146. Ruined Family and Lost Lives

Le Qianxue felt a buzzing in her head, thinking she must have misheard.

Executed on the spot.

What?

It felt as though a wave of bitter cold surged up from the soles of her feet, chilling her entire body.

Le Qianxue’s gaze turned somewhat vacant as she subconsciously asked, "What kind of sick joke is this? Tell me—my father is dead?"

The Shadow Guard sneered, "Le Qianxue, you are now the daughter of a criminal. Seize her!"

The aged Emperor had spared no expense, dispatching virtually all of the Shadow Guards for this. Her estate guards had already been killed long ago.

Her expression darkened, her hands clenched into tight fists, making it difficult for her to draw breath.

Suddenly, she managed a faint smile and said, "I want to see my father."

Le Qianxue refused to believe it. She had seen Le Yongcheng just this morning; how could something have happened to him now? Her medical skills were formidable; if Le Yongcheng had been injured, she would certainly have been able to save him.

She didn't believe it... she simply couldn't believe it.

Huatao was weeping as she clutched Le Qianxue’s sleeve. "Young Miss, please don't be like this. You must leave quickly, go find Prince Zhan."

Le Qianxue said calmly, "With so many people here, do you really think I can get away tonight?"

Huatao was on the verge of tears. Indeed, the general's residence was surrounded inside and out by people from the imperial palace. Leaving now would be exceptionally difficult.

At that moment, Le Qianxue spoke in a soft voice, "Take my alchemy cauldron and bring it to the ancestral hall for Qingyang."

That was her treasured possession, and it could not be allowed to fall into the wrong hands. For now, she had to stall these people.

Huatao still looked frail and helpless, but seeing Le Qianxue entrust her with this task, she knew she could no longer afford to be weak.

She nodded.

Le Qianxue then stepped outside, letting out a cold laugh. "Since the Emperor sent you to capture me, surely he anticipated that I would resist."

The Shadow Guard retorted, "Le Qianxue, you have no wings to fly today. If you don't want to die, you had better surrender obediently."

Le Qianxue curved the corners of her lips and said, "Death is of little consequence. But I imagine the Emperor probably does not want me dead just yet."

Despite hearing the news of Le Yongcheng's death, Le Qianxue quickly regained her composure because she knew that if she didn't help herself, no one else would.

The aged Emperor had gone this far precisely to guard against Zhan Lianjing. Right now, Zhan Lianjing was likely entangled and unable to come to her rescue.

Therefore, she could only rely on herself.

With a long sword in her hand, her gaze hardened, instantly filling with murderous intent.

Seeing this, the Shadow Guard recalled the warning the aged Emperor had given him:

When dealing with Le Qianxue, one must never use brute force; simply state that she was to be brought into the palace.

"Hold on, Le Qianxue. If you wish to see Le Yongcheng's corpse, come with us into the palace."

Le Qianxue's hand paused, and she smiled bitterly. "The Emperor merely wants me inside the palace. What need was there to capture the people of my general's residence? None of them can be touched."

The Shadow Guard gritted his teeth. Le Qianxue was truly pushing her luck.

Fortunately, it mattered little to them; whether the people of the general's residence were captured or not was of no consequence.

The only thing that mattered was Le Qianxue.

True to his word, the Shadow Guard ordered that the residents of the general's estate be left alone. Le Qianxue fetched her medical box and followed the Shadow Guards into the palace. As long as there was even a shred of hope, she had to grasp it. Le Yongcheng had to be fine; he still had to watch her get married.

Though she thought this, her hands and feet remained ice-cold.

Le Yongcheng had entered the palace that night because the Liangjin Kingdom had invaded, and the ministers were gathered within the palace to discuss countermeasures.

At the time, Le Qianxue had figured that since it wasn't a private meeting, Le Yongcheng should be safe. She never imagined disaster would still strike.

With a blank expression, she entered the palace and made her way to the Imperial Study.

Being extremely sensitive to the scent of blood, she immediately caught a whiff of iron.

Looking in through the main entrance, Le Qianxue saw someone lying motionless on the ground. She recognized the general's armor—it belonged to Le Yongcheng.

She hurried inside, almost stumbling and falling.

Kneeling down, she reached out to check Le Yongcheng's injuries.

Her hand froze mid-air. Her eyes widened, and her hands began to tremble.

Le Qianxue found it hard to breathe, feeling as though the entire world had plunged into chaos.

She pressed her lips together and ultimately collapsed onto the floor.

Le Yongcheng was covered in blood, and a dagger was plunged deep into his neck, severing his pulse. He was already beyond saving, and the blood pooled around him had nearly congealed.

Le Qianxue parted her lips, longing to cry out "Father," but she found herself choked with grief, utterly unable to utter a sound.

Meanwhile, the aged Emperor sat high above on the dragon throne.

He stared down at Le Qianxue, feeling a deep sense of gratification at the sight of her devastation.

To think that the once-arrogant Le Qianxue would ever be reduced to this state—it was truly joyous.

The aged Emperor said slowly, "Snow girl, your father attempted to assassinate Us and has been executed on the spot. You even brought a medicine box into the palace; could it be that you refuse to believe it? Even if he weren't dead, attempting to assassinate the Emperor is a capital crime with no hope of pardon."

Hearing the voice, Le Qianxue remained in a daze for a long while before she could process the words clearly.

She turned her head to look at the aged Emperor, her gaze detached, yet harboring deep resentment beneath that indifference.

Under the flickering candlelight, the aged Emperor met her gaze and was startled.

His expression shifted, but he quickly recovered. He was the ruler of a nation, and this was the imperial palace; for Le Qianxue to harm him would be harder than ascending to the heavens.

With several ministers still present in the Imperial Study, the aged Emperor sneered and pointed at them, saying, "Snow girl, several ministers here witnessed it just now. Do you think We would frame your father? Allowing you to see your father one last time is already an immense act of imperial grace. Instead of showing gratitude, you dare look at Us with such eyes?"

Prime Minister Yang looked quite smug as he chimed in, "Le Qianxue, everyone here has seen it. His Majesty has shown extraordinary benevolence by not executing your entire clan."

Fu Xiao, however, wore a conflicted expression and remained silent, though a trace of pity flickered in his eyes.

Le Qianxue had only this one father left. Now that he was dead, given her temper, how could she ever let the matter rest?

Sure enough, Le Qianxue let out a laugh—a sound that grated harshly on the ears.

In her past life, born into the Tang sect family, she had known neither father nor mother, only her master.

In this life, she had experienced Le Yongcheng's paternal love, and he had come to occupy an irreplaceable place in her heart.

Just days ago, hadn't Le Yongcheng been discussing the details of her wedding with her? And the way he had beamed with joy when he saw her dressed in bridal robes...

Those scenes refused to fade. Le Yongcheng would never have acted so rashly as to commit murder inside the palace; something must have been terribly wrong.

Struggling to remain calm, she caught a strange fragrance lingering in the Imperial Study.

Her expression turned icy. This was...

She had once used a similar method to deal with Yu Guohan, clouding his mind. Now, the aged Emperor had actually used her own powdered medicine against Le Yongcheng.

At that thought, Le Qianxue felt even more overwhelmed. Only Yu Zhiyang knew about this method. He hadn't exposed it at the time, but finding the powder intriguing, he had asked her for some.

Never had she imagined that this would end up killing Le Yongcheng.

Damned Yu Zhiyang!

Seeing her expression shift through countless shades, the aged Emperor had no idea what was going through her mind.

With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the ministers.

Aside from the Shadow Guards, only Le Qianxue and a corpse remained in the room.

Facing Le Qianxue, the aged Emperor no longer felt any need for pretense. "That wretched woman, Madam Xu, must have told you about that matter. We will give you a choice now: hand her over, and both you and the general's estate will remain safe and sound."

Le Qianxue acted as though she hadn't heard him. She simply rose slowly to her feet.

Staring at her, the aged Emperor lost his remaining patience. "Le Qianxue, do not truly believe We wouldn't dare kill you."

With a fierce glare, Le Qianxue said, "I know Your Majesty dares. But that was my mother. She was never a member of the royal family; how could she possibly be buried in the imperial mausoleum? Your Majesty, aren't you afraid the ancestors of the Yu family will condemn you for this? For the Yu family's centuries-old empire to produce an emperor like you—it is utterly infuriating."

Regaining her composure instantly, Le Qianxue left the aged Emperor inwardly impressed.

He had once held a shred of affection and pity for Le Qianxue, but now, none of it remained. Who told her to tamper with the things he cherished most?

Slamming his hand on the desk, the aged Emperor flew into a rage.

Pointing at Le Yongcheng's body, he shouted, "If not for him, she would have belonged to Us long ago! He brought this fate upon himself; he deserved it! Le Qianxue, before she died, she begged Us to spare you all, and We agreed. Yet you repeatedly thwarted Our plans, and now you've taken her away from Us as well. We will never let you go!"

Le Qianxue's expression remained unchanged. She felt no fear, nor any inclination to submit. She had done no wrong; why should she beg for mercy?

She gave a light, mocking laugh. "Your Majesty, wasn't it you who murdered my mother in the first place? To speak of this now—don't you find yourself utterly ridiculous? Why bother putting on the act of a devoted lover? If you truly loved my mother, you wouldn't have killed her. To claim you loved her and yet murder her with your own hands... this is truly the first time I have ever witnessed such a monster."

Stung by those words, the aged Emperor turned ashen and collapsed back onto the dragon throne.

He seemed to age several years in a single instant.

His lips trembled. "No... that's not how it was..."

Indifferent, Le Qianxue continued relentlessly, "Your Majesty, I will not return her to you. Since my father is now dead, he should be buried alongside her—not with you, Your Majesty."

"You... even in life, Le Yongcheng monopolized her, and now you want him buried beside her as well? We forbid it!" The aged Emperor flew into a rage once more, his eyes bulging in a terrifying manner.

The atmosphere in the Imperial Study grew intensely bizarre.

Le Yongcheng's eyes remained wide open in death, as though he refused to close them in peace.

Indeed, how could he rest? His vengeance remained unfulfilled.

Lifting her gaze, Le Qianxue said, "Whether you permit it or not is no longer up to Your Majesty to decide."

As of now, the aged Emperor still had no idea where Tong Xianxian's body was hidden.

The aged Emperor sneered. "We naturally do not engage in losing bargains. If you want Le Yongcheng's corpse, bring her to Us in exchange. Otherwise, We will simply throw him to the dogs."