lcionline Chapter 342 Revenge
Chapter 342 Revenge
On the surface, Qin Jiu's death had nothing to do with Crown Prince An. But those in power only need to have ideas; they don't need to take action themselves, as others will naturally cater to the Crown Prince's preferences.
The muscle-softening powder and aphrodisiac were given to Liang Qingcheng by Su Hexiang, and the scheme was devised by Su Hexiang for Jing Ze. Regardless of the circumstances, the blame should fall squarely on the three of them.
The Imperial Palace is different from the Great River Gang. The first rule of survival in the palace is to keep a low profile. Su Hexiang is used to being flamboyant in the Great River Gang, and if she doesn't restrain herself in the palace, she's practically courting death.
Su Hexiang had only been in the palace for a short time, yet she dared to aspire to the position of the Crown Prince's principal wife and even dared to hang such a daring red ribbon at the Erlang Temple. Coincidentally, Qin Jiu hanged himself at the Erlang Temple, and coincidentally, Luo An saw this red ribbon.
Nianyao circled Suhexiang once: "You deliberately tied red ribbons at Erlang Temple, and then deliberately led others to hang Qin Jiu there, so that we would discover your existence? Why?"
Su Hexiang said sincerely, "I didn't mean to. There were so many prayer ribbons on the tree, who would have thought you would see them? As for where Qin Jiu hanged himself, I couldn't have predicted that beforehand."
Nianyao pressed further, "Then do you know who did it?"
Su Hexiang shook her head: "That day, the emperor came to me and said that Liang Qingcheng was pregnant and Qin Jiu could not be kept. He asked me what ideas I had. I said that we could create the illusion of suicide. As for what happened after that, I don't know."
If a monarch wants to kill someone, is it necessary to ask a female official for her opinion?
Nianyao was incredulous: "You haven't been in Bianjing long, yet you dare to covet the position of Crown Princess. What, did you successfully seduce the Crown Prince and climb into his bed?"
These words were truly rude; an ordinary woman would probably have cursed at her. But Su Hexiang didn't blush at all and responded naturally, "What if I said yes?"
Nianyao said, "Then you'll die even faster."
Su Hexiang laughed: "Who's going to kill me? You? Do you think this is the Great River Gang, inside the palace walls, where you can just kill me as you please?"
Nianyao asked, "What if it's the Crown Princess?"
Su Hexiang said, "With the Crown Princess's magnanimity, she can tolerate even Yu Shuxian, how could she not tolerate me?"
Nianyao said, "Yu Shuxian is a weak woman and dares not dream of becoming the Crown Princess. She poses no threat to the Crown Princess."
Su Hexiang stepped forward to face Nianyao and said in a low voice, "Nanfei is dead, Yuan Feng is dead, military power has returned, and the Crown Princess is no longer of any use to the Crown Prince. As for me, I can do anything for the Crown Prince that he wants to do but cannot, including getting rid of Qin Jiu."
Nianyao seemed to see the words "We can also get rid of the Crown Princess" in Suhexiang's eyes.
Su Hexiang had held her position as the chief steward for many years, yet she turned out to be so overconfident and ignorant of her own limitations. Nanhua had cultivated her influence in the palace for many years, and her father and brothers had served as officials there for just as long; their power base was more solid than anyone thought.
Nianyao wanted to laugh, and actually laughed out loud: "Where did you get your confidence from?"
Su Hexiang said, "If I said that the words on that red silk were written at the Crown Prince's request, would you believe me?"
Nianyao recognized Suhexiang's handwriting.
Suhexiang saw through Nianyao's thoughts: "That night, when I was returning from the Imperial Guard with the Crown Prince, we passed by Erlang Temple. He told me that this ginkgo tree was very efficacious and the abbot was very skilled. He asked if I should go and pray for blessings as well."
The Crown Prince proposed it, and Su Hexiang was more than happy to accept. Holding the red silk ribbon, she hesitated, wondering what to write. The Crown Prince softly recited two lines: "Let us share this beautiful time and scenery, and build an everlasting dynasty together. And write your name."
Thus, the red ribbon bore both the names of An Liangchen and Su Hexiang. Su Hexiang was unexpectedly somewhat shy. This feeling of shyness was entirely new to her.
Even when Su Hexiang had feelings for Luo An in the Great River Gang, she was always open and honest, never showing this kind of emotion. She was somewhat stunned as she held the written ribbon.
An Liangchen picked up the ribbon she had written on, his fingertips touching her palm. Su Hexiang clearly felt something strange travel from her palm to the top of her head. She subconsciously looked at An Liangchen.
An Liangchen seemed oblivious to everything, tiptoeing to tie the red ribbon to the tree branch, his expression solemn and serious. The setting sun cast its glow on his handsome, noble face. Suddenly, Su Hexiang heard the sound of drums: thud, thud, thud…
That was the sound of her heartbeat. Even when she was in love with Luo An, her heartbeat had never been so rapid and intense.
Su Hexiang was lost in her memories, her expression somewhat dazed. Nianyao didn't understand these subtle interactions between men and women, but she understood An Liangchen, or rather, she understood what those in power should be like.
Su Hexiang, a woman of great wisdom, was no different from a fool when faced with the cunning and scheming An Liangchen.
Luo An always said she didn't trust An Liangchen and misunderstood her. But how could someone as meticulous and cunning as An Liangchen be worthy of her complete trust?
Nianyao drew her longsword: "I'm not good at killing, but I've always wanted revenge. So many of my brothers were killed by Jin Hu and his gang back then, and several of my uncles died tragically. I didn't avenge them. Now I'll start with you."
Su Hexiang didn't take it to heart at all: "Just because you killed Jingze doesn't mean you can kill me. This isn't Chongming Island under the Emperor's nose, and the Imperial Palace is not the Duke's Mansion."
Nianyao smiled and said, "I not only killed Jingze, but I also killed Liang Qingcheng. You've always been defiant against me, so now we're locked in a life-or-death struggle."
Su Hexiang took a few steps back towards the courtyard gate, her eyes filled with surprise and doubt: "You killed Liang Qingcheng?"
Just then, a gust of wind blew, causing the heavy courtyard gate to slam shut. Su Hexiang knew something was wrong and stood by the gate, untying her soft whip. The two were fighting loudly inside the courtyard, but no one came to their aid.
Su Hexiang, who held the position of captain, was never known for her martial arts skills. Nianyao, on the other hand, had received careful instruction from the old leader of the Dahe Gang and several elders, and had developed considerable skill.
Furthermore, after the old gang leader fell ill and passed away, Nianyao changed her previous carefree attitude and her kung fu skills improved considerably. Suhexiang was no match for her.
Su Hexiang tried to break open the courtyard gate to escape, but the gate wouldn't open no matter what she did. Meanwhile, Nianyao's longsword pierced through Su Hexiang and stuck into the gate.
Su Hexiang looked down at the bloodstained sword blade, but it vanished in a flash. Blood sprayed onto the courtyard gate, like blooming red plum blossoms. Su Hexiang pressed her head against the gate, clutching the bloody hole in her chest, and slid down to her knees, slowly falling silent.
Nianyao lowered her head slightly, watching the blood gather along the longsword to the tip and drip onto the ground. Her hand did not tremble, and her heart was calm. She felt that killing was nothing more than that, not as difficult as she had imagined, even though the person in front of her was a brother or sister who had once shared joys and sorrows.
The courtyard gate suddenly opened, and Su Hexiang, who was kneeling against it, collapsed forward in front of someone—it was Nan Hua. Nan Hua looked at the blood-soaked ground, his expression unchanged, and waved his hand.
Two guards in black came over and wrapped Suhexiang in a felt blanket and carried her away. Then a woman who looked like a female official came with three palace maids to clean up.
There were sounds of wind, water, and the rustling of sweeping, but no other sounds, not even footsteps or breathing.