The Demon Prince

In the basement, Li Miaoqing held Xiao Xingyue tightly. The flames drew ever closer. The fire of desire had already burned, and what followed was being consumed by the flames and turning into a mound of yellow earth.

"Xiao Xingyue, it actually felt quite comfortable just now, it just hurt a little at first..."

She wanted to continue expressing her true feelings, but the next moment—BOOM!

The wall was smashed open, cold air rushed in, and the smoke and fire were dispersed.

Huh? Li Miaoqing looked up blankly. Was she saved?

She looked at the broken wall, then at Xiao Xingyue who had broken her, and only one thought remained in her mind.

Did I just give it away for nothing?

The next moment, she abruptly broke free from Xiao Xingyue's embrace, hurriedly straightening her clothes, her face flushed crimson.

"Xiao Xingyue, you! Me! Ah!"

Xiao Xingyue coughed and said, "Princess, there's no need to blame yourself. True friendship is revealed in times of trouble. My innocence is nothing!"

"My innocence is clear!" Li Miaoqing was already somewhat disoriented. She immediately tidied her disheveled clothes and went out while holding onto the wall.

Outside, the firelight, voices, and the sound of water mingled together.

When Li Miaoqing came out, she was seen by Cui Daoyuan and Xie Yuheng, who immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

It's good that the princess is still alive!

At most, they might accidentally start a fire and accidentally burn one of their expendable pawns to death.

Xiao Xingyue followed behind Li Miaoqing and whispered, "They set the fire."

Li Miaoqing suddenly stepped forward, slapped Xie Yuheng across the face, and kicked Cui Daoyuan!

"ah--"

"Princess--"

Li Miaoqing staggered, exhausted, and was supported by Xiao Xingyue. Her anger instantly overwhelmed her shame and resentment as she demanded of the crowd, "Who gave you the audacity to set this princess on fire?!"

Silence fell instantly. Chen Manfu realized that the young master clearly wanted to use the Seventh Princess to escalate the situation, so he immediately pounced on her.

"Yes! Murdering a member of the royal family, plotting against the Seventh Princess, setting fire to destroy evidence—none of them will escape!"

Zhao Yuanbao's eyes flashed wildly as he shouted, "Lock him up! Interrogate him thoroughly!"

Xie Yuheng was so frightened that his whole body went limp:

"It's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding. I just heard there was a fire here, so I came to check it out."

Xiao Xingyue stepped out from behind Li Miaoqing, a smile on his face: "Sealing off the entrance was a misunderstanding? Weren't you afraid we'd escape?"

Xie Yuheng's lips turned white, and he tried to retreat in the chaos.

Feng Lie stepped forward and kicked him in the back of the knee. With a thud, he knelt on the ground, his face contorted in pain.

Seeing this scene, Li Miaoqing finally understood why Xiao Xingyue had come.

They were investigating the assassin, but these people came to obstruct them, even blocking the entrance, setting fires, and clogging the chimney.

If you have nothing to hide, why are you in such a hurry?

Li Miaoqing was furious: "Imprison Xie Yuheng and Cui Daoyuan in the Ministry of Justice!"

"Princess, this is making a mountain out of a molehill." But before the words were finished, a gentle voice came from outside the crowd.

The crowd parted, and Chen Manfu glanced outside, frowned, then whispered in Xiao Xingyue's ear, "He is Lu Chengzhang, the Minister of Rites and concurrently the Head of the Hanlin Academy!"

Xiao Xingyue raised an eyebrow. "The big fish has arrived."

Lu Chengzhang, dressed in his official robes, with a kind smile, first bowed to Li Miaoqing:

"The princess was frightened; this old minister has arrived late."

Then he looked at Xiao Xingyue and said, "It's good that the young master is also unharmed."

He spoke calmly, without the slightest sign of panic:

"This is the former site of the Hanlin Academy. It has been in disrepair for many years, and the servants mismanaged it, which led to the fire. There must be some misunderstanding involved."

After saying this, he turned his head to the side, and immediately a man from the Ministry of Works came in from outside the door, wiping his sweat as he stepped forward: "Your Highness, this place was originally on the demolition list, but who would have thought that Your Highness and the Crown Prince would suddenly enter, which caused this trouble."

Xie Yuheng immediately retorted, "Exactly! Whose fault is this?"

Cui Daoyuan also seized the opportunity to chime in: "The young master is always fooling around, why is the seventh princess joining in... sigh..."

Li Miaoqing was trembling with anger:

"You, you actually dare to turn the tables and accuse me!"

She had seen palace intrigues and court officials passing the buck before, but she never imagined that someone who had almost burned her to death could still put on such an innocent act!

Disgusting! Absolutely disgusting! Even more disgusting than Xiao Xingyue!

Lu Chengzhang said gently:

"The princess is young and easily frightened, so it's understandable that she might be angry. This old minister will personally investigate the matter and give the princess an explanation."

So they had already planned their contingency plan in case it failed; they weren't entirely stupid... Xiao Xingyue sneered: "Lord Lu, investigate? After investigating, will it just be another case of things falling into disrepair, a servant making a mistake, or some temporary worker going insane?"

Lu Chengzhang glanced at Xiao Xingyue, his coldness gradually revealing himself: "Your Highness, be careful with your words. The court has its own rules and regulations for handling affairs."

"Methods? I understand them too!" A furious shout exploded from the doorway.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice, and Lu Chengzhang frowned when he saw who it was... Beitang Jimin had arrived!

Despite his advanced age, Dr. Wang was still vigorous and walked very fast.

He saw that Li Miaoqing's shoulder was covered in blood, her clothes were blackened by smoke, and she almost couldn't stand up: "Qing'er, are you alright?"

Li Miaoqing was still holding on, but when she saw her grandfather, her eyes immediately reddened: "Grandpa."

But then she suddenly remembered what had happened with Xiao Xingyue inside, and immediately lowered her head, looking guilty, afraid that Beitang Jimin would notice something was amiss.

But she still underestimated Beitang Jimin. Beitang Jimin's eyes narrowed. He looked at her, then at Xiao Xingyue, his expression growing increasingly grim.

Finally, gritting his teeth, he abruptly turned around: "Investigate! Investigate to the end! Anyone who dares to stop me will be an enemy of the Beitang Prefecture!"

Lu Chengzhang frowned, but his position was not to be underestimated. "Your Majesty, I have always respected your high moral character and prestige, but this is a matter of the court, and you do not hold any official rank?"

Beitang Jimin's face was icy cold. "Are you saying I have no right to interfere? You burned Xiao Xingyue, fine, but my granddaughter almost died inside!"

Xiao Xingyue thought to himself: Am I some kind of despicable person?

"Yes, yes, I will definitely investigate and give the princess an explanation. Rest assured, Your Majesty." Lu Chengzhang's tone softened, adopting an official tone: "Guards, take Lord Cui and Scholar Xie back for questioning!"

Cui Daoyuan and Xie Yuheng looked at each other, and both couldn't help but smile.

Once we get back, we can just issue a simple announcement to shirk responsibility, and that'll be the end of it.

Just as the two were about to leave, the sound of horses' hooves came from the doorway again.

A loud and domineering voice followed:

"Lu Chengzhang, you can't protect these two today!"

Everyone's expression tightened, and they immediately looked outside, where they saw a fine horse stop, and Qin Zhenyue dismount.

He was tall and imposing, exuding a menacing aura.

As I walked over, everyone around me stepped back.

The General Who Guards the West glanced at the fire, then at Cui Daoyuan and Xie Yuheng, and ordered, "Men, seize them!"

When Qin Zhenyue stood there, all the people from the Hanlin Academy around him seemed to shrink in size.

Xie Yuheng had just been kicked over by Feng Lie, and Cui Daoyuan was clutching his sleeve, his hands trembling.

Lu Chengzhang stepped in front of the two, maintaining the dignified air of the Minister of Rites: "General Qin, this matter is still undecided..."

Qin Zhenyue raised his hand and pointed to the underground entrance:

"Oil and sleeping gas—these are physical evidence; the Seventh Princess and the Ninth Prince—these are witnesses..."

He took a step forward, and the ground seemed to tremble: "Tell me, what further conclusion do you need? Take it down!"

The guards of Zhenxi Prefecture immediately stepped forward.

Lu Chengzhang did not turn around, but his sleeves swayed back slightly.

Xie Yuheng's eyelids twitched. Was this a signal for him to leave?

As long as we leave here, as long as we return to the Hanlin Academy, as long as we drag the matter into the official documents of the court, there is still room for maneuver.

Xie Yuheng gritted his teeth, got up, and retreated into the dark alley by stepping on the weeds.

He retreated at a very opportune time. Several officials from the Hanlin Academy were blocking his way, and the shadows of an old wall were beneath his feet. He could then retreat two more steps and slip into the alley.

"Scholar Xie, why are you running?" Xiao Xingyue pushed off with his foot and leaped to grab him.

Xie Yuheng nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the wind behind him.

Seeing Xie Yuheng being captured by Xiao Xingyue, Lu Chengzhang's sleeves suddenly trembled: "Insolence!"

He blocked with his palm, the force of which brushed against the air, and the ashes on the ground were rolled into a ball.

As the palm wind rushed towards his face, Xiao Xingyue subconsciously activated the Sacred Dragon Technique within his body, and a surge of heat flowed from his dantian to his arm. At the same time, Xiao Xingyue unleashed a palm strike!