waiting for her to hand the ointment back to him which was why she immediately closed her fingers around the box of cooling ointment and then looked at him with slightly stubborn expression as she said, ¡± This is going to be mine now. Since you have given it to me oh so generously, I will keep it.¡± Zhai Heng looked at the woman who was not only stealing from him but she was doing it with a bandit-like confidence, were all women like this? He thought but then he shook his head and then refuted his own notion after all there was no way there was any other woman like Liu Hui Ying. ¡± You can keep it if you want your majesty, I have many ointments like these if you want you can always ask me to send some more,¡± Zhai Heng did not even know when he ended up acting so generously all he knew was that one second he was chasing after Liu Hui Ying because he wanted to confront her and then the next second he was offering her all the ointments that he had in his store. Was his brain rotten? One box of this ointment was more than fifty taels! ¡± Really, you are really going to hand me all of your ointment?¡± Liu Hui Ying did not think much at this juncture all she saw was that she will be able to get a solution to these annoying rashes that broke over her skin every time she touched a man, though she was in no mood to touch a man but at least having a backup to avoid any sort of problem like this was still better than nothing! ¡± I can,¡± It was already toote for Zhai Heng to say that he will not be handing the ointments to Liu Hui Ying which was why he could only nod and agree with her. What was up with him? Why was he ying ording to the tune of the queen? Why was he not going against her? Were his brains flooded or was he the one who was getting fooled by the queen? He did not have anything to say at the moment, all he could do was simply stay silent and watch the queen direct the course of the conversation in a manner he simply did not expect it to go at all! ?? ..... He was being led around by the nose so easily that if Zhai Tianyu was there he would have called his big brother for being too much of a dog and fought with him. This man was acting all high and mighty in front of him but when he was alone with Liu Hui Ying, he was caring for her by handing her a cooling ointment. Why don¡¯t you just bark for her? Fortunately for Zhai Heng, his brother had no idea about what he was doing and thus, he was able to escape thebel of ¡®dog¡¯ being stuck in his head. Liu Hui Ying was very happy when she heard that she will get an endless supply of ointment even Zhai Heng who looked like a big bad wolf with a scar on his face turned a bit ¡­ good-looking in her eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she turned to look at Zhai Heng who was standing next to her, earlier she was thinking of getting this man away from her but now that he has offered her some of this good ointment that he carried with him, she will give him a chance to learn how to investigate cases from her. The fact that he and his team couldn¡¯t even investigate something so small as Zhai Chenguang¡¯s case it was simply too¡­. Pathetic. ?? It was better for them to learn from an expert like her! Zhai Heng did not know that the reason Liu Hui Ying was bringing him along with her was that she thought his investigation skills were too poor, he only thought that she was bringing him with her because she wanted to rely on him a little, he was immediately gratified and agreed with what she said andplied to her orders as he followed her as she left the courtyard. Li Gang who was watching the man leave with Liu Hui Ying was stunned, his mouth dropped open and then turned to look at Jia Li and Grandma Lan Fen as he said, ¡± Are you two not going to stop this? Whatever this is?¡± He was a man and even though he was a man who died without a girlfriend, he was very much eager to find one and taste the sweet fruit of love, so of course he understood the gazes with which Zhai Heng and Zhai Tianyu looked at Liu Hui Ying. He never once expected that someone like Liu Hui Ying who was so boorish and rude would get two men chasing after her like dogs who were salivating over bones. He stretched out his hand and then pointed to Zhai Heng and exasperatedly said, ¡± I thought that you two were rooting for that Emperor guy? Is he not good enough for you two now?¡± Jia Li looked at him like he was an idiot and said, ¡± What can a straight guy like you even know? It¡¯s all about slow burn and passion, the more passionate one will win!¡± ¡± That¡¯s right, may the best man win,¡± said Grandma Lan Fen as she took out a packet of rice crackers and looked at Jia Li with a smile. ¡± Would you like rice crackers? I have popcorn too.¡± ¡® May the best man win? You two are clearly taking this entire thing as a drama!¡¯Li Gang the straight man suddenly realized that women were ruthless. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 247 - 247 Going to see his majesty 247 Going to see his majesty Li Gang was stunned by theck of loyalty that these two women were showing towards the Emperor, clearly, he was the one who did not like the Emperor yet he was still loyal to him! At least he cared about that poor guy who was abandoned by these two who were actually acting like his support system! No wonder all his mates said that all women were heartless! They clearly had no sense of loyalty at all! Jia Li and Grandma Lan Fen did not care about Li Gang who was going through a crisis and chased after Liu Hui Ying, there was a much more exciting thing to watch. Who asked the Emperor to be a beat slow? He was good but when it came to showing off his gentle side he was too much of a slow poke unlike him Zhai Heng was a bit more forting and watching him woo Liu Hui Ying while getting torn into two halves was much more fun to watch! They were going to root for the one who was willing to exert more influence over Liu Hui Ying as her main spouse! Li Gang who heard the two women¡¯s discussion was speechless. So they were going down the cheatingne now? The Emperor was still the main and legal spouse here! What was wrong with these two women? What kind of drama were they watching in the modern world? This was simply too spicy for a simple man like him! ¡® Emperor you better show some assertion or your head will be dyed green!¡¯ Li Gang could only send his thoughts to Zhai Tianyu through telepathy hoping that the man would appreciate him supporting the bro code. Zhai Tianyu was listening to Yu Lingyun¡¯s chatter who returned after throwing a tantrum and was now ying cards with him when he suddenly shivered as he turned to look behind him and when he saw Liu Fei Fei looking at him with an obsessed look on her face there was absolutely nothing that he could say to her, what was she doing and what exactly was she thinking while standing behind him? Did she not know that she looked really scary like this? ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Seeing that Zhai Tianyu was not paying attention to him Yu Lingyun could not help but ask as he raised his head and looked at Zhai Tianyu who was looking over his shoulders more than his cards. ¡± Are you thinking of a way to cheat?¡± ..... ¡± Am I the type of man who will cheat in the games of cards?¡± Zhai Tianyu who was being haunted by a ghost woman yet getting disdained by his friend was speechless as he looked at Yu Lingyun who was using him of cheating and felt like he has been stabbed in the heart. Why did he not have a good friend who cared for him? His brother was angry with him because he was supporting the queen and his friend was now using him of cheating in the game of cards. ¡­. Zhai Heng did not know that in the eyes of the three ghosts he has be a sort of amusement. Even if he did find out about it he would have simply paid no attention to it because even if he was to feel something for Liu Hui Ying, he will never do anything to hurt his brother. Of course, that was how Zhai Heng would have thought but Jia Li, this gossip mongrel was different. But that was only because he still hasn¡¯t understood his feelings at the moment, Jia Li who was an expert when it came to drama, was indeed looking at Zhai Heng as if he was an innocent man who was yet to have the taste of his first love with a lot of potentials in his hands. ¡± Brother Heng, what are you doing here?¡± Zhai Heng was still walking in behind Liu Hui Ying like a subordinate but when he heard Ji Yu¡¯s voice, he strode forward and hid Liu Hui Ying behind his tall physique as he looked at Ji Yu who was holding a lunch box and was dressed in a mauve dress with a delicate makeup on her face, one look at her face and anyone could see who she was going to meet. ¡± Consort Ji, are you going to see his majesty?¡± Zhai Heng furtively shot a look at Liu Hui Ying who was standing behind him and when he saw that she was lookingpletely uninterested in the discussion as well as Ji Yu, he heaved a sigh of relief. Sigh of relief? Why has he heaved a sigh of relief? Was it because he was worried that Liu Hui Ying will not pay attention to the investigation of the case and would not do a good job? Was this the reason why he was reacting like this? That must be the case! ¡± Yes, I am going to see his majesty,¡± Ji Yu received a letter from her father this afternoon, in the letter he told her that Zhai Tianyu refused to hand over the case of Liu Fei Fei¡¯s death to their family and even protected the queen, even though the opportunity was just right for them to drag Liu Hui Ying down, Zhai Tianyu was actually protecting her! In his letter, her father asked her what she was doing and howe she was watching Liu Hui Ying snatch her husband away from her so easily. Only then did Ji Yu snap out of her daze, she was angry with Zhai Tianyu and did not go to see him for days thinking that he wille to see her soon as he did in the past but a day turned into days and yet Zhai had Tianyu never came to see her. The letter that her father sent to her was like an rm that rang in her head and she decided that she could no longer rely on the past which was why she packed up the dishes and decided that she was going to see Zhai Tianyu tonight, it was just that she never expected to see Zhai Heng and that too with a stranger. Chapter 248 - 248 Cat Fight, the Empress and the Imperial concubine! 248 Cat Fight, the Empress and the Imperial concubine! Ji Yu could not recognize Liu Hui Ying because thetter was dressed up as a man with half of her face swollen because of her allergy, she no longer looked like the decent yet not-so-gentle scum queen which was why Ji Yu could not recognize Liu Hui Ying who was standing behind Zhai Heng but of course, she noticed the protective stance that Zhai Heng took towards Liu Hui Ying. Seeing him act like this Ji Yu could not help but bite her bottom lip, Zhai Heng has always been protective of her alone and other than her, he has never even looked after another person, he was like a very capable and protective elder brother to her who always ced her in the top of his priority list why was it¡¯s that now he was protecting someone else and that too from her? Was she no longer the little sister with a fragile heart in his eyes? Did he think that she will harm this man? Just what did he take her for? Zhai Heng did not know that his small act of covering Liu Hui Ying caused Ji Yu to overthink so much, he just did it on instinct because he was worried that Ji Yu will recognise the queen even though Liu Hui Ying did a very good job in disguising herself the two maids who always worked next to her were easy to recognize as long as someone with a little brain and a good vision looked at their faces. Not once did Zhai Heng think that Ji Yu will harm Liu Hui Ying, maybe it was because Ji Yu was getting snubbed left and right by Zhai Heng that she could no longer think straight and took Zhai Heng¡¯s small actions as something big. ¡± What are you doing here, Brother Heng?¡± Seeing that Zhai Heng seemed to have forgotten who was his little sister, Ji Yu tried to remind him that she was the one whom he swore to protect instead of the man who was standing behind him. ¡°It¡¯s sote at night why are you going on a stroll with this young man? Don¡¯t tell me you two are going somewhere you should not be, hmm brother Heng?¡± She deliberately said those words because she wanted to know where Zhai Heng was going with this young man, which was why she used such words to make Zhai Heng tell her the truth, and sure enough, Zhai Heng who was a straight man and not used to messing around immediately shook his head before he opened his mouth to tell Ji Yu the truth. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, he is the one who is in charge of investigating consort Liu¡¯s death which is why I am apanying him, don¡¯t overthink so much,¡± He told Ji Yu who was teasing him with an exasperated look on his face. ¡± I am only helping him investigate and nothing else.¡± ..... Ji Yu who heard Zhai Heng¡¯s words stiffened as she turned her head to look at the young man who was standing behind Zhai Heng and then carefully examined him with her gaze. ¡®So this is the man who snatched the opportunity from our Ji family?¡¯ She thought in her head as she looked at Liu Hui Ying who looked right back at her, seeing that the woman was looking at her with an usatory gaze Liu Hui Ying frowned and then said to Jia Li, ¡± Why is this woman looking at me like I have snatched her man from her? I don¡¯t think I have done that.¡± ¡± Maybe she is upset because you snatched her brother¡¯s job,¡± Jia Li said she was someone who could not sit still and would often go around making trouble and gossip around with other ghosts, so, of course, she knew that Ji Yu¡¯s brother was in charge of investigating the cases and since the Emperor trusted Ji Yu and her family, most of the cases were handed to the Ji family. But now the case was handed to Liu Hui Ying, it was given that Ji Yu would feel upset when looking at Liu Hui Ying. ¡± Is that my fault?¡± Liu Hui Ying crossed her arms and looked at Ji Yu with narrowed eyes as she red right back at her. ¡°It is her brother¡¯s fault that he is so lousy that he couldn¡¯t solve a case to save his life, how dare she re at me when it is her brother who is the useless one ?¡± Ji Yu, who was ring at Liu Hui Ying was stunned when she saw that the man was ring right back at her, what was this? How can this man be so shameless and wild? He snatched the case from her brother¡¯s hands and now he was daring enough to re at her, she was the only imperial concubine! He was supposed to lower his gaze instead of looking at her in the eyes! ¡± You¡­.¡± ¡± I think I will take him with me,¡± Zhai Heng of course noticed that the two women were ring at each other and of course he noticed the sparks that were flying in the air when the two of them looked at each other. With the chill that was climbing up on his spine, he knew that the two of them will get into a catfight sooner orter which was why he immediately interrupted Ji Yu and then looked at Liu Hui Ying who was standing behind him. Really, her majesty was not someone who will back down was she? He thought when he saw that Liu Hui Ying was holding a ringpetition with Ji Yu making him look rather speechless. Ji Yu was surprised when she saw that Zhai Heng was speaking up for the strange man who did not even have the smallest bit of manner within him and stared at him in shock, was this the same brother Heng who was all about rules and regtions? If so then why was he not scolding the young man who did not greet her? ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 249 - 249 A shadow of those who schemed? 249 A shadow of those who schemed? Ji Yu wanted to question Zhai Heng but thetter simply coughed somewhat embarrassingly and then said, ¡± He just returned from another country which is why he does not know about the customs and the rules of our country, even his majesty has to give way to him sometimes.¡± Zhai Heng was not wrong regarding this matter after all Zhai Tianyu indeed have to give way to Liu Hui Ying when thetter was in an unforgiving attitude, even when he was being pushed into a corner like a dead dog, Zhai Tianyu lowered his head and allowed Liu Hui Ying to do what she wanted to do ¡­so who was he to tell Liu Hui Ying to drop her gaze? And even if the woman was not dressed as the Queen, she was still the Queen and the ruler of the harem, it did not make sense for her to lower her head in front of an imperial concubine. ¡± Is that so,¡± Ji Yu did not take Liu Hui Ying ring at her as a small matter but when she saw that Zhai Heng was protecting Liu Hui Ying, she decided to drop the matter. In Zhai Heng and Zhai Tianyu¡¯s view she was kind and generous and drilling Zhai Heng over just a small matter like a foreigner not bowing his head in front of her would not be good which was why she did not say anything further but she still looked at Liu Hui Ying in the eyes and said, ¡± Are you sure that this young master is up to the job? I mean, sure he investigated aunt¡¯s case but he is still young. Compared to my brother who has a lot of experience¡­don¡¯t you think that he is slightlycking?¡± Zhai Heng did not know what to say regarding this question as he looked at Ji Yu who was trying to make things difficult for Liu Hui Ying. He of course understood that Ji Yu was feeling upset over the fact that her brother¡¯s job was snatched by a man who looked wet behind his ears but just because Liu Hui Ying was young it did not change the fact that she was more experienced and skilled than Ji Yu¡¯s brother! ¡± Consort Ji¡ª¡ª¡± ¡± You can see my skills very clearly in thest investigation, it was I who was able to find the truth behind the death of thete princess Chenguang¡­of course if I can properly investigate a case that was months old then I think I can surely investigate a matter that is only a few hours old?¡± Liu Hui Ying raised her eyebrows, it was as if she was daring Ji Yu to bring another issue up such that she will be able to show her contempt regarding the Ji family once again. That brat who was working in the crime investigation department couldn¡¯t even solve something as small as the case of Zhai Chenguang and yet he was daring enough to imagine that he will be able to investigate this case. Was he a fool? Or was he thinking of pushing the me on her head? ..... Remembering how she found a letter in the hands of Liu Fei Fei, Liu Hui Ying¡¯s eyes narrowed in an unfriendly manner at Ji Yu who was trying to go against her at the moment, she thought that this girl was a good woman at least she was better than the others who did not scheme against her like the other concubine but now she could not help but think that the only reason Ji Yu was this clean was that she did not need to do anything like that. Ji Yu pursed her lips when she heard Liu Hui Ying¡¯s reply, she did not expect that the man would retort against her but surprisingly he did and that too in such a disrespectful manner! She breathed a sigh that was full of annoyance and then said in a slightly bitter voice, ¡± One must know when to be grounded, getting arrogant because of something so small as solving a case that was left untouched for years is not something to be proud of.¡± ¡± You are right,¡± Liu Hui Ying usually did not care about someone like Ji Yu but seeing that she was trying to bite a chunk out of her Liu Hui Ying raised a brow and then smiled at her with a light-hearted expression. ¡± But getting the trust of the Emperor is something to be proud of, don¡¯t you think so?¡± You want to fight me? Then I will fight you till death! Ji Yu¡¯s breathing stagnated as she red at Liu Hui Ying hard and then turned to look at Zhai Heng who was having a headache thinking about the oue of this scuffle. Really, he just came here to solve a case and nothing else, howe he suddenly got caught in a catfight out of nowhere? ¡± Brother Heng,¡± seeing that she could no longer fight against the young man who was so unruly and ill manner, Ji Yu turned to look at Zhai Heng as she tilted her chin at Xiaolin who strode forward and then offered a lunch box to Zhai Heng as well. ¡± I prepared a bit too much for dinner, if brother Heng does not mind then you can take this for your dinner tonight.¡± She nced at Liu Hui Ying who was standing behind Zhai Heng and then haughtily stated, ¡± I will go and see his majesty or else the meal that I prepared will go cold.¡± This man was proud of snatching the case from her brother right? Then she will make it so that he won¡¯t be able to investigate this case any further! With that thought in her head, she red at Liu Hui Ying hard and then strode past Liu Hui Ying and Zhai Heng who was left stumped with a lunch box in his hands as he watched Ji Yu leave. What was this? Why did he see the shadow of those scheming concubines in Ji Yu just now? Chapter 250 - 250 Enemies to lovers? 250 Enemies to lovers? ¡± You guys sure are lucky,¡± Once Ji Yu left Liu Hui Ying walked over to where Zhai Heng was standing and looked at the big lunch box that he was holding in his hands. She has never thought over this much in her past life but now that she was looking at the lunch box in the hands of a handsome man from a girl, she has to admit that she was a bit jealous, if she got free lunchboxes like these when she was in the modern world, just how much money she would have saved! What a tragedy, she was being treated so coldly by women like this all because she was a woman herself! Where was her thank you gift damn it? Did she not save Ji Yu as well? Were men everything in the eyes of such young girls? How can they be like this? ¡°Handsome guys like you are really in demand aren¡¯t they?¡± Shemented further as she sniffed the air and enviously looked at the lunch box, back then she was working as a detective, she only got to eat the meat of Sika deer when she solved a case of a multimillionaire. He had his own personal captivity where he used to raise deer, back then the venison that she ate was one of the most smooth and mouthwatering venison she ever ate in her life. And back then she ate the venison served by the multimillionaire it¡¯s scent was something that she drilled in her head which was why she could immediately recognize the scent of the braised venison from the lunch box. Zhai Heng, who was praised for no reason was speechless as he looked at Liu Hui Ying who was staring at the lunch box that he was holding in his hands and said, ¡± If you don¡¯t mind then we can share this lunch box?¡± He did not like the hungry and envious gaze with which Liu Hui Ying was looking at the lunch box, it was not something so grand that the Empress of their imperial city would be envious. ¡± You said it yourself! There are no takebacks!¡± Liu Hui Ying¡¯s eyes lit up as she looked at Zhai Heng who agreed to share the lunch box with her. When she was dragged into this world she thought that there was nothing good here but at least she can now eat expensive venison for free! At least something abouting to this ce came out to be good! She raised her hand to pat Zhai Heng on the shoulders but then she paused in her movements and then said, ¡± Come on stretch your hands like this,¡± Zhai Heng looked at her and then he looked at the lunch box that he was holding in his hands before he returned his gaze to Liu Hui Ying who cleared her throat and then took the lunch box from him before smiling and eagerly asking him to do as she asked him to, ¡± Come on stretch your hands as I did.¡± ..... Not understanding what she was trying to do Zhai Heng did as she asked, he stretched his hands in front of him and then crossed them before bending them back and then patting himself on the shoulders as per the instructions that were handed to him by Liu Hui Ying. ¡± There you go, I cannot praise you but you can surely praise yourself,¡± Liu Hui Ying nodded as she turned to look around their surroundings and then pointed at the small pavilion that was standing next to ake with red pirs and a golden roof that was lit up under the moonlight. ¡± There let¡¯s go there and eat dinner, I was in a hurry to solve this case and I did not eat anything.¡± ¡® Your majesty beforeing here you ate at least three tables full of food, at least think before lying through your teeth !¡¯ Nanny Gong who heard Liu Hui Ying lie without even batting an eye was speechless, she knew it very well that her mistress might even withstand the cold shoulder of the Emperor but she will never withstand going hungry! Even Qui Ai was stunned by Liu Hui Ying but because her missy was the cutest in the world when she was acting like this, she chose to ignore everything else. Zhai Heng, however, was the one who was stunned to his core¡­he has seen many women getting charmed by jewels, clothes and courtyards but this was his first time seeing a woman who was getting charmed by a lunch box. He watched Liu Hui Ying skip (She didn¡¯t) all over to the pavilion that was in front of theke and could not stop his heart from beating a bit too fast. Was he going to eat a meal with her majesty? Strictly speaking, he should not be doing something like this, she was his brother¡¯s wife and he shouldn¡¯t stay alone with her¡ª¡ª ¡± What are you dozing off there for?¡± A charming voice like that of a snake charmer called to him and Zhai Heng raised his head and looked at Liu Hui Ying who was looking at him, even though she was dressed as a man, maybe it was because he knew that it was her but even that manly appearance of her could not hide her charm causing Zhai Heng to feel stifled as his breathing started to stagnate and he looked away from Liu Hui Ying¡¯s. Why was this happening to him? There was no way he was interested in the wife of his own brother right? There was no way. ¡± Zhai Heng, if you don¡¯te then I will eat this lunch box on my own!¡± He heard the woman call him again and this time, his feet that were stuck in the ground started to move. A part of him knew that he should not be walking over to where Liu Hui Ying was, that he should make sure that the two of them would not be alone together but at this moment, he did not care about anything else but the fact that his name sounded really sweet when called by her. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 251 - 251 Another murder 251 Another murder ¡°It¡¯s happening, it¡¯s happening,¡± Jia Li who was hiding behind a thick tree and peeping on Liu Hui Ying and Zhai Heng who were being served by Nanny Gong and Qui Ai excitedly whispered to Li Gang and Grandma Lan Fen. ¡± I thought that this guy was just like an idiot straight guy like the Emperor who does not even understand his own feelings but look at him go, he is much smarter than the Emperor! I am shocked by this development! Is this going to be the so-called enemies-to-lovers troupe?¡± She was so excited that stars seemed to be shining brightly in her eyes as she looked at the two people who were sitting in the pavilion. ¡± And I am shocked by yourck of loyalty,¡± Li Gang stated while staring at Jia Li who was watching the scene in front of her with extreme excitement. ¡± You do understand that what you are doing is called cheating? You saw the poor man naked and now you are stabbing that man in the back, I did not know that you were such a scum.¡± ¡± First of all, I did not see anything worth seeing, of course, if I saw that man¡¯s saber light than I would have felt guilty a little bit but since nothing happened between us and I only saw a little bit of skin, then I don¡¯t feel guilty at all!¡± ¡± You do know that you sound like those hateful yboys?¡± ¡± Ohh, look at that the young man is blushing!¡± While Li Gang and Jia Li were busy squabbling Zhai Heng who was sitting in the pavilion turned red all of a sudden causing Jia Li¡¯s face to sullen as she kicked Li Gang in the shin as she red at him and said, ¡± Look at that you made me miss such an important development in their rtionship. You idiot!¡± ¡± I am an idiot?¡± Li Gang was speechless when he heard Jia Li call him an idiot, this has to be a joke right? There was no way he was the one who was acting like an idiot here! Jia Li did not respond to him instead she focused all her attention on Zhai Heng and Liu Hui Ying who was sitting in the pavilion, she has to see why the man was blushing, was Liu Hui Ying finally willing to understand the feelings of the other gender? Was her baby sister kind of boss finally growing up? If so then she was going to dump the Emperor in a heartbeat and start supporting Zhai Heng. Though he was a bit rough, women liked buff men more! ..... If only Jia Li knew that Zhai Heng was blushing because he caught a glimpse of Liu Hui Ying¡¯s arm when he was just sitting alone in the pavilion with Liu Hui Ying on a dark night, she would have been disappointed greatly. ¡± This is really good, why is it that the chief has never cooked something like this before?¡± Liu Hui Ying who did not know that her life has suddenly be love drama in the eyes of her ghosts was eating the juicy yet not-so-greasy venison that was served in front of her. Even though she was not a fan of Ji Yu, she has to admit that the cooking skills of that woman were really good. ¡°The Ji family owns a hunting ground which is why they can hunt a deer or two every now and then,¡± Zhai Heng cleared his throat and replied, he tried his very best not to look at Liu Hui Ying¡¯s jade-like arms that were on disy. Why did the queen have to roll her sleeves up like this? He questioned as he looked away, his face burning with embarrassment. But even though he looked away, his eyes would once in a while stray right back and he would catch glimpse of the fair porcin skin and his face would start burning even more.¡± They send the game to Ji Yu once in a while,¡± he finished speaking after a lot of difficulties. ¡± Does the Liu family not own a hunting ground?¡± Liu Hui Ying muttered as she looked at the juicy venison and clicked her tongue, maybe that uncle of this woman thought that hunting was a boorish sport and did not make a hunting ground. What a waste of money! They should have owned a hunting ground with all the money they earned from their corrupt activities! ¡± That¡ª¡ª¡± Zhai Heng began speaking but he was interrupted by a shrill scream that came from the south causing him to jump up in alert as he took his sword out of the sheathe and then said to Liu Hui Ying. ¡± You stay here your majesty, do not chase after me!¡± After speaking he rushed in the direction from where the scream came just now. But there was no way Liu Hui Ying would not chase after Zhai Heng, she finished taking thest bite of the venison that was in front of her and then rushed right after him. Tonight they were out on an investigation and someone screaming like this was nothing but a sign of ill intentions! Liu Hui Ying rushed after Zhai Heng and so did the three ghosts, Nanny Gong and Qui Ai wanted to chase after her as well but Liu Hui Ying stopped them and asked the two women to stay behind and protect her venison. Even though she was going to investigate something there was no way she was going to leave the precious venison behind alone! Nanny Gong who was asked to stay back, on the other hand, did not know that Liu Hui Ying was asking her to stay behind because she wanted her to guard the venison, instead, her heart was brimming with maternal love thinking that Liu Hui Ying was worried about her and Qui Ai! Maybe she should stop being hard on her missy. Oh, what was a lovely misunderstanding! Liu Hui Ying who chased after Zhai Heng did not know that she left such an impact on Nanny Gong, she just continued to run after Zhai Heng and only stopped when thetter stoppeding to a halt in front of a delicate yet very expensive-looking courtyard where another woman whose clothes were dripping wet was lying next to the smallke that was at the right half of the courtyard. Her eyes were wide with horror and even though she was not breathing, she was telling her story quite clearly to everyone in the vicinity. Chapter 252 - 252 Dark schemes in the middle of the night 252 Dark schemes in the middle of the night Liu Hui Ying rushed inside the courtyard and came to stand next to Zhai Cheng who was looking sombre with a hint of a dangerous glint in his eyes, one could see that he was holding a lot within him because his fingers were curled around the sword in his hands, seemed to be digging in to the hardcover on the top of the sword. ¡± Why are you here?¡± When he saw that Liu Hui Ying was standing next to him, he instinctively wanted to call her your majesty but when he saw the number of maids who were crying and wailing around the corpse he stopped himself and only asked the one question that was on the tip of his tongue. ¡± I asked you to stay behind this ce is dangerous,¡± Zhai Heng stated calmly and Liu Hui Ying who was behind him rolled her eyes as she said, ¡± Like hell, I can stay behind.¡± Who knows what kind of trap was waiting for her this time, which was why she turned to look at the three ghosts who were hovering at the top of her head and said, ¡± why are you three standing there doing nothing? Go and look for anything that has my freaking name written on it. Get it before anyone else get their hands on it. Move, Move, Move!¡± Jia Li and Li Gang immediately rushed inside the courtyard while grandma Lan Fen with her stumbling steps rushed towards the pond where they started to look for anything that was left behind by the culprit. As for Liu Hui Ying, she carefully nced at the concubine whose body was lying on the ground and then turned to look at the maids and nannies who were crying before saying, ¡± Please leave this courtyard, we need to investigate the cause of the death of concubine ¡­.concubine¡ª¡ª¡± ¡± Concubine Su,¡± Zhai Heng helped Liu Hui Ying finish when he saw that thetter could not recognise the woman who just died. ¡± That¡¯s right, we need to investigate the death of concubine Su,¡± Liu Hui Ying shot a slightly gratified look at Zhai Heng and then turned to look at the maids who were howling like crazies. She understood that they were upset but at this moment she could not allow so many people to crowd around the body lest they mess with a piece of evidence that can be used as a turnaround in this case. ¡± Why?¡± The maid who was closest to consort Su raised her head and red at the man who was asking her to leave, in just a day she lost her mistress and now before she could even grieve over the death of her mistress she was being asked to leave, how was it possible for the young maid to not feel aggrieved as she looked at the man and red at him. ¡± My mistress just died, why am I supposed to leave? I don¡¯t want to! Are you going to stop me from grieving for my mistress as well?¡± Liu Hui Ying turned to look at the maid who was questioning her, she could sense that the little girl meant no harm at least she did not look like she was deliberately trying to find fault with her which was why she calmly looked at the little maid and said, ¡± I understand that you are angry but there is no point in crying like this ¡­I am the one who is in charge of investigating the death of consort Liu and since your missy died in the same manner as consort Liu, I believe that I will be able to solve her case soon. If you stay here then you will only dy the justice that can be served for your mistress before she gets buried.¡± ..... As she spoke she looked around the courtyard, she could definitely feel the yin energy of someone who died but what was surprising was that she couldn¡¯t zero in on the soul that has left its body. Liu Hui Ying frowned as she looked at the woman who was lying on the ground and then swept her gaze over the entire courtyard, this heavy yin energy did not seem to being from the soul of this woman. It was too dense and she could sense that the soul meant nothing but danger which was why it was better for her to send these people away lest they were involved in the wrath of the soul that was hiding in this ce but the question was ¡­if the soul did not belong to this woman then who did it belong to? ¡­.. ¡± Did you tell that man that we are having trouble dealing with the Liu family ?¡± Grand Dowager Empress asked Ji Yang as she sighed in contentment when Xiao Mimi rubbed the knot at the back of her knot. She has been feeling more and more annoyed these days because her body was no longer as swift and active as it was when she was young but there was nothing she could do about it. She was getting old and all the worries that were piling on top of her head were getting her more and more annoyed. If not for the fact that today¡¯s incident took ce she would have stayed in her courtyard and received a rxing sunbath but it was just her bad luck that her brothers and nephews were useless! They couldn¡¯t even do something so small as leading the Emperor by his nose! ¡± I did,¡± Ji Yang replied as he lowered his head and then continued to grind the herbs that he brought with him while grinding his teeth, clearly these herbs were something that he brought for his mother but now he has to hand them all to the grand dowager Empress just because thetter was throwing a tantrum. ¡± He said that he will take matters into his own hands and deal with the Empress tonight.¡± ¡± Well at least one member of your family is smart ¡­fortunately Ji Yu saved that man when she was young and brought him home ¡­look how useful he is..¡± Grand Dowager Empress smirked, the hint of gentleness and calm vanishing from her face in an instant. ¡± But he is asking for another sacrifice¡ª¡ª¡± ¡± Then you hand it to him, it¡¯s not like we cannot raise one?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 253 - 253 A decoy to hide the real culprit 253 A decoy to hide the real culprit ¡± So was this woman close to Liu Fei Fei?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked while she was examining consort Su¡¯s body. The way the woman died was too simr to that of Liu Fei Fei, though she was not tortured for an entire night, she was indeed killed by being pushed into the pond from the back of her neck and what was even more interesting was that the culprit did not kill her at once. They yed with her for a very long time, even though they covered consort Su¡¯s neck with a cloth to stop their fingerprints from being imprinted on her skin, Liu Hui Ying could see faint impressions of fingers on the skin at the back of consort Su¡¯s neck. It was quite clear that the murderer did not kill consort Su in one swift kill, instead, the murderer pushed her in and out several times before she died on her own. ¡± She could be more or less considered to be the only friend of Consort Liu,¡± replied Zhai Heng who was watching Liu Hui Ying examine the body with strange tools that he has never seen before in his life. ¡± But this is something that you should know right your majesty? After all consort Liu and her¡­they created a lot of trouble for you when you were appointed as the Empress.¡± Liu Hui Ying¡¯s actions paused when she heard Zhai Heng¡¯s answer, uh oh ¡­looks like she made a mistake. Because she was used to speaking her mind in front of Zhai Tianyu, shepletely forgot that it was only the Emperor who knew that she was not the real Liu Hui Ying and the rest still took her as the real Liu Hui Ying! ¡± That¡­¡± she opened her mouth to say something but before she could reply Jia Li who was looking for the evidence nted by the culprit came rushing out, in her hand was a small piece of paper which she was waving left and right in her hand. ¡± Liu Hui Ying! I got it! This is the evidence that was nted by the culprit!¡± ¡± You got one too?¡± Li Gang who was holding a book blinked his eyes and then looked at Jia Li who was waving the paper in her hand. ¡± I got one too, did the culprit nt two pieces of evidence knowing that thest time one piece of evidence did not work?¡± ¡± Not one but four,¡± Grandma Lan Fen was carrying a wet cloth that seemed to be embroidered with golden threads on the red cloth, the letter ¡®Liu¡¯ was embroidered really vibrantly. Liu Hui Ying who saw the number of pieces that were nted against her gritted her teeth in anger. Sure enough, the culprit knew that thest time his n did not work which was why he decided to hide more evidence this time, if not for her who was looking in this case then she would have died without even knowing why! ..... She took the piece of cloth from grandma Lan Fen and read the name that was written on it and sure enough the words Liu Hui Ying red right back at her, it was unfortunate for the culprit that he could only look for golden threads and not fluorescent threads with neon lights or else he might have attached them to the cloth as well. ¡± That damned murderer!¡± Liu Hui Ying gritted her teeth as her shadow morphed into that of a devil, even though no one saw it happen but everyone including Zhai Heng could see that her entire existence was on fire with devil horns on top of her head as she looked down at the piece of cloth that was in her hands. ¡± I am going to skin him alive!¡± Her roar echoed in the courtyard causing many ghosts who were lurking outside to duck their heads and go back to their original haunting space, at first they all were attracted by the yin energy that was covering the courtyard of consort Su but then they saw Liu Hui Ying who was standing in the middle of the courtyard looking like a devil, they all turned on their heels and rushed out of the courtyard. It was better for them to stay where they were after all this woman was not one to be dealt with! ¡± I will go and look in the backyard if there is something that we need to investigate,¡± Zhai Heng did not have much experience with women but he instinctively knew that he did not want to y with this Liu Hui Ying at all which was why he turned on his heels and left just like the ghost leaving Liu Hui Ying to burn with rage as she tore the piece of cloth that was in her hands into two halves. Liu Hui Ying, who was left behind threw the cloth on the ground and then stomped on it a few times before she turned to look at Grandma Lan Fen who was the one who found this piece of fabric and asked, ¡± Where did you find it?¡± ¡± Over there,¡± Grandma Lan Fen pointed at the small gap between two big boulders that were sitting at the edge of the small man-made pond. Liu Hui Ying walked over to where grandma Lan Fen picked up the piece of fabric. Suddenly as she crouched down, she realised that the temperature around the pond has plummeted ..Liu Hui Ying immediately reacted trying to summon her weapon but she was a step toote because the second she raised her hands to summon her weapon the thing inside the pond jumped and wrapped its hands around her neck pulling her in the pond with her. Liu Hui Ying¡¯s eyes widened as Jia Li and the others screamed they rushed to fight against the thing but before they could ¡ª¡ª the being opened its mouth and started sucking their yang energy causing their strengths to weaken. Before they could even fight against it, they were summoned back by Liu Hui Ying who knew that they wouldn¡¯t be able to stand a chance against this thing, with her hands ready to draw her weapon she was prepared to kill the thing but then ¡ª¡ª- Something hit her strongly at the back of her head as if the thing that was in the pond was only a decoy to distract her. Blood immediately pooled out from the back of her head as her eyes drifted close while being dragged by the thing that was pulling her inside the pond. ¡ª¡ª- leave a ps, golden ticket or gift, please. Chapter 254 - 254 Please your majesty 254 Please your majesty A crash resounded in the pavilion where the Emperor stayed causing the calm of the night to be broken. ¡± Oh dear,¡± Ji Yu who was holding the teacup in her hand muttered apologetically as she looked at Zhai Tianyu who was sitting opposite her. ¡± Please do forgive me, your majesty.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± Zhai Tianyu waved his hand as he asked the eunuch to call a maid and clean the shards of the broken teacup. ¡± This is not something that you need to apologize for.¡± Even though he said that a frown was etched on his face, in his heart something like the slipping of the teacup and it getting broken into multiple pieces was something really small but for some reason, he felt the sound of the teacup breaking deep into his heart as a bad premonition rose in his heart. ¡® is everything going well with her majesty?¡¯ He questioned in his mind as he turned his head and looked out of the window that was overlooking the courtyards of the harem. Should he go and check on her? Ji Yu watched the maid clean the shards of the broken teacup, she even gently smiled at the maid before thanking her for her hard work causing the little maid who was responsible for cleaning the shards to feel gratified as she left the room, for the little maid someone like Ji Yu thanking her was something really grand and it caused the little maid to feel really respectful towards Ji Yu who was both gentle and kind irrespective of her position. What the little maid did not know was that Ji Yu deliberately thanked her, back when she stayed in the Ji mansion she would do something simr to this as well and Zhai Tianyu would find her more and more intriguing and kind, this was the reason why she chose to thank the maid. As for whether or not she was respectful of maids like the one who cleaned the shards of the teacup, only Ji Yu knew it well in her heart. As the maid left the room, Ji Yu turned to look at Zhai Tianyu all set to see the same adoration and respect in his eyes as he used to when they were young but as soon as she turned to look at Zhai Tianyu, she was surprised to see that the man was not even looking at her! Even though he was sitting right in front of her, he was clearly lost in his own thoughts and was not even paying attention to her. When she saw that Zhai Tianyu was looking at the harem even though she was sitting in front of him and they clearly finished eating a very cordial and friendly dinner, Ji Yu understood that he was thinking about Liu Hui Ying. She did not have to think twice about why Zhai Tianyu was not paying attention to her and was instead paying attention to something else, after all, in the current time his majesty was getting more and more involved with the Empress! ..... Ji Yu bit her bottom lip as she looked at Zhai Tianyu and then somehow managed to curl her lips into a smile even though her fingers were clenched in herp as she looked at the man who was slowly getting further and further away from her. She could not understand why and when Zhai Tianyu started to drift away from her but what she did know was that she could not allow Zhai Tianyu to get any further away from her because this man was the only person who she had in her life, if she lost him too then she will have nowhere to go. Her father did not care about her and he only saw potential in her as she was close to Zhai Tianyu and her mother was not a good person either. After herte brother only Zhai Tianyu has given her peace, he was her anchor, the one person that was holding her down or else she would have killed herself long ago after losing her brother who cared for her when she was young. ¡± Your majesty, you seem to be distracted,¡± she suddenly spoke causing Zhai Tianyu to turn and look at her in confusion. He seemed a bit lost in a daze and that only caused Ji Yu to clench her fingers even more tightly in herp as her nails started to dig into the flesh of her palms but she kept her smile intact and adoring as she said, ¡± What¡¯s wrong? Am I boring you?¡± ¡± Oh no,¡± Zhai Tianyu snapped out of his thoughts and then shook his head as he turned all his attention to Ji Yu who was sitting in front of him. ¡± I was just thinking about something ¡­earlier in the afternoon, the court and everything that happened¡­nothing else, my apologies.¡± Ji Yu knew that he was lying to her, even Zhai Tianyu did not know that he had a tell when he was lying and no one else other than her knew about it, she has been so in love with him for so many years that she, of course, knew everything about him. Just like how she knew that every time Zhai Tianyu lied he would rub the back of his hands with his thumb, it was a small gesture but she who always paid attention to everything that he did, of course, caught this small action of his as well. But for the time being, she was willing to be lied to because she knew that if she was to ask for the truth then she might receive an answer that she will not like or even be willing to hear, which was why she did not question him even though her heart was churning. All her life she wished for just one thing and that was ¡ª¡ª that no one will take Zhai Tianyu away from her and yet ¡­ ¡± Should we go to the garden as we used to your majesty?¡± She asked while looking at Zhai Tianyu who was sitting in front of her with a smile. ¡± It has been so long and the two of us haven¡¯t gone for a walk.¡± ¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 255 - 255 fighting a lost battle 255 fighting a lost battle Zhai Tianyu heard her request and hesitated, even though he knew in his heart that Liu Hui Ying was more than capable to take care of herself, he was still worried. The feeling of foreboding was getting more and more prominent in his heart causing his chest to feel stifled and anxiety to rise in his heart as he turned to look at the window again, he was thinking of going and seeing Liu Hui Ying now that he was done having dinner with Ji Yu. Ji Yu also noticed that Zhai Tianyu was hesitating which was why she stretched her hand and ced it on top of his causing Zhai Tianyu to turn and look at her in surprise and a little bit of confusion. ¡± Your majesty,¡± she said trying to invoke as much feeling as she could from Zhai Tianyu towards her as she looked into his eyes. ¡± This concubine misses you, it has been so many days and you haven¡¯t evene to my courtyard to see me¡­if you don¡¯t mind, can you give me just this bit of time of yours. I promise that I will not disturb you for the rest of your night, just a few hours¡­a simple walk, please I beg you.¡± Her words caused Zhai Tianyu to feel slightly guilty as he remembered the promise that he has made to her. Clearly, he promised her that he will take care of her and will do everything that she loved and liked..and here he was even hesitating to go on a walk with her? What has happened to him? Why in the world was he doing such things and that too for the Queen? Since when did the queen start affecting his decisions? And why? ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Zhai Tianyu was not ready to face the answer to his questions which was why he raised his body off the chair he was sitting in and agreed to Ji Yu¡¯s request. Liu Hui Ying must be safe and maybe he was the one who was thinking too much, she had three ghosts to protect her and her powers were not something that any human could match either, there was no way she will get hurt! Going on a walk with Ji Yu should not hurt that much. Ji Yu¡¯s smile turned a degree genuine as she stood from her chair and went to stand next to Zhai Tianyu, at least now she knew that Zhai Tianyu had her in his heart as well. As long as he was willing to let her in, she was sure that she will surely regain the position that she has lost in his heart! The two of them stepped out of the pavilion and then walked towards the small garden where they used to take walks together when they were not married and because Ji Yu was very much excited, she walked a bit hurriedly wanting to reach the garden as soon as possible and then turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who was walking a step behind her with a leisurely pace and calm expression on his face. ¡± Your majesty, please walk a bit faster. I heard that tonight is thest night when we can witness the cherry blossoms that you exported from abroad, if we miss it who knows whether or not we might be able to witness it again!¡± Zhai Tianyu was very fond of things that were pretty and rare which was why when he noticed the cherry blossoms that were brought to hisnd by a foreigner, he purchased them without even thinking about them at all. And even Ji Yu fell in love with it, the cherry blossom to her was like a small trip to the past since only the two of them have stood under the tree and watched the cherry blossoms bloom in their full glory and even though she has done the same thing many times before Ji Yu still felt excited whenever she thought about it. ..... ¡± An Emperor is supposed to be full of dignity and calm, consort,¡± Zhai Tianyu replied with a small smile on his lips when he saw Ji Yu act like a child. ¡®She is still the same as ever,¡¯ he thought in his head before he continued speaking, ¡± An Emperor¡¯s pace should be as steady as thend only then will he be able to rule over his Empire, the rules clearly state that I cannot run.¡± Zhai Tianyu was not lying when he said this, ever since he was a young child, he has heard his grandmother and teacher saying that he should never go against the rules and one of these rules was to never run while he was dressed as the Emperor. Since he grew up under the teaching of his grandmother, of course, he was now used to following her every order and teaching that she has given him. Ji Yu heard his response and rolled her eyes as she turned around and then sped her hands behind her back as she said, ¡± You are always so calm and controlled your majesty. I wonder when was thest time you lost your calm?¡± She then turned to look at Zhai Tianyu over her shoulder while the moon shone brightly over the two of them causing a silvery glow to illuminate their bodies. ¡± And whether or not I will be able to see you in a hurry or not?¡± Zhai Tianyu shook his head and then said, ¡± You think too much consort, I will never lose my calm for anyone since I know the consequences ¡ª¡ª¡± ¡± Your majesty!¡± A eunuch who came running behind the two of them interrupted Zhai Tianyu causing thetter to frown as he asked sternly, ¡± What are you doing? Why are you screaming like this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s her majesty! She fell into a pond and her condition is not stable, you should go and see her before she ¡ª¡ª¡± before the eunuch could finish his sentence, he and Ji Yu witnessed a very miraculous scene. Zhai Tianyu who did not even lose his calm when he heard his father was dead since the man was not kind enough to be cared about, run like he was being chased by something. Ji Yu who was standing behind looked at Zhai Tianyu who was running like all hell was going to let loose and was stunned. ¡± Your majesty didn¡¯t you say, no one can ever make you lose your calm? Then what happened now?¡± As she stared at Zhai Tianyu¡¯s vanishing back, she realised that she was no longer fighting a fight. She has already lost the battle before it even began. Chapter 256 - 256 Not your fault 256 Not your fault ¡± Your majesty!¡± Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun were already standing in front of the courtyard of the Empress, now that something like this has taken ce even if they did not want to make it a big deal, they will have to do so. In just one night, another concubine from the Liu family and the Empress both were attacked. While one died, thetter was left gravely wounded, Liu Hui Ying, even though she was an Empress who was not doted to and treated like one, no one could change the fact that she was the Empress of this imperial city and the ruler of the Harem. Now that she was attacked by someone in the middle of the night, the Liu family who was staying silent up till now will definitely make a move. Yu Lingyun who found out about the attack immediately rushed with his guards to secure both the courtyard, he was just discussing with Zhai Heng what they were going to do when a figure came rushing towards their direction. At first, he did not realize who it was but then he saw the familiar golden robe and understood that it was none other than Zhai Tianyu. He actually came to see the Empress when he was with Ji Yu! ¡± Your majesty, what are you doing here¡­we can deal with this¡ª¡ª¡± if Zhai Tianyu was to leave Ji Yu behind for Liu Hui Ying then the Ji family¡­they will make a mess as well! They already had enough trouble on the te that Liu Hui Ying was attacked, the Dowager Empress was already inside as well and even the right prime minister was alerted, they were already heading down the cliff and Ji Yu was their only support system at the moment, after all, if Zhai Tianyu was to leave Ji Yu alone and treat her as less of a priority than the Empress¡­they wouldn¡¯t get any support from the Ji family tomorrow in court while they were going against the Liu family! ¡± Your majesty, I think that you should go back and finish your task in hand,¡± Yu Lingyun stopped Zhai Tianyu who was surging towards the courtyard of the Empress like a tidal wave. He tried to remind him of the importance of the situation and why Zhai Tianyu should keep his calm at the moment. Of course, he knew that given Zhai Tianyu¡¯s feelings that were changing when it came to the Empress he wasn¡¯t going to listen to anything that he has to say but at least he has to try. ..... ¡± Your majesty¡ª¡ª¡± when Yu Lingyun saw that Zhai Tianyu was not willing to listen to him and looked like he was going to barge inside the courtyard, he stepped in between Zhai Tianyu¡¯s path boldly and said in a whisper, ¡± The Dowager Empress if here as well, you better keep a reign on yourself, your majesty.¡± Zhai Tianyu who was striding towards his goal paused but it wasn¡¯t because of what Yu Lingyun said but it was because of what he did, with his eyes shining with anxiety and anger, Zhai Tianyu turn to look at Yu Lingyun and said, ¡± General Yu, have you forgotten that one should never intercept the path of the Emperor?¡± Yu Lingyun helplessly looked at Zhai Tianyu whose entire body was as taut as a string of a bow. Of course, he knew that he could not intercept the path of the Emperor but Zhai Tianyu was not only the Emperor, but he was also his friend and he knew it better than anyone that letting Zhai Tianyu meet the Dowager Empress in such a condition will only bring more harm than good. This was why even though he could feel his knees weaken under the spiritual Qi that Zhai Tianyu was released, he still stayed his ground and reminded Zhai Tianyu again, ¡± The Dowager Empress is inside, why don¡¯t you go and finish what you were doing your majesty, this way you wouldn¡¯t have to go through something that you don¡¯t want to.¡± Zhai Tianyu stared at Yu Lingyun before he parted his lips and coldly spat one word out and that was, ¡± Move.¡± ¡± Your majesty¡ª¡ª¡± ¡± I said move!¡± After speaking he did not stop for Yu Lingyun to say anything instead he pushed Yu Lingyun away and then walked right inside the courtyard leaving Yu Lingyun to cover his face with the back of his hand. Even though Zhai Tianyu and the Dowager Empress were yet to see each other, Yu Lingyun could already hear the sarcastic words being thrown around all over the ce. Frustrated he turned to look at Zhai Heng who did not say a word when he was going against Zhai Heng and said with some slight annoyance, ¡± Why did you not stop Zhai Tianyu? You know that even though he wouldn¡¯t listen to me. He will at least listen to you right?¡± But Zhai Heng who was standing behind him did not say anything instead he stayed as he was, with his hands clenched on his side and the word ¡®dread and gloom¡¯ written on his face. His expression was twisted and his eyes were not in focus when Yu Lingyun saw him like this, half of his annoyance went down and he sighed while rubbing his forehead as he looked at the man who was still standing there ming himself. ¡± It was not your fault,¡± Yu Lingyun told Zhai Heng what he has been telling him ever since he rushed to this ce. ¡± You did what you could there is no need for you to me yourself, how would you have known that someone will attack the Empress even when she was dressed like a man ?¡± ¡± Or maybe they did not even know that she was the Queen disguised as a man, most probably they went for the person who was investigating and attacked her by mistake. How can you me yourself for that?¡± Yu Lingyun tried his best to snap Zhai Heng out of his daze because he couldn¡¯t allow two of his friends to go crazy because of the same woman! Chapter 257 - 257 The blood in your veins. 257 The blood in your veins. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Zhai Heng did not say anything instead he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. In fact, he too thought that there was no way Liu Hui Ying will be attacked either as well, in his eyes, she was a woman who was capable enough to rip the heart of a woman, there was no way she will get hurt. He foolishly thought that she will be fine which was why he left her alone and in the end forgot that she was a woman too ¡­no matter how strong he should have been by her side! This was not only his responsibility as a man but also as the head of the special army! How could he have done something so foolish as leaving Liu Hui Ying alone? ¡°It¡¯s my fault, no matter how you make it sound,¡± Zhai Heng opened his eyes and then looked at the floor under his feet, even now he could hear the ssh of water that rang behind him when he turned his back on Liu Hui Ying and they left to look somewhere else and the sight of her blood dyeing the water red, it was such a horrible sight that he did not even want to be remembered about it. ¡± I should have stayed with her but I was a fool and thought that she will be fine, it was myck of attention that caused the Queen to be attacked like this, if I was paying more attention then maybe nothing like this would have happened.¡± ¡± I am sure Tianyu thinks the same as well.¡± ¡­.. ¡± What do you mean you cannot wake her up!¡± Zhai Tianyu heard the scream of the dowager Empress as soon as he came to a stop in front of the room where the Empress lived and paused in his stride when he heard thetter screaming at the top of her voice. Honestly, he was indeed in no mood to deal with his mother at the moment but his worry for Liu Hui Ying exceeded his hesitation to see his mother and thus he nodded his head at the guard who announced his arrival. ¡± His majesty, the Emperor of the Imperial city is entering!¡± The guard shout brought a sudden halt to the screeches of the Dowager Empress who was standing inside, and Zhai Tianyu closed his eyes as the maids behind him went to open the door for his entrance. ..... ¡®Stay calm,¡¯ he told himself, he knew that now that he and his mother was going to be in the same room, his mother was going to use her barbed words as soon as he will take a step inside the room. ¡± Oh look at that,¡± sure enough, as soon as the door was pushed to the side, he heard the sarcastic voice of his mother who was standing inside the room with a curl of her lips that looked more mocking than anything. ¡± Who got time out of his busy schedule toe and see the Empress.¡± He watched his mother tilt her head to the side as she looked at him and asked, ¡± What happened? I heard that you were with that precious imperial concubine of yours and could not take time off, you finally got time to put your pants on your majesty?¡± The imperial physician who was kneeling on the floor shivered as he furtively looked at the Dowager Empress. Was this okay? Was it okay for him to listen to something like this? Was he going to get killed because of this? He did not want to die just because he heard the Dowager Empress scold her son! Zhai Tianyu closed his eyes, he was used to his mother using such words for him anyway. For some reason even though his mother fought to get him to sit on the throne and even refused to let his big brother take the throne instead of him, she has never liked him. But at least he could say that his mother treated him like a son, his big brother¡­. He was treated like a downright dead dog by his mother. ¡± Imperial mother,¡± he greeted the Dowager Empress as per the etiquettes and did not even feel the slightest bit of hurt when he heard his mother scoff in response, instead he turned to look at the imperial physician and asked, ¡± How is the queen?¡± His voice was calmer than the water in the pond that was left untouched, he knew that if he was to show any emotions on his face, his mother might take advantage of it which was why he did not show any emotions on the surface even though he was dying out of anxiety. Can¡¯t wake her up? He did hear his mother say that the imperial physician could not wake the Empress up¡­. Was she simply exaggerating or was it the truth? ¡°Look at you, your majesty,¡± The Dowager Empress smirked as she drawled and then walked forward after snapping the hand fan in her hand with a flick of her wrist. ¡± Looks like you finally learned to care about your official wife, or else I thought that the blood flowing in your veins will show whose son you are, after all your father was the same, doting on his concubine while the official wife was dying. Looks like my blood helped you to gain some moment of rity?¡± ¡± Mother, is this the time for you to say such words?¡± Zhai Tianyu wanted to ignore his mother as he looked at the woman who gave birth to him but did not once fulfil her responsibilities as his mother when he heard her talk badly about his father. That man might have been not the greatest ruler but he was a great father at least he knew when to step up and take care of him and Zhai Heng when his mother did not. ¡± Her majesty is already in such a condition¡ª¡ª¡± ¡± And whose fault is that!¡± The dowager Empress picked up the vase that was sitting next to her on the cab and hurled the entire content that was inside it on her son. ¡± Only the concubines and the Empress of the Liu family did not have a personal guard and were left as vulnerable as amb in the den of lions, what did you expect to happen to them? Or you are so deeply infleunced by your concubine that you don¡¯t even know that you need to take care of others as well?¡± Chapter 258 - 258 Like you owe her a life 258 Like you owe her a life ¡± In just a few days three of the Liu family¡¯s daughters were attacked and what were you doing your majesty? You were having dinner with that girl from the Ji family, if only you had woken up on time and appointed some guards to keep the daughters of my family safe then this would not have happened!¡± The Dowager Empress was a calcting woman, she did not feel much when Liu Fei Fei died after all that girl was shoved into their family by the Ji family indirectly and she was more of a stain than an adopted daughter which was why she was not moved when that girl died but the same could not be said for Liu Hui Ying and the concubine Su who were cousins with the Liu family. Even if she was to ignore that Su girl, there was no way she could ignore Liu Hui Ying! She has seen her niece grow up in front of her in fact, it would be right to say that Liu Hui Ying called ¡®aunt¡¯ first before she called her father, the Dowager Empress had her own ns but those ns did not include Liu Hui Ying dying. What was more Liu Hui Ying was the only legitimate daughter of the Liu Family, if she dies then the Ji family will ¡ª¡ª- She has been keeping a grudge against Zhai Tianyu ever since he almost killed Liu Hui Ying on their wedding night, if not then she wouldn¡¯t have turned a blind eye to that Ji girl getting poisoned. Since her niece was almost killed then Jia girl deserved to die a slow painful death as well! But now her niece was attacked again and this time she couldn¡¯t do anything even if she had half the control of the harem, the remaining control was in the hands of that old woman! She sent some of her hidden guards to Liu hui Ying¡¯s pce to keep guard but just an hour ago she received a message that said that all the hidden guards were killed. Even if she was a fool, she could see it quite clearly that the person who was behind it was none other than the Grand Dowager Empress and her brother but even if she was to tell her son about this, he will not listen to a thing to what she has to say. Just like his darned father! When she thought about herte husband, a sour taste filled her mouth as she furtively covered her belly, even though her hands were shaking at the memory of the past and the sharp glint of the de, her lips curled in a cold smile as she taunted, ¡± But then again I believe that with that disgusting blood flowing in your veins, this is not surprising at all.¡± Zhai Tianyu went to say something but he did not get a chance since his mother turned to look at the imperial physician who was kneeling on the floor and ordered, ¡± I want to see her up on her feet as soon as possible, I don¡¯t care what you do but if she dies then you will apany her alive in her tomb! You understand that?¡± She shrieked thest of her words and without giving a chance to the imperial physician she turned on her heel and walked past Zhai Tianyu. ..... Her eyes filled got with disgust as she walked out of the courtyard and her gaze fell on Zhai Heng who was standing at the side with the Yu Lingyun, she looked at Zhai Heng and then clenched her fingers like she was longing to curl it around Zhai Heng¡¯s throat but then she restrained herself and turned around to leave. That same face! That brat could have gone after anyone but he just has to look like that person! ¡± She is still the same isn¡¯t she?¡± Yu Lingyun scratched his chin as he looked at the Dowager Empress who was walking away with a cold expression on her face. ¡± I never understood why she looks at you like you owe her a life or something of the sort.¡± ¡± My mother hates my father the most,¡± replied Zhai Heng as he touched the scar on his face, he hasn¡¯t forgotten that his mother hated him so much that she would rather watch him get killed than return to the imperial city. ¡± Grandmother said that I look like father the most and every time she looks at me, she has recalled the sin shemitted when she was killing my father, which is why she does not like watching my face since I make her feel guilty.¡± ¡± Guilty?¡± Yu Lingyun looked at Zhai Heng, he wanted to tell him that the Dowager Empress looked at him like he was her old enemy and did not have even the flicker of the slightest bit of guilt but he pursed his lips and did not say anything because Zhai Heng was right, he did resemble thete Emperor a bit too much and everyone knows that the Dowager Empress hates thete Emperor the most given that he once almost dethroned her for his concubine. He sighed and then rubbed his forehead as he looked over his shoulder before muttering, ¡°I just hope that his majesty will be able to stay calm after all this, the words that her majesty said were not something that one would be able to withstand.¡± ¡­. ¡± What did her majesty mean by that the empress will not be able to wake up?¡± When Zhai Tianyu asked this question his voice was fairly calm and he looked like he was simply asking about the weather when the imperial physician heard Zhai Tianyu¡¯s voice, he recovered from his daze and went crawling towards Zhai Tianyu. That¡¯s right! The Emperor did not like the Empress as long as he pleaded with the Emperor who wanted his childhood sweetheart to be his queen, he will definitely listen to him, right? There was no way he will want the Queen to wake up right? ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 259 - 259 I will bury you with her 259 I will bury you with her The imperial physician was someone who was nted by the Ji family and he was very loyal to the Grand Dowager Empress, that old woman not only had more than one thing against him but she also tightly controlled the entire lifeline of his family. Beforeing here she has already told him that he should not bother himself with Liu Hui Ying too much, as long as she was dying he should leave her alone after all the Emperor did not have any good feelings towards the Empress either and would not me him. ¡± Your majesty, please please help me,¡± the imperial physician knelt in front of Zhai Tianyu and begged while tears were streaming down his cheeks, he was afraid that the Grand Dowager Empress would not be able to save him against the Dowager Empress, after all, she was the owner of the harem along with the Grand Dowager Empress and the Liu Family was far more powerful than the Ji family, if they were to make a move against him then he wouldn¡¯t even know how he died! Which was why he could not let the emperor stand on the side opposite to him! ¡± I have tried everything that I can but her majesty was hit in the back of her head, the most vulnerable spot of a human body is the back of the head, even if I save her she will not be able to live her life like a normal human, that is if she somehow manages to wake up,¡± the imperial physician went on screaming and pleading he did not even look at Zhai Tianyu¡¯s face that was getting colder by the minute as he listened to what the imperial physician was saying. ¡± Her majesty is in aa, I don¡¯t know when she will wake up or whether she will ever wake up or not which is why I cannot guarantee that she will get back on her feet.¡± ¡°I have seen many instances where people got hit in the back of their heads and they all turned to into fools¡­I think that leaving the Empress to die is the kindest act that one will do for her at this moment.¡± ¡± Leave her to die?¡± Zhai Tianyu mused as he looked at the imperial physician who still did not sense the danger that was standing in front of him and nodded. ¡± That¡¯s right your majesty! I believe that letting the Queen die is the kindest act at this moment, even if she wakes up she will be a fool, who will take care of her¡ª¡ª¡± The imperial physician was still speaking when he heard the sharp sting of the de running inside its sheathe as a silver and cruel de came to rest against his neck, stunned he looked at Zhai Tianyu who was looking at him with eyes that were colder than ice. ¡± Your majesty?¡± Even though the imperial physician was slightly slow he understood that if he was to mention the word ¡®dead¡¯ again, he will definitely lose his head which was why he did not say anything and simply lowered his head and kowtowed on the floor. ¡± Please forgive me, your majesty, I deserve to die! I should not have said such words, I was just anxious that her majesty will suffer since no one would care for her¡ª¡ª¡± The de pressed against his neck even harder as he heard the voice of the devil incarnate from the top of his head, ¡± I will take care of her, even if she bes aplete fool who does not understand the way of the world, I will stand by her side ¡­you just need to make sure that she wakes up ¡­if you don¡¯t.¡± The de pressed even harder causing a sharp incision to be made in the side of the neck of the imperial physician and blood to drip down on the floor. ¡± My mother will only bury you alive in the tomb of the Empress, but I will make your entire family be buried together with her.¡± ¡± Your majesty!¡± The imperial physician looked up at the man, he could not understand what was going on, this man was a fool. He knew that he was the man of the Grand Dowager Empress and he was doing everything that was ording to the will of the Grand Dowager Empress then why ¡­shouldn¡¯t he listen to what her majesty says with closed eyes? After all, he was nothing but a fool! ..... But when he raised his head and looked into the eyes of the Emperor, that man who has been like a smiling fool all his life was now looking at him with a gaze so threatening and powerful that the imperial physician felt liquid dripping down his legs. This ¡­this was not the Emperor he was ready to face! Why was this man acting like this? Was it because of the Empress? But soon his mind started to race and he came to a conclusion. The Emperor was not a fool who has beenpletely brainwashed by the grand Dowager Empress, from start to finish it was them who were acting like fools! In fact the Emperor was someone who has been on his guard from the day he climbed up on his throne. And they all thought that he was a foolish puppet in the hands of the two families! ¡± You should know what you can and you cannot say outside, imperial physician Shao,¡± said Zhai Tianyu as he understood that the imperial physician must have seen through everything now that he has showed one of his cards but he was not scared of this imperial physician because he knew how to grab hold of this man. ¡± I heard that your son is really capable and soon he will be giving exams to be epted into the team of the imperial family physicians, I worry that if his father turns out to be too much of a gossiper, he might be the one to pay by getting his tongue ripped out, what do you have to say about this imperial physician Shao?¡± What else can imperial Physician Shao say as he lowered his head and then epted the order, ¡± I will try everything to bring her majesty back to life, your majesty.¡± Chapter 260 - 260 Treated like a hooligan 260 Treated like a hooligan Zhai Tianyu looked at the imperial physician and then took the sword away from the neck of the old man, as soon as the cold de of the sword was taken off his neck, the old imperial physician heaved a sigh of relief. The old man was no fool, he dared to not care about the queen because he knew that the Emperor did not care about her but now from the looks of it¡­how was it possible for the Emperor to not care about the queen! One could see that the Emperor cared so much about the Queen that he was even willing to show one of his sock puppets in front of him! Clearly, the Empress was in the heart of his majesty, if he did not worry about his son losing his tongue, he would have definitely told this to her majesty, the grand dowager Empress! The imperial physician felt dreadful when he thought that he will have to hide this fact from the grand dowager Empress but he was a wise man who has seen all kinds of storms if not then he would not have survived till now while working in the imperial pce. He knew that the unknown was more fearsome than the known, he of course knew the way the grand dowager Empress dealt with everyone who went against her but he did not how and what kind of person his majesty was when he wanted to go against someone. ¡± I will do my best to wake her majesty,¡± imperial physician Shao knocked his head on the floor and then waited for Zhai Tianyu to pass his judgement. He did not wish to die but if his majesty wanted to kill him then what can a man of his calibre do? Zhai Tianyu nced at the old man who was kowtowing in front of him, truth be told he did not trust this man but Imperial physician Shao was indeed the best among all the imperial physicians if not then his grandmother wouldn¡¯t have trusted him with her life. As the thought of his grandmother came into his head, Zhai Tianyu felt his heart twinge with pain, he has trusted that woman so much that he now felt that if everything that he knew turned around to be a lie, he might just kill himself because the heartbreak will be too much for him to handle. ¡± Then I will hold on to your promise, imperial physician Shao,¡± remarked Zhai Tianyu as he turned his head slightly to the left and nced at Liu Hui Ying who was lying on the bed, a bandage was tied around her head and her lips were slowly turning blue. His fingers instinctively curled around the handle of his sword but he still resisted the urge to go and kill everyone who was behind this incident, he wanted not to care about anything but as the Emperor, he could not do something so selfish. For the sake of his people, he will have to hold on to the remaining rationality even though he wished he could set the world on fire and watch it burn. Zhai Tianyu closed his eyes and even though his heart was telling him to bring Liu Hui Ying into his embrace, he did not want to be selfish like this. After all, Liu Hui Ying was allergic to men if he was to touch her when she was already in such a dreadful condition who knows what might happen to her? It was better for him to purse his lips and keep his distance from Liu Hui Ying, just because he was worried he could not do anything that will harm Liu Hui Ying. As he thought about Liu Hui Ying¡¯s allergy he turned to look at the imperial physician and asked, ¡± You are a man right?¡± ..... Imperial physician Shao was stunned when he heard this question but since he was taught by his father to answer everything that his master asked him, he nodded and replied honestly, ¡± Biologically yes.¡± How can he be not a man? He made his wife pregnant in one go and even gave birth to a son in his first attempt. It could be said that he was the man out of all men! Zhai Tianyu¡¯s picturesque eyes turned gloomy when he heard Imperial physician Shao¡¯s response and said, ¡± Make sure that you do not touch her majesty with your hands. I don¡¯t want her to catch anything, she should not.¡± Imperial physician Shao: ¡°...¡± ???? Your majesty can we not do this, please? My heart cannot take it. Zhai Tianyu however did not care whether imperial physician Shao¡¯s poor heart could take it or not, he simply turned his gaze and looked at the old man and continued speaking, ¡°If I find out that your skin touched her majesty, I will cut off your hands all right ?¡± ¡± Y¡­yes your majesty,¡± was this truly the same Zhai Tianyu? Howe he was so jealous and possessive? He was a man in his sixties and Liu Hui Ying was old enough to be his granddaughter, how can he even think of doing anything to her? But in front of his master, he did not dare to voice a word ofint and simply kept his head lowered. But in his head, he was screaming loudly, ¡°What is this? ¡± Zhai Tianyu did not care about imperial physician Shao, he gave him a few more reminders and by the time he left the room where Liu Hui Ying was lying, Imperial Physician Shao was tied up with clothes so tightly that only his eyes ears and fingers were visible, even his mouth was covered by a piece of cloth. Imperial Physician Shao looked down at his half-mummified body and muttered angrily, ¡± Crazy! He has gone crazy, no wonder my wife said that we should keep a tight reign on him now that he is courting a girl. If I do not keep a good eye on that brat, he might be crazy like his majesty as well!¡± He was old enough to be Liu Hui Ying¡¯s grandpa! But he was covered up as a young girl who has not seen anything in this world! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 261 - 261 either she wakes up or I die 261 either she wakes up or I die Zhai Tianyu walked out of the courtyard, his face was still sombre and as he turned his head to look at Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun who were standing next to the door of the courtyard after walking out, the two felt a shiver dance down their spines simultaneously. Zhai Tianyu was a man who did not get angry but when he did, he will be worse than a monster who was out for blood, seeing him nce at them with those eyes that were filled with several whirlpools, Yu Lingyun was too scared to even utter a peep. Even Zhai Heng did not dare to say anything, he knew that Zhai Tianyu was angry. Just now he heard his mother scream at Zhai Tianyu for not appointing a guard for the daughters of the Liu family, what the Dowager Empress did not know was that Zhai Tianyu has indeed given the order to appoint personal guards to the daughters of the Liu family, it was just that the order was intercepted by someone from the Ji family and could not be followed. Zhai Tianyu was not in favour of the Liu family but it did not mean he would kill without holding back. ¡± Come with me,¡± he told the two of them and even though Yu Lingyun wanted to speak up for Zhai Heng, he knew that now was not the time which was why even though he thought that Zhai Tianyu was getting angry for no reason, he followed Zhai Tianyu calmly and even turned to pat Zhai Heng on his shoulder as he said confidently, ¡± Don¡¯t worry, your brother will protect you.¡± Zhai Heng simply looked at Yu Lingyun and did not say anything, he did not trust a word this man said because he knew that Yu Lingyun was even more of a coward when he was in front of an angry Zhai Tianyu than he was, which was why he was not at all bothered by Yu Lingyun¡¯s determined words for he knew that the man would be the first to run awayter on. Sure enough, as soon as the two of them reached Zhai Tianyu¡¯s study hall and thetter turned around to face them Yu Lingyun very smoothly hit behind Zhai Heng, seeing him act like this Zhai Heng was thoroughly speechless, he looked at the man who was acting like a coward and then said, ¡± Did you not say that you will be protecting me?¡± ¡± I am acting as your biggest backing!¡± Yu Lingyun eximed shamelessly as if he did not hide behind Zhai Heng like a child who was worried that he will be bullied. Zhai Heng: ¡°¡­..¡± What wonderful backing. ¡± What happened?¡± Zhai Tianyu¡¯s voice was very low as he turned to look at Zhai Heng who was standing in front of him. He knew that he should not me his brother but he could not control his anger after seeing the deathly whiteplexion andboured breathing of Liu Hui Ying. ..... His brother was with Liu Hui Ying, he knew his brother too well and he understood him enough to know that after he rushed out of the study, he must have gone to look for the Queen. So, what he could not understand was how was it possible for Liu Hui Ying to get hurt when Zhai Heng was with her. ¡± Why is it that the queen got hurt when she was with you, elder brother?¡± Zhai Tianyu did not want to question Zhai Heng but he couldn¡¯t stop himself from doubting his big brother. He was with Liu Hui Ying yet he somehow still got her to be injured, was it because he did not care about Liu Hui Ying or was it because he wanted to take Liu Hui Ying down when the opportunity presented it in front of himself? Zhai Heng knew that his brother was suspecting him but he did not say anything after all his actions were indeed doubtful which was why he sighed and then looked at Zhai Tianyu before he patiently started to exin everything that happened in the courtyard that belonged to the consort Su. ¡± I did not think that something will attack her when my back was turned, in fact, I took a good look around the vicinity and did not see anything or anyone, I am still surprised that she was attacked,¡± Zhai Heng exined everything thoroughly, he was not lying when he said that he checked the vicinity. His martial arts were as good as Zhai Tianyu and he was not someone who would make such a rookie mistake which was why he was surprised when he saw Liu Hui Ying drowning with a huge wound on the back of her head. Zhai Tianyu¡¯s expression changed when he heard his big brother¡¯s reply, he clenched his finger and looked at Zhai Heng before he said, ¡± Are you saying that something inhuman was hiding in that courtyard?¡± ¡± I can¡¯t be sure but you know it¡¯s impossible for me not to detect anything and even if I did not detect it, it was not possible for Liu Hui Ying and her ghosts servants to not sense anything, if they were harmed to this degree I think whoever it was behind this incident, he or she may or may not be human.¡± His words caused the entire study to fall into a cold silence, Zhai Tianyu cracked his knuckles as he clenched his fists while Yu Lingyun started to shiver. ¡± Not human?¡± Yu Lingyun turned around and looked at the walls of the room as if he was expecting something inhuman to pop out. ¡± We used to fight humans and now we have to fight non-humans too? You mean to say someone from our enemy side contracted a non-human?¡± He asked Zhai Heng and Zhai Tianyu, neither of them spoke but their expressions turned bitter. As Yu Lingyun thought about what will happen in the future, his eyes widened as he turned to look at Zhai Heng and Zhai Tianyu before he shrieked, ¡± If her majesty does not wake up, then we all will be dead? No, we have to wake her up!¡± He pulled the skin off his face and then rushed out screaming, ¡± I will make sure that either she wakes up or I die!¡± Facing ghosts? He will rather chuck himself off a cliff! Chapter 262 - 262 Go and die ! 262 Go and die ! Liu Hui Ying woke up to extreme suffocation, she did not know what was happening all she knew was something hard and smooth was pressing against her nose and mouth making it impossible for her to breathe. She tried to struggle against the thing that was making it impossible for her to breathe but no matter how much she tried to move, she couldn¡¯t lift even a single finger¡­she was afraid that she was going to lose her breath and die when suddenly the soft and hard thing was taken away from her mouth and nose and she could start breathing again! Once the thing was gone, the fog that was covering her brain also cleared up and she could finally hear the voice of a hysterical woman, ¡± Why? Why are you stopping me? If she dies then she will be out of our way¡­ if she is gone then you will marry me, right?¡± Marry? Marry who? Liu Hui Ying wanted to blink her eyes but realised that she could not even move her eyelids, frustrated she tried to turn her head but it was as if she was covered in metal armour she could not even turn her head to the left even if she wanted to, a frown etched on her metal covered forehead as she somehow turned her pupils to look at the woman who was dressed in a magenta coloured dress. When Liu Hui Ying saw the woman, her heart was filled with shock and then she was thrilled in surprised because she was actually back in her own world! Her job! Her house! Her promotion! Hallelujah! She came back to take back everything! But before Liu Hui Ying could rejoice, she heard the woman say, ¡± She is already being investigated because of her past crimes and she is on the verge of losing her job, you still want to support her? She is a murderer! Did you not hear what my dad said?¡± Wait a minute.. who was this? Liu Hui Ying focused all her attention on the woman who was speaking like she knew her backstory and narrowed her gaze when she realised that the woman was none other than that old man Tao¡¯s daughter! This bitch! What nonsense was she talking about? She has cleared up all her exams with flying colours, unlike her father who sucked up to others to get the position he wanted! Who was she looking down on? If she had the guts she should untie her and she will show her who was the boss! ..... ¡°I don¡¯t care if she is a murderer or not,¡± while Liu Hui Ying was cursing the woman, she heard the voice of another man whose face she could not see, all she knew was that he was standing protectively in front of her while dressed in a white medical coat, from the side she could see that his dark eyes were ring at the woman who was staggering on her feet looking seemingly drunk. She red at the man right back and shouted, ¡± Why do you have to care for her? She is...She is such a disgusting woman. If she was not a criminal why would she jump down the cliff and try to end her life? Isn¡¯t it because she has a guilty conscience?¡± The man did not say anything instead he bent down and picked up the white pillow that dropped on the floor when he pushed the woman and said coldly, ¡± I would like you to leave, if you don¡¯t then I will have to call the police since you tried to attack a patient in the hospital.¡± The woman looked at the man who was staring at her with hatred and me blended together and blinked her eyes as she said, ¡± Are you for real? My father will be appointed as the head of the detective department soon, do you really want to support this woman?¡± Who¡­who is going to be the head of the department? That bald Tao? How dare he! Did he push her off from behind or something? She was sure that something was off about her falling down the cliff! That Bald Tao! Let her at him! ¡± I don¡¯t know whether or not your father will be the head of the department but what I know is that if he continues to dig pits for others, he will fall into one soon,¡± the man ced the pillow on the side and then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who despite having her eyes wide open could not look at him since her body was no longer under her control. And because she could not see the man, she missed the love and adoration he held for her in those dark eyes of his. ¡± You¡­ you are going to regret this!¡± The woman shouted but the man did not take notice of her screams instead he pressed the bell that was resting on the table that was beside the hospital bed and then turned to look at the door as two nurses barged inside. ¡± Doctor Bo?¡± One of the maids looked at the woman who was ring at Doctor Bo and then turned to nce at the young man who tipped his chin at the woman who was drunk and then said, ¡± Miss Tao is drunk and she does not know what is good for her, have detective Tao take her away and tell him that if she continues to treat Miss Liu like she did today then I will be forgetting the promise that I have done to him.¡± The nurses nodded and walked over to where Miss Tao was but as soon as they grabbed her arms the woman jolted awake and shouted, ¡± You cannot do this to me! I am telling you, you cannot do this! I ¡­ I love you, Bo Silin!¡± Miss Tao confessed her love for Bo Silin then and there but the man did not even look at her for his eyes were locked on Liu Hui Ying who was lying on the bed. Seeing this Miss Tao was so agitated that she screamed at the top of her lungs, ¡± LIU HUI YING! You jinx! You killed your sister, why don¡¯t you die too? Do you have no shame!¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 263 - 263 The Queen woke up 263 The Queen woke up Bo Silin who has been calm throughout the entire ordeal turned to look at Tao Rin, when thetter saw that he was willing to look at her finally, her eyes shone brightly but instead of seeing the adoration that was kept safe for just Liu Hui Ying, she saw nothing but unblemished hatred and disgust in those dark pools. ¡± What are you being gentle with her for? Is she the daughter of the hospital¡¯s director or what? Drag her away like you are supposed to!¡± Bo Silin ordered the two maids, if Tao Rin was not a woman he would have pped her before dragging her away on his own. The maids were worried that Bo Silin will be affected by Tao Rin and that his mental health might suffer when he had surgery scheduled in the next hour, they immediately dragged Tao Rin away. Even though Tao Rin was being dragged by two nurses she continued to make a lot of noise, it took a lot of time for the two nurses to drag Tao Rin away. Once she was dragged out of the ward, Bo Silin turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and carefully caressed her head which was covered with bandages and said, ¡± Wake up soon, Hui Ying¡­ I am waiting for you, right here.¡± Who¡­? Liu Hui Ying wanted to ask but before she could even strain her pupils to shift and look at the man, she felt her consciousness tug again as darkness fell over her once again. ¡± Your majesty, please wake up.¡± ¡± Your majesty.¡± ¡± Your majesty!¡± ..... Qui Ai and nanny Gong continued to stay by Liu Hui Ying¡¯s side day and night as they shed tears of worry, they were afraid that if they were to leave her all alone, she might be affected by the air and the sunlight. They did not even dare to leave her alone even at night and if not for the Emperoring to keep the Queenpany they would have stuck to Liu Hui Ying in the night as well. ¡± It has been three days since the queen passed out, nanny Gong¡­will she wake up?¡± Qui Ai whose eyes have turned red after crying day and night turned to look at the old woman who was looking at Liu Hui Ying while wiping her with damn clothes. When Nanny Gong heard Qui Ai¡¯s words, she paused in her action of wiping Liu Hui Ying¡¯s face with the clean cloth and then turned around in a jiffy before smacking Qui Ai with the cloth on the butt as she fiercely scolded, ¡± What do you mean by whether or not the queen will wake up? Of course, she will wake up. Don¡¯t talk nonsense with me now, if you say a thing wrong then I will ¡­¡± Nanny Gong made a lot of violent movements before she harrumphed and turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was still looking pale and sickly. Looking at such a delicate-looking Liu Hui Ying who used to jump around all the time, Nanny Gong couldn¡¯t help but start sobbing again as she wiped her tears and said, ¡± My missy is such a gooddy, she is soft-spoken, lovely and her heart is made up of gold but yet some evil person attacked her like this! I hope that bastard gets loose motions and spends all his days in the restroom!¡± ¡± My gentle and nice missy, boohoo¡ª¡ª¡± ¡± THAT DAMN OLD MAN TAO!¡± Nanny Gong was still singing praises about how Liu Hui Ying was the most gentle woman of all time when suddenly thetter stood up from the bed and screamed a bunch of curses that rang in the courtyard. At first, no one spoke, Nanny Gong and Qui Ai were too shocked to react but then they saw Liu Hui Ying sitting up straight and immediately rushed to hug her. Nanny Gong who was getting worried because of Liu Hui Ying¡¯sck of response these days was the most joyous as she hugged Liu Hui Ying and cried, ¡± Your majesty, I am d that you are up! I promise that I will not be hard on you, so please do not scare me like this your majesty!¡± Liu Hui Ying blinked her eyes, she closed them and opened them again and again, when she saw the old-fashioned room with antiques that can only be found in the museum¡­ she finally realised that she was back in the imperial pce. Ahhhh! The heavens were going against her! Liu Hui Ying who wanted to rush up and beat the old man Tao was furious, she was so furious that she rolled her eyes many times before her eyespletely rolled in the back of her head and she fainted again. Nanny Gong did not expect that Liu Hui Ying will faint again, she looked at the really red Liu Hui Ying who might have fainted because of suffocation ( she wasn¡¯t, she was just too angry to keep her emotions stable) and immediately shouted, ¡± Someone go and call the imperial physician!¡± ¡­ The news of Liu Hui Ying waking up spread all over the imperial pce and Zhai Tianyu who was listening to theints of the ministers immediately sat up straight on his throne when he heard Yu Lingyun report that Liu Hui Ying woke up. Seeing him abruptly sit up the ministers all turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and blinked their eyes in surprise as for Zhai Tianyu, thetter smiled at his ministers and said awkwardly, ¡± There is something that Zhen very much needs to see¡­you know that book from the famous artist Xiao Luo? He has sent one of his books to me and I want to go and see it.¡± Xiao Luo was famous for drawing adult books, when the ministers heard that Zhai Tianyu actually wanted to finish the meeting because he wanted to read that adult book but in the end, they couldn¡¯t say anything after all, who did not know that the Emperor was a huge pervert! Zhai Tianyu: ¡°¡­.¡± The road of love is not easy, today I am a pervert and tomorrow I will be a heartbreak, yo. Chapter 264 - 264 A slap 264 A p ¡± Did she really woke up?¡± Yu Lingyun who was the first to rush to the courtyard that belonged to Liu Hui Ying asked her maids who were standing on the side of the bed, he turned to look at the two of them and pointed to the unconscious Liu Hui Ying and said, ¡± She doesn¡¯t look like someone who is going to wake up.¡± Nanny Gong wanted to say something scathing in response but she held herself back even though what Yu Lingyun said did not sound pretty, what he said was not wrong either, Liu Hui Ying was still looking pale and her body was just as cold as it was earlier, if not for the fact that Qui Ai was with her and watched Liu Hui Ying wake up, she would have thought that she was hallucinating because of her old age. ¡± Her majesty really did wake up,¡± Nanny Gong answered Yu Lingyun who was looking at her with a suspicious look in his eyes. ¡± She woke up and screamed ¡®Damn old man Tao¡¯ before she fainted again, I think she was a bit too excited and the blood ended up rushing in her head which caused her to faint.¡± At least that was what Imperial physician Shao told her earlier. ¡± Old man Tao?¡± Zhai Tianyu has been waiting for Liu Hui Ying to wake up silently on the side, when he heard Nanny Gong say that she woke up only to scream a single name and that too of a man, his eyebrows couldn¡¯t help but rise as he looked at Nanny Gong and asked, ¡± Who is this damn old man Tao?¡± ¡± This one has no idea, your majesty,¡± replied Nanny Gong as she lowered her head and apologized to Zhai Tianyu, she did not have any responsibility for this question, in fact when it came to her majesty these days, she truly did not have any responsibility regarding anything! What kind of name was ¡®damn¡¯ anyway? Zhai Tianyu too did not understand the word ¡®damn¡¯ but he did understand that Liu Hui Ying fainted because of someone surnamed Tao and there was indeed a Tao family in the imperial city. He turned to look at Zhai Heng and asked in a soft voice, ¡± If I am not wrong then there is an official Tao working in the imperial court, right?¡± Yu Lingyun was staring at Liu Hui Ying who was sleeping on the bed with his hands on his hips when he heard Zhai Tianyu¡¯s question, stunned he turned to look at Zhai Tianyu with a very slow turn of his neck. His turn of the neck was so slow that it made a creaking sound as he widened his eyes and looked at Zhai Tianyu with a questioning expression and asked, ¡± What are you going to do to official Tao hmm, your majesty?¡± Zhai Tianyu pursed his lips and replied with a frown, ¡± Her majesty called his name, so don¡¯t you think that I should¡ª¡ª¡± ..... ¡± No, I don¡¯t,¡± Yu Lingyun interrupted him as he looked at the man with a stunned look on his face. He did not think that his friend was this deep in love with the Queen, he was actually going on a human hunt just because his woman called the name of a man in her dream. With his hand still on his hips, he raised one hand and pointed at Zhai Tianyu and stated, ¡± You are not going on a killing spree just because the queen called the name of minister Tao, what are you going to justify his death with? That he offended the queen in her dreams and thus he deserves to die.¡± Zhai Tianyu paused and pondered for a while before he slowly asked, ¡± I ca¡­cannot do that?¡± ¡± Of course, you can¡¯t!¡± Yu Lingyun looked at his friend with a confused and disbelieving look on his face. No wonder people said that women were dangerous creatures, look at this only a few months and his intelligence was going in minus. He turned to look at Zhai Heng and said, ¡± Say something to him!¡± He pointed to Zhai Tianyu while demanding Zhai Heng take the reign of his younger brother. But he was doomed to be disappointed because the elder one turned to look at him and asked in the same hesitating voice, ¡± We really can¡¯t?¡± Yu Lingyun was speechless, was this really, all right? He was supposed to be the one who was all brawn and had no brains right? Howe he was the intelligent one in this group all of a sudden? But before he could say something snappish to the two idiots in front of him, he heard soft moaning behind him and then he turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was slowly waking up, his eyes lit up when he saw that Liu Hui Ying was awake and he immediately rushed to her side as he said, ¡°Your majesty, I am so d that you are up!¡± He originally did not have any good feelings towards the queen but now that the supernatural was after his life, he could only rely on this woman as long as she was up and about, he doesn¡¯t have to fear those spooky things which were why he needed to whitewash himself in front of the queen such that she will protect him when needed! However, as soon as he rushed towards the queen¡¯s bed, he paused and then turned to look at Nanny Gong before he asked, ¡± Do I look saddened? Aggrieved?¡± Nanny Gong looked at his face which was shining like he was looking at a te of gold waiting to snatch it and shook her head. ¡± You look rather ¡­excited, my lord.¡± Yu Lingyun blinked his eyes that were shining at the sight of his golden backer and then cleared his throat before he pulled a very sad expression and then lowered his head to look at Liu Hui Ying as he said, ¡± Your majesty! I was so worried about you!¡± But before he could finish speaking he felt a stinging pain in his cheek as he stumbled on the ground while clutching the side of his face. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 265 - 265 Down the wrong path 265 Down the wrong path Liu Hui Ying was already in a foul mood after finding out that the old man Tao whom she thought she has beaten was now spreading rumours about her in the department causing her promotion to be stopped and what was more his daughter actually tried to kill her! This mother! She was hoping to hop off the hospital bed and karate chop that girl but instead, she woke up in this pce. Again! But as if that wasn¡¯t enough, as soon as she woke up she saw a very ugly face looking down at her as if he was mourning for her death already and to top it all, it belonged to a man! A man! How can she be not upset? She was so upset that she immediately flung her hand on instinct and ended up pping the man who was hovering over her face. ¡± Darn, why are you crying like I am dead!¡± Liu Hui Ying sat up straight, if she was truly dead without suffering any unbearable pain and even returned to his body, then she would have been more than d, she would have even thrown death candy to everyone but instead, she was up and about in this ce! What was the point of crying like this? She should be the one who should be crying damn it! Her promotion and that old man Tao¡¯s pudgy old face that was begging to be hit, she lost everything! She red at Yu Lingyun who was sitting on the floor and asked, ¡± What were you doing¡ª- ah, damn it!¡± She cursed again when her hand started to turn red and her skin started to itch like she has been washed with water that was full of itching powder. Liu Hui Ying felt that she wanted to cry but had no tears to shed, she was attacked and sent to her real world where she was almost suffocated again and then she was sent back to this world where her allergies started to act up again, she was just a young woman in her early thirties! Can¡¯t she catch a break? Like what was she? A punching bag for the Gods, that they were beating her left and right without pausing even for a little bit. They better hope she goes to hell because if there was a heaven and she was given a ticket to that ce. She was going to make it a highway to hell! Just you wait! Her name will be written in golden inscriptions in heaven and even the lord of all Gods will shiver at her name! ¡± You should apply that ointment that I gave you, your majesty,¡± seeing that Liu Hui Ying¡¯s allergy was ring up, Zhai Heng kindly advised her but as soon as he said this advice two pairs of eyes turned to look at him. ..... Zhai Tianyu who felt that there was something wrong with his brother frowned and looked at thetter, why was it that he felt that there was something wrong with his brother¡¯s attitude? Though he trusted his brother so much that he did not think that there was anything wrong with him helping out his sister-inw a little bit. But Yu Lingyun who knew just how much Zhai Heng cared for the pearl ointment that he received from the outer province immediately smelled something fishy. He was a general and he often received many scars and injuries on his face and hands, there was a time when he was practising and ended up getting a scar on the back of his tricep which was why he asked Zhai Heng to give him the pearl ointment. And then this man told him that, ¡®It is for the woman who will win my heart.¡¯ The woman who will his heart! Everyone knew that the pearl ointment was so expensive that it could even buy half a mountain since it was concocted by the divine doctor and Zhai Heng saving it to hand it to his beloved was only right. Yu Lingyun did not find it weird either but now all of a sudden that pearl ointment fell into the hands of the Queen? No, no maybe he was thinking too much. Yu Lingyun thought in his head. Maybe it was another ointment. But then he turned to look at the Queen who rummaged around in her clothes that she was wearingst night and pulled out an extremely familiar wooden box. Yu Lingyun: ¡°¡­..¡± Fck! His brother was going down the wrong path! This ¡­This was not right! What was he going to tell his dear uncle in case these two brothers started fighting for the same woman? Yu Lingyun was someone who could not sit still even though he knew that he should not be discussing anything, he could not watch his brother fall down the wrong path which was why he hurriedly sped Zhai Heng¡¯s wrist and said, ¡± Youe with me, I need to pee !¡± ¡± Why do I need toe with you?¡± Zhai Heng was bewildered when he was pulled by Yu Lingyun, he did not understand why there was any need for him to follow Yu Lingyun to the restroom but thetter did not give him a chance to respond as he tugged him and said, ¡± Because I am scared!¡± Scared by you brother! Zhai Heng knew that Yu Lingyun had been acting weird ever since he found out that there were supernatural beings walking around in the imperial pce thus, he calmly followed him. Once the two of them were gone Nanny Gong and Qui Ai too left the room leaving Zhai Tianyu and Liu Hui Ying alone. Zhai Tianyu has been itching to see Liu Hui Ying wake up, he has been missing her liveliness and now that she was up and about, the ice that was covering his eyes melted away as he took a stool and then sat down next to Liu Hui Ying as he asked, ¡± How are you feeling my queen?¡± His voice was full of love and concern but Liu Hui Ying, this straight woman who was allergic to men only cared about her promotion and old man Tao, thus she did not feel any love from Zhai Tianyu and replied sourly, ¡± Like sh*t.¡± Zhai Tianyu: ¡°....¡± Chapter 266 - 266 Sarcastic words 266 Sarcastic words Zhai Tinayu was speechless though he was not hoping for a really heart-touching union where Liu Hui Ying was going to tell him that she has missed him and was very happy to be back, he at least thought that the Queen would be a tad bit nice to him, howe she woke up as if she has eaten gun powder? Liu Hui Ying was indeed filled with nothing but gunpowder at the moment, she was furious upon learning that the old man Tao was spreading rumours about her in the modern world and was coveting her promotion, what was more that bitch of a daughter of his actually tried to murder her! How can she be not furious? She was so mad that it was a good thing that she was not running around rampant! However, Liu Hui Ying was not a fool, she could understand that there was no point in getting angry at the moment. She did not have a way to return back to her own world and could only think of what happened when she was smacked at the back of her head, even if she was losing her consciousness, she did feel a string of yin energy getting inside her body, strictly speaking, the piece of Yin energy should have belonged to the original owner of the body she was upying. But instead of taking over this body that belonged to her, her predecessor actually refused to do so! Liu Hui Ying used her spiritual energy to take a look at her body that was lying in aa for more than three days and realised that because of theck of a soul, this body was on the verge of copse and if only this shell was not empty then she could have stayed in her own world! ¡® Why does that woman not want toe back?¡¯ Liu Hui Ying was going mad thinking about the answer to this question clearly this body belonged to that woman but she was actually refusing to take possession of this body. Why? And if she continues to do so then wouldn¡¯t it mean that Liu Hui Ying will be dragged into this body again and again even if she repeats the action from the night when she was attacked and put herself in danger? Liu Hui Ying could almost imagine herself falling unconscious in the middle of the streets if this woman suddenly got fussy and left her body because she did not want to continue living anymore. ¡® Damn!¡¯ She cursed as she raised her hands and furiously rubbed her face, she has to look for that woman but now that she knew that the woman did not want toe back to her body, she understood why she was not able to look for the soul of this body¡¯s predecessor. It turns out that the woman was actually hiding from her all along, now she was kind of curious to know whether the woman was killed by this man who was seated on her side or did she deliberately used the trick to end her life. But if that was the case then why did the womanmit suicide and why in the world was she dragged into this world? ..... Liu Hui Ying had a bunch of questions but it was just her luck that no one was there to answer her. Never mind for now she was going to keep her head in the game and solve this case that was in her hands before starting to look for this woman¡¯s soul again. She has to find a way to keep the soul of this woman trapped in this shell of a body lest she escapes again! But before that, she needed to teach a good lesson to that wicked thing that smacked her so hard that she saw her grandmother waving at her from the other side of the river! And she was going to start with this idiot first! She turned to look at the Emperor who was sitting on the side and asked, ¡± Do you know that one of your ministers contracted an evil being?¡± Zhai Tianyu could see that Liu Hui Ying was angry at the moment, so he cleared his throat and then said, ¡°¡­ We came to this conclusion after thinking about what happened to you in consort Su¡¯s courtyard, so yes I do have an idea that someone in the imperial court has gotten close to an evil being.¡± ¡± And did you find them?¡± She asked even further causing Zhai Tianyu to turn silent as he lowered his head and did not reply, it was not that he did not try to look for that minister who was involved with the evil being but he couldn¡¯t find anything. These past few days he has been eyeing his ministers so much and so carefully that everyone in the court thought that he was now interested in old men and wanted to try them which was why the ministers were now covering themselves from head to toe if not for the fact that they could not wear veils, they would have covered their faces with it as well. But even after getting his name dragged into the mud, he did not get any piece of evidence to find out who was the one involved with the evil being. Seeing that he was not replying Liu Hui Ying understood that he did not find anything and her face turned even more sullen and she could not help but say, ¡± Are you sure, you are the Emperor? Like someone contracted an evil being right under your nose and you couldn¡¯t even trace them? Like wow. You are truly something your majesty.¡± Zhai Tianyu, of course, understood her sarcasm but he did not get angry at her, in the end, he drew in a calming breath and then replied with a serene expression, ¡± I am sorry but when I was being enthroned I did not think that I need to learn the skills of how to be a ghost tamer, I will go and appoint a master as soon as possible.¡± ¡± Are you being sarcastic with me, your majesty?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked with narrowed eyes. And Zhai Tianyu immediately lowered his head as he smiled at Liu Hui Ying and said, ¡± I am not my queen, just stating the facts.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 267 - 267 Just as selfish 267 Just as selfish Liu Hui Ying red at the man before she turned to look away from him with a scoff. ¡± You have a fairly sharp tongue when you deal with me, your majesty. I wonder¡­¡± she turned to look at the man with a quick rundown gaze as she smiled and added, ¡± What happens when you are with your ministers? Where does this sharp tongue of yours go? On a holiday? Or does it starts yingng lock?¡± Zhai Tianyu looked at the woman who was sprouting nonsense in front of the King and was temporarily speechless, was the Queen really not worried that he will punish her? How can she act so recklessly? He raised his hand and then nursed his forehead, even though he was slightly annoyed by the Queen, he was thankful that she was up and about. ¡± I am only outspoken in front of people who I trust,¡± he answered with a calm expression on his face, he raised his head and looked at Liu Hui Ying who looked a bit awkward at his sudden confession and smiled. ¡± You are one of the very few people whom I trust my queen which is why I can speak my mind without worrying about anyone using my words against me.¡± Liu Hui Ying did not know what to do with these sudden heartfelt words, she turned her head to the side and pretended as if she hadn¡¯t heard him and then continued on speaking, ¡± This is not a small matter either, the spirit that attacked me is not just a poor old unfortunate soul that was left behind and turned malevolent slowly, its a corpse puppet.¡± ¡± A corpse what?¡± Zhai Tianyu has heard of wooden puppets, doll puppets and many other puppets but he has never heard of corpse puppets he looked at the woman who was sitting on the bed with a confused look in his eyes and felt as if he was mishearing things. Liu Hui Ying looked at him like she was looking at an idiot and then said in an annoyed voice, ¡°It¡¯s a corpse puppet, like training a corpse with a part of its soul intact in the shell that it has left behind while keeping the other half of the soul within your hands, as long as the master of the corpse puppet holds the part of the soul, the corpse puppet made by him will have no other choice but to follow his orders.¡± A frown etched on her delicate forehead and Liu Hui Ying felt her head throb as she started to nurse her forehead but then she felt the white bandage hinder her movements and she immediately stopped nursing her forehead before she turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and said, ¡± This is not a good sign, if there is a corpse puppet then it means that there is a dark warlock in the city as well one who is skilled with necromancy.¡± ¡± If we leave him alone who knows how much more damage he might bring to your imperial city,¡± she sighed heavily and then looked into Zhai Tianyu¡¯s eyes before shaking her head. ¡± One of your ministers is truly either aplete idiot or he ispletely inhuman toe into contact with someone like this because only those who have forsaken the path of righteousness and want to walk on the path set by the demonic sects will be able to learn such a skill.¡± Zhai Tianyu looked at Liu Hui Ying who was sighing and fell into deep thought, someone from the ministers of the court couldn¡¯t do anything so stupid, they were too smart to know the consequences of their actions so it can only mean one thing. They knew that they were in the wrong, they just did not care about anyone including the life and death of innocent citizens. ..... ¡± Is there a way to stop them?¡± Zhai Tianyu asked as he looked at Liu Hui Ying who was still rubbing her forehead because of the pain that was throbbing in the back of her head. ¡± Can you take care of them? I don¡¯t want the innocent citizens of my city to be killed for no reason at all.¡± Liu Hui Ying paused in her actions of rubbing her forehead and raising her head as she looked at the man in front of her with a sneering smile, ¡± Who wants to watch the people they care about die when there is no other choice is it?¡± ¡± Are you saying that you cannot stop them?¡± Zhai Tianyu¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at Liu Hui Ying. ¡± I thought that you will be able to save them, did you not say that you are a celestial master, can you not stop this from happening?¡± ¡± I am not your saviour, your majesty,¡± Liu Hui Ying replied as she turned to look at the man who was asking for the moon in return for handing her candy. She raised her head and then tipped her chin at the window that overlooked the backyard of her courtyard and continued, ¡°It¡¯s impossible, the warlock out there or whoever it is¡­ I don¡¯t think that I will be able to take them down.¡± She was not here to save the world, all she needed was to solve this case, find the soul of this woman and get out of there before she gets caught up in another trouble! Zhai Tianyu looked at Liu Hui Ying who was sitting on the side with a calm look on her face, he knew from the calmness on her face that she could take the culprit behind this down but she just did not want to, his heartbeat slowed down a bit as he looked at Liu Hui Ying and asked, ¡± Are you sure that you cannot take them down?¡± ¡± Of course,¡± Liu Hui Ying replied as she frowned and looked at him with an annoyed look on her face. ¡± Why do you keep asking me this?¡± ¡± That¡¯s because you know how to take him down, it is such that you cannot care less to take them down, isn¡¯t that the truth?¡± Zhai Tianyu remarked feeling angry and upset, the joy of meeting Liu Hui Ying turned into ashes as he realised that she was still as selfish as she was before, it was just him who thought that she has changed a bit, that she has opened her heart to him a little. But the truth was that she was still waiting to go back and because her heart was locked just like it was before she did not consider the crisis of his imperial city as her own. The more he thought about it the more he got upset, he no longer cared whether he was upset about her desiring to go back or was he upset because she was still as selfish as ever. Not wanting to say anything upset he flicked his sleeves and turned around to leave, seeing him go Liu Hui Ying frowned and screamed, ¡± Why are you getting upset for huh? Did you not want to see me go? Or are you upset that I want to leave without solving the problem for you?¡± Zhai Tianyu paused before turning to look at her as he calmly said, ¡± Neither, I just¡­¡± he paused before he turned around and left leaving Liu Hui Ying alone as she frowned. ¡± What ¡­what do you mean by just ¡­.? Hey! Hey! Reply to me! ¡° Chapter 268 - 268 To late to apologize? 268 Tote to apologize? ¡± What!¡± Liu Hui Ying screamed after Zhai Tianyu who has run away from her room, she was not being hard on him but she just could not withstand the fact that he has looked at her like she was a disappointment. His gaze was one she was very familiar with and thus, she could not control the anger she felt in her chest that was burning at the moment. ¡± Why are you looking at me like I am doing something wrong? Who are you to judge me, just because you are the Emperor, you think you can look at me like that huh?¡± She shouted at the door that was left behind by Zhai Tiayu, when Nanny Gong and Qui Ai heard Liu Hui Ying scream, the two of them rushed inside the room and looked at Liu Hui Ying who seemed to be very agitated. ¡°Your majesty, please calm down!¡± Seeing that Liu Hui Ying¡¯s emotions were not stable Nanny Gong hurried to make her lie down on the bed as she pushed Liu Hui Ying who was still shouting at the Emperor who has long left the courtyard. ¡± Looking at me like I am dirt on the ground? So what if I am selfish? Is there anyone who cares about me in this ce? I just want to go back, what is wrong with that?¡± Liu Hui Ying on the other hand did not calm down instead she continued to shout as she was pushed onto the bed. Was there anything wrong with her being selfish? Was there anything wrong with her not wanting to get involved in this mess? This was not her mess! This was not even her world, if not for that freak of an ident she would not have been dragged into this world, then what would have that man done? Wouldn¡¯t he have to face those people who were hiding in the dark on his own anyway? But now that she was here, he wanted her to clean up his mess for him. For what? She had her own life, her own problems to take care of! Liu Hui Ying breathed hard as she clenched her fist and banged it on the side of her bed as she yelled at the top of her lungs, ¡± I just want to go back! What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± She missed her world, she missed all the things that she could do there, yes people judged her but at least she could fight back. But now, even when she knew that she was being framed she could not do anything except lie in this bed and wait for another opportunity where she would be able to go back to her own world! ..... At least that man had his hands and legs moving! He could do anything he wanted even without herck of support but what about her? Her body was lying in the hospital and she could not even fight back while that old man Tao schemed against her. ¡± Cheating legally on his official wife is not enough? Poisoning his wife without facing any legal charges is not enough. Pushing another woman in the face of his wife and humiliating her is not enough? That man is a disappointment in himself and yet he looks at me like I am not good enough ?¡± She muttered furiously as she kicked the bedsheet that Nanny Gong was trying to cover her with on the floor and sat up straight. She pointed at the door with her finger and then ordered, ¡± Go and pass out my orders that no dogs or the Emperor is allowed to enter my courtyard! GO!¡± Nanny Gong looked at the agitated Liu Hui Ying and then turned to look at Qui Ai who was looking just as helpless but since they knew that they could not go against the Queen when she was like this, they could only lower their heads and act as if they were going to follow Liu Hui Ying¡¯s order. Dogs and Emperor not allowed? This entire pce belonged to the Emperor how can they bar him from not entering? ¡­. Zhai Tianyu was just as angry as Liu Hui Ying, he burst out of the courtyard that belonged to Liu Hui Ying and rushed back to his own pavilion, he did not even want to talk with anyone but as soon as he pushed the door off his study aside and took a step, he heard Yu Lingyun speak. ¡± What are you doing? She is a married woman! I am not saying that you are not allowed to fall in love with a woman but can you at least choose someone who is not covered with red gs?¡± His voice was pleading and Zhai Tianyu who did not expect to hear such gossip upon entering his study was stumped as he stayed at the threshold of his study, not knowing whether to go inside or not. This was really huge! His brother was actually in love with a married woman? He did not expect his brother to have such a heavy taste, in this time and space men rushed to get a reserved and untouched woman but his brother was actually in love with a married woman. Really love knew no bounds! But given that this was something that was rted to his big brother, he did not know whether or not he should go and talk to him or just leave Yu Lingyun at it because what Yu Lingyun was saying was the right thing as well. If his brother was to fall for a married woman then their love story was doomed to fail. Zhai Tianyu was just pondering over the fact whether he should retrace his steps, half of his anger long forgotten when he was spotted by Yu Lingyun whose legs trembled and he stuttered, ¡± Y¡­Your majesty? You¡­you are here?¡± They were done for! Zhai Tianyu heard that his brother was after his official wife! Now, what was he going to do? Was it toote for him to kneel and apologize? ¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 269 - 269 Isn’t it Normal? 269 Isn¡¯t it Normal? Zhai Tianyu knew that he could no longer turn around and leave, so he awkwardly smiled at his brother who was standing right beside Yu Lingyun, who stood in the centre of the room with his study table behind them and a pile of scrolls lying on their right. He smiled to ease the awkwardness but he did not know that his smile only made Yu Lingyun even more flustered, he looked at Zhai Tianyu who was smiling at him and thought that thetter has heard what he was saying to Zhai Heng. He was an idiot! He should have gone to talk somewhere else but then someone else would have heard him! Other than the study of the Emperor where even the Dowager Empress would have to ask for permission before entering where else should he have gone? ¡± Your¡­your majesty, please don¡¯t get angry..all right, I know this is a matter of pride but you shouldn¡¯t get angry, I mean it. You should give him another chance, I promise that he will surely change his ways,¡± before Zhai Tianyu could say anything Yu Lingyun started to apologize as he raised his hand and then pushed it right behind Zhai Heng making him bow. ¡± Leave this bear child to me, I will teach him how to walk on the right path real soon!¡± Yu Lingyun apologised again and again while he forced Zhai Heng to apologize along with him. At first, Zhai Tianyu was bemused by his actions but then he could not help but ask, ¡± Why are you guys apologizing like this? It¡¯s all right if elder brother fell for a married woman, as long as he knows that it is wrong there is no need for him to apologize like this, all right?¡± Zhai Tianyu trusted his brother and believed in him more than anyone, he thought that there was no way Zhai Heng would fall for his wife which was why he did not even think that Zhai Heng might have done anything that would let him down. Yu Lingyun however did not think like that, in his mind, they were already caught by Zhai Tianyu but thetter was so great that he was not getting angry at them and was even willing to forgive them. He raised his head and looked at his friend who treated his buddies better than he did his woman and immediately smiled, ¡± You are great your majesty, your heart is grander than the sea I have seen in this imperial city !¡± ¡± Okay ?¡± Zhai Tianyu did not understand half of the things that Yu Lingyun was saying but he somehow managed to say one word while looking at the two of them like he could not understand whatedy act the two of them were pulling at this moment. Zhai Heng rolled his eyes as he pushed Yu Lingyun¡¯s hands off his head and then stated firmly, ¡± He seemed to have been mistaken, it was an emergency and I did what I was supposed to do ¡­there were no extra feelings attached to my actions other than helping someone who was in need but this man here seemed to have misunderstood my actions and thought that I fell in love with a married woman. Do not fall for his foolish talks, your majesty.¡± ..... As he spoke, Zhai Heng red at Yu Lingyun. Even if he did not have the intention like this as Yu Lingyun was speaking this man might as well make him think of doing something like this! Yu Lingyun touched his nose, he too realised that he might have said too much which was why he lowered his head a bit embarrassed as he turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who was standing in front of him and smiled at him, ¡± I apologize to your majesty.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± Zhai Tianyu waved his hand and then walked over to the chair where he sat and then took a seat before heaving a heavy sigh. Seeing him sighing like this Yu Lingyun and Zhai Heng exchanged a nce with each other and then turned to look at Zhai Tianyu again before Yu Lingyun asked, ¡± What¡¯s wrong with your majesty? Did something upset you?¡± ¡± Other than the Queen what can upset me?¡± Zhai Tianyu scoffed as he raised his hand, curled his fingers into a fist and then banged it on the hard surface of the table. ¡± I told her that our imperial city was under the threat of someone evil, and do you know what she said to me? She told me to leave her alone. Saying that she could not solve this case for me.¡± ¡± Like hell, she can¡¯t!¡± The anger that was slowly simmering down started to simmer back up again, as he curled his lips to a side and then scoffed. ¡± She is the same woman who can summon an army of dead at her will and stab someone to death with ease. She can do anything that she wants but she just doesn¡¯t want to help me keep our countrymen safe and she is supposed to be the Empress, the mother of this imperial city, the protector of all!¡± His brows twisted in an ugly frown as he heaved a heavy breath as he snorted. ¡°I am not your saviour, your majesty!¡± He mimicked Liu Hui Ying as he mocked her and then sniffed haughtily. ¡± She could be anything she want to but she chose to be a passive onlooker who only wants to watch and do nothing! As my wife, it¡¯s her duty to protect the city when I can¡¯t¡­ if I can¡¯t even trust her with this then who should I trust?¡± Zhai Tianyu was so agitated that he did not even sense that he was slowly getting used to having Liu Hui Ying as his wife even talking about how he was going to trust her. Seeing him agitated like this Zhai Heng did not know what to say but Yu Lingyun who was standing on the side scratched the back of his head and said, ¡± Isn¡¯t it normal for her to help us?¡± Chapter 270 - 270 You are pretty as always 270 You are pretty as always ¡± What?¡± Zhai Tianyu¡¯s head snapped up as he looked at his general, this man was supposed to be loyal to him? Wasn¡¯t he? Then why was he speaking up for Liu Hui Ying instead of him? What was up with this man? Don¡¯t tell him that Yu Lingyun ended up getting infatuated with Liu Hui Ying, he has been like this ever since he was a kid every time he saw a person who was stronger than him, he would start following them day and night, wanting to learn this technique and that. Even though Yu Lingyun couldn¡¯t learn what Liu Hui Ying knew but that wouldn¡¯t change him from tailing after Liu Hui Ying, when he thought about it like this Zhai Tianyu could not help but narrow his eyes a little as he looked at Yu Lingyun sharply. Zhai Heng too turned to look at Yu Lingyun with doubtful eyes, this was the same man who was telling him that falling for the Queen was not good wasn¡¯t he, then howe he suddenly started to speak up for Liu Hui Ying? Yu Lingyun too understood that he was being eyed by two devils and immediately fell speechless. Though he will admit that the Queen was really strong and her strength made him admire her a little but she was not his type! She was so petite and he was so tall, if the two of them stood together then surely, he will be made fun of! There was no way he was going to fall for a petite woman all right? ¡± I mean to say that it is quite obvious that she would not want to help us,¡± though Yu Lingyun wanted to roll his eyes, he somehow managed to keep a straight face as he looked at his two friends who were eyeing him like he was theirpetitor. ¡® Wake up! You two are the ones who are going against each other not me, stop looking at me like that!¡¯ Was what Yu Lingyun wanted to shout literally but for the sake of their years of friendship and all the ups and downs they have gone through, he kept his lips tightly shut and swallowed the words that were right at the brim of his tongue. Instead, he rolled his tongue around and chewed the inside of his mouth before breathing out and saying, ¡± The Queen was almost killed by us twice.¡± He raised his hands and showed Zhai Tianyu two fingers that made the victory sign. ¡°It¡¯s one thing that she was not killed but you know, and I know that the Queen knows that we were the ones behind her assassination attempts.¡± He paused and then rolled his eyes. ¡± I am telling you that it is already good enough that the queen is only refusing to help us. I was actually getting afraid that she will send something haunting to chase after me¡ª¡ª Uwaa!¡± ..... Yu Lingyun let out a scream as he took a few steps forward and rubbed his behind. Just now he was sure that something cold touched his bottom, he rubbed his hands on his two cheeks and then shivered as he turned to look over his shoulders and asked Zhai Tianyu, ¡± Wh¡­did the Queen really send something after you?¡± Zhai Tianyu helplessly looked at consort Liu¡¯s ghost who was standing in the spot looking slightly affronted, she has been a pain in his ass for a while and because of this, he asked her to count the number of figures that were drawn on the ceiling, hoping to keep her as busy as possible such that she would not stick to him. He promised that if she finished counting the figures he will sit down and listen to everything that she has to say, it was not like he was not listening to her already. He was listening to her so much that his ears were falling off but he somehow managed to get some peace for himself. Just now consort Liu was counting the figures and bumped into Yu Lingyun causing him to jump up. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± he waved his hand and looked at Yu Lingyun who was totally freaked out as he looked left and right before turning to look at the same spot where he was standing. ¡°It¡¯s just¡ª¡ª¡± ¡± A water demon?¡± ¡± An ice demon?¡± ¡± Or something else? I haven¡¯t felt so cold like this before!¡± Yu Lingyun told Zhai Tianyu who raised his head, looked at his annoying friend and then spat out. ¡°It¡¯s nothing just Consort Liu¡¯s ghost.¡± Yu Lingyun: ¡°...¡± Yu Lingyun: ¡°¡­.¡± ??? Yu Lingyun: ¡°...¡± !!!! ¡Æ(; ¡ã0¡ã) A wretched scream rang out in the courtyard before Zhai Heng who was standing in the middle of the study was pulled out by Yu Lingyun. ¡± I need to ask her whether or not she saw someone,¡± Zhai Heng told Yu Lingyun but thetter was too upset and scared of the fact there was a ghost in the study which he was not made aware of, he looked at Zhai Heng who was still trying to stay behind and said with a hint of desperation in his voice, ¡± Do you want to stay here and question or do you want toe and stay with your distort childhood friend? Make your choice! Right now!¡± Zhai Heng wanted to say that he was going to stay but Yu Lingyun who was looking at him stared at him with a stubborn expression that said if Zhai Heng dared to say that he was going to stay behind he was going to get really upset and stop talking to him. Used to Yu Lingyun¡¯s tantrum, Zhai Heng had no other choice but to follow him out of the room, leaving Zhai Tianyu alone with Consort Liu who was very much offended and turned to look at Zhai Tianyu before she coquettishly said, ¡± Do I look that scary, your majesty?¡± Not wanting to hear a ghost wailing in his ears day in and day out, Zhai Tianyu simply shook his head and said, ¡± Not at all my dear consort, you are just as pretty as you were before.¡± Chapter 271 - 271 We need to keep reminding them 271 We need to keep reminding them In the imperial pce, it was not only the Queen and the Emperor who had a bad mood, there was someone else who was in a really gloomy mood. ¡± Your highness, I know that you are upset but you should eat something at least,¡± Xiaolin did not know what happened three days ago on the night of the Empress¡¯s ident, all she knew was that her mistress came back with tears streaming down her eyes. Her skin was blotchy and red, while she cried and cried for a very long time, even now her mistress would end up bursting out in tears every once in and now. What was even more troublesome was the fact that her mistress was not eating, she was not even going out on a walk and stayed in her courtyard all day long. When she asked Ji Yu what was wrong with her, thetter would smile ruefully and start talking in a confusing manner causing her to be stumped. She was not literate and Ji Yu¡¯s poetry only caused her to get more bewildered. ¡± I am not hungry, Xiaolin,¡± Ji Yu replied as she picked up her brush and looked down at the nk paper but even after having her arm raised and brush clutched in her fingers all set to draw, she wanted to draw something such that she will be able to ease her mind and heart but no matter how much she tried to forget that night where she realised that the Emperor was slowly changing and getting inclined towards the Empress, Ji Yu could not do it. Even now she could remember the sight of the Emperor running away from her without looking back even once. ¡± You haven¡¯t been hungry for more than three days,¡± Xiaolin brought the tray with foodid on top of it and then ced it in front of Ji Yu, she looked at thetter with a concerned look in her eyes and said, ¡± I know that you are upset your highness but there is no need for you to be so upset that you will turn a blind eye to your health.¡± ¡± Imperial physician Shao said that you need to eat as much food as you can to dispel the poison in your body, if you keep acting like this, you will only damage your body even further.¡± ¡± I wonder if anyone will even care if that happens,¡± Ji Yu muttered as she kept staring at the nk piece of paper, for once even the dark thought of starving herself until her health declined came into her head, she wanted to see whether or not Zhai Tianyu woulde rushing for him just like he did was Liu Hui Ying but then she pursed her lips and ignored that thought she knew that if she did something like that then she will be pushing Zhai Heng away from her again. ..... ¡± Your highness¡ª¡ª¡± ¡± The Grand Dowager Empress is entering!¡± Before Xiaolin could say anything more, the guard who stood outside the courtyard announced the arrival of the Grand Dowager Empress causing both Xiaolin and Ji Yu to turn silent as they both scrambled to their feet and then waited to greet the Grand Dowager Empress. ¡± Long live your majesty, the grand dowager Empress!¡± Both Ji Yu and Xiaolin bowed down as they greeted the Grand Dowager Empress. The elderly woman was dressed in a soft peach-coloured dress with jewellery that could be counted as nothing but dainty and simple. She had a gentle smile on her face as she walked over to where Ji Yu was and said, ¡± You can rise.¡± Both Ji Yu and Xiaolin stood up straight as they looked at the Grand Dowager Empress who was smiling benevolently at them. ¡± Your Majesty, why did youe here? If you wanted to see me then you could have called me, I would havee to see you,¡± Ji Yu looked at Grand Dowager Empress and politely smiled at him as she turned to look at Xiaolin who immediately understood her sign and then walked over to the small tea table where she cleaned up everything and started to prepare tea for the Grand Dowager Empress. ¡°It¡¯s all right, I have been staying in my courtyard for a very long time, I think its only right for me to take a walk in the imperial pce every once and now,¡± the Grand Dowager Empress replied with a wave of her hand as she kept smiling and teasingly added, ¡± And a little birdie told me that you did not like leaving your courtyard these past few days.¡± Ji Yu¡¯s expression stiffened as she turned to look at Xiao Mi who lowered her head and did not look at her but she knew that it was not Xiao Mi¡¯s fault, it must have been Xiaolin who went ahead and spoke without thinking. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, your majesty¡­ it is like this¡­¡± Ji Yu began speaking but then she was interrupted by the Grand Dowager Empress who smiled at her and said, ¡± Do you think that you can fool me? There is no need for you to worry about something like this.¡± She then turned to look at the maids who followed her into the room and the maids who were in the room with Ji Yu. ¡± Leave us.¡± The maids including Xiaolin did not have any other choice but to lower their heads and then leave the room without raising their heads. Once they were gone, the grand dowager empress turned to look at Ji Yu and said, ¡± I have long heard what is going on between you and his majesty, that boy, he seemed to have been infatuated by the Empress. What a pity. But then again men are all like that they will fall for the new and forget their old ones, which is why¡­.¡± She turned to look at Ji Yu and smiled with a hint of slyness as she added, ¡± You need to remember them who we are since they are such forgetful creatures. Don¡¯t you think Ji Yu?¡± Chapter 272 - 272 don’t be an endless pit 272 don¡¯t be an endless pit ¡± Your majesty, that¡¯s not ¡­.¡± Ji Yu wanted to tell her aunt that there was no need for her to worry about anything and that she will deal with this matter on her own but the Grand Dowager Empress did not give her the chance to do so, she raised her hand and stopped Ji Yu from talking before she walked over to the tea table and sat down on the wooden chair after a soft flick of her sleeves. The Grand Dowager¡¯s gaze fell on the cups that were ced on the table and then she tutted lightly before turning to look at Ji Yu as she asked, ¡± Are you still drinking that tea from that old shop? I told you that you are now the imperial concubine, you should be making use of the finest clothes and everything that your hands touch, why is it that you are still buying tea from that broken old shop?¡± ¡± I was just doing some charitable work and it was too much of a waste to throw it all away,¡± Ji Yu clenched her fingers behind her back as she lowered her head, when she was young she was helped by a street vendor who had a small shop in the town. Because she felt pity for the old shopkeeper who did not make much living with the homegrown tea leaves that he sold, she would send Xiaolin to buy them for her. She only did it because she wanted to help the old shopkeeper but when she brewed the tea leaves that were grown by him, she ended up liking it and started drinking it every now and then. Xiaolin must have taken the tea leaves out to cheer her up but because the grand Dowager Empress arrived all of a sudden she ended up brewing this tea for the old woman as well, mistakenly forgetting that the Grand Dowager Empress was someone who prided herself on being the wife of thete Grand Emperor and only used the finest things. Even though the things that she now used were not as shy and gaudy as they used to be when she married the Late Grand Emperor, they were still pretty expensive for example the dress she was wearing right now was made from cloud silk, the finest silk that was sold for more than a hundred gold taels for a single clothing piece. ¡± How many times do I have to tell you this?¡± The Grand Dowager Empress released a long annoyed sigh as she looked at Ji Yu, but instead of raising her voice, she did the exact opposite. She lowered her voice and continued speaking in a disappointed voice, ¡± I have been trying to understand you, Ji Yu. I really am but you cannot expect to act like some groundless, worthless street rat and then hope that you will be able to be the Empress, if you want to be the Empress then you need to step up first and be a deserving candidate for the throne of the Empress.¡± She turned her head to the teapot and flicked it down with her hand causing the porcin teapot to break into thousands of pieces and the tea to stter all over the floor. The Grand Dowager¡¯s actions caused Ji Yu to flinch as she curled her feet on which the hot tea drops has fallen just now but she did not make a sound. This was her aunt, what she was doing was right. She was only doing this because she cared about her and wanted to see her seed and nothing else. ..... ¡± Forgive me, your majesty, I will keep this in my mindter on,¡± Ji Yu bowed her head as she asked for forgiveness, she had done something wrong and made her aunt get angry. It was only right for her to lower her stance and apologize, having done that she wanted to crouch down and pick up the shards of the cup but was stopped by her aunt who hissed sharply. ¡± What are you doing? Is this your job?¡± The Grand Dowager Empress red at Ji Yu who dropped the shard that she has picked up and awkwardly stood back up in her position as she was earlier. The Grand Dowager Empress rolled her eyes and then rubbed her forehead as she muttered, ¡± It would have been so good if Tianyu befriended your cousin instead of you, she is so much smart and knows what she needs to do.¡± Ji Yu stiffened and lowered her head, she could feel her eyes burning but she did not let the tears that were almost on the verge of seeping out fall, instead, she bit her lip and pretended to hear what the Grand Dowager Empress was telling her. Seeing that Ji Yu was not saying anything the Grand dowager Empress to realised that she might have overstepped her boundaries which was why she cleared her throat and then said in a much more softened voice, ¡± I am not saying that you are wrong Yu¡¯er but you need to understand that you cannot win the throne if you continue to act like this, you have to get smarter with time, do you understand that?¡± ¡± Your father wanted to bring your cousin to the imperial pce given your situation he did not want our Ji family to not give birth to an heir to the throne, it was I who stopped him or else you would have to fight with your cousin along with the Empress, I was worried that you will have a tough time and which is why I took this risk even though when I knew that you cannot give birth to a child.¡± ¡± I have done so much for you, Ji Yu¡­the least you can do is listen to your aunt and follow what I tell you to do lest you make all my sacrifices fall into an endless pit? You don¡¯t want to be an endless pit do you, Ji Yu?¡± Grand Dowager Empress asked with a soft and endearing voice causing Ji Yu to shake her head as she replied, ¡± I don¡¯t aunt.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 273 - 273 Too naive 273 Too naive On the other side of the pce Liu Hui Ying who did not know that she was getting schemed against felt shivers dancing up and down her spine. With a nket wrapped around her small figure and Nanny Gong supporting her from the side, Liu Hui Ying looked left and right. What was this? Why was she shivering for no reason now? Who was scheming against her now? Her head was already burst open and yet someone was nning against her, these people they seriously have no heart at all. ¡± Your majesty, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you trembling like this?¡± Qui Ai was in charge of feeding the sick Liu Hui Ying and thus she was blowing on the hot noodles before feeding Liu Hui Ying but then she noticed thetter shiver causing her to stop and turn to look at Liu Hui Ying who was trembling for no reason. ¡± I don¡¯t know, I just felt a chill climb up my spine,¡± Liu Hui Ying couldn¡¯t tell Qui Ai that she was feeling the chill because someone was nning something against her which was why she could only answer vaguely. Her senses even thoughpletely defective sometimes would work rather grandly and when they did she knew that they were working in the right direction, right now her gut was telling her that someone was scheming against her and she who knew that her faulty gut feeling was right could only hopelessly curse the person who was scheming behind her back. She had to go back to her world even if she was to drag her broken body back she will have to go back! With that thought in her head, she opened her mouth open to take a bite of the noodles that were in front of her but as soon as she opened her mouth and chomped down hard on the noddles, the chopsticks with noodles vanished causing Liu Hui Ying¡¯s teeth to grasp nothing but air. Pain shot through her mouth as she covered her lips and looked at Qui Ai in shock, what was going on with all of them? She was already hurt like this and they were doing things like this? The emperor almost got her blood pressure to reach its peak and now this maid of hers was actually doing things like this to break her teeth. Stab her why don¡¯t you? End this once and for all! ..... ¡± Qui Ai, what are you doing?¡± Liu Hui Ying gritted out while checking her teeth to make sure that she could feel them and that none of them was chipped or broken. Qui Ai was slightly embarrassed, she did not expect the Queen to open her mouth and take a bite, the second she took the food away the Queen will take a bite. With a blush coating her cheeks, Qui Ai lowered her head and apologised, ¡± Forgive me, your majesty, I was worried that you will take a bite of this and thus took it away.¡± Liu Hui Ying who was leaning against Nanny Gong to soothe her hurt soul immediately sat up straight upright as she looked at Qui Ai first before her gaze fell to the bowl and she raised her fingers to point at it and said, ¡± Is this poisoned?¡± Goodness, death traps left and right! If she does not die out of high blood pressure because of that Emperor, she will be killed by something else! ¡± Of course not, your majesty,¡± Qui Ai shook her head and then looked at Liu Hui Ying before she apologetically spoke, ¡± You are sick, which is why you need to eat something nd and light. Like porridge, these noddles are spiced up, I will bring something light for you.¡± Liu Hui Ying did not want to eat nd food, she was not sick and she was not going to let Qui Ai take her spicy chilli noodles either. ¡± I am not sick, you give me that bowl. I will eat it and sweat it all out, I will be fine!¡± ¡± No can do that, your majesty¡± Qui Ai whom Liu Hui Ying thought was a simple and naive girl who listened to everything that she said, moved the bowl faster than a baby would snatch something from their parent¡¯s te. With an unusually stern gaze, Qui Ai looked at Liu Hui Ying and said, ¡± You need to eat something light your majesty when you are sick, if you eat something like this then you will certainly get a stomachache.¡± After she was done saying this she picked up the bowl and then walked out of the room, leaving a very distorted Liu Hui Ying behind who looked at the bowl as if her lover was being ripped away from it and then rolled her eyes furiously for a few times. That¡¯s it! That does it! She could take being attacked at the back of her head, and she could take the Emperor raising her blood pressure but this was where she was going to put her foot down! No one, she repeated No one was allowed to take her food away. ¡­. Liu Hui Ying who swore in her head for the sake of spicy food and delights, crawled out of her bed and then turned her cab upside down to look for the talisman papers, she was not going to make a talisman but Nanny Gong and Qui Ai both were guarding the front door and the backyard door as well, she needed to sneak out of the courtyard under their noses which was why she has to make an invisibility talisman. ¡± You think that you can lock me up just because you are standing in front of the doors?¡± Liu Hui Ying sniffed and moaned as she picked up a small knife and then made a small cut on her thumb. ¡± You two are too naive, hehe¡­if I want to get out of this ce then no one can stop me! Tonight I am solving that case and getting the fck out of this hell hole!¡± Chapter 274 - 274 Difference between novice and expert 274 Difference between novice and expert ¡± The maid killed herself?¡± Yu Lingyun asked with a frown as he looked at Zhai Heng who solemnly nodded, they have been looking for the killer who assassinated Consort Liu and Consort Su, after much looking around they finally caught a clue and were so looking forward to dealing with this case once and for all but then the clue was killed as well! Zhai Heng had asked one of his shadow guards to keep an eye on the maids of the kitchen, in fact, he did not think that he will find any clues after so long but surprisingly his shadow guard brought him the information that one of the maids from the kitchen was actually acting suspicious, she was responsible for filling up the barrels but these days she was refusing to do so and she even stopped washing the barrels. The information was enough to point out that maid was in cahoots with the killer but they still did not attack her at once instead they waited to collect as much information as they could and it was only after they found out that the maid was carrying a talisman everywhere she went and was spooked out at the smallest thing did theye to the conclusion that she was indeed involved with the killer. Tonight they were supposed to be interrogating the maid but before they could even catch her, one of the guards told them that the maid died by jumping in the pond and killed herself. ¡± What¡¯s going on, why are they all dying in the pond one after another ?¡± Yu Lingyun could not understand why the killer was killing everyone by throwing them into the water, just like consort Su and consort Liu, they knew that the maid did notmit suicide instead she was killed by the killer. Just like Consort Su and Consort Liu, they found traces of her being killed. There were finger imprints at the back of the neck of the maid and her eyes were open, why would a maid who wanted to kill herself keep her eyes open? If she was jumping down the pond to kill herself then she would have closed her eyes. But when they found the body of the maid, her eyes were open and she was staring at the horizon with terror etched on every single line of her face. ¡± I don¡¯t understand either,¡± Zhai Heng didn¡¯t want to ask Liu Hui Ying¡¯s help, she got injured so badly when she was looking for the clues regarding this case, and he did not want her to get attacked again which was why he wanted to find all the clues by himself. But the thing was that he was not an investigator, he was a leader who was supposed to be leading the special army of the Emperor. The crime investigation department was under the Ji family, if they were to ask for their help, the Ji family will take the opportunity to frame the Empress and they did not want that which was why even though they were having a hard time flying around like a pair of headless flies they could only do what they were capable of. ¡± Maybe the guy has some water fetish,¡± a voice joined them out of nowhere and Zhai Heng along with Yu Lingyun who did not expect this to happen at all jumped up. They looked left and right but did not see anyone, Yu Lingyun who got terrified even at the mention of the word ¡®ghost¡¯ let out a whimper and turned to look at Zhai Heng. ..... ¡± My¡­My dear friend, you also heard that right? Please tell me that you heard it as well,¡± he said to Zhai Heng, he did not want to be the only one who was being haunted by a ghost. At the same time he could not help but curse Zhai Tianyu for being too much of a bully, he was the one who went ahead and fought with the queen and yet as his friend he ended up getting burned by the me that his good brother ignited. Zhai Heng on the other did not seem as scared instead he raised his hand and then unsheathed his sword before whipping it out and then pointing in the direction from where the voice came and said, ¡± Who is there? Come out now before I shred you to pieces.¡± ¡± You are really impatient aren¡¯t you? Are you the type of guy who rips than taking something off?¡± Liu Hui Ying was on the way to the courtyard of the consort Su when she saw these two men talking, which was why she stopped and listened to their conversation, it was just that she ended up getting a bit too engrossed with their conversation and theories that shepletely forgot to take the invisibility talisman off her body and spoke up. Zhai Heng was stunned when he heard the voiceing from behind, he whipped around with a twist of his feet and then aimed the tip of his sword at Liu Hui Ying¡¯s neck. ¡± Woah what are you doing?¡± Liu Hui Ying leaned back as she pushed the sword away with the tip of her fingers. ¡± I am here to help you, this is not the way you should be treating me.¡± ¡°Your..your majesty, what are you doing here? No, that¡¯s not important how did youe out without being caught?¡± He heard from Zhai Tianyu that Liu Hui Ying¡¯s father was very upset with him and sent a bunch of guards of his own family to guard his daughter upon finding out that the Emperor did not take proper care of his daughter which was why he thought that there was no way Liu Hui Ying would be able to sneak out of the pce. Turns out that he was the one who was foolish enough to believe something like this. ¡± Oh that was pretty simple,¡± Liu Hui Ying replied as she lifted the talisman in her hand and said, ¡± You see this right?¡± The two men nodded, seeing them nod Liu Hui Ying stuck and then unstuck the talisman on her body. ¡± I can get invisible with this so..what¡¯s wrong with you general Yu?¡± She noticed the burning gaze locked on her face and could not help but ask. Yu Lingyun looked at the invisibility talisman with a dreamy look in his eyes and said, ¡± Do you need a dog, your majesty?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Please check out my other works ¡ª- 1) hot bloodsuckers¡¯ obsession if you want to see harem romance. 2) Vengeance of the moon if you want a strong fl who destroys her bullies. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 275 - 275 Not a damsel in distress 275 Not a damsel in distress ¡± What nonsense are you saying?¡± Zhai Heng was really embarrassed he turned to re at Yu Lingyun who was standing next to him and wanted to smack him on the back of his head. This man did he really say something like that? However, even though Zhai Heng was embarrassed on ount of Yu Lingyun¡¯s words, he did not hit Yu Lingyun given that the man was his friend and hitting him would be too humiliating and rude on his part but he still raised his feet and then stomped on Yu Lingyun¡¯s feet to snap him out of the daze he was in! No, sooner did he stomp on the foot of thetter, Yu Lingyun snapped out of his daze he turned his head to look at Zhai Heng before he turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was looking at him with part disbelief and part confusion . mes of embarrassment started to burn Yu Lingyun¡¯s face as he lowered his head and said, ¡± No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Just now he was very attracted by the invisibility talisman, if he had it with him then he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about being killed in the war and would be the strongest undefeated warrior. At least with this talisman, he did not have to sacrifice a bunch of soldiers to break through the enemy army line to kill their general! Liu Hui Ying too decided to ignore Yu Lingyun¡¯s abrupt explosion, she did not wish to answer the question that he has just spoken and then turned to look at Zhai Heng and said, ¡± I heard that another maid has been killed, is her corpse kept in the ice house?¡± The crime investigation department had a small morgue that was built next to the prison. The bodies of the criminals who killed themselves while they were being investigated were kept in the morgue that had beds of ice blocks inside it. ¡± Yes, she was killed just a few hours ago which was why her body is not taken away by her family.¡± The maid was not purchased by the imperial pce, she was the one who came to ask for work in the imperial pce on her own this was one of the many reasons Zhai Heng suspected her, he heard from the head maid that the woman was trying to leave her job from the past few days, but she refused because the kitchen was already having a tough time because of theck of staff. Since the maid could run away at any moment, she became one of the prime suspects in his eyes. Liu Hui Ying nodded and then carefully pondered over before she took out her scalpel and said, ¡± Can you bring me to the body of that maid? I want to examine her corpse.¡± Her eyes flickered as she calcted in her head and added, ¡± I think the case will be over tonight.¡± ..... Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun were pleasantly surprised, sure enough, this was the difference between the novices and the expert, they were having a headache thinking about what they were going to do now but Liu Hui Ying, this expert said that she was going to solve the case tonight. ¡± Sure, sure,¡± Yu Lingyun immediately agreed, he was having a headache because of this case. Consort Liu was an adopted daughter and thus the amount of drama that her death brought could still be managed by him but his soldiers were having a hard time stopping the Su family members who were protesting outside the pce. Everyday minister Su would take a jab at Zhai Tianyu before turning to the Ji family who will further argue that they were not in charge of investigating the case before emphasizing that thete Consort Su was the one who was at the fault for being involved with messy people and this will incite the wrath of the left prime minister who will further escte the matter to the point where the court will be a fighting ring, he waspletely tired acting as the referee of the wrestling matches being held in the court and his long hair was suffering so much by being pulled and tugged that he was going to go bald very soon. Liu Hui Ying did not know the sufferings of Yu Lingyun, she only thought that thetter was in a hurry to solve the case. She followed him to the morgue with Zhai Heng who walked next to him, he seemed to be struggling with something. Liu Hui Ying did not have any ill feelings towards this man, even though he was the brother of that blood-pressure-rising Emperor, he has been kind to her at least she did not see him doing anything that will raise her blood pressure and thus she turned to him and asked, ¡± What are you hesitating for just spit it out?¡± She thought that she was being kind but Zhai Heng almost choked on air when he heard her speak to him in such an impatient voice. He cleared his throat while thinking that he might have done something to annoy Liu Hui Ying and said, ¡± I am sorry.¡± ¡± What?¡± Liu Hui Ying did not hear him since he spoke so lightly and turned to look at him with a frown. ¡± What did you say?¡± ¡± I said I am sorry,¡± Zhai Heng repeated, he took a deep breath and turned to look at Liu Hui Ying with an apologetic look on his face as he continued speaking, ¡± I am sorry for what happened to you, I should have stayed next to you and saved you when it was necessary because of my carelessness you got hurt like this.¡± Liu Hui Ying stared at the man with herrge eyes blinking and then scoffed, ¡± Why are you apologizing? I am the one who did not pay attention and it was my fault. You do not need to make it sound like you made a mistake while doing your duty.¡± ¡± But it is my duty¡ª¡ª¡± ¡± No, it¡¯s not anyone else duty to protect me.¡± Liu Hui Ying interrupted Zhai Heng as she raised a brow and firmly spoke. ¡± I am responsible for myself, don¡¯t treat me like some damsel in distress who needs a man to save her. If I die then it¡¯s because I was not good enough to fight back and not because someone else did not do a good job while protecting me.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 276 - 276 Lets head to the crime investigation department 276 Lets head to the crime investigation department Zhai Heng did not say anything and stayed silent on the other hand Liu Hui Ying looked at him with a small smile and finally ended her long speech, ¡± And you do not have to me yourself for what happens to others, as long as you know in your heart that you tried your best. If you save them then it¡¯s okay but if you can¡¯t then it is okay too, feeling guilty for a few days is fine but make sure that you do not spend your life away in guilt just because you were not paying attention or were not fast enough, all right?¡± She turned around to leave after she was done speaking and Zhai Heng who was left behind waspletely silent, no one has spoken such words to him, not even his grandmother whom he respected and loved so much. Even she sometimes would ask him to work hard saying that he shouldn¡¯t let a repetition of that day happen ever again and pushing him to work harder than ever. Had she ever told him that he was not at fault for what happened that day? As Zhai Heng tried to recall he was surprised to realize that his grandmother has never said these words to him in the past, even though she has never said it outright, he knew that his grandmother med him for that incident and so did Zhai Heng. But now Liu Hui Ying was telling him that it was all right for him to not feel guilty? Can he really do that? Can he really let go of the past? He raised his head and looked at the moon that was shining brightly in the sky and for the first time in many years, he felt like the wind that was blowing past him was no longer as cold as bleak as it used to be. ¡­ The three of them arrived at the morgue that was next to the prison because the people of this era did not have any proper tools to keep the dead body intact for a long time thus the morgue waspletely empty except for three dead bodies lying on the pieces of ice blocks. Yu Lingyun who would start acting jumpy every time he saw a ghost was unusually calm in the presence of the dead bodies, in his defence as long as the dead body did not have a lingering soul attached to it and that lingering soul was nowhere near him, he was not scared of them. Zhai Heng was not even scared of ghosts, so taking a look at dead bodies was an easy feat for him as well, what was more the Queen was here and she was even examining the dead body of the maid with her hands, she did not even feel icky so how can he feel icky? ..... Liu Hui Ying at this moment was bending down slightly as she examined the back of the neck of the maid when she found Liu Fei Fei¡¯s body and saw that the woman¡¯s head was pushed in the water a lot of times before she waspletely killed, she thought that the killer had a fierce hatred towards Liu Fei Fei. But then she examined consort Su¡¯s body and was surprised to see that even consort Su¡¯s neck seemed to have been squeezed and pushed in the water several times. However, nanny Gong told her that consort Su and consort Liu were good friends that could count as them having the same enemy but now that she was examining the body of the maid, she was more one less assured that the murderer did have a personal grudge with the two women but he did not push their necks inside the water because of the grudge he was holding, it was more like he was getting rid of something. And that something was what Liu Hui Ying had missed while examining the body of the dead Liu Fei Fei. Liu Hui Ying¡¯s eyes narrowed as she used the magnifying ss in her hands to look at the back of the neck of the maid, it was after looking for a very long time that was she able to find what she was looking for, a victorious glint shed in her eyes as she turned to look at Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun who were standing beside her and she asked, ¡± You said that this maid just died a few hours ago, did you find any note or something next to her?¡± Given the habit of leaving a note beside the dead body of the murderer, Liu Hui Ying could not help but ask. If that man left notes beside the dead bodies of Liu Fei Fei and consort Su, surely he will leave one next to this maid as well. ¡± There was indeed one,¡± Yu Lingyun was surprised when he heard the Queen ask whether the maid had a letter with her at the time of her death or not, he did not understand how the Queen knew so certainly that there was a note left in the quarters where the maid used to leave. He rummaged in his pockets before he pulled the letter out of his back pocket and handed it to Liu Hui Ying who took it, he thought that thetter would examine it properly but instead, he saw her take the letter and take a long ¡ª¡ªwhiff of the ink. Yu Lingyun: ???? I do admit that the scent of ink is the best but was this the time to smell the scent of the ink? Liu Hui Ying took a whiff of the gentle scent of the ink and her eyes shed before she turned to look at Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the crime investigation department, there is something that I want to say to them.¡± As she spoke she strode out of the morgue leaving a very speechless Yu Lingyun and a very confused Zhai Heng behind. Chapter 277 - 277 Impossible! 277 Impossible! ¡± Why is the queen here at the crime investigating department? Don¡¯t tell me is she giving up?¡± Yu Lingyun could not understand the reason for the Queen¡¯s visit to the crime investigation department no matter how much he tried to think about it over and over again. In the end, when he realized that he could not understand the reason, he finally turned to look at Zhai Heng who was standing beside him for an answer, the Queen was bringing the two of them here, did it not mean that she was raising the white g? Zhai Heng did not understand the reason either, but he knew that Liu Hui Ying was not someone who would raise the white g without burning down her opponent¡¯s base. He turned to look at Yu Lingyun who was already staring at him and after some thought said calmly, ¡°You should wait and see what the Queen is trying to do first, I don¡¯t think she will ept defeat so easily.¡± Yu Lingyun thought about it and nodded, even he has to admit that what Zhai Heng said made sense there was no way the Queen will be the first one to raise the white g, she was the type of woman who will burn someone¡¯s white g if they were to raise one before she was done throwing her tantrum. But if she was not here to admit defeat then why was she here? Yu Lingyun was very confused but instead of staying behind and thinking about it, he decided that it was better to follow the Queen and see what she was doing there which was exactly why he and Zhai Heng followed her inside the crime investigation department. Seeing the three of theming inside Ji Mo was in charge of the crime investigation department was pleasantly surprised, he stood up from his chair and looked at Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun with a polite smile. ¡± General Yu, Vicemander Zhai, what are you doing here? If you needed the crime investigation department to do something for you then you should have called for me, why did youe here and troubled yourself?¡± As he spoke hepletely ignored Liu Hui Ying who was shoved to the side by him, if not for Zhai Heng who reached out and grabbed her by the back of her long robe that she was wearing she might have stumbled to the floor. Liu Hui Ying who was pulled by Zhai Heng with the help of her long robe red at the man who was acting all high and mighty and even ignoring her, just you wait! She roared in her head as she red at the man with narrowed pair of eyes, she was going to make this man cry in just a few minutes! ¡± We are here because brother¡­¡± Zhai Heng paused and then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying, he haspletely forgotten the name that the Emperor has given the Queen alternative appearance but as he looked at the Queen, she looked a bit fresh and younger than thest time, so he turned around and said to Ji Mo, ¡± Brother Chi who was investigating the case regarding the consort Liu¡¯s death wanted toe here and nothing more. It was a sudden decision and we couldn¡¯t send someone earlier to tell you about arrival in advance.¡± Ji Mo listened to what Zhai Heng said and immediately started to feel proud, he turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and arrogantly raised his brows and said, ¡± So you are finally admitting that you cannot solve this case?¡± ..... Ji Mo was the son of right prime minister Ji Yang and was thus very arrogant when the Emperor took the case of Consort Liu from his hands and handed it to aplete novice, he was very much angered. He wanted to see how this young man who did not even have any facial hair on his face would be able to solve this difficult case, he did not think that this Young master Chi would be able to find out the link that connected the case. Thus, he was besotted enough to think that Liu Hui Ying who was dressed as a man was here to hand the case back to him. See? He knew he was the only one capable of solving the case! Even if it was simply framing the Queen, he was the correct person to finish this job! ¡± I am not here to hand over the case,¡±. Ji Mo who was still flying in the seventh heaven was stunned when he heard Liu Hui Ying refuse, he turned to look at thetter and asked unkindly, ¡± If you are not here to hand over the case then what are you doing here?¡± Liu Hui Ying turned to nce at him like she was looking at an idiot and calmly said, ¡± I m here because the culprit behind the killings is here, isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± As she said that she rubbed the beads that she was wearing on her wrist, and a blue wisp floated out of the beads and then flew out of the window. ¡± Impossible!¡± Ji Mo looked at the man in front of him in surprise, it was impossible how was it possible for anyone like him to evene to this conclusion and that too this soon? He looked at Liu Hui Ying who smiled and said, ¡± I haven¡¯t even said anything why are you in such a hurry to refuse? Don¡¯t tell me that you are trying to help the culprit run away?¡± Ji Mo¡¯s eye pupils shivered as he looked at Liu Hui Ying who was acting like she was the boss and clenched his fingers, just now he was too agitated and ended up showing his real emotions on his face. He hurriedly calmed his breathing down and then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying with a heavy heart and an unfriendly smile, ¡± I don¡¯t know what are you talking about¡­ this is the criminal investigation department are you saying that we are hiding a criminal?¡± Liu Hui Ying¡¯s smile turned a bit wider and she said, ¡± We will find out after the interrogation right?¡± Chapter 278 - 278 What are you going to do if I don’t move? 278 What are you going to do if I don¡¯t move? Ji Mo turned to look at Zhai Heng and said with a flickering smile, ¡± Vicemander Zhai, you do not believe the nonsense this man is saying right? There is no way that the crime investigation department will hide a criminal, you need to trust us with that¡­ I mean everyone knows what the Ji family has done for his majesty in the past few years. You cannot believe this man and forget everything that happened in the past, we have been loyal to his majesty through and through for years!¡± Since he could not dissuade Liu Hui Ying then he needed to dissuade Zhai Heng, he knew that as long as Zhai Heng agreed with him even if this man was one of his majesty¡¯s close friends, he will have to bow down and give up his intention of searching and interrogating the people in the crime investigation department. Even though Ji Mo was certain that no one will say anything but this man was an oddball, he did not know the interrogation manner of this man. Who knows what this man will do? Anything that he had no idea about, he has to be very careful with it. Zhai Heng was once again put in a spot by Ji Mo because the words he used made it sound like Zhai Heng was actually suspecting the Ji family when he has never done that, he only came here because the Queen brought him. And not once did he suspect the entire Ji family because of one person even if the culprit turned out to be someone from the Ji family, it was not like he was going to start doubting the entire family but now because of Ji Mo¡¯s words, Zhai Heng could neither go forward or backwards. ¡± Why are you troubling vicemander Zhai?¡± Just when Zhai Heng was thinking about whether he should go against Ji Mo and tell him that he should not interrupt him while he was working since he was not abiding by the rules. He heard the Queen speak up for him, surprised he turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who at some point stood in front of him and was now looking Ji Mo in the eyes. ¡± I am the one in charge of investigating this case and his majesty has given me the right to do so as I please, if you have something to say then you need to tell me instead of pushing that guy in the corner,¡± Liu Hui Ying stated as she looked at Ji Mo with a soft smile that did not reach her eyes ying on her lips. ¡± It does not matter what he says, as long as I say that we are going to interrogate the people of the crime investigation department, they are going to listen to me, end of the story!¡± Ji Mo was so furious and speechless that he could not help but tremble. He has never seen a man this shameless and headstrong before in his life, not only was he refusing to listen to a thing that he has to say but he was even turning a blind eye to everything that he said! ¡± We are the rtives of his majesty, not once did we ever betray him! This crime investigation department is under the Ji family and your actions of questioning the people of the crime investigation department is simr to questioning our family¡¯s loyalty towards his majesty!¡± Ji Mo spoke everything in one breath, and because he did all but scream, a nerve throbbed in his throat as he got a bit too close to Liu Hui Ying in the face, causing Liu Hui Ying to raise her hand and push him back with the tip of her nail. ..... ¡°There is no need for you to get this serious, Lord Ji,¡± Liu Hui Ying wiped her finger on her clothes, ignoring the way her hands started to tremble when the man got a bit too close and screamed at her. His stance reminded her too much of her father who would do the same to her mother every now and then. She looked down at her fingers which were vibrating because of some slight tremors and then clenched them tightly to make it less obvious before turning to look at the man called Ji Mo again. She calmly blinked her eyes and remarked, ¡± I am not here to question anyone¡¯s loyalty at all, all I am doing is my job and you, dear lord are interrupting my work.¡± ¡± My family¡ª¡ª¡± ¡± Aiye, sheesh!¡± Liu Hui Ying snapped, her eyes finally filling with annoyance as she turned her head to the left and breathed out before turning to look at the man again in the eyes as she said rapidly, ¡± Just how many times are you going to announce your family has been loyal to the imperial family huh? So what if you were loyal to the imperial family in the past? It¡¯s not the past anymore it is present and no one knows just how much you are loyal to his majesty now, so quit yapping in front of me like some sort of street rapper repeating the same line over and over again and GET LOST!¡± As she screamed out loud her voice echoed in the entire room causing everyone to turn and look at Liu Hui Ying ¡± Street ¡­rapper?¡± Ji Mo who didn¡¯t understand the meaning of the words that Liu Hui Ying said to him was stumped. However, even if he did not understand what Liu Hui Ying said to him from the tone of her voice, he understood that she said something rude to him, which was why his face paled and he pointed to himself, ¡± Are you saying that I should get lost?¡± ¡± Yes,¡± Liu Hui Ying ced her hands on her hips and nodded with eyes wide and brows up. ¡± I told you to get lost!¡± Ji Mo stared at her while breathing hard he looked at Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun hoping the two of them would say something but when they did not, he turned to Liu Hui Ying and crossed his arms in front as he said, ¡± I am not going to move, what are you going to do about it huh?¡± ¡°This!¡± Liu Hui Ying stretched out her hand that had a handkerchief rolled around it and then clutched Ji Mo¡¯s wrist before twisting it and pushing his head and back onto the table where he sat usually before hopping and sitting on his waist. ¡± I am sitting here unless you order your people toe here and answer my questions.¡± Chapter 279 - 279 The culprit 279 The culprit Ji Mo had never in his entire life expected that one day he will be treated like this by someone. He was not only called names that he did not understand, he was even pushed onto the table and then even sat upon, Ji Mo thought that he was going to pass out from the anger that he was suppressing within himself but the thing was that no matter how much he tried to push the kid who was sitting on his off his body, he felt that he could not even shake him off! ¡± You..you what have you done to me?¡± Ji Mo thought that Liu Hui Ying had done something to him, after all, how was it possible for him? A grown man was not able to push a young kid around Liu Hui Ying¡¯s age? ¡± What do you think I have done, Lord Ji?¡± Liu Hui Ying pretended to be innocent as she tilted her head and looked at the back. ¡± I am just sitting on you, don¡¯t tell me that you cannot even push me, who is just like a little kid off your body. I am so thin.¡± There was no way Liu Hui Ying would not teach this man a lesson, not only did he push her aside, he even interrupted her work again and again. It was only right for him to suffer a little as for why he could not push her off him ¡­the reason was simple. The recovered Li Gang was sitting right next to Liu Hui Ying with his back to his, he looked down and smushed Ji Mo and yawned before raising his hand and smacking at the back of the man¡¯s head. ¡± What an idiot, why did you have to piss her off? Huh? Because of you, I who was still recovering have to be summoned and driven to work like a taxed ox. Could you not allow her to do what she wanted huh?¡± The more he spoke the more he smacked Ji Mo in the back of his head again and again. Ji Mo felt like something was hitting him in the back of his head but every time he looked back, he was surprised to see that Liu Hui Ying was facing the front. What was going on, what was this man? Ji Mo could note up with a usible exnation for what was happening to him but he could not even get the man who was sitting on him to get off either which made him both furious and helpless. ¡± Get off!¡± He told Liu Hui Ying, who only made her sitting position even morefortable on his back which was covered with clothes and said, ¡± I told you that unless you call your people for interrogation we are keeping this position.¡± ..... Ji Mo rolled his eyes to the skies many times before he finally gritted his teeth and spat, ¡± FINE! Interrogate them as much as you want just get the fck off me!¡± His back was going to crack at this rate. ¡­. The crime investigation department has always been in charge of investigating cases they have never once seen a case where they were the ones who were getting investigated but as long as one person was alive they will be able to see everything. The once mighty crime investigation department was suddenly called for interrogation and even Ji Mo who has been arrogant all his life because of his father and the position he was in, had to quench his anger and answer every question that Liu Hui Ying asked. He wished he could choke the life of the man who was acting all high and mighty in front of him but he could only hope that this little devil will be done ying around and leave as soon as possible before he could even breathe a sigh of relief as thest official of the investigation department was called to interrogation, he heard Liu Hui Ying say, ¡± Where is the official in charge of writing the cases? Is he noting should I go to his house?¡± Ji Mo felt his heart skip a beat as he turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and asked, ¡± What do you mean by that?¡± Liu Hui Ying smiled and then said, ¡± I am here to interrogate everyone in the crime investigation department, which is why I need to question everyone including this man who is missing. If he does note to give his testimony then I will have no choice but to send someone to catch him, do you want me to do that?¡± A warning rm rang in Ji Mo¡¯s head, as he looked at Liu Hui Ying, he had a feeling that she was calling for Ji Meng because she knew something but just as he was thinking of sending someone to warn Ji Meng, he saw a guard bringing Ji Meng inside the crime investigation department. ¡± I did as you told me, Master Chi,¡± the guard who was standing outside the crime investigation department was asked to bring everyone who was leaving the building by Liu Hui Ying when she was entering the building. And because she was with Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun, who was his bosses, the guard did not dare to ignore her order and brought Ji Meng with him when he saw thetter leave. ¡± Ah, Thank you guard He,¡± Liu Hui Ying bowed to the guard who bowed back and turned to leave to go back to his spot where he usually stands, he conveniently ignored the re that Ji Mo sent his way as General Yu has assured him that he will be able to change his position with another guard of a different building after the investigation was done thus, he was not scared. Liu Hui Ying turned to the man who was standing in front of him with a gentle expression and tipped her chin to the chair in front of her and said, ¡± Please do sit down, there are some general questions that I need to ask you.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª-¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Please check out my other works ¡ª- 1) hot bloodsuckers¡¯ obsession if you want to see harem romance. 2) Vengeance of the moon if you want a strong fl who destroys her bullies. Chapter 280 - 280 Strip him 280 Strip him ¡± So, you are Lord Ji Meng, the one who is in charge of dealing with the aftermath of all the cases along with noting everything down right?¡± Liu Hui Ying raised her head and looked at the very gentle and schrly-looking man who was sitting in front of her. She looked at his hands that he kept folded in hisp and her eyes flickered slightly before she smiled softly and said, ¡± I really wanted to meet you the first time when you sent me the report of the investigation of princess Chenguang. Thank you very much for such a detailed report, it was really helpful in keeping track of the case that I solved.¡± Ji Meng was slightly nervous when he was called by Liu Hui Ying but when he saw that thetter was only praising him, he sighed in relief and said, ¡°It¡¯s all right, this is my job. There is no need for Sir Chi to thank me for doing my job properly.¡± Liu Hui Ying continued to smile, in fact, she smiled so wide that her eyes were almost pinched as she looked at the man and remarked, ¡± No, I insist. If you did not send me that report, I wouldn¡¯t be able to solve this case... it¡¯s all thanks to you that I am finally holding thest key to bring this case to an end.¡± Almost immediately, Ji Meng felt his heartbeat skitter as he raised his head and looked at Liu Hui Ying who was sitting in front of him. Droplets of sweat started to cover his forehead as he looked at thetter and asked with a forced smile, ¡± W¡­What do you mean, Sir Chi? I don¡¯t think I understand what you are trying to say¡­ how can I help in something so serious?¡± ¡± Of course, you can,¡± Liu Hui Ying took the letter that was found in the room of the maid where she lived and then unfurled it in front of Ji Meng, she watched his eyes that were locked on the paper with confusion brimming in them as she spoke, ¡± When I examined the body of consort Liu, I found out that the killer pushed her neck in the pond many times which stuck sort of weird to me but at the same time the reason could always be simple like the killer having a very deep grudge with the consort.¡± She leaned forward in her chair, her lips were still curled in a smile but she did not have any humour in her eyes. ¡± But the same thing happened with consort Su, of course, given that she was in cahoots with consort Liu, we can say that the killer wanted to kill her in the same manner but¡ª¡ª¡± ¡± Why will a maid, who had no existence in this pce and could be ignored by just anyone at any time be killed in the same manner? Don¡¯t you think its too weird, like what kind of grudge can a killer have with a maid who had no links with the two consorts or maybe he never had a grudge, to begin with,¡± she stretched out her hand that was covered with a handkerchief and caught Ji Meng¡¯s hands that were stained with ink? ¡± The killer might have been trying to clean something that ended up getting stuck to the necks of his victims.¡± Liu Hui Ying raised her head and smiled at Ji Meng as she said, ¡± You have made me run around a lot, mister Ji.¡± Ji Meng stood up from his seat and he looked at Liu Hui Ying, his eyes were shaking and so were his fingers but he still managed to re at thetter and shout, ¡± What nonsense are you saying? Do you ¡­do I look like a murderer to you? Even if I am a concubine son of the Ji family, I think I deserve more respect than this!¡± ..... ¡± You think you deserve respect after killing three women straight, oooh, why did I not think of that?¡± Liu Hui Ying cooed as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms in front of her as she ced her head on the back of the chair. ¡± I am sorry let¡¯s do this again shall we?¡± She cleared her throat and then opened her mouth as she said, ¡± So, respected Lord Ji, with all due respect that I can summon for you in my heart ¡­ believe me when I say I have none ¡­ would you mind telling me why did you kill those three women hmm?¡± ¡± I am done,¡± Ji Meng snapped as he took a few steps back and pointed at Liu Hui Ying and Zhai Heng along with Yu Lingyun as he repeated, ¡± I am done, I don¡¯t know what you three are doing but this is not funny ¡­how can you even doubt me? I am the concubine-born son of the Ji family, why will I need to kill someone, what¡¯s more ¡­you don¡¯t even have any evidence.¡± ¡± That¡¯s right,¡± seeing that the matter was escting Ji Mo immediately stepped in, he was worried that he will be a step toote and that this man will get their family in trouble. ¡± I mean even if you are doing this to prove yourself and degrade the Ji family¡¯s prestige, you shouldn¡¯t do something like this¡ª¡ª-¡± ¡± Strip him.¡± Ji Mo was still speaking when Liu Hui Ying suddenly spoke causing everyone including Zhai Heng and Ji Mo to be stunned they all turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who has asked them to strip Ji Meng and were shocked and speechless. ¡± What did you say, lord Chi?¡± Please let it be him who misheard her, please let it be him who misheard her, Zhai Heng prayed in his head as he looked at Liu Hui Ying silently as he asked her to repeat herself. But maybe the Gods were really angry with him these days because he heard her turn to look at him and with all the seriousness she could muster on her face and say, ¡± Strip him down.¡± Chapter 281 - 281 Confession 281 Confession ¡± What you cannot do it?¡± Seeing that neither of them moved, Liu Hui Ying arched a brow and rolled her sleeves while covering her hands with handkerchiefs. ¡± Since you don¡¯t want to do it, I will do it myself.¡± ¡± There is no need for you to do something like this, you¡­Lord Chi,¡± Zhai Heng stopped Liu Hui Ying from pouncing on Ji Meng and stripping him down. Letting the queen strip a man down? Even if her marriage with Zhai Tianyu cannot be counted as a normal one, Zhai Heng was sure that his brother will suffer from sleepless nights if he was to find out that his wife did something like this. So even though Zhai Heng felt rather wronged and ufortable he turned to look at Ji Meng who was already taking several steps back, behind him was Yu Lingyun who did not want to get involved but his brother was doing it so how could he not join hands with him? Ji Mo watched the scene in front of him, he felt like he was watching a dream, how was it possible for the vicemander and the general to do something like this? But in front of his eyes, they really stretched their hands and started tugging Ji Meng¡¯s clothes. ¡± What are you¡ª¡ª¡± it was only when the outer clothing that Ji Meng was wearing was removed did Ji Mo snapped out of his daze and rushed ahead to save Ji Meng but he was a step toote. The outer clothing that Ji Meng was wearing was removed and as soon as the outer robe was removed, a broken hairpin that was tied with the help of a red string around his neck came into view. Zhai Heng¡¯s sharp eyes immediately caught the broken hairpin and he stopped tugging at Ji Meng¡¯s clothing as he turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who walked forward and then ced the other half of the broken hairpin that she found that night in front of the one that Ji Meng was wearing and asked as she raised her gaze and looked at him, ¡± Now what do you have to say, Lord Ji?¡± Ji Meng stared at the broken hairpin that Liu Hui Ying was holding in her hands and stopped moving, everyone else thought that he was giving up his struggle but who would have thought that as soon as Yu Lingyun would ease his hold on him little Ji Mo, would push thetter away and run! ¡± Catch him!¡± Zhai Heng knew how important Ji Meng was in this case and immediately ordered the people of the crime investigation department to catch Ji Meng but everyone was from the Ji family and they knew the truth behind these deaths. They all knew that Ji Meng was the scapegoat prepared by the right prime minister who was supposed to take the Queen down and now that he was found out, they could not let him be caught! Thus no one moved and caused Ji Meng to run out of the building, Zhai Heng looked at the people of the crime investigation department acting like they could not catch Ji Meng when they clearly could! ..... He looked at the officials whom he has once trusted very much and closed his eyes as he started to think about everything over again, maybe he needed to reorganize everything that he knew and think carefully about whether the loyalty of the past can still be trusted in the present. With that in his head, he chased after Ji Meng but he did not even reach the front entrance when he saw Ji Meng walking backwards with the tip of the sword being aimed at his throat. ¡± I was wondering what was going on with all the noise that you all were making, I am d that I came to see,¡± Zhai Tianyu smilingly looked at Ji Meng who was staring at his sword and then turned to look at Ji Mo and the others who dropped to their knees when they saw himing inside. ¡® Fck! The Emperor actually came! What were they going to do now?¡¯ Ji Mo¡¯s eyes went wide as he looked at his hands that were clenched on the floor while trying to think of a way to solve the crisis that was in front of him. ¡± Your majesty, you are here?¡± Ji Mo wanted to say something to Zhai Tianyu, and he knew that thetter will listen to him but before he could say anything Liu Hui Ying walked forward and kicked Ji Meng on the back of his legs such that he kneeled on the floor too. ¡± You made me run after you so much and now you dare to run again in front of me? Do you take me as dead or what?¡± She red at the man who was now on his knees while smiling at the Emperor before she said, ¡± Thank you for catching him your majesty, I was worried that I will have to chase after him again.¡± She was actually treating the Emperor like a guard! After she finished thanking Zhai Tianyu, she turned to look at Ji Meng and said, ¡± Are you going to confess why you killed consort Liu, or should I confess it for you ?¡± Ji Meng knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to get away this time and lowered his head as he replied, ¡± Because she killed Xiao Bai.¡± Ji Meng was the son of a maid who once worked for the Ji family and after a very long fight, his mother and he were epted by the Ji family. But before bringing him to the Ji family, his mother worked in another family and this family was none other than the family from which Liu Fei Fei was adopted, it was during this time that he fell for another maid¡¯s daughter and even though he was epted by the Ji family andter almost betrothed to Liu Fei Fei, he did not forget the maid whom he fell in love with. He wanted to bring the maid as his concubine to his family but Liu Fei Fei found out about him being close to that maid and she killed the maid he loved by drowning her after tying that maid with stones! As he spoke of his past, he bit his lips and hatefully red at Liu Hui Ying, ¡± And so I killed her just like she killed Xiao Bai!¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Please check out my other works ¡ª- 1) hot bloodsuckers¡¯ obsession if you want to see harem romance. 2) Vengeance of the moon if you want a strong fl who destroys her bullies. Chapter 282 - 282 No valid reasons 282 No valid reasons While Ji Meng was confessing, Liu Hui Ying turned to look at Liu Fei Fei who has followed the Emperor and asked, ¡± Did you really do it?¡± She did not want to skip anything that will help her understand the psychological condition of this man and the intentions behind his actions either which was she turned to look at Liu Fei Fei and asked whether or not she was really behind the killing of this man¡¯s little lover. ¡± I did that but that¡¯s not the entire truth,¡± Liu Fei Fei frowned as she turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and started telling her everything that happened. ¡± She killed the one woman about whom I cared the most, isn¡¯t it only right for me to kill her? What did I do wrong?¡± Ji Meng questioned with his eyes brimming with tears as he looked at the men in front of him, seeing him like this even Yu Lingyun who fought many wars seemed to be a bit at loss, he did not know what to say to this man after finding out that he lost the woman he loved in the past in the hands of Consort Liu. In fact, even he thought that Consort Liu was too harsh on that maid for punishing her by getting her drowned in such a ruthless manner. ¡± Wow,¡± Liu Hui Ying pped her hands as she looked at the man after she was done listening to Liu Fei Fei, she smiled at the man and then leaned forward as she said, ¡± That was really a touching story, maybe be try shedding those tears as well, you only touched my knees with your gripping story. Maybe if you cry, you might touch my liver a little as well.¡± Her words caused the heartbroken atmosphere to be disrupted at once, Ji Meng turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and then red at her hard as he said hatefully, ¡± You will never understand how I feel! You don¡¯t know how I felt when I saw Xiao Bai¡¯s corpse. You have never lost anyone how will you¡ª¡ª¡± He was still speaking when Liu Hui Ying lifted her foot and smashed it on the shoulder of the man causing him to roll back as she pushed him down with her feet and sneered coldly, ¡± I don¡¯t need to tell you whether I have or I haven¡¯t lost someone, but what I do need to tell you is that just losing someone does not hand you the right to take the destiny of someone¡¯s else life in your hands, you son of a bitch.¡± ¡± And what did you say? That you did it because you wanted to avenge your little lover?¡± She hitched the corner of her lips upwards mockingly and then shook her head as she looked down at the man and said, ¡± No, you did not kill those women because you wanted to avenge that little lover of yours, you killed them because you wanted to satisfy those sick urges that you had in your head. There was countless way to avenge your lover but you chose the most sickest one of all of them? Why?¡± She questioned while looking at the man who was lying on the floor and answered it for him, ¡± Because you wanted to. You are sick in the head, Lord Ji ¡­there is no justifiable excuse for this little vengeance trip that you took other than your head beingpletely sick.¡± ..... Ji Meng looked at Liu Hui Ying as if he was enchanted, he wanted to say something in response to her ims but he could only open and close his mouth like he was enchanted by something, he could not speak anything instead he simply stared at Liu Hui Ying who had her feet resting on his shoulder. ¡± If you wanted to avenge your lover, then you could have done it in any way, even if you wanted to kill Consort Liu, you could have done it in a better way. How will you exin having her locked in a barrel for an entire night and if you can exin that, how will you exin the twisted feet of consort Su? And in case you can exin everything,¡± she paused as she turned to look at Ji Meng and started putting more force on his shoulder as she added, ¡± How will you exin what you did to the little maid?¡± ¡± She might have caught you in the act but you could have simply sent her away or given her enough money to get out of this ce. But you chose the most drastic step, that is to kill her¡­how will you exin that?¡± Liu Hui Ying¡¯s questioning caused the sympathy that might have rose in the hearts of others to shatter in an instant. That was right, even if Liu Fei Fei killed a maid, she was her master and that maid was her servant, if she wanted to kill her then she could have done that¡ª¡ªand even if Ji Meng wanted to avenge his lover¡¯s death then many ways did not involve the killing of three women. Ji Meng stared at Liu Hui Ying, he did not refute nor did he say anything else, he simply gazed into her eyes that were looking at him as if she was looking at a scum. Liu Hui Ying curled the sides of her mouth and lowered her voice as she spat, ¡± You enjoyed the thrill you got while killing those three women did you not? All these years you were shadowed by your brothers who were the sons of the official wives and you wanted to do something that would make you get noticed. This is the true reason why you killed the three of them, you could not get that anger,¡± she raised her hand and that with her forefinger poked at Ji Meng¡¯s chest. ¡± This is why you took your anger out on those three women, they were weaker than you¡­ and you had a justified excuse in that sick head of yours.¡± She trailed her finger up and poked at Ji Meng¡¯s forehead and then continued speaking, ¡± You did not want to avenge someone¡¯s death, you simply wanted to make use of it as an excuse to get the thrill, to get yourself noticed ¡­and to get yourself be that big bad man who scared the living daylights out of others when you pretended to be a littlemb in front of your brothers. Isn¡¯t this the real reason, Lord Ji?¡± ¡± Because no matter how you try to glorify yourself, killing someone who was weaker than you is not something to be proud of yourself.¡± ... Chapter 283 - 283 She was happy with just this much 283 She was happy with just this much Ji Meng felt even barer than he did when Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun were stripping him, it was as if someone had bared his deepest darkest secret to the world in front of the world with him standing naked in the middle of the street. He drew in a breath and then tried to think of a rational way to get out of this situation but he soon realised that he couldn¡¯t get out of this mess, which was he threw his head back and the innocence-filled expression on his face slipped off at an rming rate as he startedughing. He raised his hand and covered his eyes with his arm andughed out loud, he nodded and said, ¡± You are right, I did it because I loved the thrill that killing them gave me,¡± he raised his head and looked at Liu Hui Ying, his eyes shining with an unrepentant glint as he smiled sweetly and said, ¡± I originally wanted to kill that Liu Fei Fei just like she killed Xiao Bai but she was too noisy and did not shut up even when I covered her mouth, I only wanted to keep her in the barrel for a few minutes before taking her out but¡­¡± He paused and then smiled widely at Liu Hui Ying as he chuckled, ¡± But the despair she had in her eyes when I closed the lid of the barrel was too exciting for me to ignore, it was so thrilling you will never understand. That day I was scolded by my brother, he called me useless saying that I was not good for anything, and even called me names like a bastard with bad blood and whatnot¡­. But when I saw the despair in the eyes of that bitch, I felt so relieved. All my anger vanished in an instant!¡± ¡± You sick bastard! I felt sorry for you just now!¡± Yu Lingyun snapped at Ji Meng, he thought that Ji Meng was a pitiful man who was suffering because of his broken heart and now he turned around and showed off his true colours. Yu Lingyun felt like he was cheated! Even Zhai Heng felt a bit ufortable, just now even though he thought that the Liu family member whether adopted or blood-rted were all the same. They were simply bloodthirsty and cruel who would have thought that just a secondter he will be pped in his face? Only Zhai Tianyu was calm as he looked at the sight in front of him but Liu Fei Fei who was next to him suddenly turned her head and suddenly remembered the night when she was caught and trapped by Ji Meng. She remembered the smile on his lips when he closed the lid and left her to die in the barrel behind, the despair that she felt while being trapped in the barrel and while slowly getting suffocated. It was as if she was being killed by a slow-acting poison and the thing that was even more disgusting was that this man ¡ª¡ª He came to take her out of the barrel but he only came to give her enough air to revive herself before he closed the lid again and left her to die again, he continued to do this until the day he killed her. Even her death was so cruel, she did not even have enough energy to fight him but he still dragged her like a rag doll and pushed her head into the pond. In fact, she saw him take the hairpin out, he wanted to stab that hairpin in her eyes before killing her but during the fight when she was struggling against him after seeing what he was doing, the hairpin broke off and this man snapped her neck before throwing her in the pond. Liu Fei Fei who regained all her memories felt the same rage that she felt when she was dying, she red at the man wanting to kill him but before she could even make a move. Liu Hui Ying turned to look at her and shook her head telling her to stop and not make a move but how could Liu Fei Fei leave this man alone? ..... She was young and she had many dreams, she wanted to be with his majesty, she wanted to be a mother and watch her child grow up and get married. Liu Fei Fei wanted a family since she never had one because of the political schemes of the Liu and Ji family, she knew that she was a chess piece in between the two families and would have to make a choice in the future but who would have thought that she would be a discarded chess piece? All her dreams, all her desires¡­they were all dead with her and ¡ª¡ª she will never once have the family that she dreamed of, how can she calm down? ¡± Don¡¯t,¡± Just as she was going to ignore Liu Hui Ying¡¯s advice and attack the man, she heard the Emperor speak from the side. He looked at her and then for the first time stared at her with a warm gaze that was filled with sympathy and understanding as he said softly, ¡± I will avenge your death, let me dirty my hands with the blood of the ones who were behind your death. This is the least I can do for you who died in vain, consort.¡± Liu Fei Fei heard Zhai Tianyu speak to her so softly for the first time and her eyes turned red, all her life, she only wanted someone to look at her in the eyes with that gaze and tell her that everything will be okay, that they will be there for her, even though she did not get that security when she was alive. She was d that she was hearing these words from the Emperor after her death, at least ¡­even for a minute someone truly grieved for her death. She was happy with just this much. Chapter 284 - 284 Decapitated 284 Decapitated Seeing that Liu Fei Fei have calmed down, Liu Hui Ying turned her attention to Ji Meng. She really could not stand his smug face and almost pped the man, was he really this smug because he got caught and killed three women? No, he was smug because he thought that he was very smart and made everyone chase after him. He who has been nothing but an invisible person in his house ignored by all actually caused the entire imperial pce to turn upside down, the reason was just as simple. In his head what he did was not wrong ¡ª¡ª after all, Liu Fei Fei killed someone and Consort Su was in cahoots with her when they were drowning the maid called Xiao Bai, so what if he killed them? pping him was not enough, since he thought that he was justified in what he did, then why not rip thest shred of hope in his heart? ¡± Do you think that after doing this you will go to heaven?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked as she looked down at the man, who smiled and nodded. ¡± Yes, I killed someone who killed an innocent woman, no matter what¡­ even if I tortured her there is nothing wrong with it because I was right till the end.¡± ¡± Wrong,¡± she opened her hands behind her when she felt a cold breeze waft past her and then caught hold of the old letters that Jia Li has brought with her and then turned to look at the man as she brought those letters in front of her. ¡± Do you know what these are?¡± For the first time, she noticed genuine confusion cover Ji Meng¡¯s eyes and then opened the letter that she asked Jia Li to bring over with her and said, ¡± The little white moonlight of yours was nothing but a shallow woman, she stayed with you only because someone asked her to but the truth was that she was already in love with the physician who worked in Zhang family as for you ¡­ I don¡¯t know where you really fit in the equation.¡± ¡± You are lying.¡± Ji Meng¡¯s psychology has been always simple, when he was dragged to the Ji family by his mother and was pushed around by his legitimate siblings, he started to firmly believe that he was the one who was in the right while everyone else was in the wrong. Slowly, he started to incline towards the idea of getting justice by taking the evil ones down. He could not attack his brothers who were always surrounded by guards and were heavily protected which was why he turned his attention to Liu Fei Fei and Su Xuelo, he thought that the two women were the ones who killed the woman whom he loved with all his heart and they were the ones who ruined her, so it was only right for him to kill them. Once this idea morphed in his head, he started to make ns ¡ª¡ª but when he killed Liu Fei Fei and caused everyone¡¯s attention to turn in his direction, he was exhrated. ..... He was overjoyed with the fact that everyone was finally chasing after him, not his elder brother who was the head of the crime investigation department nor the younger one who became the top schr in the country but him. And with his stubborn belief that what he was doing was right, he thought that he was doing the right thing but now this man was telling him that he was not in the right? How was that even possible? Ji Meng immediately shook his head and red at the man as he said, ¡± You are lying to me!¡± He shouted at Liu Hui Ying, who only dropped the letter that she was holding in her hands to Ji Meng and said coldly, ¡± Read it before you speak.¡± Ji Meng stared at the man in front of him with a cold glint in his eyes but he still picked up the letter and started reading, the more he read ¡­the more his eyes widened and before he even finished reading the letter he turned to look at Ji Mo and opened his mouth wanting to say something¡ª¡ª But before he could say a word, Ji Mo who understood his gaze immediately looked at the man who was behind Ji Mo and nodded. The man understood Ji Mo¡¯s sign and before anyone couldprehend what was happening¡ª¡ª a wretched scream echoed in the building of the crime investigation department. Liu Hui Ying who was the closest to Ji Meng almost got shed by the sword that appeared out of nowhere and because she was not prepared she almost stumbled back and fell on her bottom but then someone caught her wrist which was covered with her sleeve and pulled her back. Liu Hui Ying¡¯s face got buried in a soft fabric with a familiar scent and she blinked her eyes not understanding what happened but then she smelled the scent of blood and understood what happened just now. She pushed Zhai Tianyu away from her and turned to look at the man who has cut Ji Meng¡¯s head off after ring at Zhai Tianyu who was standing beside him. She turned to look at the decapitated body and the blood spilling out of the neck of Ji Meng and pursed her lips, she did not expect that the Ji family will be so ruthless while abandoning a chess piece that they have used. Now that Ji Meng was dead no matter what she said nothing will change after all Ji Meng was gone and who was going to confess the rest of the truth? It was not that she could summon Ji Meng¡¯s soul right? Liu Hui Ying looked at the two figures dressed in ck and white robes dragging a soul that hardly looked human with dark fumes covering its entire existence and clenched her fists. There was no way she will ever be able to find out how Ji Meng was twisted this badly by the Ji family but even so! No one will be able to deny that the man killed Ji Meng because Ji Mo was worried that Ji Meng will say something in front of others! ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 285 - 285 Dramatic entrance. 285 Dramatic entrance. Ji Mo too knew that his actions just now were too rash, he did not want to make such a brash move but he could not allow Ji Meng to say anything! What Liu Hui Ying said was the truth, that the little maid was indeed being guided by someone from behind and that someone was none other than his mother. His mother long knew that Ji Meng was his father¡¯s son and even though the maid escaped her hands before she could kill Ji Meng in the crib which was why she brought Xiao Bai in between and controlled Ji Meng. The reason for bringing that maid was simple, they knew that Ji Meng¡¯s mother was not satisfied with her life and always picked up on Ji Meng for not being good enough. It was then that they sent Xiao Bai to take care of Ji Meng and get that illegitimate sonpletely bewitched by that maid. Xiao Bai was born in a brothel and she knew every trick and tip to win the heart of a man even if she was very young. Thus, Ji Meng fell for Xiao Bai and waspletely bewitched by her¡ª¡ªearlier they only wanted to make use of Xiao Bai to control him but who would have thought that his mother woulde and bring him to the Ji family and make a fuss? His father had to admit that Ji Meng was his son since he looked just like his father when he was young and thus epted Ji Meng as his son and his mother as his concubine. Ji Meng then became the young master of the Ji family and even though he was quiet and calm, Ji Mo did not want to leave him alone, he and his mother has been keeping eye on Ji Meng and knew that he was not as sane as he made himself look ¡­what if the man turned around and bit them? After all, they have to look after the silent type the most! This was the reason why they made a move again causing Xiao Bai and her physician lover to be caught in a dirty dealing with Liu Fei Fei who was once the daughter of the Zhang family and then turned Ji Meng¡¯s attention to Liu Fei Fei. To make thingspletely settled they sent Liu Fei Fei to the Liu family and forced the left prime minister to take her into his family, they all thought that Ji Meng was their perfect pawn and them working so hard and long on this scheme they will be able to drag Liu Hui Ying down from the throne of the Empress who would have thought that they will be the ones who will be caught in the centre of the storm! Ji Mo was really frustrated, he wanted to kill this young man who ruined their years of nning in just one night but he could not make a move at the moment. The Ji family has been lurking under the surface of being kind and benevolent for so long, he could not mess up any longer and thus, he immediately turned to look at the man and pointed his finger at him and said, ¡± Why did you kill him? Even if he was in the wrong, he was my brother! And now that you have killed him like this what am I going to tell my concubine mother? She will cry tears of blood once she finds out that her son is dead!¡± Even though Ji Mo was gloating at the death of this bastard and the end of that bi*ch who has caused so much trouble to his mother, he still pulled an aggrieved face and pretended as if he was really upset over the actions of the man, like he was not the one who asked the man to kill Ji Meng just now. ..... The man was Ji Mo¡¯s cousin and the son of a distant rtive of the Ji family, Ji Xiann, he and his father have been relying on the Ji family for afortable life and thus, every time Ji Mo was in trouble, he was the one to take on the me. Even though what happened just now was under the orders of Ji Mo, he still lowered his head and answered in a soft voice¡ª¡ª ¡°I was just upset over his actions lord Ji, the Ji family has raised him for so many years and his majesty has never slighted him even though he was an illegitimate son ¡­for him to do something like this ¡ª¡ª he has dragged the entire Ji family down with him.¡± His words were reasonable and even Zhai Tianyu could not say anything, their reaction was indeed suspicious but the way Ji Mo and Ji Xiann were handling the matter made it impossible for him to intervene. ¡± But now that he is dead we won¡¯t be able to find out who was behind all of this,¡± Liu Hui Ying intervened again, she was not going to let them off so easily. Did they think that they can cause a ruckus for her like this while she was solving and get away? Not possible in this life! ¡± What you have done caused the case to be disrupted, I don¡¯t think that this should be left alone like this!¡± She said fervently causing Ji Mo to ground his teeth. He red at the man in front of him and then said with a fake smile, ¡± Lord Che what was going to happen has already happened, I ept that my cousin dealt with this matter a bit rashly but you cannot just punish him¡­ right? He was simply agitated because he felt wrong for our family and Ji Meng¡¯s actions¡­punishing him for a momentary loss of control of his emotions seems just wrong.¡± ¡± Why does it feel wrong?¡± When Ji Mo was still speaking Liu Dong Ming walked inside the crime investigation department, his expression was calm and his eyes were serene. He calmly looked at the body that was on the floor and then turned to look at Ji Mo and asked, ¡± This young man is right, if not for your cousin¡¯s momentarily loss of control over his emotions, my daughter¡¯s justice has been dyed ¡­ I wanted to see who was the one who controlled everything from behind and now I will never find out ¡ª¡ª I believe that your cousin deserves to be punished for disrupting the peace of a young girl who died unjustly in the hands of your brother.¡± Ji Mo: Was this man waiting outside the building for this dramatic entrance? ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Please check out my other works ¡ª- 1) hot bloodsuckers¡¯ obsession if you want to see harem romance. 2) Vengeance of the moon if you want a strong fl who destroys her bullies. Chapter 286 - 286 Burning with regrets 286 Burning with regrets Liu Dong Ming was a man who incited wrath and terror in the hearts of everyone he looked at, even though he only nced at Ji Xiann and felt his heart shudder. This was the man whom his uncle could not defeat even after fighting for such a long time, how can he not be terrified of him? Ji Yang was skilled but he was not as skilled as his father who once ruled the court when Grand Dowager Empress was still sitting on the throne on the other hand, Liu Dong Ming was a man who was ten steps ahead of his father. He was not only skilled in handling the court, but he also protected the Liu family all too well, till nowpared to the Ji family, the loss of the Liu family in terms of human lives was really less. What was more Liu Dong Ming was a man who was vengeful to his bones, he will avenge even the death of a dog as long as it had thest name ¡®Liu¡¯ behind his name and this was his adopted daughter¡¯s case! Even if Liu Dong Ming did not care about Liu Fei Fei that much when she was alive, he was not someone who will let the Ji family off easily either. Being stared at by Liu Dong Ming caused Ji Xiann to quake in fear, he was simply a follower of Ji Mo but looks like he was going to suffer tonight. ¡± Prime minister Liu, what are you doing here?¡± Ji Mo was really shocked, he looked at the man who arrived like a grim reaper and felt his legs tremble a little longer. This was going to be troublesome, his father was not here and he was not as eloquent as his father who could deal with this man who was skilful inying traps more than a hunter would be¡ª¡ª seeing him pop like that out of nowhere scared Ji Mo, he wanted to say something and send this man away but when Liu Dong Ming turned his head and nced at him with those gloomy eyes of his, Ji Mo could not bring himself to utter even a peep. Liu Dong Ming only nced at the man lightly and did not say anything instead he turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and spoke in a slow yet bone-chilling voice, ¡± My daughter¡¯s case that should have been handled properly and with all due care was mishandled by them like this ¡­the culprit was killed without receiving proper punishment and the one who was the mastermind also escaped without us finding out who it was, I believe that I deserve an exnation, your majesty.¡± Zhai Tianyu felt his head throb, he was having a headache ¡ª¡ª he already had a bad feeling when he saw Ji Xiann cut off Ji Meng¡¯s head and now that Liu Dong Ming was here asking for an exnation, he knew that his guts were right when they were warning him! ¡± I understand your anger, Prime minster Liu but please appease your anger¡ª¡ª¡± Zhai Tianyu began speaking but he did not even get a single sentence out before he was interrupted by Prime Minister Liu who resolutely nced at Ji Xiann and Ji Mo and said coldly, ¡± I have been appeasing my anger for quite a while, your majesty. Her majesty who is my niece was attacked by this man and my daughter was killed¡ª¡ª even consort Su was killed, who does not know that the Su family is rted to the Liu by marriage?¡± ..... ¡± In just a few weeks, our family lost two daughters in the hands of the Ji family ¡­three if the Queen was not fortunate and was able to get away with her life, is it wrong of me to ask for a punishment for this crime?¡± ¡± Prime Minister Liu, you are overstepping your boundaries,¡± Ji Mo could see that Liu Dong Ming was trying to pull the Ji family down. All these years, the Liu family has yed the role of the bad cop while the Ji family was the one who was ying the role of the good and upright family, if the rumours of them getting involved in the murder were spread around what will they do? What will the public think of them? Liu Dong Ming however did not get frightened by a man who was yet to grow his facial hair. He simply stared at Ji Mo who was ring at him, his aura was neither servile nor overbearing instead he looked like he was looking at a child who was throwing a tantrum, just the one nce was enough to make others know how little Liu Dong Ming thought of Ji Mo and the Ji family. With his hands behind his back, Liu Dong Ming blinked his eyes and stated firmly, ¡± My daughter has been murdered in a cold-blooded manner by your brother and don¡¯t say that he had nothing to do with you.¡± He added swiftly when he saw that Ji Mo was going to speak again. ¡± He was your family ever since the day he was brought back by your father¡¯s concubine, the teachings that you gave him were instilled in his mind¡­how can you say that this had nothing to do with the Ji family? If you had done a good job teaching your children then this would not have happened! My daughter was killed and I want to see some punishment, if you do not agree with me then I will have no other choice but to take this matter to the imperial court!¡± Liu Dong Ming stated his stance clearly, he was telling everyone that if he did not get what he wanted tonight then he will definitely make a fuss over this matter and drag the Ji family with him. Ji Mo was so angry that his teeth started shaking with all the grinding he was doing. This man was so hateful! All these words that he threw back at him were something that his father said to Liu Dong Ming in the past when Liu Fei Fei made trouble and entangled Liu Dong Ming in her mess. Back then, they all had a lot of fun taunting Liu Dong Ming thinking that they were really smart for sending Liu Fei Fei to his house but tonight, Ji Mo was regretful! He was burning with regrets! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 287 - 287 Cutting the right hand off 287 Cutting the right hand off Ji Mo knew that there was no way he will be able to get away from this situation without breaking at least a hand or two, with Liu Dong Ming in the mix it would be surprising if he made it out of this ordeal alive! ¡°Then what do you want prime minister Liu?¡± When he saw that he could not get Liu Dong Ming to back down Ji Mo could only lower his stance. This was a difficult situation, he knew that tonight his losses will be more severe than just Ji Meng and a little chunk of his reputation being hurt in front of his majesty and his trustable aides. Liu Dong Ming nced at Liu Hui Ying, though his nce was only fleeting Liu Hui Ying felt her heartbeat quicken, she did not know why but with just one nce of his, she felt as if he could see through her! Liu Hui Ying immediately looked away, she did not want to stare into those void eyes that seemed to be so empty that they lookedpletely dead to the world. But at the same time, she was curious to know just what Liu Dong Ming went through to have such eyes. How can there be no hope in those eyes of his? ¡± That man is so scary, all right?¡± Li Gang muttered as he peeped at Liu Dong Ming while he hid behind Liu Hui Ying. Just now he was sure that the man¡¯s gaze stopped at him for a mili second before he looked away, if not for Zhai Heng standing on his side, he would have thought that the man was looking at him! But even if the man did not look at him, he could not help but feel scared of that gaze, it was too cold¡­just too cold for even a ghost like him. ¡± Yup,¡± Jia Li was crouching on the floor holding Liu Hui Ying¡¯s pants like a child who was caught by her parents and was now seeking protection from her elder sister. Just now she too felt Liu Dong Ming nce at her when he turned his head, it was such a scary look that Jia Li almost cried for her mother whom she disliked with all her heart. If not for the fact that she did not know that the man could not see her and Yu Lingyun standing behind her, she would have thought that the man was looking at her just now. Liu Hui Ying shook the two ghosts who were clinging to her off her body and red at them. These two were supposed to be ghosts and they were getting scared of a man! Grandma Lan Fen was better than the two of them but thetter unlike Jia Li and Li Gang who died early and had a lot of ying energy around them¡ª¡ª died when she was really old. Her Yang energy was less, to begin with, and when she died the Yang energy did not transform into Yin energy properly. ..... Thus, when Grandma Lan Fen got hurt in her ghostly form she needed much more rest than Jia Li and Li Hang. If not then she would have summoned Grandma Lan Fen before the two of them! Liu Dong Ming however only nced at Liu Hui Ying and turned all his attention on Ji Mo, his eyes were calm but everyone who knew him understood that there was a storm brewing inside his heart. He was a man who was most dangerous when he was silent and sure enough when he spoke he caused everyone to be stunned speechless by his words. ¡°A life for a life, since I could not punish the culprit who caused the death of my daughter then I think I deserve to be at least punished someone who hindered the justice that should have been handed over to my daughter?¡± Liu Hui Ying looked at Ji Mo, because of her unjustified death Liu Fei Fei did not want her body to be buried without finding out who was the one who killed her. Thus, Zhai Tianyu had no choice but to keep Liu Fei Fei¡¯s body covered in medicinal paste and on an ice block to make sure that her body does not start rotting. It has been so many days and Zhai Tianyu had received so manyints from the Ji family to bury Liu Fei Fei and end the matter but he has refused all those memorandums that were full ofints. The only one who did not send aint was Liu Dong Ming which was why Zhai Tianyu could sh with the other official saying that Liu Dong Ming agreed with him. He was the puppet Emperor it was only right for him to listen to one or the other. ¡°You are crazy!¡± Ji Mo was first to understand what Liu Dong Ming was asking, he was actually asking him to hand Ji Xiann as the substitute for Ji Meng. If he had known that this would happen, he would have asked Ji Xiann to cut that man¡¯s tongue off instead of his head! Liu Dong Ming simply smiled and said, ¡± It does not matter whether you take me as crazy or something else, what I do know is that you need to hand me this man. It¡¯s one or another way, Lord Ji ¡­but you know me I will not stop unless I get what I want.¡± On the side, Liu Hui Ying almost pped for Liu Dong Ming. He was worthy of leading such a big family like the Liu family, he was literally a tyrant. He was actually asking for Ji Mo¡¯s right-hand man in the name of a substitute! Clearly, he wants to clean up the Ji family for using him as a chess piece in their game¡ª¡ª- Liu Hui Ying turned to look at Ji Mo whose face was turning ck and white and whistled lowly. Tonight no matter what happens, the damages that the Ji family were going to suffer will be irreversible. Chapter 288 - 288 A crack in the wall of trust 288 A crack in the wall of trust Liu Dong Ming was indeed here to bring some damage to the Ji family, Liu Fei Fei was simply a pawn on the chessboard but Ji Xiann was different, he was Ji Mo¡¯s right-hand man and did all the dirty dealings for his cousin behind the scenes, he was even responsible for taking care of Ji Mo¡¯s mess and was one of the very loyal aides that Ji Mo had on his side. If he was to take Ji Xiann it would be simr to cutting Ji Mo¡¯s right hand and as soon as the news of Ji Xiann getting punished goes out, everyone will start thinking twice beforeing to support the Ji family. After all, Ji Mo couldn¡¯t even protect his cousin in front of Liu Dong Ming. How was he supposed to be trusted? But if he refused to drink this wine that Liu Dong Ming has offered him, Ji Mo was certain that the next time he will be handed poisonous wine instead! Liu Dong Ming after all was not a man who would let anyone off without punishing them if they do wrong to the Liu family. Ji Mo gritted his teeth and looked at Ji Xiann, though he did not want to lose this trusted aide of his, he knew that he could not provoke Liu Dong Ming in the end even if he felt like someone was cutting his body in half, he still agreed with what Liu Dong Ming said, ¡± I understand, prime minister Liu ¡ª¡ª you can take him away.¡± Compared to the loss of the reputation of the entire family, sacrificing Ji Xiann was much better. Ji Xiann did not expect that he will be sacrificed just like that after all, he has done everything that Ji Mo asked him to do all these years and yet at such a crucial moment, Ji Mo actually abandoned him? His eyes were filled with disbelief as he looked at Ji Mo who did not even raise his head to look at him. Ji Xiann wanted to say something but then he noticed Ji Mo tilt his head to the side and without moving his lips too much mouthed ¡® Mian¡¯. Ji Mian Mian was Ji Xiann¡¯s sister and she was sixteen this year but because they were rtively distant rtives of the main Ji family, his sister¡¯s marriage was in the hands of Ji Mo¡¯s mother who was the matriarch of the Ji family. Seeing Ji Mo mouth his sister¡¯s name, Ji Xiann understood that thetter was warning him not to say anything or else his sister will suffer. ¡®Son of a bitch!¡¯ Ji Xiann understood that Ji Mo was threatening him by using his family and was so furious that he wanted to roll his eyes and curse at Ji Mo while pointing straight at his nose but he knew that he had no choice left in front of him. If he breathed a word against Ji Mo, then he will die a gruesome death along with his family! ..... Ji Xiann was unhappy but no matter how unhappy he was he could not drag his family down with him, anyway, he was not the one who killed consort Liu and Consort Su, at most he will be sent to prison and asked to serve a few months of punishment at the most for interfering with an official matter. The Liu family would not be able to kill him and he knew that the Ji family will save him after all he was the best when it came to dealing with the dirty deals of Ji Mo. This was the reason why Ji Xiann did not resist when he was tied up and taken away by the guards. But even though he was handcuffed, he did not forget to re at Liu Hui Ying who brought this disaster to them. If not for her then he would not have been caught like this. Soon Ji Xiann was taken away by the guards on the other hand Ji Mo turned to look at Liu Dong Ming and said, ¡± Is this enough to ease your anger, prime minister Liu?¡± As he spoke he looked at Zhai Tianyu, Ji Mo slightly upset that he did not stand up for the Ji family just now. Zhai Tianyu was the Emperor, and as long as he said a word even if Liu Dong Ming might have fought with him, he would have listened to Zhai Tianyu. But this man, he did not say anything from the start to finish! No wonder his father had no respect for Zhai Tianyu, he was indeed too much like a puppet of the Liu family who can control him with the tip of their fingers. Liu Dong Ming calmly nced at Ji Mo and softly replied, ¡°It¡¯s far from it but I will take whatever is handed to me .¡± With that, he turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and bowed, ¡± This one thanks his majesty for overseeing the case of my daughter, This one will never forget the grace that you have shown me.¡± As he finished speaking Liu Dong Ming straightened up and then took his leave. On the other hand, Ji Mo was so furious that he was on the verge of losing a few teeth with how much he was grinding them. But he still bowed in front of Zhai Tianyu and said with a smile, ¡± I will have this mess taken care of, your majesty.¡± If not for the fact that the Ji family was under suspicion he would have surely thrown a tantrum in front of Zhai Tianyu. However, he could not do it at the moment which was why he took his leave as well. Zhai Tianyu on the other hand watched Ji Mo leave and then turned to look at Zhai Heng before saying, ¡± Make sure to investigate.¡± He needed to know just what else was the Ji family hiding from him, the scene that he witnessed in front of him was enough to tell him that there was no way that the Ji family was only hiding something small. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 289 - 289 I was the happiest by your side 289 I was the happiest by your side Zhai Heng would have definitely said that Zhai Tianyu was thinking too much if this happened before but now that he saw Ji Mo¡¯s actions even if he did not agree with him, he has to admit that there was something that they all have overlooked because of how much trust they had in the Ji family. Liu Hui Ying said that the maid whom Ji Meng loved was working in the Zhang family years ago meaning Ji Meng might have been eight or nine back then and yet the Ji familyid down such a well thought n for the Liu family years ago¡­this patience ¡­this dedication¡­ it was something really fearsome. He looked at Zhai Tianyu and opened his mouth to say something but then he closed his mouth and did not say anything. If the Ji family was this sly years ago and hid so well that no one was able to doubt them for all these years then just how many ns did they have in their minds and how many were already implemented and executed to the end? What scared him, even more, was that he did not have any inkling about the Ji family¡¯s actions all these years. It was as if he and Zhai Tianyu were fools who were being yed around by the Ji family ¡ª¡ª an investigation was indeed necessary. Liu Hui Ying did not care about what was going on in the heads of the three men, she simply turned to look at Liu Fei Fei and somewhat apologetically said, ¡± Sorry, I could not give your murderer the death you wanted him to get.¡± Liu Fei Fei told her that she wanted her murderer to die a horrible death but she couldn¡¯t do it because of the sudden move of the Ji family. ¡± Its all right,¡± Liu Fei Fei did not think that it was a loss, she always thought that even though she was adopted by the Liu family, no one thought of her as one of them but Liu Hui Ying despite getting hurt looked for her murderer just like she promised and Liu Dong Ming, this father of hers who never came to see her when she was alive actually stood up for her! Even if Liu Dong Ming did it to teach a lesson to the Ji family, she was very happy after all this was the first time she was being protected by her father even if Ji Meng did not satisfy her, she was happy that Liu Dong Ming was willing to stand up for her even if his intentions were not clear. ¡± I think I am ready to move on,¡± Liu Fei Fei told Liu Hui Ying, she wanted to move on to the next life and this time she hoped that she will get a loving father and mother who will give her the love that she always craved for. ..... Liu Hui Ying looked at Liu Fei Fei who despite being immature all her life was now showing a ton of maturity and felt a bit awkward. She took out a talisman and wrote an array on it before she snapped her fingers and burned the talisman. The yellow paper turned and twisted in the air before it became a glowing white flower. ¡± Take this with you,¡± Liu Hui Ying told Liu Fei Fei as she handed the flower to the young girl and said, ¡± This is a flower that is enriched with my blessings, just show the guardians of the underworld this flower and tell them what you want the most, they will hear your requests as long as you don¡¯t go overboard.¡± As a celestial master, Liu Hui Ying had the power to give a soul another chance at a happy life as long as they were willing to let go of their grudges. Liu Fei Fei unlike Zhai Tianyu¡¯s aunt was much more pitiful and thus, she was willing to help her a little. Liu Fei Fei took the flower that Liu Hui Ying handed to her, in fact, she never really epted her death even though she saw her body lying on the ice block, she always pretended like she was alive and since she could talk with Liu Hui Ying and her ghosts she never felt lonely like she did when she was brought to the imperial pce but now that she has to leave them behind, Liu Fei Fei was very scared she looked at Liu Hui Ying and asked, ¡± Is it too lonely in the underworld ?¡± After staying in the imperial pce and with the Liu family, what scared her the most was the loneliness, she did not want to be left alone in silence again. ¡± No,¡± Liu Hui Ying understood Liu Fei Fei a bit and she immediately shook her head as she replied to Liu Fei Fei. ¡± The underworld is not lonely neither it is cold, its more or less like a resting spot for souls who wants to move on to another journey, unless you did some severe crimes, you won¡¯t be punished.¡± Liu Fei Fei might be arrogant and she might have killed a few maids but none of them was innocent which was why she did not have much ck qi around her. Even if she was supposed to be punished, with the flower that she gave her, Liu Fei Fei will be able to move on without any worry. Liu Fei Fei heaved a breath before she nodded at Liu Hui Ying and said, ¡± I am ready to leave.¡± She turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and added, ¡± I don¡¯t want much your majesty but when you bury me, please leave a significance behind such that everyone will know I was there and won¡¯t forget me.¡± Throughout her life, Liu Fei Fei was scared to before forgotten which was why she asked Zhai Tianyu to leave something behind on her grave¡ª¡ª ¡± I promise you, consort,¡± Zhai Tianyu lowered his body and gave Liu Fei Fei a deep apology bow as he said, ¡± I will ask for your forgiveness if I did not bring you here in this imperial pce maybe you would still be alive.¡± Liu Fei Fei smiled at Zhai Tianyu and even though her eyes were filled with tears she still nodded. ¡± Don¡¯t apologize your majesty because I loved you with all my heart ¡­staying beside you these days made me the happiest, so thank you for withstanding me till now.¡± Chapter 290 - 290 He is not mine to worry 290 He is not mine to worry Liu Hui Ying sent Liu Fei Fei away, but instead of feeling relieved, she felt a bit empty inside. She couldn¡¯t help but feel subtly sorry for Liu Fei Fei whose entire life was used up for the sake of ying her role as a chess piece that was doomed to be discarded from the start¡ª¡ª as she looked at the pearl-like Yang energy that was dissipating as Liu Fei Fei¡¯s soul vanished from this world, she couldn¡¯t help but ask herself whether power was really that important? However, she soon threw that question in the back of her head. Power was indeed the most important thing in every world no matter where they were, if Liu Fei Fei had the power to protect herself then something like this would not have happened to her¡ª¡ª the desire of gaining power was not wrong, what was wrong was how one achieved that power. ¡± We should go back,¡± she told Zhai Tianyu who was looking at the sky as well, Liu Fei Fei¡¯s soul have long vanished but Zhai Tianyu was still staring at the sky. He did not say anything nor did he move but after a few minutes, Liu Hui Ying heard him ask in a subtly nk voice, ¡± My Queen, do you think I acted too much like a fool in these past few years?¡± When he was very young around seven or eight, his father was killed by assassins, his grandmother cried at the funeral of his father while hugging the corpse of her son that it was the Liu family who was behind the assassination of her son. His mother who should have been crying at the funeral of her husbandughed and giggled. He heard from his grand uncle that she even threw a banquet when his father died and she even went as far as saying that ¡®he deserved it.¡¯ Zhai Tianyu grew up watching his grandmother¡¯s tears that she shed for her son and his mother who wouldn¡¯t even offer incense to his father¡¯s memorial tablet except for Memorial Day, with everything that was in front of him, Zhai Tianyu slowly inclined towards his grandmother. But of course, his mother¡¯s sarcastic words and her desire to not even look at him yed an important role as well but now that he looked at the present, he couldn¡¯t help but think that he was indeed acting like a fool all along. ¡°If you need me to answer that question for you, your majesty, then I think that you still need some more lessons,¡± replied Liu Hui Ying, she did not call Zhai Tianyu a fool but she did not refuse either causing Zhai Tianyu to clench his fingers hard. So, what was the truth and what was the lie, was it possible that throughout his entire life, he kept on living nothing but a lie? Zhai Tianyu felt suffocated but he swallowed the hard pill, he aimed to be a ruler who was wiser and fairer than his father who created a mess when he sat on his throne. But now he realised that he was miles away from that goal because of his unconscious bias actions, he tied a blindfold on his eyes and couldn¡¯t see when the Ji family changed. ..... Now that Liu Hui Ying removed that blindfold, Zhai Tianyu could see his grandmother¡¯s tears, his granduncle¡¯s woes and the sweet words of the Ji family when they told him that they were going to stay loyal to him till the end ¡ª¡ªthey were all fake! Just how many years did they pull wool over his eyes? Zhai Tianyu wanted to head back to his grandmother¡¯s courtyard and question her whether she was hiding something more from him, but he did not let his emotions govern his actions. When he sat on the throne at the age of ten, his mother had once told him that while sitting on the throne he will soon realise that he was alone from the beginning till the end. Back then he did not believe her, after all, he knew that the Ji family was with him and his grandmother also kept telling him that she will be right behind him to catch him if he fell¡ª¡ª but now he realized that his mother was right. From the beginning he was alone. A cold wind blew past him and sent the ck robe with golden dragon embroidered fluttering as he stared at the moon. Liu Hui Ying wanted to leave but when her gaze fell on the deste expression of the man, her steps faltered a little but the reason for her slowing her pace down had more to do with her ghosts instead of the Emperor looking like that. ¡± Are you really going to leave him behind so heartlessly like that? Look at his face, he looks like someone has kicked him in the butt,¡± Jia Limented from behind her as she looked at the Emperor with a sympathetic look on her face. She could understand how he felt, when she was alive, her parents only took care of her brother because they were heavily patriarchal. They will push her to work harder saying that since she was born with good gics and a brain, she should help her brother who was not as smart as her. She worked hard for her brother but one day when she went to look for her brother, she heard him call her an idiot as he coaxed his girlfriend saying that she will give him as much money as he asked for ¡ª¡ª She truly treated her brother like her family and he treated her like she was a fool. ¡± He looks like an abandoned puppy,¡± Li Gang remarked from the side as well, as he looked at the Emperor who was looking at the moon with a sad expression on his face. He turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and said, ¡± You shouldn¡¯t leave him like this¡­in just a night he lost a lot of things ..shouldn¡¯t you coax him?¡± Liu Hui Ying¡¯s brows twitched as she turned to look at her ghosts and said, ¡± He is not my monkey.¡± ¡± He is your nominal husband,¡± replied Li Gang and Jia Li telling Liu Hui Ying indirectly that the man was indeed her monkey. Chapter 291 - 291 Thank you, My Queen. 291 Thank you, My Queen. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Liu Hui Ying felt her lips twitch when she heard the two ghosts siding with the man, what did he even do for the two of them? Was he giving them his Yang energy when she was not looking, or why else were these two standing up for Zhai Tianyu? The man was sturdy and had a strong heart after all a frail heart man would not be so resolute when killing someone as he did with the original owner, she was sure that he was not depressed to the point where he wanted to kill himself so why should she go ahead and coax him? But with the two ghosts ring at her like she was a scumbag who left her husband and children behind to have fun, she could only sigh and walk back to stand next to the Emperor and said somewhat robotically, ¡± You should not be worried about something like this nor should you be aggrieved over something like this, after all, its not your fault that you trusted people who were not deserving of the trust that you have put in them.¡± As she spoke she turned to look at Jia Li and Li Gang who were shaking their heads asking her to put more emotions in her words such that it made her look like she was more or less emphatic towards the Emperor. Liu Hui Ying turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and then cleared her throat as she opened her lips to speak again, ¡± Would you like an invisible talisman? You seem like you have a lot on your mind, you can use it and vanish such that no one will disturb you. When you are upset, you should spend some time alone with yourself.¡± When Zhai Tianyu did not speak, Liu Hui Ying hesitated and then rummaged in her pockets before taking out a mooncake that Nanny Gong gave her to eat after taking her medicine and stretched out her hand with the mooncake before speaking with her gaze turned to look somewhere else, ¡± You can take this ¡­ I heard that eating sweet when you are upset helps as well.¡± Jia Li smacked her head while Li Gang stared at Liu Hui Ying and then said, ¡± This woman will die a virgin, I am telling you.¡± With such a handsome man in front of her, she was actually handing him a cake instead of hugging him. Even if she was allergic to man, Zhai Tianyu¡¯s face was enough to overlook that small matter! ..... Zhai Tianyu who was listening to Liu Hui Yingughed out loud when he heard that she was offering a mooncake to him. He turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was frowning at him and then took the mooncake from her and then said, ¡± Thank you, My queen¡­. You are truly considerate.¡± Even though Liu Hui Ying was someone who did not have any experience in coaxing others, Zhai Tianyu was happy with her attempt alone. At least she tried to coax him, this was enough. He looked at the mooncake in his hands and smiled softly. Should he consider himself a bit closer to the Queen now? He raised his head and looked at Liu Hui Ying whose expression was full of relief and then shook his head. There was no way possible for Liu Hui Ying to consider him a close friend to her. ¡­. ¡± I still can¡¯t understand ¡­how can they do something like this?¡± Yu Lingyun was still fuming, with his arms crossed behind his head and a frown on his face he turned to look at Zhai Heng and said, ¡± We have never found trouble with the Ji family, why did they have to do something like this?¡± The Ji family might not be as strong as the Liu family¡ª¡ª after all, the Liu family was veryplex andrge. From merchants to general and from General to schrs, the Liu family had their hands stretched all over the ce under the presence and guidance of Liu Dong Ming. It was rumoured that no child born in the Liu family was allowed to be useless. No matter who they were, whether legitimate or illegitimate children, they will have to stand on their feet by the age of twenty. Or else they vanished into thin air without leaving a trace behind. Zhai Heng did not reply, in fact, he did not have anyments regarding this matter. After all, he has considered the Ji family as their closest aide back then his brother told him that he was going to act as a fool in front of both the families because they couldn¡¯t trust everyone ¡ª- Zhai Heng then thought that Zhai Tianyu was thinking too much but now that he saw that the Ji family was indeed involved in a lot of messy things, he realised that his brother was not in the wrong. Yu Lingyun did not receive any response but he did not deter instead he turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and asked, ¡± What about you, your majesty? How do you feel about this matter?¡± Liu Hui Ying blinked her eyes and calmly replied, ¡± I don¡¯t know what you are trying to say¡­after all, I only trust the dead. So, I have no idea how it feels to be betrayed by the living.¡± Those who were alive had many hidden thoughts but the ones who were dead were different, they were either good or evil. There was no grey area when it came to ghosts thus, she has never been betrayed before because she never trusted a human from the very beginning. Her response was so cold that Yu Lingyun felt a chill rise in his heart, she was right. Her majesty was indeed not someone who would be willing to trust a human¡ª¡ª he pursed his lips and then asked, ¡± Your majesty but howe you doubted Ji Meng? How did you find out that he was the one who killed the three women?¡± Even now he could not understand how Liu Hui Ying was able to put every piece of the puzzle in ce. Chapter 292 - 292 Very observant 292 Very observant Liu Hui Ying turned to look at Yu Lingyun with a small turn of her neck, she raised a brow and then said, ¡± General Yu, you are wise enough to sweet talk your way with my maid but you cannot understand something so easy?¡± She has not forgotten how this man tried to fool his little Ai, did he think that she was not going to clean him up? It was just that she has never gotten the time to deal with him and since they hardly met with each other it was near to impossible for her to clean this man up ¡ª¡ª now that she has gotten her chance how can she let go without giving him a tongueshing? Yu Lingyun did not expect her to reply like that, he choked on air and coughed harshly. It happened so long ago and this woman still remembers it? She was really petty! Not even letting skipping something so small! ¡± Your majesty, that was in the past¡­ I will apologize to Xiao Ai, I will apologize to her with gifts and meat, ¡± Yu Lingyun wanted to say that it was a small thing and that he only did it because they were doubtful of her and nothing else and she should stop harping on it since no one was hurt and everyone was fine. But the re that Liu Hui Ying sent his way was enough to tell him that it was not a small matter to her, if he did not apologise to Xiao Ai, she will chase him down to the underworld. He couldn¡¯t see Liu Fei Fei but when Liu Hui Ying handed the flower to the consort, he could see that this woman was like a ticket to heaven, if he was to make her upset who knows she might send him to the eighteenth level of hell? If she could send a soul to get a faster reincarnation, does it not mean that she can make it so that the soul never gets reincarnated? After witnessing such a scene in front of his eyes, there was no way Yu Lingyun was going to ever go against Liu Hui Ying, he was a general and no one knew when he might die on the battlefield, there was no reason for him to offend a big shot like Liu Hui Ying. Liu Hui Ying hardly looked pacified but she hummed and turned her head around, ¡°It¡¯s good that you understand keep apologizing to little Ai until she forgives you, if you don¡¯t do it then I will make it so that you never get a wink of sleep.¡± Now that she knew that Yu Lingyun was scared of ghosts, it was going to be really easy for her to take care of him. Yu Lingyun felt all the blood drain from his face, he wanted to tell Liu Hui Ying to be kinder to him but he could not say anything ¡ª¡ª he could only swallow his words back and re at the man who was responsible for this debt that he has to settle now. ..... Zhai Tianyu who was being red at acted as if he could not see Yu Lingyun¡¯s re, in fact, he understood better than Yu Lingyun that he was still on the red list of the Queen. She treated him more like an acquaintance but that was only because she had no other choice but to treat him well because she wanted to survive in this ce. He was not narcissistic enough to believe that Liu Hui Ying did not bring up their past feuds because she fell for his face or power, he understood her well enough to know that to her, he was like a passerby whom she doesn¡¯t have to care about. She was here for a short time and had another body in another world where she wanted to return, thus she did not care about him or anyone else for that matter. Just now she deliberately picked on Yu Lingyun because Xiao Ai will stay behind and she was worried that Yu Lingyun will bully her if she was to leave. Zhai Tianyu did not know what to say, she treated her maid much better than him! ¡± As for your question,¡± Liu Hui Ying went on not caring about what Zhai Tianyu was thinking in his head. ¡°It¡¯s because of the letter that we found in the maid¡¯s quarter.¡± Yu Lingyun frowned, he still did not understand ¡ª- was there something that he missed? In fact what he missed was indeed rather big, as Liu Hui Ying exined it turned out that they all missed one thing that they should have noticed at the very beginning and that was ¡ª¡ª the quality of the ink and the handwriting of the maid! Even though the maid was a bit literate, there was no way that she could have written such a letter without making any grammatical mistakes, Ji Meng copied the writing of the maid but he forgot to copy her habits, something that Liu Hui Ying noticed. More importantly, even if the man was good at copying he was not as good and perfect as the professional imitators, he made a mistake while writing the word ¡® I¡¯, Liu Hui Ying has been keeping an eye on the letters that she found earlier when consort Su and consort Liu died. However, the two letters were carefully written and she could not find any mistakes in them. It was only when she found the maid¡¯s suicide letter that was she able to find a mistake. Ji Meng was a schr and he could not imitate the maid¡¯s writing perfectly and made a mistake. And, she was easily able to take notice of the forceful way ¡®I¡¯ was written in the letter. She had a very good memory and she knew that she has seen the same ¡®I¡¯ written in the report that Ji Meng sent her earlier regarding princess Zhai Chenguang¡¯s death and so, she was able to solve the case. In fact, even if they did not notice the characters, they could have solved the case by keeping track of the quality of the ink. The ink that was used to write the letter by the maid was of high quality and could only be used by the members of the imperial pce or the officials. The reason she narrowed down the suspects to Ji Meng was that she smelled the same scent of ink and water lilies in the maid¡¯s letter as she did in the report. Because Liu Fei Fei and consort Su used scented pouches and incense the scent was gone from their letter but it remained in the letter left in the maid¡¯s quarter. ¡± All in all no matter how great a criminal is, he will make a mistake, by slipping up at least once¡± Liu Hui Ying finished her exnation while the three men were left dumbstruck. Chapter 293 - 293 Ji Xianglan’s death 293 Ji Xiann¡¯s death Yu Lingyun did not think that the Queen was this observant but now hepletely changed his way of thinking, the Queen was indeed very sharp, she even picked something so small and even solved the case with something so small! Zhai Tianyu took a profound look at Liu Hui Ying, he did not know what to think of this woman. She was smart but she was too smart, even though she solved the case tonight, she has no idea how much people¡¯s wrath she has umted. Though Ji Mo did not show it on his face, Zhai Tianyu was no fool, even if Ji Meng died tonight and the person¡¯s name who was behind this entire trap was gone with him. He knew that the Ji family had something to do with this case and he did not dare to believe that the Ji family will not go ahead and try to harm Liu Hui Ying¡ª¡ª maybe it would be better for the Queen to stay in her courtyard for the time being and not make an appearance as Lord Chi. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte,¡± Zhai Tianyu told the others, it was better for Liu Hui Ying to go back to her courtyard and change her clothes before Ji Mo or anyone catches her. ¡°My Queen you should go back and take a rest don¡¯t forget that you are still injured.¡± Liu Hui Ying took a look at the Emperor who was asking her to go back and rest before she nodded, her head was indeed hurting a little. Even though she was recovering well, she still needed some time to take a break and rest in ease, thus she bid Zhai Tianyu and the others goodbye before going inside her courtyard by sticking the invisibility talisman on her body. Once she was gone, Zhai Tianyu turned to look at Zhai Heng and said, ¡°Vicemander Zhai, are there any shadow female guards who can protect the queen without being noticed?¡± Liu Hui Ying was too sharp, she will easily catch on if he was to send someone who was not good enough to hide their presence. Zhai Heng also thought so too, with Liu Hui Ying¡¯s skills she will definitely notice a shadow guard if they were not good enough and from the way she acts, he was quite certain that she will not like it if they were to send a shadow guard after her. ¡± I will see what I can do, it will be difficult finding someone who can escape the notice of the Queen but I am sure that we will be able to find someone.¡± He was not sure if there was anyone who will be strong enough to protect the Queen but he sure hoped that they were strong enough to save themselves from the queen. ..... Zhai Tianyu nodded and then took a nce at the courtyard of the Queen before turning his gaze away as he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, we need to leave now.¡± ¡± What about Ji Xiann, are we going to leave him alone?¡± Yu Lingyun asked as he watched Zhai Tianyu turn on his feet and then walk away from the courtyard of the queen. As far as he knew should they not be interrogating that man? Zhai Tianyu paused in his stride and then said with a smile, ¡± We trust the Ji family so much, general..how can we go ahead and interrogate someone a member of the Ji family? We should leave him for the time being and as a matter of fact, we don¡¯t even need to make a move.¡± His eyes glimmered with a sharp glint as he looked at the direction in which the prison was built. He might have been a fool all his life but at least he knew that there was no need for him to dirty his hands this time. Someone else will do that for him. ¡­. Ji Xiann was dragged to the prison by the guards and he was left alone in this dungeon-like ce, he looked at the dark prison cell that only had a small window to allow a little moonlight from the outside. Ji Xiann stared at the dingy prison cell and let out a sigh, he knew that he was going to be fine, Ji Mo was going to save him no matter what after all, he knew many secrets of the Ji family, Ji Mo wasn¡¯t going to let him die. With this thought in his head, Ji Xiann was at ease even though he was locked in this dingy prison cell with a squeaking mouse to keep himpany, he was going to get out from here one way or the another and then he will take care of that Liu Dong Ming. Wasn¡¯t he protecting his family? Let¡¯s just wait and see, he was going to make sure that the Liu family suffers heavy damage this time around. Ji Xiann was still thinking about what he was going to do after he gets out of this ce in the morning when suddenly he felt someone ce something sharp around his neck and pull him up. The sharp pain that shot through his body was enough to make Ji Xiann let out a scream but because of the sharp string that was tied around his neck, he could not say a word instead he made a choking sound like a chicken being ughtered. He looked at the man who seemed to have walked inside the prison cell at some point and moved his mouth but no matter how much he tried to speak, he couldn¡¯t even utter a single word. Instead, he just kept staring at Liu Dong Ming who was looking at him with a gaze that said that he was nothing but trash. ¡± You seem to be really upset,¡± said Liu Dong Ming as he took a few steps close to Ji Xiann as thetter was hanging by the thin string that seemed to be digging into his neck causing blood to drip down on the floor. Ji Xiann had his hands around the string and was trying to get it off his neck by breaking it with his hands but he was stopped by Liu Dong Ming who calmly said, ¡± There is no need for you to struggle so much, this string is something that I exported from abroad.¡± ¡± Made from the finest silk and dipped in the shards of a broken knife, its sharp enough to even cut through bones.¡± Ji Xiann¡¯s eyes widened when he heard Liu Dong Ming¡¯s words, for the first time in the entire night he felt true fear. When Liu Dong Ming caught sight of his fear, he smiled and raised his hand to cup Ji Xiann¡¯s cheek and said, ¡± My daughter must have been scared like this as well when your family chose to kill her so ruthlessly.¡± His gaze dipped down to the string that was digging into Ji Xiann¡¯s neck and cutting his neck slowly and his lips curled into a smile. ¡± I heard that your brother left her in a barrel for a night before killing her ¡­so, of course, I will have to repay you for your ¡®grace¡¯, this string will dig into your skin for an entire night before cutting your skin, muscles and tendons bit by bit¡­and you Lord Ji¡­¡± Liu Dong Ming raised his head with a sinister glint in his eyes before delivering his final words. ¡± You will feel everything.¡± Chapter 294 - 294 For the big picture 294 For the big picture Ji Xiann stared at Liu Dong Ming, he wanted to tell him that he wouldn¡¯t be able to get away with this since his father will definitely make him suffer for what he did to him even the Ji family will not let him go without paying for what he was doing to him but he couldn¡¯t the string was digging in his neck so hard that every time he moved his jaw he felt the string get an inch deeper in his skin. ¡°Are you trying to say that your father, will not let go of me?¡± Liu Dong Ming asked as he looked at Ji Xiann who stared at him with bloodshot eyes and smiled sympathetically. ¡± You are right he wille after me, your father and uncle both of them but the thing is Lord Ji¡­what can they even do to me ?¡± He asked with a slight raise of his brows and Ji Xiann gurgled and choked on the blood that was filling his mouth. Liu Dong Ming was right, so what if the Ji family knew that he was killed by him? What will they even do to Liu Dong Ming¡ª¡ª even if everyone knew that Liu Dong Ming was behind his killing without any evidence they would not be able to touch this man. Just like how the Liu family would not be able to touch the Ji family regarding the death of Liu Fei Fei. Ji Xiann stared at Liu Dong Ming who was smiling softly at him with his eyes coldly staring at his struggling self as if he was watching a y and felt his breathing stagnate. This was revenge. Liu Dong Ming¡¯s cold-blooded revenge on the Ji family for touching a member of the Liu family. ¡± Maybe your uncle forgot what happened after you touch my niece thest time,¡± Liu Dong Ming calmly remarked as if there was not a man hanging by a string in front of him with blood dripping down on the floor and continued to smile. ¡± This will be a very gentle reminder to him, in case he dares to do something like this again¡ª¡ª¡± ..... The smile slipped off his face and he very solemnly stated, ¡± I will end your Ji family. Once and for all even if I have to drag my broken body. Stay away from my children.¡± With that, he coldly flicked his sleeves and walked out of the prison, his steps swift and unbothered even though he could hear the choking and pitiful sobs of Ji Xiann behind him. ¡± Eldest Master Liu,¡± Liu Dong Ming¡¯s aide rushed behind him as soon as Liu Dong Ming walked out of the prison, his face was full of worry as he looked at Liu Dong Ming. ¡± The Emperor will be angry, you know that he supports the Ji family.¡± ¡± Then he should be prepared to face my wrath as well,¡± Liu Dong Ming was rather calm as if he was talking about dealing with a child who did not know anything other than throwing a tantrum. ¡± If he is a puppet Emperor then he should be one till the end. ¡± ¡°But¡ª¡ª¡± ¡± But what?¡± Liu Dong Ming turned to look at his aide and raised a brow. ¡± Do you want me to calmly let this matter go? They killed my daughter and interfered in between, surely they deserve to suffer what I am going through as well, right?¡± ¡± Master Liu, I understand but the others won¡¯t think like this¡­they will think that you took advantage of the situation and attacked the Ji family,¡± the aide knew the scars of his master and the reason why he was like this but the thing was that the others did not know anything! He hesitated for a while and then looked at Liu Dong Ming and said, ¡± To them ¡­you are a heartless man who did not care about consorting Liu, till the end.¡± Liu Dong Ming paused in his stride as he turned to look at his aide who immediately lowered his head and apologized, ¡± Forgive me for overstepping my boundaries, my lord.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine but don¡¯t repeat what you have said in front of me again,¡± Liu Dong Ming coldly stated, everyone in the Liu family knew that only by staying away from the children of his family will be able to watch them grow up. He looked down at his hand and hid the ckened finger marks on his wrist before breathing heavily. He truly hoped that the child will be able to bring an end to all of this because he was tired already. ¡± And you don¡¯t have to worry about his majesty either,¡± he added as he raised his head and looked at the moon that was shining brightly in the sky. ¡± Even if he was to stand next to the Ji family, he will not be able to do anything.¡± ¡­.. Liu Dong Ming was right, there was nothing that the Ji family could do. Ji Yang who found out that Ji Xiann was dragged to prison because of interfering with the investigation of Consort Liu¡¯s case and Liu Dong Ming¡¯s sudden move that took them by surprise rushed to the imperial pce upon hearing the news. But this matter was no longer under wraps, many guards and the maids have seen Ji Xiann being dragged away and the rumour that the Ji family¡¯s illegitimate son was behind the killings of two consorts was already spread all over the pce. Ji Yang knew that he was in trouble thus, he hurriedly rushed to the Grand Dowager Empress¡¯s pce wanting to ask for her help but the Grand Dowager Empress refused to see him. Now, that the matter was so blown up, she could no longer stand next to her nephew and support him. If she was to take his side then Zhai Tianyu might suspect her as well. The Grand Dowager Empress was quick to draw a line and so were the others. They did not want to be involved in a mess with the Ji family in case they catch the unnecessary attention of the Emperor. Ji Yang and his brother who was running around the entire pce were as helpless as headless chickens but soon they no longer needed to trouble themselves because the news of Ji Xiann¡¯s death spread all over the pce by the morning. Chapter 295 - 295 Protector or Schemer. 295 Protector or Schemer. The Ji family was immediately plunged into chaos, they did not even in their wildest dreams thought that they will lose a member of their family for no reason at all, didn¡¯t Ji Xiann only interrupted the investigation? Howe his crime got this big where he was executed? But the truth was in front of them, Ji Xiann was not executed. He was murdered! And the murderer was none other than Liu Dong Ming. Ji Yang looked at the letter that he found in Ji Xiann¡¯s pocket and felt his entire body tremble ¡ª¡ª ¡®Did you like my little gift, Lord Ji? I hope you did. I am still bursting with excitement at the gift that you sent me a few days ago, now I hope you burn in the same excitement as I am.¡¯ ¡± That damned old bastard! Why did he not die back then!¡± Ji Yang crumpled the letter that he was holding in his hands and breathed heavily as he looked around the prison wildly. His brother¡¯s cries infiltrated his ears and Ji Yang felt his head throb, Liu Dong Ming! That man was born to ruin him. Not only he wrote a letter to make fun of him, he even had someone write the letter in Ji Meng¡¯s handwriting. It was like he was mocking him without even showing his face! ¡± Brother, you have to make the Liu family pay for this! They have to pay for this!¡± Ji Shun looked at his brother, his eyes crazed as he held the body of his son who was beheaded. Ji Shun could see that the pain his son had to go through was not something a human shall ever face, even in death his eyes were opened with dread and terror. What Liu Dong Ming did to his son was simply inhuman! Ji Shun looked down at his son and his beheaded corpse, even though he has ced the head of his son on the decapitated corpse, he could still see the clean and deep cut in the neck of his son. His heart ached so much that it was bursting toe out of his chest, his son ¡­ his precious son! ..... Ji Yang rubbed his forehead as he looked at Ji Xiann¡¯s corpse and felt his eyes sting. Ji Xiann was his nephew, of course, he was upset that he was killed but when faced with the choice of his son or his nephew, he was obviously going to choose his son. If he was to drag this matter any further then he was sure that Liu Dong Ming will fight to the death with him and even drag his wife and son into the mess. He could not allow that to happen which was why he has to sacrifice someone. ¡± Brother Shun, please calm yourself...I know that you are aggrieved but we have to think of the bigger picture,¡± Ji Yang told his brother causing Ji Shun who was crying on the ground to look up at him a shock. Did his brother just say that they were going to leave this matter alone? His son just died how can his brother even say something like this? Liu Dong Ming should pay for what he has done! ¡± Brother Yang¡ª¡ª¡± But before Ji Shun could say anything Ji Yang interrupted him and said, ¡± I know that you are not reconciled but you should think about it carefully, brother. If we drag this matter then your sister-inw and nephew will be dragged as well, think about it¡­I have lost a son as well didnt I? For the sake of our family will have to think about it carefully.¡± Ji Shun felt his heart die upon hearing what his brother said, Ji Meng died because he was guilty of killing the two consorts but why did his son have to die? He did nothing and was just protecting Ji Mo! Even though he felt unfair, he could not say anything because a secondter Ji Yang lowered his body and patted him on the shoulder before adding, ¡± I know that you will make the right choice brother because certain sacrifices are important for achieving the big picture.¡± Ji Shun did not understand and he did not want to understand it either, he simply looked at his brother and then breathed out. ¡± I understand, Lord Ji.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- ¡± Wow, did he really do that?¡± Liu Hui Ying turned to look at Nanny Gong who was serving her breakfast because thetter was rather angry with her, Nanny Gong did not look at her but she still told everything that she knew about Liu Hui Ying. ¡± En,¡± replied Nanny Gong as she ced a bowl of in porridge in front of Liu Hui Ying with a sulking face. ¡± The head of the family is not someone who will willingly suffer a loss in the hands of others, he always retaliates in one or another.¡± Qui Ai who was not as angry as Nanny Gong at Liu Hui Ying for sneaking out immediately chimed in a beatter and said, ¡± I heard from the other maids that now the two young masters of the Ji family will be buried together on the same day as consort Liu, it¡¯s like the head is telling everyone that if you harm one member of the Liu family ¡­you will lose two members¡ª¡ª isn¡¯t he too cool for this, your majesty?¡± ¡± Ahem,¡± Nanny Gong warned Qui Ai to not speak too out of the line and immediately thetter lowered her head and stopped speaking, seeing that Nanny Gong was taking her anger out on Qui Ai indirectly, Liu Hui Ying turned to look at the elderly woman and said, ¡± Ohe on, Nanny Gong. Little Ai is right, my eldest uncle is indeed too cool.¡± She thought that he was like a viin but instead he looks more and more like a protector to her now. But if he was acting as the guardian of the Liu family why did he send the original Liu Hui Ying to this imperial pce and his daughter as well? Liu Hui Ying took a bite of her porridge and hummed silently. If she was to speak the truth, Liu Dong Ming¡ª¡ª he confused her a lot. She really couldn¡¯t see through him at all. Just as she was pondering over Liu Dong Ming, she noticed water droplets dripping in her bowl. A bit annoyed she looked up at the ceiling thinking that it was a leakage but to her surprise ¡ª¡ª the ghost of a woman was hanging upside down and smiling at her in a terrifying manner. Liu Hui Ying: ¡°...¡­.¡± Aish, she could not catch a break in this ce. Chapter 296 - 296 The attacker from that night 296 The attacker from that night ¡± You saw me,¡± the ghost woman who was dripping with water spoke in a sing-song voice as she scurried down and then sat right in the centre of the table where Liu Hui Ying was sitting. With her hollow-like eyes, she stared at Liu Hui Ying who was sitting in front of her and smiled until her jaw was on the verge of snapping and falling. ¡°I saw you helping that new ghost in moving on to the next life, help me too¡ª¡ªne, ne, I want to move to the next life as well.¡± Liu Hui Ying did not look at the ghost woman instead she looked at the porridge that the ghost woman has ruined and pursed her lips in anger. She was seriously going to go on a strike one of these days because two consorts died in the imperial pce, the grand dowager Empress and the Dowager Empress called for two priests to clear up the dark energy in the pce. The two priests were of course duds because Liu Hui Ying who attended the ceremony was not caught by the two priests even when she walked into the funeral hall with three ghosts behind her this morning. In her view, the entire thing waspletely stupid and pointless that did nothing but waste her time, though she was slightly entertained when she saw those two priests hop and jump as if they were really banishing evil energies. But her amusement soon died down when the two priests said that they have to exercise being vegetarian for the next thirteen days, she was already suffering enough with the nd food that was being handed to her but now even that nd food was ruined by this ghost woman. Liu Hui Ying¡¯s left eyebrow twitched in anger as she looked down at the porridge that was now spoiled because of the sudden drop of Yin energy in it and then raised her head before turning to look at Nanny Chang calmly as she handed the ruined porridge bowl to the old woman and said, ¡± I want a warm bowl of porridge this one has gone cold.¡± Nanny Gong looked at the bowl that still had lukewarm porridge while holding it in her hands and blinked her eyes before looking at the annoyed expression of the Queen. Though she wanted to ask why the Queen was asking for a hot porridge in this weather when the sun was still hot in the morning, she chose not to say anything after seeing the twitch of Liu Hui Ying¡¯s eyebrow. She has stayed with the Queen for long enough to know that the Queen was currently very annoyed by something and as for what was annoying her ¡ª¡ª she did not dare to ask seeing the death grip of Liu Hui Ying on her chopsticks. ¡± Ne~ I know you can hear me, you just exchanged the bowl because it is spoiled by my Yin energy, didn¡¯t you? Then help me out or else I will not leave.¡± The ghost woman said again and this time she even dragged her body forward and then stared right into Liu Hui Ying¡¯s face. ¡± If you don¡¯t help me then I will continue to haunt you.¡± As she spoke she opened her mouth and caused her stinky and rotten breath to waft over to Liu Hui Ying¡¯s nose who scrunched up her nose and then raised her hand before bringing it down with ¡ª¡ª ..... A loud smack. ¡°Ouch!¡± The ghost woman looked at Liu Hui Ying in surprise who stared right back at her with a smile and then said with an innocent expression, ¡± Aiya, it seems to me that you did not know that I can actually touch the ghosts, did you think that I can onlymand and help them as they wish?¡± As she spoke Liu Hui Ying cracked her fingers and approached the ghost woman who shook her head and said, ¡± Stay away from me, stay away! Ah, not my jaw, you will break my jaw!¡± ¡­. ¡± Little Ai, why is the Queen wrestling with air ?¡± Nanny Gong asked as she looked at Qui Ai while standing at the door as she watched Liu Hui Ying give a rack attack to the air. ¡°It¡¯s the Queen¡¯s way to de-stress herself,¡± replied Qui Ai withplete ease as she turned to look at Nanny Gong who stared at her with an expression of wanting to scream but did not dare to scream because she will be punished. ¡± Why do you look like that Nanny Gong?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing,¡± Nanny Gong nursed her forehead as she handed the bowl of porridge to Qui Ai and then turned around on her feet. ¡± I think I will have to go and look for a way to de-stress as well.¡± Or else the Queen was going to send her to the underworld before her time. ¡± I am sorry, I apologize, I will not dare to threaten you anymore,¡± the ghost woman groaned in pain, this was the first time she realised that even after death she will be able to feel pain like this. She looked at Liu Hui Ying and then grovelled on the floor while kowtowing. ¡± And,¡± Liu Hui Ying prodded the ghost woman who let out an embarrassment-filled wail and then said, ¡± I will never ever dare to ruin your meal, master.¡± ¡± That¡¯s correct,¡± Liu Hui Ying flicked her sleeves as she sat down back on the cushion to eat her warm porridge and then said, ¡± You can leave now, there is no need for you to stay behind and find trouble with me.¡± ¡± But..But¡ª¡ª I have been wandering in this pce for a long time.¡± ¡± I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°It has been more than fifty years.¡± ¡± I really don¡¯t give a damn.¡± ¡± Even my evil daughter-inw who poisoned me is reincarnated as a dog now.¡± ¡± I really couldn¡¯t be bothered.¡± Seeing that nothing was working on Liu Hui Ying, the ghost woman smacked her hands together and then said, ¡± I can tell you about that ghost who attacked you that night.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 297 - 297 The attacker from that night ——-2 297 The attacker from that night ¡ª¡ª-Liu Hui Ying paused and then turned to look at the ghost woman who smiled triumphantly like a con man who has finally seeded in fooling a rich businesswoman into investing in his business. The ghost woman nodded her head exaggeratedly and then said, ¡± You don¡¯t know this your majesty but I share the pond next to the one where that evil thing was waiting for you and of course, I heard everything that happened before you came to consort Su¡¯s courtyard. If you help me move on to the underworld, I will tell you everything that I know about that evil thing and the man who brought it with him.¡± The ghost woman¡¯s words were confident but Liu Hui Ying did not jump on her wagon at once, she shifted on her cushion lightly and then turned to look the ghost woman in the eye as she said, ¡± You really saw the person who brought that thing?¡± ¡°Of course I did,¡± the ghost woman replied honestly as she made a cross on the spot where her heart was when she was alive and then said, ¡± If I am lying then let me be an ant in the next life to be squashed under the feet of others.¡± Liu Hui Ying ced the hand with which she was holding the chopsticks and then took a good look at the ghost woman. She was slightly chubby but her face showed that she must have been a kind woman when she was alive, the ck cadaveric energy with a grey tint around her told that she was killed by someone and held a lot of grudges but before she could take revenge on her murderer, that person died and moved on, thus making it impossible for her to make a move. ¡± All right then,¡± Liu Hui Ying thought over it and realised that it was indeed not a bad proposal, she was not going to lose a piece of flesh if she helped this old woman move on to the underworld and she truly needed to know who was the son of a bitch who smashed her head open by that rock! The old woman was of course willing to answer Liu Hui Ying¡¯s question but she did not trust Liu Hui Ying who looked like a scammer to her, maybe it was her experience from the past fifty years but she could see that Liu Hui Ying was one of the most greedy people she has ever seen in her life and thus she immediately raised her hands and then said, ¡± First summon the flower, that you gave to that girl, your majesty¡­.when talking about a business we should have all put everything on the table right?¡± Liu Hui Ying noticed the doubtful glint in the eyes of the old woman, she was slightly annoyed that this old ghost was actually treating her like a scammer but then she thought about her usual behaviour and realised that the old woman was not entirely incorrect. The ball of anger that was burning in her chest was soon doused with cold water as she sighed and then summoned the white flower that she has handed to Liu Fei Fei to help her move to the underworld and onto the next life quickly. When the old woman saw the flower appear from thin air, her eyes lit up and she immediately pounced on the flower but was stopped by a very annoying hand that was ced on top of the flower. ..... ¡°What? Did you not say that when talking about an honest business we should put all our cards on the table? Why are you jumping on my cards without showing yours?¡± Liu Hui Ying raised a brow while looking at the excited-looking ghost woman. Maybe the old ghost woman knew that she will not be able to touch even a petal of this magical flower that was going to take her to the next life, which was why she immediately opened her mouth and started speaking, ¡± Answering Your majesty, the woman who dragged you in the water was none other than the maid who was killed by Consort Su and Consort Liu, as for the man who was behind your attack, I did not see much since his face was covered with a mask and only his eyes were visible but I did see a scar running up his left eye ¡­. It looked like someone dragged three fingers down his eyes wanting to scrape his eyeball out.¡± Dong. Liu Hui Ying dropped the chopsticks that she was holding in her hands as her expression morphed into one of disbelief and shock. A man with a scar of three fingers running down his eyes wasn¡¯t this¡ª¡ª ¡® Hey, stop there!¡¯ Liu Hui Ying was locked out of the house by her sister when she was helping the man who came to their house asking for help saying that he was haunted by something really sinister. However, even after waiting for more than an hour, the ghost wall that her sister set around the house was not pulled down and Liu Hui Ying who did not know what was going on inside the house, couldn¡¯t wait to tear the ghost wall down. She was still a learner of celestial magic back then and was not strong as her sister but she still couldn¡¯t sit back and watch her sister getting into trouble which was why she tried her best to bring the ghost wall down. Liu Hui Ying was able to make a crack in the ghost wall after a long time and just as she was going to barge inside the house, someone came hurtling out of the door and smashed right into her causing her to fall on the ground. She was stunned by the sudden fall but she still tried to catch the man who ran into her¡ª¡ª of course as a teen girl she could not stop the man from running away but she did notice the wound on his left eye. A bloody scar ¡ª¨Cthree bloody lines ran down all the way to his cheek. Chapter 298 - 298 Years that she wasted 298 Years that she wasted The ghost woman who saw how terrible Liu Hui Ying¡¯s face was immediately frightened, she did not know what she said that made Liu Hui Ying make that face but she still lowered her head and knocked her forehead on the ground and said, ¡± I am sorry, I did not know¡­ did I make a mistake? please forgive me!¡± Liu Hui Ying was lost in her memories but as soon as she heard the loud thunk, she snapped out of her daze and looked at the ghost woman who was looking at her with a pitiful expression on her face, she sighed and then waved her hand. ¡± There is no need for you to apologize, here take this flower and go.¡± Hearing that she could take the flower, the ghost woman was naturally very happy but when she looked at the murderous expression on Liu Hui Ying¡¯s face with that threatening air that was blowing past her, the ghost woman could not help but shudder in fear. She was worried that if she was to go close to Liu Hui Ying when she was like this, she will be sucked into the gloomy whirl that was circting around her. ¡± I ¡­I really can take this flower?¡± She asked as she looked at Liu Hui Ying who turned her head with a red glint in her eyes and then replied in a thick voice, ¡± Or else do you want me to exorcise you?¡± ¡°I will take it! Thank you very much!¡± The ghost woman immediately snatched the flower from the table and then rushed out of the room as fast as she could, she was worried that Liu Hui Ying might change her mind and destroy her soul instead of sending her to the afterlife! Liu Hui Ying watched the ghost woman leave before she turned her head and looked down at her hands. She blinked her eyes and then carefully thought about what the ghost woman told her and pondered over everything that happened in the past. After her sister was killed, Liu Hui Ying tried her best to catch the murderer but it was as if the murderer was gone from the world without leaving a trace behind. The ghosts she summoned could not find the man, this was the reason why she joined the investigation department, she thought that she will be able to find the man if she had all the information in her hands. But to her surprise that man¡¯s information did not exist in any of the records in the criminal data record that was in the system. Liu Hui Ying then thought that the man might have been a first-time offender and thus she started to skim through every other data that she could get from the other investigation departments but nothing. No matter how long and hard she searched the man¡¯s information did not fall into her hands, in fact, in fact, she knew that it was not the first time the man killed ¡ª¡ªthe swift cut that he made on the neck of her sister and the clean cuts on the wrist of her sister was enough to show that the man who killed her was not a first time offender. ..... Liu Hui Ying however continued looking for the man¡¯s information because she did not want to believe that she will not be able to find the man who killed her sister. That the man did not exist in her world in the first ce ¡ª¡ª but now she could no longer deny the fact that what she did in the modern world was nothing but a waste of time. All the hard work, all the extra cases that she took from the other investigation department because she wanted to take a look at their criminal database, all of it turned out to be nothing but a waste of time since the man was never in that world but he was hiding here in this world! ¡°Damn it!¡± Liu Hui Ying banged her fists on the table so loudly that the maids who were standing outside the room sucked in a breath collectively, even Qui Ai closed the door and stood on the side. She has stayed next to Liu Hui Ying long enough to know that thetter was really angry at this moment and wanted to be left alone. Just now she could see the heartbroken expression on the face of the queen, it was as if she has lost everything that she held dear to her. Qui Ai closed her eyes and then leaned on the wall behind her as she thought silently,¡¯ I hope you feel better soon, your majesty.¡¯ ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Liu Hui Ying however did not feel better in fact she felt even more enraged by the minute. With a bang, she threw herself down on the floor and then covered her eyes with her arm, fifteen years ¡­that was how much time she wasted on looking for that man. From bing a celestial master to bing a detective even though what she wanted to do after growing up was to be a doctor. She wasted fifteen years and gave up on her dreams and what she received in return was this ¡ª¡ª Her life was in the modern world, even the key to moving on for her three ghosts was in the modern world. If she stayed here in this world what will happen to her body in her world and what about the three ghosts, when she hired them she promised that she will help them move on! She also needs to take care of grandma Lan Fen¡¯s granddaughter! Even though she had left enough money in the ount of that girl, the world they lived in was so expensive already who knows whether that much money will be enough for Grandma Lan Fen¡¯s daughter? What was she supposed to do? Stay here and look for her sister¡¯s murderer or should she look for a way to go back and then help the three ghosts who have assisted her for so long move on? Chapter 299 - 299 Whether ruin or prosperity 299 Whether ruin or prosperity ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡± Hey, how long are you going to sulk in the bed like this?¡± Jia Li poked Liu Hui Ying in the back and couldn¡¯t help but ask, in the beginning when they all found out that the killer who was responsible for killing Liu Hui Ying¡¯s sister was hiding in this world instead of the one where they were looking for him, Liu Hui Ying went into full mode sulking, she did not eat, nor did she get out of the bed, in fact, she was staying in her room while huddling in her bedsheet and mourning for the time that she has wasted in the modern world looking for that coward. In fact, Jia Li knew that the real reason Liu Hui Ying was acting like this was that she was torn, she did not know whether to go back to the world where they lived and fulfil theirst wishes before sending them off to the afterlife or selfishly stay in this world and avenge her sister. She might act like she did not care about them but Liu Hui Ying was one of the best masters they could have asked for at least she cared for them in her own way. But Liu Hui Ying who was still in her sulking mode did not say anything and continued to huddle in her bedsheet. Jia Li looked at Liu Hui Ying¡¯s sorry back and then turned to look at Li Gang and Grandma Lan Fen before she got up from her crouching position and walked over to where the two of them were standing. ¡± I say why don¡¯t we agree to stay in this world with Liu Hui Ying? Don¡¯t you think that we will be fine if we stay a few more months in this ce and look for that killer?¡± Jia Li asked the two of them with a frown on her face, she really could not see Liu Hui Ying like that, in fact staying in this world was not as bad either, at least the third consort would invite a lot of drama troupes every now and then, she was at least not getting bored in this era. ¡± Hah? What are you talking about?¡± Li Gang looked at Jia Li like she was an idiot, for Jia Li this ce might be good enough but to him, it was not! He wanted a ghost woman with big breasts, a butt and a tiny waist¡ª- one who would make his yin energy dance with excitement while dressed as thinly as possible. He was an old virgin when he died, he was not going to the afterlife without sleeping around at least seven or eight times! But the thing was that the kind of ghost woman that he wanted, did not appear and those who did, they did not want to sleep with him, in fact, they wanted a ghost marriage and head to the underworld right away! Why will he do that? He wanted to y around as his gang brothers did instead of getting married! For the sake of his virginity, he needed to go back to the world where he stayed! Damn it! ..... ¡± I am going back, no matter what you say! This was what we agreed when I signed a contract with her ¡ª¡ª she clearly stated that she will let me fool around as much as I want!¡± Li Gang stated firmly as he denied even staying in this world for even a single month much fewer months! Grandma Lan Fen on the other hand did not refuse, she cupped her cheeks and then sighed, ¡± I do not mind staying here since Liu Hui Ying has given my granddaughter enough money, I think I can stay here a few months.¡± ¡± Then that¡¯s settled, we are staying here,¡± Jia Li ignored Li Gang¡¯s impure intentions altogether and then walked over to Liu Hui Ying to tell her about their decision. Li Gang who was ignored for his impure intentions: ¡°...¡­.¡±???? ¡± Hey! Do I not count!¡± Seeing that Jia Li actually ignored him, he could not help but scream at thetter who raised her brow in response and calmly answered ¡± Of course you do, but wee from a democratic world and ording to the votes that we just counted, your opinion does not count!¡± Li Gang: ¡°....¡± Fck! After she was done dealing with Li Gang, Jia Li turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and softly and very delicately said, ¡± Hui Ying, you do not have to worry, we are going to stay behind with you until you deal with that man who killed your sister!¡± Liu Hui Ying who was lying on the bed stiffened and then came sobbing and touched response, ¡± You guys, I don¡¯t know how to thank you all¡­my sister will be so happy once she regains her sanity.¡± Li Gang who was floating on the other side of the bed looked at the sly look on Liu Hui Ying¡¯s face and smacked his face, he knew it! This woman can never ever sulk for three days straight, she was just faking it such that Jia Li and Grandma Lan Fen will agree to stay in this world with her¡ª¡ªdamn these two soft-hearted women! Because of them¡­.his road to ending his virginity became even longer !! ¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡± The Queen is staying in her courtyard these days?¡± Zhai Tianyu mused as he looked up from the document that was in front of him and then stared at Yu Lingyun who sighed and nodded. ¡± Her majesty seemed to be on a strike, I heard from the maids that she is not eating these days and she is even staying in the bed not willing to get up¡­¡± Yu Lingyun answered with a small frown on his forehead as he looked at Zhai Tianyu. ¡± Apparently, the maids all say that she is destressing and nothing else but since you asked me to tell everything that happens in the Queen¡¯s courtyard, your majesty, I thought that you should know about this as well.¡± He paused and then asked, ¡± But why are you taking so much interest in the Queen, your majesty?¡± Zhai Tianyu did not even ask him to find out how Ji Yu was doing after losing her cousin in fact he was even turning her away whenever shees to see him these days. Yu Lingyun raised his head and looked at Zhai Tianyu and nervously licked his lips. It seems that a new wind was going to start blowing in their world ¡ª¡ª whether it will bring prosperity or ruin, it was yet to be seen. Chapter 300 - 300 autumn hunt 300 autumn hunt Zhai Tianyu paused his work when he heard that Liu Hui Ying was feeling stressed. He raised his hand and then ced it under his chin and turned his head to the window that overlooked the harem and hummed softly. A part of him could not believe that the Queen was feeling stressed after all, his queen was not a woman who will feel stressed in fact she was one of those women who will make the entire imperial pce feel stressed while she munched on her meal while humming a soft tune. ¡± You said that the queen is stressed, do you know why?¡± He asked Yu Lingyun who was standing in front of his table and reporting everything that was going on in the imperial pce. ¡± Of course, I don¡¯t.¡± Yu Lingyun frowned and replied. ¡± One, I don¡¯t understand the queen, she is somewhat ¡­.I don¡¯t know crazy..?¡± But then he saw Zhai Tianyu turn his head and look at him with a raise of his brow and immediately changed his words, ¡± I mean she is weird ¡­ no that¡¯s not it.¡± Yu Lingyun tried to mend the situation but the more he tried to mend it the more he made a mess. In the end, Zhai Tianyu couldn¡¯t see his general bumbling around like a baboon and said, ¡± Stop, there is no need for you to ¡­ change your words just go on.¡± Feeling a bit relieved that he wouldn¡¯t have to change his words, Yu Lingyun heaved a breath and went on speaking, ¡± Secondly, the queen seemed to be inside her courtyard, I cannot ask what is going on with her ¡­ as for little Ai.¡± He trailed off and then turned his head to the side but Zhai Tianyu could see an angry red print on Yu Lingyun¡¯s neck which looked as if his general was smacked on the neck with something t and by someone who was short in stature but was very angry to care about their height differences. ..... ¡± Were you beaten by the Queen¡¯s maid?¡± Zhai Tianyu asked as he looked at the angry mark on Yu Lingyun¡¯s neck, thetter has obviously tried to hide it with his robe but the uniform of his general made it impossible for Yu Lingyun to hide the mark. ¡± Of course not!¡± Yu Lingyun drawled making sure to stretch the ¡®not¡¯ long and nice. ¡± I am so handsome, as long as I smile and apologize with a gift who will dare to say no to me?¡± Zhai Tianyu did not say anything he simply stared at his flustered looking general and then after a long pause remarked, ¡± You were hit ¡­not only were you beaten by a maid half of your size, you were even chased by her, were you not?¡± He could, of course, see the several welts on the back of Yu Lingyun¡¯s hands, the marks made it seem like Yu Lingyun was hit on a whim and his attacker attacked him wherever they could get an opportunity to hit him. If he was to ask Yu Lingyun to take his robe off, Zhai Tianyu was sure that he will see many welts on Yu Lingyun¡¯s arms as well. Yu Lingyun who was caught flushed red in shame, he red at his best friend and then said in humiliation, ¡± So what? It is not my fault! Your wife, she is such a man-hater that she is raising an army of women by filling their ears against men!¡± ¡± You just wait one day, the Queen wille attacking the imperial pce to conquer the world with a bunch of angry women holding rattan sticks!¡± ¡°I am so overwhelmed with the bravery of my general,¡± replied Zhai Tianyu dryly as he lowered his head and looked down at the document that was in front of him. ¡± The general who fought battles after battles was beaten by a woman with a rattan stick, awesome.¡± ¡± You¡­do you think that I was defeated because I wanted to?¡± Yu Lingyun looked at his friend in disbelief. Who was the reason behind this? Who was the one who caused this trouble? If not for Zhai Tianyu who punished the queen by handing her a jar of poisonous wine, he wouldn¡¯t have been beaten like a wet dog! ¡°I am a man who will not find faults with a young woman, I simply ¡­I simply let her generously hit me! Nothing more.¡± The truth was that Yu Lingyun as soon as he arrived in front of Qui Ai who was working in the courtyard of the queen was attacked by thetter like a rooster protecting his hen and chicks. He did not even get to say another word other than ¡®hello¡¯. ¡± Sure, sure whatever that helps you in sleeping at night,¡± Zhai Tianyu on the other hand knew the truth, even if Yu Lingyun¡¯s opponent was a woman, he could have stopped her but he couldn¡¯t which means that Qui Ai took him by surprise. Yu Lingyun knew that his friend did not believe a thing that he said and pursed his lips and murmured, ¡± Just wait for your turn, do you think you are safe? I was attacked by the vicemander of the Queen but you will be attacked by the Queen, herself! Let¡¯s see how you escape. You will be hit by a whip while trying to slither into the bed of the Queen, see how I willugh at you.¡± ¡± Did you say something?¡± Zhai Tianyu asked as he looked at Yu Lingyun who was muttering darkly. Of course, he heard what his general was saying but he was going to ignore hisments for now. After all, he did not want to think about the pain he will have to go through while trying to get close to the Queen. ¡°Nothing,¡± Yu Lingyun answered with his back straight as he looked at Zhai Tianyu while feigning innocence. Zhai Tianyu scoffed at his green tea general and then looked down at the document that was causing him a headache and asked, ¡± Who was the one who asked for the autumn hunt to be pushed ahead again?¡± ¡± It was Ji Yang, the left prime minister, your majesty.¡± Seeing that they were back to serious business, Yu Lingyun answered solemnly. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 301 - 301 a guardian 301 a guardian The autumn hunt was a festival that marked the beginning of winter in the imperial city. At the autumn hunt, Zhai Tianyu as the Emperor was responsible for hunting an animal that was plump and healthy which would signify a bountiful winter where no one would go hungry even though the forest, crops and everything else will be covered in snow. That was the autumn hunt, strictly speaking, it should be a wonderful time for Zhai Tianyu to take a few days off in fact he was looking forward to it. After all, his official wife who was dainty and naive exchanged her soul with a firecracker-like woman who cussed him day in and day out. Or every other time when he went to see her. He was being haunted by ghosts every night because he could see them, the ghosts of the imperial pce were now taking him as their emotional tree hole where he has to listen to everything that they say to him. It has reached the point where he could no longer sleep without getting pitch drunk. And the memorandums were making his head explode¡­.he thought that he would have a good time hunting and take some time off and de-stress himself by taking his anger out with his bow and arrows. But now ¡­. Ji Yang pushed the hunt ahead of its time. ..... ¡°I don¡¯t understand, why can¡¯t they take a rest for a single day? I mean I understand that they are all used to scheming but don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too much work? Like the viins don¡¯t go on vacation or something ?¡± Zhai Tianyu muttered as he stared at the document while scratching his head. What Ji Yang wrote in the document was indeed correct. ording to what he wrote in the memorandum, the winter wasing early and if they did not arrange the hunt soon then the animals will go into hibernation making it impossible for them to hunt decent prey and causing a great disaster to theirnd. The report waspletely fine and so was the exnation but ever since Zhai Tianyu found out that the Ji family was not as simple as he thought he couldn¡¯t help but be wary of them and this report was making him sit on the edge. ¡± Is the winter really arriving soon, Lingyun?¡± He asked Yu Lingyun who nodded seriously and answered, ¡± The winter is indeeding soon, Lord Shen from the astrological department told me that the winter was going to arrive sooner this year.¡± ¡°Which means that he must have told the same to the right prime minister as well.¡± Zhai Tianyu tapped on the table as he carefully thought over the problem that was in front of him but what made him even more confused was the fact that ¡ª¡ª- ¡± Liu Dong Ming agreed to this hunt as well.¡± It was a known fact that the left and the right prime ministers never agreed with each other in fact it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that they have never ever agreed on something. There was one time when Ji Yang said to Liu Dong Ming that it was raining too heavily and thetter instead of agreeing with Ji Yang walked in the heavy rain while his clothes dripped with water and his hair got wetter than a sea otter¡¯s fur and then imed stubbornly, ¡± Its just some drizzle.¡± Zhai Tianyu peeked out of the window and worriedly said, ¡± Is the worlding to an end?¡± ¡± Honestly, you are not the only one who is worried about this, your majesty,¡± remarked Yu Lingyun, the court of officials was simrly worried about the worlding to an end, a few of them even wrote their wills thinking that they will be dead by tomorrow morning. One of them was his poor father who already choose a coffin and told him that in case he was attacked tomorrow then he should bury him in the coffin he choose for himself. Zhai Tianyu looked at the signatures on the document that seemed to be agreeing with the hunt and rubbed his forehead before he muttered, ¡± Looks like the two of them are nning something.¡± Ji Yang was too silent despite losing his nephew and Liu Dong Ming was even calmer than usual, the silence of these two was indeed rather worrying to Zhai Tianyu. And now that the two have agreed on this hunt, it only made him even more suspicious of them. ¡± So, should we cancel the hunt?¡± Yu Lingyun asked, he was still not able to process the entire scheme that the Ji family nned for dethroning Liu Hui Ying. It was as if they knew that Liu Hui Ying will be the queen and prepared everything ordingly. Though he was suspicious of them, he threw the matter in the back of his head after all, how was it possible for the Ji family to know the future? ¡± We can¡¯t do that,¡± If possible Zhai Tianyu would have done that as well but he couldn¡¯t do that¡ª¡ª first he was just the king in name if the two families wanted to push the hunt, there was no way he could refuse them. And in case he was to struggle, there was a high possibility that they will get suspicious and then try to dethrone him before he could make a move against either of them. He looked down at the memorandum and then sighed in helplessness. ¡± Let them do what they want to, I will just¡ª¡ª-¡± Zhai Tianyu was still speaking when he suddenly felt a chill that was colder than the snow of the winter climb up his spine, more importantly right now he certainly felt someone¡¯s murderous intensity! He stood up from his chair and then looked around the room feeling a bit confused since he could not see anyone. ¡± Your majesty, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Yu Lingyun looked at Zhai Tianyu with confusion in his eyes. He was fine just a second ago, why was he looking so pale all of a sudden? Zhai Tianyu stared at the window where stood no one and frowned, ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± ...¡­.. ¡°My,¡± a man dressed in ck robes like a priest with golden jewellery and eyes ck as ink stared at Zhai Tianyu through a distance and smiled. ¡°He is quite sharp for a human. You have found a wonderful guardian, Hui Ying.¡± Chapter 302 - 302 Paying respects 302 Paying respects ¡± Autumn hunt?¡± Liu Hui Ying turned her head and looked at nanny Gong who was helping her in getting ready for the ceremony of paying respect to Liu Fei Fei whose long-awaited funeral was finally held. With her body d in white clothes that were even whiter than snow, Liu Hui Ying turned to look at Nanny Gong who nodded her head and then said, ¡± That is correct your majesty, after the ceremonies of the funeral are finished, we will set off to the forest of southern territory.¡± Liu Hui Ying was not fond of hunting if anything she thought that the entire thing was nothing but a big trap exclusively for her. After all, a hunt was where bows, arrows, knives and swords were allowed along with drugs to knock animals out for crying out loud. And if she was speaking the truth, she was more and less like an animal in the eyes of others after all she was being targeted by the people of the harem even when she was sleeping! Wasn¡¯t the murder of Liu Fei Fei like a big wake-up call for her? For the sake of dethroning her that Ji family schemed for so long, this autumn hunt will be like a big bonanza for them. It would be shocking for her if she returned to the imperial pce without getting targeted at least once. ¡± Should they not be stopping the festivities since two consorts died back to back in the pce?¡±Liu Hui Ying asked as Nanny Gong ced a lighter but still not light enough to stop her neck from cracking crown on top of her head and tied it securely around her head such that it would not tumble down when she paid her respect to Liu Fei Fei who was now lying in a tomb where she will finish her eternal sleep till her body crumbles. Usually, as the mother of the nation, Liu Hui Ying was supposed to go to the graveyard where the imperial family members wereid at rest but because she was newly married and not even a year has passed after her marriage, it was considered bad luck by the dowager Empress for a newly married woman to attend a funeral just after her marriage. Because of this Liu Hui Ying was only asked to send something that will be useful for Liu Fei Fei in her journey to the afterlife, and if Liu Hui Ying was sure the thing that she sent was buried together with Liu Fei Fei as long as no one intercepted it in between instead of attending the funeral. Liu Hui Ying did not find that annoying at all, instead, she weed the order that was handed down by the Dowager Empress because she did not like going to the graveyard in the first ce. Now that Liu Fei Fei was buried and her tomb was finished, Liu Hui Ying was allowed to pay her respects to the unfortunate soul who died so young and that too so cruelly. If not for the fact that she was the mother of the nation and needed to show her face, she would have refused to go to the graveyard altogether. ..... The reason for her refusal was simple, she did not like the extreme yin energy that floated around the graveyard and secondly the yin energy was like cat nip for the three ghosts of hers. They would go all excited and yammering once they sucked in the grudge that floated in the graveyard, she wanted to leave them behind but ¡ª¡ª- ¡± You are not leaving us behind!¡± ¡± I am going with you no matter what! I need to get stronger! That fking thing caused me to be embarrassed like that!¡± ¡± Dear, I would like to suck in some yin energy as well, I am feeling so weak and dizzy after thest attack.¡± Liu Hui Ying felt her head burst as the three ghosts stayed glued to her as if they were afraid that if they were to hover even an inch away from her, she will leave them behind. Something that was the truth but nheless, Liu Hui Ying was annoyed with the headache that they were causing her. Though they all were speaking like they wanted to suck the yin energy because they wanted to get stronger and level up. Liu Hui Ying knew the truth, they all just wanted to let loose and go crazy in the graveyard since no one will stop them there. ¡± Hui Ying!¡± ¡± Hui Ying!¡± ¡± Hui Ying!¡± ¡± Fine!¡± She roared through telepathy while rubbing her forehead, she was going to set them right after she returns from the graveyard! Nanny Yang tightened the belt around Liu Hui Ying¡¯s waist before she answered the question that her mistress has asked her. ¡± They should but this hunt is equally important as well, it¡¯s supposed to be held every year and cannot be postponed. More importantly, this hunt was pushed forward by the Ji and the Liu family together making it even more important.¡± ¡± I heard from the Dowager Empress that she wants this hunt to be moved forward because she wants the bad luck to be washed away with the beginning of the new season.¡± ¡®Bad luck to be washed away, my ass.¡¯ Liu Hui Ying thought savagely in her head, she was sure that the reason the Dowager Empress wanted the hunt to be renewed was that she wished to see the world burn while warming her hands. Or more urately the Ji family burn. She was a fool if she was to believe even one wording out of the mouth of that old woman. ¡± Nanny, can I not go to the hunt?¡± She asked nanny Gong when thetter was finishing up the touches and urging her to go out of the courtyard. ¡± I mean there is no need for me to go to the hunt right?¡± After all, a ce where bows and arrows were allowed ¡ª¡ªsurely the Ji family would want that ce to be her resting ce, right? ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 303 - 303 Paying respects ——-2 303 Paying respects ¡ª¡ª-Though Liu Hui Ying would not let them seed, she was confident of something like this but she did not want to waste her precious time. Her n was simple, she was going to take care of that man who killed her sister, find the soul of the original owner of the body and then she will return to her own world where she will take care of that baldy once and for all along with that bitch like daughter of his! She did not have time to y the ¡®you try to murder me and I will try to murder you¡¯ game with the Ji family, she was very busy. So busy that she did not even have time to y around! ¡± That is simply impossible, your majesty,¡± Nanny Gong immediately denied Liu Hui Ying¡¯s request as she pushed thetter out of the room and to the corridor. ¡± You are the mother of the nation, you will have to bless the first hunt and pray in the temple that is situated at the mountains of the southern territory. Only then the hunt would be considered asplete, without your prayer and blessings, it would be fruitless.¡± Which meant that she would not be able to skip from this hunt, Liu Hui Ying suddenly felt like being the Empress was a pain in the ass. Why did she not reincarnate in the body of some cannon fodder concubine? If she did not only would she have been able to live leisurely even that Emperor would have left her alone because he would have been too busy ying hooky with his precious lover. But now that man would pop into her courtyard every once and now, she really could not understand what that man was trying to do. Should he not be whispering sweet nothings to the woman he loved? What was he doing sending her this and that? Liu Hui Ying thought as her gaze fell on the big golden pnquin that the Emperor has sent her a day ago because she said that she was stressed. Even though she was faking it to make her ghosts pity her this was really too surprising for her as well, after all, why will the Emperor care if she was upset? Why? Though she was confused, she did notin. Who would? Getting a golden pnquin to sit on was something that not everyone can experience. If she got bored with it, she could obviously sell it and then earn some quick money. The naive Liu Hui Ying did not know that this golden pnquin was made from the jewellery that was snatched from her own house. The Emperor was feeling a lot guilty after he found out that he mistakenly attacked the warehouse where his father-inw kept all the things that belonged to his wife, originally he wanted to give the jewellery back to Liu Hui Ying and confess but then he saw the welts on Yu Lingyun¡¯s arms and decided against it. His general was beaten like this when he went to apologize, if he was to apologize to his wife for stealing from her, there was a good chance that he will be beaten until his mother refuses to ept that he was her son. ..... This was why instead of confessing, he asked his workers to melt the jewellery and then make a pnquin out of it such that he will not be beaten up for the time being. Liu Hui Ying of course had no idea that something like this had taken ce behind her back which was why she was conveniently using the pnquin without getting bothered at all but the day she finds out that the pnquin was made out of the gold that belonged to her originally ¡ª¡ªhehe. ¡­.. Liu Hui Ying sat down on her golden pnquin and the four pnquin bearer used their sturdy arms to pick the pnquin up from the ground and then marched all the way up to the funeral grounds. Of course, Liu Hui Ying was sensible enough to ask them to stop the pnquin a good distance from the graveyard lest she was critiqued for bringing something so shy with her to the graveyard. Once they reached the graveyard Liu Hui Ying asked them to stop the pnquin a good distance away from the graveyard and then got down from the pnquin and then walked the remaining distance. ¡± Sister Hui Ying,¡± when she reached the graveyard a voice called from behind causing Liu Hui Ying to pause as she turned to look at Liu Yuyang who was walking over to the spot where she was standing. ¡± Brother Yuyang,¡± Liu Hui Ying greeted Liu Yuyang, since this young man gifted her a good deal of pieces of jewellery she had a rather good impression of him, even though he was a man, he was a walking ATM for her as well! Liu Yuyang looked at Liu Hui Ying who came alone and then frowned slightly, why was it that even when the Emperor knew that he will have to pay respects to Liu Fei Fei together with Liu Hui Ying, he did note with her? Was he not treating Liu Hui Ying too harshly? ¡± Where is his majesty, shouldn¡¯t he be with you?¡± He asked Liu Hui Ying though he was thoroughly displeased by Zhai Tianyu and his actions of leaving Liu Hui Ying to deal with her mess, he never showed it on his face because Liu Hui Ying was indeed a bit too arrogant and made a lot of problems every now and then. But now Liu Hui Ying was no longer the same, she was changed and more importantly, she was attacked a few days ago. Even the bandage on her forehead was yet to be taken off and yet his majesty was letting her roam around alone¡ª¡ª the fact that Zhai Tianyu did not appoint a guard for Liu Hui Ying was a sore spot for Liu Yuyang who thought that the Emperor was treating his sister too lightly but the fact that he even let Liu Hui Ying who was hurt and still recovering, alone like this made him even more dissatisfied by this husband of Liu Hui Ying! Chapter 304 - 304 The grand dowager empress is sick 304 The grand dowager empress is sick At this moment, Zhai Tianyu was in the courtyard of the Grand Dowager Empress. He watched the imperial physician Shao apply some medicinal paste on the forehead of his grandmother causing the scent of herbs and medicine to fill the room before sighing, he should have known that this was going to happen, even though he was not someone who would pick faults with his grandmother since thetter had done a lot for him but at this moment he wanted to ask his grandmother whether she was tired or not. But he knew he could not do it, he was supposed to be the perfect puppet Emperor, one who only listened to his officials and his grandmother, one who did not use his own head and was easily controble. This was not the time for him to make the Ji family suspicious of him especially not when he had so much to investigate including the death of his father. ¡± How is imperial grandmother, physician Shao?¡± Thus Zhai Tianyu even though he was annoyed he had to y the role of a filial grandson no matter what, he was supposed to arrive at the Liu family¡¯s funeral ceremony with the Empress but before he could leave his courtyard, he received word from the Grand Dowager Empress mammy that thetter had fallen ill. Apparently, what the mammy told him was that the Grand Dowager Empress was sick because she lost too grand nephews of hers in one night. She even further went on to mention that she felt guilty towards Ji Xiann and his father who were punished for no reason, the mammy then further told him thatst night Grand Dowager Empress got a nightmare where she was scolded by her husband for not paying good attention to the imperial pce and causing such a mess. Zhai Tianyu was no fool, even though he pretended to be one, now that he was no longer just biased towards the Ji family he could see that this was nothing less than a stupid scheme that was well thought out by his grandmother and her mammy to stop him from going to the funeral ceremony of the Liu family. The reason for this small y was simple, the Ji family has set the same ceremony for Ji Xiann as Liu Fei Fei making sure that the ceremony will sh with the Liu family. His grandmother must have wanted him to only attend the Ji family¡¯s ceremony instead of the Liu family¡¯s ceremony with Ji Yu, this way at least she will be able to save the face of the Ji family in front of others. They must have thought of this ploy after the sudden decline in the poprity of the Ji family, in the past, the Ji family was unfairly and without any reason or norm supported by him and his father. Not once the two of them ever considered the Ji family as a threat to the throne and treated them like their loyal aides, this gave the Ji family unanimous power over the other officials who did not belong to the Ji or the Liu family. But after what happened with Ji Xiann and Ji Meng, Zhai Tianyu had created a line between himself and the Ji family, he even allowed Ji Xiann to be killed by Liu Dong Ming and not once mentioned an investigation. These actions of his might have made the Ji family panic they must have thought that if this goes on then they will lose their footing in the court and what was more even the people in the court were slowly clearing themselves from the Ji family and supporting the Liu family nowadays. ..... His grandmother must have heard about the changes in the court from Ji Yang which was why she deliberately fell sick and then forced him toe here such that he will miss the timings and let Liu Hui Ying leave on her own instead of going to the ceremony with her. And once he was here, she make a fuss and send him to the Ji family¡¯s house with Ji Yu such that everyone will know that the Ji family was still being supported by the Emperor without any change. ¡± Her majesty is overstressed,¡± Even though imperial physician Shao could see that her majesty was not sick at all, he knew that he couldn¡¯t say it out loud much less tell his majesty that the Grand Dowager Empress was feigning it after all, his family was still under the ws of the grand dowager Empress. He has to do what she asked him to do! ¡± I believe that she needs a lot of rest and care, your majesty, the Emperor,¡± he ryed everything that the mammy of the Grand Dowager Empress had told him to say to Zhai Tianyu without a single mistake. ¡± I see,¡± Zhai Tianyu looked at the man in front of him who had his head lowered and seemed to be replying to him quite honestly and then clicked his tongue inwardly. He thought that the imperial physician Shao was not a good actor but after being caught by him thest time, this man seemed to have learned some new skills. He was actually lying in front of the Emperor without even batting an eye! What wonderful actors he had in his court, one was pretending to be sick and the other was helping her as a supporting actor. Awesome. If they were not in the imperial pce, he was sure that his family could have made a fortune with their skills as y-actors! He did not call out the imperial physician Shao instead he turned to look at Ji Yu who was wiping the grand Dowager Empress¡¯s forehead and pursed his lips. So was Ji Yu in this act as well or was she like him? Who knew what was going on but had no choice but to go along with her majesty¡¯s antics? Zhai Tianyu did not want to lump Ji Yu together with the Ji family since she has been nothing but kind to him all their childhood but what was he supposed to do with the what if that was circting in his head? ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 305 - 305 Talented actors! 305 Talented actors! Zhai Tianyu did not say anything to Ji Yu, he did not want to face her tears by asking ugly questions at this moment. He still needed to go to the imperial graveyard and then stand by Liu Hui Ying lest everyone thought that she was not supported by him or that she was just an empress in the name. ¡± When will her majesty wake up?¡± He further asked Imperial physician Shao, he wanted to know just how long this fake sickness was going to be dragged on though inwardly Zhai Tianyu was annoyed on the surface he looked at his grandmother with an expression that was full of concern as if he couldn¡¯t even withstand the sight of his grandmother falling sick like this. Imperial physician Shao nced at the ¡®unconscious¡¯ Grand Dowager Empress and then hesitatingly answered the question, ¡± Her majesty fell unconscious because her body was stressed as long as she takes enough rest, I am sure she will wake up soon.¡± ¡± Oh,¡± Zhai Tianyu nodded as if he understood what the Imperial Physician Shao was trying to say and then after much thought, he added, ¡± I think that we should all leave her majesty to rest then, I will go and attend the Liu family¡¯s ceremony, I am sure by then her majesty will be awake and then we will go and pay our respects to Lord Ji who passed away in an unfortunate assassination.¡± With that he turned around to leave, seeing that Zhai Tianyu really had no intention of stopping the grand dowager Empress gritted her teeth, she made such a big show to stop Zhai Tianyu from going to Liu Fei Fei¡¯s funeral ceremony, she wanted Liu Hui Ying to pay respects to Liu Fei Fei alone such that she will be able to recover some of the lost face because of the incident of Ji Meng and the others if Zhai Tianyu was to leave now wouldn¡¯t her entire hard work go down the abyss? As the grand dowager Empress thought about it, she realised that she could no longer put on the unconscious act anymore, but waking up as soon as Zhai Tianyu turned to leave seemed to be a bit too coincidental. In the end, she did what she thought was the only thing she thought was right. ¡± Kang Kang!!!¡± With a loud screech, Grand Dowager Empress woke up from her bed, her eyes crazy and wild as her hand stretched to the heavens, she kept calling the name of the previous Emperor and her son as she sobbed and asked for forgiveness. ¡± Your majesty!¡± ..... ¡± Your majesty, the Grand Dowager Empress!¡± Both Ji Yu and the imperial physician Shao screamed as they tried to calm the Grand Dowager Empress down, it was as if thetter really lost her mind and was on the verge of losing her life. Seeing them act like this Zhai Tianyu felt his head throb, he truly wanted to ask his grandmother whether or not she loved his father or did she thought of him as a chess piece till the end. How can she even use the name of his father to make her act look realistic? How can she not understand the fact that the dead should be allowed to Rest In Peace? Though Zhai Tianyu had a lot ofints, he still put on a worried look and turned to rush back as he helped the Grand Dowager Empress together with Ji Yu. The more he acted, the more he thought that he was bing one of his scheming concubines, was this something an Emperor was supposed to do? ¡± Grandmother calm down,¡± he pushed Grand Dowager Empress onto the bed and then covered her with a nket with a very worried expression on his face, he turned to look at Imperial physician Shao and then chided him angrily. ¡± What are you doing? Her majesty is like this and you are standing aside watching a show? Why don¡¯t you help her? Or is it that you don¡¯t want to help her? Should I take care of you and your family since you are so useless?¡± Imperial physician Shao felt like he was stuck between a rock and a hard ce, the Grand Dowager Empress was pretending and so was the Emperor and as their loyal servant he was the one who was suffering the most. In the end, he could only lower his head and apologize before taking out a calming incense and then lighting it up. Fortunately, the Grand Dowager Empress seemed to have acted enough, once the calming incense was lit up, she stopped sobbing after a few minutes and then turned to look at Zhai Tianyu with tears in her eyes and said, ¡± Ti...Tianyu, you are here?¡± ¡°I am here, your majesty,¡± he answered the grand dowager Empress before picking up a cup of tea and then helping her to take a few sips of water. Seeing that her grandson was still filial to her, the grand dowager empress heaved a sigh of relief and then put on an aggrieved look on her face. ¡± Ah, I was supposed to go to Ji Xiann¡¯s house and pay respects to him today but looks like my old body had another n.¡± She turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and then with a sigh added, ¡± Tianyu if you do not mind will you go with Ji Yu and attend the ceremony in my instead? Tell Xiann that his aunt is sorry and couldn¡¯te to pay him respects as her old body is no longer as capable as it once was.¡± Zhai Tianyu took a sip of the water from the cup that he was holding and then licked his lips, he seemed to be hesitating but when he saw his grandmother¡¯s face that was pale and sickly, his eyes turned sad and he pretended to open his mouth as if he was agreeing but then suddenly he dropped the cup in his hands and covered his mouth as he gagged like he was going to throw up. Imperial physician Shao: ¡°.....¡± wow, his majesty was pregnant. What a miracle. Chapter 306 - 306 Golden glory 306 Golden glory ¡± Your majesty, are you okay?¡± ¡± Your majesty!¡± When the people in the room saw Zhai Tianyu cover his mouth and hurl out the content that he had just drank, they all thought that he was poisoned. Especially, The grand dowager Empress¡ª¡ªst night her nephew brought a very potent poison to show off to her, he even used it in front of her to show her how good it was, what if the remnants of that poison were left behind? The Grand Dowager Empress was worried that Zhai Tianyu was poisoned and he might die any second now which was why she immediately turned to look at Imperial physician Shao and shouted at him, ¡± What are you doing? Watching like a mute, do you want us to make you one? See what is going on with his majesty!¡± If Zhai Tianyu gets poisoned then her reign, her family and everything else will be ruined! That, Liu Dong Ming, will surely unscrupulously usurp everything! ¡± Yes, yes!¡± Imperial physician Shao snapped out of his daze and immediately started examining the Emperor, he was worried that if he was even a secondte, he will be scolded by her majesty until his entire generation was begging for mercy from her. He immediately stretched his hand and then curled them around Zhai Tianyu¡¯s wrist and started his check up but as soon as he came to a conclusion, his face could not help but go ck in disbelief. When the Grand Dowager Empress saw such a reaction from the Imperial physician Shao, she thought that Zhai Tianyu was really poisoned. Thus, even though she was supposed to be ying the part of a ¡®sick¡¯ person, she pushed herself off the bed and then asked imperial physician Shao impatiently, ¡± What is the meaning of this, why are you looking at his majesty like this? Tell us what happened to his majesty?¡± Ji Yu also wanted to snap at the imperial physician when she saw how sluggishly he was working but she refrained herself since she was more worried about Zhai Tianyu who was covering his mouth and clutching his stomach. She did not know that her father brought poison to show off to her grandaunt, but she did know that everything in the room of her grandaunt was not as harmless as it seemed which was why she was really worried as well. ..... ¡± His majesty¡­.¡± Imperial physician Shao who did not know how to say the truth closed his eyes and then dragged his words causing Ji Yu and the Grand Dowager Empress to hang on to each word of his. ¡± He is constipated.¡± ¡± ¡­Con¡­what?¡± The grand dowager empress was sure she misheard the imperial physician Shao, after all, how was it possible for someone as majestic as Zhai Tianyu to be constipated, surely, the imperial physician Shao said that Zhai Tianyu was poisoned and she heard something else right? That must be it! But as she looked at her grand niece who looked just as stumped as her, she could not help but re-evaluate what she was thinking. Was he really constipated? Imperial physician Shao was embarrassed as well, he knew that his majesty must have done something behind the scenes but was this really necessary? After all, for the sake of being fair was it necessary for his majesty to harm his heavenly body? Couldn¡¯t he just have followed concubine Ji to her house like the Grand Dowager Empress asked? But no matter what he was thinking it was simply useless at the moment because his majesty had somethingpletely different from what he was thinking nned in his head. He closed his eyes and this time even more loudly and clearly said, ¡± His majesty is constipated¡­.his stomach is runny and it seemed like he might have eaten something bad.¡± Ji Yu: ¡°....¡± The Grand Dowager Empress: ¡°....¡± ?? The two women did not know whether they should be embarrassed for themselves or whether they should be embarrassed for Zhai Tianyu whose loose bowels were caught in front of everyone. Zhai Tianyu lowered his head and embarrassingly coughed with his cheeks flushed slightly as he licked his lips and said, ¡± I am sorry, your majesty¡­ I was supposed to keep it all in but you know how is it¡­ this is something¡­ the more you hide the more it shows ¡­¡± as he spoke he clenched his legs together and slowly got up from the chair on which he was sitting. ¡± I ¡­ I think I need to go, imperial physician Shao, please send an effective medicine to my study as soon as you can ugh¡­¡± He did not finish what he was saying instead he clutched his stomach and turned to run out of the room, his legs still clenched tightly but as soon as he reached the threshold of the room, he turned to look at Ji Yu who was looking at him with confusion and stunned disbelief in her eyes and apologetically smiled at her before saying, ¡± And my dear¡­oh dear¡­ concubine Ji, you should leave for your cousin¡¯s funeral ceremony as well, pay your respects well, I think ¡­ I think it will take some time for me to arrive there!¡± His face suddenly turned pale and then blue as he clenched his fists and banged them on the wall while clenching his legs even more tightly. ¡± In fact, it will take me a long time¡­ don¡¯t wait for me..¡± as he spoke he turned to look at Imperial Physician Shao and red at him. ¡± The most potent one, you understand? The most potent one I want these heavenly bowels of mine to tighten as soon as they can!¡± With that, he opened the door of the room and rushed out to the pnquin where he jumped inside and then ushered his pnquin bearers. ¡± Run my dear ones, run as fast as you can ¡­to the nearest washroom lest you want to shower under the golden glory of your emperor!¡± The pnquin bearers did not seem too fond of the idea of showering in the golden glory of their emperor and thus they ran as fast as they could ¡ª- so fast they have never before. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 307 - 307 My Queen must be waiting for me 307 My Queen must be waiting for me ¡± Here you go,¡± Zhai Heng handed a small porcin bottle to Zhai Tianyu as soon as thetter came out of the restroom. He looked at the paleplexion of his brother with those dark under eyes and could not help but ask, ¡± Was this really necessary?¡± Zhai Tianyu did not answer at once instead he first unscrewed the porcin bottle causing a herbal scent to flood the room only then did he empty the content of the bottle in his mouth and then groaned in relief as the herbal liquid went down his throat. ¡°Of course it was necessary,¡± Zhai Tianyu finally answered his brother as he walked over to the couch that was made from bamboo with cushions on top of it and theny down, his stomach ached a little as he moved but with the antidote in his body, it was no longer churning. ¡± I cannot let the Ji family y me around like before, they will start thinking that they can do anything because I care for my grandmother and start running amok, not that they are not at the moment but then they will simply be too unrestrained.¡± Last night when Zhai Tianyu decided that he was going to attend the Liu family¡¯s funeral rites first, he already knew something like this was going to happen. After all,st week when he attended Liu Fei Fei¡¯s funeral before Ji Xiann, Ji Yang was very much upset with him. He even mentioned it in court saying that he was losing his touch by favouring one woman over another and creating unrest in the harem. Zhai Tianyu felt like he was being scolded for no reason at all, he hasn¡¯t even done anything to his concubines or his wife yet and he was already being treated like a douchebag by everyone left and right. He knew that this time when the ceremony of paying respect to the dead was being held, the Ji family will definitely force him to apany Ji Yu instead of Liu Hui Ying because they did not want to lose the alliances that they have formed in the court with his favour standing on their side which was why he came up with this small trick of his own. Zhai Tianyu knew that he will not be able to refuse his grandmother if she was to ask him to apany Ji Yu first instead of Liu Hui Ying which was why instead of refusing her straightforwardly, he decided that he will refuse her indirectly. He asked Yu Lingyun to bring him a drug that will induce loose bowels along with an antidote and then before going to see the Grand Dowager Empress this morning he applied the drug on his lips. While he was in the room, he continued to lick his lips in a nervous manner making it look as if he was too anxious but what he was doing throughout was licking the drug until no residue was left on his lips because he knew that if he was to leave even a little drug behind his grandmother will surely found out what he did. ¡± I just did not expect that the drug Lingyun will find will be this potent, if I did, I would have applied it only a little,¡± Zhai Tianyu said to his brother as he sat up straight on his couch and rubbed his still aching stomach. Once he was done, he winced lightly and pushed himself off the couch, ¡± Has Ji Yu left?¡± ..... ¡± She is gone,¡± Zhai Heng replied as he picked up the bottle of antidote and crumpled it with his fingers until nothing but its dust was left behind. He raised his head and then blinked his eyes with a nk look on his face, his face conveying that he was a bit hesitant which was something that Zhai Tianyu caught at once, he raised his head and then tilted his head to the side before he asked with a subtle raise of his brows, ¡± What is it, elder brother?¡± ¡± Don¡¯t you think you did something to let Ji Yu down?¡± Zhai Heng asked with a small frown, he knew that his brother promised that he will never do something that will let Ji Yu down which was why he couldn¡¯t help but ask Zhai Tianyu about the promise that he once made to Ji Yu. Zhai Tianyu¡¯s movements paused a little, he rubbed his fingers together and sighed. ¡± I know what you are trying to say brother but believe me, I am only doing what is right¡­ I cannot pamper Ji Yu unnecessarily without any rhyme or reason, she has to understand that my promise only stands strong unless she has done nothing wrong first but if she has¡­¡± ¡± So you think that she is hiding something as well?¡± Zhai Heng did not want to suspect Ji Yu, they already have a handful of people whom they could count on if they were to lose Ji Yu as well then whom they can ce their trust. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Zhai Tianyu honestly replied with his head lowered in concentration. ¡± I have no idea whether or not she has lied to me or not but you know what brother, I just don¡¯t want to blindly trust anyone anymore ¡­because I am afraid that if I was to find out that Ji Yu was lying to me about something all along then I will lose myself lest the truthes to light. I do not wish to lose my rationality and do something upsetting towards Ji Yu which is why I will hold back a little from her for her own sake.¡± Zhai Tianyu didn¡¯t want to follow the path that his father once followed and bring his reign to an abrupt end like that, even though he did not know the truth ¡ª¡ª his eyes shed with a murderous glint as he remembered the gaze with which Ji Yu looked at him this morning, it was subtle but he could see that she knew something that he did not¡­and now this vague feeling that Ji Yu was no longer as harmless, gentle and kind as she once was in the past was only getting stronger in his heart! He pursed his lips and cuffed his sleeves before pulling on a white robe and said to his brother, ¡°Let¡¯s go, my queen must be waiting for me.¡± Chapter 308 - 308 His majesty is here 308 His majesty is here Liu Hui Ying who was at the graveyard picked her ear just now she felt like someone was talking about her. ¡®Must be the air,¡¯ she thought in her head and then turned to look at Liu Yu Yang who was standing by her side and asked softly, ¡°Don¡¯t you have somewhere to go? You don¡¯t need to stand by me like this, I am fine.¡± She really could not understand how and why this man started to follow her, all she said was that she came to the graveyard alone and Zhai Tianyu did note with her and ever since then this man has been following her. Was this matter that big? She might be a woman but can¡¯t she arrive in the graveyard on her own? Why does she need to have a patron following her? What Liu Hui Ying who lived in the modern world as an independent woman can never understand was that even though she was the Empress, her title held no respect without the Emperor. Even if she was the mother of the nation, if it was rumoured that she has been abandoned by the Emperor then she will lose every bit of value that she had in the eyes of others. Liu Hui Ying did not understand it but Liu Yuyang who was trained as the heir of the Liu family understood everything too well. He nced at one of their uncle who was looking at Liu Hui Ying with a judgemental look in his eyes and narrowed his gaze ring at the man in return until he turned around and looked somewhere else. ¡®I want to leave as well but if I leave then you will be swallowed whole by these people.¡¯ Liu Yuyang who was standing beside Liu Hui Ying remarked in his head but he did not say anything to the young girl. As he turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was blinking her eyes at him, he couldn¡¯t help but remember the time when thetter was too young and naive, the first time he saw her when he was brought home by Old master Liu who was his adoptive father and Liu Hui Ying¡¯s biological father. Back then Liu Hui Ying was not as corrupted by the talks of the servants and she cared for him as well, when she was young, she would follow him like this as well and the way she looked at him was the same too. Naive and innocent without any hint of malice in her eyes as she stared up at him. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry, your majesty,¡± Liu Yuyang answered Liu Hui Ying as he turned his head away from the young woman who was looking at him with that innocent gaze of hers. When he was brought to the Liu family, his adoptive father introduced him to Liu Hui Ying as his future wife, he told him that he was being raised as the heir because he was going to marry Liu Hui Ying and then be her husband who will take on her name. But when Liu Hui Ying turned thirteen and started hating him and everything that he did along with their eldest uncleing with the n of marrying her to the Emperor instead of keeping her at home, that small idea of his adoptive father was scrapedpletely. ..... Back then Liu Yuyang did not think that it was a pity or a problem on his part, in fact, he was quite relieved when he found out that he would not have to look after the spoiled and bratty Liu Hui Ying all his life but now that thetter was looking at him with those eyes that shone like countless stars in the midnight sky, why was his heart aching at the thought that this woman can never be his? Maybe it was because of the funeral, as the heir of the Liu family and now the adopted brother of Liu Hui Ying, he tried to brush away those thoughts from his head. ¡°I am just feeling a bit sentimental at the thought of losing one of my sisters, if you don¡¯t mind then please allow me to stay next to you,¡± And let me silently protect you, he added in his head quietly. He will not be able to stand next to Liu Hui Ying in his entire life since that spot now belonged to Zhai Tianyu. However, it was such a pity ¡ª¡ª the owner of that spot did not care for this ce at all. Liu Hui Ying did not say anything when she heard Liu Yuyang say those words, instead, she thought it was quite good as well because she could see that many people in her so-called family wanted to talk to her but she had no desire to talk these people whose gazes looked nothing less than unfriendly. ¡± Why are we not moving on with the ceremony of paying respects?¡± She asked not liking the gazes that were turned in her direction every once and then, they lingered on her back as if they had every right to do so. Liu Yuyang turned his head and red at those women who were casting suspicious and malicious gazes at Liu Hui Ying from behind and only when they turned away did he turn to look at her and replied, ¡± The head said that we are going to wait for his majesty. You might not know this, your majesty ¡­.but the Ji family is holding the same ceremony for Ji Xiann. Now everyone wants to see whose family will his majesty attend first, which is why the entire family is waiting for him to arrive such that we will be able to move to the next part of the ceremony.¡± ¡®Isn¡¯t it obvious where he will go?¡¯ Liu Hui Ying questioned in her head as she rolled her eyes. Zhai Tianyu¡¯s sweetheart was surname ¡®Ji¡¯ surely he will go looking for her right? These people.... they were only wasting time by waiting for that jerk¡ª¡ª- ¡°His majesty is entering!¡± Liu Hui Ying was still cursing Zhai Tianyu in her head when she heard the guards at the door of the graveyard shout at the top of their lungs. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 309 - 309 glass beads 309 ss beads ¡± What did his majesty say to you?¡± The Grand Dowager Empress sent her mammy to remind Zhai Tianyu to leave for the respect paying ceremony, she even made sure that her mammy insisted in front of Zhai Tianyu to leave for the Ji family instead of the Liu family, she even told her mammy to tell Zhai Tianyu to stay next to Ji Yu for the next of the ceremony and pay his respects together with Ji Yu such that they all will be able to regain their foothold in the court. After all, it was Ji Yu and Zhai Tianyu¡¯s close rtionship and the subtle impression of her bing the empress in the future that brought so many alliances to them. But now that her mammy returned, she was telling her apletely different story! The Mammy who was in charge of sending his majesty to the graveyard lowered her head and shivered, at the same time her eyes glinted with terror. She knew how much the Grand Dowager Empress hated when someone did not finish their job, she was really scared that she will be taken and buried in the backyard of the grand dowager empress without being able to fight which was why she immediately got to her knees in a flurry and then banged her forehead on the floor. ¡°Please forgive me, your majesty, I did insist in front of his majesty and I told him many times that he should be going to the Ji family to apany imperial consort Ji but¡­¡± she shivered and her words got interrupted because of her sudden pause that was filled with hups, this action of hers only annoyed the grand dowager empress who was listening to her. With an annoyed sigh, she banged her fists on the armrests of the chair on which she was sitting. The Grand Dowager Empress raised her voice and asked with a stern note in her trembling voice that held anger and frustration, ¡± But what? Did I not tell you to go and tell my grandson that I was sick and that I humbly requested that he should go and pay his respects to the Ji family¡¯s son first? Then why did he go to that worthless concubine¡¯s grave?¡± The mammy who was on the floor shivered even more as she gulped and then said, ¡± I did tell his majesty that but he said that this time the Ji family was in the wrong first and ¡­and your majesty has taught him that he should never be supporting the ones who are in the wrong, which is why he will be going to the Liu family first and then honour your words and teaching since you have worked so hard to raise him.¡± ¡°That damned fool!¡± For the first time in her life the Grand Dowager Empress was feeling this frustrated, she never once thought that there wille a day when she will regret her own words and teaching that she has given to her grandson but unfortunately for her, this day actually came! She raised her hand that was resting on the chair¡¯s armrest and then rubbed her forehead as a throbbing headache ensued. ¡± No,¡± she said with a slight re directed at no one in particr. ¡°No,¡± she repeated this time her voice was stronger than before as she pursed her lips in annoyance. ¡°It¡¯s not his majesty who is the fool here, it¡¯s my nephew and his father! And everyone else in that family!¡± She brought her hand down on the armrest again causing the wood underneath her hand to creak ominously. ¡°When I was in control of that family, I did nothing wrong even my husband and son believed me more than they believed anyone else, it would have been the same for his majesty as well, he was like a little ant in the palm of my hands, waiting to be crushed and praised for his work but because of these fools, all my hard work has been lost!¡± ..... The Grand Dowager Empress spent years making the Emperor believe that the Liu family was a family of corrupt officials and they were aiming for the death of their family. She even very carefully instilled the fact that it was the Liu family who killed her son and Zhai Tianyu¡¯s father which was something she was sure of even if she did not have any evidence. Years of hard work, where she snatched a son from her mother and raised him as her own son and yet¡ª¡ª all that hard work went down the drain! She was of course the one who taught all those things to Zhai Tianyu because the Ji family was supposed to be the good one in the court but now! ¡± They are little fools who do not understand anything!¡± The Grand Dowager Empress¡¯s eyes shed with worry at the thought of being caught by Zhai Tianyu she knew that if she did not do something she will lose more than just the foothold in the court. She turned to look at Xiao Mi who was working in her room with a calm and docile look on her face and then said, ¡°Little Mi, go to the Ji family and talk with the head of the family tell him that we need to move forward with the n of taking the Empress down.¡± Her fingers clenched in a fist as the Grand Dowager Empress gritted his teeth hatefully. ¡± We can no longer let that woman live anymore, tell him that this time I want the heart of that woman instead of the man whom she loved to be thrown into the sea!¡± As she spoke she clenched the ss beads that she was holding in her hand causing one bead to break. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 310 - 310 Strife and tension 310 Strife and tension Liu Hui Ying felt her heart burning, she scrunched up her brows and raised her hands, just now she was sure that she felt something. It was not strong but she did feel the traces of ck magic, and if she was not wrong the traces seemed to be lingering inside her body¡ª¡ª her heart sank but she did not have a chance to think about it because a figure came to stand in front of her causing her to raise her head and look at the majestic figure. ¡°Your esteemed majesty,¡± she greeted Zhai Tianyu feeling slightly lethargic as she tried to circte her inner energy and try to locate the traces of dark magic within her body but the thing was that no matter how much she looked around, she could not find anything. What was going on? She was sure that she felt traces of ck magic, if not her heart wouldn¡¯t have strutted like that so why was it that she could no longer feel the dark magic? And now that she has sensed the dark magic, she couldn¡¯t help but question whether the Queen died of the dark magic or was she really by this man in front of her. ¡°My Queen,¡± Zhai Tianyu looked at Liu Hui Ying who was staring at him with a pale face and slightly sicklyplexion and asked, ¡± Are you feeling all right?¡± ¡°I¡­¡±Liu Hui Ying opened her mouth to reply when she heard Liu Yuyang who was standing beside her speak up and interrupting her, ¡± Thats some concern from someone who did not bother to grace us with his presence together with the Queen, does his majesty knows how much her majesty had to suffer because of your slight negligence?¡± ¡± Lord Liu, do you know what you are saying?¡± Zhai Heng who was following Zhai Tianyu as his bodyguard could not help but say, he saw how much trouble his little brother had to go through toe here but after arriving here, he was being med like this. ¡± I only know the suffering her majesty has to go through,st time it was poisoned wine and this time it was an attack, apanying her to such a small ceremony and making sure that no one slighted her was the least you could have done your majesty,¡± Liu Yuyang was the heir of the Liu family which was why he could talk to Zhai Tianyu like this, he did not have to lower himself in front of Zhai Tianyu because as the heir of the Liu family, he was taught that he should only lower his head when he was certain that he was in the wrong and could not change the momentum of his situation. ¡°Are you asking this as the brother of her queen or are you asking this as the member of the Liu family?¡± Zhai Tianyu did not answer instead he asked a question of his own as he looked at Liu Yuyang, just now when he came to stand in front of Liu Hui Ying, he was sure that this man has red at him with an unfriendly gaze. And that gaze had nothing to do with the protectiveness of a brother but it was a possessive gaze of a man. Zhai Tianyu was a man and thus he was able to catch that little hint of possessiveness in Liu Yuyang¡¯s eyes, he was angry at him but it had little to do with the fact that he was not treating Liu Hui Ying right and more to do with the fact that he believed that he will be able to treat Liu Hui Ying much better than Zhai Tianyu can. ..... In all honesty, Zhai Tianyu was not even surprised that Liu Yuyang was getting inclined towards Liu Hui Ying, after all his queen indeed demanded respect and adoration every time she stood in a ce. She was a woman, many men will have a hard time ignoring ¡ª¡ª not because she was beautiful, there were many beautiful faces in this room but with the aura that she carried herself. It was the confidence and grace she held while even standing as if she was the one who owned the entire space, some men would want her for the confidence that she had and some would want her to see how far they will have to take it to break her. Men were such creatures and he could see that there were countless men of the second half in this graveyard. Of course, Liu Yuyang was the first kind, he was possessive of Liu Hui Ying but he did not look at her like he wanted to harm her. Liu Yuyang looked at him with a narrowed gaze, he did not answer his question and simply kept on looking at him which made Zhai Tianyu wonder whether or not he would be able to receive an answer to this question from this man ever. But fortunately for Liu Yuyang, he did not have to answer this question because as soon as he opened his mouth, Liu Hui Ying¡¯s father who was responsible for weing the Emperor immediately walked over after getting rid of the pesky flies who were swarming over him making it impossible for him toe and see his daughter who was standing just a few meters away from him. Fortunately, his majesty came and he was able to get away from those annoying pests because he knew for sure that they would not have let him go if not for the fact that his majesty was standing right here! ¡® So annoying these people, since they couldn¡¯t suck up to the head of the family, they want to suck up to me, do they think that he was this foolish?¡¯ Liu Hui Ying¡¯s father, Second Master Liu thought in his mind as he nced at Liu Hui Ying who was not even looking at him and withered. ¡® Look at this, because of them my daughter is angry with me, she is not even looking at me! Once I go back I am going to set the people of these branches right¡¯ Second Master Liu thought in his head before smiling at Zhai Tianyu. ¡± You are here your majesty, we were waiting for you.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 311 - 311 Competition 311 Competition As Second Master Liu spoke he sensed something amiss between his adopted son and his majesty, though he did not understand what it was but as a father, he naturally stood on the side of his son. This was what his brother has taught him ever since he was young, no matter right or wrong, always stand by your family and protect them till the end. He did not understand why his brother gave such teaching to them but since he was the head of the family no one questioned Liu Dong Ming and followed his teachings like sheep. ¡± Your majesty, is there something wrong?¡± He asked as he ever so subtly stood in front of his children, though Second Master Liu was small in stature and Liu Yuyang was too tall thus even if Second Master Liu could hide his daughter who was still young behind him with his stocky physique he could not hide his son who was tall and too muscr to hide behind him. Zhai Tianyu looked at the actions of his father-inw and something shed in his eyes, it was something momentary and it vanished before it could be caught by anyone in a haste. He looked at Second master Liu and then greeted him with a quiet voice, ¡°Father-inw, how are you?¡± He did not answer the question which was a silent answer to Liu Yuyang, that he was not going to drop this matter now or ever. Even though he was not clear about the feelings that he had for Liu Hui Ying it was not the ce for Liu Yuyang or anyone else to look down on his feelings and try to create a rift between him and his wife or to look at her like they could possess her. Even if he didn¡¯t consummate his marriage with Liu Hui Ying, she was his wife and will remain so as long as he was alive. In fact, even when he was dead, she will solely belongs to him. Liu Yuyang¡¯s heart stilled when he saw Zhai Tianyu ring at him but he did not back down, instead, he looked at Zhai Tianyu with the same gaze as thetter was looking at him. His feelings might have escaped and he might have not kept them under control but was Zhai Tianyu in any ce or did he have any right to look down on him? Or question him? He was far better than this man who couldn¡¯t even protect Liu Hui Ying, if he knew that this person would be this useless, he would have refused his uncle¡¯s suggestion of marrying Liu Hui Ying to that ce, even if she was bratty he could have protected her a thousand times better than Zhai Tianyu. Second Master Liu sensed the tension between his son-inw and his son, but he ignored it very wisely and then chuckled softly as he nodded and replied, ¡± I am doing very well, pleasee with me¡­my brother is waiting for the ceremony to be started, he will be pleased that you are here to pay respect to his daughter, your majesty.¡± Liu Dong Ming would indeed be really pleased, he was in a very sour mood when he heard that Ji Yang and his family actually held the same ceremony for Ji Xiann on the same day as Liu Fei Fei. Even when the two of them were dead, the Ji family was showing little to no respect for those who have departed from this world even making something so solemn as apetition. ..... If Zhai Tianyu went to the Ji family, Second master Liu was certain that his brother was going to burn the Ji family¡¯s warehouse down tonight since he could not go against Zhai Tianyu at the moment. Zhai Tianyu did not say anything, he only nodded at Second Master Liu and then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was walking beside Liu Yuyang. His eyes narrowed in displeasure, he was her husband and yet she was walking next to this man? Can¡¯t she see that the man had no good feelings for her if anything he was looking forward to turning his hair green? ¡± My queen,¡± he said making Liu Hui Ying who was staring at the portly man with shock in her eyes after learning that he was the father of this body. She wanted to stay as inconspicuous as possible since she did not know what kind of person the father of this body was but then her n was foiled by Zhai Tianyu who suddenly turned all the attention towards her. Liu Hui Ying cursed the man for being too nosy but she still smiled and then lowered her head as she replied with a smile, ¡± Your esteemed majesty?¡± What do you want you jerk? Do you wish to see me burn so much? Why couldn¡¯t you stay silent? ¡± Walk by my side, lest someone misunderstands,¡± even though Liu Yuyang was now Liu Hui Ying¡¯s brother, many knew that he was brought to the Liu house to be the house husband of the Liu family by getting almost engaged to Liu Hui Ying, if not for the sudden move by Liu Dong Ming who wanted to make Liu Hui Ying the Queen after finding out that Ji Yu was going to be the imperial concubine, he would have married Liu Hui Ying. No one would say anything about Liu Yuyang and Liu Hui Ying when they were standing alone when Zhai Tianyu was not here but now that he was here and Liu Hui Ying was still walking with Liu Yuyang, it might create some rumours. Liu Hui Ying tilted her head as she looked around the surrounding, and sure enough, she saw a few gossipy people who were looking at her and Liu Yuyang and rolled her eyes, seriously was this necessary? Though she was annoyed, she still turned a blind eye to those people and walked over to Zhai Tianyu. What she did not know was that behind her Zhai Tianyu shot a triumphant nce at Liu Yuyang causing thetter to turn red in anger. Want bonus chapters? If the golden tickets of this book reaches 700golden tickets and in the top three of the win win, then I will release ten bonus chapters in the next month. Don¡¯t forget to follow me on insta @thefairybeast,you can also add me on discord fairytail#3206 we can discuss the book contents and I will like to have a friend! Chapter 312 - 312 You will regret this kindness your majesty 312 You will regret this kindness your majesty Liu Hui Ying sighed as she raised the dress that was causing her feet to stumble every now and then before she walked to stand beside Zhai Tianyu. She ignored the eyes of the people who were looking at her, when her sister died and she was taken to the police station for questioning people who lived next to her house started talking about her behind her back. And soon those words that were spoken behind her back started to get spoken in front of her. Even though the people who were throwing mud at her knew that she was too young to do something like killing a grown-up woman but they still liked calling her a murderer. People did not have anything good to do, they might even be struggling to meet their everyday needs but they will still find the time to talk nonsense about others. She has gotten used to such gazes, now it did not matter to her ¡ª¡ª they could talk behind her back as much as they want, what mattered was whether they had the guts to do it in front of her or not. But just as she was thinking about turning a blind eye to all the gazes she suddenly felt those gazes that were locked on her back vanish, stunned she turned to look at what was going on, howe not one or two but all the gazes vanished? As soon as she turned her head, she saw Zhai Tianyu who was standing beside her looking at the people around them and as he turned his head to nce at everyone who was looking at them one by one every person dropped their gaze, lowering their head in submission. ¡± You don¡¯t have to do that,¡± she told him realising that he was standing up for her, a part of her was slightly stunned when she saw that someone and that too a man stood up for her, trying to protect her instead of looking down at her. Shouldn¡¯t he be making fun of her by telling her how weak she was without him or trying to take advantage of this opportunity? That was all the man who stood up for her wanted. They either wanted to feel gratified for sake of being the one who tied her down or else they wanted to bring her to their rooms in return for their help. But Zhai Tianyu did not seem like he wanted either of those things from her so why was he helping her? But her experience with men had taught Liu Hui Ying that a man never does anything without any reason which was why she did not want to take his help. ¡± Why wouldn¡¯t I need to do that?¡± He questioned her in return as he turned to look at her, his voice was quiet enough for her to hear only which was why no one turned to look at the two of them. It was as if they were the only ones who were walking in this graveyard even her ghosts who were supposed to stay by her side all the time, were out having fun ¡ª- sucking the yin energy that was floating around in the graveyard. ¡± Because I am not going to be of your help, even if you think that I will help you, you are wrong¡­ I am not going to be of any use to you. So you shouldn¡¯t be so kind to me either.¡± Liu Hui Ying¡¯s words were just as cold as her face as she stared into the front, she did not say anything else instead she just adjusted her dress as she tried to make sure that she will not fall on the ground but maybe her thoughts jinxed her at that very moment because her feet got caught into the hem of her long white dress that was dragging on the ground behind causing her to lean forward as she started to fall on her face. ..... ¡®Damn this is why I hate these dresses!¡¯ Liu Hui Ying thought in her head as she tried to stop herself from falling but as soon as she tried to stop her fall, her feet got only more entangled in the hem and she stumbled. Seeing that her feet were not getting out from the cloth in which they were jumbled up, Liu Hui Ying closed her eyes and was prepared to fall on her face, when suddenly someone caught her by her arm and then pulled her back so suddenly that she was standing back on her feet. Startled Liu Hui Ying opened her eyes not expecting Zhai Tianyu to help her when she said such sharp words to him but to her surprise, the man indeed help her. He was holding her by her sleeve making sure that his skin will not touch her, then before she could ask what he was doing she heard him say, ¡± Take a long breath, my queen and don¡¯t breathe for a little while.¡± She did not know what he was saying but she did as he said and no sooner he took a long breath, than she watched the man go down on his knees causing the people around them to gasp. But Zhai Tianyu pretended not to hear them as he helped her disentangle her feet from the hem of her clothes as she ced her hand on his shoulder when she felt his hand lift her feet with the help of her shoe. Zhai Tianyu untangled her feet that were caught in the long dress and then stood up ignoring the hissing and gossiping that was going around them and then proffered his arm to her. ¡± You might want to hold onto the edge of my sleeves my queen, we can¡¯t have you falling on your face like that again.¡± He paused and then added, ¡± And there is no need for you to think so much, not everyone helps others just because they want something from them. Sometimes kindnesses from the bottom of people¡¯s hearts without a hint of malice or desire of taking advantage of someone. My queen.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 313 - 313 You will regret this kindness your majesty ——2 313 You will regret this kindness your majesty ¡ª¡ªLiu Hui Ying looked at Zhai Tianyu who still held some hope for this world that was in front of him and thenughed lightly, she just realised how different the two of them were from each other. She was like a void sucking all the light from the world and he was like a fool stretching his hands to help people thinking that there was still goodness in the world, spreading light as if it was his goddamn job. ¡± Did anyone tell you that you are too kind your esteemed majesty?¡± She told him with a raise of her brow as she reached out and held the edge of his sleeve that he proffered for her to take. ¡± There will be a time when you will regret being so kind to everyone, thinking that they deserve your help. One day you will surely change your views.¡± ¡± I don¡¯t know whether or not I will regret this or not,¡± Zhai Tianyu spoke as they continued to walk towards the tomb that was built over Liu Fei Fei¡¯s grave. ¡°I just hope that I will never judge a person who can be of use to me and who cannot be of any use. If I do then I am sure that I will walk down a path that I want to avoid, once I made the mistake of being distrustful towards an innocent woman, the guilt is something that I will have to carry for the rest of my life. I don¡¯t want to do that again.¡± Liu Hui Ying did not say anything, though she med Zhai Tianyu for her situation but now that she was spending her time in this ce she realised that something was very off this ce. What was more there seemed to be traces of ck magic inside the body of this woman whose body she was upying, most probably ¡ª¡ª Zhai Tianyu was not even the man behind the killing of this woman, if anything he was used as a stepping stone. ¡± You don¡¯t have to me yourself too much, your esteemed majesty,¡± she said, Though she did not say the truth, she still looked at Zhai Tianyu while walking beside him. ¡± There are some things that appear to be something else but the truth behind them ispletely different.¡± ¡± What¡ª¡ª-¡± Zhai Tianyu opened his mouth to ask what Liu Hui Ying meant by this but then suddenly his attention was caught by the crowd that was surrounding the tomb of Liu Fei Fei. He frowned, the matter that he needed to ask Liu Hui Ying was long forgotten as he looked at the hushed crowd that was in front of him. ¡± What¡¯s going on?¡± he asked as he looked at the crowd in front of him but no one seemed to have heard him which caused his brows to furrow even more. Why were they all acting as if they couldn¡¯t hear him? Second Master Liu did not expect a hold-up like this, he immediately came rushing in front of Liu Hui Ying and Zhai Tianyu as he shouted at the crowd, ¡°What¡¯s with this hold-up? What are you all doing? Why are you all standing here like mutes? Can you not see that his majesty hase here?¡± As soon as Second Master Liu raised his voice, the people who were standing in front of the tomb immediately woke up from their daze they all turned to look at Second Master Liu with their eyes flickering as if they were thinking about something, wanting to tell him something but then they all dropped their gazes decisivelying to a conclusion that they did not want to say anything. ..... ¡± Dear me, what are you doing ?¡±Second Master Liu¡¯s brows furrowed as he walked towards the tomb. His face however went ck when he saw what was in front of him, his face was pale and soon contorted in rage as he turned to look at the people who were standing behind him. ¡± Who ¡­Who was it? Who did this?¡± He asked while trembling with rage, his face was turning to the shade of a purple radish that has been badly burned by the sun as he red at the people who were standing behind him. But neither of them spoke, they all simply stood in their spots with their heads lowered, not even willing to raise their eyes and take a look at Second Master Liu who was the spitting image of the God of thunder at the very moment. Liu Hui Ying exchanged a nce with Zhai Tianyu who was frowning, the two of them took a few steps ahead of them as they walked past the crowd that was standing on the sides. ¡± Stop it,¡± they heard Liu Dong Ming tell Second Master Liu who was yelling at the top of his lungs. His head was bowed as he looked at something at his feet. ¡± No one from our family will dare to do this, and if they did then they better be prepared for what ising for them.¡± As he spoke he turned to look at the people who were standing behind him, his eyes were dark and gloomy causing the members of the Liu family to gulp simultaneously as they all shook their heads refusing that they did not have any hand in this matter. ¡®What are they doing?¡¯ Liu Hui Ying asked in her head as she turned to look at the crowd that was in front of her. But then her answer was soon answered as she walked past the crowd and then came to stand in front of the tomb that was made for Liu Fei Fei, as soon as her gaze fell on the tomb, she clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. Not in anger but in a desperate attempt of stopping her sister who surged at her surface with fury upon seeing what was lying in front of the tomb of Liu Fei Fei. Chapter 314 - 314 Blue roses 314 Blue roses Liu Hui Ying stared at the blue roses that were scattered all over the tomb of Liu Fei Fei like some wretched flower wreath that seemed to be celebrating the death of a young woman. Something seemed to have cracked inside of her as soon as she saw the thing in front of her and then she was reminded of the time when her sister was attacked by the murderer. It was a rainy night, the stars in the sky were covered by clouds¡ª¡ª no one could see what was going on the dark night and only streetmps were the one thing that were helping the pedestrians. On that night, a man whose face she could not remember with half of his face covered with a mask came to look for her sister. He seemed to be in pain and something evil wastched on his back, the being was so crooked that it did not even have a physical form, it only had a smoky figure with eyes as red as blood and a mouth that seemed to be made of a jarred scar instead of a human mouth. It was smiling and hanging on the back of the man who was speaking to her sister. The man seemed to be penniless since he was dressed in rags, his hair long and wild as if he could not care about taking it at all. His eyes were frantic as he held onto the hands of her sister and pleaded to help her even when he could not pay her. Liu Hui Ying, of course, refused him, she and her sister were orphans given that their parents died when they were too young. Her sister was having a hard time working as a dish cleaner in a restaurant and a celestial master already. She did not have the time to ward off evil spirits since she had to take care of Liu Hui Ying who was very young back then which was why she refused the appointments that were asking her to leave the house at night making it impossible for her sister to earn a good sum of money. This was why she thought that it was too much of a shame to let go of such a golden opportunity and of course she asked the man to pay since he was in such a desperate situation but her sister. Her foolish and kind sister agreed to treat the man without asking for money causing Liu Hui Ying to get angry at her and run out of the house. After strolling in the area for a long time, Liu Hui Ying returned thinking that the man must have gone back but when she returned home what she saw was the broken remnants of her sister¡¯s body and a vibrant blue flower in the vase that sat next to her. The two of them did not like keeping flowers since they were not cut out for it, Liu Hui Ying at once knew that those flowers were left by the man who killed her sister and even seemed to be celebrating the kill that he made. Who would have thought that she will see the same flower as the one that she found next to the body of her sister in this time and ce? She blinked her eyes trying to will away the anger that was coursing inside her but her sister who finally found the key to the man who killed her did not seem too keen on calming down instead she tried to take control of her body by bashing against her surface again and again. And soon the anger that her sister was feeling was transferred into Liu Hui Ying as thetter grounded her teeth and made a violent movement as if she was going to crush the thing that was sitting in front of her but before she could, a hand reached out and stopped her. mping on her wrist so hard that she almost broke her shoulder when she moved forward. Slightly startled she turned to look at the man who was stopping her and then raised her head in confusion. ..... ¡± What are you doing?¡± She asked as her eyes which were slowly turningpletely ck blinked at the man who had his fingers mped on her wrist. Was he looking for a quick way to die? Or why else would he try to stop her? Liu Hui Ying blinked her eyes at the man who was in front of her and then tried to pull her wrist out of his hand. Since these flowers were here, that man must be hiding here as well, he must be watching them from the sidelines. Enjoying the masterpiece that he has created in front of the woman who died because of him ¡ª¡ªshe has to go and look for that man! She was going to find him and then kill him with her bare hands. ¡± I do not understand what is going on, my queen,¡± the man who was holding her pulled her back when she tried to push him off her body making sure that no one could see her face. He raised his hand and then without touching her face, he skimmed the nerves that were sticking out of her skin on the sides of her eyes like many fibrous roots of a tree. Her eyes that were flickering betweenplete ck and white made her look horrifyingly enchanting. ¡± But you look like a demon at the moment, if you go on a chase like this and that too in front of so many people ¡­ I don¡¯t know about you getting what you want or not but you will be caught and killed for sure by them.¡± Want bonus chapters? If the golden tickets of this book reach 400 golden tickets, I made the goal achievable please do help me now and in the top ten of the win-win, then I will release ten bonus chapters in the next month. Don¡¯t forget to follow me on insta @thefairybeast, you can also add me on discord fairytail#3206 we can discuss the book contents and I will like to have a friend! Wait for me to add you to the group before defriending me lol. Chapter 315 - 315 Blue roses——-2 315 Blue roses¡ª¡ª-Liu Hui Ying did not care what Zhai Tianyu was saying, all she cared about was the fact that the man who killed her sister was hiding somewhere in this ce like a rat. And she needed to catch him before ripping him limb by limb for everyone to see, why will she care if she was caught by these people? Her sole reason for existing in this world was that man! She still hasn¡¯t forgotten the condition of her sister when she was lying on the floor with blood seeping out of her seven orifices, who knows what that man did to her sister for her death to be this painful? It was as if that night was reying inside of her head all over again, when she saw her sister¡¯s body, she rushed towards her wanting to drag her sister out of the room and to the small hospital that was at the cross-section of the street at a few minutes distance which was why her clothes got covered in blood and flesh. She held on to her sister¡¯s body and told her again and again, ¡± You will get better, I will make sure.¡± Her eyes were vacant without any light in them, unlike the present when she would smile and make jokes about her ghosts and the people around her. Her sister was her only family upon whom she could rely but then the small family whom she loved and relied on was taken away from her when she was not even a teen. Her sister was bleeding so badly, it was rare to see someone bleeding like that and from all their seven orifices. It was a death like no other, her hands almost torn and twisted and even then the man did not show the slightest bit of sympathy instead he left her sister with one breath such that she will feel every bit of pain as her life and soul crumbled bit by bit under the pain that she was going through at that moment. ¡°Of cou...course I have to,¡± her sister mumbled in a daze, her mouth bleeding as she spoke. ¡°If I die, then Hui Ying...Hui Ying will be alone¡­ I ca..cannot die. My sis..sister ¡­I can¡¯t leave her alone.¡± Her dying words have caused Liu Hui Ying to shed tears of regret, even when her sister was dying the only person she cared about was her sister and no one else and yet Liu Hui Ying who was like a fool left her sister behind with that monster. If she had known, if she knew that her sister will suffer like this instead of waiting outside the ghost wall she would have broken inside and stopped that man on time. ¡± I will save you, sister, you just need to hold on¡± Liu Hui Ying had told her sister who looked like she was only breaths away from dying. But as they reached the top of the stairs on the second floor, her sister opened her eyes and looked at Liu Hui Ying before saying, ¡± Hui Ying promise sister,¡­that¡­that you will¡­k¡­kill that man.¡± ¡± I will,¡± Liu Hui Ying promised, for a man to degrade her sister to the point where the kind woman who did not even think of harming a fly was asking her to kill a man ¡ª¡ª Liu Hui Ying shuddered to think what that man did to her sister and what was more he even left blue roses beside her sister to tell Liu Hui Ying that he was the one who killed her sister and that he was very proud of the kill that he made. ..... Liu Hui Ying looked emotionless when she promised her sister that she will kill the man who made her sister like this. When her sister saw that Liu Hui Ying promised her, she smiled through her broken jaw and then nudged her head to Liu Hui Ying¡¯s that was resting on Liu Hui Ying¡¯s shoulder. ¡± You will d..do well, Hui Ying. D..don¡¯t be foolish like sister and don¡¯t trust anyone, esp..especially not a man. I wi...wish I could stay by your side a bit longer... I wanted to see you get ma..married and have ki¡­kids but now a...all I want you to s..survive.¡± As she spoke, the light in her sister¡¯s eyes dimmed and then erupted the corrupted soul that only wished nothing more than to see the blood of every man who approached her sister. Even after death, her sister who could not remember the man who killed her was worried that he would harm Liu Hui Ying which led to her soul getting corrupted. Her sister could have moved on but because of the worry that she held for her, her soul ended up getting corrupted. A corrupted soul was as good as leaving a treasure in front of thieves open and ready to be stolen, if a corrupted soul was to wander around then the grim reaper wille and kill it making sure that it will never reincarnate ever again since the soul was gone and forgotten the essence of life. Liu Hui Ying naturally did not want an end like that for her sister which was why she took her sister¡¯s corrupted soul inside her, making her own soul that was left untouched be corrupted as well. Because of that man, her sister and her lost so many things and this man wanted her to calm down and think rationally about the consequences. For what reasons? Want bonus chapters? If the golden tickets of this book reach 400 golden tickets, I made the goal achievable please do help me now and in the top ten of the win-win, then I will release ten bonus chapters in the next month. Don¡¯t forget to follow me on insta @thefairybeast, you can also add me on discord fairytail#3206 we can discuss the book contents and I will like to have a friend! Wait for me to add you to the group before defriending me lol. Chapter 316 - 316 Please bring me away 316 Please bring me away ¡± Let me go,¡± Liu Hui Ying tried to take her hand away from the man who was holding her but the man did not let go instead he grabbed her wrist even tighter while he stared down at her. His gaze was so intense that even if Liu Hui Ying felt her sister wake up inside her, she felt a bit calm given that Zhai Tianyu was holding her without an ounce of fear or trepidation. He did not look worried that she would attack him or maybe even kill him, instead he stared at her with those calm eyes of his. Liu Hui Ying watched as the man held her hands and then said without a hint of disgust in his voice when he saw her appearance that looked like a demon, ¡± Are you sure you want to chase after something that is not even present in this ce?¡± His question caused Liu Hui Ying to scrunch up her brows as she looked at him, she did not understand what he was trying to say. Those blue roses were sitting right there in front of the tomb, how can that man be not here? He must be present here to see the fury that he brought forth that was the kind of man he was. ¡± My foolish queen, it seems like you have your moments as well where you act foolishly,¡± Zhai Tianyu smiled at her as he stretched out his hand and then covered her face, his hand that was big enough to hide her palm-size face stayed an inch away from her skin as he continued, ¡± Maybe it¡¯s true that man left these blue roses in front of the tomb as a form of enjoyment because he wished to make fun of you or someone else but if you were to think about it, doesn¡¯t it look like that the man is scared of you?¡± ¡± What?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked, because she was so surprised by his question, she ended up scrunching up her nose and the eyes that were turning ck slowed down making her look like a cat that was curious instead of a wolf that was rushing to hunt. Zhai Tianyu smiled at the little cat and then turned to look at the crowd, even though many of them were looking at the scandalous sight of blue roses that were deemed as poisonous and something that no one would ever bring into the graveyard much less ce it in front of the tomb when they knew the literal meaning of these blue roses was unattainable. It was basically iming that the person who died would not be able to attain peace even when they were dead. What was more the roses were ced in the bouquets of thirteen roses, when twelve roses meant peace, the thirteenth rose meant disharmony. If one was to clearly see this alignment one would be able to see that the person who left these roses in front of Liu Fei Fei¡¯s tomb was not only cursing Liu Fei Fei but they were also cursing the Liu family¡¯s peace to be disrupted. It was no surprise that the people were casting scandalous looks at the tomb but even then some were able to nce at him and Liu Hui Ying. If anyone saw Liu Hui Ying¡¯s face when she looked like this, Zhai Tianyu was sure that they will think of her as a demon or maybe the soul of Liu Fei Fei who could not rest because of this disruption in her ceremony and try to kill her, which was why he immediately covered Liu Hui Ying¡¯s face. ¡± I am just saying, you were attacked on the night when you went to look for the murder case clue, if you were not lucky you would have died back then and now this ¡­does this not look like that the man is trying to instigate you into doing something that will end your life?¡± Zhai Tianyu very calmly exined. ..... The appearance of the blue roses was too coincidental, how can they appear out of nowhere and that too on the day when Liu Hui Ying was going toe? Zhai Tianyu came on the day when Liu Fei Fei was buried in this tomb and her funeral was held but back then no such thing was present in the grave that was built for Liu Fei Fei. It was as if the person behind knew that Liu Hui Ying was noting which was why they did not make a move. If all they wanted was to disrupt the ceremony they could have done it on the day of the funeral which was more important than the respect paying ceremony. Liu Hui Ying did not say anything instead she just lowered her head and clenched her hands on her side now that she thought about it what Zhai Tianyu said, did seem to be correct. The ghost from the pond next to Consort Su¡¯s pond told her that the man who attacked her was a man with a scar like three fingernails being dragged down his eye. If the man did not want her gone why would he attack her? The reason was simple, he did it because he did not want her here and hindered any ns that he had in his head. Was this why he came looking for her sister? Was he afraid that his sister will be an obstruction in his path in the future? Maybe the one who was supposed toe to this world was her sister. Liu Hui Ying has never said it but her sister was indeed much better in the skills of celestial mastery than her. ¡®Maybe this was the reason why he came to our world, he wanted to nip the bud before it bloomed and now he wants to do the same,¡¯. Thought Liu Hui Ying in her head before she raised her head and looked at Zhai Tiany who was looking at her with eyes that were lined with concern. ¡± Please bring me away.¡± Chapter 317 - 317 I need blood 317 I need blood ¡± As you wish my queen,¡± Zhai Tianyu smiled at Liu Hui Ying as he replied, with a wave of his hand, he covered Liu Hui Ying¡¯s face and then turned to look at the people who were already staring at them with confusion in their eyes wanting to know what was going on with the queen and their king. ¡°The Queen is startled by what happened here, Zhen will be taking her away with him.¡± As he spoke he turned to Zhai Heng who immediately started to make a path for the two of them to walk out of the graveyard. Liu Yuyang who heard that Liu Hui Ying was startled by the sight in front of her wanted to tell her that everything will be fine but he was stopped by Liu Dong Ming. The elderly man called Liu Yu Yang from behind, ¡± Yu Yang, instead of worrying about something that does not concern you, you should be more focused on finding out who is the culprit behind this hideous action. Her majesty is with the emperor, she will be fine but you are needed here more than you are needed next to her, do not forget what you are supposed to be doing!¡± Liu Dong Ming¡¯s words were a threat wrapped in a suggestion, he was warning Liu Yu Yang to stay away from Liu Hui Ying and not disrupt the peace that has finally taken over thetter¡¯s rtionship. He was also reminding him of the position that he currently had in the Liu family. ¡®But will she be really fine?¡¯ Liu Yu Yang could not help but think of the many instances when the Emperor has proven less than capable of taking care of Liu Hui Ying. The others might not see it but he could see that there was no such thing as love or respect between the two of them, at most they were like two acquaintances and nothing else who was willing to withstand each other¡¯s presence. The Emperor might have some feelings for Liu Hui Ying but Liu Yu Yang was sure that it was more to do with his ego of a man instead of possessiveness. Liu Yu Yang clenched his fingers and looked at the back of Zhai Tianyu who was escorting Liu Hui Ying out of the graveyard and pursed his lips. ¡® I hope that just for today, his majesty will be able to keep an eye on Hui Ying.¡¯ Liu Yu Yang did not see Liu Hui Ying¡¯s face but he did sense that she looked rather weak. He stayed in the same spot for two whole seconds before breathing in a breath only to exhale it heavily as he turned to the guards of the Liu family and ordered, ¡± Come with me, we will search the skies if we have to! But today we are going to catch the person who did this audacious act!¡± ..... The guards who were surrounding the members of the Liu family, all unsheathed their swords as they cheered loudly before following Liu Yu Yang who was walking ahead of them. ¡® Just wait Hui Ying,¡¯ he said in his head. ¡® I will be a man who will be able to protect you, even if I can¡¯t right now.¡¯ ¡­. ¡± My queen, are you doing well?¡± Zhai Tianyu asked as he looked at Liu Hui Ying who was scratching the seat of the carriage with her nails. Her face was twisted in a painful grimace and she seemed to be trying to restrain something, he looked at the twisted expression of Liu Hui Ying and then couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡± Is it a nature¡¯s call? Are you constipated?¡± Liu Hui Ying who was trying to rein in her sister¡¯s soul was startled by his question even Liu Hui Ying¡¯s sister who was trying to surface was stunned by Zhai Tianyu¡¯s question, so much that she stopped struggling for a few seconds before anger swept over her again and then she banged against the surface that was restraining her even more harshly. The only thing that could be considered good in this case was that her sister was no longer angry at the man who ced the blue roses in front of Liu Fei Fei¡¯s tomb, now all her anger was directed at the man who was sitting in front of her. ¡°Have you gone mad, your majesty?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked as she kicked Zhai Tianyu in the shin while trying to hold her sister back who now wanted to choke Zhai Tianyu. How could she not want to kill this man? He justpared her to a big, sticky pile of nothing good stuck in Liu Hui Ying¡¯s intestines. She might be a corrupted soul but she had her own pride damn it! ¡± I have not but I see that you are not looking in pain anymore,¡± Zhai Tianyu covered his shin and then rubbed it with his fingers after he brought his leg over the carriage seat on which he was sitting and then said to Liu Hui Ying, ¡± Is your sister still as angry as she was before?¡± Liu Hui Ying was surprised by his question, turns out that he asked such a stupid question because he wanted to divert the attention of her sister who was battling for possession of her body. Liu Hui Ying shook her head and then replied, ¡± She is more annoyed than angry now but it¡¯s not enough to calm her down. I have to go and get some ¡ª¡ª¡± ¡°Blood?¡± Zhai Tianyu offered with a generous smile. ¡± Don¡¯t worry you don¡¯t need to search for it, I will have it all arranged.¡± Want bonus chapters? If the golden tickets of this book reach 400 golden tickets, I made the goal achievable please do help me now and in the top ten of the win-win, then I will release ten bonus chapters in the next month. Don¡¯t forget to follow me on insta @thefairybeast, you can also add me on discord fairytail#3206 we can discuss the book contents and I will like to have a friend! Wait for me to add you to the group before defriending me lol. Chapter 318 - 318 Want to eat her 318 Want to eat her Zhai Tianyu did not know when he started to incline towards Liu Hui Ying was it when he first saw her when she looked at him right in the eyes without even batting an eye, confident and resplendent as ever? Or was it when he saw her dancing with the swords and interrogating the maid? He had no idea when his heart suddenly tipped in the direction of this woman whom he was supposed to fall for but the thing about feelings was that they happened before anyone could stop them. He did not believe in a thing like love at first sight, since love faded and so did attraction. What he felt for Liu Hui Ying was different, it was neither love nor attraction, it was beyond that point where he wanted to safeguard this woman and keep her close. He did not want to see her get hurt but at the same time, he did not have the heart to keep her locked up which was why crazy. Never before he has felt something like this for a woman, he wanted to keep her by his side but at the same time he did not want to see her lose her smile which was why even though he knew that he was taking a risk by siding with Liu Hui Ying today by not visiting the Ji family, he was willing to take the risk because he would rather face the wrath of the Ji family and Ji Yu instead of watching Liu Hui Ying be caught by someone and be executed because she was possessed by a ghost. ¡°How did you know that I need blood to calm my sister down?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked as she looked at Zhai Tianyu, even though her sister was no longer as aggressive as before she was very much awake inside her, she could feel the presence of her sister who was waiting and bidding for her time before trying again to take over her body. ¡°It was when you were interrogating the maid,¡± Zhai Tianyu replied with a slight tilt of his head as he turned his head and looked at the gloomy sky through the carriage window that was running past the streets of the imperial city. ¡± I saw you losing your temper back then and you looked slightly different which was why I thought that something was up with you back then, of course, I had no idea what was the matter with you but now that I know the truth about you, I was able to connect the two and two together.¡± Zhai Tianyu was fairly observant which was why he was able to pick up the changes in Liu Hui Ying back then, even though the woman who stood in front of him was Liu Hui Ying. He had a feeling that the woman was different which was why he kept a close eye on the Queen wanting to see the truth about her and when he found out that there lived another soul inside of her body, he was able to make the connection between the two. Liu Hui Ying did not ask how he was able to make the connection because at this moment her entire head was buzzing with just the pressure of reining control of her sister¡¯s soul who wanted nothing more than to kill the man and eliminate the danger that was around Liu Hui Ying and of course Zhai Tianyu being a man was also under the danger of getting killed because her sister was some reason unknown to her seemed to have targeted Zhai Tianyu as an even bigger threat than the man who ced the blue roses in front of Liu Fei Fei¡¯s tomb. ¡® Why is she acting like this?¡¯ Liu Hui Ying thought in her head as she looked at Zhai Tianyu who was looking outside the window but when he caught her looking at him, he turned around and smiled at her. He did not seem to be in an offensive mode and did not look like he was going to kill her either so why was her sister struggling against her? And what was with this sudden annoyance and urge to end Zhai Tianyu? ¡± You look a bit annoyed my queen, what is the matter?¡± Zhai Tianyu seemed to have sensed her difort which was why he asked her why she was looking at him with those eyes that were covered with a thinyer of murderous intent though it waspletely controlled and that was how Zhai Tianyu knew that he was in no danger of being attacked, not that he couldn¡¯t subdue this woman now that he was prepared to do so. ..... ¡± My sister seemed to be getting more and more agitated your majesty and for some reason, she has taken you as an opponent,¡± this was something that Liu Hui Ying could not understand, why was his sister treating Zhai Tianyu like an enemy? Even if he was a man, he has helped the two of them just now! Liu Hui Ying raised her head and awkwardly smiled at Zhai Tianyu before saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry though, I will not attack you, your majesty ¡ª-maybe it¡¯s because my sister just hates men in general which is why she took you as a threat, it¡¯s funny given that I can totally take you down.¡± Zhai Tianyu¡¯s eyes flickered as he smiled and nodded, ¡± You are right about that my queen, I am simply a small weed in front of you and you can crush me whenever you want.¡± ¡® Looks like histe sister-inw was not as foolish when it came to the matter of men and woman, she seemed to have realised that I am the biggest threat to her sister since I want to eat her¡­. literally.¡¯ Zhai Tianyu thought in his head and maybe his emotions leaked from his smile because the murderous intent in Liu Hui Ying¡¯s eyes turned even more severe. ¡­.. Elder sister Liu: Stay away from my Hui Ying, you pervert! Want bonus chapters? If the golden tickets of this book reach 400 golden tickets, I made the goal achievable please do help me now and in the top ten of the win-win, then I will release ten bonus chapters in the next month. Don¡¯t forget to follow me on insta @thefairybeast, you can also add me on discord fairytail#3206 we can discuss the book contents and I will like to have a friend! Wait for me to add you to the group before defriending me lol. Chapter 319 - 319 When have you seen me leave you in a lurch 319 When have you seen me leave you in a lurch On the other side, The Dowager Empress was trembling with fury while her son was nning to devour his wife. With rage filling her every fibre of her being, she trembled while looking at the guards who were responsible for taking care of Liu Fei Fei¡¯s tomb and clenched the cup of tea in her hands as she said, ¡± Speak! How was it possible for something like this to happen when you two were guarding the tomb? Did I not say that nothing was allowed to go wrong!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Second Master Liu also could not believe that something serious like that happened in the presence of all the elders of the Liu family. And that was not even the most important thing, the thing that made him angered to the point of no return was¡ª¡ª ¡± Because of your uselessness my dear daughter who is like a flower in the middle of a solemn field with nothing but her fresh fragrance to protect her was startled, how are you going to pay for this?¡± As he spoke Second Master Liu ced his hands on his waist and red at the two guards who were responsible for taking care of the tomb. If only they took care of the tomb better then his poor daughter would not have been startled like that! How useless! ¡®Second master Liu, the daughter whom you areparing to a flower ripped someone¡¯s heart and smashed it into bits what are you talking about! If she was startled by the blue roses and the disrespect of the Liu family then they were nothing but shy little girls!¡¯ The two guards who were burly as trolls immediately cried in their heads but they did not dare to say a single word to Second Master Liu since they knew that they will be punished if they were to say a single word about the Queen. As the guards of the Liu family, they knew very well that Second Master Liu doted on his daughter the most and if not for his elder brother¡¯s interruption, he would have kept Liu Hui Ying next to him throughout his life. ¡± We don¡¯t know how it happened, your majesty, the dowager Empress!¡± One of the guards on the right pleaded for mercy as he banged his head on the floor. He knew that he was going to be killed if he did not push this responsibility off his head which was why he immediately started knocking his head on the floor and then exined, ¡± We swear that those things were not there when the people who came to clean the tomb arrived. They were not there when the guests arrived but then all of a sudden they were there as if they appeared out of thin air!¡± Liu Dong Ming who was calmly sipping his tea on the side paused but he only paused for a mere fragment of a second which no one caught and continued to sip on his tea leisurely. ¡± Are you trying to make fun of this Empress? How can something appear out of thin air? It must have been you two who did not pay attention to the situation and allowed the Ji family to take advantage of us!¡± When Dowager Empress thought about how that old hag was going to get a goodugh at her expense, Dowager Empress Liu felt bad all over her body. ..... She wished she could tear the person who did this to her niece¡¯s tomb but more than that she wished she could tear that old hag¡¯s mouth. Years after years, that woman has ruined the life of women of the Liu family and yet she acts as if she was someone holier than others. How shameless! ¡± Calm down your majesty,¡± Liu Dong Ming who was sitting on the side immediately raised his head and looked at Dowager Empress Liu who was shaking with rage. ¡°I understand your fury but there is nothing that we can do about this now, what was supposed to happen has already happened and even if we make a fuss about it now¡­nothing will change.¡± ¡°How can you say that nothing will change, brother Ming ?¡± Dowager Empress Liu turned to look at her cousin and clenched her fingers, her past humiliation coupled with the humiliation that she suffered today made her shiver with anger. ¡± That was your daughter¡¯s tomb, adopted or not¡­she was disrespected ¡­a member of the Liu family was disrespected and you are saying that I need to calm down?¡± ¡± Sister is right, brother Ming,¡± when Second Master Liu saw that they were no longer using the formal title, he heaved a sigh and then turned to look at Liu Dong Ming and said, ¡± Are you going to let them go just like that? They have made a mistakeing after the Liu family! How can you just simply let them be?¡± ¡± When have you two seen me leave my family in a lurch ?¡± Liu Dong Ming questioned as he turned to look at his siblings and finally smiled, his face that was ageing immediately became a few years younger as he smiled. ¡± I am the guardian of this family, as long as I live, no one will be able to get away after slighting us¡­I assure you¡­¡± his eyes narrowed as he rubbed his wrist which was covered with ckened finger marks and promised, ¡± I will pay the Ji family for everything that they have done to our family, don¡¯t you worry.¡± Want bonus chapters? If the golden tickets of this book reach 400 golden tickets, I made the goal achievable please do help me now and in the top ten of the win-win, then I will release ten bonus chapters in the next month. Don¡¯t forget to follow me on insta @thefairybeast, you can also add me on discord fairytail#3206 we can discuss the book contents and I will like to have a friend! Wait for me to add you to the group before defriending me lol. Chapter 320 Even if it means to replace Ji Yu. 320 Even if it means to rece Ji Yu. " It seemed that he is back," Liu Dong Ming heard his aide say to him when he stepped inside the room that he used for praying. His aide has always been by his side and with his ability, he coulde in and go out of any room without getting detected which was why Liu Dong Ming was not even surprised when he saw that his aide was standing in the darkroom that barely had any light inside it and then turned to walk over to the alter where sat the portrait of a woman covered in blood. " I am not even surprised that he came back," Liu Dong Ming answered in a soft voice as he picked up a flint and it with matchsticks before he started to light all themps in the praying room. " He has been a stubborn leech from the very beginning if not I don''t see anyone beating death and sticking to life with such vigour as him. Was he the one who ced the blue roses on the tomb?" He asked his aid who in turn shook his head. " It was one of his ghosts, I felt an upheaval in the yin energy before the blue roses appeared in front of the tomb, he is not one of those who will make an appearance for something so small," replied the aide causing Liu Dong Ming to pause in his actions of lighting up the incense sticks once he was done lighting themps in the room. " You are right about that," Liu Dong Ming conceded as he continued to light the candles that were lying in front of him. One by one he lit all the incense sticks in front of the woman and then stood up straight as he raised his hands and undone his robe letting it fall on the side of the floor with a slight rustling of the fabric. " Which brings us to the matter why can''t you stop them ?" Liu Dong Ming was staring at the portrait of the woman that sat behind a memorial tablet over the smoke that was rising from more than a hundred incense sticks and then calmly added, " I believe you should be strong enough to hold them back, why is it that you did not stop them from doing anything, Peng Hui ?" The man named Peng Hui immediately knelt on the ground as he apologised, " Forgive me master but if I had made a move then the eldest miss would have sensed me." " Of course, she would have but that does not mean that I will ignore your negligence," Liu Dong Ming stated as he crouched on the floor and then looked at the portrait of the woman before bringing his hands together as if he was going to pray to her, a string of beads in his hands as he closed his eyes andmented, " You better make them pay for this, Peng Hui, lest you want to show my wrath." " I understand, my lord," Peng Hui cupped his hands and then stood up from the ground as he vanished into thin air leaving Liu Dong Ming who was praying in front of the portrait behind. "How have you been?" He said with his eyes closed as the ckened finger marks on his wrist started to glow a devilish red causing blood to drip down his wrist down to his arm and then onto The guard who was standing in front of Ji Yang picked up the pouch full of golden taels that was 09:14 thrown at him and then bowed his head as he expressed his gratitude by cupping his hands and the floor. He sighed and opened his eyes as he looked at the woman who silently looked back at him through the portrait. " It seems you are still angry at me priestess but this time I swear I will protect this family well ." ¡­.. " Hahaha!" Ji Yang who heard of the incident that took ce in the royal graveyard guffawed loudly with a pleasant expression on his face as he patted his aide on the shoulder and said, " You have done a good job by bringing me this news, here you go!" He threw a pouch that was made from a velvety red fabric with golden embroidery on its surface to the guard who has brought the news of the ruckus that was caused in the graveyard while Liu Fei Fei''s respect paying ceremony. The guard who was standing in front of Ji Yang picked up the pouch full of golden taels that was thrown at him and then bowed his head as he expressed his gratitude by cupping his hands and bending his waist in a thankful bow. " This servant thanks his master for his kindness. I did not do much but it''s only master''s graciousness that he is willing to reward me for something so small." " Of course, you shall be rewarded for what you have done right," Ji Yang replied in a good mood, he was very upset when he heard that instead ofing to the Ji family''s ceremony, his majesty went to the Liu family but now that he knew that the ceremony ended up in a mess and no one, not even the Emperor was able to pay respects to Liu Fei Fei, his mood was slightly better. But as soon as the thought of his majesty apanying the Queen came to his head, he turned to look at his shadow guard and asked, " Did his majesty bring her majesty back to the imperial pce instead ofing here ?" The shadow guard hesitated but he nodded and then bowed his head apologetically, " Forgive me, master, I could not bring his majesty to the Ji family ''s house." "It''s not your fault," Ji Yang waved his hand along with the apology that his guard has given to him as he snorted and unhappily said, "It''s all my daughter''s fault, all she needed to do was to get pregnant and bring the heir of his majesty in this world but she couldn''t even do it, instead she ended up getting poisoned now she is nothing but a barren field that will have no seeds growing on it. Of course, his majesty will be attracted to a more fertile woman than her!" Ji Yang brought his hand over his face and rubbed his scrubby jaw as he said, " No, this won''t do. I need to do something¡­ even if means recing Ji Yu." Want bonus chapters? If the golden tickets of this book reach 400 golden tickets, I made the goal achievable please do help me now and in the top ten of the win-win, then I will release ten bonus chapters in the next month. Don''t forget to follow me on insta @thefairybeast, you can also add me on discord fairytail#3206 we can discuss the book contents and I will like to have a friend! Please do help this book! ------------------------------ Chapter 321 I am afraid 321 I am afraid Ji Yu who came to call her father because the elders of the family were waiting for him paused in her actions and sucked in a heavy breath when she heard the words of her father in shock. Her father was going to rece her? No, that was not important, what was important was that his majesty did note to support her and went back to the imperial pce! She stumbled back and if not for Xiaolin who reached out an arm to hold her still, she really would have fallen on her bottom then and there, with her head swooning and her eyes getting hazy with tears Ji Yu tried to blink the pearls that were filling up her eyes away. How could his majesty do this to her? He promised he promised her that no matter what she will be the only one who will stand by his side till the end. But it did not even take him six months to be attracted to another woman, why? Was she not enough and even if she was not, he has promised her! As the Emperor and her husband, how could he take his words back just like that? " Mydy," seeing that Ji Yu was losing her mind and seemed breathless, Xiaolin immediately pulled her out of the stuffy corridor. Ji Yu who was beyond the point of even using her own head with her body pliant against Xiao Lin allowed thetter to pull her along without any struggle. She did not even say anything when Xiao Lin dragged her to the backyard of the hall where the ceremony was held and simply clutched her chest as she breathed in and out again and again. '' You are nothing but a shell now Yu''er, without the ability to have a child¡­the only thing you can do is to make sure that her majesty will not be able t give birth to a child as well, only then ¡­only then will you be the only woman who will stand beside his majesty. If not then do you think that someone as useless as you will be able to stay next to his majesty?'' The words of the Grand Dowager Empress came rushing back to Ji Yu''s head like a tide that was overwhelming her to the point where she could not even breathe. She wanted to stay pure and kept her hands away from the schemes of the imperial pce even when she knew that Liu Hui Ying was getting closer to Zhai Tianyu, she has never thought about hurting her but then the Grand Dowager Empress called her and handed her a poison simr to the one that ruined her womb. She has asked her to slip this poison into the meals of Liu Hui Ying but Ji Yu has refrained, she did not want to sumb and be one of those women who harmed another woman to win the favour of his majesty. This was the reason she did not use the poison that the Grand Dowager Empress has handed to her but now, she couldn''t help but think whether what she did was right or not. '' Should I have used that poison? If her majesty was like me with no ability to give birth to his majesty''s child then would he look at me more since we grew up together?'' Ji Yu thought in her head as she questioned and battled against her conscience that was telling her that she was wrong. But at the same time, a voice in her head told her that she was right, that if only she harmed the Queen then she would have been able to fight her on an equal footing. It was because of the Queen that his majesty did not care about her even when he knew that she needed him the most at the moment. To hold and to soothe her broken heart. Maybe she should¡ª¡ª " Missy, why are you looking at the floor like that?" Xiao Lin who has gone to bring a cup of warm water for her mistress was stunned when she returned and found her mistress to be ring at the floor like those evil women. " Are you upset with what the lord said? You should not be upset because of something like this, your highness. You are the imperial consort and no one can shake your position and your kindness that knows no bounds is the only thing that makes you different from others, you should not lose your confidence like¡­.missy why are you crying?" Xiao Lin was stunned when she saw Ji Yu shedding tears, she almost dropped the cup of warm water on the floor when she saw Ji Yu crying like a baby. Immediately, she ced the tray which she was holding in her hands on a side on the floor and then rushed to Ji Yu. " Does it hurt? Is your womb hurting? Should I call an imperial physician?" Ever since Ji Yu got poisoned her womb would hurt sometimes causing her a lot of difort which was why Xiao Lin thought that her mistress was hurting again but to her surprise, thetter reached out and hugged her. It was as if Ji Yu was a drowning woman and Xiao Lin was the only straw that was holding her up from being dragged down to the bottom of the sea. " Y...Your Highness, what are you doing? You shouldn''t touch a servant like me like this!" It was fine when they were young but now they were old and their positions werepletely different! " Just for today, Xiao Lin because I am afraid that I will lose myself ¡­I am afraid, I am so afraid¡­" Ji Yu embraced Xiao Lin tightly and cried as she told her about the deepest fear in her heart. Just now she was actually losing herself and even thought of a n to harm the Queen, if not for Xiao Lin ¡ª¡ª she might have really forgotten who she was! On the other side, a man d in ck robes clicked his tongue as he looked at the crying Ji Yu and said, " I was so close, looks like I have to do something more to get this woman to give in to her instincts." Want bonus chapters? If the golden tickets of this book reach 400 golden tickets, I made the goal achievable please do help me now and in the top ten of the win-win, then I will release ten bonus chapters in the next month. Don''t forget to follow me on insta @thefairybeast, you can also add me on discord fairytail#3206 we can discuss the book contents and I will like to have a friend! Please do help this book! Chapter 322 A black cat Chapter 322 A ck cat It took a long time for Ji Yu to calm down and ease her nerves that were strung so badly that she wanted to kill someone. All her life, she has handed Zhai Tianyu, her entire life along with her heart. She did not care how many dangers she had to ovee if it meant to stay beside him but that man has broken her heart and then shattered it into pieces before he stomped on those pieces and walked away without looking back to what remained of her. She stayed where she promised him she will be but the man who was supposed to be next to her was gone. Ji Yu was enraged and heartbroken enough to hurt Liu Hui Ying who has taken the love and interest of the man whom she loved and relied upon since no one had ever cared for her as he did but Ji Yu did not want to face the ire and hate of the person she loved in case she were to touch the woman whom Zhai Tianyu adored maybe even loved. If she was to harm Liu Hui Ying, Ji Yu did not know whether or not she would be sessful in her attempt given that the Queen was not a woman who could be easily trifled with but she knew that if Zhai Tianyu found out that she was the one who tried to harm Liu Hui Ying then surely he would be disappointed in her. And as much as she wanted to taste the sweet taste of hurting Liu Hui Ying for snatching the man whose love she couldn''t get, she was terrified at the thought of Zhai Tianyu finding her disappointing which was why even if her heart was aching beyond the point where she could even stand still she pretended as if she was fine while burying the evil intentions that were brewing in her heart. She stepped inside the hall that was decorated with white flowers and hangings that were used when a family was mourning, everyone in the hall was wearing white coloured robes which made it impossible for Ji Yu to see who was who but as she stepped inside the hall, she felt a lot of gazes locked on her and wished she could bring Xiao Lin with her. These gazes were something she was too familiar with¡ª¡ª gazes full of disappointment, gazes full of sympathy and gazes that were full of discontent. One of these gazes belonged to her father who thought that she could not sense the true feelings behind his dark eyes as he looked at her. He must be feeling disappointed, thought Ji Yu. Zhai Tianyu might be just a puppet emperor but he was the Emperor who was loved and adored by the masses since he was kind and generous with themoners, the family who won the affection of the Emperor was approved by the masses and they gained inexplicable control of the court in the imperial pce. In the eyes of others, it was the Liu family who was governing the imperial court but the Ji family was not far behind in controlling the imperial court from behind the scenes. However, after what happened with Liu Fei Fei, the court became unstable and it was very important for the Ji family to bring Zhai Tianyu to this ceremony but thetter instead ofing here went back to the imperial pce with the Queen and Ji Yu became a loser in the eyes of these people who wanted to see the Liu family defeated and gone. '' She couldn''t even win the heart of the majesty even after staying with him for so many years and yet the Queen in just a few months¡­'' Ji Yu could hear the words that were unspoken even though they were not spoken out loud by the people around her. With a deep breath, she clenched her hands that were in front of her together as she took a seat in the corner of the room where no one came to say anything to her. They all acted as if the seat in which Ji Yu was seating on was empty since she was simply of no use and talking with her would bring no benefits to them, a woman who has abandoned what good was she? ''And they are supposed to be my family,'' Ji Yu said in her head as she mockingly smiled at the farce that was going on, unlike the Liu family who solemnly got together to pray for Liu Fei Fei but couldn''t, this ceremony for Ji Xiann was nothing but a show. People talked and giggled as if they were enjoying a wedding banquet while the tablet with a portrait of Ji Xiann sat alone in front of the room. Only his parents were shedding tears as they truly grieved for their son whom they lost before the time. Ji Yu looked at thevish arrangement and sighed softly, this was simply a joke. Her father did not even go to the Ji family''s graveyard to honour her cousin since it was located on the outskirts of the imperial city and he was worried that his majesty would note to the ceremony since it was too far along with the officials with whom her father wanted to get close to. She turned her head to the window to look out since she did not want to see this poorly arranged farce but then something happened ¡ª¡ªsomething terrible, a ck cat barged inside the hall from somewhere causing the entire crowd to gasp and shoo it away . Want bonus chapters? If the golden tickets of this book reach 400 golden tickets, I made the goal achievable please do help me now and in the top ten of the win-win, then I will release ten bonus chapters in the next month. Don''t forget to follow me on insta @thefairybeast, you can also add me on discord fairytail#3206 so we can discuss the book contents and I will like to have a friend! Please do help this book! ----------------- Chapter 323 A black cat—-2 Chapter 323 A ck cat¡ª-2 The ck cat meowed haughtily as if it was affronted by how the people in the hall were trying to shoo it away. Her father who was happily discussing something with one of the officials something regarding the hunt that was taking ce in a few days also turned to look at the ck cat. Superstitious people were found in all periods and the people of this time and ce were even more superstitious, as soon as the ck cat appeared the entire room was filled with inexplicable energy and Ji Yang along with a few men went ahead to shoo the cat away. But the cat was stubborn as well when the men who were trying to shoo it away came forward, it ran past them. Escaping through the gap between their legs as she dashed forward and before anyone could stop it, the ck cat jumped at the altar that was set for Ji Xiann. " Catch that cat!" Ji Yang never once thought that he would be embarrassed by a mere cat, even the Liu family was not able to win against him¡ª¡ª now was he going to be embarrassed by a mere cat? He immediately chased after the cat that was jumping around here and there as if it was bent on embarrassing him. Ji Mo who was the closest went to catch the cat but as soon as his hands reached close to the cat, the drained thing jumped off the table and onto his head before she pounced off causing him to lose his footing and fall on the table. The three tables that were set up in the hall were not strong to hold a human body and Ji Mo who was tall and a healthy man was too much for the poor tables to hold on to as they already had enough weight ced on them along with a heavy stone tablet with Ji Xiann''s name carved on it in elegant writing. As soon as Ji Mo fell on the table, the weak legs of the wooden tables that were already shaking under the pressure shuddered and gave away taking the entire things that were kept on it on the floor. Ji Xiann''s father who saw his son''s tablet fall on the ground hurried to catch it but the stone tablet was too heavy and Ji Xiann''s father was too old, as soon as he caught the stone tablet, he stumbled forward and then ¡ª¡ª An ugly crack resounded in the hall as Ji Xiann''s father''s waist was broken with a twist for holding a stone tablet that was too heavy for him to hold onto and no sooner did he fall on the floor than the hall erupted into chaos while the cat who snuck inside was gone as if it never came inside. The ceremonies that were held by both the Liu and the Ji family ended up in a farce but that had nothing to do with Liu Hui Ying who swung her sword at the murderer who was brought to the prison to fight with her by the Emperor. Zhai Tianyu who was intuitive and observant knew that she needed blood to calm the anger of her sister since only sacrifices of humans brought enough Yin energy to calm a soul that has been corrupted by a grudge. This was the basic rule however, Liu Hui Ying who was a celestial master, she could not kill an innocent person or else she would be punished by the heavens which was why Zhai Tianyu sent his brother who then brought a man who was charged with heavy punishment of death in a few days. " Will this be all right?" Zhai Heng asked as they watched the man who was trying his best to defeat Liu Hui Ying, they have promised him that if he could win against Liu Hui Ying then all his sins will be forgotten and he will be able to live a calm life without facing a death sentence. The man has, of course, agreed, in his eyes, this was a wonderful opportunity since the one who was fighting him was a woman and not a man. The man was not only a murderer but assaulted young women which was why he did not put a woman in his eyes and thought that he could easily win against Liu Hui Ying. This was one of the reasons why Zhai Tianyu asked Zhai Heng to bring this man to the other criminals who were locked inside the prison. He was certain that having killed a man who harmed so many women would definitely calm the anger of Liu Hui Ying''s sister who was trying her best to surge out of Liu Hui Ying''s body and then rush after the man who killed her even though she had no idea where that man was hiding at the moment. "It''s all right, the Queen seems to be holding her ground rather well in fact excellently if you were to ask Yu Lingyun who is noting down every new move that she is pulling against that man," Zhai Tianyu replied as the man who was backed into a corner and rushed at Liu Hui YIng for two seconds he did feel his heart jump in his throat as he turned his attention away from Yu Lingyun who was noting down the moves on the sides but then he calmed down when he saw Liu Hui Ying sh her sword and cutting the head of the man in one sweep move. Her eyes which were pitch ck slowly started to turn human and the bulging nerves on the side of her eyes also rxed as Zhai Tianyu heaved a sigh and turned to look at Zhai Heng. "See she totally had it under control." Zhai Heng whose hand was being clutched by Zhai Tianyu raised their entwined hands and deadpanned, " You broke my middle finger just now, your majesty." Want bonus chapters? If the golden tickets of this book reach 400 golden tickets, I made the goal achievable please do help me now and in the top ten of the win-win, then I will release ten bonus chapters in the next month. Don''t forget to follow me on insta @thefairybeast, you can also add me on discord fairytail#3206 so we can discuss the book contents and I will like to have a friend! Please do help this book! Chapter 324 Calls for a celebration Chapter 324 Calls for a celebration The story is written in aedic tone, please do understand and do not leave negativements since they will be deleted. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Zhai Tianyu looked down at his brother''s hand which was slightly twisted and then looked up to see Zhai Heng who was staring at him nkly even though his finger looked like it hase under the wheel of a carriage. " Ehe," Zhai Tianyu smiled at his brother with a cute expression as he raised his hand and patted his shoulder. " You are indeed worthy of the vicemander of the special tropes look at that nk and stoic face of yours even if your finger has been twisted like this, I made no mistake while choosing you as the vicemander. The future of this country is in good hands." Zhai Heng who was being praised rather than being taken to the imperial physician breathed a long breath and closed his eyes as he chanted two Buddhist scriptures to calm his head but the throbbing ache in his fingers caused him unable to concentrate which was why he opened his eyes and then released the breath that he just took as he opened his lips and said, " Your majesty if you do not mind can you give me two minutes to talk to you like an elder brother instead of a subordinate?" " That''s¡ª¡ª quite all right," Zhai Tianyu agreed when Zhai Heng raised his hand and showed his broken finger to him, feeling a little bit guilty when he saw the twisted finger, maybe he should have controlled his strength now, he has to take note of this what if he was to do the same thing with the queen? His brother was fine but his queen will not be. It was a good thing that Zhai Heng did not know what was going on in the head of his brother or else he would have coughed up three litres of blood and died on the spot. But fortunately, he couldn''t read minds which was why instead of coughing up blood, he opened his mouth and said, " You damned brat¡ª¡ª-" " Oh I see that the Queen is finished I will go and help her," Zhai Tianyu who realised that he was going to be scolded immediately turned around and rushed to where Liu Hui Ying was leaving Yu Lingyun who was behind Zhai Heng to stop thetter. " Let me go Lingyun, that boy is asking for a smack in his butt! Look at my fingers!" Zhai Hneg cursed while Yu Lingyun pulled him back by holding him by his waist, both of Yu Lingyun''s arms were around Zhai Heng''s waist as thetter cried, " He is the king and not your younger brother alone, you cannot smack the butt of the Emperor." " Why cannot I? I believe I can! Let me go I will smack them heavenly buttcheeks! Lemme at him!" Zhai Heng roared but then his mouth was covered by Yu Lingyun who pulled him out of the fighting arena, thetter continued to struggle to keep a hold of Zhai Heng who was shouting even though his words were now muffled and incoherent. '' I am going to resign, once I get old I am going to buy a nice thatched hut away from these brothers and spent my old age in peace,'' thought Yu Lingyun as he dragged Zhai Heng off the training spot. ¡­. Zhai Tianyu of course heard the roaring curses of his brother but he ignored them as he walked over to where Liu Hui Ying was and then came to stand beside her, making sure to keep a distance between the two of them as he said, " Are you feeling all right, my queen?" " Quiet refreshed," Liu Hui Ying wiped the blood off her hands with a smile that did not suit the grimy and gooey scenariopared with the decapitated body behind them. " My sister is very satisfied now that she has taken the life of a man who deserved to be punished, she is not even angry at you, your esteemed majesty." '' She soon will once I try to get close to you,'' thought Zhai Tianyu in his head, but his smile that was part innocent and part gentle did not give away his wolfish thoughts as he looked at the woman who looked adorable. The man who died in the hands of the adorable woman and was now being dragged to the underworld by the guardians: "..." Am I a joke to you? Can you not see my body, you crazy emperor? Calling that monster adorable!! Liu Hui Ying wiped her hands with the handkerchief and then turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who was standing beside her, with a tilt of her neck, she looked at the man and then said, " Will you be fine your majesty?" " Whatever do you mean my queen?" He asked as the wind of the autumn rustled their robes and made Liu Hui Ying''s hair that was already dishevelled enough to flutter and get ruffled even more. Her bangs that were behind her ear moved to the front going into her eyes which caused her to close them on instinct. Seeing this Zhai Tianyu moved before he could stop himself, he moved the strand of the hair that was in Liu Hui Ying''s eye but maybe his move shocked the both of them as Liu Hui Ying opened her eyes and looked at him in surprise while Zhai Tianyu who was removing the strand of her hair that was in her eyes paused. His hand hovered in the air with the strand of Liu Hui Ying''s hair in between his fingers before he parted his lips and said, " It seems you are no longer as allergic to my scent as you were before, my Queen. Does this calls for a celebration?" ---------------------- Want bonus chapters? If the golden tickets of this book reach 400 golden tickets, I made the goal achievable please do help me now and in the top ten of the win-win, then I will release ten bonus chapters in the next month. Don''t forget to follow me on insta @thefairybeast, you can also add me on discord fairytail#3206 so we can discuss the book contents and I will like to have a friend! Please do help this book! ------------------ Chapter 325 An interruption Chapter 325 An interruption Liu Hui Ying was surprised as well, she has been allergic to men ever since she saw her sister getting killed at the hands of a man along with her past experiences taking a toll on her mind. With her sister''s soul inside her, it only made things even worse for her since she could not get closer to a man without wanting to kill him. Her sister''s grudge together with her psychological barriers made her situation worsen which was she slowly started to disdain and show allergic reactions to me when they approached her. But this time even when the Emperor was this close to her, she did not burst out in rashes nor did she feel icky with his closeness was this because she was no longer holding him ountable for the death of this woman''s death since she knew that there was an even deeper secret attached to the death of this woman? And was this man this close to her earlier? A thought came into her head as she felt Zhai Tianyu''s facee a bit closer to her. " That, your majesty¡ª¡ª" she opened her mouth ready to push the man away since he was getting too cosy with her but she did not get a chance to do that because at that moment a person who was watching the happening inside the building that was used to train soldiers barged inside. " Your majesty!" The spell that was cast on Zhai Tianyu and Liu Hui Ying broke as the two stepped away from each other. Zhai Tianyu who did not know what he was doing just now turned to look at Ji Yu who was standing at the entrance of the building, her chest heaving up and down as she looked at him as if he has betrayed her. Maybe he has, he promised Ji Yu that she will be the only woman by his side but that was because he never considered that there will ever be a woman who will move his heart and now that she was here, the promise that he made to Ji Yu seemed like a joke. " Consort Ji, it seemed like you came here in a hurry, are you all right?" Zhai Tianyu asked though he felt guilty about breaking his promise to Ji Yu, there was nothing he could do anymore. His heart was not in his control, he wished it was but feelings did not stem from control and it was something he hated all his life. He was under the control of the imperial court even before his death, his mother who wanted to make him the Emperor plotted and schemed against her own son while his father tried his best to fight against her only to lose his life in the process when he grew up, it was the officials who controlled every action of his. Control¡ª¡ª this word brought an undeniable disgust in his heart every time he thought of it which was why he would rather break his promise than control something that he couldn''t, his heart was tipping towards the Queen not as a colleague or a partner who was working together with her but as a man, he craved her and wanted to possess her body and soul since he knew she was the one who was worthy enough to stand next to him as his equal instead of his weakness. "I have something that I need to say to you, your majesty," just now Ji Yu came looking for Zhai Tianyu, she wanted to ask him why he did note to the Ji family''s ceremony which brought her so much embarrassment. After walking around and asking the servants she found out that the Emperor was at the training field which was why she heaved a sigh of relief thinking that he was here alone practising sword and he really wanted to just teach a lesson to the Ji family for lying to him. But who would have thought that as soon as she came here, she would see Zhai Tianyu ever so closely to Liu Hui Ying? Her chest which just stopped hurting started to throb again which was why she had paused in her stride since she feared she would say something she shouldn''t but then she saw Zhai Tianyu lean in further like he was going to kiss Liu Hui Ying and that was when she could not stop her feet from rushing towards him. Liu Hui Ying might be a dunce when it came to the matter of love and affection but she was not stupid, she knew how crazy Ji Yu was for Zhai Tianyu having witnessed how thetter got upset at her just because she took a walk in the garden where Ji Yu and Zhai Tianyu met before their wedding. So, of course, she knew that the woman must be upset with the idea of watching Zhai Tianyu stand so close to another woman even if it was because he was removing a strand of hair from her eyes. Not wanting to get burned in the fire that was going to burst forth any second now, Liu Hui Ying pped her hands and then turned to bow in front of Zhai Tianyu who was now looking at Ji Yu who appeared in the training field uninvited and without even an announcement of her arrival. " Then this one will be taking her to leave now, your majesty." '' Hurry get away from here before you get burned,'' she thought in her head as she twisted on her feet and rushed out of the training field. As she left two gazes locked on the back of her head, one that was filled with envy and one that was filled with adoration. Want bonus chapters? If the golden tickets of this book reach 400 golden tickets, I made the goal achievable please do help me now and in the top ten of the win-win, then I will release ten bonus chapters in the next month. Don''t forget to follow me on insta @thefairybeast, you can also add me on discord fairytail#3206 so we can discuss the book contents and I will like to have a friend! Please do help this book! Chapter 326 - 326 Give me your first time—-1 326 Give me your first time¡ª-After Liu Hui Ying left the training fields, Ji Yu turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who was still staring at the space where the queen was standing and then at the entrance of the fields from where the Queen left just now. ¡± Now you cannot even look away from her, your majesty?¡± Ji Yumented before she could stop herself, her heart was sour and she was jealous to the point where she could almost feel her heart churn. Why? Why did this man never look at her with that wistful gaze before? What was she evencking? For him, she learned sword fighting and it was for his sake that she even hid from her father and learned political tactics of the court for she wanted to always be by his side. She did so much for him but why was it that he could not see her efforts, yet he fell for a woman who did not care whether he lived or died? Ji Yu was a woman who was in love and thus she could see that Liu Hui Ying held no feelings for Zhai Tianyu. She was respectful and reserved when Zhai Tianyu was around but that was the end of her feelings, for the queen, Zhai Tianyu might as well be someone whom she saw in passing and did not hold any strong desire to conquer him or gain his affection. But Ji Yu did and she was surprised that Zhai Tianyu could not see what she felt for him. Just how long was he going to see her like a childhood friend whom he agreed to make Queen and give a child, not because he loved her but because he needed to fulfil his duty? Many times they have been together but Zhai Tianyu has never even approached her much less kiss her. They only went as far as holding hands and that too when she initiated it, even then Zhai Tianyu was awkward and stiff but he wasn¡¯t like that with the Queen just now when he swooped down to almost kiss her. Zhai Tianyu turned to look at Ji Yu when he heard her words, he did not know what to say which was why he didn¡¯t answer her question instead he asked one of his own, ¡± Is there something that you need, consort?¡± ¡® Of course, he avoided that question,¡¯ Ji Yu thought as she pursed her lips, she wanted to scream and cry. Throw a tantrum and tell Zhai Tianyu what she did for him and how long she waited for him, she even wanted to ask why he was doing this to her and how could he break his promise to her but she did not. ..... She was afraid to be abandoned, to be seen as a nuisance. Thus, even when her heart felt like it was tearing in half, she clenched her fingers on the sides and smiled with a polite curl of her lips, ¡± If you don¡¯t mind can we walk in the garden like we used to, your majesty? I believe this is not a ce where we should be talking.¡± As she spoke, she looked at the corpse that was lying behind Zhai Tianyu on the raised stone tform. Zhai Tianyu agreed with what she said and nodded as the two walked out of the training field which would be cleaned by the servants who were responsible to keep everything in order. The garden where they used to take walks as kids were not far, in just three minutes the two arrived in the flourishing garden that was blooming despite the chill that was crawling right beside the summers that were leaving them. Ji Yu walked beside Zhai Tianyu, unlike Liu Hui Ying who kept her hair essories to a minimum since she did not like the hassle and the weight they put on her neck and head, Ji Yu loved dressing up. She not only wore hair pins with tassels but she also wore the small crown that was given to the four imperial concubines. As she was the only imperial concubine, Ji Yu alone had a crown on her head along with Liu Hui Ying, who was the Queen. The two walked side by side and the tassels of Ji Yu¡¯s hairpin dangled and fluttered with the autumn winds. The sky was a gloomy shade of ck as the clouds covered the sun, not even letting a single ray of sunlight filter through them. But even so, Ji Yu¡¯s beauty was like a cheerful sun shining brightly as she stretched her hands and touched the flowers that were blooming on the side of the stone pavement. Her fingers delicately touched the petals of the flowers like a butterfly kissing a flower. The pink petals of the cherry blossoms swirled in the air and fluttered around them as she hitched a side of her lips and then said, ¡± Do you remember your majesty, you gifted me this tree that is called cherry blossoms just because I said it was pretty?¡± ¡± I do,¡± Zhai Tianyu replied as he kept his pace slow while walking next to Ji Yu, hands behind his back and face staring at the front. He heard the jibe that Ji Yu did not say outright but he did not know what to do anymore either. Yes. He broke his promise, he was in the wrong to do that but he has never said that he loved Ji Yu, she was more or less of his colleagues and they had their roles to y. Now that he has someone he loved, should Ji Yu be not happy for him? Since they were friends for so long? Ji Yu sighed, her sigh as helpless as a woman who was losing everything. The more she tried to grasp onto the sand that was leaving her hands, the faster it moved, making her feel so helpless like she has never felt before. ¡± When you gave me this tree, you promised the world to me, your majesty,¡± Ji Yu spoke without any anger. ¡± Then what changed, your majesty?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Leave ament baby girls and boys, if there are some hehe ¡ª¡ª- yourments make my day!! Want bonus chapters? If the golden tickets of this book reach 400 golden tickets, I made the goal achievable please do help me now and in the top ten of the win-win, then I will release ten bonus chapters in the next month. Don¡¯t forget to follow me on insta @thefairybeast, you can also add me on discord fairytail#3206 so we can discuss the book contents and I will like to have a friend! Please do help this book! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 327 - 327 Give me your first time ——-2 327 Give me your first time ¡ª¡ª-Zhai Tianyu knew that this question wasing, he knew that he had to face this since it was the consequence of his own actions. He parted his lips and said, ¡± I understand that you are upset, but the matter of the heart is something that one cannot control¡ª¡ª¡± He was still speaking when Ji Yu who was silently standing on the side burst outughing. Herughter was raucous and mocking, a burst ofughter that he has never heard leave her lips as Zhai Tianyu furrowed his brows and looked at the woman who wasughing as if she was having herstugh. ¡± Consort what is the matter?¡± He asked with a frown on his face, he did not look displeased but instead was a bit stunned seeing a side of Ji Yu, that he has never seen before, which made him wonder why she was acting like this and whether or not there were things that he did not know about this woman who stood beside him with a smile that seemed crazed and unappeble. Zhai Tianyu still did not say anything harsh as he took a step towards Ji Yu who wasughing with her hands around her waist. He pursed his lips and then said, ¡± If you have a problem you can tell me, and I will help you, Consort¡ª¡ª¡± ¡± You¡­You are my problem! Your majesty! YOU!¡± Something inside of her snapped as Ji Yu threw away the gentleness that she always had on her face. She could not help it, what did he say? Did he say that the matters of the heart could not be controlled? And to whom? To her? The woman who ruined herself for him! Who gave her life away just for him, just for the sake of standing next to him? She reached forward and took hold of Zhai Tianyu¡¯s robe, an action that surprised Zhai Tianyu for he expected something like this from the Queen but not Ji Yu. ¡± Consort what are you¡ª¡ª¡± his words were cut off when he saw Ji Yu lean towards his face, her warm lips almost touching his as he pushed her away when their lips were almost inches away from one another. ..... Zhai Tianyu had never expected Ji Yu to do something like this, was she forcing a kiss on him? It was not as if he wanted to treat her harshly but her actions made it impossible for him to not act in his defence. He took several steps away from Ji Yu was stumbling because of his push just now and said, ¡± What are you doing, consort?¡± ¡± What am I doing? I am doing what I should have done years ago!¡± Ji Yu shrieked as she stabilised herself, her breathing harsh as her chest heaved up and down. ¡± I have been with you for ages, even before anyone else! I have loved you. I have loved you to the point where I lost myself and yet you¡­you fell for someone else, your majesty? Why? Why could you not see me when I stood by your side all along!¡± She has been patient, she has been kind and she has been everything that Zhai Tianyu liked but he fell for a woman who was neither of those things, how can she not be driven crazy at this point? ¡± Why not me? The Queen is selfish, she is rude and brash. She does not even have an ounce of gentleness in her! She speaks as if she came from slums rather than a noble house, cold, heartless and a freak who rips the heart of ¡ª¡ª¡± ¡± CONSORT!¡± Zhai Tianyu has been trying to restrain his temper but he could not do so when he heard Ji Yu badmouth the queen and his temper became even worse when he heard Ji Yu call Liu Hui Ying a freak. He almost struck her face with his hand but stopped in time as he snapped, ¡± That freak is the one who saved you, you would have died without knowing what happened to you, if not for her. How can you call the woman who saved you a freak?¡± Ji Yu who was breathing hard looked at Zhai Tianyu, her heart sinking as she saw the man who has never raised even his voice now raising his hand at her. Even though he did not hit her, he raised his hand with every intention of hitting her right? ¡± Ha¡­haha..hahaha¡­¡± Ji Yuughed but this time her eyes were filled with tears as she cried harder than ever as she took several steps back. Was she a fool? What has she been doing for so many years? She has been trying so hard, all for this man and yet he ¡­he did not appreciate her. In fact, she raised her eyes and peeped at those ck pupils that were locked on her and felt her heart sink. Instead, this man felt burdened by her feelings for him. Tears started to stream down her cheeks as she covered her face with her hands, shoulders trembling as she cried for her love that ended before she could even confess. ¡± You promised me,¡± she said in despair before parting her hands and looking at Zhai Tianyu. Her voice rose as she repeated, ¡± You promised me, your majesty! You promised me the throne, your body and your child! You cannot take them from me!¡± Zhai Tianyu brought his hand down, feeling slightly guilty for raising his hand at Ji Yu but when he heard her say these words, his anger almost surged back into his head. But he still restrained himself as he said, ¡± I understand your anger consort, but fear not since I am the one in the wrong I will make it up to you. I regret not keeping my promise but I will not let you suffer in the imperial pce, we will be the same as we have been before.¡± ¡± But I don¡¯t want to be the same, your majesty,¡± Ji Yu smiled ruefully as her eyes turned frenzied. ¡± You broke your promise which means that you owe me, you have to make it up to me on my terms instead of yours.¡± ¡± Then what do you want, consort?¡± Zhai Tianyu asked raising his eyes and looking straight at Ji Yu. ¡°I want you, your majesty,¡± she answered as she wiped the tears that were streaking down her cheeks. ¡± I want you, if you want me to forgive you, then sleep with me. Even if I can¡¯t carry your child, even if I can¡¯t be the Queen¡ª¡ª I want your first to be with me.¡± Chapter 328 - 328 If the queen is dethroned 328 If the queen is dethroned Zhai Tianyu stared at the woman who asked him the impossible, he thought that he knew Ji Yu but now that he was looking at her, and taking in her frenzied gaze along with her twisted expression, he realised that he might have never known the real Ji Yu. True they were the best of friends but just as the Queen said, people, changed with time and most certainly somewhere when he was not looking Ji Yu, the girl who was honest and caring for all changed as well. Somewhere he med himself as well, he was the one who did not take care of Ji Yu properly, he knew that Ji Yu was having a hard time in the Ji family and which was why she relied on him a bit too much but he was stupid enough to believe that it was simr to a friend relying on another friend since he never knew what it means to be in love or like anyone. Whenever Ji Yu looked at him with that admiration-filled gaze of hers, he thought¡ª- ¡®Oh, it¡¯s because she cares about me and respects me,¡¯ who would have thought that the gaze that he thought was respectful and admiring was the one that was filled with adoration and love. ¡± You seem like you are tired, consort,¡± He told Ji Yu as he looked away after turning his head to the side and then heaving a breath. He was d when he thought that Ji Yu respected him but now that he knew that what she had for him was not respect but love, he was filling more burdened than relieved, these feelings he was not worthy of them since he knew that he will never be able to return these feelings that Ji Yu had for him. With that, he turned to leave but was stopped by Ji Yu who stepped in front of him and then spread her arms out in such a way that she will stop him from walking past her. She raised her head and stubbornly gazed at her as she asked with determination, ¡± Why? She is your wife and so am I! I married you just like her¡ª¡ª if she can touch you then why can¡¯t I? Why can I not get the love of my husband? It¡¯s my right your majesty, are you saying that you will take my right away as well?¡± ¡± You know that I can never do that!¡± Zhai Tianyu watched his mother slip into depression as she turned from a woman who was gentle and serene with a hint of elegance to someone he could not even recognize because of the fact that his father picked more than twenty Concubines and doted on them more than he did to his mother. He watched his mother and father slipping through the cracks of their rtionship which were why he was certain that he will not do the same even if he could not avoid taking concubines since his officials will not leave him alone if he did that, he was certain that he will never sleep with those concubines who were sent to him such as there will be no strife in the harem. He did not want to fall from grace like his father if he wanted to just follow in the footsteps of his father, for what did he stay in the pond of his courtyard when his grandmother sent two women from the brothel to teach him the ways of a man? Why did he avoid sleeping with the Queen on their wedding night? ..... Wasn¡¯t it because he wanted to stay true to one woman and one woman alone? Even if he had not fallen for the Queen only one woman would have borne his child and that too because he had to give an heir to the throne but after Ji Yu was unable to do so, he even thought of giving up the thought of giving birth to an heir than sleep with a woman whom he did not know. This was something that Ji Yu knew and yet she was asking him to ¡ª¡ª Zhai Tianyu looked away from her face as he breathed hard and closed his eyes. ¡± Do not, I beg you consort ¡­do not speak any further because you are only making me disappointed in you.¡± ¡± Then what about me? Have you thought about me?¡± Ji Yu said to him with tears streaming down her cheeks as she kept her arms on the side stretched wide. ¡± Does my disappointment in you not matter to your majesty? I am disappointed in you as well, if you never intended to keep your promises then why did you make them to me? Why did you not stop me when I was falling helplessly and madly in love with you? Why! Tell me!¡± There was no answer to her question and in all honesty, Ji Yu felt even more hurt by Zhai Tianyu than him speaking cruel words to her. She felt her eyes burn as she stumbled forward but only for Zhai Tianyu to take a step back from her ¡ª¡ªseeing him act like this, Ji Yu tugged the corner of her lips and then said, ¡± Now you don¡¯t even want to be close to me, your majesty. Do I disgust you this much?¡± She then raised her head and looked at him as she asked, ¡± I am going to ask you again, your majesty will you give me your body if you cannot give me your heart?¡± Want bonus chapters? If the golden tickets of this book reach 400 golden tickets, I made the goal achievable please do help me now and in the top ten of the win-win, then I will release ten bonus chapters in the next month. Don¡¯t forget to follow me on insta @thefairybeast, you can also add me on discord fairytail#3206 so we can discuss the book contents and I will like to have a friend! Please do help this book ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 329 - 329 If the queen is dethroned 329 If the queen is dethroned ¡± No matter how many times you ask me this question, my answer will remain the same,¡± Zhai Tianyu stated firmly, he knew he was being selfish. It was not wrong of Ji Yu to ask him to sleep with her since it was indeed her right, she had as much right on him as Liu Hui Ying did but he could not¡ª¡ª he could not bring himself to do something like sleeping with two women whom he cared about fall in a mess of strife and struggle because of him. But he was certain that it was already toote for that even if Liu Hui Ying did not care about Ji Yu, he knew that Ji Yu will not be able to sit still after this. ¡± Even if it means that I will not forgive you, your majesty?¡± Ji Yu questioned as she looked at him with her tear-soaked face that stared right at him with a lot of questions,ints and emotions that he never bothered to look at before. ¡± Even if you have to be hated by me for the rest of your life will you still choose to do this?¡± There was a long pause as the gloomy wind rustled past them and the clouds over their head thundered as if they warning Ji Yu to not continue with what she was moving onwards, it was a long time after Zhai Tianyu opened his lips and that too to only spat one word, ¡± Yes.¡± Ji Yu stumbled as she dropped her hands to the sides and looked at the man with a dumbstruck look on her face, she looked like a woman who has lost the ground from below her feet as she looked at Zhai Tianyu and asked,¡± Why? Why would you choose her but not me? Why choose to be hated by me and then stay with me for a night? She would not even know that we shared a bed! she would not even care if you give me your body! Because she does not care about you, Tianyu! No one will know other than the two of us! So why are you refusing me? It¡¯s a small thing! If you only give me one night of all the nights that you are going to share with her, I can spend the rest of my life happily with just the memories of us together intertwined, so why do you have to refuse!¡± As she questioned Zhai Tianyu, Ji Yu lost her mind as she clutched the front of his robes and shook him like she has gone crazy. ¡± I have done so much for you, can¡¯t you do something like this for me? I am not asking for the throne of the empress, Tianyu! I am asking for you to love me, only for a night! I have loved you for years! Only to ask for one night, so why¡­why..why¡­WHY!¡± Ji Yu screamed at Zhai Tianyu¡¯s face, her scream full of despair and heartbreak, the robe that she was holding onto was now torn because of how much pressure she applied to it but Zhai Tianyu stayed calm from the beginning till the end as he reached his hands up and caught her wrists. Ji Yu expected that he would hug her to calm her down but instead, he pulled her hands off his robe and then dropped them to her sides as he looked down at her with a nk expression and said, ¡± I apologize for breaking your heart, consort but I can¡¯t do it. You are right, the queen will not know anything.¡± ..... ¡± Then why¡ª¡ª¡± ¡± Because I will know and if I sleep with you then I will never touch her .,¡­. I will not be able to touch her, for it will be like tainting her. So, please forgive me,¡± he muttered as he walked past Ji Yu leaving thetter to breathe harshly as she looked at the front with disbelief in her eyes. But then she whirled around on her feet and then shouted loudly, ¡± I will not care about your majesty if you walk out of this garden lest you not promise me!¡± However, Zhai Tianyu did not stop, he continued to walk briskly and without a pause made Ji Yu feel like her chest was constricting as she once again took a step forward and shouted, ¡± I will hate you, your majesty. Do you want that ?¡± ¡± I would rather have you hate me consort than follow along with the wishes that you have put forward in front of me, since I cannot fulfil them then you might as well hate me till I am burning in hell maybe that way I will pay for my sins of not looking at your feelings carefully if I did then I would have stopped you when you were falling for me helplessly.¡± Zhai Tianyu answered without looking back as he rushed past the path while Ji Yu stayed at the wooden arch bridge that was situated at the pond in the garden. Seeing him leave like this Ji Yu felt like she was falling¡ª-falling into an abyss that she would not be able to climb out of. No, No¡­I cannot lose him too. If he leaves me, what will I do? How will Iive? He is the only one who cares about me, the only one who does not judge me ¡­one who stayed with me all along. Not him ¡­I cannot lose him. Ji Yu thought helplessly in her head as she finally opened her mouth and said, ¡± Even if the Queen is dethroned? Will you still choose her?¡± Want bonus chapters? If the golden tickets of this book reach 200 golden tickets, I made the goal achievable please do help me now and in the top ten of the win-win, then I will release ten bonus chapters in the next month. Don¡¯t forget to follow me on insta @thefairybeast, you can also add me on discord fairytail#3206 so we can discuss the book contents and I will like to have a friend! Please do help this book! Chapter 330 - ADD ADD 330 I wille to hate you Zhai Tianyu was going to leave without making the situation any worse than it already was when he heard the words that Ji Yu shouted from behind him, his legs came to an abrupt pause as he turned to look at Ji Yu and said, ¡± What did you say consort?¡± ¡± I said that will your decision be the same if I say that the Empress can be dethroned?¡± Ji Yu was even more agitated when she saw that Zhai Tianyu stopped when she mentioned Liu Hui Ying. He did not stop for her when she said that she was going to hate him forever and neither did he stop for her tears but he surely stopped a bit too fast when she mentioned the Queen. Why? Why did he have to hurt her like this? She was the one who stayed by his side the longest even when he was alone and bullied by his peers, she stood by his side and saved him whenever she could ¡ª¡ª so, why Liu Hui Ying? Zhai Tianyu pursed his lips but he turned around and walked back to where Ji Yu was standing, he took a long breath and then said as he came to stop in front of her, ¡± You ..have you lost your mind, Ji Yu ?¡± He was fine with her trying to force a kiss on him and he was fine when she said that she will hate him for the rest of her life, he even ignored her when shemanded him to bed her before the Queen even though he was the Emperor. If he was someone else he would have thrown her in the cold pce for overstepping her limits but she was his friend. Someone who went thick and thin for him, she even saved his life when he was young. This was why he was willing to turn a blind eye to her actions, no matter how atrocious they were but this was simply stepping on his bottom line. ¡± Yes, I have lost my mind,¡± she giggled at him sounding as if she was really crazy. She took a step forward and then sneered with so much anger in her eyes that Zhai Tianyu did not even recognise the woman in front of him. Was this the same Ji Yu that he knew? He never thought that she was capable of making such an expression. The woman in front of him stared at him with a wild look in her eyes as she gritted through her teeth, ¡± You are right, I have lost my mind! Have you ever thought about how long I have waited for you? You did not, right? And now after years of hard work, patience and holding on to hope, you are telling me what I did was nothing but useless?! If I don¡¯t go crazy what will happen to me?¡± With her chest heaving up and down, she scowled at his face and then stated, ¡± You said that the Liu family was a family of criminals, that they gave their souls to the devil, hearts to the demons and body to corruptions. That if there was another word for injustice then it was ¡®Liu¡¯, now you are falling for the woman who shares the same blood as them!¡± ..... ¡± Do you not see how unfair this is?¡± Breaking her eye contact with him, Ji Yu shifted her gaze to the flowers as she smiled at herself in self-condemnation and said mockingly, ¡± But what can I even say? You are blinded by the so-called love that you feel for the queen now. Forget about everything else, now you are even allowing the Liu family tomit atrocities right under your nose, your majesty!¡± She raised her hand and then nted the tip of her forefinger on his chest and then said, ¡± You are even willing to give them a hand in their sins. They killed Brother Xiann, you know it¡­I know it¡­and we all know it but you stayed silent and ignored the petitions that my father and brother submitted in the court for an investigation, do you not feel shame? Do you not feel guilty for walking on the same unfair and wrong path as that family? All for the name of love ?¡± There was a long pause in which Zhai Tianyu silently stared at Ji Yu before he scoffed and turned his head to the side ignoring the affronted expression on Ji Yu¡¯s face. With his tongue out of his mouth a little he licked his front teeth as he nodded to himself and said, ¡± So this is what you thought of me huh? Excellent, I thought that at least you among all the Ji family members will understand why I was ignoring the petitions but looks like you were thinking the same as them.¡± He turned his head to the left for just an inch and looked at the woman in front of him with a cold gaze, ¡± And you dare say that you love me, if you have loved me then you would have known that this had nothing to do with the queen or anyone else, the reason I ignored those petitions was because of you, Ji Yu! I did that for you!¡± His words caused Ji Yu to frown as she looked at him in disbelief which made Zhai Tianyu¡¯s heart sink even further. All these years what was he even doing? His grandmother, uncle and now even Ji Yu ¡ª¡ª all of them, they were all distrustful of him even when he trusted them with all his heart and never considered them as traitors. Sure enough, Liu Dong Ming was right when he called him the puppet emperor. Want bonus chapters? If the golden tickets of this book reach 400 golden tickets, I made the goal achievable please do help me now and in the top ten of the win-win, then I will release ten bonus chapters in the next month. Don¡¯t forget to follow me on insta @thefairybeast, you can also add me on discord fairytail#3206 so we can discuss the book contents and I will like to have a friend! Please do help this book! Chapter 331 - 331 I will come to hate you—2 331 I wille to hate you¡ªHe was indeed the puppet Emperor but who was controlling the strings, it was yet to be seen. Zhai Tianyu closed his eyes as he turned to look at Ji Yu, whose heart skipped a beat when she saw the cold gaze with which Zhai Tianyu was looking at her. ¡± You said I was unfair right? Then let me tell you something dear consort, if I agreed with those petitions then I would have to ask the investigators to go way back, and by way back I mean years.¡± He narrowed his eyes and looked at Ji Yu¡¯s small face which was slowly getting paler by the second. ¡± Do you wish me to do that? Would you like me to see and find out what your family did and what the Ji family did? Is that your wish? If so then tell me now, I will sign the petition now with my seal and start the investigation here and now!¡± Ji Yu sucked in a breath when she heard Zhai Tianyu¡¯s words, she did not know what her father did years ago but she was certain that the reason behind Ji Meng¡¯s actions of killing the two consorts and trying to frame the queen had something to do with the ns that her father made for the Liu family¡¯s downfall. ¡± That¡¯s not what I meant, I mean..to say that you just need to investigate Brother Xiann¡¯s death.¡± Ji Yu whispered losing her momentum from before as she lowered her head. Her whisper was barely audible even when she knew that she and Zhai Tianyu were the only ones who were in the garden and there was no need for her to whisper like this but she still lowered her voice. Zhai Tianyu almostughed when he heard Ji Yu¡¯s words, was she for real? Was this Ji Yu now or was she like this from the beginning but he like a fool did not see it since she was the one who was his friend and cousin and the one person who stayed beside him through everything that he had to suffer. ¡± Say those words again consort, I dare you.¡± He told her and when Ji Yu did not say anything, he chuckled and then shook his head as he took several steps back and kept nodding with his lips pursed, it was a long time before he opened his mouth again and say, ¡± You want justice but you do not want fair justice, consort. You want justice that will suit you, your family and everyone else you care about.¡± ¡± Justice in the true sense is cruel, it¡¯s ruthless and sometimes you even have to lose your loved ones when it¡¯s handed out without questioning anything, there is no ¡®unfairness¡¯ in justice that will bring you happiness, if you want fairness then you need to be prepared for the consequences, are you prepared to face those consequences?¡± He asked Ji Yu who stayed silent. ..... As the cloud thundered one more time, droplets from them started to fall down, the size of pearls as they dripped on the two people who despite being so close were so far away from each other, to the point where they felt like they were trapped in their own hell where they could not breathe. One was lost because she lost the man whom she loved and the other was lost because he lost a friend whom he believed to be his dearest person. ¡± Are you prepared, consort?¡± Zhai Tianyu asked again and this time sounding even more pressing as he questioned Ji Yu, who closed her eyes and answered with a heavy heart, ¡± No, your majesty.¡± She might not be weed by her family but they were her own, she could not even dream of a world where they did not exist. Especially her father, he might be heartless and cruel but he was the same man who once came to her courtyard bringing a doll with him as he yed horse with her. She could never see her father die in front of her, the same man who was with her when she was alone when she was younger. ¡± This is what you call unfairness, consort,¡± Zhai Tianyu did not show his disappointment on his face, instead he stared at Ji Yu like he was staring at a stranger, his voice calm and his face a mask of calmness as he looked at Ji Yu. ¡± What I did is what we call fairness, if there was justice then I assure you, you would have called me something else instead of unfair because the Queen would not be the only one who suffered losses if I was to investigate everything.¡± He paused and then added, ¡± Maybe if I was to really start looking into the past, then consort, I believe that there is a chance that there wille a day when I wouldn¡¯t be able to help myself and hate you.¡± With that, he turned on his heels and walked away his heart heavier than the time when his grandmother told him that his father was killed by his mother. Now, he could not help but question whether even the things that he was told about the death of his father were true or not. ¡­ Ji Yu watched him leave and her feet stumbled, she would have fallen to her bottom if not for the fact that Xiao Lin came running and caught her in her arms. ¡± Mistress, please get a hold of yourself,¡± even if Xiao Lin did not hear what the two of them talked about, she could see that the Emperor was truly angry at her missy this time. Want bonus chapters? If the golden tickets of this book reach 400 golden tickets, I made the goal achievable please do help me now and in the top ten of the win-win, then I will release ten bonus chapters in the next month. Don¡¯t forget to follow me on insta @thefairybeast, you can also add me on discord fairytail#3206 so we can discuss the book contents and I will like to have a friend! Please do help this book! Chapter 332 - 332 Those three —-1 332 Those three ¡ª-¡± Your highness please calm down,¡± Xiao Lin wished she could help her missy but she knew that there was nothing that she could do to help her mistress which was why all she did was stay where she was while holding the sobbing Ji Yu in her arms. ¡°It¡¯s all over,¡± She heard Ji Yu say as thetter choked on her sobs, her eyes still staring at the path in which the Emperor walked away. Xiao Lin wished she could help her mistress by taking hold of the Emperor and bringing him back. She too wanted to shake his majesty and ask what he thought of her missy, how can he leave her behind like this? And that too for someone who came into his life just a few months ago. Was this justified? No, it was not at all justified, if the Queen was the one who was innocent then so was her missy. Her missy had everything that the Queen had, she was even there for his majesty when no one was ¡ª¡ªall the time, day or night¡­her mistress never cared for anything or anyone not even herself but his majesty. He was the only one for whom her missy was staying alive and now that man has turned his back on her missy and that too so ruthlessly, how can he do that? How did his heart allow him to do that? ¡°Everything will be fine, your highness,¡± Xiao Lin held Ji Yu in her arms as she wiped the tears of thetter. ¡± You will be fine, you are stronger than this your highness.¡± But Ji Yu did not want to stay strong, she has been strong all her life and that too for the man who left her behind. What was she? What was she doing? Everything that once held meaning to Ji Yu was broken in just one day¡ª¡ª now she was regretful full thinking that she should not have asked Zhai Tianyu anything at least that way she could have lied to herself a bit more. ¡® How long would I lie to myself then?¡¯ Ji Yu questioned in her head as she clenched her fingers so tightly that she dug her nails into the wooden tform of the bridge as she clenched them. The nails twisted and turned before they chipped away breaking under the pressure while some started to bleed because of the way they were forced to break. ¡± Your highness!¡± Xiao Lin snatched Ji Yu¡¯s hands off the floor of the bridge and looked at the broken nails with heartache as those tender fingers that were only dirtied by ink and flower petals were now covered in blood. ¡± You should not harm yourself, your highness no matter what¡­no matter what the situation, you should never hurt yourself for you are much precious.¡± ¡± Am I?¡±Ji Yu asked with a mocking curl of her lips as she looked in the direction in which Zhai Tianyu left without seeing her face onest time. ¡± Because I don¡¯t think so, if I was precious then I wouldn¡¯t have lost the one person I could not lose, Xiao Lin.¡± ..... ¡± I couldn¡¯t¡­yet I did ¡­I lost him and that too so pa..pathetic¡­ally¡± Ji Yu¡¯s eyes rolled back as she slumped against Xiao Lin startling thetter. ¡± Your highness! Your Highness!¡± Xiao Lin shook Ji YU awake but thetter did not reply causing Xiao Lin to be so scared that she almost started crying as well but for the sake of her mistress, she immediately dragged thetter to the side and then rushed to bring the pnquin bearers who were roaming on the other end of the garden. ¡± Just you wait for me, your highness. I will be back !!¡± With that Xiao Lin turned around and rushed to the other end of the garden leaving Ji Yu who was slumped against the small pir of the bridge that was embedded in the ground underneath the pond. The sound of anklets with bells attached to them echoed in the surroundings as feet that were bare and were not wearing any shoes appeared on the bridge, the ck robe with godown embroidery together with red spider lilies cleaned the bridge floor behind as it was dragged by the person who was wearing it. The man with his face covered and only showing his eyes, one that had three running scars down lowered his head and looked at Ji Yu who was leaning on the pir while breathing in and out. ¡± Look at that, so much potential and all wasted for what a man?¡± The man in the robe hummed as he touched the cheek of Ji Yu which was stained with tears. ¡± You could have be the empress and ruled this world but you just had to choose the most pathetic option out of the ones that were in front of you.¡± His eyes dipped at the spot where the heart of a human was located and he smirked, ¡± Is it because of this stupid thing? That has the feelings called kindness and whatnot?¡± ¡± Hurry up,¡± Xiao Lin who was rushing towards Ji Yu with the pnquin bearers behind her appeared a bit closer than before and the man with the ck robe looked at her with an interested nce as he turned to look at Ji Yu and said, ¡± But don¡¯t worry, I will help you remove that small obstacle in the path of bing the Empress because only then will our family be the greatest of all, dear sister.¡± Want bonus chapters? If the golden tickets of this book reach 600 golden tickets, I made the goal achievable please do help me now and in the top ten of the win-win, then I will release ten bonus chapters in the next month. Don¡¯t forget to follow me on insta @thefairybeast, you can also add me on discord fairytail#3206 so we can discuss the book contents and I will like to have a friend! Please do help this book! Chapter 333 - 333 Those three ! 333 Those three ! Liu Hui Ying slumped down on her bed and yawned heavily, she was really tired after running around so much and almost losing control of her sister¡¯s soul. She had no idea what happened between the Emperor and Ji Yu in fact even if she did have an idea, she could not care less about it. As long as that foolish woman does not get her involved in anything she was all right with ignoring everything else since there were no such thoughts as getting involved with the Emperor in her head. ¡± Your majesty, you need to take your clothes off first, it is not good to wear the clothes of a funeral ceremony to bed,¡± Nanny Gong who appeared like a warden roaming the corridor of a hostel walked inside with a change of clothes and behind her were maids who were carrying buckets of hot water behind them. ¡± And make sure to wash as well, I have added the holy sage¡¯s ash in this bathing water and it will help you get rid of evil spirits and those who are in unrest.¡± ¡® If I get rid of the souls that cannot rest then I am sure that I will have to change my profession pretty soon, nanny,¡¯ Liu Hui Ying thought in her head but she still rolled her shoulders and then got up from the bed because she knew that there was no point in talking with Nanny Gong who did not listen to a thing that she has to say when she was in one of her warden modes. Liu Hui Ying raised her head and looked at the frown that was etched on the face of Nanny Gong and knew that there was no way she would be able to win tonight which was why she sighed and scratched the back of her head as she got up from the bed and then headed straight to the bathing room but as soon as she came to stand in front of the bathing room, she realised something. The room was too silent! She turned to look at the entire room and when she did not sense the familiar Yin energy of her ghosts a fit of anger like never before surged inside her. Well, well, looks like those three were still having fun and were not back yet! How dare they! She then boss was back and even went through so much suffering and yet they were having fun? Those three bastards! Liu Hui Ying suddenly clenched her fists and her eyes were calm turned stormy making the maids who were carrying the water in the buckets as they all lowered their heads and thought that they were going to get punished but then they saw that Nanny Gong was rather calm which made them all even more confused. ¡®Why was Nanny Gong not afraid of her majesty¡¯s anger?¡¯ The maids had this one question no matter big or small, young or old. However, in the eyes of Nanny Gong, this was something that she saw every second day. Her mistress would be fine a second ago before getting angry another secondter, there was no need for her to be scared of anything because she knew that number one ¡ª¡ª her majesty was not angry at them and number two even if she was angry at them, she would not release her anger at them, instead she will wrestle with air. ..... ¡± What are you looking at?¡± Nanny Gong noticed that the maids were no longer moving and then urged them to pour water even more quickly, ¡± Her majesty needs to bath since she is tired and wants to rest, what are you doing dilly-dallying like that? Hurry and fill the tub!¡± The maids immediately woke up from their daze and started pouring water as Nanny Gong pushed Liu Hui Ying who was muttering, ¡± I am going to wring their necks.¡± ¡± Yes, Yes, your majesty, you can wring their necks as much as you want but first wash yourself,¡± Nanny Gong agreed with Liu Hui Ying and that caused the maids who were pouring water to start pouring the water in the tub even more enthusiastically. No matter who it was, they did not want to be among them whose neck was going to be wrung by the queen! The maids finished pouring the water at record speed as Liu Hui Ying who was still lost in her muttering silently washed herself and then turned to look at Nannhy Gong who was washing her hair and said, ¡± Nanny, if you don¡¯t mind can you make that oversize fan like the thing that you use to train me these days.¡± These days Nanny Gong has gotten more and more strict with Liu Hui Ying, she was upset that Liu Hui Ying did not act like the young mistress of the Liu family which was why she was now training Liu Hui Ying from the start and during this training that she has started, she would often hold a white fan like hitting weapon in her hand and swung at Liu Hui Ying every time she made a mistake while she was making flower arrangements or practising how to sit still without moving too much. ¡± I can, but what do you want that thing for, your majesty?¡± Nanny Gong asked as she looked at Liu Hui Ying who sneered in a low mood and said, ¡± I need to punish someone with that thing.¡± Nanny Gong with a nk smile on her face: ¡°¡­..¡± Oh, so she is going to swing it in the air. Want bonus chapters? If the golden tickets of this book reach 600 golden tickets, I made the goal achievable please do help me now and in the top ten of the win-win, then I will release ten bonus chapters in the next month. Don¡¯t forget to follow me on insta @thefairybeast, you can also add me on discord fairytail#3206 so we can discuss the book contents and I will like to have a friend! Chapter 334 - 334 The witch’s ghost 334 The witch¡¯s ghost ¡± Ah, that was sooo good,¡± Jia Li who relished the yin energy of the ghosts who were annihted by her in the graveyard heaved a contented sigh as she patted her stomach and then said, ¡± It has been so long since I inhaled such good and pure yin energy, in the modern world the ghosts all have such disgusting yin energy since they all hold a such petty grudge. Like who bes a ghost because your lover did not ept your bouquet of roses? If you are holding a grudge then at least hold one as grand as the general that we found in the graveyard. Haunting the grave of the Late great great great Emperor for giving him an unfair death.¡± ¡± You are right about that,¡± Li Gang burped as he cleaned his teeth with the tip of his pinky and then heaved a breath. ¡± I have to say now that I have sucked in the yin energy of this world I don¡¯t want to go back to our world anymore.¡± Grandma Lan Fen did not get a chance to say anything or much less share an opinion because, at that very moment, there was a gloomy sort of voice that echoed from the inside of the room. ¡± Is that so then why don¡¯t you be one of those roaming ghosts of this world as well?¡± The three of them whipped their heads to look at the gloomy aura that wasing from the person who stood in front of the bed with a very dangerous weapon in her hands while her hair dangled behind her moving with every flutter of wind that came from the window. They could almost see dark, ck energy rising from the back of Liu Hui Ying as they watched those dark eyes stare into their very soul with a dangerous glint in them. ¡± You three seemed to be having a lot of fun to the point that you even forgot that you have a boss that you need to protect and look after, what did you say before leaving me?¡± With her arms crossed in front of her and an air that seemed to be chopping every sort of happiness in the room to bits, Liu Hui Ying questioned the three ghosts. ¡± You three said that you will be only out for a while and then you will return back since you all have a duty and that is to keep me¡­your very mistress protected, look at the damn time! It¡¯s freaking night and you all are returning just now?¡± Jia Li and Grandma Lan Fen took a step behind while Li Gang who was too stupefied upon seeing Liu Hui Ying like this stood where he was which made Liu Hui Ying narrow her eyes as she said, ¡± Are you going to answer my question, Li Gang?¡± Li Gang snapped out of his daze when he heard the words that Liu Hui Ying spoke to him and immediately turned to look around him. He looked left and then right before turning his head to look at the two women who were not daring to look him in the eyes one of them stared at the wall while the other one stared at the floor. ..... Li Gang: ¡°....¡± Why am I pushed to the front in every dangerous situation? ¡± That¡¯s,¡± he turned to look at Liu Hui Ying with a fake expression of false bravado and then said, ¡°It¡¯s because¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s because¡­?¡± Liu Hui Ying dragged her words as she waited for Li Gang to reply to her. ¡®Please say something that will calm her down!¡¯ Jia Li tried to send her message to Li Gang through telepathy. ¡® I am banking on you, my dear,¡¯ Grandam Lan Fen cheered on the other side but the two of them did not know that Li Gang was too scared of Liu Hui Ying to hear anything at the moment, he simply looked at Liu Hui Ying who was narrowing her eyes at him with every passing second and gulped as he finally answered, ¡± Thats because we can, you dumbass. You are our boss, not our mother!¡± Silence. A silence like no other stretched over the four of them while Li Gang who realised what he just said to Liu Hui Ying and sped a hand over his mouth, he had a bad habit of cursing a lot when he was cornered since no one was allowed to show weakness in the business that he did when he was alive, every time when he was cornered or met an opponent who was stronger than him, he would curse loudly to make it look like he was not at all scared. He did the same just now with Liu Hui Ying because his old habits came to the surface again. Behind him, Jia Li and Grandma Lan Fen were already getting to their knees since they understood that there was no way they were going to get away from this mess anymore which was why the two of them pursed their lips and silently prepared themselves to receive ashing. Only Li Gang who still wanted to do a re-do dropped his hand from his mouth and then said with a straight yet panicking face, ¡± I mean ¡­I did not mean that, what I wanted to say¡­I just wanted to say that you are not a baby..in fact, you are so strong like a King Kong and you are not even frail and vulnerable like a real woman. Honestly, the only thing that is feminine about you is the pair of tiddies that you have and I don¡¯t think someone like you need to take protection from us minor ghosts, what do you say Hui Ying?¡± He smiled at thetter who raised her head and smiled back at him giving a false sense of security to Li Gang who thought that everything was fine and that he was safe. ¡± What do I have to say eh?¡± Liu Hui Ying said with a sweet smile. ¡± I only have one thing to say and that is ¡ª¡ª YOU ARE FORTUNATE THAT YOU ARE DEAD LI GANG, OR ELSE I WOULD HAVE KILLED YOU!¡± Chapter 335 - 335 The witch’s ghost 335 The witch¡¯s ghost ¡± Oh for the love of God, let me off! Please let me off! I beg you, I am going to serve you with my heart, soul and body! I will be your dog! Hui Ying let me off! I am your brother from another mother, man! OWW! Ouch! Not my crotch, not my crotch, don¡¯t kick me in the crotch,! AW fck, man! I will be a eunuch at this rate!¡± ¡± I have a granddaughter to take care of, I am old and forgetful please let me go! No! Don¡¯t be so harsh! I am sorry, please forgive me! Not my back, please not my back, don¡¯t smack my back, I am too old! ¡± ¡± I am too young to die! I am too young to die! Lord have mercy! I am just a humpty dumpty! I am too young! FCK NOT MY FACE! AND DON¡¯T TIE ME UP, I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO WATCH THE OPERA!¡± Of course, a beating was unavoidable after the failure of their duties, the three ghosts stayed on the floor while recovering from their injuries as Liu Hui Ying threw the long fan to the side and went to sit down on the bed with a plop as she crossed her arms in front of her again. ¡± This will be the next time I will let you three off with just a minor beating,¡± she ignore the three resentful gazes as they looked at her. ¡± If you dare to leave your post and have fun, I will make it so that you three will have a lot of fun in the underworld, don¡¯t forget that there are many who will die to take your ce.¡± ¡± Like hell, they will,¡± muttered Li Gang under his breath nursing his little brother as he rubbed it with his hands. ¡± Serving you is the same as serving the demon lord may be worse than that since you are so cruel to your own servants!¡± ¡± Did you say something?¡± Liu Hui Ying turned her head to look at Li Gang with a sweet expression, of course, she heard what he said just now but she was too tired to pick up the fan again and then beat the sh*t out of this man again. After all, he was someone who would court death again and again if not he would not have died at such a young age, Li Gang was a fool who did not know when to stop since he did not have anyone he needed to care about. ¡± I said you were the most beautiful and majestic woman, I have seen even more wonderful and strong than a demon lord! I am so touched to be your servant!¡± With his hands joined together as if he was praying Li Gang brought his joined hands closer to his cheek and blinked at Liu Hui Ying with a gaze that seemed to scream, ¡® I adore you more than you think I do.¡¯ Liu Hui Ying looked at him with a creeped-out expression as she looked at him with her eyes twitching as she said, ¡± Can you not do something so cringy? Or do I need to smack your head again to make it work properly?¡± ..... ¡® There you go, if we praise you, you will smack us...if I don¡¯t praise you then you will smack me even harder, just what kind of ve establishment was this?¡¯ Li Gang muttered in his head as he dropped his creepy smile and then said to Liu Hui Ying, ¡± Why are you even this angry? What happened if were not there?¡± Liu Hui Ying nced at him with gaze as she scoffed, ¡± I am d that you are finally asking the right question.¡± She then began to tell the happenings in the graveyard to which the three ghosts started to listen carefully and by the time Liu Hui Ying was finished telling them the story, all of them were looking at her with their mouths hanging open. ¡± You mean to say that the man is really here? Did hee after us?¡± Li Gang questioned as he punched his fist in his hand, now he was a bit regretful that he was not with Liu Hui Ying. If he was with her then he could have caught the man and they might be on their way to go back home now. Liu Hui Ying did not answer his question, she too could not understand why and who that man was ¡ª¡ªwas he someone from this world who escaped to her world and if so then why? Why would he go through eras and time just to kill her sister? And if he was from the modern world, what kind of grudge he had against her for him to chase after her this far? Before she only had a small suspicion that the man was here but now that she saw the blue roses she knew that the man was really here and there was no need for her to investigate anything. ¡± I don¡¯t know whether this will help or not but I met with a witch in the graveyard,¡± Jia Li spoke as she carefully thought over what Liu Hui Ying told her and then she said, ¡± The witch told me the second she saw me that I did not belong to this world and I came here because something or someone brought us here deliberately.¡± ¡± She did?¡± Liu Hui Ying was very surprised when she heard Jia Li¡¯s words in fact even with her wits she was getting crazy trying to decipher the truth of her appearance in this world. ¡± What else did she say?¡± ¡± I¡­she did not say anything else,¡± upon Liu Hui Ying¡¯s question Jia Li became awkward as she replied with a smile that was a bit cheeky and flustered. ¡± The witch is crazy maybe she was beaten to death by the people who ordered her to be killed, which is why she talks as if she sane one second and then will be insane another second. I could not get another answer from her.¡± Liu Hui Ying raised her hand and ced it under her chin as she hummed, ¡± It does not matter, she is the only link that we found after so long. Insane or not, we will have to go and visit her.¡± She paused and sneered, ¡± I will see how long she will be crazy once she receives a heavy beating.¡± Chapter 336 - 336 Old man with a moustache 336 Old man with a moustache That night Liu Hui Ying changed into the appearance of the young man with the identity of Lord Chi again, she knew that she was being hunted by the people of the Ji family but she was more than capable of taking care of herself which was why she was not at all worried. At the current moment, the only thing that she cared about the most was meeting with the ghost of the witch whom Jia Li met with and see what the woman has to say to her. If she could tell Jia Li something like how Jia Li did not belong to this era and time, Liu Hui Ying was certain that the ghost of the witch was not as insane as Jia Li thought that she was, most probably she might be crazy since most witches who exorcised ghosts would be driven to a point on insanity when she turned old. After all, witches no matter in the modern world or the old eras they all lived in the forest away from the crowd of people where they cultivated their yin energy and slowly climbed up the ranks, unlike the celestial masters the witches did not have any inherent powers which were why they have to start from the very basic which sometimes included learning spells and getting enchanted weapons from the celestial masters. The witches were normal humans whose yin and yang eyes were opened because of some traumatic experience, they will see something that others could not which was why they woulde up with the thought of eradicating the evil spirits but theycked the powers that were handed to the celestial masters and under the pressure of the life they chose, they would sometimes be a bit unhinged. That¡¯s right, unhinged but not crazy at least that was what her experience with witches has taught her. They were different from witches who had powers and could concoct potions and spells, they were humans with barely any spiritual powers, they were bound to be bitter with their experience with time with the meek powers that they had and in case they met with a real celestial master, they truly became bitter to the point of no return where instead of serving gods they would start cursing them. Liu Hui Ying snuck out of the window of her room with an invisibility talisman stuck to her body she looked left and right before hopping out of the window and then started walking towards the entrance of the courtyard. What she missed was that in the evening there was heavy rainfall and thus when she jumped on the ground, her footprints were imprinted on the wet mud which was caught by the guard that was arranged by Zhai Tianyu. The woman looked at the footprints that appeared out of nowhere and thought of what Zhai Tianyu has told her when he was assigned to protect the queen. His majesty has told her that she needed to ry anything that was happening even if it felt weird andpletely beyond the human experience, even though the guard has seen a lot of things she was a bit surprised when she only saw footprints appearing on the ground and not a person. But she still wrote a letter to his majesty and then whistled, her whistle was silent to human ears and could only be heard by the pigeon that she has raised thus when she whistled she did not attract the attention of anyone other than her pet pigeon who came rushing in her direction with a flutter of his wings. ¡± Take this to his majesty,¡± the guard told the pigeon who was now sitting on her proffered arm that she has stretched out such that her pigeon could perch himself on it. The guard tied the letter to the leg of the pigeon before sending him flying to the courtyard of the emperor while she herself chased after the footprints that were trailing out of the courtyard. ..... This time the guard that Zhai Tianyu sent was better than thest one, Liu Hui Ying did not notice her from the start to finish but she still heard the sound of the whistle which made her frown and turn her head to look behind. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± She heard Li Gang ask as she stopped on her path to the entrance of the courtyard. ¡± What are you looking at?¡± ¡± I feel like I heard something just now,¡± she replied to him with a frown that was still etched on her forehead and that made Li Gang roll his eyes as he said, ¡± You don¡¯t say that, this ce is like a battlefield on its own. I hear a bunch of sounds as soon as night falls, it is as if the people who live here are all waiting for the night toe before they could start their own murder mystery plot.¡± Liu Hui Ying did not say anything because what Li Gang said was the right thing. The people in the imperial pce were so scheming that even she felt a bit terrified at night having witnessed an assassin almost dropping on her roof, thankfully he did note to hunt her down and was after someone else. Seeing something like this happen in front of her she could not help but agree with what her sister once said¡ª¡ª ¡®It¡¯s the human that you have to watch out for, ghosts can still be restrained but what humans with bad intentions? They were near to impossible to catch because they hid themselves too well in the darkness of the night.¡¯ Back then she did not think much about these wise words that her sister told her but now she could not help but agree, her sister was indeed right. More than the ghosts she has to now be more wary of humans who hid themselves in the darkness of the night. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 337 - 337 Old man with a moustache —-2 337 Old man with a moustache ¡ª-The journey to the graveyard which was at least an hour away from the imperial pce was a tough one. Liu Hui Ying never thought that the journey that she finished in a few minutes in the carriage will make her bite, curse and yell in the middle of the night by the time she arrived in front of the graveyard she was ready to throw hands with anyone, especially the one who came up with the rotten idea of building this graveyard so far away from the pce. ¡± Just what was he thinking ?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked for the hundredth time she kicked the mud in front of her while standing in front of the graveyard of the imperial family. Her chest heaving up and down as she breathed heavily with her hands clenched on her side as she red at the metal door that was half open and half closed at the moment with a guard who was asleep on the stool with his eyes shut. He did not even open his eyes when Liu Hui Ying screamed for Liu Hui Ying knew that he was too tired. This guard was a young one and most probably he just started his training in the army because of this he was treated as an errand boy by the rest of the seniors who were older and more experienced than him, most probably someone else had this night shift but dumped it on this poor boy who did the duty in the morning as well since she saw him in the afternoon when she arrived in the graveyard. ¡± What a nuisance,¡± she clicked her tongue as she felt sorry for the young man. He could have fought back but because of his less-than-manly stature, he was silently suffering under the tyranny of his bully seniors. This was something that she was used to backing then when she arrived at the entrance of the Department of crime investigation in her time, she was taken as an easy target as well since she was an orphan and no one was there to back her up. She relied on schrships to pass her exams and finish college which was why her poor clothes and cheap shoes made her a source of gossip and mockery behind her back. But of course, those snide remarks and everything else were cleaned by her when she broke the nose of one of her seniors who was thinking that she was too easy to bully and locked her inside the men¡¯s washroom knowing that she was allergic to men. That day Liu Hui Ying almost died because of the suffocation and rashes on her skin before getting rescued by a doctor who was passing by and heard her banging on the door. Of course, she repaid the bullying by making sure that the woman paid her back twice but that was not what she was trying to say at the point¡ª¡ª-as she looked at the young man¡¯s thin arms that were covered with bloody bandages, Liu Hui Ying for the very first time felt sorry and annoyed. Annoyed because she thought that the man could always take those annoying seniors of him down, sorry because no one deserved to be bullied. Which was why she clicked her tongue and then took out a talisman that she had in her sleeves and stuck it to the back of the man. Even though it will not save him from getting hit, it will make those seniors of him think twice before bullying this young man. ¡± That was nice¡± Jia Limented as she looked at the karma talisman which would inflict twice the pain on the culprit who will touch the man from now on. ..... ¡± Shut up,¡± Liu Hui Ying snapped not wanting to hear a thing that Jia Li has to say about the deed that she just did and turned to look at her before she asked, ¡± Where is that witch?¡± ¡± Oh she is by the grave of thete grand¡ªgrand¡ªgrand Dowager Empress, she did not tell me how she died before she started cursing that old woman who died chanting spells to make sure that the old woman in the grave would suffer in the underworld.¡± Jia Li answered as she pointed at the grave that was grander and bigger than the others as Liu Hui Ying narrowed her eyes at the extravagant tomb that was sitting at the very end. She walked towards the grave ignoring the gazes of the ghosts who raised their heads as they stopped doing whatever they were doing and turned to look at her with curiosity. This was something that she was used to which was why she did not even bat an eye as she came to a stop in front of the extravagant tomb that was made of pure white marble with gold carved it. At the pirs a woman with a beautiful face as carved as she looked at them magnanimously with a gentle smile and on the other pir she was sitting on the throne looking at themoners while they cheered for her. Liu Hui Ying looked at the face of the beautiful woman and then dropped her gaze such that she could read the name of the woman who was buried in this tomb ¡ª¡ª ¡± Ji Yu Man,¡± Liu Hui Ying raised a brow as she looked at the tomb and then turned to look at Li Gang and asked, ¡± This is gold right?¡± Li Gang flew over to the pir and with his teeth nibbled over the gold face of the beautiful woman before smacking her forehead with his forefinger as he nodded, ¡± This is solid gold, one that I have never seen before.¡± Liu Hui Ying nodded at the response that Li Gang gave her and then looked at the rest of the grand Dowager Empress¡¯s tombs and pursed her lips before muttering, ¡± Why is her tomb decorated with gold but others are bare? Is it because they belonged to the Liu family? That can¡¯t be right. They are the most corrupt after all. Then is it because she was the most beautiful one?¡± As soon as she spoke, there was a snicker behind her as someone scoffed in a jeering voice, ¡± Beautiful hah! She looked like an old man with a moustache.¡± Chapter 338 - 338 Skirt chaser 338 Skirt chaser Liu Hui Ying turned around on her feet to look at the ghost of the woman who was standing behind her. She did not have to even ask Jia Li whether this woman was the witch she met because the ghost woman was the perfect example of a witch that was found in modern times as well ¡ª¡ªshe was wearing a ck shirt and long skirt with many beads and whatnot, with a talismans ne around her neck, a crazed sort of look in her eyes and a huge broom like peacock feathers duster which the witches used to beat the people who were possessed. ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± Jia Li however still raised her hand and pointed at the ghost of the woman whose hair was flying all over the ce with her lips coloured ck and a seal was drawn on her forehead. ¡± You were the one who told me that I was not from this world.¡± Jia Li turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and then said, ¡± She is the one who said that, she is the ghost of that witch, Hui Ying.¡± She was so excited that her voice was turning high-pitched. If Liu Hui Ying did not know any better she would have thought that Jia Li was meeting her long-lost sister which was why she was so excited but she knew that the girl was only excited because the ghost of the witch looked interesting and she was a sucker for everything interesting and weird. If not for the fact that it would be counted as rude, Jia Li would have already started interrogating the witch and might have asked her to lie down bare such that she will be able to examine her more closely and let her check how a witch was different from a celestial master. ¡°Yeah, I can see that,¡± Liu Hui Ying pushed the face of the excited ghost out of her face and looked at the ghost of the witch who was examining Jia Li with a frown on her face as she poked her pinky finger out and scratched the spaces between her teeth and turned to look at Liu Hui Ying before saying, ¡± You know this crazy ghost? She asked me to lift my skirt when we first met, she wanted to see whether I have only twisted feet or my entire lower half was twisted.¡± She then turned to look at Jia Li who had the good grace to look abashed and added, ¡± If I did not know any better, I would have thought that she was a pervert.¡± As she spoke she pointed to her feet that were facing backwards. ¡± Ugh yes, she must have done that, I am sorry about that,¡± Liu Hui Ying began as she lowered her head but was interrupted by the ghost of the witch who added with a frown, ¡± There is no point in apologizing to me because what¡¯s done is done, she already lifted my skirt and peeped inside, which was why I smacked her with my peacock broom.¡± She then spat on the ground and crossed her arms as she inched her head up and haughtily said, ¡± Who are you? Her mother? Or guardian? Did she bring her here to exorcise me? I am telling you, I ain¡¯t going anywhere.¡± Liu Hui Ying whipped her head at record speed to look at Jia Li who turned her head away just as fast pretending as if she could not see Liu Hui Ying¡¯s gaze that was literally drilling into her head. ¡± And she calls me a pervert, hah!¡± Li Gang scoffed as he made a face at Jia Li who turned to re at him but lowered her head when Liu Hui Ying red at her. ..... ¡± You lifted her skirt and peeped at her legs?¡± She asked not knowing what to do with this girl, should she exorcise her and keep this ghost of the witch as her servant, thetter looks saner than this one. How dare this girl say? that the ghost of the witch looked insane after doing something like this to her? Of course, she will look insane if she was to lift the skirt of a woman! ¡± I...I was just curious whether her behind was also forward¡ª¡ª¡± Jia Li tried to excuse herself but she was ignored by Liu Hui Ying who red at her and snapped hard, ¡± Why do you care if her behind was forward or backwards? Are you going to wipe her a*s? Which was why you were so worried about her behind?¡± Jia Li did not answer as she mumbled something that Liu Hui Ying missed but thetter did not care about it instead she turned to the ghost of the witch and bowed apologetically as she understood that the thing that Jia Li did was simply unforgivable. ¡± I am really apologetic about what she has done please forgive us with your magnanimity,¡± she said as she apologised before standing up straight and pushing Jia Li¡¯s head down and snarling, ¡± You apologise too you, youdy pervert!¡± Jia Li wanted to say that she was not ady pervert but then she thought of her actions and could not defend herself in the end even though she felt like she was being wronged, she still apologised, ¡°.I am sorry, I just thought that you will be a perfect specimen for my next research.¡± The ghost of the witch frowned as she looked at Jia Li and asked, ¡± What is a specimen and what do you mean by research?¡± She was from the old era and did not understand the term specimen. Her question ignited the researcher in Jia Li as thetter opened her mouth and said, ¡± A specimen is something that we tear and open up for further study¡ª¡ª¡± ¡± Jesus, would you shut up?¡± Liu Hui Ying covered the mouth of Jia Li who was speaking nonsense and then turned to look at the ghost of the witch who was looking unamused and apologised with another awkward look on her face, ¡± I am really sorry about this.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 339 - 339 Skirt chaser —-2 339 Skirt chaser ¡ª-¡± You have it tough,¡±mented the ghost of the witch as she looked at Jia Li who was now rubbing her head while whining to Grandma Lan Fen, who was smiling and telling the young ghost that it was all right and she does not need to take Liu Hui Ying¡¯s words to heart. ¡± If she was with me, I would have exorcised her by now?¡± Jia Li who was getting her head nursed by Grandma Lan Fen sucked in a breath as she whipped her head to the ghost of the witch who was suggesting Liu Hui Ying exorcise her and said in an affronted manner, ¡°You want my master to exorcise me just because I lifted your skirt a little? I did not even see your bottom since you smacked me in the back of my head, why do you have to be so ruthless?¡± Jia Li felt really wronged, it was true that she tried to take a peep under the skirt of the witch whose feet were twisted backwards but she never saw anything! The ghost of the witch actually smacked the back of her head before she could see anything so why was it that she was talking about exorcising with Liu Hui Ying? Were her calves made of gold? ¡± No matter what you say, Hui Ying will never exorcise me¡ª¡ª¡± Jia Li arrogantly ced her hand on her chest but just as she dered this she heard Liu Hui Ying say to the ghost of the witch, ¡± You are absolutely right, there are times when I want to exorcise her as well.¡± Jia Li felt a surge of a blood clog her throat as she went to her fours while little mushrooms started to grow on her back, Grandma Lan Fen tried to cheer her up but thetter received such a heavy blow that she could not even move her head as she got surrounded by thick yin energy. Li Gang on the other hand patted his thighs while heughed louder than ever, this was one of the few times when Jia Li was getting scolded by Liu Hui Ying, there was no way he was going to not enjoy this sight in front of him! Jia Li heard hisughter which was why she raised her head and red at him as she said, ¡± Don¡¯tugh at me so much, you are beaten by Liu Hui Ying every day!¡± ¡± But at least I have never been threatened with exorcism, you are the first one to receive that,¡± Li Gang said excitedly which made Jia Li feel as if her heart was aimed by an arrow and shot again and again. He was right, she was the first one among the three to be threatened by exorcism. Jia Li slumped on the ground of the graveyard with an expression of not wanting to do anything with the world while Grandma Lan Fen smacked Li Gang on the arm and said, ¡± Don¡¯t be so harsh on her, she is younger than you.¡± ..... ¡± Why?¡± Li Gang made a face as he looked at Jia Li who was throwing a tantrum and then pointed his hand at her as he said, ¡± Why don¡¯t you say something to her when she is making fun of me? I am older than her then why doesn¡¯t she respects me?¡± ¡± Why should I respect someone like you? You are a terrible ghost! If I was alive in the same time and age as you, I would have murdered you!¡± Jia Li snapped at Li Gang who was making fun of her. ¡± Oh yeah, not before I shot you straight in the head,¡± snapped Li Gang with his hands on his waist. ¡± I would have killed you right there and then, the second I saw you, you are that annoying.¡± ¡± Like you are the one to say, you ugly freak.¡± ¡± Annoying bitch!¡± ¡± Ugly freak!¡± ¡± Annoying¡ª¡ª¡± ¡± If you two don¡¯t shut up now, I will exorcise you both here and now,¡± Liu Hui Ying turned her head, her expression that of a devil which made both Jia Li and Li Gang jump in the arms of Grandma Lan Fen. Since they knew that Liu Hui Ying respected Grandma Lan Fen the most, they were certain that they will be protected by Grandma Lan Fen. Liu Hui Ying saw through their little n and scoffed before turning to look at the ghost of the witch and said, ¡± There is something that I wanted to ask,¡± ¡± You are here because I told that girl that she does not belong to this era, right?¡± the ghost of the witch interrupted her as she rolled her eyes and then turned to walk away. ¡± If I knew there was more of you, I would have kept a tight lid on my lips, who would have thought that there were more of you? What are you guys, bubbling wild mushrooms? Popping one after the other?¡± Liu Hui Ying felt a nerve throb in her head but she still did not say anything disrespectful since she needed the help of the ghost of the witch which was why she lowered her temper and then chased after her with a salesperson smile and said, ¡± I know that you might be annoyed with me right now but there is something that I want to know and you are the only one who can help me at the moment, as you already know only the witches are the ones who can read theary movements of the stars and not the celestial masters.¡± ¡± Of course I know that is the only advantage that we had over you guys or else your kind would have killed mine ages ago.¡± the ghost of the witch said as she scoffed and then turned to walk away from Liu Hui Ying as thetter chased after thetter and said, ¡± Which is why I need your help, you are a witch and you will help a celestial master in need, right?¡± Then the ghost of the witch turned to look at Liu Hui Ying finally and then arched a brow as she said, ¡± Fresh boar meat with three bottles of sake and I will tell you a little bit, you have an hour.¡± As she walked away the ghost of the witch paused and then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and added, ¡± And oh little girl make sure to hunt the boar right now before making an offering, I am your only clue at the moment, so make me happy all right ?¡± ¡ª¡ª Leave a ps or golden tickets please it will lift my rank up and I will get more reader. Chapter 340 - 340 Dear mommy 340 Dear mommy ¡± I am not even a chef so why am I even hunting a boar and even grilling these skewers? What is the point seriously?¡± Liu Hui Ying grumbled as she twisted the sticks on which she has ced the chopped pork belly that was marinated with barbecue sauce, it was a good thing that the caretaker who lived on the funeral grounds had a considerable amount of food ingredients which she was able to steal with the help of her three ghosts but still! Why was she grilling pork belly? She was the Empress of this city damn it! For the first time ever since she came here, Liu Hui Ying was truly upset as she sat in front of the makeshift stove plus grill that she has made with the pieces of equipment avable in the caretaker¡¯s house as she twisted the stick that was on the grill with pork belly speared on it. ¡°Make the next one extra juicy,¡± she heard the witch say from behind as she burped and then swallowed ¡ª-no, she practically inhaled the remaining skewers that were in front of her. ¡± I believe that you can make these more juicier and you are just cking off since you don¡¯t want to serve me.¡± The witch who was offered the grilled pork belly by Liu Hui Ying licked her lips and then said, ¡± I am a very picky person, if this is not to my satisfaction then I might not give you the answers that you want.¡± Liu Hui Ying really did not want to serve this witch, she was the kind of woman who would eat bread jam before bread instead of frying rice when she came back home tired and frustrated. Who would have thought that she would one day, grill skewers for a witch when she did not even boil water for herself? ¡°. I understand, is there anything else that you would like with this?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked as she looked at the witch who was gulping down the pork skewers even though she had so manyints regarding her cooking. The witch did not answer instead she chewed on thest bite of her meat and then licked her lips with the tip of her tongue as she hummed and said, ¡± If you don¡¯t mind, can you make me some bone broth? I miss the feeling of drinking something warm, tantalising andforting. Make sure that you chose the meatiest neck bones, I would like it if the meat simply falls off and melts in my mouth.¡± ¡®Damn this ghost, is she a witch or was she a glutton in her past life? How can she eat so much? I only asked that sarcastically and yet she actually ordered?¡¯ Liu Hui Ying cursed in her head but then she waved her hand in front of her and said, ¡± There is no pot, how am I supposed to make a bone broth when I have to stew it for three hours before it bes as chewy and soft as you want.¡± ¡°I have nowhere to go and I am certain without the answers to your questions, you have nowhere to go either, right?¡± The witch muttered as she cleaned the gap between her teeth and when she lifted her head and looked at Liu Hui Ying, she had a cheeky look in her eyes as she said, ¡± If I don¡¯t get the broth then I might not open my mouth.¡± ..... Liu Hui Ying : (¨s¡ã¡õ¡ã£©¨s¦à ©ß©¥©ß Liu Hui Ying felt like she was going to explode but she still pursed her lips and then closed her eyes and turned to look at Li Gang and said, ¡± Go and steal a pot.¡± ¡± Why are you sending me to steal? You even asked me to steal the ingredients, do I look like a professional thief to you?¡± Li Gang questioned, earlier when he was stealing the ingredients, he was almost caught by the caretaker who woke up just as he was sneaking out with the bottle and jars of sauces, if he was still awake and caught him carrying the pot what will he do? But just as he questioned Liu Hui Ying, all three women turned to look at him with the same expression and only then he was reminded of his old profession. Li Gang held a hand up and said, ¡± There is no need, don¡¯t answer that question, I get it. I will go and steal the pot.¡± Damn just what kind of days was he living as a ghost? When he was alive he was the nightmare of his enemies and now that horrifying thug, the one whose name was enough to shake his enemies to the core was stealing a pot. Hahaha. With a dreadful look on his face, Li Gang epted his humiliation and then flew towards the house of the caretaker where he floated past the wall and then walked over to the small kitchen where he picked up the pot and then started walking towards the door but then he saw the old caretaker shiver and paused. Li Gang was right, the old caretaker was up when he heard someone rummage in the cab of his kitchen at first he thought that it was the cat that roamed in the grounds of the graveyard but when he raised his head, he actually saw the bottles and jars flying around! And there was no one holding them, the old man was scared out of his wits which was why he immediately started chanting Buddhist scriptures but who would have thought that the hungry ghost will return again soon and this time he will steal his pot! The old man loved the pot since it was new but he loved his life more which was when he saw the ghost taking the pot with him, the old man decided that he was going to stay put and not do anything at all! He was not going to make a peep! But just as he thought that he will stay as silent as he could, the chill in the room caused him to shiver and the thing behind seem to have paused because he could see the shadow of the pot on the wall opposite him! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 341 - 341 Dear Mommy —-2 341 Dear Mommy ¡ª-The old man was scared senseless he wanted to scamper out of his house and find the master who sent him these fake talismans. He told him that with these talismans the ghosts on the funeral grounds will not even dare look in the direction of his house but here a ghost was in his very house and was even stealing his beloved pot! However before he could get up and run for his life, he heard the drop of the pot behind him and that got his breathing hitched as he sped the nket that he had over his body and waited for the cmity to befall him. The chill that was spread over his room now seemed to be focused right behind him and the old man could no longer control the shivers that were climbing up and down his spine. His teeth started to chatter as he closed his eyes waiting for the ghost to bang the pot on his head and then kill him with one sweep move but instead, he heard some scratching sounds at the top of his head. ¡®What? What was going on? Was the ghost sharpening the knife to kill him and then eat his insides?¡¯ The thought brought a gasp almost to the old caretaker¡¯s lips as he clenched his eyes shut. ¡± I ¡­I am not good in taste. I am so¡­so old, all my bones have gone brittle and the flesh on my bones has gotten harder and harder to chew. You should ¡­you should try some fresh meat instead of this old man¡­ I am¡­I am even sick and I have been to a lot of brothels when I was younger who knows what kind of disease I am carrying, you would not want them¡­ I am being honest back in my days I used to spend a night with three women ¡ª¡ª¡± The old care taker continued to mutter but then he heard a loud screech right above his head and winced when he heard the door shut down with a bang. ¡± The ghost left?¡± The old caretaker pushed himself up from the bed as he blinked his eyes and adjusted them to the light of the moon before turning to look at the spot from where the sound of scraping wasing and was surprised to find a message. ¡® I am taking the pot but it¡¯s borrowing pick it upter and don¡¯te out of the house, this is our party. If youe out I will grill you alive and you reek of bragging, stop lying old man! You are ying with the feelings of a virgin ghost!¡¯ ¡± Bragging? Oh, dear was that a virgin ghost? Looks like I made him upset and he was so polite even leaving a message for an old man like me.¡± The old caretaker looked at the message that was left on his wall and cupped his cheek with a troubled look on his face. He sped his hands in prayer and said, ¡± I hope you find a decent ghost woman soon, polite thief ghost. For the sake of letting this old man off.¡± ¡­ ¡± Achoo.¡± Li Gang sneezed as he ced the pot on the burning fire and then sat down sullenly on the ground. He could not understand how it was possible, he was definitely more good-looking than that old man but that guy spent a night with three women and he died a virgin at such a young age that and even now he could not get a girl? The heck kind of life was this! ..... ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jia Li looked at Li Gang who was looking sullen and could not help but ask as she looked at thetter who was on sitting on the ground with an expression that said, he was being harassed left and right. Li Gang looked at her and then swept his gaze at Jia Li and said, ¡± Unless you are going to give me a taste of heaven you better not ask.¡± ¡± Hah, what do you¡ª¡ª¡± Jia Li was halfway through her sentence before she covered her chest and kicked Li Gang. ¡± You disgusting man, you told me that I am too ugly and now you are checking me out?¡± ¡± At this point, I will even take someone from Grandma Lan Fen¡¯s age, I want to give up my status as a virgin!¡± ¡°Oh, my,¡± Grandma Lan Fen blushed as she looked at Li Gang while Jia Li looked beyond disgusted. ¡± You are beyond creep.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better than being called a virgin in two hundred sixtynguages!¡± ¡± Stay quiet, you two are making my head hurt!¡± Liu Hui Ying snapped as she turned to look at Li Gang and Jia Li with a knife in her hand. ¡± Are you six years old? If you wanna fck around then get lost! I am not your mother who will solve your every fight! Li Gang, if you want a woman then stop being so desperate and Jia Li stop acting like a pervert before calling others a pervert and Grandma Lan Fen, stop with that blush you are going to make me puke.¡± The three ghosts sucked in their mouths as if they have tasted lemon and did not say anything further. The ghost of the witch turned to look at the three ghosts and then hummed, ¡± If you want to give up that virginity of yours, you cane to me. I will have my fun with a young man as well.¡± Liu Hui Ying almost gagged as she turned to look at the ghost of the witch, even though she died when she was quite young, she was almost ten to fifteen years older than Li Gang, yet she was asking thetter toe and y with her really? There was no way a ghost under her would be that desperate ¡ª¡ª- ¡± Dear Mommy! I have got your back just wipe this tag of a virgin ghost from my head!¡± Liu Hui Ying did not even get to finish her sentence when she heard Li Gang call the ghost witch mommy and hug her desperately. Liu Hui Ying: ¡°...¡± She forgot that the guy was literally that desperate. Chapter 342 - 342 The events of the past 342 The events of the past Liu Hui Ying stared at the ghost who was acting like he was going to get a taste of heaven and felt embarrassed for him. Just how desperate was this guy anyway? He was jumping on just anyone! She wished she could grab thetter by the neck and pull him back but before she could do that she saw, Jia Li who was standing behind her walk over to where Li Gang was and ¡ª- Wham! The sound of someone¡¯s head being smashed open by a stick that was as thick as a child¡¯s arm echoed in the silent graveyard when Liu Hui Ying saw Jia Li, thetter was dragging a slightly dizzy Li Gang back to his spot while muttering about how he was dirtying the eyes of others by his shameless antics. The ghost of the witch looked at the two of them with interest in her eyes as she seemed to be slightly wicked inside her heart. Liu Hui Ying looked at the ghost of the witch who was looking at Jia Li and Li Gang and said, ¡± Now are you willing to answer my questions or are you going to wait until you get your pork bone broth?¡± ¡± Well I would like to quench my thirst first and warm my parched throat a little before speaking since it will be a long story,¡± replied the ghost of the witch who picked up the newly grilled pork skewers and took a bite of the one that seemed the juiciest one out of the others. ¡± Hmm, you have grilled this one to perfection, looks like you were cking off when you were grilling before.¡± As she spoke the ghost of the witch red at Liu Hui Ying looking slightly upset since Liu Hui Ying did not do a good job while grilling the other pork skewers that she offered to her before. Liu Hui Ying turned her head away such that she could focus on the broth, it was better to pay attention to the broth and then fulfil all the wishes of this old hag lest she opens her mouth once again. She raised her hands and started prepping for broth while the ghost of the witch continued to speak from behind as she gave her one order after another. ¡± Make sure to skim off the impurities.¡± ¡± No, No ¡­lower the heat, it will burn at this rate!¡± ..... ¡± Add a little less salt, I don¡¯t like too much salt in my food.¡± ¡® I am a detective and not a chef and this is not a world of gourmet fantasy, you old hag!¡¯ Liu Hui Ying roared in her head but she still did as the woman ordered her from behind lest she came up with another order in case she was not satisfied. After a long hassle, the soup was ready and Liu Hui Ying pushed it in front of the ghost of the witch, who picked up the bowl that was in front of her and then took a sip as she sighed in contentment and said, ¡± I am so d that I met you, it has been so long since I ate anything other than sucking the yin energy in this graveyard. And honestly, it¡¯s not that great either since all of those who are buried in this ce were nothing but pure evil people.¡± Li Gang who was dragged to the side by Jia Li raised his head and looked at the ghost of the witch who was sipping on her pork bone broth and asked curiously, ¡°What do you mean by, you have never eaten something like this? Don¡¯t ghosts go to houses that are holding a funeral and eat the food that was left for wandering souls?¡± ¡± No, No, No¡­!¡± Liu Hui Ying whipped her head to turn to look at the stupid ghost who asked the ghost of the witch about her life history was he an idiot? They have already wasted so much time here! Seeing the despair-filled expression of Liu Hui Ying, Li Gang knew that he might have done something wrong which was why he looked at Liu Hui Ying sheepishly but even if he wanted to take his word back there was nothing he could do now, the arrow was long shot and already hit the target. The ghost of the witch was very pleased when she saw that Li Gang asked her a question that no one ever bothered asking her. After all, many ghosts and humans have stumbled on her, and they have asked her to help them but they did not care why she was tied to this ce. ¡± I am d that you asked,¡± the ghost of the witch said as she turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who had her hands on Li Gang¡¯s throat, even though thetter knew that the man will not die since he was already dead, she still wanted to make him suffer. The ghost of the witch was tickled by their antics which was why she chuckled and started speaking, ¡°It is a long story, so you all better sit down and listen since some of your questions will be answered by me.¡± Only then did Liu Hui Ying let Li Gang go as she turned to look at the ghost of the witch who was now holding a bowl in her hands, one of her legs was pulled up and her elbow was resting on the raised knee. When the ghost of the witch saw that she has gained Liu Hui Ying¡¯s attention, she sighed and began her story, ¡± It happened years ago, I don¡¯t remember the time or the year when I was killed but I do remember that he reason I was killed,¡± she raised her hand and then pointed at the tomb of the third grand dowager empress. ¡± She is the reason why I am trapped in this ce, if not for her foolishness, I wouldn¡¯t be here and..¡± she trailed off as she turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and said, ¡°Even you would not be here, if not for her.¡± Leave a golden ticket, it will help me to raise my book¡¯s ranking and I will be able to get more readers. This will give me a small benefit, please if you can leave a golden ticket to the author! I hope you will listen to my plea. Thank you. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 343 - 343 The events of past ——2 343 The events of past ¡ª¡ª¡± Are you saying that I am here because of a woman who died years ago?¡± Liu Hui Ying looked at the ghost of the witch who was looking at the mes that were flickering in the stove that was burning in front of Liu Hui Ying. She heard the ghost of the witch hum as she raised her head and looked at her with a rare solemn gaze. ¡± It might look nonsense to you but this is the truth, sometimes the events of the past be so messy that they keep dragging to the future even when the others try to stop them. But when humans believe they can go further than the powers of nature, disaster is bound to happen.¡± Liu Hui Ying was even more confused upon hearing what the ghost of the witch said to her, just what kind of incident can make the past and the future intertwined like this? Seeing the confusion in Liu Hui Ying¡¯s eyes the witch sighed and then said in a soft voice, ¡± It happened years ago, the grand dowager of that time gave birth to a prince, but while giving birth, she injured herself making it impossible for her to get pregnant again. This was why she kept her child close since she was afraid that someone will harm her son.¡± ¡± But the more she kept him safe the more the others wanted to harm her, and one day when the grand dowager empress fell sick, the Concubines found a way to kill the heir of the throne. They pushed the child into the pond leaving him to drown and they seeded, when the crown prince was dragged out of the pond, he was imed to be dead.¡± The ghost of the witch pursed her lips together as she took another sip of her soup and then smacked her lips as she lifted her head and looked at Liu Hui Ying who despite having a frown on her face was hanging to every word that she was saying it both amused and gratified the ghost of the witch. It has been a long time since she had someone to talk with, and even though the girl acted as if nothing bothered her, she was like a coconut. Hard on the outside but soft on the inside, she whined andined a lot but she was someone who would still help those who were in need. ¡± Of course the then grand dowager empress could not ept it, she brought the corpse of her son and summoned a ck art practitioner. She asked the ck art practitioner to bring her son back to life.¡± ¡± But that¡¯s impossible, no one can bring the dead to life,¡± Liu Hui Ying remarked as she looked at the ghost of the witch who nodded her head and said, ¡± You are right, the dead can never be revived, if it was possible then the bnce of this world would be long tilted to a side.¡± The ghost of the witch then turned to look at the tomb that was covered in gold and then continued to speak as she licked her front teeth with her ckened tongue which was most probably because of the poison that she drank before dying, ¡± The grand dowager offered a handsome amount to the ck art practitioner who was swayed by the money in front of him, of course, he did know that there was no way he can revive the dead. Which was why he summoned an evil demon and let it possess the body of the crown prince but neither of them noticed that there was another evil spirit that escaped when they were summoning a soul for the crown prince.¡± The ghost of the witch turned her head and looked at Liu Hui Ying as she spoke in a whisper, ¡± The evil spirit upied the body of the next person in the room and that was the brother of the grand dowager empress.¡± ..... Liu Hui Ying followed her gaze and looked at the tomb of the grand dowager empress who ruled this country years ago. ¡± What happened then?¡± She asked the witch who turned to look at wanting to know what kind of incident caused her tragedy. ¡± What do you think will happen? With two evil spirits in the castle, things went haywire the second they took control of the bodies. Deaths, untimely and horrid started to happen all over the castle, sometimes it will be animals who were killed but then the killing moved to the humans and one by one the concubines were killed.¡± The ghost of the witch had a severe look on her face as she remembered the days of the past. ¡± I was invited by the emperor who knew that something was wrong, he asked me to exorcise and take care of the evil spirit that was haunting the pce to which I agreed but the Dowager Empress seemed to have realised that something was wrong,¡± she tilted her head and drank the rest of the soup before putting the bowl down on the ground. ¡± When I arrived at her castle, I saw the evil spirit and thus went to exorcise it, the grand dowager was scared that the soul of her son will be sent back and he will die again because of these thoughts, she ordered her guards to capture me andter on poisoned me such that her secret will never be revealed.¡± A smile etched on her lips which were more mocking than evil as the ghost of the witch smirked and then added, ¡± The only difference was that I never wanted to exorcise the crown prince, the spirit in his body was evil but she was a child, she could not do a lot of damage. The spirit I wanted to take down was the one that was upying the body of her brother who came to see her that day at the imperial pce. That foolish woman lost her only opportunity to keep her life safe.¡± Chapter 344 Your mother Chapter 344 Your mother Liu Hui Ying narrowed her eyes after she listened to everything that the ghost of the witch said, if there was an evil spirit right beside the Grand Dowager of that time and that woman killed the only person who was capable of dealing with that spirit doesn''t that mean that she has simply left the evil spirit to roam freely and without any bounds at that? " Was there someone else who could have taken the evil spirit down?" Liu Hui Ying asked to which the ghost of the witch shook her head and then said, " I was the best which was why the Emperor of that time called me, if not then he would not have called for me. Other than me there was no one else who could have taken that spirit down." The fire flickered under the wind as the chill in the graveyard started to cover the entire space as the ghost of the witch raised her hand in the air and then twisted it such that it made aplete circle. The smoke that was rising from the fire whirled and floated towards the ghost of the witch where she has drawn an imaginary circle before it started to shimmer and mould into the same sphere that was drawn by the ghost of the witch. The ghost of the witch next raised her hands again and this time the water on the ground that was left behind by the rain earlier this morning rose into the air and mixed together with the smoke that was hovering in the shape of a circle in the air before it started to take the form of an array. Liu Hui Ying stared at the inscriptions and the array''s design before she opened her lips and said, " This is an array of protection born from thest gratitude of a person who was on the verge of death." " Thats right, this is thest gratitude array," the ghost of the witch nodded as she flicked her wrist and everything fell on the ground just as quickly as it rose in the air causing a soft noise to echo in the graveyard as the water that was flying in the air pitter-pattered on the ground. The ghost of the witch stared at the water that was on the ground and sighed with a solemn look on her face, before she parted her dark lips and said, " The grand dowager soon found out the truth about her brother when thetter killed her, I was there because I was haunting her from the day she poisoned me and my disciples, ruining our lives with her actions. It seemed that she could not ignore the blood thirst and ruthlessness of the evil spirit behind her which was why she cottoned on to the happenings that were taking ce around her." " But that foolish woman chose to confront her brother instead of running away, the result is something that you can easily decipher¡ª¡ª she was killed by her brother who framed her death as an assassination attempt by the family you belong to." " Why would he do that? Unless he has something against them," Liu Hui Ying questioned, no matter what she could not understand this thing. There were so many people to me but he chose the Liu family as a target, most probably There has to be some sort of connection that she could not point her finger at because every evil spirit had a reason toe back to thends on which he once walked or else they would have walked to other life. Only those who cannot let go of their grudges would chase after a life that was worse than death. " You are wise, there is something that no one knows about," the ghost of the witch sighed as she picked up a stone from the ground and then started drawing an ancient inscription that Liu Hui Ying has only seen in the books before. She raised her head and then said, " Put a drop of your blood in this." Liu Hui Ying frowned but she made sure that the ghost of the witch was not tricking her before she pricked her finger with the hairpin that was in her hair and then watched the blood drop on the inscription that was drawn by the ghost of the witch Her blood dropped on the inscription before it started to frizzle and sputter like water dropping in oil. Soon it was covering a part of the inscriptions while the next second, thend on the other side started to bubble and forth before dark red blood that looked as if it was ck started to ooze out of the ground on its own, causing Liu Hui Ying''s eyes to widen. her head. " This is what happened years ago when the evil spirit targeted the Liu family, he wanted to " Are you doing ck magic?" She asked and was surprised to see that the ghost of the witch shook kill everyone in their line. His reason was simple when he was alive he was a dark priest who fell in love with the priestess that hailed from the very family you now belong to ¡ª¡ª however he was betrayed when the priestess chose to seal him away instead of epting his love." " After that he swore that he will make it such that there will be no priestess without him, when he was revived into another body, he fulfilled the oath that he took ¡ª¡ª he merged the blood that flowed in his body with that of the priestess who was yet to awaken causing a bond to be formed between the two families which made them impossible to disentangle from each other." The ghost of the witch sighed, as she said, " A few years ago he tried to kill the same priestess who was yet to awaken but thetter was fortunate enough to escape." " You mean to say that he is creating chaos like this for years because he was dumped?" Liu Hui Ying asked with a frown to which the ghost of the witch smiled and said, " There are all forms of love¡ª- filled with consent, pain or twisted intentions." Chapter 345 Your mother —-2 Chapter 345 Your mother ¡ª-2 " But that does not exin why I am here," Liu Hui Ying said, she was sorry not so sorry for that man who was dumped and escaped to fulfil a stupid love story in her opinion. The thing that concerned her was, in the end, herself, she has been like that and she might stay as one till the end, no matter what others thought about her. The ghost of the witch smiled at her heartless expression and then questioned with a soft voice, " Why do you think that the man went to the future? Isn''t it because he wanted to put an end to the one who had both future and past entwined in her destiny?" Liu Hui Ying did not know what the old witch meant by this, she frowned before twisting her lips to the side and then said, "I am not catching what you are trying to say." " Maybe if you think about your mother then you will be able to understand what I am saying," the ghost of the witch smiled as she flicked her hand and the inscription on the ground vanished. " Have you never questioned about your mother being too out of the ordinary? That she was different from the rest as if she was in a ne where she did not belong but had to live because she found what she was looking for?" Liu Hui Ying did not have many memories of her mother, she only knew that the woman was gentle, much more elegant than the rest. Even though she was living in a small apartment, she carried herself with such grace that she made women of the high ss look like fools in front of her and this was something that Liu Hui Ying has always admired. She thought that her mother was just better than the rest which was why she never questioned anything but now that the ghost of the witch was saying somethingpletely different than what she had thought, Liu Hui Ying felt that she was hit in the back of her head. " That''s impossible¡ª¡ª" she went to say with a chuckle but the ghost of the witch tilted her head and smiled, " You are here, do you still think that it is impossible? Silly girl, there is no such thing as impossible in this world. Bnce that has been broken will repair itself, your mother broke the bnce by escaping dimensions and finding the man whom she loved and was killed in the hands of the demonic spirit." " In return, you were brought here to fulfil the role that she left behind, it''s just a pity that your sister was entangled in a mess that was never hers, to begin with." The mes that were moving and frizzling as the fire reflected in the eyes of Liu Hui Ying, thetter looked at the ghost of the old woman with a shocked look on her face behind her Li Gang who was lying on the floor immediately sat up straight and said, " Oh dear lord, I thought it was just a small matter but looks like we are in deep shit, Hui Ying." Oh, they were in deep shit. Liu Hui Ying thought in her head as she turned to look at the ghost of the witch and asked, " What do you mean my sister got caught in this mess? Are you saying that she was not supposed to die? Was it my turn to die?" " The demonic spirit left for your world because theary movements told us that another priestess has taken birth and the new priestess will take the Liu family to greater heights which was why it created a rift in time and space to end the priestess before she could arrive here," the ghost of the witch then lifted her head and looked at the sky above them. " Must have made a mistake while looking for the right one, or he might have not seen your powers that were yet to be awakened." " Then why note and kill me now?" Liu Hui Ying asked angrily she felt terrible thinking about how her sister was killed when the target was her, if she had known then she would have looked for that man and killed him by now. Not like she was not going to do it. The ghost of the witch clicked her tongue and then wriggled her finger in front of Liu Hui Ying as she said, " There is no way he would be able to do that, your sister used up thest of her powers to seal half of his powers unless he breaks the seal he will nevere right in front of you, at least not him but his followers¡ª¡ª" As she spoke, Liu Hui Ying felt a chill crawl up her spine¡ª¡ª there was the sound of a de whipping through the air as she ducked down just in time a figure from the shadows jumped in between her and the ghost warrior who was dressed in a rusted old armour. " Are you okay my queen?" A voice that she did not expect to hear called her from behind as Liu Hui Ying turned to look at the man who has foolishly jumped in between a ghost and her. " What are you doing here?" She could not help but ask as she looked at Zhai Tianyu who was dressed in a simple robe and had his hair tied in a ponytail as he gritted his teeth while the ghost warrior ced more and more pressure on the sword that was being blocked by Zhai Tianyu''s sword. She saw the man turn his head as he smiled and then said with a cheeky look in his eyes, " Would you believe me if I say that I was worried to death for you, my queen?" The air whipped past them as it slowly caressed them on their cheeks while the two people stared at each other in the eyes even though a ghost warrior was attacking them. The ghost warrior: "..." Yes, right here, officer. These two are the ones who stripped me of my dignity. Chapter 346 - 346 Plan B 346 n B Liu Hui Ying broke the gaze that she was sharing with the Emperor, she could not understand why and how she did not feel disgusted by the scent that was surrounding her. Maybe she was getting used to him? That was the only usible exnation after all there was no way she will ever fall in love with a man since she has been disgusted by the lot of them for a very long time and coupled with her sister¡¯s distaste towards men it was simply impossible for her to find any man likeable at all. Which was why she did not even think about it and simply turned her attention to the ghost warrior that the person has sent after her. She could feel the special dark energy that was ovepping with the yin energy of the ghost itself, she wanted to trace the dark aura that was surrounding the ghost warrior but then she realised that there were no lingering traces left behind by the man she has been looking for so many years. It was just as the witch said, thought Liu Hui Ying in her head as she looked at the ghost warrior that was pressing his sword against the king¡¯s, that man was scared to see her which was why he was keeping a distance from her since her sister has sealed half of his powers at herst moment. ¡± Step aside, your esteemed majesty,¡± Liu Hui Ying summoned her own rapier that had an array drawn with blood on it. With a golden glow, the rapier sword came into existence as it materialised right in the hands of Liu Hui Ying who took a step forward and then asked Zhai Tianyu to step behind her. ¡± I can take him down,¡± said Zhai Tianyu, he might not be able to fight ghosts and spirits but he could fight in case the ghost belonged to a warrior. He has learned sword fighting for a very long time maybe ever since he was a child which was why he was confident that he was going to win against this ghost. ¡± I know,¡± Liu Hui Ying summoned a talisman before she turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and said, ¡± but this is my fight.¡± As she spoke she threw the talisman at the ghost warrior that lunged out of the spot but still could not dodge the rapier that Liu Hui Ying was holding, coupled with the fact that she had three ghosts to aid her. The ghost warrior looked like a child who was getting bullied by the teen kids in the neighbourhood. Li Gang alone was enough to put an end to that thing as he kicked and punched at the ghost warrior who was getting pushed by Liu Hui Ying into a corner. The ghost warrior seemed to have sensed that he could not deal with the four of them together which was he turned furious and opened his mouth as he raised his head and with his rotting skin and dark teeth that seemed to be turning ck he yelled in fury. Before it started to make a hand seal that caused Liu Hui Ying narrowed her eyes as she ordered, ¡± Everyone fall back! Your majesty stay behind me!¡± ..... Zhai Tianyu was stunned when he saw that Liu Hui Ying was ordering him around but he was too overjoyed at the fact that she was worried about him to care about her audacity of ordering him. As long as he could get the care of the queen, it did not matter to him if he has to act as a damsel in distress. The witch who was watching everything happen in front of her narrowed her eyes when she saw Liu Hui Ying and Zhai Tianyu standing together, her eyes fell on the red string that seemed to be tying them together and was slightly fascinated with it. If she was not wrong, the girl seemed to have an extreme distaste for men but yet she has a soul mate? Unlike the other witches who did not have proper guidance Mao had received proper training from her master which was why she knew things that others did not and with her staying in this verynd for so many centuries, Witch Mao has learned a lot of things. And now she could see things that even Liu Hui Ying who was born with a natural talent could not see since shecked the experience. ¡® Looks like it¡¯s time for me to step out of this graveyard,¡¯ thought Witch Mao as she turned her head and looked at the tomb of the woman against whom she was holding a grudge for many centuries. ¡® I have enough of this old hag anyway.¡¯ Liu Hui Ying did not have the time to worry about Witch Mao, right now she was staring at the ghost warrior as he summoned more of his friends. She stared at the corpses of the warriors who were stepping out of thend of the graveyard and clicked her tongue in annoyance. ¡± Would you look at that,¡± Li Gang snickered as he threw the stick that he was holding in his hand up in the air and then watched it twist a few more times before morphing into a pair of guns. ¡± Someone called his friends because he got a boo-boo. Aww.¡± ¡± You should pay attention to your surroundings,¡± said Jia Li as she examined the stats of the being that have arrived and said, ¡± They are level three which means that they are not a threat to us but just in case ¡ª¡ª I think we should stick close to n B.¡± Grandma Lan Fen summoned her electric baton which she twisted and watched it morph into a whip before she winced and said, ¡± I do not like n B.¡± ¡± Oh but I love it,¡± Li Gang licked his lips as he distributed the guns in his hands and then snickered happily. ¡± This is going to be fun, oh so fun!¡± Zhai Tianyu who was listening to the three ghosts turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who has changed her rapier into her chain scythe and asked, ¡± What is n B?¡± No sooner did he say this, he heard a rapid bang bang bang as he watched the limbs of the ghosts being blown away. Liu Hui Ying herself threw the chain scythe at the ghost who was leading and watched it twirl around the neck of the thing as she ruthlessly pulled the ghost warrior in the air and with a bang brought it down such that he became a rotten meat patty before turning to look at Zhai Tianyu and replying, ¡± Absolute massacre.¡± The glint in her eyes showed that she was not at all joking. Chapter 347 - 347 Plan B 347 n B ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C It was just as she said, an absolute massacre. The three ghosts alone were like a force that Zhai Tianyu would never like to face ¡ª¡ª Li Gang¡¯s weapon seemed to morph into weird-looking ck things that shot hole after hole into the body of the ghost warriors that were moving while Grandma Lan Fen, though she was a bit restrained than Li Gang who was whopping in a jolly voice throughout the time. She was still rather dangerous as she used the long whip that she had in her hand to whip the ghost warriors and everything the tip of her whip touched them, a bolt of lightning will appear out of thin air and shoot the heads of the ghost warriors making it such that they exploded into a matter of seconds. Jia Li did not take part in the battle but he could see that she was itching to have a go as well but maybe her weapons were too big or grand for something so small that Liu Hui Ying asked her not to make a mover and wiped the entire army of the ghost warriors that were heading in their ways. Because Zhai Tianyu was so focused on watching hepletely forgot about keeping an eye on him. A ghost warrior who was fighting the battle seemed to have noticed Zhai Tianyu who was standing behind Liu Hui Ying, maybe he sensed that she was protecting him which was why he snuck behind the backs of everyone and went to attack Zhai Tianyu instead! As the ghost warrior crept behind him Zhai Tianyu did not make a move which overjoyed the ghost warrior who was sneaking behind him. ¡® This human good, this human well,¡¯ the thing thought in his head as it raised his hand and swiped the sword that he was holding at Zhai Tianyu who turned to retaliate just as Jia Li threw what looked like a ss vial at the ghost warrior. Zhai Tianyu to his horror watched the ghost disintegrate into a pile of goo as Jia Li¡¯s vial touched him causing Zhai Tianyu to turn and look at the female ghost who smiled and muttered, ¡± Oops looks like I was a bit hasty.¡± He looked at the thing that was now bubbling on the ground and understood why Liu Hui Ying did not ask Jia Li to join in the fanfare there was a chance that if she missed then she might cause some fatal damage to the ones who were helping her rather than taking the ghost warriors down, just now he was sure that the vial almost missed him. ..... ¡± If this thing had hit me, what do you think would have happened to me?¡± Zhai Tianyu asked Jia Li who was hovering at the top of his head. The female ghost tilted her head to the side and very innocently said, ¡± Nothing, you will just have very severe bad luck for the rest of the week where your chances of survival would have dropped to zero. But don¡¯t worry I made sure that you do not get hurt.¡± ¡± Thank you,¡± said Zhai Tinanyu as he very quickly took a couple of steps away from Jia Li who was flying next to him. It was better to keep his distance from this woman, who can make someone die with the help of a small vial. Looks like Yu Lingyun was right when he said that if Liu Hui Ying wanted she could take control of the imperial city with ease. He turned to look at the massacre that happened in front of him and then pursed his lips as he sighed in disbelief. The three of them actually brought down an entire army of ghost warriors. Liu Hui Ying stared at the ghost warriors who have been reduced to nothing but crumbs of yin remnants and her eyes shed as she looked at the being that was on the ground. Her eyes flickered as she turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who was nearly attacked by the ghost warrior and then by Jia Li and said as she handed out a talisman to him, ¡± Looks like you will be unlucky in the uing days, your esteemed majesty.¡± Her eyes moved to see the ck cadaveric energy that was surrounding Zhai Tianyu. Even though it was light, she could see that it was just the beginning. ¡± I think it will be better if you take this talisman with you and keep a good grasp of it for the next few days,¡± as she spoke she did not wait for Zhai Tianyu to take it from her instead she threw the talisman at him which was caught by Zhai Tianyu. ¡± Am I in danger of death my queen?¡± Zhai Tianyu knew Liu Hui Yin better than she thought he did and he knew that the queen would not show her care or much less give him a talisman for his safety if not for his being in trouble. A very serious trouble. ¡± Keep your heavenly body inside and we don¡¯t have to worry about you dying,¡± said Liu Hui Ying as she walked over to where the witch was before she opened her mouth to say something but she was interrupted by the witch as she raised her hand and said with a smile, ¡± There is no need my child, I know that you need my help which is why I am willing to move out of the safe haven and follow you.¡± ¡± That¡¯s not what I wanted to say,¡± Liu Hui Ying said to the witch, she wanted to say that she wille and see her again in a few days to find out more about this messed up situation that was happening but the witch instead agreed to leave with her? ¡± You don¡¯t have to be shy and worry not I will be of great help to you,¡± said Witch Mao as she walked towards Zhai Tianyu and looked at him up and down before narrowing her eyes in delight as she said, ¡± Oooh, you are the current emperor? What a delight. Have to say that it must be the Liu family¡¯s genes doing all the work as all the Ji ones look like baboons with rouge sshed on their face.¡± Chapter 348 - 348 What other secrets that they were hiding ? 348 What other secrets that they were hiding ? ¡± This ce looks shabby,¡± this was the firstment the witch as soon as she stepped inside the courtyard where Liu Hui Ying lived. Her head was raised slightly as she looked at the ceiling that was broken and covered with webs, with a frown that was etched on her face, the ghost of the witch turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and then said, ¡± Are you sure that you are the queen?¡± ¡± I am pretty uncertain myself,¡± Liu Hui Ying replied as she walked over to the bed where she plopped down on it and kicked off her shoes as she turned to look at her three ghosts who were busy doing their own things. And by busy doing their own things, she meant that they were trying hard to guard their territory where they usually stayed. She was not surprised by their actions, ghosts were often possessive of the things that they were possessing and now that there was another ghost who has joined their party, it was given that the three of them would be slightly rmed. Liu Hui Ying turned to look at Witch Mao and could not help but frown, she still did not understand why this ghost followed her there. She was a celestial master and she knew that no ghost will ever follow a celestial master out of its own free will they all wanted something from her even the three ghosts who have been by her side for so long wanted something in return. Grandma Lan Fen wanted to make sure that her granddaughter who lost her parents will be well-fed andfortable. Li Gang wanted to get a woman before he moved on to the next life and Jia Li wanted to enjoy the life that she could not when she was young and forced to work hard in theboratory with her parents because of her title of a young genius. Everyone wanted something in return this was thew and Liu Hui Ying also thought that this was perfect at least they will never blur the line between employer and employee that way. She has been alone for a long time because she had been often betrayed by those whom she had trusted, only those who wanted or needed something from her stayed with her till the end. She does not have a ce for traitors! And when they leave she will not feel saddened by their absence because ¡ª¡ª they will have to leave one day just like her parents and her sister. The thought alone annoyed her, so what if they left her? She was not a child who needed to be looked after! ..... ¡± So, what made you follow me?¡± She asked Witch Mao who was still looking around the small room where Liu Hui Ying slept. Upon hearing Liu Hui Ying, Witch Mao whose head was thrown back straightened as she looked at Liu Hui Ying and said with a raise of her brow, ¡± I have been staying in the graveyard for a long time which is quite boring, don¡¯t you think so? I came out with you because I think that I am quite safe with you since your sister was the one who locked half the powers of that evil spirit certainly he will keep his distance away from you for a period of time during which I will enjoy my time here.¡± ¡® So she wants protection?¡¯ Liu Hui Ying thought in her head but just as she was thinking, she felt a chill on her side and when she turned her head. She was surprised to find that Witch Mao was sleeping on her bed! Her freaking bed! ¡± What are you doing?¡± Liu Hui Ying questioned angrily as she looked at the woman who was lying on the bed next to her. She could not believe that the witch was sleeping on her bed, everyone knew how ufortable was the presence of ghosts near humans, even though she was a celestial master in the end she was a human too! This action of witch Mao caused her a great deal of difort. ¡± What do you think I am doing?¡± Witch Mao asked back as she pushed herself with the help of her elbows as she looked at Liu Hui Ying with an affronted look on her face. ¡± I am sleeping, can you not see it? Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to sleep on the ground for so many years? Why can I not sleep on a bed?¡± ¡± If you sleep here, where will I go then?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked sounding annoyed as she pointed to Witch Mao who was lying on her bed. She could not believe that there was a ghost who was daring enough to go against her. She has never been ¡ª¡ª ¡± So what, do not forget that I am the one who can help you at the moment,¡± retorted Old Witch Mao as shey back down on the back in a starfish shape. ¡± If you have problems with me sleeping on the same bed as you then you can go and ask your husband to share his bed with you. Anyway, you and he are husband and wife in name, I believe that he will be willing to give you a little space in his bed.¡± ¡± You¡­¡± Liu Hui Ying was speechless she never saw a ghost who was this shameless which was why she stared at Old Witch Mao for a very long time before she pursed her lips and then said, ¡± You better get up from the bed before I make you!¡± ¡± Do not even try to touch me, you little girl,¡± said Old Witch Mao as she raised her body off the bed and then red at Liu Hui Ying who was ring right back at her. ¡± If you dare touch me, then you can forget all about finding out the truth behind your mother¡¯s escape from this ce and how to raise your powers enough to deal with the evil spirit! I am your benefactor at the moment, you better be kind to me!¡± As she spoke, Old Witch Mao picked up the bed sheet and then covered herself with it and closed her eyes as if she was going to sleep already. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 349 - 349 What other secrets were they hiding ——-2 349 What other secrets were they hiding ¡ª¡ª-Liu Hui Ying trembled in anger as she red at the witch who has hogged her bed. She rolled her eyes many times before she threw her head back and then closed her eyes as she breathed in and out before she opened her eyes once again but as soon as she opened her eyes she heard Jia Li say, ¡± Are you going to ask the Emperor to share his bed with you?¡± ¡± Shut up!¡± On the other hand, Zhai Tianyu who returned to his own courtyard took off the clothes that he was wearing when he went after Liu Hui Ying. His head was still in the graveyard where he heard about things that he never thought could even be possible. He wanted to ask the Queen what the witch who followed them meant by that there was an evil spirit living in the Ji family but he could not bring himself to ask Liu Hui Ying anything when he saw the expression on her face. Liu Hui Ying had her own problems that she needed to think over carefully and there was no time in her hands to deal with him or answer his questions. And what kind of Emperor will he be if he has to rely on the Empress for everything? His eyes flickered as he ced themoners¡¯ clothes in thest drawer and pushed them at the very back such that no one will found them before putting on the robe of the Emperor as he turned to walk around the wooden partition and then went to his study table where he picked up the flint and then lit themp that was on the table. The golden glow of themp illuminated his face as the me flickered in his eyes, for a few seconds Zhai Tianyu simply stared at themp without doing anything. It was after a very long pause that he walked over to his chair and took a seat where he pulled a nk paper and a brush that was sitting in a small vessel in which all his brushes were kept. He raised his hand and then closed his eyes as he tried to remember the face of the woman who has been long dead in this world. Once he started remembering the face that he has forgotten, he dipped the brush in the ink pot and pulled it back. He watched the drop of ink straining to fall from the tip of the brush and once it fell down in the ink pot, he brought the brush to the paper where he started drawing the face of the woman. The face has been long forgotten by him, if anything he has once hated this face because of all the pain that she brought Ji Yu and her family but now ¡ª¡ªwho exactly was the one who was in pain? The sound of brush scratching and brushing against the paper echoed in the air for a long time before Zhai Tianyu stopped his hand and pulled the brush back off the paper. He stared at the woman who hase to life on the paper and for the very first time he realised why he hated Liu Hui Ying when he saw her for the first time. She looked just like her dead sister. ..... She stared at the face of Liu Yue, the woman who was rumoured to be the beauty of the imperial city, wanted by all men and the woman who ran away while leaving the man she loved behind to be killed. But did she run away because she was in the n devised by the Liu Family or she ran away because the man she loved was dead? And was the man even dead? Zhai Tianyu looked at the woman¡¯s face for a long time and pursed his lips not understanding anything. ¡± Just what kind of secrets are they all hiding,¡± Zhai Tianyu rubbed his forehead as he looked at the woman¡¯s portrait that he has drawn. The more he got closer to the truth, the more he realised that he has been alone from the very beginning with no one by his side. Not once had they all told him the truth. He raised his head and then turned to look at the moon that was shining brightly in the sky and then tapped the wooden surface of the table with his finger as he muttered, ¡± I hope the hunt goes well.¡± ¡­.. ¡± Your majesty, are you still not up?¡± Qiu Ai pushed the door of Liu Hui Ying¡¯s room to the side and walked inside but she was surprised when she saw that the Empress who was supposed to be sleeping on the bed was now lying on the floor with a nket. Her teeth grinding as she rolled around the floor, wiping it with her heavenly clothes. ¡°Oh, dear heavens!¡± Nanny Gong eximed and then swayed on the spot, if not for Qiu Ai she would have fallen on the floor. She was fine with the Empress doing all sorts of actions even the act of carrying her skirt while she walked was now something that she was getting used to but every time she got used to something the Queen will jump to another level and then test her patience. What kind of Empress sleeps on the floor when there is a bed sitting right behind her? ¡°Nanny Gong, please calm yourself!¡± Qiu Ai helped Nanny Gong up the floor as she pulled the old woman to stand up from the floor. ¡± This is just fine, there is no need for you to react like this, at least the Empress is not asking for a pole to be strapped in the centre of her bedroom while performing that atrocious dance called pole dance.¡± Nanny Gong breathed in and then patted her chest as she nodded and in a sort of sobbing voice said, ¡± You are right little Ai. I should focus on the good thing rather than ¡ª¡ª but why is she sleeping on the floor? YOUR MAJESTY! I AM GOING TO GET A HEART ATTACK BECAUSE OF YOU ONE DAY!¡± Chapter 350 - 350 Like a loving husband and wife 350 Like a loving husband and wife ¡± How many times, have I told you?¡± Nanny Gong pulled Liu Hui Ying off the face and started to massage her stiff limbs that were creaking and croaking because of lying on the cold floor all night. ¡± You are the queen of this imperial city! What will others think when they see you acting like such? What if the Emperor, his majestyes in and sees you on the floor, what will he think, your majesty?¡± ¡± That the bed he gave me is notfortable,¡± replied Liu Hui Ying as she red at the witch who was dozing on the bed where she was supposed to sleep. All night! All night that witch continued to snore, she had to bring out two cotton balls from her pillow and then stuff them into her ears, only then was she able to get three hours of sleep. ¡± Your majesty! The bed you have is just fine!¡± Nanny Gong looked scandalised when she heard Liu Hui Ying¡¯s words, the bed was given to her by the Emperor and he was the one who sent it to her courtyard before their marriage and yet the Queen was saying that the gift she received from the king was notfortable? ¡± So why don¡¯t hee and sleep in it? Isn¡¯t it because he knows that it causes stiff back?¡± Liu Hui Ying could not tell them that the bed was now possessed by a ghost which was why she continued to insist as she said, ¡± He is fully aware that the bed is ufortable, which is why he stays in his courtyard and sleeps there and neveres here! I don¡¯t know! Bring me another bed! One that is morefortable than this one!¡± Nanny Gong looked at the queen who was acting like a spoiled brat and felt her lips twitch. The reason the king never came to sleep in this courtyard was that he knew that he will be kicked down by the queen who was allergic to men for some reason. ¡± Your majesty, this bed cannot be removed¡ª¡ª¡± Nanny Gong began but she was interrupted by Liu Hui Ying who said, ¡± Who is asking you to change the bed? I am asking you to bring a new one and stuff it in here, you can leave this one where it is.¡± Take this bed away? Wouldn¡¯t it mean that the witch will then possess the new bed that she brings into the new room? ¡± But his majesty¡ª¡ª¡± ¡± He will not say a word!¡± Liu Hui Ying snapped as she looked at Nanny Gong who was standing behind her, she turned on her feet and then caught Nanny Gong by her arms and then said with a desperate voice, ¡± Nanny who am I?¡± ..... ¡± You are her majesty the queen,¡± replied Nanny Gong with a stunned look on her face, to which Liu Hui Ying raised her brows and nodded with a smile. ¡± That is right, I am the Queen! Which means my words are final. My order is yourmand and I want a new bed¡ª¡ª so bring me one, all right?¡± Nanny Gong looked at the Queen who was looking at her with desperate eyes that said that she will die if she did not get this new bed and sighed before she nodded in agreement as she said, ¡± Fine, we will get you a new bed but¡ª¡ª¡± Liu Hui Ying already had her hands raised in the air to celebrate her new bed but then she stopped when she heard Nanny Gong say ¡®but¡¯, she narrowed her eyes with her smile dropping as she looked at Nanny Gong and asked, ¡± What do you mean by this but?¡± ¡± By this but I mean,¡± Nanny Gong smiled in a manner that told Liu Hui Ying trouble wasing and she immediately took a step back while looking at the woman. ¡± Why do I feel like you are nning something really evil, Nanny,¡± she remarked looking at the Elderly woman with suspicion in her eyes. ¡± Hoho, I am not nning anything evil,¡± said Nanny Gong as she looked at Liu Hui Ying while bringing her hand over her mouth tough lightly as her eyes crinkled slightly. She looked like the devil who has finally gotten a hold of his prey. ¡± I am simply asking you to do your job, as you already know today is the day of the hunt. I want you to wear your inner garments without any fuss and if you take off your bra this time before leaving like you did thest time, then it will be considered as what you consider a foul.¡± She then paused and went ahead with her weird conditions which made Liu Hui Ying¡¯s mouth drop, ¡± Next, I want you to act as a benevolent queen such that no one even the Imperial concubine Ji will not be able to outshine you. You will wear your crown and you will give a speech to everyone at the start and end of the hunt, in short, I want you to do our responsibilities as the Queen ¡ª-¡®properly¡¯ as long as you do them well and get praised by all for being a kind queen, I will bring you a new bed.¡± ¡± And what if I don¡¯t?¡± asked Liu Hui Ying as she looked at the demon Nanny who was smiling at her as if she was enjoying her suffering and that too very much. ¡± Then I believe you will have to make do with this bed, your Majesty,¡± replied Nanny Gong and Liu Hui Ying was so speechless that she wished, she could go on a strike. Did she offend the god of the elderly women or what? Why were all the old women making life difficult for her? ¡± Well?¡± Nanny Gong asked as she looked at Liu Hui Ying waiting for her to say something. Liu Hui Ying who saw no other choice in front of her looked at Nanny Gong with a despair-filled face and sobbed with her eyes closed as she spread her arms wide and screamed, ¡± Come assault me as you want! Goodness, what kind of queen I am?¡± As she screamed Nanny Gong who was used to her melodramatic tantrums was already pushing her inside the bathing room. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 351 - 351 Like a loving husband and wife ——2 351 Like a loving husband and wife ¡ª¡ª¡± You are so cruel, Nanny,¡± Liu Hui Ying sobbed as she was pushed onto the pnquin, when she agreed to Nanny Gong¡¯s suggestion, she thought that the woman will at least give her some space to breathe but instead¡ª¡ª but instead she actually tied her up with sevenyers of clothing including the inner garments. She felt like she was now moving, talking little panda¡ª¡ª every step that she took was heavily brought down on the floor and Liu Hui Ying was sure that she saw the floor vibrate a little when she ced her foot on it. ¡± This is an important ceremony,¡± was all Nanny Gong said as she pushed Liu Hui Ying who could not move due to the sevenyers of clothing that were stuffed on her body inside the pnquin including the golden crown whose tinsels moved with every step or move Liu Hui Ying made. ¡± We cannot have you roam around as you usually do, your majesty!¡± She paused and then added in a whisper, ¡± And I hope with you looking like this, his majesty will give you an extra two nces.¡± ¡± What is the point,¡± Liu Hui Ying questioned as she sat down on the pnquin, usually her weight was bearable for the pnquin bearers but today they all stumbled a little when they felt the queen sit down on the pnquin. Liu Hui Ying cast them a sympathetic nce but more than that she was sympathetic towards the pnquin bearers, she was more sympathetic towards herself. She turned to look at Nanny Gong who was looking at her with a hopeful look in her eyes and said, ¡± With so manyyers, even if His esteemed majesty takes two nces at me, he will be tired by the thirdyer.¡± Everyone understood what she meant, and while the pnquin bearers blushed in embarrassment, Nanny Gong red at Liu Hui Ying as she gasped in a scandalised manner. ¡± Your majesty!¡± She said in a reproachful voice, ¡± Please be more restrained, what are you saying ¡­if the others were to hear what will they think¡­?¡± Would they not think that the Emperor, his majesty¡¯s stamina was so bad that he could not even take the clothes off his wife? Much less get her pregnant? Liu Hui Ying poked her tongue out but did not say anything as she ced her elbows on the armrest of the pnquin on which she was sitting, she has been very clear about one motto of her life and that was¡ª¡ª if she was not happy, then no one will be happy either! End of the story! The pnquin bearers did not want to hear anything more, lest they hear something more scandalous they might have to lose their ears and in the worst-case scenario they will have to lose both their ears and tongue¡ª¡ª or maybe even their heads! ..... They hurriedly picked up the pnquin higher and started to rush towards the grounds where the carriages were parked, it would be better to deliver the queen to the king! Only he was well versed in the art of reining the Queen a little! What the pnquin bearers did not know was that the one who was holding the reins was not the Emperor but the Queen. Zhai Tianyu was standing at the carriage grounds while his grandmother looked down at him with a disappointment-filled gaze. She looked around them and then said, ¡°What¡¯s going on with you, Tianyu? Why is it that you havent been visiting Ji Yu? Is it because of her condition? Are you upset that she cannot bear you children?¡± ¡± It has nothing to do with that, your majesty,¡± Zhai Tianyu replied as he looked at Ji Yu who was standing behind the Grand Dowager Empress. He did not expect Ji Yu to go andin to his grandmother about their fall out, though she might have not told everything to his grandmother, she must have mentioned him being angry with her. ¡± I am just not feeling it these days, as you already know I am not visiting any of my wives.¡± Grand Dowager Empress pursed her lips as she looked at Zhai Tianyu, she could see that the adoration and respect that Zhai Tianyu had for Ji Yu seemed to have vanished into thin air. Last night when she asked Ji Yu why Zhai Tianyu was not visiting her, thetter made some excuse but now she was certain that something must have happened between the two of them. In the past, Zhai Tianyu has never ignored Ji Yu. Even if he was upset and did not want to visit a woman, he has gone to see her as a friend but now ¡ª¡ª ¡± Is this because of the Queen?¡± asked Grand Dowager Empress as she looked at Zhai Tianyu with disapproval in her eyes. ¡± Did she say something to you, is that why you are ignoring Yu¡¯er?¡± She has seen many schemes by women of the harem but she has to admit that Liu Hui Ying was the most capable of them all, that woman was actually able to make Zhai Tianyu, her puppet even though when she was the one who has been brainwashing him for years. ¡± This has nothing to with the queen, either,¡± Zhai Tianyu replied with all the patience that he had in his body. ¡± I have not seen the Queen ever since the ceremony, even before that, I did not see her, grandmother. I just want to have some alone time, as the Emperor, I believe that I can spend a few nights alone to recover my heavenly body. With so many Concubines, how am I supposed to continue? I am trying my best to give you a great-grandchild, after all.¡± What he said made sense as well but the Grand Dowager Empress was not satisfied, she had nothing against Zhai Tianyu visiting other concubines but the thing was that he needed to pay more attention to Ji Yu, that was the bottom line! ¡± I understand if that is what you want but I hope that you will remember what you said to me,¡± she turned to look at Ji Yu who had her head lowered and added in amanding voice, ¡± You need to remember, Tianyu¡ª¡ª Ji Yu was with you when no one was, she is your benefactor. You cannot ignore her like this and favour one woman over someone whom you have known for years! Which is why I will be expecting you to drive in the same carriage as Ji Yu.¡± She turned and sternly looked at Zhai Tianyu, ¡± Like a loving husband and wife.¡± Chapter 352 - ADD ADD 352 Forced to spend time together Zhai Tianyu clenched his fingers inside his sleeves, he knew that his grandmother will not sit silently once she finds out that he had a fallout with Ji Yu. She might have acted like she was not associating herself with the politics of the imperial pce but now as he looked at her meddling in his affairs he could see that the reason she did not associate herself with his business and the imperial pce was that he was following the path that she had paved for him and not because she did not want to get involved into the politics. He pursed his lips and then took a deep breath before saying in a quiet voice, ¡± I am supposed to be riding with the Queen, your majesty. This is thew, even my father travelled to the forest with imperial mother when it was the time to hunt, how can I suddenly bring consort Ji with me instead of the Empress?¡± Even though he tried to suppress the resistance that he was feeling towards sharing the same carriage as Ji Yu, some of his feelings still came out on his face. The grand dowager Empress was a woman who had seen all sorts of men in her life, how could she not see that Zhai Tianyu was reluctant to be with Ji Yu? She inwardly cursed Ji Yu for messing up such a good thing for their family but she knew that she could not be careless while dealing with such a delicate matter. If she was to act impulsively, then she was afraid that Zhai Tianyu might create an iron wall between him and the Ji family, for the sake of her desires and the Ji family¡¯s wonderful future, she could not allow that to happen which was why she put on a smile that was both sympathetic and stern as she looked at Zhai Tianyu and said, ¡± Your majesty, I believe this is the day we all have been waiting for,¡± with a smile that was making her cheeks ache, The Grand Dowager Empress looked at Zhai Tianyu. ¡± Did you not say that you want to knock the Liu Family down a peg or two? This is the opportunity for you to do so, why are you worried about thews and whatnot? You are the king, you can change thew ording to your wishes.¡± The smile on her face slipped down a notch as she continued to stare at Zhai Tianyu and added with a cold voice, ¡± Or is it that you wish to no longer associate yourself with the same goal as the Ji family, your majesty?¡± Zhai Tinayu clenched his hands so hard that he dug his fingernails deep enough into his palms to draw blood. But he still lowered his stance and replied, ¡± I never said that, your majesty. I just thought that since the matter of Consort Liu¡¯s death was still fresh in the mind of the members of the Liu family, I should not give them an opportunity to attack me again.¡± ¡± You do not have to worry about that,¡± The Grand Dowager Empress waved her hand to the side and then pinned Zhai Tianyu with an assessing gaze. ¡± You graced them on the day of the respect paying ceremony after Consort Liu was buried in her tomb, I am certain they will not dare toin given that you stood with them in their grief instead of the Ji family, after all, bnce is what the imperial court is about.¡± She raised her hand in front of Zhai Tianyu and then showed him the back of her palm as she tipped it to the side, ¡± If you make a mistake and cause the bnce to be disturbed, I am afraid that you will lose your court as well as your throne your majesty.¡± ..... The Grand Dowager Empress was threatening him with a rebellion, he might be acting like a fool but he was not one in his head. Zhai Tianyu clenched his teeth so hard that he was sure that he had to rely on soups and porridge for the next three weeks but he still pulled his lips up into a smile and said in a lofty and unconcerned voice, ¡± Right you are grandmother, I need to be fair.¡± With that he turned to look at Ji Yu who was standing behind the Grand dowager Empress and did not dare to look at him throughout the entire time, he suppressed the anger in his heart and said with a pleasant smile, ¡± Come with me consort, I will lead you to my carriage.¡± Ji Yu felt her breath hitch in her throat as she clenched the robe that she was wearing over her skirt and blouse in her hands but she could not say that she did not want to ride in the carriage by forcing her husband to sit with her like this since she did not dare to go against the Grand Dowager Empress who could bring a substitute for her with a snap of her fingers if she was to go against her. She drew a breath with her lips parted and then straightened her back drawing out her aura which matched the bright golden robe in which she was dressed, she raised her feet and followed Zhai Tianyu when she heard The Grand Dowager Empress speak from behind, ¡± I asked you to act as a loving husband, your majesty. You are making it look like Ji Yu is your servant by making her walk behind you.¡± Zhai Tianyu closed his eyes before he stretched out his hand in front of Ji Yu for her to take, he did not smile nor did he look at her. He just stared ahead while waiting for her to take his hand, Ji Yu looked at the bloody marks on his palm and felt her heart twist. She knew that Zhai Tianyu hated to be forced into a corner and be treated like a puppet, in the past he was treated like one by Liu Dong Ming when he was forced to marry Liu Hui Ying but this time the one who forced him was the Grand Dowager Empress and the one whom he was supposed to ept was her. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 353 - 353 Forced to spend time together ———2 353 Forced to spend time together ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡± I did not ask grandaunt for her help,¡± once they were out of earshot where the grand dowager Empress could hear them, Ji Yu told the truth to Zhai Tianyu. If this was before she would have needed to say such things pr much less exin herself but their rtionship was now so bleak that Ji Yu was afraid that even a single misunderstanding could break it into pieces. Something that she did not wish to see. ¡± I know,¡± said Zhai Tianyu as he continued to walk towards the carriage in which he was going to ride. When Ji Yu heard him say that he knew that she did not ask for the help of grand aunt but was still angry with her, it confused her. She looked at him with confused eyes and asked, ¡± If so then why are you angry, your majesty?¡± ¡°I am not angry,¡± replied Zhai Tianyu as he blinked his eyes and casually shrugged his shoulders. ¡± I am just disappointed, when we were kids there was one time when I sneaked out of the pce and you were the one who lied to grandmother such that she will not catch me missing from my courtyard and your lies were so excellent that till this day, my grandmother does not doubt anything which makes me wonder, why was it that you could not throw her off when she asked you what was going on between us, was it because you could not or was it¡­.¡± He finally turned to look at Ji Yu but only to pin her with a pair of cold eyes such that she could not even move an inch from her spot. ¡± Or was it that you did not want to?¡± Ji Yu stayed silent, she did not tell the grand dowager Empress the truth but at the same time, she did not try to give her best excuses while lying to her grandaunt when thetter called her to ask what was going on between her and Zhai Tianyu. She knew what she was doing was wrong but she also knew that there was no other choice in front of her, she had tried to talk with Zhai Tianyu by trying to get closer to him in the past few days but he had not given her a chance. He did not even meet with her when she went to apologise to him and asked him to have lunch with her just like old times, she even went ahead and said that she will not force him to choose her this time but he did not listen to her pleas. It was when she was running out of time when the grand dowager Empress called her which was why she decided that she might as well take advantage of this opportunity, but she did not want to let Zhai Tianyu know this which was why she opened her mouth to say something but just as she spoke the first syble, she was interrupted by the sound of the pnquin bearers as they walked inside the grounds with a resplendent figure sitting in the pnquin. When Ji Yu saw the woman on the pnquin she felt her breath hitch as she had seen this figure before but because the woman had never cared for her appearance, she thought that the woman was not much to look at but now as she sat on the pnquin wearing the robe and dress that belonged to the Empress with a golden crown and delicate makeup that was neither too loud nor too soft, she felt her heart sink a little when she saw Liu Hui Ying in her full glory. The hand that was holding her let go and Ji Yu immediately turned her head to look at the King who was looking at the woman who was sitting in the pnquin, his eyes not even wavering an inch as he looked at Liu Hui Ying who was not even looking at him. ..... He let go of her hand because he was worried that Liu Hui Ying will see them but the funny thing was that the woman did not even nce his way! Though Ji Yu thought that Liu Hui Ying was not looking at the King, it was not the truth. Liu Hui Ying¡¯s senses were better than the rest since her mystic arts were better than the other celestial masters, she could easily see and hear things that others could not see or hear. When she arrived at the grounds, she saw Zhai Tianyu holding Ji Yu¡¯s hand, and when her gaze fell on his hand that was holding Ji Yu¡¯s, Liu Hui Ying felt a bit stuffy and had to raise her hand to rub the knot in her chest but she did not think much of it. She simply med it on the humid weather and theyers of clothes that she was wearing before she looked down at the pnquin bearers and then said,¡± Where are you taking me?¡± ¡± To his majesty, your majesty, the queen¡± the bearer who seemed to be the leader replied as Liu Hui Ying rolled her eyes and snapped at him, ¡± What am I? A baby that you bringing to her parent? Bring me to my carriage. Back gear Hit the back gear right now!¡± The pnquin bearers did not understand what the queen meant by back gear which made Liu Hui Ying annoyed as she rolled her eyes and groaned, ¡± I mean turn around, you all! Turn around and march to my carriage, right now! We can leave on our own, I am an independent being and do not need a man,e on turn around!¡± Liu Hui Ying made the pnquin bearers turn around as she did not want to face that rat face, poopy head Emperor. She did not know why his face annoyed her but she did not wish to see him at this moment! As Liu Hui Ying turned to leave, Ji Yu watched her leave andmented, ¡± It seems that the Queen cannot care less about you, your majesty.¡± Zhai Tianyu watched Liu Hui Ying leave and when he heard Ji Yu¡¯sment, he turned around and sneered, ¡± At least, I will not be rushing to left prime minister Dong Ming to make her spend time with me.¡± With that, he flicked his sleeves and climbed up inside his carriage leaving an embarrassed Ji Yu outside. Chapter 354 - 354 Thrust thrust 354 Thrust thrust Liu Hui Ying was used to many emotions, she knew anger and grief and she also knew greed and pride. Since even if she did not want to ept it, she was a tad bit arrogant and why wouldn¡¯t she be? She was better than many people, after all? In fact, it would be wrong to call it arrogance, it was simply her stating the truth which everyone should know lest they thought that she was not as good as she portrayed. But she had never once felt this stuffy feeling in her chest, her heart seemed to be prickling with something and her stomach as well seemed to be churning as if she had eaten something bad. The truth was that she hadn¡¯t even eaten anything since they were in a hurry to leave after Nanny Gong wasted three crucial hours when she was supposed to have her meal. ¡®Maybe it is churning like this because I have not eaten anything? Or maybe I am simply feeling too hot?¡¯ Liu Hui Ying thought as she tugged the cor of the robe that she was wearing. Even though it was autumn, with so manyyers on her body, Liu Hui Ying was sweating as if it was summer. As the scene of the Emperor touching and holding Ji Yu¡¯s hand shed in her eyes, Liu Hui Ying felt her stomach twist once more and she angrily turned to look at Nanny Gong as she spoke in an annoyed voice, ¡± Nanny, look in what you have done because of you, my stomach is boiling and rolling, I feel like I want to puke but at the same time I cannot puke because you have tied the belt so tight that all my food is getting blocked right here.¡± She patted the upper half of her abdomen and Nanny Gong only nced at her before she very calmly spoke, ¡± If that is the case then I think that it is a good thing, with your food getting blocked at the bottom of the passageway, I think neither of us has to worry about you getting nervous and throwing up all over the ce bringing embarrassment to yourself and shock to others.¡± Liu Hui Ying looked at Nanny Gong who was calmly sipping her tea while sitting in the carriage acting like she had won this round. Now Liu Hui Ying was a very graceful person but she did not like it when people acted as if they have one up on her which was why she smiled and then ced her hands on the knees of her legs that were crossed upon one another. She turned to look at Nanny Gong and with a voice that was sweeter than honey she started speaking to the elderly woman, ¡± Nanny Gong if you are upset that I cannot embarrass myself in front of everyone then I reassure you that there are more than one ways to make myself embarrassed in front of others, like ¡­..¡± she trailed off which made Nanny Gong only stiffer. The elderly woman who was still holding the teacup in her hands turned to look at Liu Hui Ying past the steam that wasing off the top of the teacup and then in a wary voice asked, ¡± What do you mean by that your majesty? What other ways do you have to make sure that you will shock everyone?¡± Liu Hui Ying looked at the woman as she smiled and then spread her arms which made Nanny Gong frown but then she heard her mistress sing at the top of her voice, ¡± Ooo, I am a disco fan moving at the rhythm of the disco ball!¡± As she sang she moved her waist in a motion that made it look like she was thrusting her pelvis in the air. ..... Her actions caused Nanny Gong to drop the cup that she was holding in her hands on the floor as she said in a shocked voice, ¡± You are not going to do that, your majesty.¡± ¡± Why not? You only asked me to dress up well and outshine others and I have done that which means now I am free!¡± Liu Hui Ying taunted Nanny Gong who looked like she was on the verge of fainting as she raised her hand and pointed at Liu Hui Ying with a trembling finger before she snapped, ¡± If you dare to do that then I will give you a bed without a mattress, your majesty!¡± ¡± Hah!! But I am the queen!¡± ¡± What kind of queen does something so shameless as moving her pelvis like that? Are you trying to embarrass the Liu family with your actions huh?¡± Nanny Gong was simply going mad with worry that Liu Hui Ying will really do something like that in front of everyone, one thing that she had learned after taking care of the queen for so long was that she was someone who did not like losing which was why it was only normal for her to do something as this to make her blood pressure rise. She then red at Liu Hui Ying and then said, ¡± If you dare to do that then I am telling you, there will be no new bed in your bedroom, your majesty! The promise was that you will act like a graceful queen till the end!¡± ¡± Being graceful is so boring,¡±mented Liu Hui Ying as she turned to look outside the window of the carriage. She thought that after goading Nanny Gong, she will feel good but to her surprise, she did not feel good at all, instead her thoughts continued to go to the King whom she had seen earlier and her lips continued to twist more and more in distaste. Why was it that she cared about what the king did or did not do? He could bury himself in the embrace of ten to thousands of women and she will not bat an eye! That shameless jerk! Justst night he came to act like her Prince Charming and now ¡ª¡ª humph, men are simply good for nothing, no matter how many women they have by their side, they will not feel satisfied! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 355 - 355 Thrust thrust —-2 355 Thrust thrust ¡ª-Zhai Tianyu sneezed while he was sitting in his carriage, he sniffed and a little frown decorated his face as he took out a handkerchief to wipe his nose but as he raised his hand to get the handkerchief out of his pocket, he saw another, white handkerchief that had a delicate flower embroidered on it in front of him. He raised his head and looked at Ji Yu who was sitting opposite him, she saw that he was frowning at her actions and sighed before saying, ¡°It¡¯s just a handkerchief, your majesty. I don¡¯t think that just because you took my handkerchief and wiped your nose with it, the Queen will question your virtue.¡± She paused and added, ¡± Not that she should, she is the queen and should always be magnanimous when ites to her husband and his bedroom affairs.¡± ¡± I do not wish to dirty your handkerchief, consort,¡± replied Zhai Tianyu as he pulled his own handkerchief out and then wiped his nose causing Ji Yu to drop her hand on thep that was clutching the thin fabric. ¡± Are you really going to be like this, your majesty?¡± Ji Yu could not help herself when she saw that Zhai Tianyu was keeping his distance from her. She did not know where she went wrong, was it when she confessed her feelings to him? Or was it when he found out that the Ji family was not as innocent as they made themselves out to be, or was it when her grandaunt told her that she will make it so that Zhai Tianyu will only pick her even if he had a thousand of women in front of him? ¡± Like what?¡± questioned Zhai Tianyu as he turned his head and looked at Ji Yu. ¡± You asked me to break the customs and bring you with me instead of the queen and I did, everything is just like you all wanted no? What is it that I am not doing ording to your wishes that is making you upset? Tell me, I will work hard to work as a more decent puppet for you and your family.¡± Ji Yu clenched her fingers at his usations, she knew that her family was not right but the Queen was not any good woman either. She raised her head and stubbornly looked at Zhai Tianyu before she said, ¡± You speak as if the Liu family treated you well, your majesty. They have treated you like you are a fool and that too without an ounce of respect towards you, the Ji family stood by your side and from the beginning we have been loyal to you and everyone else in the imperial family.¡± ¡± That¡¯s the thing isn¡¯t it consort?¡± Zhai Tianyu smiled at Ji Yu with a derisive hint in his smile. ¡± The Liu family have always been rather clear of their loyalties and actions but your family haven¡¯t been as clear as them, which makes me wonder just what kind of lies you have told me and what other secrets you are hiding. Make sure you take a look at your own lies before you start digging graves for others lest you fall in it.¡± ¡± I have never treated you like a puppet,¡± insisted Ji Yu, her words caused Zhai Tianyu to raise his lips even further as he looked at her. He did not say anything against her instead he simply asked one small question, ¡± You knew me for how many years, consort? We got to know each other when I was seven and you were what, five? Now I am in my twenties and you are eighteen, how many years it has been since then?¡± ..... Ji Yu did not know what Zhai Tianyu meant by this question but she still answered as she said, ¡± It has been thirteen years, your majesty.¡± ¡± That is right, thirteen years ¡­a long time has passed right?¡± Zhai Tianyu continued to smile as he looked at Ji Yu and then with a soft voice, he brushed the dust off his robe and continued speaking, ¡± And let¡¯s say that you fell in love with me around thirteen, maybe twelve? Something like this can happen at any time, right?¡± ¡± What are you trying to say, your majesty?¡± Ji Yu asked as she looked at Zhai Tianyu who was smiling at her even though he was smiling, Ji Yu felt like his smile was more like thorns that were digging into her skin making her feel restless. ¡± I mean to say that you have many years, years that only you shared with me and you never once came to me and said, your majesty, I have feelings for you, why is that? It¡¯s not a secret that I treat you like a friend and an acquaintance, and not as a lover ¡ª¡ª we came to the same conclusion of giving birth to an heir because there have been many times when two people in the imperial family have never shared any mutual feelings much less love but they have given heirs to the throne.¡± Zhai Tianyu looked at the golden embroidery of his robe which was dark green with a dragon embroidered on it along with many spider lilies. He raised his head and looked at Ji Yu with a gaze that was simr to the poisonous spider lilies as he added, ¡± And yet when I was sharing my ns, you never once told me what you felt for me, why is that?¡± Ji Yu clenched her fingers as she looked at the man who was questioning her and then replied as she licked her lips with her tongue, ¡°That¡¯s because I was shy your majesty.¡± ¡± Shy? You are the same woman who tried to force a kiss on me right?¡± Zhai Tianyu asked making Ji Yu blush in embarrassment as she clenched her fingers even more tightly. ¡± The reason you did not say anything was not because you were shy, Yu¡¯er¡­the reason you were silent was that you knew that everything will fall in yourp as you wanted and desired because I was nothing but a puppet without a clear head having grown up listening the praises of the Ji family and the atrocities of the Liu family.¡± Chapter 356 - 356 A crippled man 356 A crippled man Ji Yu did not speak nor did she contradict what Zhai Tianyu was telling her, she had been dormant all these years staying next to Zhai Tianyu because she knew that she will be able to get him in the end. She yed the role of the kind friend and cousin because she wanted Zhai Tianyu to think that she was different from the rest but who would have thought that after so many years she would be sitting in front of him answering a question that she did not want to answer? ¡± I did not hear your response, consort,¡± said Zhai Tianyu with a raise of his brow as he looked at the woman who was sitting in front of him in silence. ¡± What do you want me to say?¡± Ji Yu raised her head and red at the man with a narrowed pair of eyes, her hands were clenched in herp as she breathed harshly while trying to keep herposure intact. ¡± I know that you think I have been lying to you, your majesty but not once did I hide anything when it came to you ¡­ I have been loyal to you just as much as Brother Heng and Brother Lingyun!¡± ¡± That is the only reason why you are sitting in front of me and not in the dungeons, consort,¡± replied Zhai Tianyu as the carriage came to a halt and then he turned his body such that he could lift the curtain that was drawn to hide them behind it. ¡± As long as you stay loyal to me, I promise you that nothing between us will change and I will always forgive you for actions that step on my bottom line unless you do something grave and go over it.¡± With that he pushed the curtain and stepped outside leaving Ji Yu behind as she bit her bottom lip, she knew that this was Zhai Tianyu¡¯s warning to her. He was telling her subtly not to go against the queen but ¡ª¡ª she looked down at the velvety red pouch that she had been carrying with her since the beginning and bit her lip even harder but if she does not do it then her majesty, the Grand Dowager Empress will definitely rece her with her cousin. And if she did as her grandaunt asked her to do, then she was certain that Zhai Tianyu will hate her even more. ¡± Why? Why is my life so difficult?¡± Ji Yu clenched the pouch in her fingers that held one of the most potent poisons that could kill anyone with one single drop. ¡± I just want to be loved, so why is it so hard? What do they want me to do? ¡± ¡­. ¡± You seriously want me to do this jumbo stunt!?¡± Liu Hui Ying looked at the cliff where the hunting grounds were located and then at the bridge that was connected to the maind. She tugged her heavy robe and tried to bnce her crown on top of her while she looked at the pnquin bearers and then at the fragile-looking bridge that seemed like it could not even hold the weight of one person at one time. ..... ¡± Everything will be fine your majesty,¡± said Nanny Gong as she looked at the moving bridge on which people were used to riding horses and then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying. ¡± It is stronger than it looks¡ª¡ª-¡± The words were not even out of the mouth of Nanny Gong when a nk of the bridge broke and the foot of the pnquin bearer who was carrying the pnquin of the seventh Concubine sunk past the bridge causing the pnquin to tilt and the seventh concubine to scream in agony and fear. If not for the other pnquin bearers who worked hard to keep the pnquin stable, the seventh concubine would have fallen into the water after taking a tumble. The three women looked at the sight in front of them as the people around them helped the seventh concubine while Liu Hui Ying took a step back and then said in a determined voice, ¡± No.¡± ¡± I got in this stupid dress, wore this stupid crown and got myself roasted like I was turkey in the oven while sitting in the carriage but I am not getting in that rock a by baby bridge that looks weaker than the stamina of all the men who tried to pursue me,¡± said Liu Hui Ying while pointing at the bridge that was moving while making a lot of sounds. ¡± Do you hear that Kerr, Kurr, Kirr? That¡¯s not the sound of its nks moving, it¡¯s the cries of the poor soul of the bridge pleading with you guys to give him, his retirement fund so it can have itsst of the days in peace and then go off the underworld, after enjoying his remaining time.¡± ¡± You are overreacting, your Majesty,¡± Nanny Gong stated as she tried to make Liu Hui Ying sit in the pnquin. ¡± This bridge is one that even saw thete,te,te Emperor hunting a rare ck deer!¡± ¡± Oh ho, then it¡¯s past its retirement age, even more, the reason for me to not get onto that thing,¡± Liu Hui Ying muttered as she tried to dig her feet into the ground only to be pushed and pulled by Little Ai and Nanny Gong. ¡± It will be fine your majesty¡ª¡ª-¡± Little Ai spoke but then Liu Hui Ying paused and then turned to look at the trees behind them causing the two women to take a tumble as she looked at the ce with a frown and then without caring about the two women who were on the ground, she turned to walk towards the ce from where she felt the grudgeing from. ¡± Your majesty, where are you going?¡± Nanny Gong scrambled to her feet as she chased after Liu Hui Ying followed by Little Ai who was only a secondte. The two of them thought that Liu Hui Ying was trying to get away from climbing on the bridge when suddenly they felt the pressure around them dip and something came flying towards them. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 357 - 357 A crippled man——2 357 A crippled man¡ª¡ª¡°Oh, dear!¡± Nanny Gong slipped in the spot when she noticed the sharp dagger that was sticking out of the trunk of the tree while Little Ai gasped in surprise as she looked at the shiny dagger that looked sharp enough to pierce the skull of a person. ¡± Wh...What is this?¡± Little Ai asked while looking at Liu Hui Ying who was crouching in front of an old grave. She had brushed the mound that was on top of the body to see who was lying inside since the grudge was bigger than she has anticipated but when she was done cleaning the upper half of the makeshift grave, she was surprised to find that there was only a small rabbit lying in there. Her slightly bulging belly told Liu Hui Ying that the rabbit was pregnant before it died but there was no way a small rabbit would be able to carry so much grudge, right? ¡°What are you doing here, your majesty, the queen?¡± A voice called from behind them and Liu Hui Ying turned to look at the smiling young man who was sitting in a wheelchair with a servant following behind him. His gaze dropped to the small rabbit that was buried in the ce where Liu Hui Ying was crouching and then said, ¡± Did this rabbit die by your hands, your majesty?¡± ¡± No,¡± Liu Hui Ying buried the rabbit again before getting up from the ground and turning to look at the man behind her with a slight frown on her face. ¡± But who are you? Are you the one who threw the dagger at my maids?¡± As she spoke she pointed to the shining dagger that was sticking out of the tree trunk. The man lifted his head and looked at the dagger that was sticking out of the tree and then smiled ruefully before he shrugged his shoulders. ¡± Young master, there is no need,¡± the servant told his master but the man shook his head and then said in a solemn voice, ¡± Her majesty is doubtful of my appearance here, and she is right to do so because she was attacked which is why it is necessary for me to prove my innocence as well, Qiao Hai.¡± The servant named Qiao Hai looked troubled but he still followed his master¡¯s orders and took off the shawl that was covering the shoulders of the young man, as soon as the shawl was taken down Liu Hui Ying¡¯s brows furrowed as she looked at his hands that seemed to have been cut off by something years ago. ..... ¡± You see, your majesty,¡± the man smiled at Liu Hui Ying as he showed off his arms that were missing. ¡± I do not have the resources to harm you.¡± ¡± I see, I apologise if I made you ufortable,¡± Liu Hui Ying apologised as the servant bent down and picked up the shawl to cover the young master again. The young man smiled and then shook his head, ¡± There is no need to worry, your majesty. You were attacked in the forest and you being suspicious of people around you is only right.¡± He then looked at the small grave and added with a joking smile, ¡± But I will like it if you keep good care of yourself and don¡¯t go into ces like this ¡ª¡ª getting away from the public eye will only make you a more vulnerable target.¡± Liu Hui Ying nodded as she thanked the young man for his suggestion but as she walked past the grave, she looked at the small mound and frowned. The yin energy around the mound looked a bit too much for a small rabbit, was the grave even deeper than what she dug? Maybe she wille and check up on this ceter on. ¡­. ¡± My queen,¡± as she approached the pnquin where the bearers were still standing, Liu Hui Ying heard Zhai Tianyu¡¯s voice and turned annoyed. She raised her head and looked at the man who was walking towards her with his green robe fluttering behind him and then raised a brow, ¡± What are you doing your majesty?¡± Did he not have any other concubine to help or guide him? Holding their hands or holding them in his arms? ¡± I heard that you were attacked just now,¡± Zhai Tianyu did not expect that the people who were targeting the Queen would make a move so soon. She did not even take a step into the hunting grounds and yet she was already getting attacked. He was rather worried about her safety now. Liu Hui Ying was surprised when she heard Zhai Tianyu¡¯s words, she blinked her eyes and then frowned before saying, ¡± Did the news travel so fast? ¡± ¡± Young master Cai told me,¡± replied Zhai Tianyu as he pointed to the young man who was in a wheelchair. The man bowed his head before his servant started pushing him across the bridge, as the man called young master Cai left, Zhai Tianyu turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and said, ¡± He is your cousin and mine as well in a way.¡± Liu Hui Ying blinked her eyes and only then did she realise that Zhai Tianyu¡¯s mother was her aunt. doesn¡¯t that make them cousins? No wait, if she was not wrong then Liu Hui Ying¡¯s father was distantly rted to the dowager Empress, right? But still! ¡± It was nothing, someone threw a dagger,¡± stated Liu Hui Ying, she was confused about how she did not sense the daggering. She had asked her ghosts to take a rest since she wanted to use themter but even so, her senses have never been dull before, howe she did not even sense the daggering her way and what was more ¡ª¡ª- her eyes flickered as she looked at the young master Cai who was walking away with his head held high. She did not sense that young master either. This was something she could not understand given that the man was actually a crippled person. Chapter 358 - 358 Stomp 358 Stomp Liu Hui Ying stared at the bridge where the crippled man was being pushed but then her attention was caught by Zhai Tianyu who came to stand in front of her. ¡± My Queen?¡± He called her with such a soft voice that Liu Hui Ying felt tremors raking through her body before she pursed her lips and raised her head and looked at the man who was looking at her with a smile. ¡± What is it?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked with narrowed eyes causing Zhai Tianyu to frown a little, was he imagining it or was Liu Hui Ying talking to him with an extremely sullen voice? ¡± I wanted to ask whether or not did you see the person who attacked you?¡± He asked ignoring the small voice of doubt in his head, the fact that the Queen was attacked was much more important than the low and subtle hint of annoyance in her voice. Liu Hui Ying stared at the man, she knew that he was concerned for her and from the way he was looking at her it did not seem like he was faking it but something about him standing in front of her acting all bold and brass pissed her off. For some reason she wanted him to act like a mewling cat begging for her forgiveness or something of the sort. ¡± Why do you care your majesty?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked scathingly, her voice carrying a cold bite that even took a snap at Yu Lingyun who was standing further away from Zhai Tianyu and Liu Hui Ying. Yu Lingyun rubbed his arms and then turned to look at Zhai Heng who was standing beside him and asked in a shivering voice, ¡± Why do I think that something is very wrong with the Queen?¡± Zhai Heng who was standing in the cold storm that was covering them also closed his eyes and muttered with a soft voice, ¡± If I had known I would have brought a cotton-padded jacket for myself.¡± The weather here seemed to have gotten a bit too cold. Zhai Heng raised his head and looked up at Zhai Tianyu who was standing in front of Liu Hui Ying and silently prayed for his brother who was facing the cold wrath of the Queen. But then again, what did his brother do to make the queen this angry? ..... This question was ying in the head of Zhai Tianyu as well, as he stood in front of the queen who was ring at him like he had made some grave mistakes. ¡± My queen, is everything all right?¡± Zhai Tianyu asked but then he thought about it carefully and immediately his face went pale as all the blood drained away from his face. Did Liu Hui Ying that he was the one who was behind this attack? Though he was indeed after her life but that was because he was too much of a fool who did not see everything clearly but now he was willing to change! ¡± This attack has nothing to do with me, your queen,¡± he told Liu Hui Ying, he was afraid that thetter will pin this me on him as well given the past that the two of them shared. ¡± I did not allow this to happen!¡± Liu Hui Ying¡¯s eyes red up when she heard his words, she sneered and said, ¡± If you try to attack me again then you can ask your dear assassin how it feels to be whacked in the butt by nothing but an invisible force, maybe I will be gracious and make you suffer through the same thing as your dear subordinate as well.¡± After she was done speaking, she turned to walk away but was stopped by Zhai Tianyu who whipped in front of her and asked, ¡± Was it you, my queen? Were you the one who did that to my soldier?¡± ¡± A soldier is a protector, not a killer, I was merely reminding of what he should be doing instead of poking his nose in something that goes against his morals,¡± stated Liu Hui Ying with a firm voice while looking at Zhai Tianyu sideways. ¡± And I know that you were not involved in this matter so, you do not have to tell me about it.¡± There was no way someone from the king¡¯s fraction would be this strong they will be able to hide their presence from her. There had to be something that she was missing ¡ª¡ª ¡± If that is what you think then I am d my queen,¡± Zhai Tianyu smiled at Liu Hui Ying before he hesitated for a few minutes and then spoke with a small smile, ¡± If you do not mind would youe to the other side of the bridge with me? I can see that you are hesitating because of how weak it looks.¡± Liu Hui Ying¡¯s face went taut as she turned to face Zhai Tianyu fully and she asked in a haughty sort of voice, ¡± I hope you are not saying that I am scared, your majesty?¡± ¡± Of course not,¡± Zhai Tianyu was not going to admit that he saw Liu Hui Ying refusing to climb the bridge with a scared look on her face. If he was to say that he was afraid that the woman will surely snap his bones in half and then feed them to her pet that lived in the underworld. ¡± I was just saying that I was going to cross the bridge if you want then you cane with me.¡± ¡± Oh dear, do you really have the time to do so? Why don¡¯t you go and help this Concubine and that? Maybe you should go ahead and help Ji Yu, she must be waiting for you to help her cross another pit or maybe I don¡¯t know, the hell¡¯s pit where your soul should be burning?¡± As she finished speaking she turned on her feet and while stomping hard on Zhai Tianyu¡¯s feet she walked away leaving the man whose foot stomped on to jump on the spot while holding his foot. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- ¡± So what did you do to piss her off again, your majesty?¡± Yu Lingyun asked as he came to a stop next to Zhai Tianyu who was jumping on the spot with his injured foot in his hands. ¡± If not, I don¡¯t think the queen would have stomped on your foot like it dug her ancestors¡¯ graves.¡± Zhai Tianyu rubbed his injured foot and grimaced lightly, ¡± Told me told I have no idea what is going on with her, whether she is upset with the attack or whether she is upset with the fact that she has to carry so much weight on her shoulders, I have no idea.¡± Liu Hui Ying did not like the responsibilities of being a queen and the fact that she was attacked the very next second of stepping on the hunting grounds, it was given that she was going to be upset but what was the matter with her being angry at her? What did he do? As far as he knew this matter had nothing to do with him. Was she upset with him that he did not give her a guard but ¡­. She was the one who refused it! And it wasn¡¯t as if there was no guard following her, it was just that he was afraid that the queen will find the guard he appointed that¡¯s why he did not tell her¡ª¡ª wait the guard! ¡± Qui Rui!¡± He called in a low voice as the air around him whirled softly before a woman who was dressed in dark ck clothes appeared out of thin air and stood in front of him with her hands cupped and her back bowed. ¡± Did you call me your majesty?¡± She asked as she looked at the ground instead of Zhai Tianyu. ¡± Of course, I will call you. The queen was attacked why did you not do anything to stop it?¡± Zhai Tianyu asked as the woman who was dressed in ck clothes blinked her eyes behind her mask and then spoke in a solemn voice, ¡± Your majesty will you believe me if I say that the dagger appeared out of thin air?¡± ¡± Appeared out of thin air?¡± Zhai Heng, who was standing behind Zhai Tianyu turned to look at the shadow guard and asked, ¡± What do you mean by that?¡± ¡± Its just as I said, I did not see any dagger appearing in front of the Queen or behind her when she walked inside the forest but then all of a sudden there was a dagger that seemed to have materialised out of thin air,¡± Qui Rui was just as stunned as the two maids of the Queen, no dagger nor any person was hiding in the shadows but all of a sudden just in a few minutes there was a dagger and then the attack on Queen happened. Zhai Tianyu frowned as he looked at Qui Rui, he knew that this woman was truly loyal to him and there was no way she would ever lie to him. But if that was the case then how can a dagger appear out of thin air? He turned to look at Qui Rui and then asked, ¡± What was the queen doing before the attack happened?¡± ¡± She was digging the grave of a pregnant dead rabbit,¡± reported Qui Rui causing the three men to frown even more as they all turned to look at each other. A long silence stretched forward before Yu Lingyun frowned and said, ¡± So is this the Queen¡¯s new habit? Digging graves of the dead animals?¡± ¡ª¡ªnext chapter will be updated tomorrow, I am down with a fever. Chapter 359 - 359 A valiant hunt 359 A valiant hunt Zhai Tianyu did not say anything regarding this weird habit of his wife, he was sure that the queen had her own reasons for digging that grave which was hidden in the forest. But what made him wonder was whether the attack happened on Liu Hui Ying because she was the queen of the imperial family or did it happen because she was digging that rabbit¡¯s grave but why would anyone care for a small rabbit¡¯s grave? Behind him, he heard Yu Lingyun say in a terrified sort of voice, ¡± I feel like there is a chance that the queen is thinking of throwing the throne off with an army of dead rabbits.¡± His words caused Zhai Tianyu and Zhai Heng to turn around and look at him with matching expressions of disbelief on their face. ¡± Are you serious? Lingyun, rabbit army really?¡± Zhai Heng mused as he looked at his dear friend who looked like he was simply terrified of the idea of an army of dead rabbits. ¡± You have no idea how vicious, rabbits can be!¡± Yu Lingyun insisted as he looked at Zhai Heng and Zhai Tianyu. ¡± There was this one time a rabbit attacked me and it almost tore my finger off, just think what will happen if an army was to attack us? Don¡¯t you remember it too Zhai Heng? Your toe was also clipped by that rabbit!¡± With a reminiscent look on his face, Zhai Heng nodded and agreed with a hesitating voice, ¡± You are right, rabbits can be rather scary as well.¡± ¡± You see?¡± Yu Lingyun pointed at Zhai Heng causing Zhai Tianyu¡¯s expression to turn even more sullen. Zhai Tianyu continued to stare at the courageous general of his army and chuckled before turning to look away with a sobbing expression. ¡± This is the people that I raised and I dream of taking over the imperial city with them¡­¡± It would be good enough if these people do not sell his pants off if they get threatened by rabbits! Maybe he should just stick close to Liu Hui Ying even if she was raising an army of dead rabbits, he will cling to her thighs asking her to make him, the general of her army. And the first thing he will do will be send that army after these two idiots! ..... ¡­. Liu Hui Ying on the other hand did not know that suddenly the three men came up with a ridiculous theory. With Nanny Gong and Little Ai, she arrived at the hunting grounds where the hunting ceremony was going to be held. She looked at the small stage that was fixed in the middle of the hunting grounds and then turned her eyes to look at the burning torches that were sitting on the stand made of bamboo sticks on all four sides of the stage, a small staircase was situated in front of the stage. From the looks of it, it did look like it was some solemn ceremony. She turned to look at Nanny Gang and asked, ¡± What do I need to do here?¡± Now that she was going to do this thing, she might as well do it properly such that she will be able to get afortable bed in her bedroom. Her back was still aching from thest night¡¯s activities, throughout the entire time she was rolling on the ground after being kicked out by Witch Mao from the bed when she tried to sneak into her bed at thest moment! ¡± You just need to read the speech with all your vigour after his majesty hunts a deer valiantly, your majesty!¡± Nanny Gong told Liu Hui Ying with a smile on her face, seemingly looking rather happy that the young miss was finally willing to listen to her. She paused and then added with a solemn voice, ¡± And please do not do that vulgar dance on the stage, it¡¯s a very solemn ceremony.¡± ¡± All right, all right,¡± Liu Hui Ying waved her hand to wave aside the worry of Nanny Gong who was harping at the. Top of her head which made her slightly annoyed, she might be a bit unserious about the entire thing but she was not going to do anything shameful when the ceremony looked like it was rather serious. She still knew what tact was! ¡­. The ceremony of the autumn hunt was said to be held because it was believed that this ceremony blessed the imperial city with a vast and abundant amount of food in the winter when the number of grains wascking. This was why everyone was rather solemn while preparing for the ceremony even Liu Hui Ying was info teed by their solemn attitude and straightened up her spine as she waited for Zhai Tianyu toe such that the ceremony could begin. Zhai Tianyu took his sweet time before arriving but then again, he had to change his clothes which were dirty from the ride. Seeing him like change his clothes and his golden crown which looked heavier than hers after arriving at the hunting grounds, Liu Hui Ying turned to look at Nanny Gong and asked in a rather sullen voice, ¡± Why couldn¡¯t I have done the same?¡± Nanny Gong only nced at her with a soft expression and then said in a slightly cold voice, ¡± Because you are a woman, your majesty. You will have to jump down in the yellow river if one was to peep at you while you were changing your clothes here, which is why it is better to be safer than sorry.¡± Liu Hui Ying looked at the woman speechlessly, this woman even sent her to her bath with a transparent robe on her body, was this woman saying that she would have to jump in the yellow river just because someone saw her bare ankles or maybe wrists? Because there was no way anyone was seeing anything more! She stayed silent for a long time and then stated¡± Man, you all are hardcore, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 360 - 360 A valiant hunt —-2 360 A valiant hunt ¡ª-Though Liu Hui Ying had a lot to say, she decided to stay silent and refrained from saying anything more but at the same time, she started to miss her time. At least she could change her clothes anywhere at any time, she wanted without having to throw herself into the yellow river. She turned to look at Nanny Gong and then said, ¡± Why is it that his majesty¡¯s body can be seen by not only the concubines but just anyone without him throwing himself into the yellow river, Nanny?¡± The elderly woman turned to look at her as if she was looking at an idiot and then said in a soft yet exasperated voice, ¡± Because he is a man and the Emperor, your majesty. He has the responsibility to give the imperial family as many heirs as he can, what¡¯s more, he has the support of the heavens.¡± ¡± Uh huh, I am sure those old gods told him that he could wriggle wriggle his banana anywhere,¡± Liu Hui Ying scoffed under her breath causing Nanny Gong to tilt her head and question, ¡± Did you say something, your majesty?¡± ¡± I said that I am the time of my life here,¡± Liu Hui Ying told the woman hoping she will be able to get her sarcasm but when she saw the elderly woman looking at her with a sobbing expression as she looked at Liu Hui Ying like she was d that she was slowly maturing, Liu Hui Ying knew that her sarcasm missed the target. Liu Hui Ying rolled her eyes as she groaned, ¡± For goodness sake, give me a break.¡± ¡± His Majesty and Her Majesty, pleasee and grace these subjects and your people,¡± Liu Hui Ying heard the voice of Ji Yang who was standing at top of the stage with a gentle and amicable expression on his face, if anyone looked at his face, they will not be able to ever think that this man was hiding an evil spirit in his house. ¡± You are right about that,¡± she heard Witch Mao say as thetter walked beside her, Liu Hui Ying turned to look at the elderly ghost woman and then said, ¡± Are you not supposed to be asleep?¡± ¡± I slept for years,¡± replied the old woman with a roll of her eyes. ¡± I was getting bored which is why I came out, unlike those three who had enjoyed excitement for years, I stayed in the graveyard and simply watched the grave of that old hag.¡± ..... She paused and then turned to look at the stage where Zhai Tianyu was walking with Liu Hui Ying in tow, she rubbed her hands and said, ¡± I am excited to see this hunt as well, back in my time the emperors used to chase after hunts for an entire evening before returning with their game. Only that game was cooked on the first day and was offered to the gods.¡± The way Witch Mao was describing the scene, even Liu Hui Ying wanted to see the hunt, which was why she excitedly hopped onto the stage that was built at the centre of the hunting grounds. She watched as the priests who were called to grace the hunting ceremony handed the bow and arrow to Zhai Tianyu who was standing in the front of the stage. ¡± Now it is going to start,¡± said Witch Mao excitedly as she looked at Zhai Tianyu who took the bow and arrow. ¡± Now there will be a horse and he will jump on it gantly and¡ª¡ª¡± Her words were caught in her throat when she saw Zhai Tianyu stay where he was and instead of bringing a horse, the workers of the hunting ground brought a tied-up deer that was ced at a small distance away from Zhai Tianyu. ¡± Now you can shoot the deer, your majesty and inaugurate the ceremony,¡± Ji Yang told Zhai Tianyu who was trying hard to fight the blush that was climbing up his cheeks, just now of course he heard everything that Liu Hui Ying and Witch Mao said about the hunt and knew that they were excited about the hunt but the thing was that as the puppet emperor of the imperial city, he had never been taught archery or any other defence skills which were why he could not hunt the deer as the two of them wanted to watch. Never before he has ever felt this worse before, he looked at the deer that was harmlessly tied up behind him and then daringly peeked at Liu Hui Ying who was standing behind him. ¡® EEP.¡¯ It was a big mistake on his part. The second he turned to look at Liu Hui Ying, he saw her entire body enveloped with fire as she red at him and the deer and then at Nanny Gong who was pointedly ignoring her gaze. Looks like Nanny Gong also told some made-up stories about his valiant hunts to the queen. Feeling more than embarrassed, Zhai Tianyu drew the arrow and aimed at the deer but then he caught sight of Yu Lingyun and Zhai Heng who were shaking their heads furtively and could only loosen up the grip of his arrow and let it shoot out of the bow, only to fly for a few seconds before falling in front of the deer. He was sure that even the deer looked at the arrow and then raised his head to look at him while calling him dumbass in his head. As soon as the arrow dropped on the ground, a servant rushed forward and then picked up the arrow with a handkerchief tied around his hands and then in front of everyone he walked to the deer who was lying on the floor and then stabbed it with the arrow that was almost shot by the Emperor. The second the arrow stabbed the deer in the side and blood sprouted out, Ji Yang who was standing inside Liu Dong Ming who was looking at Zhai Tianyu as if he was looking at a fool, started pping loudly. ¡± Bravo! The Emperor has graced us with his blessings! He actually shot the arrow further than thest year.¡± Liu Hui Ying: Is this something to be proud of? Zhai Tianyu: Just kill me. Chapter 361 - 361 I will shoot you dead Nanny 361 I will shoot you dead Nanny Liu Hui Ying watched the gant, valiant and courageous hunt that took ce in front of her and pursed her lips tightly because she was sure that the second she opens her mouth, she will end up saying something rather rude. This was why she kept a tight lid on her mouth and only stared in front of her, she did not even turn to look at Zhai Tianyu who came to stand next to her. When she did not turn to look at him, she heard the man say, ¡± I can do better than this.¡± ¡± Sure, your esteemed Majesty.¡± She was not going to coddle his fragile male ego that was on the verge of snapping at the moment because right now she did not have the patience. She came here to see some dashing action¡ª¡ª the Emperor riding the horse that was handed to him and then hunting a deer from the forest. This was ¡­this was a stain on the name of the hunt! Give her back her entire morning! And take away the pain that was reverberating in her neck because of carrying this crown that was heavier than the sins of that Ji guy on her head! She suffered so much because of this? Liu Hui Ying¡¯s eyes flickered around as she looked at the crowd, her eyes searching for the woman who told her that she needed to look her best for the valiant show of bravery by the Emperor. If this was the show that the old woman was talking about then Liu Hui Ying was sure that she would have looked just fine ¡ª¡ª no excellent if she was to drape a rucksack on her body! However, no matter how much she looked for Nanny Gong she could not find her which annoyed Liu Hui Ying greatly. What thetter did not know was that at the moment, Nanny Gong was hiding behind the backs of the people who were standing in front of her. She was not the one who was at fault here either, when she was roaming around in the streets, she had often heard the brave tales of the Emperor about how he could hunt even bears with one arrow. Who would have thought that all those tales were nothing but lie? She was just as disappointed as the Queen! ¡± Your majesty,¡± Liu Hui Ying heard Ji Yang call her, she turned to look at the man and was not surprised when she saw him smile at her as if he and she were long-time best friends. ¡± Pleasee forward and say a few words, to give your blessings.¡± ..... Liu Hui Ying nodded as she strode in front of the stage and then looked at the crowd that was staring at her. She opened her mouth while the crowd waited for her in anticipation with their eyes focused on the Empress but then they heard the Empress say in a solemn voice, ¡± I give my blessings to thisnd with the hope that no one will sleep in cold and with an empty stomach. The end.¡± After she was done speaking she turned around to walk back and stand next to Zhai Tianyu who covered his face slightly with the bangs of his hair. ¡± You could have said a few more words, my queen,¡± said Zhai Tianyu to which Liu Hui Ying smiled and said, ¡± Perform a bit better the next time, your majesty and we will see.¡± Zhai Tianyu wanted to tell her that he was just pretending to be useless and was not really useless but then he heard Liu Hui Ying say about the next time and paused, not saying the words that were up in his throat. He turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was standing beside him, her eyes staring in the front as her hair which was tied loosely in a bun flickered behind her with the wind. The tassels of her crown moved back and front as the wind fluttered past them. It seemed like the Queen, herself did not know that she was now talking about the future with him without even thinking about going back to her world. A smile etched on his lips as he turned to look at the front but what he did not notice was that his soft smile was caught by Ji Yu who was sitting beside the Grand Dowager Empress and unfortunately for her, her grandaunt also caught the smile that was fluttering on the lips of the Emperor. ¡± Ouch,¡± Ji Yu winced when she felt someone pinch her arm, she turned to look at her grandaunt who was ring at her and heard the old woman say, ¡± Useless thing! I even arranged everything this morning to make sure that you will be able to get the Emperor on your side and create a rift between the Emperor and the Empress but look at you, why does it seem like the Emperor is now even more obsessed with the Empress? What did you do?¡± ¡± I did not do anything, your majesty,¡± Ji Yu felt aggrieved as she rubbed her reddened skin which had been pinched by her grandaunt and then said with a soft voice, ¡± His majesty is just smitten with the Queen what am I supposed to do? He does not even listen to me¡ª¡ª¡± ¡± Hah, you should be ashamed of saying such things,¡± The Grand Dowager Empress red at Ji Yu this time she turned her face to look at Ji Yu such that thetter will be able to bear the full burn of her re. ¡± You were with his majesty for years! Ever since he was a child and now you are saying that a woman who only came into the life of his majesty just a few days ago can snatch your position? Are you really that worthless, Ji Yu? If so then I guess bringing your cousin is not a stupid decision on part of your father!¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 362 - 362 I will shoot you dead nanny —-2 362 I will shoot you dead nanny ¡ª-The words of the Grand Dowager Empress were enough to make Ji Yu feel saddened, this was her family but instead of protecting her. They continued to threaten her, telling her to listen to them or else they will snatch thest thing that she thought of her as her own. Why were they like this? Ji Yu bit her lips, she was aggrieved by the threat that her grandaunt gave her but she could not say anything, she knew that other than the reason of her being the childhood best friend of the Emperor, the only reason she could be the imperial concubine was because of her family if they were to take their support away from her then Ji Yu was worried that she will soon fall from the glory since it did not take long for abandoned pieces to fall into an abyss. ¡± I will work hard, your majesty,¡± Ji Yu could only lower her stance, she knew that there was no point in trying to drag this matter for long because the Grand Dowager Empress will not listen to anything that she has to say anyway. ¡± You better do that, Ji Yu,¡± huffed the elderly woman as she turned to look at the stage, the sight in front of her seemed to be stinging the eyes of the Grand Dowager Empress who despised the Liu family with everything that she had, they killed her son and threw over the throne and pulled Zhai Tianyu to the throne. Though she loved her grandson, she still could not forgive the Liu family for killing her beloved son for something that he was not at fault for! Grand Dowager Empress turned to look at Ji Yu and then asked, ¡± Did you bring the poison with you ?¡± Her voice was exceptionally quiet and no one was able to hear her over the loud noises of the soldiers who were excited to hunt together with the officials. Ji Yu¡¯s face turned pale, a part of her wanted to say that she did not bring the poison with her but then she heard the Grand Dowager Empress lower her voice and sternly call her by her full name, ¡± Ji Yu, do not disappoint me right now.¡± Her words caused Ji Yu to shiver as she nodded and said, ¡± I...I have brought it with me, your majesty. Do not worry.¡± She was afraid to be abandoned, she did not want to be left behind in the shadows by her family. This was why even though she knew it was wrong, even though the thought scared her, she still answered the Grand Dowager Empress honestly. ..... The Grand Dowager Empress nodded and then said, ¡± Very well, make sure that you put it to good use,¡± she turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was trying to bnce the crown on top of her head and sneered, ¡± I wish to hear the good news as soon as I can.¡± With that, she pushed herself off the chair and then walked away leaving Ji Yu behind to keep on sitting on the small stage that was set up for her and the Grand Dowager Empress. She really wanted to ask the Grand Dowager Empress whether she forgot the fact that the Queen helped her a bit too soon because how can a woman smile while looking forward to the death of her benefactor? ¡­.. Liu Hui Ying returned to the small camp where she was going to live for the rest of the hunt and then barged right in as she ordered the maids who were following her, ¡± Hurry take this thing off me, as soon as you can or else I am afraid that I will die of suffocation.¡± ¡± You seemed to be exaggerating, your majesty,¡± said Nanny Gong who was following after Liu Hui Ying, she noticed several maids working on the crown while helping Liu Hui Ying to take the crown off her head and the robe that was clinging to her body and could not help but speak at the impatient actions of the Queen. ¡± Exaggerating?¡± Liu Hui Ying scoffed as she turned to look at Nanny Gong and sneered, ¡± The only one who is exaggerating here was you, nanny. What did you tell me? That the Emperor is gant and his huntings skills are top-notch¡ª¡ª you even went as far as picking the dress that is the heaviest one of all saying that I need to match with the vibe of his majesty who will be looking like an Asura on the battlefield when he will be hunting on the grounds. What happened to that?¡± Nanny Gong blushed upon hearing the words of Liu Hui Ying, she was indeed a bit just as shocked as the Queen but as a servant, she could notment on the Emperor and his lousy shooting skills which was why she lowered her head and cleared her throat before saying, ¡± It was indeed gant your majesty. You did not see it carefully but the way and the posture with which his majesty shot the arrow was brilliant. Out of this world, I am telling you.¡± Liu Hui Ying heard the praises that Nanny Gong was singing for the Emperor and then mimicked the old woman in a mocking voice, ¡± Out of this world, h h bleh.¡± Liu Hui Ying shrugged her shoulders as soon as the crown came off her shoulders and then turned to look at Nanny Gong and said in a stern voice, ¡± The next time you make a fool of me like this, Nanny¡­ I swear. I will be standing where his majesty was standing and you will be tied up and on the ground like the deer and unfortunately for you, I do not have the out-of-the-world posture, if I shoot at you, then you will surely get hit, got it?¡± Her words caused Nanny Gong to shiver as thetter nodded and agreed, ¡± I understand your majesty. I will keep it in my mind.¡± Chapter 363 - 363 Flirty old man 363 Flirty old man Nanny Gong shivered, she was worried that she will really be shot by an arrow which was she immediately put on a ttering smile on her lips as she rubbed her hands together and then said to Liu Hui Ying, ¡± Your majesty, you must be really hot. I will bring you something chilled to drink, what do you have to say about some Lychee juice? I heard that it was sent to the imperial court as an offering just this morning, the chef must have brought it with him.¡± ¡± That will be better,¡± Liu Hui Ying was pleased after establishing her authority, she was getting rather annoyed with the fact that Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai were getting a bit too friendly with her, maybe it was because she did not punish them as often as the original owner did which was why the two were getting a bit too open regarding their thoughts. She went to sit on the chair before she turned to look at Xiao Ai and then said with a small smile that did not look like a smile, ¡± I am feeling rather hot, Ai. Would you be sweet enough to fan me?¡± ¡± Your order is mymand, your majesty,¡± Xiao Ai was afraid that she will be the next one who will be yelled at by her majesty which was why she immediately put on a smile and started to fan Liu Hui Ying while Nanny Gong rushed to bring some Lychee juice for the queen. Liu Hui Ying who finally got rid of the two annoying leeches who were sucking her blood since morning by repeating the same words over and over again like a broken record, finally heaved a sigh of relief and thenfortably closed her eyes as she went to lean back on the seat on which she was sitting but then she heard Witch Mao¡¯s voice, ¡°What¡¯s this Lychee thing? Make sure to offer me some as well.¡± And now her annoyance metre was back in action. Nanny Gong who walked out of the tent where Liu Hui Ying was staying rushed to the tent where the chef was staying, she was rather upset that the queen was angry with her but there was nothing that she could say to Liu Hui Ying. She was the foolish one who thought that his majesty who was only engrossed in eighteen-plus books while spending his time enjoying his youth will be able to shoot an arrow. ¡± I was the one who was expecting too much,¡± Nanny Gong muttered as she hastily walked towards the tent where the chef and the rest of the imperial cooks were staying. ¡± I should have known, it was my fault¡­ now the Queen is upset and I will have to quench her anger lest she gets more annoyed and does something unexpected again.¡± The Liu Hui Ying of now scared Nanny Gong more than the previous one did, this Liu Hui Ying would not punish her or Xiao Ai, instead, she will do something unexpected to ease her annoyance. Thest time, her majesty started rapping some vulgar words while moving her hips saying that it was called Twerk it till you work it. It horrified Nanny Gong so much that she almost cried! ..... ¡± I have to make sure that she does not do that twerk thingy again or the pole dancing¡ª¡ªack,¡± Nanny Gong was still muttering when she knocked into someone and immediately raised her head to look at who was standing in front of her when she saw that it was the old caretaker of the graveyard, she immediately felt her brows jump as she asked the old man, ¡± What are you doing here?¡± The old caretaker was called Old Man He, and he used to have a rather major curse on Nanny Gong ever since she was young but to his utter despair the woman moved on to be the Nanny of the young miss of the Liu family and never came to see the outside world again. He hadn¡¯t expected to meet her here on the hunting grounds and immediately grinned happily as he replied, ¡± The chef is my cousin! He invited me out of the graveyard saying that I shoulde out of the graveyard and see something exciting other than the tombs of the imperial family.¡± Nanny Gong frowned and then said with a little doubt in her voice, ¡± Then who will take care of the graves with you being here?¡± Old man He was very happy when he saw that Nanny Gong was taking interest in him, he smiled cheekily and then said, ¡± There is another guard who will be taking care of the tomb until I am gone, but of course, I am so popr with the dead as well as the living that they will surely miss me.¡± As he spoke, he winked at Nanny Gong who calmly stared at her withoutughing at his poor joke. Herck of response caused Old Man He¡¯s smile to fall as he rubbed his long white moustache and then said, ¡± So why are you here, Miss Gong?¡± ¡± I am here for some Lychee juice for her majesty,¡± replied Nanny Gong who was d that they were finally talking about something important. ¡± It needs to be chilled andpletely fresh, her majesty will be fairly upset if it is lukewarm so please add some ice to it.¡± ¡± Lychee juice, sure why not!¡± Old man He snapped his fingers and winked at Nanny Gong again as he smiled what he thought was dashing and added, ¡± I will chop the Lychee myself making sure that it is fresher than ever and sweeter than honey just like you, Miss Gong.¡± Nanny Gong looked at her wrinkled hands that were covered with white powder before she raised her head and shook it lightly as she stated, ¡± I will be d if you do not do that, Mister Caretaker. Thest thing I want is for you to choose a shrivelled Lychee for her majesty, in fact, it will be better if you ask the chef to make it.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 364 - 364 Flirty old man——2 364 Flirty old man¡ª¡ª¡± No, that¡¯s not what I ¡­ you know what forget it,¡± Old Man He was not even surprised when he failed with his flirty remarks, this was why he never was able to get Nanny Gong to marry him. Since thetter was as dense as a brick and nothing get through her, if not then she would not be serving the queen for so long without a spouse by her side. His remark caused Nanny Gong to tilt her head in confusion but she did not say anything as long as she got the chilled lychee juice there was nothing else she needed to talk to Old Man He about. Seeing that Nanny Gong was not even asking him what he was trying to do, old Man He was upset but he could not simply shake thetter and tell her that he liked her. Because he knew that she will shoot him down as she had done to others. Every time any man tried to get close to her, she would refuse them saying that she needed to take care of the young miss¡ª¡ª that young miss was now the Queen but Nanny Gong was still fussing over Liu Hui Ying like she was a young child. Though he understood that it was because Nanny Gong thought that Liu Hui Ying still needed her since she grew up without a mother but Nanny Gong could still take some time off to look around for a dashing spouse right? He turned on his heels and walked inside the tent where he saw his cousin looking at him with his lips twitching and knew that his cousin must have heard him trying to flirt with Nanny Gong. ¡°Go ahead andugh, you have always been like this, if you were a better wingman, she would have be your sister-inw long ago,¡± Old Man He took his frustration out on his cousin who was already making a ss of lychee juice. ¡± I am notughing at you,¡± Chef He who was used to watching his cousin flirt with many women suppressed the curl of his lips and then turned around to pour the juice into a porcin bowl in which he had already ced ice cubes and then said, ¡± I am just trying to figure out how can you say such cheesy words without gagging, no wonder you only caught a few maids and not someone like Nanny Gong. She is way higher than your standard, Cousin, maybe try giving up now that you are so old.¡± He ced the porcin bowl on a wooden tray and then turned to hand it to his cousin who was ring at him. When Chef He saw his cousin re, he only teased him more and then said, ¡± You are already halfway in your grave what are you getting flirting with woman at your age?¡± ¡± Fck you!¡± Old Man He snatched the tray from his cousin and then walked out of the tent where heposed his expression and smiled at Nanny Gong who was standing in front of him with a polite expression and then offered her the lychee juice before saying, ¡°It just as you asked Miss Gong, cold and sweet. I am sure her majesty will like it.¡± ..... ¡± It will be better if she does,¡± Nanny Gong muttered as she looked at the slightly pink juice and then sighed, ¡± I will not be able to see that vulgarity again.¡± ¡± Vulgar what?¡± Old Man He was stunned when he heard Nanny Gong mutter these words, he looked at thetter in shock but before he could get a response from Nanny Gong, he saw thetter turning around and leaving without even replying to his question. He chased after Nanny Gong and said, ¡± What did you mean by that Miss Gong?¡± But the old woman who was in a hurry did not hear him causing Old Man He to look at her with concern as he muttered, ¡± Don¡¯t tell me that the queen is harassing her nanny? I did hear about her being rude to her servants. If so then I will have to save, Miss Gong!¡± ¡­.. ¡± Achoo!¡± Liu Hui Ying did not know that she was now the target of Nanny Gong¡¯s admirer, she stayed in the tent and sneezed loudly before raising her hand and wiping her nose. ¡± Who is bad-mouthing me now?¡± Nanny Gong, who arrived at the tent heard her words just as she entered and immediately said with a smile, ¡± Who will bad mouth you, your majesty? I will tear their mouths off.¡± Liu Hui Ying knew that the elderly woman was only saying such things to her because she wanted to butter her up after causing a disaster and smiled in a fake manner as she said, ¡± I am sure that the bad one mouthing me is you, Nanny Gong. After all, you have a lot ofints regarding me.¡± ¡± Of course not, your majesty,¡± Nanny Gong gasped as if she was hurt by Liu Hui Ying¡¯sments and then said in a soft voice, ¡± I assure you that no matter how much you drive me crazy, I will never have the nerve to bad mouth you, there is no way!¡± ¡± So you do admit that I drive you crazy, Nanny?¡± Liu Hui Ying cheekily teased the elderly woman who bit her tongue when she realised that she seemed to have gone a bit too far in the flow and let her internal thoughts be known by her majesty. Because Nanny Gong¡¯s fantasy wasn¡¯t being tied up like a deer and shot with an arrow, she immediately back peddled and replied with a smile on her face, ¡± Oh did I say that I drive you cThat¡¯s Thats not what I meant your majesty, what I meant was that I am crazy in love with you¡­ you are the sweetest girl in my eyes even if you are all grown up and I truly adore you, so no matter what you do, I will never bad mouth you.¡± As she spoke she even started to bat her eyes at Liu Hui Ying. Chapter 365 - 365 A new rival. 365 A new rival. ¡± You can stop now,¡± said Liu Hui Ying as she stared at the woman who was buttering her up, she was not her stupid baldy boss who would not be able to understand greasy praises that were oiled with the desire of staying alive. ¡± Right, you are your majesty,¡± Nanny Gong immediately wiped the smile off her face as she lowered her head and kept standing still at the entrance of the tent with the juice that she brought still in her hands. Liu Hui Ying stared at the bowing Nanny Gong for two minutes straight before she sighed and said, ¡± Nanny are you waiting for the juice to be soup?¡± Nanny Gong straightened up with a jerk as she looked at Liu Hui Ying with a frown when thetter pointed at the juice that she was holding in her hands and then said, ¡± The juice, you are supposed to give it to me, right?¡± Only then did Nanny Gong remember that she did not hand the juice to Liu Hui Ying, she hurried forward and then ced the juice in front of Liu Hui Ying with both her hands and apologised, ¡± Forgive me, your majesty. I am getting old which is why my memory is getting worse. I assure you, I did not deliberately keep the juice away from you.¡± Liu Hui Ying took the porcin bowl that was in front of her and then muttered softly, ¡± It would have been great if you forgot about torturing me with these tight clothes and crowns that weights a ton as well.¡± Her words caused Nanny Gong to smile as she shook her head and then said, ¡± That is impossible your majesty. Since these things were drilled in my head ever since I was young.¡± ¡± How young?¡±Liu Hui Ying asked thinking about whether or not she would be able to corrupt this highly strung old woman. Nanny Gong smiled and then responded with a smile, ¡± When I was thirteen, your majesty.¡± ¡± Just my luck,¡± Liu Hui Ying rolled her eyes. She had much better luck in stretching the tail of a dog straight than unwinding the cogs of Nanny Gong who was used to repeating the same words again and again about morals, conduct and rules. ¡± Did you say something, your majesty?¡± Nanny Gong asked when she heard Liu Hui Ying hiss something under her breath which made her tilt her head to the side and look at the young queen who raised the porcin bowl to her lips and then said, ¡± Nothing, I just said that you are a one in a million piece, Nanny.¡± ..... ¡± Oh you praise me too much, your majesty,¡± Nanny Gong blushed as she waved her hand and then walked to stand to the side while Liu Hui Ying smiled jeeringly and whispered, ¡± I am surrounded by idiots.¡± She took a sip of the juice and then nodded to herself as she changed her words. ¡°At least they are smart idiots.¡± Liu Hui Ying liked the lychee juice a lot since it was chilled with multiple ice cubes in it but as soon as she took another sip, she heard Witch Mao say, ¡± Oi, I need a sip as well.¡± ¡± I will give you a sip when I am done,¡± Liu Hui Ying answered as she licked her lips enjoying the sweet deliciousness that was coated on her lips. She did not even take three sips yet and this witch wanted to take a sip? Who was the boss here exactly? Witch Mao frowned as she pursed her lips and looked at the juice that looked really good and then without thinking anything she pounced on Liu Hui Ying causing thetter to shiver. ¡± What are you doing?¡± Liu Hui Ying snapped at the ghost of the witch who was hugging her from behind while ring at her. Witch Mao smiled at her such that she opened her mouth with the ckened teeth causing Liu Hui Ying to gag as she almost passed out from the smell. ¡°Now you are cold right?¡± Witch Mao said brazenly as she kept hugging Liu Hui Ying who tried to keep her nose out of the face that was sticking close to her own, lest she watched her nose fall on the ground after rotting off. ¡± Now give me the juice that is cold and you get warmed up.¡± ¡± You freaking sly old hag,¡± Liu Hui Ying was mad enough to clench her teeth and knock the witch off her but she was still useful to her which was why Liu Hui Ying settled on just ring at the woman with her lips pursed as she ced the juice on the table. But what witch Mao did not notice was that Liu Hui Ying furtively added some chilly powder to the juice, since she was a lover of spicy food, she was afraid that she will not be able to get the same amount of spiciness in this wilderness which was why she brought a handful of chilli powder with her. Who would have thought that it wille in handy like this? Liu Hui Ying sneered as the old witch rushed to the juice that was sitting on the table and lowered her face to take a sip. Did this old witch think that she was a soft persimmon that she could beat at any time? Hehe, in her dreams! Just as Witch Mao took a sip and her lips that were parched touched the spicy juice, her eyes widened as she let out a scream, ¡± SPICY! GAHH SO SPICY!¡± Witch Mao was not prepared for the sweet juice to suddenly turn spicy which was why she was even more startled while she rushed to drink some water, the guards who were standing outside the tent of Liu Hui Ying announced in a loud voice, ¡± The third Concubine, Concubine Xin is asking for entrance, your majesty!¡± Liu Hui Ying frowned as she turned to Nanny Gong and asked, ¡± And who might be this?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 366 - 366 A new rival ——2 366 A new rival ¡ª¡ª¡± She is the third Concubine, Concubine Xin, your majesty.¡± Nanny Gong repeated the words that were announced by the guards causing Liu Hui Ying¡¯s brows to twitch. With her lips curled in a smile that did not reach her eyes, Liu Hui Ying turned to look at Nanny Gong and remarked sarcastically hoping that the sarcasm would get past the elderly woman this time, ¡± I funnily figured that out myself, maybe if you would be kind enough to give me a bit more information, it would be nice, Nanny Gong.¡± Who knew whether or not Nanny Gong understood her sarcasm or not but she still blinked her eyes and then said with a soft voice, ¡± Concubine Xin is the new Concubine who was added to the harem by her father, Minister Xin after the death of Concubine Liu. It was said that if a concubine¡¯s spot was left empty and their numbers became uneven then it will be unlucky which is why the ministers forced his majesty to take another Concubine.¡± Nanny Gong paused and then added, ¡± She is yet to be legally ced under the name of the imperial family but his majesty spent a night with her and even promoted Concubine Xin since thetter cooked a dish with fish that was said to be very delicious.¡± ¡± Oh,¡± was all Liu Hui Ying said, she raised a brow and then smiled widely as she tapped on the armrest of the chair on which she was sitting and then said with a smile, ¡± So his majesty likes fish eh?¡± Liu Hui Ying did not say anything more which made everyone pause in their work. They did not know whether the Queen was angry or not since she did not say anything, Nanny Gong leaned her waist such that she was looking at Liu Hui Ying¡¯s face directly. When Liu Hui Ying saw Nanny Gong look her in the eyes with an awkward posture she turned her head to look at Nanny Gong and asked with a waspish voice, ¡± What?¡± Nanny Gong shook her head and then straightened up at once, her gaze met with the worried Xiao Ai who raised her eyebrows asking the elderly woman what was going on but thetter shook her head and asked her to stay put. Liu Hui Ying on the other continued to smile as she leaned back in her chair. ..... ¡® So that guy likes to eat fish so much? I hope that man will choke on a fish bone and die!¡¯ Liu Hui Ying cursed Zhai Tianyu in her head while Witch Mao who was done drinking the water in the vat that was sitting behind in the tent, panted like a dog and then rushed to Liu Hui Ying¡¯s side as she said, ¡± What is up with you? Were you the one who spiked up the juice with chilli powder¡ª¡ª¡± Witch Mao was still speaking but when Liu Hui Ying turned to look at thetter with an expression on her face that scared the wits out of Witch Mao, thetter straightened up and then said, ¡± You take your time, little girl.¡± Liu Hui Ying turned to look at the p of the tent where the Concubine Xin was standing and narrowed her eyes with an unfriendly gaze in them causing Nanny Gong to swallow a mouthful of saliva and ask, ¡± Should I let Concubine Xine inside, your majesty?¡± ¡± And why won¡¯t you let our dear Concubinee inside? Nanny?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked with a sweet smile which made Nanny Gong light up a candle for Zhai Tianyu in her heart. ¡°She is the precious concubine of His esteemed majesty, did you not say that he promoted her in just one night?¡± She then lowered her voice and hissed sharply, ¡± I am asking for an upgrade of the courtyard but has the man listened to me? No! Fcking bastard.¡± Nanny Gong smiled even though her head was going to burst with pain as she walked to the p of the tent where she invited the concubine who was standing outside the tent. ¡± Pleasee inside, Concubine Xin, her majesty invites you into her tent,¡± Nanny Gong said to Concubine Xin who was standing outside and stepped aside as the maids of Concubine Xin pushed the ps of the tent aside so that their mistress could walk inside the tent without any trouble at all. Liu Hui Ying raised her head and looked at Concubine Xin who looked like one of those seductive beauties who can easily make some big boss cheat on his wife. Her gaze dipped as it fell on the bosom of thetter and Liu Hui Ying felt an arrow piercing her heart as she realised that the woman was the proud bearer of the double D¡¯s that she once had! She dipped her gaze and looked at the almost t bosom of her and pursed her lips tightly. So he likes them big, huh? ¡® What a pervert.¡¯ Liu Hui Ying thought in her head as anotherbel was stuck to Zhai Tianyu who had no idea what was going on while Concubine Xin who just entered the tent bent her waist and in a sweet voice greeted Liu Hui Ying, ¡± This Concubine, greets her majesty.¡± ¡± You may rise,¡± Liu Hui Ying said to Concubine Xin who smiled as she straightened up maybe it was because she was wearing a loose sleeves robe but that bosom of hers was moving a bit too much causing Liu Hui Ying¡¯s eyes to twitch. What was this? Was this woman challenging her because she wascking feminine attributes? Witch Mao also looked at the young woman who came inside the tent and then whistled sharply, ¡± You have got some tough contender there,pared to that mini bumps of yours, I am surely picking those melons, if I was a man.¡± Liu Hui Ying whose heart was aimed at again gritted her teeth and then turned to look at Witch Mao before she sneered, ¡± At least I look like a woman unlike you who looks like a man trapped in a woman¡¯s body.¡± Chapter 367 - 367 Nanny Gong’s desperate fight 367 Nanny Gong¡¯s desperate fight ¡± I hope you are well, your majesty?¡± Concubine Xin who was now sitting on the small chair that was brought inside by the maids, smiled at Liu Hui Ying who was looking at her while trying to deduce what exactly this woman wanted from her as far as she knew, the two of them have never met, this woman has never visited her courtyard to pay her respects and Liu Hui Ying did not even know that this woman was appointed as the concubine of the imperial harem. But she still pursed her lips in a smile and then nodded before replying, ¡± I am in good health, concubine Xin.¡± ¡± Is that so, then I am d,¡± Concubine Xin ced a hand on her chest as she heaved a sigh of relief, she then shook her head and then worriedly added, ¡± I was just thinking why was it that her majesty did note to send me a gift after I joined the imperial family.¡± Even if Liu Hui Ying was not as quick in cat fights she was able to pick up the scent of the gunpowder that was floating in the tent after Concubine Xin finished speaking. Liu Hui Ying frowned as she turned to look at Nanny Gong who patted her chest and told Liu Hui Ying not to worry before she turned to look at Concubine Xin and stated in a firm voice, ¡± It has nothing to with the health of her majesty, your highness. Since you are yet to be legally listed under the imperial family, you are new here which is why you do not know that her majesty can only wee a concubine after she is legally listed under the imperial family, and since Concubine Liu passed away just recently, it will be a bit too rude of her majesty to send you a gift when she is still in the mourning.¡± Nanny Gong then opened her eyes and then smiled at the concubine who was trying to find fault with her mistress, though the elderly woman was smiling there was no warmth in her eyes. She then added, ¡± This is understandable though, after all, Concubine Xin is new in the imperial harem, or else she would havee to pay respects to her majesty every morning.¡± Her words caused Concubine Xin¡¯s smile to falter slightly but then the woman hitched her lips back up in a smile before she turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and then said, ¡± Your nanny is really amazing, your majesty, she is very knowledgeable.¡± ¡± Yes she is,¡± Liu Hui Ying could see that Concubine Xin was trying to taunt her but she did not y along with her rules instead she leaned on her chair and stared at Concubine Xin before asking, ¡± And you are here because?¡± Concubine Xin came here because her father asked her to assert dominance in front of Liu Hui Ying, he said to her that she should try to make her presence known in front of the queen such that she will be able to be a threat to her majesty but as Concubine Xin sat in front of Liu Hui Ying, she could not help but feel that she was punching cotton, no matter how much she tried to say anything to irk the woman, Liu Hui Ying was like a statue of calmness, ..... In the end, she could only tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear and then shyly say to Liu Hui Ying, ¡± Your majesty, I was wondering if I may ¡­ I wanted to ask you how do you keep his majesty enthralled?¡± ¡± I do what?¡± Liu Hui Ying questioned with a shocked look on her face as she heard Concubine Xin¡¯s words. ¡± Keeping his majesty enthralled,¡± replied the woman with a smile as if she was not saying something that was going to piss Liu Hui Ying of very much. ¡± Everyone in the imperial pce knows that her majesty is very capable ¡ª¡ª¡± she smiled with a hint of contempt in her eyes as she added, ¡± It is said that his majesty can forget any woman in the harem but he will never forget visiting her majesty.¡± Nanny Gong trembled in anger when she heard the words of the obnoxious concubine, wasn¡¯t she using her words to target the queen and mentioning ever so subtly that her majesty was actually blowing air on the pillow of his majesty to make it so that he will never visit any other Concubine? Concubine Xin who saw that the maids who were working under the queen were now looking at her with unsightly expressions cheered inwardly feeling rather overjoyed that she has finally done something that caused these people to react. Now all she needed was for her majesty to get angry with her and say some rude words, maybe it will be better if she ps her in the face or something of the sort that way, she will be able to make use of her injuries to cuddle up to his majesty! ¡± She is taunting me is she not?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked Jia Li who has appeared out of her tablet in which she slept such that she will be able to see the drama, the second she got a whiff of a catfight going on. ¡± Oh she is,¡± Jia Li nodded as she and Witch Mao munched on the sunflower seeds that were sitting on the table next to Liu Hui Ying, she turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and then broke down the entire conversation in a manner that Liu Hui Ying will be able to understand and then said, ¡± She is basically calling you jealous and petty, a woman who cannot see her man with another woman even though you are the Empress. She ismenting on your selfishness and ming you in an undertone for making the Emperor ignore the other concubines.¡± Jia Li then paused and chewed on the sunflower seeds before saying, ¡± Basically she is trying to elicit a response from you. Such that she will be able to cry about itter on.¡± Liu Hui Ying raised a brow as she turned to look at Concubine Xin who was still smiling and then a smile came to her lips as well. ¡® Oh she was trying to get a reaction out of me, then there is no way she will not get one.¡¯ ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 368 - 368 Nanny Gong’s desperate fight ——2 368 Nanny Gong¡¯s desperate fight ¡ª¡ªLiu Hui Ying was no coward who will run away from a fight that came looking for her on its own which was why she pushed herself from the chair on which she was sitting and then turned to look at the concubine Xin who was looking at her with a fake scared look on her face. Seeing the girl look at her as if she was terrified of her, Liu Hui Ying smiled at her and then turned to look at the p of her tent¡¯s entrance and then said in a loud voice, ¡± Guards bring a strong, sturdy pole!¡± Her words caused a wave of shock to reverberate in the tent, while the people who came with Concubine Xin were shocked and thrilled upon seeing the queen taking the bait. The people who were under Liu Hui Ying were shocked and terrified for apletely different reason, especially Nanny Gong who turned to look at Xiao Ai and asked in a whisper, ¡± She is not doing what I think she is going to do, right Little Ai?¡± If this was before Xiao Ai would have seen through her majesty¡¯s actions but she could no longer do that which was why she pursed her lips while hugging the fan that was in her hands and replied in a soft voice, ¡± I have no idea, Nanny Gong ¡­.¡± She licked her lips and then continued, ¡± But from what I can see, it is going to be really that¡­¡± ¡± Oh, my blood pressure!¡± Nanny Gong swooned on the spot as she was caught by the other two maids who were behind her. ¡± Don¡¯t pass out now nanny!¡± One of the maids said to the elderly woman. ¡± Thats right, Nanny Gong,¡± said the other maid who was holding Nanny Gong by her arm, her face was covered with a terrified expression as she hurriedly spoke, ¡± You still need to stop her Majesty or else she will do something that we will all regret, I am not sure if I can live through that embarrassment again.¡± Nanny Gong however shook her head with her fingertips touching her chest as she sobbed in a whiny voice, ¡± Just let me die in peace¡­ I am an old woman, I cannot do this anymore..¡± as she spoke, she panted like her soul was leaving her body but just as the flicker of something white left her mouth, Little Ai and the other two maids caught it and stuffed it back into the mount of Nanny Gong. ¡± You cannot die yet, Nanny Gong!¡± The maid on the left screamed as she rummaged through the pouch that was carried by Nanny Gong and when she found the medicinal pill that was used to suppress the hiking blood pressure of Nanny Gong, she tried to shove it in the mouth of the elderly woman but Nanny Gong was even more stubborn. ..... She did not want to witness this sight that was going to happen in front of her which was why she kept her mouth locked. It was better to be knocked unconscious than watch her majesty do those things! But the maids including Little Ai were even more stubborn. The maid who was holding the pill in her hand was called Qi Qiao, and just like her name she was stubbornly aspiring, now that she aspired to shove the pill inside the mouth of Nanny Gong, she did not let go of the matter, instead she turned to Little Ai and the other maid and said, ¡± Little Ai, Little Lin, you wrench her jaw open and I will make her swallow this pill.¡± ¡± All right.¡± ¡± Okay!¡± Little Ai and Little Lin started wrenching Nanny Gong¡¯s mouth, while Little Lin had her fingers in the nostrils of Nanny Gong as she pulled thetter¡¯s mouth upwards, Little Ai ruthlessly pulled Nanny Gong¡¯s mouth downwards. But even though Nanny Gong was old, she tried to put up a desperate fight. She did not open her mouth no matter what in the end Qi Qiao who was afraid that the show will start, she hurriedly started tickling Nanny Gong on her soles. The tickle tricked worked and Nanny Gong burst outughing and as soon as she opened her mouth tough Little Ai and Little Lin pulled her mouth apart while Qi Qiao shoved the pill inside her mouth. But Nanny Gong who knew that even the heavenly bodies could no longer stop Liu Hui Ying immediately spat the pill out as she spoke in a slightly nosy voice, ¡± I will die but I will not eat this and watch this monstrosity.¡± ¡± You will not eat this, Nanny Gong?¡± Qi Qiao narrowed her eyes as she rolled her sleeves and then said, ¡± I am asking you thest time, listen to me when I am being nice.¡± However, Nanny Gong shook her head stubbornly causing Qi Qiao to nod her head as she picked up the medicinal pill and then said with a stubborn look on her face as well, ¡± Even your ancestors will eat it, I will see how you will not eat it!¡± With that, she ced the pill on the lips of Nanny Gong and then curled her fingers in a fist and ¡ª¡ª Bang! She punched the pill such that it went inside Nanny Gong¡¯s mouth in one sweep move. As soon as the pill rolled down Nanny Gong¡¯s mouth, thetter gulped it unconsciously and the second she realised what happened to her just now, she threw her head back and then cried, ¡± You monsters! You just had to make this old woman suffer in her old age! You could have let me die peacefully without facing the wrath of the heavens!¡± ¡± I don¡¯t care, you can die after you put a stop to this, Nanny!¡± Qi Qiao had no sympathy for Nanny Gong who tried to tap out of this fight leaving the three of them alone. While the maids fussed between themselves Concubine Xin was in another world, the pole was yet toe but the woman was already imagining herself being coddled by the Emperor. Chapter 369 - 369 She went too far 369 She went too far Concubine Xin did not think that what she was thinking was wrong at all, after all, why will the queen ask for the guards to bring a pole? Isn¡¯t it because she wanted to hit her with something heavy and teach her a good lesson? The more Concubine Xin thought the more she felt that what she was thinking was reasonable which was why she nodded to herself and then started to act out her part. She raised her body from the chair and with a plop she went down on her knees, ¡± Your majesty,¡± she cried dramatically, her voice loud enough for the people to hear her from the outside. ¡± Please do not hurt me, I am sorry ¡­this poor concubine did not know that her words will cause you to get angry which is why I will beg for your forgiveness¡­what in the world is that?¡± Concubine Xin was going all out but then she saw the guards bringing a very sturdy and long pole with a round bottom at the base and her eyes widened, was the Queen going to tie her to that thing and hit her with a whip, she ¡­she was too ruthless! ¡± My queen!¡± Concubine Xin was worried that she will be whipped which was why she turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and begged, this time a bit more sincerely. ¡± I apologise but please don¡¯t do this to me.¡± However, her voice trailed off as the guards retreated and then closed the p of the tent while Liu Hui Ying took out her outer garment causing Nanny Gong to shriek in pure agony and pain. ¡± Oh dear lord, take me¡­take my soul and dump it in hell if you wish but I cannot watch this!¡± Her shriek caused Concubine Xin to cover her chest as she looked at Liu Hui Ying whose expression did not look too kind or even normal. What¡­what was going to happen to her now? Was the queen ¡ª¡ª Concubine Xin¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at Liu Hui Ying, she had once heard from her mother that a woman who could not get enough action on the bed with the Emperor would turn to the women in the harem ¡­don¡¯t tell her¡ª¡ª- ¡± Your majesty, for the love of god please spare me!¡± Concubine Xin cried in sheer terror while Liu Hui Ying raised the skirt that she was wearing up to her calves and then said, ¡°It¡¯s toote for you to beg now!¡± ....... ..... ¡± What did you say?¡± Zhai Tianyu was sure that he was mishearing things but then he heard the eunuch who was supposed to be keeping eye on the Queen shiver with his head lowered as he repeated what he just said, ¡± The third concubine has gone to see her majesty.¡± Zhai Tianyu¡¯s first reaction was to stand up from the seat in which he was sitting before he started to pace in the tent where he was staying. He did not wish to create misunderstanding between him and his wife but it was as if their rtionship was bound to fill with them, a few days ago, Ji Yang and his supporting ministers came to him and told him that he needed to take another Concubine since the number of women in the harem has be uneven. At first, he wanted to deny but then when his uncle told him that they needed the support of the Xin family, Zhai Tianyu had no other choice but to agree with him, though he knew that Ji Yang was only doing this to regain some lost face as long as he did not go too far Zhai Tianyu was going to let him have his way, at least then the man would not doubt him. He went to Concubine Xin¡¯s ce and did what he did with every concubine, he waited until she slept under the effect of incense and then dropped a bit of pig¡¯s blood on the bed sheet to make it look like something happened when nothing happened in reality, and the reason he promoted her was such that she will note harping on his back and her family will stay away from him as well but he did not expect that this woman was even more idiotic than he thought she was ¡ª¡ª just what kind of a freaking idiot will go and meet the queen? After spending just one week in the imperial harem? It was fine if she wanted to die but ¡­. ¡± Why did she have to drag me to this newly dug pit of death and decay?¡± Zhai Tianyu dragged his hands over his face as he groaned. All he wanted was a day of peace and yet he could not get one! He turned to look at the eunuch who jumped in fear upon seeing the expression of the king and then heard the king say, ¡± How long has it been since concubine Xin went to look for her Majesty?¡± ¡± It¡­It has been more than half an hour¡­¡± the eunuch replied while trembling like a quail and Zhai Tianyu who was looking at him tilted his head with a disbelieving look on his face as he said in a loud voice, ¡± And you are telling me this now? Are you out of your freaking mind!¡± With that, he wore his shoes in a hurry and then rushed out of the tent while being chased by the eunuch who fell a step behind his master and screamed after the Emperor, ¡± Your majesty, the Emperor¡¯s pace is supposed to be dignified, calm and unhurried like the peace of the nation¡ª¡ª Gack!¡± The man who was speaking felt his cor getting pulled in front by the Emperor who stopped in his path and then turned to look at the eunuch with a serious expression on his face, ¡± You know what, Eunuch Yao? You are like half an hourte when I told you that you need to ry everything that is happening to the Queen in just ten minutes!¡± ¡± I apologise, your majesty ¡­I...I made a mistake,¡± the eunuch lowered his head as he apologetically looked at the Emperor whoughed mockingly and then sneered before coldly saying, ¡± You are right, you have made a mistake but do you have any idea how much this mistake of yours is going to create a drama, where my manhood will be on ced on stake? Do you know it, you don¡¯t, right?¡± When the man shook his head, Zhai Tianyu smiled and then said, ¡± So Shut up and let me run as I want!¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 370 - 370 She went too far——2 370 She went too far¡ª¡ªZhai Tianyu let go of the eunuch who was chattering in his ears as he rushed out of his tent, no sooner did he walk out of the tent, than Yu Lingyun and Zhai Heng who were discussing the safety measures of the autumn hunt turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who was walking as if his entire country has been set on fire. ¡± What is the matter with his majesty now?¡± Yu Lingyun questioned, since they were out in the public he could not call Zhai Tianyu by his name which was why he used the title of his majesty while addressing the man who was briskly walking towards the spot where her majesty¡¯s tent was located. Zhai Heng frowned, he too has never seen his brother in a hurry like that which was why he shrugged his shoulders and answered, ¡± I have no idea, shall we go and ask?¡± It would be too much if someone saw Zhai Tianyu walking like this and wrote another memorandum on how the Emperor was not following the basicw and order of being the Emperor. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Yu Lingyun too was of the same thought as Zhai Heng which was why they rushed towards Zhai Tianyu¡¯s side and then caught hold of the man who was in a hurry as if his spot in the reincarnation line was going to be snatched away any second now. ¡°What is wrong with you, your Majesty?¡± Zhai Heng who was Zhai Tianyu¡¯s older brother spoke with a slightly reprimanding voice as he started to walk side by side with Zhai Tianyu. ¡± Why are you walking so briskly? What if the right or the left prime minister sees you and have you forgotten, The grand dowager Empress and Dowager Empress are also here?¡± Zhai Tianyu did not slow down his pace instead he calmly replied, ¡± Concubine Xin has gone to meet Her Majesty.¡± At first, neither Zhai Heng nor Yu Lingyun understood what Zhai Tianyu was saying but then suddenly they seemed to have realised what was happening and Yu Lingyun hurriedly asked, ¡± How long has it been? And why did you not stop that foolish woman from baiting the devil?¡± ¡± Her majesty is not the devil,¡± Zhai Tianyu corrected Yu Lingyun while Zhai Heng followed after his brother and nodded as he agreed with Zhai Tianyu, ¡± That is right, the Queen is not the devil.¡± Yu Lingyun rolled his eyes and said with an impatient voice, ¡± Oh. All right, she is the heavenly angel descending the heavens to bless us all with her powers and beauty¡­now that we are done with this, can we go back to the question that I asked just now? How long has it been? And why was no one there to stop the third concubine?¡± ..... ¡± I left a eunuch but he made a mistake ¡­¡± Zhai Tianyu replied with a frown as he increased his pace when he saw the tent of Liu Hui Ying and then added, ¡± It has been more than half an hour already.¡± ¡± Half an hour? Oh dear lord, I am sure that if that woman is as stupid as she was when I saw her the first time, we are not even finding her bone!¡± Yu Lingyun remarked as he too chased after his friends. The three men arrived at the tent and ignoring the guards ¡ª¡ª ¡®You cannot go in there yet your majesty,¡¯ Zhai Tianyu pushed the p of the door open and walked in followed by his two loyal arms. However, the horrifying sight that they were expecting did note in front of their eyes instead what they saw was the queen in her inner garment with her leg stretched in a V while she was holding the bamboo pole for her dear life and had her back arched such that she was showing her generous bosom to Concubine Xin whose eyes were wide with her nose was red with blood trickling down her nostrils. Nanny Gong was beating her chest while Qui Ai was trying to cover her eyes but was failing miserably as she tried to hold herself back from seeing the dance of Liu Hui Ying. Then to Zhai Tianyu¡¯s surprise, Liu Hui Ying who was on the pole-like thing moved again with a graceful move which elicited a response from his little brother while he heard stuttering, ¡± Oh, mother,¡± Almost immediately he turned to look at Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun whose mouths were open and then gasped before he raised his hand and covered the eyes of the two men and hissed, ¡± Do you wish to lose your eyes? Out! Both of you out!¡± Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun did not need to be told the same thing twice, they turned on their heels and then walked out of the tent while Zhai Tianyu took onest nce at the long milky legs that were curled around the pole as Liu Hui Ying raised her skirt even further and then painfully walked out of the tent. As soon as he walked out of the tent he sharply asked the two men who were staring at the horizon with wide eyes, ¡± Did you see anything?¡± ¡± I did not,¡± replied Yu Lingyun not even daring to look at his friend as he tried to wipe his memory clean, he did not know the colour of anything so let him off! ¡± What about you, elder brother?¡± Zhai Tianyu questioned his brother sharply who shook his head in denial but his mouth was still agape as he looked in the front with eyes that were popping out of their sockets. Zhai Tianyu had the ps of the tent closed as he breathed in and out while trying to calm his heart and then he said determinedly, ¡± I need to scold the queen this time, she went too far!¡± At his words, both Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun looked at the small tent in front of his clothes and then said consecutively, ¡± But before that bring your heavenly weapon down your majesty.¡± Chapter 371 - 371 The Emperor’s rival 371 The Emperor¡¯s rival Zhai Tianyu felt heat rush up on his face as he covered his heavenly weapon and then turned to look at the two men who were teasing him before raising his voice, ¡± What? I am still young ¡ª¡ª do you think that I will not ¡­ just stop staring!¡± This was the first time Zhai Tianyu was feeling like this, even with Ji Yu, he never felt his body react like this, was it because he was slightly attracted to the queen or was it because he saw the woman whom he liked to show off her calves? Either way, this was not good! He was the Emperor damn it! Just what kind of Emperor gets h*rny at the sight of his wife¡¯s calves and thighs? At this point, he will be holding a record if he and Liu Hui Ying ever did the deed! Of two-second performance! ¡± Imperial mother!¡± Zhai Tianyu thought of something before he closed his eyes and then started remembering his mother who always looked at him like she wished he was born as a potato than a son. ¡± Think of imperial mother and everything will be fine!¡± As soon as Zhai Tianyu saw his mother¡¯s disgusted look sh in front of his eyes, his body calmed down and he heaved a sigh before he turned to look at the tent as he said to the guard, ¡± Make the announcement and make it loud!¡± He did not want his queen to not hear the announcement and continue with that dance¡­ The guard gave a look to Zhai Tianyu before he nodded and then cleared his voice before he screamed at the top of his lungs, ¡± His Majesty, The Emperor has arrived!¡± No sooner did the guard scream, there was another scream which sounded a lot like a chicken getting strangled as the woman inside screamed, ¡± NOOOOOOOO!¡± The three men including the two guards turned to look at the ps of the tent as Yu Lingyunmented in a light voice, ¡± You are not very weed are you, your majesty?¡± ..... ¡± Shut up!¡± Zhai Tianyu snapped with an annoyed expression on his face, he heard the loud ¡®no¡¯ that echoed just now as well, there was no need for Yu Lingyun to do amentary on the side. As soon as the announcement was done, heavy sounds started to echo inside the tent while, Zhai Tianyu waited for the people inside to finish cleaning while he waited for the women inside the tent to invite him. The p of the tent was then opened and then the third concubine who was newly appointed as the imperial concubine rushed out. Her face was bright red while her breathing wasboured, Zhai Tianyu looked at her nose which was covered with blood and frowned before asking, ¡± Are you quite all right, Concubine Xin?¡± But no matter what he said it was as if the woman was in a daze, she looked at Zhai Tianyu with her eyes ssy as she nodded and muttered, ¡± Oh yes, I am alright your majesty.¡± Though she said that Zhai Tianyu looked at the way she was staring at him in a daze and a bad premonition rose in his heart. And sure enough, he heard the concubine say, ¡± Her majesty is amazing your majesty¡­ I never thought that ¡­.¡± She stopped mid-sentence and then blushed furiously causing Zhai Tianyu to feel an rm ring in the back of his head. ¡± Concubine Xin?¡± Zhai Tianyu tried to smile at the new Concubine hoping that the woman would react to his smile somehow but thetter simply stared at him with those glossy eyes. ¡® Damn!¡¯ Zhai Tianyu cursed. ¡® Just what happened inside? Howe the concubine who was after him till now was now blushing upon thinking about the queen?¡¯ Concubine Xin was in no condition to reply to Zhai Tianyu, her eyes were still shing with the seductive moods of her majesty, even though what her majesty did should be considered as vulgar but Concubine Xin did not think as the others in fact she who was very much interest in various dance forms thought that what the queen performed was nothing less than art! ¡± Your Highness, I think we should leave,¡± the maid who was with Concubine Xin was even more speechless, they were here to get into a scuffle with the queen and gain the sympathy of the Emperor but why was it that her mistress kept praising the queen while pping her hands when the queen was dancing on that pole but now she was not even saying a word to the Emperor? Just what was up with her? No matter what, I need to get concubine Xin away from here first! The maid thought in her head as she was afraid that something might happen ¡ª¡ª and by something she meant ¡ª¡ª She raised her head and looked at the emperor who was standing in front of them and caught the jealousy that was shing in his eyes and almost cried. ¡® Why? They came here to make the Queen jealous and not the Emperor why was it that their n was backfiring like this?¡¯ The maid was crying inside but she still pushed and tugged her mistress away from the Emperor who seemed to be close to exploding. ¡± Your Highness pleasee with me,¡± said the maid as she tugged concubine Xin who was sighing as she muttered, ¡± But her majesty¡ª¡ª¡± ¡± Yes, yes, we will see her majesty very soon but not now.¡± Yu Lingyun waited for the procession of the third concubine to leave before he turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and then said in a low voice, ¡± You are not jealous of the third concubine, are you, your majesty, by any chance?¡± Zhai Tianyu turned to look at Yu Lingyun and smilingly said, ¡± My wife just performed a rather exclusive dance for the first time for my concubine who seems like she wants to ravage my official wife, from what angle do I look jealous to you?¡± Yu Lingyum: ¡°...¡±Angle? Your majesty, you look like you stepped out of a vinegar jar! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Yu Lingyun did not say anything in response instead he turned to look at Zhai Heng hoping to see someradeship but he did not find anyradeship in the eyes of his other friend, what he found was the same green envy that was in the eyes of Zhai Tianyu. Yu Lingyun: ¡°...¡± You have to be kidding me! Just what kind of heavenly fairy was her queen? She was seducing men and women left and right! Wait¡ª¡ª A sudden thought came to Yu Lingyun¡¯s head as he ced his hand over his mouth and pondered over everything that was happening around him. The queen was affecting everyone but not him¡ª¡ª did it mean? A sh shot through his head as he thought, ¡®Doesn¡¯t it mean that I am better than these two?¡¯ With that thought in his head, he turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and Zhai Heng with a smug smile causing the two men to raise a brow at him simultaneously. ¡± What are you thinking?¡± Zhai Heng asked as he looked at Yu Lingyun who was smirking at them. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± still feeling rather smug, Yu Lingyun turned his head to the side she snorted in his head, ¡® Hehe, mortals!¡¯ Neither Zhai Heng nor Zhai Tianyu knew that Yu Lingyun was looking at them at moment and they did not have the time to think about it either because Xiao Ai opened the p of the tent and then bowed in front of Zhai Tianyu and Zhai Heng while ignoring Yu Lingyun as she greeted them, ¡± Your majesty, pleasee inside.¡± Zhai Tianyu nodded as he walked past Xiao Ai while Yu Lingyun who was smiling till now turned to look at Xiao Ai with a flirty expression and said, ¡± Ah my little Ai? How are you? Missing me?¡± Xiao Ao ignored the manpletely as if he did not even exist and was not standing beside her as she turned to look at Zhai Heng and then said in a soft voice,¡± Would you like some refreshments, Commander Zhai?¡± ¡± If you are free then sure,¡± Zhai Heng replied as Xiao Ai nodded and then walked past Yu Lingyun with her head held up high. Yu Lingyun: ¡°....¡± Oh. ¡­. While Yu Lingyun was having trouble with Xiao Ai, Zhai Tianyu was having trouble with Liu Hui Ying who was sitting on the chair that was arranged for her. Even though Zhai Tianyu sent the maids and servants out of the tent such that he will be able to talk with Liu Hui Ying properly but thetter was not even looking at him making it impossible for him to say anything to her. ¡± My queen?¡± Zhai Tianyu called Liu Hui Ying who was sitting on the chair which was just a bit away from her, the woman turned to look at him with a slight nce but she did not say anything before looking away from him with a snort. Zhai Tianyu: ¡°....¡± Woman, I should be the one snorting at you, you know? ¡ª¡ª¡ª will be taking Sunday off, I hope you will all understand? Chapter 372 - 372 I am a virgin, let me off in the name of God! 372 I am a virgin, let me off in the name of God! Zhai Tianyu did not know what was going on with the Queen which was why he did not say anything for quite some time but when the silence stretched far too long, he ced the cup of tea that he was holding in his hands on the table and then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who still had her face away from him, she was staring at the patch on the ground that was not covered by the carpet that wasid on the grassy surface like it was more interesting than his face. ¡± My Queen,¡± Zhai Tianyu in the end had no choice but to call Liu Hui Ying who was sitting beside him. He did not want to ask Liu Hui Ying why she was angry but seeing that she was not even looking at him, Zhai Tianyu had no choice but to open his mouth and say, ¡± Are you angry with me, my queen?¡± Though he should be the one who should be angry at her for giving such an explicit performance to his concubine before he could even bring forth his anger, the woman was already ring at him as if she was the one who was wronged by him, which annoyed Zhai Tianyu greatly but there was nothing that he could do about it. ¡± Why should I be angry?¡± Liu Hui Ying stated with a raise of her brow, she crossed her arms and then red at the man who was sitting beside her after having the audacity to eat someone else stinky fish and then even promoting her after flirting with her as if he was interested in her. Sure enough, some people were right even if some men were given a total of hundred wives, they will still go ahead and look for the one hundred and one! ¡± I should be the one asking Your esteemed majesty, why are you here?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked as she turned to look at the man who was looking at her with polite bewilderment. ¡± Shouldn¡¯t you have gone with your third concubine? She especially came here to tell me how you promoted her after just eating a single fish that she cooked ¡ª¡ª but I saved your aunt¡¯s arse and yet I haven¡¯t got the courtyard that was promised to me.¡± She hitched a brow and then asked, ¡± What are you saying a VIP spot in the underworld is not good enough whenpared to a stinky fish? Do you want me to make sure that you get reborn as a stinky fish when you die since you like fishies so much?¡± Zhai Tianyu felt his lips twitch as he pulled the imaginary arrows that were aimed at him one after another, he wanted to tell Liu Hui Ying that was not the case but when he thought about how she was jealous because of the third concubine, he turned to look at Liu Hui Ying with a smile and then said, ¡± There is no need or you to be upset, queen¡­there is nothing between her and me¡ª¡ª¡± ¡± Huh?¡± Liu Hui Ying sneered as she raised her voice and then scoffed at Zhai Tianyu, ¡± Who cares about whether something is between you and or her, your Majesty? The thing is that my payment hasn¡¯t been delivered! I would have sued you if this was another world for holding my payment, where is myfortable courtyard? Myfortable bed? What about Concubine Liu? Don¡¯t even think about forgetting the favour I did to you!¡± ..... Zhai Tianyu: ¡°¡­..¡± I was thinking too much this woman will only get jealous of me if I had more money than her. ¡± I am arranging it, my queen,¡± he patiently told Liu Hui Ying with his hands in the air as he tried to calm the woman who was asking for her payments. ¡°It¡¯s not that I am trying to hold back your payments, it¡¯s just that you and I are not normal husband and wife with the Ji family and Liu family eyeing us, I have toe up with a decent exnation¡ª¡ª¡± ¡± Hah, you only need an exnation when it concerns me,¡± Liu Hui Ying pushed herself off the chair and she stood up in front of Zhai Tianyu with towering rage. ¡± When ites to other concubines you can promote them as you want just after spending a night with them¡­isn¡¯t it because you are so bursting with energy that you cannot calm down, your majesty?¡± As she spoke she took out a talisman and then snapped it in the air. ¡± Why don¡¯t I burn those nuts of yours that are making you biased with me since I did not roll with you in the bedsheets? Let me roast those nuts of yours, I am sure you will find enough exnations to give me a courtyard as well.¡± Zhai Tianyu who came to confront Liu Hui Ying swallowed hard, h¡­howe the matter of him confronting the queen for seducing his concubine changed into his nuts getting roasted? What was going on? He covered his precious nuts with his hands and then looked at Liu Hui Ying with a warning look as he said, ¡± Do not touch my heavenly nuts, my queen. You have no idea how many lives are relying on these nuts of mine!¡± Liu Hui Ying however was too annoyed with these nuts of Zhai Tianyu, at first she did not realise why she was annoyed but now she knew ¡ª¡ª it was because of Zhai Tianyu spreading his love here and there and promoting his concubines! The reason why she did not get her courtyard was that she did not taste the love of the Emperor so for the sake of her courtyard, she will have to burn these nuts! ¡± Do not fear, your majesty!¡± Liu Hui Ying told Zhai Tianyu who was already backing away. ¡± Stay still and enjoy the pleasure of getting your nuts roasted!¡± ¡± NOOOOOOOOOO!¡± Yu Lingyun who was standing outside the tent turned to look at the p of the tent and then asked, ¡± Did his majesty jump on the queen after not being able to hold on? Is this why the queen is screaming? That was quite a feminine scream ¡­I did not expect it from the Queen.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 373 - 373 I am a virgin, let me off in the name of God! 373 I am a virgin, let me off in the name of God! ¡± I am a virgin! I am a virgin! For the love of god, let me off!¡± Zhai Tianyu who was being pushed into a corner tumbled on the bed of the Queen as He raised his body with the hand that was on the bed while he stretched the other hand in front of the Queen who was already holding a burning talisman in her hand. Good lord, this was the first time he saw a woman threatening her husband like this ¡ª¡ª what kind of woman goes straight for the nuts of her husband? Even if she was not interested in taking a bite of these nuts but still! ¡± You don¡¯t have to lie, your majesty,¡± Liu Hui Ying said with a frown as the me of her talisman started to burn even more furiously. ¡± There is nothing to worry about, it¡¯s an easy task¡ª¡ª¡± ¡± For who?¡± Zhai Tianyu shouted as he looked at his wife stunned that she was even saying such things. ¡± Should we stop her?¡± Jia Li asked Li Gang and the other ghosts who were watching the drama in front of them while munching on the sunflower seeds. ¡± It will be too much of a shame if such a perfect specimen like the Emperor loses his nuts.¡± Li Gang felt his brows twitch as he replied, ¡± Nah, let him have his fun¡­since he dared to fall for a woman like Liu Hui Ying, he should know how to handle her as well, if he cannot even do that then what use is he even?¡± Jia Li turned to look at the male ghost who had a sneer on his face and thenmented, ¡± You are enjoying this too much aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡± Hell yeah, I am,¡± Li Gang snickered as he cupped his crotch and then said, ¡± I died without using this little baby of mine, it will be wonderful if I have arade with me! Even if it was arade with roasted nuts.¡± ¡± You are awful. You are enjoying the pain of someone else!¡± ..... ¡± I died as a gangster what do you expect from me?¡± ¡± But is it really fine to leave them alone like that?¡± Grandma Lan Fen was rather embarrassed while watching the sight of a young man getting forced to give up his nuts. ¡°It¡¯s fun, leave them to it.¡± Witch Maomented as she continued to munch on her sunflower seeds. Zhai Tianyu heard the words of the four ghosts and felt as if he was going to lose his mind, he scrambled on the bed before bringing a pillow to sit between his legs and then emphasised, ¡± An emperor never lies, I ¡­ I am a virgin¡­ I just promote them to get their parents off my back!¡± ¡± Isn¡¯t that even worse?¡± Liu Hui Ying asked with a deadly terrifying expression as the me of her talisman almost reached the tent¡¯s roof. ¡± You are looking down on me because I am an abandoned daughter without a mother and a careless father?¡± ¡± Ohe on, Jeez! That is not what I meant! And please watch the mes, my queen if you use a me that hot, I am afraid that I will die! ¡± Zhai Tianyu who was trying to calm his wife down muttered as he raised his hands in the air and then honestly said, ¡± I am telling you, I am looking for a way to deal with this matter,¡­you will get your courtyard pretty soon my queen.. which will be better than the others.¡± Liu Hui Ying stared at Zhai Tianyu who was staring at her with an earnest expression before shemented, ¡± I do not trust you, your majesty.¡± And then swung her talisman at Zhai Tianyu. ¡± AHHHHH!¡± ¡± KABOOM!¡± The tent of the Empress was blown up causing everyone on the hunting grounds to rush to where the Empress was and was stunned to see a huge hole that was still burning while the Emperor was on the ground. The crowd: ¡°....¡± ???? What in the world is going on? ¡± My queen you!¡± Zhai Tianyu who almost got his entire body roasted spat a mouthful of dirt and red at Liu Hui Ying but when he saw the crowd that was looking at the two of them, he coughed and then very calmly stood up from the ground as he wiped the dirt off his clothes and smilingly looked at the crowd before saying, ¡°It is too hot isn¡¯t it?¡± The crowd: ¡°...¡± At least make a decent excuse your majesty! ¡± My, My,¡± a voice echoed in the clearing as Liu Dong Ming strutted forward and then looked at the ming hot hole in the tent before hemented, ¡± Looks like the Queen is being targeted again and again, when she arrived at the hunting grounds she was attacked by a dagger and now this, if not for his majesty, I am afraid we would have lost our queen.¡± ¡± Now look here, Left prime minister, this can be an ident.¡± Ji Yang who arrived after hearing the st looked at Liu Hui Ying with confusion in his eyes. It was true that he had nned something for the queen but this was not in the n! Howe a bomb exploded in the tent of the Queen? Who was the one who was stupid enough to do something as foolish as this? And dagger? He turned to look at his son, Ji Mo who shook his head saying silently that he was not the one who did this. ¡® So who was it?¡¯ Ji Yang roared in his head wanting to flush the culprit out and then kick them on the butt, how can they be so foolish because of them now the Queen and Liu Dong Ming will be even more careful and sure enough he heard Liu Dong Ming say, ¡± There are no idents, Right prime minister,¡± smiled Liu Dong Ming with a glint in his eyes as he further added, ¡± I cannot leave my niece alone with such things happening to her which is why I think it is appropriate for her to stay with his majesty, in his tent during the entire hunt.¡± Chapter 374 - 374 The queen fainted 374 The queen fainted This was crazy, this man was crazy and everyone else was crazy as well. Liu Hui Ying looked at Liu Dong Ming who had suggested that she will be staying with Zhai Tianyu and felt her mouth drop open. How can this man even say something so horrible? For her stay with this man who was standing beside her? Sure he was good-looking and everything but she was allergic to men! Locking her up with a man was simr to asking her to jump off a cliff without a precautionary measure and then asking her whether she felt safe or not! No matter how desperate the Liu family was for her to give birth to an heir this was too impulsive! Liu Hui Ying was not the only one who was stunned even the people who were around her were just as shocked especially Ji Yang who was gaping at Liu Dong Ming with his brows twitching. He raised his hands and said in a stern voice, ¡± Now look here left Prime Minister Liu, I understand that you are worried about the queen but ording to the rules, she and his majesty should be resting in separate tents this is not the imperial castle where they can stay together.¡± ¡± ording to the rules the one who should havee to this hunting grounds together with his majesty should have been the queen, right Prime minster Ji, if the rules can be bent for your family..then why can¡¯t they be bent for my niece who is in severe danger?¡± Liu Dong Ming had her hands behind his back as he held them together and looked at Ji Yang who was staring at him in shock and silence. ¡± Your daughter can ride the carriage with his majesty for no reason making a joke out of the so-called rules but my niece¡¯s safety needs to be discarded aside for the rules, why? Because your family is the one who is running the court now?¡± Ji Yang was half humiliated and half angered as he looked at the man in front of him, this was why he hated Liu Dong Ming and the Liu family everyone was so effluent when it came to degrading him and his family even the second master Liu who was the queen¡¯s father. He was supposed to be the foolish one among all but when his daughter was concerned ¡ª¡ª Sure enough, Father Liu who heard that there was a st in the tent of his daughter came running at the fastest pace as he stood in the crowd and red at Ji Yang while saying, ¡± Left prime minister is right! What is going on with the Ji family and their tant neglect of the Queen? The dowry of my daughter is still under the hands of the grand dowager empress and was yet to be releasedpletely and the fact that the warehouse that had treasures that were all saved by me for my daughter robbed off was also ignored¡ª¡ª¡± ¡± My treasures were robbed of?!!¡± Liu Hui Ying who did not hear about anything like this before turned to look at her father for the first time when she saw the elderly man smile at her with an aggrieved expression on his face. The elderly man nodded and then said in a sobbing voice, ¡°That¡¯s right, the treasures that were all stored up by me to hand to you were taken away by robbers, your majesty!¡± He then turned and pointed to Ji Mo who felt like he was being used of a grave sin and shouted at the top of his lungs, ¡± But the Lord of the crime investigation department pretended not to hear me as he told me that he will look into the matter but it has been more than a month and yet he did not bring me any results! I can ignore that but I cannot ignore that they are ignoring your safety as well!¡± Liu Hui Ying however no longer cared about anything past the fact that her treasures were stolen, she turned to look at her supposed-to-be father and asked in a quaking voice, ¡± H¡­how much was the cost of the treasures that were stolen?¡± ..... Father Liu thought that his daughter who was the cutest of all was worried about him since he was the one who made the loss and was touched as he turned to look at his adorable daughter and answered, ¡°Answering your majesty, it must have been more than ten thousand taels of gold, there were quite a lot of antics in the warehouse.¡± ¡°Ten thousand taels of gold????¡± Liu Hui Ying screeched as her hand reached out to the spot where her heart was, she quickly calcted the amount that was stolen from her and thought about what she could have done with the money. When she realised that the money was enough for her to livefortably for years the throbbing in her chest worsened and her eyes turned ¡ª¡ª- Before rolling in the sockets and soon Liu Hui Ying who was shocked by the loss of a huge sum fainted right in front of the crowd. ¡® M¡­.my money,¡¯ she thought regretfully in her head before passing out. ¡± YOUR MAJESTY!¡± ¡± MY LADY!¡± ¡± OH.DEAR. MY DAUGHTER!¡± Everyone who saw Liu Hui Ying faint was stunned while Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai tried to help Liu Hui Ying up from the ground, Liu Dong Ming who was watching the drama nodded and then turned to look at Ji Yang who was staring at Liu Hui Ying with a gaping mouth. ¡± See, my niece is so shocked that she fainted, I think that letting her stay with his majesty is the correct thing to do, lest something happens and no one was by her side then I am afraid that my niece will be traumatised.¡± Liu Dong Ming did not even bat an eye when he was bullshitting causing everyone to look at him with an expression that said ¡ª¡ª ¡® Haha you are a funny man, the queen fainted because she heard her money was gone!¡¯ Chapter 375: The queen fainted ——2 --------------------" Haha,e and catch me!" Liu Hui Ying heard a pile of shiny gold taels with shiny legs say to her as they showed her, their bottoms asking her to chase after them. " Come and catch us!" " You.. you shiny pieces of gold, how dare you get away from mommy?" Liu Hui Ying who was shocked upon seeing the gold taels run away from her immediately chased after them trying to pick them up from the ground. " Come,e back to Mommy!" " Hahaha, we are not going to get caught!" " Come and catch us!" " I will catch you and then I will make sure that you all are safely tied and locked in my locker!" Liu Hui Ying roared as she chased after the golden taels that were running away from her but then just as her hand was going to touch her treasure, a gust of wind came and then all the golden taels who were running in front of her vanished. Stunned she turned to look at her empty hands before she looked around in the vicinity¡ª¡ª Only to find the golden taels crying in the arms of thieves who were holding her precious taels in their dirty, pesky hands! " They are ours now," said the thieves whose voice sounded a bit too simr to the bastard husband of hers. " We will be taking them away and giving them all to the poor! Your family has a lot of money anyway !" " AHHHHHH!" Liu Hui Ying screamed as she chased after the thief who was taking her babies away as she screamed after him. " I am not¡­ I am not rich, I am poor. I am really poor, bring me back my babies, I will not be able to survive without them." But the thieves did not stop and Liu Hui Ying who heard the cries of her golden babies shouted at the top of her lungs, " YOU FCKING WANNA BE ROBIN HOOD, GIVE ME MY BABIES BACK!" As she screamed, Liu Hui Ying woke up with a jolt with her hand outstretched as she grasped the air that was in front of her while the doctor who was looking at her nerves tucked his handkerchief away and then turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and then said in a calm voice, " Its nothing, the queen has received a shock, your majesty. As long as you treat her delicately she will be fine." Zhai Tianyu nodded at the imperial physician as he turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was in a daze before he asked in a soft voice, " My queen are you all right?" As the two started to have their conversation, the imperial physician Shao picked up the box that was filled with herbs and then started to walk out of the tent leaving Zhai Tianyu and Liu Hui Ying alone. " NO!" Liu Hui Ying growled as she clenched her hands and then turned to look at him with a dangerous re. " I just found out that I was going to be the owner of thousands of taels but before I could be the owner of those precious little gold babies they were snatched away from me!" She turned to look in the front which was a good thing as Zhai Tianyu almost started sweating under her re. Just now when Liu Hui Ying looked at him, it was as if she knew that he was the one who stole her money and she was ring at him causing him to almost go on his knees and apologise to her. " That freaking thief bastard, he better note in front of him ¡­if I ever found out who stole my money. I will first chop his hands that touched my money and then I will chop his legs with which he ran away after taking my money and then I will finally take his heart out for even thinking about my money and coveting it. Only then I will take his brains out and then feed them to the pigs! Only a fool will steal from me¡­and why do you look like this?" She asked when she saw Zhai Tianyu looking rather pale as if it was him who was being chopped up. "It''s nothing, my queen, it''s just the incident of this afternoon that is still weighing on my mind," Zhai Tianyu lied through his teeth, he knew that Liu Hui Ying did not suspect him because he was the Emperor in her eyed and had a lot of money to spare but if she ever found out that he was the one who took the money from her warehouse to fill up the necessary needs of the hidden army that he was raising, he was sure that Liu Hui Ying will kill him first before summoning his ghost and asking him why he did that. Only then did Liu Hui Ying stop harping on the gold that she lost and turned to look around the tent where she was, she looked left and then she looked right before she turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and asked, " And this ce is?" " My tent," replied Zhai Tianyu. " And I am sitting on?" Liu Hui Ying asked as she patted the soft bed sheet under her hands. " My bed," Zhai Tianyu answered her query. " UWAH!" Liu Hui Ying screamed as she scrambled off the bed on which she was sitting and then rubbed her arms as if her allergy was going to re up any second now but to her surprise, her allergy was totally fine at least, she did not get the itchy patches all over her body. " What the ¡­." Liu Hui Ying looked at her skin and then rolled her sleeves and raised her skirt causing Zhai Tianyu to cough and turn away his gaze from her legs that were on disy when she raised her skirt. " I am fine!" Liu Hui Ying was surprised when she saw that her skin was no longer reacting against men which was why she happily patted Zhai Tianyu on the shoulder. " Looks like I am fine now¡ª¡ª" Pop. Pip. Pop. Her allergy red up. Chapter 376: Pin the blame on the king " I should have known this was going to happen!" Liu Hui Ying rubbed the ointment that had a cooling ointment on her skin as she viciously red at Zhai Tianyu who was punished to stand facing the centre pole of the tent with his eyes staring at the p of the tent. " Men have always been unreliable! I was a fool to trust a man!" Zhai Tianyu sighed as he looked at the ps of the tent and then said in a tired voice, " This is not going to be pinned on my head, my queen. If anything, it''s your allergy that is unreliable, how can it not re up when you were lying on my bed with the bed sheet that I used and covered in my scent, but red up the second you touched me?" " Shut up!" Liu Hui Ying was rather upset with the itchy rashes breaking all over her skin, if she knew that her allergy will break again and that too so furiously she would have never touched this man! " Do not try to be smart with me! I lost my money! And now I lost my unblemished skin¡ª¡ª all because of men! Why can''t men stay at home and work properly? This world is going to be ruined by men!" " I think that is a tad bit more judgemental, my queen. It is not always men who make the wrong choices¡ª¡ª" " Oh yeah, who starts a war? Who starts nonsensical debates? Who leaves their house in the middle of the night and steals a woman''s treasures in the middle of the night? Men, Men and men. If there is a woman involved anywhere then I am sure that she was involved because men were lusting after her even if she chose one of them!" Liu Hui Ying rattled off as she scratched her back, while tears stung her eyes as she tried to shake the itchy feeling off her back. " Ah god! It hurts so much! Why am I even here? Why am I ever suffering like this? I deserve to be pampered damn it!" Zhai Tianyu did not say anything as he listened to his wife''s screaming, he knew that at this moment if he was to say anything. She will only get even more angered, he turned to look at her but then he heard the woman shriek ¡­. " Don''t peep at me! I am not wearing anything over my chest!" Liu Hui Ying screamed as she rubbed the ointment over her breasts while taking off the bra that was tying her breasts as if they were long-lost lovers who could not be separated. " Ahh god! Why can''t I take it off? It feels so itchy." " Give it to me," she heard the man say from behind and Liu Hui Ying immediately covered her breasts that were half naked and shouted, " Did I not say not to turn around?" But when she turned her head she was surprised to see that the man had his eyes tied up with a white handkerchief. " What are you doing? Role-ying? Blindfold?" She asked as she looked at the man who was standing behind her with a questioning look in her eyes. " Of course not! What do you take me as? I am covering my eyes because I want to untie that bra of yours," Zhai Tianyu pointed to the many knots behind Liu Hui Ying''s back. " You will not be able to get it off if you tug and pull it like that, give it to me, I will untie it and then you can apply your ointment." "Huh? Did you not listen when I said that you are the reason my allergy red up?" Liu Hui Ying asked as she raised a brow at the man who smiled politely and raised his hands in the air, " I promise my skin will not touch yours, this time." Liu Hui Ying did not trust him, she wanted to call Nanny Gong or Xiao Ai but she was feeling so itchy, she did not want to wait, who knows where those two women were now? " Fine but if you touch me just see!" Liu Hui Ying turned around such that her back was facing Zhai Tianyu. The man''s smile did not falter as he raised his hand and then with his qi energy he started to examine the back of Liu Hui Ying. He dropped his hand when he felt his qi energy moving in a smooth path and only stopped when he felt the bumps in his qi energy. Liu Hui Ying on the other hand felt a cool energy caressing her skin causing goosebumps to erupt all over her back and arms. She knew that the man was not touching her because she did not feel his skin brush against her skin but she could feel something caress her softly from behind. Heat rushed to her cheeks as she looked away while biting her lips ¡ª¡ª what was this man? He was just untying her bra why was he making it so sensual? But if she thought that this was sensual, her feelings went through another change when she felt the man''s finger brush against the cloth of her bra. Her eyes popped and even though Zhai Tianyu''s skin never touched her, she felt every single movement of the man''s fingers as he tugged and untied the knots of her bra. Liu Hui Ying felt her heart beating escte as she clenched her fingers tightly. She closed her eyes feeling like her heart was going to jump out of her chest at any moment but just as her heart was going to leap out of her throat, she felt the man drop his hand to his side as the fabric that was clinging to her back and front loosened and drop in herp. " Ahem, I will be leaving now," Zhai Tianyu''s senses were better than others and of course, he could hear the sound of the fabric falling on Liu Hui Ying''sp. He understood that it was time for him to leave which was why he turned around and left causing Liu Hui Ying to blush furiously as she looked at herp. " Just what is wrong with me?" -------------------- Chapter 377: Pin the blame on the king——2 While Liu Hui Ying was blushing with her face turning redder than an apple, Ji Yu''s face was turning paler than ever. She stared at her father who was pacing back and forth as he muttered furiously, " The Queen and King sharing the same tent for the next three days? I bet that the queen will try to takeplete advantage of this opportunity! She will definitely try to get pregnant with the seeds of the king and you!!" He came to a ruthless pause as he looked at Ji Yu who dropped her head and shivered, her lips trembling as she kept her gaze on the floor not even daring to look up at her father who was ring at her as if he wished to eat her alive. " This is what Liu Dong Ming was waiting for and he was given the chance! Who was the stupid one? Who was the stupid one who ced a bomb in the tent of the Queen?" Ji Yang roared at his son who shook his head repeatedly and then said with an innocent expression on his face, " I did not do it, father, it''s not my fault that there are so many enemies of the Liu family! Most probably one of the officials did that, and it''s just that they were foolish enough to not see the time and ce." Ji Mo snorted and then turned to look at his sister who was now as useful as a barrennd andmented with a light sneer ying on his lips, " If sister had gotten pregnant then nothing like this would have happened, we wouldn''t have to worry the queen getting pregnant at all. We just had to take care of that child who was going to be born from the womb of the Queen but now with Yu''er being like this, I am afraid that the child will be treated as if it was already the crown prince." Just like that the topic of the matter was turned around and pushed Ji Yu back into the crux of the storm. Ji Yu dipped her head even lower when she saw her father turning around to re with rage filling his face as he strode in front of her and then¡ª¡ª A crisp p echoed in the tent as Ji Yu fell on the floor with her hand cupping her cheek. She did not dare to raise her head and continued to stay on the floor while her father raged at her from above, " Do you know why you were the one who was chosen to be the ymate of his majesty, Yu''er? It''s because you were the smartest one. After all, you knew what to do and when at the correct time! I raised you with this thought in my head that no matter what you will rise as the queen of this city but how did you fail huh? How can a girl from the Liu family beat you up to this point!" " Why was it that when Liu Dong Ming suggested that the queen stays with his majesty, his majesty, the Emperor did not look at you! Why did he not refuse? He always did so in the past for your sake? Howe he did not do it this time? What is going on with you two?" Ji Yu stayed silent since she did not have any answer regarding the questions that her father was asking her, she kept her head lowered and sobbed silently. Ji Yang whose temper was running high, shook his head like a bull and shouted at Ji Yu, " Cry, Cry, Cry! That is all you know! Your grandaunt gave you such an amazing opportunity! The childhood sweetheart of the emperor and yet .,..you still lost? How?" " All right that is enough," Grand Dowager Empress nced at the crying Ji Yu and sighed in annoyance, in the past she thought that this soft temper of Ji Yu was going to be the one thing that will help them get the throne of the Empress and at the same time the Emperor. But who would have thought that Liu Hui Ying, that woman who did not even have the slightest bit of decency and delicacy inside her body will be the one who will steal the attention of his majesty? The Grand Dowager Empress was really annoyed that a woman like Liu Hui Ying was the one who stole the attention of her grandson but there was nothing that she could do now. With a sigh, she turned to look at Ji Yu before turning to her nephew and said in all sincerity, " This is no time for us to quibble, its true that with his majesty around her, Liu Hui Ying is rather safe but at the same time this is the perfect opportunity for us to move." " How so, Aunt?" Ji Yang asked with a befuddled expression on his face while the Grand Dowager Empress smiled at him and then softly said, " If something happens to the queen when she is with the Emperor, who do you think the Liu family will me?" Ji Mo and Ji Yang looked at each other before they turned to look at the Grand Dowager Empress and replied in a slightly confused voice," Wouldn''t the person be the Emperor?" " That is correct, as long as something happens to the queen when she is with the king, I am afraid with the past incidents they will me his majesty when that happens we just need to stay next to the king and make him believe that we are indeed the better one among the Liu family and the rest of the families, I am certain this way his majesty will rely on us even more!" The Grand Dowager Empress already came up with a n when Liu Dong Ming came with his own, though the man was smart there was no way he will be able to stay a step ahead from her! Chapter 378: Hope she is not as useless as you The Grand Dowager Empress also did not expect that something like this would happen, when she suggested Zhai Tianyu take Ji Yu with him in the carriage instead of the Queen, she thought that she was going to make the records even with the Liu family who would have thought that the foolish boy would actually agree to Liu Dong Ming when the man asked him to go ahead and live with the Queen in the same tent. If this was the past, the grand dowager Empress would have thrown a fuss in front of Zhai Tianyu. Every time this grandson of hers went against her, she shed tears of blood and pain, crying her eyes out as she med the Liu family for killing her son but The Grand Dowager Empress was no fool, she knew that there were some changes in the heart of Zhai Tianyu which had tipped his heart into the favour of the Liu family. Whether those changes were because of Liu Hui Ying blowing air on his pillow or Ji Yu failing to fulfil her role as the childhood sweetheart of the Emperor, the Grand Dowager Empress did not care. She only cared about one thing and that was ¡ª¡ª for the Emperor to be always under her. Only when Zhai Tianyu who had the blood of her husband and the great emperors of the past of this imperial city was standing next to her, will she be able to make sure that her son would get the justice that he deserved and that was only possible when she makes sure that there was no Empress from the Liu family along with the entire Liu family to bepletely annihted and destroyed to the point where they will not be able to revive ever again! She needed to make sure that she had them all executed in front of her son''s grave where their blood seeped through the floor of the graveyard and into the coffin of her son, only then will she be able to rest in peace. She did not care how Zhai Tianyu stayed in her palm as long as she had her grasp on him, The Grand Dowager Empress was willing to go to any lengths! So what if she had to pin the me for the Queen''s death on her grandson? As long as she wiped it clean nicely in the future? Who can say anything to her grandson? Ji Yu raised her head and looked at her grandaunt in surprise and shock, how can the grand dowager Empress even think of this n? If his majesty was questioned about the death of the Queen, she was sure that he will have a lot of trouble since the Liu family will not stay silent! " But grandaunt, if we do this¡­do you think that the Liu family will stop making a fuss?" Ji Yu tried to make the grand dowager Empress see the truth and stop her madness lest she did something that might ruin every single one of them. " Even pinning the me on the Emperor is not right¡ª¡ª" " Shut up, you useless jinx!" Ji Yu was still speaking when she was interrupted by her father who red at her with eyes that were spewing fire while her brother chuckled appreciatively as if enjoying seeing his sister being condemned and scolded. " You cannot keep the Emperor in your hands and now you are teaching us what we should and should not do? Stay put like the trash you are and let us think of a way to solve this matter! Do you even know how troublesome it will be if that woman gained any more power than she already had?" He then turned to look at his aunt and then said politely, " What do you have in mind aunt? Just tell me, I will make sure to do it properly." Ji Yang swore in front of his aunt while the grand dowager Empress stared at Ji Yu who was clenching her fingers, her eyes flickered as her gaze became more and more disappointed when she saw that her niece was this naive. She had thought that her niece was smarter than her and was just like her when she was young but looks like her n of making her niece fall in love with Zhai Tianyu seemed to have backfired, this girl was actually bing more and more soft-hearted! This won''t do, she needed to reignite the hatred that Ji Yu once had for the Liu family or else she was worried that the one who will be standing on the losing side would be her family! The grand dowager Empress turned to look at her nephew and then very calmly stated, " I believe that I have given a wonderful poison to your daughter, Ah Yang. Make sure to use it with the bathing water of the queen, it is said to change its property when it is mixed with hot water and when the water turns cold, it will lose all its properties and be nothing but a mild flower with a scent that smells too sweet." She then turned to look at Ji Yu who was biting her bottom lips and then smiled before adding, " I was going to hand this task to Ji Yu but looks like she is a bit too scared which is why ¡­ it''s better to hand it to Xiaolin." Ji Yu snapped her head as she looked at her aunt, she wanted to shake her head and refuse. She did not want Xiaolin, that innocent maid of hers to do anything so dangerous¡ª¡ª the girl was still young and she had never done something like this before, if something happens to her or if she was caught Ji Yu knew that her Xiaolin would not be able to even get out of the situation since she was so innocent. But before she could refuse she heard her father agreeing on her ce, " You are right, it''s only right for Ji Yu to fight for her spot if we stand up for her. I am afraid that we will drag the entire Ji family down with us." '' But what if I don''t want to stand up for the fight for a spot that I don''t want? I don''t want to be the queen and I don''t want to kill the Queen either ¡­ all I want is Tianyu!'' Ji Yu thought in her head but she did not get a chance to say anything as Ji Yang turned to look at her and clicked his tongue before he turned to look at Ji Mo and said, " Go and bring her maid, and you¡­ " he turned to the guard who was standing on the outside causing thetter to flinch as he turned to look at Ji Yang and bowed his head, " You called my lord?" The guard asked in a polite voice as he tried to keep his voice firm and not tremble in front of Ji Yang lest the man lost his mind. Ji Yang hummed as he pointed to his daughter and said to the guard, " Make sure that my stupid daughter stays in her tent and does note out, make use of force if you have to but make her stay inside and knock her out in case she tries to get too freaky." Ji Yu''s pupils shivered when she heard the words of her father, she knew that her father was serious and because she failed to keep the heart of his majesty, he was punishing her by sending Xiao Lin to do such a dangerous task. If she seeded without a problem, she was sure that her father will let her go but in case she failed ¡ª¡ª Ji Yu did not want to think about it. She scrambled to her feet and then bowed in front of her while tugging her father''s sleeves as she cried and begged, " Please father, please leave Xiao Lin alone. I promise that I will work hard¡­ I will make sure to win the heart of his majesty again but please¡­please don''t send Xiao Lin to the tent of his majesty. If she is caught, she will be killed on the spot!" Just the thought alone was enough to make tears fill Xiao Lin''s eyes as she tried to plead with her father. But Ji Yang was a sinister man even if he smiled on the surface he was a man whose heart was colder than ice, the tears of his daughter did not even melt the tip of his ice-berg-like heart as he flicked his sleeves and then threw Ji Yu on the ground causing thetter''s head to hit the edge of the stool that was sitting in the corner and sneered at his daughter whose forehead was now bleeding. Without the slightest bit of remorse, he wiped the dust off his sleeves and then coldly said, " Then I hope that you keep praying, in case your maid is just as useless as you then she has no right to stay alive either! If you were not my daughter then you too would have ¡ª¡ªhumph." He flicked his sleeves and then turned to leave asking the grand dowager Empress to walk ahead of him while Ji Mo followed the two elders and snickered at his bleeding sister whose face was covered in tears, " Useless c*nt just like your mother." Hemented as he walked out of the tent. Chapter 379: A bait Xiao Lin did not know why she was being called into the tent that belonged to the grand dowager empress, she was trembling all over while hoping that she will see her mistress inside but as soon as she pushed the ps of the tent and did not see her mistress, Xiao Lin almost fainted in fright. Why? Why was she called here when her mistress was not here? And why were the lord and young master along with the grand dowager empress looking at her like that? " I greet your majesty, the grand dowager empress, the lord and the young master," Xiao Lin though scared did not forget her manners, even though she was almost on the verge of crying, she still held herself with the dignity of a servant who belonged to the imperial concubine as she lowered her waist and bowed in front of the three masters of the Liu family. While her head was lowered she continued to think of a reason why she was dragged here but she did not dare to let it show on her face as she tried to suppress her thoughts under her heart and did not even let a flicker of emotions that were surging inside of her to appear on her face. As a good servant who belonged to the imperial concubine, she was not allowed to show her expressions as freely as others and this was something that Xiao Lin even though young knew and learned from her mother and her mistress who was like her sister. " You may rise," Xiao Lin heard the grand dowager empress say as she raised her head and looked at the elderly woman who was sitting on the chair that was higher than the other two on which Ji Yang and Ji Mo were sitting and then lowered her gaze again since she was worried that she will be punished for looking in the eyes of the three big masters of the Ji family which was why she only took a nce and nothing more at the three of them. The grand dowager empress looked at Xiao Lin who was trembling but still acting properly and nodded her head. At least one of the two of these fools was better, she then turned to look at Ji Yang who nodded upon receiving the signal from his aunt and then turned to look at Xiao Lin with a twist of his waist as he nced at the maid with contempt in his eyes. He of course knew that this maid was someone who was treated really well by his daughter, she even called this maid her sister because she was naive like that not even knowing the difference between her and this maid. In the past, he overlooked the two of them because Ji Yu was close to the Emperor but now ¡ª¡ª he had no reason to do that, his daughter had failed him by losing the affection of the king and she deserved to be punished. In fact, he knew that his n was not going to seed but he wanted to make use of this n and then make his daughter suffer and grow up a little, that girl ¡­ she needed to understand that only by having the power that belonged to the Empress will she be able to save the people she truly cared for if not then she would be losing everyone like this maid! That''s right, Ji Yang was already aware of the fact that this naive maid who did not know anything was going to lose her life but he still wanted to send her on the path of death. " You have been serving my daughter for how many years?" Ji Yang asked making Xiao Lin flinch as she lowered her head even more and then reply in a stuttering voice, " It has been ten years my lord." She was brought to the Ji family by the madam of this prestigious family who now reigned on the internal harem of the Ji family. Back then she was really naive and did not know what was going on but her mistress took care of her all the time, which was why she was willing to learn and stay with her mistress ¡ª¡ª In the past she was afraid that she will be killed because she was clumsy and did not know how to scheme but her mistress had always saved her and took the me, taking her as her sister and treating her as well. The more her mistress treated her so well the more Xiao Lin was willing to do anything for her. This was something that Ji Yang also knew which was why he raised a brow and exchanged a look with his son who smiled at him with an arrogant smirk on his face. He was very impressed by the fact that he told his father about the rtionship between his sister and this maid, and knew that with his father''s wits, this maid was going to agree with their n no matter what. '' Now I will see that woman cry just like my mother who was demoted to the concubine,'' thought Ji Mo as he grinned while looking at the maid who was trembling in front of him, though he was now under the care of the madam of the Ji family and treated her really well as if she was his own mother the truth was that he will never forget how that woman who gave birth to Ji Yu schemed against his mother and then snatched him away from her. Now that he was getting a chance to deal with her daughter, Ji Mo was very excited. Ji Yang did not know that his son was scheming against his own family, he instead turned to look at Xiao Lin whose head was lowered and then said in an imperious voice, " Ten years, that''s a lot of time is it not? I think it''s enough for even a dog to get attached to his master." " My lord?" Xiao Lin did not understand where Ji Yang was going with these words which was why she raised her head in surprise and questioned but then she lowered her head and then apologised, " Forgive me, my lord. Imitted a grave sin." Ji Yang however waved his hand as she generously said, "It''s all right there is no need to apologise even servants who work so hard for a family needs to be treated nicely." Though he said those words with a smile on his face, his eyes were contemptuous beyond belief as he looked down at the woman who dared to question him but since she was already going to die, Ji Yang did not take her imprudence to his heart, Instead, he sighed and with a troubled voice continued, " Xiao Lin, I know that you have been always honest and loyal to Ji Yu which is something that I am d for and this is the only reason I asked you toe here." As he spoke he leaned back on his chair and then crossed his legs on the shins. " As you can see that my daughter is losing the affection of the emperor and after what happened today, she is even more upset and had been crying ever since that Liu Dong Ming seeded in smuggling the queen into the tent of the emperor." '' Mydy,'' Xiao Lin immediately felt her heart ache when she heard the words of Ji Yang who spoke them with great affluence making Xiao Lin already imagine the face of her mistress covered in tears and sobbing for the Emperor. Seeing that his words werepped up by the maid, Ji Yang smiled coldly calling her and an idiot in his head as he continued speaking, " If this was in the past, I would have left this matter to a side and ignored it but as you can see the water has gone past our heads which is why I need you to do something for Ji Yu. I believe as long as you agree, Ji Yu will be the happiest woman in this entire imperial city." " Of course, I will agree, my lord!" Xiao Lin did not even listen to what Ji Yang was going to ask her to do, as soon as she heard that Ji Yu will be the happiest woman in the city and never cry again. She agreed at once, her eyes shining with determination as she looked at the floor while thinking in her head, '' Do not worry mydy, I will bring that smile on your face back.'' " Excellent!" Ji Yang pped his hands as if he was moved by Xiao Lin''s loyalty towards his daughter as he looked at the foolish maid who did not even know that she was being used as bait to make his daughter hate the queen even more like he used the death of his son and continued speaking, " All you need to do is poison the queen, you will right, little Lin?" Chapter 380: A chess piece doomed to be abandoned Xiao Lin raised her head in stunned surprise when she heard the words of Ji Yang, she was so shocked that she did not even remember the fact that she was not supposed to look into the eyes of her masters. She stared at Ji Yang and then in a voice that was filled with shock, she asked, " What do you mean by this, my lord?" When Xiao Lin asked this question, Ji Yang looked at her seriously and then the more serious he looked the more Xiao Lin trembled as she lowered her head and did not say anything when she saw that the master was looking at her so seriously. She did not even raise her head and just continued to stand in front of Ji Yang who finally with a thoughtful smile on his face said, " Xiao Lin, don''t you think that Ji Yu had gotten more and more sadder with each passing day from the day the Queen came to the imperial harem? She is the cause of Ji Yu''s anger and grief, if she is gone then Ji Yu will be back to her lively self¡­would you not help your dear missy? What if this continues and Ji Yu''s heart breaks again?" " No!" Xiao Lin suddenly spoke up as she raised her head and looked at Ji Yang with a desperate look on her face as she said, " There is no way I will allow my missy''s heart to be broken if something happens to her then I ¡­then I will never be able to forgive myself. She is my everything, I will do anything for her even if¡­ even if ¡­" " Even if you have to poison the queen?" Ji Yang finished for her and though Xiao Lin''s pupils contracted at his words, she still nodded speaking of which she knew that his mistress was physically and mentally exhausted these days because of the queen. If she was to take care of the queen then her mistress will be back to her lively self ¡­as long as it was rted to the happiness of her missy, she was willing to do anything for her! " I...I am willing, I will do anything for my missy, no matter what," Xiao Lin agreed and Ji Yang''s smile broadened as he nodded at Xiao Lin whose head was still bowed in front of him and then said with a praising note in his voice, "Commendable, absolutelymendable!" He enunciated each word with a p of his hands as he turned to look at Ji Mo who took the poison that they took for Ji Yu and threw it in front of Xiao Lin whose eyes widened when she saw the pouch that her missy was carrying ever since the morning. '' This ¡­This is the same pouch that her missy embroidered earlier at the beginning of the autumn, why was it here? Was this pouch used by her missy to keep the poison?'' Xiao Lin was rather surprised when she saw the pouch that belonged to her mistress in front of her feet, she never thought that one day she will saw her mistress scheming like those concubines in the harem. '' Wh..when did her Highness start to change like this?'' Xiao Lin questioned as she looked at the pouch with aplicated expression on her face. She thought that her mistress was kind and above all but she was actually carrying poison with her. Was this a n that was something her mistress came up with and told her father? Ji Yang knew that with the pouch that was lying in front of Xiao Lin''s feet, half of his n had already seeded which was why he smiled at Xiao Lin and then said with a troubled voice, " I know that you must be shocked upon seeing this, I was just as shocked as well. But Ji Yu is a woman who loves his majesty more than anything in this world, it''s understandable that she would want to confront and end those whoe in between her love. Xiao Lin, I am giving you this task because I am worried that if you do not take this matter into your hands, then Ji Yu will be the one who would take it by her own hands." He paused and then with a sly look in his eyes he added, " I am sure that you will not like to see Ji Yu''s hands covered with blood just like me, will you Xiao Lin?" " No, I don''t want her highness to do something so sinful," Xiao Lin shook her head and agreed with Ji Yang who smiled further and then strode towards her where he came to a stop next to the maid and looked at her with an expression that was full of calctions before he continued to speak, " Which is why for the sake of protecting Ji Yu''s innocence, you will be taking on this task¡­do not worry it''s not difficult, you just need to steal the uniform of the maids who are in charge of pouring water and preparing bath of her majesty and then pour these flower petals in the water and leave, its simple right? You don''t even need to make sure that her majesty will have to drink or eat something, you can do it, right? For Ji Yu''s sake?" " I...I certainly can," Xiao Lin nodded as she agreed and picked up the pouch that was lying on the ground and clenched it tightly in her hands before she bowed to Ji Yang and then walked out of the tent. The three people waited for her to leave before Ji Mo turned to look at his father and asked, " Are you going to let that maid go just like that? She can be a liability in case she knows what we are up to." " Who says that I am going to let her go?" Ji Yang snickered as he turned to look at his son with his arms behind his back as he smiled sinisterly. " That maid was doomed to die from the second she stepped inside this tent and just like always her death will be pinned on the Liu family''s head, let''s see if Ji Yu stays as calm and naive after losing the one person whom she thought was the closest to her." He then turned to look at Old Grand Dowager Empress and then asked with a polite voice, " Aunt, you have prepared another maid right? We cannot have another maid as naive as this one who would not be able to guide Ji Yu." Old Grand Dowager Empress sipped her tea calmly as if she and her nephew were not discussing manipting her grand niece and were talking about the weather and how they were going to spend the rest of the day. " You do not have to worry about that," Old Grand Dowager Empress blew over her tea and then sighed with a smile on her face that looked too cruel for a woman of her age. " I have already looked for a maid who will make sure that Ji Yu knows what she needed to do and what she does not need to do, unlike this maid who is stupider than a donkey, that maid is smarter. She will guide Ji Yuin on the path to bing the perfect Empress while killing that annoying little bitch of the Liu family." She paused and then added, " And if she fails then we also have priest on our side, he will definitely take that woman down in a jiffy like this." She snapped her fingers which caused Ji Mo and Ji Yang tough as they nodded and agreed along with Old Grand Dowager Empress. " You are right, your majesty," said Ji Yang to Old Grand Dowager Empress with a satisfied smile. " The Ji family will rise to the top again and again while the stupid emperors will continue to me the Liu family for everything not even knowing that they were nothing but puppets in the hands of the Ji family from the start." " That is what makes this entire thing even sweeter, Ah Yang," said Old Grand Dowager Empress with a glittering smile that was too sweet and full of delight and victory. " Even if we are behind the scene we are the ones who rule the imperial city and no one has ever caught us. A perfect viin is the one who is never caught after all." " You are right again, your majesty." Ji Yang''s smile was full of contentment as he heaved a sigh of relief and then said, " I hope that maid seeds, even if Hui Ying will not die at least she will lose her ability to give birth to an heir, that way we will be able to add another concubine from our family." " You do not have to worry about such things for now Ah Yang, just make sure that Ji Yu paves the way for our family to sit on the throne of the Empress," said Old Grand Dowager Empress as she ced the cup on the table and then said, " After that, it will not take us long to rece and kill the barren Empress and ce a fertile one from our family." Chapter 381: Xiao Lin killed someone The grand dowager Empress had long thought of a way to solve the crisis that came on their family when Ji Yu was poisoned, that girl was supposed to be the Empress of the imperial family and give birth to an heir for the throne with Zhai Tianyu but after she was poisoned that hope died along with Ji Yu''s disappointing womb. In fact, the grand dowager Empress wanted to rece Ji Yu from the very day when she found out that she was poisoned and could no longer be a mother but the thing was Zhai Tianyu''s guilt was enough to bind him to her, which was why the grand dowager Empress ignored everything else and turned a blind eye to Ji Yu''s in the ability of not being able to be a mother but now that the guilt that Zhai Tianyu held for Ji Yu was turning into affection of the Empress, it was all right for her to start renning everything from the start because she did not want to lose the taste of power that she had in her mouth right now. " You mean to say that we are going to kill Ji Yu?" Ji Mo questioned with a startled look on his face which caused Ji Yang and Old Grand Dowager Empress to turn and look at him with questioning looks in their eyes as the two of them exchanged a look with each other before the Old Grand Dowager Empress looked at her grand-nephew and then asked with a smile, " What do you feel pity for your sister?" Ji Mo rolled his eyes as he scoffed, " Yeah right." There was no way he will ever feel sorry for Ji Yu, if anything it did not matter to him whether she died today or tonight. ... Xiao Lin did not have any idea that Ji Yang and the Old Dowager Empress hade up with such a terrible n for her mistress and her. In her heart, she only knew one thing and that was to make sure that Ji Yu will remain forever happy which was why she did not even think of anything anymore nor did she question what was going on in actuality and why Ji Yang was asking her to poison Liu Hui Ying when he had more than enough shadow guards to do the same. Instead, she snuck inside the tent where the maids were boiling the water for the Empress and everyone else to take a bath since the sky was turning dark slowly, with the moon and the stars slowlying into view. With her small stature, she wasn''t detected by anyone and hid behind the small box of wood that was chopped and ced inside the box for thefort of the members of the imperial family. " I have to seed," she told herself as she sat down on the ground with her back against the box as she held the pouch that she was holding tightly in her hand. " I have to seed such that my missy will be happy till the end without the queen in her path. It''s not my or my missy''s fault, its the Empress she was the one who came in between the Emepror and my missy!" She repeated trying to wash away the guilt that was filling her heart. " Did you hear? The young master of the Liu family caught another deer, I heard that even the servants will be allowed to eat the game tonight," a maid who was talking to her friend walked inside as she discussed her ns of eating meat. " I never thought that it will such a fortunate day! When I saw the Emperor missing the target and not killing the deer, I thought that we will have to practice vegetarianism on this hunt as well but it is a good thing that the young master of the Liu family came this time." " Hush now," said the other maid whose eyes were slightly blue as she walked inside the tent and then ced more water in the bronze vessel in which water was being boiled. " If anyone hears you mocking the Emperor, I am afraid that you will be the one who might be the meal for the wild animals tonight, you know that right?" The maid with her hair tied up in two buns on the side of her head poked her tongue at the other maid as she giggled and then said, " All right, all right. I will no longer mock the Emperor. Oh no!" She was giggling one second and then in the other second, she gasped and eximed with a shocked look on her face causing the other maid whose hair was tied in pigtails to turn and look at her with a frown. " What now?" The maid with pigtails asked while a look of confusion etched on her face. " I forgot to tell the carriers to bring the carts since we need to take the water to the tents now," said the maid with buns causing her friend to roll her eyes and exim, " What are you doing here now? Ask the carriers to bring the carts now and ask the mammies toe as well! The maids of the imperial family members will being now, the first one will be the Empress and Emperor, what are you doing? If we don''t have this hot water boiled and ced on the cart, I am afraid that they will have our heads for dilly-dallying." When Xiao Lin heard that the first group of maids that will being here belonged to the Empress fraction, she immediately rushed out of the tent from the back just as the maid with buns rushed out of the front which masked her light footsteps and did not alert the maid with pigtails who was stacking more firewood under therge vessels along with the others who walked inside and started to work again. ¡­. Xiao Lin hid behind the tree that was closest to the carts that were being parked behind the tent and waited for the group of maids that were going toe and get the water for the Empress. She did not have to wait for long as she saw Nanny Gong rushing in front while leading the maids who were walking behind her. " Is the after ready?" The old woman asked the mammies who were putting therge vessels that were filled with hot water that was steaming with white fumes wafting in the air. "It is ready!" A mammy replied with a groan as she piled another vessel in the cart. " You can take it away just wait for me to ce one more vessel." "Please hurry up, her majesty had been waiting for her bath since the afternoon.," stated Nanny Gong to which the Mammy nodded and replied with a slight chuckle, " I am not even surprised, with all the things that she was carrying on her body.,. I am sure that her majesty must have sweated a lot in this weather." " Mammy Xue, do not make fun of her majesty like that," said Nanny Gong reproachfully which only made the Mammyugh even more as she started to order the maids to hurry and pour the hot water into the vessels fast. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention to the maids who were silently standing behind Nanny Gong, Xiao Lin took out a poisonous flower from the pouch and headed to the maid who was standing at thest where she took onest breath to hype herself up and then rushed at the maid before covering the nose of the maid at the back. The maid who realised that something was happening immediately started to struggle frantically as she thrashed against Xiao Lin while her eyes started to turn red as blood started to pour out of the corner of her eyes. But Xiao Lin did not stop even though it was her first time killing someone this one was for her mistress and thus she did not even shake when she was holding the woman by her face and waist and pulled her along with her to the back of the forest where no one could see them. The poisonous flowers were indeed potent, the maid who continued to thrash against Xiao Lin soon turned limp while bleeding from her eyes and mouth and Xiao Lin let her go. With a thump, the body fell on the ground and only then did Xiao Lin start to tremble as she looked at her hands that were covered in blood as she scampered away from the body that was lying on the floor. " I ¡­ I killed someone." She muttered to herself as she tried to calm her trembling body but then again she did not have the time to have a mental breakdown with her hands trembling, she covered her mouth and stopped herself from hurling everything that she ate and then closed her eyes before she turned to look at the body that was lying on the floor and then started to take the clothes of the maid as she crouched down. Chapter 382: Who did this —-1 Xiao Lin was shaking by the time she was done stripping off the dress of the maid whose body was slowly turning cold. She was scared as she picked up the clothes of a dead person and started wearing them but in her mind, she kept telling herself that this was for her mistress and that she was doing this for no one else but her missy which was why she pursed her lips and even though she felt like gagging she tied the belt around her waist and then walked over to the group of maids with her head lowered and covered by her hair. Since the maid whom Xiao Lin killed was someone who stayed silent and did not like to talk because of her reclusive personality, no one turned to look at Xiao Lin which made her sigh in relief as she continued to hold the pouch that contained such a lethal poisonous flower in her hand which was hidden inside her sleeves. A part of her screamed at her to forget everything and just leave this matter alone but Xiao Lin knew that there was no way she could give it up halfway even if her hands get dyed with blood for the sake of her missy who had always protected her and gave her the best of everything she was going to try and give it her all. Which was why she swallowed the lump in her throat and decided to go on with the n that she came up with inside her head. " All right everyone, the cart is now loaded please start pulling it!" Nanny Gong said to the maids who were standing behind her because they were always worried that something might go wrong with the bathing water and food, only the maids who were selected personally by Liu Dong Ming were allowed to touch things that were used to serve Liu Hui Ying. Nanny Gong would bring these maids with her even when bringing the meals of the queen and trusted them quite a lot, more importantly, she never expected that a tiny woman like Xiao Lin whose stature was half her size would even dare to kill a maid without even an ounce of regret which was why she did not look at the group that was standing behind her properly and asked them to push and pull the cart. The maids moved and Xiao Lin who was with them also walked towards the cart while she continued to lower her head as if she was never going to raise her head. Seeing her act like this Nanny Gong frowned and stopped her, " Little Mi, what are you doing?" Xiao Lin''s heart almost jumped out of her chest when she heard Nanny Gong speak to her, she was thinking that she was caught already but instead, she heard Nanny Gong speaking to her in concern, " Watch where you are going, you picked up the wrong uniform again, right? Your skirt is longer than your feet, you will trip like this, forget it just push the cart from behind and don''t do much." The maid named Little Mi was a little klutz, she was an orphan who only had a big sister to take care of, her big sister took rather good care of Little Mi but Little Mi did not want to rely on her sister which was why she went to work in the courtyard of the Empress, fortunately for her the maids there were friendly and took care of her just like her big sister and even Nanny Gong was used to taking care of her. This was something that Xiao Lin did not know and neither she did know that she just took the only sibling of a woman who worked in the kitchen. She was possessed with the idea of bringing happiness to her missy, that she did not think of anything else! Xiao Lin nodded, slightly relieved that she was not caught and then walked towards the end of the cart where she started pushing the cart with everyone else. Her pace was brisk as if she believed that the faster she could bring the cart to Liu Hui Ying''s tent, the faster she will be able to bring Ji Yu her ultimate happiness. With a definite goal in her head, Xiao Lin did not feel tired even when she was pushing such a heavy cart, seeing the small girl work so hard, the maids around her started to move faster as well thinking that if someone as small as Xiao Mi could work so hard then they can do the same as well. What they did not know was that their little Mi was already gone and her corpse was turning stiffer by the minute. Soon they all arrived in front of the tent of the Emperor, since Zhai Tianyu knew that his wife was going to take a bath he went to hunt with his brother and Yu Lingyun under the pretext that he was going on a ride. The maids all started to move as they ced the water-filled vessels on the ground and then walked inside while carrying them. The tent wasrge with a bed and sitting couch as well along with a study table and at the far end was a wooden divider that hid arge bath basin that was cleaned by Xiao Ai and Qi Qiao. " Hurry up," said Xiao Ai as she picked up the scented oils that were sitting inside a wooden box that she brought with her back to the group of maids. She picked up this bottle and that as she examined them while the maids filled the bathing basin with hot water on the other hand, Xiao Lin who was looking at the group of maids standing and pouring in the water walked towards where the rose petals and everything else was sitting and took out the pouch from which she picked out two poisonous orchids and then started to pluck their petals and started to mix them with the roses. She only stopped when the rose petals werepletely mixed with the petals of the purplish-white orchid. -------------------------- Chapter 383: Who did this —-2 After she was done Xiao Lin stepped aside at the back of the tent where the exit was, even though she did not think that there was anything that will go wrong at this point, she still wanted to have a way out left for her lest she was caught. Liu Hui Ying did not have any idea that someone was trying to poison her, she was currently sitting on the bed while being fanned by little Lin who was trying to keep Liu Hui Ying''s temper and temperature both down. But was failing miserably as Liu Hui Ying tossed and turned with her cheeks inmed, " How is this possible? Why am I feeling this sweaty?" Liu Hui Ying who was teased by Zhai Tianyu was fuming, she had never felt like this before because no man had ever dared to tease her like this in the past, she still could not ept in her mind that the reason she was sweating crazily was because that man used his seduction technique on her! " Just ept that the Emperor caused you to be blown away," Jia Li teased Liu Hui Ying as she sat on the bed enjoying the sight of Liu Hui Ying looking so distressed. " Maybe you might even fall in love with him?" " Li Gang shut the mouth of this woman." Liu Hui Ying deadpanned as she looked at Jia Li who was smirking a bit too wildly, she expected this from Li Gang but was surprised that Jia Li was the one who was trying to tease her. Liu Hui Ying thought that Li Gang will take the opportunity that presented itself in front of him at once but instead, he stayed focused on something which caused Liu Hui Ying to turn and look at him, " What are you doing?" She asked when she saw Li Gang who was standing at the side of the bed while sniffing the air like he was a guard dog. " Are you trying to sniff out bitc*es in heat or what?" " Can you ever be not sarcastic with me?" Li Gang snapped at her as he turned to look at the woman and rolled his eyes at her. " I smell poison and death which is why I am whiffing the air." Li Gang''s nose was better than the rest since he worked in a gang where he had to smell and deduce which drug was the true deal and which was not, when he died his sense of smell amplified and he could smell everything better than the rest. As soon as Liu Hui Ying heard his words all sense of humour died from her eyes as she sat up straight on the bed scaring Little Lin so much that she dropped the fan on the floor. " Y...Your majesty, have I made a mistake?" The maid asked while she trembled like a tragic heroine who was caught by the viin and was on the verge of losing her virtue. Liu Hui Ying stared at her speechlessly before she turned around and slid off the bed she aksed Li Gang, "From where do you smell poison?" " Behind the wooden divider," the man answered as he pointed to the wooden divider which was exquisitely carved and then added, " I cannot smell it properly but the thing is that the scent is covered with so many scented oils that I can hardly smell it clearly." He was trying to tell Liu Hui Ying that he was not the one at fault here! Liu Hui Ying narrowed her eyes as she walked over to the wooden divider, seeing her go to the bathing space little Lin thought that Liu Hui Ying was in a hurry to take a bath and so did Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai who were preparing the bath. While Nanny Gong was putting flower petals in the water and Xiao Ai was choosing scented oil the two saw Liu Hui Yinge towards them and hurriedly put the things away, as Nanny Gong said, " The bath is almost ready your majesty. If you want then you can enter the bath now, I know that you are sweaty and in a hurry to take a bath, Xiao Ai can put the scented oilter on." " Thats right, your majesty, you can sit down in the bathing vessel," said Xiao Ai as she ced the porcin bottles inside the wooden box having chosen a seductive rose scent which will help her missy seduce his majesty and make him rue the day he refused to take her missy''s first night. [ Zhai Tianyu: I am already regretting it there is no need for you to do this, Xiao Ai.] " I will put the scented oil now and then you can take a bath," said Xiao Ai as she walked towards the bathing vessel but her hand was caught by Liu Hui Ying who was staring at the steaming water. In the eyes of others, it was normal bathing water but in Liu Hui Ying''s eyes, the water wasced with ck qi so potent that she knew if she was to even touch the water she might die right here and now! " Who did this?" She asked as she raised her head and then looked at the group of maids who seemed to have been scared stiff as they all turned to look at each other and then back at the queen whose expression waspletely different from the one that she usually wore. Normally their missy will be calm and quiet without saying anything to them and it was only with Nanny Gong and the rest whom she will show off her teasing side but this time her eyes were coldly staring at her like she wanted to eat them alive causing the maids to shiver in fright under her cold aura. Especially, Xiao Lin. She had never seen the queen like this ¡­in her eyes, the queen was different from her missy and had no virtue of being the queen but now that she stood in front of the queen with an invisible pressure pressing on her shoulders, she realised what the dignity of an Empress meant. Chapter 384: A monster behind them ——1 Liu Hui Ying stared at the group of maids who were trembling while lowering their heads as if they were chicken who was afraid that the butcher was going to snap their necks next. Seeing them act like this Liu Hui Ying clicked her tongue as she raised her voice and asked in a loud voice, " I am asking you who poisoned my bathing water?" Her words took everyone by surprise while Xiao Lin who did not expect Liu Hui Ying will be able to find out the problem in the bathing water so easily was stunned as she looked at the floor while clenching the pouch in her hands under her sleeves, should she make a run for it? If she stayed here, she will be certainly caught! But the question was will the queen be able to track her down? " Your majesty, are you saying that the water is poisonous?" Nanny Gong asked in surprise as she looked at the boiling water and then turned to look at the maids. In her eyes, there was nothing wrong with the water but if her majesty was saying that it was poisonous then she was going to believe her without a doubt since she knew that no matter how naughty the queen might be she will not make such a joke. She straightened her back and red at the group of maids that had their heads lowered and asked in a stern voice, " Can you not hear your majesty? Who was the one who poisoned this water? Come out now and we might be merciful for all the years that you were loyal but in case we catch you then I am afraid that we will have to see you get executed." Xiao Lin was tempted but at the same time she knew that these words were not of any use to her, she was not Liu Hui Ying''s maid, if anything she was a weasel who snuck in the nest of otters. If they were to find her identity then she was sure she would be killed without being given a chance to say anything! Seeing that neither of them was speaking anything, Liu Hui Ying sighed and then exined, " These petals that you are seeing," she pointed at the whitish purple orchid petals and said, " They have highly reactive properties, if they touch the water then they will release a toxin that will make one bleed through their entire body and if you eat or smell them for a long time, you will bleed through seven orifices which is why, I need to know who were the ones who touched these petals or else you will die without even knowing." As soon as she spoke this the maids who touched the petals all shivered and raised their heads while one of them spoke while shaking her head, " But we did not know, we had no idea, please listen to us, your majesty!" The maid shouted as she kneeled on the ground with a thump while the others followed. Liu Hui Ying did not say anything she turned to look at Li Gang who sniffed their hands one by one and then shook his head, " Their hands do have the scent but it is fleeting, they did touch the petals but not for long." Only then did Liu Hui Ying nod and said, " I know, you are not the one who tried to harm me, your hands do not have a strong scent of these orchids¡­which makes me wonder who has a strong scent of these orchids sticking to their hands?" She asked no one in particr as she raised her head and looked at the head of the maids. '' She ¡­She knows¡­how does she know?'' Xiao Lin felt her will crumble away when she saw that Liu Hui Ying was breaking past her walls one after another. She thought that she was the smart one here but looks like the queen was always a step ahead of her¡­but how? Did she already know that there was someone who was going to sneak inside her tent and poison her? Was it because there was another spy in the Ji family¡­no. That thought was buried in her head as soon as she thought of it, she knew that there was no way the Ji family will allow someone from the Liu family to spy on them since they had so many secrets that they were hiding, so if the queen knew about these poisonous orchids petals then someone from the Ji family had to tip her off! This means that the Ji family wanted to see her die from the very start! Xiao Lin felt her heart shudder as she came to the realisation that she had been cheated by the Ji family, she wanted to turn back time but unfortunately, there was no medicine for regret in this world, while Xiao Lin was going through a mental crisis, Li Gang who was sniffing for the stronger scent of poisonous orchids came to stand next to her and sniffed the air twice, his eyes widened as he whipped his head and looked at Liu Hui Ying before shouting at the top of his lungs, " I found her! She is the one who tried to poison you!" As he spoke he pointed to Xiao Lin whose eyes widened when she saw Liu Hui Ying''s gaze zero on her. She seemed to have realised that the queen noticed her and most probably because of the tip-off, she might have already sensed her which was why she immediately turned on her heels and rushed out of the other p that opened right in front of the forest ignoring the shouts and gasps of the maids who chased after her while Liu Hui Ying who wanted to rip the culprit limb by limb also chased after Xiao Lin but unfortunately for her, she was only able to take three steps ahead and was brought down on the floor. -------------------------- Chapter 385: A monster behind them ——2 " What are you doing?" Liu Hui Ying did not expect Xiao Ai to tackle her down like this, she turned to look at Xiao Ai who was holding her around her waist by looping her arms around and red at the small girl, " What are you doing? Let me go! That mother tucker tried to poison me, I have every single right to tackle her down and then rip her hands out of her body!" " You can''t do that, your majesty"! Xiao Ai cried and even though she was being pushed by Liu Hui Ying who was adamant about chasing after the culprit on the head while her cheeks were getting squished with every push that Liu Hui Ying gave her. " I know that you are upset but I am doing this for your own good, you are dressed in this flimsy robe that is transparent to the point anyone can see your body." Liu Hui Ying looked down at the robe that was hiding only the important parts which would have been uncovered when she was bathing and then looked at Xiao Ai and angrily questioned, " Why does it matter? Is... Is this more important or catching the culprit who tried to poison me is more important?" " Forgive my imprudence but saving your virtue is more important your majesty!" Xiao Ai cried while making Liu Hui Ying grind her teeth who tried to crawl her way out of the tent, her hands digging into the soil as she dragged her body forward, seeing this the other two maids Qi Qiao and Little Lin rushed forward and then ced their weight on Liu Hui Ying as well making sure that thetter will not be able to drag her body forward. " You freaking annoying little¡ª¡ª" Liu Hui Ying started to get seriously angry but then she heard Nanny Gong clear her throat and looked up at her with a bossy expression as she snapped, " Do you want to jump on me as well? Come and sit on my head, Nanny." She pointed to her head which was the only space left for someone to sit and caused Nanny Gong to turn red in the face. However, instead of getting angry at Liu Hui Ying, Nanny Gong cleared her throat again and then said with an awkward look on her face, " I am afraid that these three are right your majesty¡ª¡ª" " Well of course they are!" Liu Hui Ying snapped as she red at the elderly woman who sighed and then continued, " And that is because if you go out like this, we can''t be certain about the maid who tried to poison you but I can certainly say that you will be the one who will be executed and that too by chopping your waist." Nanny Gong tipped her chin at the thin waist of Liu Hui Ying that might snap even if she was to fall causing Liu Hui Ying to gape at her in disbelief she opened her mouth in an ''O'' shape as she asked in a thick voice, " For what? For not getting poisoned?" " No your majesty, as the Empress ¡­only the Emperor, his Majesty, is allowed to gaze at your ethereal figure..if you run out like that it will be counted as cheating ¡­ and a woman who cheats on her husband is punished by being chopped into half and then her bottom is ced in front of her to see as a punishment for showing it to other men," exined Nanny Gong and the disbelief on Liu Hui Ying''s face only got even more intense as she looked at the old woman with disgust in her eyes. " You guys have really serious problems right here." She pointed to her head while nodding to herself as she pursed her lips and scrunched her mouth. " I mean unless there is no whacking of the mole ..how in the world is that cheating? Just because someone peeped at me? Are we talking about some metaphysical touch or what? What if I was wearing a loose shirt and bent forward in my carelessness and someone saw my wriggly tigglies¡­ it will be counted as cheating as well?" " Meta what ¡­.?" Nanny Gong asked as she looked at Liu Hui Ying in confusion when she did not understand what thetter was saying but Liu Hui Ying only waved her hand and then said, " Never mind¡­" she turned to look at her ghosts who were waiting for her order and smiled at them with another disbelieving snort as she said, " Do you want me to kill you all? Again? Go and GET THAT MOTHER TUCKER!" Almost immediately the three ghosts shot out of the tent like their bottoms were on fire. But unlike the maid, they did not have much problem chasing after Xiao Lin who was running deeper into the forest to hide, with Li Gang sniffing the scent he pointed in the direction where they needed to turn and thus they were easily able to keep up with Xiao Lin. "Thirty-nine degrees in the west, right next to that big boulder!" Li Gang told the other two as he summoned his gun and flew over to the maid who was trying to run, he was hoping to knock her out cold but then as he chased after Xiao Lin, he suddenly stomped on the breaks and stopped just in time before hiding behind the big boulder. Jia Li who flew after him looked at him in shock and then hissed, " Why did you stop here? Shoot that girl so that we can bring her back with us, or else Hui Ying will eat us alive." Even Grandma Lan Fen thought the same as well which was why she was even more surprised that Li Gang who was the most reckless one among them was actually stopping at this moment. Did he not fear Liu Hui Ying the most? So why was he taking such a risk? " I am afraid that if I go there then I will never return," said Li Gang as he pressed his thumping heart back in his chest with his back pressed against the boulder while pointing at the demon that was standing behind them. - Chapter 386: Who is the one at fault? At first, Jia Li did not understand what Li Gang was saying but that was until she peeked out of the boulder and immediately hid behind the big stone and pulled Grandma Lan Fen who was trying to see what was going on with her lest the elderly one was caught and ended up creating a mess for them as well. " I knew that something was wrong with that man," said Jia Li in a voice that was so soft that even Li Gang was having a hard time listening to her words. " Thest time he was looking at us but we were foolish to think that he was looking at someone else!" " Don''t lump me with you, I might have not known that the man was crazy as fck but I did say that there was something weird going on with that man," Li Gang hissed at Jia Li while hiding behind the boulder, now he wished he did not chase that maid, there was no need for him to chase that woman. With such a deadly weapon in the Liu family was there even a need for them to do something so foolish as to look after Liu Hui Ying? " Umm.. if that man knows about that maid, does that mean he also knows about Liu Hui Ying?" questioned Jia Li as she raised her hand and looked at Li Gang who turned his head to scold her but when he heard her question all the blood drained from his body as he whipped to look at the man whose yin and Yang energy was creating such a whirlpool that he was almost sucking him up and then turned to look at Jia Li with terror in his eyes before squeaking like a duck, " We are so fcked." This sentence was exactly what was going on in the head of Xiao Lin as she looked at Liu Dong Ming, just now when she was running away she did not pay attention to where she was going which was why she bumped into Liu Dong Ming who was waiting for her here as if he knew that she was going to dash past this path, she looked at the man whose eyes were staring down at her coldly and then trembled as she bowed her head and knocked her forehead on the surface of the ground. " Please let me go, I was lost ¡­ I was lost just for a moment, I did not mean to do it but before I knew something came over me," As Xiao Lin apologised she continued to knock her head on the ground, this time she felt raw fear quaking in her body since she knew that there was no way she will be able to get away from Liu Dong Ming unless he allowed her to leave. She did not feel this much fear when she was killing that maid but now that she was standing in front of Liu Dong Ming who was staring at the top of her head, she was so terrified that she was almost on the verge of crying and fainting. " I ¡­NO, PLEASE! IT¡­IT HURTS, PLEASE DO NOT HURT ME!" Xiao Lin screamed as Liu Dong Ming pressed his foot on her hand that was clenching the pouch with poison tightly, Xiao Lin wanted to keep it in her hands such that no finger will ever point her missy but as Liu Dong Ming pressed his foot on her hand such that he almost broke her fingers, Xiao Lin had no other choice but to loosen her hold on the pouch. " My and what might this be?" Liu Dong Ming asked as he snatched the pouch which Xiao Lin was trying to hide from him and raised it in front of his eyes, with his gaze he was able to detect the exquisite embroidery as well as the expensive fabric and clicked his tongue, " And here I thought that there was a littlemb in the house of wolves but turns out that the littlemb was also a wolf in sheep''s clothing? To think that the imperial concubine would be daring enough to kill the Empress." Xiao Lin snapped her head when she heard the words of Liu Dong Ming, her eyes widening in surprise as she fervently shook her head and then said, "It''s not her highness! I was the one who did it alone, this has nothing to do with her highness! I was in this n alone, she does not even know that I am here." Liu Dong Ming looked at Xiao Lin with amusement in his eyes as if he was watching her struggle cute and then said in a low voice, " Do you really think that your missy is innocent? If so then why is this pouch here? Don''t tell me that there is this new trend of keeping poisonous flowers being used in the imperial court these days, I will have to ask his majesty what he thinks about this." " You can''t!" When Xiao Lin heard that Liu Dong Ming was going to go to his majesty she scrambled on her feet and tried to snatch the pouch from him as she shouted at the top of her lungs, " Its not my fault and nor is the fault of my missy, if ¡­if her majesty did not use underhanded methods and stole his majesty away from my missy then this would have never happened! I would have never done something like this ever in my life¡ª-Ah!" Xiao Lin screamed when she was kicked by Liu Dong Ming who stared at her in disgust as she rolled down on the ground a few times, her arm clutching her waist as she breathed in and out heavily while her face was contorted in nothing but pain as she tried to focus her gaze at Liu Dong Ming but was failing miserably since she was hit so heavily. " And this is why I hate your Ji family, you all have the habit of victimising yourself despite being criminals!" ----------------- Xiao Lin gritted her teeth as she tried to stand up but she was kicked back down on the ground by Liu Dong Ming, she wanted to say that she was not wrong and their family was not criminals and it was the Liu family who was always getting involved in matters that were not supposed to be touched and were the evilest one out of all but she could not even get one word out because of the pain that she was in at the moment. " You were not at fault then what happened to my niece? Was she killed for no reason? Or did the Liu family kill her? And if you were not at fault then why did you kill that maid who was not even in the correct state of her mind? Do you know, that you have killed the only family member of the maid who worked in the kitchen imagine how touched she will be when she finds out that you killed her sister just because your missy was useless!" Liu Dong Ming ruthlessly stripped one mask after another that Xiao Lin was wearing causing thetter to re at him in anger as she said, " I am not in the wrong!" She breathed heavily as a re lit up in her chest when she heard the man call her missy useless, how was she useless? Her missy was the kindest woman of the imperial harem! She had never done anything wrong! If not for the fact that the Empress caused her so much trouble, her missy would have never done anything like this ¡ª¡ª after all, if her missy failed in bing the Empress of this imperial city then she was worried that the one who will suffer the most would be her missy since Lord Yang and her majesty the grand dowager Empress will never let her off! " You will never understand the pain of my missy, if not for her majesty, she would not have been abandoned by her father." Xiao Lin gritted out while trying to get up from the ground and trying to snatch the pouch from Liu Dong Ming but no matter how much she jumped. She could not get hold of the pouch in the end she looked at the man with hatred and helplessness in her eyes. " Because of her majesty, my missy will lose everything!" Liu Dong Ming however did not look at all bothered by what Xiao Lin said, he looked at her with a calm look in his eyes and then smiled in a manner which scared her so much that she almost cried. With a quick raise of his feet, Liu Dong Ming took a step closer to Xiao Lin and then said in a soft voice, " The reason your missy is going to be abandoned is that your missy''s father is nothing but a good for nothing selfish man if there was someone else instead of him then he would have protected his daughter instead of throwing her away." Chapter 387: String of hope Xiao Lin did not know what to say, all she could do was stare at the man in front of her, she wanted to fight with him and rush back to the Ji family but now that she was under the grasp of Liu Dong Ming, she knew that she could no longer escape but just as she was thinking that Liu Dong Ming was going to kill her, thetter backed down. Surprised, she raised her head, though the man was still looking at her in disdain, he did not reach out his hand to grab the sword that was sticking out of on the side of his waist instead he simply stared at her until she felt a prickly sensation all over her body. '' What is going on? Why didn''t Lord Liu kill me just now?'' Xiao Lin thought in her head, with Liu Dong Ming''s skills he could have killed her just now but instead he kept his hands to himself and did not even hit her that heavily such that she will cough out blood. She knew that if Liu Dong Ming wanted he could have used his spiritual qi to kill her just now but the man was simply staring at her without any murderous intent in his eyes which confused her. " Leave," just as Xiao Lin was thinking about what was going to happen to her, or whether the man will make her suffer in the worst possible way she heard him say that she could leave. Stunned she raised her head and looked at the man with surprise in her eyes, she did not even ask why he was letting her go instead she turned on her heel and dashed away as fast as she could it was as if she was worried that she will be caught by a monster if she was a tad bitte. Once Xiao Lin left Li Gang and the others wanted to take their leave as well but then they heard the rumbling voice of the man from behind them, " Stop you three." Li Gang who had his feet raised in the air dumbly raised his finger and counted the three of them and when he realised that their numbers matched with what Liu Dong Ming spoke just now he wished he could stomp his feet on the ground like an angry child. " I¡­I am just here to catch some deer, please let us go¡­." Li Gang spoke in a shrill voice trying to imitate the manner of a eunuch but as he turned to look behind him, he was stunned to see Liu Dong Ming standing behind him staring right into his eyes. The sight was so shocking that Li Gang jumped despite being the ghost here. " W..What do you want?" He covered his chest and continued to speak in his shrill voice forgetting to change it. " I am¡­I am telling you my master is really fierce, she ¡­she will eat you alive if you touch me." " Or me¡­" Jia Li peeked out of Li Gang''s behind while looking at Liu Dong Ming. " She is a very ferocious celestial master.. even the demons are afraid of her¡­you are still human." Grandma Lan Fen who whipped her head between Liu Dong Ming and Li Gang cleared her throat and said, " I am older than you¡­ so be nice to me." However, Liu Dong Ming did not speak instead he stepped closer to the three of them causing Li Gang and the rest to take a defensive stance with their hands in front of them like they were going to karate chop someone. But before they could do anything, Liu Dong Ming walked past them without even saying anything, it was as if he could not see them but the remnants of his aura which was a mixture of Yin and Yang could still be seen circting him. " So did he see us or did he not see us?" Jia Li asked as the three leaned forward while craning their necks to look at Liu Dong Ming who was walking away. " I have seriously no idea, that man looks crazy to me ¡­why else will he let that Xiao woman go? No matter what she tried to kill Liu Hui Ying!" Li Gang muttered as he turned to look at Jia Li and Grandma Lan Fen before saying, "Let us go and grab her..even if Liu Dong Ming let her go since he might have a bit of humanity left in him, Liu Hui Ying will not let us go if we don''t catch that maid when ites to no humanity, that woman is far worse than the devil." Though Jia Li wanted to say that it was not as bad when she thought about it carefully, she decided that it was better to listen to Li Gang and then chase after Xiao Lin. Even Grandma Lan Fen agreed since she knew how dangerous Liu Hui Ying''s temper can be when she was angry. As soon as the three ghosts rose from the ground and started chasing after Xiao Lin, Liu Dong Ming who was walking paused and turned to look at them, his aide that was hiding in the dark also strode out and said, " Why hide like this, my lord? Should you not be telling the priestess what she needs to do?" "It is still early," Liu Dong Ming said while looking after the three ghosts and only turned his head to look at his aide after the three ghosts were gone. He smiled and then he added, " She still needs some growth and until I am with her, she will survive somehow." His aide did not say anything for a long time instead he pursed his lips and hesitated seeing this Liu Dong Ming said, " Go on ask what you want to ask?" " My lord¡­" Seeing that his master was not angry, the aide asked, " Why did you let that maid leave¡­" At the question of his aide, he smiled even more widely and added, " Because death is fascinating when the string of hope snaps." Chapter 388: a grudge Xiao Lin had no idea what was waiting for her, she was instead brimming with joy that she was finally free and could return to the side of her missy, even though she failed in her task as long as she was with her missy, she might be able toe up with some other way. '' Just wait missy, I wille back to your side and I will never leave you ever again,'' Xiao Lin thought in her head, after suffering through so much she no longer wanted to do the same thing ever again. " Chase after her! Don''t let her leave!" Li Gang shouted as he turned to look at Jia Li and Madam Lan Fen but then he noticed their expression changing as they stopped and then looked at the maid with sympathy in their eyes. "What''s wrong why are you stopping? We have to catch her and bring her¡ª¡ª" " There is no need," Jia Li closed her eyes as she turned her head away from the front as if she could no longer see what was happening in front at first Li Gang did not understand what was she trying to say but when he heard a painful scream, he whipped his head to look in the front and was surprised to see that the man who always followed after Ji Yang was standing in front of Xiao Lin and in his hand was a sword that was at the moment sticking past Xiao Lin''s stomach. " Fck that," Li Gang moved as if he was going to stop the man but Madam Lan Fen stopped him from going after Xiao Lin and the man. " Why? You want me to watch that maid die? She might be crazy but this ¡ª¡ª" " This is her karma, the girl she killed was an innocent soul who practised vegetarianism and kept fasts, it can be said that even though she was crazy in her head, she was blessed by the gods to see the world in a way no one else can," Madam Lan Fen shook her head. " As her sin, she had to suffer twice as much pain as the girl did ¡­there is nothing you can do and if you try to stop, you will be the one receiving the heavenly punishment." Li Gang wanted to say that he was all right with that but when he thought about Liu Hui Ying, he pursed his lips and ignored the screams behind him it was only when there was no life left in the eyes of Xiao Lin left that the man stopped and dragged his sword out of her body. " W¡­Why?" Xiao Lin who was dreaming of going back to her missy''s side looked at the man who killed her, she still could not understand why she was killed. They were from the same fractions, right? Even Liu Dong Ming the man who was standing on the other side was willing to let her go so why did the Ji family do not? " You can only me yourself for being useless, Xiao Lin," the man told her with an icy look on his face as if he was not watching a woman dying in front of him. " If you did a better job then you might have gotten a chance to stay alive ¡­" " Liar," maybe it was because she was dying but Xiao Lin was no longer looking at the world with the same sses as she had before, she smiled at the man who frowned at her before croaking out, " Y..you were g..go..going to k..ki¡­k..kill me anyway, we.. were¡­were you not?" The man looked at Xiao Lin and did not say anything he simply nced at her and then turned away leaving the maid to die she clutched her abdomen and tried to stop the bleeding that was happening but Xiao Lin knew that she was going to die, there was no way she will be able to survive after getting stabbed more than twenty times in her stomach, she wished ¡­she wished she could see her missy just onest time but she could not. As the thought of her missy came into her eyes, Ji Yu''s eyes turned red¡­now without her, her missy will be alone in that wolf''s den like Ji''s family. Liu Dong Ming was right, that family was like that of a wolf''s den and there was nothing that she could do to save her missy ¡­ now she only hoped that her missy will not take her death so severely and do anything wrong. She did not want to be the string that will lead her missy on the wrong path which was why Xiao Lin hoped and hoped till thest breath that she took that her missy will never ever avenge her. " D..do not look f..for me sister Yu¡­" Xiao Lin muttered exhausting thest of her life by saying those words as she tried to breathe but ended up using up all the energy that she had in her body as the life left her body she was soon left with nothing as her eyes stayed open and her mouth did not even close since no one was there to close it for her. Thest tear drop that was sticking out of the corner of her eyes dripped off from the corner of her eye before slowly trickling down and then falling past her lips and onto the ground before vanishing just like the light from the eyes of the woman who was lying on the ground. There was nothing but silence as Xiao Lin took herst breath while looking at the direction of the sky where the tent of Ji Yu was built, she wished she could send thest words to her missy since she knew that her missy will most probably look after her and even try to avenge her but there was no other choice that she had in her hands, all she could do was stare helplessly and then the light finally extinguished bing a grudge that was never going to leave her soul. Chapter 389: Li Gang the D grade villainous hugging his master’s thighs Xiao Lin was so sad that Li Gang almost shed a tear but then he thought about how the woman was not as innocent as he thought, he turned to look at Jia Li and asked, " Should we bury her or pray for her soul to be at peace?" Though both of their actions were useless, he did not like the idea of living this woman''s corpse outside what if she came back andtched to Liu Hui Ying''s side, he feared that the poor woman will not get peace even in her death. That''s right he was more worried about Xiao Lin''s ghost than Liu Hui Ying, with that ck-bellied woman''s evil ideas, this woman might be a ve like them till the end of her time! " There is no need, I don''t think it is going to help," a voice answered Li Gang who turned annoyed and looked at Jia Li with a frustrated look, " Then what do you want? Do you want me to leave this woman''s body alone in this forest if she is left here, she will be eaten by wild animals and when that happens, she is surely going to hold a grudge against¡­" " I am not the one who spoke," said Jia Li spoke causing Li Gang to choke on his words he looked at Madam Lan Fen who shook her head as well causing Li Gang to frown as he asked, " Then who was the one who spoke just now?" The two women pointed behind him and he unconsciously looked in the direction in which they were pointing and when he saw the ghost of Xiao Lin standing behind him, he jumped making a very scared expression as he shrieked in surprise, " EHHH?" He looked at Xiao Lin before whipping his head to look at the body that was lying on the ground before looking back at the ghost and asking, " What in the world are you?" " I don''t know," Xiao Lin muttered as she looked at her ghostly form, she looked down at her hands which were slightly transparent and then looked up at the weird-looking man before answering, " I wanted to stay next to my missy and before I knew it I was floating in the air but I cannot go to missy, big brother can you tell me away? I want to go and stay next to imperial concubine, Ji Yu." " You can''t," said Li Gang still holding one leg and hand up while bncing his body on the other feet. " You are a soul without a contract, there is no way you can leave the ce where you died unless you share yin energy with another contracted ghost." Xiao Lin did not understand many things but she still understood one thing and that was she needed a contract to get closer to her missy, which was why she looked at the man who was standing next to her and asked, " Mister do you have a contractor?" " I do, do I look abandoned in your eyes? I have a master of course¡ª¡ª Woah what are you doing?" Li Gang was stunned when the woman turned around and jumped on his back and clung to his neck. " What in the world? Get off my back! Like right now! I will throw you down or else!" " Mister please listen to me," said Xiao Lin when she saw that the man was trying to grab her from his back. " I am really desperate, if I don''t go and stand next to my mistress, I am afraid that she will walk down the wrong path as me, I don''t...I don''t want to watch my missy take the same path as me. Listen to me take me to your contractor, I am willing to be her servant for the rest of my life but please take me with you." Li Gang looked at the woman that was sticking to his back and then sighed before saying, " You will definitely regret saying these words to me." " I will not please master, take me to the contractor! I want to stay next to my missy and stop her! If she gets brainwashed by her father then it will be really dangerous!" Xiao Lin was insistent and she did not get off Li Gang''s back causing him to turn and look at Jia Li and Madam Grandma Lan Fen who looked at him with a sympathetic look in their eyes. " I will offer you incense, Li Gang," said Jia Li while Madam Lan Fen sniffed and wiped her tears as if she was already attending Li Gang''s second funeral, " I will make sure to bring you fruits every day." " Stop looking at me like I am already dead! Damn it!" Xiao Lin looked at the three ghosts and frowned when she saw that the three were so fearful of their master, was their master someone who was very strict? ¡­.. However as she was taken to a very familiar tent and made to kneel in front of the woman whom she just tried to kill, Xiao Lin understood why Li Gang was on the verge of crying as he brought her back. " So¡­" Liu Hui Ying drawled as she looked at the kneeling Li Gang and Xiao Lin who shivered drawing close to each other. " When I asked you to bring the one who was responsible for killing me, I meant alive ¡­why is it that you brought her soul?" " I ¡­ I did not, you are wronging me!" Li Gang wished he could be as manly as he wanted to be in front of Liu Hui Ying but when he raised his head and looked at the re that Liu Hui Ying was shooting his way, he dipped his head down and immediately sobbed, " She clung onto my body ¡­what was I supposed to do? Tear my body in half?" " Yes," came the unbothered reply shocking Li Gang so much that he snapped his head up, his fake tears drying immediately as he looked at Liu Hui Ying in shock but then he dipped his head and scrambled ahead before hugging Liu Hui Ying''s thighs. " I swear, I did not bring her back, she came back on her ¡­.if you want then you can whip her¡­ she said that she is willing to be your servant and ve away for you¡­you can make her pay her worth!" While he spoke Li Gang resembled some D-grade viinous trying to blow air on the pillow of her husband. Looking extremely evil. Chapter 390: Can you do that Xiao Lin shivered she had no idea that the contractor that the three ghosts were speaking about was the Queen, no wonder they said that she was going to regret it the second she asked them to bring her with them to their contractor. However, the three ghosts were nice and told her that she needed a contractor very much if she wanted to stay in this world if not then she was going to be swept away to the underworld by the grim reapers since she had no desire or reason to stay in this world. " You¡­Your majesty, please form a contract with me!" Xiao Lin bowed in front of Liu Hui Ying, she knew that she was thick skinned but at this point, she had no choice other than being thick-skinned which was why she sniffed and then lowered her head while trying to gain some sympathy from Liu Hui Ying. But Liu Hui Ying was not a person who was willing to show any sympathy to any tom, dick and Harry, she nced at the maid and then turned to look at the ghost that wastching on to her thighs and then kicked Li Gang away while glowering at the ghost until he raised his hands up in the air while kneeling on the ground with a sobbing expression on his face. " I asked you to get me the culprit who poisoned me because I wanted to punish them but instead you brought me a soul telling me that I need to help her? Are you out of your damn minds?" Liu Hui Ying snapped at the three ghosts causing them all to flinch as Jia Li followed suit and then knelt next to Li Gang with her hands in the air while Grandma Lan Fen raised her hands and held her ears in a sorry state. Liu Hui Ying however was not touched by their actions if anything she rolled her eyes and sneered, " You want me to contract her fine! Then one of you cancels your contract with me, do you even know how much spiritual energy you all take? I am having trouble raising you three and now you want me to raise another. Take my life why don''t you?!" She then turned to look at Xiao Lin who flinched even harder than the other three ghosts and lowered her head in embarrassment and guilt, since she knew that the three ghosts were being scolded because of her, she was the stubborn one who asked them to bring her here. " And you? Do you think I have opened a Buddhist temple here? That I will give shelter to criminals and sinners all the same? You have killed an innocent woman causing a sin of a hundred years'' punishment to fall in your head and not only that you even tried to poison me, who in their right mind will ept the culprit who tried to kill them? Are you taking me for a god?" Liu Hui Ying snarled at the maid who trembled under her scolding but did not leave. She stayed where she was kneeling and then opened her mouth with trembling lips before saying, " I ¡­ I know that I was in the wrong but I am willing to receive my punishment, Brother Gang already told me that as long as I save fifty lives, I will be able to wash away the guilt and the sin that is resting on my shoulders." As soon as she finished speaking, Liu Hui Ying turned to look at Li Gang so sharply that thetter felt he was being stared at by the devil himself. " Oh so your brother Gang told you this as well," Liu Hui Ying sneered while ring at Li Gang who looked anywhere but at her. " I told you not to say anything to that woman," Jia Li hissed at Li Gang who snarled back at her, " I know stop acting fussy with me!" Seeing that the two still had the energy to fight, Liu Hui Ying snorted before turning to look at Xiao Lin and said, " If that is the case then you might as well ask your brother Gang to form a contract with him because I amcking the kind heart to do so¡­you can leave now." With that Liu Hui Ying stood up from the chair on which she was sitting after taking a bath but then she heard Xiao Lin get up and scramble behind her as she knelt in front of her with a plop again. " Yoru majesty, please, I beg you¡­please give me a chance to stay next to you, I really have to¡ª¡ª" "Why do you want to stay next to me?"Liu Hui Ying finally questioned as she crossed her arms in front of her and then looked at the ghost who was kneeling in front of her. " You want to stay with me because you want to stay next to Ji Yu right?" Xiao Lin was slightly surprised when she heard Liu Hui Ying''s words but she still nodded in a daze causing Liu Hui Ying to sneer as she coldly spat out, " And what if I tell you that you cannot get close to your missy?" Her words were like a shock to Xiao Lin who looked at Liu Hui Ying and then at Li Gang who sighed and nodded his head which further caused Xiao Lin''s eyes to widen as she asked, " Wh..but why? On what basis?" " Why? On what basis?" Liu Hui Yingughed out loud when she heard Xiao Lin''s question, she lowered her body such that her eyes were looking straight into Xiao Lin''s and then she said with a slight curl of her lips which was filled with disdain. " On the basis that I will be your contractor and I will be sharing my life force with you in exchange for letting you stay in this world. As my ghost servant your loyalty and first priority will be me, it has to be me, can you do that ?" Chapter 391: Two face b——- Liu Hui Ying was not soft-hearted at all, her reasons were quite simple yetplicated. Forming a contract was not as simple as the ones that were signed by the humans, a spiritual contract was much more binding and dangerous if it was broken, her soul could split into two if one of the souls that she had contracted tried to go against her or did something that went against thews of heavens. As the contractor, she was the one who was the guarantee that her ghosts will never harm her or any other human, they will stay loyal and pay attention to the rules set by the heavens and more importantly they will stay where she was ¡ª¡ª in short even though it was called a contractor and contracted rtionship it was more like a guardian and a child rtionship. Liu Hui Ying had no ns of starting a new life in this world, she wanted to go back to her own world where she belonged instead of staying in this world. When that time came, the three ghosts who have been following her will definitely agree to follow her without even questioning her but Xiao Lin was different the reason she stayed back was Ji Yu and her obsession which made her stay intact and conscious was also Ji Yu''s safety and well being. If she was to contract Xiao Lin and bring her with her to the modern world, Liu Hui Ying could already imagine just what kind of terror this ghost will incite. Xiao Lin, who looked so innocent and naive was willing to kill a person or even more for the sake of Ji Yu, she did not wish to tame a soul that was so explosive and dangerous. It would be a horror that Liu Hui Ying did not wish to see. This was why it was better to nip the bud before it bloomed. And why should she even take this sticky matter in her hand? Ji Yu was the cause of it so she should be the one who should be dealing with this matter. " Ah, it''s so severe?" Xiao Lin did not know about such conditions, she looked at Liu Hui Ying who was looking down at her. She wanted to agree as well but what the queen said made her rethink, can she really let go of her missy just like that? The answer was quite clear to Xiao Lin. She could not do so, she wanted to stay next to her missy and stop her from moving on the wrong path, if she could not even do that then what was the point of living in the afterlife where she could not even safe her missy? In her heart Xiao Lin knew that she could not turnpletely loyal to Liu Hui Ying which meant that she could not form a contract with Liu Hui Ying, if that was the case then it means that she will¡ª¡ªslowly vanish. Xiao Lin stiffened she did not want to be dragged to the eighteenth level of hell! After thinking about it she was going to agree but then she heard Liu Hui Ying say, " And now that you are dead, I guess there is no point in worrying about this," Liu Hui Ying bowed and then whispered in Xiao Lin''s voice, "¡­ I am not from this world and one day I will return to my own world when that happens you will no longer be able to see your precious Miss Ji." Xiao Lin who was about to agree raised her head and looked at Liu Hui Ying with shok in her eyes but then again she wasn''t that surprised when she was talking with the three ghosts they seemed to be talking in a manner that waspletely unfamiliar with them and what was more their clothes seemed to be different from what she was wearing. So of course Xiao Lin had a bit of an idea of what was going on but after hearing it straight from Liu Hui Ying, she was still surprised. " Does it mean that I have to follow you?" She asked her fingers clenching in herp. " Of course," Liu Hui Ying answered without even blinking her eyes as she looked at the young girl who sucked in a breath when she heard her response. " You will be my ve and your afterlife existence will be connected with me indirectly of course you will have to stay next to me, if you leave my side then you will be signing your and my death warrant. Call me selfish if you want but I would like it if you sign yours alone." " How can you¡­." " How can I be this ruthless?" Liu Hui Ying smiled she was already walking towards her bed where she sat down and nced at Xiao Lin who was sitting on the floor. " No matter how ruthless I am, I can''t be more ruthless than you and your mistress, you two actually came up with the idea of poisoning me, if I was an ordinary woman I would have died by now." " I was the one¡ª¡ª" Xiao Lin wanted to say that she was the one who wanted to poison Liu Hui Ying but thetter red at her in a manner that made it impossible for her to utter even a single word as she lowered her head and gulped. " You are directly involved, yes but your missy is indirectly involved as well, do you think that a maid like you can juste up with such poisonous flowers on the spot without even knowing? And you think that if you say that your missy was not involved I will listen to your words? The fact that you had this stupid idea that your missy''s happiness was linked with my death¡­ I am afraid that your missy is quite dissatisfied with me." Liu Hui Ying''s words were sharp but true, she calmly exined everything and did not show even an ounce of anger on her face. With her glittering coldly she further added, " I do not me her, everyone here is living for themselves under their kind persona they are all nothing but selfish pricks, I am just more vociferous about my selfishness. Since I am so nice that I cannot hide my real personality like a two face bitch." Chapter 392: A better companion Liu Hui Ying''s words were like sharp daggers that caused Xiao Lin to lower her head, what the queen said was the truth, she and her missy had done nothing but cause trouble for the queen every once and then, surely there was no need for the queen to help her juts because she was in trouble right? Xiao Lin was ashamed and she did not know what to say any more which was why she turned to fly out of the tent without saying anything. Seeing her leave like that, the three ghosts were very sympathetic towards her, when Liu Hui Ying saw that the three ghosts of hers were sympathising with the enemy, she picked up the pillow on the bed and instilled with spiritual energy before throwing it at the three ghosts who were hit on their faces at once. " What is the matter with you?" Li Gang who was sitting in the middle received the strongest impact which was why he pulled the pillow off her face and red at Liu Hui Ying who red right back at him and said, " That is what I want to ask you all? Why are you looking at that woman like that? You feel sorry for her then who is going to feel sorry for me?" Liu Hui Ying hardly ever got angry with these idiots but this time they were seriously asking for it, they were actually sympathizing with the culprit who tried to kill her. Were they serious? " I am not sympathetic towards her," Li Gang refused as he hurled the pillow back because this pillow was instilled by the spiritual energy of Liu Hui Ying, he could touch it without any problem. He rolled his eyes and then said to Liu Hui Ying, " I am simply thinking that you should give her a second chance, she is not even sixteen and yet she was used like a fool by those people from the Ji family, surely you will not like to see her obsession turning into a grudge? If that happens then this maid''s soul will turn into that of an evil spirit! It will only be more annoying to deal with herter on." " That is right, Liu Hui Ying," Jia Li also chimed up from the side as she tried to make Liu Hui Ying''s cold heart melt, she sweetly smiled at her master and then said with a ttering voice, " I mean we just need to take care of her, and it''s not like we are leaving right now, we can take care of that little girl until we are here ¡­ maybe that girl will soon fall in love with your personality and then she might follow you to the modern world, I mean you are so dashing and ravishing even the Emperor cannot resist you ¡­what is a small maid ?" While she was speaking even Grandma Lan Fen turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and then said in a small voice, " They are right, I mean ¡­you can always reap her soul but helping a soul who has lost their way is the most beautiful job as a celestial master." " In short you all want me to form a contract with that maid?" Liu Hui Ying asked with narrowed eyes, her anger reaching its peak as she looked at the three ghosts who took a bite of the bullet and nodded and no sooner did they nod, than small mes lit in the eyes of their master who flicked her hand and shouted, " Since you feel so sorry for her there is no need for you to eat anything, go out and do your thing!" With the spiritual energy that was chasing them out, there was nothing the three ghosts could do except be pushed out of the tent. " She is really.." Li Gang did not say anything, he wanted to say that Liu Hui Ying was stubborn but he knew long ago that the woman was someone who did not have the words ''second chance'' in her dictionary as long as someone hurts her or wrongs her, she will never change her opinion about them no matter what the others said, this was why she had no friends in the modern world either where she offended others by her stuck up attitude! " Leave her be, she has always been like that," Jia Li wiped her bottom and then sighed when she looked at the tent in front of her. She knew why Liu Hui Ying was angry but the thing was that she had to change herself or else what will she do when the three of them moved on? Other than their obsession, the three of them were hesitant to move on because they were afraid that Liu Hui Ying will be all alone. She was stubborn, stuck up and hated changes the most, which was why Jia Li and the others wanted her to pick some other ghosts as well other than them that way she will not be alone in the future but she was still the same as ever. " But how long is she going to be like that?" Madam Lan Fen asked Liu Hui Ying was like her granddaughter and she did not want to see her all alone in this world when she leaves. " What can we do then?" Li Gang snapped as he turned on the spot while running his fingers through his hair. But then he sighed and calmed down before turning to look at the other two and said, " Instead of waiting here we should go and try to make that maid change her thoughts as well, teach her a few things and then ask her to curry favour with Liu Hui Ying, surely as long as the maid shows her sincerity Liu Hui Ying will agree to ept her?" This was their only chance to find new friends for Liu Hui Ying after all, they could not fail ! And even though Xiao Lin killed someone, she was still a much betterpanion than them! Chapter 393: Who are you talking to ? Liu Hui Ying was not unreasonable either but she knew that the three ghosts have always been looking out for her in fact if not for them wanting to stay next to her, Jia Li and Grandma Lan Fen could have ascended to the next life by now. The two did not have many worries left after all, Jia Li had enjoyed her life for more than twenty years and Grandma Lan Fen had watched her granddaughter grow up and be a college student as long as Liu Hui Ying was by her granddaughter''s side there was nothing that Grandma Lan Fen had to worry about. But the two stayed back because of her and Li Gang as well, though he made fun of his singleness, he only said it as fun, who in their right head would give up a chance of reincarnation for two minutes of pleasure? They will be nothing but fools! Now that the three found Xiao Lin, they brought her here in the hope that Liu Hui Ying will ept her in this manner they will be able to ascend to the afterlife without worrying about Liu Hui Ying being alone all her life if she could not heal her allergies. " Those idiots if they want to move on just do it why are they doing unnecessary things? I am not a child I will be just fine alone." Liu Hui Ying snapped as she turned on the bed while grinding her teeth trying to sleep but could not because of the silence, usually Jia Li and the others would discuss something about the drama they have watched earlier in the morning but now that they were not here, Liu Hui Ying was finding it difficult to sleep in the silence. " If you are missing them why not step back and call them inside?" Witch Mao asked as she watched Liu Hui Ying twist on the bed, she could not understand this awkward girl clearly she missed those three ghosts but was still acting tough like this¡ª¡ª if she did not want to ept that maid it was fine, there was no need for her to throw the rest of them out all right? Liu Hui Ying rolled her eyes as she raised her head and looked at Witch Mao before saying, " If I leave them alone and even bring them back inside they will only be even more bolder than before and I do not miss them!" With those words, Liu Hui Ying closed her eyes pretending to sleep causing Witch Mao to shake her head as she continued to eat the meal that was supposed to be eaten by three to four people. '' Tsk, tsk, what a waste,'' she said in her heart while finishing the meal that was sitting in front of her, since she was the only one who was going to eat this meal then she might as well relish it thoroughly. Zhai Tianyu did not know what happened behind his back, he returned after going on a simple hunt with his brother and Yu Lingyun, he wanted to make use of his skills since he was worried that he will slowly get dull with the passing of time if he continued to act like a little puppet emperor but as soon as he arrived at the tent while discussing about the elk that they have hunted. " I am going to bring this to the kitchen, I am sure they will know how to take care of this thing," said Yu Lingyun who patted the elk which he was carrying on his horse. He originally wanted someone to carry it but the three of them went alone in the forest which was why he had no other choice but to bring it back since Zhai Heng was carrying their dear emperor on his own horse. Who would have thought that for the sake of making Zhai Tianyu useless, the Ji family would go so far as to make sure that he will never learn horse riding ever, though Ji family was the ones who would often say these things wrapped in sweet honey while Liu Dong Ming was exceptionally blunt, when Zhai Tianyu was young and said that he wanted to learn horse riding thetter simply looked at him and then said, '' I am afraid that if his majesty learns to ride a horse, he will fall and break his majestic head which is why it''s better if he stays at the pce and do nothing.'' Back then Zhai Tiamyu was so furious that in his anger he learned horse riding secretly in just three days and wanted to show it off to Liu Dong Ming but his grandmother always said that the Liu family were filled with schemers who were waiting for their family to fall which was why he deliberately kept a low profile, now that he thought about it most of the thing that he learned was under the provocation of Liu Dong Ming. Was that man secretly looking out for him? Zhai Tianyu did not have the time to care about such things because as soon as he returned to his tent, he saw Xiao Lin sitting out in front of the tent, seeing her, he frowned thinking that Ji Yu might have sent her which was why he jumped off the horse and then walked towards the maid who was sitting on the ground with her head buried in her knees. " What are you doing here?" He asked Xiao Lin as soon as he came to a stop in front of the small girl who lifted her head and looked at him in shock her eyes were filled with tears but at the same time they looked rather weird, but Zhai Tianyu did not think much about it and then thought that it was simply theck of light. " Why are you sitting here? Did Ji Yu send you here?" Xiao Lin did not say anything instead it was Yu Lingyun who followed behind Zhai Tianyu who raised a brow and then asked, " Who are you talking to your majesty?" Chapter 394: Jumping fools Zhai Tianyu felt a shiver crawl up his spine as soon as he heard Yu Lingyun''s words, he turned to look at the man who was looking at him with a subtle frown along with some fear in his eyes, Yu Lingyun could not see what Zhai Tianyu could see which was why he was really wary of the thing that was in front of them, he even took a step back instinctively as if he was worried that the unclean thing will suddenly pounce on him and possess his body. On the other hand, Zhai Heng was fairly calm, he knew that his brother could see the ones who have passed on but hadn''t moved to the underworld which was why he politely asked, " Who is it, your majesty?" Though he was pretending to be fine, his hands were trembling inside his sleeves. No matter how courageous he was, in the end, he was just a man who was afraid of things that he could not see and fight. Seeing that neither of his two loyal aides was joking, Zhai Tianyu turned to look at Xiao Lin with wide eyes and disbelief written all over his face as he asked, " You¡­You are dead?" ¡­. Zhai Tianyu was not the only one who was in shock, Ji Yu who was looking at the bloodied and mangled body of the maid in front of her was shocked beyond belief. She stared at the maid''s body and at once noticed the mole under the chin which was Xiao Lin''s birth identity and heaved a heavy breath as she walked forward and with a thump fell on the ground before cradling the dismembered head of the maid, she did not care whether the corpse in front of her was scary or not, she only cared about one thing and that was ¡ª¡ª her Xiao Lin was dead. She was dead! " Xiao Lin, Xiao Lin! Ah Lin! My Ah Lin!" Ji Yu''s sobs were heart-wrenching as long as the person who was standing in front of her was not cold hearted they would feel sorry for her but it was just that Ji Yang had no emotions in his heart, he watched Ji Yu cry her eyes out for a maid and his lips twitched in annoyance. They were clearly very careful while raising their kids, he had even made sure that each of his kids would be more ruthless than the other but howe Ji Yu turned out to be so ¡­. He shook his head ignoring the cries of his daughter and thought of how to use this pain that she was feeling at the moment to his advantage. " Ah Yu, I told you that if you want to protect the people that you care about, then you will have to think of a way to keep your position firm in the imperial pce," Ji Yang sighed as he patted Ji Yu on the head, his lips twisting when he saw his daughter cradle the head of the maid whose body he had ordered to dismember, he wanted to make Xiao Lin''s death look as cold-blooded as possible, that way he will be able to make use of Ji Yu properly which was why he sent one of his guards to chop her body up before bringing it back. " You see what happened to Ah Lin?" Ji Yu continued to sniffle as she hugged Xiao Lin, it was as if she was trying to remember the past when Xiao Lin wouldy her head on herp and tell her stories. As she thought about this, a small memory came to her head ¡ª¡ª '' Missy, do you know the dragon boat festival is just around the corner,'' Xiao Lin who was lying on herp told her while Ji Yu smiled at her little sister like maid and neatly tucked a peach blossom in her hair. '' Is that so?'' She asked with a kind smile and Xiao Lin nodded her head before catching a peach blossom that was fluttering in the air and then said, '' I want to see the dragon boat race, missy. Will I be able to see it?'' '' Of course,'' Ji Yu replied as she looked at the sky that was shiny blue with cheering peach blossoms. Back then Ji Yu had no idea what was going on in the future thus she promised Xiao Lin that she will bring her to see the dragon boat festival but now ¡ª¡ª her Xiao Lin was dead, and she could not even show her the dragon boat festival, she could not bring her to eat candied hawthorn and she could not even embroider the veil for her Xiao Lin''s wedding watching her grow up from a young girl to a maid. Ji Yu stared at the dismembered body as she helplessly looked at the face that was always filled with a smile when she looked at her but now those eyes were full of dread and unspoken words which Ji Yu will never be able to hear ever again. Her throat burned and Ji Yu wished she could scream in agony but she knew she could not her father will not allow it. If anything even her shedding tears for Xiao Lin must be upsetting him. Ji Yu''s suspicions were correct, Ji Yang was indeed running out of patience if not for the fact that he knew that a smile was worth a thousand swords, he would have scolded Ji Yu by now. But he continued to patiently coax her as he caressed her hair and then softly said, "It is Yu, it is not that father does not understand your problems sometimes I will be harsh with you but that is only because I care, you have no idea how dangerous will it be for you if you do not keep a firm foothold in the pce, today if your position in the imperial court was unshakable, do you think that the Liu family would have dared to touch your maid? Listen to me Ah Yu, learn from this incident and be stronger." --------------------- Chapter 395: Jumping fools ——2 Ji Yu suddenly stopped crying, she looked at Xiao Lin''s cold body and then raised her head to look at the sympathetic smile of her father, she did not say anything but simply nodded her head before saying in a cold voice, " I understand father." Seeing that Ji Yu was willing to listen to him, Ji Yang heaved a sigh of relief. He wanted to rece Ji Yu with one of their n''s daughters but he was afraid that if he was to bring one of the n daughters into the imperial harem and made her the empress who knew whether she would be willing to listen to them or not. What if the minor families of the n rebelled? He needed Ji Yu to stay at the top for now at least and as for the matter of her getting pregnant or not, he will think of a way to solve that matter as well. " That''s right, I wille and see you soon for now I will bring Xiao Lin''s body and bury her¡ª¡ª" "It''s fine," Ji Yu suddenly stood up and looked at her father with a polite expression and added with a small smile that looked frail and aggrieved, " I know that father is busy, you do not have to bother with this matter at all for the time being, I will ask one of the eunuchs to dig a grave for Ah Lin, you can go and overlook other matters, father." Seeing that Ji Yu was acting sensible Ji Yang did not take her matter to his heart, he also did not want to waste his time digging a grave for a maid which was why he agreed at once and then turned to nce at the corpse of the maid onest time before leaving one of his aide behind to help Ji Yu. Forget it, it was just a maid, Ji Yu will get over it soon. " Your Highness, what do you wish me to do?" The aide who stood in front of Ji Yu bowed and Ji Yu''s gaze fell on his hand, his sleeves were covered with dried-up blood which caused Ji Yu''s eyes to flicker slightly as she turned to look at Xiao Lin. The blood on Xiao Lin''s clothes was still fresh like she was killed just now but in some spots, there were patches of dried-up blood. Ji Yu might be an idiot in the eyes of others but she was not a fool, she could see what was going on even if her father tried to pull wool her eyes. Her pupils flickered before she turned around and hid the fluctuations in her heart and then said, " Go and dig a grave at the flower valley and then call me." The guard agreed and as soon as he left the aggrieved smile on Ji Yu''s face dropped, she looked at Xiao Lin''s dismembered corpse and solemnly swore that she was going to find out what happened today no matter what and when she catch hold of who was the one who killed and dismembered her Xiao Lin, she will ¡­Ji Yu clenched her fingers, even if she had to go through hell, she will kill that person! ¡­. " I am dead," Xiao Lin replied Zhai Tianyu who was looking at her with a sad smile, she wanted to say something more to his majesty but she could not even bring herself to start speaking and could only cry, seeing her like this Zhai Tianyu was confused and a bit flustered. He knew that Ji Yu cared for Xiao Lin like she was her little sister, if Xiao Lin was dead then surely Ji Yu will not sit calmly, should he bring Xiao Lin with him to Ji Yu but even if he brought Xiao Lin to Ji Yu what good will it do? After all thetter could not even see Xiao Lin! " What are you doing here?" Zhai Tianyu wanted to ask how Xiao Lin died but he thought that the question was a bit gloomy which was why he did not ask what was in his mind, instead, he asked what Xiao Lin was doing in front of his tent, strictly speaking given how much Xiao Lin liked Ji Yu, she should be haunting Ji Yu what was she doing in his tent and that too sitting here like she was wronged? Xiao Lin stopped sobbing as she wiped her transparent tears and then replied in a low voice, " I came here to ask her majesty to contract me but she refused to say that she cannot take someone who is loyal to someone else as her servant. I could not reply and she kicked me out¡­." She did not dare to say that she tried to kill the empress because she was afraid that his majesty will get angry at her, after all at this moment only his majesty was the one who could help her, the Empress no matter how arrogant she was, in the end, she will have to listen to his majesty right? After all, his majesty was the lord of this imperial city after the heavens. Li Gang who was sitting on the broken log and listening to his stomach grumbling under theck of yin energy lit a candle for Xiao Lin who was banking all her hope on Zhai Tianyu. That man could not even snatch a pillow from Liu Hui Ying, the sky will fall if that man seeded in taking a contract. "Should we tell her?" Grandma Lan Fen was in the end an old woman, she could not bear to see Xiao Lin cry like that and what was more she was only creating more trouble for herself by doing something like this. " What for?" Li Gang sat up from his lying position and then spat on the ground, he was in a foul mood since he did not get to eat the yin energy as he usually did. " Let her suffer a bit, she will understand what she is getting into at least if she gets to know Hui Ying''s temper I am afraid that she will run with her feet on her head!" Chapter 396: Get lost " Your Majesty please help me," Xiao Lin did not have much confidence when it came to getting help from the Queen but she was sure that as long as his majesty was with her, she will be able to at least get a small meagre weekly contract. Even an hour was enough, all she needed was to talk with Ji Yu! Seeing that Xiao Lin still did not understand the situation, Li Gang and the others shook their heads, the little girl was really a fool, she still could not see through the reality of her situation, and it did not matter whether she wanted to talk or see Ji Yu, a person who passed away had no rights to see their family much less converse with them. It was only by relying on the power of their master will they be able to fulfil their wishes and when the master was someone like Liu Hui Ying, it was simply impossible for anyone to get even an ounce of spiritual energy without working as a ve for her for the next ten to thirty years! What Xiao Lin was thinking in her mind was nothing more than a pipe dream. " Should we stop them?" Grandma Lan Fen saw that Zhai Tianyu was sympathising with Xiao Lin and asked Li Gang and Jia Li who shook their heads and refused at once. Li Gang wanted to see the pitiful condition of Zhai Tianyu and Jia Li thought that he was acting like those dumb CEOs in the novels that she read so she left him on his own when he gets chased out, he will know what he should and should not do but more than that she too wanted to see Liu Hui Ying getting angry at someone else, that way she will be able to suck up to Liu Hui Ying tomorrow morning and get some yin energy. Zhai Tianyu on the other hand did not know that he was being schemed against at the moment, he looked at Xiao Lin who was asking for his help, Ji Yu had helped him a lot, but there was one time when he was being bullied by others and was almost pushed into the hole where the waste of the imperial pce''s bathing rooms were thrown if not for her help, he would have suffered a lot. He asked Xiao Lin about how she died since he did not want to go to Liu Hui Ying without preparing himself but every time he asked what happened to Xiao Lin thetter would start crying causing Zhai Tianyu to purse his lips and turn silent in the end he heaved a sigh and turned to walk inside the tent while muttering to Xiao Lin, " I am not asking this to hurt you, I just think that if I know about how and what happened to you, I will be able to fight for your case better," Zhai Tianyu could not understand why Xiao Lin was not willing to tell him how she died but in the end he could not force out an answer from her mouth. Xiao Lin on the other hand did not dare to say anything to Zhai Tianyu, after all, she knew what she had done, and if she was to speak up now, there was a chance that she will irk the wrath of the emperor as well which was why she did not dare to say anything and simply lowered her head acting as if she was mute. "What''s the matter with you?" Zhai Tianyu was not a fool seeing that Xiao Lin was not speaking he could not help but raise his voice a little thinking that there was something that she was hiding. " If you don''t tell me the truth how will I plead in front of your Majesty?" " Who are you pleading for your esteemed Majesty?" A voice asked from behind terrifying Zhai Tianyu so much that he whipped his head to look at the woman who was now sitting straight on the bed, it was just his bad luck that Liu Hui Ying was not only awake but she was also holding amp in her hands which made her expression extremely sinister causing Zhai Tianyu to flinch as he yelped in fear. Seeing that Zhai Tianyu was scared Liu Hui Ying ced themp aside and then looked at the man who was standing in front of her before turning to look at Xiao Lin who shivered and then hid behind Zhai Tianyu, seeing the maid hiding behind Zhai Tianyu, Liu Hui Ying raised a brow and sweetly smiled before asking the same question again, " I am asking you something your majesty, what and whom are you pleading for?" Zhai Tianyu originally wanted to say that he was here to plead for Xiao Lin but when he saw that something was off about Liu Hui Ying, he did not dare to say anything. All he did was move his mouth a lot and stay silent, Xiao Lin looked at the terrified Emperor and understood that she seemed to have ced her trust in a sinking ship and smacked her hand on her forehead. She thought that the Queen was scared of the queen but it was the other way around, and her missy thought that his majesty was in love with her majesty. He was clearly scared of her to the point that his legs trembled in front of her majesty! What kind of love? This was sheer submission before fighting! Clearly, Liu Hui Ying was the one who wore the pants in this pce! " Hmm?" Liu Hui Ying raised a brow and tilted her head at Zhai Tianyu who swallowed hard while trying to formprehensive sentences it was after a long time that he was able to summon his courage and said, "It¡­its Xiao Lin¡­she died because of some reason and she wanted you to help her a little, will you¡­ I mean can you do it for her, my queen?" -------------------- Chapter 397: Get lost —-2 Liu Hui Ying smiled upon hearing Zhai Tianyu''s words, but her smile did not reach her eyes startling Zhai Tianyu so much that he took a step back. Why was it that the queen was staring at him like she wanted to cook him with a slow-boiling frog and then feed him to her underworld friends? Zhai Tianyu did not know what Xiao Lin did but thetter did, seeing that the ship that she boarded was sinking, she gulped and flew out leaving Zhai Tianyu alone in the tent with the devil queen who was staring at his majesty like she was going to gobble him whole. " Do you know what that maid did?" Liu Hui Ying asked with her lips still curled into a smile. She did not lose her temper nor did she sarcastically reply to Zhai Tianyu which scared him so much that he gulped and then asked with a small stutter, " Sh...She wronged you in any w..way, my queen?" " Oh no," said Liu Hui Ying with a benevolent smile which caused Zhai Tianyu''s spine to be covered with nothing but cold sweat as he took another step behind when Liu Hui Ying took a step closer to him as she continued to speak with her arms crossed in front of her, "It''s just that she thought that I was being the obstacle in the path of her missy which was why she came to remove this obstacle by poisoning me." She said thest words with a cold bite which caused Zhai Tianyu''s eyes to widen as he turned to look at Xiao Lin all set to scold her but when he turned to look behind him, he was surprised to see that Xiao Lin was gone! That maid had abandoned him! Alone with this ferocious lioness after poking her in the eye! ''Xiao Lin!'' Zhai Tianyu roared in his head as he turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was standing in front of him and smiled at her in a fawning manner before he said in a sweet voice, " My Queen, I never thought that¡ª¡ª" " That the cute little maid of your precious Ji Yu will hurt me? Of course, I know that," said Liu Hui Ying interrupting Zhai Tianyu as she walked back to the bed and then picked up the pillow that was lying casually on the bed before throwing it to Zhai Tianyu who caught it in surprise. At first, he did not understand what was happening but then he heard Liu Hui Ying say, " Since you think that I am the viin and your precious Ji Yu is the only one who is in the right, you can get lost now, your majesty." " Oooh," hissed Witch Mao when she heard Liu Hui Ying kicking Zhai Tianyu out of his own tent, she watched the show in front of her with an excited expression. Zhai Tinayu looked at the pillow that was thrown at him and then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying before opening his mouth and then tried to exin to Liu Hui Ying, " My Queen, I had no idea that¡ª¡ª" " Why did you not have any idea? Isn''t it because you thought that there is no way anyone rted to that concubine of yours can not be wrong, right? Since that is the case then what about me almost dying? I am still waiting for thepensation regarding the first job that I took for your grandmother and before seeing the courtyard, I am being pushed to die. Why? Did I take your virginity? Did I force you? Did I tie you up and ride you till night to dawn? Why is it that I am the one who is being seen as the obstacle?" Under Liu Hui Ying''s questioning, there was nothing that Zhai Tianyu could say, he looked at the queen with a slight blush on his cheeks after listening to her words, he raised his hand with a pleading gesture and said, " My Queen listen to me¡ª¡ª" " Read my lips," Liu Hui Ying narrowed her eyes as she mouthed, " Get lost." " My queen!" " I said GET LOST!" Her roar echoed in the entire hunting ground causing many to jump. The Dowager Empress who was enjoying the massage lifted the slice of cucumber that was sitting on her eyes and then turned to look at Liu Dong Ming and asked, " That voice sounded like Liu Hui Ying, right? Is she annoyed by something?" "Other than his majesty, I cannot think of anything else your majesty," Liu Dong Ming replied as he sliced the apples into bunny shape and then ced them on the te before walking to the portrait of the young woman and then cing it in front of her. " These days only his majesty can cause her majesty to lose her temper." The Dowager Empress scoffed when she heard his words before she ced the slice of cucumber back in her eyes as she spoke, " That boy has the dirty blood of that bastard, I am sure that he is nothing good either. If there is anything good in him that will be from my blood," she paused and then asked, " Is that maid dead?" " She is," replied Liu Dong Ming as he turned to look at his cousin and then asked, " Are we going to leave the matter alone for the time being?" "For the time being, yes," The Dowager Empress replied as she handed her hand to the maid whose eyes were ssy and her ears were chopped off. " That girl, Ji Yu can be of use at the moment¡­you know what to do, Dong Ming. I don''t care if you have to use honey or a scheming trap to get that girl on our side. Nothing better than getting a stab from the one whom they looked on down the most," her voice lowered as she turned her head and then added, " They have snatched more than one life of our daughters, Dong Ming, do not let them snatch Hui Ying''s as well¡­ we had to give up a lot to bring your daughter''s soul back. If she dies this time, you will not see her for another thousand of years. Even if she is in the body of little Rui''s daughter''s body ... she is here. After going back and forth so many times in different dimensions are you not tired? Or do you want to let your beloved down again?" " She is not my daughter," replied Liu Dong Ming correcting the Dowager Empress as his fingers clenched tightly. " She is little Rui''s daughter... as for me----" " Yes, Yes...you can go act stubborn all you want, but I wonder who was the one who lost his mind when the shell that we raised did not ept Hui Ying''s soul?" Chapter 398: What if he becomes a eunuch? Liu Dong Ming did not say anything, instead, he turned on his heels and left the tent leaving Dowager Empress alone who snorted at his stubbornness before scoffing, " What an idiot." On the other hand, there was another man who felt like he was the biggest idiot in the world, he turned to look at Xiao Lin who had her head lowered and did not dare to utter a peep, he continued to look at her before asking in a haunted sort of voice, " So¡­. You tried to kill the Empress?" Xiao Lin dipped her head even lower just as Zhai Tianyu made a violent move to p her in the face but just as the girl flinched Zhai Tianyu dropped his hand, he did not want to hit a woman and it was not as if he would be able to p her either, even if he could see these ghosts, there was nothing else that he could do to them other than just watching. "Are you an idiot? Even if you are an idiot, why did you have to drag me down as well? Now look at what you have done, I am kicked out of the tent because of you," Zhai Tianyu scolded Xiao Lin fiercely who lowered her head and started to cry again causing the man to be annoyed with her. " Cry, Cry, Cry¡­ all you have been doing ever since I found you, is crying¡­can you do anything else? Do you wish to see me dead or what? Your tears might as flood the entire city!" Zhai Tianyu was really annoyed, he thought that Xiao Lin was killed because of some serious matter, who would have thought that this foolish girl will y right into the hands of the Ji family and even try to kill Liu Hui Ying, even though she was alive but ended up getting caught, Zhai Tianyu was afraid that Xiao Lin would still have to be executed, the punishment for assassinating the members of the imperial family was not a simple one either. " You really have no brain, do you? Did Ji Yu knows that you came here?" Zhai Tianyu asked, he knew Ji Yu, even though she was rash and jumped to conclusions, she was rational in matters which concerned the life of others. She would have rather taken the me than charge ahead to kill Liu Hui Ying, which was why Ji Yang and the rest took the matter into his own hands, they knew that Ji Yu will not do it ¡ª¡ª which was why they called Xiao Lin alone and did not let her see Ji Yu because thetter would have stopped her. " Missy was the one¡ª¡ª-" Xiao Lin opened her mouth but this time Zhai Tianyu ran out of patience and snapped at Xiao Lin, " Do you have no idea what kind of woman, Ji Yu is, Xiao Lin? She might be stubborn, hot-headed and determined to get what she wants but she will never kill anyone not when ¡­" he paused before stopping himself from speaking any further, he did not want to bring up the past that Ji Yu did not like listening about and heaved a sigh of annoyance. " She is not a woman who would agree to the death of someone and if you think that Ji Yu agreed to this entire scheme, then either you were never able to see through her all these years or you never really paid attention to the real Ji Yu," after he was done speaking, he walked past Xiao Lin determined to ignore her, his anger was getting the best of him. A part of him wanted to rush to the Ji family tent and ask what were they thinking but that will only give away years of his hard work, he had to stay hidden and lurk under the surface. If he showed even a single card then, he was afraid that the Ji family will be the first to bite him in the back before the Liu family could which was why he lowered his head and suppressed his anger. He walked past the tent briskly and headed to the campfire that the three ghosts who served Liu Hui Ying started since he knew that he could note in front of others with an image of the Emperor being kicked out of his own tent by his Empress, he had to hide deep in the forest, fortunately, the three ghosts were really deep inside the forest. " Oh, look at that who graced us with his presence,"mented Li Gang snickering like a little fool. " The warrior of justice, the saviour of the wronged¡ª-hahaha." Zhai Tianyu sat down on the log ignoring the chill that was surrounding the fire and turned to look at Li Gang before asking, " You knew?" " Of course," Li Gang sat up straight from the log on which he was lying and then looked at Zhai Tianyu with an arrogant smirk. " How did the entire thing go? Did Liu Hui Ying agree? I bet she did, there is no way she will be able to ignore you, your majesty." " Oh hush, Ah Gang," seeing that Li Gang was bent on teasing Zhai Tianyu until he was fuming mad, Jia Li stopped him and then turned to look at Zhai Tianyu with some concern on her face as she said, " I hope she was not really angry, thest time she got angry at a man, she summoned a ghost who had a fetish of nibbling on full butt cheeks... we called it butt eating ghost and she let it chase the man¡­. The poor guy did not even know why his bottom felt colder every single night while feeling like something was nibbling on it." Zhai Tianyu shivered when he heard Jia Li''s words and then shook his head as he turned to look behind him, he was worried that he will be chased by a butt-eating ghost as well. Seeing that the man was scared, Li Gang''s eyes flickered with teasing glint and he slipped a bit forward before pinching Zhai Tianyu on the bottom. -------------------- Chapter 399: what if he becomes a eunuch ——2? " AHHHHHHHH!" A wretched scream echoed in the forest and the hunting grounds, Yu Lingyun who was sleeping in the same tent as Zhai Heng jumped on his bed and then went to take his sword out of his sheathe as he shouted, " The zombies are attacking, Ah Heng! Get ready to die!" Zhai Heng also woke up from his sleep when he heard his brother''s scream but he was much more conscious than Yu Lingyun, he picked up his pillow and threw it at Yu Lingyun before snapping, " Wake up you idiot, what are you dreaming about all day long?" Yu Lingyun snapped out of his daze when he was hit with the pillow, he looked around and was stunned when he saw that there was nothing surrounding him and sheepishly withdrew his sword before turning to look at Zhai Heng as he climbed down the bed on which he was sleeping as he said, " Its nothing when I saw his majesty talk to air when we returned it stuck in my head and ¡­after that my thoughts spiralled out of control." Even though Zhai Tianyu did not say anything Yu Lingyun knew that he was talking with a ghost, thought Zhai Tianyu was fine while talking with ghosts, Yu Lingyun was still just as terrified of them as he was before and if possible he was even more terrified after seeing the strength of the queen who could summon an army of dead if she was to lose control. Thus, one thought led to another and before he knew it, his entire dream was full of zombies and more zombies who were eating humans and their human brains, the scream that echoed in the clearing just now only served as the final straw making his dream be something even more scary. " Who screamed by the way?" Yu Lingyun asked, the scream and the voice sounded quite simr to that of the Emperor but when he thought about how he watched the Emperor go inside his tent, Yu Lingyun was sure that there was no way the Emperor was screaming in the forest. That guy could not wait to pounce on the queen, surely he will not act gentlemanly in the face of such an opportunity? But then another thought came to his head and he turned to look at Zhai Heng and asked with a worried voice, his face paler than a ghost, " Brother Heng, don''t tell me that his majesty went to make advances on the queen and she got annoyed before taking a knife and¡­chopped off the heavenly weapon¡­what will happen to the heir now? Will he die in his majesty''s heavenly balls before even getting a chance to live?" " What nonsense are you talking about?" Zhai Heng snapped he almost got jealous, almost but then the image that Yu Lingyun filled his mind terrified him so much that he slipped off the bed and he said with half convincing voice, " The scream came from the forest and not from the tent next to ours." " Are you sure?" Yu Lingyun asked with an innocent yet concerned voice. " I mean if we go in time there is still time to reconnect and make the heavenly weapone back to life, once it shrivels up¡­there is no saving it. Our Emperor will be a eunuch." Zhai Heng stared at Yu Lingyun who stared back at him before the two dashed out of the tent in a hurry as they rushed to the tent where Zhai Tianyu was staying with the Queen. Yu Lingyun caught hold of the guard who was sleeping and shook him awake while pping him on the face as he said, " You bastard you are sleeping like a baby here and the babies of his majesty are in danger, what kind of guard are you?" The guard did not even know what was going on, all he knew was that he was shaken awake and then his face was beaten like a drum. " Wh...What?" The guard asked in a daze while Zhai Heng rolled his eyes and then opened the p of the tent just a small bit while peeking inside the tent all ready to see Zhai Tianyu on the ground with blood and sausage on the floor but instead, all he saw was Liu Hui Ying sleeping peacefully on the bed. As soon as his gaze fell on the sleeping face of Liu Hui Ying which was smoother than jade and devoid of her usual frown, he was shocked and stunned at the same time, his heartbeat escted a bit and he could not help butment, " Even without dressing up at the middle of the night she looks like the shining moon." Yu Lingyun was pping the guard but when he heard this remarking from his friend''s mouth, he threw the guard who fainted again and pulled Zhai Heng back by his cor and then turned his face with great difficulty to look at him as he asked, " Is this the time? That woman might be covered with blood and holding a knife while smiling sinisterly and you are standing here watching your brother suffer the loss of his little brother with a smile while saying ¡ª¡ª oh, you look beautiful your majesty?" Seeing that Zhai Heng was still looking longingly at the tent Yu Lingyun rolled his eyes muttering how he had to act as the straight man in such a situation while readying himself to drag Zhai Tianyu out all the while saving him from the clutches of her majesty. Zhai Heng still wanted to take another look at Liu Hui Ying but when he saw that Yu Lingyun was walking inside the tent, he pulled him back and then said while clearing his throat, " His majesty is not there, her majesty is sleeping alone." Yu Lingyun tilted his head back and then looked at Zhai Heng before shaking his head as he said, " My dear one of these days you will start a war, say the important thing first! What is with this she looks more beautiful than the moon¡ª¡ª I swear I gagged." As he was speaking, Zhai Heng turned Yu Lingyu''s face towards Xiao Ai who was sleeping next to the queen''s tent and watched the man''s face go ck as he remarked, " She looks like a moon fairy." Zhai Heng: "¡­" Yu Lingyun: "¡­.." Chapter 400: shooting arrows For a few minutes neither of the two men said anything but then Yu Lingyun turned to look at Zhai Heng and after a very long pause said in a grim voice, " I will not say anything if you don''t say anything, deal ?" " Deal," agreed Zhai Heng, right now he was a bit too unprofessional. There was no way he could let Zhai Tianyu find out about this small teeny tiny bit of crush that he had on the queen which was why he needed to make sure that Yu Lingyun would not say anything in front of Zhai Tianyu until he was done crushing this stupid feeling in his heart. The two men did not mention what happened just now, instead they rushed towards the forest where they initially thought that the scream came from, fortunately for them the direction in which the scream came from was closer to their tent while being far from the rest thus when they arrived at the outskirts of the forest, the guards who were patrolling at the night had just arrived seeing that the guards were rushing towards the forest, Yu Lingyun immediately stopped them. They had no idea what happened to Zhai Tianyu but given that he went in the forest without taking anyone, it was clear he wanted to be alone because of a particr reason. Yu Lingyun could not allow anyone to see the current state of the King lest they found out something they should not which was why he smiled and stopped the guards who were dashing past the wild grass. " Hey there, where are you three going?" Yu Lingyun breezed past the wild grass with his spiritual energy and stopped the three guards before they could rush any further and see Zhai Tianyu. With his arm outstretched he stood in front of the three men and then said with a slight raise of his brow, " His majesty is having some personal time with his concubine in the forest, you wouldn''t want to barge on him right?" When the guards heard that the Emperor screamed because he was having personal time with his concubine, they were speechless but then they thought about what they have seen just a few minutes ago and decided to take a collective step back. Just now when they were patrolling around the forest ground they saw Ji Yu leaving her tent and rushing into the forest, most probably she went to meet his majesty. If that was the case then ¡ª¡ª the three guards gulped softly. If they had trespassed on the Personal time of the King and his imperial concubine, they were sure that they would have lost their heads tonight, fortunately, General Yu was here to stop them or else. As the three guards thought about the same thing, they all turned to look at Yu Lingyun and shot him expressions that were filled with gratitude, while the guard who was standing in the middle lowered his head and bowed in front of Yu Lingyun before he expressed his gratitude to Yu Lingyun, " Thank you for helping us, General Yu." " Thank you for helping us." " Thank you for helping us." The other two guards also lowered their waist and thanked Yu Lingyun who smiled and waved their gratitude away before saying with a generous look on his face, " There is no need for such a grand thank you, this is what I am supposed to do. I am watching this side, you three can leave and¡ª¡ª" " AHAHAHA!" Another scream rang out in the clearing causing the four men including Zhai Heng who was hiding to turn to look in the direction from where the scream came, an awkward silence stretched around the four men before Yu Lingyun turned to look at the guards and added with a slight smile, " And asked the others to note here as well? Please and thank you." " Oh, there is no need for please, General Yu," the guard in the middle said, there was no way they were going to breathe a word about this to others much less allow anyone to get close to this ce. If the guards patrolling around the forest ground were caught by the Emperor or General Yu, then surely they will be dragged as well into a mess which was they could not allow anyone toe close to this ce! The three guards noted the words of Yu Lingyun in their hearts and then turned to patrol the area making sure that no one would go up the mountain at this time. Once the three guards left, Yu Lingyun peeked at the backs of the three men, once he was satisfied with the distance between the guards and him, he motioned for Zhai Heng to rush up the mountain while he followed suit leaving the three guards to take care of the patrol. While the two men rushed up the mountain, Zhai Tianyu who was assaulted by a ghost looked at Li Gang furiously, at this moment he wished he could swing his sword at thetter and behead him but the thing was that the man in front of him was already dead! " You¡­how dare you¡­do you know who I am?" Zhai Tianyu was so angry that he could not help but pull his Emperor card out but Li Gang was not at all scared, he shrugged and then said, " I know you are the king so what? What can you do to me? Drag me to the gallows and execute me?" Zhai Tianyu: "..." He wanted to, he very much wanted to execute this bastard who was taking advantage of his helplessness. At the same time, he could not help but question the choice of Liu Hui Ying, after all, why exactly was she keeping such a perverted ghost with her? Li Gang knew what Zhai Tianyu was thinking but when he thought about how Zhai Tianyu was willing to stand up for Xiao Lin, Li Gang wanted to tease him even more. He turned to look at Jia Li and then said with a teasing smirk, " Hey Li, the heavenly bottom of the king is quite firm." ------------------ Chapter 401: Shooting arrows ——-2 Jia Li''s eyes lit up, though she was not shallow, she did like firm muscles. They were easier to slice through than the loose tissues of muscles which was not as enjoyable as cutting a firm skin cadaver was which was why she turned to look at Zhai Tianyu with an excited look on her face that scared Zhai Tianyu so much that he turned around and ran at this moment he couldn''t care less about the rule that ¡ª¡ª a king never runs and kept his pace calm and steady. He did not know about anyone else but he was sure that those kings who came before him were not chased by a perverted ghost which was why they could say such nonsensical things. He turned on his feet making sure that Jia Li could not catch up to him, while the female ghost who was flying behind him was just as stubborn, she looked at his bottom which was covered with the long coat and then said, " Just a small cut, your majesty¡­I will sew your buttocks right back." Like hell, he was going to let a ghost cut his buttocks! He was not even dead to be yed along like this! " Your majesty, where are you?" Just as Zhai Tianyu was thinking about what to do, he heard the voices of his brother and best friend, his eyes immediately lit up and he turned to run in the direction from where the voice of Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun wasing, fortunately, he did not have to run for long because he soon finds the two men and then without giving an exnation or chance to Zhai Heng, he hid behind his brother sticking his back to Zhai Heng''s back. " You¡­your majesty?" Zhai Heng was surprised when he saw his brother acting so childishly, it was simr to how Zhai Tianyu acted when he was younger and was trying to run from punishment from the teacher that Liu Dong Ming arranged for him. The teacher liked to hit Zhai Tianyu on the bottom with a thin bamboo stick and Zhai Tianyu who did not like it at all would run to his courtyard and hide his bottom just like this such as to make sure that there was no target to be caught by the teacher. Even Yu Lingyun was surprised he turned to look at Zhai Tianyu with a tilt of his back and then asked in a stunned voice, " What are you doing?" " I¡­." There was no way Zhai Tianyu could say that he was being harassed by a perverted ghost, he knew that his brother and Yu Lingyun will save him for sure but they will make a lot of fun on his part as well which was why instead of saying anything, he looped his arms around the arms of his brother and then without giving him a chance to escape from what was he doing, he lifted his brother like a backpack and ran from the forest. Zhai Heng had no idea what happened, a second ago he was standing on his two feet and then the next second, he was being carried by his brother like a sack on his back. Because he was surprised, Zhai Heng could not say a word at first butter on he opened his mouth after snapping out of his daze and shrieked, " What are you doing?" " Just think of this as protecting me, and stay put!" Was all Zhai Tianyu said while running down the slope? Yu Lingyun who was left in dust continued to hold the fire torch that he brought with him and stared at the direction in which Zhai Tianyu and Zhai Heng ran with a nk look on his face, he did not know what to say but before he could say anything, he felt a chilly touch on his bottom. Startled he waved the fire torch around and looked at his surroundings but when he saw nothing¡ª- and no one, goosebumps broke all over the surface of his skin and he turned to run after his friends. " Wair for me you two, I am here as well! You can''t leave me like this!" Yu Lingyun screamed after the two men as he ran after them. Jia Li who could not test the equipment that she was going to cut through soon sighed and then looked at her hand, it was just a small touch but she could indeed feel the firmness in her hand. ¡­. While the three men were having trouble of their own, Ji Yu was standing at the cliff of the forest where she buried Xiao Lin. She looked at the newly dug grave and then blinked the tears away from her eyes, she was sad and aggrieved¡ª¡ª- in just one night, she lost the one person who had been by her side all her life. She hated her father who had sent Xiao Lin to do such a difficult task, he could have asked his shadow guard to do the same but no he sent her Xiao Lin ¡ª¡ª and was there even a need to kill the Queen? They could havee up with a n which only involved the dethronement of the Queen. Now that Ji Yu had tasted the loss of a loved one, she could no longer think of letting Zhai Tianyu go through the same pain. To never see and hear the person they love ¡ª¡ª this kind of pain she could never inflict on the man whom she loved. " Your Highness you should leave now," said the guard who was following behind her. He had been almost detached from the grief that she was feeling at the moment and that annoyed Ji Yu greatly, she did not turn to look at the man instead she calmly said, " I want to stay here." " But your Highness¡ª¡ª" Before the guard, could finish his words, the sound of an arrow shooting in the dead silence of the night echoed in the surroundings causing Ji Yu to turn in surprise just as the guard fell on the ground. Chapter 402: I can help you The guard did not even have a chance to breathe much less say a word as his body fell to the ground, Ji Yu who was startled by this sudden attack took several steps back but it was as if the person who was hiding in the dark had no attention to attack her in fact it seemed as if they had no intention to walk out and see her either. Ji Yu realised that this was merely someone''s ploy to talk with her, she was the daughter of the Ji family even though she was not as scheming as the other women in the harem, she understood what was going on at the very moment. Her face turned dark as she crossed her hands in front of her elegantly before raising her head and speaking in a cold voice, " I will not call the backup guards whoever is hiding in the dark step out with the same courage with which you shot this concubine''s guard, do not hide behind the trees and the dark veil night." Her voice was firm and without a stutter, even when she was alone she did not show any fear or terror on her face instead she faced the unknown with a brave expression on her face while keeping her back straight as if she owned a spine which was made out of steel. " As expected from her highness the imperial concubine," Liu Dong Ming stepped out of the forest, his face was calm and he was being followed by his aide who was holding his arrow and bow in his hand, which he used to shoot the guard. " I expected nothing from you, your highness. I knew that you will understand the worries of this official and agree to see me without a hassle." Ji Yu did not expect that the person who was hiding in the dark would turn out to be the head of the Liu family, she looked at Liu Dong Ming who bent his waist to bow down in front of her, greeting her respectfully as if he just didn''t shoot the guard who was guarding her just now with the bow and arrow. Her gaze then flickered to the guard who stood silently behind Liu Dong Ming, she could not understand what was going on with the two of them but she dared not to drop her guard as she looked at Liu Dong Ming who was standing in front of her with a calm expression on his face while his lips were curled in a soft smile. As she looked at him, her eyes could not follow the unsheathed sword and arrow in the hands of the guard behind her and then after she was done studying the carving of the arrow in the wicker basket that the guard was carrying, she turned to look at the arrow which was sticking in the back of the guard. And sure enough, she saw that the two arrows werepletely the same! " Oh don''t worry, these arrows are not for you," said Liu Dong Ming as the aide behind him drew his bow and perched an arrow on the string of the bow before he raised it in the air with his eyes closed as he muttered, " Seventh art, fire rain." As soon as he shot the arrow it burst into mes which turned into small sharp edges that shot in different directions of the forest causing the guards of the Ji family who were hiding in the forest while keeping an eye on Ji Yu and Liu Dong Ming to fall on the grounds of the forest before their bodies burned into crisps. Seeing this Ji Yu was so startled that she took a step away from Liu Dong Ming and his aide who was now standing behind his master like a tamed dog with his arrow dangling in his fingers while keeping his eyes closed, he did not open his eyes even for one second in fact the man did not even seem to breathe, it was as if the man was dead with only a skin of human donned on his rotten body. " Wh¡­What are you?" Ji Yu had never seen something like this happen before and she was sure that something like this was can never be done by a human. No matter how skilled a martial artist was, how was it possible for him to morph an arrow into multiple fire shards? There had to be something wrong with this novel sight that she just saw! Liu Dong Ming''s smile was as calm as ever as he looked at Ji Yu and then with a slight blink of his eyes, he looked at the fallen guard and then the grave that she had dug for Xiao Lin. Seeing that the man who killed a bunch of guards without even blinking an eye and even burned their bodies in a manner where nothing but ashes were left, Ji Yu covered the grave of her maid. She swore that she will protect Xiao Lin''s grave even if she had to fight with Liu Dong Ming! As she thought about the oue of her precarious position, she lunged forward and grabbed the sword from the guard who was now dead and aimed the tip of the sword in front of Liu Dong Ming, with her eyes hard and lips set in a thin line, she looked at him fiercely and said, " Do not try to test my courage, Lord Liu. I did not say a word when you as a man cornered me, a woman who does not know how to fight in a battle. But if you dare to harm me or my maid, either by weapons or actions, I will fight you to death, I would rather have you kill me than stomp on my pride as the imperial concubine and a sister!" The wind rustled past the three figures that alone stood at the centre of the clearing whichy between the forest. Yet the flowers blooming in the clearing could not hide the smell of blood that overwhelmed their scents and someone''s anxiety. --------------------- Chapter 403: I can help you——2 Liu Dong Ming looked at the sword that was aiming at his neck, for a few minutes he looked at the sword and did not say anything but then his shoulders trembled and he chuckled softly. "My," Liu Dong Ming sighed as he raised his hand and then without even breaking a sweat on his forehead, he pushed the sword that was aimed at his neck as if the thing that was aiming at his neck was not a sword but a wooden stick which a child used to y sword fighting with, his fingers scraped the sharp edge of the sword causing three sharp and thin wounds to appear on the fingertips of his fingers but he did not even flinch as blood oozed out of those thin scratches. Ji Yu felt her arms twist even though she was using all her strength while Liu Dong Ming was only using his fingers to brush the sword away, she still could not hold the sword which was aimed at his neck in position as he pushed more force into his fingers and then turned her body in such a way that the sword fell on the ground under the heavy force that he applied on the sword. With her wrist aching and her fingers turning red, Ji Yu looked at Liu Dong Ming in me while her eyes turned ring as she breathed heavily. She was set to die if the man tried to harm her, she would rather be killed than be defiled! Seeing the thoughts that were running rampant in the head of the woman in front of him, Liu Dong Ming''s lips curled even more as he looked at the woman in front of him and then said softly, " Do not fear, imperial concubine, your highness. The habit of defiling an innocent woman is in the blood of your family and not mine, I will never do something so heinous." When his taunt reached her ears, Ji Yu felt her cheeks heat up as she looked at the man who was standing in front of her even more hatefully. He seemed to be ming her but when that incident happened she was clearly a child, what could she do? If he had something to say then he should have gone to her father instead of cornering her like such. " Is lord Liu here to me me?" She asked with a smile which did not reach her eyes as she straightened up and looked at the man, now that she knew that she could not beat him physically, it was better to see what the man was nning and deal with the situation ordingly. " Or are you here to avenge the queen bying tough at me for doing something foolish?" She expected that the Liu family was already aware of the failed attempt at the poisoning of the Queen and felt her heart clench. She had stood in front of the Queen like an equal but now because of her family, she was a sinner who can never raise her head in front of the Queen. " Of course not, I do not dare to embarrass the imperial concubine of his majesty, the emperor," replied Liu Dong Ming as he strode towards Ji Yu who despite wanting to take a step back stared at the man in front of her with a determined look in her eyes. Liu Dong Ming came to a stop in front of Ji Yu keeping a respectful distance from thetter while Ji Yu stared at his face not even looking away from one second. He raised his hand causing Ji Yu to flinch but then instead of hurting her, he brought a pouch which was oddly familiar to Ji Yu as she looked at the pouch and then at the man who was smiling at her. " Do you recognise this pouch, your highness?" Liu Dong Ming asked with a soft smile as he waved the pouch that was given to Xiao Lin, the very same one that she tried to keep hidden in her hands such that Liu Dong Ming will not be able to take it away from her until the very end. Ji Yu''s eyes widened as she looked at the pouch and then at Liu Dong Ming before she eximed, " So it''s you. You were the one who killed Little Lin!" As she spoke she went to grab the pouch from Liu Dong Ming''s hands but failed miserably. Her exmation got a small chuckle from Liu Dong Ming who shook his head and then said, " Your Highness looks calm and wise but looks like I paid you much morepliments than you deserve, it seems that you still have a lot to learn." " What do you mean?" Ji Yu''s voice turned a lot colder as she looked at the man who was calling her a fool. "It is just as I say," Liu Dong Ming crossed his arms behind his back as he looked down at Ji Yu haughtily. " If I was the one who killed your maid then you would have known it right away, the Liu family had always been very clean with their kill which makes it easier for others to trace it back to us unfortunately without the evidence." " This is not something to be proud of," Ji Yu contradicted Liu Dong Ming who shook his head andughed lightly, " I beg to differ, unlike your father who uses humans as a smooth surface to sharpen his dagger¡ª¡ª I am much kinder. At least those who die under my hand know who killed them and so does their family, I give them thest mercy of knowing why they were killed, your father, however, is much crueller which is why your maid died without even knowing why she was killed and even you have no idea why she was killed, am I right? Because if you did then you wouldn''t be questioning me, your highness." There was nothing that Ji Yu could say in response to this, seeing that she was not saying anything Liu Dong Ming looked at the grave which looked pitiful and then crouched down to pick up a few flowers and then skilfully wove a wreath of flowers which was neither small norrge and ced it on the grave before opening his mouth as he said, " I, however, can help you, if you wish to listen to me." Leave ament, power stone or gift if you like the chapters, I can see I am not receiving much support in this book please continue to support me! Chapter 404: What are you? Ji Yu stared at the treacherous man in front of her, Ji Yang, her father had often said that Liu Dong Ming was a man who killed with a smile on his face in fact till the very end, he never made anyone feel that he was in the wrong or that he was going to betray them, it was only when the person who was on the verge of dying realised that something was wrong did this man reveal his scheming nature. In her father''s words, Liu Dong Ming was a man who could win the favour of anyone if he wanted to and in a manner where the person whose favour was won would never suspect that there was a white-eyed wolf standing beside them. " Left prime minister Liu, if you want to kill me then go ahead and use that sword of yours," Ji Yu''s prejudice against the Liu family was not something that could be washed away in a night or two, she stubbornly believed that there was something very wrong with this man in front of her which was why she did not agree to his suggestion. " There is no need to y mind games with me since you are so aware of everything that happens around you, I am sure that you already know that I am nothing but a chess piece which can be abandoned at any moment by my family." "It''s good that you are self-aware," Liu Dong Ming did not deny nor did he offer flowery words to ease the hurt which Ji Yu was suffering from, instead he blinked his eyes, which were illuminated by the moonlight making his eyes look as sharp as two swords which could cut through anything that came in front of them. His lips curled derisively when Ji Yu''s clenched her fingers upon hearing his agreement before he parted his lips and drawled, " But imperial concubine Ji needs to know that sometimes even a rusted sword can give the most painful scar. You are indeed the biggest fool of the Ji family ¡ª¡ª" With a turn of his head, he looked at the grave which was freshly dug on their side and then continued to speak in a light-hearted manner, " You did not even know that from the day you were born, you have been used by your father, grand aunt and even your mother whom you loved so much. In your foolishness you allowed them to cover your eyes withrd causing you to lose the one person who cared for you the most¡ª¡ª-" " Be quiet, left prime minister Ji! You are going too far with your words!" Ji Yu felt her face burn when she heard the words of Liu Dong Ming. Though what he said was right, there was no need to strip her bare and throw her naked body in the middle of the street. Liu Dong Ming was not at all scared instead he turned to look at Ji Yu with amazement twinkling in his eyes as he muttered, " Dear me, looks like I touched a nerve did I not? I will apologise to you, imperial concubine Ji. And as an apology, I can assure you that I can allow you to meet with your beloved Xiao Lin, what do you say?" Ji Yu looked at Liu Dong Ming for a few seconds before she threw her head back and startedughing in an unrestrained manner. With her hand over her lips, she chuckled before saying, " If you were going to kill me then you should have done so, left prime minister Liu. There was no need for you to say such a lengthy speech. But I hope that you are prepared for the consequences because even if I am just a chess piece, I am still an imperial concubine. I am afraid that my family will make use of my death as much as they can once they find out that I am dead." Liu Dong Ming raised an eyebrow as he looked at Ji Yu and replied with a smile, " I am afraid that you misunderstood me, imperial concubine Ji. When I said that I will let you meet Xiao Lin, I did not mean that I will send you to the underworld, I simply meant that I will ¡ª¡ª-" He stopped speaking and closed his eyes¡ª¡ª and when he opened them, Ji Yu could help but gasp as she looked at those empty ck eyes. The air around her dipped and morphed causing a chill to rise around her, a secondter Ji Yu turned to look around her and her eyes widened when she saw that the man behind Liu Dong Ming was no longer looking human like instead his face was reced with a skull and his eye sockets had blue little mes burning inside causing Ji Yu to shudder as she looked at the man in front of her. She wanted to run but her heart was thudding in her chest and her legs seemed to have turned into iron, she could not even lift her feet up from the ground much less run away from this ce. She looked at Liu Dong Ming as if she was entranced and when Liu Dong Ming closed his eyes again and opened them before they returned to their usual condition, the chill in the air seemed to have vanished. The guard behind him had also turned back to human and her legs which were not willing to move were finally willing to tremble and move a little, she shuddered and then took a step back as she continued to stare at Liu Dong Ming. Cold sweat was covering her spine as she gulped harshly¡ª¡ª because she was in a hurry, she stumbled over a flower bush falling on her bottom but she still did not dare to look away from Liu Dong Ming in case thetter did something scary to her. " Wh¡­What exactly are you?" She asked in a quivering voice. -------------¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C Chapter 405: What are you——-2 Liu Dong Ming looked at the woman who had been scared silly by his little show, he noticed how the young girl was looking at his guard and then at him but he did not even change his expression as he continued to speak in a breezy manner, " I am the left prime minister of this imperial country who else?" He did not speak further but Ji Yu understood what he was trying to say, it was both a denial and a warning which told her not to breathe a word about what she saw just now to anyone. Because even if she did then no one will believe her but Liu Dong Ming who was the left prime minister who was known for his ruthlessness would know and he woulde after her. Ji Yu pursed her lips as she looked at the man before she pushed herself off the ground by cing her fingers on the muddy ground and then using the strength of her arms to push herself off the ground. She looked at Liu Dong Ming with a wary look in her eyes, now she knew that this man was not as simple as he looked, in fact with his strength, he could have killed everyone in the Ji family with ease but he was yet to make a move. Why? " What do you want from me?" Ji Yu asked with a flickering look in her eyes which was caught by Liu Dong Ming who smiled at her and then said in a casual manner, " I am not going to ask for more, imperial concubine Ji, all I ask is some information as long as you fulfil your side of the deal, I will bring you to see Xiao Lin, after all, she died such tragically it''s impossible for her to be at rest." When Ji Yu heard that Xiao Lin''s soul was not at peace she wanted to ask Liu Dong Ming what was going on and where Xiao Lin was but she knew that the man was not going to reply, her eyes flickered to the non-human aide behind Liu Dong Ming before she strapped her gaze back to Liu Dong Ming and asked, " What kind of information?" Her question caused Liu Dong Ming to smile like a fisherman when the fish, he had been waiting for finally took the bait, with a lighthearted sigh, he walked over to where Ji Yu was standing and spoke, " There is this little slippery loach that always escapes my grasp, word is that he is hiding in your house. Your grandaunt may call him priest but he is nothing but a criminal soul who should have been killed years ago ¡ª¡ª I have a feud with him, bring information about him, what he looks like and what he does these days ¡­where he is hiding, something along the lines, the more secrets you unravel the sooner you will see and talk with Xiao Lin, what do you say?" Ji Yu furrowed her brows, she had indeed heard about this priest from her father who talked really highly of him but that priest was just an evil soul. How was that possible? " You do not have to worry about anything else," as if sensing what was going on in Ji Yu''s head, Liu Dong Ming stopped her from thinking too much and then said in a soft voice, " You just need to find that priest and bring any information that you can find about him, I hope that you will not beat the stick and startle the snake though ¡­because yourst meeting with Xiao Lin will depend on how good of a job you do." With that, he turned on his heels to leave but Ji Yu who finally realised what he was asking from her stopped him by calling him, " You want me to betray my family, left prime minister Liu?" Liu Dong Ming, who was already striding away turned his head and looked at Ji Yu with a smile, " Yes, I am asking you to betray them but don''t you think that it is better to stab them first before they stab you? Don''t tell me that you don''t know what they want to do to you in the future. In their eyes, you are nothing but an abandoned chess piece which they can pick or throw at ease but have you ever thought about the sweet taste of revenge when your family realises that the chess piece that they expected to be easily irreceable became a thorn that they can never take care of?" With those words, Liu Dong Ming walked away leaving Ji Yu behind. Under the moonlight with the winds fluttering and scattering the flower petals, Ji Yu stayed on the same spot as Liu Dong Ming left her for a very long time. ..... No one knew what happened at the flower valley in the morning, Ji Yang was surprised when he found out that a cavalry of his shadow guards was killedst night but he knew that it was Liu Dong Ming''s retaliation for touching the queen. Because of this reason, he could only grind his teeth and say nothing ¡ª¡ª- even though he wished he could chop the head of that arrogant man in half! Half of his shadow guard team was cleaned just like that! Did that man think that shadow guards were so easy to find these days? Though Ji Yang was furious, he still kept a calm and harmless smile on his face, Ji Yu on the other hand took an absence under the premise that she was sick, though both grand dowager Empress and Ji Yang thought that she was doing too much for a mere maid, they still had some use for her which was why they did not bother with her and allowed her to do what she wanted to do. On the other hand, Xiao Lin who was watching the Ji family talk andugh without showing any remorse was feeling more and more angry. These people, they killed her ¡ª¡ª they killed her without any mercy, how dare theyugh! Chapter 406: A fool and the devil " What are you doing? Do you wish to get torched and cleaned up by the grim reaper?" Liu Hui Ying walked out of the tent and the first thing that she saw was Xiao Lin''s spirit which was turning ck with murderous cadaveric energy. From one nce she was able to see that Xiao Lin was on the verge of morphing into an evil spirit and thus stopped her conversion on time lest she had to dirty her hands by exorcising Xiao Lin ¡ª¡ª she did not want to ept this woman as her ghost servant since her loyalty was not set but she could not exorcise her either. Something told her that Xiao Lin''s spirit woulde in handyter on. Xiao Lin who was ring at the Grand Dowager Empress and Ji Yang immediately paused in her transformation and then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was standing behind her, with a polite smile on her face, Xiao Lin walked over to where Liu Hui Ying was standing and then with a sheepish expression said, " I do not wish to be cleaned up by the grim reapers mistress but I can''t help but be angry upon seeing the old dowager Empress and Prime minister Ji, the two of them spoke flowery words and fooled me, causing me to harm the noble you and now I am in this condition without a ce to go and yet they are smiling andughing like they did not kill me." " They areughing at your foolishness, you were an idiot to believe what they said to you and in your stupidity you almost killed me, so don''t call me mistress, I am not your mistress." Liu Hui Ying was not going to be coaxed just because Xiao Lin said some sweet words, even Li Gang had to go on his knees, crawl like a dog and bark like one, only then did she ept him as her ghost servant and too only when she knew that the man was going to be fun to keep if not she would not have bothered with him either. Xiao Lin knew that her buttery words did not work with Liu Hui Ying but she did not give up, for the sake of making sure that she stays in the world and protects Ji Yu, she will do anything even if it means to offer her soul to Liu Hui Ying! However, the matter was easy to think about but was difficult to implement, as soon as Xiao Lin flew over to Liu Hui Ying''s side she was rebuked until she could not even raise her head in front of Liu Hui Ying. While dressed in a light yellow dress with a heavy headdress Liu Hui Ying was already annoyed thus no matter what Xiao Lin said or did for her, she only red at thetter causing Xiao Lin to shrink like a little dried jujube as thetter flew back to where Li Gang and the rest were, they soothed her with some kind words but did not dare to go too far this time. They did not get an ounce of yin energyst night, what was more they were missing the delicious braised pork and venison which they had gotten used to eating more or less, now that they were asked to stay hungry all night, they were feeling like they had been starved for days. Liu Hui Ying did not pay attention to the four drama queens instead she walked over to the small tea table which was ced next to the edge of the forest under the shade of an old tea, on the tea table a pot of osmanthus tea was ced along with nuts, dried fruits along with osmanthus cakes and mugs bean jelly. However, her bottom had hardly touched the cold surface of the wooden chair when she heard the tittering and tweeting of the imperial concubines who were heading her way. Liu Hui Ying looked at them and then counted their heads one by one and by the time she was done counting she could not help but click her tongue inwardly. '' Tsk, tsk, sixteen concubines? One imperial concubine? That man, he might really die the dog of death one day in case he starts paying attention to his imperial harem. Even if he only visited each one day, he would not be able to visit everyone twice. What a hard life that man is living,'' Liu Hui Ying thought as she threw a few melon seeds in her mouth and started to munch on them. Zhai Tianyu who was standing far away saw Liu Hui Ying''s lips curl in a smile which was a tad bit more scarier than before and shuddered as he looked at the group of women who were heading Liu Hui Ying''s way. '' Dear god, please give those women some wisdom such that they will not offend Hui Ying and even if they offend my queen, please make sure that they do not drag me down,'' Zhai Tianyu had to sleep with his brotherst night and even though it would have not mattered much if they were in the imperial pce the same could not be said for the small bed in the tent which Yu Lingyun and Zhai Heng were sharing. The bed was so small that he had to look at Zhai Heng''s face all night, what was even more heart cursing was that there was no couch in his brother''s tent because they had two beds! If Liu Hui Ying kicked him out again tonight then, he will have to see his brother''s face all night once again and though his brother was good-looking, he was not his type! Liu Hui Ying did not know that Zhai Tianyu was thinking so much, she only watched the women who were heading over to the many tables which were ced under the tree shade and did not even bother to raise her head to look at the Concubines instead she lowered her head and took a sip of the tea but even if she wanted to avoid trouble did not mean that trouble was going to avoid her, as soon as the concubine who was in lead noticed Liu Hui Ying, she immediately smiled and walked over to where Liu Hui Ying was sitting. Chapter 407: A fool and the devil ——2 ----------------- The concubine who was walking ahead of the rest of the concubines was called Qin Mu Xiao, she was the legitimate daughter of the minister of the tax and revenue department. What was more, her father had the backing of Ji Yang who was the current right prime minister which gave her a lot of status. She was the third woman who was added to the imperial harem after Liu Hui Ying and Ji Yu, and because of this, she had always been confident. In her eyes, neither Liu Hui Ying who did not know how to act in front of the crown nor Ji Yu who was nervous and bumbling had the right to be the next empress which was why she had always tried to unify the imperial harem under her wing. Most of the concubines who came after Qin Mu Xiao did not have many powers in their hands and for the sake of the bnce of the imperial harem to not be tilted on one side, these concubines who were chosen after three legitimate daughters were either not powerful enough or they were not the legitimate daughters in their family because of this, without Liu Hui Ying or Ji Yu trying to unify the imperial harem they could only follow Qin Mu Xiao. " This concubine greets your majesty, the queen," Qin Mu Xiao bowed in front of Liu Hui Ying politely, it seemed like she truly respected the queen but her eyes which were cold were devoid of even an ounce of respect in fact she was looking at Liu Hui Ying as if she was looking at a fool. " She thinks you are a fool," Jia Li who was salivating over the cakes that Liu Hui Ying was eating immediately gulped in hunger, she wanted to eat some yin energy as well after staying hungry for an entire night, she did not dare to act smart with Liu Hui Ying instead she wiped her chin and then carefully said to Liu Hui Ying, " That woman, she is looking down on you because you have never taken care of the imperial harem I think." " Oh," Liu Hui Ying muttered casually as she munched the osmanthus cake which she had taken a bite from just now and then looked at the concubine who was bowing in front of her. She did not even acknowledge the greeting that Qin Mu Xiao had given her instead he continued to eat and drink without even permitting Qin Mu Xiao to stand back up. At first, Qin Mu Xiao did not say anything but as minutes ticked by her delicate brows started to knit together as she raised her head and looked at Liu Hui Ying who was acting as if she could not see her, for one minute, Qin Mu Xiao wanted to ask Liu Hui Ying what did she mean by this but then she was reminded of the words that her mother had told her before she entered the imperial harem and immediately swallowed her harsh words back. " Your majesty, this concubine is greeting you," Qin Mu Xiao bowed her head politely again at the same time she pulled a very pitiful expression on her face knowing that everyone was looking at her and Liu Hui Ying at the moment. '' This is the perfect chance,'' thought Qin Mu Xiao in her head as she looked at Liu Hui Ying who was not speaking nor showing any interest in her. '' I will make her look like a cruel tyrant empress, one who does not even know what the weight of her crown holds!'' Though Qin Mu Xiao thought that she had hidden her thoughts really well, Liu Hui Ying was able to notice what was going on inside that little head of hers very quickly, she wiped the crumbs of the sweet cake off her fingers and then looked at Qin Mu Xiao with a smile but contrary to the smile on her face, her eyes were colder than ice. " Concubine? I was afraid that the imperial harem did not have any other concubine other than Imperial concubine Ji, after all, other than her, no one else has ever shown their faces in front of me, much less greet me," said Liu Hui Ying as she drew her own literary sword and then aimed the sharpened edge at Qin Mu Xiao with a smile on her face. " I am afraid that there is a morning ritual which says that every concubine needs toe and greet me at dawn, howe...I did not see any of you?" Qin Mu Xiao had not expected Liu Hui Ying to make use of this small negligence, though the imperial concubines indeed have to greet the queen in the morning, Liu Hui Ying was a queen who was not favoured by the Emperor which was why they did not care about her¡ª¡ª who would have thought that she would make a fuss over such a matter? For a few seconds, Qin Mu Xiao was stumped but then she hitched up her smile and then straightened up before looking at Liu Hui Ying as she said in a soft voice, "I apologise, your majesty after your ident and imperial concubine Ji not being experienced enough to deal with the ounts of the imperial harem, I was the one who took care of everything which is why I might have ignored the morning greeting unconsciously, I hope you will forgive me." "Oh I see," Liu Hui Ying nodded to herself, her lips curling up even more. While Qin Mu Xiao was going against Liu Hui Ying, Yu Lingyun lit an incense and ced it on the ground causing Zhai Heng and Zhai Tianyu to look down at the burning incense with a confused looks in their eyes. " What are you doing?" Zhai Heng asked as he looked at his friend who had ignited a pair of incense with confusion in his eyes. Yu Lingyun joined his hands in prayer and then very solemnly said, " A fool dared to go against the devil, I am praying for her soul." Chapter 408: Finding trouble ——-1 As he spoke he turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and then said with a smooth voice, " Maybe you should try to offer incense as well your majesty, Concubine Qin is known for her notoriety and the Queen is known for her ruthlessness, together they make such an explosive pair, I am afraid you will be blown away." " Are you speaking about it hypothetically?" asked Zhai Tianyu as he turned to look at his general who in all his seriousness shook his head and then said in a voice which was neither solemn and nor amused but was in between somewhere, " I am speaking in the literal sense, your majesty," Yu Lingyun answered as he looked at Zhai Tianyu who was looking at him, with a pair of unburnt incense in his hands. " The Queen looks furious and concubine Qin has just opened her mouth." As he spoke he turned to point at Liu Hui Ying who was sitting on the wooden chair with a smile which was quite simr to the time when she wrenched the heart of the maid out of her chest. Zhai Tianyu looked at the expression of his wife and then turned to look at the incense before snatching it from Yu Lingyun''s hands and then walking over to the ground as he prayed to only the mighty ones who knew whom. Liu Hui Ying did not have any idea that for the sake of avoiding getting scolded by her, Zhai Tianyu was praying to his ancestors, instead, she looked at concubine Qin who was sitting in front of her with a polite smile though her voice was rather overbearing. " Your majesty, I believe that you are no longer angry at me?" Concubine stared at Liu Hui Ying who was caressing the cup lightly with her fingers as she continued to act, she was very much used to the fight of harem having fought with many of her sisters in the backyard of her father''s harem. Thus, she was used to disgusting others with a smile on her face which was something that she was rather proud of, she knew that as long as she go against Liu Hui Ying, thetter was ought to get angry at her. " Of course not," Liu Hui Ying smiled not looking the slightest bit bothered by thements of Concubine Qin. " Since the concubine has worked so hard for the imperial harem, there is no need for me to be angered about something so small but¡­" She paused as she raised her eyes which held a sharp glint in them, the glint in her eyes was so sharp that Concubine Qin instinctively took in a sharp breath as she looked at the woman in front of her and clenched her fingers tightly until her nails were digging deep in her palms. Why was this woman so scary? Just as Concubine Qin felt that her legs were going to give away, Liu Hui Ying retrieved her aura and smiled gently at the woman, " You should still take care of the rules, all right, concubine ¡­. Qin, we do not want others to say that you do not know how to respect the Queen and the imperial concubine, right?" She then turned to look away and brought the cup of tea to her lips, pausing only to curl her lips in a derisive smile. " I ¡­I understand," Concubine Qin did not even know how it happened but before she could stop herself, her mouth seemed to have grown a mind of its own and agreed with what Liu Hui Ying had said without even thinking. By the time she finished agreeing, Concubine Qin felt like she had been stuffed with something, she was angry and ashamed about fearing this woman but there was nothing that she could do now that she had shown her scared look to this woman. It was not that she truly feared Liu Hui Ying but the fact remained that this woman was the one who wrenched the heart of a maid with just a sword! Though she knew that there was no way Liu Hui Ying could do the same to her, there was some inherent fear which came over her every time she looked at Liu Hui Ying. What concubine Qin did not know was that Liu Hui Ying was a master of spirits, when she released her aura which was not seen by humans even the three spirits who followed her had to lower their heads and tremble,pared to them she was nothing! Concubine Qin was no longer in the mood to stay behind and talk with Liu Hui Ying, she came here to give a difficult time to Liu Hui Ying but instead, she was scared sh*tless by Liu Hui Ying who did not even raise her voice much less make a scene. When Concubine Qin thought about it, she felt like she had suffered a grave defeat and her face twisted. With a quick twist of her feet, she then turned to walk away from the small tea area and then turned to walk towards the tent which belonged to her father. Now that she had suffered a defeat under the hands of Liu Hui Ying, she wanted to take revenge! A revenge which would make Liu Hui Ying know her ce, what right did that woman even have? She was an abandoned woman who only became the queen because of her surname. Unlike her, she was ten times better! The concubines who came with concubine Qin looked at each other before turning to look at Liu Hui Ying who raised her head and looked at them over the cup which she was holding in front of her lips which were curled in a smile, " Is there something else that you all want to say?" As she spoke, the concubines all seemed to hallucinate the same thing, behind Liu Hui Ying stood a demon asura with a sword in his hands prepared to chop them all up in a jiffy, with blue mes shrouding himpletely. With such a sight in front of them, they did not even dare to speak and simply shook their heads like rattling drums and then rushed away. Chapter 409: Finding trouble ——2 A/n:I popped my shoulder, its strapped back but I am still in pain, because of this the updates are not regr. ---------------------- Liu Hui Ying watched the women run away and curled her lips in disdain, just this much guts and they dared to go against her? They should go and look in the mirror whether their faces were thicker or her fists! She was a celestial master as long as she lost her temper, she could make a grown-up man cry what was with this small Concubine? Though Liu Hui Ying was not someone who was willing to forgive someone who came looking for death she did not say anything to Concubine Qin nor did she retaliate against her, the reason was simple. That woman had a very thick ck cadaveric qi covering her face, from one look alone, she could see that the woman was going to face a deathly cmity but she did not say anything to the woman. Just now when the woman came to stand in front of her, she smelled the scent of human blood from the woman''s hands which meant that Qin Mu Xiao will definitely face her karma for taking so many human lives, there was nothing that she could do about this, Karma was at y, what was she supposed to do about this matter anyway? As long as this case had nothing to do with her, Liu Hui Ying did not wish to get involved in the matters which concerned Qin Mu Xiao and even if the fire somehow really burned her then she would think about crossing the bridgester on. While she was thinking about this, she felt someone sit next to her, with a twist of her neck, she turned to look at Concubine Xie who was smiling at her, this smile was very different from the haughty smile that Concubine Xie had shot her earlier in the past when she came to see her. "What''s the matter with you? Don''t wish to follow your leader?" Liu Hui Ying asked with a deliberate raise of her brows as she looked at Concubine Xie whose face flushed red in shame when she heard Liu Hui Ying''s words, she was really ashamed that she heard the words of her father and found trouble with such a dashing woman. Concubine Xie lowered her head, while her head thumped wildly as she looked at Liu Hui Ying and then said in a soft voice, " I do not mean to harm your, your majesty. I have been following Concubine Qin for a long time and since neither you nor imperial concubine Ji had taken control of the harem, she treats us all as if we are her underlings just because she has a background better than ours." " Then why are you sitting with me? Should you not be following your leader and making jokes to lighten the mood?" Liu Hui Ying ced the tea on the table and then picked up the small, fingertip size cake from the te which was in front of her and then took a bite from it. " You should be trying to cajole her, lest she makes trouble for you." " I¡­ but this concubine wants to follow, your majesty," Concubine Xie finally summoned her courage as she spoke to Liu Hui Ying who paused in her actions of eating cake and frowned before asking, " Sorry ?" " I ¡­ this concubine was won over by the dance which your majesty performed, it was brimming with so much courage and even though it looked vulgar, I think that it was really good, not many canbine elegance and boldness not even trained dancers but her majesty was able to do with ease, I think its truly fascinating!" As concubine Xie finished her passionate speech, Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai who were standing behind Liu Hui Ying shivered together in fright. The two of them turned to look at Concubine Xie''s nanny and maid with a twist of their neck causing thetter two women to turn away in shame, in fact, they tried to make their mistress give up her ns of getting engrossed with that vulgar dance but it was as if concubine Xie was hoodwinked by the beauty of Liu Hui Ying, no matter how they tried to divert the attention of their missy, she wille back to the initial point! And why were the maids and nannies of Liu Hui Ying looking at them like this? They were troubled by the show that her majesty gave to their missy as well. Did they think that they were the only ones who were bothered by that dance? They were bothered as well! The maids had a lot ofints and so did the nannies but Liu Hui Ying did not have anyints, when she saw that someone had finally seen the elegance in the pole dance which she performed, she immediately took Concubine Xie''s hands and pped the table as she eximed in excitement, " You are right, you are truly right!" With her finger which was pointing at concubine Xie, she waved her hand a little and then said with a smile on her face, " I knew that someone would find it, even though many could not see it, I expected that someone smart would still be in this harem, man who would have thought that you will be the wise one among the fools?" Concubine Xie looked at Liu Hui Ying and then looked down at the hands which were holding hers and blushed furiously, she did not feel like this even when she thought about his majesty¡­does this mean that she adored a woman? While Concubine Xie''s heart was in turmoil with happiness, Zhai Tianyu''s heart was in turmoil because of sadness, he looked at Concubine Xie whose hands were clutched by Liu Hui Ying and the sense of foreboding rose even more strongly in his heart. " My queen ¡­" please don''t walk down the wrong path! I can satisfy you better than that woman can! He roared in his heart but before his mouth could roar the same words, it was covered by Yu Lingyun and Zhai Heng who knew that whatever that was going toe out of his majesty''s mouth now was not going to be anything good. Chapter 410: Burn to ground Zhai Tianyu looked at his brother and best friend, inwardly he was gnashing his teeth. Why were the two of them stopping him? Can''t they see that there was a woman snatching his wife? Liu Hui Ying was allergic to men but she was fine with women, if a woman whose heart was filled with ck thoughts tried to pull his wife along with her, what will he do? Take two metal tes and bang them together like a monkey? Zhai Heng knew that his brother was prone to getting jealous over the smallest thing, he did not believe that Zhai Tianyu can be this jealous of a woman but now that he was seeing it with his own eyes, there was nothing that he could say other than rolling his eyes. Was there a need to get jealous just because Liu Hui Ying''s hand was sped by a woman? Even if Concubine Xie had some thoughts after getting enthralled with the performance that Liu Hui Ying showed her, it did not mean that Liu Hui Ying will jump into another boat just like that! " Your majesty, instead of worrying about such things why don''t you worry about something more important? I heard that the Ji family is nning something for the past few days," Zhai Heng had no idea what the Ji family was thinking but these days they were moving too sneakily, he had heard that they were buying a lot of grains in the past few days which caught his notice. Buying grains was not wrong but what was a bit rming was how much they were buying, he had sent his men to lurk around closer to the grain shops dressed as beggars and he was surprised to find out that the Ji family had brought tons of grains. " They must be nning to make use of those grains in the winter," Zhai Tianyu might act like a fool when Liu Hui Ying''s matter was concerned but he wasn''t truly a fool. Of course, he could see that something was up with the Ji family, in the past the matter of allocating grains to the homeless people was left under the hands of the Ji family. Back then his eyes were covered by the lies which were fed by her grandmother and thus, he believed in everything that she told him, his trust in the Ji family was thicker than the city wall and he never believed that something was wrong with the Ji family but now his mind was working at a rapid speed when he saw that the Ji family was buying grains. In the past, he would have ignored this matter but now he knew that something was definitely up, the amount which the Ji family was buying was not at all normal. And winter was arriving pretty soon, in case there was ack of grains in the shops which sold grains and only the Ji family had enough grains which could be sold in their shops, what else can he expect? With the Ji shops being the only ones with grains in them, even if they were to raise the price just a few taels up, they will not be questioned instead they will be praised for selling the grains at such a low price when there was a shortage of grains! As for what the Ji family wanted to do with this extra ie, Zhai Tianyu had a very good idea. Even though on the surface every family was peaceful but inwardly the imperial court was distributed in two sections one that supported the Ji family while the other one supported the Liu family. For the sake of rising to the top, it went without saying that these families will sink to any point! In their eyes, he was a puppet emperor who was only allowed to sit on the throne and not do anything but in case they were to find out that he had a mind of his own, it would not take long for them to dethrone him. And how will they do that? Of course by raising an army in the dark! He looked at Ji Yang who had always looked polite and honest and balled his fists in anger, he knew that the man whom he had trusted for so long had betrayed him. " Ask Lady Qiao to buy some grains as well, give her as much money as she wants," Zhai Tianyu could not allow the Ji family to be the only one to have control over the market this winter. Lest they made a lot of profit, they will most likely use it to raise that army which they were hiding causing him to be troubled. His hidden army was yet to reach even a total of three hundred soldiers, if they were to underestimate this matter, he was afraid that they will surely lose more than just the throne because he had no ns of staying the puppet emperor! " Have her distribute the grains to the big shop which can go against the Ji family do not let them monopolise the entire market situation!" " I understand." Zhai Heng also had the same thoughts but he was hesitant because this was their grandmother''s maternal family but with Zhai Tianyu telling him that they did not need to hold back, he was at ease and did not say anything before agreeing with the order which was given to him by Zhai Tianyu. In front of the future of the imperial city, nothing else mattered! They were for the people and they will stand by the side of their people till the end! Zhai Heng nced at his grandmother who was talking andughing with Ji Yang and then turned to walk away. Though he was upset that he was going to walk down a path which was different from his grandmother who raised him ¡ª¡ª he would rather walk down this path than harm the innocent ones. With his fists clenched on the sides, he ruthlessly turned his gaze away from the Grand dowager Empress and then went toply with Zhai Tianyu''s orders. - Chapter 411: Burn to the ground ——2 ---------------------------¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C In the tent which was only a few feet away from Zhai Tianyu''s tent, Ji Yu was lying on the bed with her hands resting on her abdomen as she stared at the ceiling of her tent, she did not move nor did she say a word, the new maid who was arranged by Ji Yang and Grand Dowager Empress thought that Ji Yu was acting like this because she was upset with the death of her maid who had followed her ever since she was a child. The maid named Hong Mei did not say anything to Ji Yu given that she was disdainful of such a woman who had multiple good cards yet still she was nothing but a failure whenpared to a woman who joined the harem after her but upon seeing that Ji Yu was not even moving, her eyes shed as she was reminded of the task that the Grand Dowager Empress had given to her. Hong Mei was arranged to stay next to Ji Yu because The Grand Dowager Empress wanted her to get closer to the emperor just like they were in the past such that they will be able to exercise more control over the Liu family and the court, which was why Ji Yu buttering up Zhai Tianyu was really important. But if this woman continues to stay inside the tent all day long, then how will she win the heart of his majesty? Hong Mei hated iron for not being able to turn into steel, she nced at Ji Yu with an annoyed look on her face as she scolded her fiercely in her head, '' What was so good about that maid who died? In the end wasn''t she just a maid? So what if she grew together with her, a maid was someone who signed a life and death agreement once she was purchased by a family, even if she died there was no need for this woman to act as if the world wasing to an end!'' Hong Mei thought that her petty thoughts escaped Ji Yu but what she did not know was that even though Ji Yu was naive whenpared to the other women of the harem, she was only considered naive because she did not wish to harm anyone by the use of dirty tactics. But that did not mean that she was a fool who did not understand anything, she saw everything and she knew everything which happened around her, she only chose to turn a blind eye to it because she found such actions beneath her status. When Ji Yu saw Hong Mei looking at her with a contemptuous nce, her heart felt like it was being shed into half with a hot, scalding sword. Xiao Lin might have been a maid in the eyes of others who can be reced at any time but for Ji Yu, Xiao Lin was not just a maid, she was a haven where she did not have to strap a fake mask over her face and act in the way she wanted to, as she liked to. The pain that she was feeling at the moment surpassed the pain which she felt for Zhai Tianyu when thetter refused to stay with her, back then she was heartbroken thinking that she lost someone important. But now that she could see things much more clearly, she realised that her heartbreak was nothing but anxiety regarding what was going toe in the future, with Zhai Tianyu gone, she was worried that her grandmother would be disappointed in her. The anxiety and the pain of losing the trust of her childhood friend made her lose control making her spiral in fear and trepidation. However, with Xiao Lin gone, she felt her heart burning in pain. The kind of pain made her feel like she will never be the same and for the first time, Ji Yu realised what was the true meaning of love. With Zhai Tianyu, her emotions were shrouded with ayer of greed and hidden intentions but when it came to Xiao Lin, she wanted to give her the very best of everything. When Xiao Lin was with her, she felt like she could cross any hurdle in front of her but now that she was gone ¡ª¡ª Ji Yu closed her eyes as she exhaled loudly just as Hong Mei who was standing beside her bed snapped out of her daze and then walked over to where Ji Yu was and then with a voice which wasden with fake concern she said, " Imperial Concubine, I know that you are heartbroken with the loss of your childhood friend but those who have gone can nevere back." Hong Mei''s eyes were red as if she really understood the pain which Ji Yu was going through at the moment. " Though they might not be able toe back, we can always avenge them right?" Ji Yu finally snapped her eyes open as she turned to look at Hong Mei who thought that Ji Yu had finally thought it through and then said in a joyous voice, "That''s right! I am d that you have understood this, your highness, imperial concubine Ji!" Hong Mei''s smile was wider than her face as she curled her lips from one end of her face to another as she pped her hands. " I am sure that once, right prime minister Ji finds out that you have understood his intentions, he will be really happy." Will he be happy? Ji Yu did understand the intentions of her father and she also understood what he was doing but it did not mean that she was going to stand next to her father. He had snatched the person who was the most important to her. It went without saying that he had to repay her for the life that he had taken! A cold, murderous glint shed in her eyes as Ji Yu curled her lips and said, " You are right, I am sure that my father will be very happy." Especially, when I will burn the Ji family down to the ground. Chapter 412: What is the matter with you? No one knew that on a silent afternoon, Ji Yu made such a resolution. Even Liu Hui Ying had no idea that the wheel of fate had already started to turn in a way which was going to change her life once and for all, at this moment she was listening to Nanny Gong''s lecture. " And this is why your majesty, you need to be exceptionally careful when talking, what if someone from the other fraction finds out that you are doing such coarse activities? I shudder when I even think about what they might do if they were to get wind about that vulgar atrocity of yours." After Concubine Xie left, Nanny Gong dragged Liu Hui Ying back to the tent and tied her belt around her waist tightly, this time she was determined to teach Liu Hui Ying a good lesson, if she did not bring Liu Hui Ying back to the right path who knows how much damage this mistress of hers might cause, if that happens it will be toote for them to shed tears of regret! With a stern look on her face, she looked at Liu Hui Ying while stopping her pacing that she was doing while walking front and backwards in front of Liu Hui Ying when she was speaking. "Does her majesty understand the severity of her actions?" Nanny Gong asked with a haughty tilt of her chin as she looked at Liu Hui Ying who was sitting on the small wicker chair which was ced in front of a small table that was used to serve tea and snacks. Liu Hui Ying raised her hand and then said with a smile, " Quick question, how my dancing in my own courtyard will cause chaos in this city? Are you saying that my legs are the key to gold and silver and if they are exposed we will lose the gold? If so then where can I find these gold and silver taels? For my personal use, that is." Nanny Gong had been going on and on about the virtue of women and Liu Hui Ying was going crazy, she was a modern woman damn it, it was already bad enough that she had to stay covered up when she was outside but now this nanny of hers was saying that she cannot go crazy even inside her living chambers? Why don''t they just tie her to bed, if they wanted her to live such a boring life? She came to the hunting ground thinking that she will be able to have some fun but then she found out that she could not ride a horse, she could not use arrows and a bow and all she could do was watch the exceptionallyedic performance of the Emperor. Thest time he went out to hunt a rabbit, and by hunting a rabbit, it meant that he took three extra pair of hands with him, each time he missed shooting the rabbit, those three servants were responsible for digging the burrows in which the rabbit went inside, catch that rabbit and then ce him in front of the Emperor again. And because Zhai Tianyu was ying the role of a debaucher Emperor who was stubborn and childish to the bones he did not take help from anyone and continued with his weird game of tag with the rabbit and did not allow anyone to tie the rabbit''s limbs, and the three servants who followed him spent a day digging around the forest. In a way, it was funny at the start but then it started to get boring as well. Now all day she just ate and slept, and when she finally thought that she will get a girlfriend to gossip about and share her ''wise grains'' with, she was dragged by Nanny Gong who was trying to teach her that what she was doing was called evil practices which were condemned by all since a woman''s body was like a treasure chest and the key to this chest treasure only lied in the hands of her husband. When Nanny Gong heard Liu Hui Ying''s sarcastic words, she wanted to cry but before she could say anything Liu Hui Ying raised a brow and narrowed her eyes, " And Nanny, did you not say that I will have ''lots of fun'' on this trip? Apart from getting killed two times, I did not see anything ''exciting'' happening even when I am following the rules which youid down." Nanny Gong swallowed her words when she heard Liu Hui Ying''s reproach because she was a bit angry just now, shepletely forgot that she was the one who wronged her majesty first by lying to her! Seeing that Nanny Gong had turned silent Liu Hui Ying smiled until her eyes turned into crescents and then she said in a sweet voice, " So my dear Nanny, shall we start discussing why one must never lie?" Nanny Gong: ''¡­..'' if possible she did not want to discuss this topic! ¡­. On the other side of the hunting ground, there was someone else who was choking because of anger, Concubine Qin who was embarrassed by Liu Hui Ying rushed to her father who was in charge of the finance department. She was pampered by her mother and even her father doted on her because they knew that she was wise and smarter than her sisters. The Qin parents had high hopes for their eldest daughter and spoiled her rotten, one could only imagine how much Concubine Qin was spoiled by her parents but today she was embarrassed by that Queen who was going to be dethroned at any moment! " Father!" With her hand brushing the ps of the tent, Concubine Qin rushed inside the tent where her father was staying her eyes were wild and her face was flushed in anger as she strode towards her father who was sitting on a small chair and sipping on tea while reading the documents which was given to him by Ji Yang. When Old Master Qin saw that his daughter wasing, he covered the papers and smiled at his daughter catingly, "What''s the matter with you? Why are you so angry now?" Chapter 413: Wait for good news -------------------------------------- Concubine Qin saw that her father was hiding the documents from her and was slightly upset, she knew that if it was her eldest brother who came inside the tent without announcing his arrival, their father would not have hidden such important documents from him but because it was her, he was keeping it under the wraps. Though she was upset, Concubine Qin did not dare to show her anger on her face, because she knew that more than anything, she needed the support of her father and brother the most when she was trying to gain the favour of his majesty. She had worked so hard¡ª¡ª and that too so desperately to reach where she was, it would be too stupid of her to fall out with her father at this moment. "It''s obviously that queen! Who else can make me so angry other than her, father?" As soon as she sat down Concubine Qin opened her mouth and started toin about Liu Hui Ying even though the way Liu Hui Ying treated her was polite on the surface and she did not say a single upsetting word to her, in her version Concubine Qinpletely distorted the truth, she made it sound like Liu Hui Ying deliberately picked fault with her and embarrassed her in front of the other concubines. With her eyes turning red, she took out a handkerchief and then dabbed the corner of her eyes with the fabric which she was holding in her hand, " Now she has embarrassed me in front of the other concubines, I am afraid that they will make fun of me, I tried so hard to unite the harem and now it has gone all into nought, tell me, father, what I am going to do now?" Old Master Qin was a man who was in histe sixties, he understood better than anyone what his daughter was saying was true or a lie. In fact, as soon as his daughter opened her mouth, he knew what kind of cry she was going to make but he still did not say anything because no matter how Liu Hui Ying embarrassed his daughter, the fact remained that she had indeed embarrassed her. " It looks like she is getting too ahead of herself," muttered Old Master Qin, as he fell into his thoughts, with his head lowered as he looked down at the documents in front of him, he had been trying his best to keep the throne secured for his daughter. With Ji Yu being poisoned, she was no longer a threat even if she was to sit on the throne the one who will be the heir will be the child of his daughter, Old Master Qin was quite relieved when he found out that Ji Yu was no longer capable of bing a mother but he never expected Liu Hui Ying to step into the race in which she was never a participant, to begin with, that woman was supposed to die on the night when she married over and now that she was alive, who knows what kind of magic she cast on his majesty but he was only keeping himself closer to the queen. Even though the Grand Dowager Empress warned his majesty, he did not seem quite inclined about listening to what she had to say to him, just what kind of tricks did that girl from the Liu family used to enchant his majesty to the point that he was wagging his tail like a tamed dog behind her, it was honestly a bit annoying to watch. " Isn''t that true, father? Her majesty really thinks that she is the queen of this city when she is nothing but a chess piece to be discarded sooner orter, yet she dared to embarrass me like such, you have to do something! Take her head off if you have to but do something!" Concubine Qin''s eyes shone when she thought about Liu Hui Ying''s death, since that woman dared to embarrass her, it was only right that she get a brutal death! How dare she use such a tone and words on her, who does she think she was? Just a pest and dares to dance on top of her head, that little harlot! " Watch whates out of your mouth," when Old Master Qin heard the atrocious words of his daughter, he immediately looked around and red at her. " You are speaking about killing the queen and so boldly at that! If Liu Dong Ming catches wind of this matter, you will be the one who will suffer! And what''s more, you will drag our family down with you as well, what are you doing?" " Why? Why can''t I say? She is a short-lived ghost and she is going to die any time, so what is wrong with me talking about this matter as it is?" Concubine Qin did not think that she was in the wrong which was why she spoke even more loudly as if wishing she could tell everyone that Liu Hui Ying was a short-lived ghost. " Shut up!" Old Master Qin snapped at his daughter furiously but when he saw the shocked look on his daughter''s face along with her red eyes, he sighed and then said, "¡­ I will think of something, this is a hunting ground and taking care of that woman should be easy." In fact, Ji Yang had alreadye up with a n to deal with Liu Hui Ying, it was just that it was not the time to set that n into motion what was more if he was to let this matter be known by his daughter, he will be practically announcing this matter all over the hunting ground, his daughter was indeed wiser than the rest but when she was furious, she couldn''t control her temper at all, causing her to make rash decisions, it was better if he kept this n to himself for the time being. When Concubine Qin heard that her father had agreed to help, her eyes lit up as she smiled brightly and said, " Then I will wait for the good news, father." Chapter 414: Field cress grass On the other side of the hunting ground, Ji Yu stepped out of her tent. Compared to the weakened state fromst night, currently, she was dressed in a vibrant pink dress, her face was carefully decorated with ck kohl and rogue which made her look exceptionally flirty and seductive, with her hair tied in aplicated bun-like updo, with hairpins with multiple tassels that moved every time she took a step she looked like she was stepping out for the sake of either fighting with someone or dering war. " Would you look at that," Liu Hui Yingmented as she drank a bowl of chilled plum soup while Xiao Ai and Qi Qing fanned her, with a slightly disgusted look on her face, she clicked her tongue. " I am getting hot just by looking at her, even though it''s autumn the winters are yet toe, how is she not melting?" "This is the basic etiquette, your majesty," Nanny Gong could not help butment as she looked at Liu Hui Ying who was dressed in the most simplest dress with only a single hairpin with the least amount of tassels hanging on it. " As the imperial concubine she should dress to impress and so should you." Liu Hui Ying rolled her eyes as she made an expression of ''trying to calm oneself down'' before she twisted in her chair and then turned to look at Nanny Gong, "You just had to pass a small snarky taunt, don''t you nanny?" With her nose scrunched up and eyes narrowed, Liu Hui Ying made a face and said, " For your information, that woman is living avish life with all theforts and riches, what about us? We are dirt poor, and with the limited amount of money that old hag gives us you want me to dress up? I am not doing it." Though Liu Hui Ying recovered half of her dowry, the other half was still with Grand Dowager Empress and that woman was making all sorts of excuses to dy the inevitable. " If I had known that she was going to something like this, I would have sent her together with that daughter of hers," muttered Liu Hui Ying under her breath as she looked at the old woman who was smiling so hard while looking at Ji Yu that her face looked like a dried persimmon. As if sensing Liu Hui Ying''s gaze, the grand dowager Empress looked up causing Liu Hui Ying to shoot her one of her most fake smiles as she raised the dried cookie in her hand to wave at the grand dowager Empress who huffed and looked away. " Yeah, like I am dying to be acknowledged by you,"mented Liu Hui Ying with a scoff as she brought the cookie in her hand to her mouth and took a furious bite. " So old and yet likes to y so many dirty deeds, she better not fall into my hands or else¡ª¡ª" Just as she was speaking there was a hugemotion, Liu Hui Ying turned her head to look in the direction from where the loud hoo-hah wasing just like the rest of the crowd who was standing in the middle of the hunting ground. From the very depths of the forest, the first batch of soldiers who went hunting brought back a tiger, currently with an arrowtched onto his neck, the tiger was banging his head against the bars of the cage while letting out one enraged roar after another. Liu Hui Ying looked at the tiger which had been angered beyond reasoning and narrowed her eyes behind her she heard Li Gang say, " It has gone crazy." She turned her head to look at Li Gang who cheekily smiled at her with his hands in his pants pocket and then continued speaking, "It is just as I said, that tiger has gone crazy the others cannot smell it but¡­" he raised his hand and tapped his nose as he proudly added, " I can, the arrow which is sticking inside the body of the tiger smell of field cress. It''s known for its toxicity and scent to cause aggression in animals." When Liu Hui Ying heard Li Gang''s exnation, she knew that he was not lying. But after thoroughly pondering over what Li Gang said, she could not help but tap her fingers on the table with a contemtive look in her eyes, as far as she knew there was no way these people could have subdued a tiger which was angered to this point, the only exnation which she coulde with was either they tiger was a foolish one which fell into a wellid trap or ¡­. Her eyes sharpened as she looked at the tiger which was banging its head with a calctive look in her eyes¡ª¡ª or they deliberately gave it the field cress which made it go crazy. " You three prepare yourself," Liu Hui Ying was no fool, when she was working as a detective there were many times she had to act as an undercover agent, being alert and precautious was in her blood. Though the tiger was shackled and locked in the cage which looked rather sturdy, she did not believe that the arrival of this tiger was coincidental. The Ji family along with many were waiting for her to die so that they will be able to usurp the throne of the Empress, though she had no desire to sit on that golden throne, she was still a thorn in the eyes of many while she held the identity of the Queen. With an annoyed nce at the tiger which was ramming his head and roaring, she stood up from the chair on which she was sitting and then went back inside the tent, she did not fear the dead, so it was impossible for her to fear a tiger. Since she knew that something was going to happen at night, it was better to take a nap and as much rest as possible, this way she did not have to lose any sleep because of some annoying grasshoppers. ---------------------------- Chapter 415: Field cress grass ——2 While Liu Hui Ying had already prepared herself for the incident which was going to take at night, the Ji family still naively believed that they were the smarter ones of all. " From tonight you will have nothing to worry about," The Grand Dowager Empress patted Ji Yu on the back of her hand as she looked at the cage which was being shaken by the tiger which was locked inside of it while going crazy. This was a n which she and Ji Yang came up with after a very long time, they did not believe that Liu Hui Ying will get lucky each time. What happened with Xiao Lin was deemed as nothing but sheer luck by Ji Yang and the grand Dowager Empress, they believed that Xiao Lin was the one who messed up at the crucial moment and then caused their ns to be exposed by her. It never urred to them that there might be a chance that Liu Hui Ying cottoned on the fact that they were trying to poison her. In fact, they simply thought of that incident as a blind cat catching the mouse. But this time they were certain that they will seed, even though Liu Hui Ying was lucky enough to escape back then, there was no way she will be able to escape from the clutches of a fierce tiger. What was more they used field cress which was exceptionally rare to find and on top of that, the field cress grass did not have a strong scent or any other attribute which can be detected by someone who was not an expert, only the imperial physicians and the medicinal practitioners were the ones who knew how to find the field cress grass which was simr to the wild grass which grew on the side of the road. Though it looked simr the field cress grass had small, very small fibre-like thorns which cannot be seen with the naked eye. The medical practitioner who searched for herbs used special sses to find these herbs and because they were really hard to find, these herbs were sold for a very high price in the market by the medical practitioners, the grand dowager Empress had to fork out a fair share of silver taels from her private stash for the sake of buying this herb. And that too in a huge bulk that it will drive the tiger crazy to the point that it will be impossible to control it. Ji Yu turned her head to the tiger which was pacing inside the cage and her eyes shed with a mocking glint. She knew that when her father supported this hunt, he already made up his mind to attack Liu Hui Ying as many times as he could to make sure that she will die but ¡ª¡ª The memories fromst night where Liu Dong Ming showed her just how different he was from the rest were enough to tell her that there was no way Liu Hui Ying will die. In fact, her eyes flickered left and right as she remembered the day when Liu Hui Ying caught the maid who was going to poison her and then turned to look at the tent with aplicated look in her eyes, back then she thought that Liu Hui Ying was just lucky enough to dodge the sword which was aimed at her but after meeting with Liu Dong Ming, she had a feeling that Liu Hui Ying was not as simple either. That woman was given poisoned wine and her maid even saw her drink it which was why she created a very loud ruckus¡ª¡ª but somehow Liu Hui Ying managed to survive what was more she did not even need an imperial physician to detoxify her, this was enough to let her know that Liu Hui Ying was not a woman that can easily be taken down. Now that her eyes were no longer covered with the blindfold of foolishness, she could see that Liu Hui Ying and her were worlds apart, that woman was the sky and she was the ground beneath everyone''s feet. It was no surprise that Zhai Tianyu choose Liu Hui Ying instead of her. " Is that so, aunt? Then I will be waiting for tonight," with her eyes filled with obedience, Ji Yu smiled at the grand dowager Empress who was telling her how she will make sure that the throne of the empress will fall into her hands. ¡­. Zhai Tianyu received the word that Ji Yang''s side hunted a tiger as well, as the Emperor it was necessary for him to hand out praise to Ji Yang''s fraction which was why he returned with his pitiful rabbits which he caught after ying hide and seek for a very long time. " Your majesty," Ji Yang smiled at Zhai Tianyu with his hands in front of his abdomen as he bowed and then said, " I have hunted this tiger in your name, I hope you will ept the goodwill of this small minister." " Of course, Prime Minister Ji, of course," Zhai Tianyu chuckled as he looked at the tiger which was ramming his head against the metal bars which made up the wall of the cage and frowned upon seeing the wild look in the eyes of the tiger which was pacing inside the cage. " What''s wrong with that tiger, did you catch a mad one to honour me, prime minister Ji? Is ¡­Is there something that you want to say to me?" Ji Yang was stunned upon hearing the words which were spoken by the Emperor, he looked at the tiger''s eyes which were itching for blood and cursed the soldiers for doing a poor job, they should have turned the head of the tiger to the side, that way Zhai Tianyu would not have seen the bloody look in the eyes of the tiger. Were they trying to get him killed? Did they not know that the mood of the Emperor was like changing weather? If Zhai Tianyu was to get angry with him, he will end up losing at least an inch of his skin. These fools! Chapter 416: Tiger or the queen? Zhai Tianyu was not one of those Emperors who would punish their ministers on the basis of his mood, in fact under his foolish cover, he was really calm and astute regarding many things but when he thought about how Ji Yang was the one who asked Xiao Lin to poison Liu Hui Ying and even killed the maid who belonged to his childhood friend, he could not leave this opportunity which was presented to him by Ji Yang, he immediately put on a long face and then rebuked his right prime minister, " Prime Minister Ji, no matter how upset you are with me you cannot catch a mad tiger and then present it in front of me saying that you have caught it to honour my name! If the Liu family was to find out, they will make a joke out of this King!" With that, he nced at the tiger which was ramming his head on the metal bar with an unsightly expression and then turned around to leave, from his expression it looked like he was not at all happy with this ''thoughtful'' present that Ji Yang brought for him. When Ji Yang heard the words of Zhai Tianyu, his expression turned gloomy. He turned to look at the soldiers who were in charge of carrying the tiger, his gaze was very simr to that of a vicious serpent who was hiding in the dark and hidden corner waiting to take a swipe at his enemy. The soldiers who were red at by him lowered their heads and shivered, they did not know what to say to Prime Minister Ji, though they knew that the tiger''s eyes which were wild and mad could not be shown to the Emperor, the tiger did not know that the person in front of him was the king of thisnd! Under the effect of field cress, it was good enough that this tiger did not make a move and ripped the cage apart, and prime minister Ji was still hoping that this wild tiger willy down docilely such that they will be able to tie a bow around his neck and drape a red silk cover over his body? His majesty did not know what was the matter with the tiger but the prime minister did know what was wrong with the tiger, so why was he acting unreasonably like this? The soldiers were angry while feeling wronged but they did not say anything and instead dragged the cage away such that prime minister Ji can coax the Emperor. " Your majesty, it''s not that this minister was trying to make a jab at you, I am your father-inw as well as the nephew of the grand dowager Empress, in a way we are rted to one another, how can I say something as rude as calling you mad or crazy, we, the Ji family know that his majesty is kind and benevolent, calling you mad is something that we can never do!" Ji Yang was a man whose smile was gentle like a rain on hot summer, and when he coaxed someone he would lower his voice such that it sounded like it had been dripped with honey, unlike Liu Dong Ming who was a straight man with a cold voice and gloomy face, Ji Yang was naturally more popr in the imperial court. But his abilities werecking which caused him to always be suppressed by Liu Dong Ming. Zhai Tianyu raised a brow, though he did not want to let the matter go, he still nodded his head and then said as if he understood what Ji Yang had said, " I understand, Prime Minister Ji but from the next time make sure to take a look at the eyes of the tiger before hunting it. It will be too bad in case the ministers in the imperial court start spreading the rumour that you called me a crazy emperor, right ?" When Ji Yang heard the words of Zhai Tianyu he almost coughed out blood. The next time? Was hunting a tiger that easy? Ji Yang wanted to scold Zhai Tianyu but he remembered that this man was no longer the small boy who could easily be suppressed by him. In the past, Zhai Tianyu was alone and he was able to fool him but with Lou Dong Ming watching him from behind, Ji Yang was not confident that he will be able to tackle Zhai Tianyu with his current position and power. " I understand, your majesty, the next time when I go on hunting, I will bring a tiger whose eyes are as beautiful as yours," with that he bowed allowing Zhai Tianyu to walk past him as he nodded and then moved to the side. Once Zhai Tianyu left, Ji Yang who was bowing straightened up and spat on the ground. " This boy, he is getting more and more annoying over time, he dares to say just about anything now!" In fact, when Zhai Tianyu''s father passed away, he wanted to usurp the throne but Dowager Empress interfered in the matter which was carefully nned by him. If not for that woman who stretched out her leg so far that she ced her son on the throne of the Emperor, the one who would be ruling the imperial city would have been the Ji family! Ji Yang red at Zhai Tianyu who was walking away for a few minutes before he turned on his heels and then walked away as well, he needed to prepare for tonight''s show as well, there was no time to waste! As he left, Zhai Tianyu who was a few steps ahead of him turned his head as he put a stop to his pace, his gaze fell on Ji Yang''s back before falling onto the cage which was now standing a bit further away from him, his eyes flickered softly as he turned to look at Zhai Heng who was silently following him till now and said, " What do you think if prime minister Ji was to use that tiger against her majesty who will win? The tiger or the Queen?" --------------------- Chapter 417: Tiger or the Queen ——2? " There is no way the tiger is going to have a chance against the queen," before Zhai Heng could answer someone else answered in his ce, the two brothers turned to look at Yu Lingyun who shook his head at once looking rather surprised and angry, the voice which spoke was clearly high pitched and seemed to belong to a woman, so why were they looking at him? He was the proud general of the country, did he ¡­did he look like someone who would lower his voice and speak in the voice of a woman? " I was the one who spoke, your majesty," the voice once again called out and Zhai Tianyu turned to look at Ji Yu who was smiling at him yfully, her eyes were twinkling and she no longer looked as gloomy as she did in the past. Even though she no longer looked at him with that infatuated gaze of hers, Zhai Tianyu was still a bit scared, he looked at Ji Yu and took a step behind him before clearing his throat and speaking, " My dear concubine, what are you doing here? Is there something that you wish to talk to me about?" Seeing that Ji Yu was the one who came to look for Zhai Tianyu both Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun took a few steps away from the two of them. They did not wish to pry into the privacy of the husband and his wife, when Zhai Tianyu saw that Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun had walked away from him, he was so angry that he wished he could scream at them for showing tact at the wrong ce but since he did not wish to upset Ji Yu, he could only swallow his words as he turned to look at Ji Yu who was smiling at him with amusement in her eyes. " You do not have to look at me like such, your majesty," she told him realizing that the man must have thought that she was here to trouble him again. " I am not here to talk to you about our situation, I am here to talk to you about something serious, will you be willing to listen to me?" Zhai Tianyu did not wish to stay away from Ji Yu either, though Ji Yu was a bit stubborn, she was also once nice and his benefactor. When he saw that Ji Yu was maintaining her distance and was not stepping close to him, he nodded as his gaze fell on the maid who seemed to be trying her best to eavesdrop on their conversation, seeing this he frowned just as Ji Yu turned to look at Hong Mei who was tipping on the edge of her feet while trying her best to hear what she was telling to Zhai Tianyu. Seeing her actions, Ji Yu was both amused and angry. Did her father really believe that this foolish maid could lead her around with her nose? She was a fool through and through! Even though the Ji family thought that Ji Yu was not as skilled and scheming she was the same woman who despite knowing how skilled Zhai Tianyu was never peeped a word to her family. When she was young, Zhai Tianyu brought her to the forest many times and even hunted several rabbits for her to roast and eat, she knew very well how excellent Zhai Tianyu was when it came to martial arts. Despite being the fool in the eyes of her family, she kept this secret hidden in her heart which allowed her small leeway. Did her father still think that she was a woman who could easily be controlled? Truly naive. " Leave us," Ji Yu told Hong Mei who looked surprised as if she did not expect something like this but given that she was in the presence of his majesty and the one who gave her the order was the imperial concubine, there was nothing that Hong Mei could do other than lowering her head and following the order which was handed out to her. Once she took a step back, Ji Yu turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and said, " Shall we go and visit, Xiao Lin in the flower valley? Even though she was a maid, she was once our friend before the ties of this world separated all of us." When they were kids, they did not have to worry about positions, titles and honours. Their world was as simple as a white canvas without a single speck of paint but then one by one as they grew up, the canvas turned red and ck than green ¡ª¡ª more and more colour was sshed on it making it impossible for them to return to the childhood innocence which they once carried in their hearts. Zhai Tianyu nodded when he heard the suggestion which was offered to him by Ji Yu. Xiao Lin was indeed his friend and though he was upset that she tried to poison Liu Hui Ying, she received her punishment, he did not know how she died but he did know upon seeing the many holes in her abdomen when she flew around him in her ghostly form that she did not die an easy death. " Let''s go," he walked towards the flower valley where Ji Yu had buried Xiao Lin. He did not say anything to Ji Yu but he also knew that it was not right for him to say nothing which was why he opened his mouth to offer his condolences but was stopped by Ji Yu. " There is no need to force yourself, your majesty," she stated calmly with a voice which was as soft and warm as the spring breeze. " I know that you do not grieve the death of Xiao Lin, she tried to hurt the woman you adore and like, so of course in your heart, she deserved what she got. So, please do not offer half-hearted condolences to me, I know very well that the only one who grieved her death was me, other than that no one cared about a maid who died a wrongful death." Chapter 418: Comedic scene Zhai Tianyu did not say anything, he simply walked alongside Ji Yu. What she said was actually the truth, he pitied Xiao Lin because she was used as a pawn by someone else in their game but he did not sympathise with her, what she got was something that she deserved for trying to kill someone who was innocent. When Ji Yu saw that he was not speaking, she did not say anything either. If this was the past she would have thrown a tantrum asking Zhai Tianyu why he did not care about people whom she cared about but afterst night, she realised that the world was like this, those who are important to her may not necessarily important to others. This was something that she needed to both ept and understand before moving on to her next step. The flower valley was not far from the hunting grounds, after walking for a while the two of them arrived at the small grave that she had dug for Xiao Lin, the bodies fromst night were obviously taken care of by Liu Dong Ming leaving the entire flower valley cleaned and filled with the sweet scent of flowers. Ji Yu looked at the grave and then crouched down as she picked up a few white flowers and then wove a small wreath with them before cing them on the freshly dug soil which was covering Xiao Lin''s decapitated body. With Ji Yuying the flowers down, Zhai Tianyu followed suit as he picked up the white flowers and then ced them on the grave. If he knew that Xiao Lin moved on he would have prayed for her peace but knowing that the maid was harping in the ears of his queen asking her to take her in, Zhai Tianyu knew that there was no point in lighting incense and offering it to Xiao Lin. To his surprise, even Ji Yu did not offer incense as she turned to look at him and said, " Your majesty if I were to say that there are things that we have never imagined or seen walking on this verynd will you believe me?" Upon hearing her question, Zhai Tianyu was stunned. His body stiffened and then cleared his throat as he looked at Ji Yu who was crouching on the ground before saying, " What are you trying to say, imperial concubine?" Ji Yu pushed herself off the ground as she turned to look at Zhai Tianyu, her eyes for the first time held confidence as she looked at him with a straight back. With her eyes staring at him, he did not see an ounce of infatuation in those ck pupils if anything they were looking at him with a determination that he had never seen before, her rosy lips parted as he heard Ji Yu say, " Last night something happened, when I was burying Xiao Lin¡­someone came to tell me that if I do something for him¡­ he will take me to see Xiao Lin onest time." Zhai Tianyu''s pupils shrunk as he looked at Ji Yu, he opened his mouth to say that something like this was impossible but he could not bring himself to say such a thing when he saw the hope in Ji Yu''s eyes, what was more behind that hope he felt another emotion which he was very well aware of now that he had fallen for Liu Hui Ying, " Yu''er, you¡­." He could not bring himself to say those words lest someone heard them. For a woman to be in love with another woman ¡­ was something that was frowned upon, though there were many concubines who found sce in each other''s embrace, that matter was never spoken in public. Ji Yu smiled ruefully as she looked at the grave and blinked her eyes slowly. " Aren''t I the stupidest woman, your majesty? My grand aunt continued to fill my ears telling me that I needed to love you, that I have to stay beside you all the time and rise as the Empress to bring glory to my family and I was the foolish one who believed her words." " I admired you but under my grandaunt''s words, I started to believe that you were my salvation, that only with you by my side will I be able to find true happiness when the truth was that I only found peace and calm when I was with Xiao Lin¡­ in fact, I knew it somewhere ¡­ I knew that I felt something different for Xiao Lin but always told myself that I treat her as my little sister¡ª¡ª only when I lost herst night, did I realise that I was a fool¡­ I obviously loved her, she was the only one who was by my side when I had no one¡­not even you, your majesty and yet I¡ª-" Ji Yu bit her lips as she closed her eyes and willed her tears away, with her head turned to the side she calmed herself down by breathing in and out before she heaved a heavy breath and then turned to look at Zhai Tianyu with a firm glint in her eyes. " The man told me that as long as I bring the Ji family down with him, he will let me speak to Xiao Lin ¡­ I don''t care whether he spoke the truth or not but I¡­ will do that, even if I cannot see Xiao Lin thest time, I will bring the Ji family down with my bare hands to avenge her." She paused and looked at Hong Mei who was standing behind them and then turned her gaze back to Zhai Tianyu as she added, " Which is why I want his majesty to y along with me, I do understand that you love the queen and I have nothing to say about it but for the sake of my benevolence where I saved your life, pretend to be with me like you were in the past. Let''s act as fools since our family likes to watch clowns act so much, what do you say, your majesty?" ---------------- Chapter 419: Comedic scene ——2 Zhai Tianyu looked at the sly look in the eyes of Ji Yu and could not help but ask, " What do you have in your head, imperial concubine Ji?" Ji Yu was obviously the smartest one among all the girls in the Ji family, if she was not then he wouldn''t have brought her to his side but it just so happened that Ji Yu was left under the care of his grandmother back then his grandmother said that she was feeling lonely after the death of his father and he agreed, thinking that his grandmother was indeed sick but now he realised that it was clearly a lie. His grandmother was not sick nor did she need Ji Yu''spany, she only brought Ji Yu to her side because she realised that Ji Yu was getting close to him. The Grand Dowager Empress wanted the next Empress to be someone submissive as well, one whom she could easily suppress and make her dance to her tune which was why she brought Ji Yu to her side such that she will be able to teach her everything that she wanted Ji Yu to learn, it was only under the ''careful teachings'' of his grandmother did Ji Yu turn from a girl who could shoot down boars with three arrows to a delicate woman who did not even raise her voice. Ji Yu smiled cheekily as she blinked her eyes and then said in a soft voice, " Of course, I do have something in my head but for that n toe in motion. I need, your majesty to support me a little." " Is that so?" Zhai Tianyu questioned as he shook his head and then said, "If that is the case then I am willing to y along with you a little, Yu''er but of course do not try to betray me, for the consequences will be too dire for you to take." Ji Yu bowed her head as she conceded the warning which was handed to her by Zhai Tianyu, " Do not worry, your majesty. This time even though I am going to backstab someone, that someone won''t be you." The two of them were talking rather slowly and Hong Mei who was standing behind Zhai Tianyu and Ji Yu could not hear what they were saying but she did hear a few things, but those words sounded like Zhai Tianyu and Ji Yu had made up with each other and that cheered her up. See! With that fool beside imperial concubine Ji nothing good was happening and no longer did she appear on the side of Ji Yu, his majesty and imperial concubine Ji were back to how they were in the past, as Hong Mei thought about the scene in front of her in her head, she became more and more proud, now she couldn''t wait to go back and tell the grand dowager empress about what a good job she had done with imperial concubine Ji. " She seems a lot satisfied with what she is seeing, I would say, " Zhai Tianyu did not turn his head to look at Hong Mei but he knew that she was really proud of the aplishment that she just received. Ji Yu nodded and agreed with a soft voice as she said, " You are right about that your majesty, she is indeed rather proud. Let''s leave it at that but do you understand what you need to do in the uing days?" Liu Dong Ming had asked her to find the priest who was hiding in the Ji family, she did not know who this priest was but for the sake of finding this certain person who even escaped the hands of the left prime minister, she needed to sneak inside her house but that was only possible if Zhai Tianyu yed along with her and gave her enough reason to return home and look around for that priest. " I have a very clear idea of what I need to¡ª¡ª" Zhai Tianyu opened his mouth to speak but then he heard a loud scream followed by another scream that quaked the entire hunting ground, he exchanged a look with Ji Yu and then the two of them rushed to the hunting grounds. Who knew what happened but the cage which looked secured andpletely fine was now shattered, the bars of the metal cage were now in pieces while the tiger which was trapped inside the cage was running frantically here and there. His eyes were crazy red and he was pacing left and right as if wanting to look for prey which would satiate his hunger. When Zhai Tianyu arrived at the scene his eyebrows could not help but furrow, he looked at the hunting ground where only soldiers who were responsible for guarding were present and those who were skilled in martial arts could not be seen. Immediately his eyes fell on Ji Yang who was trying to usher the Concubines and the grand dowager Empress out of the hunting ground as for his mother and the queen¡ª¡ª his eyes frantically searched for the two of them, though his rtionship with his mother was not good, he did not wish to see his mother die. As for Liu Hui Ying, it was even more impossible for him to leave her alone. Finally, his eyes fell on the two women, one waszily sitting on the chair with her maid fanning her with a face mask and slices of cucumber on her eyes while the other was staring at the tiger as if she was already deciding where she was going to ce his pelt to decorate her room, in the moment of panic these two calm women, looked like aedic sight. Zhai Tianyu: "¡­.." Should I go save them or should I stay and let them do their own thing? Even Zhai Heng who followed was stunned, he knew that his mother was a woman with different ideals but this¡­this was toox wasn''t it? Was she not worried that she will end up getting troubled? Chapter 420: Not letting go " I ¡­should I save the queen or should I save the tiger?" Though Zhai Tianyu knew that it was a stupid question looking at those eagle-like sharp eyes, he could not help but feel that the one who was in more danger was the tiger. "It''s better to leave it in the hands of faith," Yu Lingyunmented from the sidelines sagely because Zhai Heng was following Zhai Tianyu earlier, he stayed behind and now as he sat under the shade of the tree, he was sporting a dark blue wound under his left eye while he held his hands in front of him like he was praying. If he did not speak just now neither Zhai Tianyu nor Zhai Heng would have noticed him even Ji Yu was slightly surprised when she saw the great general sitting under the shade of the tree with a tobo pipe smoking at his side. Why was he acting like a man who was on the verge of giving up the ties of the world? "What''s wrong with you?" Zhai Heng was the one who asked the question which was going on in the head of everyone else. Yu Lingyun opened his eyes and then mockingly lifted a side of his lips as he muttered, " I went to save the queen and was beaten up for trying to damage the goods which can be sold for a lot of money." Zhai Heng : "¡­.." Oh. Zhai Tianyu: "¡­.." Ah, I forgot about this. Ji Yu turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and Zhai Heng, she noticed that the two of them of looking exasperated but not surprised which meant that this was not the first time when the Queen was doing something like this. So, she was willing to face the tiger alone because it was a good which can be sold off for a lot of money? " D..Did no one tell her that even if she hunts that tiger, it cannot be sold?" The tiger was offered to the king as an offering earlier by Ji Yang, even if that tiger was killed by the Queen, it would not be sold but buried since the things which belonged to the Emperor could only belong to the Emperor till the end, wasn''t this was the reason why many concubines were buried along with the Emperor after their death? " Ah, I forgot to tell her that!" Yu Lingyun finally snapped out of his melodramatic stage as he raised his head and looked at Liu Hui Ying who was calmly staring at the tiger. " You¡­.of all the things you should have told the queen, you forgot to tell her that the tiger cannot be sold? are you out of your mind, Lingyun?" Zhai Tianyu could not be med for his reaction, he was well aware of the fact just how much Liu Hui Ying adored the shiny cling cling of gold and silver taels if he became an obstacle in between her and the shiny taels, maybe she will skin him alive and sell his skin in the market instead of the tiger pelt. Yu Lingyun made a sheepish expression as he rubbed the back of his head and then said, " Oops¡­ I made a mistake?" Oops? " You made a mistake ¡­. Do you have any idea how much drama your little mistake is going to bring into my life?" Zhai Tianyu asked while a nerve throbbed dangerously in his forehead. The queen was so angry because of the theft that took ce in the Liu house, if she was to find out that the tiger which she hunted after working so hard can''t be sold for money, she will either lift the imperial pce on her head or she will lift him over her head and send him flying. Zhai Tianyu was angry enough to end their years-old friendship but he did not have enough time to go through with it which was why he turned around on his feet and then looked around, he needed to send this message to the queen before she makes a move. He whipped his head head left and right trying to find someone and finally his gaze fell on Witch Mao who was sitting on the branch over the tree under which they were standing and hurriedly walked over to the position where her feet were dangling and then raised his hand to tap on the calves of the old woman. Witch Mao was inclined on watching the exciting show when she suddenly felt a burst of Yang energy coursing inside her existence, she looked down and found Zhai Tianyu looking up at her, with a raise of her brow, she tilted her head such that she could see the face of the man who interrupted her fun and then asked, " What is it, your majesty? Do you need this elderly woman for something? But I have to warn you, it is going to cost you a little." Zhai Tianyu was speechless when she heard the words of Witch Mao. '' No wonder she was willing to follow, Hui Ying. These two women, they seemed to be cut from the same piece of cloth!'' He thought in his mind but outwardly he maintained his polite smile as he looked at Witch Mao and then replied with a ttering note in his voice, "It''s nothing, I just wanted to ask Witch Mao to go and tell her majesty that the tiger even if its get killed under her hands will not be sold off, so if you do not mind would you be kind enough to ry the queen this small message of mine?" " I can," Witch Mao agreed with a nod but then she pointed to her waist. " But I am too old even if I were to drink yin energy I do not have much energy left in me, so why doesn''t his majesty make it up for me? I heard deer meat is really good for replenishing the human body, maybe if you send a fresher one for me¡ª¡ª" " I will have it arranged, but for now please go and ry the message to the queen," Zhai Tianyu insisted though his smile was a bit stiffer than before, a fresh deer? Did this elderly ghost know how hard it was to hunt a deer down? No matter how upset Zhai Tianyu was, he could only agree to the conditionsid down by Witch Mao for the sake of escaping the anger of the Queen. ------------------ Chapter 421: Tying the bow to her coffin. Liu Hui Ying was indeed thinking about killing the tiger. It was not that she wanted the money for living a leisurely life given that there was no such as leisure in this ce where life-threatening dangers continued to pop in front of her every time she turned her back. But she needed this private stash of money because she was running out of talismans and incense herbs which she used when she was meditating, it helped her in keeping her sister''s spirit in restraints. This was an expense that cannot be written down or else she would be arrested for spreading feudal superstitions, which was why what she needed very much at this moment was nothing more than private savings. Liu Hui Ying''s eyes glinted sharply as she ignored Xiao Ai and Nanny Gong''s screams which were echoing in her ears from behind. If only they closed their mouths and stopped shrieking so shrilly! " Your majesty! Pleasee with us, this is not a child''s y!" Nanny Gong screamed at Liu Hui Ying, earlier when they heard the screaming they all ran out of the tent to see what was happening and when Nanny Gong saw that the tiger which was locked in the cage had escaped she nearly fainted out of anxiety but before she could faint, she saw Liu Hui Ying heading towards the tiger! That was right! The queen walked towards the tiger instead of running away like the other concubines. Nanny Gong who was going to faint immediately straightened up when she saw this ''exciting'' scene in the eyes of others. She wanted to drag Liu Hui Ying back to where she was standing this way she could protect her missy! But even though Nanny Gong who was terrified went ahead and tried to drag Liu Hui Ying with her, thetter refused to budge from the spot where she was standing which made Nanny Gong both furious and anxious. "That''s right your majesty, that thing is a tiger and not a human! It will not be so easy for you to take it down!" Even Xiao Ai who had full confidence in her missy could not help but yell in panic. That was a wild tiger and a crazy one at that, there was no way that the queen will be able to take it down. " How much can the tiger pelts be sold for ?" Instead of listening to Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai who were trying to drag her, Liu Hui Ying asked while looking at the tiger who was looking back at her as if he was studying his prey. " Wh¡­what?" Nanny Gong was stunned when she heard the question which was asked by Liu Hui Ying who turned her head sideways with her hands on her hips and repeated while pointing at the tiger, " That thing for how much it can be sold for?" Nanny Gong turned to look at the tiger along with Xiao Ai, their expression full of terror as they stared at the pacing tiger before turning their gaze back to Liu Hui Ying. " Yo..your majesty, are ¡­are you going to put your life in danger for one hundred taels?" Nanny Gong could not help but stutter in disbelief, this was the queen! The queen of this imperial city! She could have thousand of gold taels in her hands to spend as she wished instead she was putting her life in danger for the sake of a mere hundred silver taels! This was all because of that damned Ji family! As she thought about she could not help but re at Ji Yang who was escorting the other concubines for the sake of getting involved in trouble lest these women get hurt. '' Did she find out something?'' Ji Yang could not help but think when he saw that Nanny Gong was ring at him. '' Never mind even if the Queen finds out there is no way she will be able to make it out of this situation alive, right?'' Though Ji Yang was rather confident of this n but ¡­his gaze fell on the Dowager Empress who was calmly watching the show and then turned his gaze on Liu Hui Ying who was staring at the tiger who was brandishing his ws on tents and tables violently, rather calmly. Seeing the two women acting so calm, Ji Yang could not help but be slightly flustered. It''s all right, there was no way the queen and the Dowager Empress will be able to get out of the grasp of this wild tiger! Ji Yang calmed down after he repeatedly told him that everything was still under control. He nced at Liu Hui Ying who stood straight without the slightest bit of fear on her face and pursed his lips. But just in case¡­? He turned to look at his shadow guard who nodded his head and then slipped into the shadows, as soon as he moved the female shadow guard who was hiding in the dark corners also moved. Qui Rui was stationed to protect Liu Hui Ying, of course, she will not let anyone harm the person whom she was protecting. The only reason she did not make a move just now was because Liu Hui Ying looked like she had everything under her control but that did not mean that she will stay quiet if someone else was to make the first move! With her feet moving as quickly as possible, she followed after the shadow guard which was heading towards Liu Hui Ying. She waited until he was a bit close to Liu Hui Ying but still far from the queen to cause any actual damage and then whipped out her sword as she used the tip of her feet and jumped over into the sky beforeing to a cleannding in the front of the shadow guard. The second her feetnded on the ground which was covered with grass Qui Rui whipped out her sword and aimed it at the neck of the shadow guard from the Ji family and said in a grave voice, " You shall not take another step closer to the queen!" Chapter 422: Queen of beasts The shadow guard did not expect that the queen would have her own guard as well, didn''t everyone say that the queen was not favoured? That the Emperor would not care about her so why was a shadow guard protecting the queen? Though the man felt it was a bit confusing he still pursed his lips and took a look around the surroundings carefully, he was here because he needed to carry out an order which was given to him by his master who cared about this shadow guard who was trying to stop him. His eyes flickered slightly after he was done calcting the distance between him and the Queen before he took a sachet out of his pockets and then sneered before speaking coldly, " Who wants to take a step forward?" As he spoke he swiftly threw the sachet towards the queen followed by a dagger just a secondter, Qui Hui turned her head to look at the sachet and wanted to catch it but before she could catch it the sachet was torn in half by the dagger which was flying just behind it. As soon as the dagger tore the sachet, a green powder dropped on the floor and Qui Hui who was an assassin herself knew very well what was that green powder, she turned her head to look at the shadow guard who was running away before taking out a dagger from the inside of her clothes and threw it at the back of the man who was a beat slow to edge away from the dagger which was heading his way. Qui Hui coldly watched as the dagger got stuck into the back of the shadow guard''s head and he fell on the ground with a sneer ying on her lips, she hurriedly turned to look at the Queen prepared to fight to the death with the tiger but instead, she saw a startling scene, the tiger which was fiercely growling and roaring just a few seconds ago was now docilely lying in front of the queen as if it wasn''t the same tiger which was growling while staring at Liu Hui Ying with a gaze that said that she was his prey and he was the predator. Howe he suddenly started to act like a cat?! Everyone on the hunting grounds was more or less shocked by the scene in front of them but Liu Hui Ying who was the cause of this shocking scene was disgruntled as she looked at the beast which was showing her, his belly. Earlier, she wanted to kill this beast and sell his body parts to the market but then Witch Mao came and told her that the Beast cannot be sold because he was offered to the king! How useless! Liu Hui Ying coldly looked at the tiger before turning to look at Zhai Tianyu who smiled at her awkwardly, it was quite clear that Zhai Tianyu was very much aware of just annoyed she was because of him. A good thing too, his entire family and he was a source of constant annoyance to her! She curled her lips up disdainfully when she saw the ttering look on Zhai Tianyu''s face and then looked down at the tiger which was rolling on the ground with a cold look in her eyes, in all honesty, she wanted to kill this thing but¡ª¡ª " Awe, look at this he is so cute! Just like a little cat!" Jia Li swooped down and started to coddle the tiger, running her hands on his belly while the tiger purred happily. Animals were different from humans, they could see the spirits which walked on the surface of thisnd and at this very moment he could see the soul of Elder sister Liu who was ring down at him threatening him to take a step close and see what she would do to him. If the tiger could speak it would have definitely screamed '' I don''t dare!'' Three times but since he could not speak, he could only lower his head and act like a little wife who was bullied by his spouse. " Can we keep him? Please, please, please!" Jia Li was like a child who found his favourite toy as she hugged the tiger who also looked at Liu Hui Ying with puppy eyes while purring softly, it was clearly trying to sell his cuteness! Liu Hui Ying was going to say no but before she could say no, the tiger growled again and this time two furry babies came running before lying next to their father in the same manner, with their tummy up and waiting to be rubbed. Oh, so the entire family was in this game. Liu Hui Ying was speechless upon seeing the three tigers ying coquetry in front of her to sell themselves while Jia Li squealed as she muttered ''Please, please, please!'' '' How annoying,'' Liu Hui Ying did not give birth to a child but she was getting a hand on experience thanks to Jia Li. In the end, even if she wanted to refuse she could not because Nanny Gong who was behind her shrieked loudly, " This is the real aura of the queen! Even death has to bow before her!" Even Xiao Ai joined in the fun as she pped her hands and said, " The queen reigned in a wild tiger! She is not only the queen of the people but also the beasts!" Just like that, she, Liu Hui Ying became a queen who defeated death and then became the first queen to do something so ''miraculous.'' Liu Hui Ying: "¡­.." I am no fool but the people out here are crazy. " All hail your majesty!" " All hail, her majesty!" Screams and praises started to echo in the hunting grounds and Liu Hui Ying ended up bing the mother of the three tigers including the mother of the people. Liu Hui Ying was so embarrassed that she wished she could sneak into the ground six feet deep but the ground was not splitting itself in half! How annoying! ------------------- Chapter 423: Disappearance of concubine Qin Liu Hui Ying''s left brow was twitching furiously an obvious sign that she was going to snap any time which was why Zhai Tianyu immediately raised his hand and walked close to his wife, lest he ended up showing everyone just how fast his wife could cuss when she was angry. " All right, all right, everyone calm down. Zhen believes that this much is enough excitement for tonight, so everyone shall go back to their tents." He ordered the people who were on their knees while helping Liu Hui Ying from getting out of the embarrassment, what were they doing? Calling the queen the mother of beasts? They might as well call the queen a beast! The people who were kowtowing all raised from the ground and then nced at the queen who was surrounded by an adult tiger with two tiger cubs and did not know what to say, there were so many hunters who went inside the forest all for the sake of hunting a tiger yet the queen was able to tame three of them without doing anything, was she blessed by the heavens? The Dowager Empress looked at Liu Hui Ying and the tiger before smirking slightly, looks like she was not wrong in trusting this woman, her yin energy was stronger than the rest which was why she was able to scare the tigers into submission what was more this was Liu Dong Ming''s daughter having a sulky look on her face her birthright. She nced at the gloomy look on Liu Hui Ying''s face and then turned to look at Liu Dong Ming who was standing not far with a sword in his hands which he was sheathing calmly, seeing this she raised a brow and then smiled the man knowingly, who was the one who said that he could not care less about Liu Hui Ying and that she was the daughter of the Second Master Liu in the body. Liu Dong Ming knew why the Dowager Empress was looking at him like that and said nothing, he closed his eyes and then breathed a sigh of relief as he turned to look at Ji Yang, he was very much aware of the fact that the cage broke and how the tiger came out of it. But he knew that Ji Yang must have cleaned up behind him nicely, there was no way he would be able to trace this crime back to the Ji family but because this man dared to make a move against Liu Hui Ying, he was not going to be kind to him. His eyes flickered as he flicked his sleeves and then vanished into thin air, he also needed to bring some really good gifts for Ji Yang to enjoy. Of course, he could not kill the Grand dowager Empress and Ji Yang for the time being but teaching them a lesson was still something that he could do with ease which was why he did not hesitate to make a decision. Ji Yang did not know that Liu Dong Ming had firmly set his eyes on him for bullying his daughter''s soul, all he could care about was staring at the queen with wide eyes. This was not supposed to happen! This was clearly not in the n nor did Ji Yang expect something like this to even take ce. The tiger was fed with field cress, he was supposed to be running amok killing anything whiches into his vision, so why was he ying coquetry with the queen? It even brought his two cubs to y cute tricks on the queen! As Ji Yang looked at the tamed tiger, his heart could not help but sink. He was trying to kill Liu Hui Ying not trying to help her but now that she had shown such a spectacle to others, they all will firmly believe that Liu Hui Ying was born to be the queen of thisnd, as for whether the tiger gave into her out of stupidity after being overfed field cress or something else, no one would care about it! Ji Yang was so regretful that his intestines were about to turn green, it was as if he stripped off his clothes only to present a hat made from them to Liu Hui Ying, he was furious but there was nothing he could say to anyone other than ring at Liu Hui Ying, there wasn''t much he could do to her. Even the Grand Dowager Empress was furious, they did so much only for Liu Hui Ying toe out as thest winner. Her blood pressure could not help but hike up when she saw just how everyone was praising Liu Hui Ying, in the end, she was taken away by her maids to the tent where she fainted out of anger! The person who was angrier than both Ji Yang and Grand Dowager Empress was none other than Concubine Qin, her father had promised her that tonight will be thest night when Liu Hui Ying will be sitting on the throne of the Empress but thetter turned around and smacked them all on the face without a single move! Concubine Qin was so furious that she rolled her eyes a hundred times but even then she could not calm down and went to take a walk near the flower valley when her maids asked to follow her, she snapped at them making it impossible for them to even consider chasing after her. The two maids looked at each other and could only follow the order of their mistress while thetter walked away in a huff. Even Lord Qin who saw his daughter leave did not dare to stop her, he knew his daughter very well and was sure that she will be fine after spending some time alone if he was to stop her, she might only create more ruckus. This was why he allowed her to leave, thinking that she will be back in a few hours but concubine Qin never returned after she went for a walk. Chapter 424: Lost in the forest? Liu Hui Ying looked at the tiger which was happily gobbling a big piece of meat and felt three ck lines drop on her forehead, all she wanted was to earn a small sum of money howe she became the nanny of an adult tiger along with two cubs? Just what kind of shitty life was even living? " Who is a good boy? Who is a good boy? Yes, you are! You are the cutest! Awe!" And to make things worst, she could not stop Jia Li from treating that mighty tiger like a dog! Li Gang was just as speechless, as he looked at the tiger which was rolling on its back while allowing Jia Li to rub his belly all she wanted, he raised his hand and then pointed to the big tiger which was acting like a house cat and asked Liu Hui Ying, " You sure that''s a tiger and not some mutted house cat that went through some trials and tribtions to look like a tiger? Because it sure is not acting like one, where is the majesty? Where is the aura? He looks sick in the head!" " Well, tigers are cats as well," Grandma Lan Fen spoke up for the poor tiger. She did not wish to but she needed to at least save the dignity of the poor thing lest Liu Hui Ying snaps and then turn it into a tiger pelt. " I¡ª-" Li Gang opened his mouth to say that there was no way there was a cat this big who would act like a tamed pup but he was interrupted by Liu Hui Ying who opened her eyes after she was done rubbing her forehead and coldly red at Jia Li and the tiger. " Get up and act like a freaking king of the jungle what is the matter with you?" Liu Hui Ying was a celestial master who could govern spirits and animals alike if they were to submit to her, given that her yin energy could be seen by animals. Even if they could not understand what she was saying, the energy which surrounded her made it easier for them to understand what she was feeling at the moment, and this very minute, she was annoyed to hell and back. The tiger and Jia Li, both immediately stood up from the ground like soldiers who were ordered by their senior. They did not dare to even make a sound as they stared at Liu Hui Ying in attention, seemingly realising that she was annoyed and angry. " You truly surprise me, your majesty," Zhai Tianyu who followed Liu Hui Ying after the entire incident was over could not help but remark as he looked at how obediently the tiger was listening to Liu Hui Ying. He did not resemble the tiger who was bent on killing someone just half an hour ago, what made this sudden change happen all of a sudden? It made him both curious and intrigued. " My guards told me that it was drugged with field cress which is used to incite anger in animals, howe he is no longer under its effect?" He questioned Liu Hui Ying who turned to look at him and then calm as she pleased replied, " Animals can see spirits and they are afraid of them¡ª¡ª fear when drawn from the inside can make even the most daring one to tremble with fear. Snapping one awake from a dazed state is the least it can do." Oh, so the tiger was so scared that he snapped out of his daze on his own? Zhai Tianyu was really amused this time around. Just what kind of thing did this tiger see that it was jolted awake? " If that is the case, I must say that you are really the queen of beasts," he teased Liu Hui Ying who turned to look at him with an exasperated expression and said in a sort of annoyed and helpless voice, " Your majesty, do you wish to get smacked in the face or what? Why are you teasing me when you know that it will annoy me?" Zhai Tianyu tilted his head when he heard the threat which Liu Hui Ying gave him and could not help but be even more amused as he said, " You cannot smack me, my queen. I am the Emperor¡ª¡ª" Smack. The sound of a light p echoed in the tent as Zhai Tianyu looked at Liu Hui Ying who pped him with her hand covered in a handkerchief and then raised his head to look into the eyes of Liu Hui Ying as he asked in disbelief, " Di¡­did you just p me, my queen?" " You said that I cannot smack you, which is why I showed you that I can ¡ª¡ª I just don''t want to," as she spoke she took off the handkerchief which was tied around her hand and then threw it in the brazier with a disgusted look on her face. Zhai Tianyu looked at the handkerchief which was burning after touching his heavenly face and did not know what to say. What in the world?! He turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and then said in a rapid-fire motion, " The reason you can smack me as you wish is that I dote on you! If I did not dote on you and was not patient and understanding, you would have never been able to touch my heavenly face! The face of the Emperor is the face of the country, you cannot just smack it as you want !" When Liu Hui Ying heard his words, she turned to look at him and sneered, " Heh, your doting is really cheap your esteemed majesty. I am being doted on by you, where are my rewards, the gifts and the money," she raised her hand and then smacked her other hand on the palm of the other one as she counted one after another. " The courtyard which you promised me is yet to be handed to me and the spending amount which is given to me is one silver tael! What do you want me to purchase with it? A banana?" ----------------------------- Chapter 425: Lost in the forest ——-2 Zhai Tianyu was still covering his cheek because he felt like he had been consecutively pped in the face by Liu Hui Ying, he cleared his throat and then said in a soft voice, "It''s not that I am not willing to hand you the money but the thing is that I have no money either! The money that I have is tightly controlled by the Ji family who dominates the finance department and I cannot just ask for money willy-nilly, they will definitely investigate if I was to do that!" " So? What is the point of you doting on me?" Liu Hui Ying asked with a raise of her brows. " More importantly, how are you going to dote on me?" " With my love and admiration?" Zhai Tianyu suggested with a cheeky look on his face which caused Liu Hui Ying to sneer so hard that she almost stretched one side of her face as she rolled her eyes and then said, " Do you think that if I was to show your love to the shop owners will he be willing to give me the yellow papers for talismans along with the necessary herbs that I wish to buy? " " I don''t think so¡­" replied Zhai Tianyu who scratched his cheek a bit embarrassingly. To think that he could not even buy something as simple as yellow papers and herbs for the queen, they were really too poor were they not? Liu Hui Ying scoffed and then said in an '' I told you so'' voice, " Exactly, so tell me who cares about your care? When you are dirt poor?" Zhai Tianyu was stumped after hearing her reply as he asked in a broken-hearted manner, " Are you saying that my love is cheap?" " Yes. It is." Zhai Tianyu: "..." The bud of my love was dered cheap before it could even bloom! Zhai Tianyu was angry. No, he was enraged and wanted to scream. This was why he opened his mouth but as soon as he opened his mouth, the scream which escaped from his lips came out much more shrilly which caused Liu Hui Ying to turn and look at him with confusion in her eyes. She looked at him from up to down as if trying to gauge whether he was the one who screamed, seeing that Liu Hui Ying was looking at his manhood, Zhai Tianyu''s face turned dark¡ª¡ª just because he never used it does not mean he was any less of a man. He red at her and then spoke in a dark voice, " I was not the one who screamed! Someone else did! There is no way I can scream so shrilly!" As he spoke he very conveniently forgot how he screamed when Jia Li tried to assault him. " Oh," Liu Hui Ying did not speak any further and then turned to walk out of the tent, since Zhai Tianyu was not the one who screamed, someone else must have screamed which was why it was necessary for her to take a look at what was going outside, lest someone else escaped¡ª¡ª she will end up owning a zoo! But Liu Hui Ying seemed to have thought too much as soon as she stepped out along with Zhai Tianyu, she realised that the atmosphere in the hunting ground was rather bleak, she looked around and then her gaze fell on the maid who was kowtowing on the ground in front of Official Qin who was holding a bloodied sword while next to his feetid the body of another woman. Liu Hui Ying nced at the old man who was so furious that the flesh on his face was trembling even the eldest master Qin who was standing behind his father looked really enraged. Zhai Tianyu did not expect to see such a sight which was why he immediately walked out of the tent when he saw that Official Qin was raising his sword to kill the other maid as well, " Official Qin what is the matter with you? Why are you causing bloodshed in the middle of the hunting grounds?" When Official Qin heard the voice of Zhai Tianyu he paused and then turned to look at him with a pair of bloodshot eyes as he opened his mouth and said in a hoarse voice, " My daughter has gone missing your majesty." Liu Hui Ying who was standing quite a distance away from the three men was able to hear what they were talking about and when she heard that Concubine Qin was gone, she could not help but frown. Did that woman get so annoyed that she ended up throwing a tantrum? With how stubborn Concubine Qin was Liu Hui Ying thought that it was highly usible after all, that woman looked like she was rather spoiled and wished to see the world move ording to her rhythm. Even Zhai Tianyu thought the same, he still remembered how he was harassed by Concubine Qin. Among all the concubines, the one who troubled him the most was concubine Qin, and she was also the one who made him waste a lot of his knock-out drug powder and energy as he had to spend quite some time pinching her skin to make it look like something happened when nothing took ce. " Are you sure that she is missing, official Qin? Maybe she went to take a walk," Zhai Tianyu could not help but say and Official Qin of course understood his meaning, he knew that because of his closeness with Ji Yang, Zhai Tianyu treated his daughter the best after Ji Yu which was why he must be aware of the temper of his daughter but this time Official Qin knew that something was very wrong which was why he could not help but say in a hurried voice, " I know that your majesty must be thinking that my daughter made a rash action again but I assure you that it is not the case¡­she left three hours ago and she is yet toe back ¡­ I ¡­ I am afraid that she ended up getting lost in the forest !" Chapter 426: First victim Concubine Qin got lost in the forest, the information itself was earth shattering and to make things worse, no one knew in which direction she left earlier. Though Zhai Tianyu was very much doubtful that concubine Qin was lost, he could not turn a blind eye to the happenings in front of him, when he heard official Qin say that his daughter did not return even after three hours passed by. Immediately two search teams were appointed under Yu Lingyun and Zhai Heng and about fifty soldiers were given to each of them. "Make sure to search every corner of the forest! Do not return unless you find concubine Qin!" Zhai Tianyu ordered as he exchanged a look with Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun who nodded silently. They knew how important finding concubine Qin was, if that woman was not found alive, there was a chance that official Qin would make things difficult for them. Even though she was annoying, she was an important figure to bnce the power in the imperial court because of the backing that she had, lest something happened to her¡ª¡ª the Qin family will not sit still and it will give the Ji family another chance to make trouble. Thest time someone from the Liu fraction died, Zhai Tianyu had topensate them with a round of new posts and titles, which was fine in his eyes given that the Liu Dong Ming was in total control of the Liu family and would never let them go over the limit but in case the Ji family was to make trouble ¡ª¡ª then he was certain that they will not rest at ease unless they got hold of the red sun army. Something that his grandmother had been trying to take over for a very long time. The red sun army was the Emperor''s army and was only used at the time of war, the small armyprised of soldiers who were elites and they only listened to the orders of the person who was the owner of the red sun seal. Currently, the seal was in his hands, while the one who was in charge of that fraction was Zhai Heng because he could not afford to hand the army to anyone other than the person he trusted blindly, Zhai Tianyu had not allowed either of the family to get close to the Red sun army. But in case, something as big as concubine Qin''s death was to take ce ¡ª¡ª then the Ji family will surely have enough reasons to push someone of their own fraction into the position of assistantmander of the Red Sun army. Something that he very much wanted to avoid. '' Please don''t be dead! It doesn''t matter whether you are missing a limb or two but do not be dead!'' Zhai Tianyu prayed in his head as he sent the two search team off while the Eldest Master Qin followed them as well. Contrary to Official Qin who was worried about the losses that he had to suffer because of his daughter''s disappearance, Qin Mu Yan was genuinely concerned about his little sister. They were born from the same womb and she was his biological sister, there was no way he will not worry about her. As Liu Hui Ying watched the search team leave, she turned to look at the three ghosts including witch Mao and Xiao Lin. " Go and take a look around the forest, see what is going on," she did not care whether concubine Qin was dead or alive, the thing that she was worried about was, that she will be the one who will be targeted because of these sudden turn of events. She did not wish to be blindsided which was why it was better to know what was going on instead of staying totally unaware. " Does this means that you are epting me?" Xiao Lin asked with a twinkle in her eyes which caused Liu Hui Ying to narrow her eyes as she remarked with a sneer, " Don''t push it." Xiao Lin of course did not dare to push her luck since she was very much aware of how ruthless Liu Hui Ying can be when she wanted to which was why she followed the rest without saying anything and then separated from them while chasing after the yin energy which was scattered in the forest. Even though the search teams were looking for concubine Qin, no one on the hunting grounds expected them to find anything. It was the middle of the night, and concubine Qin had been missing for almost three hours, it was near to impossible for her to stay alive. Though everyone had the same thought in their heads, no one dared to say anything, even Zhai Tianyu who hoped that concubine Qin would return safe and sound did not have much hope in his heart and as the time ticked by, the remnants of the hope which he had also slowly started to get dimmer by the second. ¡­. On the other hand, the two search teams were busy looking for concubine Qin but it was as if that woman had vanished into thin air, there were no traces of her presence left behind. Even the flower valley where she said that she was going to take a walk did not have a shred of evidence that concubine Qin came to the flower valley. Yu Lingyun looked at the vast valley and frowned when he found nothing, with his sharp senses he was able to detect the scent of blood which was fluttering in the valley but the scent was very weak like it was a day old which meant that the scent did not belong to Concubine Qin''s blood. And as for everything else, nothing was out of ce. " If she did note here then where did she go?" Yu Lingyun muttered as he looked at the valley and then turned to look at Qin Mu Yan who was standing behind him with a livid expression on his face. And Yu Lingyun did not me him, they have been looking for three hours in the forest and they even went as far as to go deeper inside the heart of the forest but they did not find anything. With these three hours added to the ones since Concubine Qin went missing, it added up to a total of six hours. The more time passed by, the more the chances of concubine Qin being found alive would lower. ...¡­.. Leave a power stone,ment or review! It will bring a smile to my face! If you like the story please leave a golden ticket or a gift, it will motivate me for constant updates! Chapter 427: First victim——2??? =================== Yu Lingyun wanted to say something to Qin Mu Yan to soothe his stretched nerves but just as he opened his mouth to say something, he was interrupted by the scream of one of his soldiers. " General Yu! General Yu! It''s terrible! Something¡­something happened!" The soldier who came rushing in front of Yu Lingyun panted heavily as he stopped, his face was flushed and his entire uniform was covered in sweat which showed just how much hurry the man was in when he came to look for Yu Lingyun. " What is the matter with you? Why are you running like the world ising to an end?" Yu Lingyun asked with a frown as he looked at the soldier who seemed so terrified that he lost his bearing. The soldier did not answer at once, instead, he inhaled and exhaled before he lifted his head and then said in a hurried voice, " The bridge ¡­. The bridge has copsed!" " What?" Yu Lingyun was both surprised and frightened by this sudden information, he no longer cared about investigating the flower valley and then rushed to the bridge which hovered over the chasm where a river with a violent current flowed intensely. ¡­ Behind him Qin Mu Yan also followed, he wished to investigate the flower valley but before anything else, he had to take care of his responsibility of protecting the Emperor first. As the two of them arrived at the bridge, they were surprised to find the wooden bridge dangling on the other side of thend where it moved left and right with the force of the wind. Yu Lingyun''s face could not help but turn solemn when he saw the bridge being connected with just one side and then turned to look at the soldier and asked, " Did the bridge break when you arrived here or was it already broken?" The soldier was carrying a ming torch in his hand which cast an ominous golden glow on his face causing half of his face to be covered with shadows as the soldier replied in a trembling voice, " It was already broken, general. We were thinking to cross to the other side and search for concubine Qin since we could not find her in the forest but then as soon as we arrived we found that the bridge has been snapped." Yu Lingyun''s expression turned even grimmer as he took the ming torch from the soldier and then walked over to the poles where the bridge was connected by two strong ropes. Though the bridge looked rather old and weary, its ropes were made from the fibre of the west. It was rumoured to be the strongest fibre ever sold and the family which was skilled in making it, took ten years to sell a thousand metres long rope and sold it for more than ten taels of gold. There was no way that rope could just snap in half without any rhyme or reason! He walked closer to the poles and then brought the ming torch closer to the poles and just as he expected, the edge of the ropes which were used to tie two knots on each one of the poles was indeed snapped but they did not snap because of the pressure of the wind. Instead, they snapped because someone deliberately used something sharp to cut them! Yu Lingyun''s facial expression could not help but twist as he realised what was going on and then turned to look at Qin Mu Yan who was silently looking at the two knots which had sharp edges which were too clean for a rope which was supposed to break on its own. " Did someone snap them after taking my sister away?" He questioned as he looked at the bridge which was dangling on the other side. Yu Lingyun on the other hand shook his head and then said, " No, if they took your sister to the other side then they would have cut the ropes from the other side, not this one." He paused and then admitted, " I am afraid that the culprit is hiding in the forest ¡­and more like running away, this looks like the person behind this incident does not want anyone to run away." Qin Mu Yan clenched his fists when he heard Yu Lingyun''s reply, in fact, he also knew that it was impossible for him to find his sister alive after such a long time had already passed by but he was willing to hold on to the smallest flicker of hope but now that he was staring at the bridge which was snapped in half, his hope vanished into nothing. " Which bastard has a death wish?" He sneered while grinding his teeth as he continued to stare at the snapped bridge. Yu Lingyun did not say anything and simply suggested going back and telling their findings to Zhai Tianyu. Qin Mu Yan was not willing to go back but standing at the edge of the chasm was not going to help him either which was why he agreed and followed Yu Lingyun back to the hunting ground. " Do not worry, as the culprit is still hiding in the forest, he will definitely be¡ª¡ª-" A scream tore through the sky again, the scream was mournful and wretched which caused Qin Mu Yan''s eyes to widen as he rushed towards the direction from where the scream came from. Yu Lingyun chased after him making sure to not let the distance be any bigger than a few meters. " Help me!" The scream of the woman echoed once again in the clearing as Qiu Mu Yan''s eyes turned wide as saucers as he screamed in anguish, " MOTHER!" The officials were allowed to bring their family with them which was why Qiu Mu Yan''s mother tagged along with them under the pretext that she wished to see his sister who had been living in the imperial pce ever since she got married. Did his mother sneak out of the hunting ground to look for his sister? Knowing how much his mother cared for her daughter, Qin Mu Yan thought that it was highly possible which was why he increased his pace and burst past the bush instead of following the rocky path. But even so, he was a step toote because his mother was nowying dead on the ground with her head chopped off cleanly, her eyes wide in terror as she stared at the sky. Chapter 428: An old legend " Mother!" Qin Mu Yan screamed as he rushed to the decapitated body which was lying on the ground with blood staining the grass. His scream was full of agony and pain¡ª¡ª and as Yu Lingyun chased after him after hearing his scream, thetter''s felt the ground slip from underneath his feet as soon as his gaze fell on the decapitated body of the old Madam Qin. What was going on? First, it was Concubine Qin who vanished into thin air and now it was the old madam who was killed by someone? Yu Lingyun looked around the surrounding before he turned to look at his soldiers and then said in a gruff voice, " What are you waiting for? Look for the murderer! He must be hiding somewhere close!" Old Madam Qin''s scream came only a few seconds ago which meant that the murderer was standing in front of her till now, there was no way whoever was behind this murder would be able to escape! That was what Yu Lingyun thought but as his soldiers dived into the depth of the forest while leaving him with the crying and grieving Qin Mu Yan, none of them was able to find anything! The soldiers were carrying ming torches in their hands as they looked in the dark forest but forget about catching the culprit who killed Old Madam Qin, they could not even find a single drop of blood! Even the weapon which was used to kill Old Madam Qin could not be found! " What...What is this?" One of the soldiers could not help but ask as he looked around the entire forest which was clean and devoid of any blood. " The grass around Old Madam Qin is covered with blood but why is it that there is not another drop of blood discarded anywhere close to the killing sight?" His doubts were exactly what everyone else wanted to ask, the ground near the body of Old Madam Qin was coloured red but other than that spot the entire ce was squeaky clean! How was that even possible? Even if the murderer was someone skilled? He should have dropped at least a single drop of blood while running. And that too when he was in such a hurry! "Did he use martial arts?" Another soldier asked as he looked at his colleagues who shook their heads before the soldier with a scar on his nose stated in a clear voice, " I asked those who are skilled in martial arts to look at the branches of the trees but they are clean as well, not a single drop was dropped on the tree or its leaves." " Wah¡­ it''s... it''s very simr to that old legend!" While the soldiers were discussing the murder and how it took ce, one of the youngest soldiers could not help but speak up as he looked around the forest. His words attracted the attention of the other soldiers as well as Yu Lingyun who came to look for the soldiers to find out what was holding them back. " What legend?" An elderly soldier asked from the sidelines, though he did not believe that this was a job of a legend or a ghost, he was willing to listen, after all, many times there was a hand of a human behind such legends, which helped them greatly when it came tomitting the dirty deeds in the silence of the night. " You don''t know? I thought everyone heard about it!" The young soldier who just cried about the legend stared at the elderly ones with wide eyes and when he saw that they were shaking their heads, he immediately opened his mouth and then started to tell them about an old legend which was rather popr among themoners. " It is a forty-five-year-old legend, back when the Late Emperor was still alive¡ª¡ª"As the young soldier spoke he lowered his voice and then brought the ming torch near his face as he continued speaking, " It is said that there was once a schr who was studying under an old minister since he did not have the money to partake in any academy. The old minister took the schr under him because he was good-looking and smart under the conditions that he will marry his daughter as his official wife and will never marry someone else, something that the schr agreed to." " But the old schr ended up falling for a courtesan who was much more prettier than the old wife whom he married and took into his house, the old wife whom the schr married could not withstand the blow and fell sick slowly withering away with the passing of time ¡ª¡ª but the schr who was infatuated with the courtesan could not wait!" " He wanted his wife to pass away as soon as possible so that he will be able to marry that courtesan, which was why he brought her to this hunting ground during one of the hunting seasons and then killed her by ripping her limbs and then chopping those limbs into pieces before scattering it all over the ce! To this day no one has ever found the intact corpse of that old wife, it is rumoured that she still lurks in the forest and kills anyone who falls into her hands!" After the young soldier was done speaking, he turned to look at the soldiers who were looking at him with expressions which were abination of being speechless and terrified. It was the middle of the night! Almost three in the morning and this guy was telling such a scary story to them! Was his brain flooded with water or what? As the soldiers were thinking about this, they heard the sound of a twig snapping from behind and immediately turned pale, slowly, very slowly they turned to look at the thing behind them and when they saw a terrifying face which was looming over them under the glow of the ming torch, all of them rushed towards the person who was standing next to them and then hugged that person tightly. " AHHH!" " ITS A GHOST!" " MOTHER, I AM SCARED!" ----------------- Chapter 429: An old legend ——2 " What are you screaming for?" Yu Lingyun''s expression turned sullen when he saw that the soldiers were screaming as if their lives were on the line. " Now you are so scared that you cannot even recognise your general ?" Yu Lingyun was speechless when he heard his soldiers discussing the old legend like a bunch of gossipy wives, what were they doing? Talking about something so stupid? What fifty years old legend? Wasn''t it just a story to keep the people entertained? When the soldiers heard the voice of Yu Lingyun they were really embarrassed, they all came here to look for a piece of evidence but instead, they ended up talking about somethingpletely unimportant! " Forgive us general, we ended up losing sight of the goal," the elderly soldier who spoke earlier lowered his head and apologised with a sheepish smile. He was so old but he was still being dragged around by the foolish talk of the youngsters. "It''s good that you know!" Yu Lingyun red at the soldiers who were talking nonsense just now and then continued to scold them with a reprimanding voice, " Do you even know what kind of situation is this? The wife of an important official has been killed, we need to look for something that will lead us to her murderer instead of gossiping around like that! It will only bring embarrassment to us!" Yu Lingyun was already having a headache, the disappearance of concubine Qin was already bad enough but now Old Madam Qin was killed as well, if this goes on, he was afraid that Zhai Tianyu would even have to take off his pants topensate for the Qin family! And at such a crucial moment, these soldiers were discussing that old legend! Such foolishness! " Come with me! We will look around again!" Yu Lingyun ordered the soldiers who were standing next to him. This time he was going to lead them, himself! He will see with his own eyes whether he will not be able to find anything or not! Though Yu Lingyun thought that he will be able to find something, he was bound to be disappointed because there was nothing in the forest that would lead him to the culprit, it was as if the body of Old Madam Qin just appeared out of thin air and dropped at that spot but that was impossible! The scent of blood was fresh and one could see that the body was chopped just a few seconds ago because the blood did not start to clot. So there was no way the body was just taken from somewhere and then dumped here! Even if the culprit could fake the voice of Old Madam Qin, he might not be able to fake the freshness of the blood! " Damn!" Yu Lingyun cursed as he looked at the surrounding, he wanted to find something before going back and bringing the body of Old Madam Qin with him but it looks like he was bound to fail! ... After searching for so long when Yu Lingyun did not find anything, he could only return with Qin Mu Yan and the body of Old Madam Qin on a makeshift stretcher which was covered with the robe that Qin Mu Yan was wearing earlier. As soon as their group appeared in the hunting grounds, they made a loud uproar to the point where Zhai Tianyu who was talking with Zhai Heng who found nothing in the forest and was discussing what to do next came rushing as well, in front of them was the chubby official Qin who came running forgoing his identity and reputation as an official as he came to a stop in front of the stretcher. " I...Is this my daughter?" He asked as he looked at Yu Lingyun and Qin Mu Yan. His voice was trembling and his forehead was covered with sweat, one could see that he was very much worried about the body which was under the robe! When neither Qin Mu Yan nor Yu Lingyun spoke, Official Qin suddenly felt agitated as he said, " What are you staying silent for Mu Yan?! I am asking you whether the person lying under the robe is your sister or not! Answer me!" " I.. it is not sister," Qin Mu Yan answered causing Official Qin to heave a sigh of relief but before he could even take a breath, he heard Qin Mu Yan say, " Its mother." Official Qin''s face immediately turned pale as he rushed to the stretcher and then pushed the robe off the face of his wife, when he saw that it was indeed his wife, a low painful moan escaped his lips as he knelt on the ground and started to sob. " NO! I refuse to believe this! Ye Xin had been with me for so long, she cannot leave me behind like this! Who can do this to her? She was so kind and helpful to the poor! How can they even think of killing her like this and that too so brutally at that!" His cries were full of agony and pain as everyone who was standing on the hunting ground started to feel sorry for him even Zhai Tianyu felt a bit helpless. Only Liu Hui Ying who was standing at the end of the hunting ground looked at the corpse of Old Madam Lin and frowned. "What''s wrong ?" Seeing that she was frowning Li Gang couldn''t help but ask. " The corpse smell of hell''s fire which means that the woman who died was nowhere kind." Liu Hui Ying exined as she took a whiff of the air which smelled of death and destruction. " Her soul was so ugly that the grim reapers had to take matters into their own hands, yet her husband says that she was kind¡­I just find it a bit amusing and annoying." " Well there is nothing to be surprised about, no matter how annoying or ruthless a person was when he or she died, everyone says that they were good people," Jia Li spoke wisely as she looked at the scene in front of her. "That''s true," Liu Hui Ying agreed before turning to her three ghosts and the two helpers. " Did you find something ?" Chapter 430: She is still here " We did not see anything," Li Gang replied as he took the lead,pared to Yu Lingyun and the rest who were on foot they had more advantage since they could fly in the sky which was why it did not take long for them to finish searching the entire forest and even though they found many spirits which were carrying a heavy grudge, neither of them belonged to Concubine Qin. Jia Li and Grandma Lan Fen also shook their heads as Jia Li took the initiative to say, " I tried to look deeper in the forest since I was worried that the woman might have thrown a tantrum and rushed into the deeper side of the forest she did look like a troublemaker but I did not find anyone there, it''s filled with grudging spirits but same as Li Gang, I did not see concubine Qin." " Neither did we." Xiao Lin also shook her head while witch Mao cracked her neck from side to side as she parted her lips and then said, " That woman is still alive, before that woman was killed ¡ª¡ª I did not sense a burst of yin energy which means that the concubine Qin or whatever that woman''s name is, she is alive, at least for the time being." Liu Hui Ying also thought the same but she could not understand where exactly concubine Qin was ¡ª¡ª ording to the guards, she never came back to the hunting grounds, if she did note back to the hunting grounds then where did she go? Because for a woman as big as her, it was impossible for her to vanish into thin air unless she jumped off the cliff bit concubine Qin did not seem like a woman who would kill herself and even if she died, given how selfish and petty she was, concubine Qin would have not moved on to the underworld without haunting the person who killed her. So she was definitely alive but captured, or else she would have not stayed away from the hunting ground for long which means¡ª¡ª " She is in the hunting ground," Liu Hui Ying finally spoke after she was done thinking through everything. Her eyes sharply flickered as she looked at the many tents which were sitting in the middle of the hunting grounds with a calcting look on her face, though there were only fifty to sixty tents, they were rather big and spread out ¡ª¡ª it would take a long time for her to investigate so many tents which were built on the hunting ground. " And just how did youe to that conclusion?" A voice asked from behind. Liu Hui Ying, who was lost in her thoughts, thought that it was one of her ghosts which was why she answered in an unhurried voice, " The guards say that they did not see concubine Qine back after an hour or so but during that one hour, the shifts between the guards changed, did it not? If I am not wrong, the shift changed and the guards took their posts after ten minutes or so¡ª¡ª my conclusion is that concubine Qin did leave but came back ten minutester because for some reason but before anyone could see her, someone intercepted her in between and pulled her inside the hunting grounds while the shifts were being changed." The guards who were guarding the entire hunting grounds since the night went to the tent which was set up for the soldiers when there were ten minutes left before the clock struck nine and when the shifts were being taken over by the other group of soldiers who were responsible for the nightly watch, it should have taken at least ten or so minutes for them toe out and then spread all over the hunting grounds¡ª¡ª which meant that concubine Qin should have returned during this small frame of time because only then her disappearance would make sense. "That''s a rather wise conclusion, your majesty." The voice spoke up again and this time Liu Hui Ying realised that this voice was one that she heard but it did not match with her ghosts! Startled she turned around and looked at Ji Yu who was standing behind her with a polite expression on her face while Xiao Lin whose happiness metre was fluctuating was hovering around Ji Yu with a madly in love expression on her face. " Your Highness! You are looking more beautiful than ever! Ahhh! The colour pink suits you so well! Boohoo it''s so bad that I can never dress you in this colour ever again!" Xiao Lin cried but she shut up when Liu Hui Ying red at her like a demon from the sidelines, clearly angry at her for not telling her that Ji Yu was here to see her. Once Xiao Lin stopped crying, Liu Hui Ying turned to look at Ji Yu who was smiling at her and asked with a subtle voice, " What are you doing here, your Highness?" " You do not need to be so careful with me, your majesty," Ji Yu replied as she turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who was trying to calm a hysterical-looking Official Qin. "¡­ I have given up on his majesty, because of certain reasons." She then paused and then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was looking at her with suspicions in her eyes and smiled, " You do not have to believe me for the time being. But if I am not wrong, then I am certain that you are currently thinking of how to investigate the inside of the tents right?" " What about it?" Liu Hui Ying asked with a narrowed pair of eyes as Ji Yu''s smile widened and then she replied, " Nothing, I just wanted you to know that in three hours, a pair of maids will go and change the coals which are burning in the brazier inside each tent." After she was done speaking, she turned on her heels and then left while Xiao Lin on the other hand squealed, " My missy is so cool!" ------------------ Chapter 431: She is still here ——2 On the other hand, Ji Yu who was done giving advice to Liu Hui Ying returned to Liu Dong Ming''s side as she nodded at him before turning her gaze away, it was her signal to let him know that she had done what he asked her to do. Liu Dong Ming nced at Ji Yu before turning to look at Liu Hui Ying who was thinking about something, his eyes considerably softened as he looked at Liu Hui Ying and sighed, how he wished he could take her away to the modern world and let her stay there but ¡ª¡ª he clenched his fingers as he remembered his eldest daughter and turned his gaze at Ji Yang, for the sake of vengeance, he was going to make sure that the entire Ji family pays of the debts which they owed him and his daughters. While his gaze was locked at Ji Yang, he noticed another figure which was moving towards Liu Hui Ying and his eyes flickered slightly before a mocking smile etched on his face. Truly idiotic, and does not even know that he was being used like an idiot. Liu Hui Ying had to admit that Xiao Lin was right for once but she only thought it for a few minutes before she turned to look in front. From what Ji Yu said, there might be an opening for her to investigate the tents which were set up on the hunting grounds and with the ghosts next to her, she did not even have to push it too much and will be able to see what was being hidden in the tents. However just as she came to a conclusion, she realised that someone was heading her way which made her raise her head and look at the person who was walking in her direction. When she saw that it was none other than concubine Qin''s brother, Qin Mu Yan, she curled the side of her lips in a disdainful smile ¡ª¡ªwhat was this, was he going to me her now? What Liu Hui Ying thought was indeed correct Qin Mu Yan was indeed ming her which was why in his towering rage he did not care about who was standing in front of him nor did he care whom he was trying to question. All he knew was that his sister disappeared and no one knew where she went! As he arrived in front of Liu Hui Ying, Qin Mu Yan begrudgingly got to his feet and then looked at Liu Hui Ying while he was still kneeling on the ground and asked, " Your majesty, I beg of you. If you are hiding my sister please let her go." Qin Mu Yan knew that his sister went to find trouble with Liu Hui Ying earlier in the afternoon which was why he thought that she deliberately made his sister disappear to make their family realise what their position was and where they were standing. His words caused the entire hunting ground to erupt while Zhai Tianyu wished he could lift his robes and kick Qin Mu Yan in the back of his head ¡ª¡ªwhat was that idiot doing? He was ming the queen? Why, doesn''t he just me him !? That way he will not be digging a grave for him! In case Liu Hui Ying went mad, he will be the one who will be scolded to death for appointing such foolish officers! But he could not lose his temper nor could he kick Qin Mu Yan in the back of his head which was why he could only walk towards where Qin Mu Yan and Liu Hui Ying were and try to break their argument. But as he approached Liu Hui Ying and Qin Mu Yan, he heard Liu Hui Ying sneer and that was when a chill crawl up his spine. " Official Qin you are being really funny," Liu Hui Ying scoffed when she heard the words of Qin Mu Yan, not only did she take great offence but she also did not bother to hide the contempt she felt for Qin Mu Yan. " Everyone knows that I was in the hunting ground from the beginning till the end, let''s not talk about concubine Qin''s disappearance, from what happened to your mother, it''s quite clear that someone with really deep grudge is after your family. Why is it that you suddenly thought of using me?" " Your majesty, I am not trying to use you¡­" Qin Mu Yan began but Liu Hui Ying did not give him a chance to speak, she arched a brow and then said in a sneering cold voice, " You are not using me? Which of your words was not using?! From what you said, I think you are telling everyone that I am a petty woman who cannot even look over a small argument and would make anyone who went against me vanish. From the moment you spoke up, you were using me, what are you going to say next? That I rushed ahead and then chopped your mother up in the forest with a sword? I did not even see your mother before this just what kind of grudges would I have with her, how can you even think of saying such things to me!" Qin Mu Yan wanted to say something but before he could Liu Dong Ming who was silently standing on the side stepped forward and then said, " Your majesty if I may," his voice was soft but because his aura was stronger than many he was able to catch the attention of almost everyone in the hunting grounds. " I think that junior official Qin may or may not have been swept up in his emotions because there is no way he would be insulting the queen of this country by implying that she is a woman who not only had a concubine vanish just because of a small argument but also harmed the mother of the certain concubine just because she was upset?" With his dark gaze falling on Qin Mu Yan, he added, " Because if he did then he will be considered not only a traitor but he would also be executed right now and here ." Chapter 432: Entering the space Qin Mu Yan could no longer say anything as he finished listening to what Liu Dong Ming said to him. He stayed on his knees in front of Liu Hui Ying while looking at Liu Dong Ming who was speaking to him. He wished to go against Liu Dong Ming and retort scathingly but after struggling for a long time he realised that what Liu Dong Ming said to him was indeed correct, while he was worrying about his sister, he ended up forgetting the fact that this woman despite not being epted by the ministers of the imperial court as their queen, she was still wearing the crown of the Queen of the imperial city. And him using her regarding the disappearance of his sister without any piece of evidence was indeed asking for trouble and that too, a one which might cost him, his life! "This minister apologises," though Qin Mu Yan was not willing to lower his head, he could only take a step back. But that does not mean that he was willing to lower his head! Even if he had to flip the entire forest upside down, he will find his sister no matter where she was, he did not believe that he will not be able to find her! With his head lowered in front of Liu Hui Ying, he apologised even though his head was lowered and he was not looking at Liu Hui Ying, thetter could feel that he was rather reluctant to give up. But she did not bother herself with him for two reasons, she did not have the time and secondly, she could not bother herself with Qin Mu Yan, thetter was simply beyond reasoning. She knew that no matter what she said to him, he will not listen to her unless he sees his sister with his own eyes. And that was highly impossible unless she goes around searching for her, only then will she be able to prove herself clean and in case she was a step toote, then she might never be able to save concubine Qin. " I hope you will remember this, junior official Qin," Liu Hui Ying haughtily spoke to Qin Mu Yan as she turned to walk back to the tent, she did not even look at him as she walked away. Behind her, the three ghosts followed while Zhai Tianyu looked at Qin Mu Yan with a helpless look on his face, he knew that he was only worried about his sister but what he did was indeed overstepping the boundaries, if Liu Dong Ming wished he could have pursued this matter until Qin Mu Yan and his entire family were standing on the execution ground. " Junior official Qin stays in your tent tonight and then think of what you have done," Zhai Tianyu told Qin Mu Yan who was kneeling on the ground. " Stay inside your tent and make sure that you calm yourself down, I do not wish to hear such reckless words again, do you understand?" Qin Mu Yan pursed his lips thinly but he still lowered his head and then said in a grim voice, " I understand your majesty." After Zhai Tianyu was done speaking, he walked away. Once the Emperor left Qin Mu Yan stood up from the ground and looked at Liu Dong Ming who was smiling at him without any reservation, it was as if he wasn''t the one who just said those words that went against him just now. " Prime Minister Liu, I hope that you will not hold this against me," he said to Liu Dong Ming who did not look like he was the least bit offended. " Of course, I will not hold it against you, junior minister Qin ¡ª¡ª something like this is something that anyone who had lost their loved ones would understand but I will hope that the next time when you say such things you will think twice and not think of something like this again." Liu Dong Ming was generous with his words and did not say a word of me it was as if he was not at all bothered by what Qin Mu Yan said just now. Qin Mu Yan''s eyes flickered but he still lowered his gaze and nodded, " I understand, prime minister Liu." Liu Dong Ming did not say anything and simply turned on his heels and then left. Behind him, Qin Mu Yan stared at him for a few minutes but then he too turned on his heels and then walked towards his tent, he needed to think of a way to solve this matter lest his sister died in an unjust manner. ¡­. On the other hand, Liu Hui Ying returned to her tent where she asked Li Gang and Jia Li to bring the two maids who were responsible for changing the coal in the brazier which was something they did not have to work too hard for, as soon as they floated out of the tent, they noticed two maidsing to change the coal in the brazier of the Emperor tent. " Oh they are already here," Li Gang muttered as he swooped down and looked at the elderly maid who was holding a big bucket which was filled with coal while the maid next to her was holding another bucket which was filled with coal as well. Jia Li looked at the maid and then exchanged a look with Li Gang before the two of them took a step closer to the maid and then with a swoosh went inside the two women who were standing in front of them. At once the two women stiffened and their eyes turned white like pearls which did not seem to have any life in them. " It feels weird," muttered Li Gang as he looked down at the heavy mounds which were sticking out of his chest, he raised his hand which was free and carefully squeezed the heavy weight on his chest and grimaced, " I feel so heavy¡­ and my back feels awful." " Wee to the life of being a woman," Jia Li sighed as she pped the Li Gang''s hand which was squeezing the chest of the maid. " And don''t take advantage of the situation, I know what you are trying to do all right?" Li Gang rolled his eyes but he still dropped his hand and then walked inside the tent which was standing in front of him, once he was inside he looked at Liu Hui Ying who was waiting for the two of them and asked, " What do you think? How do I look?" " You are not my type but by all means knock her out," Liu Hui Ying remarked as he looked at the two maids who were being possessed by the two ghosts. The two of them followed Liu Hui Ying''s order and knocked the two maids out before stuffing them in the corner. Once they were done, Liu Hui Ying looked at the maids and then turned to look at Grandma Lan Fen with her arms crossed in front of her and said, " Take a good look at them and then make sure to create a mask which is simr to their faces." " I understand," Grandma Lan Fen nodded as she looked at the two maids who were made to sit in the corner of the tent by Li Gang and Jia Li before she summoned her space. It just so happened that the second she summoned her space, Zhai Tianyu who was outside the tent pushed the p open and then stepped inside causing Grandma Lan Fen to be startled as she unconsciously brought him inside her space. " Whoa¡­" Zhai Tianyu was awed in surprised when he suddenly arrived in a ce which was pure white with multiple mirrors and a bunch of things that he had never seen before, and what shocked him the most was that on the left side of him, there was a ss cab that had multiple humans heads inside. His eyes widened as he took in the white room which was cooler than the hunting grounds and then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was looking at him with so much surprise as if she did not know him before. " You¡­what are you doing here?" She asked in shock as she looked at the man in front of her, surely he did note chasing after her? "That''s what I would like to know," Zhai Tianyu replied as he looked at the things which he had never seen before and then turned his gaze to look at Grandma Lan Fen who looked much clearer than she did to him usually while Li Gang and Jia Li looked a bit dimmer and fainter as they stood next to Liu Hui Ying who was standing right in front of a dressing table with a mirror which was so clean that he could see his face without any trouble at all. Just what was this ce?! -------- I am at a funeral please do understand. Chapter 433: Where to? "You have to be kidding me," Liu Hui Ying was speechless beyond belief, how can she even make such a mistake? She turned to look at Grandma Lan Fen who raised her hands in the air and then said, " This is not my fault, I did not do anything ¡­he was the one who came inside the tent when I summoned the space." Liu Hui Ying turned to look at the man with a re in her eyes and when Zhai Tianyu saw her ring, he raised his hands as well, " I did nothing wrong ¡ª¡ª this tent belongs to me¡ª-ack." While he was speaking, he suddenly felt someone chop him in the back of his neck, a bit surprised he turned to look at the person who was behind him. " You¡­." And when he saw that the one who smacked him in the back of his neck was none other than Li Gang, he was stunned to the point where his eyes ended up rolling in their sockets on their own. Howe a ghost was able to touch him? Much less hit him? Zhai Tianyu did not get a chance to ask the questions which were churning in his head because a secondter he fell on the ground and then turned unconscious. " Why did you do that?" Seeing Li Gang hit Zhai Tianyu like that, Jia Li could not help but ask, of course, he was in the wrong for entering the wrong ce at the wrong time but there was no need for Li Gang to act so ruthlessly, right? " We don''t have the time to bother with him," Li Gang retorted without the slightest bit of hesitation as he turned to walk towards Liu Hui Ying while smacking the dust on his hands as he tilted his head and then asked, " I did a good job, did I not?" Liu Hui Ying did not say anything to him instead she turned to look at Grandma Lan Fen and then said, " Hurry, if he wakes up then we would have to exin a bunch of things to him and I am not in the mood to do so," as she spoke she looked at Zhai Tianyu who was lying on the floor and then turned her gaze away in a jiffy. Don''t me her for being ruthless and selfish but the more she stayed in this world, the more she realised that she needed to keep a few cards to herself or else, she might lose her life without knowing where she went wrong. Therefore, she hurried Grandma Lan Fen to create two masks which looked a lot simr to the faces of the two maids who were now lying unconscious in the tent. Grandma Lan Fen also did not waste another minute as she went straight to work and then created two masks which looked quite simr to the faces of those two maids. She raised the long machine which was white and quite simr to that of a printer in the human world but instead of printing papers, when Grandma Lan Fen instilled her yin energy and when she lifted the lid of that machine, two human-like masks were lying on the glowing ss pane which was lit up with a white light which was lit up underneath the ss pane. " They are done," Grandma Lan Fen announced as she turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who nodded and then went towards the machine where she picked up the human masks which were sitting and then carefully ran her fingers on the human skin mask which she was holding in her hands. " These might be useful, you have done a great job," Liu Hui Ying was not at all shy with the praise as she turned to look at Grandma Lan Fen who beamed happily upon receiving the praise which was hard toe by, especially from someone like Liu Hui Ying. Though Grandma Lan Fen did not stay happy for so long as Liu Hui Ying raised a brow and said in a slightly disdainful voice, " What are you waiting for now? New year? Summon your space back before that idiot wakes up and starts asking questions that we cannot answer." " I will summon it back right away!" Grandma Lan Fen sighed sure enough Liu Hui Ying''s praise went just as fast as it came. She summoned her space back and the tent which was morphed into a white room soon turned back to its original condition and just as it turned back to its original condition, and no sooner did the tent turned back to its original condition, Liu Hui Ying turned to look at Li Gang before opening her mouth as she said, " Go and have him lie on the bed, make it look like he fell asleep." Though she knew that she might not be able to muddle her way through the things but as long as she insisted that he fell on the ground after slipping and was just dreaming of the entire thing, Liu Hui Ying was certain that she will be able to escape the responsibility of answering those questions. " Got it," Li Gang shot a triumphant look at Jia Li who narrowed her eyes and then looked away, while Li Gang went over to where Zhai Tianyu was lying and then, he crouched down and then entered Zhai Tianyu''s body and soon he was standing tall wearing Zhai Tianyu''s skin. Literally. With his shoulders rolling back he looked at Liu Hui Ying and then said with a smile, " This feels much better, don''t you think so?" He then turned around as if he was showing off his new dress to Liu Hui Ying who rolled her eyes and then said, "On the bed. Now!" " I know, I know¡­why are you so strict?" Li Gang''s shoulders drooped as he trudged towards the bed where he lied down and then reappeared after leaving Zhai Tianyu''s body behind. Though he followed Liu Hui Ying''s orders, he looked a bit reluctant as he walked towards Liu Hui Ying who was standing straight at the centre of the tent with two masks in her hands. " Why did you ask for two masks though?" Jia Li could not help but ask as she dropped her gaze to the two masks which were dangling in Liu Hui Ying''s hands. Liu Hui Ying did not answer instead she turned to look at Jia Li and then said, " Do you think I will be willing to carry those buckets? Someone naturally has to do it for me." As she spoke, she threw one of the masks at the ghosts. " Go and get Xiao Ai, I am sure that she is rather free at the moment." If possible Liu Hui Ying would have instead chosen to use an invisibility talisman but under the extreme shortage of money, she did not have much yellow paper left with her! To think that she, the top detective in her country would one day have to rely on something like this! When did she have to rely on human masks other than when she was being undercover? Li Gang raised his head suddenly looking a bit perked up but then Jia Li red at him and snapped, "What are you smiling for? I am the one who is going to possess that girl, you stay back." And before Li Gang could say anything, Jia Li floated out of the tent and very soon returned with a very dazed-looking Xiao Ai who was walking towards Liu Hui Ying as if she was sleepwalking. "Let''s go if you are ready," said Liu Hui Ying as she pulled the mask which she was holding in her hand over her head. As the mask skipped Liu Hui Ying''s face, her entire appearance changed as she turned into a middle-aged olddy whose back was slouching slightly. Jia Li on the other hand was looking at her appearance which was of a young woman and looked up at Liu Hui Ying with a deadpanned expression and then said, " You..deliberately did this right? You gave me the mask of the young woman such that I will be the one who will carry those heavy buckets right?" " If you know then why are you even asking?" Liu Hui Ying raised a brow and even though she was looking old and weary, her aura wasn''t at all diminished if anything she made even the elderly woman look like a general who won a war. Jia Li rolled her eyes and then went to pick up the two buckets while Liu Hui Ying, being the boss only made an effort to pick up the tongs which were dangling on the side of the bucket. Seeing this Jia Li shot a white look at Liu Hui Ying before she huffed and asked in a tired voice, " Where to?" Liu Hui Ying turned to walk out of the tent, as she stepped out of the tent, her gaze narrowed on a man whose expression was rather ugly and said, "Let''s go and see him first." Chapter 434: Not happening ! Liu Hui Ying was headed towards the tent which belonged to Ji Yang, given that he and his family really had something in for her, she knew that he was the prime suspect after all, if it was proven that she was the one who was the cause of Concubine Qin''s disappearance, he will be the one who will get the most number of benefits. " Who are you?" Ji Yang was talking about something with his aide when he saw two women approaching his tent. He turned to look at the young and old pair who bowed their heads when he turned to face them and then heard the elderly woman speak, " We are here to change the coal in your brazier, my esteemed lord," if Ji Yang had heard Liu Hui Ying talk to Zhai Tianyu privately he would have sensed something amiss but since he did not hear Liu Hui Ying talk with Zhai Tianyu instead of feeling suspicious when he heard the words ''esteemed lord,'' he was more than proud as he nodded his head and waved his hand. " You can go inside," he said after he was done waving his hands giving Liu Hui Ying and Jia Li permission to enter his tent. Seeing that they have received permission, Liu Hui Ying bowed in front of Ji Yang and the next one was Jia Li, despite being from the modern world, they were thoroughly able to impersonate the manners of this world due to their profession. The two of them thanked Ji Yang before they turned to face the p of the tent, the first to enter was Liu Hui Ying since she knew that every tent on the ground had a small charm ced on it. She had heard about the old legend about the woman who was killed unjustly in this hunting grounds and knew that though no one believed that legend they still stuck a charm which was blessed by the master of the astronomy department to keep evil at bay. This was the reason why Liu Hui Ying had to follow her ghosts given that they could not walk past these charms that had a bit of Yang energy instilled inside of them. Liu Hui Ying first cancelled the effect of the charm and then only did she take a step inside the tent behind her, Jia Li who was possessing the body of Xiao Ai also walked in, as soon as they walked inside the first thing Jia Li was to knock Xiao Ai out and then started to look inside the various cabs and trunks which was made out of wood. While Liu Hui Ying looked at the tent which wasvishly decorated and clicked her tongue, sure enough, though they were treating her like a poor daughter-inw, they were indeed not treating themselves badly. A part of her wanted to steal the golden orb that was resting on the cab next to therge fur carpet which was lying in the centre of the tent but she knew that it will not be easy to sell it but¡ª¡ª She was someone who did not fear anything but since she was wearing the mask of an old woman she did not wish to cause her trouble. Liu Hui Ying changed the coal honestly while Jia Li finished investigating the entire ce and then said, " There is nothing ¡­ not even a trace of concubine Qin can be found." A bemused glint shed in Liu Hui Ying''s eyes but she did not say anything and simply straightened up and walked out of the tent after Jia Li possessed Xiao Ai''s body again, the next stop was The grand dowager Empress''s tent and quite surprisingly she did not find anything there either and Ji Mo''s tent was the same. Exasperation shed in Liu Hui Ying''s eyes as she finished looking at all the tents before she headed to Ji Yu''s tent where she noticed thetter lying on the bed while her new maid spoke to her in a hushed whisper as she continued to say this and that, most of the things which she spoke was about how she should try to bring Liu Hui Ying down from the throne. " Enough," when Ji Yu saw Liu Hui Ying enter the room together with Jia Li, she raised her hand and then stopped Hong Mei. " Can''t you see that we are not alone what nonsense are you trying to pull by saying such words in front of others? Do you wish to see us getting executed?" Hong Mei was not happy with the reprimand that she just received but she did not dare to go against Ji Yu instead she turned to re at Liu Hui Ying and scolded her harshly., " You old woman, do you have no tact? How can you not see that we are having a discussion here? You dare to act as you wish!" " This maid is only following the order which was given to me. I asked before entering the tent, if there was something that you wished not to be heard by this old woman, then you should have either stopped this old woman from entering or restricted yourself from speaking what you want ¡­what is the point of getting angry at this old woman?" Ji Yu caught the anger which shed in the eyes of the old woman, and those eyes reminded her of Liu Hui Ying for some reason. Because she knew this old maid and knew that she had been treated like this for a very long time and the old woman had never dared to go against anyone but for some reason, she was standing up for herself. A sh of surprise and recognition passed in Ji Yu''s eyes but she did not show it on her face and instead turned to look at Hong Mei who seemed like she wanted to retort to the old maid. " Enough! The old woman is right, I was the one who gave her permission to enter while you despite hearing my order continued to chatter in my ear, who is in the wrong, who is in the right? Do I still need to tell you?" Ji Yu scolded Hong Mei, though the notion which was in her head was really absurd, she could not help but think of it as authentic after all, Liu Dong Ming too had some special skill which cannot be seen in anyone else. What if Liu Hui Ying also had some skills which she learned from her uncle? Though she only had a guess in her heart, she did not wish to offend Liu Hui Ying if she was that powerful not only because she was scared of her powers but also because she wished to know whether or not she could help her. Ji Yu was not going to back out of the promise that she made with Liu Dong Ming but she did not even know who this priest was and where she was going to look for him. Even though she could not see Xiao Lin, she wished Liu Hui Ying will help her listen to Xiao Lin''s voice, that way she will be able to calm her queasy heart, what was more she had a reason to doubt that the woman in front of her was Liu Hui Ying. She told Liu Hui Ying the time when the braziers in the tents are changed, and tonight this old woman was acting up differently when she had not in years. While Ji Yu was thinking about this Liu Hui Ying had no idea that Ji Yu who was this sharp caught her despite her impersonating someone else, once she was done investigating Ji Yu''s tent, she went to another Ji family member''s tent and then another but each tent was just as empty as others though she did find a few things which might prove beneficial to her, the rest was useless. After the tents of the Ji family it was the turn of the concubines'' tents and then following them were the guards and soldiers, she even went to the Qin family tents, she even went inside the tent which was used for cooking but she found nothing instead ¡ª¡ª " Old woman! Hey old woman! Did you pass my letter to Nanny Gong?" The old man who was in charge of making drinks spoke to her causing Liu Hui Ying to raise a brow as she replied, " I did." She did not know whether this man was an admirer or lover of Nanny Gong but she was quick enough to sense that it was none other than an admirer because the way his face lit up was like that of a man who was freshly in love, and she also knew that old virgin Nanny of hers as well, she clearly had no interest in anyone. " Then¡­then what did she say?" The old man asked, his face flushed red. " Nothing, she stomped on your letter just like your Heart." Want to confess but still use someone else''s hands? No way she was going to allow a man like him to get close to Nanny Gong. Chapter 435: Ghost of hunting ground The old man who was trying to find out what was the reaction of Nanny Gong after she read his letter was speechless when he heard the words of Liu Hui Ying, he wanted to say something but thetter did not give him a chance and then turned to leave. Liu Hui Ying did not have the time to worry about the old man, she needed to find out what was going on with the Qin family, howe Concubine Qin was not on the hunting grounds, was her prediction really wrong? But how was that possible? She was sure that the concubine Qin was trapped inside the hunting grounds, if she was not being able to find her then it only meant that she was not being able to search thoroughly. " There has to be something," she muttered in a soft voice as she looked at the tent of the Qin family before she turned to look around and then her gaze dropped to her own tent. Did someone smuggle concubine Qin to the emperor''s tent and then hid her there? After all the safest ce was also the most perfect ce to hide a crime. Liu Hui Ying did not know just how much her deduction was correct but it was better to be safe than sorry which was why she returned to her tent and changed out of her clothes which she was wearing as the olddy before turning to look at the two maids and then snapped her fingers to suck the yin Energy which was instilled in the body of the two maids by the ghosts to knock them out. Once the Yin energy was sucked by her, the two maids who were lying on the ground woke up after stirring for a while. The first one to wake up was the old granny who was lying on thep of the young woman, she blinked her old eyes which were slightly hazy and then turned to look around at first she did not have any idea what was going on but when her gaze fell on the red robe which was embroidered with Phoenix, her eyes could not help but snap open on their own, she looked at the hem of the robe and then turned her head slowly before her gaze fell on the Empress who was smiling down at her! Oh my god! What happened? The old granny pulled herself off thep of the young woman as she looked at Liu Hui Ying who was staring at her with a polite expression on her face. " You¡­your majesty ¡­you what are¡­what happened?" The old granny asked as she covered her forehead and then tried to remember what happened earlier but no matter how much she tried, she could not remember anything which scared the living daylights out of her. " You came to change the coal in my brazier after going around and changing the coals in everyone else''s brazier but then ended up falling on the ground, most probably The two of you did not eat your lunch properly and pushed yourself too much which is why you ended up getting knocked out like that," Liu Hui Ying did not even blink as she spouted off the nonsense without the slightest bit of guilty conscience on her face. When the old granny heard that she fainted and that too in front of Liu Hui Ying, who was the queen of the imperial city. She was so shocked that she wanted to cry, howe¡­howe she fainted like this? Now what will happen to her old life? She was still fine since she lived her entire life but what about her grand daughter? She was still young and did not even have a match yet! " Your majesty, please forgive me¡­ I havemitted a great sin! Please forgive me with that magnanimous heart of yours and let my granddaughter go, I am willing to suffer in her stead if that is what it takes for your anger to be quenched but please let my granddaughter leave, she is still young," the old granny knocked her forehead on the ground as she pleaded with Liu Hui Ying, she tried her best to count all the good things about her granddaughter as she told Liu Hui Ying how good her granddaughter was and that she deserved to live her life to the fullest. " All right, all right," since Liu Hui Ying was only lying to make this old woman believe her nonsense she did not wish to make things especially difficult for her which was why she waved her hand and then very generously and magnanimously said, " You do not need to worry so much, I might be the queen but I am also a human and I do understand that you are also human which is why it is normal for you to make mistakes, there is no need for you to worry about something so small, just go to the dining hall and eat something to recover your energy." Liu Hui Ying''s words were full of kindness and in the eyes of the old granny, she was like some great woman who was covered in a golden aura which showed how kind and magnanimous she was, just like a Goddess! " You really have no shame do you?" Li Gang said to Liu Hui Ying who was speaking nonsense without even blinking her eyes, she was the one who knocked the old granny out for her own purpose and now she was acting as if she was only looking out for the old granny. On " Or else do you wish me to tell her the truth where she was possessed by a ghost and was knocked out cold? Given her age the second she finds out that she was possessed, she will kick the bucket," Liu Hui Ying ruthlessly retorted which made Li Gang roll his eyes as he turned to look at Jia Li and Grandma Lan Fen who simply shook their heads, asking him not to speak too much. The old granny who did not have any idea that she was yed by the queen was really grateful towards Liu Hui Ying, she even swore that she will fight with anyone who tries to badmouth the queen before taking her leave with her granddaughter who was still blinking her eyes and trying to get rid of the daze which she was feeling. Once the two women were gone, Liu Hui Ying immediately turned on her heels and then started pushing the lid of the various trunks which were sitting inside the tent which were tightly closed but no matter how many trunks she opened, she could not find anything! There was not even a single piece of evidence left behind which would tell her that the concubine Qin was locked up by her kidnapper. Did she really make a mistake? Liu Hui Ying did not want to believe that she was the one who made a mistake since she was skilled enough to count the feather of a flying bird with her sharp eyes that never missed anything! So howe, she was wrong this time?! " No, there has to be something that we missed¡­something that we saw but did not pay attention to," as she spoke she started to pace around the tent ignoring the clutter which she had spread all over the tent. One of her hands was resting under her chin while the other was crossed in front as she paced inside the tent, trying to remember everything that she saw in the tents she went inside just now, as the sights of the various tents shed in her eyes, suddenly a scream tore in the silent clearing, interrupting her as well as waking Zhai Tianyu up who was unconscious till now. " What in the ¡­" Zhai Tianyu opened his mouth toin but then the memories from earlier shed in front of his eyes which made him turn and look at Liu Hui Ying who was standing awkwardly on the side as she opened her mouth and then said in a hurry, " I think we are needed outside, someone just screamed their lungs out! I think there is another attack! " After she spoke, she turned on her heels and then ran out of the tent, seeing her leave, Zhai Tianyu knew that she was trying to avoid him, though he did not say anything for now, he swore that he was going to find out what was the matter with that white space but for now he was going to see what happened outside! Thus he pushed himself off the bed and then ran out of the tent just after Liu Hui Ying who was now standing in front of the concubine who was lying on the ground while pointing at the dark corner of the forest while trembling like a leaf as she screamed, " I saw her! I saw the ghost that haunts the hunting ground! She was right there! I swear" Chapter 436: There really is a ghost? The concubine who saw the ghost of the hunting ground was beyond listening to any kind of reasoning, she was shivering, trembling and getting sick all over again and again, it was like an endless cycle, even if Liu Hui Ying wanted to ask her anything, she could only wait for her to stop shivering like a little rabbit. It took the concubine at least ten minutes before she finally calmed down and Liu Hui Ying opened her mouth to ask what she saw at once, " Umm Concubine ¡­" She did not know the name of the concubine which was why she had turned and looked at Nanny Gong who immediately answered her query, "It''s concubine Han," The voice of Nanny Gong was barely above a whisper which was only heard by Liu Hui Ying who turned to look at the woman who was crying and once again opened her mouth to say, " Concubine Han, what did you see¡ª¡ª" " WAHHHH!" No sooner did Liu Hui Ying ask that question than the woman started to cry again as if she was going to die if she was to answer that question. The cries of the concubine were so heart-wrenching that the ones who were surrounding Concubine Han red at Liu Hui Ying as if ming her for not having enough tact. Liu Hui Ying of course sensed that she was being disdained and was speechless, what was this? She was only asking the question which was obviously the most important question at this moment! Why were they ring at her as if she was in the wrong? She naturally did not do anything wrong, damn it! " Please don''t mind the queen, Concubine Han," at that moment a gentle voice which was filled with slight annoyance spoke as Zhai Tianyu came to stand next to Liu Hui Ying and spoke to Concubine Han. " The queen can be a bit heartless when ites to solving her own troubles without caring about others." As he spoke scathingly to Liu Hui Ying, thetter knew that he was still upset with what happened earlier. Liu Hui Ying wished she could re at the man for speaking a bit too much but before she could even turn her head and look at the man, concubine Han who was crouching on the ground turned around and threw herself in the arms of Zhai Tianyu. " Your majesty boohoo, I am really scared!" She cried while holding Zhai Tianyu by his waist causing thetter to be speechless, he only said those things because he wanted to scold Liu Hui Ying who used her wits to treat him like a fool but he did not expect that this concubine of his would throw herself in his arms. He raised his head and this time it was Liu Hui Ying''s turn to re at him. " Concubine Han, please act properly," Zhai Tianyu cleared his throat as he turned to look at the maid and nanny of concubine Han as he asked them to take their mistress away. " We are in public, you cannot pounce on me like that¡ª¡ª-" " Is he trying to say that she can pounce on him when they are alone?" Li Gang gasped and even though the rest could not hear him, Zhai Tianyu could hear what he was saying which made Zhai Tianyu re at him but Li Gang was not at all bothered by his re instead he turned and looked at Liu Hui Ying and added, " Hui Ying this son of a gun most probably lied to you, he doesn''t look like a virgin who has no experienced whatsoever. Look at how he is flirting with that Concubine, does he look unskilled to you?" His words caused Liu Hui Ying to narrow her eyes while Zhai Tianyu stared speechlessly at the ghost who was trying to drive a wedge between him and Liu Hui Ying, who was this? What was he doing? Don''t tell him that he was interested in Liu Hui Ying which was why he was trying to pull the rug from under his feet. Zhai Tianyu did not know what son of a gun meant but he knew that it was nothing good, which was why he cleared his throat and then pushed concubine Han to the side where her nanny was and then none too gently asked in a soft voice, " What is the matter, my dear Concubine what did you see? You can tell me I promise to hear what you have to say." The concubine who was lying in the arms of her nanny was a bit annoyed that she was pushed away so easily but she still did not forget to act a bit scared. Now that she was with someone, she no longer felt scared and her trembling also subsided a bit as she opened her lips and then answered in a polite voice, "It is like this¡­I was sleeping but then I felt that something was looking at me. I did not know what was going on, your majesty ¡­ I mean other than you and my maids no one is allowed to enter my tent. I thought that I was thinking too much which was why I continued sleeping." As she spoke she looked at Zhai Tianyu bashfully who speechlessly looked at her before turning to look at Liu Hui Ying who raised a brow at him causing him to lower his head a bit. Concubine Han did not have any idea that she had created strifes in the love life of Zhai Tianyu instead she was still speaking passionately, "But then the icky feeling did not go away which was why I opened my eyes and then turned to look at the entrance of the p and I saw that someone was standing outside without moving!" "This scared me but I still thought that I should go and warn that person who was standing outside the tent, but as soon as I moved the thing inside also started to move as it turned around and walked away, it annoyed me, I thought that someone was pranking me but then I heard it" with her eyes popping concubine Han''s voice hushed up a bit as she added, " The Song of eternal peace, the one that the woman sang before dying." ====================0-0 Chapter 437: There really is a ghost ——-2 The old legend of the woman who died on the hunting ground spoke of a song which the woman sang before she died, it was a song which spoke of valleys andnds but instead of sounding cheerful, it was gloomy. It was a song which cursed the Emperor and the man who let her down causing her to not be able to see those beautiful things that she wished to see, she cursed the man because he betrayed her as for why she cursed the Emperor, everyone thought that she did it because the Emperor admired the man who abandoned her. " What nonsense!" Old Master Qin could not help but snap after he was done listening to the foolish talk of concubine Han. " There is no such things as ghost and spirits, more importantly, my daughter is missing! How can we talk about such a thing?" As he spoke, he red at Zhai Tianyu with some dissatisfaction on his face but did not dare to say anything more as he turned on his heels and then walked away, though he left without saying anything. Everyone else could hear his mutterings which proved just how upset he was with the dy in the search for his daughter. Even Qin Mu Yan did not seem happy with concubine Han''s ruckus, he thought that something happened to Concubine Qin, his sister which was why Concubine Han screamed but who would have thought that she screamed because she ended up imagining things when she was asleep. He was not the only one who thought that Concubine Han was dreaming instead everyone in the crowd thought the same, the woman was sleeping in her tent when she saw the shadow, what can she see when she was asleep? Most probably she saw a branch or something and scared herself which led her to imagine that there was indeed someone. Concubine Han was someone who schemed in the imperial court every day trying to suppress the concubines who were lower in rank whenpared to her, so how can she not see what was going on in the heads of those who were looking at her, her expression changed and she immediately opened her mouth and then insisted, " I... I am speaking the truth! There was indeed a woman! She was singing the song and walking away in white robes which were covered with blood and her face was full of scars!" But no one believed a word that came out of her mouth instead they still persistently believed that she was only dreaming when she saw the ghost. Even Zhai Tianyu could not help but kindly say, " Tonight was full of twists and turns, Concubine Han, I am afraid that you saw something that was not there¡ª¡ª" " KYAAAAAA!" Someone else screamed causing everyone to look in the direction of the person, seeing that it was a maid, Ji Yang who was impatiently listening to the bullshit of concubine Han finally found a leeway to release his pent-up frustration as he red at the woman and snapped, " What are you screaming for? Can you not see that your masters are standing right here?" But the maid did not seem to be in her senses instead of going down on her knees and apologising, she lifted her hand and then pointed at the dark forest while facing the east and then trembling and said, " Loo¡­look, there is really someone! It''s a¡­ it''s a woman!" Everyone turned to look in the direction in which the woman was pointing and sure enough they saw, a woman d in pure white with rotten blood spots on the fabric, her long hair was flying in the air while her face was covered in scars as she smiled at the crowd. " I..Impossible," Ji Yang muttered as he took a step back and looked at the woman''s ghost who was smiling at them, he wildly looked at his aunt who red at him subtly asking him to lose hisposure only then did Ji Yang recover his wits as he turned to look at the woman who was standing in front of them and then ¡ª¡ª- " Oh the blue skies, tainted clouds raining blood. Beauty that covered the vastnds, never to be washed off, Stains that will stay even after death, Oh you cruel man, ruining the vast beauty which lies under the pretty blue skies." The woman started to sing, her voice was beautiful and pleasant sounding but with her scarred face and blood-covered clothes, she was a terrifying sight. Liu Hui Ying on the other hand narrowed her eyes as she asked, " Is that a ghost?" " Nope," Li Gang answered as he looked at the woman who was singing. " She is a human, cannot sense even the smallest bit of yin energy, whoever is ying ghost is very much alive." Of course, Liu Hui Ying also knew that already, she had seen the ghost who was singing and did not sense any death aura from her which meant that the person who was standing in front of them was a human who was pretending to be a ghost trying to y with the minds of those who were standing in the hunting ground. A confused glint shed in her eyes but since she knew that the person was not a ghost but a human, Liu Hui Ying was not at all bothered. Instead of taking a step away from the ghost, she rushed towards it! Her actions caused Second Master Liu''s eyes to widen who was standing next to Liu Dong Ming, seeing that his daughter was rushing towards the ghost, hepletely forgot about his fear and then rushed towards Liu Hui Ying as he screamed, "Your majesty, stay away from that thing! Let this official examine it! I will do it! I take down ghosts for lunch!" Even though he was screaming that his legs were feebly trembling. Behind him, Liu Dong Ming scratched his fingers as he turned to look at the ghost while The Dowager Empress snickered and added, " There is no need to be jealous if you are willing to confess¡­ I can back you up, cousin." " Please, with all due respect your majesty, shut up." Chapter 438: Give me justice Liu Hui Ying''s actions caught everyone by surprise and when they saw Second Master Liu rush after her, they were even more stunned. Young Master, Liu Yuyang also chased after her given that she was his adopted sister and the one who was running behind her was his adoptive father, no one doubted why he was running after Liu Hui Ying. But Zhai Tianyu was well aware of what was going on in the head of Liu Yu Yang which was why he immediately picked up his robe and chased after Liu Hui Ying as well, which startled everyone. He was, after all, the Emperor of the imperial city, how can he chase after a woman like that? His actions dissatisfied The grand dowager Empress but she did not dare to say anything, she knew that her grandson was unhappy with her interference between him and Ji Yu which was why she could not speak anything for the time being to him. Instead, she turned to look at Ji Yang who swallowed under her gaze and then rushed after Zhai Tianyu as he shouted, " Your majesty, you cannot run like that! You are the Emperor of this imperial city, please keep your footing stable and not rushed!" '' And let that love rival of mine win ?'' Zhai Tianyu snorted in his head as he silently questioned no one in particr. He knew that Liu Yu Yang was now really interested in Liu Hui Ying and given that Liu Yu Yang was much closer to her with the gifts and money that he could give her every time he went to see her, Zhai Tianyu could not take him lightly which was why he pretended as if he did not hear what Ji Yang had said and continued to hurry behind Liu Hui Ying. He was after all an idiot in the eyes of the people of the imperial court so what if he made the mistake of chasing after a woman with whom he was hooked? With his feet which were chasing after Liu Hui Ying, the small group arrived really closer to the woman who was singing but then the woman turned on her heels and started to run away from them, Zhai Tianyu wanted to chase after that woman but then he felt someone squelch under his foot and he stumbled on the ground, stunned he looked down and was stunned to see that in front of him was hand which seemed to be torn from a woman''s body lying! " General Yu!" Seeing that something like this had happened, he immediately turned around and called Yu Lingyun who appeared in a jiffy next to him and yelped when he saw that there was a human hand lying in front of Zhai Tianyu. " What in the world¡ª¡ª" Yu Lingyun opened his mouth to speak but then his words were cut off by Ji Yang who screamed out of nowhere, they all turned to look at the old man who was now lying on the ground and in front of him was arge pale thing, it was only when they walked forward and then looked at the pale thing properly did they realise that the thing was actually a human leg! And from the curves of that leg, it seemed like it belonged to a woman. A bad premonition rose in the heart of Zhai Tianyu and Yu Lingyun as they turned to look at each other and then chased after Liu Hui Ying who was still following that old ghost which was running ahead of them. If there was a hand and limb surely there was a torso and head! With that thought in their heads, they ran after Liu Hui Ying who was chasing after the human ghost with her limbs which were shorter than the person who was running ahead of her, seeing that the ghost was going to get away from her, she turned to look at her ghosts who nodded at her and then started to fly ahead of Liu Hui Ying who could not catch up to the old ghost who was running like its life depended on it which it really did. While the three ghosts ran after the ghost, Liu Hui Ying turned to look at the fat ball of human flesh which was running after her with his face turning red and could not help but feel a bit warm in the heart. She could sense that this father of hers was scared of seeing the ghost this close but because she was chasing after it, he came running without even thinking anything through. " You did not have to chase it go back¡­father," she told Second official Liu who shook his head and stubbornly refused while he huffed and puffed, " I cannot leave my daughter alone with that thing, da¡­father will take care of it for you, stay behind me." As he spoke, he elerated his pace and then chased after that thing but he only by passed Liu Hui Ying for a few minutes before he vanished in thin air, it surprised both Liu Yu Yang and Liu Hui Ying but then they heard the scream of Second Official Liu and rushed to see what happened. He was lying in a pit which was dug ahead of time but the thing which caused Second Official Liu to lift his bottom to face the sky was not his fall in fact it was the torso of the woman and next to it was the head which was lying on the ground. Liu Yu Yang''s expression changed as he jumped inside the pit and then walked towards the head of the woman, before taking out his sheathed sword and then turned the head of the woman a secondter the face of concubine Qin came to view just as Zhai Tianyu and Yu Lingyun along with Zhai Heng and Prime minister Ji arrived at the pit which was dug in the middle of the forest. ¡­. "Oh, my daughter! Oh, my poor daughter! Who dared to do this to you!" Official Qin screamed and cried as he hugged the head of his daughter, his eyes were red and swollen from crying and he looked like he had aged by ten years, his face was all blotchy as he looked at his daughter''s decapitated body while looking at his wife''s corpse, in just a single night he had lost his wife and daughter which made him aggrieved and wronged, he wanted to say something take his anger out on someone but he had no idea upon whom he was supposed to do this, was he supposed to get angry at the queen but she was the one who found his daughter''s body along with the Emperor who found the arm of his daughter first. Behind him, Qin Mu Yan''s eyes were red as he looked at his sister''s and mother''s corpses both of them died in the same manner which caused him great pain. He was here in the hunting grounds but because he was foolish enough to keep an eye on the queen who was in her tent all night long, he provided enough opportunity to the murderer who was keeping his sister tied up somewhere. That man killed his sister right under his nose and he could not do anything! If he had stayed up keeping guard on the rest of the people in the hunting ground then maybe his sister might have made it out of this situation alive. But no matter how many regrets he had now, Qin Mu Yan could no longer do anything about them, except shed tears. Liu Hui Ying looked at the figure which was lying on the ground with a sombre look on her face, this Concubine Qin had nothing to do with her but this case was taken into hands by her. Now that this woman was dead and her body was long cold, it was as if someone had pped her on the face which made her ashamed and humiliated as she realised that her skills were not as good as she thought they were, she was too confident and it gave enough leeway to the culprit behind this case! Even Zhai Tianyu was looking at the body of his concubine with a helpless look on his face, he did not love these women but that did not mean that he wanted to see them die one after another, first, it was Liu Fei Fei and then another concubine surnamed Su died and now Concubine Qin was dead. Zhai Tianyu was having a headache, was he born with the luck of living a life like that of a widower? Why were all his wives getting killed one by one? " Your majesty! You have to give me justice! I have to find out who was the one who killed my daughter!" Official Qin cried as he looked at Zhai Tianyu, he was yet to ce concubine Qin''s head on the stretcher which dyed his clothes red with the blood which was seeping out of concubine Qin''s decapitated head. Chapter 439: Who was the ghost Zhai Tianyu, of course, would not dare to treat this matter lightly, the Qin family was not a small family and had years of history behind them, the ancestors of the Qin family lineage had done great contributions to the imperial family, even if he was the Emperor, he could not ignore the death of two members of the Qin family which was why he nodded his head and the solemnly spoke, " Do not fear official Qin this matter will be treated with utmost care and we will definitely find out the culprit behind this double murder." Only then did Official Qin drop his head and heaved a sigh of relief, but he still looked at Concubine Qin''s body with heartache in his eyes, he continued to caress the face of his daughter while Qin Mu Yan patted him on the back while trying to control his sobs as well. The crowd did not wish to trespass on such an intimate movement, which was why the people slowly walked away the only person who stayed behind was Liu Hui Ying who looked at the body which was being cradled by Official Qin and then turned to look at Witch Mao before she said to her, " Take a closer look at the body and tell me if there is a mark of suffocation. If not scrape somebody liquid for me in the vessel which you always carry." Though she did not understand the mechanism which was used to kill these two women. Liu Hui Ying was a bit confused as to why concubine Qin never screamed for help when she was getting killed, it was either because she could not scream or she was in no condition to scream. It was just her bad luck that Jia Li went to chase after the person who was pretending to be a ghost and she did not have the chance to ask her to run a test on concubine Qin''s body in fact ¡ª¡ª even if she was to bring the body examination up, official Qin might not believe it which might make the entire situation even more troublesome. Witch Mao did not seem quite fond of the n, she did not wish to extract body liquid from a dead body but then she heard Liu Hui Ying say, " I will bring you the hot selling dumplings." Only then did Witch Mao salute Liu Hui Ying and then said, " Aye, Aye captain!" Liu Hui Ying looked at the gluttonous ghost and was speechless, sure enough, she attracted all sorts of ghosts. One was a pervert, the other was a drama queen and the third one was a worry wart who did not know what to do about anything unless she was guided properly. Without paying attention to Witch Mao, Liu Hui Ying returned to her tent. This time no one doubted her since she was with everyone else from start to finish, what was more no one saw any moments from Liu Hui Ying''s tent from start to finish, thus doubting her was no longer an option. As for Zhai Tianyu, because he needed to search for the culprit who was behind the murder of the Qin family''s women, he had no time to go and sleep with Liu Hui Ying, he was obviously looking forward to spending time with her and get closer to her but then again this was much more important which was why he could only put his romantic intentions in the back of his head while trying his best to look for a clue with Yu Lingyun and the rest. Liu Hui Ying did not bother Zhai Tianyu and went back to her tent but she did not go to sleep instead she waited for the three ghosts toe back, on the other hand, Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai who were waiting beside her, exchanged a look with each other. Seeing that Liu Hui Ying was not sleeping Nanny Gong thought that she was scared and very patiently and calmly said, " Your majesty there is no need to be scared as such even if there is something evil wandering in the forest with the talismans which are hung up in the tents, it will not be able to enter, why don''t you go to sleep?" When Liu Hui Ying heard Nanny Gong mention the talismans, her lips could not help but twitch, was she talking about those scrappy-looking talismans? They did not even do anything unless the ghost which wanted to enter the tent was on the path of redemption, those talismans were basically useless in the face of evil spirits. If there was an evil spirit in the forest then this ce would need her small back''s backing to stay intact. " I am not scared¡­I just think that its too dangerous to sleep when something like that is wandering in the forest," Liu Hui Ying knew that the murderer was not a ghost but a human which meant that if she was to go to sleep then she will be the one who will be troubled which was why it was better for her to stay awake. She did not know who that person was but something told her that this matter was not as easy as it looked. Making use of an old legend was like reliving it all over again, this either happened when there was someone from the family of the deceased trying to bring justice to the one who wrongfully died or when there was someone who wanted to mask something deep and sinister behind the mask of legend. The thing was attacking the Qin family members, then did it not mean that the person who will be attacked next would be either Official Qin or Qin Mu Yan? Liu Hui Ying''s eyes flickered as she looked at the father and son duo which was still sitting next to the two corpses and then continued to stare at them for a long time while surveying their surrounding there was nothing next to them but for how long? Because of the fear that someone might attack Qin''s father and son pair, Liu Hui Ying did not dare to sleep but somewhere around when the dawn was approaching, her eyes could not help but turn heavy. Before she knew it she was sleeping soundly but then she was woken up by a scream, " Hui Ying! Wake up!" Her eyes snapped open and what she saw was the sharp tip of a knife which was tainted with blood. Chapter 440: Small grave Liu Hui Ying''s eyes widened as she rolled to the side and looked at the figure which was dressed in white, as soon as she dodged the person in white who was holding therge axe in their hands could not stop themselves in time and then ended up shing the bed on which Liu Hui Ying was sleeping. Seeing that the culprit had shown themselves, Liu Hui Ying did not wait for them to gain momentum instead she used her feet as quickly as she could and then swept her leg to knock the person on the ground with her move but the culprit knew what she was aiming at which was the culprit left the axe which he used to attack Madam Qin and concubine Qin behind and turned to run out of the tent. Behind her Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai who were asleep were knocked senseless as they looked at the figure which was dashing out of the tent, what was happening? That ghost was attacking the Qin family, right? Howe it came to attack the queen? " Help!" Xiao Ai was the first one to snap out of her daze as she shouted for help. " Catch that murderer!" Liu Hui Ying shouted right after Xiao Ai seeing that the person was going to get away from her grasp she ordered her three ghosts to take possession of the murderer but for some reason, the three were not able to take hold of the murderer''s body which caused Liu Hui Ying to grit her teeth as she screamed again," Help someone! I am getting attacked!" Her voice was not small as many guards who were guarding her tent heard her voice and rushed to see what was happening when they saw a white figure rushing out of the tent which belonged to the Emperor while the two guards who were supposed to be keeping an eye on the surrounding making sure that no one would be able to enter the tent of her majesty were on the ground snoring as if they have fainted. " Someone call his majesty! The queen was attacked!" " Catch that person!" " Go! Go! What are you scared of ?" Immediately the entire hunting ground was once again filled with screams and shouts as some guards chased after the figure who was running away in the forest while some turned to call Zhai Tianyu who was outside with Yu Lingyun and Zhai Heng. As the guards chased after the figure, Liu Hui Ying stepped out of the tent and looked at the figure which was running away behind her Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai was clutching her arms, they were worried that the thing wille back again or maybe their mistress would chase after that thing again. Liu Hui Ying was in no mood to chase after the person who was already far from her grasp and narrowed her eyes as she carefully started thinking about everything from the start because why in the world had that thing attacked her, it did not make sense at all. ¡­. " I told you not to join in the fanfare, your majesty, look at this! Look what happened"! Nanny Gong was still trembling as she scolded Liu Hui Ying for being too impulsive, in her eyes, the thing attacked Liu Hui Ying because she was the first one to chase after it. Nanny Gong looked at Liu Hui Ying who had her head lowered and then sighed, she didn''t want to scold Liu Hui Ying but she needed to tell her mistress that she could not just do whatever she wanted which was why Nanny Gong narrowed her eyes and then said sternly, " Your majesty, I understand that you are braver than the rest but please do refrain from making such rash decisions, you never know what might happen¡ª¡ª" " My Queen!" Zhai Tianyu rushed inside interrupting Nanny Gong''s lecture causing both Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai to step out of the tent while Liu Hui Ying heaved a sigh of relief, she was thankful for Zhai Tianyu''s arrival since she was worried that if not for his abrupt arrival, Nanny Gong would have continued to scold her. " Your esteemed majesty," Liu Hui Ying greeted Zhai Tianyu who was sweating with a bow of her head. Zhai Tianyu however was in no mood to listen to her greeting, he looked at the bed which was shed by the culprit and then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was sitting on the couch and then asked, "Are you all right?" " I am all right, that murderer cannot kill me even if he takes seven rebirths," Liu Hui Ying remarked which caused Zhai Tianyu''s eyes to widen a little, seeing this Liu Hui Ying arched a brow as she asked, " Don''t tell me that you thought that the culprit was really a ghost?" " Of course not!" Zhai Tianyu had indeed thought that the culprit was a ghost after all, he now knew that there were indeed ghosts walking on the surface of this world but now that he noticed Liu Hui Ying looking at him with an expression which questioned his wisdom, he immediately changed his words and then said, " I was just surprised that you were able to figure out so soon." Liu Hui Ying rolled her eyes and then turned to look at the three ghosts ignoring Zhai Tianyu and asked, " Did you find something?" " Nothing, that person is carrying a talisman which makes it impossible for us to approach them but¡­" Li Gang frowned as he added, " I don''t know whether or not this is of any use but that person stopped by the small grave which you found before the autumn hunt started. I saw that person dropping what looked like blood on the mound of the grave ¡­Hui Ying, tell me why would someone drop the blood of a human on a rabbit''s grave?" Liu Hui Ying''s eyes shed as she curled her lips, " There is a possibility that the grave never belonged to that rabbit." Chapter 441: She is fine Liu Hui Ying did not say anything anymore, she had long sensed that something was wrong with the small grave which she saw when she arrived at the hunting grounds. Back then when she was attacked by someone when she was standing next to the small grave, she thought that she was being attacked because she was the queen and nothing more but now that she knew that the murderer who killed Madam Qin and concubine Qin stopped by the small grave, she had a feeling that the person did not want her approaching and finding out about the secret of the grave which was why when that person saw that she was digging that small grave, he attacked her. It must be because he was worried that she will see something that she should not be looking at. "Let''s go to the small grave then," Zhai Tianyu did not know what kind of secret that small grave was hiding but now that he knew that this small grave was the one link that connected the double murder case, he suggested to go and dig that grave up at once but was stopped by Liu Hui Ying. " Don''t be foolish, that murderer is still lurking in the forest, he or she must be waiting while lurking around the small grave, in case we go there and get attacked by those who are hiding in the dark, what do you think we will be able to do then? Would it not be toote?" Liu Hui Ying questioned which caused Zhai Tianyu to scrunch his brows up as he said, " If we don''t go and dig the grave then what else do you wish us to do?" When Liu Hui Ying heard his question, she shot him a white look which was full of disdain, a part of her wanted to ask how in the world he became the king of thisnd but she refrained herself as she turned to look at the front and her gaze fell on the picture which was resting on the wall of the tent as she opened her mouth and then said in an unhurried voice, " You should call everyone to form a group in the middle of the hunting grounds, say that tonight is not a safe night and the men and women need to sleep in the hunting grounds together. Since Concubine Qin vanished from this very hunting ground I am sure that she was caught and trapped by someone who was from our group which is why as long as everyone is in the public eye no one will be able to make a move as for us, we can sneak out of the hunting grounds under the pretext of taking a break or something along the lines." Liu Hui Ying knew that the one who killed Concubine Qin was most definitely one of those who came to the hunting ground with them, it was simply impossible for her not to realise something so simple but the point which remained untouched was who was the one who was making use of the old legend and was bent on reviving it and why? This was something that she wanted to find out which was why the small grave which was hidden under the groove needed to be dug out no matter what! Zhai Tianyu sensed that what Liu Hui Ying said indeed made sense which was why he agreed and then said, " I will do as you asked me to." He then turned on his heels and then headed out of the tent where he raised his hand and asked the guards to summon everyone from their tents. After the incident which just taken ce almost everyone was already up and when they heard that Zhai Tianyu was calling them, one by one everyone who was lying in the tents, came out and started to form arge group in front of Zhai Tianyu who was standing on a small raised tform which was made out of a wooden stool. When Ji Yang and the rest saw that Zhai Tianyu was going to say something to them they all started to bustle with activity as they opened their mouths one after another and then started to speak, " Your majesty, what is the matter? Is the queen all right? Did something happen to her? If so should we call the imperial physician to take a look at her?" Though Ji Yang acted as if he was worried on the surface inwardly he hoped that Liu Hui Ying''s head was also chopped off like Madam Qin and Concubine Qin, that woman was such a hassle and obstacle in his path to getting the throne! If she dies then he will have enough reason to push Ji Yu to the pedestal before changing Ji Yu with another daughter of the Ji family, one who could give birth to a child for Zhai Tianyu. Zhai Tianyu knew that Ji Yang was only asking this question by showing concern because he wished to know whether the queen was all right or not, his eyes narrowed sharply but then he restrained the anger that he was feeling in his heart and then opened his mouth as he said to Ji Yang, " The queen is all right, right prime minister Ji. I thank you for your concern, there is no need for you to call an imperial physician since the queen only received some scars and was able to manage to get away from the murderer right on time." His words brought immense grief to surge in the heart of Ji Yang who wanted to hear the happy news of Liu Hui Ying''s passing but he did not show anything on his face as he nodded with a polite look on his face and then sighed with a soft voice as he said with a smile, " I am d that her majesty is all right, I was worried that she will be harmed under such circumstances but now that I know that she is all right, I can thank the heavens for protecting our queen." "That''s right, without our queen what are we? As long as the queen is all right, I believe that nothing else matters more than that, your majesty." Ji Mo stated along with his father even though he too wished that the queen would die a sorry death and they will be able to establish their own prestige by cing a daughter of the Ji family on the throne. Zhai Tianyu did not say anything when he heard the words of the father and son duo, instead, he raised his head and then said with a sharp and loud, " I am d that I have such loyal ministers along my side! Though the queen is all right, she is a bit terrified of what happened tonight, such an incident is indeed due to theck of care of our soldiers but given the circumstances, I do not wish to me anyone." " I can see that whoever is behind these killings is a ruthless person who is both sharp and smart, they were able to knock the guards out before attacking the queen which is why I want to ask each one of you toe and gather in the centre of the hunting grounds, tonight we all are going to sleep together, that way whoever is behind these killings will have a hard time attacking us! I and the rest of the young men will keep an eye on the surroundings while the elderly ones will protect the women and those who are weak by staying in the centre of the hunting grounds!" When the crowd heard Zhai Tianyu''s suggestion they all were stunned and at once started to object especially the women and the Concubines as they all opened their mouths and started speaking against the order which was given to them by Zhai Tianyu. " Your majesty! How can you say something like this? We are the women of your harem! How can we sleep in the open and that too in front of other men? If that is the case then you might as well kill us by handing us white cloth!" " That is right your majesty, we are women who care about chastity and wish to protect our virtue with our life. We cannot just sleep in the open and let other men watch us, you are asking us to kill ourselves by asking us to sleep in the open like this!" " Your majesty! I will rather die than show myself in the open like this! My family had taught me that as a woman, I can only apany my husband and no one else! I do not wish to question the loyalty and character of these ministers but this is thew which was passed down to us from the start! Men and women are supposed to sleep separately and no man other than our husband shall have the right to gaze upon our sleeping faces and bodies, how can you ask us to sleep in the open and that too in front of everyone where they shall gaze at us as they wish?" " If you have so manyints, then you are free to sleep in the tents which are given to you but in case you get attacked then no one shoulde and ask for an investigation!" Chapter 442: The fault with beds Liu Hui Ying''s powerful voice echoed in the entire clearing causing everyone to shut up as they turned to look at the woman who stepped out of the tent and then looked at them all with a ring look in her eyes. " You have seen it already, the person who tried to kill me knocked the guards out and was almost about to kill me. If you think I am lying then you are more than free to go and check up on the bed which is still sitting in the corner of the tent after getting snapped into half by the axe of that person who killed Madam Qin and Concubine Qin!" She then looked at the women who wereining and then said with a curl of her lips, " You think that anyone wishes to see you sleep? His esteemed majesty is only asking you to sleep in the open because he wants to make sure that no one will be attacked when they are sleeping. I am the Queen yet I was attacked by that murderer what makes you think that you will not be attacked? I was skilled enough to dodge but can you?" That ''Can you'' which Liu Hui Ying spoke was said with absolute dominance which hammered right against the hearts of many people who were standing in the middle of the forest. Seeing that no one was speaking, Liu Hui Ying arched a brow and then continued speaking, " The reason we are asking you to sleep outside is that if you are attacked then others will be able to help you but in case you are sleeping in the tent and somethinges attacking you then who will save you?" Liu Hui Ying tilted her head and looked at the concubines who were looking at her with anger and hatred and very calmly said, " If you wish to sleep in the tent then I will not stop you but in case you are attacked, I hope that your family will not me his majesty and the imperial family for not taking care of you ¡­ because we are taking precautions and it is you who is not willing to listen." When the others heard Liu Hui Ying say that they will not be able toin to Zhai Tianyu if they were attacked they all turned to look at Zhai Tianyu in confusion and agitation. How can this be done? They were the imperial concubines, they were the responsibility of the Emperor even if they do what they wish to do, it was the responsibility of Zhai Tianyu who was the Emperor to make sure that nothing happened to them. In their eyes they were women and they were allowed to be unreasonable but as a man, Zhai Tianyu was supposed to protect them no matter what! Seeing the questions andints in the eyes of the concubines, Zhai Tianyu cleared his throat and then said in an unhurried voice, " What her majesty is saying is indeed correct, in case something like this happens with you all then I hope you will be willing to take on the responsibility." No matter whether they were women or men, this was not the time for them to act unreasonably! When the concubines heard the words of the emperor they were upset but they did not dare to say anything anymore just as someone thought of rebuking Liu Hui Ying, they heard Ji Yu agree with Zhai Tianyu with a shy voice, " If that is what his majesty wants then I think that there is nothing wrong with listening to what he says." She then turned to look at the rest of the concubines and then added with a charming voice, " His Majesty is only doing this because he worries about us sisters, there is no need to be upset with something like this ¡­and it is not like his majesty will not create a barricade between the men and the women space to separate the two sides? Right, your majesty ?" She turned her gaze and looked at Zhai Tianyu who nodded his head, he was a bit awkward when he agreed with Ji Yu since he was worried about leaving her with the rest of the concubines after all, he did know that Ji Yu fell in love with a woman than a man. But then he wiped that worry clean since he knew that there was no way Ji Yu would do anything as unimpressive as jumping on his concubines. When the concubines saw that even Ji Yu agreed, they looked at each other and frowned unhappily, now what were they supposed to do? Since the imperial concubine and the empress, both agreed they will look unreasonable if they were to not agree with what the king said! In the end, everything happened just as Liu Hui Ying wanted, in the middle of the night a separation barricade was constructed in the middle of the hunting grounds on the left side were the men while on the right side were the women. And no one was allowed to leave the hunting grounds except the queen and the king along with the rest of the members of the imperial family even prime minister Ji and prime minister Liu were not allowed to leave which caused a lot of strife between the two men as Ji Yang pointed to the bed which was in the innermost corner of the hunting grounds and dered, " I will be sleeping here, prime minister Liu¡­please take a look at another bed!" The innermost bed was the safest one since if there was someone who was indeed massacring the people on the hunting grounds then he or she would have to walk past the lines and lines of beds toe close to him which was why Ji Yang wanted the innermost bed but it was just his bad luck that Liu Dong Ming wanted the same bed as well. Liu Dong Ming looked at Ji Yang and then very calmly opened his mouth as he said, " Left prime minister Ji, I am afraid that there is a saying that says¡ª¡ª firste first served, I came here first which means that I am going to sleep here." " But I saw this bed first!" " I ced my pillow first!" " What do you mean by cing your pillow first? You cheated! You threw the pillow in the air causing it to fall on the bed! I was the one who arrived in front of this bed first!" Ji Yang snapped as he loudly dered in front of the crowd that he was the winner while Liu Dong Ming was a cheater. Liu Dong Ming took a step back when he saw that Ji Yang was so agitated that his spit was flying around when he quarrelled with him, only then did he open his mouth and then spoke in an unhurried voice, " The correct word which you are looking for is a smart move," he arched a brow and looked at the man who was so angry that his expression was turning purple and then continued speaking as he said, " I mean don''t you think that you could have used your internal energy to throw the pillow instead of running like amoner? I am wiser than you because I kept a firm head in the face of trouble, you can''t call me cheater because I performed better than you." Unlike Ji Yang who was agitatedly breathing in and out like a bull, Liu Dong Ming was calm which made the onlookers look at the two of them with varied gazes. Ji Yang''s fraction was full of pity as they all looked at the poor man who was being harassed by Liu Dong Ming and the fractions which supported Liu Dong Ming were all filled with glee as they snickered at Ji Yang''s stupidity. Behind them the entire group of men continued to stand and no one dared to sleep since these two were the ones who were the top dogs in the imperial courts after the Emperor and his subordinates. In the end, when their quarrel reached to another height, it was the second official Liu who opened his mouth and then said, " Why don''t you two sleep in the same beds? Forgive me for being blunt but all the beds are already chosen and the one which belonged to his majesty has been chosen from the biggest bed in the hunting grounds which means there is one less bed ¡­if you two like this bed so much then share it¡ª¡ª-" " Shut up!" The two men roared at Second Official Liu who promptly shut his mouth as he looked at the crowd before shrugging his shoulders as if trying to say ¡ª¡ª well, I tried but since they are not willing to listen you all can continue to stay awake all night! The crowd: "..." On the other side, a simr scene was going on between Dowager Empress and Grand Dowager Empress. Chapter 443: Where were they going? " My, mother-inw, are you saying that you wish for me to let go of the bed which I chose? Are you not seeing the small maid that is sitting on the bed?" Dowager Empress asked the Grand Dowager Empress as she pointed to the maid who was shaking her head while trying to get rid of the daze which she was feeling at the moment while looking at the ground. Unlike Liu Dong Ming, the dowager Empress was a step ahead, she picked and threw her maid on the bed causing thetter to be both surprised and terrified as she trembled while sitting on the bed. But unlike the pillow which was thrown to the ground, the maid could not be picked up by the grand dowager Empress who was looking at her daughter-inw with an unhappy expression. " I say, Qing He¡­what is the matter with you? Why can you not give me this bed? Not only am I your mother inw but I am also old, sleeping in the inside will make me feel at ease," the grand dowager Empress huffed as she looked at her daughter inw who continued to smile pleasantly as if she was not being held on the other end of the line where she was being condemned. " I am taking care of you, your majesty," without even blinking her eyes, Dowager Empress smiled at the grand dowager Empress and said in a polite voice, " You like to stay on the higher grounds which is why I left a bed on the outermost side of the circle such that you will not feel suffocated at all, the inner circle of the crowd is hot and stuffy, do not sleep here, mother inw¡­I am afraid that your majestic self will be suffocated to death." " She will indeed be suffocated to death but by her words instead of the stuffiness," joked Li Gang as he looked at the two women who were fighting for a bed, he then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and said, " They are honestly crazy don''t you think so? I mean fighting for a bed¡­" " They kill millions for a stupid crown that is made of gold and pearls only to vanish from the surface of the earth in a few years and for the Democratic parties to take over, you want to talk about crazy with them?" Liu Hui Ying turned her head and questioned Li Gang whose smile turned an inch higher when he heard Liu Hui Ying''s words. " Now that you have said this¡ª¡ª I think you make sense," he nodded along with Liu Hui Ying as he agreed with her words. Liu Hui Ying sighed and then turned to look away from the cat fight which was taking ce in front of her and then muttered under her breath, " I need to leave but if they don''t sleep then what¡­" Her eyes narrowed as she turned to look at Xiao Lin and Witch Mao, since she used Jia Li and Li Gang to possess the two maids, she could not use them again because if they were to possess human bodies twice in a single night that old grim reaper wille looking for her and reprimand her again. That old man was easy to invite over but hard to send away especially when he was in one of those moods where he wanted to teach her. "Go and make them sleep," she pointed to the two old women who were fighting in the middle of the night. Xiao Lin and Witch Mao looked at the two old women and then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying, they wanted to refuse but that was until Liu Hui Ying narrowed her eyes and then said, " Believe me when I say that I can exorcise you right now, you either be useful to me or you go to the underworld which way you want to go now? Think again." Witch Mao and Xiao Lin: "¡­.." Was there any other way left in front of them? They wanted to ask Liu Hui Ying the question which was running through their heads but then they sighed and then turned around to fly over to where the two old women were, one by one they possessed each and then in a nk, tired voice said simultaneously, " Oh we are too tired, I guess we will sleep." Before taking the two women to their respective beds and returning to Liu Hui Ying''s side, though the entire process was shocking the eyes of others they were relieved to see the big shots going to sleep unless they did not sleep they would have to wait for the entire night for them to go to bed. And given how terrible the friction between the two women was, everyone knew that neither Dowager Empress would have backed down nor would have the Grand Dowager Empress. As for why they went to sleep no one was keen on getting to the bottom of this matter. Only Ji Yu looked at Liu Hui Ying who was watching the two women going to sleep with a huff before turning around to walk away and when asked where she was going, " I am going to the restroom what? Are you going toe with me?" She snapped at the guard who immediately turned red and shook his head before taking a step back. Though Ji Yu was speechless with the manner Liu Hui Ying dealt with the matter given that she was a bit shameless about it, she had to admit that being shameless was indeed the correct way to deal with some situations, just like right now with Liu Hui Ying saying such words the guards did not even think of making things difficult for her and agreeably stepped aside but ¡­where was the queen going? Ji Yu was curious but then she saw Zhai Tianyu following Liu Hui Ying under the excuse of making a round and knew that the two of them might have devised a n which was why she turned around without a worry, but as she turned, she suddenly felt her ears feel itchy. What she did not know was that Xiao Lin was on the ground wishing to apany her a bit but was dragged away by Jia Li and Li Gang who ignored her screams. Chapter 444: Thunder and lighting Ji Yu looked at the two who were leaving before turning around to go to her bed ignoring Xiao Lin who was being dragged by Jia Li and Li Gang. " I just want to take a closer look at mydy and nothing else!" Xiao Lin cred as she realised that the distance between her and Ji Yu was getting more and more far, all she wanted was to get closer to her missy and then take a good look which will tell her that she was eating and sleeping just fine. Xiao Lin saw how Ji Yu acted shy with Zhai Tianyu and was worried that her missy was once again getting fooled by her father and grandaunt who were using her to get the throne of the Empress. " You saw her just a few hours ago when we went to change the coal in her brazier, I don''t think that she would have changed in just a few hours," said Li Gang as he looked at Xiao Lin who was being dragged on the ground by Jia Li. " But still¡­ all I want to get close to mydy, you don''t know I could not even eat without her when I was alive and now that I have to stay away from her all the time, I will its like a separate punishment handed to me, let me go please, I will go and take a quick look and then I will reallye to you guys," Xiao Lin pleaded with Jia Li who scoffed and then heartlessly said, " No matter how much you cry, there is nothing that I can do for you¡­don''t forget that you do not have a contract with Liu Hui Ying, without a contract you will never be able to get away from her for more than thirteen metres, so even if I let go of you¡­you will not be able to leave her side, even we can only go as far as she allows us." Xiao Lin did not believe a thing that Jia Li said which was why thetter rolled her eyes and then let go of her as she said, " Go¡­ you will know soon why we dragged you with us." With that Jia Li let go of Xiao Lin and walked towards Liu Hui Ying who was heading towards the small grave that she found on the first day of the hunting grounds. '' Are you sure this is okay?" Li Gang asked as he looked at Jia Li and then at Xiao Lin who was looking at Jia Li as if thetter had awarded her liberation. Jia Li shrugged her shoulders as she said in a casual voice, " I am not the one who asked her to leave, she was the one who wanted to go which is why I can only fulfil her wish, if I do not then I will be a rotten senior who just does her own thing and do not listen to her juniors something that I do not wish to happen." Li Gang looked at Jia Li who was heartlessly ignoring Xiao Lin and then turned to look at the young ghost who was still smiling happily as if she had gotten freedom which she craved very much. Xiao Lin saw that Jia Li really let go of her and was really happy, she turned to leave as she ran towards the hunting grounds with a smile on her face but just as she crossed the thirteen metres distance between her and Liu Hui Ying who was on the other side of the hunting ground, suddenly the sky turned gloomy and clouds filled the entire space ¡ª¡ª The thunder which could not be seen earlier immediately filled the space as Xiao Lin who did not have any idea what was happening continued to run toward Ji Yu but as the mark which was not supposed to be crossed by her passed, the clouds shuddered loudly before thunder shed in the sky and Xiao Lin felt something burning and hot hit her as she screamed in pain before lying down on the ground. " Tsk tsk, you should have listened to the words of that woman, should you have not?" Witch Mao who knew when to stop looked at Xiao Lin who was lying on the floor and then said in a huffing voice which was filled with mockery. Xiao Lin, who was charred by the thunder from top to bottom looked at the old ghost who was standing behind her and then said, "You knew that this was going to happen ?" " Of course I did," Witch Mao pointed at the twelve-metre distance where she was standing and then said, " I knew that I will be punished by the heavens if I was to leave her side since she was the one who took me under my wing and then became my guardian, the same is for you...Even though she and you are not bound by contract, she is still taking care of you isn''t she?" Xiao Lin had nothing to say she just wished to cry¡­why did she just have to act so foolish, it hurts ¡ª¡ªGAHHHH! She did not even get a chance to finish her thoughts as another lighting bolt struck her and caused her to feel like she was dying all over again. " I will suggesting inside the twelve metres mark, in case you do not wish tobust," suggested Witch Mao kindly as she looked at Xiao Lin who was lying on the ground but did not make a move to help her. Xiao Lin red at her before she raised her hands and then crawled towards Wutch Mao who was standing on the side and only then did the thunder which was aimed at her way stopped. " That¡­That¡­." Xiao Lin panted as she stayed on the ground she wanted to say that it was hurting her a lot but Witch Mao did not take pity on her as she ruthlessly said, " Sure enough, foolish actions deserve foolish results." Chapter 445: I know who killed her ——1 " You are back?" Jia Li nced at Xiao Lin who was looking like a withered rose and could not help but ask in a curious voice as she looked at her charred hair and the clothes which Xiao Lin was wearing. " Was the shock enough to wake you up? Or do you need another one?" Xiao Lin looked at Jia Li with a sullen look on her face and then asked with an aggrieved voice, " If you knew then why did you not tell me this earlier? It hurts so bad, I thought that I was dying all over again." " Is that so? I forgot that it hurts that bad," was all Jia Li said as she spoke about the pain which Xiao Lin went through which caused Xiao Lin''s mouth to drop in surprise as she looked at Jia Li with disbelief written on her face as she raised her hand and then pointed at thetter before saying, " You¡­you deliberately¡­" Jia Li smiled and then patted Xiao Lin on the back as she said with a jolly voice, " I once ran away from Liu Hui Ying as well when she stopped me from going to see the movie of my favourite actor. I received a shock as well, it was really humiliating to the max, I tell you." " So you¡­." Xiao Lin was quaking with anger as she realised that the reason Jia Li let go of her was not that she was being caring like a senior towards her but instead, she did it because she wanted someone to fall in the same pit as her! Shameless! " Wee to the group!" Jia Li hugged Xiao Lin by her shoulders but before thetter could say anything they were interrupted by Li Gang who red at them and then said, " A little help here? I am the only one who is digging this grave!" He pointed to the pit in which he was standing while ring at the two women with sharp daggers in his eyes. " I am digging as well," Zhai Tianyu interrupted as he looked at the ghost man who turned to look at him with a sullen look on his face as he said, "Your majesty, the kind of digging you are doing¡­ will take years for to dig to the bottom of this grave! You better not touch anything!" Li Gang furiously snapped at Zhai Tianyu as he looked at the shiny robe which Zhai Tianyu was wearing. For the sake of not dirtying the robe thetter was not even digging properly making Li Gang do all the digging, how can they dig his grave before morning like that? " I cannot dirty this honourable robe," seeing that thetter was looking at the robe which he was wearing Zhai Tianyu tried to exin it but that only made Li Gang annoyed as thetter snarled and said, " Which is why I am saying not to dig! Get out! You are wasting my time, even Hui Ying will not be as girly as you." As he spoke he turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who sighed and then said, " Fine, I will do it." Even she was in a hurry since they needed to go back to the hunting grounds lest someone doubts what they were doing. Liu Hui Ying stretched out her hands as she held them in front of Zhai Tianyu and said, " Your esteemed majesty, I think that you are feeling a bit queasy because of this odd job of digging a grave, why don''t you step aside?" That way she will be able to do a better job. " How can I let you do that, your majesty?" Zhai Tianyu felt awkward when he heard his wife say that she will dig the grave. Though he was indeed feeling a bit queasy thinking that there was another body buried under this grave which was marked for a dead rabbit. In fact, he felt a bit squeamish when he saw the rotting corpse of the rabbit but Liu Hui Ying who was standing behind him easily ced the rabbit to the side making him question his manliness all over again. " You stay behind, my queen¡­ I will do it," as he spoke Zhai Tianyu took off his robe which was embroidered with dragon and handed it to Liu Hui Ying before requesting in a polite voice, " Please keep it untainted, this robe is a representation of my image." Though Liu Hui Ying thought that it was too much of a bother but when she saw that it mattered a bit too much for Zhai Tianyu she agreed silently before taking the robe from his hands. Only then did Zhai Tinayu roll his sleeves and started to dig the ground with renewed energy. This time Li Gang and Zhai Tianyu did a much better job as they soon dug more than eight feet before Li Gang''s hoe which he was holding in his hands with the help of Liu Hui Ying''s spiritual energy smashed against something hard and turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was standing on top of the pit which they have dug and said, " There is a coffin under here." " Wipe the dirt off the coffin," said Liu Hui Ying as she looked at the surface which was tter than the ones which were surrounding it. Zhai Tianyu was not used to doing something like this but he still crouched down after Li Gang and wiped the dust off the coffin however just as they cleaned the surface of the coffin, they were stopped by Liu Hui Ying. " Leave it ¡­." Her voice was solemn as she looked at the coffin which was covered with talismans, these talismans were different from the ones which Liu Hui Ying used, instead they were white in colour with red inscriptions written on them, Zhai Tianyu did not understand what was written on them but then he heard Liu Hui Ying say, " This is the coffin of a woman who was killed by a man ¡­.forcefully." Though she did not say anything more Zhai Tianyu understood what she was saying and unconsciously took a step away from the coffin when he realised what the poor woman went through when she was alive. " Leave her alone," Liu Hui Ying''s voice was sympathetic as she whipped out a talisman which morphed into the white flower she handed to Liu Fei Fei and Zhai Tianyu''s aunt before throwing it on the coffin. " Leave her at peace since she could not when she was alive ¡­. As for who is behind the killings, I have an idea." Chapter 446: Beating gong Liu Hui Ying already had an idea when she saw that man acting up so much but she did not pay much attention to him, but now that she had seen this grave, she was more or less aware of why that person was trying to kill her along with the members of the Qin family. " You know who the murderer is my queen?" Zhai Tianyu asked as he climbed out of the pit which was filled by him and Li Gang. He stood up straight as he pushed himself up from the pit where he was and then brushed his clothes which were specked with dust before looking at Liu Hui Ying. " Who is it?" " I think we all want to know that right?"Liu Hui Ying turned to look at Zhai Tianyu, her gaze calmly nced at him before turning to look at the grave which was once again refilled and bowed in respect. " I apologise for disturbing you after so long, fair madam." Zhai Tianyu also wore his robe and then sped his hands in front of him as he bowed as well with his crown dangling on his head but as he bowed, a small pearl from his crown fell on the ground and then rolled towards the grave but he ignored it instead he opened his mouth and then he too apologised, " I too am ashamed for my actions, I hope you rest in peace, madam." The winds rustled past them as a subtle warm current passed by them, Liu Hui Ying looked at the grave which was filled with a heavy grudge and slowly turn silent. The heavy yin energy disappeared leaving nothing but a serene aura, her eyes flickered as she straightened up and then turned to look at Zhai Tianyu, her expression was pensive as she looked at the crown on Zhai Tianyu''s head as she said, " Your majesty, I hope that you will stand on the side of justice even if the edge of the sword tips against you." Zhai Tinayu straightened up his spine as he turned to look at Lin Hui Ying and then smiled with a pleasant expression on his face, " My Queen, believe me when I say, that even if I have to give up my life for my people I will." He turned to look at the grave in front of them and then said, " She was one of my people when alive and she is one of my people even when she is dead which is why I will do everything in my power to hand out the justice which she deserves even if she is no longer here." " Even when it might overthrow your entire life?" Liu Hui Ying persisted in asking which confused Zhai Tianyu as he turned to look at his wife with a furrow on his forehead and asked, " What do you know my queen?" Liu Hui Ying met his gaze with hers but then she sighed and looked away, " Enough, for me to know that you will not leave unscathed after this incident your majesty." With that, she turned around and raised her feet as if she was going to leave but suddenly she paused and turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who was looking at her with confusion in his eyes. She blinked her eyes causing theshes which were fanning over her eyes to kiss her cheeks before she walked towards Zhai Tianyu and then did something unexpected. " My Queen?" Zhai Tianyu questioned with his eyes turning wide when he felt Liu Hui Ying raise her hand and then grab the back of his head as she pulled him close causing his face to be buried in the crook of her shoulder. " No matter what happenster on, keep your head up." Zhai Tianyu''s eyes could not help but widen a little, he did not understand why she was saying something like this but this was the first time that Liu Hui Ying was taking the initiative to hug him which was why he did not say anything, after all even though it seemed like they were touching, her hand was holding the band of his crown while his face was brushing against her clothes and he could sense that she was not breathing which showed that she was afraid that his scent might re up his condition. After she was done coaxing Zhai Tianyu, Liu Hui Ying took a step back and then walked away as she said, " Call the rest of the people we are going to put an end to this matter tonight." ¡­.. Liu Hui Ying returned to the hunting grounds where she changed her appearance to that of a man, once her appearance changed into that of Lord Chen, Zhai Tianyu arranged for the gong to be beaten by the soldiers which alerted the people who were sleeping peacefully without making a sound. " Ugh?" Lord Ji raised his head and turned his head to look at the sky which was slowly turning light and then turned his gaze to look at Liu Dong Ming who was sleeping on the bed which was situated at the inside of the group and shivered in both anger and cold. Last night even when he used all of his skills, he could not beat Liu Dong Ming. It both embarrassed and annoyed him but he could not say anything to the man ¡ª¡ª- since he won ''fairly'' in the eyes of others. '' Fair my foot that man is such a scheming bastard, his belly is simply full of ck ideas which are rotten to the core!'' Ji Yang scoffed in his head as he red at his arch-enemy but just as he was ring at Liu Dong Ming, thetter opened his eyes and nced at him causing Ji Yang to be so panicked that he almost fell from the bed and onto the ground. " Ooh that scared me," Ji Yang ced a hand on his chest and breathed in and out just as he was going to calm down. The man behind him suddenly opened his mouth and then said, " Have you fallen in love with me, Prime Minister Ji?" " Damn, who is in love with you?" Ji Yang was so startled upon hearing this question that he turned around and red at Liu Dong Ming who raised his brow and asked back, " If that is the case then why are you watching me sleep ?" ------------------ ------------------ Chapter 447: Beating Gong -2 Ji Yang sputtered, he was so furious that he wished that he could take his shoe off and then throw it in the face of Liu Dong Ming. He was a married man, who had multiple wives in his harem, why will he fall in love with a man and as for watching him sleeping, that was a misunderstanding! " You..we are sleeping in the open! Together that is, it''s inevitable that we might end up looking at someone why ¡­why do you have to make such a small thing sound so difficult? Who said that I am in love with you?" Ji Yang could not help but retort, he was worried that if he was to stay silent then another round of rumours will start the next morning. Liu Dong Ming pushed himself off the bed, and his long hair cascaded down his waist like a veil of darkness which can even swallow the shine of the moon as he nced at Ji Yang with a calm pair of eyes and then said huskily, " It was just a joke, why are you getting so agitated prime minister Ji? Even if I was interested in man¡­" his eyes nced at Ji Yang who was slightly chubbier than him and had a mean look on his face and added, " You are not my type." With that, he pushed himself up the bed and tied his hair before elegantly moving towards the centre of the hunting grounds where the Gong was being beaten. Ji Yang: "¡­.." Thi¡­This man, I will kill him one of these days! The men who were sleeping on the side did not dare to even much less open their eyes, Liu Yu Yang wanted to get up but Liu Yu Shan immediately caught his head and then pushed him back down as he said, " Keep sleeping, my son. If you want to live." Liu Yu Yang: "¡­.." But there is an emergency going on father? In the end, even though they were being summoned by the Emperor, the officials all waited for Ji Yang to wash his face and then walk away. Only then did they open their eyes and looked at Ji Yang who looked immactely dressed while following Liu Dong Ming who was carelessly walking in front and then silently thought in their heads, '' If they truly had an affair then Ji Yang will surely be the bottom.'' On the other side, The Dowager Empress woke up as well she heard the sound of Gong beating and then smiling turned to look at the grand dowager Empress whose expression was sullen beyond understanding. " Did you sleep well, imperial mother-inw?" The Dowager Empress asked as she looked at the elderly woman who glowered at her while being helped by her mammy who was nursing her frozen joints. The Grand Dowager Empress looked at her daughter-inw who was smiling and sneered, " You are indeed my good daughter-inw, worrying about me so much after pushing me to sleep in the cold." " Hmm?" The Dowager Empress tilted her head as she took a nce at her appearance in the mirror and then adjusted her crown before walking towards the Grand Dowager Empress, when she arrived in front of the elderly woman, the smile on Dowager Empress''s face dropped as she said in a low, seething voice, " You should be thanking the heavens that I am only making you sleep in the cold¡­what you have done to me¡­ I would have made you sleep in a coffin, old hag." With that, she brushed past the grand dowager empress causing thetter to tremble in anger. So many years had passed by but this woman was still holding on to that matter! The grand dowager empress trembled in anger but she did not dare to say anything, her daughter inw was used to acting high profile in fact it was right to say that her arrogance was something that could even touch the sky, in the past she had used this arrogance of her daughter inw to make a lot of trouble for her. Because of this, the mask she wore was now that of a kind old woman who would withstand everything silently and will never show any kind of anger on her face if she was to suddenly start acting up she will only create doubts in the minds of others what was more, the mask which she wore was now so tightly strapped on her face that she could not even take it off even if she wanted to! With her eyes flickering, The grand dowager Empress breathed in and out before she turned to leave. "Let''s go." .. The concubines along under Ji Yu''s lead headed towards the centre of the hunting ground where Zhai Tianyu had once again set up a stage and was now standing on top of it while looking at the crowd which was standing beneath the stage. " I apologise for waking you all up so early," Zhai Tianyu parted his lips as he smiled genially at the crowd which was looking at him beside him Liu Hui Ying stood calmly with her hands behind her back as she overlooked the crowd who nced at her and then at Zhai Tianyu in confusion. In fact, if the man who was standing on the stage was not wearing the crown which controlled them, they would have already asked what she was doing here. " Your majesty, there is no need for you to apologise," Ji Yang solicitously responded as he turned to nce at Lord Chen who solved the case of Liu Fei Fei and then turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and asked, " But where did Lord Chene from and why?" The bridge was broken, if it was not then they would have gone back to the imperial city by themselves, they were still here ¡ª¡ª trapped and stranded so howe this young man suddenly appeared when he wasn''t here before! Zhai Tianyu''s smile widened as he arched a brow and then replied, " Why else? To flush the culprit out. As for how ¡­." He turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and said, " You can ask him." Chapter 448: Who is the murderer Liu Hui Ying turned to nce at the man with a nk expression which was full of disdain, he could not even make an excuse for her. He was truly something else. Though she was annoyed, Liu Hui Ying still turned her head to look at Ji Yang who was looking at her with a questioning look in his eyes and answered in a solemn voice, " I was always with the group, it''s just that geniuses like me do not like to interact with others for no reason which was why I stayed in the dark and in silence. The loud hoo-hah is not something that I like, right prime minister Ji." Her voice wasced with unbridled confidence and arrogance which made others speechless. What was with that tone? Was this man looking down on them? The crowd of onlookers stared at Liu Hui Ying who was looking at them as if she was a level above them and were stunned in surprise. Throughout their lives, they were the ones who looked down on others, never had they been looked down on by anyone before! " Lord Chen," Ji Yang too was stumped by the response of the young man who was standing on top of the stage with Zhai Tianyu and could not help but say, " I just wanted to ask why was it that you did not make your presence known when two murders took ce, as someone who is rather skilled in this department don''t you think that you should have been here when everyone was looking for the murder." Liu Hui Ying did not panic when she saw Ji Yang questioning her, she knew that the man was still upset that she had pulled his family down a notch and was deliberately making things difficult for her, she raised a brow and then said in a confident voice, " I just thought that it was a small case and you will be able to solve with ease who would have thought that you will have so much trouble solving a case which was this easy?" Once again her response was way too overconfident! Ji Yang who was being subjected to contempt our gazes one after another felt his heart ache. For some reason, this man reminded him of Liu Dong Ming, was this guy''s surname really ''Chen'' and not '' Liu''? Why was his tongue so sharp? "Pfft, she is truly like you... sometimes I wonder what you ate when you gave birth to her, Brother Ming," The Dowager Empress chuckled softly as she looked at her cousin who red at her and then said in a low threatening voice, " Can you not sister Jiu? If someone hears what will they think?" Visit m,v le,mpyr today Liu Jiu was not at all bothered, she arched a brow and then said in a knowing voice, " Why are you so angry? Did you not put up a barricade around us? Such that no one will be able to hear what we are saying?" " Humph," Liu Dong Ming did not say anything in response instead he turned his head away and no longer looked at his cousin who was standing on his side but after a long pause he could not help but say, " Today, will you be all right?" " Why not?" Liu Jiu raised the fan in her hands and then flipped it open. "¡­ I have been fine for years surely, I will be fine today as well. Though it might not look it but my skin has gotten thicker than before." Though she said that Liu Jiu''s hands were trembling as she looked at the stage, seeing this Liu Dong Ming sighed and then took a step closer to her and then said, " Given that today is a special day, I will allow you to hold on to my sleeves." " Not your hands?" " My sleeves." " All right." Liu Jiu rolled her eyes as she turned her head and looked at Liu Dong Ming with a smile. " You are still the same as always, aren''t you?" " I will stay the same until the end, young majesty," Liu Dong Ming answered with a light voice. " Habits are the one thing which remains unchanged even after staying alive for more than seven hundred years." As he spoke he looked at Liu Hui Ying with a proud look in his eyes, though what Liu Jiu said was indeed something that shouldn''t be said out loud but as he looked at Liu Hui Ying, he could not help but be proud of his daughter. If not for the fact that he was afraid that his brother Shengjing would be heartbroken after finding out that his daughter was dead, he too wanted to admit that this girl, the one who majestically stood on the stage was his daughter. While looking at Liu Hui Ying, his eyes fell on Zhai Tianyu who was looking at his daughter with adoration in his eyes and scoffed, " Sometimes I think that I gave away my daughter to your son way too cheaply, your majesty. He truly doesn''t deserve my daughter." Liu Jiu also turned her head and looked at her silly son who was still growing up and cleared her throat as she replied, " No returns. I stamped my seal on that girl." " Humph, little Xi Ling was too naive that she agreed¡ª¡ª I would have refused," as he spoke he carefully caressed the arm which was covered in red finger marks. His eyes dimmed as he looked over at Liu Hui Ying and then continued speaking, " Your son is a fool, your majesty and if he doesn''t learn how to be a capable monarch and a husband, I assure you that I have enough ways to deal with him." ¡­ While Zhai Tianyu was standing on the stage and looking at Liu Hui Ying acting all smug and cocky he could not help but find her adorable but then he felt someone re at him and turned around only to see Liu Dong Ming ring at him as if he owed him a country. Zhai Tianyu: "¡­." What did I do? How did I offend this great Buddha? ---------------------------- Chapter 449: Who is the murderer——-2 Ji Yang, who was the one being held on the end of the scale of contempt could not help but open his mouth as he suppressed his anger and then asked, " From the way Lord Chen is talking, I suppose you already know who is the murder right?" " Of course I do," Liu Hui Ying''s voice was calm and collected as she answered but as soon as she spoke up the people who stood under the stage could no longer stay calm. Especially, Ji Mo who was embarrassed by this young man who was standing on the stage, he thought that he will be able to see this man be embarrassed by his father and never expected that the man called Lord Chen would say that he knew who the murderer was! " You know who the murderer is?!" With his eyes widening, Ji Mo suddenly asked in a loud voice as he looked at Liu Hui Ying. He nced at his father because no one knew who was the one behind this matter, they were afraid that they might end up being betrayed by their fraction because the Liu family looked way too calm! On the other side, The grand dowager Empress who was shocked upon seeing the young man who had solved the case of her daughter also snapped out of her daze and asked with sweat trickling down her forehead, " I¡­Is that true, Lord Chu?" " Yes, I will not dare to say such a thing if I did not know who the murderer was," replied Liu Hui Ying as she turned to look at the crowd and then started speaking, " I have just discovered a very crucial thing about the murderer along with the identity of who it was who attacked the queen, the one who killed Concubine Qin and Madam Qin followed bying back and scaring everyone else in this hunting ground." " What are you saying, Lord Chu?" Ji Mo said with a shrugging gesture as he looked at Liu Hui Ying and then said with a smile, " Everyone saw the ghost who was attacking the members of the Qin family right? We have all heard about the legend. Are you saying that the ghost was someone else?" " Yes, that is right ¡­ I think that it has to do with the legend of the old woman who passed away and we should just keep away from this ce .. the things that we don''t know about we should not touch it," Ji Yang suggested as he looked at Liu Hui Ying with an assessing gaze. " Heh, do you really think that it''s the doing of an old legend?" Though Liu Hui Ying knew that there were ghosts in the world, she also knew that this ghost who was hiding in the forest was a human and one who held a long grudge. " You all might think that it was a ghost who was attacking the women of the Qin family but if so why was it that concubine Qin who was attacked and captured never made a sound? If she saw the ghost then she could have screamed for help, right? The guards were on patrol for so long they must have heard her voice." " The same thing could be said for Madam Qin, why did she follow the ghost in the middle of the forest instead of hiding in her tent? Was she going after the ghost to perform an exorcism?" " Now that, he puts it like that ¡­. It does make sense," Ji Yu remarked as she looked at her father who red at her which caused her to lower her head as if she knew that she was in the wrong. " The answer is very simple ¡­the murderer who killed Madam Qin, as well as her daughter, was someone whom Madam Qin knew and trusted! That is one of the people standing in the hunting ground is a culprit behind the killing!" Liu Hui Ying announced the shocking news in front of everyone causing their eyes to pop out of their sockets as most of the people in the hunting grounds eximed, " WHAT?!" Powered by m_vl_em_p_yr " The fact that Concubine Qin was missing for more than three hours and no one saw here back yet even after looking for her in the entire forest we found nothing is it not weird enough but what if she never left? What if she saw someone and returned to the hunting grounds just as the soldiers went to change their shifts? Then doesn''t it mean that she was on the hunting grounds? Because the most dangerous ce has always been the safest ce this is something that a murderer understands very well." " The culprit behind the attack must have trapped Concubine Qin in their tent and when they found out that she was missing, they came out and made a noise simr to that of everyone which made them free of suspicion." "That''s enough ying around! Why don''t you just say who it is? " Qin Mu Yan who was already itching to get his hands on the person who killed his sister and mother was red-eyed as he looked at the man who was taking his sweet time. " Junior Officer Qin, calm down. I think that Lord Chen is simply ying detective, when the ghost of the woman appeared in front of us, did we not all see her? Surely she was the one who was behind the killing, how can it be one of us? Everyone was in their tents, we saw it!" Ji Mo suddenly spoke up as he looked at Liu Hui Ying who smirked and then added in a soft voice, " Heh, are you sure about that ?" Liu Hui Ying questioned which caused Ji Mo to frown as he asked, " What do you mean by that?" " I mean it quite literally, Little Lord Ji¡­ it''s true that we did see the figures of people moving in and out of the tent but the thing is that it was too dark to see who was who! This means that as long as someone else draped the clothes of the culprit and made an appearance it would be like they were stepping out of their tents!" Chapter 450: The identity of the Murderer Lin Hui Ying''s words caused another stir in the hunting grounds, that was right. Indeed when they left their tents it was too dark to see who was who, only those who were closest to each other could see the face of the person next to them but those who were far from them, they had no inkling of those. What if the person who was dressed as a ghost was indeed one of them and then he or she hid in the dark after running around the forest beforeing back to the hunting grounds from the back? There was no barricade in the forest and the guards were too busy catching the ghost to worry about other things. " But ¡­" Ji Yang wanted to say something to interrupt Lin Hui Ying but thetter did not give him the chance instead she continued speaking as she looked at Li Gang who nodded and floated towards the man she was suspicious of, she watched as Li Gang walked over to the culprit and then possessed his body only for a few seconds before he stepped out and nodded his head. '' Looks like I was correct,'' Lin Hui Ying''s eyes flickered as she looked at the crowd and then parted her lips as she said, " The ghost who was running towards the forest must have turned around and arrived back into the hunting grounds where they headed to their tent and came outside to join in the fun." " But¡­" Lin Hui Ying suddenly changed her tone as it became sharper and much more intense than before as she nced at the man who was looking at her with a poker face and then remarked, " All of this could have stopped if Concubine Qin was allowed to take her maids if the person behind this scene did not stop the maids from following concubine Qin then we would have known where and when concubine Qin left but he did not and that person was none other than¡ª¡ª" " Official Qin!" Her statement caused the entire hunting ground to turn silent as they all turned and looked at Official Qin''s face, which had suddenly gone really pale, he looked at Lin Hui Ying and then said in an affronted voice, " What nonsense!? She was my daughter and Madam Qin was my wife, why will I kill them? How can I kill them? What was more I was with the soldiers when they were looking for my daughter!" "And more importantly how could I have dumped the body parts of my daughter in that pit?" He turned to look at his son and then asked, " Did you see me carrying any body parts?" " Of course not," Qin Mu Yan immediately shook his head, he even thought that Lin Hui Ying was trying to muddle her way through by putting the way on his father''s head which was why he turned to look at her and said, "Lord Chen, I was with my father all the time and I did not see my sister. Just like you said ¡ª¡ª my sister was trapped in this hunting grounds but I did not see her in the tent of my father." " Heh, that''s because your father deployed a clever scheme one that he had used years ago," Lin Hui Ying turned to look at Official Qin who was looking at her with a frown. " Your father did not trap your sister in his tent but he trapped her below his tent! If you go and take a look at the ground of the tent, then you will surely find freshly dug soil under a trunk." " If you were to push the trunk away you will find a pit which had been dug under it, your sister who was caught by your father was locked in that pit where she was locked until your father killed her¡­as for how he managed to drop the body parts of your sister¡­" Lin Hui Ying turned to look at Official Qin and then smiled, " You will have a good idea if you raise the robe of your father, inside the robe you will find that your father has lost quite a lot of weight." Qin Mu Yan was stumped as he looked at his father, who was looking at Lin Hui Ying with shock in his eyes. For a minute it was as if he could not bring himself to say anything before he opened his mouth and then said in a hurried voice, " What are you saying? How can I even do something like this, this is ridiculous! I said I did not kill my daughter and my wife! What''s more, I ¡­ if I was the one behind the attack why will I even attack the queen?" " There¡­There is no way I am the murderer!" Lin Hui Ying smirked as she tilted her head and then stated, " The reason is very simple, you attacked the queen because she found the link which could have led us to you. She found the grave of the woman who was buried here!" When Lin Hui Ying mentioned the grave of the woman, Official Qin''s expression changed as he looked at her in shock and surprise. The change was so big that Qin Mu Yan also detected it and then turned to look at his father whose expression had gone ashen. " F¡­Father?" Qin Mu Yan called his father but thetter did not reply instead he stared at the ground with a dubious look on his face. Seeing this even Qin Mu Yan''s expression could not help but change, " Don''t..for the love of the heavens¡­ please say that it is a lie." Qin Mu Yan had lost his mother and sister whom he loved and cared for in just one night, he could not lose his father as well which was why he begged his father to say that it was all a lie and Lin Hui Ying was only fabricating everything on her own but even though he asked his father to say that everything was nothing but a stupid lie he did not speak which caused his heart to drop in a pit. Chapter 451: The identity of the murderer—-2 --------------------- " Father?" Qin Mu Yan looked at his father who was evasively dodging his gaze and suddenly his expression could not help but turn grim. Was this true? Was everything that the young man spoke the truth? " There is no point in discussing everything with him, junior official Qin," Lin Hui Ying sighed this matter, she was sure that the one who was the most innocent were concubine Qin and Qin Mu Yan but the matter was already past the point where she could control it, what Official Qin did was indeed sinful and he had to pay for it. " General Yu told me that when you found the spot where your mother was killed, you did not find any weapon nor did you find any trail which would lead you to the culprit. What''s more the spot where your mother was killed was so close to where you all were looking why was it that she did not call for help until she was attacked? Was it not because she was with someone she did not believe would kill her?" " As for the reason why your father never got caught was because the weapon that he used was stuffed in his oversize belly which he is faking. Once he was done killing your mother, he threw the weapon back in his stuffed clothes and then rushed back to where he was with the soldiers, because he was hiding the dagger in his clothes, he did not leave a trail behind and the blood was soaked in the stuffing." " Simrly, when you all were searching for concubine Qin he was actually busy chopping your sister bit by bit. First, he ripped her arm, then her leg and then naturally he reached for her head. It''s true that he was with the soldiers the entire time but he was actually digging a pit in the ground of the forest where he continued to dump the parts of your sister." She paused and then added, " Once only her torso was left, he carried it with him¡­ it was a bold and ruthless trick!" Lin Hui Ying sighed and then rubbed her forehead seemingly looking upset with herself as she said, " I was looking for your sister, it is just that I missed her by a small mistake ¡­ if I had known that your father was such a psychopath then I would have naturally paid more attention to the ground where the soil was dug." When Lin Hui Ying was looking at the inside of the tents, she naturally saw some freshly dug dirt spread in the tent but she did not pay attention to it since she did not sense any yin or yang energy inside the tent¡ª¡ª what she did not know was that Official Qin had already snapped and killed his daughter when she was looking for her. No wonder she did not find any yin energy in his tent, it was because he did not kill concubine Qin in the tent where he was but somewhere else, he only trapped her inside the pit which was dug in his tent for a little while such that he could snap her legs and arms into pieces! This was the reason why Concubine Qin was killed with decapitation while Madam Qin was killed with just one clean swipe! " As for the queen''s attack¡­" she paused and then continued speaking, " It must be because he was worried that the queen will sense that something was wrong with that grave in the entrance of the forest which was why he wanted to silence her because if the grave was found then naturally the incidents of the past will be dug out, as well." " That''s right," after a long pause Official Qin finally parted his lips and nodded, he raised his hand and then opened his robe and dropped the bloodied sheets which he had stuffed inside his robes as he opened his mouth with a hurt expression and said, " I did it all became I wanted to dispel the regrets which Song Xingyan had!" " Song Xingyan?" " Who is she?" At first, even Ji Yang was stunned when he heard that name which he had not listened to for so long but when he heard that name his face could not help but go pale as he spoke with trembling lips" You¡­ Official Qin, even after all this time¡­ I thought you have forgotten her!" " How can I forget her!" Official Qin''s eyes were bloodshot as he red at Ji Yang before turning to look at Zhai Tianyu who was standing on the stage and then said, " Your majesty do you know what this uncle of yours¡­did?" " Shut Up!" When Ji Yang saw that Official Qin was opening his mouth to sweep the dust off the incidents of the past he wanted to stop him but Official Qin was unmoved, he turned to look at Ji Yang and then said, " I was a small schr when I was young, I came to this town together with my wife, Song Xingyan. She was my life, just like her name she was beautiful and kind¡­Like the ray of sunlight." " As I passed the schr examination, I was allowed to be a seventh-level official and was transferred to this rotten imperial city from my vige¡­ it was during this time when your father¡­ thete emperor saw my wife and fell for her!" A malevolent expression came over Official Qin''s face when he thought of the past, " I thought it was strange after I participated in the Dragon boat festival with my wife¡­the emperor continued to look for me and he even invited me to this darned hunt." " I was a fool, I thought that my honest work had impressed that evil man and like an idiot I agreed to bring my wife to this hunt¡­" he raised his head and red at Ji Yang who had gone really pale and continued with hatred and tears in his eyes, " I did not know that this was all a n which your uncle thought of, all because he wanted to curry favour with the emperor! He invited me here along with my wife ¡­and then ¡­and then one night he took me to hunt while offering my wife to your father!" Chapter 452: To rest As Official Qin finished speaking his entire face twisted into that of a malevolent spirit, and he red at Ji Yang who looked extremely panicked. While Zhai Tianyu on the other hand turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who decisively did not turn her head it was as if she knew that if she was to look at him¡ª¡ª she will put an end to this case without giving Official Qin a chance to finish speaking. " You...You are speaking nonsense! You were the one who gave your wife to¡ª¡ª" Ji Yang knew that if he did not turn the situation around he will be in a lot more trouble which was why he immediately tried to counter Official Qin who roared like a bull and shouted, " Shut up! You have no right to speak any further Prime Minister Ji! Because of you, my wife and I suffered so much. The night you offered my wife to the Emperor did youeven stop to think what and how she was going to suffer?" Tears brimmed at the corner of his eyes as Official Qin reminisce the night of the hunt when his wife was tied and sent to the tent of thete Emperor. " I found her battered and bruised, in the tent where I left herpletely safe. Throughout the night, she cried that she wanted to die, that she was no longer worthy of me. I told her that she was not in the wrong, I even promised her that I will submit my resignation and we will go back to my vige and live like honest farmers." " But that still does not exin why you killed Madam Qin and your daughter,Official Qin," Liu Hui Ying questioned as she looked at the raging Official Qin who was breathing harshly, with his chest heaving up and down. Her eyshes fluttered lightly as she parted her lips and offered the ammunition that Official Qin needed, " Was it because they did something to you as well? Or did you just take your anger out on innocents when you saw that you could not make a move against prime minister Ji who was the cause of your agony?" " Hahaha, innocent?" Official Qinughed like a maniac as he raised his head and looked t Liu Hui Ying with a wicked grin. " That woman? She was the one who was the culprit behind everything! Goodness knows how that woman fell for me, maybe it was my wits or maybe it was because I was good-looking when I was young. That woman was obsessed with the idea of marrying me and thus, she came up with the idea of offering my wife to the Emperor together with Ji Yang !" " Do you think that my wife would have followed a strange man without a reason? It was that Madam Qin who pushed my wife toe out of the tent, she lied to her saying that I was hurt in the hunt and when My dear wife came out, she knocked her out and sent her to that¡­that beast!" " Official Qin, mind yournguage! You are talking about thete Emperor! How dare you call him a beast!" The grand dowager Empress hated to hear anyone call her son a beast which was why she immediately red at Official Qin and admonished him. " Talk about yourte emperor with respect, we admit that we were in the wrong but we didpensate you!" " Respect? Compensation? Did I ever ask for all of this? All I wanted was, my little Xi Ling to follow me till I grow old! But you¡ª¡ª you all bunch of ingrates and demons, you did not even allow me to have this small of happiness, for the sake of curry favouring with the Qin family, you killed my wife after colluding with them! And sent me to marry that Madam Qin like some ve!" Official Qin''s tears dropped from his eyes as his rims turned red. He sniffed and wiped his eyes violently with his forearm as he continued speaking, " That was when I swore, that no matter what¡ª¡ª I will avenge my wife. I promised that even if I had to wait for years I will make you alle to hell with me." " I waited for this hunt, set those traps one by one before bringing Madam Qin to the forest under the pretext of looking for our daughter¡­ ha, she thought that after doing so much to me and my wife, I will treat her well? Maybe she foolishly did think so, after all, I pretended to be a kind husband and a wonderful father." " Hahaha, it was worth it, everything was worth it though¡ª¡ª the satisfaction that I got when I cut her fcking head off it was extremely wonderful!" Official Qinughed as he looked at Ji Yang whose face was turning paler by the minute. " The only regret that I have is that I could not send you to where my wife is prime minister Ji! But don''t worry! I curse you! One day you will suffer twice as your victims did and only then will I and my wife will be satisfied." Official Qin reached for his sword and then ced it on his neck as heughed like a maniac, " I will now chase after my wife, I am certain that she must be waiting for me. I will go and tell her that even though I could not bring the head of the Emperor and the man who sold her away, I did avenge her in a way. I am sure that little fool will forgive me." " Enough!" Zhai Tianyu raised his hand and then stopped the madness as he motioned his guards to stop Official Qin who was on the verge of cutting his head off, he looked at the man who was pushed to the ground and then said, " Official Qin, do you have any proof that will support your im? If you don''t then what you are saying is nothing more than a nder." ---------------------------- Chapter 453: To rest —-2 " More importantly you did not exin the reason why you attacked Concubine Qin and the Queen ?" Zhai Tianyu spoke to the man who was now pushed to the ground causing Official Qin and the entire crowd standing on the hunting ground to turn around and look at him with surprised looks in their eyes. Even Liu Hui Ying turned and stared at him with a questioning gaze which seemed to be asking him what was going on in his head but just like how Liu Hui Ying did not look at him before, he did not look at her this time because this time Zhai Tianyu knew that he had to face this problem alone. Not only for himself but also for the imperial city. At this juncture if he was to let go of his persona then even if Ji Yang was captured the rest of the Ji family will surely make things difficult for him, maybe they might even rebel. He needed to make sure that the Ji family will never get an opportunity to rebel, not before his army was strong enough to take them down along with most of the important figures removed from their position. "That''s right, if you don''t have any proof then this is simply nder!" Ji Yang was d that he had brainwashed Zhai Tianyu for so long, if not then he would definitely be in trouble. " If you want to me me then you need evidence! Who knows what happened years ago? In fact, if you ask me you are only making things difficult for me because you are not satisfied with the position and benefits that you got from the Ji family and nothing more!" Official Qin turned silent upon hearing those words, in fact, the second he was caught. He already knew that he will not be able to get away from the punishment handed by the Emperor, after all, even if he was in the right, he had no proof. If he did then he would not have resorted to this tactic either. Liu Hui Ying looked at Zhai Tianyu who had an aloof expression on his face and did notment on his actions, she was in no position to ask what was going on in his head. She calmly nced at him before turning her head to the side, there was no change in her expression as she looked ahead. " Take official Qin away, Zhen will deal with him upon arriving at the imperial city," as Zhai Tianyu spoke, he turned to look at Zhai Heng who nodded and then walked forward to get hold of Official Qin who seemed to have lost the strength to fight anymore. He allowed himself to be dragged away while Zhai Tianyu turned to look at Ji Yang. Though Ji Yang knew that he was not in any trouble at the moment, he still felt his heart jump when Zhai Tianyu turned to look at him with a subtle look in his eyes. Though that look only stayed for a few seconds, it was enough to make Prime Minister Ji stiffen and his heart jump a beat as he opened his mouth and then said, " I ¡­ I am innocent, your majesty. That man must havee up with this n because he was dissatisfied with me and nothing else. I swear I have never done something as lowly as acting as a pimp." " Be that it may, you were still med and used, my dear prime minister Ji. I believe that you should stay at home for a month and try to reflect on your actions for the time being," Zhai Tianyu did not forget to offer a stick after he allowed Ji Yang to take a bite of the candy. His words seemed to be spoken lightly and no one could sense anything amiss after all, with such a big thing happening it was already good enough that Ji Yang was still sitting in the position of the prime minister without being shaken up. But Ji Yang who knew the in and out of the imperial court knew better, even though Zhai Tianyu did not show his dissatisfaction on the surface he was clearly upset with him, after all, being sent to reflect for a month was simr to getting suspended from his job. If he was pushed to stay at home then what will he do? How will he regain control of the imperial court, what''s more, Liu Dong Ming will surely make use of this opportunity and make trouble for him! '' All those families I spent time to suck up to will surely distance from me after this,'' even though he was still the right prime minister with this incident taking ce even if he was not proven guilty, the tag of a ''pimp'' will still be attached to him. Back then he did not think that a small matter like sending the wife of a seventh-rank official would make such trouble for him, in fact, he thought that as long as he was careful nothing will go wrong. But who would have thought that the daughter of Old Master Qin would fall for that bastard? In fact, if that Official Qin had acted in a manner which showed his internal thoughts even once, he would have definitely cleaned him up but the man acted smartly. He not only married Madam Qin without a fuss but even gave birth to two children which caused him to lower his guard¡ª¡ª what was more, he was great at sucking up which made Ji Yang really satisfied with him. Never did he think that he will be betrayed like this! " Your majesty¡­" Ji Yang did not wish to give up like this, he wanted to fight some more but Zhai Tianyu raised his hand and then stopped him from speaking, " The honour of my father has been stained by you and Official Qin, I do not know whether what he said was the truth or whether it was just a personal conflict between the two of you but your actions has caused great distress to me. I hope you will put this matter to rest now, prime minister Ji." Chapter 454: A deadly man Zhai Tianyu had never felt as inexplicably humiliated, saddened and hurt as he was right now. In his heart, his father though----- a man who was lustful and unkind was a good man, after all, his grandmother had often sung praises about his father, she had told him how he was a good man and an emperor who cared about his country andnd. That he was a smart emperor with a sensible head on his shoulders which was full of witty schemes and development ns. Zhai Tianyu who heard his grandmother''s praises for his father like bedtime stories also believed them. Even when his mother often said that his father was not as good of a man as everyone made him out to be, he did not believe her after all, his mother had never treated him well. Unlike his grandmother, his mother the Dowager Empress always despised him. She hated it when he tried to get closer to her, this was even more so the case for his elder brother whom his mother hated to the point where she did not even wish to look at him¡ª¡ª the hatred which his mother had for him was so deeply engrossed in his head that he was surprised when she fought to make him the Emperor instead of his brother. But now that he heard from Official Qin''s mouth that his father was a man who waswless to the point that he would even take the wives of his officials, a bitter taste surged in his mouth. Disgust, anger and betrayal flooded in his veins as he turned on his heels and then walked away with a flick of his sleeves, he did not even look at the expressions on the faces of the Ji family and continued to stride away. " Your son does not look good, cousin Jiu. Are you not going to soothe his broken heart?" Liu Dong Ming turned to look at his cousin who snorted and then flipped her leaf-shaped fan open as she said in a light voice, " He is yet to know the kind of sins that the Ji family together with his father havemitted, if he can''t even withstand something like this then its better to have him killed and discarded." Liu Jiu had no sympathy for her son, in fact, she med him for being too naive and foolish after all, he was the Emperor of this country but under the sweet words of the Ji family, he almost ended up bing good for nothing, it was his good fortune that Liu Dong Ming was rted to him in a way or another, if not then he would have be a puppet who only knew how to dance on the tune yed by the Ji family. With a haughty scoff, she turned on her heels and then walked away. Her pace was not at all faltering and remained steady, Liu Dong Ming watched her leave and shook his head before turning to look at Zhai Tianyu as he hummed and said in a low voice, " She is indeed really heartless, isn''t she, your majesty?" Zhai Tianyu did not hear Liu Dong Ming''s words which were why he didnt answer and simply continued walking in the direction where he was heading. ¡­. " Your majesty, are you okay?" Yu Lingyun who chased after Zhai Tianyu asked in a hurry, he heard the sound of thunder pping over their heads and wanted to bring Zhai Tianyu back with him but he did not dare to do so, he could see that Zhai Tianyu was having a hard time controlling himself which was why he knew that it was nothing but dangerous to drag an angry Zhai Tianyu back to the hunting grounds with him. Zhai Tianyu''s eyes were red as heughed mockingly and then said, " Do you think that I will be feeling good after finding out that the man, I respected all along was nothing but a bastard!" Yu Lingyun immediately looked around and then hissed in a soft voice, " Your majesty please mind your words, if someone was to hear these words they will surely¡ª¡ª" " They will surely what?" Zhai Tianyu turned to look at Yu Lingyun with red eyes which were simr to that of a beast. " Do you ¡­ Do you have any idea how I feel? I feel like the life that I have lived for so long is nothing but a joke! Everything¡­everything was a lie¡ª¡ª those whom I trusted betrayed me and those whom I can think of trusting do not wish to trust me, what am I supposed to do ?" Zhai Tianyu had never felt as aggrieved as he was feeling at the moment, he looked at the sky which was covered with clouds and threw his head back before wheeling around and punching his hand against the tree trunk! He did not hold back at all which caused a crater to appear in the centre of the trunk causing Yu Lingyun to suck in a breath. " Even if you are angry you should not hurt yourself, your majesty." Yu Lingyun began speaking but Zhai Tianyu shook his head and remarked, " You don''t understand, Lingyun. I wanted to drag prime minister Ji to the dungeons and have him locked up but I can''t because I am too weak. So weak that I have to turn a blind eye to injustice in front of me even if I dont want to." " If that is the case should you not focus on getting stronger instead of throwing a tantrum?" A voice called out causing Zhai Tianyu to turn around and look at Liu Hui Ying who was standing behind him. " My Queen, what are you doing?" Liu Hui Ying scoffed as she looked at Zhai Tianyu who was looking at her with surprise and then said in a breezy voice, " I was worried that you will be so hurt that you will jump off the cliff and kill yourself, it''s great that your skin is a bit on the thicker side." --------------- Chapter 455: A deadly man ——2 Liu Hui Ying''s words were so blunt that Yu Lingyun''s face turned pale, he shook his head asking Liu Hui Ying not to say something as such but thetter did not pay attention to him and simply continued speaking while leaning against the tree as she spoke, " I want to ask you something, your esteemed majesty. Why are you even regretting it? Did you not know already that you are weak, so weak that you might not even be capable enough to protect your wife?" Liu Hui Ying brought up the matter of Liu Hui Ying taking the fall when she first came to this world, no sooner did she open her mouth, Yu Lingyun who was standing on the side could not help but exim, " Your majesty please!" If this goes on then Zhai Tianyu might really jump off the cliff and kill himself! What was this woman doing? Should she not be trying to cajole and soothe Zhai Tianyu''s broken heart why was she saying such heartless and cold words? If he did not know any better he would have thought that Liu Hui Ying was actually Zhai Tianyu''s nemesis who came to poke fun at him when he was already down. When Zhai Tuanyu heard Liu Hui Ying bring up the matter of the previous Liu Hui Ying passing away his eyes darkened as he lowered his gaze on the ground. He looked like a child who was huddled in the corner after getting bullied with mushrooms growing on his back while ck clouds hovered over his head which made Yu Lingyun''s heart jump into his throat, '' Not good, Tianyu looks like he is going to be depressed what is he supposed to do now?'' Yu Lingyun thought in his head as he looked at Zhai Tianyu who was not moving when Liu Hui Ying parted her lips and then said, " You are indeed weak, so weak that you cannot even protect yourself¡ª¡ª" " Your majesty!" Yu Lingyun hissed at Liu Hui Ying wanting her to show some tact but thetter turned to look at him and said, " If you dare say another word, I will make my ghosts haunt you until you go crazy. Do you want that, General Yu?" Yu Lingyun: "¡­.." No, forget that he even said anything, to begin with. With such a threat looming over his head even if Yu Lingyun had three hundred guts he would not dare to say anything in between anymore. Seeing that Yu Lingyun was no longer speaking, Liu Hui Ying nodded and then turned to look at the shriveled-up fig once again and then said, " But as long as you know that you are weak and willing to change, you are still better than most." As soon as she finished speaking Zhai Tianyu who was looking like a bullied child immediately raised his gaze and then looked at Liu Hui Ying with a twinkling pair of eyes. " My queen¡­" " Don''t look at me like that," when Liu Hui Ying felt her heartbeat increase she took it as her getting disgusted by Zhai Tianyu which was why she ignored Zhai Tianyu''s gaze and looked away as she snapped, " You look ugly." " Oh," Zhai Tianyu lowered his head again as he looked down at the ground. " You are right, someone like me whose father was such a criminal¡­ought to look disgusting in your eyes." As he spoke he covered his face with his hands before crouching on the ground. When Liu Hui Ying saw Zhai Tianyu throwing a tantrum she was speechless, she looked at the man in front of her and then said in an annoyed voice, " Hey! I did not say that you are disgusting¡­ I mean to say that your expression was disgusting¡­ it made my heart race, doesn''t that mean that you scared me?" However, when Zhai Tianyu heard that his expression caused Liu Hui Ying''s heart to race he immediately stopped grovelling on the ground and looked at Liu Hui Ying with a smile which was so bright that Yu Lingyun had to cover his eyes. " Ah damn, my eyes¡­" Yu Lingyun whined as he covered his eyes even Liu Hui Ying took a step back as she warily looked at Zhai Tianyu and asked, " What? Why are you looking at me like this?" " Your majesty¡­ I mean my queen¡­does my expression really makes your heart race ?" As Zhai Tianyu spoke, he lowered his head and then looked up at Liu Hui Ying who gazed at his beaming smile and felt her heart starting to thump even more wildly as she nodded and replied, "That''s right, it disgusts me. So stop smiling, all right?" " Hahaha, my queen you are so adorable!" Zhai Tianyu who was just feeling like his heart was getting torn into piecesughed out loud as he looked at Liu Hui Ying who was gazing at him with confusion in her eyes. " You are the cutest woman I have ever seen in my life." Liu Hui Ying felt her cheeks burn as she looked at the man who seemed to have gone crazy and snapped in an angry voice, " What nonsense?! You have lost your head truly." With that she turned around and left without looking back, Zhai Tianyu who was left alone with Yu Lingyun turned to look at his general who was rubbing his eyes and then ced his hands on the shoulders of Yu Lingyun who raised his head with a wary look in his eyes and asked, "What¡­What are you looking at me for?" Zhai Tianyu heaved a sigh of breath as he patted Yu Lingyun on his shoulders and then said, "You don''t have anyone who loves you, Lingyun. Even if I tell you, you will not be able to understand it." As he spoke he turned to walk back to the hunting grounds in a much better mood than before. Yu Lingyun who was attacked without being shown any mercy was speechless as he looked at Zhai Tianyu and said, " I am not ¡­who said that I also have a bunch of women who like me! Hey!" Chapter 456: Give her to me Ji Yang and the rest thought that Zhai Tianyu would be in a dark mood the next time they see him but as their gazesnded on Zhai Tianyu who was walking out of his tent while humming a soft tune and a gentle smile on his face, they were stunned to the point where they couldn''t help but frown. What happened? Howe he was smiling all of a sudden? They were confused and so were the others but Zhai Tianyu did not care about them or anyone else for that matter, he nced at them lightly before turning around and heading to his carriage, originally he wanted to take it with Liu Hui Ying but thetter had smacked him on his butt asking him if he had gone crazy. As he thought of their small quibbling, Zhai Tianyu could not help but chuckle as he remembered how Liu Hui Ying had red at him as she snarled like an angry cat at him, '' Do you wish me to go and die? Spend three hours in a carriage with you? Why don''t you tell me to ascend to the heavens?'' She sneered at him while hitting him with her small fan which sheter threw away. ''If you want to die then you are free to do so, just leave me alone.'' Zhai Tianyu knew that she was still not used to staying close to a man which was why he did not ask her to apany him to the imperial city and simply chose the carriage in which he was going to travel alone but was it possible for a certain someone to ignore his journey which was supposed to be filled with solitude? Not at all! " What are you doing Ji Yu?" When the grand dowager Empress saw Ji Yu heading towards the carriage which was empty instead of taking one with Zhai Tianyu, she was stunned. She immediately pulled Ji Yu back and then turned her such that she was heading in the direction of the carriage in which Zhai Tianyu was sitting. " The Queen is travelling in another carriage, this is the time for you to shine. Go and take a seat in the carriage with Tianyu, you can''t let others walk all over your head." Ji Yu was speechless as she looked at the grand dowager Empress, she turned her head and then pursed her lips before heading towards the carriage. She very much wanted to refuse her grand aunt''s ''considerate'' suggestion but she remembered that she needed to gain the trust of her aunt as much as possible such that she will be able to get closer to the inner secrets of her family. Thus, even though she was annoyed she still walked towards the carriage causing the grand dowager Empress and Ji Yang to heave a sigh of relief. Right now, they were worried about losing the connections that they have gained after working for so long. Ji Yang was indeed flustered after his shady dealings came to life once again, in the past he used to do such things many times to gain the attention and trust of thete Emperor but in return, he handed double the position and fame to those men. After all, power was something that only came in the life of a man once but women were like socks on their feet even if they were torn and thrown aside, they could always pick another pair up. He never thought that one day his deepest darkest dealings would be thrown to light. As he thought of how he had been on the receiving end of contemptuous gazes by many he turned to re at the carriage which was carrying Qin Mo Han. " Don''t do anything foolish," just as he was thinking about making the man who almost ruined him suffer, he heard the grand dowager Empress stop him which caused his expression to turn twisted just as his face turned red in anger. " You are asking me to ignore this aunt?" Ji Yang asked with a vicious note in his voice which caused the grand Dowager Empress to turn and re at him with an impatient look on her face as she snapped, " You think that you are the only one who is smart don''t you? Have you ever thought about what Tianyu will think if something was to happen to that Surname Qin ?" Ji Yang was not at all bothered by that as he shrugged and then replied, " Who cares about him, aunt? I am sure that the Emperor will be suspicious but without evidence what can he do?" " What can he do?" The grand dowager Empress coldly spoke as she sneered in a low voice. " You might think that you are untouchable Ji Yang but let me remind you, that boy is not alone. Lin Dong Ming is with him, that man has been eyeing our family for ages, do you think that he will leave you alone? If Tianyu''s suspicions towards you get out of control then he will surely take advantage of it. Do not make a mistake at this point do you understand?" After she was done speaking she turned on her heels and then headed in the opposite direction which caused Ji Yang to lower his head and clench his fists. He hated to admit it but what his aunt said was indeed correct ¡ª¡ªhe could not make a mistake at this point and push Zhai Tianyu towards Lin Dong Ming, that man might be a fool but he was the one who was in control, if he pushed him away then he might not be able to regain his power back so easily! He turned his gaze towards the carriage and muttered, " I hope you will not let father down, Yu''er." With that he took onest nce at the exquisite carriage and then turned around to leave, even though he wished to make a move, he could only suffer in silence this time. Chapter 457: Give her to me ——2 0--------0 " What are you doing here?" Zhai Tianyu was stunned when he saw Ji Yu entering the carriage he looked at her and then turned his head to look at the carriage in which Liu Hui Ying was sitting and only sighed in relief when he saw that the curtain of that carriage was drawn. If his queen saw him alone with another woman, then he will have to jump into the yellow river to wash himself clean because he knew that even if he was to hold out his hand and swear that he was not in the wrong, his Queen will not listen to a word that came out of his mouth. Ji Yu looked at his sneaky actions and felt her lips twitch, it was a good thing that she came to a realisation towards her own feelings and understood that she only admired Zhai Tianyu because of her father and grandaunt and nothing more or else she would be crying tears of blood right now. She sighed and then with a light-hearted cough replied, " What do you mean by what am I doing here? aren''t I here to share a ride with you because my aunt sent me here? She is upset with what happened with father which is why she wants to keep the facade of you doting on me even more than before." Zhai Tianyu rolled his eyes and then scoffed, " Isn''t it the fault of your father this time?" As he thought about how Ji Yang depended on making other women serve his father to gain the position in which he was sitting right now, he felt sick, truly sick. He raised his head and looked at Ji Yu who was silently looking at him and asked, " What are your thoughts about what happened?" Ji Yu sighed and then replied in a soft voice, " If I were to speak the truth, I honestly feel embarrassed. I do understand his need and the drive of being the one at the top but the way he craved that path makes me sick." She turned and looked at her father who was speaking with one of the high-ranking officials and pursed her lips as she continued speaking, " I never knew that the pride and respect that my family receive were stained with the blood and tears of many." She sighed and added, " Even though the Liu family is the same, they never hid their actions. Their sins are open to the world and thus they face their condemnation which they receive from others outright though they are protected by left prime minister Liu, at least we all know that they are not innocent as they seem." But the innocence that she was so arrogant about was tainted, after finding out what her father did to Official Qin''s wife, Ji Yu felt as if the pure white cotton dress that she adored had been stained with blood. It made her disgusted to the point where she wished she could throw it away but the dress was now sticking to her skin after wearing it with pride for so long. Continue your adventure with m|v-l''e-NovelBin If she was to strip off it, she would bleed too. Ji Yu shook her head and then turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and asked, " But why are you not sitting with the queen? If you were with the Queen then I would not have toe and sit with you, your majesty." " She does not wish to sit with me," Zhai Tianyu sighed as he dropped the curtain of his carriage and then turned to look down at his hands. " She said that if she was to sit with me she will¡­anyway" he paused when he realised that he almost gave Liu Hui Ying''s secret away and changed the topic. " How are you doing, consort?" The sudden change in topic caught Ji Yu off guard as she narrowed her charming eyes which were covered with a ssyyer and then asked, " What are you hiding, your majesty?" Zhai Tianyu frowned as he replied, " What will I hide? I am hiding nothing at all." He pretended to act as if he had been used but then he heard Ji Yu say in a light voice, " To think that the queen is not travelling with you in the same carriage, it''s as if she is allergic to you. If not what kind of woman would not like staying in the same carriage as you, your majesty." As she spoke she eyed Zhai Tianyu carefully and sure enough caught the light twitching of his little finger and smirked, " So her majesty is allergic to men?" This was something she was doubtful of ever since she saw how Liu Hui Ying did not pay attention to Zhai Tianyu and simply ignored him all the time. At first, she thought that she was only doing this to gain Zhai Tianyu''s attention but now that Ji Yu was no longer as obsessed with Zhai Tianyu as she was in the past she could see that Liu Hui Ying genuinely did not care about Zhai Tianyu at all. It was not a facade but her true personality. Zhai Tianyu stiffened when he heard Ji Yu''s remark and then said in a hurried voice, " Who¡­? Who said that? The queen is perfectly fine." " There is no need to hide anymore, your majesty," Ji Yu smirked as she looked at Zhai Tianyu who was acting like a cat whose tail had been stepped on and then snorted. " You might not know this but I was suspicious of this matter for a very long time. And do you think that you can lie to me? I am your childhood friend for years, I can see through you in a nce." Zhai Tianyu''s anger deted at once as he looked at Ji Yu and then like a child who was caught making a mistake he said, " Consort do not tell this to the Queen, she will surely be very upset if she finds out." " Oh but I don''t want to, your majesty," Ji Yu grinned as she added in a light voice, " After all, now that I am no longer against the queen. I can see that she is really beautiful... if she is allergic to men why don''t I take her?" Chapter 458: Not wanting to let go of that thief Zhai Tianyu felt like his entire head had exploded, he looked at Ji Yu who was teasing him and awkwardly looked away as he said, " There is no need for you to joke with me like this, I¡ª¡ª" " Who said I am only teasing you?" Ji Yuughed elegantly as she picked up the cup which was sitting in front of her on a small table and then took a sip of the refreshing cold jasmine tea. In the past she would often care about not eating and drinking anything cold, even her father made sure that she will never eat anything that was cold in nature as he told her that she needed to keep her womb warm for her to get pregnant as quickly as possible. Thus, even if she was suffering from internal heat, she was not allowed to eat anything that was cold not even frozen watermelon which was something that her family ate with put restraints. In summer, she would often see frozen watermelon served on the dining table, all because her father and brother loved to eat it and as for her¡ª¡ª heh, she was asked to eat the hot soup which sometimes caused blisters in her mouth. Back then she foolishly thought that her father was caring for her but now that she looked back at her actions, she realised that she was the one who was a fool. That man and family never cared about her ¡ª¡ª not even in the slightest, if they cared would they have ced something she could not eat on the table? Couldn''t they eat it in their rooms? They simply did it because they did not care about her, in their eyes she was nothing but a child-giving animal that needed to be taken care of since the heir to the throne was supposed to be born by her. " The queen is indeed rather pretty and I believe that I would keep her happier than you, after all, you can''t even touch her¡­ unlike you, I am in a much better condition, don''t you think so?" Ji Yu taunted Zhai Tianyu even more when she saw that his expression was turning dark. " There is no need to look at me like this, after all, who asked you to chase after a fruit that you cannot pluck?" " Consort Ji¡­. I never thought that you were this petty?" Zhai Tianyu''s lips were getting chapped from the corners as he continued to smile at Ji Yu, he knew that she was doing this because she wanted to tease him and nothing else. She was vengeful since they were kids and it will be surprising if she did not make the hurdle which was in front of him even more difficult than it already was! Ji Yu smiled sweetly at Zhai Tianyu and then said in a light voice, " When did I you see me act petty? I just think that the queen is very much suited to my taste. She is bold, courageous and beautiful ¡­do I need to speak more?" Zhai Tianyu stopped speaking as he looked at her before grinding his teeth as he clenched his hands on hisp and reminded himself that Ji Yu was a woman and he could not throw fists at her like he could with others. " You are truly amusing, Consort." " Why thank you, I grew up with you, your majesty. Which is why I think my preferences are quite simr to one another." The two of them continued to smile at each other but the swords which were drawn were quite sharper as they aimed barbed words at each other. Away from their carriage, Liu Hui Ying was sitting inside her carriage with a frown on her lips causing Li Gang to shudder as he turned to look at Jia Li and whispered, " She is frowning something is definitely going to happen now!" " You think too much, there is no way she will make things troublesome for us," said Jia Li as she looked at Li Gang who was eyeing Liu Hui Ying silently, though she said it with conviction when she turned around and looked at Liu Hui Ying, Jia Li was not at all convinced that thetter was not going to make a move against them. What was happening? Why was she frowning like this? Even Grandma Lan Feng and Witch Mao stuck close, the two olddies hardly went along because of their different views on life but now that they were facing someone like Liu Hui Ying, they did not dare to fight instead if possible they would have joined their hands together to fend off the evil. " Evil spirits be gone. Evil spirits be gone." Grandma Lan Fen closed her eyes as she saw Liu Hui Ying''s spiritual energy rise and fall while Witch Mao turned her head and looked at Grandma Lan Fen like she was looking at a fool and remarked, " You might not know this but we are the evil spirits in this situation, who are you banishing?" Was she so scared that her brains were so fried that Grandma Lan Fen forgot who was the ghosts here? Only then did Grandma Lan Fen snap out of her daze and looked at Witch Mao before poking out her tongue as she said, " Oops I made a mistake?" Witch Mao rolled her eyes before turning to look at Liu Hui Ying, she wanted to ask what was going on in her head but before she could ask anything, she heard Liu Hui Ying speak, " You all¡­" " Mommy," Li Gang hid behind Jia Li as he watched Liu Hui Ying who raised her head and nced at them with those fierce eyes of hers. Your next chapter is on m v|l-e-NovelBin " Can you catch a thief?" Liu Hui Ying asked, even though she knew that the money from her maternal family house was gone, she did not wish to let go of that money! That mother tucker thief, he will have to pay for that money with his life! How dare he steal from someone like her?! Chapter 459: Snap our necks Thief? What thief? It was after a long time did they realise that Liu Hui Ying was actually talking about the thief who stole the money from the warehouse of the Liu family, she was still hung up on that matter. They all thought that it was over! " Are you still unwilling to give up that money?" Li Gang asked realising that he was not in trouble he pulled himself up and no longer hid behind Jia Li like a coward. " Of course I am," Liu Hui Ying scoffed as she turned to look at Li Gang as if he was an idiot. " That was my money and someone stole it, surely they will have to pay for it." Grandma Lan Fen who was quiet till now suddenly spoke up as she looked at Liu Hui Ying and then stated in a low voice, " But that warehouse belonged to the previous owner of that body¡ª¡ª" Bang! A loud smack echoed inside the carriage which caused the four ghosts including Xiao Lin who was riding on top of the carriage to flinch along with the driver as they all turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who sneered and then spoke coldly, "Oh yea,? Who is the one who is taking care of the mess she left behind? If not for her, I would be living in my condo which was full of luxury and living a wonderful life without a problem! It is because of her that I have to stay in this world and suffer! Do I not deserve anypensation for that ?" As Liu Hui Ying spoke her voice turned more and more annoyed as she turned to look at Grandma Lan Fen and then retorted in a cold voice, " The number of cases that I have solved for this world for free could have made me a millionaire in my own world, do not forget. And to top it all," she picked up the heavy skirt that she was wearing and waved it in front of the ghosts. " Do you see this? Do you even know how heavy it is? I feel like my waist is going to snap in half because of this thing. That money was mypensation but because of some bastard ¡­son of a bitch ¡­ jerk¡­." Even though the five ghosts were long dead they could still feel a chill crawl up their spines, they all huddled together to ignore the snow storm which was heading their way and joined their hands in prayer as they muttered, '' Dear lord, we might be dead but this is no reason for you to abandon us.'' ¡­ On the other hand, in the carriage where Zhai Tianyu was sitting together with Ji Yu, thetter could not help but shiver as he rubbed his arms and then turned to look out of the carriage. Though he did admit that it was cold, winter was yet toe so why was this chill riding up his spine? ¡­.. The small caravan returned to the imperial pce after six hours of continuous journey. As soon as they all returned to the imperial pce, Ji Yang who did not wish to leave any strings untied immediately submitted a report which said that he wanted Qin Mo Han to pay for his life, in his report he mentioned in detail how thetter had made two innocent women suffer and die with regrets and to make it impossible for Zhao Tianyu to ignore the memorandum he didn''t even think twice before pulling the queen in the mess as well. When Zhai Tianyu finished reading his memorandum after a long and rxing bath, he could not stop the twitching of his lips as he turned to look at Zhai Heng who was nursing a bad headache. " Are you all right?" Zhai Tianyu asked as he looked at his brother who shook his head and replied, "I am not fine at all, with concubine Qin''s death, the power in the pce had once again be unstable. Many officials wish to push their daughters into the pce while many want to make use of this opportunity and make it certain that it will be their daughter who will sit in the same position as concubine Qin after gaining the same power and control as thetter did." " Do you have any idea how many letters I traced and copied as soon as I returned? I did not even get a chance to take a bath because they were on the move as soon as they set foot in the imperial city." Zhai Heng''s identity as vicemander was not only tricky but he was also the only one who was well respected and trusted by Zhai Tianyu which was why he was the one who had to keep track of most of the letters which went in and out of the pce. " It must have been hard," Zhai Tianyu looked at the letters which were copied but then his gaze fell on a crooked set of characters and he immediately picked it up to see whose letter it was, only to find that it was Liu Hui Ying''s! What was she writing a letter for?! And to whom? " Who did the queen write a letter to ?" Zhai Tianyu asked as he turned to look at Zhai Heng who scoffed and then said with a sympathetic smile on his face, " The Queen wants to find out how the thieves who stole from her warehouse looked, it seems that she is quite angry with the amount of money we stole." That was indeed the truth because the second Zhai Tianyu opened the letter and read it, he realised that there was a string of words which were nothing but curse words and all of them were used to honour him and Zhai Heng. His eyebrows throbbed as he looked at Zhai Heng and then turned to look at the letter once again he pursed his lips and then said, " I have a feeling that if we get caught, the queen will snap our necks." " Our necks? I am sure that she will snap our spine and fold it into halves if she was to find out that we were the thieves." Chapter 460: World’s most dangerous words—— you have gotten fat Zhai Tianyu sighed heavily, though he feared the day when the queen will found out that he was the one who stole from her warehouse, there was nothing he could do about it anymore. The money was gone and so was the jewellery, don''t ask him how he burned so much money away in just a few weeks but ¡ª¡ª these were some hard times to live in, does anyone even know how big of an appetite those soldiers who were training in the faraway vige have? It was enough to burn all his savings and leave him with nothing but his underpants. He even had to worry about their weapons and he also needed to appoint another doctor since the one working at the vige was burned out¡ª¡ª All of this cost money! How was Zhai Tianyu supposed to survive without it? Zhai Heng noticed the gloomy clouds which were hanging over the head of his brother and then sinctly changed the topic, " What are you doing with Lord Qin?" Lord Qin was a victim but he was also a murderer, they cannot let him go nor could they lock him up and execute him. Killing Madam Qin who joined hands with Ji Yang in killing his wife was justice but killing his own daughter just because she was doted on by Madam Qin was not fair. No matter what kind of woman concubine Qin was, she was an innocent woman who didn''t harm anyone yet. " I have already thought about what I am going to do with him," though the matter of Lord Qin was a headache, Zhai Tianyu somehow managed toe up with a solution to deal with this case. Zhai Heng knew that his brother was going to be just and fair in his dealings which was why he narrowed his eyes and then warned him in concern, "You have to be careful your majesty. Prime Minister Ji, will not let this matter rest so easily, he will try to use all sorts of means to execute Lord Qin." Lord Qin was a liability that could prove fatal to his power and good name which was why Ji Yang would not allow Lord Qin to live anymore. Even though it has only been a few hours but two attempts were already made to take Lord Qin''s life. It''s as if Ji Yang no longer cares whether or not he gets found out and Zhai Heng knew why. That man now had an excuse which was ¡ª¡ª a tarnish on his reputation and good name even if he was caught he can righteously say that he did it because he was upset after the false usations that Lord Qin made on him and be done with the troubleing upon him. " Naturally, I have thought of a way to deal with him as well," Zhai Tianyu smilingly spoke but his smile looked a bit strained as his gaze fell on all the memorandums which were sitting in front of him on the table. " Since I am a puppet Emperor who is supposed to be putty in the hands of his ministers, I can''t possibly go against them right?" "So it''s going to end with execution?" Zhai Heng questioned already having an idea about what was going to happen. Zhai Tianyu''s smile widened as he nodded and said, " I can''t possibly break the trust of my uncle which he had put forth in me, right Commander Heng?" ¡­. The next morning, the sky was clouded with gloomy clouds. Thunder shed through the cottony grey balls but even the sound of the lightning could not subdue the noises which wereing from the inside of the courtroom. " I beg your majesty to make the wisest decision of all," Ji Yang spoke in a pleading voice but if one was to take notice of his actions and momentum, they would see that he was acting and speaking in an imperious manner as if guiding the Emperor to act ording to his wishes by pulling the Emperor along by his nose. Zhai Tianyu looked at the man whose head was lowered and clenched his fingers tightly on the armrest of the throne on which he was sitting. Though Ji Yang spoke to him like he was wronged, the two of them were well aware of the fact that neither Ji Yang nor his family was wronged but even so he had forced him into the corner and because he was still too weak, Zhai Tianyu had toply with his wishes. " If I may say, your majesty," Liu Dong Ming nced at Ji Yang who seemed to be pleading with Zhai Tianyu before turning his gaze indifferently to Zhai Tianyu. " I suggest we do a small investigation. I mean no matter how deep a secret is buried as long as we know where to dig, it ought toe out right, prime minister Ji? That way you will also be able to clean your name without any hassle." Liu Dong Ming knew that there was no point in digging into the past, in fact, he wasn''t even inclined to dig into it. He had no qualms or grievances regarding the Qin family''s deaths¡ª¡ª after all, neither Madam Qin nor her daughter was a good person. He just wanted to get under Ji Yang''s skin and bully him a little, it was fun to watch him suffer andpared to what he and Grand Empress Dowager did to his cousin, this was nothing but a small snack. Sure enough, Ji Yang red at Liu Dong Ming who very calmly turned his gaze away and no longer spoke which only irritated Ji Yang even more since he knew that Liu Dong Ming was only doing this to annoy him. Though Ji Yang wished to see Liu Dong Ming die a death with thousand cuts on his body, he still suppressed his anger and said, " Your majesty, I agree with prime minister Liu ¡ª¡ª if this is what your majesty wants then I and my family shallpel. I just hope that this stain from my character and name shall be removed." " Pfft," a small chuckle rang out in the courtroom causing a nerve to throb in Ji Yang''s temple as he whipped his head and looked at Liu Dong Ming who slowly cleared his throat and smiled, " I apologise, I am suffering from sore throat." '' Should I cut down that throat for you? If the root is gone there will be no rotting, what do you say?'' Ji Yang roared in his head but even so, he smiled at Liu Dong Ming and nodded with his nerves stretched tautly and said politely, " Ah the weather is cold, it''s understandable. Prime Minister Liu, please do keep yourself covered up¡­it will be troublesome if something was to happen to you." ''I hope you die!'' " There is no need for you to worry about me, Prime Minister Ji," Liu Dong Ming stated calmly. " I can''t possibly leave my fair acquaintance and colleague in distress, don''t worry I shall take even better care of myself." '' I am not going to die even if you do!'' Chapter 461: World’s most dangerous words —— you have gotten fat ——2 ---------------------- Sparks flew inside the courtroom and Zhai Tianyu felt his head throb. Sometimes he wondered whether Ji Yang and Liu Dong Ming were cat and mouse in their past lives, they couldn''t stay put without fighting even for a day! Of course, Liu Dong Ming must have been a cat who teased and taunted Ji Yang, the mouse given how Ji Yang was always in apromising situation with Liu Dong Ming. " Ministers, I am d that you are willing to be so fair and just in such a situation but I am afraid that we do not have the time to worry about the matters of the past," as he spoke Zhai Tianyu waved his hand carelessly as if annoyed with the fact that the case of Lord Qin was being dragged like so far. " We need to focus on preparing for the winters, we cannot allow our people to die because of cold which is why Lord Qin''s case shall be closed as Zhen, rewards him with execution for putting the pride of our dear minister in jeopardy as well as killing our beloved concubine!" Ji Yang heaved a sigh of relief when he heard Zhai Tianyu''s order, fortunately, he raised this boy well or else he would have been severely affected by this ordeal! As he thought of this, Ji Yang turned to look at Liu Dong Ming with a proactive look in his eyes but thetter did not even nce at him, he was looking at Zhai Tianyu with some thoughts hidden deep in his eyes. Clearly, this was a good opportunity to smack Ji Yang back to his ce and suppress him as well but Zhai Tianyu let it go just like that ¡ª¡ª was it because he was scared or was it because he was nning to make a big move in the future? Liu Dong Ming''s turned his gaze away when Zhai Tianyu looked at him as he tapped his fingers on the side of his leg. If it was thetter then it was fine but if it was the former then maybe he should think of a way to get his daughter to divorce this man. His Hui Ying deserved better than a mouse who only knew how to squeak. Second official Liu looked at Zhai Tianyu and then turned to look at his eldest brother and whispered in a slow voice, " Brother what is the matter with his majesty? He can clearly use this opportunity to whip prime minister Ji in ce, so why¡ª¡ª ouch!" He was still speaking when Liu Dong Ming turned around and flicked him on the forehead causing Second official Liu to whimper in pain as he gazed at his brother with teary red eyes. Liu Dong Ming nced down at his brother who seemed to be crying and then spoke in a reprimanding voice, " Your mouth seems to have turned loose, Xue Yan. Go and get your punishment at the ancestral hall, you are not allowed to eat for three ¡­." Liu Xue Yan waited with bated breath as he was afraid that the most dangerous punishment was going to be handed to him and sure enough, he heard Liu Dong Ming say, " Hours." " Brother!" Liu Xue Yan''s tears became even more round and fatter when he heard his brother''s voice. " You know I need my snacks." " Your mouth is getting bigger by the minute since you keep stuffing it. You shall not eat for the next three hours and if you speak more I add another hour," Liu Dong Ming threatened causing Liu Xue Yan to purse his lips as he red at him. Fine! I will go andin to my cousin! His cousin, Qing He will surely help him! Hmph! Zhai Tianyu had been keeping an eye on Liu Dong Ming in the past he did not care about this minister of his since he thought that he was indeed as cold and detached as Ji Yang told him. But now that, he heard the small squabble which went between Liu Xue Yan and Liu Dong Ming, he could see that prime minister Liu seemed to be quite caring toward his family, unlike Ji Yang who would abandon them at the smallest trouble. ¡­. " Did you hear your majesty, the Emperor ordered for official Qin to be executed," Xiao Ai who returned from the kitchen told Liu Hui Ying as she set down the tray of snacks on the table in front of Liu Hui Ying. " I heard that Minister Qin will be decapitated at the Main Street of the capital." Liu Hui Ying did not even bother raising her head as she took a bite of the snack which was sitting in front of her before taking a sip from the teacup. " I see," Liu Hui Ying very calmly spoke as she turned to look at Xiao Ai and then with a smile on her face said, " But more importantly, my dear Ai¡­what is the matter with these snacks?" Xiao Ai looked at the pasties which she had brought with her and then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying before saying, " What is the matter with them, your majesty?" Liu Hui Ying felt something snap inside of her as her stress reached the max level. She raised her hand and then pointed at the te of pasties and then said, " They are all without sugar! They taste tasteless! Do you know how it feels to eat something so tasteless? It feels horrible! Where is my sugar!?" " Look at that, a man is going to die ¡ª¡ª and she only cares about her sugary snacks¡­" Li Gang scoffed where Jia Li and the rest swiftly walked away from him as Liu Hui Ying walked over to where Li Gang was and shoved the sugar-free pasty inside his mouth before going back out into the living room leaving Li Gang to choke on the ky pasty which tasted nd. " Your majesty ¡­ it is not that I want to bar you from sugar but¡­." Xiao Ai hesitated as she reached out her hand and squeezed Liu Hui Ying''s waist. " You have gone fat." Chapter 462: A little help " Buhahaha!" Li Gang who was choking on the pasty suddenly burst outughing. In their world, Liu Hui Ying never had to worry about getting fat since her metabolism was excellent thus she was used to snacking all the time but this body of hers was different not only was it prone to getting fat easier¡­ all the fat which she stored went to the wrong ces! Which made her chubby quite easily! Though they have been noticing the changes in Liu Hui Ying, they did not dare to say it out loud. That woman was so narcissistic and confident that she believed that no matter what she looked exceptionally beautiful even when she was on the verge of bing a couch potato. Liu Hui Ying narrowed her eyes and then whipped her head to re at Li Gang, even though they had a door between them, the intensity of her re was so furious that Li Gang felt a chill climb up his spine no sooner did Liu Hui Ying turn around and red at him. " Cough¡­.cough ¡­ it''s the pasty. It got stuck in my throat," he told her in an attempt to salvage the situation but Liu Hui Ying simply sneered and then said, " You are a ghost, do you think that anything can stuck inside your throat?" Li Gang: "¡­." Oh looks like this excuse cannot be used. Liu Hui Ying snorted before turning around to look at Xiao Ai and smiled at her patiently before saying, " Sweetie, you are breaking my heart. I have only gotten a tad bit chubbier not fat¡­ and this is all easy to lose weight, I will lose it in no time. So why don''t you¡ª¡ª" " Absolutely not!" Before she could finish speaking Nanny Gong returned as well. She was carrying a bowl of soup which she ced in front of Liu Hui Ying and then sternly looked down at thetter before parting her lips and saying, " All of your clothes have gone tight, and your face has lost its glow because of the excess sugar and your sharp chin has now be round. If this goes on it will not take long before you turn into the female version of Master Liu''s!" Nanny Gong closed her eyes and snorted at the image before she turned to walk around and grabbed Liu Hui Ying''s waist which was now squeezing out of her clothes. " Look at this, the women in the harem are eating lesser and lesser to the point that even the smallest sized clothes are getting loose on them and you, your majesty ¡ª¡ª you are eating so much that your body has long surpassed the normal body proportions for a woman in the harem!" Liu Hui Ying looked at her t stomach which was only the smallest bit bby and then raised her head to look at Nanny Gong and asked, " Are you not being a bit too judgmental Nanny? It''s a bit of fat, it''s normal." "Heh, is it?" Nanny Gong however sneered as she rolled her eyes and then continued speaking, " Concubines and the Empress in the harem are supposed to be as dainty as flowers. I shiver to think what might happen if you go any fatter than this, are you not afraid that his majesty will find you ugly and unattractive? Who will give birth to the heir then?" Liu Hui Ying did not take Nanny Gong''s words seriously as she too rolled her eyes and then said, " Honestly, I don''t care¡ª¡ª" " Oh my god, is that a pimple?" Before she could finish Nanny Gong poked at the small bump on Liu Hui Ying''s face which made her straighten up a little. She turned her head and looked at the mirror which was brought over by Qi Qing and sure enough she saw a teeny tiny bump on the side of her cheek. It was indeed a pimple¡ª¡ª GOD DAMN IT! ¡­.. " One more round your majesty! You have to run more rounds!" Nanny Gong cheered Liu Hui Ying who ran around the courtyard. In the past, Nanny Gong found these exercises a bit too unsightly in her eyes but now that she knew the benefits, she was willing to ept them reluctantly. Liu Hui Ying gritted her teeth and persisted as she pushed herself to run another round before falling on the mattress which was arranged for after the exercises. " Good job, your majesty¡­ you did a good job for today," Nanny Gong pped her hands as she praised Liu Hui Ying before turning to look at Xiao Ai and saying, "Go and prepare a medicinal bath we need to make sure that there is no blemish on her majesty''s face. Her face is quite precious." Of course, it was darn it! Liu Hui Ying banged her fist on the ground. Who cared if that stupid man found her attractive or not but her jade-like skin, it was not allowed to be blemished! This was all for herself and not for a stupid man! Before anyone else Liu Hui Ying loved herself the most! But wait a minute¡ª¡ª Find more chapters on m_v l|e-NovelBin " Nanny, you could have simply run the bath right?" Liu Hui Ying turned her head slightly to look at Nanny Gong even though she was half dead and asked in a low voice. " I know that a medicinal bath could have fixed this small pimple in a jiffy." Nanny Gong did not seem quite surprised by the question, she simply beamed until her eyes were like small crescents and then replied softly, "It is not that I wished to do this either, your majesty but running a medicinal bath will only fix the problem for a small while, it will not deal with the root cause thus until you are done losing this excess weight of yours, there will be no more snacks or meat dishes for you. You will eat a vegetarian diet until and unless you lose all of this extra weight." Liu Hui Ying: "¡­.." I am withering radish in the farm abandoned by all! " Do whatever you want," since Liu Hui Ying knew that this time it was for her good, she did not make a fuss but at the same time she did not give into Nanny Gong''s whims that easily lest thetter''s head inted. -------------------- Chapter 463: A little help —-2 " Urgh, why do we have to eat these vegetables as well?" Though Li Gang had quite a goodugh at Liu Hui Ying''s expense for the first time in his life after death. He soon learned how to be humble, because that night when the meal which he was so looking forward to was finally delivered he only got to see rabbit food! That''s right, rabbit food there was not even an egg! While nibbling on arge lettuce leaf, Li Gang sobbed as he remembered the good old days when he could eat anything that he wanted and did not have to rely on this small bowl of vegetables. He looked down at his bowl which only had tofu and some vegetables drizzled with sauce and turned to look at Liu Hui Ying before saying, " Can you not do anything? You are the Empress!" " I might be the Empress but there are some things not under my control," Liu Hui Ying stated while munching on the small slice of tomato with a nk expression as if she had nothing to look forward to and she indeed had nothing to look forward to since she had to diet for the next one month and this was something that she was not looking forward to at all! What the hell just because she got a bit fat and was no longer as attractive as she was before she had to suffer like this? It was simply too much! " Be d that we are still getting a bowl of vegetarian dishes," Jia Li suddenly spoke up. " I have heard that the ancient methods of losing weight were too strict. A woman had to tie her stomach to make it look small and some only relied on eating and drinking raw vegetables and water. Since sauces still carry a bit of sugar." " She is right," Witch Mao chewed on the onion and agreed. " Back then when thetetete Empress got a bit fat after she gave birth to a child, she only relied on eating three grains of rice and water to fill herself up." "It is crazy how well women are treated no matter what the time," Liu Hui Ying scoffed as she looked down at the bowl of vegetables which was sitting in front of her. She was well aware of how in the name of fitness someizens bullied a slightly fat girl by calling her all sorts of names in the end the poor girl starved herself until she lost weight but even so many med her for doing surgery to lose weight. Why was it that a woman was suddenly imed as ugly just because she was a bit fat ?! The meal was supposed to be a nd one, it was so bad that even Grandma Lan Fen who was the kindest and the least fussiest one shed a few tears by the time she was done with her meal. ¡­ " Now what I am going to do?" Liu Hui Ying rolled on the bed as her hands inched to get something to snack on but because all her snacks were confiscated by Nanny Gong including the one that she hid, Liu Hui Ying had nothing more to live for. With the snacks in her hands she could still spend her time but now that they were gone what was she supposed to do? Even Li Gang and the rest were feeling a bit restless, they were not used to eating only a bowl of vegetables but there was nothing that they could do with the small kitchen shut close after Liu Hui Ying''s diet started. " Ah! Why don''t we go and see the theatre which the fifth concubine usually watches?" Jia Li suddenly eximed as she turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was sitting on the bed with a sulking expression on her face. " Theatre?" Liu Hui Ying mused as she stopped her rolling and then turned to look at Jia Li who nodded her head and then said, "That''s right, the drama group that the fifth concubine hired is really a good one! Sometimes when I watch their drama, I even forget that I am running low on yin energy. They are that good, so why don''t you invite that drama group? Or maybe you can just go ahead and trespass at the fifth concubine''s courtyard? You are the Empress, I don''t think that anyone is going to stop you!" Liu Hui Ying narrowed her eyes, in all honesty, she did not have anything good to do which was why the suggestion indeed seemed a little better than lying around and rolling on bad while crying out of hunger. Continue reading on m|v-l''e -NovelBin " All right¡ª¡ª" she hardly finished speaking when an arrow zoomed past her head and stuck next to her on the bedpost. Liu Hui Ying who dodged the arrow just by mere inches was speechless as she turned to look at the blunt arrow and the letter tied to it. " Is this an enemy or friend?" Li Gang questioned as Liu Hui Ying went to untie the letter and read through the lines. Once she was done reading, Liu Hui Ying scoffed and rolled her eyes, " If you have friends like these do you still think you need enemies?" It was a letter sent by Zhai Tianyu, he wanted her help which was why he sent this letter but because he was being kept an eye on by others, he could only send it in secret. " You all," she turned to the four ghosts including Xiao Lin who was especially silent since she learned her lesson. " Go and help Commander Zhai, he will be waiting for you by the prison and will tell you what you need to do. Just do as he says ande back." Zhai Tianyu did not write what he wanted her ghosts to do, he only said that he wanted the help of the three friends but she decided to send witch Mao and Xiao Lin along with the other three at least they will be able to learn what they needed to do while staying next to her. Chapter 464: The ghosts’ help " Are we going to stand here this all night?" Yu Lingyun turned to look at his friend and senior. Though he had no qualms standing in the night, there had to be a reason! One that would justify why he needed to disrupt his beauty sleep. But at this moment, there was no justification just an order which said that he needed to stand close to the prison. Zhai Heng sighed and turned to look at Yu Lingyun. He could see the impatience running underneath the calm exterior of Yu Lingyun and he wasn''t even surprised by it because Yu Lingyun was indeed someone who did not like to wait, he was the type of man who would smack someone to death first before waking him back from the dead and asking him why hemitted a crime. " I was not going to tell you this because I was afraid that you will get scared but since you want to know the truth so desperately, then I will fulfil your wishes," Zhai Heng''s words still held a warning which allowed Yu Lingyun to take back theints which he had made just now but it was unfortunate since Yu Lingyun did not understand what Zhai Heng was trying to tell him. The young general turned around to look at his friend and arched a brow, " What truth?" Zhai Heng turned to look at Yu Lingyun, while desperately trying to suppress the smirk which was almost on the way to his lips as he replied, " His majesty asked the ghosts who follow her majesty to help us." In fact, they could have made the guard arranged by Ji Yang to pass out as well but Zhai Tianyu was worried that Ji Yang will get suspicious. Currently, their secret army was recruiting more soldiers who had be long dissatisfied with the Ji family, if Ji Yang was to get suspicious then it will be really troublesome and in case he ended up recruiting more soldiers to his own army before they could take care of it, then it will do more harm then good. It was better to do it cleanly such that Ji Yang will not be able to trace it back to them. But that did not matter to Yu Lingyun, the only thing that mattered to him was that ¡ª¡ª ghosts wereing! " WHAT?! Why did you not tell me this?" Yu Lingyun questioned angrily. " If I had known I wouldn''t havee." Yu Lingyun had no qualms in fighting living but he was scared of the dead, what if they were to harm him in a manner he did not expect? And since he could not knock them out, how will he survive? As a man with great strength, Yu Lingyun only relied on his strength and if there were things which he could not take down with his strength, those things scared him. Zhai Heng was surprised by his reaction in fact this was why neither he nor Zhai Tianyu told Yu Lingyun why they had to stand next to the prison silently but thetter was too chatty and he couldn''t listen to hisints anymore. More importantly, Yu Lingyun was really annoying when he became chatty. This was the main reason why Zhai Heng told him the truth, at least now Yu Lingyun will be too scared to say anything. " This is why we did not tell you because his majesty and I knew that you will get scared," Zhai Heng turned to look at Yu Lingyun and remarked calmly which only made thetter re at him. " You traitors¡ª¡ª-" Yu Lingyun was still speaking when someone suddenly blew a cold breath against his cheek causing him to shudder as he mped a hand on his face and turned around to see who it was but unfortunately for him, he did not see anything or anyone. Enjoy more content from m-v l''e|-NovelBin Instantly all the colour from his face drained down. " Don''t scare him too much," Li Gang told Jia Li who seemed to be enjoying teasing Yu Lingyun. Jia Li arched a brow and smirked before saying, "What do you know, it is not every day that we get a chance to scare someone." As they were Liu Hui Ying''s contracted ghost workers, they were not allowed to scare, kill or haunt any human. The second they signed a contract with Liu Hui Ying, they were supposed to follow her orders without any mistake which was why it was indeed not possible for them to scare a human as it will bring trouble to Liu Hui Ying. Thest time they scared a human as a prank, the grim reaper came knocking on the door to scold Liu Hui Ying and once Liu Hui Ying got scolded, a punishment was inevitable. " Now that you have said that ¡­ I think I will try too," Li Gang''s eyes glinted as he walked over to Yu Lingyun who was looking around in confusion as if to ascertain that he was indeed touched by a ghost just now and thus, Li Gang stretched out his hand and then with the help of his forefinger traced Yu Lingyun back. Don''t ask him why he acted like this¡ª¡ª it was because he was a ghost and scaring humans was his instinct. Just because he signed a contract it does not mean that he no longer wished to act like a real ghost anymore. Yu Lingyun was only confused when someone blew air against his cheek but this time the touch of someone''s cold finger tracing his spine was too evident to ignore. His expression twisted as he opened his mouth to scream but just as he was going to scream he remembered that he was on duty which was why he mped his hands on his mouth and without letting Zhai Heng stop him, turned around and ran. At first, Zhai Heng did not understand what was going on but then he heard Yu Lingyun''s wretched scream from far afar and instantly understood that the ghosts were finally here. Because nothing other than them could make Yu Lingyun scream like that ¡ª¡ª after all, he was the type of man who roasted the snake which was sent to assassinate him and ate it in a gulp. Chapter 465: The ghosts’ help ---------------- " I don''t know why but it looks like the ghosts who follow her majesty, hate me," Yu Lingyun muttered as he shook his head despondently. Every time those ghosts came near him, they would tease or scare him and in case the situation was to escte, he would find himself making a joke out of himself. " I understand what you are feeling, Lingyun but ¡­" Zhai Heng looked at the big octopus which was sticking close to him with all of his limbs wrapped around his waist and neck before asking, " When are you going to go down? If we are seen by someone then it would be troublesome." " Hah, you want me to go down? Now? When we are surrounded by ghosts? I didn''t think you were such a man, Ah Heng," though he said that Yu Lingyun made no effort to undo his limbs which he had wrapped around Zhai Heng. Zhai Heng sighed, he was not surprised to see that Yu Lingyun was acting like such, with a frustrated sigh he turned to the air which was slightly colder than it was before and then bowed his head before he requested, " His Majesty wants to save Official Qin but for that, we would need your help, please help us by knocking the guards out, that way we will be able to help Official Qin escape." Though Official Qin was a killer as well, he was also a victim which was why Zhai Tianyu came up with another punishment which was more worthy of someone like Official Qin. Though Zhai Heng felt weird after speaking to nothing but air he still waited for a response and it was after a very long pause when someone wrote on the ground. " Just that? We can do better." " S¡­Someo¡­.someone is writing¡ª¡ª Heng, look at that¡ª¡ª" Yu Lingyun shrieked in Zhai Heng''s ear as if thetter couldn''t hear what he was saying or as if he couldn''t see what was happening right in front of him. Zhai Heng pushed Yu Lingyun''s face away from his own and then turned to look at the words which were written on the ground and nodded, "Then we will leave it to you all, thank you for helping us." "It''s all right, we were bored anyway," came the response as the temperature around them plummeted and then rose suddenly. Once the temperature rose, Yu Lingyun who was sticking close to Zhai Heng shivered and said, " Though I knew that her majesty had ghosts working beside her but I never thought that she would have such weird ghosts next to her ¡­how can she live with them! Did you see how they teased me?" Now that the ghosts were no longer hovering around him, Yu Lingyun was feeling courageous again. Zhai Heng wanted to tell Yu Lingyun that there was a chance that those ghosts did not tease Liu Hui Ying and only teased him since his reactions were funny but then he thought of how Yu Lingyun will make a fuss if he was to say the truth which was why he sighed and simply said, " When are you going to stand on your feet? My waist is hurting ¡ª¡ª-" " Gasp," This sudden gasp made Zhai Heng turn around and look at the maid who was walking past them. He looked at her popping eyes and then looked down at his and Yu Lingyun''s pose before raising his head as he said, " That''s not what¡ª¡ª" However before he could say anything, the maid raised her hand then said, " I did not see anything, Commander Zhai, don''t worry. I did not gaze upon your and General Yu''s frivolous midnight affair, so you don''t have to say anything nor exin." After that, she turned around and ran leaving Zhai Heng to stand where he was with his hand outstretched. He was sure that everyone woulde to know about this ''frivolous love affair'' that he was having with Yu Lingyun by tomorrow morning and not only that he would be infamous to the point that the officials will send all sorts of male beauties to him from now on. Zhai the straight man Heng: "¡­.." I have so many grievances but I can''t do anything about them. Continue reading at m|v-l''e -NovelBin He looked down at Yu Lingyun who smiled and then cheekily said, " Ooops," "Oops? You bastard! " Whack! The sound of something hitting a hard surface echoed in the surrounding which scared the birds and the bugs which were hiding in the trees and the grass but fortunately, the guards who were stationed outside the prison along with the shadow guards were all standing in a trance as if they couldn''t see or hear anything. When Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun saw this, they instantly knew that it was the work of those ghosts who came to help them. No wonder they said that they could do better it was because they could indeed do better! If all the shadow guards and the guards stationed around the prison were in a trance then no one would be able to catch them and more importantly, they will also not be able to put the me on anyone''s head since they were wide awake all night! " These ghosts¡­they are really amazing aren''t they?" Yu Lingyun looked at the prison which was covered in a hazy mist which was visible to the naked eye. He turned to look at Zhai Heng and then said," Hey you know¡­" " Don''t say it," Zhai Heng knew what Yu Lingyun was going to say which was why he immediately stopped thetter causing Yu Lingyun to furrow his brows as he still insistently said, " But if they are with us¡ª¡ª" " I am afraid that her majesty will agree to let you use her ghosts to conquer countries, Lingyun. So stop thinking about it and forget what you even saw," Zhai Heng was long aware of how terrifying the power which Liu Hui Ying held in her hands but now that he was seeing a small glimpse of it, he understood what the wise man meant by when they said¡ª¡ª with great poweres great responsibility. However, even though he was tempted he did not let himself lose his head as he turned to look at Yu Lingyun and said, "Let''s go, we have a lot to do." Chapter 466: Forgive me master The next morning, Ji Yang with a group of his guards rushed inside the prison, only to find the cell where official Qin was kept empty. A roar of fury escaped his lips as he looked at the empty prison cell. He did not understand what went wrong when he had paid attention to every single thing to make sure that Master Qin will not be able to escape even if someone was to help him. But now the prison was empty and the man inside of it was gone! " How did this happen?" Ji Yang flipped as he turned to look at the head of the prison with fury brimming in his eyes. The look in his eyes was beyond fury, it was sheer evil. If not for the fact that killing the head of the prison would bring him some severe consequences he would have definitely wrapped his hand around the throat of the man and choked him to death. One thing was told several times and he still couldn''t do a job which he asked him to do properly. " I do not know what happened sir," the head guard spoke with a nervous expression. His eyes were flickering from left to right as he looked at Ji Yang who seemed to be out of it, he knew that Ji Yang will not be able to hurt him but the look on the face of the old man made the head guard shudder. Though the outsiders believed that Ji Yang was a kindhearted gentleman but the head guard had seen Ji Yang interrogating criminals and the people of the Liu Family whom he caught, even though they were innocent this man had killed them all one by one. Thus, the head guard did not believe that Ji Yang was kind if anything he was a man who was filled with evil intentions. " You mean to say that the man who was locked up here, just vanished in thin air without a single trace? Do you think that I am a fool one that you can lead around by the nose?" Ji Yang breathed heavily as he red at the man who fumbled for words but Ji Yang was not willing to listen. This was not good, he thought as he walked past the head guard and looked at the criminals who were locked up in the cells. He wished that he would find Master Qin hiding among them but nothing no matter how much he looked around he did not find the man, he was looking for. " Damn those idiots!" Ji Yang trembled as he walked out of the prison, the death of Master Qin was necessary back then he had no one to help and could only make use of small tactics like currying favour with the Emperor even when it meant acting like a pimp, he had done it and Ji Yang was ashamed of a past like that. He did not wish for anyone to know that there was a time when the young him was going around licking the boots of those who stood on top of him. It would be too embarrassing not to forget humiliating! " What are we going to do now master?" the aide who was following behind Ji Yang spoke with a frown on his lips. " If he is in the hands of the Liu family then¡ª¡ª" "We will be in great trouble, do you think that I don''t know that?" Ji Yang snapped harshly as he looked at the man beside him. His eyes were filled with deranged anger as he looked at the prison from where Master Qin vanished and ordered, " I don''t care what you have to do! But get that man in front of me, if he is alive I have to see him and if he is dead bring his dead body to me!" " Yes master!" The man bowed his head as he vanished in the air. Once the man was gone, Ji Yang was left alone, he breathed in and out before turning around and looking at the man who was sitting on top of a boulder. He was wearing a ck robe with red spider lilies embroidered on it while ying with the golden bangles on his wrist and asked, "What am I supposed to do now?" His voice was deadly serious as he looked at the man for an answer. " Why are you asking me this, prime minister Ji?" The man smiled patiently as he raised his head and looked at the man in front of him. " Did I not tell you that I will only help you when I want to, not when you ask me to." " But you took my son''s body! Shouldn''t you be helping me out since I handed you the body of my son?" Ji Yang couldn''t help but rebut angrily as he looked at the handsome face which had three finger marks on his left cheek with eyes which were underlined red. The man smiled as he pushed himself off the boulder on which he was sitting, the mole under his eyes crinkled when he smiled. " You handed me this body because you wanted the throne, prime minister Ji. The throne is yours to hold and I will be sure of it but small things like this are not something that I will bother myself with. Since they have nothing to do with your ability to get your hands on the throne." " Master¡ª¡ª" Ji Yang wanted to say something more but the man nced at him with a stern look which caused Ji Yang to purse his lips and turn silent. He clenched his fingers in anger but as this man was stronger than him, Ji Yang did not dare to make a move against him. Discover hidden content at m,v l''e-NovelBin " You have gotten a bit too chatty, Minister Ji," said the man with his lips curled in a soft smile. " I hope you will remember that the reason you are standing in this position is because of me, do not question me ever again." Immediately, Ji Yang went to his knees as he apologized, " Forgive me, master, I was wrong." --------------- Chapter 467: I am back, dear The man snorted before turning around and looking at the lingering yin energy which was floating next to the prison. His eyes flickered as he looked at remnants of the yin energy and stretched out his hand to get a good grip on it, the ck qi which was floating in small wisps floated towards the fingertips of the man as he softly pinched it before absorbing it all. " That woman had gotten stronger," he muttered with a smile which did not reach his evil eyes. " I have to think of a way to send her away ¡­ or else I would lose everything." ... " Achoo!" Liu Hui Ying sneezed as she covered her nose with a handkerchief and turned to look at Jia Li and asked, " So they sent Master Qin to a vige in exile?" "That''s right," Jia Li nodded as she munched on the peanuts which were ced on the table. It was with a lot of haggling that Liu Hui Ying was able to get this te of peanuts as a snack which was why she did not hesitate to smack Jia Li on the back of her hand when those grabby paws tried to get another handful of peanuts. The female ghost rolled her eyes and then whined, "Stingy. But anyway, as I said, His Majesty sent official Qin to a Barrennd which is miles away from the imperial city. I don''t think that Ji Yang will be able to catch him now that official Qin is living in such a faraway ce." " It would be nice if he really escapes," said Liu Hui Ying as she turned to look at Jia Li who was munching on the peanuts and asked, " Did you askmander Zhai where they were sending official Qin?" " I did not ask but I did hear when they were discussing from what I heard they said it was the southernnd," Jia Li answered which caused Liu Hui Ying to frown her brows, seeing her frowning Jia Li paused and asked, " Why, what''s the matter?" "It''s nothing when we were digging out the grave of Official Qin''s wife¡ª¡ª I noticed a small bouquet which you cannot find in the north. Explore more at m,v l''e-NovelBin I asked around those flowers came from the south," Liu Hui Ying remarked as she remembered a bunch of small flowers which looked ugly and stuck out like a sore thumb when ced in between those beautiful flowers which withered up slowly along with the one that slept inside the coffin. " You mean to say¡­" " His Majesty sent Official Qin where he always wanted to go¡­the home of his beloved." ¡­.. An old man limped past the streets of the barrennd from where most of the viges were gone only leaving a few refugees who had nowhere to go. Because the old man was dressed in a pair of washed-out clothes, the refugees did not pay any attention to him which allowed the man to arrive at his destination without any trouble. With his webbed and cloudy eyes, the old man looked at the abandoned small courtyard which was covered with weeds and spider webs. Though the house was covered in moss and looked ugly and unsuitable for living, the light in the man''s eyes never dimmed in fact it got even more brighter¡ª¡ª this house belonged to his master who took him as a disciple and this was the ce where he met his beloved for the first time. " My dear, I am back," Master Qin''s eyes clouded with tears as he limped inside the small house. This was the house which he and his wife have left behind with dreams in their eyes, they believed that wherever they were going they will be happy and sessful. Only now that Master Qin was back did he realise that there was no ce like home. Those castles and big houses they were all filled with corruption and the scent of blood, for him this small house was his only home¡ª¡ª too bad he realised it after he lost everything. As he approached the door, Master Qin pushed the door open and then walked inside the house. Maybe it was the first nce of the house which brought him back to the past which he always wanted to return to, but his spine which was bent straightened up a little more, his eyes which were filled with child-like excitement took in everything that was still left within the house from the swing which was sitting in the background to the small chicken coop which was rusting. He was back, he was finally back! " My dear! I am back!" No sooner did he say those words than a gust of warm wind flew past him as if hugging him and saying ¡ª¡ª wee back. Behind him stood a woman dressed in a pure white robe while holding the white lily which was given to her by the kind-hearted Empress. If she had walked down the path where she was supposed to go, the woman would have been on the road of reincarnation by now but ¡­ She looked at the silly man who was still hung up on her and sighed before keeping the flower aside and walking inside the house. She had waited for reincarnation all these years, she could wait a few more. ¡­.. On the other hand, Liu Hui Ying had no idea what was going on with official Qin currently she was sitting in her courtyard with the fifth concubine, Concubine Chu sitting in front of her. Unlike the other concubines, concubine Chu was much shyer and introverted, thus when she was called by Liu Hui Ying, she couldn''t help but tremble from head to foot as she sat in front of Liu Hui Ying with her head lowered and her entire body on vibrating mode. " Are you okay?" Liu Hui Ying asked but it would have been better if she did not ask because the woman yelped and fell to her knees and shouted, " I am sorry, I am sorry! I apologize, I should not have touched the taboo and made those actors perform a bl drama! I promise I will not do it ever again!" Chapter 468: Flower choosing ceremony " What did you say?" Liu Hui Ying looked down at the concubine who went on her knees. She only questioned the woman lightly without raising her voice but who knows what concubine Chu thought in her head but the next second she started crying. " I ¡­I said that I will not make the drama troupe perform another bl drama, please let me go, your majesty," the poor woman was so scared that she was huping. Seeing her like this Liu Hui Ying was speechless, why was the woman crying over something so small? What she wanted to watch was her own preference, was there a need for her to shed tears like this? "It''s a taboo," as if sensing Liu Hui Ying''s confusion, Nanny Gong exined with the back of her hand resting against her mouth as she whispered in Liu Hui Ying''s ear, " Because the rtionship between the same gender is forbidden, it''s not encouraged. Though some still try to keep male and female concubines¡ª- they are not even registered under the registry of the family." Only then did Liu Hui Ying understand why concubine Chu was crying like her dooms day was here. She sighed and then rubbed her forehead before saying, " I did not call you here because I wanted to reprimand you, concubine Chu. I called you because I seriously wish to apany you in watching the drama, don''t misunderstand." Only then did Chu Zhao raise her head and looked at Liu Hui Ying with eyes which were still twinkling with tears. " Rea¡­Really?" The woman asked as if she was worried that Liu Hui Ying will go back on her words and then chop her down. " Really," affirmed Liu Hui Ying before she turned to look at Xiao Ai and asked her to help Concubine Chu up who still looked a bit shaken up but at least she had stopped trembling like a small little rabbit who was sent in the tiger''s den. Liu Hui Ying sighed in relief before she parted her lips and then continued speaking, " As you may already know, I have nothing good to do these days. Usually, I spent my time snacking but someone in my courtyard feels that I have gotten¡­f¡­fa..faa.." " Fat, your majesty," Nanny Gong finished the sentence for Liu Hui Ying who turned around and red at her with anger bursting in her eyes. She snorted when Nanny Gong lowered her head before turning around and looking at concubine Chu once again, "That''s right, they think that I have gotten fat. If I had my way," said Liu Hui Ying, " I would simply have them all locked up and just eat my fill but I am too kind to do that." " You cannot lock us up without a reason, your majesty," Nanny Gong put in. " Nonsense," Liu Hui Ying waved her hand. " You are putting my mental health in jeopardy, I think you are doing more harm than good." " Your majesty," Nanny Gong stressed causing Liu Hui Ying to roll her eyes. " Oh all right," she relented. " This is the reason why I need another hobby to take on which will allow me to stop feeling like I want to scratch someone''s face. I heard from someone that you and your courtyard often ask the drama troupe to y something for you which is why I wish to apany you, am I not allowed to?" Concubine Chu nced at her maid and then pursed her lips before she twisted the handkerchief in her hands as she said, "It is not that I don''t want to invite you, your majesty but the thing is that if you and I ¡­get along then I am afraid that the others might not like it." As she finished speaking, concubine Chu dropped her head and did not speak anymore but Liu Hui Ying understood what she was trying to say. The harem might be detached from the imperial court but it had its own power struggle and much worse than those old men fighting since¡ª¡ª a woman''s jealousy was much more deadly than any man quibbling over stupid thing. Liu Hui Ying knew that if she was to get along with concubine Chu there will be a sudden tip in the bnce of the power of the harem. Though only Zhai Tianyu had the right to raise the position of the concubines, Liu Hui Ying as the Empress was not that worthless. She had her own powers and could easily send a concubine to the abyss of death if they were to cross her ¡ª- getting her to stand behind one''s back was like getting a golden card which was equivalent to getting a free zone card. No matter what happens in the future those standing by the side of the Empress would always stay protected. Till now no one had made a fuss because she did not befriend them but if Liu Hui Ying was to join hands with someone then she did not believe that the other concubines would sit still. However, she was too bored! " Concubine Chu," Liu Hui Ying lowered her head as she pulled on a pitiful expression and said, " I understand what you are trying to say but as you can see, being the Empress is not a really good thing. I might be standing at the top but it''s too lonely. Don''t you think that I deserve to have some friends as well? Look at me, I only stay inside my courtyard which is not even adorned with all theforts, I don''t even have the love of my husband ¡­ as I am nothing in his eyes ¡ª¡ªyou know how men are they only love the new one but forget the old¡ª¡ª, sob ¡­ all I want is a friend is it too much to ask?" Behind the door Zhai Tianyu who came to see his wife was stupefied. What did she mean by he did not love her? He loved her to the moon and back it was she who did not let him show his love! Chapter 469: Flower choosing ceremony ——2 --------------------- On the other side, Liu Hui Ying was still going on about how she had been abandoned and left alone by her husband, just as she was about to go to the climax, Li Gang lowered his head and said, "Your good for nothing husband is standing outside..should I knock him out or will you agree to feel the second-hand embarrassment when he walks inside?" Liu Hui Ying paused and then turned to look at Li Gang before saying, " Is this something you even need to ask? Knock him out cold!" " Got it," Li Gang floated outside the room where he met with Zhai Tianyu who turned his head to look at the ghostly man and sighed before raising his hands in surrender. " I will follow wherever you want to take me, there is no need for you to be violent, all right?" " Smart," Li Gang muttered as he nodded before motioning Zhai Tianyu to follow him to the backyard. Concubine Chu who was sitting inside the room, did not have any idea that something like this took ce right under her nose. Her eyes turned red as she raised her hand and said, " There is no need for her majesty to say anymore, I understand. What his majesty has done to you, your majesty¡­ I understand it all ¡ª¡ª I am in the same boat as you, after all, you don''t have to feel so lonely by yourself. I will invite you to my courtyard, pleasee and watch tonight''s y with me." " Ah, I am so thankful," Liu Hui Ying wiped her tears as she smiled at concubine Chu seemingly touched by her initiative of bing friends with her. Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai looked at Liu Hui Ying and then turned their gaze to look at concubine Chu before feeling a bit apologetic toward thetter as the innocent and naive concubine Chu did not even know that she had been fooled. ¡­. Concubine Chu took her leave after she was done inviting Liu Hui Ying to her courtyard for the night y. Once she was gone, Zhai Tianyu who was waiting for his turn strode inside the room which belonged to Liu Hui Ying and demanded, " My queen, why did you say that I do not love you? How can you make me the bad guy?" " Did I say something wrong?" Liu Hui Ying asked with a subtle blink. " Did you not tell me that you were in love with concubine Ji and that you will never love me? And you were also the one who told me that you and I two poles at the other end of thend, we can never meet, your esteemed majesty." Zhai Tianyu: "¡­." For the first time in his life, Zhai Tianyu understood what it means to lift a stone and smash it on his own foot. He was indeed the one who told these words to Liu Hui Ying but it did not mean that he felt the same! Though Zhai Tianyu wanted to take those words back, he did not know where to start. " By the way, are you here to eavesdrop on me, your majesty?" Liu Hui Ying questioned with a raise of her brow. Only then did Zhai Tianyu snap out of his thoughts and said, " Of course not, why would I ¡­ I came here to thank you for your helpst night because of you, I was able to do what my heart felt was right and did not even have to worry about the consequences as prime minister Ji couldn''t trace it back to me." Liu Hui Ying rolled her eyes as she stretched her hand in front of Zhai Tianyu which caused him to look at her with confusion. " What?" Liu Hui Ying was looking away from the man as his face did something to her but when she heard his questioning tone, she turned her head and looked at him with wide eyes and raised brows, " What do you mean by what? If you are here to thank me then should you not be giving me money? The service charge for my help? It is not free." " You must be joking, my queen," Zhai Tianyu chuckled as he looked at Liu Hui Ying''s hand. " I have no money, my pocket is controlled strictly by my grandmother because she does not wish me to have an extra sum of money that I might spend in a ce where she does not know ¡­ I am broke ." " Hah," Liu Hui Ying snorted as she turned her head and muttered, "It''s just my luck¡­ from a millionaire to an Empress of an Emperor who is broke." Zhai Tianyu touched his nose awkwardly before saying, " Before I forget, I came to tell you that you will be in charge of the flower choosing ceremony." " The what ceremony?" Liu Hui Ying questioned with a frown as she looked at Zhai Tianyu who was sneaking out of the room with a cheeky look. His actions made Liu Hui Ying pause and look at him with a weirdly suspicious expression, " What is the meaning of this?" " The flower-choosing ceremony means that you will be in charge of choosing new concubines before the new year, your majesty., Now that I have exined it all, I think I will take my leave, okay bye~" Zhai Tianyu flew past the door leaving a stiff Liu Hui Ying behind who was too shocked to say anything but then she snapped out of her daze and jumped on her feet before chasing after the man who just ran. Explore more at m,v l''e-NovelBin " You¡­if you have the guts to do it! Come here and look me in the eye, you bastard!" Liu Hui Ying screamed at the man who was running out of the courtyard with small mes lit up in her eyes. She breathed heavily once everything that Zhai Tianyu said slowly fell into ce, frustration filled her heart as she kicked her feet and snapped, " Aish, that man is going to make me die because of high blood pressure. Not only did he not pay me, he even handed me the dirty task of acting as his pimp! Arghhh!" Chapter 470: Pulled on bed " As the Empress, you have to be very careful while making these arrangements do you understand?" The Grand Dowager Empress spoke to Liu Hui Ying who was kneeling on a small cushion. Though with Liu Hui Ying''s identity, it would have been fine, if she sat on a small chair which was beneath her, the grand dowager Empress liked the feeling of the Liu family daughters lowering their heads in front of her. Even though they were in power they still have to lower their head in front of her, wasn''t it fun? Liu Hui Ying also knew that the old hag was purposely making things difficult for her but she was too furious on Zhai Tianyu to focus on the old grand dowager. She felt a sense of foreboding when the man came to her courtyard and told her that she had to prepare herself for choosing new concubines but then that sense of foreboding turned into a nightmare when the Grand Dowager Empress called for her. From what she could summarize from all the Yada Yada yoo~ that the old woman was saying to her that there was that at the eve of the new year celebration, there will be another ceremony. And in that said ceremony, young maidens from all over the imperial city would perform and those who were more skilled and elegant than others would be chosen as the imperial concubines. And the task of auditioning those young maidens before the real deal was ced on the top of her head! ''That damned jerk! Just how many women does he need? Even without this ceremony, he has more than enough women to go crazy from Monday to Sunday! In fact, even if he was to visit the harem three times per day of a week, he still wouldn''t be able to taste all the fruits in his bowl !'' Liu Hui Ying roared inside her head, she was so furious that she wished to scratch someone''s face real bad. " Do you understand what I said?" The grand dowager Empress asked, in fact, she hadn''t paid attention to this ceremony before but from the affection and attention that Zhai Tianyu was showing to Liu Hui Ying, she was a bit anxious. For the sake of keeping her grandson away from this woman, she needed to make sure that Zhai Tianyu''s attention will be diverted before he get even more deeply affected by this woman! "¡­ I understand, your majesty." Understand? My foot! Just wait! The second I get my hands on that man, I will make him suffer. The grand dowager Empress dug her nail in her palm before looking at Liu Hui Ying who continued to keep her head lowered. A satisfied smile yed on her lips upon seeing that the woman was not daring to show any dissatisfaction before she said in a soft voice, " I understand that it is quite harsh on you as his main wife but what can we do? As women, we have to be patient and big-hearted with our husband''s desires and satisfaction. As Tianyu is the Emperor, he needs to have as many children as possible. I hope you will understand this, dear queen." " Of course," with a nerve throbbing dangerously in her cheek, Liu Hui Ying raised her head and brilliantly smiled at the grand dowager Empress. " You don''t have to worry, your majesty. I will choose such good women for his majesty that he will be thoroughly satisfied." So satisfied that he will forget to walk from now on. After the grand dowager Empress was done disgusting Liu Hui Ying, she allowed her to leave. Once Liu Hui Ying stepped out of the courtyard which belonged to the old hag whose favourite hobby was to torment her and then turned to look at Jia Li who returned from Zhai Tianyu''s courtyard and asked, " Is he at the courtyard?" Jia Li nodded and replied, " When I went looking for him, he was indeed in his courtyard. I don''t know whether or not he will stay put when you go to see him." " Heh, there is a very simple solution for this," Liu Hui Ying sneered as she took out a talisman and stuck it to her clothes. " Since he dared to mess with me, how can I not mess with him?" ¡­ On the other side, Zhai Tianyu was nervously looking at the door of his study before he looked down and sighed, his sigh was so loud that both Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun who were working on the side, raised their head and looked at him with confusion in their eyes. "What''s the matter, your majesty? Bad stomach?" Since both the eunuchs sent by the Liu and the Ji family were inside the study, Yu Lingyun did not say anything outright, instead, he could only question Zhai Tianyu with a light-hearted voice that seemed a bit too stupid. Zhai Tianyu red at Yu Lingyun and spoke through gritted teeth before he said, " Nothing of the sort. I am just worried that the¡ª¡ª" He was still speaking when the door of his study suddenly opened, stunned he turned around and looked at the empty doorway where no one was standing and shivered. He had a bad feeling, boy¡­ he had a very bad feeling about this. " How did the door open on its own?" The eunuch questioned as he walked towards the door and closed it. " It seems like the weather is too bad these days." Eunuch Li nodded on the side and continued to pour tea in Zhai Tianyu''s cup as he agreed with what Eunuch Chi said and nodded, " You are right, it seems to me that the weather is going to go only worse from here on. Your majesty, you should remember to pay more attention to your health and safety make sure to wear more clothes¡ª¡ª" " Your majesty? What is the matter?" Eunuch Chi sharply questioned attracting the attention of others as they all looked at Zhai Tianyu who was holding his crotch with a painful look on his face. " What happened?" " Go and call physician Zhao! And the Empress as well!" ----------------- " It will hurt just a bit, your majesty¡­ don''t worry," the voice of physician Zhao came from inside as Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun nervously looked at Liu Hui Ying who was calmly sipping on her tea. They did not know what happened but all of a sudden, Zhai Tianyu called for the Empress and Physician Zhao. Continue reading on m|v-l''e -NovelBin They only thought that it was a small matter but who would have thought that they would find out that Zhai Tianyu was having small pus-filled boils on his bottom and his manhood? From what they heard from Physician Zhao, those boils needed to be treated at once because if they were left alone, there was a chance that Zhai Tianyu will turn impotent! It was so terrifying that the two of them felt their hearts shudder. They had a suspicion that this matter was rted to her majesty but they had no proof! Liu Hui Ying, who was sipping on the tea calmly turned to look at them and asked, " Whats the matter?" " That¡ª¡ª" Yu Lingyun opened his mouth he wanted to ask Liu Hui Ying if she was the one behind what happened to Zhai Tianyu but the second he opened his mouth he was interrupted by a wretched scream which curdled his blood. "ARGH! IT HURTS!" Zhai Tianyu screamed from the other side of the door causing Yu Lingyun to gulp and then say, " Never mind." Liu Hui Ying smirked before she turned her head to look at the door which remained closed for a few more minutes before Physician Zhao pushed it open and then said, " He is fine for the time being but even so, I will suggest his majesty''s attendants ry the message that all the concubines should pay attention to their personal hygiene for the time being. It is not a good thing if such infection continuously happens." '' Oh, so it was because of poor hygiene?'' Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun wondered but then they turned to look at Liu Hui Ying, if that was the matter then why did Zhai Tianyu call for Liu Hui Ying? No more importantly when did he shed his long-term bachelorhood? That was the most important thing! While Yu Lingyun and Zhai Heng were lost in their thoughts, Physician Zhao turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and said, " His Majesty has called for you, your majesty." " Oh is that so?" Liu Hui Ying arched a brow as she nodded and then stood up from her seat before cing the teacup on the table. She wiped the caresses on her skirt and headed inside the room, no sooner did she step inside the room, her nostrils were filled with the scent of medicinal herbs and some sour smell. Having a very good idea about what it was, she smiled softly and then asked in a false concern, "Your majesty, are you okay?" However, when she came to stop in front of the bed, she realised that Zhai Tianyu was not there. A frown etched on her face as she looked down at the bed wondering where the man went when someone snatched her wrist and pushed her on the bed just in time for a hard chest to collide with hers. Chapter 471: Who is small " Your majesty ¡­can I ask you what is the meaning of this?" Liu Hui Ying narrowed her eyes as she looked at the man above her. Her eyebrows twitched dangerously while she tried to fight down the nausea that was building up in her throat. " This should be my line, my queen," Zhai Tianyu breathed heavily, he was gritting his teeth because of the pain he was feeling at the moment causing his voice to turn harsh and crude. " I don''t think that I did anything to you, for you to retaliate against me like this?" The pain he felt after getting those boils broken with the help of a hot needle which was sterilized was something that Zhai Tianyu would never forget! It was a pain which was worse than the time when his shoulder was stabbed by a de of a sword and it pierced his skin from one end to another. When Imperial Physician Zhao was breaking the boils on his manhood, Zhai Tianyu felt like his soul was leaving his body only toe back to his body and then leave again. It was so bad that he wanted to drag Liu Hui Ying inside and have her see what she did to him, if not for the fact that she would be too startled, Zhai Tianyu would have not held back! "It''s a development! A development! I tell you," Jia Li remarked as she stared at Zhai Tianyu and Liu Hui Ying on the bed. " Finally, they are moving forward a bit!" Li Gang looked at the woman next to him and was speechless, " Don''t you want to go back to our world? What are you doing supporting them?" " I am fine living here," replied Jia Li with a smile on her face. " I have finally fallen in love with the dramas and the wonderful memories of this ce. I don''t think I will miss anything and what''s more¡­ we can eat as much meat and whatever we want to eat¡­even the rare venison." ¡­ ? " Don''t try to bribe me with meat!" Li Gang wiped his saliva from the corner of his mouth and red at Jia Li who was trying to shake his will to return to the modern world. " I want a small waist and big breasts! A woman who wears tight skirts and shirts¡­where will I get something like that in here?" Jia Li stared at Li Gang and then took a few steps away from him as she said, " You are really perverted aren''t ya?" She then turned to look at Grandma Lan Fen whose face was blushing as she pulled out of the bedroom of Zhai Tianyu. Seeing that Grandma Lan Fen had pulled out of the room, Jia Li also swooped out of the wall from which she was peeking inside. With the two gone, Li Gang also followed suit but not before dragging Witch Mao. " W..What? I have to go too. I want to watch excitement ¡­do you even know when was thest time I had so much fun?" Once the ghosts were gone, Zhai Tianyu breathed in and out before turning to look at Liu Hui Ying as he gripped her wrist harder, " I want to ask you what is the meaning of this prank that you yed on me, my queen?" Liu Hui Ying arched a brow and then stated calmly, " Who told you that I was the one who yed that prank on you¡­with all the heat that is rising in your body, isn''t it normal for your manhood to get affected? Flower ceremony and whatnot¡­ tsk.." With his eyes blinking slightly, Zhai Tianyu curled the side of his lips and then said, " Are you jealous, my queen¡ª¡ª gawk!" All the wind was knocked out of his system when Zhai Tianyu felt Liu Hui Ying knee him in the stomach. Great there was another pain other than the one which was already throbbing. Liu Hui Ying looked at the man who was dropping on her and then pushed him aside before staring at him in total disgust as she pushed herself off the bed and then stated with a face twisted in annoyance, " You are thinking too much! How can I ever be jealous of something like this? Do you think I mind sharing a small wiener with the other women of the harem? Especially when I don''t even use it?" Smal¡­small? What did she say? Small wiener ¡­does that mean that he was too small? Zhai Tianyu felt his heart receive a fatal blow as he sucked in a breath and tried to calm himself down. There was no point in getting angry at a woman like her, she did not even know what kind of man he was, he was the manliest man in this country! How can his manhood be small? His was the most majestic one out of everyone else. No wait, what if Liu Hui Ying had seen bigger ones than his¡ª¡ª she was clearly not from this world. What if she caught sight of some really manly ones? No, No! NO! Why was he getting insecure all of a sudden? He was not that small either was he¡ª- no he wasn''t small at all. " I am just annoyed that you caused me to get into a mess and nothing else. Do you think I am free enough to choose women to sleep with huh? Why are you not the one who is doing the selection? Why should it be me? Am I the one who is sleeping with those women?" " My Queen~" Liu Hui Ying felt a shiver dance down her spine as she turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who was holding his body up with the help of his arms he looked at her with a twisted expression that looked like a demon who had been awakened from his slumber. " Who did you say was small huh?" Your adventure continues at m v|l-e''-NovelBin " KYAA!!! Someone save me!" -------------------- sorry for theck of updates, I am feeling a bit burned out Chapter 472: who is small ——2 " What ¡­who is getting attacked? Where?" Yu Lingyun''s hands reached for his sword as he turned left and right to see what was going on, only for Zhai Heng to tap on his shoulder and then say, " What are you doing? Why are you reaching for your sword in the presence of his majesty?" " Oh yes¡­how can I even do something so rude as this," Yu Lingyun ced a hand on the back of his head as he let go of his sword after sheathing it. " I was just surprised after hearing the scream, I don''t usually act as rudely. You know that right¡ª¡ª" Read thetest on m_v-l''e|-NovelBin " Fck! Someone get him off me!" The door to Zhai Tianyu''s room was pushed open and a cursing Liu Hui Ying rushed out. Her expression was that of panic as she stepped over the threshold with her skirt bunched up in her hands. " Get him off him! Gahh! There is a pervert! There is a pervert! THERE IS A PERVERT, ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?" She screamed thetter half in Yu Lingyun''s ears as she rushed forward and held him by his cor. " Yes, Yes... I am listening to you but what and whom are you talking about?" He asked while raising his hands in the air. If someone had told Yu Lingyun that one day he would be held in the air by a woman who would hold him by his cor, he would haveughed but¡­Yu Lingyun looked down at his dangling feet and then turned to look at Zhai Heng before asking, " How much do I weigh anyway?" " More than eighty kilos, I think," replied thetter. The two men turned their heads to stare at Liu Hui Ying who was holding Yu Lingyun like he weighed nothing and once again prayed for Zhai Tianyu''s safety. " You have to protect me," Liu Hui Ying stated firmly. And the way she was saying those words, Yu Lingyun was sure that if he refused, thetter would simply kill him if he was to refuse. " Yes, your majesty... I am here to protect you but at least tell me what and whom I need to protect you from?" Yu Lingyun asked once again. " That¡­perverted man" Liu Hui Ying replied as she pointed at Zhai Tianyu who stepped out of the room with his face flushed red in anger and pain. '' There is someone who is even ruder than them,'' thought Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun. But they couldn''t even scold Liu Hui Ying as thetter was the Empress and the most doted woman of the harem at the moment. " Your majesty, I think there is a misunderstanding¡­you cannot call his majesty a perverted man. I mean that''s very rude¡ª¡ª" Zhai Heng tried to exin the matter to Liu Hui Ying but then he was interrupted by Zhai Tianyu who breathed heavily and then growled, " I will show you who is small! Come here and look at me!" '' He is indeed perverted!!!'' Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun felt like they had stumbled into another world. Not only was the Empress rude but their Emperor had also turned into a pervert. Look? Look at what? And why was he holding his belt like that? The two men were speechless and shocked. And while they were shocked Zhai Tianyu ran after Liu Hui Ying. " AHHH!! I told you to protect me, traitor!" Yu Lingyun was stumped, he did not know what and whom to protect anymore. Should he protect the Empress or should he protect the virtue of the Emperor? " Those two ¡­are they heading outside?" Zhai Heng asked suddenly causing Yu Lingyun to pause. The two of them looked at each other before chasing after their rulers. " Your majesty! Her Majesty, The Empress! Please stop!" The two screamed as they rushed after the two. ¡­ Liu Hui Ying ran outside the courtyard, her shoes clicking on the small cobblestone path as she turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who was limping after her and then shouted in frustration, " If you are sick, go and lie on the bed! What do you think you are doing by chasing after a maiden like me?" " If you are a maiden, then I am a young boy in love!" Zhai Tianyu''s face was red at the moment as he dragged his foot after Liu Hui Ying. " Small? You dare to call your husband small huh?! I am the Emperor afterwards but first I am your husband, and you dare call me something so degrading as that ?" " Was I right? Is there some truth in it, is that why you are feeling bad all of a sudden? I hit on the nail didn''t I?" Liu Hui Ying taunted as she turned to look at the man whose face twisted even more as a deviousugh escaped his lips. He raised his head and looked at her before mouthing, " Run." And this time Liu Hui Ying did not know but she did run like hell. The guards of the Emperor''s pce did not know what to do anymore. While there was a woman calling his majesty small, a man was ying along with her while telling her that he was going to show her just how small he was. And the reason they couldn''t do anything was because the man was his majesty himself and the woman was none other than the Empress. '' This¡­ we can''t listen to this! Please stop your majesties!'' The guards were afraid that they would be dragged and have their ears chopped off for listening to something like this. "Gotcha!" Zhai Tianyu''s voice caught the attention of the guards along with Zhai Heng and Yu Lingyun who were chasing after the two rulers of their country throughout the entire courtyard. "Didn''t you say that I am small huh? Then I will show e and look at it!" With that, he pushed his robe aside and then started to undo his belt. " Your majesty!" " Your majesty!" Yu Lingyun did not even know when was thest time he ran like his life dependent on it but for the rest of his life, he would remember for sure that he once ran like a mad bull to stop his king from taking off his pants. Chapter 473: She calls me darling when she needs my help " Argh!!! I will never forgive that man never!" Liu Hui Ying yelled as she applied the cooling ointment to her skin. Just because she gave him a little pain that man caused her allergies to re up, he has to be kidding her just because of a small thing he dealt with her so severely! " I don''t think he will forgive you either," Jia Li chimed in from the side while looking at Liu Hui Ying who was rubbing the ointment on her arms and neck. " I forgot to tell you but in your anger, you took out a B-grade talisman instead of D. I bet the Emperor was in so much pain that he might have died several times." Liu Hui Ying turned to look at Jia Li, frowned and then turned back before taking out the talisman that she was supposed to have used, she looked at the talisman and the thought of the one that she had used before neatly tucking it back and stating, " It still does not exin why he should be treating me like such? I mean¡­ I get it I made a mistake¡ª¡ª" " Hui Ying," Grandma Lan Fen looked at Liu Hui Ying with a reprimanding expression and then said, "You shouldn''t act that way, since you have done something wrong then you should be apologizing instead of acting like a spoiled child. Your allergy getting red up is a small thing but that poor boy could have lost his life because of your small retaliation. Be d that he is strong or else he would have needed an amputation and that is something that we can''t do in this world." " You are supporting him?" Liu Hui Ying looked at the three ghosts with her mouth open in disbelief, she scoffed and then turned to look away before picking up the brush on the dressing table and throwing it on the floor. " Have you forgotten all those times when he almost killed me? I did it so it''s wrong¡­what about him then? Did he apologize? I don''t think so." Liu Hui Ying stood up from the stool causing the three ghosts along with Xiao Lin and Witch Mao to take a step back. " Where are you going?" Noticing that Liu Hui Ying seemed to be heading out of her room, Jia Li couldn''t help but ask. " Should you not be resting?" " I should be resting yes," Liu Hui Ying replied with a smile but then that smile dropped in a milli second as she red at the five ghosts who weretched onto her and then sneered, " But I can''t because certain idiots made my blood pressure hiked up! Not only do I need to take care of that stupid flower ceremony for that stupid man but now I even have to listen to my ghosts speaking up for him!" She raised her hand causing the five ghosts to flinch as they hid behind one another and stated, " You should be supporting me. No matter whether I am right or wrong, you should being to my support instead of anyone else! Understand?" Neither of them spoke causing Liu Hui Ying to release a low pressure and her voice dropped as she repeated, " Understand?" " Yes, yes," this time not even a single one dared to refuse her, upon seeing that Liu Hui Ying was on the verge of exploding they did not dare to act any more sassy. The flower ceremony that was supposed to be held on New Year''s Eve was nowhere near something as small as Zhai Tianyu made it out to be. Not only was Liu Hui Ying responsible for making arrangements for the eating and drinking of the women of the harem but she also had to look through the portraits of the women which were sent to her through the Grand Dowager Empress. Apparently, they were already chosen but the Grand Dowager Empress mixed a few women of no importance in the middle of the portraits along with their information. And Liu Hui Ying being the empress and the main as well as the official wife was responsible for choosing the women who would bnce the harem without creating any misbnce. " Woah," Li Gang muttered as he looked at the portraits of the women who were sent to the Empress''s courtyard and couldn''t help but exim in awe. " His Majesty is really lucky, not a single woman looks average. It''s like he is picking the finest flowers out of the garden." " Why else do you think it''s called the Flower ceremony?" Liu Hui Ying questioned as she turned to look at the ghost behind her and then ripped the portrait out of his hands. " He is supposed to be looking at women who are not only powerful but beautiful. Because apparently, the bigger and better the harem of an Emperor is, the stronger and much more capable he looks." This was something that the Grand Empress Dowager told her and she still couldn''t understand how the logic worked. Like if the Harem was bigger than it was at the moment does it not mean that Zhai Tianyu would spend all his time in the Harem and in case he spends all his time in the harem he would end up overworking himself? How will that make him look strong? Grand and show off yes but strong? How? " Damn, I can''t do this!" Liu Hui Ying mmed the fortieth portrait down on the table and looked at it as if she wished that the entire pile would just erupt in fire somehow. " I really can''t do this¡­ not because I don''t and I can''t watch him getting married to someone. But why should I be the one reading that the daughter of Official Zou can sing, dance and even know the four types of embroidery? Is this something that I should be reading ?" She then turned to look at the pile of portraits along with the information that was yet to be opened and covered her head. " Why me? Why should I do a job that is not even paying me!" Liu Hui Ying dropped her head on the table before scrunching up the portraits in her hands and then sharply said, " Li Gang pick up the portraits we are skipping work ." ------------------- Chapter 474: She calls me darling when she needs my help ——2 "It''s killing me," Zhai Tianyu groaned while looking at his brother who was now off duty as the Vicemander of the special forces and was now working as his brother. He turned his head to the left and the right before letting out another groan as he covered his face and then yammered off, " It feels like it''s going to fall off brother, I feel like I am dying." " You are fine Your Majesty," Zhai Heng sighed before tying the ice in a thick cloth and then cing it on Zhai Tianyu''s crotch. The man winced as soon as the cold ice touched him causing Zhai Heng to look at him but there was not an ounce of sympathy in his gaze as he stated coldly, " You reap what you sow, Physician Zhao asked you to stay in the bed but you just had to run after the Queen, your majesty." At his words, Zhai Tianyu pouted and then stated in a whiny voice, " Is that my fault? She was the one who got angry and did not listen to what I had to say and then she even caused me to get hurt and to make it worse, she even called me small ¡­how can a man handle an insult like that ?" " I understand what you are trying to say, Your Majesty," Zhai Heng sighed feeling a headacheing as he rubbed his forehead and then asked, " But did you tell the queen that you were only taking the women in your harem and did not n to do anything with them?" Readtest chapters at m_v-l''e|-NovelBin Zhai Tianyu turned his head to look at Zhai Heng and then asked his brother with a frown, " Isn''t that something that should be expected?" Zhai Heng: "¡­" Zhai Tianyu: "¡­" Did I say something wrong? " Your majesty, I hope this will note as rude to you and I do understand that you have told Her Majesty that you do not sleep with other women of your harem and you are not nning to do so until the power bnce in this country is stable but¡­" Zhai Heng sighed and then looked at Zhai Tianyu before saying in a low voice, " Don''t you think that you should still reconfirm your feelings with the Queen? You are forgetting that you are the Emperor who is known to be fickle. Your feelings are bound to be changed as more women are added to the harem. What if the Empress thinks like this? Did you tell her that the flower ceremony was something that you were holding just for the sake of show?" " I didn''t¡­ I mean I was scared the second she turned to look at me with that demonic expression of hers and as you can see, she can be pretty vicious when she wants to be ¡­so I just ran¡­" Zhai Tianyu did not want to admit that he ran from his wife but given that the person in front of him was his brother he thought that he could be vulnerable. " Are you an idiot, Tian''er?" " Heng Ge!" " All right, all right¡­" Zhai Heng raised his hands and then said, " I will arrange a meeting with the Empress for you¡ª¡ª" but then the door of Zhai Tianyu''s bedroom was pushed open again and Zhai Heng added, " But I don''t think you will need that your majesty as the Empress is here already." " Wh¡ª" Zhai Tianyu turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was standing at the threshold of his bed chambers and immediately covered his body with his hands as he raised his head and shouted, " My Queen, I am telling you to note close or else .. or else I will kiss you.. then we both will suffer, do you understand?" Zhai Tianyu was worried that Liu Hui Ying was going to make him lose his legs along with his third leg this time which was why he threatened her as strongly as he could. He wanted to yell that he would call an army on him but in case he woke Liu Hui Ying''s sister up, she might call an army of dead on him. That would be too scary. And given how much Liu Hui Ying''s sister doted on and protected her, he was sure that she would wake up the moment he shouted those words. " Huh?" Liu Hui Ying arched a brow as she looked at the pitiful man who was shivering on the bed while clutching onto his clothes and frowned before saying, " What are you doing man? You are the Emperor of this country¡­stop looking like a maiden who is about to be exploited." "¡­ I would have acted like one if you did not made me almost lose my life just a few hours ago," replied Zhai Tianyu causing Liu Hui Ying to roll her eyes as she stepped inside the bed chambers and turned to look at Zhai Heng before greeting him," You are looking clean and stiff as alwaysmanded Zhai." Zhai Heng''s lips twitched as he bowed his head and then stated, " Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty." He raised his head and then looked at the portraits which were floating behind Liu Hui Ying and then turned to look at the woman before asking, " Your majesty what is the matter with those portraits?" Liu Hui Ying looked at the bunch of papers that Li Gang was holding in his arms and then calmly smiled. She then turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her and then exined, " You see there are a bunch of capable women who submitted their portraits, and I have noooo idea whom to pick. Which is why I came to ask for my capable husband''s help.. since he is the one who has a good idea of the dynamics of the court, I think he will be more than willing to help me, isn''t that right, Tianyu~?" '' Oh so I am a bastard when she is angry but turn to Tianyu~ when she wants my help?'' Chapter 475: Take responsibility Zhai Tianyu stared at Liu Hui Ying, his eyes flickered left and right before a sly smile came over his lips. He turned to look at his brother and then said, " Brother Heng can you leave us alone for a while?" Though his order surprised Zhai Heng, he still bowed and acknowledged the order given to him, " As you wish, Your Majesty." He then bowed to Liu Hui Ying before walking out of the bed chambers that belonged to Zhai Tianyu causing Liu Hui Ying to panic a little. Why did this guy suddenly send his brother out of the room? Was he nning something? She wasn''t the only one who was stunned even Zhai Heng who stepped out of the room was a bit confused. He thought that after what Liu Hui Ying did to Zhai Tianyu thetter would be too scared to be in close proximity with her but instead, he actedpletely calm without any fear on his face. '' What did he n in a few minutes ?'' Zhai Heng couldn''t help but ponder as stepped out of the bed chambers. With his back to the sliding door, he stared at the dragon painted on the paper of the sliding door before shaking his head and walking away. There was no need to worry because even if his brother was a bit sly, Liu Hui Ying was not exactly a damsel in distress. It remained to be seen whom he would need to save in the end. " Why did you send your brother out of the bed chambers, your majesty?" Liu Hui Ying asked the man who was lying in the. She pretended not to see but the second the man started scheming something, she cottoned on immediately. With a wary look in her eyes, she said, " Don''t even think about doing what you did in the morning because if you do. I am going to smash your ribs this time." As she spoke she looked at Zhai Heng with a don''t you dare to mess with me expression. " Don''t worry, I learned my lesson this morning. By the way thanks for reminding me, I was only going to deal with you for the thing that you did to me earlier in the afternoon but now that you have spoken up, I do feel a faint throbbing in my ribs," Zhai Tianyu smiled at Liu Hui Ying who did not understand what he was talking about but behind her, Li Gang gasped as he seemed to havee to a sudden conclusion. '' This man ¡­is nning something devious,'' he thought in his head while looking at the smiling Zhai Tianyu. " And what do you mean by that?" Liu Hui Ying asked with a frown on her face. Zhai Tianyu beamed at Liu Hui Ying, his smile so wide that his eyes turned into crescents. His lips curled in a wicked smile and then he parted his lips before dropping a bomb on Liu Hui Ying, " I don''t mind helping you because you are right. I do know more about the situation of the imperial court but what is it in for me?" " What?" Liu Hui Ying tilted her head as if she couldn''t understand what the man was talking about even though she had a very good idea of what he was getting at after all, no one understood the concept of give and take more than her. But she did not want to hand anything to this man. '' What is with him? He is the one who is the cause of everything and yet he wants me to give him something in return, why should I?!'' Liu Hui Ying thought in her head as she looked at the man in front of her with pure disdain in her eyes. " Now, now there is no point in acting like you don''t understand anything," said Zhai Tianyu with a smile on his face. If anything his smile was getting even wider as he seemed to have realized how to get a small revenge for himself. " Since I forced you to organize the flower selection ceremony, you caused me to lie in bed for more than three weeks. Even if I get up, I will have to be very careful so as not to rub it the wrong way¡­ and do you know how painful that is?" " No," Liu Hui Ying blinked her eyes as she turned her head away feeling the smallest bit of guilt. " It feels like someone is pinching on my skin with the intention of tearing the flesh off," Zhai Tianyu cleared the matter to her. He then raised his hand and brought two fingers down before saying, " Since you have already taken your revenge on me. It means that I don''t have any obligations to help you which is why my Queen, you will need to hand me something in return." Liu Hui Ying felt her head throb in annoyance, she looked at the man in front of her before sighing as she said, " Fine, what do you want?" '' If I had known that I would need his help so soon. I would have left him alone and asked him to pull all-nighters with me.'' Liu Hui Ying thought in her head but because she was way past the station where she wanted to drop now, she decided not to think about it. Zhai Tianyu''s smile turned even more wicked as he opened his eyes and looked Liu Hui Ying in the eyes causing thetter to take a step back instinctively. She did not know how she came to the realization but Liu Hui Ying knew that she did not want to hear Zhai Tianyu say what he was about to speak which was why she immediately said, " Don''t even think about it. I mean.. let''s just forget it¡ª¡ª we need to set some conditions first." "It''s toote for that, my Queen," Zhai Tianyu stated in a casual voice. " Now that you have agreed, you need to take care of me until I get better." --------------- Chapter 476: Take responsibility ——2 " What do you mean by that?" Liu Hui Ying felt like something cracked inside of her as soon as she heard the man speak. What did he mean by taking care of him? How was she supposed to take care of a man when she wasn''t even used to getting near them? And more importantly, why should she even do something so hassling? Wasn''t it enough that she was ying the role of his queen? She pursed her lips and then asked sullenly, " Why would I even do something like that?" Experience tales at m v|l e''-NovelBin " Firstly because you are the reason I am like this, secondly, I just want to see you struggle," Zhai Tianyu replied with a sadistic look on his face. " You have no idea how much I am suffering because of your retaliation my queen. So doesn''t it make sense that you suffer along with me? After all, we are husband and wife." " In name," Liu Hui Ying corrected him with a deadpanned expression. " We are husband and wife in name." " Now, Now, there is no need to pay attention to such details," Zhai Tianyu cheekily said while moving his finger back and forth. " We are not going to talk about those empty details for the time being, what I want to tell you is that if you want my help then it is not impossible, you just have to promise me that you will take care of me like a dutiful wife for the uing three weeks and we will be done. You take care of me while I will exin the power bnce to you. Easy right?" Like hell it was easy but even so, for the sake ofpleting the task in her hands, Liu Hui Ying narrowed her eyes and asked, " And what do I have to do in return? I have never acted as a dutiful lover much less a dutiful wife..so what do you want?" " Nothing much," Zhai Tianyu acted as if he was thinking over the matter carefully while his mouth continued to run amok, "All you need to do is to make sure that you will cook three meals a day... I don''t like others helping me when I bathe so you can help me with that too and of course, applying medicine will also fall in your hands as it''s quite awkward for me to ask my brother to apply it for me." Liu Hui Ying : (?¥Î??-??)¥Î¦à©Ø©¤©Ø " Do you want to die your majesty?" She questioned. It was fine till he asked for three meals a day as this was something that she could leave on the ghosts but he also wanted her to help him take a bath and apply medicine. Had he forgotten that she was allergic to man? Zhai Tianyu smiled and then shook his head before replying, " No one wants to die, my queen ." He thought about how to phrase the next sentence that he wanted to speak before turning his head slightly to the left and then while looking at Liu Hui Ying stated, " I just want to get you used to me. I mean it would be a shame if I were to die a virgin right? And now that you have harmed me like this, you ought to take responsibility." Liu Hui Ying: ??? Liu Hui Ying: ??! Liu Hui Ying:!!!! Red clouds bloomed all over Liu Hui Ying''s face as she looked at the man who was still smiling at her and was speechless. " You¡­" Liu Hui Ying stared at the man, though she understood that she was not the romantic kind she never thought that there would be a day that she would receive a confession like this what was more there had to be something weird about this confession. What kind of man asked a woman to take responsibility for his manhood as a confession? She looked at the man who was smiling at her with a hopeful glimmer in his eyes and then clenched her fingers before snapping harshly, " You must be dreaming.. just get someone else to do it! Many would be willing to do it." " You are right," Zhai Tianyu did not deny it as he tilted his head to the side and then added, " But I would like it if it was you¡­" he then paused and looked at Liu Hui Ying''s resistance before questioning with a dumb look on his face, " You don''t want to finish your task in hand, my queen?" Of course, she wanted to finish the task at hand but she did not want to finish it by degrading the purity of her hands! " Is there no other way?" She asked with a really forced-in-a-corner expression. When Zhai Tianyu saw how resistant she looked, he wanted to stop but then he thought about all the wet dreams that he was having like a small kid who had just be a teenager. He shook his head and then replied, " I am afraid that there is no other option, you either do it on your own or you agree to my conditions." Liu Hui Ying struggled for a few minutes before she came to a sudden conclusion and then said, " I will be fine. There is no need for you to help me." Though she was kind of touched that he was talking about handing his virginity to her, Liu Hui Ying did not think that she was the right woman for him. Her psychiatrist told her that because she was too resistant towards men, it would be hard for her to get along with a man and even if she somehow managed to get close to a man, she would only hurt him, if she did not treat herself first. If that was the case then it was better to stay away from Zhai Tianyu. " Is that so?" She thought that Zhai Tianyu would be angry but thetter pped his hands and then said, " You are quite admirable, for that my queen. But just so you know, if youe to meter on the conditions will get strict, all right?" " All right," she agreed. She did not know back then but it was the grandest mistake of all time. Chapter 477: Do what you think is correct "What do you mean by that each of them has an influential background?" Liu Hui Ying stared at her ghosts, speechless by their reactions as they told her they couldn''t sort out the women participating in the flower selection ceremony. Li Gang rolled his eyes as he picked up the portraits and then started exining, " It is as we just said, this woman surnamed Cao? She is the daughter of a Yamen official and her father is a second-grade official, very important. Next, this woman surnamed Shi is rted to the Ji family, I don''t think we can skip her and then this woman surnamed Xin is rted to your family¡­ I don''t think we can skip her." With that he went on and on exining how every woman was rted to the imperial court''s official causing Liu Hui Ying to simply stare at him. "It''s not something that we can decide by doing a background check on them," Jia Li wisely remarked from the sidelines as she ced the portrait of a woman down on the table behind which Liu Hui Ying was sitting. " This has something to do with the current power bnce in the imperial court as well as the harem." She paused and then added, " And we have no idea about the bnce in the harem or the imperial court as we have never paid attention to it." Liu Hui Ying was more inclined to leave this ce than taking control of the harem. Thus, neither the ghosts knew about the situation in the harem nor did they know what kind of woman should they be choosing as the next concubine. Liu Hui Ying was in the same situation as she did not understand the power game in the imperial harem because both the Ji and Liu families were going against one another, she knew that one of the families would be offended if she misbnced the harmony which existed within the court. " I can''t kick her out and I can''t kick her out either," Liu Hui Ying picked two portraits in one hand each before ncing at them and then cing them back on the surface of the table with a loud thud. " That old hag really pulled a number on me, did she not?" Now Liu Hui Ying knew that the Grand Dowager Empress did this to piss her off, that woman took out those who could be taken out easily and without consideration while leaving her to do the hardest part. If she tried to lean towards the Liu family, that old hag would definitely give her the worst lecture of all time and if she was to lean towards the Ji family to avoid getting lectured by that old hag, then she might offend her maternal family. ''It''s like and full ofndmines,'' Liu Hui Ying thought in the head as she looked at the portraits. One wrong step and she would end up losing her life. " This is why hate this Empress sh*¡ª¡ª" She was about to curse but Nanny Gong immediately covered her mouth with her hand. Liu Hui Ying looked up at Nanny Gong who was holding a cup of tea in her hand and then murmured against the palm of her hand but seeing that Nanny Gong was not taking her hand off, Liu Hui Ying did a very childish thing and, lick Nanny Gong''s hand. " Goodness your majesty," Nanny Gong immediately took her hand back and stared at Liu Hui Ying in shock who had her tongue poking out of her mouth. " You curse your honourable title and now you are even doing something so childish. Why are you acting like such, sometimes I can''t understand." Liu Hui Ying leaned her cheek against her knuckles and then looked at Nanny Gong before replying, " I am cursing because this title by all means deserves to be cursed. Did you not see how troublesome this is?" Enjoy exclusive chapters from m-v l''e|-NovelBin " Well, this is something all Empress had to grow through¡­" Nanny Gong remarked as she looked down at the portraits before frowning as she picked one up and then another before her brows got more and more furrowed. " These are¡­" " All influential ones?" Liu Hui Ying offered with a bright smile. " Thats why it''s sucks you know. When you have a good idea about who is pitting you but you cannot do anything as they are more powerful than you¡­ doesn''t it sucks?" She then paused and then turned to look at Nanny Gong causing thetter to turn stiff, " Your majesty?" " Nanny Gong, you have always been quite aware of everything that is happening around the imperial court haven''t you?" Liu Hui Ying asked with a smile on her face. " So why don''t you help me? I am sure that you know whom to choose right?" Nanny Gong simply stared at the portraits and then ced them down along with the tea before turning to look at Liu Hui Ying who was smiling at her and then said politely, " Your majesty, how can this small servant do a job so important? I am sure as wise as you are¡­you will definitely make the correct decision, so¡­" she clenched her fists and looked at Liu Hui Ying with a smile. " Just hold on and do what you think is right." With that, she turned on her heels and then turned around to walk out of the study room. " Nanny Gong!?" " Nanny Gong!!!" Liu Hui Ying shouted after the elderly woman but thetter only increased her pace of walking out of the study with the front of her dress clutched tightly in her hands. " Hah?" Liu Hui Ying stood up from her chair and then walked out from behind the table only to see Nanny Gong''s vanishing back as she hurried out of the room entirely. A nerve twitched in Liu Hui Ying''s forehead as she screamed, " You have to be kidding me!" -------------------------- Please leave a powerstone or gift if you like the book. Chapter 478: Here to agree? - Zhai Tianyu arched his back as he looked out of the window of his bed chambers. The itching on his manhood had gotten better and he was no longer in as much pain as he wasst night but even so he stayed in bed because he did not want to pull his wound. He stretched his hand and then rang the bell that was sitting on the bedside cab. " Good morning Your Majesty," Eunuch Li knelt on the floor as soon as he pushed the door open. In front of him was arge bronze bowl which was filled with warm water and underneath it was arge bronze te. " You may rise," Zhai Tianyu raised his hand as he spoke permitting Eunuch Li to stand up from the floor. Eunuch Li who was kneeling on the floor with his head pressing against the ground pushed himself up with the help of his hands, he then picked up the bronze te that held the bowl with warm water. Behind him two eunuchs walked inside the bedchambers as well, one was holding a small wooden table while the other one was holding a clean piece of cloth to clean one''s face. "It''s a great morning isn''t it?" said Eunuch Li as he turned to look at the young eunuchs who ced the small table in front of Zhai Tianyu on the bed. Only then did Eunuch Li ce the bowl with warm water on top of the small wooden table and take three steps away from Zhai Tianyu''s bed, he then turned to look at his master sitting on the bed and asked, "How are you feeling today your majesty? Physician Zhao had asked me to prepare medicinal baths for you, would you like to take one?" " Hmm?" Zhai Tianyu scooped some water in his hands and then washed his face before letting out a hum. He then took the clean cloth from the young eunuch and wiped his face before replying, " Not now, I did not eat anythingst night because the medicines tasted really bitter. Bring me something to eat, first Eunuch Li." " Yes, Your Majesty," Eunuch Li rubbed his nose feeling really satisfied. This was a perfect morning, there was no rush to go to the morning court and he didn''t hear Zhai Tianyuin about the meals either as he was hungry because of eating nothingst night. Usually, Zhai Tianyu would make him do his breakfast more than once but today he asked him to bring the breakfast without a singleint! What a day! What a day! He hummed a jolly tune in his head thinking that there was no way his day was going to go bad when suddenly the door of the bedchambers was slid to the side and stepped in a woman dressed in red as if she was heading to a battle. " Y¡­Your majesty, the queen?" Eunuch Li''s expression changed to that of panic as he heard about the small quarrel that took ce within the walls of the Emperor''s courtyard. Why was she here? Was she going to start another quarrel? Was it because the winnerst time was the Emperor? " Step aside," Liu Hui Yingmanded as she walked inside the bedchambers, in fact, Eunuch Li did want to step aside when she asked but then he thought about how this was his chance to show his loyalty to the Emperor and thus stepped in between the two. Eunuch Li raised his head in the air and then said, " Your majesty, I understand if you wanted to see his majesty but you need to announce¡ª¡ª" " Eunuch Li," Liu Hui Ying raised her head as she smiled at Eunuch Li, she interrupted him in between before saying, " Step aside or I will make you." " Oh yes, Your Majesty," Eunuch Li took two steps aside before he could stop himself causing Zhai Tianyu to chuckle softly. " I am d that I am surrounded by such loyal aides," hemented while sitting on the bed. " I sure will sleep well at night." Eunuch Li: "¡­" Don''t say it like that Your Majesty! " Stop giving them a hard time, it''s as if you are worried that I will execute you in your sleep, your majesty," Liu Hui Ying spoke as she walked inside and then sat down on the stand with a huff. Her arms were crossed as she looked at Zhai Tianyu who in turn tilted his head to the side andmanded, " Eunuch Li, you can leave us alone for the time being." " Yes, Your Majesty," Eunuch Li felt like he had been granted amnesty as he bowed and then stepped out of the bedchambers leaving Zhai Tianyu and Liu Hui Ying alone. Zhai Tianyu pushed the strand of his hair behind his ear before turning to look at Liu Hui Ying. He tilted his head and then asked, " Is there something that you want from me, my queen ?" " Don''t act like you don''t know," Liu Hui Ying felt annoyed just thinking about how the entire Harem was against her. She turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and then snapped, " You knew that your old ha¡ª¡ª I mean your grandmother is going to make things difficult for me did you not Your Majesty? It''s because of this that you were that confident. " " Hmm, you are certainly ming me for something that is out of my control, my Queen," stated Zhai Tianyu in a sympathetic tone. " But I did have some inkling when you came to me, if not for grand dowager Empress making a move, you wouldn''t have ever needed my held ¡­ what''s more the number of portraits that you brought was far less than they should have been." Liu Hui Ying narrowed her eyes, " If you knew it why did you not tell me? I feel like I picked the longer end of the stick only to change it to the shorter one." Zhai Tianyu simply smiled. " All is fair in love and war, my queen. So are you here to agree with my condition in exchange for my help this time?" Chapter 479: Nourish Yang energy Liu Hui Ying clenched her fists on herp as she had to use the entire willpower present in her body before she could open her mouth and mutter, ''Yes,'' through her gritted teeth. But even though she said that her expression remained twisted causing Zhai Tianyu to look at her for a few minutes before bursting outughing. " Is it really that hard for you, My queen?" He asked with a chuckle while pushing himself to sit straighter in the bed. " Is it not?" Liu Hui Ying grounded her teeth feeling annoyed when she saw how careless andnguid Zhai Tianyu was acting. " I am allergic to men, so of course it is going to be hard on me. You could have asked me to hand you a talisman that would bring you good luck but you just have to ask me to take care of you¡­ don''t you think that you are making a loss here?" She then ced a foot forward and then ced her arm on it before saying, " Why don''t we do this? I can draw you a good luck talisman and you can use it to do anything for the next forty-eight, including wiping all your enemies. Deal?" Zhai Tianyu smiled at Liu Hui Ying who raised her brow and tilted her head with a questioning look on her face, " What is with that suggestion of yours? Do you think that I am so useless that I need your talisman to handle my enemies?" " Well, that ¡­" Liu Hui Ying blinked her eyes as she hadn''t expected this question to pop out of nowhere, she parted her lips trying to think of a way toe up with a response when the man on the bed raised his hand and turned to look at her. "You know never mind that," Zhai Tianyu remarked, he ced his hand on his heart and then sympathetically spoke, " I know that your answer will only make my desire to throttle you even more intense." "And you want me to take care of you? Don''t you think that you might die out of anger and high blood pressure?" Liu Hui Ying questioned as she looked at the man in front of her with a questioning look in her eyes. Zhai Tianyu simply smiled and did not tell Liu Hui Ying about the obscene desires that were hidden in his heart. He knew that if he were to say anything unwarranted at this moment and forget about getting taken care of, Liu Hui Ying might even break his hands for having such thoughts about her. Just as the two of them fell into an awkward silence eunuch Li returned with a bowl of seafood congee with braised pork belly along with turtle soup. Even though neither the Grand Dowager Empress nor the Dowager Empress cared about Zhai Tianyu, they were really startled when they found out that he ended up getting infected in that ce after sleeping with the females of the harem. Experience tales at m v|l e''-NovelBin While the Grand Dowager Empress was worried that they might end up losing their family line, the Dowager Empress immediately sent the imperial physician to check up on the women in the harem and send those who were not clean away to their families. The Dowager Empress might not love Zhai Tianyu as her son because of her own reasons, but she did take care of him as a mother in her own way. While the Dowager Empress made sure that something like this would never again, the Grand Dowager Empress called the main kitchen to make food that would ignite Zhai Tianyu''s manhood. She wanted to make sure that it was still working if not then all her ns would go down the drain. Zhai Tianyu looked at therge bowl of turtle soup and closed his eyes. Was his grandmother not worried that he might end up coughing out blood because of umting too much heat in his belly? " Eunuch Li, you can leave now," said Zhai Tianyu as he turned to look at the eunuch who stood next to him. " I will make sure to drink the soup properly." " But¡­" Eunuch Li wanted to say that he wanted to check the Emperor''s performance but Zhai Tianyu smiled at him and then said, " Do you want to watch ¡­ or maybe you want to participate? I don''t mind but you will have to ask for the permission of the Queen." With that, he turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who raised her head and red at Eunuch Li. " Huh? Participate in what?" She asked but because her mood was off after listening to Zhai Tianyu''s refusal. Liu Hui Ying''s expression turned even more malevolent scaring Eunuch Li so much that a shiver danced all over his body. '' EEK! Why is she so scary!'' Eunuch Li turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and hesitated before asking, " S...Should I call someone else? Preferably someone like concubine Ji who was nice and gentle like the trickle of rain?" Zhai Tianyu did not refuse instead he simply threw the ball back on Liu Hui Ying''s head and said, " If you can ..then why don''t you try it?" He then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who arched a brow and then turned to look at Eunuch Li before raising her voice and asking," What are you talking about? Now that I am here you want to call someone else? You really take me as a joke huh?" She thought that Eunuch Li was looking down on her thinking that she would not be able to take care of Zhai Tianyu. It was just making him drink the turtle soup what was the problem with that? Was this Eunuch seriously asking to bring Ji Yu here for something this small? " Ack No!" Eunuch Li immediately shook his head when Liu Hui Ying red at him as if she was going to gobble him whole if he were to take this opportunity away from her. But even so, the queen was a bit too over-enthusiastic about this, was she thinking of getting pregnant? He needed to tell this to the Grand Dowager Empress and have her prepare Concubine Ji or else the Queen will win the throne! ----------- Chapter 480: Nourish Yang Energy ——2 Eunuch Li immediately turned on his heels and then rushed out but even then he did not go far from the bed chambers, instead, he waited for the action to take ce inside the room. After all, this matter was heavily rted to the future of this country! He couldn''t deal with this matter so lightly! " My Queen," Zhai Tianyu turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who was frowning but she turned to look at him when he called her name. " Whats the matter?" She asked with a tilt of her head, though she was confused as to why Eunuch Li ran with all his might. She did not question it as it did not concern her and thus turned to look at Zhai Tianyu before saying, " Should I feed you now?" Zhai Tianyu looked at Liu Hui Ying who was acting as if nothing was wrong and then blinked his eyes before asking, " My queen, do you not understand what happened just now?" " What is there to understand?" Liu Hui Ying huffed as she continued speaking, " That eunuch was looking down on me because he thinks that I can''t take care of your precious body, wasn''t he?" Though Liu Hui Ying did not want to take care of Zhai Tianyu, she felt a bit ufortable when she thought about how another woman might help him bathe and eat. When Zhai Tianyu saw that Liu Hui Ying really did not understand what Eunuch Li meant he burst outughing but at the same time he felt a sort of sweetness surge in his heart. Continue your adventure with m|v-l''e -NovelBin Doesn''t this mean that Liu Hui Ying had never been with a man nor did she have any feelings for anyone else despite living in a world where men and women did not have to worry about anything and could get together as they wished? Hisughter caused Liu Hui Ying to furrow her brows as she raised the chopsticks that she just picked up from the table and then used them to hit Zhai Tianyu, "What are youughing at? Is there something that you even need tough at?" Zhai Tianyu clutched his stomach, he was so amused by Liu Hui Ying''s words that he did not even mind when she smacked him with the chopsticks. He wiped the corner of his eyes and then pointed to the soup that had a turtle with a soft shell ced inside it, "It''s a soup that is used to nourish a man''s yang energy. Now do you understand what kind of care you have to pay attention to?" At first, Liu Hui Ying did not understand but then her eyes widened as she lowered her head and looked down at the soft-shell turtle soup. Her mouth fell agape as she realised that just now she picked up a stone and dropped it on her foot. Because she never paid attention to men, she did not think that turtle soup was used to nourish that¡ª¡ª Immediately, she stood up from her stool and then with a re pointed at the soft-shell turtle soup. Her re was filled withints and unspoken anger as she looked at the soup as if it were her archenemy. " You¡­why did you not tell me ¡­ I ¡­ I said all those things just now," Liu Hui Ying felt like she wanted to jump into the yellow river and wash herself clean. Clearly, she was talking about taking care of Zhai Tianyu tonically, why did it be something so dirty in just a few minutes? What was even more frustrating was that she acted so upset about not getting the chance to ''take care'' of Zhai Tianyu, that eunuch must be thinking that she was desperate for it! She wanted to clear up the matter but was stopped by Zhai Tianyu. " Where are you going? If you tell Eunuch Li that you want to call someone you can rest assured that it wouldn''t take long for the grand empress dowager to hear that the rtionship between the two of us is not normal," Zhai Tianyu stopped her from doing anything stupid as he continued, " If that happens then my grandmother would once again start the dethrone the Empress campaign, I don''t think you will like that." Liu Hui Ying made trouble even when she was the Empress and she could only weasel out of it because she was the Empress. If she was suddenly demoted to a mere concubine, Liu Hui Ying knew what might happen to her, more importantly, she did not like anyone having any sort of authority over her head. " Then what do you want me to do?" She asked through gritted teeth. Zhai Tianyu ambiguously smiled and then said, " Just follow my lead." ¡­. " How much more?" A breathy voice asked and Eunuch Li who was standing behind the door fanned himself in the face. " Just a bit more, push it a bit more," the man''s voice was filled with great restrain as he grunted. " I am moving as you told me," the whiny voice of the woman was followed by a thud and then another. The thuds were so loud that it was as if the bed was going to be broken. Eunuch Li who finally finished his job patted himself on the chest and puffed up before turning around to leave, he was going to tell Grand Dowager Empress that there was still hope for this country''s throne. While inside the room, Liu Hui Ying was sweating harshly. Her lips were pursed tightly and her waist was taut as she ¡ª¡ªpushed the bed that was so heavy against the wall with all her might. She grunted and then looked at the man lying on the bed before panting, " Th...This was your good idea?" Though she had no problem lifting heavy weights, this bed was made from pure wood with gems and gold embedded in it. Coupled with the fact that there was a man lying on top of it, it was not that easy to push it! " Don''tin," Zhai Tianyu who was being shaken left and right sighed and then said, " Can''t you see that I am trying my best to hold on?" " Hold on my foot, you are clearly enjoying this swing!" " Speaking of swing, can you move a bit faster? It''s fun." Chapter 481: Give and take The matter between the Empress and the Emperor soon spread to Grand Dowager Empress. Though the elderly woman heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing that her grandson was fine, she was still upset that the one who took advantage of the situation was the Empress, after all, The Grand Empress Dowager wanted someone from her own family to carry the heir of the throne first before the Empress. In case she was to get pregnant before someone from the Ji family then it would be twice as troublesome to clear the mess. " Your majesty, you need not worry," seeing that the Grand Dowager Empress was concerned about what took ce at the Emperor''s pce this afternoon, Ji Yang tried to soothe her worries. " The women selected this year are all fine young girls, I am sure that they would be able to move the heart of the Emperor." The Grand Dowager Empress nodded as she rubbed the space between her eyebrows and said in a heavy voice, " I am not worried that those women would not be able to win the heart of Tian''er. The thing I am worried about is whether or not we will be able to entrap the Empress this time around." They have been trying so hard to make trouble for the Liu family but Liu Hui Ying was smarter even though she was a woman and unaware of what was happening around her, she somehow knew everything. She did not rush ahead and nor did she make a blunder in her jealousy, what was more the people she sent to cause trouble in the Flower Selection Ceremony, all mysteriously got injured. If one was to say it was coincidence no one would believe but if one was to say that someone deliberately did it behind their backs, there was no evidence. The Grand Dowager Empress had been trying to put obstacle after obstacle in front of Liu Hui Ying but thetter seemed to be as slippery as a loach, every time she thought that Liu Hui Ying would be entangled in a mess, her n would be ruined. Stay connected through m-v l|e''-NovelBin Justst night, she sent one of the maids from her courtyard to burn the warehouse where the ornaments to decorate the banquet hall on the Flower Selection Ceremony were ced but the one who ended up burning her hand was her maid. That wasn''t all, the maid cried so horribly that she attracted the attention of the guards patrolling around the warehouse causing enough trouble for her. It was a good thing that Ji Yang was present to deal with the matter and the maid was killed before she could open her mouth or else! " The queen is lucky but she wouldn''t be able to stay lucky for a long time," sneered Ji Yang. He did not understand how Liu Hui Ying was able to escape distaste every time, in the end, he could only me it on her being fortunate as could never think that there were five ghosts including the one whom he killed helping Liu Hui Ying. Even if he were to try poisoning Liu Hui Ying, she would be able to get hold of the poison within seconds. The Grand Dowager Empress shared a heavy look with Ji Yang and asked, " Have you thought of something?" Ji Yang only smiled politely at the Grand Dowager Empress and said nothing. This was a n that he came after a very long and careful pondering, he couldn''t allow it to get leaked which was why he lowered his voice and said, " Just leave everything to me, Your Majesty. I will not let you down, as the walls have ears we can only share the matter till here." The Grand Dowager Empress also understood this, she nodded and allowed Ji Yang to leave while asking her maid to massage her back as she was feeling a bit stiff. " Master, will this n of yours work?" The trusted aide of Ji Yang could not help but ask with worry in his eyes. He was afraid that his master would make a mistake in his hurry. Ji Yang waved his hand and then replied, " There is no need for you to be afraid. The Queen is wise but she is still a woman. As long as the matter is escted, she would have to lose her life and that is ascertain and with our lord helping us, how can we make a mistake?" Ji Yang trusted the lord and his family''s saviour a lot. Since his lord said that this n would work, he was certain that it would work, it was just that there were a lot of risks but without risks, there would be no grand rewards. ¡­ On the other side, Liu Hui Ying looked at the documents that were neatly arranged by Zhai Tianyu and seemed to have understood what trail of thought she needed to follow. With this piece of information, she would be able to choose the correct women to enter the ce without offending anyone. " Howe you know so much?" She asked while looking at the detailed information on the private life of the women who were supposed to enter the pce. She sent her ghosts to track these women down and couldn''t find anything. Zhai Tianyu smiled at her before saying, " The reason is simple. You sent your ghost servants to collect information once these women submitted their application to the court as the contenders for the next concubine. Do you think that after submitting their information to the court, they will act recklessly? Of course not. They would act as a gentle woman who knows nothing about the world. After all, in the eyes of the officials, a woman''s ipetence is her virtue." He then sighed and looked at the information that included dreadful information which included the killing of innocent people before saying, " Zhen on the other have been keeping an eye on these women for a very long time, as Zhen knew that they would one day arrive at the imperial court." When Liu Hui Ying saw the lonely expression on Zhai Tianyu''s face, she couldn''t help but feel sympathetic towards him. Clearly, he was surrounded by a lot of people but in the end, he was all alone as no one cared about him but only cared about the throne on which he sat every day. ----------------- Chapter 482: Give and take ——2 Seeing that the officials were free all day and wanted to cause trouble, Liu Hui Ying''s eyes shed with a sly glint. She looked at Zhai Tianyu and then said, " Why don''t you open a bank along with an ie tax department?" " A what?" Zhai Tianyu had heard about taxes but he had never heard about a bank and ie tax department what kind of thing was this? Liu Hui Ying smiled and calmly exined, " A bank is a kind of organization where one can put their money. It provides security and guarantees that the money submitted by the bank ount owner will not be stolen by anyone else. But at the same time, we can keep track of those who have extra sums of money, and where the ie tax departmentes from. As long as a person''s monthly sry crosses the limit set by you, they need to pay a certain sum of money as taxes which you can use to develop the imperial city." The more Zhai Tianyu listened to Liu Hui Ying, the more his eyes shone. This was certainly a good thing but then he paused and asked, " What about the private warehouses that are built by the officials?" " Should they not be abolished?" Liu Hui Ying arched a brow and questioned. Since Zhai Tianyu had helped her by giving her the information that would help her filter the list, she was willing to help him as well. " The reason these ministers of yours can jump around so much is because they have a lot of free time. Why don''t you give them something to think about? After all, they have extra money which is why they create so much ruckus, when their money is in your hands, will they still have the time to make so much noise?" The reason she told Zhai Tianyu this suggestion was because Liu Hui Ying was also annoyed by the ministers. Every day they moured to rece her with Ji Yu and if they were not mouring to rece her then they would be making noise for their daughters to enter the imperial harem. She had nothing against those women entering the pce but Liu Hui Ying had to face all kinds of mess those women made after entering the pce. Just because she was the Queen she was often targeted by those women if that was the case then she might as well make it impossible for the ministers to make a ruckus! Zhai Tianyu''s eyes were shining like a ss which was illuminated by sunlight, he looked at Liu Hui Ying with a smile on his face and nodded, " You are right, as long as their money is in my hands they would be a bit more tame." He paused and then tapped his fingers on the edge of the bed before asking, " But how to implement it?" " Why are you thinking about something so small ?" Liu Hui Ying smirked as she looked at Zhai Tianyu and reminded him, " You are the puppet emperor. A fool in the eyes of the officials and a fool does whatever he wants to, who can stop him? Just pretend that someone is guiding you from behind, everyone else would pay attention to the person behind you rather than the puppet on the throne. Isn''t this where Lord Chenes in handy?" When Zhai Tianyu heard Liu Hui Ying''s words, his eyes lit up. That was right. He was the fool of this court, if he was the fool then he could always act like he was influenced by someone. If he were to act as if he was influenced by Liu Hui Ying''s second identity that never existed in the first ce, those ministers would turn all their attention to Lord Chen instead of him. As for Lord Chen¡­ he turned to look at Liu Hui Ying who smiled and then said, " He had something to do and left for his country. There is more than one Lord Chen who is willing to rece him." She was the goddess of disguise, even if one disguise was useless there was another and then another. She could be an old man to a young boy, there was nock of disguises! Zhai Tianyu sniggered. For the first time, he felt that someone was standing next to him, in the past even if Ji Yu was with him, she could not do much and he had to take care of everything on his own but now he seemed a bit more rxed. Even if Liu Hui Ying was doing this for her own benefit, he knew that it would help him as well. After all, the officials were indeed quite troublesome these days. After Liu Hui Ying was done speaking she lowered her head and started to read the information on the documents silently. She needed to clear up everything such that the matter with the Flower Selection Ceremony was dealt with as soon as possible. Find more chapters on m_v l|e-NovelBin While she was reading the documents, Zhai Tianyu stared at her silently. His gaze fell on Liu Hui Ying''s figure which was illuminated with the soft glow of the setting sun and he couldn''t help but sigh. A woman who was confident and knew what she wanted to do was indeed quite beautiful. As his gaze fell on Liu Hui Ying, he noticed the tip of her ears which were slightly red. This sudden change in Liu Hui Ying startled him but it also made him smile, It looked like Liu Hui Ying was not as unaffected by him as she made it look. This was also good at least she felt something for him. " What?" Maybe Liu Hui Ying noticed the smug grin on his face which was why she raised her head and red at him, as if silently questioning why he was looking at her like that, her ring face only made Zhai Tianyu smile even more as he turned his face away and replied, " Nothing, I was just thinking what to do with the money that I will take from the old officials. Since there was a facility, there had to be interest right?" Chapter 483: The missing taels of gold Zhai Tianyu wanted to start implementing the method of banking as soon as possible but surprisingly he did not get a chance to implement it as the second he attended the morning court, he saw Prime Minister Ji kneeling along with the rest of his fraction in the middle of the court. "What''s going on?" Zhai Tianyu asked with a slight furrow between his brows as he looked at Ji Yang who was kneeling on the ground. He was gone for only a few days, what happened during these three days? What Zhai Tianyu did not know was that the information about him spending the night with Liu Hui Ying had long spread throughout the imperial pce. Ji Yang who had been calm and rational throughout the entire time could not help but panic. To his delight, a case that could catch Liu Hui Ying and her father arrived in the county magistrate''s office and he dared not to ignore it! This was a God-given opportunity for him and the Ji family, even if they could not implicate Liu Hui Ying they would be able to dethrone her. And once that woman was dragged down the throne, let''s see how she would deal with it! Once the halo of the Empress was snatched away from her, Liu Hui Ying would be like a fish waiting to be chopped up in their hands! Zhai Tianyu saw that Ji Yang seemed to be nning something but he could not say anything for the time being, he turned his head to look at Zhai Heng and when he saw thetter shook his head, Zhai Tianyu felt his heart squeeze. Given that Zhai Heng had such a solemn expression the matter must be serious. If not Zhai Heng would not look so serious. " Your majesty, you need to hand us,moners and officials justice!" Ji Yang started to speak solemnly. He cupped his hands and then lowered his head before he exined the in and out of the matter to Zhai Tianyu, " Three days ago, the young master of the Liu family, Liu Yu Nan was ordered to bring forty taels of gold which were collected as tax from officials and the county magistrate of the imperial city. He was supposed to bring these taxes to the Ministry of Finance. Your majesty, you are already aware of the fact that themoners are dying under the frigid cold and they have nothing to eat!" " These taxes were going to be used for the betterment of themoner. However, when Master Yu Nan appeared in the ministry, he did appear with a wooden box but the wooden box did not have any gold taels inside it! It waspletely empty! I believe that the Liu family had deliberately hidden the money!" " They are getting more and more bold! Now that they have escaped penalties one after another, they must have thought that no one dares to make a move on them!" Ji Yang only breathed after he was done speaking. It was a good thing that Liu Yu Nan was an arrogant good for nothing. He was also corrupted thus even if he did not steal those gold taels no one was going to believe him! When Zhai Tianyu heard that forty thousand gold taels went missing he felt his heart thump. Everyone knew that forty thousand gold taels meant more than four million silver taels, if the money was lost then what would happen to themoners? Wouldn''t they all freeze to death? What was more the same thing happenedst time and under the order of Ji Yang, the taxes were increased as he exined why it was needed. Zhai Tianyu did not want to agree with it but he was called by his grandmother to the courtyard and his grandmother brainwashed him very urately. She first told him that there would be times when he would have to make harsh decisions for the betterment of themoners. Then she told him about how his father had to face the charges of ruining the country when he tried to help the countrymen and how the scheme helped the imperial city in the end. Back then Zhai Tianyu did not know better and thought that his grandmother was speaking the truth after all he was only neen years old that year and he did not know anything. He believed his grandmother because she had always stood beside him. With the increase in taxes they promised that they would help themoners and give them afortable life but now that the money was stolen, wouldn''t themoners be upset with them? In case they rebelled who would be the one to suffer? Zhai Tianyu felt a headache. He did not understand what was happening but he could see that there was something wrong with the case, how could forty thousand taels vanish in an instant just like that? He turned to look at Liu Dong Ming who stood calmly on the side before turning to look at Ji Yang as he asked in a neutral voice, " The taels were counted and epted by the Official Yu Nan?" " Yes, Your Majesty," the officer who was in charge of handing the money to Liu Yu Nan stepped forward and then knelt in front of Zhai Tianyu. " Official Liu Yu Nan counted and epted the taels in front of me and my colleague, he also signed the tally." As the officer spoke, he handed the tally in his hands to the eunuch who followed Zhai Tianyu. Eunuch Li who received the tally acted importantly the second the paper fell in his hands, he straightened up his spine and then rushed up the stairs of the tform where Zhai Tianyu''s throne was kept. " Here Your Majesty," Eunuch Li handed the tally to Zhai Tianyu who took it and sure enough saw the name Liu Yu Nan written on the tally. His head throbbed and he could not help but feel frustrated. Just a day before he spent a nice, cozy afternoon with Liu Hui Ying but now would he have to throw her to the cold pce? Just thinking about it made his heart hurt. Along with a certain part of his body, he knew Liu Hui Ying and he also knew that the second she was thrown into the cold pce, the one who would suffer would not be her but him! --------------- Chapter 484: Send Liu Hui Ying to the cold palace The officials saw Zhai Tianyu''s expression changing and slowly turning dark and immediately had different reactions. While the officials ofJi Yang fraction cheered up, the one in Liu Dong Ming''s fraction turned sullen. They all turned to re at Liu Yu Nan. Just as Ji Yang thought no one believed that Liu Yu Nan did not steal the gold taels. Liu Yu Nan was known for his corrupt activities but he had only done small corruption till now, who would have thought that Liu Yu Nan would suddenly grow the guts of a tiger and he would actually steal so many gold taels? He even med it on the sea pirates who were rumoured to be targeting the officials. But no one saw the sea pirates! Who was he trying to fool? Find more chapters on m_v l|e-NovelBin Only Liu Dong Ming could see through Zhai Tianyu''s thought process and was speechless. Was his daughter a demon? Why was this man acting as if she was going to eat him alive? Where was his majesty as the Emperor? Scared of his wife? A sixteen-year-old girl? His daughter was not even grown up yet! In the eyes of Liu Dong Ming who had been alive for thousands of years, his daughter was still a baby! " Young mistress was the one who caused the Emperor to lie on the bed with an unspeakable disease, master," behind him, his ghost servant whispered in Liu Dong Ming''s ear. A few days ago, Liu Dong Ming was worried that the Ji family decided to make a move on Zhai Tianyu and thus sent him to investigate. And the result of the investigation was ¡ª¡ª Don''t make your wife angry. Liu Dong Ming: "¡­" Well his daughter inherited her mother''s temper perfectly. " Minister Liu Yu Nan, how are you going to exin this matter?" Zhai Tianyu turned to look at the ashen-faced Liu Yu Nan. He wanted to see what Liu Yu Nan had to say, after all it would be quite impulsive of him, if he was to execute Liu Yu Nan right away. When Liu Yu Nan heard Zhai Tianyu''s words, his face turned even more pale but he did not say anything he simply knelt on the ground and said, " I have nothing to say, your majesty." He had tried to look for a way to turn the situation around but he could not find any way to solve the matter. What was more how was he supposed to tell that the one who stole the money from him was indeed a pirate but the pirate was not human but a ghost! Liu Yu Nan could never forget the night when he was bringing the forty thousand taels of gold to the ministry. He and his team were crossing the docks when suddenly his men fell on the ground one by one as thick mist surrounded them. It was enough to scare Liu Yu Nan! But then he saw a pirate ghost appearing in front of him, the man wasrge and burly. And he could not be fought with a sword. While trying to save the money, Liu Yu Nan received a heavy blow on his waist and started to bleed through his wound before fainting. No one including Liu Yu Nan knew what happened after that, the next day when he woke up in an inn, Liu Yu Nan thought that he was tired and dreamt of something like a ghost appearing in front of him. After all, how could there be a ghost and why would he steal mortal money? More importantly, the long gash on his stomach also vanished. So he and his team members thought that they only drank too much in the inn and had weird dreams. However, when they arrived at the ministry the money was gone! " You hear that Your Majesty!" Ji Yang knew that Liu Yu Nan would not be able toe clean this time around. Thus, he turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and cupped his hands before pleading, " I request a thorough investigation regarding this matter and until the investigation is over and no conclusive evidence is found regarding Liu Yu Nan''s innocence is found, I request all the officials from the Liu family to be suspended. Including the Empress!" " We request your majesty!" " We request your majesty!" Zhai Tianyu clenched his fingers tightly on the armrest of the throne. He hated this feeling of being cornered but he could not fight back, he was not strong enough to do so yet! He turned to look at Liu Dong Ming and asked, " Prime Minister Liu, do you have something to say?" Liu Dong Ming looked at Liu Yu Nan who refused to say anything and his eyes shed with annoyance but he suppressed his feelings as this was not the first time he had seen something like this, he lowered his head and bowed his head in front of Zhai Tianyu before saying, " This minister dare not, your majesty." As the prime minister, he had long learned the lesson of retreating only to advance further. He knew that Ji Yang yed his hand really well this time, how he caused the forty thousand taels to vanish, he had no idea for the time being but that does not mean that he would never be able to catch the fox tail of this rival of his. " I will investigate this matter and bring the forty thousand taels to the court, Your Majesty," stated Liu Dong Ming, his eyes frigid and voice neutral as if his entire n was not on the verge of losing their lives. " Since our loyalty has been questioned, I will do everything in my power to prove myself and my nephew innocent just give me three days, your majesty." As he spoke Liu Dong Ming took off his official tally and ced it in the tray that was brought forward by Eunuch Li. Once Liu Dong Ming took off his official Tally the rest of the Liu family did the same, they would rather choose to hand in their tallies instead of being forcefully suspended! They had their pride as well. Even Liu Yu Nan handed over his official tally. Seeing their actions, Zhai Tianyu felt his head throb. Since Liu Dong Ming chose to retreat there was no other choice left for him either. " The officials of the Liu family are hereby suspended and the Empress, her majesty will be sent to the Cold Pce, if the Liu family fails to prove their innocence then their nsmen will be sent for immediate execution and," he paused before closing his eyes as he continued coldly, " The Empress would be dethroned." Chapter 485: Cut five inches off? Liu Hui Ying did not have the slightest bit of idea of what happened in the imperial court. She had just woken up and finished a leisurely breakfast when suddenly the guards from the imperial court along with some stern mammies barged inside her courtyard. "What''s going on?" Nanny Gong could not help but question the mammy who came to look for them. She was just a woman and was not allowed to leave the harem unless she was given special permission. Thus, she had no idea that the Liu family was in trouble. The mammy who was questioned did not know what to say either. In the past when she used to drag concubines and Empresses to the cold pce she just needed to pull and push them without any respect but thinking about the Emperor''s orders, Mammy Han could not help but furrow her brows. What did his majesty mean by that they were not allowed to tell the Empress that she was being taken to the cold pce and what did he mean by telling them to be careful with Liu Hui Ying and her maids? Though Mammy Han did not see a flicker of fear in the eyes of the Emperor for some reason she had a feeling that the one who wore pants in their rtionship was the Empress. If not how could it be possible for an Empress who was on the verge of being dethroned to be treated so well? Mammy Han exchanged a look with the other mammies and then said politely, " The Emperor asked us to help you move to another courtyard." " Another courtyard?" Though his majesty did promise that they would be given a better courtyard why would he send Nanny Han to deal with the matter? Wasn''t Mammy Han responsible for dragging the women of the harem to the cold pce? Was Her Majesty being taken to the cold pce? Nanny Gong questioned but when she raised her head and looked at Mammy Han, she did not see thetter acting impolitely. This was not like Mammy Han at all, when Mammy Han was given the responsibility of dragging the women of the harem to the cold pce she would not be so polite! Nanny Gong could not understand what was going on, on the other hand, Liu Hui Ying heard the words ''move to another courtyard'' and was thrilled. Finally, the time to get away from this rat hole was here! She immediately sped her skirt and followed by her ghosts strode out of the bedroom before asking Mammy Han, " Are you saying that we are about to move from this courtyard?" She had been dreaming of getting away from this ce as it was filled with rats and cockroaches. Just how many times she was bitten only she knew! Seeing the excited expression on the Empress''s face and the solemn look on the Emperor''s face, Mammy Han suddenly had a very good idea about what was going on, the Emperor promised his beloved Empress that he would bring her a new courtyard but instead he handed her the decree of being sent to the cold pce, no wonder the Emperor did not dare to say the decree in front of the Empress and asked them to bring the Empress to the cold pce before announcing the decree. " Thats right, your majesty," Mammy Han felt a headacheing. She had heard about the rumours regarding the Empress and knew that when this woman got angry, she could do anything. Thus even though she did not say anything, she instinctively took a step back and said, " Please follow us, your majesty." " But we haven''t packed our bags yet," Nanny Gong spoke up. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. For some reason, she felt like something was amiss. Mammy Han knew thatpared to the young Empress, Nanny Gong was much harder to deal with so she calmly smiled and then stated, " How can the ce where the Empress, her Majesty will be staying becking?" For the sake of her loyalty, what else does she have to do? But it only made Nanny Gong even more suspicious. Liu Hui Ying on the other hand cheered up. She was very exhrated upon thinking about how she was going to stay in a decent courtyard, she hurriedly asked Xiao Ai And Xiao Ling to go and pack some clothes for her before she headed down to her pnquin and asked her carriers to bring her to the new courtyard. This was a new start! Hurrah! ¡­ " What is this?" Liu Hui Ying turned to look at Mammy Han who was standing outside the cold pce. She turned to look at the group of mammies along with Eunuch Li who was holding the decree in his hands. Earlier Liu Hui Ying was smiling like a flower causing sun rays to illuminate all over but now that she was no longer smiling, it made the people standing next to her feel oppressed. They never thought that Liu Hui Ying could be even more scary than the Emperor! " Liu Hui Ying, the Empress¡­of the Imperial City, kneel and take this decree," Eunuch Li spoke to Liu Hui Ying but thetter did not kneel instead she turned to face Eunuch Li and sneered, " Do you want to lose your knee caps old man? I would love to see you walk after losing five inches from your body." Eunuch Li shivered. He wanted to cry but he dared not to cry. His majesty told him to be respectable towards her majesty, and what was more he was afraid that if he dared to disrespect the Empress, he would be the one who would be beaten up. " The..The Liu family is currently under charges of corruption. His Majesty the Emperor has temporarily put everyone with the surname Liu on suspension. Her Majesty the Empress will also be punished by being locked up in the cold pce!" Eunuch Li finished reading the decree as he did not dare to tell Liu Hui Ying to kneel. And as soon as he finished speaking a creepyugh echoed in the cold pce. --------------- Chapter 486: Not a single bone was left intact Eunuch Li and Mammy Han took a look at Liu Hui Ying who wasughing and then simultaneously took a step away from her. They were really afraid that Liu Hui Ying would do something to them but thetter did not do anything, instead she simply turned to look at Xiao Ai who nodded and then took the decree from Eunuch Li who heaved a sigh of relief. But before he could heave a sigh of relief, Liu Hui Ying smiled at him with a vibrant expression and then said, " I hope your journey back will be smooth, Eunuch Li. And do tell his majesty, that I will ''miss'' him a lot." No sooner did she finish speaking the doors of the cold pce closed on their own scaring Eunuch Li so much that he jumped in the arms of Mammy Li. " W..What was that?" Eunuch Li stammered. For some reason, he felt a chill climb up on his spine just now, howe these heavy gates closed on their own? Mammy Han also swallowed hard and then looked at Eunuch Li before saying, " Who ¡­who knows. The cold pce is a ce where many Empress and concubines killed themselves, it''s not a good ce to stay!" The two of them shivered and then ran away from the cold pce, though this ce was terrifying every day, for some reason, it looked especially evil and cold today! While the two of them ran away, the guards who were supposed to be guarding the cold pce felt a tremor rise on their spines, what were they supposed to do now? Stay here and suffer? And why was the temperature getting colder? On the other side, Liu Hui Ying stared at the closed door and a chill emanated from her body, she did not know what happened but she did have an inkling that something big must have happened in the Liu family. Her eyes flickered as she turned to look at the five ghosts and said, " Go.. have fun." Though this matter was rted to the Liu family she waspletely innocent for that man to punish her after she took care of him, Liu Hui Ying was not going to let him sleep in peace! Every day she spent in the cold pce, the Ji family and the Emperor can forget about being at ease! Li Gang cheered along with Jia Li, even Grandma Lan Fen was amused only Xiao Lin felt a bit embarrassed when she thought about how she had to prank others but when Liu Hui Ying turned to re at her Xiao Lin did not dare to be sympathetic and said, " I will definitely make them suffer!" " You better," Liu Hui Ying sneered before she strode inside the cold pce with Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai who did not dare to breathe, it was all right if they were being sent to the cold pce but why did the Emperor make them think that they were moving to another courtyard? It only made her majesty even more furious. What they did not know was that Zhai Tianyu wanted to have three minutes of peace even if it was only three minutes he would rather dy it than face Liu Hui Ying''s wrath! But even if he dyed it for three minutes, it did not mean that he would be able to escape forever. " Do you think that her majesty would be so angered that she would ruin the entire country?" Yu Lingyun could not help but ask while nibbling on his nails. He had seen what Liu Hui Ying could do when she was furious, she could even keep a person alive after stabbing them to death and she could even raise the dead, a woman as scary as that was punished by them, it remained to be seen who would be punished. Zhai Heng turned to look at Yu Lingyun and then said, " Don''t be stupid, there is no way Her Majesty would dare to do something like this." Though he said that he was also worried, Liu Hui Ying was not unreasonable but she was not also a soft persimmon. She would never silently eat a bitter fruit. On the other hand, Zhai Tianyu did not say anything. He simply looked at the brush with which he had written the decree and covered his face with his hands. In all honesty, he did not want to imprison the Empress but if he did not then Ji Yang would only make more ruckus. And now that Liu Dong Ming was suspended, he dared not to let Ji Yang jump around for the time being. " I just hope that Her Majesty would be able to understand my heart¡ª¡ª" No sooner did he finish speaking Eunuch Li supported by four more eunuchs walked inside. Seeing Eunuch Li tightly covered in the bandage, Zhai Tianyu felt a shiver climb up his spine. " W..What happened Eunuch Li?" Zhai Tianyu asked as he looked at the four eunuchs who were more or less injured. " Your majesty please don''t ask! Your ve is really unlucky today!" Eunuch Li cried with tears in his eyes but he dared not to speak carelessly as his jaw was hurting. " I handed the decree to Her Majesty the Empress and then was returning to the pce when suddenly I stumbled on a root and then fell in the pond, unfortunately for me the pond was almost empty because of the winter and I fell on the hard surface! I broke myright hand because of this fall." " Then I was pulled out and taken to the physician''s courtyard and had my bones mended but then three miles away I was stampeded by a wild horse and ended up breaking both of my legs. I went to the physician again and then came out this time I did not even go two miles when the makeshift bed that my underlings made to carry snapped in half and I broke my waist and the back of my head¡­ I thought at least my left hand would be left intact but s, just now when I was being brought up to the pce, the stretcher tilted because these people were not paying attention and we all rolled down the stairs! Boohoo, Your Majesty, there is not a single bone in my bodythat is not broken." Zhai Tianyu stiffened when he heard this, he did not dare to think what would happen to him now. Eunuch Li only ryed the decree, he was the one who wrote it! Chapter 487: Listen to me, my wife. " This much happened in just a short while ?" Zhai Tianyu wanted to tell Liu Hui Ying to be kind but he had a feeling that the second he opened his mouth in front of her, Liu Hui Ying would make him scream for his mother. He really underestimated, Liu Hui Ying and her anger this time. Even Yu Lingyun and Zhai Heng gulped though the two of them did not fear anyone, they did have a little, tiny bit of fear towards this Empress who was surrounded by ghosts and had numerous vests. " Thats right, Your Majesty," Eunuch Li hissed as hey on top of the stretcher. He pointed to his nose and then said, " This is the only thing that has been unharmed in my body, other than this every single bone in my body has been broken. Your majesty forgive me, I will not be able to serve¡ª¡ªAHHHH!!!" Before Eunuch Li could finish speaking, he ended up falling t on his face on the ground. The four eunuchs who were carrying him did not know what happened but all of a sudden they just moved their hands upwards. " Ju¡­Just what are you doing? What are you doing to me!" Eunuch Li groaned from the ground. With his hands and legs broken, he could not even turn around and had to wait until the little junior eunuchs turned him around so that they could bring him back on the stretcher. " Yo¡­You bastard¡­ you broke my nose as well¡­ not even a single bone has been left in my body now.." Eunuch Li was so angry that he wanted to hit someone but with his hands and legs tied, he could not hurt anyone. He could only lie on the bed and then curse the eunuchs for failing to do something so simple. "Take care, Eunuch Li," Zhai Tianyu was very much aware of what was happening thus, he did not make things difficult for Eunuch Li and allowed him to leave, he even handed him a few days'' leave such that Eunuch Li would be able to recover. Once Eunuch Li was gone, Zhai Tianyu felt a headacheing from the looks of it, Liu Hui Ying was really angry, even the nose wasn''t left. Should he go and tell her that he did not mean it? Or should he prepare a bed for him to lie infort for the rest of the month? Zhai Tianyu was still hesitating when the brush in front of him was picked up. " AHH! It''s a ghost!" Yu Lingyun hid behind Zhai Heng, though he already knew that there were ghosts inside the study room after Eunuch Li fell to the ground. Seeing something so horrifying happen in front of him made him scared, even though the ghosts only picked up the brush. These ghosts were the ones who almost turned Eunuch Li into a mummy and sent him to the underworld! He would be a fool to treat them lightly! Zhai Heng and Zhai Tianyu ignored Yu Lingyun. At that moment they were looking at the brush that was moving on the paper, with some clean swipes words started to appear on the white paper and soon full and firm sentences appeared on the nk paper. [ He wascking one leg but don''t worry, all three of your legs will be broken.] Zhai Heng: !!! Zhai Tianyu: "¡­." When Zhai Heng finished reading the threat, he raised his head and asked, " Is¡­is these empty words or real threat?" No sooner he finished speaking he heard a shrill scream as Yu Lingyun screamed behind him. He was holding his crotch with his hands and his face was scrunched up in pain as he shook his head and then stated, " Tru¡­they are not empty words." Zhai Heng and Zhai Tianyu looked at the painful expression on Yu Lingyun as he fell to the ground. They did not know how bad it hurt but given how Yu Lingyun who could even stand after being stabbed in his back fell on the floor, they knew that this was not a drill! Both of them rushed out of the Dragon Pce, Zhai Tianyu did not even care about the fact that as an Emperor he was supposed to be unmoved, calm and graceful! " What happened to the Emperor? Why is he running like this?" One of the servants could not help but ask as he looked at the Emperor. " Who knows maybe the brothers are ying ?" Given that Zhai Heng and Zhai Tianyu had acted like fools many times, the servant of the Dragon Pce did not take their actions seriously. Those who had no idea thought that Zhai Tianyu was ying, they had no idea that Zhai Tianyu was currently running for his life! " Open the door! Hurry!" Zhai Tianyu only came to a stop when he was standing in front of the giant doors of the cold pce. His breath was fast and his chest was heaving up and down. Seeing his appearance, the guards were startled, what happened? Was the imperial citying to an end of something? However, no matter what they thought, they immediately opened the door for Zhai Tianyu and Zhai Heng. The two brothers did not waste any time rushing inside. After seeing two victims of Liu Hui Ying, they did not dare to ck off. " I hope that Lingyun will be able to be a father," remarked Zhai Heng worriedly.From the scream, it did not look like the attack was anywhere light! Your adventure continues at m v|l-e''-NovelBin Zhai Tianyu was also worried about Yu Lingyun but more than that he was worried about himself. He strode towards the door of the courtyard of the cold pce and sweetly called, "My Queen? My queen? Can you listen to Zhen for a minute? I did not send you here because I wanted to, I had to send you here because I had no other choice." If this was any other concubine, she would have rushed out of the cold pce upon seeing the Emperoring to look for her but Liu Hui Ying was not any concubine. The thing that answered Zhai Tianyu was not Liu Hui Ying but the dagger that she carried with her all the time. ---------- Chapter 488: Dog man Fortunately, Zhai Tianyu and Zhai Heng both were skilled martial artists. Under Liu Dong Ming''s terror, the two of them learned a lot of skills which came in handy when they were in danger. Just like right now, the two of them stepped back and then looked down at the tip of the dagger that was protruding out of the sliding door. Zhai Tianyu and Zhai Heng: "¡­" For some reason, the sliding door which could be moved easily looked a bit heavy today. " Your majesty," just as the two men were looking at the tip and thinking whether to retreat or advance, Xiao Ai''s voice came from the corner of the courtyard. Thetter was standing at the side of the big wall and motioning for Zhai Tianyu toe to her. Zhai Tianyu: ".." No wonder the wise men used to say never to get married. Forget about my wife even her servant was treating him carelessly. He was the Emperor! Someone treat him with respect! Though he very much wanted to say such words, when he thought about how there was an angry woman sitting inside the cold pce, he did not dare to say a single word extra. With Liu Hui Ying''s temper, if he were to say such words, he would definitely not go out of the cold pce on his two legs. " What is it?" Zhai Tianyu asked as he looked at Xiao Ai who was standing behind the cold pce. He saw the weeds and the overgrown grass that was covered with snow and swallowed hard, this ce would be able to hold the cold right? No sooner did he think this than a gust of cold wind fluttered past him and he heard a loud snarl, " What are you all doing? I told you to cut anything that you find and burn it! As long as it can be burned, burn it!" Cut anything that could be burned? If so he could be burned as well. A shiver danced down Zhai Tianyu''s spine as he turned to look at Xiao Ai and waited for her response. " Your majesty, her majesty¡­she¡­" Xiao Ai bit her lips as he looked at Zhai Tianyu and then hesitated for a while. Xiao Ai was scared to say the words and Zhai Tianyu was getting scared as he thought about what Liu Hui Ying said to her that made her this scared. Xiao Ai closed her mouth and then opened it before raising her chin. She then stated in a gruff voice, " Your esteemed majesty, you better go back to your pce before I turn you into the dog that you are. Another word from your mouth and you will be barking for the rest of the three days." She did an uncanny mimicry of Liu Hui Ying which made Zhai Tianyu and Zhai Heng take a collective step back. " This is what Her Majesty said," Xiao Ai lowered her voice and looked at Zhai Tianyu and Zhai Heng. " So it''s best if you go back, your majesty." Zhai Tianyu looked at the maid and then turned to look at the courtyard which was filled with destion. He wanted to tell Liu Hui Ying that he trusted her and he only sent her here because he wanted to protect her for the time being, if he fought against Ji Yang and desperately tried to keep Liu Hui Ying in the harem then she would have been targeted by Ji Yang and the Ji family. But when he thought about how he had to make this move without telling Liu Hui Ying anything, he could only sigh. He turned to look at Xiao Ai and then said, " Take care of your mistress, I will try to get her out of here soon." After he finished speaking Zhai Tianyu turned on his heels and then walked back towards the door but in the middle of his walk, he paused and then looked down at the dagger that was still embedded in the sliding door. A minute passed by and then Zhai Tianyu took out the dagger from the sliding door. " What are you doing?" Zhai Heng asked upon seeing that his brother had taken out the dagger that Liu Hui Ying threw at them. " Hmm, it can be counted as a gift from Her Majesty to me, right?" Zhai Tianyu replied with a wide smile on his face. " Though this is something that Her Majesty has thrown at me, I will take it as her love charm." " She tried to kill you¡­" did his brother suffer through some sort of shock? What was he talking about? Zhai Tianyu only smiled and then said, " Only those who love someone so deeply can think of killing. Maybe she loves me too?" Zhai Heng: "¡­" Should¡­Should he be worried? ¡­ On the other side, Nanny Gong was shaking her head as she tried to pull Liu Hui Ying back. " You can''t! You cannot Your Majesty! If you hurt his majesty, then I will die here for you to see!" She did not even in her wildest dreams think that Liu Hui Ying would dare to throw a dagger at the Emperor! If not for the fact that the Emperor was fast and dodged the dagger, the entire Liu n including the two hundred servants would have been sent into exile! While Liu Hui Ying would have been executed! " Let me go, Nanny Gong," Liu Hui Ying tried to push Nanny Gong off, with her face burning with anger. " That bastard dared to send me to the cold pce by lying to me! And now he dares to say that I love him? I will pull his tongue out for spouting nonsense like this!" That man sent her to the cold pce and even took away her dagger! How could Nanny Gong let her go? Right now they were only in the cold pce if she were to let go of the Empress, they would be sent to the yamen at an incredible speed! Chapter 489: A ruthless man " Your majesty, I beg you! At the cold pce, we are free to do anything as long as we stay inside the courtyard. But if you are sent to the yamen then no one would be able to save you! Ah listen to Nanny and calm down, I promise with Master Dong Ming ¡­ it will not take long for our family to get over this mess," Nanny Gong tried to soothe Liu Hui Ying, she knew that Liu Hui Ying was not angry at being sent to the cold pce. She was angry at how she was sent to this ce without any justification. What happened to the Liu family had nothing to do with Liu Hui Ying yet she was still sent to the cold pce. Everyone said that a married woman was like water spilt out of the house, why was it that when the Liu family was in trouble her mistress had to be sent to the cold pce? Though Nanny Gong knew that with the Emperor''s feeling, he must have sent her mistress here because he wanted to protect her but was this a matter of protection if her mistress felt that she was abandoned? Liu Hui Ying looked down at Nanny Gong, though she hated to admit it she had to agree with what Nanny Gong said, even if Zhai Tianyu did not punish her, with how weak his power was at the moment, the others would definitely send her to the yamen. " One day I will make him pay," she snarled before flicking her sleeves and heading back inside the bed chambers inside the cold pce. Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai nced at one another before they chased after Liu Hui Ying. The two of them were worried that if they left Liu Hui Ying alone, she might actually jump out of the window of the bed chambers and rush after the Emperor. If it was someone else, they would think twice before doing something like this given thatdies would not dare to do something so shameful but with Liu Hui Ying, they could not be sure. Fortunately, Liu Hui Ying did not n to jump out of the window. Though she was brimming with anger, she was not a fool. If she were to really harm, Zhai Tianyu then it would bring her more harm than good. But that did not mean that she would sit here silently waiting for others toe save her, though Liu Hui Ying did not hear the ins and outs of the matter, she was smart enough to conclude her own, after listening to the gossip that was happening around her. From the sounds of it, the Liu family was in trouble because someone from the Liu family lost more than four million taels. If she could not prove that the missing taels had nothing to do with the Liu family, then Liu Hui Ying was sure that she would not be able to get out of this pce. As for the details, she had to wait for the ghosts to return only then she would be able to get a good grasp of the matter. " Your majesty¡­." Nanny Gong saw that Liu Hui Ying had stopped inside her bed chambers and heaved a sigh of relief. She looked at the pacing Liu Hui Ying and then said with a soft voice, " Your majesty, you need to preserve whatever strength you have, once we are in a cold pce¡­forget about living infort even three meals a day will not be provided to us properly." " Heh, you don''t need to worry about the meals from now on, the Emperor will bring our meal on time, himself!" He dared to let her go hungry then the five ghosts would be the first ones to go crazy, she was a celestial master. Discover hidden stories at mvl Worstes to worst she could stay hungry for six months but her ghosts were different, they needed spiritual energy every day, and if they didn''t then they would experience divine cramps without her protection as punishment for staying in a world that did not belong to them. With witch Mao and the rest of the ghosts, was she still afraid to go hungry? If that man dared to make those five ghosts hungry then he could forget about even drinking water. When Nanny Gong heard Liu Hui Ying''s words, she thought that the poor Empress was still holding onto a ray of hope. " My poor mistress," Nanny Gong shed a few tears as she covered her eyes with her handkerchief. Her little mistress did not know that men were heartless creatures, with old ones gone it did not take long for them to find a new one. Now that her mistress was locked up in this cold pce and the Emperor was surrounded with all sorts of goblins how could he even have the heart to care about her mistress? Xiao Ai also whimpered softly as if a kitten was mewling. She really despised the Emperor for making her mistress fall for him and then abandoning her like this, she would never let him off easily! In the future if she got a chance she would add extra chillies to the meal that belonged to the Emperor. The two women had no idea that the reason Liu Hui Ying was this confident was not because of ''love'' because she knew that the Emperor feared her, thus when she saw the two of them crying, Liu Hui Ying was speechless. "Ya, why are you crying like I am dead? I said that the Emperor will bring us meals, so he will bring us meals what are you shedding tears for? Don''t you believe in me?" Liu Hui Ying questioned with an annoyed look on her face. Was this something that could make someone cry? On the other hand, her words only made Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai cry even harder. Their mistress was still holding on to that small flicker of hope, the Emperor! How could he be such a bastard? That jerk, abandoning their good mistress and having fun with goblins! Chapter 490: A cliff and a rock ------------------ " Achoo!" Zhai Tianyu sneezed causing Ji Yu to look at him with slight disgust, she raised her head from the painting that she was making and then said, " Was it necessary for you toe here, your majesty? There are more than fifty concubines in the harem who would have loved your presence." Zhai Tianyu wiped his nose and then leaned on the couch. His eyes fell on the portrait that Ji Yu was making and tilted his head before saying, " Yeah butpared to them, you are the safest at the moment. Is that Xiao Lin? Howe I never knew that she was this beautiful?" " She might not be beautiful in your eyes, but she is in mine," stated Ji Yu as she added a few strokes to her painting. Once Xiao Lin''s face was etched on the paper, Ji Yu''s eyes softened as she softly traced the face that was smiling down at her with her fingers. " But why are you here? I don''t think that I have done anything that would make you visit me." " You didn''t but your father did," Zhai Tianyu smiled with a tired expression. He raised his head and then ced them on the table in front of him before heaving a sigh which showed how annoyed and frustrated he was, seeing Ji Yu frowned before getting up from the floor and walking towards the cab. She took out a porcin bottle and pulled open the stopper before walking towards Zhai Tianyu. Her hands tilted slightly as she poured the oil into her palm and then started to massage Zhai Tianyu''s forehead, this was something that she used to do when they were young and thus her habits were still the same even after growing up. " Did my father find trouble with you again?" She questioned while her fingers rubbed the space between Zhai Tianyu''s brows and then down to the side of his forehead. " No, this time he found trouble with the entire Liu family," replied Zhai Tianyu as he exined what happened to Ji Yu. However by the time he finished, Ji Yu was frowning so hard that her hands instinctively stopped. She lowered her head and then asked, " Howe forty thousand taels vanished into thin air like that? If Liu Yu Nan says that he did not take the taels then who did?" " Thats the thing," Zhai Tianyu straightened up as he motioned Ji Yu to sit down. Thetter did as he told after washing her hands in a water vat and then heard Zhai Tianyu say, " The case is full of loopholes. If Liu Yu Nan was the one who stole the gold taels, then why did he leave his signature on the tally? He should have avoided that and if was not the one who stole the taels then who did? But the thing is that the box stayed with Liu Yu Nan and his team till the end, no one touched the box. This was something that Liu Yu Nan confirmed as well as the key of the lock was with his guard all the time while he was carrying the fake." "They changed the lock midway which means that no one else had the key to the lock except Liu Yu Nan and his bodyguard but neither of them moved the taels the thing is that the evidence heavily points towards them." Zhai Tianyu was having a headache just thinking about the matter, " I don''t know how the Liu family will even solve this case." " Can''t you do something?" Ji Yu asked with a frown on her face. " If they are proven as criminals then they would lose their lives and her majesty would lose her throne." This was something that Zhai Tianyu was aware of as well but he had no idea how to solve this matter either. His gut told him that the matter was rted to ghosts but if it was rted to ghosts then how would the Liu family clean their hands off this matter? Wouldn''t they be med in the end? On the other side in the cold pce. After hearing the entire crux of the matter even Liu Hui Ying was a bit depressed. The taels vanished in the middle and the key was with Liu Yu Nan till the end, they did not find any traces of the lock being opened and when Liu Yu Nan opened the trunk after waking up the next day the taels were there in the box but when the box arrived at the imperial finance department the taels were gone. " This had to be the work of a ghost," Jia Li stated with furrowed brows. " I bet there was an end-to-end array drawn on the box." An end-to-end array allowed two different poles to be attached with a portal between them. Thus a person despite being at another ce could touch and take things from apletely different location. It was a difficult array to draw but if a ghost''s cultivation was high then they could draw the array with ease. Liu Hui Ying narrowed her eyes, her guess was the same but¡ª¡ª " The box is inside the Yamen office and even if I were to use an array to bring back the money, it might lead to another rumour which would further cause trouble for the Liu family," said Liu Hui Ying. Bringing the money back was not difficult, the thing was to show the world that the taels without showing any supernatural element added to it. If the taels were to surface because of a talisman then it would just throw another pile of me on the Liu family for doing ck magic. Ji Yang and his officials would certainly make things difficult for the Liu family. " I have to admit that ¡­that man is really smart," Liu Hui Ying sneered as she thought about how she was trapped by Ji Yang his fraction. If she left the taels unfounded then she would be dethroned and if the taels were found then she would be killed along with her family. Find adventures on mvl Either way, it was going to be her death sentence! Chapter 491: The start of investigation Liu Hui Ying spent the rest of the day thinking of a n. While she was lost in her own world, she did not know that sometimes she ended up frowning while sometimes she rubbed her hair violently. Her actions were normal in the eyes of the five ghosts as she did it a lot when she was busy thinking of a n but in the eyes of Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai, their poor mistress had gone crazy because of the sudden abandonment. They looked at Liu Hui Ying through the small gap in the sliding door and could not help but shed a few tears. Nanny Gong had her hand mped on her mouth as she whimpered like an animal trapped in a small basket as she cried softly, " My poor mistress. She had been abandoned and yed by the Emperor, at first she lost Master Sang and now she ended up getting thrown to the pce by his majesty." " Nanny, don''t mention Master Sang," Xiao Ai hushed Nann Gong when thetter brought up Sang Shen. Was Sang Shen someone who could be mentioned in front of Liu Hui Ying? When Nanny Gong heard Xiao Ai''s reprimand, she immediately pursed her lips and no longer said anything. They knew that Sang Shen was the first man, Liu Hui Ying loved and he was also the very man who was killed by the Liu family under Liu Dong Ming''smand. Ever since then, Sang Shen had be taboo in the Liu family and no one dared to mention him in front of Liu Hui Ying. " Me and my runny mouth!" Nanny Gong pped her mouth thrice she could not believe that even after learning her lesson she would still bring up that man''s name. Fortunately, Liu Hui Ying did not hear her or else she would have definitely questioned who Sang Shen was. Liu Hui Ying indeed did not hear Nanny Gong as she was busy groaning and covering her head in frustration, she looked at the sky that was darkening outside and did not know what to do, the Liu family had only three days¡­ and once the sun sets those three days would start running if she could not get a proper idea about what was going on and how to solve the matter then she would be on the way to bing a rogue. As she was not going to let anyone execute or dethrone her. " This will not do, I need clues¡­ theories and details," Liu Hui Ying was not an omnipresent detective who could solve cases without finding out what went down before the theft took ce. Without a detailed exnation, she would not be able to handle the case. But how should she leave the pce? With Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai keeping track of her, it would be impossible for her to sneak out and even if she somehow managed to sneak out those two women along with the rest of the women might think that she escaped to murder Zhai Tianyu. " It''s not their fault, you have a record behind you," Li Gang muttered only to receive a p at the back of his head causing him to wince ever so slightly. Liu Hui Ying''s eyes flickered as she mumbled," I have no chance but to deal with the case like this." That night just as Liu Hui Ying said, Zhai Tianyu sent a delicious meal. He did not dare toe himself as it would attract too much attention he just sent a small kitchen maid to do his bidding. When Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai saw that the Emperor still had Liu Hui Ying in his heart, they were a bit at ease. At least the Emperor hadn''tpletely abandoned their mistress this was enough to set their heart at ease but at the same time, they were worried. What if the Liu family never got back up? Though they had a lot of worries they did not say anything as they did not want Liu Hui Ying to panic even more. " Xiao Ai, go and call Her Majesty to eat dinner," said Nanny Gong as she finished setting the dishes on the broken table that was covered in an old piece of cloth. Though she and Xiao Ai cleaned this ce as much as they could, it did not change anything. Xiao Ai nodded and went inside the bed chambers but she only saw Liu Hui Ying lying on the bed and telling her to eat because she was not hungry. Given how much Liu Hui Ying suffered tonight, she did not say much and asked Liu Hui Ying to sleep. What Xiao Ai did not know was that the person lying on the bed was not Liu Hui Ying but Xiao Lin! Xiao Lin raised her head and looked at Xiao Ai who left the bed chambers and sighed in relief. She was really troubled just now thinking that she was caught by Xiao Ai but when she saw that Xiao Ai was really fooled, Xiao Lin heaved a sigh of relief and then touched the talisman that Liu Hui Ying had given to her and said, " I hope her majesty will return soon. I really cannot do this anymore." She was afraid that if she continued then she would be caught most definitely! While Xiao Lin was worried Liu Hui Ying was sneaking out of the cold pce, she was now d in the disguise of a beautiful man as she stormed through the pce. However, while she was sneaking out, her gaze fell on Zhai Tianyu who was walking through the garden with Ji Yu. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she sneered, " I am living in the cold pce with no quilt and no brazier and he is so at ease¡­" Though she knew that Zhai Tianyu wanted to throw the Ji family off his back, she still felt annoyed which was why she took out a piece of paper from her storage ring and then wrote a few words before sneaking behind Zhai Tianyu''s back and sticking the paper that read ¡ª¡ª '' I am a dog in heat.'' ------------------- Chapter 492: The start of investigation ——2 Zhai Tianyu''s senses were really good, he had practiced martial arts ever since he was a kid and he knew that someone had snuck behind him just now which was why he suddenly paused and turned around but when he turned around he did not see anyone. A slight furrow settled between his brows as he turned to look at Ji Yu who looked back at him with a slight raise of her brows. " Is something the matter?" Ji Yu did not see anything and was thus a bit confused as to why Zhai Tianyu suddenly stopped walking. She looked around but did not see anyone, was there an assassin hiding in the dark? " Just now I felt as if someone snuck behind me," Zhai Tianyu answered honestly as he turned around after finding no one, he had a feeling that Liu Hui Ying hade to see him but given her anger and temper she would not leave without hurting him. However, as soon as he turned around he heard a pfft and then turned to look at Ji Yu who was rather calm. " Whats the matter?" He questioned with a furrow settled between his brows, why was sheughing all of a sudden? " Nothing, I just think that you are being over-sensitive," replied Ji Yu, her eyes gazing at the paper note that was stuck on Zhai Tianyu''s back. In this entire harem who had the guts to call Zhai Tianyu, a dog and that too in heat? Other than Liu Hui Ying she could not think of anyone else at the moment. But when did she do it and why didn''t Zhai Tianyu have any idea that she had done something like this? " And you think this is funny because?"Zhai Tianyu did not forget to persist as he continued to ask the reason for Ji Yu''sugh just now. Ji Yu coughed lightly and then stated calmly, "It''s nothing I just think that your expression of scrunching up your nose and brows was a bit funny, your majesty." Though Zhai Tianyu did not think that Ji Yu was speaking the truth, he did not insist anymore. He turned on his heels and then headed back to the Dragon courtyard where everyone was waiting for him toe up with a n. "I have arranged for a few of the guards who were with Liu Yu Nan," Zhai Heng spoke as soon as Zhai Tianyu walked inside the study. He was looking down at the document in his hands, earlier this morning he went to the yamen and questioned a few guards who were trapped inside the prison cells and asked them what happenedst night. "They all said that the money was stolen by a ghost¡ª¡ª" " Pfft hahaha!" Zhai Heng was still speaking when Yu Lingyun who just arrived at the study burst outughing while pointing at Zhai Tianyu who stood in front of Zhai Heng. " Whats the matter with you?" Zhai Heng asked with a reproachful voice. " Can you not see that you are in the presence of his majesty, the Emperor?" They were working at this moment how could Yu Lingyunugh as if they were ying around? Yu Lingyun coughed a few times before he walked over to where Zhai Tianyu was and then said, " Forgive me, your majesty, just give me a few seconds as your childhood friend," before Zhai Tianyu could refuse Yu Lingyun turned him around causing even Zhai Heng''s eyes to widen. His lips twitched violently as he looked at the note that was sticking to the back of his brother and couldn''t help but ask, " Did you meet with Her Majesty?" Given that her majesty was the only one who dared to treat Zhai Tianyu like this, Zhai Heng did not believe that anyone else would dare to treat Zhai Tianyu like this. " What are you two on about?" Zhai Tianyu asked with a frown, what the hell was wrong with these two? Zhai Heng did not stomp on Zhai Tianyu''s dignity anymore as his brother had already suffered enough disrespect. He walked forward and then snatched the paper before handing it to Zhai Tianyu who took it and then read it with a frown before muttering, " What the hell?" When and where did he act like a dog in heat? Zhai Tianyu was not angry. Aspared to what he imagined this could be considered a small prank but when he thought about how he walked around with this paper on his back he felt like he had lost all of his face! " When did she¡ª¡ª" Zhai Tianyu stopped mid-question as he realized the soft touch he felt when he was standing in the garden, back then Ji Yu alsoughed like this but when he asked her what happened, she told him that it was nothing. Good very good. One was his official wife and one was his concubine and childhood friend, both of them made a fool out of him. ". LIU HUI YING! JI YU!" In the middle of a cold afternoon, Zhai Tianyu''s furious scream echoed in the dragon pce, spreading the rumour that both the imperial concubine and the Empress had lost favour which caused a flurry of concubines rushing to gain favour from Zhai Tianyu which gave thetter another headache. On the other hand, Liu Hui Ying had no idea that something like this happened in the pce. She had snuck out of the pce and with Xiao Lin ying the role of the Empress she was not worried. She walked around the market in the disguise of a man. " Where should we go first?" Jia Li asked, should they go to the yamen or the Liu house first? Liu Hui Ying paused and then turned to look at Jia Li before saying, " The first rule of investigation is to go to the scene of the crime. So we are going to the crime scene first, let''s check whether or not the crime scene has any sort of arrays drawn first." Chapter 493: What a grand treatment? When Liu Hui Ying arrived at the port, she did not sense the presence of any array which meant that this spot had nothing to do with the theft that took ce. If that was the case then, her eyes narrowed as she turned to look at the sea whose waves were crashing against the port. She raised her foot and then headed towards the sea before lowering her head and looking at the wall against which the waves were crashing and sure enough she saw a cross drawn on the stone wall and her lips curled up in a sneer. " I underestimate that man," she muttered. Jia Li followed after Liu Hui Ying and when she saw that thetter was looking at the cross drawn on the wall, she asked, " What is it? Is this an evidence?" " Of course not," Liu Hui Ying replied in a cold voice. " This is bait, in case this ce is investigated then the ones who will be questioned will be the members of the Liu family." Drawing a cross where the money was lost was equivalent to confessing to a secret deal with the pirates. With the cross facing the seaside, even if the Liu family had ten mouths each they would not be able to exin it and it would be taken as evidence of the Liu family colluding with the pirates which would further lead to execution instead of exile. Liu Hui Ying took out an exploding talisman and threw it at the cross. The yellow talisman flew over to the cross and then with a boom exploded, the cross was charred with ckened stones as a few pieces of stones crumbled and fell into the raging surface of the sea. Liu Hui Ying watched the stone crumble with a cold expression before she turned to look at her five ghosts and then said, " Welling to this ce was not a waste of time at least." " But we did not find any evidence to prove that the Liu family was not involved in this case," remarked Li Gang as he came to a stop next to Liu Hui Ying. He was not worried about the Liu family, they could rot in hell for all that matters but the reason he was worried about Liu Hui Ying''s family was because he knew that he would suffer if Liu Hui Ying went to the cold pce then he would surely have hard days in the future as he would no longer be able to eat refine meals and all of theforts that he was enjoying would be taken away as well if Liu Hui Ying stayed in the cold pce. What was more once she was stripped of her position as the Empress she would be like a fish on the cutting board waiting to be killed. "It''s fine, we can deal with this case slowly," Liu Hui Ying also knew that they could not rush when looking for first clues. Since they were dealing with someone who was not only scheming against them but also targeting their family such that they would be caught up in even more trouble. " Let''s go and take a look at the Liu house." If possible she would have gone to the Yamen to talk with Liu Yu Nan, the one who was caught but with her identity, she might not be able to enter the Yamen as for Zhai Tianyu, that man would prove useless at the moment as he could not support the Liu family or else he would be gaining unnecessary attention of the Ji family. She could only head over to the Liu family to question those who were following Liu Yu Nan that night. " It''s not going to be easy," Li Gang muttered. " With such a thing happening, I bet that man named Dong Ming will be full of suspicion towards us." He still hadn''t forgotten how that man confronted them at the hunting grounds, he was not a good man! ¡­ " I say, isn''t this too much of a gap!" Li Gang eximed as he looked at Liu Hui Ying who was sitting on a silk pillow with a bunch of desserts in front of her. " Why was it that we were treated like vermin on the ground but she is treated like a princess!" When Liu Hui Ying arrived at the Liu house, she told the guards outside that she was here on behalf of the Empress. They all thought that Liu Dong Ming would refuse to let her in, but lo and behold that man actually invited them and he even handed such a good hospitality to them that even Liu Hui Ying was stunned. " Maybe¡­that guy is quite desperate?" Jia Li remarked but before she could finish speaking, Li Gang who was crouching on the floor with his head buried in the mat raised his head and pointed at Liu Hui Ying who sat on the silk pillow with two servants fanning her while others asked if she was feeling too hot with the three sets of braziers that were set in front of her. " This is desperate? More like he treats that demon woman like she is his ancestor¡ª¡ªgah!" Li Gang yelped when he felt something hit him, he raised his head and looked at Liu Hui Ying who was ring down at him. " You seem to have a lot to say about me," sneered Liu Hui Ying as she coldly red at Li Gang. " At least wait for me to be gone before you start with yourints." Li Gang rubbed his forehead and then stated, " I am just saying that it''s weird why is he treating you this good? It''s like you are his daughter or something!" He paused with a gasp before saying, " Don''t tell me, this is indeed like a noon drama¡ª-mhmm!" He whined when Liu Hui Ying silenced him with a silencing charm. He was just speaking out of curiosity why did she have to silence him like this? ----------------- Chapter 494: A not so pleasant investigation Liu Hui Ying rolled her eyes as she finished throwing the silencing charm at Li Gang, she then turned to look at the room where she was asked to wait and narrowed her eyes with suspicion. Why did Liu Dong Ming ask her to wait here? Was he nning something? If so then what? With her disguise it was impossible for him to realise that it was her, so what made him treat her this well? The five ghosts behind her did not dare to say that they were the ones who gave her away. If Liu Hui Ying found out that they were the ones who were caught by Liu Dong Ming, she would roast them like a chicken on a stick with fire burning underneath. The five ghosts remained silent not daring to speak. They were not only scared of Liu Hui Ying but they were equally scared of Liu Dong Ming as well, if that man put them on his hit list then they were afraid that they might not be able to survive. Even though they were dead. Just as Liu Hui Ying was anticipating the next move of Liu Dong Ming, the sliding door of the hall was pushed open and in came a man dressed in a fervent red robe with matching pants. Liu Hui Ying who was expecting something terrible to happen was left stunned as she stared at the man who was dressed like a ming red clown. " Good evening to Lord Chi," Liu Dong Ming greeted Liu Hui Ying with a stern look on his face, though he was trying to smile, his lips were used to say nothing but harsh words which was why even though he tried his best to smile nothing happened. In fact, he looked quite pitiful with his attempts to smile. Liu Hui Ying and the five ghosts: "¡­" It''s fine if you don''t smile you know? Liu Hui Ying felt like she was sitting in the house of some big-shot mafia lord who was trying to pretend friendly towards her before shooting her to death. She pursed her lips and then bowed her head before greeting him back, " Good evening to you too, Prime Minister Liu. Your guards might have already told you, my name is Chi Nanzhi. I am here to investigate the case of the missing taels, if you don''t mind then I would like to help the Liu family." Seeing the shocked and awed (not) filled expression of Liu Hui Ying, Liu Dong Ming was quite satisfied. Looks like his daughter still liked the colour red, he still hadn''t forgotten how Liu Hui Ying made a fuss with him when they were living in the modern world and asked him to buy her a red dress because her favourite bird that always stayed angry was red. " You are here to help the Liu family?" Liu Dong Ming frowned. Though he was quite happy with his daughtering to look for him, he still acted like usual as he did not want to spook her. Sure enough, this was a father and daughter connection even though the two of them were apart his daughter could totally sense a familiarity with him. Liu Hui Ying who only came to see him because he was the head of the Liu family: "¡­" I have no idea what you are talking about. Find your next read at mvl " Thats right, I heard from themoners that the Liu family is in trouble with what happened at the docks, so I decided to take a look at the case," Liu Hui Ying ced her hands on her chest and then looked at Liu Dong Ming with a determined expression on her face. " I am sure that I surely deal with this case if you give me the chance." " You can?" A cold sneer erupted from Liu Dong Ming''s lips causing Liu Hui Ying to stiffen as she flinched slightly. Though she could feel a sort of pressure rise in the room she did not look away from Liu Dong Ming and nodded stiffly, " Yes, I am sure that I can take care of this case if I am given the opportunity." Liu Dong Ming stared at her for two whole seconds causing Liu Hui Ying to swallow the lump in her throat twice. " All right," said Liu Dong Ming after a long pause causing Liu Hui Ying to heave a sigh of relief. When Liu Dong Ming saw that Liu Hui Ying had heaved a sigh of relief, he was quite happy. It looked like all of his steps were working in the right direction, Liu Hui Ying was now rxed in his presence this was good. He then looked at Liu Hui Ying and asked, " What do you think of doing Lord Chi?I mean many believe that this case involves pirates and that the Liu family joined hands with the pirates to keep the million or so taels for themselves. Though it''s pitifully naive that others are willing to believe that the Liu family will fight for such a small amount the evidence is against us. Do you know what kind of task you are taking? You will be pushing yourself in the front line and the Ji family will not like it." Liu Hui Ying gulped when she heard Liu Dong call a million taels a small amount. It made her wonder just how rich the Liu family really was, however, she did not question it instead she nodded solemnly as she answered, " I know. But my benefits are closely tied with the Liu family which is why I would like to do everything in my power to make sure that I will prove the innocence of the Liu family." What a joke, if something happened to this family then surely Liu Hui Ying would lose her crown of the Empress and the¡­then ¡ª¡ª that fcker Ji Yang and his family would definitely cause trouble for her. She could not allow that to happen! While Liu Hui Ying was determined not to lose her crown, Liu Dong Ming on the other hand was touched upon seeing the loyalty of his daughter. Sure enough, he taught her well. The ghost aides: "¡­" I don''t know what you are thinking but it''s wrong! ---------------- Chapter 495: A not so pleasant investigation (2) " I see," Liu Dong Ming nodded after hearing Liu Hui Ying''s response. He then pursed his lips and asked, " So what do you want to talk about?" " I want to talk to those guards who escorted the trunk that was carrying the money. I have to learn about the situation that took ce at them time," Liu Hui Ying replied to Liu Dong Ming. Till now she had only heard the ¡ª¡ª '' He said, she said'' version of the story. It was better to listen what the soldiers who were escorting Liu Yu Nan. In fact, she would have loved to interrogate Liu Yu Nan but she knew that it was impossible as Ji Yang would not let anyone make a mess of this n that he hade up with. Thus, for the sake of avoiding doubts and suspicions, she had to keep her distance from Liu Yu Nan, who was the crux of the matter. Anyway, the Ji family believed that this matter was a done deal. As long as Liu Yu Nan was locked up in the prison then no one would be able to help the Liu family. And Liu Hui Ying was going to make use of this blind confidence, she would avoid Liu Yu Nan but at the same time collect as much information as she could regarding the case before dealing with the Ji family''s matter. If she nned it like this, Liu Hui Ying was sure that sooner orter she would be able to deal with the Ji family''s scheme. '' Slow and steady, I need to be slow and steady,'' she reminded herself before looking at Liu Dong Ming sternly and adding, " It will be better if you can arrange for as many soldiers as possible my lord. It will give me a better understanding of the situation." Liu Dong Ming saw the determination in Liu Hui Ying''s eyes and his face softened. Just like this, his beloved would look at him with the same expression whenever she was about to face something difficult. Even though she knew that she was biting more than she could chew, she was still willing to give it her all. And he adored that. Looks like his daughter despite looking like him the most actually took after his wife in essence, both were stubborn as bulls. " Very well, then I will take a look at this matter. Please give me some time, Lord Chi," Liu Dong Ming agreed in a polite voice. He then pointed to the sweets that were kept in front of Liu Hui Ying and then stated with a soft voice, " You can eat these sweets, Lord Chi. I haven''t poisoned them you know." His lips curled in a smile which made Liu Hui Ying stiffen as he added, " My heart will get hurt if you don''t eat these sweets." Liu Hui Ying: I have a feeling that I will be eaten if I don''t eat these sweets. Though her heart was filled with terror, she still nodded and then brought a sweet to her mouth before munching on it. '' Oh it is indeed good,'' Liu Hui Ying thought in her head as she started eating the desserts without any hesitation. Seeing her eat without any restraints, Liu Dong Ming was satisfied. He nodded to himself and then stepped out, however the second he stepped out and closed the door behind him, the soft smile on his lips vanished and he ordered his aide, " Go and call all the soldiers who were responsible for escorting the taels to the finance department." " Yes." With Liu Dong Ming giving the orders, no one dared to take it lightly. The aides brought the soldiers in charge to the Liu manor within seconds and as soon as the soldiers responsible for escorting the taels to the finance department appeared at the Liu house, the one who greeted them was none other than Liu Dong Ming. Stay connected with mvl " You all¡­" Liu Dong Ming addressed the soldiers gently causing them to stiffen as they looked at him with a simr wary expression on their faces. Was Lord Liu going to kill them now? Did hee up with the punishment that he was going to hand them down? If so which one? What kind of punishment did hee up with? They hoped that whatever punishment Lord Liu came up with, would not make them lose an arm or leg. Liu Dong Ming stared at the long-winded soldiers who gulped upon hearing his voice. He said slowly, " I will leave you all in Lord Chi''s care. Make sure that you answer his question properly and if you make a mistake then be prepared to lose your heads." As he finished speaking he coldly nced at the soldiers who double gulped as they knew that Liu Dong Ming was not joking. No matter who this Lord Chi was, they better treat him like an ancestor! Their lives were in his hands! ¡­.. " Ummm, why are you all kneeling on the ground?" Liu Hui Ying questioned as she looked at the soldiers who were sitting on the ground while she sat on the high chair. " This is where we belong our lord! Please feel free to speak to us, there is no need for you to hold back!" The leader of the soldiers answered Liu Hui Ying who frowned. Though she did not understand why they were kneeling like she was their ancestor and why they made her sit in this high chair, she was notining as it was indeed toofortable. She settled herself even morefortably in the high chair before saying, "¡­ I want you all to tell me what happened on the night of the theft, don''t leave out even the smallest detail make sure that you tell me everything." The soldiers sitting on the floor looked up and then nced at one another before the leader of the soldiers said, " Lord Chi, we are willing to speak the truth but ¡­ I am afraid that you will not believe us." " Is that so?" Liu Hui Ying smiled benevolently as she looked at the men kneeling in front of her and added, " How will you know if you do not tell me hmm?" Chapter 496: Solved the case The two soldiers looked at one another before turning to look at Liu Hui Ying. The one on the right pursed his lips before exining what happened the night of the incident. On the night of the incident. They were heading towards the financial department with Liu Yu Yan. It was a dark night with clouds fluttering in front of the moon causing the path covered with snow to be filled with darkness. Because it was cold there was no one on the street but they had the responsibility for bringing the money to the financial department, thus even though it was cold, they had to do their job. '' Isn''t it too cold tonight?'' One of the soldiers spoke up while sitting on the horse, with the rein in his hands. He had been patrolling in the night for a while but for some reason, it was a bit too cold tonight. '' The weather should be getting warmer instead of getting colder.'' '' Maybe it rained somewhere,'' his friend said with a slight shiver. It was indeed too cold and this chill seemed really weird. A bad premonition rose in the heart of the man who was speaking, though he could not pinpoint what was wrong, he did feel that something was wrong. '' I guess,'' the man who first spoke nodded. Though he did feel that there was some sort of evil vibeing from the surroundings, the man tried to calm his heart down. After all what kind of evil could be hiding in the open path? They had deliberately chosen this path because there were no alleys or dark corners on it. Unless the person knew how to go invisible, there was no way they would be able to hide! The soldiers however started to feel more and more icky, the more they walked on the path the more they thought that they were walking towards something dangerous. However, they continued riding towards the finance department as they wanted to be done with this job. The sooner they handed the box with the golden taels to the one who was in charge of the department the sooner they would be able to get away from the cold and chilly winds that were blowing against their bodies. Despite being d in these fur coats and jackets the weather was too cold for them to not shiver. As the group arrived at the port, they knew that they were close they were about to arrive at the finance department, they just needed to ride for another half an hour. However as soon as they arrived at the port, the mist surrounding the port suddenly got thicker than it was¡ª-it became so dense that the soldiers could not even see what was in front of them. '' What is going on?'' One of the soldiers eximed worriedly. Was this thing normal? It was not normal at all! How could there be mist so thick that he could not even see who was right next to him '' I t..think it''s a ghost,'' a soldier who was rather young could not help but state with a stuttering voice. He had heard stories from his grandmother that when a ghost was near them, the temperature around their surroundings fell to unmeasurable degrees. As he thought about how this was because of a ghost, the soldier could not help but shiver in fright. Something was wrong! He knew something was wrong! Explore more stories with mvl '' Come ond, you are thinking too much,'' One of the higher-ranking soldiers barked as he looked at the young man who was trembling with fright. He did not believe in ghosts and whatnot, he rolled his eyes and then stated, '' I bet the mist is thick here because of the ocean. There is no such thing as ghosts and spirits, you are scaring yourself.'' After speaking the elderly soldier charged ahead. A few of the soldiers agreed with what the elderly soldiers said but at the same time, there were a few who believed that there was something wrong with what was happening around them. After all, how could the weather suddenly go so cold and chilling just because they arrived at the harbour? Though the team of soldiers were uneasy they still nudged their soldiers to walk closer to Liu Yu Yan who was leading them. However, as they approached Liu Yu Yan, they realized that the man had stopped and was now looking at the shadow that they could see behind the mist. '' Who is that?'' The elderly soldier who imed that there were no ghosts earlier, asked in a loud voice. He unsheathed his dagger and then aimed it at the shadow. '' I am warning you, we are armed! If you do not stand aside then do not me us for being ruthless.'' However, the shadow did not move. The elderly man turned to look at Liu Yu Yan who nodded. They were ordered to deliver the money securely to the finance department how could they take unnecessary risks? Even if this person was amoner, they have to deal ruthlessly with them! It was better to be cautious than being stabbed in the back! The elderly man raised his hand and then threw his dagger at the shadow, he was sure that his aim was perfect and the dagger was aimed right at the thigh of the man who stood in the mist while hiding from them. However, a secondter he heard a low thunk as if the dagger had fallen on the ground. '' How is that possible? My aim is best in the team! I have never failed in taking aim!'' The elderly man thought while eyeing the shadow. However, his eyes widened a secondter, as the shadow moved forward. ¡­. " It was a ghost¡­ the ghost of a bandit," the soldier finished speaking with a tremor. " I do not remember anything else other than seeing that ghost¡­ when I and the rest of the team members woke up the ghost was gone." " You do not remember how you fainted?" Liu Hui Ying questioned the soldiers. The two of them exchanged a nce and then shook their heads. " No, we don''t we just remember seeing that ghost and nothing else." -------------- Chapter 497: Solved the case (2) The two soldiers were not lying. They only remembered seeing the ghost that appeared out of nowhere and after that¡ª¡ª " We fainted. None of including Leader Liu remember how we all fainted, we do remember trying to fight that horrible being but other than that¡­ we have no more memories of that night," the soldier replied with furrowed brows. She nodded and then asked, " Did none of you check the box? Was the money in the box or not? I mean you all passed for an entire night, you should have checked the money in the box first right?" The soldier on the left agreed with what Liu Hui Ying said, he gave her a nod and then said, " Our leader did check the box. It was the first thing that he did¡­ when he opened the box, the money was indeed in the box however once we arrived at the finance office, the money was no longer inside it!" " Of course, it was the ghost who stole the money! How could there be any money left?" The soldier on the right said with a tremble. " He must have done something, that is why the money was gone from the box." Liu Hui Ying pursed her lips. Though she did not get much information she did understand that the tax money was under the noses of the Ji family. Though she did not have any evidence¡­ she finally got a grasp of the matter, there was indeed a ghost attached to this case. Now that she had no more doubts about the matter. Find more to read at mvl " And what would a ghost do with human money?" Liu Hui Ying raised a brow as she looked at the two soldiers who finally calmed down under her question. The two of them seemed to have stuck as they did not answer. That was right? Why would a ghost need human money? One of the soldiers could not help but ask Liu Hui Ying, " Lord Chu why do you think that the ghost stole the money?" " It depends on who asked him to do that," Liu Hui Ying answered distractedly she was already quite certain what really happened behind the scenes but the thing was how was she supposed to manage this matter and find the money? And that too without giving her secret up? She narrowed her eyes. It seemed that this matter was not that easy, something that she already knew but now that she knew what happened, Liu Hui Ying felt like Ji Yang was really good at scheming, at least the master behind him was not a fool. " Asked¡­ one can ask the ghost to steal money?" The other soldier asked dubiously, what was this man even talking about? Liu Hui Ying raised her sharp gaze causing the two men to flinch and then pull away from her before she stated coldly, " A ghost can steal human money but he cannot do it on the orders of someone, gosh what kind of era are you living? Recession is real whether human or ghost, wake up." She then waved her hands and then said, " You two can leave." The two soldiers did not understand a word that Liu Hui Ying said to them. " What did he mean by recessions?" " I do not understand¡­ I am from the same era as you, am I not?" The two confused men stepped out of the house while Liu Hui Ying stayed where she was sitting. Jia Li looked at Liu Hui Ying and asked, " What happened? I do not understand.." Liu Hui Ying racked her brains for a while and then replied in a slow deliberate voice, " So much gold vanished all of a sudden, there is no way for such a thing to happen without a dimensional array drawn." She narrowed her eyes while tapping on the armrest of the chair, "Let''s be honest, there is no way that ghost can draw that array. If anything that ghost was more or less a distraction. The one who was behind the entire scheme is someone else." In such a short time, Liu Hui Ying had guessed a lot. " This is where the real questiones in, who was the one who drew that array? Is it Ji Yang or someone else? Looks like I will have to send Ji Yu to the Ji family." " What if the county magistrate is on the matter?" Li Gong suggested. " Shouldn''t we question him as well?" However, Liu Hui Ying shook her head and then imed, " There is no way the county magistrate would be willing to carry such a dark hat of treachery on his head. Do not forget that if the team failed then it was also the fault of the county magistrate for not controlling the borders of the city." What was more, if the county magistrate was to take part in this case then he would be the easiest sacrificialmb to be pushed in front of if the case fell through, unless that man was an idiot, he would try his best to not get squeezed between the two big shots. Liu Hui Ying suddenly sat up straight, that was right, the county magistrate would not offend anyone. And the box of money was still in the county magistrate''s office! That means ¡ª¡ª " Haha, that man was skilled but I am more skilled!" Since Ji Yang did not know that she was a celestial master then she had a great idea of how to deal with this matter. As soon as she figured out how to deal with this case, Liu Hui Ying could not restrain her excitement and joy. She turned to look at the five spirits and then said, " I know how to deal with this case! Looks like weare going to keep our title and position as the Empress." Her suddenugh caused Liu Dong Ming who was approaching her pause, he looked at his daughter who wasughing with a softened expression before clearing his throat. He asked, " Lord Chu, have you solved the case?" Chapter 498: Discussing about fees Liu Hui Ying turned to look at Liu Dong Ming who came to stand behind her at some point. She did not know when he came to stand behind her, it surprised her nheless. '' Does this man walk on air or something? Howe he did not even make the slightest bit of noise?'' Liu Hui Ying thought in her head, she even nced at Liu Dong Ming''s feet to make sure that he was standing on the floor or not. When she saw that he was indeed standing straight on his feet that were on the ground, she dropped her suspicions about him being something else. Of course, Liu Dong Ming noticed that Liu Hui Ying was looking at his feet. His lips curled up in a smile but he pressed his lips down, when he was young, his wife used to say the same thing. Sometimes she would even look at his feet saying that he walked without making a noise andined that he walked way too softly and scared her. '' You walk like an agile cat,'' his wife had once told him and though Liu Dong Ming had tried to change his habit, he was used to walking with a grace and elegance that made it impossible for him to make any noise when he was walking. Thus, he often caused others to jump. He never thought that his daughter would be the same. '' Howe the two of them were so simr? His daughter inherited all the habits of his wife,'' Liu Dong Ming thought in his head as he looked at Liu Hui Ying who had pushed herself from the chair. However, upon seeing that Liu Hui Ying was staring at him solemnly, he pushed his thoughts to the back of his head and then arched his brows before saying, " Lord Chu?" Experience exclusive tales on mvl Liu Hui Ying raised her headzily before saying, " I have more or less figured out a way to deal with this matter, Lord Liu. All you need to do is to make sure that the county magistrate stays in hisne and pretends that he cannot see anything. As long as he is willing to do that, nothing will go wrong." Hearing her words, Liu Dong Ming nodded. Looks like his daughter had figured a way out to deal with this matter if that was the case then he did not have to make a move this time around. He gave Liu Hui Ying another nod and then said, " I am d that you are willing to help, Lord Chu." " Then ¡­ what about my payment?" Though Liu Hui Ying was doing this to save her crown, she was still as poor as a ghost. When Liu Dong Ming heard Liu Hui Ying ask about payment he blinked his eyes. Payment? Didn''t he hand more than ten thousand gold taels to Liu Hui Ying when she married Zhai Tianyu? Why was she asking for payment? " Lo...Lord Chu? You ¡­ are you in urgent need of money?" Liu Dong Ming asked. He wanted to rify whether Liu Hui Ying was in need of money or she just wanted to earn money. Liu Hui Ying scratched her cheek with slight embarrassment and then replied, " Well it''s quite embarrassing to say ¡­but I am indeed poor." Liu Dong Ming who worked for years to make sure that his daughter lived afortable life: "¡­" Very good. It seemed like that old hag pulled a stunt when he was not looking. His eyes narrowed slightly in anger. After this matter was over, he would visit that old woman. " I understand. As long as this matter is over, you cane over and take your payment, since this case concerns our family''s safety¡ª¡ª your reward will be generous," stated Liu Dong Ming coldly. His peach blossom eyes were carrying a hint of mockery and his melodic voice held no mercy as he said, " For the sake of my family, I am willing to do anything so you do not need to worry about your rewards being any less generous." Only then did Liu Hui Ying heave a sigh of relief, looks like she did not have to worry about anything else. " You do not need to worry about anything then Lord Liu, just leave this matter to me," Liu Hui Ying smiled brilliantly as she bowed her head and then walked out of the corridor where she was sitting. She needed to arrange a bunch of things before making a move. Liu Dong Ming slowly turned around and watched Liu Hui Ying walk away, his eyes turned cold as he summoned his aide, " General Liang." A ghost with a burning skull appeared from the dark corner of the corridor, he bowed his head before kneeling on the floor. " Is there anything that I can do for you, Master Liu?" The ghost called General Liang questioned with a polite voice. He was once a General who held his head high in the air but then he ended up getting caught in the hands of Ji Yang and lost his life, even till now his family''s name hadn''t been cleared up. They were still living in exile and he was following Liu Dong Ming as his servant in the hope that one day his family would be cleared up from the charge of being traitors. " Go and take a look at what Grand Dowager Empress is doing these days. And lurk around for a while, find out where my daughter''s dowry went," Liu Dong Ming ordered. For the sake of Liu Hui Ying, he made sure that her dowry was generous and he even made sure that some of the shadow guards would bring extra money to his daughter. But looks like those shadow guards were caught and killed with the money vanishing in between. He was usually busy and never cared about the shadow guards, whether they returned or not, he could not pay attention to it as he was too busy protecting this family¡ª¡ª every day he was locked up in the prayer hall while making sure that dark spirit would never harm the descendants of the Liu family, spiritually. However looks like while providing spiritual protection to his descendants he forgot the materialistic protection. Chapter 499: Allergy flares up ------------ On the other hand, Liu Hui Ying stepped out of the Liu Mansion, her long hair fluttering behind her as she walked past the street. With her destination set, Liu Hui Ying did not make any detour, instead, she headed straight towards the county magistrate''s office. " Hui Ying, dear. Have you really thought it through?" Grandma Lan Wen was really worried that Liu Hui Ying was trying to chew more than she could chew, it was going to be night soon and yet she did not return to the Imperial Pce. Explore hidden tales at §Þ?? That poor maid who was ying the role of Liu Hui Ying at the cold pce must be on the verge of fainting and yet Liu Hui Ying was not even close to returning to the pce. " I am sure," Liu Hui Ying replied with her eyes narrowed. The ''X'' appeared all of a sudden at the port which means that Ji Yang must have thought of pushing the Liu family to a corner, however, she bombarded that wall which destroyed the little scheme that he had made. Surely, he would try to change the method. " If I am not wrong then our dear Prime Minister Ji will be making a move tonight. In case I do not deal with this method then I am sure that Liu Yu Yan and the Liu family will have no chance to survive this tragedy," Liu Hui Ying stated. Her eyes were carrying a hint of murderous intentions as she strode past the street however as she turned left and headed towards the alley which was a shortcut to the county magistrate''s office, she ended up running headlong into someone. Because the sudden collision was a bit too hard, Liu Hui Ying ended up stumbling. " Oof," Liu Hui Ying yelped as her foot stumbled, her hands reached out and iled as she tried to stabilize herself. It was then that someone shot out his arm and then wrapped his hand around her waist before pulling her up. Liu Hui Ying''s eyes widened as she looked at the man who had held her hand. With his long ck hair tied with a golden crown, his sharp phoenix eyes stared down at her, his jawline was sharp with high cheekbones. His red eyes stared down at her while the earring with red strings dangling fluttered with the wind as well as the impact of the collision. There was a slight redness under his eyes which made him even more alluring and mysterious. And with his dark midnight robe, his mysteriousness doubled even more. " You.." Liu Hui Ying felt a subtle sting in her skin as she snatched her hand from the hold of the man. She red at him while rubbing her skin which was slowly turning red and said angrily, " Can you not watch where you are going? You almost caused my spine to break into half." What was worse this man caused her allergy to re up. Now what was she supposed to do? The man in the red robe did not seem to be offended by her words, he simply arched his brow and then asked, " Dear sir, are you sure? If not for me you would have fallen on the ground. I was the one who helped you just now, and you are scolding me, don''t you think you are being unreasonable?" Liu Hui Ying did not want to waste her time with this man. For some reason he made her feel a sense of danger what was more even her sister seemed to be wary of him. Her eyes flickered to the right eye of the man but she did not see the scar on his face, which made her drop her guard but only a bit. She still believed that there was something wrong with the man in front of her which was why she narrowed her eyes and sidestepped him before walking away. The man watched her leave with a haughty stride and chuckled. He reached his hand and touched his left eye before muttering, " You are still the same aren''t you?" ¡­. Night slowly fell. And the guards of Yamen started to make rounds around the street and the town. With the increase in the sudden amount of guards, it was quite difficult for Liu Hui Ying to sneak inside the county magistrate''s office. She slowed down her pace to make sure that she did not make any noise while walking inside the yamen. However, with her allergy ring up and the guards walking in every corner of the office, she soon lost her patience. " Ais! They are really so annoying, why do they have to work so hard was the county magistrate handing them extra pay or something? Can''t they take their duties a bit lightly?" Liu Hui Ying questioned angrily when she was forced to stop for the seventh time because of another guard. The invisibility talisman made her invisible but that did not mean that she became untouchable as well. If these guards touched her then she would be caught. However, Liu Hui Ying was in a hurry, her arms were already covered in blisters which were slowly turning painful with puss filling inside them. She looked down at her arm which was filled with puss-filled blisters and did not know what to say. How dirty was that man for her skin to react like that, surely he was a man who was a debaucher if not then her skin would not have be like this! " If that man ever meets me again, I will skin him alive," Liu Hui Ying hissed. She thought that she only needed to do this and that, and she would be free of this problem. But that man caused her allergy to re up and now even this small matter became big as she simply could not withstand this pain any more! " Just hold on a bit more," Jia Li whispered when she saw Liu Hui Ying running out of patience. " I have already examined the area, we just need to walk for five more minutes and then the warehouse of the county magistrate''s office will be in front of us¡ª¡ª" " Do you hear that?" Chapter 500: A sieve Immediately everyone turned silent, Liu Hui Ying who had lost her patience turned to look at the guards who came to a stop in front of her. Her expression turned ugly, she was in a hurry to deal with this matter and then go back home before washing the disgusting thing that was attached to her skin because of the man who touched her. However these two were now standing in front of her and to make matters worse the corridor was just this big, now what should she do? Should she climb up the wall like a lizard or something? " What are you talking about?" The guard who was called by his friend turned to look at the man with a cross on his face and asked, " What did I hear?" The man with a cross looked around and then hissed, " I just heard the sound of some woman. She sounded like a total babe." As he spoke the man licked his lips vulgarly causing Jia Li to stiffen. " Looks like you are still in demand, Li Li," Li Gang snickered causing Jia Li to turn around and then kick him on the arse. She hissed, " You better not piss me off. I am a ghost he is a human, how can he even hear me?" The same question was in the head of the guard who was now staring at the man with a cross scar on his face like he was looking at a pervert. He shook his head and then said to the man with the scar, " Brother He, you are dreaming. I think you left your head back in the red light districtst night, how can there be a woman in the county magistrate? If there was one the county magistrate would punish us all." The county magistrate was a good man, he did not take sides with the two political fractions nor did he take bribes. A leader like this was someone they needed but at the same time, a good leader ced a lot of restraints, such as not doing any sort of coarse action in the county magistrate''s office. The man with the scar clicked his tongue and then said with a snicker, " I really don''t understand why that man had to be so cruel to us, I mean we work hard, very hard every day there is nothing wrong with us wanting to have fun a little." With his hands locked behind his head, he shook his head and then said, " Look at me, I am so deprived of women that I am hearing woman''s voice." " By the way what are we going to have for dinner?" " You are starving already ?" " Ah, I did not eat anything during lunch had to keep an eye on the warehouse and make sure that the member from the Ji family was satisfied, he continued to check the empty box again and again, if I did not know better I would have thought that it was his family who was in trouble ." " What do you know?" The guard nced at the man with the scar. His gaze was filled with disdain as he said, " Ji Yang had been trying to drag the Liu family from the high pedestal for ages. Now that he had finally gotten a chance, he would not leave it. He is just making sure that the Liu family would have no way to get out of this situation." "He is not checking whether the box gets filled with money miraculously but he is making sure that the box remains empty." Liu Hui Ying who was watching the two guards gossip stopped turning her head left and right like a table tennis ball. At first, she was a bit interested in their gossip but after the sting in her skin got worse and worse, she lost her patience. She reached out her hand took out the hairpin that she had used to tie her hair with and then squatted down before walking like a crab. " What are you doing?" Jia Li hissed when she saw Liu Hui Ying walk like a crab. " Sending these two gossipy aunties away, " Liu Hui Ying replied, she was all about having fun but at this moment she was in a hurry. She poked her tongue out as she aimed at the bottom of the man with the scar, her hand that was holding the hairpin moved back and forth before she put a bit of strength in her arms and then ¡ª¡ª " AH!" The man with the scar yelped while rubbing his bottom, he looked around wanting to see what was going on causing his partner to look at him with confusion. " What is the matter?" Why was this man screaming like a woman who was teased? The man with the scar rubbed his bottom as if it were on fire and eximed, " Something pinched me!" His partner: "¡­." So this made you scream? The guard was speechless after hearing the words of the man with the scar, he shook his head and then said, "Let''s go, this is a dark corner most probably you ended up getting bitten by a mosquito." To think that his partner was screaming because of a mosquito bite. Find exclusive stories on §Þ?? The man with scar however felt like he had been wronged to the great heavens. He was not lying when he said that something pinched him! And it was very different from a mosquito bite but it wasn''t possible for him to take off his pants and show off his injuries to his partner right? What if it was really a mosquito bite? It would be too embarrassing. Once the two of them were gone, Liu Hui Ying who was being held by the five ghosts sat up straight and then turned to look at the five ghosts who were holding her down. " Why did you stop me?" " Because you were going to make a sieve out of that poor man''s bottom! Do you think one hole is too small for fart and wanted to add more?" -------------- Chapter 501: Beat him up The five ghosts were speechless, they thought that Liu Hui Ying would only poke the man with her hairpin once, turned out that she got so addicted to the feeling of poking the hairpin in the bottom of that man, that she ended up creating a new record. " If you had used half of your speed to shoot when we were in danger, then most of the missions would have finished without a hitch," Li Gang said to Liu Hui Ying who rolled her eyes and then said to Li Gang with a smile on her face, " I could have used my speed to shoot bullets sure, then who was going to take responsibility for it? You?" After she was done speaking, she pushed herself from the ground and then said, "Let''s go, we need to sneak inside the warehouse and deal with that array." The ghosts stopped talking as they chased after Liu Hui Ying who was headed towards the warehouse where the evidence that was brought by the guards of the Yamen was ced. She pushed open the door of the warehouse and stepped inside and as she stepped inside, Liu Hui Ying was not even surprised when she saw the ghost who had yed a very important role in diverting attention during the theft standing in the middle of the warehouse. As soon as the ghost saw Liu Hui Ying, he unhinged his jaw and let out a loud scream which would have terrified anyone. But just not Liu Hui Ying. Continue your saga on §Þ?? Thetter watched the ghost scream as his smelly and bad breath sent her hair flying behind her before she pursed her lips and then stepped forward, she nced at the ghost who was still screaming before she raised her hand that held a talisman and smacked the bandit ghost on the face. SLAP! The scream came to an abrupt halt causing the five ghosts to wince, especially Xiao Lin. She thought that Liu Hui Ying had no patience when she was dealing with her but looks like she was thinking too much. Compared to this ghost, Liu Hui Ying treated her rather docilely. At least she had not been pped yet. The bandit ghost did not expect that he would be pped like this, his jaw which was already unhinged because of the ident that he met at the time of his death became even more unhinged and almost ended up getting thrown out of the warehouse. He stretched out his hand and then brought his jaw which had been thrown to the side before fixing it carefully. He then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and questioned, " Yo¡­You can touch me?" The bandit ghost was stunned. He never thought that someone who could touch him woulde looking in the warehouse. Now he knew why that man asked him to stay inside the warehouse while asking him to keep an eye on things to make sure that nothing went wrong. He was most probably worried that this woman woulde to cause trouble! Liu Hui Ying sneered as she looked at the bandit thug and then said, " Not only can I touch you but I can also send you to your mother. Unless you want to get exorcised while crying like a child, step aside." However the bandit thug did not seem to have heard Liu Hui Ying''s threat, when he heard that Liu Hui Ying could exorcise him, his eyes lit up and he stretched out his hands in front of Liu Hui Ying before saying, " I am willing to step aside but you need to help me." " On what basis?" Liu Hui Ying asked icily. She did not think that there was any need for her to help a ghost who had tried to harm her family. The bandit ghost however did not think that there was anything wrong with what he was doing. In fact, he was quite proud when he said, " Because I am the key to the array! If you want to break the array then you have to use me!" Liu Hui Ying arched a brow. She looked at the bandit ghost before turning to look at her ghosts, she waved her hand and then said, " Five Minutes, teach him a good lesson. If he is willing to confess then I will hand the one who made this man''s mouth loosen twice the amount of spiritual energy." Twice the amount of spiritual energy? The five ghosts were immediately tempted. They looked at the bandit ghost who seemed to have realized that something was up but before he could think of something, Li Gang strode forward and then said, " We have nothing against you brother, it''s just that you targeted the wrong person." As soon as he finished speaking, he walked forward while cracking his fingers. The bandit ghost realizing something was off wanted to run away but it was toote, the five ghosts including Grandma Lan Fan rushed ahead and then started to hit him with her cane. On the other hand, Liu Hui Ying simply sat down on a box and then looked at the bandit ghost who was beaten up. It did not take long as the bandit ghost raised his hand in surrender and moaned in pain, " I¡­ I admit defeat, let me go." He could not believe that he was beaten up like a child who was caught in a mob of angry bullies! " I ¡­ I was the one who hit him the most!" Li Gang whose fingers were almost in the nose of the bandit raised his hand and then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying. "¡­ I am the winner! Ask them!" He pointed to the women who were still a step toote than Li Gang who beat up the bandit ghost. They could only re at him angrily while hoping that Liu Hui Ying would at least share an extra bit of spiritual energy with them, just for their efforts. They participated too! They deservedplimentary gifts! - Chapter 502: Can’t hold anymore ? Liu Hui Ying did not pay attention to the ghosts as she was examining the empty box where no gold or silver taels were kept inside. Her eyes flickered slightly as she turned to look at the bandit ghost and asked," You are really the key to this array." Explore more adventures at §Þ?? She thought that he was exaggerating when he said that he was the key to the array, but it seemed to her that he was not lying. He was really the one who could break this array, if Liu Hui Ying were to do it, then she would rm the person who drew this array when no one was paying attention to him. When the bandit ghost saw that Liu Hui Ying had seemed to realize his importance, he grinned sinisterly and then said," That is right, I am the key to the array. Unless I draw the reverse array with my yin energy, the gold taels will not return. Haha, isn''t that funny?" The bandit ghost thought that he was surely going to dominate this celestial master who came out of nowhere. He arched his brows and then said," If you listen to me and help me out, then I might help you dismantle the array. I don''t even need a lot of help actually, it''s just that I have a daughter and I¡ª¡ª" He was still speaking when Liu Hui Ying stepped forward and then reached out her hand, with her fingers, she knotted the bandit ghost''s hair in her hand and then said," You know, I really hate it when someone tries to threaten me. It pisses me off. How about this?I will let your sorry existence go if you break the array for me?" The bandit ghost did not expect Liu Hui Ying to threaten him like this, he wanted to refuse, but under Liu Hui Ying''s cold gaze that was filled with murderous intent, he knew that she was not lying when she said that she would make him vanish if he did not agree with her. However, he was still stubborn, without him, there was no way Liu Hui Ying would be able to break the array. Thus he confidently said, while ignoring the pain," If you want to exorcise me then do so, I have been entangled with enough mess as it is, I wanted to help my daughter and nothing else which is why I agreed to help that man, but he refused to help me now that I have done what he wanted every time I ask him when he is going to help me and my daughter, he makes an excuse! I cannot even leave as my yin energy is now tied to that box." When the bandit ghost thought about how he was fooled and made use of it, he could not help but get angry. He knew that he was fooled but at the same time, he knew that if he did not follow the arrangement that was set by the man who captured him, he would never be freed, and maybe he would be tied to this box for all eternity which was something that he feared, and thus he acted along with the master. However, now that he had another option, he was very much willing to ce his bets on Liu Hui Ying. Liu Hui Ying listened to the words of the bandit ghost, of course, if she wanted, she could have used another method to make this ghost do her bidding, but she could see that though this man was a bandit, he hadn''t done much wrong in his life. Even the blood on his hands was not that thick. She crossed her arms and asked," Why should I help a bandit?" The bandit ghost stiffened, as he had clearly not hoped that she would question him like this. He gritted his teeth and then said, "It is not that I was willing to be a bandit when I was alive. It was the imperial rule who made a mess out of our vige, they snatched ournds under the rule that we did not pay taxes on time and then sent us away while handing our fertilends to the rich officials!" Just remembering the things that happened to him in the past made the bandit ghost angry. He pursed his lips and then added softly," After we were chased out of our vige with nopensation ornd, what were we supposed to do? We did what we could." Liu Hui Ying knew that the bandit ghost was speaking the truth, as she could sense the fluctuations in his yin energy. She blinked her eyes and then let go of the hair strands that she was holding on to before crouching down and then cupping her cheek. She then questioned in a troubled voice," Is this when your daughter was lost or something?" The bandit ghost shook his head and then stated," I do not remember¡­ I only remember the incident that filled me with anger and resentment. Other than that, I do not remember much but ¡­ I do remember that someone tried to take my daughter away before I was killed ¡ª¡ª as for who, I cannot remember it." So he was killed by the man who snatched his daughter? Liu Hui Ying thought in her mind. She twisted her lips before pouting slightly. She would rather not trouble herself but at the same time, if she were to deal with this bandit ghost roughly, it would attract the attention of that celestial master who was behind this scheme. Rather than dealing with that man for now, she would rather deal with this ghost. Liu Hui Ying''s eyes flickered as she looked down at the ghost, who was staring at her warily while holding his head with his hands as if he were afraid that Liu Hui Ying would hurt him again. " Fine, I will help you find your daughter. But before that, you need to re-write the array and make the gold taels appear." ----------------- The bandit ghost did not have anything against Liu Hui Ying, he only knew that as long as he helped this woman he would be able to find out about his daughter who was the only person in his family left in this world. He rewrote the array, and it did not take long for the golden taels to appear in the box. When Liu Hui Ying saw the shining gold taels her eyes shimmered with a different light, if not for the fact that this was the hard-earned money of themoners who paid it all to the county magistrate. She would have taken a few taels, after all, she was already so poor. She did not even have enough money to buy a talisman. Once he was done, the bandit ghost turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and then asked," But how are you going to prove anything? Even if the golden taels appeared out of nowhere, it would prove nothing." The bandit ghost was right, after all, without any evidence, the Ji family would simply say that the taels were ced inside the box by the Liu family who feared punishment. Liu Hui Ying sneered upon hearing his question and then said, " They need to think carefully whether or not they can scheme against me once I get the noose around their necks." After she finished speaking, she turned to look at Jia Li, who nodded and then turned her attention to the wooden box. On the other hand, Ji Yang found out that the X that he had drawn on the port after a long, arduous work was gone. He looked at the ck charred stones and knew that Liu Dong Ming had set his n in motion as well, for that man to double-cross him so soon and even catch his tail before it could be exposed, Ji Yang knew that it was going to be troublesome. He turned to his aides who were in the n with him and then said,"We need to make a move. That man surnamed Liu has already started retaliating, if we do not make a move now, then it will not take long for him to turn the situation around." The aides who were supporting the Ji family nodded. They needed to deal with this matter as soon as possible if not Liu Dong Ming would push one of their heads out in front of Zhai Tianyu! " Master Liu, please forgive our offense but we have to bring you to the court," the next morning, the yamen officers arrived in front of the prison cell where Liu Yu Yan was locked up. Though Liu Yu Yan was sitting in the corner of the prison and his clothes were dirty, he was the young master of the Liu family and thus, despite his poor condition, he looked full of vigour and his looks were righteous and dignified. His eyes were filled with determination as he looked at the yamen officers and curled the side of his lips before stating, "What''s wrong? Ji Yang cannot hold on anymore? I think there is still one day left before Chapter 503: Act like an Empress The yamen soldiers did not say anything. This matter had nothing to do with them, if anything they were the victims as well. After all, between the two big families, they were the ones who were being squeezed. The Yamen soldiers were a tad bit embarrassed when they thought about how Ji Yang had indeed rushed the matter but there was nothing that they could do. It was the county magistrate and the Emperor who asked them to bring Liu Yu Yan, what could they do other than listen to the orders that were given to them? The leader of the Yamen officers nced at his team before sighing and taking the lead as he said, " Master Liu, I know that this is a sensitive matter but do not embarrass us as we are only soldiers who listen to the orders of higher-ups. Please follow us, we promise that we will try our best to amodate you." Liu Yu Yan remained silent. He did not say anything and simply looked at his broken leg. A few days ago, Ji Yang who feared that he would escape sent an assassin to the prison cell where he was and got that assassin to break his leg. That man even bribed the officers who were on duty at that moment and then left him to suffer in pain. If not for the fact that he could not kill him, that man would have killed him. The reason Ji Yang stayed merciful was because he knew that if he killed him then Liu Dong Ming who had stood in front of the Liu family like a guardian would kill the entire Ji family even if it meant to be buried alongside them. However, that man didn''t stop and created a lot of trouble forLiu Yu Yang when he was in the prison cell. Most probably he wanted to make sure that Liu Yu Yan would never be able to stand on his feet and suffer in silence. The leader of the Yamen officers of course understood why Liu Yu Yan was looking at his legs. At the same time, he couldn''t help but curse Ji Yang for being restless. Liu Yu Yan was already in prison was there any need for him to attack Liu Yu Yan in the prison? That man was simply causing trouble for himself and the rest of the ya. What was he afraid of? That Liu Yu Yan would run away or something? He turned to look at the soldiers behind him and then ordered, " Bring a stretcher can you not see what is the situation now?" The soldiers all stiffened before they rushed out of the yamen and then brought a small stretcher for Liu Yu Yan. Liu Yu Yan looked at the stretcher in front of him and closed his eyes. It was as if he could already see his coffin in front of him. '' Uncle Dong Ming, I am sorry. I have let you down as well as our family.'' On the other hand, Xiao Ai was trembling with nervousness. She expected that her highness would return in a jiffy but even after waiting for an entire day, Liu Hui Ying did not return. She stayed outside the entire day and before she knew it, Xiao Ai was called to the court under the order of his majesty. " N..nanny Gong, what should I do?" Xiao Ai who was wearing the mask of Liu Hui Ying''s face trembled from head to toe. She was just a small maid who had never even worn a gold hairpin on her head but now she was wearing an entire crown on her head! For the first time in her life, Xiao Ai understood why Liu Hui Ying oftenined about the crown being too heavy. It was literally too heavy! She felt like her neck was going to snap! " Just stay calm," said Nanny Gong. Her arms were looped around Xiao Ai who was having a hard time walking, " You need to stay quiet and not say a word no matter what. Just portray the cold and contemptuous look on your face each time someone tries to speak to you. The same one as Her Highness has every time she sees his majesty, do you understand?" " I...I understand but Nanny Gong," Xiao Ai spoke up causing Nanny Gong to turn and look at her with a slight annoyance. She asked, " What is it?" Xiao Ai took a few steps forward before lowering her voice, " Your legs are shaking." Nanny Gong blinked her eyes, a look of disbelief etched on her face before she looked down and sure enough, she saw her legs shaking like crazy. " Ahem!" Nanny Gong straightened up before saying, "It''s nothing. I might have felt a little cold. I am an old woman cut me some ck!" The two women pretended to be fine but inwardly they were a nervous mush. Liu Hui Ying was not back yet and they were worried that she might not evene back after all, the court was supposed to discuss this case three dayster but Ji Yang had pushed the hearing a day earlier if that was the case then Liu Hui Ying might still be looking for evidence! Xiao Ai and Nanny Gong were worried that even if Liu Hui Ying brought the evidence tomorrow it would not mean anything as the Emperor''s order cannot be defied once they were passed down. Maybe this was the reason why Ji Yang decided to push the hearing a day sooner. The two of them arrived at the court and were dazzled when they saw the many officials and concubines who were sitting on the small thrones that were made for them. However, this was not what made Xiao Ai tremble it was when Nanny Gong pushed her and asked her to climb the stairs and sit on the Phoenix throne next to the Dragon throne on which Zhai Tianyu sat! '' I ¡­ I really do not want to,'' Xiao Ai thought in her head as she stared at the dazzling throne in front of her. Chapter 504: The difference in us -------------------- Xiao Ai however knew that there was nothing that she could do in this situation. She was wearing the Phoenix robes and was also wearing the crown of Empress on her head, she could not possibly stand next to the servants, right? When she thought about how she was wearing the face of her mistress, she decided to take a deep breath and then head up the stairs where Zhai Tianyu looked at her with a peculiar gaze. When Xiao Ai met with Zhai Tianyu''s gaze, she stiffened momentarily before crying in her heart, '' Your majesty! Where did you go? Come back soon, I cannot do this,'' Xiao Ai was really scared, coupled with the fact that everyone was drilling a hole in her back¡ª- from the concubines to the ministers on the Ji family side, she felt like she was going to faint. Even the pressure of the crown on her head became twice much as heavier as it was before. She could not fathom how Liu Hui Ying walked into the court with a confident stride with her head raised when she was facing such pressure every time she stepped inside the court. '' We thought that her majesty was not suffering and she was acting willfully every time she said that she did not want to attend the court¡­but this was how she felt every time,'' Xiao Ai thought in her head as she slowly climbed the stairs. Every time she took a step, she felt like her legs were shaking with the weight of the crown that was ced on her head. It took a long time before Xiao Ai sat down on the throne. No sooner did she sit down than she heard Zhai Tianyu whisper, " Where is your mistress? When is sheing back?" Zhai Tianyu was already aware of the fact that Liu Hui Ying had left the pce in the morning. He was waiting to settle the matter of her sticking that note on his back but before he could settle anything with Liu Hui Ying, Ji Yang came rushing to him saying that he wanted to deal with the Liu family as someone had attacked him when he was returning home and his life was in danger. As the ''puppet'' Emperor with his grandmother and Ji Yang forcing him, he couldn''t possibly say no and agreed. But he was banking his hopes on Liu Hui Ying that she would be back with evidence soon enough. Xiao Ai was shocked when she heard Zhai Tianyu''s question but then she thought about it carefully and decided that it was nothing big. After all, his majesty and her majesty were husband and wife¡ª¡ª there shouldn''t be any secrets between the two of them. " She is not back yet.. the case''s hearing was scheduled for tomorrow, Your Majesty," Xiao Ai told Zhai Tianyu who pursed his lips nervously. Liu Hui Ying was not back? If she was not back then he needed to think of a way to dy the judgment! " It seems like Her Majesty is already finding the weight of the crown too heavy," Ji Yang stated with an undisguised disdain and contempt. He was clutching his arm that was in a sling. As he turned to look at Xiao Ai who was portraying Liu Hui Ying. When thetter saw Ji Yang looking at her, she was about to flinch but then she remembered what Nanny Gong told her and then she morphed her expression into one which was simr to Liu Hui Ying. Ji Yang who was stared down by Xiao Ai sneered before turning his attention to Zhai Tianyu as he cried, " Your majesty, you need to hand me justice tonight. As you can already see, I was nearly assassinated by the Liu family if not for the fact that I still had some time left in the world, I would have died." As he spoke he did not forget to shed a few tears. It was as if he had suffered great injustice. Zhai Tianyu was not shocked by the things that wereing out of Ji Yang''s mouth as he knew that the man was banking on his connection with him for Zhai Tianyu to hand the judgement in his favour. And this was what Zhai Tianyu feared, if he used his own wisdom then he would raise Ji Yang and Grand Dowager Empress''s suspicions, he hadn''t even joined more hands in his army. There was no way he would be able to go against the Ji family for the time being especially when the Liu family was gone. He turned to look at Liu Dong Ming who was calm despite the me that was pushed on his head and questioned," What do you have to say about this usation, Lord Dong Ming?" Liu Dong Ming very carelessly raised his head as he looked at Ji Yang and then turned to look at Liu Yu Yan whose legs were broken by Ji Yang. His eyes flickered slightly as he curled his lips and then said, " I can only say that this was not done by our family, Your Majesty." " You are still trying to quibble!" Ji Yang shouted at Liu Dong Ming indignantly. " What evidence do you have that you did not assassinate me? In this situation, only your family is the most suspicious!" As he spoke. Ji Yang got more and more excited as he straightened his neck. He resembled a chicken that was trying to croon. Liu Dong Ming arched a brow as he stood up from his chair, with his hands behind his back he took a few steps forward causing Ji Yang to take a few steps back. When thetter saw that Liu Dong Ming came to a stop in front of him Ji Yang could not help but raise his head as he looked at Liu Dong Ming who narrowed his eyes. With Liu Dong Ming''s height, there was no other choice in front of Ji Yang. " The fact that you are standing alive here is the biggest proof. We the Liu never make mistakes in things that we take in our hands." Chapter 505: I have evidence When Ji Yang heard the words spoken by Liu Dong Ming he was stunned. He never thought that Liu Dong Ming would dare say such a heartless and ruthless thing in front of the Emperor. He instinctively took a step back and then turned to look at Zhai Tianyu before eximing dramatically, " Do you see this, your majesty?Lord Dong Ming is threatening me in the court! This is hight uneptable." As he spoke his face could not help but turn red in anger but there was also a trace of fear as Ji Yang looked at Liu Dong Ming who did not have the slightest bit of fear on his face. He was steady and calm while looking at Zhai Tianyu. It was as if he was not the one who just threatened someone in the court where officials were sitting and watching the show along with the concubines. When Grand Dowager Empress heard the chilling words of Liu Dong Ming, she could not help but sneer, " You are really worthy of being called the guard dog of the Liu family. For the sake of protecting your family, you are willing to spit nonsense in front of the imperial family." " I do not think that my cousin is spitting nonsense, Your Majesty," Dowager Empress Liu smiled at the olddy who was making things difficult for their family. She calmly picked up the cup of tea in front of her and then stated coldly, " My cousin is only stating facts. The Liu family is known for their ruthlessness as you are already aware, not only are we infamous for our actions, but we are also rather famous for taking responsibility for our actions. We do not lie if we kill as we have the guts of a leopard instead of a stinky dog ying in the ditch while trying to act friendly on the surface." Though she did not say anything directly Grand Dowager Empress knew that Dowager Empress was calling their family a stinky dog. Her expression turned dark and so did Ji Yang who turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and then stated, " Your majesty, I am feeling rather unsafe. If this goes on then won''t the Liu family be no different from a tyrant? How can they be left at ease like this?" Zhai Tianyu rubbed the space between his brows, he could not understand why his mother and uncle could not restrain their arrogance for a short while. Did they not understand what kind of situation were they in? But then again the Liu family was like this even Liu Yu Yan whose legs were broken had a sort of pride as he knelt on the floor with support. This was what the Liu family was like even when his mother was med for the death of his father, she had faced the criticism with her head held high. When his grandmother brought the guards to bring his mother to the prison, his mother had not knelt in front of her. Instead, she looked at his grandmother in the eyes and then said, " If you want to bring me to the prison then so be it. But you need to remember the consequences of doing so." After that, his grandmother hadn''t even thought of imprisoning his mother which made him slightly bewildered as he did not understand just what kind of secret his mother was holding onto for his grandmother to not touch her. " I can assure you thatpared to my nephew whose legs were broken while he was in the yamen despite his sin yet to be proven, you are very much safe, Lord Ji," Liu Dong Ming stated bringing the attention of the officials to Liu Yu Yan whose legs had been snapped in a manner where he could not even stand up. Ji Yang narrowed his eyes and red at Liu Dong Ming who stayed calm throughout. " We are not here to discuss this lord Liu. The yamen is aplicated ce and your nephew was locked inside the prison with other prisoners which means that it''s only normal for something like this kind of ident to take ce, you are diverting the attention of the court by saying such things," Ji Yang stubbornly insisted. He would never ept that this injury of Liu Yu Yan was rted to his family. " Hmm. It''s indeed a wonderful excuse, I am sure that if my nephew had passed away then you would have also said the same thing," Liu Dong Ming stated with a cold voice. " After all, it''s quite easy for idents to take ce in the yamen." Ji Yang''s eyes were burning with anger. While he had always pretended to be kind and generous, Liu Dong Ming hadn''t minded himself with such things. Thus he could speak carelessly but he could not. He had to watch what he said! '' Once his family falls into my hands, I will surely teach him a good lesson,'' thought Ji Yang as he turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and then said sternly, " To be honest your majesty, it is not these injuries that drove me here to push the hearing but it is the sufferings of themoners whom I am watching every day that made me unable to stop myself anymore. They are suffering like this while the family responsible for their situation is fine, how can I not be upset?" Ji Yang pursed his lips as he indignantly red at Liu Dong Ming and added, " It has been two and a half days yet there is no sight of the gold or any evidence that will prove that the gold was not sold by the Liu family. I suggest that we should¡ª¡ª" " Wait a minute!" Before Ji Yang could finish speaking someone interrupted him causing Ji Yang to frown and turn around. Upon hearing the shout the rest of the court also turned to look at the young man who was standing at the threshold of the court while being stopped by the guards. " I¡­ I have grasped the important clues of the matter. I want to speak my findings in front of his majesty, am I allowed to?" Liu Hui Ying said loudly while panting. Dear heavens, she nearly lost her life while rushing to the pce. She almost thought that she was going to lose everything if not for her superpowers. "¡­I know who stole the gold taels please let me put my view in front of the court. I was hired by Lord Liu," Her tone was confident and forceful. With her eyes brimming with confidence, she turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and slowly said, " Please let me clear this matter, Your Majesty." Ji Yang hadn''t expected something like this to happen. He turned to look at Liu Dong Ming who was smiling slightly and knew where his confidence wasing from at once. No wonder he was willing to quibble with him when he often found him useless and good for nothing. It was because he was bidding time! He was trying to dy the hearing until this young man came rushing to save the Liu Family! How could he allow such a well-thought-out scheme to be ruined? He turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and then said, " Who are you? Who allowed you to enter? Guards take him away! This is not a child''s y," " Your majesty! Even a rabbit has a chance to defend itself. When hunted you often release the rabbit before aiming at it. Isn''t it because you want to give it a chance to live? Then at least let the Liu family have that chance! I was appointed by Lord Liu to gather the evidence and I have gathered them! Please let me show you!" Liu Hui Ying hated how she had to beg in front of others but she kept reminding herself that this was the era where she could not barge inside and beat that jerk who was finding trouble with her. " Your majesty¡ª¡ª" " Your majesty, Lord Ji is trying to ignore thew of the heavens and the imperial family," Liu Dong Ming stated coldly as he took a step forward. " We, the Liu family did not fight back when they med us for something that we did not do and we did not say anything when they pushed the hearing a day ahead of the predetermined time. But now Lord Ji is refusing to even let the Liu family show the evidence that we have collected." " I want to ask him if he is doing this for themoners or for his own personal gains. As he finds my family a thorn in his eyes?" Liu Dong Ming questioned as he turned to look at Ji Yang whose lips were pursed tightly while he tried to say something. However, even if he wanted to say something Liu Dong Ming''s aura was too fierce. It was so terrifying that Ji Yang''s face turned purple! Chapter 506: Not a single decent person Seeing that Ji Yang was subdued by Liu Dong Ming, Zhai Tianyu heaved a sigh of relief. He was afraid that Ji Yang would dominate the court but it seemed like his worries were useless, with someone like Liu Dong Ming as hispetitor. The court which was silent also turned lively with Ji Yang''s constant interruptions and screams. They all turned to look at him before a few officials started to gossip in a hushed manner. " Why is he refusing? If the Liu family is in the wrong there is no way they would be able to fool the finance ministry. After all, the taels that were stolen belong to the government and have the stamp of the imperial treasury as they belonged to the imperial family," one of the officials said with a questioning look. " What do you know? This is the opportunity that Prime Minister Ji has been waiting for ages, how can he let go of it so easily?" Another official spoke with an eye roll. " With Lord Liu watching the Liu family none of the children dare to do anything too out of the line. There is no way they would do a crime that would lead the family to execution or exile and even if it does, Lord Liu will be the one to kick that person out. With such a careful guard dog do you think that Prime Minister Ji will get a chance to attack the Liu family?" " Thats right. This is the only time where Prime Minister Liu has slipped up, if Prime Minister Ji let this opportunity slip away from his hands, who knows when he will get another chance?" With Liu Hui Ying stating that she had evidence to prove that the Liu family was innocent it would be a surprise if Prime Minister Ji could stay calm. Ji Yang''s heart was on fire, as he red at the officials who were talking nonsense in the court. Were they little women on the street why were they speaking too much nonsense? They were causing trouble for him by speaking such stupid things in the imperial court at that! Upon receiving the re the officials all turned silent they did not dare to say a single word as they stared at the ground as if there was something very unique on the surface. However, inwardly they were very dissatisfied with the re that was pointed at them. It wasn''t as if they were saying anything wrong and the useless Emperor did not even practice martial arts with him sitting so high up on the throne how could he hear what they were saying? The useless Emperor: "¡­" At this moment Liu Dong Ming''s fraction which was silent till now started to revive. In the past few days, they have been looking for evidence but they did not find anything. Every time they questioned those useless guards they would say that it was the ghost who stole from them. It was such a nonsensical confession that they wanted to beat the sh*t out of those soldiers, how dare they speak nonsense to them but no matter how many times they punished the soldiers, their confession remained the same. That it was the ghost that stole the taels. Where were they supposed to get the taels anyway if they were stolen by a ghost? Were they supposed to draw a portrait of a dead man and paste it on the city for others to dig up a corpse? In the end, even they thought that the Liu family was not going to survive this tragedy and were really worried. But they were loyal to Liu Dong Ming and did not think of jumping sides, though there were some who changed the fractions, their numbers were insignificantly smaller and neither they nor Liu Dong Ming cared about those ministers. " Thats right, Prime Minister Ji! Are you trying to hide something why don''t you let this young man speak the truth? It''s not as if he is going to lie in front of so many officials. Who dares to have such guts?" " Do you think that this man who is not even an adult yet do something so severe? If there is no evidence you can always turn the situation around Prime Minister Ji." " Thats right, at least listen to what the young man has to say for himself." " Your majesty we beseech you that you let this young man say his part. Or else who knows the Liu family might suffer for no reason?" As the ministers spoke they stood up from their chairs and then knelt in front of Zhai Tianyu causing Ji Yang''s face to turn red in anger, he knew that with the entire fraction supporting Liu Dong Ming, there was no way the Emperor would be able to withstand the pressure and sure enough a secondter Zhai Tianyu said in a low and hesitating voice, " Then..Then listen to him?" Ji Yang closed his eyes in disgust when he heard Zhai Tianyu give up so easily in the past he used to think that he did a good job by training Zhai Tianyu to be a good-for-nothing useless man but now he seemed to have realized that he had smashed his foot! That man! He made such a well thought scheme and he was willing to listen to the quibbling of that man. Now he could only hope that the young man who was appointed by Liu Dong Ming was not a smarty pants. Though it was impossible for anyone to deal with this scheme that they hade up with, they could not be sure. What if this man did something to turn the situation around? " Let hime in," Grand Dowager Empress saw that the matter was escting and more and more people were questioning their family which was why she could only step back for now. However, in her heart, she was thinking the same as Ji Yang. She wished that this young man was just here to fool them! After all, the scheme that they hade up with goes beyond humanprehension, it should be impossible for anyone to turn it around. Liu Hui Ying heaved a sigh of relief when she was allowed to step inside. She was really afraid that the people from the Ji family would stop her but now that she was given permission to enter the court, she did not show any nervousness and calmly strode inside. Ji Yu who was sitting next to the fake ''Liu Hui Ying'' was a bit surprised. Though no one had paid attention to Liu Hui Ying who was sitting on the throne, she had taken a good look at her. The Liu Hui Ying next to her was sitting with her head lowered as if she was really nervous but Liu Hui Ying was the woman who would never lower her head and she did not think that a woman who dared to kill someone by pulling their heart out was afraid of anything. Thus her sudden nervousness caught Ji Yu off guard, at first she thought that it was because Liu Hui Ying was worried about the situation of her family but now that she was looking at the young man who was striding inside the court, she could see Liu Hui Ying''s shadow in him. His pace and confidence were very simr to the usual Liu Hui Ying. '' So, she can change faces as well?'' Ji Yu thought in her head but when she thought about how Liu Dong Ming could summon the dead she did not think that there was something weird about Liu Hui Ying changing her face. Liu Hui Ying did not know that she had been seen through, she cupped her hands and then bowed in front of Zhai Tianyu before saying, " Your majesty, this one is called Lord Chu. I belong to thend of the sea and I am well experienced in dealing with cases like this, if you give me permission then I would like to exin the robbery and the process of it." " Bold of you to say such words! You are despising the court and talking nonsense by saying such things, Do you think that Yamen has not a single good officer?" Looking down the court? Liu Hui Ying felt her lips twitch. She turned to the man who was speaking and pursed her lips, she knew who he was. If her memory served her right then this man was none other than Zhou Xuaran, the brother-inw of Ji Yang and the brother of Ji Yu''s mother. She nced at him before she turned her attention to Ji Yu who was sitting on the throne. Though she did not feel sympathetic toward this woman as she had caused a lot of trouble but with how things were going she was afraid that Ji Yu was going to end up alone. As not a single person in her family was decent! Chapter 507: Final chance Liu Hui Ying sighed in all honesty she did not want to push someone into the pit but since someone was willing to be pushed into the pit then hehe, there was no need for her to be polite, right? " My lord, whether I am not speaking nonsense or not wouldn''t it be proven once I put my views in front of the court? I am present in front of the Imperial Family, certainly, I did note here to y around," Liu Hui Ying stated gruffly as she acted reasonably. She was neither submissive nor servile, she looked calm and collected which made many of the ministers in Liu Dong Ming''s fraction look at her appreciatively. Seeing that she was this calm while facing the enemy surely she came to the court with evidence, right? Though Ji Yang was thinking the same, he looked at Liu Hui Ying with a wary look in his eyes as he stated coldly, " Lord Chu, if you dare to lie in front of so many officials. Then I am afraid that you will be tortured till you cry for your ancestors. The many weapons in the Yamen are not for disy, they can be used on people who try to deceive the government." His heart was like an ant on a hot pan but he had to act very calm on the surface if he let something slide what if Liu Dong Ming and this man called Lord Chu catch him? He swallowed the fear in his heart and then looked at the young man in front of him before saying, " I have never heard about you, what if you are a spy from another country? We cannot trust you." " My lord must be joking," Liu Hui Ying said with a smile on her face. " This servant does not have nine lives, I wouldn''t dare to gamble my life like this. Believe it or not, I am really happy with my life." She was indirectly telling him that no matter what she was not going to give up on her life. Secondly, she had to put up an honest attitude in front of everyone such that they would trust her. " And yet here you are," Ji Yang taunted Liu Hui Ying who smiled helplessly and then remarked, " I am still a man who needs to earn money for his family," Liu Hui Ying shrugged casually. " There are old and young in my family, I cannot leave them to starve. Especially after some crooks stole my rightfully earned money." She taunted Ji Yang and Grand Dowager Empress for taking her dowry away but since the two of them did not know anything about Liu Hui Ying recing her identity they were unaware of what Liu Hui Ying said to them. Ji Yu on the other hand was speechless. This Liu Hui Ying was really naughty, she was actually scolding her grandmother and father in front of them. She really was not scared of anything, was she? Zhai Tianyu smiled at Liu Hui Ying''s words and did not say anything. He simply arched a brow and asked, "Oh looks like Lord Chu hase up with a solution?" " Thats right. ording to this servant, this theft was not done by Liu Yu Yan but someone else did it and then deliberately nted the me on Lord Liu''s head." " Nonsense!" Liu Hui Ying had just finished speaking when Zhou Xuaran once again spoke up. He turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and then said, " Your majesty, this man is talking nonsense. I suggest that you better drag him to the Yamen and have him beaten up. Once he is skinned by nks, he will learn his lesson for lying in the imperial court." Everyone in the court was also suspicious, the soldiers who were protecting the money themselves said that the money was stolen by ghosts, but this man was saying that it was taken away by someone. How could this be possible? Ji Yang also chimed in between as he said, " Thats right, your majesty. There were soldiers watching the box which was carrying the tax money. From the small vige to the town where the money was collected and kept, the box was never lost. How could someone else take the money? Who could have done it on purpose? I think this man is just trying to fool the court by confusing us. Lord Liu must have appointed this man to dy the ruling nothing else. Other than the Liu family stealing the money, I don''t think there is any other exnation!" When Liu Hui Ying heard his heated argument, she arched a brow and then questioned, " Your majesty, have you ever heard of a case where a thief stole money and then went to the Yamen to prove that he was the one who stole it? If the Liu family stole the money then they would havee up with a countermeasure instead of bringing the empty box to the finance ministry. The theft that the Liu family is being used of is not of a hundred taels but more than a million gold taels! Is the Liu family so stupid that they will provide evidence to their enemies to execute them?" " I believe that someone had deliberately done it and pinned the me! I mean if anyone has seen a case like this before they can tell me? And if they have doubts answer one question, if Lord Liu Yu Yan was the one who stole the money then why would he take the lead? If he wanted to steal the money he would have taken a second job then to be the leader of the group. That way he could have easily escaped suspicion!" " To be honest, I have never heard of such a thing," Zhai Tianyu replied. Once he spoke up, the other officials also showed a bit of hesitation before agreeing. They have indeed not seen a case where the thief whomitted the robbery brought evidence to light with his own hands. When Ji Yang heard that everyone believed that little man''s words, he panicked and then turned to look at Zhou Xuaran who hurriedly said, " Your majesty but what if this was done to avoid suspicion? What if Lord Liu did it deliberately such that no one would doubt him and he would be able to escape?" " Thats right! Lord Liu must have thought that he could escape suspicion if he acted like this!" One of the officials behind Zhou Xuaran shouted along with him. Seeing that the officials were indeed making things difficult for her Liu Hui Ying was not surprised. She pursed her lips and then after sorting out her emotions, she patiently looked Ji Yang in the eyes and stated, " If the Liu family had the guts to eat such a big amount in a jiffy then they wouldn''t be serving in the court, they would have already swallowed the entire county followed by the capital and the country. Such treacherous actions need backing and without backing the Liu family would never dare to do something like this, is Lord Ji saying that the Liu family is stronger than the Imperial family? If so what are you doing Lord Ji?" " You are talking nonsense!" Ji Yang seemed to have lost his patience. He flicked his sleeves and then shouted, " Come here and drag this man! Give him a hundred hits and throw him to the suburbs! I want him dead!" After hearing what Liu Hui Ying said Ji Yang felt like his tail had been stepped on. She was outrightly saying that he was making foolish usations as there was no truth in his words. After all, if Liu Dong Ming had the courage to steal a million taels and even show it off in front of Zhai Tianyu and the rest then it meant that he was stronger than the imperial family and the court. If that was the case then what were they doing? They should be kneeling in front of the Liu family! Such arrogant and bold words to be used as a p on his face, how could he withstand it? " This servant still has to say something," Liu Hui Ying shouted just as Liu Dong Ming stood in front of her protectively such that the imperial guard could not touch her. " Your Majesty has granted the Liu family three days to prove their innocence and yet the hearing was pushed ahead of time even without evidence it can be seen that someone is trying to push the Liu family to a corner." " If that is so, then shouldn''t we be given a chance to fight back? I am the final chance that belongs to the Liu family. Your majesty, please give me a chance to speak up. Such that the truth wille to light and you will see the true faces of some people, Your Majesty." ¡ª¡ª¡ª leave ament if you like the book <3 Chapter 508: The thief is in this court Liu Hui Ying''s words rang in the court causing the entire court to be filled with silence. After all what else was there to say, though Liu Hui Ying did not say anything directly she was questioning Ji Yang''s motive to push the hearing as well as stopping her. "You¡ª¡ª" Before Ji Yang could lose his temper on Liu Hui Ying, thetter raised her head and then looked at Zhai Tianyu''s throne. In fact, she wanted to look Zhai Tianyu in the eyes but she was afraid that Ji Yang would make a fuss by saying that she was being disrespectful thus she could only lower her gaze a little and act respectful at the same time. " Whats more Your Majesty, there still a day left before the three days time limit is up. Unless the time is up, even if you want to punish this servant, you have to at least listen to my words. Do you really not want to see the truthe to light? This is not about the Liu family anymore, this is about the entire city. If the one million gold taels are not found, will it not affect themoners?" When Zhai Tianyu heard Liu Hui Ying''s words he pretended to be a bit troubled before waving his hand and ordered, " What are you waiting for? Step back. Let this gentleman speak." " But your majesty¡ª¡ª" Ji Yang still wanted to quibble but he was stopped by Zhai Tianyu who smiled at him and then said, " Prime Minister Ji, why are you worried? It''s not like you are the one who hadmitted the theft, right? Let this young man say what he wants to tell the court. No one is going to lose anything. We might even get the lost money back, hahaha!" At times like these Zhai Tianyu was very happy to y the role of the fool. He was a fool, so he could do anything including being wilful right? Ji Yang''s face was stiff for the first time in his life, he regretted making Zhai Tianyu a fool. He looked at the smiling man on the throne with his heart being stabbed with pins and needles. Now he could only hope that this young man was a fool who did not know anything or else who knows what might happen to them. This was a scheme that they had thought and implemented after a long time and if it failed now then what were they supposed to do!? '' No, this n cannot fail. This man better keep his mouth shut or else!'' Ji Yang red at Liu Hui Ying malevolently, if not for the fact that he was standing in the court and he could not attack Liu Hui Ying, he would have rushed up ahead and torn her mouth off such that she would not be able to speak. Even the Grand Dowager Empress was looking at Liu Hui Ying with a ring look in her eyes. If not for the fact that she was the one who had raised Zhai Tianyu she would have thought that he was pretending to be a fool but she knew him too well. He was an idiot who did everything for fun, if not why would his harem be filled with more and more beauties? He only used his brain when he was in bed! Which was why all her attention was on Liu Hui Ying. Her gaze was sharp and poisonous like that of a snake. If it was someone else standing in ce of Liu Hui Ying, they would have been badly shaken up by the gaze that was prickling at the back of their neck. Liu Hui Ying on the other hand remained calm as she raised her head and then looked at Zhai Tianyu. She first bowed in front of him and then showed her gratitude for letting her speak. " This servant heard that in the past few decades, the county magistrates and the several guards of the Yamen had managed to keep good control over the port and the city. What''s more the current tax rate is below twenty per cent and we also have a friendly rtionship with the rulers of the neighbouring countries, how will they dare to create strife? If they dared to send someone to steal the money wouldn''t that be equivalent to a death sentence? Your Majesty could increase the tax rates and make those rulers spit back what they took. The Great Dancheng country would not dare to invade as they are relying on us and they are still under our control." " A theft as serious as this one could cause them more harm than good. This is because of the general and the officials working together." Liu Hui Ying''s words were neither fast nor slow. She was calm as she spoke while her tone was neither overbearing nor servile. Even the amount of ttery that she used was the right amount causing the officials including the county magistrate to feel a bit satisfied. That''s right these few days they were in a lot of trouble, how many times were they questioned even though they were honest? Sometimes they even wondered if they should even work for the imperial family or not, if they were going to be treated like this then they might as well act wilfully! But now that Liu Hui Ying had praised them for their hard work, these officials were quite touched. Looks like they were still respected. Liu Hui Ying heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that her ttery had worked, she then turned to look at Zhai Tianyu once again and continued, " I believe there is no ghost or pirates but a thief your majesty and that thief is in this court." " I see that you are talking nonsense! Just because we gave you some face you are acting unrestrained!" Zhai Tianyu did not even say anything before Zhou Xuaran exploded as he looked at Liu Hui Ying. He looked at her in disdain and then said coldly, " What kind of nonsense are you spouting?" " What else do my words trante to my lord? When I said that the thief was in the court it meant that he was in the court!" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 509: The empty box Liu Hui Ying''s words were neither loud nor slow, she did not fight back by yelling and screaming as Zhou Xuaran was doing instead she retorted to him quietly causing the man to look at her with a re. Zhou Xuaran red at Liu Hui Ying before turning to look at the guards next to him and then said, " What are you doing? Pick him up and throw him out, this man has lost his mind for the sake of money and he is sayin'' whatever he wants." " Are you sure that you want to throw him out?" Liu Dong Ming questioned the guards who were walking towards Liu Hui Ying. His voice was colder than the King of Hell as he looked at the few guards who tried to touch his daughter. " Unless you want to lose your arms, stay back!" The guards stiffened, and they turned to look at Zhou Xuaran who did not dare to say anything to Liu Dong Ming before turning to look at Liu Dong Ming who stood in front of them like a guard dog. In the end, they took a step away from the man in front of them as they could not afford to offend him. Once they stepped back, Liu Hui Ying heaved a sigh of relief and continued," This might sound disbelieving but the lost money is still in the Yamen, Your Majesty." " Haha, did you hear that your majesty?" Ji Yang turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and chortled as if he had heard the biggest joke. " The money that was stolen is actually in Yamen!" Ji Yang was smiling but in truth, there was a dangerous glint in his eyes as he looked at Liu Hui Ying. He then turned to look left and right at the ministers who looked dubious and then bewildered. " The officials all watched the tax money escorted inside the Yamen building when it was empty and the county magistrate of the other city watched the box filled with money when it left. Does anyone dare to steal the money in front of so many ministers? I think the Liu family thinks that everyone else other than them is an idiot." He was quite d about taking care of everything from the start. If not then he would have surely been in trouble. Liu Hui Ying did not even retort to Ji Yang instead she continued to look at Zhai Tianyu and said, " If His Majesty allows the Yamen officers to bring the box which held the money before it was stolen, I can show you how the money was ''stolen''." " What nonsense! The box is as empty as it can be," Ji Yang shouted causing Liu Hui Ying to smile at him as she said, " Exactly since the box is empty there should be no trouble if I want to see it right?" Ji Yang looked a bit reluctant though he trusted his master, he was afraid that this man might really bring the money out. '' But the money has vanished through magic right¡­ even if this young man brings it back, I can still find trouble with him?'' Ji Yang thought. Zhai Tianyu looked confused. He did not understand what Liu Hui Ying was doing but he still nodded and then asked the Yamen officers to bring the box to the court. After all, getting the money back was more important than anything else! The guards nodded and then retreated. It took them fifteen minutes to bring the box back to the court. Once the box was moved into the courtroom, Liu Hui Ying walked over to the box and touched the surface of the wooden box. Now she hoped that the tinkering that Jia Li had done would work just fine. Because they were in a hurry they did not even test it out properly and rushed to the court if something went wrong ¡ª¡ª Liu Hui Ying''s eyes darkened. No there was no such thing as failure in this situation. She had to deal with this matter swiftly and cleanly no matter what. ncing at Zhai Tianyu, she smiled a little humorously and said, " If I solve this case, can this young servant receive ten taels of gold?" " You! You are not only imprudent but also shameless! How dare you ask for money from his majesty?" Ji Yang sarcastically spoke to Liu Hui Ying who smiled at him and then said softly, " Then should I ask for money from you, Master Ji? I came from far away to solve this case. Shouldn''t I receive a little reward for solving the case that no one could?" Liu Hui Ying questioned causing Ji Yang to shut his mouth. Zhai Tianyu was also helpless, he knew that his wife was greedy but he did not think that she would act the same in front of everyone else as well. However, he only found her cute along with a bit exasperating. He waved his hand and then said to Liu Hui Ying," As long as you can get the money back, I promise that you will get ten taels of gold and silver." This was also a good time to make it up to Liu Hui Ying, if this woman found out that he was the one who stole the money from her warehouse at least he would have a way to save himself. " It''s a deal then, your majesty." Liu Hui Yingthen turned to the box and opened the lid before saying, " Please pay attention, everyone." She showed the empty box to the people in the court who stared at the box with a curious look in their eyes. "The box is empty right now," she then closed the lid of the box and pointed to a smalltch that was hidden behind the wooden lid and said, " But if I pull this away." She unattached thetch and then turned to look at the rest of the crowd, " Will the box remain empty?" As she questioned she opened the box. Chapter 510: Who is the thief The second she opened thetch, the sound of a mechanism moving inside the box echoed in the court and when Liu Hui Ying opened the lid of the box again, the gold that was stolen from the finance ministry was inside the box. Everyone in the court looked at the gold in the box with a stumped look on their faces while Liu Hui Ying heaved a sigh of relief. She was thankful to the heavens that the mechanism did not go bad at the right moment or else she would have be a joke in the eyes of others. She then took the chance to exin the entire process to the officials who were present in the room, " This is an especially designed box that consists of two systems." She pointed to the lid that was attached to the one on top and then said, " When we tie thetch another lid which is closely fitted into the one above would be secured in the ce. This lid was specially crafted and designed in a way that it looks like the bottom of the box. And the bottom of the box has a wooden surface which is not attached to one side of the box." " Every time thetch is ced it will pull the bottom of the box and then the gold taels would sink down by an inch." As she exined she kicked the box, the small nk at the bottom of the box fell apart which showed off enough empty space in the bottom of the box. There was no need for anyone to question anything else, Liu Hui Ying had broken the crux of the matter and exined the mechanism of the box in a way that no one could me her for using supernatural powers. '' Good thing I used the same n as that man,'' Liu Hui Ying thought in her head. When she was working as a detective there was a time when she met with a very smart thief, he had used the same mechanism while working in banks and caused many thefts. It took a very long time for Liu Hui Ying to solve the case but it was a good thing that she was the one in charge of that case or else she would have never even understood how to deal with this matter. Ji Yang who was standing in front of Liu Hui Ying felt like he was watching a dream. He looked at the young man in front of him and knew at once that this man was a celestial master as well but he was afraid of being pushed to the prison because of using supernatural means which was why he came up with this n. But when did this man get the chance to sneak inside the Yamen and why did that ghost agree to help this celestial master? Ji Yang was going crazy while Zhai Tianyu heaved a sigh of relief. He acted as if he was amazed by the sight in front of him and pped his thighs before saying, " Amazing! Amazing! This is something that Zhen has never seen before! You have done a wonderful job, don''t worry Zhen will not break his promise." He then turned to look at Eunuch Li and ordered, " Go and get this young man ten taels of gold and silver. Remember not to bring one less! Today was an eye-opener." Not long after Eunuch Li returned with the gold and silver that was promised to Liu Hui Ying. When Liu Hui Ying saw the money for which she had stretched an arm and leg she was really happy. Her beloved money! Smooch smooch! How long did she work to get her hands on this? Come to mommy! Her expression was still calm but Liu Dong Ming who was standing next to Liu Hui Ying saw the hungry look in the eyes of his daughter. However, he did not find anything wrong with his daughter in fact his dissatisfaction with Grand Dowager Empress and Ji Yang increased even more. Sure enough just because he did not manage the matter of harem and his cousin did not bother with Liu Hui Ying''s matters, these two acted like low-level bosses. The only reason they stayed away from Liu Hui Ying was because they were worried that if they paid too much attention to Liu Hui Ying, then these two people would make Liu Hui Ying suffer even more. But Liu Dong Ming did not think that even when he was acting as if he was not bothered by the matters of Liu Hui Ying, they would still think of bullying his daughter. He would never forget this grudge! How dare they keep the dowry of his daughter? Thus he looked at the man who was panicking and then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying before deliberately saying, " Lord Chu but you still haven''t exined the matter of who stole the money." His eyes moved to Ji Yang who seemed to have stiffened with the question and then turned to look at Zhai Tianyu. He was very dissatisfied with this young Emperor as well. Though he did not train this man on his own, he had given him a lot of pointers and yet he was still as slow as ever, if his daughter was a man, she would have already made Ji Yang and the rest of the Ji family kneel in front of her. What a useless husband! Zhai Tianyu felt like his back was going to be coated with cold sweat, he did not know how he offended Liu Dong Ming but that man was ring at him. He wanted to say something but refrained himself from speaking anything unnecessary in front of Ji Yang and the rest of the court. If he pretended to care about the Liu family, this matter would certainly not end here. This was why he turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and asked, " Lord Liu is right. We have gotten our money back but the thief is still at loose, Lord Chu didn''t you say that the identity of the thief was figured out by you?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 511: The truth is out The second these words dropped Ji Yang who was standing on the side red at Liu Hui Ying. It was as if he wanted to bury her alive. Liu Hui Ying blinked her eyes innocently, she was not the one who sued first. It was Liu Dong Ming wo brought up the matter why was this man ring at her? Just because he was scared of Liu Dong Ming was it justified to re at her like this? Liu Hui Ying felt like she was being wronged to death. However, that did not stop her from replying to Zhai Tianyu''s question. After she was done shedding some fake tears in her heart, she then raised her head and spoke calmly, " Your majesty, only the person whost touched the box or first touched it when it arrived at the finance ministry could activate the mechanism." After Liu Hui Ying finished speaking, she straightened up as her back was aching. Never in her entire life, she had bowed her head in front of anyone. '' How good it would have been if I was in the modern world,'' if she was in the modern world, Liu Hui Ying would have thrown this guy who was responsible for the theft on the ground and dealt with the entire matter and be done with it. She wouldn''t have to provide for the evidence and whatnot with half of her back bent. When the officials in the court heard Liu Hui Ying''s response they all started to carefully remember the identity of the person who touched the box the first time it came to the finance ministry. " I remember!" Liu Yu Yan who had been locked inside the yamen for a crime did notmit was the first one to remember who touched the box. After all, his freedom depended on it, how could he not remember? He turned to look at Zhou Xuaran and then said through gritted teeth, " It was Minister Zhou of the finance ministry. He was the first one to touch the box." He still remembered how Zhou Xuaran had screamed while pointing at his nose and saying that it was he who had stolen the gold. Liu Yu Yan would never forget the trepidation and humiliation that he felt back then. It was because of this man that he was almost ruined, though Liu Yu Yang knew that Zhou Xuaran was most likely a pawn, sending him to the execution ground would be enough for him. When Zhou Xuaran heard Liu Yu Yan''s words, he was very scared. He was just as terrified as he was thrilled when he pointed at Liu Yu Yan and used him of theft. He turned to look at Zhai Tianyu before shaking his head as he said, " No he is wrong¡­ I didn''t, I did not steal the gold, Your Majesty!" If he was caught here then everything would be ruined. The men of his family would be executed and the women would be sent to prison or sold. Zhou Xuaran could not allow that to happen! However, no matter how much Zhou Xuaran wanted to avoid it, the fact did not change. Once Liu Yu Yan spoke up, other ministers also chimed up. " Thats right, it was Minister Zhou who touched the box first!" " Minister Zhou was also the one who checked the box and used Lord Liu. Now it seems like he was already aware that the gold inside the box was stolen away." " Zhou Xuaran is really greedy he actually stole the entire box of taels! If he wanted he could have stolen ten or twenty taels but he stole the entire box! That''s a million taels of gold! Which means more than ten million taels of silver." Chapter Read: Zhou Xuaran saw that the truth was being revealedyer byyer and was so frightened that he fell on his knees and shouted, " Your majesty. I did not do it. This matter has nothing to do with me." This was also the truth, Ji Yang only asked him to activate the array and then used Liu Yu Yang of theft, he did not exin to Zhou Xuaran how the array worked or what was going on, Zhou Xuaran was only responsible for activating it and nothing else. Ji Yang told him that as long as he did that he would be able to earn more than eight hundred taels of gold. Zhou Xuaran was a fourth-grade official and he was only allowed to stay in the court because he was Ji Yang''s brother-inw. When Zhou Xuaran thought that he just needed to press the side of the box and use Liu Yu Yan, it seemed like the money was too easy for him to earn. Who would have thought that ¡ª¡ªWho would have thought that he would be ruined like this! From the beginning to the end, he did not n to swallow the money! He turned to look at Ji Yang and wanted to plead but before he could do that Ji Yang rushed over and kicked him on the back. It was not a soft kick but a harsh one, it almost sent Zhou Xuaran to the other side of the court. Zhou Xuaran looked at his brother-inw with shock written on his face, he couldn''t believe that his brother-inw would kick him but what was more shocking was yet toe because Zhou Xuaran heard Ji Yang say, " You bastard! I have given you so much and yet you are still greedy for more money? You have severely disappointed me! How I wished I wasn''t blind!" Ji Yang was quick to throw the pot of me as he knew that he could not allow himself to be caught. He couldn''t let his pristine white robe be tainted by this man who knew what he had done! This was why, Ji Yang was eager to silence the man. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Please do support the book by sending power stones, golden tickets andments. Chapter 512: You will die a horrible death He stared at the man for whom he had done all sorts of dirty dealings and did not know where to even start questioning Ji Yang. He opened his mouth to speak but before he could he saw Ji Yang mouth his sister''s name. '' Nan Yan.'' When Zhou Xuaran thought of his sister who was still living at the Ji house, he stopped himself midway. He had already harmed his family by supporting this man, was he going to harm his sister as well? Zhou Xuaran clenched his fingers until his nails were digging into the palm of his hands. He could not feel the pain as his heart was aching way too much ¡ª¡ª if he hadn''t helped Ji Yang, this traitor then he would have survived this predicament. Liu Hui Ying nced at the man who was half kneeling and half sitting on the ground, she did not sympathise with Zhou Xuaran. After all, this man was the one who knew everything and stayed quiet till the end just so he could earn a puny amount. Even if that meant watching an entire family get executed, he was selfish and greedy. She did not want to help a coward like him. " Someone bring Minister Zhou to the Yamen, where he will wait until his execution for betraying the royal family," Zhai Tianyu ordered the guards who bowed their heads and walked over to where Zhou Xuaran was kneeling. They ignored the shattered look on his face and caught him by his arms before picking him up from the ground and then dragging him towards the Yamen. However just as they reached the threshold of the court, Zhou Xuaran snapped out of his daze and screamed whileughing manically, " Ji Yang! You will die a horrible death! You will suffer just as much as I have suffered. Ahaha!" The sound of his despondent and heartbrokenughter echoed in the court causing everyone to look at Ji Yang with varied expressions. They could see that something was up as they were no fools. Zhou Xuaran was an ambitious man but he was not someone who would be gutsy enough to do something this grand, not unless someone was backing him from behind. When Ji Yang saw that others were looking at him, he cleared his throat while cursing Zhou Xuaran. If he was going to die then he should die without causing him any trouble what was he doing screaming like such? " He must be angry that I refused to help him, Your Majesty," Ji Yang offered a ttering smile to Zhai Tianyu as he bowed slightly. " However, I am loyal to the Imperial city and the Imperial family, how can I allow that man to leave scot-free after what he had done." " Maybe if you showed this much wittiness before then you wouldn''t have med the wrong person and family," Liu Dong Ming spoke up. His voice was light as a feather as he nced at Ji Yang but even so, his voice caused the entire court to turn silent and the discussions that were being held were also stopped at once. Ji Yang stiffened as he turned to look at Liu Dong Ming his eyes shimmering with nervousness. He knew that Liu Dong Ming was not going to let him go now that it was proven that Liu Yu Yan did not do anything wrong. With how protective Liu Dong Ming was towards his family, he would surely skin ayer of his skin. " Prime Minister Liu¡­ it''s just a misunderstanding," Ji Yang tried to y it off with a jolly smile as he turned to look at Liu Dong Ming. " I mean if there was anyone else in my shoes they would have thought the same as well. It was nothing personal." " You know whether it was personal or not, Prime Minister Ji. Chapter Explore: However I will let the matter of your assassination slide for now but I cannot let your family make my nephew suffer for no reason along with my niece who is supposed to be respected as she is the mother of the nation," Liu Dong Ming spoke in a mere whisper but that was enough to make Ji Yang sweat, it was because he knew that the more calm this man was the angrier he was! Liu Dong Ming took a step closer to Ji Yang before saying coldly, " Ten thousand taels of gold and twenty for Her Highness. You need to paypensation for the pain and mental trauma you have caused my family''s children. Along with that, you need to take care of Liu Yu Yan''s treatment as well, after all an innocent person suffered so much because of your ''misunderstanding'' Prime Minister Ji. With how kind and honest you are, you will definitelypensate my children well right?" " That¡­" did this man know that they needed three million taels to support the army that they were raising? Ji Yang could not help but question in his head as he looked at Liu Dong Ming. No, it was impossible. The army of assassins that his family was raising was way far from the imperial city, it was impossible for Liu Dong Ming to know anything. Most probably it was a fluke. Ji Yang tried to smile but after finding out that he needed to pay more than three million taels aspensation his smile was worse than his crying. Hetried to hold Liu Dong Ming back, " Prime Minister Liu, there ¡­there is no need for this right?" " I said the same thing when you threw Her Majesty to the cold pce," Liu Dong Ming countered with a cold smile on his face. " When you submitted the memorandum for Her Majesty to be locked in the cold pce, I did say that there was no need for it as the crime was not proven, back then you did not listen to a thing I said, Prime Minister Ji. So I think thispensation is very much needed." -------------- Chapter 513: Open a bank Zhou Xuaran was stunned when he saw Ji Yang change his face so swiftly. Ji Yang stared at Liu Dong Ming as if he was looking at the devil. He turned to look at Zhai Tianyu but before he could say anything, Liu Dong Ming beat him to it as he turned on his heels and then stated calmly, " Your Majesty, Prime Minister Ji did not investigate the case and caused a ruckus in the court without any proper evidence. As a prime minister he not only failed in grasping the situation properly but he also created a mess of something so small which could have been dealt with without me calling an expert." " Your majesty, I beseech you to punish Prime Minister Ji with a heavy penalty such that he will think twice before making another fuss as this one. Who knows the next time he might question my family for stealing something else? Is the Li family so weak that we can be bullied as others wish?" Ji Yang was furious, he knew that Liu Dong Ming was specifically targeting him but there was nothing that he could do as he was indeed in the wrong as proven by the court. He pursed his lips angrily while ring at Liu Hui Ying. At first, Liu Hui Ying did not want to say anything nor did she want to get entangled in the mess of the officials, after all, she was not going to stay here for long but after being red at by Ji Yang, her eyes red up as she narrowed them. After all, Liu Dong Ming was asking her heavypensation for her and she was very much willing to take it, thus she did not want to disrupt this uncle of hers but ¡ª¡ª '' Did this man think that I do not have any temper, is that so?'' Liu Hui Ying thought angrily. Since he wanted to target her so much then she would give him a better reason to do that. With her lips curling up, she turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and then bowed her waist before saying, " Your majesty, if you do not me me then there is a suggestion that I can give to you. This might not eradicate corruption but it will slow it down and it will even safeguard the money of themoners." Zhai Tianyu knew that nothing good was going toe out of his wife''s mouth as he had seen her curl her lips up in a smirk. He knew Liu Hui Ying too well to be aware of the fact that she was going to cause trouble. He inwardly sighed but on the outside, he pretended to be excited as he asked, " Is that so? What is this suggestion ?" " Your majesty, you cannot listen to this man! What if he brings chaos to this nation?" Ji Yang shouted in panic. This man was seriously going to be the death of him, Liu Dong Ming was asking him to hand over more than three million taels and this man was telling Zhai Tianyu about a way to deal with corruption. If the rate of corruption was slowed down, just how long would he have to save before making up for this loss, what would happen to the assassin army that he was raising? " Why are you getting so excited, Prime Minister Ji?" Liu Dong Ming questioned with a smile on his lips. He stared at the man with a glint in his eyes before saying, " I mean let us listen to this young man first before making any decisions, right? There is no harm in listening to someone right?" '' You evil! I am sure you were the devil in yourst life.'' Ji Yang thought bitterly in his head as he looked at Liu Dong Ming with a grievance-filled gaze. Liu Dong Ming however pretended not to care as he turned to look at Zhai Tianyu while ignoring the res that were pointed at him by the Ji family fraction including the Grand Dowager Empress. Zhai Tianyu did not even dare to look at his grandmother as he knew that his grandmother was ring at Liu Dong Ming and once she was done ring at him, she would turn her attention to him. '' What a hassle, I was as the crown prince and yet ¡­.'' Zhai Tianyu sighed whileining about how he could not even decide what kind of clothes he wanted to wear every day. Only then did he smile and look at Liu Hui Ying before saying, " Ahaha, is that so? Please do tell me what you mean. I am willing to listen." He then turned to look at Ji Yang and then said, " Prime Minister Liu is right, Prime Minister Ji. There is no harm in listening if it''s going to help the country." Prime Minister Ji looked at Zhai Tianyu as if he wanted to burn the world but he knew that he could not do it. Thus he swallowed the words that he wanted to throw at Zhai Tianyu and then said, " Yes¡­you are right, Your Majesty." '' One of these days I am going to make them suffer for all the humiliation that they have made me go through!'' He thought ruthlessly. Liu Hui Ying snickered when she saw how blue Ji Yang''s face had be, she curled the side of her lips and then turned to look at Zhai Tianyu with a ttering smile on her lips as she said, " Your majesty in my country there is a system called bank, why don''t you implement it?" As she spoke she exined everything rted to a bank to the officials in the court causing more and more officials who were deeply engrossed in corruption to turn green. They wanted to stop Liu Hui Ying but the benefits of building a bank were too good. If they stopped her wouldn''t they be shouting out loud that they were the ones who were involved in corruption? Even Ji Yang''s face was green before it became pale. He did not know what to say or how to stop this thing from happening. It was as if he went to steal eggs and ended up losing his rice! Chapter 514: Banking system implemented The system of banks did have some loopholes but Liu Hui Ying knew that these people who were yet to understand the concept of the bank and automatic sry payment and tax would be able to understand anything. Since this was the first time someone was introducing a banking system in their era these people would need a long time before they could find a way to avoid paying taxes. Zhai Tianyu''s eyes gleamed when he finished listening to Liu Hui Ying. In fact, he had been thinking while waiting for the right time to bring up the topic of building banks. Liu Hui Ying seemed to have given him the opportunity that he had been waiting for till now. Heughed and patted his thigh before saying, " This does look interesting. What do you say, my dear ministers? This is a great project to help themoners and reign in those merchants who run rampant. Don''t you all think so?" The ministers: "¡­" What about us, Your Majesty? What about us? How are we supposed to live if you open the bank? The ministers however could not say anything instead they were waiting for someone to speak up such that they could oppose this so-called banking system. But the thing was that no one spoke. Since the banking system was a good idea for the development of the Imperial Nation, it would be too weird for anyone to oppose it directly which was why the ministers stayed quiet and collected while looking at one another. In the end, it was Ji Yang who stretched out his hands and with a helpless and mocking look on his face said to Zhai Tianyu, " Your majesty, I do not think that themoners would be willing to secure their money in a bank, it will be a failure if I am a tad bit honest." " If the ministers of the nation start saving their money in the bank then the people will surely follow. If you are afraid that it won''t work then some highly educated schrs can teach the basics of banking to themoners," Liu Hui Ying said to Ji Yang who was trying to stop the construction of the bank. She arched a brow and added swiftly, " Unless you are against the banking yourself my lord, there is more than one way to solve the problems in front of you." Ji Yang wished he could hack the young man who was opposing him at every step but before he could contradict Liu Hui Ying, Liu Dong Ming took a step forward and then spoke up gently, " If I may, your majesty. I think this gentleman is speaking the truth. Why should we question something that can help the growth of the nation? Only those who have a thief in their hearts would refuse the construction of the bank as they might fear the consequences of saving more than they should." As he spoke his eyes flickered lightly before he added swiftly, " I am willing to let the banking system take over, Your Majesty as I do not fear anything." '' Of course you don''t! Your cousin is the biggest merchant in the city who knows how much money you have saved up till now!'' Ji Yang thought viciously in his head. He often looked down on Second Master Liu who was a merchant and not an official or schr but never did he think that that man whom he looked down upon would be the greatest backer of the Liu family. As for his family, they all were schrs and have done government jobs all their lives thinking that they were above all. But now, Ji Yang felt like cursing! If all of their sries were monitored and they had to pay taxes even if he was to embezzle some of the taxes he would not be able to save much money! Damn it! He really suffered a loss here! " You don''t look good my dear friend," Liu Dong Ming knew why Ji Yang was looking like he was about to hack someone to death. But he still smiled and taunted Ji Yang before saying, " Is it because you do not wish for the construction of the bank to start? Is there something that you are hiding?" Ji Yang stiffened. He silently greeted the ancestors of Liu Dong Ming in his heart before turning to look at Liu Dong Ming, he smiled lightly and then said, " You are thinking too much, Prime Minister Liu. There is no such thing as you are saying, I was just thinking a bit too deeply." " Other than that nothing else," Ji Yang smiled stiffly causing a smirk to etch onto Liu Dong Ming''s lips. He had to say that his daughter was really smart, she hit the hammer on the iron when it was perfectly hot. This man had caused too much trouble for his family, now this was the perfect opportunity to teach him a good lesson. " I see, then you have no problem with the banking system getting implemented?" Liu Dong Ming questioned causing Ji Yang to stiffen even more. Thetter raised his head before meeting the eyes of Dowager Empress who was smiling at him mockingly, a fire burned in his heart but he still managed to bring his head down. Liu Dong Ming snickered inwardly before turning to look at Zhai Tianyu as he said, " Your majesty, Right Prime Minister Ji has also agreed to this arrangement so you can go ahead and give us the order." '' I will make this man poor as a pauper,'' thought Liu Dong Ming ruthlessly. Since Ji Yang caused his nephew''s legs to be broken and his life to be a mess, he would break the spine of the Ji family. Let him watch how they would get back on their feet! Zhai Tianyu nodded as he waved his hand and then ordered, " Everyone take Zhen''s orders. In three weeks we will start constructing the bank! For the future of our nation, let us work hard! We cannot let the hard-earned money of our dear ministers andmoners be stolen by the unscrupulous people!" The unscrupulous people in the court: "¡­." ------------- Chapter 515: We need an heir In the end, the imperial decree of building a bank was passed even though there was a lot of silent objection from the ministers. Liu Hui Ying who stepped out of the court brushed shoulders with Ji Yang who stared at her with cold eyes and sneered, " Lord Chu is really wise, he could solve the case that most men could not. Makes me wonder if you are more special than others?" Ji Yang knew that this man was a celestial master. If he wasn''t one then he could not have solved this case without using his powers. " Maybe I am," Liu Hui Ying offered with a smile. She knew that this man very much wanted to kill her but he could not as he had a fake persona to maintain. By the time he would get the opportunity to shed his mask, Liu Hui Ying would have taken off her mask as well. Ji Yang might not even find Lord Chu at the surface of the Imperial City, not unless there was another unsolved case that required Liu Hui Ying''s hand. Ji Yang curled his lips before flicking his sleeves and then walking away. Thirty thousand taels of gold and on top of that the construction of a bank, he could not believe how big of a loss he made! Liu Hui Ying did not care what Ji Yang was thinking in his head, now that the truth hase to light, she did not have to deal with these people anymore. As she did not want to cause amotion, she slipped past the crowd and rushed to the cold pce where she had kept the ointment which helped with her with her allergy. '' Damn, I really feel like I am going to die!'' Liu Hui Ying thought as she hurried out of the court and headed towards the cold pce but just as she was about to paste an invisibility talisman on her clothes, she heard Liu Dong Ming call her from behind. " Lord Chu," His voice put a sudden halt on Liu Hui Ying''s pace as she skidded to a sudden stop. " My lord?" Liu Hui Ying tilted her head politely wanting to know what happened to Liu Dong Ming and why he was suddenly stopping her. Did she not hold onto the side of her promise? Or was there something else? " Here," Liu Dong Ming held out a pouch of money that seemed to be stuffed with taels. " You were in such a hurry that you forgot to take this pouch of money with you. Have you forgotten that you need to take your fees?" Only then did Liu Hui Ying remember that in her hurry she seemed to havepletely forgotten about the money that Liu Dong Ming owed her. '' Gah! This is all because of that man who knocked into me if not for her why would I be in a hurry,'' Liu Hui Ying cursed the man who knocked into her in the afternoon before taking the pouch from Liu Dong Ming. However, she made sure not to touch him as she did not want to re her allergy even more. Of course, Liu Dong Ming noticed that Liu Hui Ying was avoiding him which made him furrow his brows but then his gaze fell on the puss-filled pimples that were scattered on her arms. This¡­ " Thank you for your patronage, Lord Liu," Liu Hui Ying bowed, she would have told him that if he needed her help he could invite her again but she knew the people of this era were superstitious who knows in what way he might take her words. In case he thought she was cursing him, what was she supposed to do? Liu Hui Ying however was thinking too much as Liu Dong Ming was not even paying attention to her words. All of his attention was on the boils that had puss inside of them, what was this? Why was his daughter''s skin covered with blisters filled with pus? What happened to her as far as he knew Liu Hui Ying never had such a problem when he and his wife were alive and living in the modern world. '' Hui Ying¡­'' Liu Dong Ming wanted to question Liu Hui Ying but he realized that he was in no position to such. He watched as she bowed and turned on her heels before running away, he narrowed his eyes before summoning his aide. " General Du," " Yes my lord," General Du bowed his head with a hand around his abdomen. " Look into my daughter''s matters, let me know why she is suffering from those blisters," Liu Dong Ming ordered his aide. He hoped that it was nothing severe or else he would not leave that jackass who thinks that he could do anything just because he was blessed by God of Death. ¡­. " Damn it!" Grand Dowager Empress flicked her sleeves sending everything that was on the tea table on the floor. " We not only lost more than thirty thousand taels of gold but we also lost the chance to jump right back! This is going to put a strain on our finances but we are also going to suffer double the loss as we have lost the ability to embezzle a bit of money from the paid taxes. If themoners pay the taxes straight into the banks where will our family get the chance to make an extra sum of money!" Ji Yu watched her grandaunt go crazy. She did not even want to be here but if she had not followed her grandaunt, her grandaunt would have called her from the courtyard anyway. " Grandaunt, you need to calm down," Ji Yu poured a cup of cooling tea in a cup and then ced it in front of Grand Dowager Empress before helping her down on the seat. " We can always look for new ways to embezzle money but if you hurt yourself it will be too troublesome. Nothing is more important than your health." However, the Grand Dowager Empress was in no condition to hear a word that Ji Yu was saying instead she covered her head and while muttering, "This won''t do¡­ we need an heir¡­if nor the throne will be out of our control! It looks like we need to make sure that Xinyi would be chosen as the concubine." Chapter 516: Life is long Ji Yu''s eyes shed with mockery. She knew Ji Xinyi as Ji Xinyi was her cousin and she was only thirteen, even if her sister was ambitious she was far too young to give birth to a child yet her grandaunt was willing to push her cousin into the hell hole as she wanted to im the throne for the Ji family. More importantly, even if her grandaunt was to push Ji Xinyi to Zhai Tianyu that man might not even ept her as he did not want his harem to be in a mess. What was more Ji Yu knew what kind of man Zhai Tianyu was, as long as his eyes were fixated on one woman he would never move his gaze away from that woman. This meant that Zhai Tianyu would only have Liu Hui Ying in his heart till his death. So either he would have kids with Liu Hui Ying or he would die trying. So this decision of her aunt would only ruin the life of her cousin. However Ji Yu knew that she could not stop the Grand Dowager Empress, if she tried to contradict the Grand Dowager Empress, she would only lose her temper. After all, in the eyes of her father and her grandaunt, she was the one at fault. Her father had told her many times that if she had been careful then she wouldn''t have be a useless barren woman. '' It''s almost funny that my usefulness and uselessness depend on my ability to get pregnant,'' thought Ji Yu with a sneer ying on her lips. While Ji Yu stayed quiet and waited for Grand Dowager Empress''s temper to simmer down, the maids cleaned the floor that had the pieces of porcin scattered all over. Once they cleaned the floor and went back to their spots, Ji Yu turned to look at her grandaunt, though she was unbothered by the anger of this woman, she had to y her role for the sake of getting closer to that master who was living at her family. Liu Dong Ming did tell her that if she helped him get information on that man he would help her meet with Xiao Lin onest time and given that the man could order the dead around like they were his servants, Ji Yu was sure that he was not lying. Compared to her grandaunt and father who discarded her in a jiffy as she was useless to their ns the second she became infertile, Liu Dong Ming seemed a bit more dependable as he at least did not use the children of his family as pawns in his game. For Ji Yu who had been abandoned as if she was a being with no life or feeling inside of her by her family whom she trusted Liu Dong Ming was a good man. " Grandaunt, you can always introduce his majesty to more women there is no need for you to lose your temper," Ji Yu said with a ttering smile as she massaged her grandaunt''s shoulders. " But your health is most important. Didn''t you see? Lord Liu has caused a lot of trouble for our family, I fear that we will have a hard time recovering from this loss. If you lose your temper like this what would happen to our family if your health deteriorates?" Only then did Grand Dowager Empress calm down a little. That was right, if she lost her temper and caused her body to suffer then it would be twice as much as a loss for her. Grand Dowager Empress closed her eyes and then rubbed the space between her brows as she released a frustrated sigh. " Your father said that this n was foolproof and that nothing was going to go wrong. I hate to admit that I was a fool to believe him, but look where he brought us. He caused more than thirty thousand taels of gold! This is a loss that we might not be able to recover even if we try our best." What was more Zhai Tianyu introduced the banking system that would allow themoners to submit their tax money to the bank instead of the officials! They could no longer embezzle any more money! Just thinking about it made her heart ache and her stomach burn with anxiety. Ji Yu rolled her eyes as she knew that Grand Dowager Empress could not see her. She pursed her lips and stopped herself from telling Grand Dowager Empress that it was her who agreed with the n first only then did her father go ahead with the n but now that the situation was like this, the me seemed to have fallen on her father. However, Ji Yu did not sympathise with her father. "You are right grandaunt, this was a poorly executed n but there is no need for you to get angry," Ji Yu smiled as she walked forward and knelt beside her grandaunt before reaching out her hands and then massaging Grand Dowager Empress''s legs. " I mean life is long, so what if the Liu family won this time around? We can always make them sufferter on." She then praised Grand Dowager Empress with an expression of buttering someone, " After all, you were the one who brought the Ji family to where it is now, Grand Aunt. With you here, I am sure that we are going to be fine." Grand Dowager Empress also hummed a bit pleased after getting praised. That was right, she could suppress the Liu family once, and she could do the same thing all over again. " You are right," a glint shed in the Grand Dowager Empress''s eyes as she agreed with Ji Yu. " This is just a small setback that we have suffered sooner orter, I will gain everything that we have lost." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª If you like this book please send golden tickets it will motivate me to keep updating. Thank you very much for supporting this book till now! ---------------- Chapter 517: Not alone anymore On the other hand, Liu Hui Ying had no idea that the one enemy she was trying to guard against from the very beginning seemed to have started to move against her. But even if she did know there was nothing Liu Hui Ying could have done as the Grand Dowager Empress was a woman who knew no gratitude or anything of the sort. Even if she did not know that it was Liu Hui Ying who helped her daughter to move on to the underworld, Liu Hui Ying did help her with her health concerns yet that old woman had forgotten that little thing Liu Hui Ying did with ease. " Ah my arms are about to fall off!" Liu Hui Ying hissed as she rushed inside the cold pce while clutching the front of her pants that she was wearing. As she looked down, Liu Hui Ying found out that her allergy seemed to have red up even more causing her legs to be covered with pus-filled boils as well. She cursed that man in her head. Sure enough, that man was the vilest of the men she had ever seen in her life. If not her allergy would not have red up to this point and not this badly. '' Was he a murderer or ra*ist?'' Liu Hui Ying hoped that the man was neither of the two things because then she would feel guilty over the fact that she had allowed that man to escape when she could have caught him and apprehended him.'' I hope that man was not a big shot criminal. Fck, it hurts!'' She grimaced as she took out the ointment and started to apply it to her boils. Some of the boils broke causing Liu Hui Ying to roll her eyes in pain several times as she hated pain. The one thing that she was afraid of was getting hurt as Liu Hui Ying had been shot in the back or front many times and even now she was not used to getting hurt. Liu Hui Ying cleaned the mess on her leg where the pus was trickling down before turning to blow out a breath as her tender skin felt even more pain because of getting inmed due to her allergy. However, Liu Hui Ying never cried from start to finish because she knew that no one was going to help her. She had been alone ever since her sister died¡­with her gone no one would ever help her in tending her wounds ¡ª¡ª "YOUR MAJESTY!" " YOUR MAJESTY!" No sooner did she finish thinking, Xiao Ai and Nanny Gong rushed inside the cold pce. Xiao Ai was holding the crown on her head with her hands while rushing towards Liu Hui Ying behind her was Nanny Gong who was holding her skirt in her hands. The two women rushed forward and then hugged Liu Hui Ying in their arms. " Your majesty, where did you go? I was so scared!" Xiao Ai cried while hugging Liu Hui Ying, the mask on her face had long melted off. " I thought that I was going to die Your Majesty! Never ask me to sit on the throne! It''s so scary! You are really powerful Your Majesty!" " Your majesty, what happened to you? Why are there so many boils on your skin?" Nanny Gong fussed as she took the clean fabric from Liu Hui Ying''s hands and blew air on the boils that had burst and were now dripping with blood. " What kind of tragedy did you suffer, your majesty? Why did you not tell me? Look at this¡­ so much blood. Oh heavens!" As she fussed with Liu Hui Ying, Nanny Gong wiped the blood. Liu Hui Ying who hadn''t been doted on like this for a long time was stunned before she shook her head andughed out loud. She hugged Xiao Ai who was leaning on her left side and said, "What''s wrong? Every maid here wants to be the Empress and I gave you the chance to sit on the throne without any bloodshed, you don''t like it?" Xiao Ai shook her head as she said, " I don''t want to be the Empress, Your Majesty! Everyone looked at me like they were waiting for me to make a mistake. It was just too scary! I don''t know how you even stay calm with so many people staring at you and waiting for you to slip up." Xiao Ai had felt the gazes filled with envy as well as malice targeted at her. In the past she used to think that the reason her mistress acted so rude to some people was because she changed but after she climbed up the throne, Xiao Ai realized that if her mistress was not as strong as she made herself, then she would be eaten by those people who were waiting for her to die. Liu Hui Ying''s eyes dimmed when she heard Xiao Ai''s response. She used her arm which she had ced on Xiao Ai''s arm and then hugged her before saying, "It''s all right. What are you afraid of? Do you think that your missy will slip up? Never." She smiled at Xiao Ai who knew that Liu Hui Ying was smiling at her like that because she wanted her to calm down but the truth was that her missy must be scared at times like these right? " Your majesty," Xiao Ai looked at Liu Hui Ying with a sincere look on her face. She blinked her doe-like eyes and clutched Liu Hui Ying''s hands in hers before saying, " Your majesty, you can rely on us a bit more. I and Nanny Gong might not be as strong and capable as you but we will stay in front of you like shields." " Thats right, Your Majesty," Nanny Gong also raised her head and gently reached out her clean hand before touching Liu Hui Ying''s cheek. " I watched you grow, your majesty. For you I am willing to give up my life as long as you are safe, nothing else matters." Chapter 518: Someone is going to suffer " We are going to protect you, Your Majesty," the two women spoke together, causing Liu Hui Ying To feel a sudden rush of warmth scatter all over her heart. She looked at the two women who despite their frail bodies were promising her that they would protect her and her lips curled in a smile. " Hahaha, so you two will protect me now, huh?" She reached out and hugged Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai, feeling the swirl of loneliness in her heart vanish. Her eyes softened as she hugged the two of them, ah, guess she was not that alone. Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai nced at one another, they did not say anything as they could see the tears brimming in Liu Hui Ying''s eyes. Instead, they let Liu Hui Ying hug them so that she could calm down. The two of them had never thought that Liu Hui Ying was suffering as she was the Empress and had everything in her grasp, but today when they were forced to attend the court, the two of them understood that the weight of the crown and the cost of sitting on the throne was not light. The two of them would be a fool if they still did not understand how much Liu Hui Ying was suffering while carrying this weight on her shoulders. "But your majesty, I still do not understand," Nanny Gong remarked as she looked at the boils that were scattered all over Liu Hui Ying''s arms and legs were slowly making their way to her neck. " How did you get so many of these boils? I mean are you sick?" As she asked, she leaned forward and pressed her hand on Liu Hui Ying''s forehead to take a look at her temperature. " I am fine, Nanny," Liu Hui Ying replied, but Nanny Gong gave her a hard look and said, " No, you are not. You are covered with boils, and these can leave scars if they are not taken care of properly." Nanny Gong was truly worried that something was wrong with Liu Hui Ying, and she was not telling her the truth. Nanny Gong did not know when it started, but her Missy started to hide things from her. She did not like it, when her Missy was young, she would tell her everything, but then she started to keep things from her. This made Nanny Gong a bit upset. No. A lot upset. Liu Hui Ying nced at Nanny Gong, who was just an inch away from pouting and shook her head before leaning forward. She parted her lips and then whispered," I bumped into a man." Upon hearing Liu Hui Ying''s response, Nanny Gong did not understand what she was trying to say. What did these bumps have to do with bumping into a man? Was that man covered in boils? " Your Majesty¡ª¡ª-" " I am allergic to men, Nanny Gong," Liu Hui Ying had told the truth to Xiao Ai, but she had never told this to Nanny Gong as she would rather not listen to her crying. But now that Nanny Gong was looking at her with such an expression. It made her look like a scumbag who yed with the heart of a little, naive girl. Nanny Gong stared at Liu Hui Ying for two seconds after she finished speaking before tilting her head to the left. Her eyes popped out of her sockets as she silently asked Liu Hui Ying whether she was telling the truth and when Liu Hui Ying nodded solemnly, Nanny Gong turned to look at Xiao Ai who nodded and said, " Her Majesty is speaking the truth, Nanny Gong. She cannot withstand being closer to men." Nanny Gong blinked her eyes and then dropped her gaze to the floor as if she were slowly tasting the information that was fed to her. She seemed to be having a hard time digesting the information and by the time she was done digesting the information, her face was paler than a piece of paper. Liu Hui Ying was allergic to men? Then ¡­ Then what about the wedding night? Whose blood was on the sheet? " It was the blood of a pig," Liu Hui Ying replied, she could see what was going on in Nanny Gong''s head. After living with Nanny Gong for so long, she was aware of what kind of woman Nanny Gong was. Thus, it was effortless for Liu Hui Ying to understand how Nanny Gong''s head functioned. " P¡­pig blood?" Nanny Gong quaked, her eyes rolled in her head as she fainted then and there. She thought that Her Majesty was going to be pregnant with a child eventually because of how close she and the Emperor were, but if she was allergic to men, what was the point of being close? His Majesty cannot do anything! " Nanny Gong!" Xiao Ai screamed as she caught Nanny Gong by wrapping her arm around her waist. She knew that Nanny Gong would be shocked, but she was not convinced that she would this shocked! She actually fainted! What in the world! Xiao Ai helped Nanny Gong on the bed which was next to the cab from which Liu Hui Ying took the ointment out. Liu Hui Ying watched Xiao Ai help Nanny Gong on the bed, but suddenly, she felt a wave of strong yin energy. A frown etched on her face as she turned and looked behind her, but there was no one. '' What was that about?'' Liu Hui Ying thought in her head. " A¡­allergy?" Liu Dong Ming felt his heart was about to break. What did that man do to his daughters? One was dead, while the other was allergic to men. Liu Dong Ming felt anger surge in his heart as he cracked the curved end of the armrest of the chair on which he was sitting. He never thought that Liu Hui Ying was actually allergic to men! " Yes, my lord," General Du bowed his head as he repeated everything that happened at the cold pce. " It seems like Miss Qing, He has suffered a lot without you and Madam." CRACK. The armrest broke as splinters of wood fell on the ground. General Du looked up at Liu Dong Ming and sharply inhaled. Someone was going to suffer. ------------------- Chapter 519: You are doomed to be mine ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Warning: Yandere content ahead. Some might find it unsettling. " Ah, that bastard¡­" Ji Yang felt his headache as he walked past the corridor of his courtyard. He was angry and resentful, but when he arrived in the room of the Grand Master he strapped a smile on his face before saying," Grand Master, Can Ie inside?" There was no response, causing Ji Yang to feel a nerve twitch in his forehead. He closed his eyes before calling the grandmaster again," Grand Master?" " No¡­" azy voice responded from the inside of the room, causing Ji Yang to almost snap, but he closed his mouth when he remembered what the Grand Master of their family could do. He would rather not be turned into a rat and then left to scamper around the house like some dirty beast. " Grand Master, there is something that I want to discuss with you. It''s essential," Ji Yang said in a polite voice. Though inwardly he felt like cursing, he still stayed calm on the surface as he could not offend the Grand Master. This time it took three minutes for Grand Master Ji to reply," Is that so¡­ then you shalle inside the room." After Ji Yang received the permission, he heaved a sigh of relief and then opened the door with a push. As soon as he stepped inside the room, Ji Yang felt like he was going to get blinded by the sh of red. Dark as blood. The curtains, carpets, and even the bedsheet were blood-red. There was smoke flittering inside the room and on the bed sat a man dressed in all ck with the seams of his robes covered in red. He held a long pipe and was smoking, his long hair was scattered all over the bed while he rubbed and touched his left arm. Once in a while, he would raise his hand and kiss the back of his hand with an obsessed look on his face. Ji Yang shuddered as the man on the bed had the same face as his son, or more like the Grand Master was upying the body of his son. After his son escaped from the house and went chasing after that woman from the Liu family, Ji Yang knew that he had to make sure that the boy was dead. No man from the Ji family would ever marry someone from the Liu family, however, what he did not expect was that the second his son died his body was possessed by the Grand Master who had followed him for ages as a ghost. Ji Yang did not feel anything about this, if anything, he felt like it was a proper reuse of his son''s dead body since his son was a useless freak. If Ji Yu had known the thoughts of her father, then she would have never called this monster her father ever again. " Grand master, the n¡­ it failed," Ji Yang bowed his head and said to Grand Master Ji who raised his head with anguid smile on his face. With his half-lidded eyes, he looked down at Ji Yang and hummed," I know. I never expected it to seed." Ji Yang felt like his heart was stomped on, he raised his head and looked at Grand Master Ji with a shocked look on his face. " Then why¡­why did you ask me to follow the n?" He asked in disbelief. He thought that Grand Master Ji told him this n because he wanted to help the Ji family, so why did he tell him a n which would end in failure? " Because I wanted to see someone very much," Grand Master Ji chuckled. He raised his hand which knocked against Liu Hui Ying and sniffed it. Even though the scent of rose and gardenia incense was too light, Grand Master Ji was satisfied with it. Ji Yang felt like he was losing his mind. What did this mean by that he was actually willing to give up well over three million silver taels because he wanted to see someone? When Grand Master Ji saw the expression on his face, he sneered and then said," Ji Yang, don''t forget that everything that you have right now is thanks to me. If not for me, you would have been ruined. It''s because of me that you can enjoy this wonderful life, which is filled withfort and respect. Have you forgotten where your family would have been if not for me?" Ji Yang shuddered as he lowered his head once more. " I apologize. I am really sorry Grand Master Ji¡­ I was not thinking straight, I mean this was the budget of the army that we are raising which is why I lost my head for a while," Ji Yang was sure that if he did not make this man calm down, he would definitely ruin him. Grand Master Ji sneered at the man who had his head lowered. He did not waste his time, as he needed to make the most of the touch that brushed against him this afternoon. " You can leave. You are ruining my mood," Grand Master Ji waved his hand as he ordered Ji Yang to leave. Ji Yang bowed his head as he walked out of the room before closing the door. Once the door was closed, Grand Master Ji kissed his hand once more before muttering," Ah Hui Ying, my love. That bastard of your father had separated us for ages, I think it''s time for you to be mine. Pity that he married you off, now I have to clear that stupid man off from my path." However, Grand Master Ji was not worried about Liu Hui Ying giving her virtue to anyone else. Because he had made sure that no other man would be able to touch her. His eyes glinted with a dangerous red glow as he dragged his tongue along the length of his fingers. " You are doomed to be mine, Hui Ying." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 520: Changing feelings " Achoo! Achoo!" Liu Hui Ying sneezed as Nanny Gong rubbed a medicinal liquid on her legs and arms. The elderly woman was simply distressed to the point that she wanted to go out and look for the blood of the man who caused Liu Hui Ying to be allergic to men. " I cannot believe¡­ Missy, why did you not tell me? If I had known¡­" she broke away with a shake of her head. But Liu Hui Ying knew what Nanny Gong wanted to say to her, however, Liu Hui Ying had no response to her answer. What was she supposed to say? That she was not attacked by a man in this era but some other era? That poor woman might end up having a seizure. Even though she did not like the previous Liu Hui Ying that much, as much she liked her. Of course, Liu Hui Ying knew that she was only making a deduction and there could be a possibility that she was wrong but she was willing to bet on it. Who knows maybe she was much more well-liked than the predecessor? Liu Hui Ying wanted to believe that she was the one who was liked more by Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai because she loved the way they cared for her. If she were to find out that they only cared because of their emotions for the predecessor, then she was going to be really upset/ Nanny Gong did not know the kind of thoughts that were going on in Liu Hui Ying''s head. She finished rubbing the medicinal liquid on Liu Hui Ying''s hands and legs before saying, " This should take care of the itching and the scars." She wiped the sweat on her forehead as if she had just finished a very difficult task. When Liu Hui Ying saw herself covered in medicinal liquid her lips twitched, and she had to scrunch up her nose because this liquid smelled really bad. The only good part was that the itching had stopped and she did not feel like scratching ayer of her skin down. She then remembered the mutton cakes that she had bought when she was strolling outside and said to Xiao Ai," I brought mutton cakes for you two. You must have grown tired of eating the vegetable meals that are served here right?" Xiao Ai felt her eyes burn with tears. They were indeed quite hungry. Once they were thrown into the cold pce even the servants dared to bully them. Even though his majesty never said anything, those dirty and pesky servants dared to bully them under the orders of the concubines, some gave them food which was spat on and some gave them only boiled vegetables and rice. During these two days, they had been tormented to the point that Xiao Ai was going crazy. She never thought that her missy would remember the two of them when she went out and would even buy some mutton cakes for them. Her eyes were red as she wiped them with her sleeves and said, " Then thank you, your majesty." " What are you saying thank you for?" Liu Hui Ying pinched Xiao Ai''s cheeks before saying, " I didn''t do anything to be thanked? You two were dragged here because of me." Liu Hui Ying was really thankful for Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai''s loyalty, the two of them could have betrayed her and gone to someone else but they didn''t instead they stayed with her and waited for the verdict. When Liu Hui Ying thought about how these two women were willing to die with her, she couldn''t help but feel a sense of warmth in her heart. When she was working as a detective there were many officers under her but none of them stayed loyal to her, one of them even sold her out to the other fraction when their lives were in danger. Thus, it wasn''t surprising that she was touched by their loyalties. Xiao Ai smiled at Liu Hui Ying''s words. She dragged Nanny Gong and finished the mutton cakes that Liu Hui Ying brought for them, as the two ate the mutton cakes their tears almost flowed out of their eyes. Wuuuu¡­ it had only been three days ever since they did not eat a good meal but the two of them were on the verge of breaking down. " Nanny Gong, missy has gotten better right? In the past she would never buy us anything," Xiao Ai remarked as she bit into the delicious mutton cake. In the past, Liu Hui Ying would buy something for Master Shen but she would never buy anything for the two of them. " Shh," Nanny Gong looked at Liu Hui Ying who had closed her eyes and then poked Xiao Ai on the forehead with an eye roll. " What are you saying this nonsense for? Do you think that you have a lot to say? We are just servants and servants cannot discuss the matters of their master. What they give you, you ept them happily and what they do not give you, as a loyal servant you should not worry about it at all." Nanny Gong was also confused by the changes but she was happy. At least now her missy did not throw tantrums and did not act like a fool who seemed to have no understanding of how the world worked. Xiao Ai rolled her eyes and then said, " I know Nanny Gong. I was just saying that Missy has changed." She softened her voice as she looked at the half-eaten mutton cake and then said, " I hope she stays like this always." The two women thought that Liu Hui Ying was asleep but thetter was awake and even though her eyes were closed she could hear everything that the two of them were saying. Stay the same always? That was not going to happen. After all, she was going to return to her time after she got hold of the real Liu Hui Ying of this era. This was the n¡­so why did her heart hurt so much? --------------- The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 521: Changing feelings (2) Liu Hui Ying did not know why her heart felt assaulted at the idea of leaving these two women but what surprised her was that as soon as the thought of leaving this time and ce came to her mind, something hit her in the back of her head and she almost staggered when the image of a sulking man shed in her head. " UWAH!" "What''s wrong your majesty? Did you have a nightmare?" Nanny Gong who had just finished her mutton cake rushed over to where Liu Hui Ying was lying and helped her up. She even took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat that was covering Liu Hui Ying''s forehead. " Your majesty everything is fine. You do not need to worry. We will get out of this ce very soon." However, Liu Hui Ying knew that she needed to worry very much about something. What was that? Why did she think of Zhai Tianyu? Her heart was beating against her ribs so hard that Liu Hui Ying was sure that her heart was about to jump out of her chest. No way¡­ she must have thought of him because he was super annoying and clingy at times but there was no way she thought of him because she felt something for him. Liu Hui Ying felt nausea climb up her throat, it was just that she knew it was not nausea. It was something else. She shook her head to get rid of the unwanted thoughts, she did not need those thoughts and Liu Hui Ying was certain that she had no such intention either. She couldn''t even touch a man damn it! What was she thinking? " I... I think I will take a bath," she said to Nanny Gong. Certainly, it was because of her allergy ring up and nothing more than that. That''s right, it must be because of her allergy. She jumped down from the bed and rushed to the bathing house. Nanny Gong watched Liu Hui Ying rush to the bathhouse as if she was being chased by something and did not know what to say. Why was her missy acting like such? Did something happen? What did she dream when she just took a short nap? The poor old woman was worried as she could no longer understand her missy''s tantrums. Inside the bathhouse, Liu Hui Ying was standing behind the door with her hands stretched out at the back of the door. She was breathing harshly with a furious blush scattered all over her face. No, she must have thought of something else just now¡­ that was just a coincidence and nothing else. '' All right, Hui Ying calm down.You have nothing to worry about anything most probably it is your head ying with you,'' Liu Hui Ying told herself as she tried to calm her frantically beating heart. She patted her chest two to three times before exhaling. Once she was calm enough, Liu Hui Ying took off her outer robes followed by the inner robe until she was only left with a single translucentyer that she wore to take a bath. Liu Hui Ying stepped inside the wooden bathtub which was filled with warm water that Nanny Gong had arranged after much trouble. As other servants were refusing to hand it over, in their eyes she was a discarded Empress and did not deserve anything good. '' Once I am out of here, I am sending the ghosts to haunt those bastards,'' Liu Hui Ying was nothing but petty when it came to someone causing her difort and those servants had caused her more than just difort. As Liu Hui Ying stepped inside the bathtub she felt warmth searing as hot flickering coals coursed through her skin but she did not care about it as she liked her water a bit hotter. She sat down with her arms resting on either side of the tub and leaned her head on the edge of the bathtub. Well, at least now she was done with the case and soon she would be out of this dpidated pce, this could be taken as a good sign. " Ah finally, I can rest in ease," Liu Hui Ying muttered as she closed her eyes and she relished the warmth that was spreading all over her body. " Are you enjoying this?" She heard someone speak from the side, maybe it was because of the heat that was getting in her head but Liu Hui Ying felt a bit muddle-headed and hummed, " It feels nice." However, after a short while, Liu Hui Ying felt that something was wrong. She was inside the bathtub with nothing but a translucent inner dress and secondly, that voice surely did not belong to a woman. It belonged to a man. A man was inside the bathtub with her. Liu Hui Ying''s eyes flew open as she turned to look at none other than Zhai Tianyu who was sitting next to her. His elbow was resting on the edge of the bathtub while he was using the palm of the same hand to rest his head on it. His lips were curled in a seductive smile as he looked at her causing Liu Hui Ying to cough out. " Wh¡­what are you doing here?" Liu Hui Ying questioned as she covered her body with her hands. However, with her assets slowly growing, two of her hands were too small to cover them. Her actions brought a smile to Zhai Tianyu''s face as he looked at Liu Hui Ying. He swam closer to Liu Hui Ying when he saw that she was swimming away from him, he reached out and sped her nape. His fingers brushed against the small hair which often stood up when Liu Hui Ying was excited or nervous just like right now. She felt Zhai Tianyu pull closer to her as his face etched so close to hers that Liu Hui Ying could feel his warm breath skim over her skin. With his lips inches away from her, he whispered, "What do you think I am doing?" Chapter 522: Imperial Decree Liu Hui Ying closed her eyes, she pulled her head down and raised her shoulders as if shying away from the man in front of her. And she did not shy away from men. Never. A shudder rolled off her body which Liu Hui Ying couldn''t ignore even if she wanted to as it made goosebumps rise all over her arms and legs. Nausea. It was definitely nausea. She thought to herself. Liu Hui Ying wasn''t sure what she was doing by closing her eyes and raising one of her arms in a weak resistance. She could totally send this man who snuck in her bath when she was almost naked flying, so why was she acting like some damn damsel in distress? The thought snapped her out of her daze as Liu Hui Ying''s eyes flickered open, she was about to give that man a piece of her mind or two but as soon as she turned to face him, Zhai Tianyu was gone. It was as if he was never there. "What the¡ª¡ª" Liu Hui Ying looked down at her arms and sure enough there was no allergic reaction. That means¡­That means¡­she imagined all of this that happened just now? A furious blush scattered over Liu Hui Ying''s face as she let out a yell. This cannot be happening! Her scream was so loud that forget about Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai even the guards outside were startled. They looked at one another before turning to look at the cold pce. "Who screamed so wretchedly?" One of the guards asked as he looked inside the courtyard of the cold pce. His brows furrowed. " It sounded like a ghostly mourn." The other guard rubbed his arms and then said to his partner, "Don''t say that, do you think that our duty is not hard enough already? That pce is one of the most cursed ces that I have ever been¡­have you forgotten this is the ce most of the concubines and Empresses killed themselves." The guard who was peeking inside the cold pce immediately pulled his head back and rubbed the back of his neck instinctively as if it was his neck that was on the line like the many Empresses and the concubines. "You are right," the guard said with a sigh. "We shouldn''t bother ourselves with this matter, no matter who screamed it had nothing¡ª¡ª" The guard couldn''t finish his words as there was another screeching scream which was even harsher than the one earlier which caused the two of them to stiffen. A tremor shook their bodies as they looked at one another with tears in their eyes. Who told them to be guards of the Imperial Pce damn it! It was so scary! Inside the pce, Liu Hui Ying was clutching her chest with one hand while the other hand was smashing at the spot where her heart was, her tears seemed to have dried up long ago which was why she could not shed any more tears but that did not mean that she was not crying. She was¡­she was crying like she had nothing more left to live. "Your majesty, what happened to you? Why are you crying like this?" Nanny Gong could not understand what was going on as Liu Hui Ying only went to take a bath but she suddenly started crying. Did the boils hurt too much? That should not be the case. Nanny Gong wiped Liu Hui Ying and then dressed her before working on her hair as she dry sobbed. On the other hand, Xiao Ai fanned Liu Hui Ying as she was worried that Liu Hui Ying would end up staying in the hot water for too long. Her skin was red as a tomato after all. The two women of course had no idea that the reason Liu Hui Ying was red as a tomato was because, in the twenty-nine years of her life, she had her first spring dream! And that tooprising of a man. A MAN! Liu Hui Ying felt like she had lost all of her face, how could she¡­how could she¡­ "My life going to end," Liu Hui Ying cried again which only worried Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai. What was up with her majesty? Fortunately for the two of them, Eunuch Li who followed Zhai Tianyu arrived at the cold Pce with the imperial decree. " The Empress, Liu Hui Ying please take this decree!" Eunuch Li announced in a loud and shrill voice putting a stop to Liu Hui Ying''s crying as she pushed herself off the bed and walked outside. Though Liu Hui Ying wanted to shed a few more nonexistent tears for her mental virginity that she almost lost by having a spiring dream of Zhai Tianyu, she also wanted to get out of this ce. The bed was too hard and the entire room was too freaking cold, she was almost on the verge of freezing some days if not for the Yin Energy that she used to control the temperature of the room. She needed to get out of this pce. Now. And that man better had sent the imperial decree to have her get rid of this ce or else she was going to teach him a good lesson. However since she did not want to hurt him, he better be careful with her. Liu Hui Ying might not want to hurt him but she would hurt him if he messed with her when she was in such a shitty mood. "Your majesty," Eunuch Li smiled at her with a polite attitude which made Liu Hui Ying curl the side of her lips as she said, " You are back to your servile attitude, Eunuch Li." Eunuch Li who was caught shivered as he lowered his back even more. He cursed his luck as he had thought that Liu Hui Ying would not be back so soon and acted like a big shot when she was sent to the cold pce, if he had known that she would be back so soon¡­ he would have been polite with her. ------------- Chapter 523: A protective big brother "Not at all, your majesty. Your servant has always been servile," Eunuch Li replied with a polite smile causing Liu Hui Ying to smile even more widely. "You weren''t this servile on the day I was thrown in the cold pce," Liu Hui Ying stated causing Eunuch Li to tremble even more. He knew this woman was not going to let him off so easily. However he could not say or do anything at this moment, though he was the head of the Eunuchs and held a lot of power in his hands but as long as Liu Hui Ying was doted on by his majesty, he could not offend her. However back then he thought that Liu Hui Ying was done for which was why he was a bit arrogant in front of Liu Hui Ying. But now that she was back in power, Eunuch Li felt a bit regretful. He raised his head and looked at Liu Hui Ying who was smiling down at him and felt a chill rise in his heart. No, he felt a lot regretful. He shouldn''t have done that, if he hadn''t done that then nothing like this would be happening to him now. "Your majesty, this imperial decree," Eunuch Li wanted to announce it but Liu Hui Ying snatched it from him causing his high-pitched voice to get stuck in his throat. Liu Hui Ying looked at the imperial decree and then read through it carefully before turning to look at Eunuch Li who looked half horrified and half offended. Seeing him like this, Liu Hui Ying smiled at him and then rolled the imperial decree in her hands and said, "Let this slide, Eunuch Li. After all, I am in a hurry to get out of this ce as I am so freaking busy and have tons of things to do."She scrunched up her face and then winked at Eunuch Li with both of her eyes as she added, "I mean since I am doted on by his majesty¡­ I can do this right?" She had been waiting to throw these words back at Eunuch Li ever since he barged into her pce and asked her to leave the pce without even letting her take a change of clothes. He even went ahead and said that just because she was being doted on by Zhai Tianyu, she could do whatever she wanted or liked. Liu Hui Ying still had no idea how in the world she was being doted on by Zhai Tianyu and why she had no idea regarding it. However, that did not change the fact that this man had disrespected her. It wouldn''t be like her if she did not make this man tremble in his shoes. Eunuch Li was almost on his knees as he begged Liu Hui Ying to let him off, "Your majesty, I was the one who was a fool. I misunderstood the situation and made a mistake. Please be magnanimous and let me off?" He peeked at Liu Hui Ying with a polite expression causing Liu Hui Ying to sneer coldly as she looked at the eunuch in front of her. "You didn''t stay magnanimous with me, Eunuch Li¡­ so you better watch out¡­ who knows this time around you might end up lying in bed forever?" Liu Hui Ying patted Eunuch Li''s shoulder before walking towards the pnquin. Eunuch Li felt sweat trickle down his spine and forehead as he knew that he was in trouble. Firstly, because he learned that Zhai Tianyu cared for Liu Hui Ying a lot and secondly Liu Hui Ying''s tongue was ck. Literally ck. Thest time she said that he would pay for what he had done, he ended up breaking every bone in his body. The only reason why he could stand now was because of the imperial physician who handed him a pill that helped him recover. If not he would be still on the bed waiting for a month for his bones to recover. Sure enough, as soon as he turned on his heels, he felt something push him from the back and then BANG! He fell on the ground, face first and that too in the pit which was filled with mud and water. "Cough," Eunuch Li spat out the mud from his mouth as he looked at the pnquin that was being carried away. Again. That witch with a broken mouth cursed him again. He tried to push himself off the floor but as soon as he pushed himself off the floor, his feet lost their footing again and he fell into the pit face first again and then again and then again. "Leave him be," Jia Li looked at Li Gang who was having fun while kicking and swapping his feet against Eunuch Li such that he fell into the pit again and again. Li Gang rolled his eyes as he said, "I am just teaching him a small lesson and nothing else. Have you forgotten how he asked Liu Hui Ying to roll out of the courtyard? He was so freaking disrespectful." Li Gang might act like he did not like Liu Hui Ying but in truth he cared for her like a big brother. Like a very, very protective big brother. Only he was allowed to tease and taunt Liu Hui Ying, if someone else did that then he would make sure that they received a fitting lesson. "You are too protective of Hui Ying," Jia Li stated as she looked down at the Eunuch who had disrespected Liu Hui Ying like a vermin who needed to be squashed under her feet. If not for the fact that she was holding back, she would have made him feel the pain of getting castrated again. "Says the one who broke his spine and almost caused him to lie on the bed for all his life," Li Gang stopped kicking Eunuch Li and left the poor man alone after he had eaten enough dirt. Jia Li rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms and then said, "I didn''t I almost broke his spine but I left him with enough breath to live, look he is alive." "Is it the semantics that matters for you?" "You can say that." Chapter 524: No the roles are reversed The pnquin bearers carried Liu Hui Ying in the opposite direction from her pce, when Liu Hui Ying saw that they were carrying her somewhere else she could not help but frown. What were they doing, she was not locked in the cold pce for so long that they forgot where she lived right? She opened her mouth to say something but before she could bring her objections up, Liu Hui Ying saw the pnquin bearers carrying her in a courtyard which was next to the Dragon courtyard where Zhai Tianyu lived. Her mount dropped as she looked at the gigantic and exquisitely built courtyard where begonias were blooming. The red flowers were a stark contrast against the white snow. Liu Hui Ying swore as her mouth dropped. Quite literally. She did not expect that in three days she would get such a big surprise. "Your majesty!" Concubine Chu who was waiting for Liu Hui Ying eximed loudly when she saw Liu Hui Ying arrive. Just earlier this afternoon in the court, his majesty announced that he would be gifting the Phoenix courtyard which had been renewed and renovated to Liu Hui Ying. Though it brought a set of questions and objections, for the first time Concubine Chu saw Zhai Tianyu put his foot down and pass down his order so sternly. He said to the court that the reason he was handing the courtyard to Liu Hui Ying was not only because of the Liu family but also because she was wrongly imprisoned and was made to suffer for no reason. This courtyard was apensation to Liu Hui Ying in the words of Zhai Tianyu. Though he made it sound like he was doing it only because he did not want to be troubled by the Liu family, his decision still dissatisfied most of the people. One of them was the Grand Empress Dowager who was so furious that smoke was literallying out of her head. She objected to the decision in the court saying that giving Liu Hui Ying the Phoenix Pce was equivalent to epting her as the Empress when her position was unstable to which Empress Dowager smiled and said that Liu Hui Ying was the Empress even if everyone else refused to believe that she was one. After that, there was a lot of drama and screeching and more screaming, Grand Empress Dowager even fainted because she was just so angry but that didn''t change the decision that Zhai Tianyu came up with and though concubine Chu was not really involved with politics, she knew that many dynamics in the court might have changed with Liu Hui Ying bing the owner of the Phoenix pce especially when she was kept in another courtyard for so long. "You are here?" Liu Hui Ying looked at the woman in front of her who was smiling like a blossoming flower and asked, "Aren''t you cold? Why did you not wait inside?" Concubine Chu was touched when she saw that Liu Hui Ying was caring about her. She blinked her eyes and then said, "How could I, your majesty? You the owner of the courtyard were not present, so how could I enter your space without permission." In fact, she would have loved to explore the courtyard where Liu Hui Ying would eat, live and sleep but Concubine Chu was not such a perverted woman. She would do so only when Liu Hui Ying brought her inside the courtyard which by the way was something that Concubine Chu wanted the most. "You can enter the courtyard as you want, I will not get angry," Liu Hui Ying said to concubine Chu. She certainly wanted and needed some friends in this ce or she would end up growing mold on her back if she was to stay inside her courtyard all day long. Concubine Chu smiled with a beaming glint in her eyes. She was quite happy with Liu Hui Ying inviting her to the Phoenix courtyard. Doesn''t that mean that the two of them were close? This was good as well. However, Concubine Chu was a bit upset when she thought about how Zhai Tianyu was also noticing Liu Hui Ying. But then again Liu Hui Ying was so good there was no way Zhai Tianyu would not notice her. But then again she was the first one who noticed how good Liu Hui Ying was, she deserved to be closest to Liu Hui Ying first! "By the way, Your Majesty," the two women walked over to the phoenix courtyard as Concubine Chu suddenly spoke up, "Because of this matter, we couldn''t see the y that we promised to see together. Would you like toe and see it?" Only then did Liu Hui Ying realize that she had indeed forgotten the y which she was supposed to see with Concubine Chu. No better than saying that she forgot it was better to say that before she could go to Concubine Chu''s courtyard she was pulled to the cold pce by the guards and Eunuch Li. ''Damn that old eunuch. He really caused me a lot of losses,'' Liu Hui Ying thought sullenly. Her eyes flickered with a dangerous glint. Eunuch Li who was heading back to his courtyard shivered as he looked left and right. His eyes were filled with terror as he had a feeling that something bad was heading towards him. "Dear heavens¡­ let me off¡­" Eunuch Li muttered as he sneezed and walked over to the courtyard to change his clothes which were covered in mud and doused in water as snow stuck to the fabric when he fell on the snow again and again. Liu Hui Ying on the other hand, had no idea that she had caused a shadow to be left on Eunuch Li''s heart. She was walking side by side with Concubine Chu with a smile on her lips as she nodded and said, "I would love to watch the y if you do not mind my presence." "How ¡­how could I mind your presence? My courtyard will be blessed if youe, your majesty!" Concubine Chu eximed with a smile on her lips. A furious blush scattered over her cheeks. Nanny Meng: "¡­." No¡­No, this can''t be my eyes must be ying tricks. -------------------- Chapter 525: No the roles are reversed (2) Nanny Meng had taken the job of taking care of Concubine Chu after her previous nanny gave up on her job and passed the baton to Nanny Meng. Back then Nanny Meng thought that the old woman seemed to have lost her head, after all, who would give up the chance of following after an imperial concubine. She also did not understand the pitiful and sympathetic nce that the old woman gave her when she was leaving. In fact, she even patted her on the shoulder before leaving. Back then Nanny Meng thought that the old woman was only scaring her but now Nanny Meng was having other thoughts. Why was Concubine Chu looking at Liu Hui Ying as if she was in love with her? Should she not be looking like this at his majesty? And why was she so happy when Liu Hui Ying promised that she woulde to her courtyard, like a lover waiting for their beloved toe and look for them? This was definitely wrong! Or was she the one thinking too much? Liu Hui Ying could sense someone looking at her and that too rather fervently, which was why she turned to look behind her and was stunned to see when she saw that Nanny Meng who came with Concubine Chu was looking at her as if she had stolen something rather precious from her. ''Why is she looking at me like that?'' Liu Hui Ying questioned with a frown. However, Concubine Chu who was the cause of this scandal did not have any idea what kind of problem she had created, she only cared about one thing and that was ¡ª¡ª Liu Hui Ying agreed to meet her at the night and that too in her courtyard! This was totally the start of an unreasonable and dangerous love story! "By the way, Your Majesty, I¡ª¡ª" Concubine Chu spoke up but then her foot fell on a puddle that was frozen causing her to slip. Liu Hui Ying who noticed Concubine Chu falling immediately reached out and caught her in her arms. "Careful," she said as she hugged Concubine Chu and straightened her up. "Thank you¡­your majesty," Concubine Chu spoke with a dreamy voice. Nanny Meng who stood behind the two of them blinked her eyes and then closed her eyes. Now she understood why that old hag left the job, in the past she foolishly thought that the previous Nanny left a freaking meat pie for her to devour but only now Nanny Meng understood that woman left a freaking mess for her! Concubine Chu was actually in love with the Empress and not the Emperor! "His majesty, the Emperor has arrived!" The sound of a young eunuch echoed in the courtyard. Zhai Tianyu arrived at the Phoenix courtyard to see Liu Hui Ying and ask her whether she or not she liked this gift that he had prepared for her but to his surprise, he found his official wife embracing another one of his wives. The smile on his lips stiffened in ce as if he was frozen in ce. "That¡­isn''t that Concubine Chu?" Yu Lingyun remarked as he looked at the two women who were hugging. He turned to look at Zhai Tianyu whose face was frozen stiff and softened his voice, "Your majesty¡­? Hey¡­?" Whoosh. Yu Lingyun did not even get to finish his words, as Zhai Tianyu moved towards Liu Hui Ying and that too at a pace which was way too fast for the Emperor. In the past, Zhai Tianyu often used to say that the Emperor of a country was supposed to walk elegantly and slowly. The more elegant and firm the pace of the Emperor was the more stabilized one''s country was, however, he seemed to have changed a lot with the amount of running he was doing for Liu Hui Ying''s sake. Like right now. It seemed like he was flying with how fast his feet were moving. "What is he doing?" Zhai Heng asked with a frown. Yu Lingyun on the other hand rolled his eyes and then said, "Just be d that he is only using his legs and not the martial arts that he often uses ¡­. It''s enough to show that he still has a bit of rationality left. Thank the heavens." The two of them were afraid that Zhai Tianyu would lose his mind while chasing after Liu Hui Ying as he did in the afternoon court session where he told everyone that he was handing the Empress courtyard to Liu Hui Ying. Heaven knows how scared they were when Zhai Tianyu suddenly announced that decision without discussing it with them. However, at the same time they knew that it was about time for Liu Hui Ying to get ownership of the Phoenix Pce or else anyone would be able to step on her head. It was just that they were a bit wary of Grand Empress Dowager''s reaction. She was not going to let this matter lie at rest with ease. On the other hand, Zhai Tianyu arrived next to Liu Hui Ying and then snatched Concubine Chu from Liu Hui Ying''s arms before pushing thetter to Nanny Meng. "My queen, concubine Chu¡­I hope that you two are fine?" As he spoke to concubine Chu he almost snapped off his teeth with how hard he gritted his teeth. Concubine Chu was unhappy to see Zhai Tianyu, she narrowed her eyes and red at him but she did not forget her manners. This might be the only reason why she bowed her head and then greeted Zhai Tianyu, " Greetings your majesty. I hope your life is longer than thend on this earth and your fame is higher than that of the sky." She raised her head and looked at Zhai Tianyu coldly who knew that the greetings that concubine Chu gave, she did not mean even one of them. He smiled stiffly and then said, "Can you leave us... I want to talk to my ''wife''." He emphasised the word wife causing Concubine Chu to re at him. Nanny Meng: "¡­" Like I said this is wrong! The roles are reversed! Chapter 526: I know my worth Concubine Chu was, of course, not willing to leave, but she would rather not make things ugly in front of Liu Hui Ying either. She pursed her lips in a pout before bowing her head and taking her leave, but as she turned around, she cursed Zhai Tianyu in her heart. ''That damned man. He was the one who gave poisonous wine to my precious queen, and now he dares toe in between me and her majesty, he is really the worst man alive on this surface,'' Concubine Chu cursed in her heart as she walked out of the phoenix pce. Behind her, Nanny Meng followed with a shock etched on her face. "Your Highness, why did you not talk to his majesty ?" She asked Concubine Chu. Wasn''t this the perfect opportunity for her to get close to His Majesty, the Emperor, and then kick Liu Hui Ying aside? Why was she the one who was leaving? Shouldn''t Concubine Chu be sticking close to his majesty while trying to get his attention? Nanny Meng was going crazy, but Concubine Chu, on the other hand, was rather calm. She looked at the front and then said calmly, "What do you mean by that Nanny? Why should I stay when his majesty himself asked me to leave?" "But he is your husband! I mean, you are the concubine of his majesty, surely you can stay and speak with him. Right?" Nanny Meng was on the verge of ripping her hair off her head as she could not understand what was going on with Concubine Chu. She was taking a track that Nanny Meng could not understand. "Hmph, what kind of husband is he? He even poisoned his wife and almost killed her," Concubine Chu snorted, causing eclipses to form on top of Nanny Meng''s head. So what if he did? Doesn''t the death of Liu Hui Ying mean that thepetition was getting reduced? Why did she have to worry about Liu Hui Ying''s death? "Your Highness¡ª¡ª" "Nanny, I know what I am doing," Concubine Chu sighed and turned to look at Nanny Meng. She knew that Nanny Meng was only looking out for her as her father wanted her to be the Empress from a meagre imperial concubine, but Concubine Chu did not want to be the Empress. Last night, what she saw made her even more reluctant to be the Empress. How everyone was waiting to watch Liu Hui Ying fall. It was scary, terrifying. It was as if the second the Liu family fell, Liu Hui Ying would be reduced to nothing. The crown that she wore on her head came with dangers and risks that Chu Yanqing did not believe that she could take. Her family was a small family of officials, and she could not fight back as harshly as Liu Dong Ming didst night. In fact, given how much of a coward her father was, she did not believe that he could ever stand up for her as Liu Dong Ming did for Liu Hui Ying. Liu Dong Ming fought for his heirs and family more than money and power. Her father, on the other hand, cared about only one thing and that was power and more power, if not, why would he keep on egging her by sending letters that asked her to seduce his majesty and try to be the Empress? "But¡ª¡ª" "Nanny Meng!" Chu Yanqing put a sternness in her tone as she turned and looked at the elderly woman. "If you want power, you need to know whether you have the skills or the ability to protect it. What happened to Her Majestyst night, you saw it, right? Do you think that you or my father can fight against that?" Last night, Chu Yanqing saw the old nanny following Liu Hui Ying. Nanny Gong, if she was not wrong, was the name of the old woman. Chu Yanqing knew better than the rest how professional and skilled Nanny Gong was when she was young, her grand grandmother was the Nanny of the Great Grand Dowager and simr that, and her mother was the Nanny of the Empress Dowager. It was said that she gave her life up to protect Empress Dowager. Nanny Gong, who saw the loyalty of her mother and grandmother, was a loyal servant through and through. Given how much everyone wanted her to train their daughters, if she had escaped, nanny Gong would have been epted and appointed by many. But Nanny Gong stayed with Liu Hui Ying until the verdict in fact, Chu Yanqing was sure that Nanny Gong would have headed up the guillotine for Liu Hui Ying. She had seen the determination ording to the old woman when she stepped inside the courtst night. Something that Nanny Mengcked. Simrly, Liu Dong Ming had stayed calm in the face of danger and found someone to help him out in the time of need. Even when he was locked up, he saved his family ¡ª¡ª with her father''s wits, Chu Yanqing was sure that there was nothing that he would be able to do if he were to face such a situation. So, on what basis and confidence did they want her to be the Empress? And even if Liu Hui Ying was going to be reced, it would not be her turn to be the Empress. Nanny Meng pursed her lips, she did not have any response to this question, as she really did not have the guts to face execution as Nanny Gong did. In fact, she was sure that if something like that had happened to Chu Yanqing, she would have run away at the fastest possible speed. Seeing that Nanny Meng had gone silent, Chu Yanqing shook her head before turning to walk away. However, as soon as she strode down the path, she ended up crossing paths with Ji Yu who had arrived to congratte Liu Hui Ying. And her mood soured. ----------------------- Chapter 527: Compensation Ji Yu who had stepped out of the pnquin paused when she saw Chu Yanqing. She blinked her eyes and furrowed her brows, as she could not understand why Chu Yanqing was looking at her in this manner. Her gaze was simr to a lover who had been wronged, but Ji Yu was certain that the two of them had never shed head-on before. "Concubine Chu?" Seeing that thetter was not speaking, Ji Yu decided to speak to her first. In fact, it would have been better if she hadn''t spoken to Concubine Chu because thetter narrowed her eyes and red at her as if the hatred that she held for Ji Yu upped one level more. "Imperial Ji seemed to have really wonderful timing. It hasn''t been less than two seconds before his majesty arrived at the Phoenix Pce and Imperial Ji came after him just as soon," Chu Yanqing stated sarcastically before bowing her head and then walking towards her pnquin. Behind her, Nanny Meng apologetically bowed to Ji Yu before chasing after Chu Yanqing. Her expression was distraught as she knew that she had to train Chu Yanqing from the start, this missy of hers was fine before she arrived at the Imperial Pce, what happened to her all of a sudden? Ji Yu stared after Chu Yanqing. In fact, she wanted to tell her that she did note here to look for Zhai Tianyu and that she was seriously here to congratte Liu Hui Ying but given that her surname was ''Ji'' and Ji Yang was her father, Ji Yu knew that regardless of what she said nothing was going to help her. She sighed and then looked at the Phoenix Pce in front of her and sighed. "Let''s go back," she said to the pnquin bearers but as soon as she turned around, her new maid who took the ce of Xiao Lin spoke up, "What are you doing, your Highness? Are you going to leave just like this ?" Xiao He looked at Ji Yu as if she were a fool. The Emperor was right behind the doors, and yet, she was choosing to leave. Ji Yu closed her eyes and then turned to look at Xiao He. Her lips curled up in a smile which was not a smile, she looked down at Xiao He without hiding her contempt for her and asked, "Xiao He, do you know why you are a maid, and I am an imperial concubine?" She had seen Xiao He trying to catch Zhai Tianyu''s attention when he wasing to her pce these past few days. Of course, it was only because he wanted to use her pce as a base to change his clothes and head to the army base where he was raising his army. Nheless, he did arrive at her courtyard and Xiao He had always tried to catch her attention Zhai Tianyu, however, she had failed again and again. After all, Zhai Tianyu was in love with Liu Hui Ying, how could he fall for someone like Xiao He? What was more, even though she could notpare with Liu Hui Ying, how could Xiao He bepared to her? Xiao He''s contempt for Ji Yu vanished for a few seconds as she asked, "W¡­ What do you mean, your Highness?" "I mean what you are understanding," Ji Yu stated with a cold voice. " The reason you are a mere maid, and I am the imperial concubine is because I understand when to retreat and when to stride front up and charge ahead, do you understand?" She paused and added with a sneer, "And I am not foolish enough to see what you are trying to do, I will suggest you control those thoughts of yours because I will certainly have it ryed to the grand empress dowager if you do not stop." Xiao He felt something knock against her gut. She thought that she was far too clean but she seemed to have underestimated Ji Yu who was crowned as the only Imperial Concubine. Her power was next to Liu Hui Ying and of course, she was not a fool, who could not see what she was trying to do. "I understand, Your Highness," Xiao He lowered her head as she closed her eyes and clenched her hands in resistance. On the other hand, Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai took their leave when they saw Zhai Tianyu arriving. Even though the two of them were worried about Liu Hui Ying''s health, they couldn''t possibly tell Zhai Tianyu to leave, could they? But even so, they looked at him with wary looks in their eyes, which caused Zhai Tianyu to nce at them. The second his gaze met with the two women, they flinched and lowered their heads. "What''s wrong with them? Why are they staring at me like I am some predator who is going to eat you, my queen?" Zhai Tianyu asked with a raise of his brows. Liu Hui Ying gave him a fake smile and then replied, "They are only worried about me. Who knows, you will throw me in the cold pce again, Your Majesty?" "You know I had no choice," Zhai Tianyu retorted with a pout. He turned into a baby in front of Liu Hui Ying as he said, "I really did not want to do it, but Lord Ji made a fuss and I had no choice left in front of me. And I did give you as much freedom as possible, didn''t I? You even stuck that odd note on my back." He finished with a bite of his tongue. He still could not believe that Liu Hui Ying called him a pervert. From where was he a pervert? The more he thought about it, the more angry Zhai Tianyu became as he turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and said, "I still haven''t demandedpensation for what you did to me. At least Ipensated you, my queen." He took a step forward as his voice went dangerously low, and he asked, "How are you going topensate me, Hui Ying?" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- My lovely readers, please send me golden tickets to motivate me. Inck ofments, power stones and golden tickets, I lose my motivation to work hard. Chapter 528: How is this a good thing Liu Hui Ying felt her heart skip a beat as Zhai Tianyu got closer to her. She didn''t understand why, but for some reason, him being this close to her made her lungs constrict. Not only did they constrict, but she also felt like she was breathing through a bamboo pole. The one that was used when someone was underwater. She stared at the man, whose face was so close to her that she could see her reflection in his eyes. His short bangs were falling just above his eyes, and the mole under his left eye peeked through his fanningshes. If he was any closer to her, then his lips would be moving against hers. The thought rmed her and set her face on fire. Not literally, but enough to make her face turn red. Redder than the begonias and the roses that were blooming in the garden. And that idiot took it as a sign to step away from her. "Hey, are you okay? Are you feeling allergic?" Zhai Tianyu stepped away from Liu Hui Ying. He really thought she was feeling stifled because of his presence and though Liu Hui Ying''s breathing eased, she felt a sense of loss when he pulled away from her. "My queen?" He called out tentatively when he saw Liu Hui Ying breathing as if she were on the verge of exploding. "Who asked you to get so close?" As soon as Zhai Tianyu stepped away, Liu Hui Ying felt blood rush into her head as she raised her hands and pushed him away from her. She was humiliated, as she knew that the reason she was turning red in the face had nothing to do with her allergy. In fact, for the first time in her life, she was not feeling ufortable in the presence of a man. If Zhai Tianyu was paying attention he would have noticed the changes in Liu Hui Ying, but he wasn''t paying attention. In fact, it would be right to say that he could not pay attention because he was not prepared for Liu Hui Ying to suddenly push him, Zhai Tianyu''s felt his feet slip on the snow. His body arched back, and he iled his hands with a shocked look on his face. Liu Hui Ying''s eyes widened, as she did not anticipate Zhai Tianyu''s fall. She instinctively reached out and caught hold of his wrist. Because she was panicking, she did not even pay attention to where she was holding, which was why Liu Hui Ying was unaware of the fact that she was touching Zhai Tianyu''s skin rather than his clothes. "Are you all right? I am sorry, you surprised me by getting so close just now," Liu Hui Ying was embarrassed and humiliated at the same time. Not only did she make a fool of herself, but she was also acting as if she were a girl hitting puberty and this was her first time getting close to a man. It was, but Liu Hui Ying thought it was embarrassing for her to act this way when she was way over twenty and on the verge of hitting thirty very soon. She was older than Zhai Tianyu as thetter was only twenty, and yet, she was acting like a shy schoolgirl in front of her crush. Pei, Pei, what crush this¡­this was certainly not a crush. It was ¡­just a surprise¡­yet just a surprise. She was surprised. "It wouldn''t be the truth if you keep repeating it," Jia Li said with a gush as she looked at Liu Hui Ying, who was finally facing her first spring bloom. "Anyway, you should look down and see what you are holding." What was she holding? Liu Hui Ying lowered her head and looked at her hand with a frown, thinking that Jia Li was teasing her again. But as soon as she looked down, her face turned pale in horror as Liu Hui Ying realized that she was holding on to Zhai Tianyu''s wrist, and that too without ayer of clothing covering his skin. Damn! She cursed and let go of his wrist, but not before Zhai Tianyu caught her own. "What are you doing? Do you want me to die, I just treated my allergy ¡­it hasn''t been an hour¡ª¡ª" "But your allergy is not ring up," he said to her, interrupting her bbering which caused Liu Hui Ying to pause and look at him as if he had spouted three heads. No, in fact, it would have been fine if she was watching Zhai Tianyu growing three heads instead of listening to what he said to her. Her allergy was not ring up? How was that possible? She reached out and touched her face and arms, sure enough, her skin was smooth and wless, without an inch of blemish on her skin. This was something that had never happened before, and it scared the bejesus out of her, Liu Hui Ying was not kidding. She was never scared of anything, nu huh. She was someone who had hardly flinched when she saw a corpse being dug out of the ground. One that was rotten to the point that the flesh on it turned dark and ck. It smelled so bad that a few officers fainted, and yet, she stayed fine¡­freaking fine. On her feet and everything, but now ¡­she wanted to faint. Liu Hui Ying closed her eyes, hoping for an itch to start somewhere but nope. Nothing. Her body remained as calm as it could have been and when she opened her eyes, she was blessed with Zhai Tianyu''s obnoxious smile, one that was filled with so much arrogance that it made her annoyed to the point where she wanted to p him in the face. "Your allergy got better," he announced instead of questioning. "No, I told you that I was suffering from my allergy this afternoon, I just treated it¡ª¡ª" Liu Hui Ying stopped speaking midway, but it was toote. '' Now the man was even more arrogant than the king of the world as he smiled down at her. ----------------------- Chapter 529: How is this a good thing (2) ''Fck my life,'' Liu Hui Ying cursed, as she knew better than anyone that what she had said just now was equivalent to announcing that Zhai Tianyu was her special one. The one for whom she had feelings and whatnot. She did not have feelings for him. Nope, it was impossible for her to have feelings for him, there had never been a man who would be special to her. Then why was her allergy not ring up? A little voice in her head questioned and she ignored it. Not because she was not willing to answer it, but because she had no way to answer it. Why was her allergy not iling up, what could she even say when Liu Hui Ying, herself, did not have any answer to that question? However, she hoped that Zhai Tianyu would stop smiling at her like that as if she had just told him that she was in love with him. She wasn''t, he knew that, but he was still smiling like she was the eighth wonder of the modern world and the first one of this time and era. How could he even look at her like that when she could not even withstand her presence? Does he even know how ugly her emotions could be? Like thest time, when she lost herself in them, she got her sister killed. If she lost her control, then maybe she would lose someone just like thest time. Maybe him. A wave of nausea washed over her, and Liu Hui Ying shook his hand off her wrist. Behind her, Li Gang shook his head and Jia Li looked at Liu Hui Ying sympathetically just like Grandma Lan Fen who was watching Liu Hui Ying as if she were looking at her granddaughter suffering. Zhai Tianyu also sensed the changes in Liu Hui Ying, but he did not say anything, instead, he tilted his head to the side and caught hold of her wrist before saying, "Why are you shaking me off, my queen? Isn''t it a good thing that your allergy has gotten better? Even if it''s just me?" "What made you think that it''s a good thing?" Liu Hui Ying red at him in the past, she had a reason to avoid people. People cared for her, but now that the reason was gone, she couldn''t use it as a shield anymore. It made her feel stripped naked to the world which annoyed Liu Hui Ying, but at the same time she was calmed and at ease because she knew that she was normal and not a freak like everyone else called her. "Isn''t it?" Zhai Tianyu leaned forward until his lips were inches away from Liu Hui Ying, causing Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai to swoon as they looked away from the two people in front of them. Liu Hui Ying''s breathing hitched before picking up its pace as she raised her hand and then pushed Zhai Tianyu away from her face. Her cheeks were inmed as she stepped away from Zhai Tianyu and then said heatedly, "No. Which part of having an annoying man like you clinging to me, is a good thing?" She turned her back on him as she walked inside the courtyard behind her Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai chased after her, the two of them bowed their heads in front of Zhai Tianyu before rushing after Liu Hui Ying. "Your majesty! Let this servant see your skin!" "Your majesty, walk slowly, you are the empress of this country." Zhai Tianyu watched Liu Hui Ying leave, the warmth of her skin still lingering on his fingers. He watched her rush inside the courtyard, his eyes falling on the back of her neck which was covered in red, and a curl appeared on his lips as he smiled at Liu Hui Ying''s disappearing back. "Well, well¡­looks like, I am not the only one in denial," Zhai Tianyu snickered as he looked away from Liu Hui Ying. He headed towards the gates of the Phoenix courtyard where he met with Zhai Heng who was looking at him with aplicated look in his eyes. He waited for two seconds before saying, "Do you realize that this might cause trouble for Her Majesty, Your Majesty?" "It will," Zhai Tianyu smiled at Zhai Heng. He crossed his hands behind him and then continued to walk before saying, "But you are forgetting one thing, Brother." He turned his body sideways such that he was looking at the closing gates of the Phoenix pce as he curled his lips in an obscene prideful smile and remarked, "But she is not my weakness, Brother Heng. She is my strength, those who want to harm her, will have to think twice." He tilted his head to the side and looked at his brother with a smile before adding sweetly, "She is everything that I wanted in my Empress." ¡­. Inside the Phoenix Pce. Liu Hui Ying breathed heavily as she stared at the mirror, her eyes searched for the smallest boil on her skin but nothing. Her skin was as pale and clear as a peeled egg, even if she wanted to deny it¡­she could no longer deny it. Zhai Tianyu really crossed the stone-cold fortress that she had built across her heart. She dropped her gaze to her hands that were resting on the dressing table and felt an urge to ruin everything. "Why are you so angry? Isn''t it so romantic," Jia Li questioned with a gushing expression that was filled with the intention of gossiping. "You seemed to have found the one and only for you. How romantic." Li Gang stared at her as if she were a fool and then said, "You are a fool if you think that this is romantic. Even if it is, this story has no good end. Has it slipped past your head, that we do not belong to this time and era?" "We are going to leave eventually," he added as a reminder for Liu Hui Ying, who opened her eyes and nodded, "You are right," she agreed with him. "This rtionship does not have a good end, so it''s better to nip it before it can start budding." Chapter 530: Impulsive decisions Zhai Tianyu was unaware of the fact that Liu Hui Ying was nning to distance herself from him. He was watching the soldiers training in the army grounds at the moment. Since the Ji family had suffered a setback, this was the correct time to take them by surprise and deal with the assassin army. Though it would be impossible for him to clear the entire army, he would be able to at least deal with a section of them. Ji Yang had lost more than three million taels, it was a big sum for a giant family like Jis as they had to take care of many branches. More importantly, they were a schrly family, they did not have as much money saved as the Liu family. With Second Master Liu taking care of the business of the Liu family, they could easily take out three million taels, but the same could not be said for the Ji family. Ji Yang would definitely send the assassins to do other jobs to earn money for the army. In that case, they could always ambush them, even if he could deal with three hundred assassins at the moment it would be enough. "Everyone, make sure to pay attention tonight! We will be dealing with the enemy fraction, no matter what happens! Be quick and agile, do not let them catch you and make sure to bring their heads back," Zhai Tianyu told the soldiers who were holding swords and whips in their hands. When the soldiers heard their leader''s orders, they raised their hands and cheered. They have been waiting for this chance for a long time. The Ji family had caused them too much pain, it was time to give them back a taste of their own ruthlessness. Zhai Tianyu looked at the energetic soldiers and nodded. It was time to weaken the roots that had been corrupting the country for so long. ¡­ "Do you understand what you need to do?" The Grand Empress Dowager looked at the three assassins that she had arranged after sending word to Ji Yang. She originally wanted to leave Liu Hui Ying alone, as she thought that the woman was a fool. What was more, she had heard from her shadow guards that Liu Hui Ying was in love with someone else. Thus, she had never taken Liu Hui Ying seriously, but it seemed like she underestimated that woman beyond what was necessary, she could actually make Zhai Tianyu dance to her rhythm and even let her have the Empress''s Pce. Back then, she had used all her tears and acting skills to make Zhai Tianyu more or less discard Liu Hui Ying and throw her in a side pce where the bed concubines used to live in the past. The Grand Empress Dowager had felt a sense of satisfaction when she threw Liu Hui Ying away and snatched her dowry from her, making sure that Liu Hui Ying would live a life of difort. With this incident, everyone knew that Liu Hui Ying, despite having the title of the Empress, was not the Empress who was epted by the Imperial family. It had pleased the Grand Empress Dowager. Every time she saw Liu Hui Ying who stayed in the dpidated pce, she felt a sense of triumph as if she had finally stomped on the head of the Liu family and that dog man Liu Dong Ming. But Zhai Tianyu, that idiot who was raised single-handedly by her to enjoy women and alcohol, was actually seduced by Liu Hui Ying, that woman who was still growing! If she had known that this grandson of hers would be so big of a phnderer, she would have trained him better. At least taught him how to keep it in his pants. Grand Empress Dowager could no longer sit still. If this goes on, then Liu Hui Ying would be the Empress for sure, in case she was to give birth to Zhai Tianyu''s child. She had to take matters into her own hands and deal with that woman, even if it created chaos, she did not care, but she could never allow that woman to be the Empress! The throne can never fall in the hands of the Liu family. Not only because she would rather not weaken the power she and the Ji family held in their hands, but also because she couldn''t forget how the Liu family was the one who killed her son. This grudge was something that she would never forget. The leader of the assassins nodded. Though he was unable to understand why the Grand Dowager Empress was being too aggressive and careless by attacking the current Empress like such, he was only here to serve. He was hired by the Ji family and was trained to give up his life for them. Since they wanted him to deal with Liu Hui Ying, then he could only do so. It was Liu Hui Ying who was unfortunate enough to be the thorn in the eyes of the Ji family. And that to such a big thorn that they could not even withstand her presence and decided to deal with her so impulsively. "We will deal with Liu Hui Ying cleanly, Your Majesty. Don''t worry, even if the matter is discovered, the Ji family will stay safe," the leader promised. As he had trained for this mission ever since he was a child, he was sure that there was nothing that could be wrong. What was more, Liu Hui Ying was only a young woman, how could she even deal with three assassins who were trained to give up their lives for the sake of finishing their mission? Thus, he did not take Liu Hui Ying seriously at all. The Grand Dowager Empress nodded with satisfaction brimming in her eyes. She looked at the three assassins and then said with an imperious voice, "If you three seed, the Ji family will not treat you badly. Make sure to finish your mission for the sake of your rewards, We promise you that they will satisfy you." "Then thank you, your majesty." The three assassins bowed before vanishing in a blur of ck. ------------------------- Chapter 531: Tarnished Peace Liu Hui Ying plopped down on the soft bed with her arms spread out and her legs dangling from the edge of the bed. She released a sigh offort as soon as she felt the soft mattress under her, Liu Hui Ying had been sleeping in the hard bed for the past three days and though she was not ufortable as she had lived in even harsher conditions when she was a special detective, who wouldn''t likefort? She was a human too. "This is what I call life," Liu Hui Ying hummed as she looked up at the roof of the four-poster bed that was covered with curtains on the side while the side was left open for her to climb inside. Nanny Gong looked at Liu Hui Ying who was acting like a slob and then shook her head before saying, "Your majesty, even if you are alone you should take care of yourself. How can you not wipe your hair before lying on the bed? You will get a cold." As she spoke, Nanny Gong walked over to the bed and reached her hand to help Liu Hui Ying up. She then picked up the towel which she had ced on the cab next to the bed and started patting Liu Hui Ying''s long hair. Her hands gently patted Liu Hui Ying''s hair while Xiao Ai prepared the drying incense to take care of the moisture in Liu Hui Ying after the wiping. "You are still very much like a child. In the past, you used to do the same thing," Nanny Gong spoke with a reminiscing look on her face as she sighed. "You wouldy down on the bed with your hair dripping wet and then you will refuse to let me wipe it. One time you even got a fever because of your stubbornness but you have never changed your habits." Liu Hui Ying chuckled. She was d that the previous owner was simr to her or else she would have given away her identity. She then leaned back such that her back was leaning against Nanny Gong and then said in a babyish voice, "But what can I do? I have you by my side and you will always take care of me." Nanny Gong was so amused that she wanted to hit Liu Hui Ying lightly on the bottom like she used to when she was young. She was already married and was about to turn eighteen very soon and yet she was saying that she was still a baby? "Your majesty, I did not know that you can act spoiled," Nanny Gong shook her head but her eyes were even gentler than before as she helped Liu Hui Ying. Because Liu Hui Ying lost her mother when she was very young, she was the one who raised Liu Hui Ying from the second she was born, Liu Hui Ying also treated her like her mother but then she grew up and started to distance herself from her. However, now that Liu Hui Ying was back to her usual self Nanny Gong felt touched. She knew that her missy was still the same even if she was cold and gloomy on the surface. Liu Hui Ying smiled at Nanny Gong''s words. It was not that she did not want to act spoiled, instead, it was that she did not have anyone to act spoiled with. After her sister was gone, she lost her only family member and she was left alone in the world. With whom could she even act spoiled? What was more everyone thought that she was the one who killed her sister, thus Liu Hui Ying was more or less like a monster in their eyes. This was her first time getting doted on by someone other than her sister. ''But you should not get used to it as you will have to go back very soon,'' a voice told her and all the happiness that was bubbling in her heart soon went down. That was right, this love and affection did not belong to her, she had only borrowed it for a while. Sooner orter she would have to return it all. This thought caused Liu Hui Ying to feel a bit unsettled. She really did not want to leave such warmth but what could she even do? Since this body did not belong to her, Liu Hui Ying knew that sooner orter she would have to return it after all she wanted to go back right? Right? Of course, she did! Liu Hui Ying said to herself but inwardly she could not help but feel tormented by the decisions that she was making these days. Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai helped Liu Hui Ying dry her hair and then let hery down in the bed. Even though Liu Hui Ying told them that they should go back and sleep in their beds, the two of them did not go to the ves'' quarters to sleep instead they sat down on each side of the door and stayed up guarding her. They did not tell Liu Hui Ying but only by staying at her side, they felt rxed and at ease. The two of them nced at one another before giggling lightly. "Her majesty is going to be angry with us when she finds out that we stayed outside her room," Xiao Ai said to Nanny Gong who also had a doting smile on her face as she covered herself with a nket. She turned to look at the moon that was shining in the sky and then hummed, "That''s why we need to make sure that we wake up before Her Majesty." Xiao Ai chuckled softly upon hearing Nanny Gong''s remark. It felt a bit exciting while ying around like this and she hoped that this peace could stay like this without anyone tarnishing it. Poor Xioa Ai had no idea that no sooner did she finish making that wish, three shadows rushed past the corridor when she was not paying attention. Chapter 532: Awakening of the Elder Liu The three guards slipped inside the bedchambers which belonged to Liu Hui Ying. They were quieter than the rustle of the wind as they stepped inside the room, with their agile feet they jumped past the decorations that were scattered all over the ce. The leader of the three guards looked around, his eyes darting back and forth as he turned his attention to the bed where Liu Hui Ying was asleep. He looked at his colleagues before nodding as he signed them to move closer to bed. His underlings followed behind, their eyes focused on the figure thaty on the bed and their hands reached for the daggers that they were hiding under their clothes. They were ordered to kill Liu Hui Ying cleanly, thus they wanted to slit her throat without spilling blood and then have her body hung from the ceiling to make it look like shemitted suicide. Thus, the leader silently ordered his subordinate who was skilled in killing without spilling blood before falling back. The assassin on the left nodded before walking ahead of his leader. His eyes shed with ruthlessness as he gripped his dagger in his hand tightly and then swiped it on the curtain, his speed was so fast that even the sound of the fabric being shed did not echo in the room. Thrilled by his sess, the assassin slowly climbed up the bed. His feetnded on the mattress without dipping it even the slightest. He was using his martial arts skills to make sure that his body was lighter than a feather and Liu Hui Ying would not feel a thing. He slowly approached the body lying in the middle of the bed before turning and looking at his two partners who nodded at him. Only then did the assassin reach out and then snatch the nket that was covering the body. However ¡ª¡ª As soon as he pulled the thick nket that was covering Liu Hui Ying''s body, he found that there was nothing under it. Instead of Liu Hui Ying, there was a thick pillow lying inside the nket! So where did Liu Hui Ying go? The assassin''s eyes widened when he realized that their n had been discovered, he turned on his feet wanting to tell his partners but before he could even open his mouth, something cold and sharp embedded inside his body causing blood to rush into his mouth. As pain shot through his body, the assassin''s eyes trembled. He spat a mouthful of blood. A blotch of blood appeared on the newly set bedsheet on the bed as the light in the eyes of the assassin who tried to kill Liu Hui Ying vanished and he fell on the bed with a thump. "Who is there?" When the leader saw that his underling had fallen, he felt that something was amiss. He immediately took out a smoke bomb to throw and escape but before he could do it, a sharp dagger came flying and slit his wrist before he could drop the bomb. It was the same dagger that the other assassin was holding earlier and wanted to use it to deal with Liu Hui Ying. The leader''s eyes widened when he realized that his right hand was lying limply on his side. He did not think that someone could slit his wrist so urately and that too to the point that he would not be able to use it. His subordinate also felt that something was amiss which was why he pounced on the smoke bomb. He wanted to throw it and escape, his fingers almost touched the smoke bomb but then suddenly his vision twisted and he felt something amiss. The subordinate''s eyes flickered as he turned to look at the figure behind him and was stunned when he saw that it was none other than Liu Hui Ying. Didn''t they say that she was just a useless woman who did not know anything? Howe she could match their martial arts skills, no it could be said that she was even better than him, maybe even better than his leader! His gaze however did not linger on Liu Hui Ying for long instead his gaze fell on his body that was stumbling back. Blood spouted out of his neck from where his head had been detached. The assassin''s eyes widened at the sight of his decapitated body but then his life vanished from his eyes as well. His head which had been cut off flew in an arch and then swept past the room before it reached the sliding door. The impact caused the paper of the sliding door to tear up and a secondter, his head flew past the door and smashed against the wall. Blood and flesh sttered all over the wall before trickling down the wall. Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai who were sleeping outside the door woke up when they heard the sound. They thought that Liu Hui Ying had dropped something but when they recovered from the haze that was surrounding their eyes they saw the head of the assassin lying on the floor. "AHHHH!" Xiao Ai let out a scream when she saw the head of the assassin lying in front of her. She did not expect to see something like this upon opening her eyes. Even Nanny Gong was stunned when she saw the detached head, however, she did not waste her time screaming as she realized that something was wrong. "YOUR MAJESTY!" Nanny Gong shouted in panic, she scrambled to her feet and then rushed to open the door. As soon as Xiao Ai heard Nanny Gong''s scream, she realized that Liu Hui Ying was in danger and she too stopped screaming before scrambling on her feet and then rushing inside the room. However, as soon as she rushed inside the room, Xiao Ai paused as she looked at Liu Hui Ying who was battling with thest assassin. However that was not what made her stop, it was Liu Hui Ying''s eyes. They were pitch ck with glowing red pupils, like a demon. ------------------------ "What¡­what is happening?" Xiao Ai was scared stiff when she saw that Liu Hui Ying''s eyes had turned into one of that of a demon. She could not understand what was happening with her missy, this was not something that happened because of allergy right? Nanny Gong was also surprised but she was still in a better condition than Xiao Ai. As she was more experienced than Xiao Ai and thus she knew better than to lose her mind while facing such a situation. She turned to look at Xiao Ai and then said, "What are you looking at? Go and bring someone for help!" She did not know what was happening with her missy but she knew one thing and that was, her missy was in pain! Xiao Ai snapped out of her daze and then nodded before rushing out of the courtyard. As soon as she turned away and ran out of the courtyard, Nanny Gong turned to look at the woman who was holding a sword in her hand and moving back and forth on her feet. She was overwhelming the assassin who was now lying on the floor with his abdomen bleeding as he covered his wound with his hand. He was crawling while trying to get away from the woman who seemed like the reincarnation of the demon. The leader of the assassins could not understand how was it possible for a woman to be this strong, she was so skilled that he felt like he was fighting with the God of War. "L...Let me go¡­" the leader begged. Though he was trained to give up his life, when he was staring at the doors of death, he could not help but plead for his life. The leader did not want to die, he was really afraid of death at the very moment but more than that he was afraid of dying in the hands of this woman who was not only ruthless but she was also ying with them as if they were her toys. Even in his death, she was not allowing him to die peacefully, how could he not be troubled? Liu Hui Ying smiled upon hearing his words, however, it was not Liu Hui Ying who was awake but her elder sister who had woken up upon seeing danger approach her sister. She reached out and pressed her foot on the back of the man who was trying to kill her sister when she was sleeping, she raised the sword and then brought it down at the back of the leader. But she did not puncture any vital organs. Instead, she hit the spot which was most vulnerable in the human body causing the man to cough out blood as he opened his mouth to scream but he was in so much pain that even moving his mouth took him a lot of effort. He closed his eyes and then rolled them many times before grunting and saying, "I¡­will speak¡­I will speak just..let me go." Chapter 533: Not allowing me to enter "Do I need you to speak?" Liu Hui Ying said to the assassin who was lying on the ground. When the assassin heard her voice, he felt his heart skip a beat as he raised his eyes and looked at the woman who seemed to be wearing the skin of a human despite being a devil. He seemed to have picked up her meaning which was why he warily asked Liu Hui Ying, "What¡­do you want to do?" "What do you think?" Liu Hui Ying asked back with a sinister grin. She clutched the sword that she was holding in her hands even more tightly before raising it in the air. The eyes of the assassin went wide as he sensed what Liu Hui Ying had in her mind which was why he relied on his strength to get away from her but it was as if a boulder was pressing on his back. No matter what he did, he could not move! Terror filled his eyes as he swept his gaze at the sharp de though he had been trained to give up his life at any point, he did not think that the time woulde so soon. Now that he was at the door of death, he felt fear well up in his heart as he screamed, "It wasn''t me! I did not want to kill you! I was ordered! I was ordered by Her Majesty the Grand¡ª¡ª" the assassin''s shout came to a sudden halt when Liu Hui Ying pierced his mouth with the sword that she was holding in her hand. Blood sttered on the ground as the assassin''s eyes went wide, Nanny Gong who had never seen such a painful and tragic death before closed her eyes and covered her mouth with her hand as she did not want to throw up on the spot. It was scary. So scary. The sight of that man''s throat getting pierced and then the sword appearing from the other side of his throat was really a traumatic sight to behold. Nanny Gong trembled as she saw Liu Hui Ying pull out the sword that she was holding in her hand from the assassin''s mouth and murmur, "She attacked Hui Ying¡­ I will kill her." And this ''her'' was none other than the Grand Dowager Empress! Nanny Gong''s eyes widened when she heard Liu Hui Ying''s sudden exmation. She could see that Liu Hui Ying was not lying when she said that she was going to kill her majesty the Grand Empress Dowager. However, even if it was the Grand Empress Dowager they could not kill her just because they wanted to! "No, Your Majesty! You cannot kill Her Majesty, the Grand Empress Dowager!" Nanny Gong screamed but Liu Hui Ying did not hear her seemingly too lost in her murderous haze. Seeing this Nanny Gong immediately stretched out her hands in front of Liu Hui Ying and said, "Your majesty, you cannot kill her majesty the Grand Dowager Empress! If you kill her then your entire family will be facing execution!" However, Liu Hui Ying did not see it as troublesome. She turned to look at Nanny Gong and then said, "If they kill my family then I will kill everyone who tries to kill them." Nanny Gong: "¡­" That is a fantastic desire but it''s impossible to achieve, your majesty. Outside the Phoenix Pce, Xiao Ai rushed to the pce that belonged to Zhai Tianyu. Upon seeing her rush inside the pce, the guards reached to stop her. "Where are you going? His Majesty is with Concubine Ji tonight. You cannot barge inside the pce like this." One of the guards stopped Xiao Ai who cursed the Emperor for being too much of a pervert. Why did he have to go picking concubine every night? Could he not stay in his pce for once? Though Xiao Ai was really upset with the Emperor, she did not know whom to ask for help. She could not go to the Empress Dowager as she was worried that if she was to tell the Empress Dowager that something like this happened to Liu Hui Ying, then Liu Dong Ming might kill her missy because she became a danger to the Liu family. The reason she rushed to his majesty''s pce was that she thought that Zhai Tianyu liked Liu Hui Ying even though she had an allergy towards men and yet he continued to pester her. If he could ept her with her allergies, surely he could ept her in this form as well? "I am not trying to disrupt, his majesty! Something terrible happened to my missy and I want him to help her," Xiao Ai said anxiously to the guards, hoping that they would understand her situation. Unfortunately for her, this tactic was used by many concubines and thus the guards did not believe her. Instead, they looked at Xiao Ai and then one of them said with contempt, "Little maid, do you think that we are fools? This tactic has been used by many concubines and his majesty has punished us each time when we sent word to him." "That''s right, we are not going to make the same foolish mistake twice," the other guard said with a low voice as if he was afraid of disturbing the Emperor even if was not outside in the garden but inside the pce. Xiao Ai felt her nervousness exceed. She could not understand why these guards were being so stubborn, did they think that she would be here if her missy was not in problem? Anyway, it was his majesty who chased after her missy and it was not her majesty who chased after his majesty! "I am telling the truth right now! My missy is in pain and she needs help! You can at least send the word to his majesty even if he does not want to help, telling him about her majesty''s condition is your duty!" Xiao Aiined with an annoyed expression. " Her Majesty is the Empress and the official wife of his majesty! How can you ignore her like other concubines?" However, the guards stayed where they were and refused to move. It was all because his majesty, the Emperor had been visiting and calling Ji Yu ever since Liu Hui Ying was locked up in the cold pce. They thought that even if Liu Hui Ying was out of the cold pce, she had lost favour with his majesty as he did not visit her and only gave her the renovated Empress Pce. Though many did not believe the rumour that it was only to cate the Liu family, guards like them believed it. They had seen his majesty visiting and looking for Ji Yu frequently these past few days and thus they were certain that Zhai Tianyu now liked Ji Yu more than Liu Hui Ying. Thus, they did not feel wronged when they refused to listen to Xiao Ai. "Ho¡­How could you! I am telling you that my missy is in pain and her life could be lost, how could you ignore me like this?" Xiao Ai was speechless when she saw how the guards were tantly showing her disregard even if she was the maid of the Empress! When the guards saw that Xiao Ai was making a fuss, their brows scrunched up as one of the guards reached out and pushed her on the shoulder. "Shut up! Can''t you understand something so simple? His Majesty called Concubine Ji and not the Empress. It means that he is over the Empress, how dare you act imprudent?" The guard said as he pushed Xiao Ai away. "AH!" Xiao Ai was stunned as she did not expect the guard to push her away like this, she could not stabilize her footing and fell to the ground with a painful scream. "You bastards!" Her scream was loud enough to attract Yu Lingyun and Zhai Heng who had returned from the training at the training ground. They were lightly discussing another attack tactic with one another when they heard Xiao Ai''s scream. At first, they thought that they were imagining it but when they climbed the path that led to the Emperor''s Dragon Pce, they were stunned to find Xiao Ai on the snow while ring at the guards. "What happened?" Yu Lingyun furrowed his brows when he saw Xiao Ai sitting on the ground. He rushed over to where Xiao Ai was and helped her up by stretching his hand for her to take. He looked at her flushed palm and blew a warm breath over her hands when he saw that her skin had turned red due to the snow. When the guards saw that Yu Lingyun was actually supporting Xiao Ai, they felt a sense of foreboding rise in their hearts. They looked at one another before turning to look at Yu Lingyun, they wanted to say something but Xiao Ai beat them to it as she said to Yu Lingyun, "They are refusing to let me meet his majesty even when her majesty is attacked by assassins!" Chapter 534: Yu Lingyun’s anger This was the first time Xiao Ai was filing aint in front of someone but she did an excellent job because Yu Lingyun turned to look at the guards with an enraged expression as he demanded, "What is the meaning of this? Why are you stopping her from calling his majesty? Do you think that his majesty''s nightly endeavours are more important than her majesty getting attacked by assassins?" Though Yu Lingyun was usually very cheerful and hardly ever got angry because his expression would be so horrifying that he would scare the living daylights out of anyone and because this time it was Xiao Ai who was troubled, he was even angrier at the guards. How dare they push Xiao Ai like that? Did they want him to rip their heads off, was that it? Sure enough, as soon as he red at the guards stiffened and lowered their heads before one of them said, "General Yu, it''s not our fault. Every night a maid or two woulde relying the same message to us and when his majesty rushes down there is nothing which caused us to be scolded." The guards were only trying to save their jobs and nothing else. Yu Lingyun however did not feel like forgiving them as he stared down at the two guards and sneered, "Just because you don''t want to be scolded, you pushed her on the ground? Are you even men?" Yu Lingyun''s bangs fell on his forehead creating shadows over his eyes which made him look even more merciless as he red at the two guards who shivered in return. Xiao Ai wanted the guards to be scolded as well but when she thought of the situation that was going on at the Phoenix Pce, she turned to Yu Lingyun who was standing behind her and said, "General Yu, pleasee with me. Her majesty ¡­her majesty is in trouble." At this moment, she was heartbroken. When she saw Zhai Tianyu bantering with Liu Hui Ying earlier in the morning, she thought that Zhai Tianyu was in love with her missy but in the night he turned around and called Ji Yu to serve him. Even if her missy could not serve his majesty, he should have at least refrained himself these past few days right? Liu Hui Ying was locked in the cold pce and yet his majesty was having nightly adventures with Concubine Ji no wonder, these guards were looking down on her missy. It was all because of his majesty! Yu Lingyun could also see that something terrible had happened because Xiao Ai was not faking her anxiety. More importantly, Liu Hui Ying was not someone who would send her maid to ry a fake emergency message to call Zhai Tianyu when she wanted him to be as far from her as possible. He red at the two guards and said, "If something happens to Her Majesty then you can forget about keeping your heads much less your jobs." His words held a threatening edge which caused the guards to shiver in fright. The two of them wanted to chase after Yu Lingyun and Xiao Ai but were stopped by Zhai Heng. "What? Do you think that you two are stronger than General Yu?" He taunted the two guards who paused and lowered their heads in embarrassment and humiliation. Zhai Heng snorted. He did not feel sorry for these two guards. If Liu Hui Ying was not strong enough, who knows what might have happened to her but given how panicked Xiao Ai was, there must have been some idents. Zhai Heng was a bit scared as well, he did not know what happened but he knew that he first needed to call Zhai Tianyu. Even if he was worried about Liu Hui Ying, he could not do anything for her as he did not have the right to enter her life. Zhai Heng admired Liu Hui Ying but he knew his limits, even if she was the kind of woman who had won his heart, Zhai Heng was not as shameless as to snatch a woman from his brother. He turned to look at the guards and said, "Can I go inside or do I have to wait as well?" The guards hurriedly opened the gates of the Dragon Pce as Zhai Heng rushed inside at a brisk pace. When the guards saw Zhai Heng rushing inside, they could not help but shiver. Even Zhai Heng was rushing as if he was being chased by something dangerous, seeing him run inside the pce made the guards gulp. Yu Lingyun and Zhai Heng were the closest aides of Zhai Tianyu, if they were showing such reactions over Liu Hui Ying getting attacked, how would his majesty react? The two guards stared at one another and saw the dread in each other eyes. They were doomed. ¡­ Inside the pce, Zhai Tianyu jumped inside from the window of his bed chambers and found Ji Yu sitting on his bed reading a book. "You haven''t slept yet?" He asked Ji Yu who raised her head from the book and looked at him. "No," Ji Yu ced the book that she was clutching in her hands on the cab and then said, "If I went to sleep so early, his majesty would have to start drinking nutritious soup from tomorrow onwards." The Grand Dowager Empress could care less about Ji Yu not getting pregnant with a child but she would definitely feel threatened in Ji Xinyi''s case which was why she would try her best to make sure that Zhai Tianyu would get Ji Xinyi pregnant in just one night. If she had gone to sleep then the Grand Dowager Empress who liked to pay attention to their night endeavours of Zhai Tianyu would be really troubled. Zhai Tianyu touched the tip of his nose before saying, "Is she still keeping an eye on us?" "Of course she is, my aunt, is nning to send Xinyi to your bed chambers. If you start underperforming then it would be a cause of concern for her." ------------------------------ Chapter 535: The scar on his heart "Xinyi? Are you talking about the one who was in the cradle when I went to y with you?" Zhai Tianyu asked as he popped his head out of the wooden screen behind which he was changing clothes. He would not have done it but it was in fact too shocking for him to stay calm. He was not old but he was definitely much older than Ji Xinyi. "Isn''t she like twelve or thirteen?" She was yet to turn fifteen and he was already going to be twenty years old very soon. "Yes and Yes she is thirteen," Ji Yu replied causing Zhai Tianyu to crash on the ground. Almost. He changed his clothes and stepped out of the wooden divider before walking to his bed and saying, "Why did you not stop her? Xinyi is too young to be thrown in the mess of harem." More importantly, it would be weird for him to share a bed chamber with a thirteen-year-old girl. It would be even more weird than Liu Hui Ying who was sixteen when they got married and then turned seventeen a monthter. Though she looked rather underdeveloped when she married him, Liu Hui Ying was getting better and looked more womanly rather than a girl. But that was because she was turning eighteen soon! Ji Xinyi was too young for him! "Why did you not stop her?" He could not help but me Ji Yu who rolled her eyes and then stretched her legs. She then said, "How can I stop her? Do you think that she would listen to me just because I asked her to stop? My aunt is obsessed with the idea of getting the throne. She wants someone with the blood of Ji''s to upy the throne even if it means throwing Xinyi who is the only legitimate daughter in the harem," Ji Yu also felt nauseated when she thought of how her aunt and father were obsessed with the idea of getting hold of the throne. They seemed to have lost all sense of propriety for the sake of power. Sometimes Ji Yu even med herself, if she had not lost the ability to be a mother then her aunt and father would not have set their eyes on Ji Xinyi. That poor and naive girl whose life was going to be ruined. Ji Yu raised her head and looked at Zhai Tianyu before asking tentatively, "Your majesty, if Xinyi¡ª¡ª" "No," Zhai Tianyu knew what Ji Yu was going to ask him but he still ruthlessly refused her. "I will give her a chance to live the kind of life she wants with someone else. If she agrees then I will take the responsibility of sending her and the man she wants to live with away but I will not take her as my wife and you know why." The day he was crowned as the Emperor, his mother had revolted against the harem. She had marched down the courtyards with her small army and then killed each and every heir to the throne even the young women and girls were not allowed to live. Only Zhai Heng was allowed to live because he was Zhai Tianyu''s biological brother and Zhai Tianyu had begged in front of his mother to let his big brother off. On top of it, Zhai Heng had sworn that he would never fight for the throne, if not even Zhai Heng would have been killed off like the rest of his half-siblings. That night left a scar on Zhai Tianyu''s heart. Because of this, he swore that he would only have children with just one woman who touched his heart. He didn''t want to have children with several women creating a feud between the women in the harem. Once he took control of the Ji and the Liu family, he would make sure that the concubines who could not get close to him would be married off to someone else where they would live a better life. Of course, if they refused to leave then he could not do anything. He would give them the freedom to do whatever they wanted to do and even if they wanted to make the top of his head a prairie, he would not say anything as long as they did not ask him to give the right to throne to those children. Ji Yu smiled sadly. She knew that Zhai Tianyu would refuse. He looked like he was easy going but he had his own stubbornness. Because of the revolt that Empress Dowager did, he refused to have his children scattered all over the ce. "I understand," Ji Yu nodded. She wanted to say something more but before she could say another word the sound of Eunuch Li came from outside their room. "Your majesty," Eunuch Li sounded hesitant as he did not know what was happening inside the bedchambers of Zhai Tianyu and thought that he was disturbing Ji Yu and Zhai Tianyu. "It..Its¡ª¡ª" "It''s me,e out your majesty. Something happened to the Empress," Zhai Heng spoke up when he saw that Eunuch Li was taking his sweet time to announce his arrival. Ji Yu saw the change in Zhai Tianyu''s eyes, even though he still seemed casual, his eyes were sharper and his muscles were taut as he pulled the robe that was lying on the wooden divider and draped it on his shoulders. Ji Yu did not rush after him at once, instead, she opened her hair and ruffled her clothes to make it look like they did something before rushing after Zhai Tianyu who slid the door open and looked at Zhai Heng before demanding, "What happened to the Empress?" Zhai Heng noticed the nervousness in Zhai Tianyu''s eyes and the anger in his heart lessened. At least he did not make a mistake by pulling himself away from Liu Hui Ying. He looked at his brother and then said, "The Empress was attacked by assassins." Chapter 536: Castrate Zhai Tianyu felt his head buzz. He did not even take a look at Eunuch Li who was his grandmother''s spy and then rushed to the Phoenix Pce. He did not know what happened but if Zhai Heng came to look for him, something must have happened. Eunuch Li who saw Zhai Tianyu rush as if he was being chased by something dangerous was stunned. What happened to all the elegance and grace that was taught to his majesty? How could he run like amoner? "Your majesty, you cannot rush like that!" Eunuch Li was not aware of the fact that the Grand Empress Dowager had sent assassins but he knew that not many had the guts to attack the Empress especially when she was backed by the Liu family. Most probably this was rted to the Grand Empress Dowager as she was the only one who had the guts to harm Liu Hui Ying. If Zhai Tianyu caught hold of the assassins then it would be really troublesome! He had to stop that from happening. However, Zhai Tianyu did not stop. He continued walking at a pace which was too fast for Eunuch Li to catch. The poor old eunuch who had suffered a lot because of bad luck from the past couple of days, including getting his bones broken, however, could not catch up to Zhai Tianyu who was young and had a pace which was way too fast for Eunuch Li. He could only watch Zhai Tianyu walk out of the pce followed by concubine Ji and Zhai Heng helplessly. Eunuch Li looked at Zhai Tianyu who had run away and left him behind before turning to look at the pce that belonged to the Grand Empress Dowager. "I should go and ry this matter to Her Majesty," Eunuch Li muttered as he hobbled over to the pce where Grand Empress Dowager lived. He did not want this matter to escte or else the Grand Empress Dowager would lose the reputation that she had maintained for ages! However just as he hobbled out of the pce, someone bumped into him causing Eunuch Li to fall on his bottom. It would have been fine in the past but Eunuch Li was still recovering from the injuries that he had received a few days ago. Thus, when he fell on his bottom he ended up getting severely injured once more. A crack echoed in the surroundings as Eunuch Li cried and screamed like a pig that was getting butchered. He closed his eyes and howled in pain before ring at the culprit who had bumped into him and shouted at the stupid eunuch, "What are you doing Xiao Hong! How could you bump into me, were you not watching where you were going or something?" Xiao Hong who was another young eunuch under Eunuch Li bowed his head in a flustered manner. He said, "I am really sorry, Eunuch Li. I saw his majesty running out of the pce and I thought that something happened. I was worried about his majesty and did not see where I was going, I did not know that you were still working ¡­didn''t the imperial physician ask you to stay at your courtyard and rx?" Eunuch Li was originally suspicious of Xiao Hong as he thought it was too much of a coincidence for Xiao Hong to rush into him just when he was about to rush to the Grand Empress Dowager''s pce. However, when he heard Xiao Hong''s question he had to agree that what Xiao Hong said made sense. The imperial physician had told him to rest and not work too much. If not for the fact that he couldn''t sit still without keeping an eye on Zhai Tianyu he left his bed and went to look for him. Xiao Hong had no idea that he left his bed thus he should not have bumped into him deliberately. However, that did not change the fact that he bumped into him causing him to be hurt! "Hurry pick me up! I am in so much pain that I feel like I am dying!" Eunuch Li cried and Xiao Hong rushed to pick him up. However, because he was busy scolding Xiao Hong he did not notice the sly glint that shed in Xiao Hong''s eyes as he looked at the Eunuch who was crying while leaning on him. Eunuch Li was a fool who thought that everything was under his control, he did not even know that Zhai Tianyu had long introduced a little eunuch who kept an eye on Eunuch Li and stopped him from making any sneaky move. Just now Xiao Hong who was keeping an eye on Eunuch Li knew that he was trying to rush to the pce that belonged to Grand Empress Dowager, thus he deliberately bumped into Eunuch Li and stopped him from disturbing his Majesty. "Yes, Yes... I am so sorry!" Xiao Hong hid the calctions in his eyes as he helped Eunuch Li and took him to the imperial physician, . **** Zhai Tianyu rushed inside the Phoenix Pce and as soon as he stepped inside he felt an uncontroble surge of energy wafting from the inside. It was like an explosion of energy and he knew that it had nothing to do with Yu Lingyun as he was not as strong as the surge of energy that was surging out from the inside of the pce. Which meant that it was Liu Hui Ying! His eyes shed as he increased his pace behind him Zhai Heng rushed inside the pce as well. Though he was not as skilled as Zhai Tianyu and Yu Lingyun in martial arts he could still sense the energy that was rushing from the inside of the pce. His eyes widened when he sensed the enormous wave of spiritual energying from the pce. Liu Hui Ying was this strong? Why did he not know that Liu Hui Ying''s spiritual energy was on par with Zhai Tianyu? No more than that¡­wasn''t Yu Lingyun alone with Liu Hui Ying? Damn! "Lingyun!" Zhai Heng shouted as he and Zhai Tianyu rushed to the bed chambers of Liu Hui Ying. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn''t have rushed inside the bed chambers of the Empress but this was an exception! As soon as the two men rushed inside the bed chambers, the scent of blood filled their nostrils. Behind them, they heard Ji Yu gasp causing them to turn and look in the direction in which Ji Yu was looking. Zhai Tianyu''s eyes widened when he saw the head of the assassin lying on the floor before turning to look at Liu Hui Ying who was fighting with Yu Lingyun inside the bed chambers. Though Yu Lingyun was the general of the imperial army, his spiritual energy was still nothing whenpared with Liu Hui Ying. He was sporting arge gash on his right arm while trying to fend off Liu Hui Ying behind him Xiao Ai and Nanny Gong were trying to make Liu Hui Ying stop. "Your majesty, you cannot kill her majesty the Grand Empress Dowager! Please do understand!" Nanny Gong tried to make Liu Hui Ying understand but the rage Liu Yi Yan was feeling at the moment could not be controlled. She only knew that someone was trying to kill her sister, her younger sister whom she had protected and loved with all her heart. Even gave her life to make sure that Liu Hui Ying would survive. She only wanted blood and more blood, until her sister was safe and sound and no one would dare to kill her. "Get off!" Liu Yi Yan''s soul rumbled from inside Liu Hui Ying''s body. "She dared to harm Hui Ying! She deserves to die! How dare she!" Liu Yi Yan''s scream caused the entire pce to be filled with an earth-shattering coldness. Nanny Gong shivered and hugged Xiao Ai, she did not know who this woman was but it was certainly not Liu Hui Ying, however, she did not feel scared of this woman as she knew that whoever she was, she was protecting Liu Hui Ying. Yu Lingyun who was holding Liu Hui Ying back, also sensed the rage that was emanating from the soul that was livid on ount of Liu Hui Ying. He pursed his lips and then said, "I know that you are angry but try to understand, she cannot be harmed!" However what replied to him was another sh to his face, fortunately, he was fast enough to lean back or else he would have lost his nose because of Liu Hui Ying''s ruthless attack. "You¡­.are you trying to kill me? I am your husband''s best friend! We wore the same pants when we were young!" Yu Lingyun felt his heartbeat escte when he saw Liu Hui Ying attack him as if she wanted his life. "Husband? I do not agree! That phnderer can never be my Hui Ying''s husband! I will castrate him if he dares to have a design on my sister!" Liu Yi Yan screamed causing Zhai Tianyu to close his legs. What should he do now? He left a bad impression on his sister-inw without even doing anything. What was Liu Hui Ying telling her sister about him anyway? Chapter 537: Nonsense Zhai Heng turned to look at his brother, he could not understand what Zhai Tianyu had done to make Liu Hui Ying or whoever it was to, make them hate him so much. This was why he blinked his eyes and questioned, "What did you do?" Zhai Tianyu pursed his lips. He knew that he was not in the wrong, but Liu Yi Yan had mostly stayed in a dormant state inside Liu Hui Ying, thus she only knew bits and pieces about him. However, those bits and pieces were not helpful to him at all! "Will you believe me if I say that I did not do anything?" Zhai Tianyu whispered to Zhai Heng who looked at him suspiciously. He did not believe that Zhai Tianyu didn''t do anything, this kind of strong rejection didn''te from doing just nothing. Of course, Zhai Tianyu saw that his brother did not believe him and was speechless. He really did not do anything but Liu Yi Yan only caught him at the moments when he was against Liu Hui Ying which caused her to despise him. Though Zhai Tianyu felt it was unjust, he knew that there was nothing that he could do about this situation. As it was not the time to sit down and exin to Liu Yi Yan he could only let the matter slide for the time being, he needed to deal with this matter first. He turned to look at Zhai Heng who nodded before the two of them walked inside the bed chambers. The two brothers had done everything together from the start and thus they knew how to share their ideas and ns with just a look. The two of them did not even have to speak a word before concluding what they needed to do. With the n formed, Zhai Tianyu walked in front of Liu Hui Ying. He unsheathed his sword and attracted the attention of Liu Yi Yan who had woken up because of the life-threatening danger. Though he would have loved watching Liu Yi Yan dealing with Grand Empress Dowager as thetter was getting too out of hand, he could not allow her to make a move yet. The grand Empress Dowager still had a little influence over the imperial court and her death could cause big trouble especially if she was killed by the Empress. "My queen, are you upset?" Zhai Tianyy asked with a smile. Ji Yu who was watching everything felt speechless. She wanted to ask Zhai Tianyu if this was even a question to be asked, did Liu Hui Ying look like she was in a great mood? However, she did not say anything and could only helplessly watch as Liu Hui Ying turned slowly and looked at Zhai Tianyu. Only then did Ji Yu see her eyes and gasped silently. This¡­what was happening? Zhai Tianyu on the other hand remained calm. Though he was facing the soul of a dead person, he knew that Liu Yi Yan was not a dangerous person. She only cared for her sister as long as Liu Hui Ying was safe, she would not make a move. Liu Yi Yan stared at the man in front of her with a disdainful expression, she knew who it was and her anger only surged when she saw Zhai Tianyu. This man was the one who tried to kill her sister again and again and was now trying to get close to her. "You!" She screamed at Zhai Tianyu as she swiped her sword at him. Zhai Tianyu could not allow himself to be shed in half, which was why he intercepted the sword in between and smilingly said, "Sister¡­what a coincidence? Are you here to see me? I missed you too." "Who missed you? You phnderer," Liu Yi Yan sneered as she twirled on her feet. The sword that was pressing against Zhai Tianyu''s neck was pulled before dipping low and aiming at his lower abdomen, however, Zhai Tianyu was just as agile as Liu Yi Yan and blocked her attack. He then said with a smile, "I think you are mistaken, I have never done anything like that," Zhai Tianyu cleared his name before nodding at Zhai Heng who took his opportunity and then chopped his hand urately on the spot that would knock Liu Hui Ying out. As soon as his hand touched Liu Hui Ying, her skin turned red while Liu Yi Yan turned to re at Zhai Heng, however before she could make a move her eyes rolled back and she fainted. Only then did Zhai Heng and Zhai Tianyu heave a sigh of relief. They knew that they would be in trouble if Liu Hui Ying had not fainted fortunately, even if her spiritual strength was on par with Zhai Tianyu, she still had her weaknesses. Yu Lingyun who was hurt slid down on the floor and let out a shuddering breath. He was still clutching his right arm which was bleeding profusely and said, "You know ¡­ I am never going to anger, her majesty ever again." He was on the verge of dying. If Zhai Tianyu and Zhai Heng had not arrived, he would have been chopped like vegetables by Liu Hui Ying. "What¡­what happened to her majesty?" Nanny Gong couldn''t help but ask. She did not understand what was happening with Her Majesty and wanted answers. She was the one who raised Liu Hui Ying ever since she was a child, so how could Nanny Gong be not worried when she saw that Liu Hui Ying turned into a demonic being? Zhai Tianyu turned to look at Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai. Though he did not know how to exin this matter to Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai, he knew that he could not escape the situation. He then thought of something in an instant and said, "Nanny Gong, there is no need for you to worry about Liu Hui Ying. She was only stressed because of her spiritual energy and nothing more, you don''t know but those who are blessed with immense strength sometimes change their looks like this." ------------------- Chapter 538: Nonsense (2) Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai did not have any idea about Martial arts or spiritual energy thus when they heard Zhai Tianyu''s exnation though they were surprised they did not doubt his nonsensical exnation. Was their missy born with a great spiritual energy? Though Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai were more or less convinced by what Zhai Tianyu said, Nanny Gong still hesitantly asked, "Your majesty, you..you are speaking the truth? There is nothing wrong with Her Majesty?" "Of course not," Zhai Tianyu replied with a confident look on his face. He paused and then added, "Do you think that I, the Emperor would like to you? Her Majesty the Empress really is fine. There is nothing wrong with her. Your mistress is gifted and she only lost control of her spiritual strength. Sometimes even General Yu loses his control and he starts resembling a monster¡­ haven''t you heard the rumours where he is called a demon by others?" Yu Lingyun was indeed called the ''Demon of the Battlefield'' but it was because he was so strong that he looked like the incarnation of a demon and not because he turned into one! When Yu Lingyun saw how carelessly Zhai Tianyu had thrown him under the carriage, he was speechless. He wanted to ask his friend and superior what kind of grudge he had against him. Did Zhai Tianyu think that people were not terrified of him enough? Sure enough, when he turned to look at Xiao Ai, she was looking at him with fear and nervousness. It made him feel like thousands of arrows had been aimed at his heart. He clearly did not and would not turn into a demon like Liu Hui Ying but for the sake of his beloved, Zhai Tianyu threw him in front to block the unfriendly fires. And if that was not enough, Yu Lingyun then heard Zhai Tianyu say, "Isn''t that right, my dear general Yu?" Yu Lingyun wished he could end Zhai Tianyu and go ahead and join a rebellion. His friend for the sake of smoothing his own love life, was creating pits in Yu Lingyu''s love life, he truly wanted to refuse but when he saw Zhai Tianyu widen his eyes and nod at him furtively. Seeing that he had no other choice, Yu Lingyun could only purse his lips and nod. He was angry but at the same time he knew that this was his fate, thus he could only swallow his anger and then say stiffly, "That is right. I do turn into a simr entity to her Majesty. The spiritual energy can do it to someone sometimes¡­ and as her majesty never trained, she must have gotten even more impacted by the surge of spiritual energy." Yu Lingyun could only swallow this hard pill. Beside him, Zhai Heng looked at Yu Lingyun sympathetically. This time his friend really did suffer but what could they do? They could not tell about Liu Hui Ying''s situation to Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai. One was old and the other was too naive, what if they got terrified because of Liu Hui Ying''s powers? He did not want to ostracize Liu Hui Ying who already had no one in this harem other than her loyal servants. Zhai Tianyu heaved a sigh of relief. He knew that he was speaking nonsense but it was good as long as Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai were willing to listen to his nonsense and fortunately, maybe the two also wanted a lue to hold on to, they agreed with what Zhai Tianyu told them. That was right. How was it possible for Liu Hui Ying to turn into a demon? She was a human! They were the ones who were too foolish and did not think carefully. When Zhai Tianyu saw that Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai seemed to have calmed down, he smiled at them benevolently and said, "You can go to the guest room at the side courtyard. I will ask someone to bring Her Majesty there as well, as this room is now covered with blood it is not good for you three to stay here." Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai nodded. They left the bed chambers while Zhai Tianyu asked a few mammies to bring Liu Hui Ying to the guest room. Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai were worried about Liu Hui Ying thus they did not leave her alone even for a second. Before they knew it, the worry about Liu Hui Ying''s well-being overpowered the terror they felt just now. Once they were gone, the smile on Zhai Tianyu''s lips fell and he said to Zhai Heng, "Look at the mark behind their backs. The assassins raised by the Ji family all have a simr mark." Zhai Heng nodded as he undid the clothes of the assassins and then revealed the serpent marks on their backs. His expression turned sombre as Zhai Heng turned to look at Zhai Tianyu. They knew that the Grand Empress Dowager was going to make a move on Liu Hui Ying but they did not expect her to make a move so soon. It was as if she was waiting for Liu Hui Ying to step out of the line and she could put her to eternal sleep. "What now?" Zhai Heng questioned. As he threw the clothing of the dead assassins on the ground. Zhai Tianyu sneered and then sheathed his sword before saying, "Since she likes to use someone else''s shoulder to aim the arrow at someone else, we will do the same." His eyes shed as he ordered, "Go and call the special guards have them know that I need them to clear up a small mess." Though Zhai Tianyu did not want to go to war with the Ji family right away, he did not want to be a useless man who could not even stand up for his wife. Thus he decided to teach the Ji family a lesson. Zhai Heng wanted to say something but when he thought of how Grand Empress Dowager was stepping over the line, it was time for her to learn a lesson as well. Chapter 539: What to do with him That night chaos struck the Ji family once again as the warehouse where they kept their antiques and money was burned down. Ji Yang who found out about the sudden fire was so furious that he spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted then and there. And when he woke up, Ji Yang moured saying that it was the Liu family that caused the warehouse to be burned as they wanted to make trouble with him and his family. However, upon investigation, it was found that a child from the main family and that too Ji Mo''s concubine son was the one who threw away the brazier that was inside his half-brother''s room. It was because he was upset with his half-brother and wanted to teach him a lesson. He did not think that it would burn down an entire warehouse as that child did not pay attention to what and where he threw the brazier. When Ji Yang found out the truth, he was so angry that he wanted to beat the child to death. If not for the fact that the child was Ji Mo''s flesh and blood, he would have really killed him. They were punished to take out three million taels and this child caused so many expensive antiques and fabrics to be burned. They could have sold these things and paid thepensation! Now they had to suffer twice because of these consecutive losses. Ji Yang wanted to die but he could not bear to die. He could only swallow this loss and curse Liu Dong Ming and his family for being a jinx for his family. On the other hand, Liu Hui Ying who was the cause of the entire cause slept peacefully. She was not even aware of what happened in the night. "Umm.." Liu Hui Ying opened her eyes as she looked up at the ceiling of the four-poster bed on which she was lying. But soon a frown etched on her face as she looked at the vibrant white fabric that was covering the roof of the bed. As far as she knew when she went to sleep this roof was vibrant red, how did it turn into white? What was going on? "Your majesty!" Nanny Gong was pacing in the room waiting for Liu Hui Ying to wake up. She had been unable to sleepst night as she was worried that Liu Hui Ying would end up suffering because of the show of strength that she showedst night. Even if her missy was really skilled because of the gift that she was born with, Liu Hui Ying was still a woman. What if she pulled a nerve or two? Xiao Ai who was sitting on the stool next to the bed with her head drooping also woke up. She turned her attention to Liu Hui Ying whose eyes were now open and she hurriedly sat up straight before saying to Liu Hui Ying, "Your majesty, how are you feeling? Is there any difort?" Xiao Ai''s face was lined with concern as she stared at Liu Hui Ying. When Liu Hui Ying saw the concern in the eyes of the two women, she sensed that something was wrong. More importantly, she did feel like her waist and arms were aching too badly, even though she went to sleepst night rather early. She blinked her eyes and said, "I...I feel tired. What happened?" No sooner did she finish Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai turned teary. They threw themselves at Liu Hui Ying and then cried loudly. "I am so d that you are all right Your Majesty," Nanny Gong said while hugging Liu Hui Ying. She sobbed so hard that the powder on her face was stained with tear marks causing her to look really funny. Xiao Ai was the same as she hugged Liu Hui Ying and then stated, "That''s right, you scared usst night Your Majesty. We thought that you were going to kill us all. It was really really scary." Though Liu Hui Ying was unaware of what happenedst night, she could understand that something went wrongst night. She thought of the five stone tablets that she had created for her ghosts and then summoned. "You conscious," Jia Li spoke as soon as she stepped inside the room through the door behind her was Li Gang who was yawning. "What happened?" Liu Hui Ying questioned Jia Li who sighed and then ryed everything that happenedst night. When Liu Hui Ying heard what happened in the night, her brows could not help but furrow. Most probably, her sister took advantage of her unconsciousness and then took over her body. What was more the assassins that came to kill her were men, with her sister''s hatred of men it was no wonder that she became crazy. Thinking of the chaos that her sister causedst night, Liu Hui Ying felt a bit guilty. What was more she even caused Yu Lingyun to get hurt and who knows what she did to Zhai Tianyu. She rubbed her forehead and then looked at Xiao Ai and Nanny Gong who were crying before saying helplessly, "It is fine. There is no need for you to cry like this, I am fine." Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai only cried even more when they heard Liu Hui Ying say that she was fine. They thought that she was lying to make them worry less. Liu Hui Ying closed her eyes and tried to be patient but when their cries became louder and louder to the point that she felt like her ears were going to fall off, Liu Hui Ying could not contain herself anymore. "Eish! I said that it''s enough! I am fine! I know you are worried but I am freaking fine," Liu Hui Ying said to the two women who stopped crying because they were surprised by Liu Hui Ying. Seeing that the two of them had stopped crying, Liu Hui Ying heaved a breath of relief. She raised her hands and brought them down before saying, "Breathe. Try to calm down, alright?" --------------- Chapter 540 What to do with him (2) - Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai pursed their lips before following Liu Hui Ying''s orders. They breathed in and out under Liu Hui Ying''smands only then did they calm down. When the two of them looked a bit more calm than before Liu Hui Ying nodded and then said, "I am sorry about what happenedst night. I will try to control this ..uh spiritual energy of mine." She did not understand why Zhai Tianyu exined the matter like this but she did not me him. After all, everything happened suddenly and that poor guy might have been surprised because of the sudden turn of events. Liu Hui Ying sighed with her head throbbing. Looks like she would have to apologize to Zhai Tianyu as well. Nanny Gong nodded and said, "You should try to reign in your strength, your majesty. I am not ming you but if someone else caught you then it will be really hard on you. Especially don''t announce that you want to kill her majesty, the grand Empress Dowager¡­no matter how much she deserves it." She added with a soft smile causing Xiao Ai and Liu Hui Ying to look at Nanny Gong with a shocked expression on their face. Liu Hui Ying stared at Nanny Gong and curled her lips in a smile before saying, "Look at this.. you are the one saying this Nanny Gong? I did not think that there would be a time when I would hear you talk trash about Her Majesty, the Grand Empress Dowager." Nanny Gong harrumphed and then said, "It is not that I want to trash talk about that woman but she is really too much. She actually tried to kill you, your majesty¡­" Nanny Gong paused and added with a determined expression. "As long as it''s you, your majesty¡­ I will even pick up a sword against Her Majesty, The Grand Empress Dowager. Talking trash about her is nothing." "That''s right," Xiao Ai pouted with an upset expression. She looked at Liu Hui Ying and then said, " We really thought that we were going to lose your majesty when we saw that there were assassins in the bed chambers." She did not tell Liu Hui Ying about how Zhai Tianyu was with Ji Yu since his majesty came to look for them. He even helped in controlling Liu Hui Ying. When Liu Hui Ying heard the words of her two loyal servants, she smiled and shook her head. However, the smile flickered when she thought how this loyalty did not belong to her. "Then I will have to thank you two," Liu Hui Ying said with a sweet smile that she picked right up. She looked at the two women who were staring right back at her, Liu Hui Ying was worried that they would cry again thus she rubbed her stomach, "I think I am a bit hungry¡­can you bring something for me to eat?" "Yes, Yes!"Nanny Gong nodded. She smacked her forehead and then said with a sigh, "I am such a fool. I did not even pay attention to something so simple. You must be hungry after the incident fromst night." She then asked Xiao Ai to follow her as the two of them rushed out of the bedchambers. Once they were gone, Liu Hui Ying''s smile turned into a frown as she closed her eyes and summoned her sister''s soul. "Elder Sister, I know that you are awake. Tell me why did you do thatst night?" Liu Hui Ying questioned. No sooner did she finish speaking, than her left eye turned ck with a glint of red in it. She then heard a hoarse voicee out of her throat, "They were here to kill you so I killed them, what was wrong with it? They deserved to die." She paused and then added, "You should be d that I did not kill the one who was behind it." Liu Hui Ying was exasperated as she said, "You did not kill that woman because you couldn''t kill her. His Majesty and Vice Commander Zhai stopped you ." Her response caused Liu Yu Yan to growl. She then said then said grimly, "I don''t like those men. They can deal with that woman in a matter of seconds and yet they don''t." Liu Hui Ying nursed her forehead. She knew that her sister was not going to listen which was why she ignored everything else and said, "You cannot take over my body as you like." Explore stories at empire "It''s your fault that you locked me up here, I could have roamed around like these useless pests you carry with you but no you had to lock my soul up. Then you need to suffer through the consequences yourself," was the response that was handed to Liu Hui Ying causing her to be speechless. "You have to be joking. I did that because you went on a killing spree," Liu Hui Ying ignored the useless pestsment and questioned her sister who seemed to have done answering her and went back to slumber. Once she was gone, Jia Li turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and then questioned, "Did you hear that? She called us useless pests!" "Well, you know that my sister is even more sarcastic and sharp-tongued. What did you expect?" Liu Hui Ying shot back. "She cannot call us useless pests!" "She can even take over my body and treat it as her own. What do you mean?" Liu Hui Ying hollered back. She was also annoyed that her sister was getting stronger day by day. If this goes on then she would be the one getting knocked out in her own body while her sister would go ahead and upy her body as she wished. Jia Li shut up and turned to look at Li Gang who raised his hands in the air and then said, "Don''t look at me like that, I cannot do anything about it." He then turned to look at Liu Hui Ying. He jutted his thumb at the bandit ghost and asked, "What about him? What are we supposed to do with him? He has been eating my non-existent brain sincest night." Chapter 541 Why is this palace cold? As if afraid that Liu Hui Ying would tell him that he should continue sharing his memorial tablet with the bandit, Li Gang immediately said, "He farts a lot. I cannot stay with him, if you want to keep him then prepare a separate memorial tablet for him." Li Gang was truly unlucky. He was the one man in the team of women and thus he had to share his memorial tablet with this old bandit ghost. If this ghost bandit could have controlled his stomach, he would not have said anything but this ghost couldn''t even control his digestion and filled his memorial tablet with unsettling scents! It was truly horrible. The entire night he couldn''t sleep nor could he cultivate. He could only roam around the pce startling a few guards who heard the sounds of someone groaning. Fortunately, they did not have a lot of guts and fainted or else he would have troubled Liu Hui Ying by spreading the rumours that there was a ghost haunting the newly built Phoenix pce. "I...I didn''t do it because I wanted to," the bandit ghost remarked with an embarrassed expression. He turned to look at Liu Hui Ying and then said in a troubled voice, "This was the first time I could eat a meal in years and I ate a bit too much which caused me indigestion. But now I am fine." "By burning all the hairs in my nose?" Li Gang shot back causing Lu Si to be even more embarrassed. He rubbed his nose and then said, "I thought ghosts did not have nose hair." Li Gang rolled his eyes. He exasperatedly said with a shake of his head, "That''s just a figure of speech but if I had nose hair then they would have been burned. For sure because those were not farts. Those were atomic bombs and you know that." "Atomic what?" Lu Si was a ghost of the ancient era and he did not catch onto what Li Gang meant by atomic bomb. He wanted to question the man but Liu Hui Ying stopped him. "Oy, matted hair. Look here," she whistled causing Lu Si to turn and look at Liu Hui Ying. He touched his hair which was indeed dirty and matted before saying, "It''s indeed matted but please call me Lu Si or Ah Si. The reason my hair is dirty like this is because the tyrant Master Liu did not let us have it easy and we had to stay in the forest while scavenging and fighting for ournds¡ª¡ª" "Eish! Do you think I have the time to listen to your tough life?" Liu Hui Ying jerked her head irritably and scolded Lu Si. "Have you forgotten because of you my entire family was about to be executed and I was about to be dethroned. You better not start with me understand?" Experience tales with empire Lu Si immediately shut up as he pursed his lips. Only then did Liu Hui Ying snort and then ask, "You don''t have to sell pity in front of me. I said that I would help you in finding your daughter, so of course I will find your daughter for you." Lu Si heaved a sigh of relief. He thought that Liu Hui Ying would be simr to those tyrants who suppressed him and would refuse to help him after getting what she wanted, fortunately the descendants of that tyrant seemed reasonable. "Now tell me, what do you remember about your daughter?" Liu Hui Ying questioned the bandit ghost. Since she wanted to look for his daughter, she at least needed to have some sort of special identification of that girl, only then would she be able to find her. "She is the cutest little girl, with two buns and a mole under her eyes. When she calls me daddy, my daughter looks the cutest," when Lu Si spoke about his daughter, he was really happy. His eyes were filled with happiness as he sighed happily. He really missed his daughter as he did not know how his daughter was living these past few years. Liu Hui Ying scrunched up her brows and waited for Lu Si to speak but thetter stopped speaking causing her lips to twitch. She then said to him angrily, "And? What else? Do you want me to look for your daughter among all the two buns and cute-looking girls?" "She is the cutest," Lu Si spoke as if he could not understand what Liu Hui Ying was trying to say. When Liu Hui Ying saw that the man was still not getting what she was trying to say, she rolled her eyes a couple of times and then said, "Every daughter is cutest for her father. I want to ask if there are any special features other than a mole under her eyes that could describe her¡­" "She is ten years old," replied Lu Si dumbly. It was not that he did not want to tell Liu Hui Ying but other than these few things, he did not remember anything else. Liu Hui Ying rubbed the space between her brows and then said to Lu Si, "I understand¡ª¡ª wait, what do you mean by that she is ten years old¡­ she was ten years old when you died or did you see her just recently?" If he had seen her recently then he wouldn''t have asked her to look for his daughter, right? "She was ten years old when the revolt broke out and we fought against the tyrant ruler," replied Lu Si proudly. "My daughter told me that she was going to take those tyrants down with me when she grows up. She is really brave." Liu Hui Ying smiled with a fake admiration-filled expression, she nodded and then said, "That''s great. Fantastic, she is really brave ... but when was this revolt? I mean how many days, months and years went by after the revolt happened?" She questioned with a slight raise of her brows and Lu Si fell silent. ------------------- Lu Si was stumped. He only knew that it was a few years ago that he faced the tyrants and then led his team to rebel but other than that he did not remember anything else. He looked at Liu Hui Ying and then replied, "I...I don''t know I only know that it was a few months ago." Liu Hui Ying however did not think that it was just a few months ago, the grudge that this old bandit ghost held was severe and it was at least a few years old. The fact that he did not remember the time when he died or anything else other than the fact that he had a daughter was enough for Liu Hui Ying to know that he was dead for a long time. She narrowed her eyes and then asked, "You don''t remember when you died or the rebellion started but do you at least remember what was the name of your vige?" "Of course I do! It was called Yue Vige," Lu Si did not and would not forget the name of the vige for which he put his life on the line. He remembered the name of the vige and he also remembered the way he died. When Liu Hui Ying heard his response, she was already aware of what had happened. Because Lu Si had a great sense of responsibility towards his vige, he only remembered about his vige and nothing else. However, this was enough. As long as she had information about his vige, she could still deal with the matter in her hands. "Your majesty, please wash your hands and thene to eat," Nanny Gong arrived inside the room while bringing a small table that had a bowl of porridge sitting on top of it. Behind her was Xiao Ai who was holding a simr table with a bowl of soup on it. Liu Hui Ying nodded as she slid down the bed and then walked over to the bathing room while Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai ced the bowls and utensils on the table. Liu Hui Ying washed her hands and mouth and when she stepped out of the bathing room, she heard Nanny Gong say to Xiao Ai, "This pce is even colder than the cold pce. What is going on? Do you think we need more braziers?" When Liu Hui Ying heard Nanny Gong speak, she turned to look at Xiao Ai. And then turned her attention to the six ghosts who were standing in the room. With these six ghosts, it was not a surprise that the room was colder than the cold pce as there was an additional ghost standing in the room. She red at the five ghosts who immediately controlled their yin energy leaving only Lu Si to look at them in confusion as he could not understand why they had to hide their Yin energy. However, when he saw Liu Hui Ying ring down at him, he immediately sucked in his yin energy. No matter what, he would listen to this woman as she did not seem easy to be offended. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 542 Whats the point of paying respect now? Liu Hui Ying let Nanny Gong change her clothes and do her hair, as she bathedst night, twice at that in this cold weather. Nanny Gong had to clean her up after she was covered in blood, thus Liu Hui Ying did not need to bathe again in the morning. She washed her face, wore a new set of clothes and then sat down to have breakfast. "You must be hungry your majesty, you did not even eat muchst night," Nanny Gong sighed as she asked the maids to serve three to four tables of meal. Usually, Liu Hui Ying ate more than five tables of food alone but yesterday she only ate three, it was really worrisome. Liu Hui Ying who had just reached for the chopsticks turned to look at Nanny Gong and stared at her in bewilderment. Was this the same woman who asked her to diet because she was getting too fat? If this was what she gets after letting her sister take over then Liu Hui Ying did not think that it was too bad. "That''s right, your majesty. You should eat more," Xiao Ai ced the braised pig trotters in front of Liu Hui Ying. She then went ahead and said, "You were right when you said that food will never leave you, Your Majesty. Last night, you had no idea¡­ I had so much trouble inviting his majesty to our pce." As she spoke she pouted. Xiao Ai did not mention it to Liu Hui Ying earlier because she did not want to anger Liu Hui Ying and was worried about her but that did not mean that she was not angry. Xiao Ai was furious! She still remembered how she was barred from entering the Emperor''s pce. "Oh," Liu Hui Ying''s attention and curiosity were hooked beside her even if nanny Gong shook her head and asked Xiao Ai to be quiet, it was already toote as Liu Hui Ying questioned, "What happened? Did His Majesty make things difficult for you?" Xiao Ai was d that Liu Hui Ying questioned her about this, thus she immediately asked Liu Hui Ying about what happenedst night. After she was done speaking, Nanny Gong smacked her forehead while Liu Hui Ying pursed her lips and smiled. She lightly nodded her head as if she understood something and said, "I see¡­ so this was what his majesty was doing when I was in danger." "Isn''t that so? If he had visited Her Majesty then the guards wouldn''t have looked down on us like that," when Xiao Ai thought about how her missy was disrespected by those guards, she wished she could whip the two of them. They really were too much! How dare they call her missy names and even say that she was just Empress in name? Liu Hui Ying did not say anything. Though she did not have any intention of getting together with Zhai Tianyu, she hated how he could easily move on to another woman. Was it because she did not give him any response? So he thought of jumping to another woman? Though Liu Hui Ying did not think that Zhai Tianyu was such a man for the first time in her life, she felt differently about a man causing her to think from her heart rather than her head which made her flustered. ''All the more reasons for me to avoid him,'' Liu Hui Ying thought in her head as she picked up the chopsticks and asked Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai to leave. She could not let the ghosts eat in front of the two of them,st night was enough to scare them, and she did not need to hand them another scare. Nanny Gong and Xiao Ai took their leave as they stepped out of the chambers of Liu Hui Ying. Once they stepped out into the corridor, Nanny Gong smacked Xiao Ai on her arm. She was truly upset with this foolish girl, and the rtionship between Liu Hui Ying and Zhai Tianyu eased a little. Yesterday evening when Liu Hui Ying arrived at the pce, she did see Zhai Tianyu touch Liu Hui Ying and yet Liu Hui Ying''s allergy did not re up which was enough to see that Liu Hui Ying treated Zhai Tianyu differently. However Xiao Ai told Liu Hui Ying that Zhai Tianyu was with another womanst night, what would Liu Hui Ying think about his majesty? "You fool! For what reasons did you tell Her Majesty about his majesty spending the night with concubine Ji?" Nanny Gong really wanted to open Xiao Ai''s head and pour all the water in her head out. She actually went crazy like this! What a fool! Xiao Ai pouted and then retorted, "I did not do anything wrong! His majesty was the one who did wrong." "Are you forgetting the fact that his majesty is not the husband of Her Majesty alone?" Nanny Gong poked Xiao Ai on the forehead as she sighed exasperatedly. "Humph," Xiao Ai did know that his majesty was not the husband of her majesty alone but she really disliked the fact that Zhai Tianyu was unavable when they needed him the most. Sure he cameter on but that was all thanks to Yu Lingyun and Zhai Heng, what if the two of them did note? What would have happened to Her Majesty then? Nanny Gong looked at Xiao Ai and was speechless. She knew that Xiao Ai was being influenced by Liu Hui Ying. If not how could she act like this and even condemn his majesty? She was getting more and more bold. Nanny Gong thought that it was time for her to have a good talk with Xiao Ai unless she ended up offending his majesty. "His Majesty, the Emperor has arrived," the voice of Eunuch Li echoed in the Phoenix pce causing Xiao Ai and Nanny Gong to turn to look at the man walking towards them while dressed in a ck robe. A golden dragon was embroidered on the fabric which made him look even more majestic. -------------------- Chapter 543 Whats the point of paying respect now (2) ? Nanny Gong''s eyes widened while Xiao Ai narrowed her eyes. She hid behind Nanny Gong as she muttered, "Whats the pointing in the day? Everyone will still think that her majesty is not favoured and this is just apensation visit." Though her voice was really soft, both Nanny Gong and Zhai Tianyu heard her voice. Nanny Gong heard her because she stood right in front of Xiao Ai while Zhai Tianyu heard her because of his sharp senses. His eyebrows raised slightly as he looked at Xiao Ai who was hiding behind Nanny Gong. He really couldn''t understand what he had done to make Xiao Ai so dissatisfied with him but then he remembered what Yu Lingyun had told him this morning. ''This little girl really knows how to hold a grudge,'' Zhai Tianyu was speechless. He wasn''t even the one who stopped her from entering his pce, why was she getting angry at him? And it wasn''t that he did not want to visit Liu Hui Ying at night, he was itching toe and see her in the night but Zhai Tianyu knew that she wouldn''t appreciate it. "Yo¡­Your majesty," Nanny Gong bowed in front of Zhai Tianyu, she silently hoped that Zhai Tianyu did not hear a word that came out of Xiao Ai''s mouth or else Xiao Ai was done for! Zhai Tianyu smiled at Nanny Gong as he granted her permission to raise her head. He did not even mention Xiao Ai''s disobedience. After falling for Liu Hui Ying, he seemed to have realized that his bottom line was getting refreshed again and again. He actually did not punish a servant who acted imprudent in front of him. In the past, he would have given such an imprudent and disobedient servant a good lesson. However, he knew that if he dared to touch Xiao Ai not only would he end up causing trouble for himself but he would also push Liu Hui Ying away from him. He did not want to do that, so even if he was slightly annoyed with what Xiao Ai said, he could only act as if he was unaware of everything. "How is my queen doing?" He asked Nanny Gong. "Ah well¡­her majesty is doing really well, she is currently having her breakfast," Nanny Gong replied with a stammer. She bit her tongue and peeked at Zhai Tianyu, worried that he would be upset that she had stuttered in front of him. But Zhai Tianyu did not say anything, instead, his eyes were filled with an amused glint. He had heard of the rumours from the servants and Eunuch Li, apparently, Liu Hui Ying could eat three to four tables of food alone but as much as he knew about her, Zhai Tianyu knew that there was no way Liu Hui Ying would be able to eat so much food. It could only mean one thing and that was ¡ª¡ª the ghosts ate the meal. This was something that he wanted to watch very much. "I see then I will go and see her," Zhai Tianyu said to Nanny Gong, thetter wanted to tell Zhai Tianyu that Liu Hui Ying did not appreciate it when someone interrupted her meal but Zhai Tianyu raised his hand and then stopped Nanny Gong. "I am her husband, I should be allowed to enter her bedchambers as I wish right?" Zhai Tianyu questioned causing Nanny Gong to look at him in bewilderment. She could not stop him since he had said it like this, she could only watch him walk inside the bed chambers of her majesty with a nk look in her eyes. Nanny Gong then turned to look at Xiao Ai and questioned lightly, "Isn''t his majesty way too confident?" "It''s just overconfidence at this point," Xiao Ai rolled her eyes as she remarked but this time around Nanny Gong did not retort her, instead she nodded and agreed. "Right, you are, Little Ai." **** Inside the room, Liu Hui Ying was eating her chicken porridge when she heard the sound of footsteps and raised her head in horror, the ghosts who were eating next to her were also shocked. They did not know whether to put the bowls and chopsticks down or continue eating because the shoes came to a stop in front of them. They all paused and looked at Zhai Tianyu who saw Liu Hui Ying surrounded with flying utensils of course with his Emperor aura he could see Liu Hui Ying''s ghosts. He thus knew that the utensils were not flying in the air. Liu Hui Ying on the other hand was speechless. She looked at the man who had not arrivedst night on time but now popped out of nowhere. She red at Zhai Tianyu and questioned, "Does His Majesty like to give heart attacks to all his wives or is it just me?'' Zhai Tianyu could sense the biting force in Liu Hui Ying''s voice. He knew that the little girl Xiao Ai had told everything to Liu Hui Ying, however, he did not feel angry instead he felt amused and happy. If Liu Hui Ying was getting angry at the thought of him spending his night with another woman doesn''t that mean that she had feelings for him? Zhai Tianyu was so desperate that he was willing to take even this as a start. He walked inside the chambers of Liu Hui Ying and then sat down in front of her. He said, "I am not giving you a heart attack, I was worried about you my queen which is why I came here without eating." "Are you sure that you are worried and not bored?" Liu Hui Ying snorted as she rolled her eyes. "You did not seem quite worriedst night when I was attacked. Rely on men¡­my foot if I had relied on you I would be six feet under." "My queen¡­are you jealous?" Instead of responding to her quibbling Zhai Tianyu questioned causing Liu Hui Ying to pause. Chapter 544 Villains are not always heroes Silence fell in the room. The ghosts sitting next to Liu Hui Ying were stunned this was the first time they had seen someone this cheeky, he really dared to say anything! Jealous? Who? Liu Hui Ying? That woman could never be jealous and that too over a man. It was simply a sight that they could not even imagine in their dreams and yet Zhai Tianyu dared to say that Liu Hui Ying was jealous? Was he looking for a slow and painful death? Is this what he was trying to do? Li Gang slowly and very carefully ced the bowl in his bowl down before he scrambled away from the dining table on his fours. He did not know what this man was trying to do but, he needed to make sure that he was away from the zone of fire. Once he scrambled away, Jia Li and Grandma Lan Fen also moved away from the table. They did not want to be pushed into the pit of mes because of Zhai Tianyu''s recklessness. While Xiao Lin was left to drag Witch Mao away from the table as thetter wanted to watch the show rather than move away. "What did you say?" Liu Hui Ying questioned as she looked at Zhai Tianyu. Her voice was dangerously low. It wasn''t that she was upset because he said that she was jealous but because she hated how he had put a name on the feeling that she was having and Liu Hui Ying did not like it. "I asked if you are jealous¡ª¡ª" BAM! Liu Hui Ying mmed the chopsticks in her hands on the table before rolling her eyes exaggeratedly. She snorted and then said in a harsh voice, "Do you think you are money, Your Majesty? Unless you are painted gold and I can exchange you for myforts andvish meals¡­ I don''t think that I am going to be jealous of someone else having you." So what if she was jealous, as long as she did not admit no one could make her admit that she was jealous of this man. ''God, what did I do to deserve this?'' Liu Hui Ying groaned in her head as she looked at Zhai Tianyu. Sure he was handsome but he was definitely not the kind of guy she should have fallen for and that too her first time. Couldn''t she have fallen for someone more steady and secure? This guy didn''t even know what was going on in his life and had to live ording to the rules set by others. What did she even see in him? Liu Hui Ying wanted to cry and throw a tantrum. However, she did not do so. She was not going to roll on the floor while questioning her taste in men. At least the man she fell for was the Emperor, he was rich and looked good, so that was something good. Discover stories with empire "If that is what you are looking for then I am certainly that," Zhai Tianyu said to Liu Hui Ying causing her to raise her head and look at the man in bewilderment. What was he on now? She questioned. Liu Hui Ying did not know what was going on in Zhai Tianyu''s head but then she heard him say, "I am the Emperor. Thew is under my jurisdiction and I am also rich... I mean I can''t use my money on anything like creating an army but I can definitely use my money to dote on you. And I am the reason you can eatvish meals every day. So yes, you should be jealous over me¡ª¡ª" he calmly tilted his head to the side when a chopstick flew past his head and got stuck in the wooden wall behind him. He then looked at Liu Hui Ying whose face was flushed red and then said to her, "There is no need for you to feel upset about this, we can discuss this matter. I mean I am quite the catch don''t you think?" Liu Hui Ying wished she could hurl her fist in the face of this rotten ba*tard who was making stupid remarks. She rolled her eyes before smiling at him in a fake manner, "Yeah you sure are a wonderful catch. Now mister wonderful catch can you tell me about the rebellion of Yue vige? Do you know about this?" She changed the topic which made her awkward and embarrassed. Liu Hui Ying did not want to continue as she was worried that Zhai Tianyu would see something. Sure enough, when she questioned him, Zhai Tianyu started to frown. He stopped teasing her and asked, "Why are you asking about a rebellion that happened fifty years ago?" It confused him as he did not understand why would Liu Hui Ying suddenly be interested in something so old. Even the people involved in the rebellion had long forgotten about it. "FIFTY YEARS? I BEG YOUR PARDON?" Liu Hui Ying gasped as she whirled around and then red at Lu Si. "When were you going to tell me that it has been more than fifty years since the rebellion happened?" Lu Si scratched his head. He looked at Liu Hui Ying with an awkward expression before saying, "I did not know that it has been fifty years since then¡­and does that matter?" "Of course not. Other than the fact that your daughter must be a sixty-year-old woman, everything is f*cking fine!" Liu Hui Ying cursed at Lu Si. It was already hard enough for her to look for a little girl with the description that Lu Si gave her, now add in the fact that the little girl was a sixty-year-old woman and everything was even more fantastic. Why did she even have to be so soft-hearted with him anyway? She should have threatened him with exorcism and be done with it! Now look she got another job handed to her. Zhai Tianyu looked at Liu Hui Ying who was groaning and then turned to look at Lu Si before asking, "What''s going on and who are you?" ----------------------- Chapter 545 Villains are not always heroes (2) Liu Hui Ying felt that she was going crazy. However, she still responded to Zhai Tianyu''s question, "He is the ghost of the dockyard. He helped Prime Minister Ji and his family in stealing and masking the golden taels that were snatched from the port." When Zhai Tianyu heard her responseprehension dawned on him, he looked at the ghost standing in front of him and understood the situation. This ghost and Liu Hui Ying must have made a deal with one another which was why Liu Hui Ying asked him about the rebellion. However, something confused him. Zhai Tianyu thought for a while before he couldn''t help himself and asked, "But why did you help the Ji family if you were part of the rebellion? Should you not be standing against them?" Lu Si snorted and then angrily said, "What do you mean, your majesty? The Liu family married the daughter of the county magistrate of the Yue Vige and from then on that man became a tyrant and started to indulge himself in carnal desires and corruption. If not for the backing of the Liu family¡­ that man would have never dared to do something like this." "You are wrong," Zhai Tianyu corrected Lu Si whose expression darkened as he thought that Zhai Tianyu was trying to help his wife. Maybe Zhai Tianyu sensed it too because he smiled and then said, "If you do not believe me then I can open up the genealogy for you but the daughter of the county magistrate you are speaking of was married off to the Ji family''s side branch." "It was a rather embarrassing situation for both the family which was why no one mentioned itter on and themoners did not find out about it." Liu Hui Ying snapped her head up and looked at Zhai Tianyu. Her expression was ratherplicated as she looked part confused and part angry. "What do you mean by that?" "It''s just as I said," Zhai Tianyu said to Liu Hui Ying. His expression was calm and cold as he spoke to Liu Hui Ying, "The woman who was supposed to marry into the Liu family was snatched away by the son of the Ji family on the day of her wedding. When the woman was being carried in a sedan that man rushed in between and fought with the groom which led to the death of the groom and the kidnapping of the bride." "It was rumoured that the daughter of the county magistrate was so good-looking that the son of the Ji family could not stop himself and did something so sinister," Zhai Tianyu shook his head before continuing, "The groom was killed and the woman was snatched, there was no way the Liu family could have brought that woman back. In fact, because of the death of the groom, they believed that the woman was a jinx and thus did not make any efforts to bring her back which led to that woman bing the wife of that man who kidnapped her." "As for the county magistrate," Zhai Tianyu clicked his tongue. "He only wanted to create a connection with the rich and the influential. It did not matter if his daughter was snatched and made to serve the Ji family son as he was the one who benefited in the end." Lu Si was shocked after he heard Zhai Tianyu''s exnation. Then¡­Then doesn''t this mean that he was helping his enemy? The one who ruined his vige and even killed him? No wonder those Ji family men continued to lie to him! This was the reason! "I was fooled!" Lu Si eximed foolishly. His eyes turned red as he punched his fist in the palm of his other hand as he scolded the Ji family, "That family is rotten to the core for sure! They actually lied to me like this, I am never going to forgive them." "There is no need for you to feel bad.," Liu Hui Ying remarked as she looked up at Zhai Tianyu who rubbed his nose. "There are even bigger fools than you." Wasn''t this man the same? He caused the predecessor of this body to be killed because he was lied to and dragged around by his nose. Zhai Tianyu cleared his throat before saying, "Anyway what I meant was that the county magistrate of that vige had nothing to do with the Liu family." "Hah!" Liu Hui Ying rolled her eyes. "My life is going to be ruined by these fools who continue to believe that the viins can be heroes." They were killing her. One caused her to be pulled into this world while the other caused her life to be on the line. She then turned to look at Lu Si whose expression was pale and then questioned, "How does it feel to know that you were fooled even after your death?" His expression twisted and hisplexion turned purple. Lu Si wanted to say something very much but he couldn''t bring himself to say anything. After all, even if he was to quibble what was he supposed to say? It was the truth that he was fooled by that man from the Ji family. Find more chapters on empire Liu Hui Ying did not tease Lu Si anymore. She turned to look at Zhai Tianyu and said coldly, "Your majesty, I will be leaving the pce for a few days. Will that be fine?" She could not search for Lu Si''s daughter while staying in the pce now. Earlier she was thinking of sketching the portrait of the little girl and sending someone to look for her but if this happened fifty years ago then the traces of that little girl would be even fainter. Only by leaving the pce would she be able to trace back to Lu Si''s daughter. "It will be difficult, after all, you are the Empress," Zhai Tianyu said with a soft hum. "However I can slide this off if you let me follow you." He added with a sweet smile causing Liu Hui Ying to stiffen. Chapter 546 No choice "Why are you tagging along?" Liu Hui Ying questioned. She truly could not understand why this man was trying to get in between. Did he think that she was going there to have fun or something of the sort? She was going to that vige because she wanted to get rid of this ghost! Not because she wanted to have fun! Liu Hui Ying stared at the man whose smile did not waver and she then heard him say cheekily, "I know that you are not going there to have fun, my queen. However, I have been locked up in the pce for so long¡ª¡ª so why don''t we take advantage of this opportunity and have a little fun at the side?" Zhai Tianyu only wanted to spend some time alone with Liu Hui Ying, something that he couldn''t do while staying at the imperial pce. However, while he had thoughts of getting closer to Liu Hui Ying, thetter wanted to do nothing more than stay away from him. She was already having trouble trying to get him out of her head, if she was to stay with him for weeks or days, wouldn''t she just get even closer to him? Then how was she supposed to get him out of her head?! Liu Hui Ying stared at Zhai Tianyu with a speechless look on her face. She wanted to say something more but thetter pulled a pouting expression and then she heard him say, "But I don''t even remember when was thest time I stepped out of the pce. Can''t I just follow you, my queen?" Experience more on empire Zhai Tianyu was good-looking to begin with and when he pulled a pouting expression like this, even Liu Hui Ying who pretended to be cold and stern in the presence of men felt her heart struck with an arrow. She turned her head to the side with an awkward expression, how was she supposed to refuse him when he looked like that? "No, you cannot," though Liu Hui Ying found it hard to refuse him, she still hardened her heart and then said to Zhai Tianyu, "You are the Emperor, if you were to follow me to the vige what would others say?" At the same time, she patted her on the back foring up with such a good excuse. However, just as Liu Hui Ying was done praising herself, she heard Zhai Tianyu say, "Don''t you have a way, my queen? I remember you appearing at the same ce as two persons." Zhai Tianyu countered Liu Hui Ying with his sly remark causing thetter to be even more speechless. She forgot that this man was not as easy to deal with, he really knew how to push her buttons. "I don''t want to take you with me," Liu Hui Ying stated much more clearly. "You are the Emperor, if something happens to you then I will not be able to face the consequences even if I had nine lives like a cat!" "Is that so?" She expected Zhai Tianyu to be angry with her but instead, he simply made a face and then shrugged his shoulders. He did not say anything to her which made her heave a sigh of relief but then she heard him say, "If that is the case then I cannot allow you to leave. The rules of the imperial family strictly state that the wife cannot appear anywhere her husband is not present. If we are going by the imperial positions, then this is what is going to happen." Liu Hui Ying stared at the man in front of her with a red face, she could not understand why Zhai Tianyu was suddenly interested in following after her but if he did not give her permission then ¡ª¡ª ''It doesn''t matter, even if he doesn''t give me permission, I can always sneak out of the pce,'' thought Liu Hui Ying. Maybe her thoughts were clearly written on her face because a secondter she heard Zhai Tianyu say, "If you sneak out of the pce, then I will have to send guards after you. We can''t leave the Empress of the country alone, now can we? If something happened to you then I will not be able topensate the Liu family even if I have nine lives." He threw the words that Liu Hui Ying said to him back at her causing Liu Hui Ying to be speechless once more. She looked at Zhai Tianyu and knew that he was not going to let her leave unless he was allowed to tag along with her. Though Liu Hui Ying rolled her eyes and called him names in her head, she knew that there was no way she was getting out of this situation. "Fine, if you want to follow then do so!" Liu Hui Ying felt like she was wasting her time quibbling with him. With his stubbornness, he might not even hear half of the things that she said to him. Zhai Tianyu smiled at her with a sly glint in his eyes. He knew that as long as he was to push Liu Hui Ying in a corner she would definitely agree to let him follow her. "Then I will make the necessary preparations, my queen," Zhai Tianyu got on his feet and then smiled at Liu Hui Ying once more before turning around and leaving. Liu Hui Ying watched him leave with a distorted expression. She smacked her on the table before saying, "What a hassle! He just doesn''t know when to stop, does he?" Liu Hui Ying remarked with an angry voice. She threw her back and groaned no longer feeling hungry. Now she had to spend weeks with this man¡­the one whom she wanted to avoid with every ounce of her being. Jia Li looked at Liu Hui Ying who was groaning and then said to her, "You should stop trying to resist him. I don''t think that he is willing to give up so easily." "Shut up," Liu Hui Ying snapped. While sobbing at her misfortune, why did she have to meet with a man like Zhai Tianyu who was this sticky and clingy? Chapter 547 Yu Lingyun was molested ------------- With Zhai Tianyu joining in the fun, Liu Hui Ying dreaded going to the Yue Vige even more. She did not want to spend time with her so-called husband and the man who made her heart jump every time he appeared in front of her. She was thinking of making a mask that was too ugly, but before Liu Hui Ying could charge ahead with the n in her head, Zhai Tianyu sent her a portrait of the man whose face he wanted as a mask. ording to him, that man was an official in the Finance Department and he would have a good reason to go undercover to the Yue Vige for a visit. And of course, the man whose portrait was sent was a handsome one, Liu Hui Ying was half certain that Zhai Tianyu was aware of her n and deliberately sent the portrait of a good-looking man to stop her from doing her own thing. It was supposed to be ''Her way,'' but that man turned it into¡ª- It is going to be my way or no way. Jia Li even told her that maybe Zhai Tianyu was trying to seduce her something that Liu Hui Ying knew but did not want to admit because the first step of getting seduced was to admit that you were getting seduced as long as the person getting seduced acted as if they had no idea that they were getting seduced the ns of the seducer was bound to fail. Liu Hui Ying stuck to her guns while trying to pretend that she had no idea what Zhai Tianyu was trying to do. She handed the portrait to Grandma Lan Fen and left her to prepare the mask as Zhai Tianyu wanted before sending it away. At the same time, Liu Hui Ying decided that since Zhai Tianyu wanted to be the seducer she would make sure that it would be impossible for him to even make a move on her. On the other hand, Zhai Tianyu took a look at the mask which was sent to him by Liu Hui Ying and snickered softly. He had to admit that his wife was really amusing. Though she did it as he asked, Liu Hui Ying did not hide her feelings that she had at the moment, for example, she actually asked her ghosts to dump this mask in his bedchambers carelessly such that he couldn''t find it but Zhai Tianyu was a step ahead of her and carefully searched his bed chambers. Since he knew that Liu Hui Ying was not going to make it easy for him to follow her, he was prepared for everything which included getting attacked and pranked by the five ghosts at times when he was not ready. Sometimes he would findxatives in his food and sometimes he found small puddles of water inside his bedroom. However the more Liu Hui Ying acted like this the more he knew that he was affecting her thus, Zhai Tianyu was not upset at all. With Liu Hui Ying trying to make things difficult for him, the night before the departure arrived, Zhai Tianyu called Yu Lingyun to his bed chambers. "What do you want, your majesty?" Yu Lingyun questioned Zhai Tianyu. He couldn''t understand what made Zhai Tianyu call him to his bedchambers and that too at such an odd hour. "Lingyun, do you remember? When we were young, you said to me that you want to be the Emperor and sit on the throne of the Emperor," Zhai Tianyu said to Yu Lingyun who sensed that something was wrong with what Zhai Tianyu was saying to him. He frowned and then said, "That was when we were young, your majesty. Why are you bringing it up now?" Discover exclusive tales on empire He did say that but that was because he saw that the Emperor could get anything that he wanted to eat or drink. Other than that he did not mean anything else, this was something Zhai Tianyu also knew so why was he bringing it up now? Zhai Tianyu smiled at him. His smile was bone-chilling causing Yu Lingyun to take a step back. He looked at Zhai Tianyu and then questioned, "Why are you looking at me like that?" His gaze made him feel weirdly wary. "I am going to make your dreame true, Lingyun," Zhai Tianyu stood up from the chair on which he was sitting. His expression and voice told Yu Lingyun that something was very wrong but before he could run, it was already toote. He tried to turn around and run but Zhai Tianyu caught him by his cor. He clutched his jaw with his finger and thumb causing Yu Lingyun to tremble. "Why are you trembling, Lingyun?" Zhai Tianyu asked his hot breath skimming over Yu Lingyun''s ear. "Your Maj¡­majesty¡­ let me go," Yu Lingyun trembled. He did not know what had gone inside Zhai Tianyu''s head but he did not want to get entangled with him! "It''s toote, Lingyun. Now that you are in my grasp ¡­how can I let you go?" A shudder rolled down Yu Lingyun''s back before he let out a scream which echoed in the silence of the night. *** "So¡­what happened?" Zhai Heng looked at Yu Lingyun who was lying on Zhai Tianyu''s bed listlessly. Yu Lingyun raised his head and looked at his ''only'' best friend as he was cancelling the other one. He looked at Zhai Heng and then replied in a choked-up voice, "I am d that you are asking me this question, first he caught me and then he beat me up until I was knocked out. He then took off my clothes and made me change into an Emperor''s robe..stly, he pulled this mask on my face. I can''t get it off because he escaped before I could stop him." Yu Lingyun felt like crying, he had never been groped around and tossed like this ever before like this. He really wanted to rebel and resign from his post. Because it was too much! The emperor went to have fun at what cost? Chapter 548 Cute Zhai Heng looked at the man crying pitifully in front of him. He didn''t say anything and simply patted Yu Lingyun on the back. Because even if he pitied Yu Lingyun, he knew that there was nothing that could change the situation. "Look at the brighter side, at least you can now sit on the throne and enjoy the taste of power," Zhai Heng remarked. However, no sooner did he make that remark, than Eunuch Li walked inside the pce and stopped right in front of the bedchambers that belonged to Zhai Tianyu before shouting shrilly, "Your majesty, her majesty the Grand Dowager Empress has invited you for a conversation." Last night the assassination failed and even though the rumours spread that it was the Liu family''s special guards who saved Liu Hui Ying, the Grand Empress Dowager was not someone who would believe just the rumours, she wanted to make sure that Zhai Tianyu was not involved in disrupting her ns because if he was then she would have no qualms changing the Emperor! She held little to no affection for her grandson when her eyes were set on the throne for so long. Yu Lingyun and Zhai Heng knew this as well. Thus, when Eunuch Li announced that Grand Empress Dowager had invited Zhai Tianyu, Yu Lingyun dragged a pillow over his head and started to hit his face with it. "This is the fourth time! She has called me for tea, breakfast and meditation already. I think I have done a good job but this old woman is so suspicious that she does not want to settle down!" Yu Lingyun whined, he did not want to go to the courtyard that belonged to the Grand Empress Dowager again! He turned to look at Zhai Heng with a glint in his eyes and then said, "Ah Heng, why don''t you wear this mask? I think that the role of his majesty will suit you even more." Yu Lingyun was a warrior and not a schr, he could not sit still! Even if the mask changed his physical appearance, it could never change what was inside. Thus Yu Lingyun was still reeling in the fact that he had to sit still for another two or three hours. Zhai Heng stiffened when he heard Yu Lingyun''s suggestion. He was aware of how suspicious and winded his grandmother could be if she wanted to if he went there in Yu Lingyun''s ce then¡ª¡ª ''I will have to listen to her sermons for more than three hours¡­ I am never going to do that,'' Zhai Heng thought and inwardly rejected Yu Lingyun''s request. He smiled at Yu Lingyun and then said, "I took an oath that I will never sit on the throne which means that ¡­this is something that only you can do Lingyun." After he was done speaking he turned on his feet and ran away leaving behind Yu Lingyun who burst into tears once more as he knew that he needed to kneel for another three hours. He was going to cancel his and Zhai Tianyu''s friendship once that man returned! *** Zhai Tianyu sneezed. He rubbed his nose with his fingers before turning to look at Liu Hui Ying who sat across him. He nced at the ugly get-up that she had taken and was amused. "My queen, I did not know that you have a thing for buck teeth, pimples and sallow skin," he remarked with a teasing smile causing Liu Hui Ying to grit her teeth. She originally wanted to take the appearance of someone who wouldn''t tempt Zhai Tianyu. However, once she went down the rabbit hole, it was nothing but chaos. Jia Li added the buck teeth, Li Gang added the pimples and whatnot while Grandma Lan Fen told her that men in her time did not like yellowingplexion and she took everyone''s advice thinking that she would be able to avoid Zhai Tianyu''s attention. He might even avoid looking at her. She did not expect that thebination would be this deadly, now even Liu Hui Ying could not look at her own face. ''This was indeed a terrible, terrible tragedy,'' Liu Hui Ying thought in her head. She wanted to change but when she thought about how Zhai Tianyu would not look at her and might even ignore her, Liu Hui Ying swallowed her grievances. She looked up at Zhai Tianyu who was finding the entire situation amusing and red at him. "What do you know we are going to investigate the incidents that happened years ago, who knows what kind of secrets are hiding in that vige? If I dress up like you everyone will look at me. How will we investigate?" As she spoke she nced at Zhai Tianyu disdainfully. Even though she said it to push the attention off her, Liu Hui Ying admitted that Zhai Tianyu looked good. Even with the mask on his face, he seemed to have not changed much. It was only when she climbed into the carriage and questioned him why he looked so simr to his usual appearance that she found out that this man whose get-up Zhai Tianyu took was his maternal cousin. Thus, the two of them looked heaven and hell apart. And this was something that Liu Hui Ying did not like at all. "Are you sure that you are going there to investigate and not to have fun? Why are you dressed too luxuriously?" Liu Hui Ying questioned. She told him that they needed to blend him, like hell they would be blending in like this. Zhai Tianyu cheekily smirked at her and then answered, "You think too much my queen. Though it''s true that the Yue vige is not doing good it doesn''t mean that we need to dress up like beggars to infiltrate the vige. What''s more, if one is ying the role of the servant, it only right that one of us y the role of noble, if not then how will we get inside the house of the county magistrate?" "And you just decided that the noble would be you?" Liu Hui Ying questioned back causing Zhai Tianyu to snicker as he shrugged, "Its not me who decided. It''s you, my queen.." he trailed off as he looked at Liu Hui Ying who stiffened and then turned to look out of the carriage. Indeed she was the one who chose to dress up like this but who asked this man to look at her as if she was the verynd on which he was walking and if she vanished, he would never be able to stand again. Like she was very important to him as his breaths. It scared Liu Hui Ying because no one had looked at her like this¡­no someone did look at her like that but she had chosen to ignore that man all along. Howeverpared to that man, Zhai Tianyu was even more clingy, it scared her to the point that she felt suffocated. Because she knew that even if she wanted to reply to his confession, Liu Hui Ying did not have the very thing to say that she loved him back. She did not have any understanding of love and Liu Hui Ying was afraid that she would disappoint him, more importantly, she was not even from this era. They were two different individuals from very different timelines, Liu Hui Ying did not think that they could ovee such challenges. As for Zhai Tianyu looking at her with such adoration, it must be because he had never seen someone like her, sooner orter this rarity would vanish and he would lose his affection for her. ''You are not the kind of woman any man would ever want,'' those heart-wrenching words echoed in her head causing Liu Hui Ying to suck in a breath. It had been too long and hepletely forgot about this. Liu Hui Ying shook her head, she had long decided that she did not need a man to rely on, even if she was alone she would be fine. Zhai Tianyu noticed the change in the air around Liu Hui Ying''s air and narrowed his eyes. He seemed to have realized that she was thinking of something unsettling, thus he immediately opened his mouth and then said, "Now that I am looking at you again my queen, you look really cute." "What nonsense are you saying?" Liu Hui Ying felt her heart skip a beat as she turned her head and red at Zhai Tianyu. She had taken this get-up because she wanted to avoid attracting his attention, but now he was telling her that she looked cute like this. Was this man on coke or something? She wished she had her beloved dog to take a look at this man. Because Liu Hui Ying knew there was something very wrong with him. Enjoy new tales from empire At this moment even Liu Hui Ying could not stand to look at herself and yet this man could look at her and call her ''cute'' something was very wrong with him all right! Chapter 549 The corrupted magistrate Was he that desperate or something? Liu Hui Ying couldn''t help but question. Experience tales at empire "Nonsense," Jia Li waved her hand and then said dreamily, "It is all about love. He likes you and because he likes you, even this appearance of yours is dreamy in his eyes." She whispered in a light voice but Zhai Tianyu with his senses heard her. He however did not refuse and silently agreed with her causing Liu Hui Ying''s eyebrows to twitch. She wished she could smack Jia Li and her romance-filled head out of the carriage and throw it somewhere it wouldn''t bother her. However, she controlled her temper and turned to look out of the window. Since Zhai Tianyu did not say it outright, she wouldn''t say anything either. Her eyes drifted close as the carriage continued to move forward. Liu Hui Ying slowly fell asleep and her breathing turned light, Zhai Tianyu looked at the woman who was asleep and his eyes softened. He wanted to reach forward and pull the woman in his embrace but as soon as he reached his hands forward, the eyes of the woman. However, given that her eyes were darker than the sky of the night and there was a dangerous red glint, Zhai Tianyu knew that this woman was not Liu Hui Ying but her sister, Liu Yi Yan. "I am sorry," Zhai Tianyu apologized as he lowered his hands to his side and Liu Yi Yan sneered before turning her head away and closing her eyes again. Zhai Tianyu threw his head back and covered his eyes with the back of his arm. Damn, his life was tough. He could not even woo his wife without getting blocked by a bunch of people. In the imperial pce, his grandmother was eyeing him like a hawk and outside, it was his sister-inw. That too the one who is no longer alive! The ghosts looked at the poor man who was supposed to have everything in his hands and yet he couldn''t even touch his wife! The carriage drove past the forests and countryside before arriving at the small Yue Vige. Zhai Tianyu peeked out of the carriage''s window when he saw that they arrived at their destination. He then reached out his hand and then shook Liu Hui Ying who was asleep. "Are we there already?" Liu Hui Ying questioned as she opened her bleary eyes and then looked out of the window. When she saw the dark sky and torches andmps burning outside the houses, she blinked her eyes and turned to look at Zhai Tianyu before saying, "It is quitete." "Yue vige lies in between the border of the Imperial City and Wen Country," Zhai Tianyu exined with a calm voice he handed Liu Hui Ying a handkerchief to wipe the drool off her face including the dirt and gunk stinking at the corner of her eyes. He did not think that she looked ugly but with her get-up, if she walked out like this, others would look at her weirdly. Liu Hui Ying took the handkerchief and wiped her face before turning to look at the vige again, she then said, "Where are we staying?" "There is no need for you to worry about that my queen," Zhai Tianyu said with a smile. He patted his chest and then said, "I have chosen the ce where we will be staying, you will not feel any difort." **** "No difort? Really?" Liu Hui Ying stared at the rough bed with only a small brazier in the room. There was also the smell of pigs and hensing from the window. She did not even need to look out of the window to know that this room which was given to her was close to the horse stable and the yard where the pigs and whatnot lived. "Well, who asked you to dress up as a servant?" Li Gang did not think that there was anything wrong with the room but the problem was that the room was too small and there was almost nothing for him to possess. Where was he supposed to sleep? In the brazier? He would have done that if Jia Li had not called dibs on it before he could. Liu Hui Ying red at him and then said, "I did not think that they would treat me like this, especially when my supposed-to-be husband was staying with me." "But they don''t know that you are husband and wife." "Shut up!" Liu Hui Ying snapped at Li Gang who flinched and closed one of his eyes, he really could not understand why he was the one who was getting scolded when it was Liu Hui Ying who was at fault. Didn''t she know? This world was all about looks. On the other side, Zhai Tianyu was staring at the man in front of him while nursing his forehead. He had asked Su Tai to serve Liu Hui Ying really well and in the head of this county magistrate, giving Liu Hui Ying a ce to stay next to the pig house was something that he thought was really good. ''She is going to end me,'' Zhai Tianyu thought in his head while ignoring the county magistrate''s babble. However this was good as well, with Liu Hui Ying investigating things on the surface while Su Tai told him foolish lies, it will be easy for them to expose him. The only downside of this n was that Liu Hui Ying would have to suffer. He did not want his wife to suffer. "My lord, it''s a good thing that you came to survey the vige," said Su Tai. He waspletely oblivious to the fact that Zhai Tianyu was not listening to him and continued to speak, "We have another public project that we need to start but we arecking in funds, if you can help us then the condition of the vige will get even better." Su Tai did not think that Zhai Tianyu or anyone else had any idea about what was going on in the vige. He was one of those corrupt officials who liked to enjoy the funds and the money that the projects built from the money of the Imperial treasury brought him, other than that he did not care about anything else. He didn''t even step out of his house and walk around the vige about which he talked so fondly about. Zhai Tianyu nced at the man sitting opposite him with a cup of wine in his hands and clicked his tongue. He knew that Su Tai was not a good official but he did not know that he was this bad, his entire body was as big as the table against which they were sitting and his face was red and oily, a clear sign of too much indulgence. He also noticed the luxurious antiques in the room and the fine clothing on Su Tai''s body. Though Zhai Tianyu had seen antiques and clothes even rich and finer than these, he could see that these things certainly did not and could not be brought by the meagre sry of a county magistrate. However, Su Tai most probably was not worried about being caught. It meant that he either had something to back up his lies or he was confident that he would be able to escape punishment. Zhai Tianyu narrowed his eyes but when he blinked, all the suspicions and doubts that he had in his head vanished and he looked like a good for nothing who did not know anything better and continued to indulge with Su Tai. "As I was saying my lord, I have a very good-looking daughter. Wonderfully beautiful," Su Tai slurred while lying on the floor as Zhai Tianyu looked at the man coldly. "If you want, I can give her to you. Just promise me that you will take her as your concubine. I know¡­that my daughter hic is not good enough for a legal wife but a con¡­concubine. She is worthy of it, hick." "Yes, Yes, I understand," Zhai Tianyu spoke as he crawled closer to the man and then ced his arm under his head before helping Su Tai on the pillow. From the perspective of the shadow guards, Zhai Tianyu was helping Su Tai on the pillow but the truth was that he was actually drugging Su Tai such that thetter would not wake up till morning. He needed to go outside and take a look around the vige together with Liu Hui Ying if this man ordered his shadow guards to guard him while keeping an eye on what he was doing, Zhai Tianyu was worried that he would not be able to get out and investigate what he wanted, more importantly, he wanted to see his wife. She must be really angry with him! please check my new work: Escaped My Ex, Got Snatched by His Rival. It will mean a lot. *************** Chapter 550 Delulu not solulu Zhai Tianyu ced Su Tai on the pillow before turning on his heels and stepping out of the room where Su Tai was entertaining him. For the sake of pretending that he was going to sleep, he faked a yawn with his hand in front of his mouth. He then opened his room''s door and went inside. Zhai Tianyu knew that the shadow guards must be paying attention to his room to make sure whether or not he was sleeping. After all, Su Tai was the kind of man who was only gentle and hard-working on papers, if the truth were toe out then that man would be the one who would suffer the most! He closed his eyes and silently counted the number of shadow guards that were neatly arranged next to his room. Explore more adventures at empire ''One, two¡­three and four.. damn..just how many guards did that man arrange near my room?'' Zhai Tianyu cursed in his head. He was wearing the appearance of his most useless cousin and yet this man was still this cautious? Surely there was a secret that he was trying to hide very much and even though Zhai Tianyu was unaware about it, he wanted to get his hands on it as soon as possible. He pretended to sleep for a while and waited until the guard of the Shadow Guards was dropped and then used his special Qing Qong to disappear from inside his room without alerting the guards. Zhai Tianyu did not head over to the room where Liu Hui Ying was ced and instead turned to head out of the house, before turning to look at Li Gang who came to look for him. "Did your master send you to look for me?" Zhai Tianyu asked with a touched expression. He did see Li Gang enter the private room where Su Tai was pouring drinks for him. However, he pretended not to see him. Li Gang rolled his eyes before saying, "There is no need for you to feel so touched just because she sent me, the only reason she asked me toe and get you was because you are her money keeper." As Liu Hui Ying was ying the role of the servant, she couldn''t keep too much in her pocket and thus, she had to rely on Zhai Tianyu and the gold in his pockets to purchase anything that she wanted. So how could she leave without her personal purse? "Oh does that not mean that she is getting used to me? Because only a wife would wait for her husband to pay money for her purchases, what do you say?" Zhai Tianyu turned around and questioned Li Gang who looked at him with a pitiful gaze. Even if Li Gang hated how this man was trying to make a move on Liu Hui Ying, he had to admit that this man was way too deluded. "You know, your majesty? There is a term in our world.. it''s called delulu is not solulu, do you understand what this means?" Zhai Tianyu shook his head. Seeing him shake his head, Li Gang felt that this man was even more innocent than the child in front of him. He patted him on the shoulder and exined, "It means do not delude yourself. Because it''s not good for your health." After he finished speaking, he walked past the wall of the courtyard, leaving a very stumped Zhai Tianyu behind. Does he mean to say that he was deluding himself? That shouldn''t be the case. Zhai Tianyu thought worriedly. He then chased after Li Gang and asked, "What do you mean? Hey, at least tell me." **** "That will be three hundred copper coins," the shopkeeper smiled at Zhai Tianyu as he handed the yellow talismans to Zhai Tinayu including the red cinnabar powder. He seemed quite happy with the generous amount that he had sold off his useless paper and cinnabar powder for! Zhai Tianyu sighed as he paid for the purchase and then turned to look at Li Gang who tilted his head to the side with an expression that said, ''Now you understand what I mean?'' Of course, he did! Liu Hui Ying only wanted him to be by her side because she literally took her as her purse! She did not even a word to him, it was as if he was really a lifeless purse that did not even have a voice feature. "The shopkeeper was looking at us as if he was looking at two fools," Zhai Tianyu said to Liu Hui Ying. "Well he must have thought that we were only purchasing so many yellow talismans for no reason other than curiosity," Liu Hui Ying replied for the first time. In fact, she too thought that she was being too much. The poor man was walking next to her and even protecting her silently while making sure that no man would touch her. He even paid for her purchases and she had been ignoring his questions and presence altogether. "The yellow talismans and cinnabar powder arepletely useless. If not for the person using it, they can only be considered as paper and useless red powder," Liu Hui Ying exined as she walked past the crowd that was filling up the night market. She looked at the stalls that were lined up on either side of the road and clicked her tongue. Didn''t that man called Su Tai, say that the vigers were doing good? Upon seeing their sunken cheeks and the dark circles under their eyes, they did not look like they were doing good. If this was good then there was no difference between these vigers and the people at the slums dwellers at the Imperial City. Her eyes flickered as she heard Zhai Tianyu say, "Are you saying that ites down to who is skilled in using her or his spiritual energy correctly?" "That''s more or less correct," Liu Hui Ying replied as she walked over to a small stall that was selling grilled squid. She was about to ask for the price when she heard the sound of something jingling. Her eyes shed as she reached out behind her and caught the wrist of the little boy who was trying to steal from them. "What are you doing?" She questioned as she threw the young man over her shoulders. The young man''s back hit the ground and he groaned in pain. He looked at Liu Hui Ying and Zhai Tianyu before saying, "What¡­what did I do? I was just passing by! You have injured me gravely¡­ you n betterpensate me!" Liu Hui Ying sneered as she rolled her sleeves and then tied a handkerchief on her right hand before saying, "Let me see who dares to ask forpensation." "Li Gang!" She ordered and Li Gang who was standing behind her, walked over to where Liu Hui Ying was standing and then walked right inside her body. Liu Hui Ying''s ck eyes shed before she felt a surge of energy rush inside her veins. She then picked up the thief who tried to steal from her and yet dared to cry wolf. Her lips curled into a cruel smile as she said to the young man, "I will teach you how to be a good person." The young man''s pupils shook as he let out a painful scream. "Dang! Little Cai was caught!" Another young man who was hiding behind the alley, worriedly remarked, he looked at Liu Hui Ying who was hitting Little Cai and turned to look at her friends before saying, "What now? If this goes on then Little Cai will be killed." Behind him were two young women and three young men. Two kids looked really worried about Little Cai. "We should stop that man," said the young woman dressed in a red shirt and baggy patched-up pants. "He seems to be the servant of that nobleman. Even if he kills Xiao Cai, no one will say a thing!" That was true even though the stall owners could see Xiao Cai getting beaten up, they did not even make a sound. Maybe they thought that it would be good if thieves like them were killed. "Let''s go and save Xiao Cai!" The young man next to the woman who just spoke up chimed up. He turned to look at his leader and then said, "We cannot leave him alone." The leader nodded and said, "Fine let''s go!" Though he was scared, these kids were like his children, he could not watch them die, could he now? He then turned on his heels and then rushed out of the alley before shouting, "You boy! Let go of my brother!" Behind him, the rest of the thieves also rushed out of their hiding spots. Liu Hui Ying who was punching Xiao Cai looked up and stared at the group of thieves. A sinister sneer etched on her bloodied face as she sneered, "You all came out very soon." Chapter 551 Fatten up before being sold? "Ack!" "Let us go! Ahhh!" "We don''t dare, we really don''t dare to steal from you heroine," "We are kids! We are kids!" Screams of pain echoed in the street, however, none of the street vendors came to stop Liu Hui Ying. The reason was simple they had suffered enough because of these thieves, these kids would steal either bread or money from their pockets, it was a good thing that someone had caught them and was teaching them a lesson. "Please...Please wait," however soon a young man wearing a white patched robe came running. He stopped in front of Liu Hui Ying and bowed his head before saying, "Forgive them, my lord. They are just kids and they do not know anything better. It was hunger that caused them to make such poor decisions, I...I will teach them better." Liu Hui Ying turned to look at the poor man who was beseeching on ount of the kids. She turned to him and then deliberately said, "What do you mean by hunger? The imperial family gave enough money to County Magistrate Su to open stalls for food and water to be distributed among the vigers as the crops'' yield was not good. How dare you lie!" The poor man opened his mouth to defend himself but he was stopped by the boy with a scar at the corner of his mouth. He red at Liu Hui Ying and then said, "You nobles don''t know anything! That man doesn''t hand us any food and the crops'' yield was good as well, he just¡ª¡ª" "Zhihao!" The poor man stopped Chang Zhihao from speaking too much. This entire vige was the territory of Su Tai. If anyone heard them speaking or talking bad about that man, they would be the ones who would be in danger. Chang Zhihao pursed his lips and stopped speaking but his eyes were red as he felt upset. Why were the nobles like this? Why could they hit and be them as they wished even when it was not their fault? And it was because of nobles like these that they had to steal like this! Liu Hui Ying however caught what Cheng Zhihao said, she raised a brow and turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who nced at her and then turned his gaze back to the little boy. He took out a gold tael from his pouch and then said to the boy, "What were you saying again?" Cheng Zhihao''s eyes lit up when he saw the gold tael, however, the distrust for nobles was so deeply embedded in his bones that he did not trust Zhai Tianyu immediately. Instead, he warily eyed the gold tael and then questioned, "What¡­what do you want?" Zhai Tianyu did not respond, instead, he looked at the poor young man who seemed to be the caretaker of the kids and said to him, "It seems like you are hungry. There is a nice restaurant at the end of the street, do you want toe with me?" He did not wait for the poor young man and the kids to respond. Instead, he turned on his heels and walked away to the other side of the street. Liu Hui Ying followed after him. Neither of them looked back at the kids to make sure whether or not they were following them or not. It was because they knew that the kids would follow them eventually. After all, there was no threat bigger than hunger. The poor man looked at Cheng Zhihao who looked back at his big brother. The two of them did not know why the nobleman asked them to follow after him or why he wanted to even talk to them, but when they thought about their stomachs that were sticking to their backs, the kids decided to follow Zhai Tianyu. "Brother Jinxiao, let''s follow that nobleman," one of the kids spoke with a gulp. His eyes were shining as he clutched to the robes of his elder brother. "I am so hungry." Lin Jinxiao looked at the boy who asked him to follow the nobleman and pursed his lips. He said, "We cannot do that, that man¡­we don''t even know that man, how can we just follow him, Feng Feng?" "But I am hungry¡ª¡ª" "Ah, Feng¡ª¡ª" "Let''s go, Brother Jinxiao," Cheng Zhihao said to the man in his twenties. "What''s the worst that can happen? We will be killed, but if we don''t eat then we are going to die anyway!" They had eaten a few bowls of rice a week ago, ever since then, they did not even get a chance to sniff stale rice much less eat it. If this went on, then they were going to starve to death anyway. So, wasn''t it better for them to take a risk? Even if that man killed them after feeding them, it would be better than dying on an empty stomach. Lin Jinxiao''s eyes turned red. He was the one who took responsibility for these children but he ended up causing them trouble like this, he couldn''t even lead them to live a proper life and they had to suffer because of him. "I am sorry because of me.." Lin Jinxiao was s schr and once ran a school in the vige. However, unfortunately for him, Su Tai also enrolled his stubborn and spoiled son, in Lin Jinxiao''s school. Since the teachers of the academies in the town were aware of what kind of person, Su Tai and his son were, they refused to give admission to Su Tai''s son. As they were big academies, Su Tai couldn''t make a fuss with them, Lin Jinxiao however did not have the backing time to refuse Su Tai''s son. He could only ept his fate and start teaching Su Tai''s son in his school. But he underestimated the cruelty of Su Tai''s son. That boy killed one of the viger''s sons and then Su Tai med it on Lin Jixiao to suppress the matter that it was his son who killed the child. Su Tai even closed his school and took away hisnd to be used aspensation for the child''s parents who lost their son. Of course, no one said a word against this injustice, the child''s parents were happy to get freend and the others were worried about being targeted by Su Tai, they all kept their mouths shut and watched Lin Jinxiao lose everything. "Brother Lin it is not your fault," Cheng Zhihao said to Lin Jinxiao, his tiny fists clenched as he looked at his big brother. He said with determination etched on his face, "It is not Brother Jinxiao who should apologize, it''s that bad man. He ruined everything, Brother Jinxiao is nice he helped us." Cheng Zhihao and the others were the children of the vigers who were killed by Su Tai or ended up dying indirectly because of Su Tai. Lin Jinxiao sympathised with these kids and brought them next to him. He only did it to give these children a chance at survival but he ended up catching the eyes of Su Tai. It only made that man target him even more. Lin Jinxiao smiled with tears in his eyes. He patted Cheng Zhihao and then said, "Let us go, we will hear what that nobleman wants to say to us. It''s not like he can kill us." After all, they were in public, even if the nobleman wanted to kill them he had to think of a way to do it. And if so many people died at once, then that nobleman would have to suffer as well. What was more Lin Jinxiao had decided that if that nobleman tried to harm the children, then he would fight him to death! Even if it meant getting killed. Lin Jinxiao took the children with him to the restaurant where Zhai Tianyu was waiting for them. He bowed to Zhai Tianyu and then tentatively took a seat. His cheeks burned with embarrassment when he saw the guests of the restaurant looking at them. He was d in robes that were covered with patches, while the others were well dressed. The children also seemed a bit dirty and underdressed. In fact, Lin Jinxiao was sure that if they hade to this restaurant alone then, no one would have allowed them to sit inside. Even the guests would have moured to the staff for them to be thrown out. The only reason they were withstanding their presence was because of the man in front of them. "My lord¡­what do you want from us?" Lin Jinxiao asked nervously. He hoped that this man who sat in front of him was not involved with human trafficking, if that was the case then it would exin why this man invited them to sit down and eat. Was he trying to fatten them up and take the kids away? As thin kids wouldn''t sell for a better sum of money? Stay connected with empire ******** Please check out my new story¡ª¡ª Escaped My Ex, Got Snatched by his Rival. Please, please, oh please. ********* Chapter 552 Selling grains to the enemy country If Zhai Tianyu knew what the man was thinking about him, he would have smacked him hard on his face, did he look like someone who would snatch kids and sell them off? However, Zhai Tianyu did not know what Lin Jinxiao was thinking which gave the other man a chance to survive another sufferable beating after the beating that he received from Su Tai, if Zhai Tianyu had targeted him it would have topped the list. Though Lin Jinxiao did not know that he just survived another tragedy, he seemed to have sensed that there was no point in denying the man just as Cheng Zhihao said if they were going to die then they might as well die with a belly full of food. He nodded and asked the children to order. Though he told them to choose the cheapest dishes, lest they got in troubleter on. The children were raised by Lin Jinxiao and they were no fools, they understood what Lin Jinxiao was telling them and they all chose the dish that only amounted to a few coins. When Zhai Tianyu heard their orders, he was speechless. He asked them to order whatever they wanted and they chose vegetarian dishes and too the ones that had the smallest servings. On his side, Liu Hui Ying rolled her eyes. She looked at the children who stiffened under her gaze. They could not help it, she had beaten them too harshly just now and they had developed a fear for her. Anyone who was in their ce would be scared of Liu Hui Ying after getting the beating of the century. "Are you looking down on my lord?" Liu Hui Ying knew that the kids wouldn''t feelfortable ordering the pricy meal, thus she decided to use another tactic. She red at them and then said in a gruff voice, " What are you doing ordering something so cheap? Do you think that my lord wouldn''t be able to pay for the expensive dishes? Who are you looking down on?" The children stiffened. They did not know what to do anymore, if they ordered something expensive and then these people asked Brother Lin Jinxiao to sell them, what would they do? "Are you trying to buy us?" Cheng Zhihao who was bolder than the rest questioned with a stiff expression. He looked at Liu Hui Ying and then put his theory out, "You are trying to feed us expensive things and then buy us after our brother fails to pay right?" "We know all about your scheme¡ª¡ª" Cheng Zhihao shouted with his finger pointing at Liu Hui Ying. Bang! The edge of the table broke causing a loud bang to echo in the restaurant even the owner was startled as he looked at the source of the sound. His face was pale as he stared at the piece of wood in Liu Hui Ying''s hand, he wanted to tell her that she would have to pay for the piece that she had broken but he dared not to say anything as he was too scared to approach someone who could break a wooden table with bare hands. Even Cheng Zhihao was stunned. He did not think that Liu Hui Ying would break the table and that too so easily at that, this¡­if she could break the table so easily doesn''t it mean that she can break his hand as well? He immediately pulled back his hand and looked at Liu Hui Ying warily. "It''s rude to point at your elders," Liu Hui Ying said with a gleam in her eyes which caused Cheng Zhihao to shudder as he bowed his head and then said, "I ¡­I understand." He didn''t know why he was listening to this servant but his instincts took over him before he could say anything else. "Haha, don''t worry I will pay for it," Zhai Tianyu said to the man who was looking at their table with saddened eyes as if he watched Liu Hui Ying break the bones of his mother rather than an old table. He then turned to look at the children before saying politely, "You don''t have to worry about being sold. I am an official at the Imperial City and I only came to this vige to do a survey, I assure you that I have no ill will towards you or anyone else," Zhai Tianyu promised. Only then did the children heave a sigh of relief, if this man was an official in the imperial city he must be earning well. There was no need for him to sell them off. However, Lin Jinxiao was not at ease. If this man was an official and he invited them to a dinner then surely nothing good was going toe out of it. But even if Lin Jinxiao wanted to refuse the dinner it was toote! The server arrived at their table before the children and Lin Jinxiao ced their orders. Once the server was done, he turned on his feet and then left to bring their orders back, only then did Zhai Tianyu turn to look at Lin Jinxiao who stiffened a little when he saw Zhai Tianyu look at him. He wanted to say something but before he could Zhai Tianyu asked him, "What do you think of County Magistrate Su?" ''I knew it,'' Lin Jinxiao closed his eyes and sobbed silently inwardly. He knew that there was no way Zhai Tianyu invited them to this dinner out of goodwill. Surely his intentions were never good from the beginning! " He is good," Lin Jinxiao revealed with an anxious smile. He tried to pretend that everything was fine but with Cheng Zhihao already revealing a part of what was going on, of course, Zhai Tianyu and Liu Hui Ying did not believe him. Zhai Tianyu smiled at him and said, "There is no need for you to lie, you can tell me anything you want, all right?" On the other hand, Liu Hui Ying took another route. She tilted her head to the side and then said, "Really? You are guying to tell lies to our face after I let these little sh*ts escape a beating that they very much deserved?" Lin Jinxiao: "¡­" Today is not my lucky day. Lin Jinxiao felt like he was pushed into a corner with no way out for him, he looked at Liu Hui Ying who was ring down at him and then turned to look at Zhai Tianyu who was smiling at him as if he was an angelic man who descended from the heavens. But Lin Jinxiao was not fooled. They were ying the good cop and bad cop with him! He knew it all right! With his lips pursed, Lin Jinxiao said to Zhai Tianyu and Liu Hui Ying, "If I tell the truth, who will protect me and the kids?" He knew that once the Su family found out about this matter they would surelye to cause trouble for him. He was not afraid of them but he feared the safety of the children. They were too young and they did not deserve to live in fear. "You do not have to worry about it," Zhai Tianyu said with a solemn expression. There was nothing more shameful for an Emperor who was sitting on the throne hoping that the people of his country were living a happy and peaceful life, to see his countrymen living in fear like this. Lin Jinxiao did not know why but for some reason he couldn''t help but trust Zhai Tianyu. He pursed his lips and then said in a low voice, "Magistrate Su, he is selling the crops to the neighbouring country at a high price." It was a known fact that their neighbouring country Xing was suffering because of a drought. As the farmers of the Xing country couldn''t grow crops, they did not have enough grains to be stored in the winter. Because of this, the Emperor of the Xing country asked everyone for help. However, Zhai Tianyu refused to send the grains to the Country Xing because their country''s people were suffering from cold as well. They had stored the grains for their own family, how could he ask the farmers to send the grains that they stored for their own use to another country? What was more the Emperor of Xing had tried to attack their country many times. There was no need for them to be polite with the country of Xing. But what Zhai Tianyu did not expect was that for the sake of mary gain, Su Tai was actually selling the grains to the Emperor of Xing. "Are you sure about this?" If this was the truth then Su Tai had betrayed the country and deserved execution! This was no longer a matter of simple corruption! "I assure you, my lord, that I speak the truth," Lin Jinxiao swore with a serious look. "I cannot lie about this matter either, if my lord doesn''t believe me then you can ask any beggar in the vige they will tell the truth to you. The vigers however will be too scared to say anything to you." ***************** Please take a look at my new book: Escaped My Ex, Got Snatched by his Rival. ********************** Chapter 553 She is dead Beggars have nothing to lose. Unlike the vigers who had families and possessions that they cared about, a beggar would be willing to speak the truth for a single meal. Thus whether or not Lin Jinxiao was speaking the truth, it could be easily found out. Zhai Tinayu rubbed the space between his brows, this man was really daring. Not only did he dare to smuggle the money that was sent for the vige''s development but he also usurped the crops that the vigers grew and then started selling them to the other country. If he was not wrong, a few weeks before he did receive a letter of plea from Su Tai, he told him that the crop growth this year was not good in his vige and he asked him tomission a budget that would help him and the vigers. Sure enough, that man was lying through his teeth. However, Zhai Tianyu did not rush into things. He had a feeling that things were not as simple as they looked, he remembered how Ji Yang told him that the conditions of this vige were simply too wretched and asked him to sign the agreement of handing the funds to Su Tai. As far as he knew about Ji Yang now, thetter was not someone who would be willing to help a small vige, for him to actively help this vige and Su Tai surely, Su Tai had some secrets regarding the Ji family in his hands. He needed to get his hands on those secrets before he could deal with Su Tai. On the other hand, Liu Hui Ying didn''t have the same concerns as him. She turned to look at Lin Jinxiao before taking out the portrait of Lin Si''s daughter and pushing it in front of him. "We are here to look for this girl, she must be in her fifties or sixties now¡­but there is a mole under her lips right on her chin," Liu Hui Ying said to Lin Jinxiao and the rest of the children who peeked at the portrait before Lin Jinxiao''s face turned pale. He raised his head and then looked at Liu Hui Ying in fright before asking, "What do you want to do with my mother?" "Your mother?" Liu Hui Ying''s eyebrows rose. She didn''t expect such a coincidence to take ce. In fact, she thought that it would take her more than three to four days before she could find anything rted to Lin S''s daughter. However, she didn''t expect to meet with Lin Si''s grandson on the very first night of her arrival! She looked at Lin Jinxiao whose face was pale and said, "There is no need for you to worry. We are only here because your grandfather left a will before dying." Of course, Lin Si did not leave a will behind but Liu Hui Ying had the authority to finalize thend that belonged to Lin Si before he died and then notarized the will. She even made it look old and weary as if it was really fifty years old. Lin Jinxiao was stunned. He never knew that his grandfather had left a will, his mother had often told him that his grandfather was a great rebel and fought for his rights but other than that he knew nothing about his grandfather for he had never seen him before, he only knew bits and pieces and that too because his mother wanted to keep his grandfather in his memories. "My grandfather? But he was a rebel¡­ how did he run into you, my lord?" Lin Jinxiao questioned. Even though he did not show the suspicions he was having in his heart on his face, Liu Hui Ying could see that he was wary of them and was speechless. Oh boy, what did he go through when he was young? He was suspicious about everything and anything. The second they open their mouth he looks at them as if they are going to stuff him in a sack and then sell him to a farawaynd. Though Liu Hui Ying was really annoyed, she didn''t lose her temper. Instead, she smiled at Lin Jinxiao and exined, "Thats because your grandfather saved our young lord''s father when he came to this vige because of him our lord''s father came back and lived a proper life," she wiped a tear as she continued, "A few days ago, our lord''s father fell sick and his health deteriorated. He was worried that he would not be able toe here so he sent our lord to fulfil the promise that he made to your grandfather when he was a child." As she finished speaking she elbowed the man next to her who snorted. Zhai Tianyu turned and nced at Liu Hui Ying. He really had to admit that this woman was really good at convincing others, if not for the fact that he knew that his father had been gone for years, even he would have been worried about this non-existent father of his who was sick and lying on his sick bed. "He is right. My father is now in a really serious condition, he wanted toe to this ce but we live far away and it''s not easying to this vige. However now that he feels that his time is here, he wants to fulfil his childhood promise that he made to your grandfather," said Zhai Tianyu as he took out the will that Liu Hui Ying prepared and then ced in front of Lin Jinxiao. Lin Jinxiao looked at the faded old document and felt a surge of emotions. He always felt that his mother and him suffered a lot while he was growing up, now that he had and deed in his hands, hope surged in his heart. If there was anyone else in his shoes, they would have questioned Liu Hui Ying and Zhai Tianyu why they hade sote and why didn''t theye earlier but Lin Jinxiao didn''t have the heart to me them. That year was the year of rebellion and with the passage of time, it''s only normal that the father of this lord forgot about his grandfather. As long as he remembered it was good enough. "Thank you," Lin Jinxiao''s voice was thick with emotions as he showed his gratitude to Zhai Tianyu and Liu Hui Ying. However, what Liu Hui Ying needed was not his thank you, instead she needed to meet Lin Jinxiao''s mother. Only then could she send Lin Si to the underworld. Liu Hui Ying said to Lin Jinxiao, "What about your mother? Can we meet her?" She wanted to fulfil Lin Si''s wish as soon as possible and then leave this vige. Being treated like a servant was not something Liu Hui Ying could get used to, especially in this era where ves were treated with the lowest possible dignity. ''The mattress in my room is made of straw and fodder. There is no way I can sleep in that bed,'' thought Liu Hui Ying with a furrow of her brows. However her hopes were doomed to fail because a secondter she heard Lin Jinxiao say, "My mother, she is dead." "DEAD!?" Liu Hui Ying shot up in her chair. Her voice raised several degrees as many of the guests including Lin Jinxiao and Zhai Tianyu turned to look at her. Lin Jinxiao was covering the spot where his heart was, it was thumping too harshly and scared him as well. While the kids hid behind him. He nodded and said with a stuttering voice, "That is right. My mother was captured by county magistrate Su''s father. He announced to the vige that she was a woman of low character and tried to seduce him when she was working at his house but I know that it is impossible." He frowned even more as he cleared the doubts that Liu Hui Ying had in her heart, "My mother hated the Su family, she was only working there because she wanted to find evidence of their corruption to avenge my grandfather but till the end, she didn''t find anything and lost her life." And he became an orphan. "My daughter she is dead?" Lin Si''s eyes turned red and Liu Hui Ying felt the resentment that he had buried in his heart to surge forth. Her eyes narrowed as she threw a calming talisman at him before turning to look at Lin Jinxiao and asking, "Your mother was captured by the Su family?" "Yes," Lin Jinxiao picked up the cup of water and then drank a sip from it before he continued to speak, "They say that she died while she was struggling to escape but my mother was once a rebel. She had more courage than the entire Su family intact, there is no way that she got killed while she tried to escape. Most probably they killed her because of some reason that I don''t know." "It seems like she found out what she shouldn''t have," Jia Li remarked and Liu Hui Ying agreed with her because she did feel a surge of resentment flooding inside the Su house earlier, however, she thought that it was because of the servants that were killed off by their masters. Something that she sensed from the Dowager Empress as well. However looks like there was more to it. ***************** Please take a look at my new book: Escaped My Ex, Got Snatched by his Rival. It will mean a lot. And if you like this book please don''t forget to give it a power stone! Or golden ticket ********************** The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!