She accidentally flirted with the villain and was fiercely criticized as the regent for forcibly mar

He raised his hand to fan his nose, not thinking much of it, assuming that the account book had been accidentally stained with blood.

He casually picked up a book from the top and said, "Come! Let me take a good look at how much wealth Lord Jiang has created for Jiangnan!"

Before he could even turn the first page, sticky liquid dripped continuously from the ledger, soaking him instantly.

His keen intuition told him that something was wrong!

I looked down.

Pupil constriction.

is blood!

He could tell whether human blood was fresh or warm!

He suddenly stood up, his knees slamming against the rosewood armchair with a loud clang, his eyes fixed on the iron box containing the account books.

After the book was taken away, a horrifying scene was revealed.

The entire box was filled with blood; except for the few books on the very top, everything was soaked in blood!

The strong smell of blood kept wafting out, filling his nostrils. He finally realized something was wrong and opened all the boxes and cages.

His confidence and pride were completely replaced by fear.

Head!

A human head staring with blood-stained, unseeing eyes!

He recognized several faces; they were crucial spies he had planted for Grand Tutor Cui using the Regent's influence!

They were all killed.

"How could this happen!"

Qian Qian realized he had been exposed, and his first instinct was to run!

The study door slammed shut in front of him the moment he turned around.

The air was pushed, causing the candlelight to flicker and sway wildly. In the dim, yellowish environment, ghostly figures appeared one after another, creating an eerie atmosphere as if one had fallen into an inescapable hell.

From the inner room, separated by a door, came the faint sound of cups clinking together.

someone!

Qian Qian barely needed to think to guess who the other person was; their identity had already popped into his mind.

It's the Regent!

The door to the inner room was opened.

The candlelight gradually illuminated the shadows, revealing an outline that almost blended into the darkness, deep and gloomy. Then, a casual chuckle echoed in the air, bringing an overwhelming sense of oppression.

"It's so late, and Lord Qian is still busy with official duties. The people of Jiangnan are truly blessed!"

Qian Qian's breath hitched.

His gaze fell on those people, and he felt as if a hard iron block had been placed on his heart, and a metallic taste of blood rose in his throat.

He killed him!

It was the regent who killed the pawns he had painstakingly planted everywhere!

Now it's his turn!

He tried his best to calm himself down and appear as composed as before, but when he opened his mouth, his dry and hoarse voice betrayed him: "This humble official greets Your Highness. What brings Your Highness to Jiangnan?"

Xiao Che's hand, holding a cup, was long and slender, exuding a power of life and death: "Come and see how my trusted confidants serve me. Lord Qian, are you pleased to see so many old friends at once?"

Qian Qian's eyes twitched uncontrollably several times. "Your Highness is joking. I do not know these people."

"Oh?" Xiao Che's slightly raised tone carried a hint of doubt, and his laughter was soft. "It seems that Lord Qian doesn't quite like the opportunity I've given him."

Although he was smiling, Qian Qian, who had been by Xiao Che's side for many years, knew him to some extent and clearly heard the murderous intent in his voice: "This humble official has served Your Highness for many years and has always been loyal. I really don't understand what Your Highness means by these words!"

"Please enlighten me, Your Highness."

Xiao Che tapped the white cup lightly with his fingertips: "Shi'an, give Lord Qian a good reminder about what he's been doing all these years."

Shi An smiled at him, still as unguarded as before, but without the previous politeness. He flipped his wrist, drawing a sharp sword flower in the air. The next moment, with a soft thud, the long sword avoided a vital point, piercing into Qian Qian's back and then emerging from his chest.

Sticky blood dripped from the tip of the sword, falling onto the hard floor tiles and splashing like flowers of hell.

Caught off guard by the sudden stab, Qian Qian's body, already almost unable to stand due to the oppressive force, was instantly drained of all strength by the excruciating pain. He collapsed to the ground, his face contorted and deathly pale. His fingernails dug into the cracks of the floor tiles, straining so hard that they flipped over, yet he felt nothing. Painful screams escaped from his clenched teeth.

"what!"

"Your Highness! This humble official... truly doesn't know these people. It must be... someone deliberately framing and sowing discord..."

Shi An's fingers tightened inch by inch, the hilt of the sword making a slight friction sound in his palm, the sharp blade slowly rotating in the flesh, each movement bringing out thick blood foam.

Qian Qian forced out a suppressed cry of pain, which was quickly replaced by a heart-wrenching scream.

The sound echoed in the empty room, like a dull knife scraping against the eardrums, sending chills down one's spine.

Xiao Che looked at the pale face and the panic welling up in his eyes, as if he were watching a very entertaining performance: "Oh? Then tell me, Lord Qian, how did the others instigate this?"

Shi An's eyes were cold as ice, showing no mercy whatsoever, as if he were merely crushing an ant: "To make the Prince believe that you have a grudge against Grand Tutor Cui, you personally ordered your own brother to be pushed out and trampled to death under the hooves of the Cui family. Who instigated this?"

"Five years ago, in the dead of night, Lord Qian's buried mother and pregnant concubine dug up their coffins, climbed out of their graves, and ran off to Youzhou to live a leisurely and wealthy life raising their children. Could it be that the instigators found a miraculous medicine for Lord Qian to bring them back to life?"

"Who instigated this exchange between Lord Qian and the Cui family's steward?"

The excruciating pain made Qian Qian feel as if his soul had been ripped away. Blood gushed from the wound, soaking his clothes with sweat and flowing outwards along the floor. His vision blurred in waves.

But when he heard Shi An's words, his trembling body suddenly froze.

Realizing that his efforts to disguise himself were in vain, and that his true colors had already been exposed, he was now completely innocent.

Youngest child!

The son who was the hope of the whole family... was his deepest trump card. Even Cui Taifu, whom he served, did not know of his existence. For his safety, he had never contacted him in the past five years.

Because as long as he has a son to carry on the family line, even if the party and government ultimately fail, the Qian family will still have descendants! What he secretly left behind is enough for his son to grow up and make a comeback!

But how could the Regent discover the trump card that he was trying so hard to protect?

"No...it's impossible..."

Qian Qian had followed the Regent for more than five years and knew his strength, but only now did he directly feel just how terrifying that strength was!

Because he had only contacted the Cui family's butler once in more than five years, and they didn't even stop to say a word. He just brushed past him and quickly slipped a note into the wide sleeve, but it was still discovered!

"Why... how is this possible?"

Shi An's condescending voice seemed to come from hell: "What? Has Lord Qian finally woken up from his dream and realized what he has done?"

Qian Qian mustered all her strength to raise her head, her wide, terrified eyes fixed on Xiao Che's aloof, handsome, and noble face. Finally, she asked the question she most wanted to know: "You! What did you do to my mother and son?!"

Xiao Che appeared relaxed.

Pinch the lid, release your fingers, and it falls back down, the thin porcelain making a "chime" sound again and again.

It was crisp and clear, yet it felt like a knife constantly cutting into Qian Qian's taut nerves.

Unable to get an answer, they became even more anxious and tried to struggle.

The slightest movement ripped open the already numb wound, and unable to catch his breath, he slammed heavily against the hard floor tiles, powerless to move, his fear completely suppressed.

"You investigated me for a long time back then, but found nothing. I've asked myself all these years, and I've hidden myself very well, serving you in every way, without ever betraying any of your decisions. Why would you investigate me again?"