The Prime Minister’s Daughter and the Marquis’s Fool – Chapter 187
by Little PandaThe Hatred of Having One’s Wife Stolen—Do You Think I Should Spare You Today?!
In the crisp, brittle winter, steps crunched over dry branches and leaves with a rustle. Lin Xizhao and the rest of the group had been walking through the Capital City’s Back Mountains for several hours, and the veil of night was beginning to drape over the terrain.
The sounds of the city siege from outside had long ceased, raising suspicions in the hearts of Qu Yu and the others.
“Let everyone rest for a while,” Qu Jixian spoke up from the front.
Hearing this, the group halted their steps. The guards helped the older women sit down, unslung the bundles from their backs, and took out dry rations.
Lin Xizhao found a spot thick with fallen leaves and sat down; Qu Zhimu’s tiny body followed suit, sitting beside her.
As the group ate their dry rations, Qu Jixian chewed the flatbread in his mouth. He glanced at the surrounding family members, pondered for a moment, and said, “The night will likely be difficult to endure. Everyone must bear with it a little longer.”
Lighting a fire during the day had been to dry their damp shoe soles. If they lit an open flame at night, it would serve as a guiding beacon for those searching for them, pointing out their path.
Qu Yu nodded. His gaze swept toward the city walls outside the mountain forest. “The sounds of the siege stopped a long time ago. We don’t know what has happened.”
Zhao Jiayu took a sip of water. “No matter what, Xiao Sheng’er will definitely come to save us.”
Zhao Jiayu firmly believed this.
“Auntie, eat this.” Qu Zhimu lifted a slightly softer piece of flatbread to Lin Xizhao’s lips.
Lin Xizhao lowered her eyes, parted her lips, and took the soft bread into her mouth. She then raised her hand, feeding the softest part of her own dry rations to Qu Zhimu.
The others stared at the aunt and niece, momentarily dazed.
Since following the adults out, Qu Zhimu had not once asked why. Why did they abandon their residence to come here? But Lin Xizhao knew the little girl understood everything.
Noticing everyone watching them, Lin Xizhao looked toward Zhao Jiayu. Picking up on Qu Yu and his wife’s earlier conversation, she said, “If the siege army suddenly stopped, the two sides are likely negotiating.”
As for what they were negotiating, Lin Xizhao was unsure, but she could guess the gist of it. However, what she guessed was something she dared not think about too deeply.
While she was in the palace, she had been able to find an imposter with a figure similar to hers to deceive the palace’s welcoming procession. Could Jin Mingjun not also use other people to deceive Qu Sheng?
Qu Sheng knew that if they managed to escape the city, they would inevitably seek her out. But currently, they were trapped here. Even if it was a fake, Qu Sheng cared too much and would be thrown into temporary disarray.
Hearing this, everyone lowered their eyes in thought. Qu Jixian let out a heavy sigh; he seemed to have considered this possibility as well.
The group ate quickly. Because it was winter, there was nothing else around them except the whistling of the wind blowing through the bare branches.
But soon, they heard the rustle of footsteps crushing branches and leaves once more.
“Who is it?” A guard instantly drew his sword, staring cautiously at the source of the noise below the mountain, fully on guard.
The movement below stopped, and everyone held their breath.
Zhao Jiayu gripped the hilt of her sword. Slowly drawing the blade, she joined the guards in surrounding the area.
Qu Yu’s eyes could see in the dark. He stared at the spot, but no figure emerged. Although this was a mountain forest, it was still within the city. If there were wild beasts, they would be nothing more than wild foxes, pheasants, or the like.
Zhao Jiayu edged closer to the source. When she shouted, the noise ceased completely. Assuming it was some wild animal, she was just about to sheathe her sword when four figures wearing the uniforms of the city’s imperial guards suddenly appeared before her. Her eyes widened in alarm. But before she could make a move, Qu Yu called out to her.
“Wife!” Qu Yu hurriedly took a few steps forward. “Stop!”
As Qu Yu’s voice rang out, one of the people opposite them also stopped the others behind her.
Qu Yu stared at those two familiar faces, finding it utterly unbelievable.
Zhao Jiayu froze in confusion, not understanding why Qu Yu had stopped her.
“It’s Cousin,” Qu Yu said. The moment these words came out, everyone was stunned.
The person opposite them also spoke up. “Jiayu.”
Hearing the voice, Zhao Jiayu and Lin Xizhao both felt a jolt in their chests. In the hazy darkness, Zhao Jiayu carefully examined the person in front of her. She took a few steps forward and finally made out the general outline of the figure.
“Ajie, is that you?” Zhao Jiayu’s voice was urgent.
“It’s me. It’s Bingying.” Xiao Bingying had already recognized Zhao Jiayu by now.
Hearing this, Zhao Jiayu no longer cared about anything else. She ran straight toward Xiao Bingying and hugged her tightly.
“Where have you been these past two years?” Zhao Jiayu held Xiao Bingying tightly, asking with a sobbing tone.
Xiao Bingying hugged her back, patting the back of her shoulder. “I’ve been with Xi’er this whole time. Now isn’t the time to talk. When we came, the people outside had already surrounded this place. We need to leave quickly.”
That night, Qu Sheng had begged Xiao Bingying to enter the city to find them. Whether in terms of martial arts or familiarity with the Capital City, Xiao Bingying was undoubtedly the best candidate.
Now, bringing Cheng Xi and two highly skilled generals, she had taken advantage of the night, using qinggong1 to scale the city walls. They had already been searching for them in the city for one day and one night.
There was no one left guarding the Qu Residence. They intercepted and killed a few guards before learning that the imperial palace had mobilized many guards to come here to search for the people of the Qu Residence.
The four of them had mingled among the guards to get up the mountain, barely slipping by undetected. But with so many people, not to mention a child, trying to sneak past all together was simply impossible.
They had to leave this place immediately.
Zhao Jiayu released Xiao Bingying, taking a few careful looks at her. Seeing that she hadn’t changed much, her eyes welled with tears. She nodded and asked, “Then where do we go?”
“There are people over here!”
Before Xiao Bingying could answer, the searching guards had somehow caught up from behind.
Everyone startled. Xiao Bingying drew the long saber at her waist and told the group, “You go first. We will hold them off here for a while.”
“No, if we leave, we leave together.”
Pushed away by Xiao Bingying, Zhao Jiayu immediately pressed close again.
They were already in the deepest part of the mountain forest. Going further in would leave them with very few paths to take.
“Go protect them,” Xiao Bingying said, looking at Zhao Jiayu with a stern expression.
No matter the situation, she would always charge ahead of Zhao Jiayu, shielding this younger sister.
Seeing that Zhao Jiayu was unwilling to leave, Cheng Xi walked over and said, “Let’s retreat for now.”
Right now, it was only a few men; Xiao Bingying could handle them.
Zhao Jiayu looked at Cheng Xi, then turned back to look at Qu Yu. Qu Yu nodded, and the two of them came up from below.
Holding the child, Lin Xizhao watched Cheng Xi approach. Cheng Xi also recognized Lin Xizhao. Glancing at the child in her arms, the corners of Cheng Xi’s lips curled up slightly. “Miss Sheng entrusted us to save you, but it seems it won’t be that easy.”
They also knew this trip would be extremely dangerous, but since Qu Sheng had asked, they still agreed and came in.
As the group retreated, Xiao Bingying and her men stood their ground. They dispatched the few guards who had come up in a few swift strikes. However, because the man had shouted just now, the surrounding guards were likely converging on this location.
Left with no choice, Xiao Bingying had to take her men to intentionally draw their attention, buying the group time to relocate.
As Xiao Bingying led her men away, Cheng Xi also guided the group toward another direction.
Half an hour later, Cheng Xi led the group in their escape. Seeing fireworks released in the distance, she stared at the spot for a few moments, then led the group in the opposite direction.
Carrying a child, Lin Xizhao was walking far too slowly. Seeing this, Cheng Xi said softly, “Let me carry her.”
Lin Xizhao glanced at Qu Zhimu in her arms. Other than her wet nurse and family members, she was generally unwilling to interact with other people.
But right after Cheng Xi finished speaking, Qu Zhimu stretched out both hands, wanting Cheng Xi to hold her.
Watching the little girl’s sensible behavior, Cheng Xi took her, holding her in one arm, and looked down. Back then, this little one had nearly died because of Xiao Bingying’s feigned death; it was Cheng Xi who had used acupuncture to save her. Now she had grown so big.
Qu Zhimu stared at Cheng Xi’s face for a long time. She felt that Cheng Xi was very pretty. Although her voice was not as gentle as her aunt’s, it was equally pleasant to listen to, and she felt like she had heard it somewhere before.
Cheng Xi met her gaze, a flash of fondness crossing her eyes, and carried her as she walked forward.
There was always an end to walking further into the mountain forest. She needed to take advantage of the time Xiao Bingying bought them by distracting the guards to find a way down. Then, late at night when the defenses were weak, she could sneak them out of the city one by one.
As Cheng Xi walked forward, Qu Zhimu suddenly spoke by her ear.
“There are bad guys down there.”
Cheng Xi’s expression faltered slightly. She glanced down, but it was pitch black, and she couldn’t see a thing. Yet she didn’t doubt Qu Zhimu’s words in the slightest, because she knew Qu Zhimu was Qu Yu’s child. The members of the Qu family possessed night vision.
Cheng Xi stopped her steps, glanced left and right, turned around, and headed upwards.
It was pitch black below, making it impossible to see anything, but the moment Cheng Xi began leading the people upward, movement stirred from below.
Resting on Cheng Xi’s thin shoulder, Qu Zhimu looked behind them and whispered in Cheng Xi’s ear, “The bad guys are coming up.”
Hearing this, Cheng Xi paused, telling the group to go first while she brought up the rear. Zhao Jiayu, who had been supporting a few of the elders, saw Cheng Xi stop and came over as well.
“Mother, the bad guys are down there,” Qu Zhimu hurriedly said when she saw Zhao Jiayu approach.
The moment Zhao Jiayu heard the words ‘bad guys,’ she instantly thought of the palace guards.
Earlier in the residence, when Qu Zhimu had asked why they couldn’t go out, Zhao Jiayu had told her that the guards were bad guys preventing them from leaving. Thus, it was certain that the people below were the guards.
There shouldn’t be many of them; if there were, they wouldn’t be hiding and skulking about like this.
“Mu’er, be good. Tell Mother, where are the bad guys located?” Zhao Jiayu coaxed her daughter in a low voice.
At this moment, Cheng Xi shifted her long saber to the same hand holding Qu Zhimu.
Hearing her mother’s words, Qu Zhimu immediately raised her little finger, accurately pointing out the spot where the faint noise was coming from. In the next instant, Cheng Xi’s hidden weapon shot out.
Soon, the sound of a body hitting the ground could be heard. Following that, Qu Zhimu pointed at another person who was trying to flee, and Cheng Xi repeated the process, killing him instantly.
“Are there any more?” Zhao Jiayu asked urgently.
Qu Zhimu shook her little head. “No more.”
Cheng Xi and Zhao Jiayu exchanged a glance. “We need to go down the mountain,” Cheng Xi said.
Zhao Jiayu blinked, then quickly nodded. She dashed upward and called the group back down.
The group made their way down the mountain. Because they couldn’t use open flames, Qu Yu and his daughter became their eyes.
But the further down the mountain they went, the more they could see the surroundings scattered with firelight. Cheng Xi led the group, bypassing these illuminated zones. By the time they reached halfway down the mountain, Xiao Bingying returned.
Xiao Bingying and her men came running over. After the two groups converged, they continued down the mountain.
Although they killed searching guards along the way, Lin Xizhao still felt an overriding sense of unease.
It wasn’t until they reached the foot of the mountain and thought they were safe, searching for a place to hide temporarily, that firelight swiftly flared up around them.
Densely packed men were lying in ambush on all sides. It was as if they had woven a dragnet trap, leaving it open just so they would dive right into it.
Qu Sheng entered her tent, changed out of her damaged clothes, and brought her men to the central command tent.
Jin Mingjun had already been sitting there for quite some time. Seeing Qu Sheng enter, he subconsciously stood up. Qu Sheng didn’t even spare him a glance. She sat straight down, picked up the armistice agreement his people had drafted and left on the table, and began flipping through it.
“Hmph, you’re quite fair—splitting it equally.” Qu Sheng roughly glanced over the agreement. Jin Mingjun had divided Tiansheng into two. He would occupy the north and the majority of the south west of Lianfu Mountain. Using Lianfu Mountain as the boundary line, the eastern territories and Shoulin would belong to the Qu family.
Qu Sheng raised her eyes to look at Jin Mingjun. Having just heard Qu Sheng’s voice, Jin Mingjun felt a bit of trepidation. Seeing her look up, his gaze dodged slightly, but he had no choice but to meet it.
“If Cousin feels there is anything inappropriate, This Emperor can change it.” Jin Mingjun’s attitude toward the peace talks was earnest.
Qu Sheng flipped through the pages, crossing out a few sections with a brush. “Lianfu Mountain is covered in miasma year-round. Commoners cannot enter or live there, and the continuous mountain ranges mean that anyone who goes in can hardly find their way out. While this area belongs to my Qu family, I also want the territories south of the Dingshan, Cizhou, Yongyang, and Taizhou line, including the Thirty-six Prefectures in those areas.”
“Th-These Thirty-six Prefectures… if they belong to your Qu family, the territory of our Great Jin Dynasty will be severely diminished. Moreover, the arable land in the north is already sparse. If this happens, how do you expect our commoners to survive?” Standing to the side, Jiang Pingchao heard Qu Sheng open the lion’s mouth wide2 and immediately voiced his objection.
“Heh, I don’t care. When the time comes, you must also issue a decree forbidding any obstruction of the migration of officials and commoners.”
Once Tiansheng was divided and governed separately, given the Qu family’s prestige, commoners and officials would inevitably uproot their families to move there. The successive years of warfare had depleted much of Tiansheng’s population. Qu Sheng understood deeply that only with people could there be a nation. But these demands were merely a stalling tactic. Even if the agreement was signed and her family was released, she would still attack the Capital City and make Jin Mingjun pay the price!
Jiang Pingchao watched Qu Sheng’s overbearing attitude, a fire of indignation burning in his chest. Just as he opened his mouth, Qu Sheng abruptly stood up. “You have no right to haggle with me!”
Jiang Pingchao was not like those civil officials. He disdained using family members to threaten people; he only wanted to fight for his side. “Our Great Jin Dynasty has three hundred thousand troops stationed at the Western Frontier, and three hundred thousand in the southern lands. Every territory has garrisoned soldiers. Do you really think we have no right to negotiate?”
Hearing this, Qu Sheng sneered again. “Then you’ll have to manage to survive until then.”
Qu Sheng knew they had military forces, but the troops at the Western Frontier could not be moved. Once there was any change at the Western Frontier, the Sishi Kingdom would definitely invade.
Hearing this, Jiang Pingchao’s fists clenched tightly. Jin Mingjun kept his head down, thinking for a long time. Just as he was about to agree, someone hurriedly entered from outside and whispered a few words into Qu Sheng’s ear.
Listening to the Assistant Commander’s words, Qu Sheng immediately stood up. Without even a word of greeting, she hurried outside.
Xiao Bingying and Cheng Xi had returned, but it was only the two of them.
“Xiao Sheng’er, Xizhao and Cousin and the others were captured,” Xiao Bingying hastily said when she saw Qu Sheng enter.
Qu Sheng furrowed her brows, confusion in her eyes.
Seeing the doubt in Qu Sheng’s eyes, Cheng Xi took out the hairpin in her hand and presented it to Qu Sheng. Qu Sheng looked at the white jade hairpin, recognizing it at a glance as Lin Xizhao’s.
Qu Sheng hurriedly reached out to take it. Stroking it with her hand, she looked up at Cheng Xi.
Cheng Xi, having just heard someone report what had transpired earlier that day, said, “Your family wasn’t in their hands before, but they were captured after we went in.”
Not only Lin Xizhao and the rest—even the two of them had failed to escape unscathed.
“Feng Sugao told us to bring you a message. He can guarantee your family’s safety, and he can also send them out completely unharmed, but he has one condition.”
“What condition?” Only now did Qu Sheng realize that the people she had seen on the city walls earlier that day hadn’t been her family at all.
“He wants Jin Mingjun dead.”
Qu Sheng looked up at Cheng Xi, her eyes seeming to ponder Feng Sugao’s intentions. But soon, she heard Xiao Bingying add, “Jin Mingjun previously invested Xizhao as Empress in the city. Jin Mingjun also deliberately refused to name a Crown Prince, and Feng Sugao’s daughter didn’t even receive a posthumous title. So, I’m guessing he holds a grudge against Jin Mingjun because of this and wants to support his own grandson’s ascension to the throne.”
Qu Sheng had previously heard from Lin Xirui and Feng Qi that Jin Mingjun wanted to make Lin Xizhao his Empress, but she hadn’t known the investiture had already taken place.
Now that she was invested, he actually dared to use Lin Xizhao’s life to threaten her. Just thinking about this, Qu Sheng hated him so much she wanted him dead instantly.
If others had brought the news, Qu Sheng might have doubted it. But since it was Xiao Bingying and Cheng Xi who brought the message, she believed it to be true.
Wanting Jin Mingjun dead? That was as easy as turning over one’s hand3.
“Before Jin Mingjun came out, he had already entrusted all matters in the city to Feng Sugao. I think his words are credible,” Xiao Bingying said.
Feng Sugao now had the final say over everything in the city. If they didn’t agree, Feng Sugao would also act against Lin Xizhao and the others.
Qu Sheng pondered for a few moments, then exited the tent.
Suddenly left hanging by Qu Sheng, Jin Mingjun sat in the central command tent, somewhat uneasy. To the side, Jiang Pingchao looked left and right at the soldiers guarding outside. After mulling it over, his intuition told him this was not a place to stay for long.
He took a step forward and whispered to his master, Jin Mingjun. “Your Majesty, I see that Qu Sheng has little sincerity. This is no place to linger. We should return to the city as soon as possible. When she actually wants to talk with us, it won’t be too late to come back out.”
Having been left waiting for so long, there was no telling what medicine was sold in Qu Sheng’s gourd4. After all, this was an enemy camp. Even though they held Qu Sheng’s family in their hands, there was no guarantee Qu Sheng wouldn’t suddenly snap.
Hearing these words, Jin Mingjun turned his head and nodded. “General Jiang is right.”
Jin Mingjun stood up, and Jiang Pingchao followed, with the guards behind them tagging along. But just as they reached the entrance of the tent, Qu Sheng walked in from outside.
She looked at Jin Mingjun, who seemed about to leave. A smile formed in her eyes, yet concealed within that smile were tens of thousands of sharp knives. “Where is Cousin going?”
Seeing Qu Sheng’s sudden half-smile, Jin Mingjun subconsciously stepped back. “I-I waited for Cousin for so long, This Emperor thought Cousin was no longer willing to sign the agreement.”
Hearing this, Qu Sheng’s brows gathered slightly. She let out a light laugh. “My wife and family are still in the city. How could I be unwilling to sign?”
When Jiang Pingchao heard Qu Sheng use the word ‘wife,’ he couldn’t help but look up to scrutinize her.
Qu Sheng then walked past them, heading toward the desk. She picked up the agreement from earlier and began reading it again.
Jin Mingjun turned around. Seeing Qu Sheng carefully reviewing the agreement again, he exchanged a glance with Jiang Pingchao and walked back.
“The Thirty-six Prefectures that Cousin requested, This Emperor has agreed to it.” Jin Mingjun’s military forces had not yet arrived. If he didn’t satisfy Qu Sheng’s demands, he felt it would certainly provoke her to turn hostile. It was better to agree straightforwardly and ensure the city wasn’t breached first.
“Mm. Then I will have someone draw up a new treaty. You can take it back to the city and stamp it with your imperial seal.”
The treaty Qu Sheng was currently holding bore the imperial seal led by the Jin family.
But Qu Sheng saying this was nothing more than a ploy to stall for time.
“Oh, right. When will my wife and family be released?” Qu Sheng asked, raising her head.
Hearing this, Jin Mingjun hastily said, “The moment This Emperor returns to the city, they will be released immediately.”
Qu Sheng stared at Jin Mingjun. Starting with cold eyes, a smile slowly blossomed on her face. Only, that smile was far more terrifying than when she had a cold expression.
“I heard that Cousin clearly knew my wife had already married me, yet you still invested her as your Empress. I wonder what you were thinking at the time?” Qu Sheng suddenly asked, her tone neither hurried nor slow.
Hearing this, Jin Mingjun’s heart suddenly trembled, startling him into a panic.
“This-This Emperor did not know at the time.”
“Uncle didn’t write a letter to inform you?” Qu Sheng asked deliberately.
Jin Mingjun’s throat bobbed before he denied it. “No. This Emperor had absolutely no idea.”
Qu Sheng scoffed. “Then that’s strange. Before he died, Uncle told me he had already written a letter home to warn you. How is it that Cousin didn’t receive it?”
Jin Mingjun kept his head down and remained silent. Qu Sheng’s eyes narrowed slightly as she suddenly asked another question: “When did you first harbor the desire to become emperor?”
When these words drilled into Jin Mingjun’s ears, his whole body shuddered. He looked up at Qu Sheng, speechless for a long time.
“I spent so much effort bringing reforms to Jiangnan, yet you colluded with the Xie family and the powerful noble houses, murdered the monarch, and usurped the throne. You truly are my good cousin.” Qu Sheng had never guarded against the Jin family. Even when friction had arisen between them, she had never harbored the slightest doubt regarding the relationship between the Jin family and their Qu family.
Hearing this, Jin Mingjun swallowed nervously. “The Emperor of Tiansheng was fatuous and brutal5, and my father died in battle at the Northern Frontier. When the Xie family sought This Emperor out, This Emperor was pushed into it. I had no other choice.”
“No other choice? Heh. As far as I know, you were already conspiring with the Xie family before Uncle died. At the time, Uncle was right beside me. Were you not afraid I would kill him?”
Jin Mingjun stared at the desk. His eyes darted around nervously, and beads of sweat had already formed on his forehead.
“While I was fighting a lone battle at the Northern Frontier, you spared no effort, dispatching an army of eight hundred thousand wanting to put me to death. What were you thinking back then?”
“You placed my family under house arrest. Knowing full well that Xizhao was already married to me, you still tried to force her into marriage. When you were taking my wife, did it never occur to you that I would come back one day?” As Qu Sheng spoke, her voice lost the mocking gentleness from earlier.
The questioning, each word sharper than the last, left Jin Mingjun too terrified to reply.
Jin Mingjun had thought about it. Before he had managed to fully assemble his army, he had the same nightmare every single day: dying at Qu Sheng’s hands.
“The hatred of having one’s wife stolen—do you think I should spare you today?!” Qu Sheng stood up abruptly. A group of burly soldiers also poured into the tent. Each was clad in fish-scale iron armor and wielding a long saber.
The men behind Jin Mingjun instantly drew their blades to confront them. Qu Sheng stared at them, gave a cold laugh, and waved her hand at her men.
Fighting broke out inside the tent immediately. Those guards had never dealt with soldiers equipped so formidably. They were swiftly killed off, leaving only Jiang Pingchao desperately fighting to protect Jin Mingjun behind him.
Very soon, everyone had forced them into a corner. Qu Sheng stared at Jiang Pingchao and said, “General Jiang, I still need someone to carry Jin Mingjun’s corpse back to deliver the message.” She spread her hands slightly, feigning an innocent expression. “You see, today the Bei’an army infiltrated my camp to assassinate this general, but they mistook you for me.”
As she spoke, the corners of Qu Sheng’s lips curled into a smile that made one shudder.
Holding his long saber up to shield Jin Mingjun, Jiang Pingchao furrowed his brows at Qu Sheng’s words. “If you kill our Emperor today, are you not afraid your family won’t make it out?”
Qu Sheng raised an eyebrow and smiled. “What if someone wants me to exchange Jin Mingjun’s head for them?”
The moment the words left Qu Sheng’s mouth, both Jin Mingjun and Jiang Pingchao were stunned.
Hiding behind Jiang Pingchao, Jin Mingjun immediately realized the truth. His eyes widened as he asked in a panic, “Is it Feng Sugao who wants you to kill This Emperor?”
Qu Sheng didn’t answer. She only stared at them. Soon, an expression of utter defeat washed over Jin Mingjun’s face.
Qu Sheng didn’t waste any more breath on them. She raised her hand and reached to the side. A general quickly brought her arrows to her.
Taking the arrows, Qu Sheng drew two shafts, notched them onto her bowstring, and aimed them at Jiang Pingchao and Jin Mingjun.
When Qu Sheng released the string, Jin Mingjun was completely hiding behind Jiang Pingchao, but Qu Sheng’s arrows found their mark in Jiang Pingchao’s legs.
Jiang Pingchao managed to bat one arrow away with a slash of his blade, but the other struck true, sinking right into his calf.
As Jiang Pingchao instinctively dropped to a crouch, Qu Sheng notched her third arrow. Its speed simply left no room for Jin Mingjun’s family general to block it.
Under Jin Mingjun’s terrified gaze, the arrow precisely pierced his throat.
“Your Majesty!” When Jiang Pingchao realized Jin Mingjun had been shot, he turned to try and save him. But the soldiers beside him pressed their blades to his neck and dragged him away.
Qu Sheng walked step by step until she stood before Jin Mingjun. With an arrow driven through his throat, he clutched his neck with both hands, his mouth gaping wide as he desperately tried to draw breath.
Jin Mingjun struggled, reaching out to touch Qu Sheng. But as he drew near, Qu Sheng reached out and gripped the fletching of the arrow.
“I have already brought Uncle’s remains back. Rest assured, I will give his esteemed self a proper burial.” Finishing her words in a soft voice, Qu Sheng viciously yanked the arrow out.
Blood instantly spurted from Jin Mingjun’s throat, splattering everywhere around him. Qu Sheng raised her hand to shield herself from the spray.
The author has something to say:
Qu Sheng: “Even though she wasn’t stolen away, I just wanted an excuse.”
The red envelopes for comments will continue~
The Qu family members didn’t appear on the city tower because if they had, they might have all committed suicide. Actually, in the outline, more people from the Qu family were supposed to die than just those few. Some might say Qu Sheng was dumbed down here, but I disagree. Anyone who has ever cared deeply about someone would probably understand her state of mind at the time. Once a person is dead, there’s no medicine for regret. Qu Sheng experienced helplessness and heartache once, which made her all the more cautious and appreciative.
Footnotes
- A martial arts technique allowing the user to leap great heights and move swiftly.
- An idiom meaning to make outrageous or exorbitant demands.
- An idiom meaning something is as easy as flipping one's hand over.
- An idiom questioning what secret plans or tricks someone is hiding.
- An idiom describing a ruler who is foolish, incompetent, and acts without moral principle.
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