Seeing that Prince Jing was still alive, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
He claimed the kidnapper was Liu Zhongwen.
Xiao Yang’s gaze swept over the kidnappers, but there was no sign of Liu Zhongwen among them. Her eyes, however, settled on the man holding a knife to Prince Jing’s neck.
“Chen Han.”
Xiao Lv called out the man’s name.
Chen Han, the youngest son of Duke Rong and the Empress Dowager’s half-brother.
Evidently, the old Empress Dowager Faction was back to strike again.
Xiao Yang once again regretted not killing them all in the first place.
‘If you don’t pull up the weeds by the roots, they’ll just grow back in the spring.’
‘No wonder they dared to hide in the Empress Dowager’s tomb. They’re all family, so of course they’re not afraid. The Empress Dowager was one hell of a dedicated older sister. Even in death, her tomb could shelter her family.’
Now that he was recognized, Chen Han dropped the pretense. He used Prince Jing to shield his body, pressing the dagger so tightly against the Prince’s neck that fresh blood began to trickle down.
He had the audacity to make the first accusation. “Xiao Jin, you ungrateful wretch! You won’t even spare your own birth mother’s mausoleum.”
Xiao Yang replied, “That’s rich, coming from you. I was merely planning to open the Imperial Mausoleum. You’re the one who blew the place up. When it comes to ruthlessness, the Chen Family really takes the cake.”
Even their worst enemies wouldn’t have stooped so low, but the Chen Family had done it.
Chen Han stared daggers at Xiao Yang, his hatred palpable. “Xiao Jin, you have our Chen Family’s blood in your veins! If it weren’t for the Chen Family, how could you have become the Emperor? You’re an ungrateful, heartless bastard! You used our Chen Family as a stepping stone and even murdered your own mother! You’re nothing but a filthy animal!”
Xiao Yang sighed. ‘If I could, I’d abandon all pretense of decorum and just let myself go completely as the Emperor.’
‘But that would be bad for my looks.’
‘This is when I wish I’d brought Xie Liuzheng along. It would be perfect to just let her tear into them.’
‘I’ve suddenly realized I don’t have anyone on my side who’s good at arguing.’
‘Wait, no, I used to have someone good at arguing—Prince Jing. And damn it, he’s the one they’ve got tied up.’
‘They’ve struck a major artery.’
While Chen Han was over there barking like a dog, the Emperor was here letting her mind wander.
Finally, her eyes shifted, and she singled out Xiao Qing. “Curse him out for me.”
Xiao Qing: “…”
The Emperor had given an order. What could he do?
Curse, he must!
“Chen Han…” ‘His name is Chen Han, right? I don’t even know the guy. But whatever, just start cursing.’
“Chen Han, you’ve got rocks in your head and sores on your feet! You’re short and pathetic! What kind of cesspit did a turd like you crawl out of?”
Ewwwww.
Xiao Yang subtly leaned closer to Xu Xingchen. ‘This guy’s insults are a little too… pungent.’
BLECH! ‘Disgusting!’
“You bomb people’s tombs, you inhuman bastard! You deserve to be struck by lightning! Why are you hiding your face? Do you know you’re too ugly for anyone to look at? Don’t think you can do whatever you want just because you’re ugly!”
“Kidnapping a Prince! You’ve got some nerve! And then you dare run your mouth at Your Majesty? Aren’t you afraid Your Majesty will have all your Chen Family ancestors dug up and their ashes scattered to the winds?”
“You disloyal, unfilial, heartless, and faithless piece of trash! After doing something as wicked as bombing a tomb, you still have the gall to stand here spouting nonsense? If I were you, I’d just kill myself by smashing my head against a wall!”
Xiao Qing unleashed every curse he could think of in a single breath, then turned back to the Emperor. “Your Majesty, this servant… is out of words.”
Xiao Yang waved her hand. “That’s more than enough!” ‘He really outdid himself. Next time I need someone cursed out, I’m calling him.’
Chen Han couldn’t believe it. He had expected the Emperor to be furious at being cursed, not to find someone for a counter-slanging match. It was completely incomprehensible.
But while the Emperor could have someone trade insults with him all day, he couldn’t afford to waste time.
“Xiao Jin! Have your men back off and prepare fast horses to let us go, or I’ll kill him right now!”
Xiao Yang was flanked by Li Wei on her left and Xu Xingchen on her right, surrounded by rings of Black Dragon Guards.
She stood at the very center of the formation, and upon hearing his threat, she showed not a trace of fear. Instead, she smiled wickedly. “Then go ahead and kill him.”
She was like the most vicious, outrageous villain from a storybook. “This damn old man knows far too much. I’ve wanted him dead for a long time. If you kill him, you’ll actually be saving me a lot of trouble.”
Seeing this, Xiao Lv, whose head was bleeding, and Xiao Hong, who had just regained consciousness, felt their own heads begin to throb even more painfully.
‘What in the world is she doing now?’
Chen Han sneered. “Stop pretending. If you really didn’t care about him, would you have sent so many people to find him with such fanfare?”
Xiao Yang’s lips curled, her gaze dark and sinister. “That’s because he knows too much… I need to see him die with my own eyes.”
The Emperor raised her hand, and Black Dragon Guards immediately moved forward to seize the two brothers, Xiao Lv and Xiao Hong.
Before everyone’s bewildered eyes, Xiao Yang produced a bow, nocked three arrows, and aimed each one at Prince Jing.
“Everyone says I only secured my throne because of the support of the Prince Jing Mansion. That the cannons were Prince Jing’s creation, that the court was stabilized by Xiao Lv. That this current golden age is all thanks to the achievements of this father and his sons.”
“They say I am their puppet, that I only have what I have today by hiding in their shadow. That without them, I wouldn’t be the Emperor.”
“If all the credit is theirs, then what about everything I’ve done?”
“But now, it’s all over.”
She was like a great villain on the verge of victory, her expression demonic and her eyes filled with killing intent as she vented her furious, frenzied resentment and jealousy.
The bow was drawn like a full moon, brimming with power. She was not putting on an act.
She grinned like a madwoman, a veritable demon arranging the fates of others. “Prince Jing and his two sons died at the hands of the Empress Dowager’s remnants. I… am so heartbroken that I can only kill you all with tears in my eyes to avenge them!”
Chen Han: “!!!”
‘This lunatic! Is she insane?!’
Chen Han said, “As long as you let us go—”
Xiao Yang’s eyes were fixed only on Prince Jing. “Uncle, pain is normal. Just close your eyes and bear it for a moment. It’ll all be over soon!”
Prince Jing’s eyes widened, and he struggled frantically. “Mmph! Mmph!”
‘No! I want to live! I have things to say!’
WHOOSH!
The long arrow flew from the string, arriving in an instant.
“Father!”
“Father!”
Xiao Lv and Xiao Hong broke free from their captors and charged forward like madmen.
But how could a person possibly outrun an arrow?
And just as the arrow was about to pierce Prince Jing…
CLINK! CLINK! CLINK!
Mu Yunlian and Xiao Ziling appeared in a flash. They deflected the arrows in unison, and with a single sword strike, sliced off Chen Han’s hand.
Executing the Misty Steps technique to perfection, the pair instantly blocked the attack, countered, and snatched Prince Jing to safety.
Xiao Lv and Xiao Hong, who had been charging over, came to a halt and stared blankly at the equally dumbfounded assassins.
The sudden turn of events nearly made their hearts stop, but with danger right in front of them, their bodies reacted on instinct, moving to block the other assassins.
With Prince Jing no longer a hostage, the soldiers held back no longer. A mob of them charged forward and subdued all several dozen assassins in an instant.
After binding the captives, they continued to search the Imperial Mausoleum.
Meanwhile, at the entrance, Xiao Yang met Prince Jing’s furious gaze and, in a rare show of guilt, rubbed her nose.
‘Oops. I think I might have overdone it.’