“It’s alright! It’s alright, I definitely won’t let anything happen to you…” Li Tianfu hugged Lu Tianzhuo tightly, screaming frantically, “Li Zhijie! Call a doctor! Quickly! If anything happens to him… I’ll make all of you accompany him in death!”
Lu Tianzhuo opened his mouth, blood flowing out…
He wanted to tell Li Tianfu that if there was a next life, he would definitely stay by Li Tianfu’s side. But in the next life… he didn’t want to be a eunuch anymore. He wanted to become Li Tianfu’s man, become her husband to protect her for life, guard her for a lifetime.
But before the words could leave his mouth, Lu Tianzhuo’s pupils dilated, and his fingers gripping Li Tianfu’s hand slowly loosened their strength.
“Lu Tianzhuo! Lu Tianzhuo!” Li Tianfu screamed heart-wrenchingly, crying, “Don’t leave me! Lu Tianzhuo… you promised to stay with me! Lu Tianzhuo, get up! Get up!”
Bai Qingyan stood behind Li Zhijie, watching Li Tianfu, whose clothes were stained red with blood, desperate and utterly distraught, only then guessing that the relationship between Li Tianfu and Lu Tianzhuo was probably extraordinary.
At this moment, she finally understood why that Lu Tianzhuo had to kill her – this Lu Tianzhuo… was Pang Pingguo’s adopted son.
After she had severed Pang Pingguo’s head and destroyed Shu, the Emperor had ordered the extermination of Pang Pingguo’s nine generations. Grandfather had petitioned Jin’s Emperor to spare Pang Pingguo’s family members, saying there was no need to create more killing.
Never had they imagined it would leave behind such a calamity.
Li Zhijie feared that Jin’s Crown Prince would see their princess, who came for the political marriage, holding a eunuch’s corpse, causing the Crown Prince’s disgust. Before the Crown Prince entered, he ordered people to separate Li Tianfu from Lu Tianzhuo.
“Let go of me! You bastards dare lay hands on me! Give me A’Zhuo back! Li Zhijie, are you tired of living?” Li Tianfu’s entire body trembled, her voice hoarse, like a mad beast about to go berserk. “I am Xiliang’s princess! Whoever dares touch me, I’ll exterminate their nine generations!”
“Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has decreed that all matters of this peace negotiation and political marriage shall be managed by this prince, granting this prince absolute authority!” Li Zhijie darkened his face, looking at the guards and maids pushed away by the frenzied Li Tianfu, saying through gritted teeth, “Take the princess back to her chambers immediately. Without this prince’s orders, the princess is not allowed to step out even half a pace, otherwise… this prince will have your heads!”
Li Tianfu struggled, screamed, and wept, desperately crying Lu Tianzhuo’s name, but was still carried away by the strong guards and sent into her chambers.
When the Crown Prince, Xiao Rongyan, and Bai Jinzhi burst in with the Crown Prince’s府兵 and Bai family guards, what they saw was Lu Tianzhuo dead… and Li Zhijie severely wounded.
Just now Xiao Rongyan happened to be at the Crown Prince’s mansion, discussing with the Crown Prince about accompanying Emperor Yan and his legitimate second son Murong Li on a lake excursion today, saying that the Grand Eunuch Feng Yao, who had business with him, learned he had a pleasure boat and invited him to accompany them.
Who knew that just as he finished speaking with the Crown Prince, guards from the Bai mansion arrived carrying a brocade box.
Hearing that Bai Qingyan had taken the Sun-Shooting Bow to the post house to demand Li Zhijie return her brother, Xiao Rongyan was worried and came with the Crown Prince.
Now seeing Bai Qingyan completely unharmed, Xiao Rongyan’s deep gaze turned toward Li Zhijie.
“Elder sister!” Seeing Bai Qingyan behind Li Zhijie, Bai Jinzhi drew the blade at her waist and pointed it directly at Li Zhijie, her eyes red, “Li Zhijie, where is my second brother! Hand over my second brother!”
Not only did Bai Jinzhi want Bai Qingqiong back, but even the people outside were filled with righteous anger… all shouting for Xiliang to hand over the second young master of the Bai family.
“What exactly is going on here?” The Crown Prince’s expression was as dark as water.
Bai Qingyan put away the Sun-Shooting Bow and faced the Crown Prince, kneeling and kowtowing: “Your Highness, today, Prince Yan sent a gift box to the Bai mansion containing my second brother’s archery thumb ring and a letter, asking me to come alone to the post house! After I arrived, Li Zhijie said that tomorrow he wanted to request marriage to my fourth sister at His Majesty’s birthday banquet. If I helped him achieve this wish, he would return my second brother to me!”
Bai Qingyan kowtowed heavily to the Crown Prince: “Please, Your Highness, Crown Prince, uphold justice for the Bai family! Bring back my second brother.”
Li Zhijie’s face went pale – this Bai Qingyan was being excessively frank with the Crown Prince!
Xiao Rongyan looked at the woman kneeling with a resolute expression, deeply suppressing the smile in his eyes. No matter what happened, as long as Bai Qingyan was honest with the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince would trust Bai Qingyan more.
It seemed Bai Qingyan already understood what kind of minister the Crown Prince wanted.
As long as the Crown Prince believed Bai Qingyan was loyal, then even if Bai Qingyan caused tremendous trouble… within the Crown Prince’s capabilities, he would protect Bai Qingyan’s safety.
The situation was too sudden for Li Zhijie to think much. He hurriedly spoke: “Your Highness Crown Prince, that day outside Youhua Road, this minister fell in love with Jin’s High Righteousness County Princess at first sight. Because I learned that Yan’s Emperor wanted to seek marriage with High Righteousness County Princess for Great Yan’s Ninth Prince, I resorted to this desperate measure!”
“I don’t care about your strategies! Since you used my second brother to threaten us, either you return my second brother now, or I’ll hack you to pieces right now and then kill my way into Yun Jing to slaughter your entire family!” Bai Jinzhi was furious, the veins on the back of her hand gripping the sword hilt bulging.
Bai Jinzhi’s voice was violent yet firm. Li Zhijie looked at the Crown Prince who was staring at him with a tense face, knowing things were not good. He closed his eyes, covering the wound on his shoulder, learning from Bai Qingyan’s example, confessing to the Crown Prince in the same manner, pretending to have a resigned, probing tone as he bowed and said…
“Your Highness’s wisdom is clear. This minister only has this thumb ring, and it was given to this minister by that slave who is already dead. The plan was also his idea. He said this method could not only help this minister marry the High Righteousness County Princess, but also make Jin’s Emperor and Crown Prince suspicious of Princess Zhenguo. If Princess Zhenguo no longer led troops from then on, we Xiliang could also breathe much easier. But… this minister never thought he would try to kill Princess Zhenguo!”
Bai Qingyan’s brow twitched, her eyes containing extremely deep killing intent.
From her first meeting with Li Zhijie, she knew this person was extraordinarily clever, but she hadn’t expected he would have the courage to burn his bridges, unafraid of Jin and the Crown Prince’s blame, revealing his schemes half-truthfully.
“Prince Yan pushes all the blame onto a dead person and thinks this is the end of it? My second brother’s thumb ring was sent to my mansion by you! Today, either you hand over my second brother, or you pay with your life!”
Bai Qingyan spoke word by word, her voice so cold it chilled people to the bone.
The Crown Prince’s brow jumped. Bai Qingyan always did what she said, but as Jin’s Crown Prince, he couldn’t let Xiliang’s Prince Yan die in Jin’s capital. He quickly spoke: “Princess Zhenguo… if you trust this prince, leave this matter for this prince to handle. You and High Righteousness County Princess are too emotionally involved, inevitably biased.”
Bai Qingyan gripped the Sun-Shooting Bow tightly, silent for a long moment before speaking: “I trust the Crown Prince!”
The Crown Prince breathed a sigh of relief.
“However…” Bai Qingyan looked toward Li Zhijie, “I want Prince Yan to swear by Heaven God to protect my second brother’s safety. If anything happens to my second brother, may Prince Yan’s entire clan die horribly!”