TFSRITA Chapter 89

One of the plans was to collaborate with Xu Jin, but once she discovered this, she betrayed him, initiating the second plan: assassination.

She had sold him out, and with Xu Jin’s discovery, Ji Yechen and Yan Qing’s vigilance would naturally decrease. At this moment, arranging another assassination would have a much higher chance of success.

However, they underestimated Zhu Yin’s combat ability, not knowing that Yan Qing had learned a little self-defense and managed to avoid the fatal blow, which led to Ji Yechen’s intervention.

This incident completely enraged Ji Yechen. Xu Jin, Yuan Xiu, and all the involved parties were executed, and their families were annihilated. The entire court, both inside and outside, was shaken by this.

Among those whose families were exterminated was Lord Ran, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

Because her injuries were severe and her mouth was still unable to speak, Yan Qing could only consume liquid food, so when she heard this news, she didn’t react at all. There was some shock and fear, but her emotions were complex overall.

But this was the reality of the times. It’s said that when a king is enraged, a million corpses may fall. Ji Yechen was so furious about this matter that he executed, exiled, and silenced hundreds of people; that was considered merciful.

Yan Qing tried not to let these events weigh heavily on her heart. She needed to focus on healing, though she had an uneasy feeling, an instinctive unease that she couldn’t quite explain.

When her injuries finally healed and she fully recovered, she would understand why.

The month and a half she spent recovering was filled with many events.

Song Yu returned to the capital, and the news of the engagement between the second young master of the Song family and the second young lady of the Yan family spread throughout Chang’an. At the same time, unrest in the northern desert escalated, and Emperor Chen ordered a general to submit a military pledge to eradicate the northern threat.

War was imminent, but the Song family was still celebrating. Understanding the Song family’s loyalty, Emperor Chen, not wanting to bring misfortune to them on such a joyous occasion, had the imperial seal transferred, and the Song family lost their power over the military.

After Yan Qing fully recovered, she entered the Taiji Hall and sat in the study, staring blankly at the memorials about these matters for a long time.

How did things suddenly escalate like this?

Why had the Song family’s most crucial military seal disappeared?

Yan Qing forced herself to remind herself that the military seal wasn’t the only measure of power. Even the Emperor’s command could sometimes be ignored in the field.

If Song Yu could truly win the trust of the soldiers, losing the seal wouldn’t matter.

Just as she was thinking this, Ji Yechen unexpectedly came up behind her, his gaze falling on the bite mark he had deliberately left when she couldn’t move. His dark eyes flickered for a moment, and his cold breath brushed her earlobe as his low voice carried a hint of mockery: “Does something feel off to you?”

Yan Qing whipped her head around, slamming the memorial into his face.

Her old wounds weren’t healed, and now she had a new one. The sharp corner of the memorial scraped across his face, leaving a clear bloodstain. The blood rushed out and slid down due to gravity.

Yan Qing’s eyes were cold as she glared at him. “What did you do?”

A familiar raspy voice sounded, and Ji Yechen’s eyes flickered with a hint of amusement. This was the first time in over a month, since her poisoning, that she had spoken to him.

For more than a month, she had remained silent, and when she regained the ability to speak, she refused to acknowledge him. Even after regaining some strength, whenever he appeared in Lingyun Palace, she would throw him out. At the most serious time, Ji Yechen had been knocked out and bedridden for two days.

That day, Lingyun Palace had been left with only a few intact chairs.

Worried that His Majesty might be struck again, the palace carpenters had made the chairs much heavier, beyond what Yan Qing could lift, so she couldn’t continue hitting him with them.

But the whips didn’t stop coming.

Ji Yechen smiled lightly, wiped the blood from his face, and casually sat down in a chair with his long legs dangling. His eyes, still holding some amusement, watched her. “It’s nothing, I just spoke to Lord Gong about it.”

Yan Qing didn’t believe it was that simple.

Ji Yechen leaned back in his chair as Jiang Wende skillfully applied medicine to him. He spoke casually as if narrating an amusing story: “Actually, that old fool’s worry is unnecessary. The Song family is more loyal than most. If they wanted the throne, why would it go to that old fool? He’s the only one who sees the throne as something valuable.”

Yan Qing waited for him to continue, but he fell silent.

She was in a foul mood, and her impatience was evident. She waited for a few seconds, but when she saw him still with his eyes closed, pretending to be asleep, she grew even angrier. Her fury boiled over as if water was splashing in an oil pan.

Ji Yechen was doing it on purpose. She knew he wanted her to ask, but he deliberately refused to tell her directly.

Hadn’t he said that he wasn’t as capable as Song Yu?

It was laughable. If he truly didn’t care, why had he allowed the Song family to survive this long?

Ji Yechen, cold and childish in his thoughts, wanted to make her watch as that man, under his control, accomplished nothing.

That old fool feared the Song family but needed them to defend the country. Ji Yechen didn’t need them. If the Song family wanted to be destroyed, as emperor, he had countless ways to do so. A single excuse could turn the people against the Song family.

Yan Qing’s cold eyes fixed on him, knowing he hoped she would beg or say something nice.

But would Yan Qing be so easily swayed?

What kind of nonsense mission was this? Now, with Song Yu possibly losing the throne, her mission was doomed. Seeing Ji Yechen’s smug expression, she was filled with rage. After waiting for him to speak and hearing nothing, she turned and left.

“Where are you going?” Seeing her turn to leave, Ji Yechen’s eyelid twitched. He suddenly had the feeling he had miscalculated and quickly stood up.

Yan Qing pretended not to hear, walking briskly away.

No one in the palace dared to stop her.

Normally, Ji Yechen wouldn’t have reacted like this, but after being provoked and seeing her act so differently, he instinctively felt something was wrong. He stood up and followed her.