“Do not be impudent.” The elderly eunuch, seeing this, immediately stepped forward and blocked Feng Qingyin.

Feng Qingyin was stopped in her tracks. She suddenly shot out her hand and delivered a hard slap across the elderly eunuch’s face.

“You worthless slave! Do you not see who I am? I am the Empress — the Empress who embodies the virtue of all under heaven — how dare you obstruct me!”

Several guards watched the elderly eunuch get struck and immediately turned to look at Zhan Yuheng.

Qing Yun gave them a look. The guards dipped their heads, rose, and came running inside.

“You worthless slave — get out of the way! Are you looking for death?” Feng Qingyin’s voice continued to ring through the cell.

Just as she was about to land a second blow on the elderly eunuch, two guards seized her from either side, restraining her.

“Release me! I am the Empress — release me at once!” Feng Qingyin let out a furious cry, then fell silent the moment her gaze returned to Zhan Yuheng.

“Imperial Brother, you’ve come to see me — take me away from here, I don’t want to stay in this wretched place.”

“I am the Empress — I belong in the Xuanhua Hall, not here. Imperial Brother, quickly — take me away. There are demons in this place, there are demons here!”

“Has Jiu’er been here?” Zhan Yuheng stared at her and asked quietly.

Feng Qingyin had still been struggling to break free, but at the two words “Jiu’er,” she went still.

“Jiu’er.” She furrowed her brow. “Feng Jiu’er — yes, Feng Jiu’er came. She also wounded my face.”

Feng Qingyin moved to touch her own face, only to find her hands held immobile.

She turned and glared at the guards beside her, her eyes brimming with murderous fury: “Release me! My Imperial Brother is here — why haven’t you let go yet!”

“Release me at once! This consort will have you all killed! This consort will exterminate your nine clans — release me! Now!”

“Why did Jiu’er come?” Zhan Yuheng’s voice came again.

Everyone present could see that the Emperor’s patience today was remarkable by any measure.

Yet Feng Qingyin would not have seen it that way — the moment Feng Jiu’er’s name reached her ears, she erupted again as though seized by madness.

“Imperial Brother, Feng Jiu’er came to ruin my face — you must take revenge for me. I want to carve a hundred cuts across Feng Jiu’er’s face.”

“Wuu…” Feng Qingyin’s brow creased, and she began to sob. “Imperial Brother, Feng Jiu’er ruined my face, and then she claimed she’d help treat it.”

“The ointment is all used up and my face still hurts terribly! Imperial Brother, you must avenge me — I want to destroy Feng Jiu’er, I want revenge!”

“This Emperor is asking you: why did Jiu’er come?” Zhan Yuheng’s brow furrowed, and his patience appeared to have finally reached its limit.

Qing Yun had no idea what state Feng Qingyin was in and dared not say too much.

His gaze fell on the vial lying by the wall. He walked over, picked it up, and returned to Zhan Yuheng’s side.

“Your Majesty, it would appear to be an ointment.”

“No!” Feng Qingyin caught sight of the vial and cried out. “That’s Feng Jiu’er — she tricked me — that isn’t medicine, it’s poison!”

“She ruined this consort’s face — it was her, how cruel she is!”

“Imperial Brother, summon the imperial physician — quickly! Summon the imperial physician. No matter what happens, this consort’s face cannot be ruined.”

“Quickly — go summon the imperial physician. What are you all standing there for, you worthless slaves? Go and summon the imperial physician at once!”

Suddenly, Zhan Yuheng stepped forward and closed his hand around Feng Qingyin’s throat.

His movement was swift — the wind it stirred even lifted Feng Qingyin’s dark hair.

Every person present froze in stunned silence at Zhan Yuheng’s action, including Feng Qingyin herself.

She stared at Zhan Yuheng with wide, unblinking eyes, finally coming fully to her senses.

“You… what are you doing?”

“Answer me. Did you hurt Jiu’er?” Zhan Yuheng held Feng Qingyin’s gaze, his brow faintly creased.

At this moment, one exertion of force and Feng Qingyin’s life would be over.

“What is the meaning of… this? Feng Jiu’er injured me, and you still speak up for her? I have done so much for you… you treat me this way…”

“Did she get hurt?” Zhan Yuheng’s low voice cut Feng Qingyin off.

Feng Qingyin drew a deep breath and broke into loud laughter.

“Hahaha… what does it matter that you are Emperor? You cannot even claim the woman you love.”

“So what if I injured her? The greatest regret of my life, Feng Qingyin’s life, is that I didn’t rid myself of that madwoman sooner!”

“Feng Jiu’er is nothing but lowly — the most lowly creature under heaven — mmph…”

Zhan Yuheng tightened his grip, and Feng Qingyin could no longer breathe, let alone speak.

Seeing this, Qing Yun quickly said: “Your Majesty, Miss Jiu’er’s martial arts are now formidable — I trust she would be difficult to harm.”

Hearing Qing Yun’s words, Zhan Yuheng’s expression visibly eased.

Feng Qingyin stared up at the man she had loved, her complexion growing whiter and whiter.

Zhan Yuheng’s gaze swept across her face, and with an expression of utter contempt, he flung her away.

From the moment Zhan Yuheng had seized Feng Qingyin by the throat, the two guards had loosened their hold on her. Now, flung aside by Zhan Yuheng without mercy, she crashed hard onto the ground.

“Grant her a white silk cord. There is no need to wait until tomorrow.”

With those words, Zhan Yuheng turned and walked away.

As Feng Qingyin raised her gaze, all she saw was his cold, retreating silhouette.

The last look of contempt on Zhan Yuheng’s face replayed over and over in her mind.

Even as hands came to pull her upright and lift her toward the white silk cord, Feng Qingyin showed no reaction at all.

In the end, the woman suspended there gave a few final kicks of her legs — and at last consented to close her eyes forever.

Feng Jiu’er departed from the Feng Family estate and threaded her way through several streets and alleyways, then leapt up and vaulted over the back wall of an inn.

The moment she stepped inside, her brow furrowed.

Feng Jiu’er turned and pulled the door shut, then carried her box and walked in as though nothing were amiss.

She set the dust-covered box on the table, drew out a handkerchief, sat down, and began carefully wiping it clean.

“Dong, you haven’t done something wrong and gone into hiding, have you? What’s that about?”

Feng Jiu’er looked at the box on the table and reached out, gently easing it open.

“Failure to follow orders — I wonder if that counts as a wrongdoing.”

Suddenly, a voice came from behind Feng Jiu’er.

With a sharp snap, Feng Jiu’er slammed the box she had just opened shut again.

She stood, turned, looked at the person behind her, and stared with wide, unblinking eyes.

“Any chance I could get something to eat before the scolding?” Qiao Mu let out a quiet sigh and went to settle herself into the chair.

“I’ve been traveling non-stop for two days and a night. Feng Yandong told me to come here and wait for you, said to let me explain things to you myself.”

“Who could have thought neither of you would come back in the middle of the night — I nearly starved to death.”

“Qiao Mu!” After a moment, Feng Jiu’er finally accepted the reality of Qiao Mu’s presence.

Feng Jiu’er strode forward, grabbed Qiao Mu by the sleeve, and nearly hauled her bodily out of the chair.

“Didn’t I ask you to guard the Black Gorge — what are you doing here?”

“Who doesn’t know what you mean by that?” Qiao Mu unhurriedly met her gaze. “Aren’t you just worried about getting me killed?”

“With Zhao Zuosheng, the Old Patriarch, Xing Zizhou, and Xiao Yingtao there — the Black Gorge has plenty of people without me. One more makes no difference, one less makes no difference either!”

“The thing is, once you left, I couldn’t sleep. I had no choice but to follow.”