Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

"I have no interest in these things!"

Before Han Yu could finish speaking, Honglian interrupted him sharply, her eyes as sharp as knives, staring intently at him as she asked, word by word, "I ask you, is the death of my brother, the Crown Prince, related to you?"

Han Yu's body stiffened abruptly, the smile on his face vanished instantly, his expression became subtle, and his eyes flickered as he dared not meet Hong Lian's gaze.

Honglian took in Han Yu's reaction, and her suspicions grew stronger.

She continued, "No wonder you were so eager to betroth me to Ji Yihu, Bai Yifei, and others back then. It turns out that in your eyes, I was nothing more than a bargaining chip that you could use at will. You colluded with Bai Yifei to secretly plot against me and my brother, the Crown Prince. Fortunately, I returned safely. You were worried that things would be exposed, but because I didn't show any abnormality, you couldn't bring yourself to kill me. So you've always been wary of me and wanted to push me into the tiger's den to get rid of me through someone else, right?"

At this point, Honglian's voice choked with emotion. She gripped the pendant tightly in her hand, her knuckles turning white from the force. "Han Yu, is there even a trace of blood ties left in your heart?"

After surviving the ambush and returning to Xinzheng, Honglian seemed like a completely different person.

The once sunny and cheerful princess has become taciturn, with an unyielding gloom always lurking in her eyes.

Aside from occasionally mentioning her elder brother, the Crown Prince's death, to Han Fei to express her doubts and grief, she chose to shut herself off most of the time.

Having experienced too many separations and deaths, the innocent and carefree girl has long since shed her naivety and learned to be patient and patient.

When her father died, she was imprisoned in the dungeon by Tianze. The moment she heard the news, she felt only endless sorrow and helplessness. But the image of her elder brother, the crown prince, dying in front of her was like a sharp knife, constantly piercing her heart and making her wary.

Upon returning to the palace, she secretly resolved to uncover the truth behind her elder brother, the Crown Prince, by remaining low-key and lying low.

But she never expected the truth to come so late.

With the state of Han on the verge of collapse and Han Fei's brother dead in Qin, she now has no one left to rely on.

It is precisely because of this that when the long-suppressed anger finally erupted, Honglian's demeanor was completely different from before, showing more decisiveness and sharpness.

Han Yu had no mind to pay attention to Honglian's changes. Hearing Honglian's piercing questions, he remained silent for a long time, his chest heaving violently. He was clearly also angered by Honglian's words.

The next instant, he slammed the bronze goblet in his hand to the ground, shattering it and spilling wine all over the floor.

He abruptly stood up, glaring at Honglian, and retorted in an icy voice, "Family ties? If I truly didn't care about blood relations, do you think you could still live peacefully in this palace, enjoying a life of luxury? Honglian, what right do you have to question me?"

"Do you know how much I sacrificed and how much effort I made to save Korea? Even if I were to marry you off to Ji Yihu, Bai Yifei, or someone else, so what? As a princess of Korea, you enjoy the honor and convenience that come with your status. In times of national crisis, what's wrong with sacrificing something for the safety of Korea?"

Han Yu was emotional, his tone tinged with grievance and anger.

In his view, everything he did was for South Korea, and even if his methods were somewhat harsh, it was a last resort.

He never personally participated in the plot to murder the crown prince. He simply chose to ignore Bai Yifei's plan after learning about it. In his eyes, the crown prince's existence was an obstacle to his struggle for the throne. Removing the crown prince might not be a bad thing for him.

"So you've finally revealed your true thoughts?" Honglian's heart sank to the bottom upon hearing Han Yu's words. She looked at Han Yu, her eyes as cold as frost. "So, in your eyes, I'm nothing more than a pawn to be sacrificed at will. No, not just me, but probably even my former Crown Prince brother and Han Fei brother were sacrifices used to consolidate your power!"

As soon as she finished speaking, a thought suddenly flashed through Honglian's mind.

Since the death of the Crown Prince is related to Han Yu, could the death of the Father King, which occurred even earlier, also be related to him?

She suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with shock and disbelief, and asked in a trembling voice, "Father... was Father's death also related to you?"

At this moment, Honglian no longer trusted Han Yu at all, especially after hearing his cold and ruthless words. She even felt that Han Yu would do anything to fight for the throne.

"My father's death has nothing to do with me!" Hearing Honglian's question, Han Yu became even more agitated. He stepped forward and retorted loudly, his eyes filled with urgency as he tried to prove his innocence.

"At this point, are you still going to pretend to be innocent?" Honglian sneered, her eyes full of mockery. "Han Yu, your attitude is disgusting! After Father and Crown Prince died, you were the biggest beneficiary, but now you say these things have nothing to do with you. Who do you think will believe you?"

Yeah, who would believe that?

Honglian's words were like a sharp dagger, piercing Han Yu's sore spot.

In the past, when the situation in South Korea was stable, he could use his status as the King of Han to forcefully suppress all doubts and dissatisfaction. But now, with the situation in South Korea turbulent and rumors rampant, his reputation has plummeted. In the eyes of the people, he is a foolish and incompetent monarch who will stop at nothing to obtain the throne.

Even if he truly did not murder his father and the crown prince, the mere fact that he was the "greatest beneficiary" was enough to arouse suspicion in everyone. Moreover, the rumors circulating in the palace had already portrayed him as a ruthless tyrant who murdered his brothers to seize the throne. At this moment, even if he had a hundred mouths, he would find it difficult to clear his name.

"You're my own sister, and even you won't believe me?" Han Yu looked at Hong Lian's eyes, which were full of hostility and doubt, and felt an indescribable anger and disappointment well up in his heart. He stared at Hong Lian, his eyes bloodshot.

Honglian showed no fear. She straightened her back, met Han Yu's gaze, her eyes firm and unwavering.

Before the truth is revealed, she will never easily believe a word Han Yu says again.

……

"I heard that Princess Honglian went to Han Yu and caused a huge scene, and the two of them had a huge argument."

In another part of the palace, in Lady Mingzhu's bedroom, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood. Lady Mingzhu stood behind Xu Qing, massaging him while whispering the news she had just received from her subordinates to Xu Qing, who was sitting in front of her.

Lady Mingzhu had been lying low in the palace for many years, cultivating many trusted spies and informants. No matter what happened in the palace, it could not escape her eyes.

"Is it because of the latest rumors?" Xu Qing showed no surprise upon hearing this. He nodded slightly and said calmly.

After all, those rumors about the Crown Prince's death were deliberately spread by him.

Princess Honglian, as a witness to the Crown Prince's death and Han Fei's sister, would inevitably seek an explanation from Han Yu after learning the truth, which was all within his expectations.

"Yes." Madam Mingzhu nodded gently, her tone still calm, as if she were talking about a trivial matter.

Even though the rumors mentioned that another mastermind behind the plot to kill the crown prince was Bai Yifei, who had once been close to her, her face remained expressionless, showing neither anger nor sadness.

Having gone through so much, Bai Yifei had long since become a "passerby" in her heart.

She once thought Bai Yifei was genuinely kind to her, teaching her Gu techniques and martial arts to enable her to protect herself. But after Bai Yifei's death, when she inherited his estate, she discovered from some secret letters that Bai Yifei's actions had ulterior motives; he had merely used her as a "vessel" for practicing Gu techniques.

The moment I learned the truth, all the warmth and dependence turned into cold disgust and vanished completely from my heart.

"This Princess Honglian is quite remarkable." Madam Mingzhu's hands did not stop moving, and a faint smile appeared on her lips. "I thought she was a delicate flower grown in a greenhouse, unable to withstand the slightest wind or rain, but I did not expect that she would dare to run up to Han Yu alone and make a scene. Such courage is rare."

"How is she now?" Xu Qing asked with concern, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

Lady Mingzhu recalled the message from her subordinates and slowly said, "Han Yu was rendered speechless by Honglian's questioning. In a fit of anger, he drew his sword, intending to kill Honglian. However, for some unknown reason, he sheathed his sword and let Honglian go, only ordering her to be imprisoned. Perhaps, it was out of consideration for so-called family ties."

When the word "family affection" was mentioned, Madam Mingzhu's lips curled into a sneer, her eyes filled with disdain.

In her view, in the face of the temptation of power, so-called family affection is nothing but a fragile joke.

"Is that so?" Xu Qing's eyes flickered slightly, and a thought suddenly popped into his mind. He said softly, "Perhaps, I can go and see her."

Upon hearing the news of Han Yu's falling out with Hong Lian, Xu Qing couldn't help but think of Ji Wuye and Ji Yihu from the past.

Back then, when Ji Wuye and his son Ji Yihu turned against each other, although Bai Yifei was the main instigator, he also fueled the flames by sending Ji Yihu a sword through Nongyu.

It was that sword that completely awakened the jealousy in Ji Yihu's heart, leading him to ruthlessly kill Ji Wuye.

This time, his return to South Korea was not only to empty the South Korean treasury, but also to take action against Han Yu.

Han Yu, the king of Korea, is a superior material for forging swords.

But there are some things that don't need to be done by yourself.

Having someone else do it for you is the same thing.

Through Madam Mingzhu, Xu Qing quickly found out where Princess Honglian was being held.

Then, they quickly headed in that direction.

Chapter 193 I'll give you a sword, a sword to slay the king!

Humans are such contradictory creatures.

Many things are like sand slipping through your fingers; only when they are completely lost will your palm feel an empty, stinging pain, and only then will you belatedly realize that you want to get them back.

Han Yu once thought he had crushed this "pain" with his lust for power.

To ascend the nine jade steps to the throne of the King of Han, he personally stripped the concept of "family ties" from his very bones, hypnotizing himself daily with the cold, hard words that "the royal family has no relatives," as if repeating it a thousand times could truly erase the warmth from his bloodline.

Therefore, he ignored Bai Yifei's plot to murder the crown prince, suppressed Han Fei who posed a threat to him, and even his other brothers, though mediocre, were still feared by Han Yu as they might threaten his position. Over the past few years, he has suppressed them quite a bit.

As a result, he became completely isolated.

As a king, one is supposed to be lonely and isolated. There's nothing wrong with being a solitary person, as long as he can stand at the top and hold great power, he won't feel lonely or isolated.

But now he can no longer control the situation. South Korea has fallen to such a state, and Han Yu is in deep trouble. It is precisely because he cannot find comfort in power that he begins to think of family ties.

Honglian's words in the main hall that day were like needles chilled to ice, piercing his already numb heart.

"You killed your elder brother, the Crown Prince, and forced your elder brother, Han Fei, and now you want to use me as a bargaining chip too?"

He was so angry that veins bulged on his forehead, his hand on the hilt of his sword, and he almost ordered his ungrateful sister to be dragged out and beheaded.

But as the words were about to come out, he caught a glimpse of the desolate, lifeless look in Honglian's eyes, and the anger suddenly got stuck in his throat, finally turning into a single sentence.

"Take the princess to the west side hall and keep a close watch on her."

However, the so-called supervision is more like a disguised form of preferential treatment.

Although the west wing was secluded, it was covered with soft cloud brocade carpets and the window frames were carved with lotus patterns. The meals that the palace maids brought every day were all top-quality delicacies, but clearly, Honglian was unwilling to accept any of this.

When Xu Qing sneaked into the vicinity, he heard a commotion coming from inside the palace.

Immediately afterwards, the palace maids brought out some of the spilled food.

Xu Qing's eyes flickered, and she had a completely new evaluation of Han Yu.

Of course, it's not a good review.

Perhaps Han Yu is not bad to Hong Lian now, but based on what he did in the past, he is definitely not a good brother.

The deaths of the Korean Crown Prince and Han Fei are both related to Han Yu. If she were Princess Honglian, she would never forgive Han Yu.

Without a doubt, Princess Honglian harbors deep hatred for Han Yu, but fortunately, Xu Qing is not here to resolve the conflict between the siblings.

The deeper Honglian's hatred for Han Yu goes, the better it is for him.

After observing carefully, he waited until the palace maid left.

Xu Qing's figure flickered, just as he had sneaked into the palace treasury earlier. He easily bypassed the guards outside, then opened a crack in a door and slipped inside.

For Xu Qing, the place where Princess Honglian was imprisoned was no more heavily guarded than the royal palaces and treasuries.

The main reason was that Han Yu suddenly softened and couldn't bear to put his sister in jail. If she were locked up in a cell, that would obviously be a different story.

Inside the spacious palace, after chasing away the palace maids who brought food, Honglian looked at the palace's fury and began smashing things wildly.

The crackling sounds were incessant.

However, this way of venting her anger by smashing things could not truly eliminate the hatred in Honglian's heart.

If Han Yu had killed her in his anger, she would have felt better; it would have been a relief.

After her brother Han Fei died, she no longer wanted to live. Even though she was in the palace, which she knew so well, she felt like a stranger.

However, Han Yu did not kill her.

This inevitably made her suspicious of Han Yu's intentions.

Han Yu had previously admitted that he had used her as a bargaining chip, and now that he was keeping her around, it was inevitable that Honglian would suspect that Han Yu still wanted to use her.