FID – Chapter 733

Chapter 733: Offending Him, and He Kills Without Hesitation

Having been entrenched in imperial power for many years, they were certainly not timid like mice.

What they feared was the first thing the King would say upon his arrival.

Rebellion!

Anyone associated with this word wouldn’t just implicate themselves, but their entire family!

“Dong Jie, as the commander of the Imperial Guards, what is your responsibility?” After a long pause, the cold voice came again.

Dong Jie broke into a cold sweat. “To safeguard the palace and protect His Majesty’s safety!”

“Then why are you here? As the commander of the Imperial Guard, your duty is to protect the emperor. But now, you value other things more than the emperor’s safety! Dereliction of duty, such treason is punishable! This King will not tolerate it!” With a swift motion, he drew the sword at his side, the blade flashing coldly.

Dong Jie’s eyes widened in disbelief, his body slowly collapsing.

In his final moments, he couldn’t believe that the King would personally kill him, leaving him no chance to turn things around!

He was a man of Grand General Qin’s. If they didn’t execute him immediately, General Qin would fight for him, ensuring his continued position by his side!

But the man didn’t give him a chance.

Dong Jie’s death made the entire execution ground even more silent.

The commander of the Imperial Insignia Guards knelt beside Dong Jie, and the warm blood splattered from his body, even landing on the commander’s face!

Looking into the unblinking, lifeless eyes of the man, the commander felt as though his body had been plunged into an ice cave, a coldness seeping deep into his bones.

He was next.

“The Imperial Insignia Guards, like the Imperial Guards, are directly under His Majesty. No one can order them but His Majesty himself,” the man in purple boots slightly shifted his direction towards him and asked, “Who ordered you here?”

“Your Highness, it was the Empress Dowager who ordered me to guard the execution ground. I received the phoenix edict from the palace, and I… I couldn’t not comply!”

“So, you think the Empress Dowager can represent His Majesty? Or perhaps, the Dmpress Dowager has surpassed His Majesty?”

“I dare not!” With those two questions, there was no way he could answer without falling into a trap!D

The King was clearly leaving him no way out!

Did he dare say that the Empress Dowager could represent the emperor? Did he dare claim that the empress dowager surpassed the emperor?

Since he didn’t dare, then why, as the emperor’s personal guard, did he listen to the empress dowager’s orders?! 

Those who remain by the emperor’s side must be people who are willing to give their all for him. Any hint of disloyalty leads to only one outcome.

Death!

The flash of a blade cut through the air again.

Two corpses lay on the ground, both of which were the leaders from the previous skirmishes with Shi Xianrou and the others.

With such swift and decisive actions, Feng Qingbai had severed the left and right arms of Qin Xiao and the Empress Dowager in one fell swoop!

Everyone else was frozen in fear, unsure of who would be next.

Meanwhile, Liu Yusheng had checked Elder Yang and Liu Zhixia. There were no obvious injuries on their bodies, indicating that during their time in the dungeon, they had not been tortured.

This gave her a sigh of relief.

Luckily, they had returned just in time.

“Nannan, I’m fine. When you came in just now, did you see your sister-in-law?” Liu Zhixia patted her hand and asked softly.

At the moment of execution, he didn’t look at the crowd below the platform; Yuzheng must have been in great pain.

The turbulence on this side had temporarily subsided. Right now, the person he most wanted to see was her.

“No, the entrance to the execution ground is guarded by soldiers, so my sister-in-law probably couldn’t get in,” Liu Yusheng said. “But it’s fine. I’m sure my sister-in-law is waiting outside. We’ll see her as soon as we go out.”

Hearing that Fu Yuzheng was also here, Liu Yusheng’s heart calmed a little more.

If her sister-in-law was in the capital, then it meant their grandparents must also be here.

Everyone was fine.

Thinking of this, Liu Yusheng turned to Shi Xianrou, who had already pulled down her face veil, and said, “Xianrou, thank you this time. If it weren’t for you and Master Qian, my elder brother might not have made it until we came back.”

“I’m most afraid of you being polite with me. Alright, since everything’s fine, I’ll leave now. Xiao Jinzi is still waiting for me at the inn. I’m worried he’ll get so anxious he won’t be able to eat.”

The two exchanged a smile; as friends, there were some things that didn’t need to be said.

When the news of the King’s return to the capital spread, it quickly circulated through every street and alley in the city.

The assassination attempt and the events at the execution ground became a hot topic among the people, whispered about behind closed doors.

From the moment the King arrived at the execution ground, what happened afterward was kept tightly under wraps. No one knew exactly what had transpired inside.

But there was one thing that was certain.

Lord Yang and Lord Liu were absolutely not traitors.

Otherwise, the King wouldn’t have been so furious, rescuing them and punishing the chief executioner of the day.

It must have been the chief executioner’s fault!

The rumors spread so quickly that as soon as Feng Qingbai and the others returned to the manor, the palace had already received the news.

Naturally, this news only reached the Yangxin Hall. The little emperor, who was under house arrest in the Qiande Hall, didn’t hear a word of it.

“His cruelty has never changed, from the past until now. Anyone who offends him, he kills without hesitation, leaving no room for mercy.” Upon hearing that the commander of the Imperial Guard, Dong Jie, and the commander of the Imperial Insignia Guards, had both been killed by the King’s sword, the Empress Dowager wasn’t the least bit surprised.

That person could even kill his own flesh and blood. What were one or two outsiders to him?

She sat in the Yangxin Hall, waiting for him to come find her.

She wondered if he planned to kill her as well.

On Liu Yusheng’s side, after leaving the execution ground, she indeed found Fu Yuzheng waiting at the door. However, her appearance had changed, so Liu Yusheng didn’t recognize her at first glance.

The group went back to the manor to make brief adjustments, settled the two who had just been on the execution block, and immediately headed to the civilian residence that Fu Yuzheng had mentioned.

To find her grandfather, grandmother, and parents.

At the very end of an alleyway, just two lanes away from the King’s manor.

The door was tightly shut, and the yard looked worn and weathered.

At first glance, there was not a sound to be heard from within.

The group exchanged glances, then immediately pushed open the gate and walked in.

The entire yard was empty and silent, with no one in sight.

Liu Yusheng’s heart sank. She quickly ran to the various rooms, with Feng Qingbai and Fu Yuzheng following closely behind, checking each door one by one.

Nobody.

Nobody.

None!

Liu Yusheng’s eyes reddened instantly.

Her heart was in a panic. Her elder brother had just been saved, and now her grandfather, grandmother, and parents were gone!

How could she find them in the vast imperial city?

She didn’t even know if they were still in the city!

“Over here!” Fu Yuzheng suddenly called from the kitchen.

When Liu Yusheng and Feng Qingbai rushed over, they saw a group of unfamiliar faces sitting around the kitchen table.

Each person was slumped over, passed out drunk, snoring loudly.

On the table, besides a few small dishes, there was also a pot of unfinished wine!

“After that person brought us here, they changed all of our appearances,” Fu Yuzheng explained. “Although I don’t know whether they’re friend or foe, I have a feeling that that person didn’t mean to harm us. They also brought people with them to the execution ground.”

Liu Yusheng furrowed her brows, checking the pulse of her drunken family while also inspecting the food on the table. “The person you saw, did he always wear a black cloak?”