Fairy, please don't do this!

The Imperial Guard's rank was half a grade higher than his deputy commander's, and given that he was close to the Empress Dowager, his future was undoubtedly bright.

But he didn't want to get too close to the woman.

As the saying goes, serving a ruler is like serving a tiger, let alone a petty tigress.

Xiao Qingyi said calmly, "The Imperial Guard is just a figurehead."

"If Gu Qing is unwilling, then forget it."

Upon hearing this, Gu Jinzhao hesitated for a moment, but still agreed: "Thank you for your promotion, Your Majesty."

If you refuse this woman's kindness, you might face retaliation.

Therefore, it's better to go along with their wishes.

After all, just as Xiao Qingyi said, if he wanted to improve his martial arts cultivation as soon as possible, he still needed to comprehend her true meaning of martial arts.

As for why they didn't seek out other martial arts experts, it was naturally because they couldn't compare to Xiao Qingyi, the female martial god of Cangyue.

After finishing her meal, Xiao Qingyi took out a handkerchief to wipe her red lips and slowly stood up: "Since you've finished eating, Minister Gu, please come with me."

Gu Jinchao asked instinctively, "Where to?"

"Go to the Zhao family and kill them."

Xiao Qingyi's voice suddenly turned icy cold.

As she spoke, she gently raised her delicate hand and tore it apart from a distance.

hum-

The spatial ripples suddenly expanded, forming a vortex-like passage.

Xiao Qingyi took a step out, bringing with her a refreshing fragrance, and entered the room.

Gu Jinzhao remained silent for a moment, then followed.

Regarding the Corpse Demon Cave, the Zhao family is suspected of colluding with the Earth Demon to kill the cultivators who entered and to refine the sacred-grade Blood Essence Pill.

These major cases have already shaken the capital and must be dealt with swiftly and decisively to serve as a warning to others.

But the Zhao family were part of Emperor Yongxing's faction.

Without His Majesty's permission, who would dare to make a move?

Times have changed. With the Zen Master, a half-step super-rank official, backing him up, Emperor Yongxing has no fear of even the powerful Empress Dowager.

Now, Xiao Qingyi is going to the Zhao family to kill them herself, let's see who dares to stop her.

As his thoughts wandered, Gu Jinzhao had already entered the spatial passage.

As a dizzying sensation swept over me, my body was surrounded by rapidly passing black light spots, and the howling of a spatial storm filled my ears.

With his cultivation level, if he were touched, he would probably be instantly torn into mincemeat.

But with Xiao Qingyi around, there's no need to worry about these things.

The next moment, everything suddenly opened up before me.

What came into view was no longer the Jinglan Hall in the inner garden of the imperial palace, but a vast and magnificent mansion.

The vermilion gate was several meters high, inlaid with gilded bronze nails, and a plaque with two large, elegant characters hanging above the gate: "Zhao Mansion".

Chapter 310, The Empress Wants to Kill, Who Can Stop Her? (3K)

The Zhao family is one of the four great families of Yujing!

At this moment, the entire mansion was sealed off by hundreds of imperial guards clad in crimson phoenix scale armor.

They all wielded crimson spears, their bodies radiating a chilling killing intent, like a raging inferno sweeping everything.

Vermilion Bird Guard!

These are imperial guards who only obey the orders of the current Empress Dowager!

In the arena, Lingguang Prefecture Lord Chi Yan, upon seeing the Empress Dowager arrive in person, immediately stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the Vermilion Bird Guards have, as ordered, completely surrounded the Zhao residence, and no one has escaped."

Xiao Qingyi nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over the tightly closed vermilion gate before her, and said calmly, "Read out the charges."

"Yes!"

Chi Yan clasped his hands in acceptance of the order, took a step, and arrived in mid-air above the Zhao residence.

The next instant, a loud and cold voice resounded throughout the entire capital: "The Zhao family has been favored by the emperor for generations, and should therefore be loyal to the emperor and the country, and uphold the duties of a subject."

"However, their clansmen are wolves in sheep's clothing and blinded by greed. In order to refine the sacred [Blood Essence Pill], they colluded with evil cultivators, harmed the innocent, and wreaked havoc in Jade Capital!"

"An investigation revealed that the Zhao family, over a period of three years, brutally murdered tens of thousands of civilians, rogue cultivators, and even officials of the Imperial Demon Suppression Division, using evil methods to extract the life essence and blood of the living to refine evil pills!"

"Zhao Qingcang, the patriarch of the Zhao family, secretly colluded with a second-rank great demon who was sealed in the Corpse Demon Cave, causing widespread suffering and death. Such behavior is intolerable to heaven and earth and is abhorrent to both gods and men!"

"According to the Cangyue Law, those who cause chaos in the capital region are guilty of treason and should have their entire family executed!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chi Yan thrust his spear through the air.

Boom—

With a muffled thud, the great formation surrounding the Zhao family broke open instantly, and the Zhao family's gate collapsed directly.

At this moment, a robust middle-aged man dressed in fine clothes and wearing a purple-gold crown, along with a group of Zhao family members, bowed in unison to the stunning figure in a phoenix robe.

"Zhao Linyuan, head of the Zhao family, along with the entire Zhao clan, pays respects to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager!"

After the ceremony, Zhao Linyuan raised his head and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "The Zhao family has committed a grave mistake this time, causing a great disaster, and its crimes are indeed unforgivable."

"However, the root of this matter is not what my Zhao family intended."

"It is all because my Zhao family ancestor, Zhao Qingcang, was unfortunately possessed by a demonic cultivator from the evil sect, which led him to commit such heinous acts."

“Our people are either deceived or coerced; they are all acting against their will.”

"His Majesty has already sent people to investigate this matter. I urge Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly and not let the real culprit go unpunished, nor to wrongfully kill thousands of innocent members of my Zhao family!"

By the end, his voice had taken on a hint of grief and indignation.

Gu Jinchao narrowed his eyes slightly.

These words, spoken with great passion, placed all the blame on the deceased Zhao Qingcang, portraying the Zhao family as innocent victims controlled by evil cultivators.

If he wasn't mistaken, Emperor Yongxing and the Zen Master would appear shortly.

Although Zhao Qingcang is dead, the Zhao family should not be ruined because of this.

Otherwise, it would be tantamount to cutting off Emperor Yongxing's arm.

Just as Gu Jinzhao had expected, a high-pitched voice came from afar: "His Majesty has arrived—"

A magnificent dragon chariot, pulled by six fiery steeds, slowly approached, surrounded by ministers, eunuchs, and palace maids.

Beside the imperial carriage followed a middle-aged man dressed in a dark gray-brown monk's robe.

Emperor Yongxing, supported by eunuchs, stepped down from the imperial carriage and approached Xiao Qingyi. However, he did not bow as usual, but simply said indifferently, "I have investigated this matter thoroughly! Zhao Qingcang, the patriarch of the Zhao family, was indeed possessed by the evil cultivators of the Underworld God Sect, which led to this great disaster."

"The rest of the Zhao family members were mostly deceived and coerced; their crimes do not warrant death."

He paused here, then added, "Moreover, the Zhao family has controlled the supply of elixirs to the capital for many years and has made contributions to the court."

"Now that the ringleader has been executed, he should be treated leniently to show the Emperor's boundless grace."

The Zen master clasped his hands together and uttered a Buddhist chant: "Amitabha! When will this cycle of revenge end?"

"Now that the ringleader has been executed, Your Majesty, please refrain from further bloodshed and adding to your karmic burden."

Both the emperor and the abbot spoke at the same time to exonerate the Zhao family.

The former is Emperor Cangyue, representing the pinnacle of power.

The latter is the only person in Kyushu to have stepped into the half-step super grade, representing the pinnacle of cultivation.

"Does His Majesty and the Zen Master mean to let the Zhao family go?"

Xiao Qingyi's gaze fell on the crowd of people separated by the Vermilion Bird Guards: "If that's the case, will the spirits of the tens of thousands of people who died unjustly because of the Zhao family's crimes agree?"

"Would their parents, wives, and children agree?"

Before she could finish speaking, she turned to her personal maid and said, "Jing Shu."

"Yes."

Jing Shu raised her hand and waved it. A roll of white silk flew out from her sleeve and unfolded in the air. It was covered with densely packed blood-red characters.

Xiao Qingyi coldly looked at Emperor Yongxing and the Zen Master: "This is a blood letter from ten thousand people. The tens of thousands of names inside were all written by the families of the victims."

"They used blood as ink, only asking the court to severely punish the murderers and comfort the souls of the dead in heaven."

From the crowd watching in the distance, someone shouted, "Severely punish the murderer and bring peace to the souls of the deceased!"

Immediately afterwards, countless roars rang out: "Exterminate the Zhao family! Blood debts must be repaid in blood!"

"We can't let them get away!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Instantly, the crowd was filled with righteous indignation, and the shouts were deafening.

Emperor Yongxing's face immediately darkened.

Upon seeing this, the chief eunuch Cao Jinyan stepped forward and raised his hand to urge silence: "Silence!"

The sound was like a thunderclap, completely drowning out all other sounds.

Emperor Yongxing then slowly spoke: "Now the Northern Desert Demon Court and the Southern Zhao Kingdom are making trouble, and the border is not peaceful. The court is in dire need of manpower, and food and medicine are of paramount importance."

"The Zhao family controls nearly 30% of the imperial army's supply of elixirs, especially healing and recovery elixirs, which are indispensable."

"If the Zhao family is uprooted, the supply of medicine will be cut off, and the soldiers on the front line will lack medical care and medicine, which may lead to a major disaster."

"For the sake of the country and the border defense, I believe... the Zhao family should be allowed to atone for their crimes and perform meritorious service, and they should be strictly disciplined to ensure a continuous supply of elixirs."

"It is not too late to punish them after the border is pacified."

The Zen Master spoke again: "Amitabha! Your Majesty is benevolent and compassionate, and cares deeply for all living beings."

"If war breaks out, it will cause immense suffering and death, which is certainly not a good outcome."

"Since the Zhao family is of use, we might as well give them a chance to redeem themselves through meritorious service, which would be a way to turn the killing into good deeds."

Using the pretext of national interests and border conflicts, they bought time for the Zhao family.

In the future, once the surging public outcry has subsided, the matter will be resolved peacefully!

'That's a clever tactic!'

Gu Jinchao watched all of this with a blank expression.

Since Xiao Qingyi said she wanted to kill someone, it was impossible for the Zen Master and Emperor Yongxing to stop her.

As if to confirm his idea, the clouds in the sky parted automatically, and a peaceful voice came: "Why worry about alchemy?"

Everyone suddenly looked up.

Above the clouds, a middle-aged man dressed in a dark blue Taoist robe, with a refined appearance, slowly descended.

The person who came was none other than the Daoist Master.

His gaze swept over the Zhao family members, he nodded to Xiao Qingyi, and finally looked at Emperor Yongxing: "The Zhao family's control over the supply of pills can be taken over by Dao Realm cultivators and many Daoist sects throughout the world."

"Not only can it ensure the safety of the front lines, but it can also provide elixirs of higher quality and better efficacy."

When it comes to the art of alchemy, the Dao Realm is the highest level.

In the past, Dao Jing never competed with the Zhao family for anything, since they only refined pills to meet their daily cultivation needs.

Now, the Zen Realm has repeatedly provoked trouble in order to deprive the Dao Realm of its position as the state religion, so they naturally have to retaliate.

Xiao Qingyi's beautiful lips curved slightly: "Can His Majesty trust the Daoist Master?"

The Daoist Master was naturally someone she invited.

She had anticipated this scene beforehand.

You're saying the Zhao family is in charge of the supply of elixirs and is indispensable?

Now, the Daoist Master has personally promised that the Dao Realm and all the Daoist sects in the world will not only continue to supply the Dao, but will also provide even better services.

So, what reason is there to protect the Zhao family?