The leading officer exclaimed in surprise, “Prince Yan, you’re not crippled?”
The outside world had spread rumors that Prince Yan, Xie Ciyuan, was blind and lame, with all his martial arts wasted.
But if he could casually pick up a dead tree branch and kill someone from several zhang away, then if he was a cripple, weren’t they even worse than a cripple?
“I have been a general for over a decade. Even if I’ve lost my power in one fell swoop, dealing with a few pests is still more than enough for me.
In searching Prince Yan’s Residence and Cheng En Gong Fu, you are acting on imperial orders, and I will not make trouble for you.
But if you dare to bully the women and children of the Ning family, this man will be your warning.”
At that moment, he no longer wore fine brocade robes, and his complexion was somewhat haggard, but when he deliberately released his oppressive aura, everyone involuntarily recalled his most prominent identity—the War God of Great Chu.
The killing intent radiating from his entire being, from the inside out, made everyone subconsciously hold their breath. Those officers no longer felt the thrill and excitement of bullying the dynasty’s War God, and they all cowered and lowered their heads in unison, “We understand.”
Because just as Xie Ciyuan himself had said, he had served as a general in Great Chu for many years, and no one knew to what extent his influence truly reached.
And since Xie Ciyuan dared to kill someone right in front of them, it showed he had no fear whatsoever of having his property confiscated and being exiled.
Those officers were merely using their official uniforms to bully others like a fox borrowing the tiger’s might. Faced with Xie Ciyuan’s Zhenhun Army, who would dare to clash head-on?
Without even needing Xie Ciyuan to give an explanation for the officer lying on the ground, those men dragged away their superior’s corpse and fled on their own.
Xie Ciyuan calmly lay back down on the stretcher, as if nothing had happened.
Yun Jiuqing, who had witnessed the entire scene, blinked. The residence that was said to be so poor it had nothing but four bare walls, yet in reality was piled with mountains of heavenly treasures, gold, silver, and jade.
The Prince Yan who was rumored to be blind and lame, bedridden and unable to rise, yet could kill with a flying staff, reckless and unrestrained.
So, was everyone in Prince Yan’s Residence truly a drama queen?
If so, how much of Prince Yan Xie Ciyuan’s injuries were real?
Yun Jiuqing mused that this exile journey was becoming more and more interesting.
Before she could think further, the officers in charge of the escort began shouting and urging them on.
“Move it, move it! If we miss the appointed time, you’ll be in for it!”
Watching them all looking fierce and menacing, Yun Jiuqing couldn’t help but laugh.
With such a big commotion just now, and a death no less, she refused to believe these people knew nothing.
They waited until everything was over before rushing in to put on a show. Say what you will, Chu Jing really was a place full of talented people everywhere.
Muttering inwardly, she followed the main group out of Prince Yan’s Residence.
With a bang, the vermilion gates of Prince Yan’s Residence closed, and the officers eagerly slapped on the seals.
Xie Ciyuan couldn’t see, so his face showed no particular expression.
But the few guards were visibly deflated in spirit.
Yun Jiuqing wasn’t familiar with the people and things around her, and didn’t dare to speak much, so she just shuffled along in the procession.
However, “Isn’t this an exile? This isn’t the road out of the city, is it?”
One of the escorting officers muttered suspiciously, only to get a kick in the rear from the leading captain.
“What do you know?
His Majesty has decreed that Prince Yan, relying on his merits, angered the late emperor to death, a truly heinous crime. We are ordered to parade him through the streets to show the people of Chu Jing what their beloved War God really looks like?!”
The officer spoke with grand justification, but in truth, anyone with eyes knew that the emperor, having finally toppled Xie Ciyuan, simply wanted to torment him and watch him leave in disgrace.
Whether it was deliberately arranged or not, even though it was still early, every place they passed was bustling with noise.
There were even many officials familiar with Prince Yan and their families watching from the sidelines, including Yun Wanqing, who had been hurling abuse at Yun Jiuqing that morning.
But with so many people around now, Yun Wanqing wasn’t as arrogant as she had been in the morning. In fact, the moment she saw Yun Jiuqing, her eyes reddened.
“Elder sister, don’t be angry with Father. It’s not that Father doesn’t want to save you, it’s just that the imperial will cannot be defied!
I know you don’t want to be exiled together with Prince Yan, who is gravely injured, but you are already Princess Consort Yan. Father’s heart is willing, but his strength falls short.”
As she spoke, she pulled out a bulging embroidered pouch and handed it to Yun Jiuqing. “This is a small token from me and Mother and Father. You can use it to buy food and drink on the road.
Oh, and these crispy pastries from Zui Xian Ju are your favorites…”
Yun Jiuqing looked at Yun Wanqing, who had suddenly run up to put on a show of sisterly affection, as if she were looking at an idiot.
Just an hour ago, she had been egging Yun Daowei on to kill her, and now she was acting all sisterly and loving. Was this little green tea bitch taking her for a fool to toy with?
Besides, unless something unexpected had happened, the undergarments and belly bands fluttering in the wind at the entrance of Shi Lang Fu should have already been discovered.
Yun Wanqing still had the nerve to come chasing after her. With that kind of mental fortitude, Yun Jiuqing almost admired her.
But soon Yun Jiuqing realized what she was really doing.
Because just as Yun Wanqing was saying these things, people from Cheng En Gong Fu also emerged from the side, and as luck would have it, they happened to overhear Yun Wanqing’s words.
The people of Cheng En Gong Fu immediately changed the way they looked at Yun Jiuqing.
At that moment, Yun Wanqing was stuffing the pouch into her hand, putting on a show of sisterly affection, yet the words that came out of her mouth were chilling to the bone.
“Yun Jiuqing, I told you before, no matter how noble your birth is, I have plenty of ways to make you rot in the mud. The Ning family treats Prince Yan like a treasure in their palm, so along this road, you just take your time and enjoy it!”
When she finished speaking, she straightened up, pretended to dab at her eyes, and continued to sob while saying things that could easily be misunderstood.
Yun Jiuqing suddenly reached out, and with lightning speed, pulled off the hairpins and ornaments from her head, casually placing them on Prince Yan’s stretcher. Then she grabbed Yun Wanqing’s arm and stripped off both bracelets from her hands.
With a face full of feigned emotion, she said, “Yun Daowei has already cut ties with me as father and daughter, yet you, sister, are still willing to see me off. I’m truly touched! Prince Yan’s Residence is so poor it clangs, and Yun Daowei didn’t give me any dowry either. Fortunately, I have you, sister, to give me these personal gifts. Otherwise, I’d really worry that I’d starve to death before I even reach Bei Huang!”
After she finished speaking, she very smoothly stuffed Yun Wanqing’s jewelry under the blanket of Prince Yan on the stretcher. Then she added maliciously, “Oh, by the way, the view from the gates of Shi Lang Fu is absolutely lovely. I wonder if you’ve ever had the chance to appreciate it?”
You want to act all calm and composed, don’t you?
Well, I’ll just expose your embarrassment for all to see!
Poking at people’s wounds—that was something Yun Jiuqing excelled at!
“It was you?!”
Yun Jiuqing grinned. “Yes, it was me. What are you going to do about it?”
Yun Wanqing was so angry her eyes turned red, but this act was one she had chosen to put on, so she couldn’t just abandon it halfway. Thus, she could only cower and continue pretending to be a pushover, all to maintain the gentle and generous persona she had crafted for herself.
Seeing this, Yun Jiuqing curled her lips in a sneer and stood beside Prince Yan’s stretcher.
The exiled procession slowly made its way out of the city, when suddenly, pedestrians lining the streets began hurling rotten eggs and spoiled vegetables at them.
“Traitor! We trusted you so much, and you betrayed Great Chu and drove the late emperor to his death! Beat you to death!”
Once someone started such a thing, others followed suit, and before long, people all over the street were vying to do the same.
The members of Prince Yan’s Residence were all red-faced with anger.
Their prince was clearly a hero who had slain enemies and protected the nation, yet now he was being slandered like this by the very people he had once shielded—truly disheartening.