Upon hearing Yan Wanqing mention the late emperor, Liu Pingzhi became even more deranged.
"You enchantress, you won’t die a good death, a slut shamed by thousands—" His words were not yet fully spoken when Liu Pingzhi suddenly quieted down, a look of terror in his eyes. The soldiers behind him loosened their grip; he covered his throat with his hands, blood gushing forth between his fingers.
A standard-issue soldier’s long sword was now fully embedded in the Liu family’s house beam!
Before he could utter his last dying words, Liu Pingzhi was silenced by the sword that slit his throat, and he lay in the pooling blood, his eyes wide open in death.
Everyone was horrified, not daring to make a sound.
Yan Wanqing looked calmly toward the door, certain that Xiao Pingfeng had heard enough.
She had originally planned to spare his life out of respect for the Grand Tutor from the Qin Residence, but hearing Liu Pingzhi’s words had angered him, and so he took his life directly.
Thinking this, Yan Wanqing slightly furrowed her brows.
This could give the Grand Tutor and his people a handle to use against them.
"You handle the rest," she said, and walked out the door, boarding her carriage.
Xiao Pingfeng was leaning inside the carriage, feigning sleep.
After Yan Wanqing got in, she sat down beside him.
Only then did he slowly open his eyes.
"Why did you tolerate his insults for so long?" This was the first sentence after boarding the carriage.
The tone of accusation was evident, clearly displeased.
Yan Wanqing remained silent.
"In the past, you would never have wasted so many words on someone like him." That was the second sentence.
The third: "Is it because of me?"
Seeing the flickering black orbs of his eyes, Yan Wanqing moved forward and took his hand, "Given our current situation, naturally, we can’t act as recklessly as before. You’ve tolerated a lot for me; what’s wrong with me enduring such trivial insults for you?"
"Who asked you to endure it?" Xiao Pingfeng abruptly pulled his hand away, his hands pressing on her shoulders, his black eyes filled with towering rage, "I don’t need your tolerance. If being with me means you have to suffer such slander and insults, what right do I have to ask you to be with me?!"
"Their words can’t hurt me—" Yan Wanqing started to argue but was loudly interrupted by him, "But they have hurt me!"
Xiao Pingfeng was obviously very angry.
"I don’t want to hear a single word they’ve said in the future. So, do you look down on me, Yan Wanqing? Do you think I, Xiao Pingfeng, can’t protect you, and that’s why you choose to suffer in silence and swallow your pride?"
A barrage of questions left Yan Wanqing speechless.
After a while, on his red-necked rage, she reached out and gently pinched his neck.
"I didn’t think that." Yan Wanqing smiled faintly, a shallow smile appearing, "You can protect me, with you I feel safe. Next time, I won’t let you be wronged again."
It was she who had been insulted, yet in the end, she had to comfort him.
Yan Wanqing felt an extreme sense of helplessness.
When she was pregnant, he had morning sickness.
When she was insulted, he felt aggrieved.
Yan Wanqing’s heart softened completely, she opened her arms, "Come here, a hug."
Xiao Pingfeng’s ears reddened instantly, "Who, who wants your hug? Only men can hug women. You doing this makes it look like I’m—what’s the word..."
"Hug or not?" Yan Wanqing raised her eyebrows.
The Crown Prince immediately drew close, resting his head on her shoulder, his back arched slightly due to the height difference, his arms wrapped around her slender waist, appearing quite comical.
Yan Wanqing hugged his head, patting his dark hair as if soothing a child.
She hummed an unnamed melody.
Without another word between them, once they returned to the palace, the Crown Prince, in that sulking posture, fell into a beautiful slumber.
From then on, every night, a certain gentleman demanded hug service.
This, of course, is a story for later.
Chu Qi, who closely monitored every move of the Dawei dynasty, received the news.
"He killed him directly?" he exclaimed, his eyes lighting up in surprise.
He hadn’t expected that the Crown Prince, who looked so gentle and refined, would act so mercilessly.
The Hidden Guard continued, "He didn’t kill him at first, but later, because that Vice Minister Liu showed disrespect to the Crown Princess Consort, the Crown Prince killed him outright."
After hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Chu Qi’s eyes, "He’s supposed to be a scholar, yet his mouth is so filthy."
The Hidden Guard dared not utter a word.
After a while, Chu Qi added, "Since that’s the case, he doesn’t deserve a burial. Just throw him into the Mass Burial Mound."
Once the Hidden Guard left, Chu Qi’s gaze settled on the chess game before him.
There were a few more black and white pieces than last time, but the game was still far from being solved.
A good long while passed.
Only then did he look at the chessboard and let out a light laugh.
"It’s just like you, Yan Wanqing. After this, those old officials will have to think twice before they try to touch you, fearing their standing in the Crown Prince’s heart."
A Minister of Public Works, recommended by Grand Tutor Qin himself, and the Crown Prince could order his execution just like that.
What about the others?
The move Yan Wanqing made tonight was quite clever.
It’s just that her reputation will suffer even more from now on.
But for someone as carefree as she is, she probably won’t mind such things.
Enchantress or venomous wife, she might even take those as compliments.
Chu Qi was not wrong.
Ever since Liu Pingzhi’s death, her mood had greatly improved.
Every day she would visit the temple, copy scriptures, and her whole being was serene and beautiful, often making Cong Ge feel there was a holy light emanating from her.
Even when the Crown Prince deliberately mentioned how the common folk were talking about her, she could laugh and agree, "Well said, with a bit more effort, I can make it into the history books—a feat many scholars could not achieve in their lifetimes."
When these words reached the ears of outsiders, they were furious, and they rushed to write memorials to present them before Xiao Pingfeng.
Xiao Pingfeng, however, turned a blind eye to it all.
Nonsense, if he doesn’t cherish his own wife, who else would?
After all, Xiao Pingfeng didn’t rely on these melonheads when he was conquering the world. If it weren’t for Chu Qi being there, making it too embarrassing,
he would have chopped off the heads of this whole bunch of melonheads by now!
As for the Qin Residence.
Whether it was the welcoming banquet or the death of Liu Pingzhi, there had been no response from Grand Tutor Qin from start to finish, as if he was isolated from the world.
Seeing that the political winds had shifted, no one in the court dared to make rash moves. Everyone was looking forward, eagerly awaiting the competition between Dawei and the Chu Kingdom.
The ladies rarely had such an opportunity to show their faces in public and were all eager, preparing clothes and jewelry in advance, waiting for the day to stand out.
It didn’t matter whether they actually admired the flowers or not.
What mattered was the chance to be seen by the Crown Prince and the King of Chu.
If someone caught their eye, who knows what the future might hold.
Harboring such hopes, the group finally awaited the Dawei-Chu chess match.