Alas, both of their mouths were gagged, so even if they wanted to speak, all they could do was struggle and emit "mmph mmph" noises.
"Them? That’s up to them to say,"
Qin Yi said indifferently, glancing to the side before taking Su Pan’er to the inner room on the other side. They sat down on chairs there.
Su Pan’er’s gaze swept casually around the room before she noticed its unique features. A wardrobe in the room suddenly spun around, and then a group of four, dressed exactly like them, two n and two won, ca forward. They silently bowed to Su Pan’er and Qin Yi, waited for Qin Yi to nod slightly, and then silently disappeared behind the wardrobe.
After observing carefully for a while, Su Pan’er realized there were nurous secret doors in the room, with at least four hidden exceptionally ingeniously. Indeed, it was an excellent place to escape pursuers.
As she was analytically assessing the room, Zhang, the Commander, stepped in.
He seed not to notice Qin Yi and his companion, just glanced briefly in their direction before waving his hand behind him.
Two of the Imperial Guards quickly stepped forward, resting their blades directly on the two’s necks.
Jun Ruoxue and Princess Anping were so frightened that their eyes almost popped out of their sockets; they wanted to struggle but kept their gaze fixed on the broadswords at their throats, as cold sweat dripped down their foreheads.
Yet, Lord Zhang in front of them seed oblivious, instead leisurely straightening his robe sleeves.
"Who I am, what my position is—you both should be clear on that, considering I have been in charge of the Capital City’s law and order for many years in Shengjing. Now, you will answer what I ask. And if the answers are wrong, you should know what I’m capable of. I wouldn’t mind the instrunts in the Imperial Dungeon gaining another layer of blood,"
Jun Ruoxue and Princess Anping, their mouths covered, wanted to speak but could only look helplessly at him.
Lord Zhang shook his garnt, and the words he spoke were devoid of any fluctuation.
"One of you is a deposed crown princess and the other is Princess Consort Huainan; one in Yingtian Prefecture, the other from far away in Prince Huainan’s Mansion. Your simultaneous presence here indeed surprises . Let guess your purpose here. The reason you ca to this place, what it is exactly. Recently, Liu Family’s Mansion caught fire unexpectedly, spreading to Jun Family’s Mansion, causing heavy losses and severe damage. As a married daughter of the Jun Family, Princess Consort Huainan, you traveled all the way to Shengjing, could it relate to this incident?"
Jun Ruoxue’s mouth was gagged, and without a word, she snorted heavily through her nose.
Lord Zhang seed completely unaware and continued speaking.
"That should be the apparent reason. I assu that Princess Consort Huainan’s visit to the capital has sothing to do with the Jun Family’s treasury being robbed."
Jun Ruoxue suddenly went wide-eyed and then quickly looked away, feigning innocence.
"The fires at Liu Family’s and Jun Family’s Mansions and the loss of countless silver is trivial, but soone took advantage of the large fire to infiltrate Jun Family’s treasury, causing imasurable losses for the Jun Family. These losses were too significant for even the old master of the Jun Family to keep calm, yet he couldn’t talk about them openly, so he could only secretly send word to soone, to inform them of the matter. Presumably, what was lost is especially important to soone. Unable to restrain themselves any longer, they imdiately took action."
Lord Zhang’s voice was utterly emotionless, devoid of any fluctuation, "And you, Princess Consort Huainan, are rely one piece in this ga. An indispensable piece. That person must send soone to make the first move. You must be the key to their plan, Princess Consort Huainan. Am I right?"
His words were indifferent, yet his discerning gaze was so piercing that they made Jun Ruoxue’s scalp tingle.
She wanted to struggle, but the steel knife on her neck pressed down, stifling any chance of her making a move.
Princess Anping, sitting nearby, glared at her as well, but with her mouth tightly gagged, she couldn’t even curse out loud.
"As for you, the dismissed Crown Princess, there’s even less need for you to say anything."
Lord Zhang sneered, "They said you’re recuperating in Yingtian Prefecture, but who in the world doesn’t know? It’s nothing but His Majesty’s pity for the deposed Crown Prince, granting him special permission to recover in Yingtian Prefecture in consideration of his royal blood. However, judging by your actions, Madam, it seems His Majesty has been nursing a wolf in Yingtian Prefecture; a wolf that turns around and bites at the first opportunity. Aren’t you afraid that once you leave, the Crown Prince will lack care and his illness will worsen... I wonder if my guess is sowhat accurate?"
Princess Anping’s eyes widened with rage as she looked at Lord Zhang, wrath boiling in her gaze. She was powerless to speak, only struggling futilely in her chair.
Soon, faint lines and tiny beads of blood appeared unnoticed on her neck, causing Jun Ruoxue’s eyelids to twitch incessantly.
"Ah! How careless of ... I actually forgot that both of you cannot speak. This is truly my oversight."
Lord Zhang appeared excessively remorseful, shaking his head repeatedly, but showed no sign of instructing his n to remove the gags. His eyes brimd with pity as he looked at the two, "Indeed, it is my fault. His Majesty entrusted with the significant responsibility of safeguarding the security of Shengjing, yet I’ve allowed those with ulterior motives to infiltrate Shengjing without my knowledge. Such a dereliction of duty ans I must redeem myself; otherwise, how could I have the face to see His Majesty again?"
These words, they must be ant for His Majesty, right?
Su Pan’er found it sowhat amusing. Hadn’t she heard that this Lord Zhang was utterly impartial, never one to stoop to flattery? What was this performance then? He was as smooth with his flattery in front of His Majesty as if he had practiced it all along.
Qin Yi almost laughed out loud but managed to feign a light cough just in ti.
Lord Zhang originally wanted to say more, but upon hearing Qin Yi’s cough, he changed the subject.
"There’s no use arguing. My n have investigated thoroughly, and all the people you brought have been captured by my forces. You have no way out. Have you thought about how to co clean? Perhaps if I’m in a good mood, I might spare both of you."
Seeing that both remained calm, Lord Zhang waved his hand, and two guards removed the gags from Jun Ruoxue and her companion’s mouths.
Princess Anping imdiately burst into a torrent of abuse!
"You lapdog official, nothing more than a dog groveling and wagging your tail before the new Emperor! Tis change, and though you rise to power for a mont, it doesn’t an you can do as you please! This realm still belongs to the Qin Family; no matter how much you curry favor with those in power, at best you’re just an obedient old dog. Do you really think your word is enough to convince everyone under heaven? Don’t forget, even though I’ve been dismissed as a princess, I’m still Princess Anping. With such a title, you dare to kidnap , you lapdog – I think you’re tired of living! Pah!"
With that, she spat vehently.
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