BVAHEDLA[W Chapter 60

Chapter 60 Ancient 34 “The Daughter of a Convicted Official – Cheng Yuan.”…

As the unfamiliar woman appeared, everything seemed to slow down, her every move becoming exceptionally clear in everyone’s eyes.

The woman’s gestures were heroic, and her opening words captured everyone’s attention. It wasn’t until she entered the hall that people noticed a person with a dusty face following behind her.

Upon closer inspection, they realized that the person was none other than Wang Ping!

He was trembling all over, shrinking into himself, as if he had suffered a great shock. Even the clothes he wore had large and small openings, as if cut by a sharp weapon. He was covered in dirt, as if he had rolled around in the mud. Even his face was mottled, and his eyes revealed terror.

He didn’t look like an important court official, but rather like a beggar on the street. Standing next to the woman, he looked like a little chick.

An official who usually had a good relationship with Wang Ping couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise, “Wang Ping? How did you get yourself into this state?”

His voice wasn’t loud, but it seemed exceptionally clear in the overly quiet hall. Everyone turned their attention to him, curious about what had happened to Wang Ping.

To appear before the Emperor in disheveled clothing was a sign of great disrespect.

Therefore, no one noticed the fleeting surprise and ferocity on Lu Mo-chen’s face in the corner when he saw Wang Ping alive.

Wang Ping didn’t respond. Instead, the woman at the head took the lead and knelt down, saying loudly, “There are still doubts about the Qi Clan case. I beg the Emperor to wait a moment. This commoner, under the orders of Prince Qin, has brought a new witness.”

A gloomy look crossed Lu Yuan-jing’s face, as if he had vaguely guessed something, but the scales in his heart had already tipped.

The woman seemed to have expected this situation and remained unmoved with her head lowered.

But what she said next shocked everyone.

“Does the Emperor want to repeat the mistake of wrongly accusing my sister and re-enact what happened fifteen years ago?”

The words “fifteen years ago” seemed to trigger something, and sealed memories surged like a tide. Experienced ministers whispered among themselves, and a figure emerged in their minds—Consort Cheng, who had once been the most beautiful woman in the imperial harem.

Sitting high on the dragon throne, Lu Yuan-jing saw the woman’s figure as particularly small. But it was this small figure that awakened his past memories. The stranger’s figure gradually overlapped with the person in his memory, making his voice tremble slightly, “Who are you? Raise your head.”

“Cheng Yuan, daughter of a convicted official. The late Consort Cheng was my sister.” Cheng Yuan raised her head, and a faint mockery in her eyes was displayed without reservation before the crowd.

Eyes similar to Cheng Shu’s, but with a completely different personality. Lu Yuan-jing looked at her face, which resembled Consort Cheng, and fell into a daze.

Lu Mo-chen exchanged a look with someone else without any expression.

“Bold criminal! How dare you appear before the Emperor! Guards! Why don’t you quickly seize her and take her down!”

Suddenly, an angry rebuke rang out abruptly in the hall.

Upon hearing the voice, the guards hesitated, scanning back and forth between Cheng Yuan and Lu Yuan-jing. For a moment, they didn’t know whether to advance or retreat. After all, Lu Yuan-jing hadn’t spoken yet, and they couldn’t act on their own accord.

Moreover, these imperial guards were the Emperor’s personal guards, and the Emperor was their master. He could guarantee that if he listened to the minister’s words today and took down Cheng Yuan without authorization, the person sitting in the position of the imperial guard captain tomorrow would definitely not be him.

“What are you doing! Hurry up and take her down, lest she taints the Emperor’s eyes!… ”

The minister, seeing that the guards were still motionless, couldn’t help but grow anxious and shouted again.

As the imperial guard captain expected, Lu Yuan-jing waved his hand, signaling the guards to step back.

Consort Cheng had passed away almost fifteen years ago. After the incident, Lu Yuan-jing had decisively executed the entire Cheng clan. But after everything had settled, he recalled the past and realized that he still held the gentle figure of that woman in his heart.

Not cherishing her when he had her, only to regret it after losing her—truly, belated affection is worth less than grass.

But Lu Yuan-jing was the Emperor, and unless someone didn’t want to live, they wouldn’t say that to him.

Therefore, Lu Yuan-jing’s gaze towards Cheng Yuan at this moment contained a hint of melancholy and remembrance, which was replaced in an instant by endless power and indifference: “Since you say it was a wrongful accusation, then what evidence do you have? The Cheng clan has already been executed. If you want to overturn the case for them, you must provide sufficient evidence. Otherwise, your own head will not be spared.”

Cheng Yuan smiled mockingly: “Your Majesty, rest assured. Since I dared to come, I have already made the worst plans.”

At worst, she would die with her sister. Leaving her alone was truly… too much.

Cheng Yuan’s thoughts drifted back to last night.

Ever since she was detained in Prince Qin’s residence—

However, it might be more appropriate to call it being a guest. After all, Chu Li-fei provided her with good food and drink. Apart from not being able to leave the residence, he didn’t restrict her freedom much.

Until last night, when she was about to fall asleep, a maid gently knocked on her door, saying that Chu Li-fei had important matters to discuss with her.

Cheng Yuan was a little puzzled, but when she followed the maid into the room, she found that Chu Li-fei wasn’t the only one there.

Three people were standing in the room. Hearing the sound at the door, they all turned to look at her.

Cheng Yuan recognized one of them—Lu Mo-chen.

But the other one was much less familiar, which made her feel a bit wary, and a look of solemnity flashed across her face.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Chu Li-fei first asked the maid to leave before introducing Qian Ming and Cheng Yuan to each other.

After learning Qian Ming’s identity, Cheng Yuan let down her guard.

However, after listening, Qian Ming frowned slightly, seeming to disapprove of Chu Li-fei’s actions. Harboring a fugitive was a serious crime. Even if Lu Yuan-jing favored Chu Li-fei, it would be difficult for him to suppress the dissatisfaction of the ministers and protect him.

There were many people in the court who coveted the position of this popular prince.

But there was no way around it. Chu Li-fei was a prince, and he was just a small vice minister of the Ministry of Justice. What he said didn’t count.

Chu Li-fei then told everyone his plan.

Since the last time he saw Wang Ping in the restaurant and learned about disguises, Chu Li-fei and Lu Mo-chen had been secretly sending people to monitor Wang Ping.

On the one hand, it was to gather more evidence, and on the other hand, it was to protect Wang Ping’s safety. After all, they both knew Lu Mo-chen’s nature. Wang Ping knew their secrets and dared to cause trouble in front of them, so it was hard to guarantee that Lu Mo-chen wouldn’t want to get rid of him completely.

Moreover, Lu Mo-chen, who had the memories of his previous life, knew that this was indeed something that would happen, so he had been intentionally hinting at Chu Li-fei.

What’s more, Chu Li-fei had also fought with the man in the dark green clothes, so he couldn’t help but worry about Wang Ping’s situation.

Coincidentally, the person in charge of monitoring Wang Ping had just reported that Wang Ping had received a letter in the evening, and after reading it, his expression had clearly changed. He had returned to his room and secretly dismissed all the servants, not knowing what he was going to do.

Therefore, Chu Li-fei’s purpose in calling Cheng Yuan here at this time was only one—

To protect Wang Ping’s safety.

After learning about Chu Li-fei’s plan, Cheng Yuan widened her eyes in surprise, and her fingers clenched involuntarily.

“Aren’t you afraid that I’ll take the opportunity to escape?” She suppressed the wildly beating of her heart and the inexplicable feeling in her heart, as if a small animal was scratching at her heart, tickling her. And this feeling, like a seed breaking through the soil, was growing at an extremely fast speed.

“Miss Cheng is joking.”

Hearing this, Chu Li-fei didn’t seem surprised by Cheng Yuan’s answer, nor was he worried that Cheng Yuan would take the opportunity to escape. He smiled calmly and confidently, as if everything was under his control, and all small thoughts would be exposed under those amber-colored peach blossom eyes.

Because he knew that Cheng Yuan wouldn’t leave.

Cheng Yuan had been alone for too long. Looking back on her path, it was paved with the bones and blood of her family. She could never choose a smooth road at this critical moment and live a stable life in obscurity.

Even if what awaited her on the other road was a mountain of knives and a sea of fire.

In Chu Li-fei’s eyes with a faint smile, Cheng Yuan saw her reflection. The girl inside had shed her immaturity, and she saw the burning, fiery determination and courage.

“You see through me.”

“I have… been waiting for a long time.”

“This is the closest I’ve been to clearing my family’s name, and it’s also the only chance I have to avenge my family with my own hands.”

“I can’t escape, and I won’t escape.”

“No matter what the outcome, I am willing.”

Thus, there was the scene that had just happened.

Cheng Yuan rescued Wang Ping from the assassin and came to the palace with the token given by Chu Li-fei.

And earlier in the hall, the reactions of both Qian Ming and Lu Mo-chen were just performances they put on to confuse Lu Mo-chen. It was just a trick to buy time—to buy time until the moment Cheng Yuan brought Wang Ping.

Lu Mo-chen no longer had the recklessness and humiliation he had shown earlier, and Qian Ming no longer had that remorseful look.

And when Chu Li-fei saw Wang Ping’s expression—whether it was the unwillingness or anger in his eyes—he knew that he had made the right move in the last step.

If Lu Mo-chen couldn’t find a suitable way to respond, then he would win this game of chess.

If material evidence wasn’t convincing enough… what about a witness?

Wang Ping had previously had a conflict of interest with Lu Mo-chen. Before they completely broke down, in order to protect his position, he certainly wouldn’t betray them for the Qi Lu case.

But what if things took a turn for the better?

What if Lu Mo-chen wanted to kill him?

At this time, would Wang Ping still remain silent as before?

No. He certainly wouldn’t.

After brushing shoulders with death, when he came back to his senses, Wang Ping would surely turn this fear and hatred into a sharp spear, aim it at the person who made him face death, and return it without reservation. At that time, he would be like a mad dog, biting anyone he could get his teeth into.

“Your Majesty—”

“I beg Your Majesty to uphold justice—His Highness the Crown Prince bribed assassins in broad daylight to kill me!”

“And… and Hongguang Pavilion!”

Wang Ping spilled out everything he should and shouldn’t have said like pouring beans.

Lu Mo-chen’s face was as black as charcoal.

And Lu Yuan-jing also straightened his sitting posture. He could no longer sit idly by.

Buying and selling official positions, forming cliques for private gain… every single thing, what great audacity!