Empress in her second playthrough: Something's not right with this plot!

Wei Xiang's internal energy circulated, and a burst of powerful energy directly knocked the kitchen knife out of the fat man's hand.

With a clang.

The cleaver was flung away, and the entire blade embedded itself in the wall.

The fat man and the thin man both took a deep breath and widened their eyes.

Wei Xiang slammed his elbow backward, and the fat man cried out in pain, feeling as if he had been hit hard in the chest with an iron hammer.

Then, Wei Xiang grabbed his arm and threw him over her shoulder with a vicious over-the-shoulder throw.

The ground shook, and the fat man felt as if he were seeing his mother who had passed away many years ago.

That wasn't all. Wei Xiang used only one hand to lift the fat man off the ground.

It spun around 360 degrees and then crashed hard onto the other side of the ground.

This time, the fat man has met his grandmother.

Beside him, the skinny man's legs were trembling like leaves.

There was a click.

Little Taro grabbed his arm, used a dislocated hand technique to jump back to the ground along his limp arm.

With a push of both hands, the skinny man's knees cracked loudly, and he knelt directly on the ground.

The fat man muttered to himself.

"grandmother……"

Li Yunsheng walked over, picked up a ladle of cold water, and splashed it directly onto the fat man's face.

The cold water in winter jolted the fat man awake.

He was so frightened that he immediately knelt on the ground and kept kowtowing.

"Grandma, spare me! Grandma, spare me!"

Li Yunsheng tapped his head with the ladle.

"Aren't you the infamous Ghost-Fearer, renowned throughout the country, in both the legitimate and criminal worlds, and known for killing without blinking an eye?"

"Sir, please have mercy! I will never dare to do it again!"

Beside him, the skinny man lay limply on the ground, unable to even kowtow.

"Sir, this is our first time too, please let us go."

Li Yunsheng glanced at the kitchen knife that was not embedded in the wall.

"The first time?"

The fat man nodded quickly: "The first time, it really is the first time!"

Li Yunsheng tapped him on the head again.

"If you dare to use a kitchen knife on your first try, you'll probably kill your whole family in the future!"

"Oh no, I wouldn't dare! I wouldn't dare!"

The fat man hurriedly shook his head, tears and snot streaming down his face.

“I have an 80-year-old mother to support and a three-year-old child to raise. We were really struggling to get enough to eat at the end of the year, which is why I did something foolish.”

The fat man cried so sincerely that even his brother-in-law almost believed him.

However, given Li Yunsheng's innate skills, this lie was impossible to hide.

He raised his head and looked at Wei Xiang.

"Let the Jingzhao Prefecture arrest them."

Wei Xiang nodded, then turned and left.

The skinny man nearby hurriedly shouted.

"No, no, no, don't report us to the authorities. We were wrong, we'll never do it again."

The fat man kept kowtowing and begging for mercy, but his eyes were always fixed on Wei Xiang's back.

He suddenly looked up as Wei Xiang walked out of the courtyard.

That woman was formidable; I couldn't beat her. But this young master looks frail and sickly.

If he could just take him down, he would have a chance to escape before the officials arrived.

The fat man suddenly sprang up, only to be met with Li Yunsheng's lightning seal.

boom.

The fat man, his face blackened and his hair flying wildly, left the main room.

Cough cough cough...

He had a mournful face and exhaled a puff of white smoke.

"This can be used too..."

Although Li Yunsheng couldn't read minds, he could clearly see the fat man's emotional changes.

He walked out of the house and squatted down in front of the fat man.

"What, you think I'm easy to bully?"

Soon, a group of constables from the Jingzhao Prefecture, led by Wei Xiang, quickly ran into the courtyard.

As soon as the group entered the courtyard, they saw that the robbers had been subdued and bowed to them.

"Greetings, Your Excellency!"

The fat man tilted his head back and exhaled another puff of smoke.

"You really are the Prime Minister!"

At the doorway, Old Zhang, leaning on his cane, muttered something.

"I told you a long time ago, but you wouldn't believe me."

Chapter 72 Even if the Heavenly King himself comes, he has to call me "Father" before he leaves.

"Your Majesty, the capital city seems to have suddenly become lively."

"Call me Young Master!"

"Yes, son."

Leaving the palace at night was a first for Jiang Qingying.

Since the curfew had only been lifted a few days prior, the residents who had been confined to their neighborhoods for so long were still experiencing a sense of novelty and excitement.

With the Lunar New Year approaching, the number of pedestrians on Zhuque Street was no less than during the day.

Even though it was nighttime, the lanterns hanging up in each house made the whole street as bright as day.

Moreover, with the high walls gone, some families along the street have already started doing business.

At the same time, many more stalls appeared on the street, making it a good place to have a late-night snack.

"Candied hawthorn!"

Hearing the shouts, I turned my head and saw that there were still people selling candied hawthorns on the street.

Jiang Qingying touched her empty purse and sighed inwardly.

Ever since her treasury was robbed by Li, it has become increasingly difficult for her to spend money.

When they asked the Ministry of Revenue for money, the Ministry kept making excuses, saying that the national treasury was empty.

She, the dignified emperor of the Great Chu, wished she could split every copper coin in two.

"Don't the people of the Jingzhao Prefecture care about these stalls set up on the street?"

The man selling candied hawthorns looked to be in his thirties and was rather thin. He pointed to the house behind him.

"This is my home, and the officials said I could set up a stall along the street."

There were more people that night, so naturally, people needed to eat and drink.

Perhaps feeling somewhat sentimental, the man spoke more than usual.

"I heard that there are lantern shows during the Lantern Festival."

Of course, I didn't forget to ask a question at the end.

"Would you two like some candied hawthorns?"

Jiang Qingying held up one finger.

"A string of them."

"Alright!" The man picked a string of candied hawthorns. "Here you go."

Jiang Qingying gestured.

"Xuanran, give me the money."

Shangguan Xuanran receives a monthly allowance, which is more than what the emperor receives.

Shangguan Xuanran was about to take out his money when Jiang Qingying stopped him.

"Wait a minute, another one, please."

Shangguan Xuanran was stunned for a moment.

"Your Majesty—Young Master, I won't eat."

Jiang Qingying raised her chin slightly, gesturing towards the distance.

Just then, Li Yunsheng and Wei Xiang came out of Changxingfang and walked onto Zhuque Street.

The Empress waved the candied hawthorn in her hand and called out.

"Young Master Li!"