The Crazy Emperor's Pampered Cousin

Li Qu's face turned deathly pale, his lips trembling as he stammered, "This...this must be a frame-up! Your Majesty..."

"bass--"

With a sword's cry, the cold blade pressed against the skin of his neck.

The one wielding the sword was Yuan Chi, his eyes as cold as frost.

Li Qu's throat bobbed, all his sophistry frozen in his throat by the biting cold.

It’s over.

The guests were already in an uproar, and several officials who were close to Li Qu turned pale and quietly shrank back.

Shen Chengbo's gaze swept across the crowd: "Lord Wang, Lord He, there's no need to hide. Your accounts and secret letters with Li Qu are all here. The officialdom of Lingzhou will be thoroughly cleansed today!"

At that moment, a desperate glint of ruthlessness flashed in Li Qu's eyes, and he roared, "Attack!"

The dozens of "servants" who were standing in the corner of the hall and under the corridor suddenly lifted their outer robes, drew out their hidden weapons, and rushed towards the nearest soldier!

Chaos erupted in the hall, with screams filling the air and the sounds of shattering cups and plates, overturned tables and chairs, and clashing weapons all mixed together.

Li Qu is meticulous by nature and has always kept skilled people in his family. I never expected that they would actually come in handy today.

Xie Yanzhao remained seated firmly in the main seat, his brows not twitching at all. He simply took Shen Tinghe's hand in his palm and whispered, "Don't be afraid."

These resistances were nothing more than a desperate struggle; the well-trained guards and soldiers quickly took control of the situation, and the rebels were forced into retreat.

However, taking advantage of the momentary chaos, Li Qu suddenly shoved aside a soldier beside him and staggered toward the side hall!

Xie Yanzhao's eyes turned cold, and he threw the white jade wine cup in his hand, which hit Li Qu's calf with a precise sound as it broke the wind!

"Ah!" Li Qu screamed and fell to the ground.

Almost simultaneously, a seemingly perfectly sealed floor tile next to him suddenly flipped open, and two burly men in black leaped out from the secret passage, grabbing Li Qu from the left and right, and were about to retreat back into the cave.

"Stop them!" Shen Chengbo shouted.

The soldiers rushed forward, but the stone door to the secret passage slammed shut the moment the three entered, remaining perfectly secure. No matter how much they knocked or stepped on it, they couldn't find any mechanism to open it.

In that brief moment of distraction when he threw down the cup, Xie Yanzhao released his grip on Shen Tinghe's hand. He found himself alone beside her.

The figure that should have obediently stayed behind him vanished without a trace, like a wisp of smoke.

"Yuan Yuan...?" Xie Yanzhao called out softly, and the surrounding noise instantly receded like the tide.

He slowly stood up, his aura suddenly turning chilling and terrifying. The dark depths of his eyes seemed capable of devouring all light, and his voice was icy cold: "Where are they?"

The sounds of fighting throughout the hall seemed to be forced back by this invisible pressure at this moment.

Shen Chengbo was deeply shocked and rushed forward: "Your Highness!"

Xie Yanzhao's gaze was fixed on the spot where Shen Tinghe had disappeared, each word laced with almost uncontrollable violence.

"Bring all of Li Qu's family members here."

Li Qu's wives, concubines, and daughters were brought to the front of the hall, trembling with fear.

No matter how they were questioned, they all claimed to have never known that there was such a secret passage in the mansion, let alone how to open it.

Shen Chengbo's expression turned grave: "That old fox, he even kept it from his own family so thoroughly!"

Xie Yanzhao closed his eyes, then opened them again, revealing a desolate, icy plain.

He raised his hand, pointing to the closed stone slab, his voice chillingly calm:

"Tell me, dig three feet into the ground here."

Inside the secret passage

Shen Tinghe was being dragged along the dark, damp passageway with her wrist tightly gripped.

Everything happened too fast.

She felt a powerful force coming from behind her, and in a dizzying moment, she was pulled into darkness.

"Let go! Who are you?" She struggled fiercely, her heart pounding like a drum.

"Don't shout, young lady! I am the person you saved outside Lingzhou City that night!" A low, urgent male voice came from in front of her.

"My name is Qi Zaiqing, and I mean no harm! I'm truly desperate; please, save Lord Lin!"

Shen Tinghe hesitated: "Lord Lin? Lin Yao?"

"There's no time to explain! It's Lord Lin Yao, he's dying!" Qi Zaiqing pleaded, his steps unwavering.

Shen Tinghe was startled. Without further hesitation, she said, "Okay, take me there quickly."

The two wandered through the maze-like passageways for a while before turning into a hidden recess.

Under the dim glow of the oil lamp, Lin Yao lay directly on a bluestone slab, his face ashen, his breath faint, and the simple bandage on his chest was soaked in blood and turned black.

Shen Tinghe immediately squatted down and placed her fingertips on his wrist pulse.

Excessive blood loss, weak and disordered pulse, and obvious signs of redness, swelling and ulceration from improper wound treatment.

She quickly took out a fragrant, emerald-green pill from a hidden pouch in her sleeve, pried open Lin Yao's jaw, and placed it under his tongue.

He then deftly removed the soiled strips of cloth and, using the clean water and dry cloth handed to him by Qi Zaiqing, washed, applied medicine, and bandaged the wound again.

The distant sounds of hurried footsteps and Li Qu's furious voice could be faintly heard: "...Quick! Protect me and get out of here, and you'll be rewarded with riches and glory!"

Qi Zaiqing's expression tightened: "Li Qu and his men have caught up with us! Miss, how are they?"

"His life has been temporarily saved, but we must leave here as soon as possible and find a place to recuperate and receive treatment." Shen Tinghe stood up, her expression grave.

Judging from the commotion, Li Qu had at least a few guards around him.

With one seriously wounded soldier and one woman on their side, it was definitely not the best strategy for Qi Zaiqing to fight them head-on.

"This way!" Qi Zaiqing carried the unconscious Lin Yao on his back, with Shen Tinghe following closely behind, as they entered another, narrower side path.

They had just left when Li Qu and his group rushed to this place.

Seeing the fresh bloodstains, gauze, and medicine bottles on the ground, Li Qu was stunned at first, then suddenly realized what was going on and gritted his teeth.

"That Lin Yao! He's been hiding right under my nose all this time... Quick! Let's get out of here first!"

The exit of the secret passage was hidden behind a dense thicket of hay on the outskirts of the city.

Qi Zaiqing and his two companions struggled up the hillside via a thorny path and lay in ambush behind the bushes, watching as Li Qu, escorted by several men in black, hurriedly drove away along the main road.

They ran for several more miles until they were completely safe, then stopped by a stream.

Shen Tinghe leaned against the tree trunk, panting heavily, her legs trembling: "Huff...huff...today's aerobic exercise was really beyond my limit..."

Qi Zaiqing carefully put Lin Yao down, wiped his sweat, and asked in confusion, "What did you just say... aerobics?"

"It's nothing," Shen Tinghe waved her hand, caught her breath, looked at Qi Zaiqing, and said seriously.

"Now you can tell me, right? What exactly happened?"

Qi Zaiqing clasped his hands in a respectful bow: "I am deeply grateful! May I ask your name, young lady?"

Shen Tinghe: "My name is Shen... Yuan."

Qi Zaiqing then explained the whole story in detail.

It turns out he was a wandering swordsman and an old acquaintance of Lin Yao.

A month ago, I received a secret letter from Lin Yao seeking help, saying that he had discovered Li Qu's serious crimes but was being hunted down.

Qi Zaiqing rushed to Lingzhou and rescued Lin Yao, who was seriously injured and broke through the encirclement.

Before falling into a coma, Lin Yao intermittently told us that he had accidentally discovered that the Li family mansion had a network of underground passages and extremely well-hidden independent mechanisms that could open multiple exits from the inside, but outsiders could hardly find the entrance.