Jiang Yinjun's face was pressed to the ground, with Huai An's black boots on his back.
A sinister gleam flashed across his disheveled face as he smiled and said, "Your Highness, don't be impatient. Miss Gu Ying will soon return from Haizhou. Your subordinate has already sent Han Lin to bring her back. She will arrive in Bianjing in three days at the latest."
Zhao Changdu did not believe him. "Where are your men now? This king will send the Qilin Army to escort her."
Jiang Yin raised three fingers and said, "Your subordinate does not know either. To protect Miss Gu's safety, I have only sent Han Lin alone to escort her. But I dare swear to Your Highness, in no more than three days, you will definitely be able to see Miss Gu. Otherwise, may I be struck by lightning and die a terrible death."
Zhao Changdu signaled to Huai An to let Jiang Yin go.
The corner of Jiang Yin's mouth twitched slightly. Looking disheveled, he slowly got up from the ground.
Zhao Changdu walked up to him and patted his handsome face with an icy palm, "Do not try to challenge this king's patience. This king gave you your position, and can just as easily push you down from it as he pleases."
Jiang Yin's back stiffened, and he forced out a faint smile. "Your subordinate understands."
Zhao Changdu did not know that Jiang Yin was a wolf in human skin.
From that snowy day when Miss Gu's carriage broke down, he had begun to lay his plans, spending years plotting to remove all the people in power of the Dongli Dynasty.
Therefore, when he received news of Gu Ying, he never thought it could be a huge trap.
He only knew that he was eager to see the young lady, eager to tell her in person that Jiang Yin was not worth her love.
If she did not despise him, he could protect her for life.
Even if she wanted to become the Empress, he would conquer the whole world for her and present it at her feet.
But he had planned for every contingency, yet failed to foresee the filthy and horrifying picture of hatred that he was about to see!
Winter of the 26th year of the Tianqi Era.
Outside Bianjing, at the Puzhao Temple. Snowflakes drifted down silently.
It was a necessary route on the way back to Bianjing, and the derelict temple where he had spent a night with the young lady years ago.
Jiang Yin had sent word that Gu Ying was ambushed on her way back to the city, and now needed to be picked up from Puzhao Temple.
When he received the news, he immediately brought ten men on horseback out of the city.
Arriving at Puzhao Temple, he strode into the dilapidated temple in his black robe.
At first, he did not see the injured young lady. It was only after failing to find anyone that he noticed the beggar-like woman sleeping in a pile of grass inside the temple hall.
"Your Highness, my subordinates have searched everywhere but there's no sign of Second Miss Gu. Could that little rascal Jiang Yin have tricked us?"
Huai An walked in from the snow with a frown, took off his hood, and looked around the temple again.
"Your Highness?"
Zhao Changdu did not know what had come over him. He only felt his heartbeat quickening, realizing something, yet not daring to believe it.
He looked up at the broken Buddha statue and listened to the weak breathing of the only beggar in the temple. His steps halted beside the woman.
With knitted brows, he squatted down beside her.
Her limbs were all broken, her clothes tattered. Her skin was frozen bluish-purple, showing signs that... her dress had been torn apart, and the once bright and smooth fabric was now as filthy as if rolled in the mud. Her legs were extremely thin, revealing a ghastly pale white... There were all kinds of old and new scars on her body, some looked bitten, some scratched... There were also marks of molten wax, both scalding hot and chilled, and even more appalling, beneath her were clots of dried blood...
His breath was abruptly seized as his eyes went pitch-black like impenetrable fog.
"Why is this little beggar sleeping here?"
Saying so, Huai An was about to kick her awake.
"Stop!" Zhao Changdu's voice was hoarse as he suddenly shouted.
Huai An had never seen such a panicked and frightened expression on his master's face before. He quickly pulled back his foot and squatted down to examine the woman's condition.
It was nothing at first glance, but as he looked closer... His pupils contracted violently as he recoiled several steps back.
"Your Highness! She...!" He was too shocked to speak.
Zhao Changdu's large hand trembled as he reached out to brush aside the messy black hair in front of the woman's face.
A familiar yet emaciated face was gradually revealed.
His eyes tightened as he stared at the tortured little face, his body shaking all over.
"How could this be?"
He picked up Gu Ying's unconscious feather-light body in disbelief, frantically brushing her matted hair behind her ears. He took off his cloak and wrapped her up carefully, gently warming her body.
"Gu Ying!"
"Wake up!"
"How did you end up here?"
She was clearly not just dumped here recently. Judging from the wounds on her body and the various signs of violation and humiliation, it must have been... years!
The woman remained unconscious no matter how he called out to her, only the faint breathing indicating that she still lived.
Zhao Changdu's heart ached. Both heartbroken and enraged, he held her frail body, the veins on his hands bulging from his tightly clenched fists. His deep bottomless phoenix eyes were filled with towering fury!
What a ruthless and vicious Jiang Yin!
Carrying her, he was about to leave the temple.
But he saw Jiang Yin leading his men to surround the temple. He stood leisurely outside the temple and said, "Has Your Highness seen the beauty I presented?"
Zhao Changdu's brows knotted into the Chinese character for mountain. His hands and feet gradually weakened, making him realize something was wrong.
But it was too late!
The Qilin Army and Huai An by his side had exchanged barely two moves with Jiang Yin's men before slumping to the ground. Jiang Yin's archers behind him pulled their bows taut and let their arrows fly. All the Qilin Army were killed in an instant.
It was an anesthetic fragrance!
Before they entered the temple, Jiang Yin had already arranged anesthetic incense inside!
"Be careful, Your Highness!"
Huai An's shout was abruptly cut off!
An arrow pierced his throat, stopping his pounce forward.
His eyes wide open in death, staring fixedly at Jiang Yin's direction. "Your... Your Highness..."
Then he crashed onto the snowy ground.
"Huai An!"
Zhao Changdu's eyes were bloodshot, grinding his teeth as tumultuous, frenzied fury churned in his slender eyes. His handsome face was darkened with thunderclouds and his entire body emanated an appalling aura of bloodlust. With a kick, he fiercely shoved away the men surrounding him.
Jiang Yin laughed loudly. "The Regent now is just a drugged useless fool. What, are you all afraid of him already?"
"Don't dare to kill him?"
"Everyone charge! Whoever takes Zhao Changdu's head, I'll grant ten thousand households to him!"
Hearing this, all the men rushed forward brandishing blades and swords.
After a dozen exchanges, the man was drenched in blood, his hair disheveled, unleashing thunderous rage. His overwhelming aura forced the men to not dare approach.
Jiang Yin scoffed. "Han Lin, whether the Dong Li Battle God can be killed today depends on you now."
Han Lin responded and came out, looking coldly at the man still standing tall and unyielding in a pool of blood.
Jiang Yinjun's face was pressed to the ground, with Huai An's black boots on his back.
A sinister gleam flashed across his disheveled face as he smiled and said, "Your Highness, don't be impatient. Miss Gu Ying will soon return from Haizhou. Your subordinate has already sent Han Lin to bring her back. She will arrive in Bianjing in three days at the latest."
Zhao Changdu did not believe him. "Where are your men now? This king will send the Qilin Army to escort her."
Jiang Yin raised three fingers and said, "Your subordinate does not know either. To protect Miss Gu's safety, I have only sent Han Lin alone to escort her. But I dare swear to Your Highness, in no more than three days, you will definitely be able to see Miss Gu. Otherwise, may I be struck by lightning and die a terrible death."
Zhao Changdu signaled to Huai An to let Jiang Yin go.
The corner of Jiang Yin's mouth twitched slightly. Looking disheveled, he slowly got up from the ground.
Zhao Changdu walked up to him and patted his handsome face with an icy palm, "Do not try to challenge this king's patience. This king gave you your position, and can just as easily push you down from it as he pleases."
Jiang Yin's back stiffened, and he forced out a faint smile. "Your subordinate understands."
Zhao Changdu did not know that Jiang Yin was a wolf in human skin.
From that snowy day when Miss Gu's carriage broke down, he had begun to lay his plans, spending years plotting to remove all the people in power of the Dongli Dynasty.
Therefore, when he received news of Gu Ying, he never thought it could be a huge trap.
He only knew that he was eager to see the young lady, eager to tell her in person that Jiang Yin was not worth her love.
If she did not despise him, he could protect her for life.
Even if she wanted to become the Empress, he would conquer the whole world for her and present it at her feet.
But he had planned for every contingency, yet failed to foresee the filthy and horrifying picture of hatred that he was about to see!
Winter of the 26th year of the Tianqi Era.
Outside Bianjing, at the Puzhao Temple. Snowflakes drifted down silently.
It was a necessary route on the way back to Bianjing, and the derelict temple where he had spent a night with the young lady years ago.
Jiang Yin had sent word that Gu Ying was ambushed on her way back to the city, and now needed to be picked up from Puzhao Temple.
When he received the news, he immediately brought ten men on horseback out of the city.
Arriving at Puzhao Temple, he strode into the dilapidated temple in his black robe.
At first, he did not see the injured young lady. It was only after failing to find anyone that he noticed the beggar-like woman sleeping in a pile of grass inside the temple hall.
"Your Highness, my subordinates have searched everywhere but there's no sign of Second Miss Gu. Could that little rascal Jiang Yin have tricked us?"
Huai An walked in from the snow with a frown, took off his hood, and looked around the temple again.
"Your Highness?"
Zhao Changdu did not know what had come over him. He only felt his heartbeat quickening, realizing something, yet not daring to believe it.
He looked up at the broken Buddha statue and listened to the weak breathing of the only beggar in the temple. His steps halted beside the woman.
With knitted brows, he squatted down beside her.
Her limbs were all broken, her clothes tattered. Her skin was frozen bluish-purple, showing signs that... her dress had been torn apart, and the once bright and smooth fabric was now as filthy as if rolled in the mud. Her legs were extremely thin, revealing a ghastly pale white... There were all kinds of old and new scars on her body, some looked bitten, some scratched... There were also marks of molten wax, both scalding hot and chilled, and even more appalling, beneath her were clots of dried blood...
His breath was abruptly seized as his eyes went pitch-black like impenetrable fog.
"Why is this little beggar sleeping here?"
Saying so, Huai An was about to kick her awake.
"Stop!" Zhao Changdu's voice was hoarse as he suddenly shouted.
Huai An had never seen such a panicked and frightened expression on his master's face before. He quickly pulled back his foot and squatted down to examine the woman's condition.
It was nothing at first glance, but as he looked closer... His pupils contracted violently as he recoiled several steps back.
"Your Highness! She...!" He was too shocked to speak.
Zhao Changdu's large hand trembled as he reached out to brush aside the messy black hair in front of the woman's face.
A familiar yet emaciated face was gradually revealed.
His eyes tightened as he stared at the tortured little face, his body shaking all over.
"How could this be?"
He picked up Gu Ying's unconscious feather-light body in disbelief, frantically brushing her matted hair behind her ears. He took off his cloak and wrapped her up carefully, gently warming her body.
"Gu Ying!"
"Wake up!"
"How did you end up here?"
She was clearly not just dumped here recently. Judging from the wounds on her body and the various signs of violation and humiliation, it must have been... years!
The woman remained unconscious no matter how he called out to her, only the faint breathing indicating that she still lived.
Zhao Changdu's heart ached. Both heartbroken and enraged, he held her frail body, the veins on his hands bulging from his tightly clenched fists. His deep bottomless phoenix eyes were filled with towering fury!
What a ruthless and vicious Jiang Yin!
Carrying her, he was about to leave the temple.
But he saw Jiang Yin leading his men to surround the temple. He stood leisurely outside the temple and said, "Has Your Highness seen the beauty I presented?"
Zhao Changdu's brows knotted into the Chinese character for mountain. His hands and feet gradually weakened, making him realize something was wrong.
But it was too late!
The Qilin Army and Huai An by his side had exchanged barely two moves with Jiang Yin's men before slumping to the ground. Jiang Yin's archers behind him pulled their bows taut and let their arrows fly. All the Qilin Army were killed in an instant.
It was an anesthetic fragrance!
Before they entered the temple, Jiang Yin had already arranged anesthetic incense inside!
"Be careful, Your Highness!"
Huai An's shout was abruptly cut off!
An arrow pierced his throat, stopping his pounce forward.
His eyes wide open in death, staring fixedly at Jiang Yin's direction. "Your... Your Highness..."
Then he crashed onto the snowy ground.
"Huai An!"
Zhao Changdu's eyes were bloodshot, grinding his teeth as tumultuous, frenzied fury churned in his slender eyes. His handsome face was darkened with thunderclouds and his entire body emanated an appalling aura of bloodlust. With a kick, he fiercely shoved away the men surrounding him.
Jiang Yin laughed loudly. "The Regent now is just a drugged useless fool. What, are you all afraid of him already?"
"Don't dare to kill him?"
"Everyone charge! Whoever takes Zhao Changdu's head, I'll grant ten thousand households to him!"
Hearing this, all the men rushed forward brandishing blades and swords.
After a dozen exchanges, the man was drenched in blood, his hair disheveled, unleashing thunderous rage. His overwhelming aura forced the men to not dare approach.
Jiang Yin scoffed. "Han Lin, whether the Dong Li Battle God can be killed today depends on you now."
Han Lin responded and came out, looking coldly at the man still standing tall and unyielding in a pool of blood.
