Do you think there are more intelligent people or more self-righteous people in the world?
"In my opinion, the latter is more common."
Ji Ying let out a soft, ambiguous laugh.
Seeing his smile, Yang Ruo became even more respectful.
"The Xuan Yin Sect attempted to assassinate me at 1-3 PM today. I hereby issue an arrest warrant and invite heroes from all over the world to eliminate this evil and uphold justice. Killing any member of the Xuan Yin Sect will be rewarded with 100 taels of silver, killing a minor leader of the sect will be rewarded with 5,000 taels of silver, killing their protector will be rewarded with 10,000 taels of gold, and killing the Xuan Yin Patriarch will be rewarded with the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households!"
Each word carries the weight of a thunderbolt, each imbued with a powerful momentum.
Yang Ruo sighed inwardly, knowing that her master was truly angry: "This servant obeys the decree."
Putting aside everything else, this one wanted notice spread far and wide, and the entire Xuan Yin Sect was reduced to an "evil path".
A generous reward will surely attract brave men, and under the guise of "defending the righteous path," the hearts and minds of the people will turn against them, which will surely give the Xuan Yin Sect a hard time.
Your Majesty doesn't need to do anything; just issue an edict to sever the arm of the Old Ancestor Xuan Yin.
That's what a master does.
As for whether the assassination was real or not, Yang Ruo stepped back and waved his sleeve as he left the Imperial Study—His Majesty had spoken, and even a false one would become true.
He personally arranged for the assassination of His Majesty by the Xuanyin Gate at the hour of Wei (1-3 PM).
Inside the imperial study, Ji Ying paused her writing, longing for her daughter whom she had lost for many years.
At the Bright Moon Palace, Ji Qingyao was in high spirits after resolving her biggest worry, Granny Nian.
"Finally, I don't have to live in fear anymore." She squinted her eyes with satisfaction: "Is Wei Pingxi dead?"
"without……"
"Where is the Empress Dowager?"
"The Empress is still in the Yu family."
"Outrageous!" Ji Qingyao overturned the fruit plate on the table. "Who is her daughter? Who is the master of the Bright Moon Palace?!"
Her face turned pale, and she felt uneasy, but when she thought of Granny Nian, the only person who could prove their identities, being dead beyond any doubt, she calmed down.
Grandmother is right. Without evidence, suspicion is just suspicion and cannot be taken seriously.
The old woman is dead, and bringing up old stories won't stir up much trouble.
"That Wei Pingxi!"
That's really tough!
She frowned: "What's going on outside? It's a mess."
Soon a maidservant rushed in, saying, "Your Highness, assassins have come to the palace..."
"assassin?!"
At the Yu family residence, the chief eunuch Yang Ruo hurriedly reported, "I dare not conceal this from Your Majesty. The villains of the Xuan Yin Sect openly entered the palace to assassinate His Majesty. His Majesty was injured, and the order to hunt down the evil cultivators has been issued..."
Yan Xiu stared intently at him with her beautiful eyes, slowly regaining her composure from her state of being overwhelmed with concern.
If Ah Ying had truly been assassinated, the messenger who brought the news would certainly not have been Yang Dajian, the eunuch most trusted by Ah Ying's side.
This is a setup.
It's a scheme targeting the Old Ancestor of Suspended Yin.
It could also be a scheme aimed at the Empress Dowager.
With her mind clear, she said in a deep voice, "Return to the palace!"
Before leaving, she tucked the blanket around her daughter and gave Ji Rong a meaningful look, to which Ji Rong nodded.
Being in the Yu family compound, with the injured still unconscious, the situation was already chaotic enough; it couldn't get any more chaotic.
The lies told by the younger generation will always be exposed one day.
But not now.
They still had to keep it a secret from Liu Boyan.
The two knew exactly what was going on and reached a tacit understanding in a flash. Despite her reluctance to part with her daughter, Yan Xiu still left with a heavy heart.
His Majesty was 'assassinated and injured,' and the Empress hurriedly returned to the palace. Within an hour, the news spread throughout the capital and even further to the wider world.
The world is vast, and many talented people emerge from it.
However, this martial world is still under the jurisdiction of the Great Yan Dynasty.
Ji Ying was an emperor who was deeply loved by the people. The assassination attempt by the Xuan Yin Sect on the emperor was intended to stir up chaos in the world. It was a heinous crime and their intentions deserved to be punished!
The royal family has issued a 'Demon Extermination Order,' sincerely inviting righteous people from all over the world to eliminate demons—some for the stability of the country, some for eliminating demons and protecting the righteous, some for ten thousand taels of gold, and some for becoming a marquis.
In short, with the imperial decree issued, the entire Xuanyin Gate was put on the hot seat of adversity.
Gu Chenzi has lived for nearly forty years, and she has always been the one to wrong people without reason. This time, she was wronged, and the one who wronged her was the emperor, whom she hated the most.
She laughed angrily, "You, Ji Ying! I haven't even done anything to your daughter yet, and you've already cut off my arm and driven me to a dead end..."
Yan Qing arrived very quickly.
"It really wasn't you?"
"What a joke!" Gu Chenzi exclaimed, utterly frustrated. "If you wanted to kill me, you would have done it already!"
She chose between having a woman and saving face.
But her woman showed her no mercy.
"I'm warning you..."
Gu Chenzi was thoroughly annoyed by these words: "Alright, let me have some peace and quiet!"
Yan Qing pinched her chin: "I'm warning you, if you dare to touch him, I'll kill you first, then kill myself."
"..."
That crazy woman!
Back then, Nian Cibei kept urging her to do good, but she refused and betrayed her master. In the halfway through her life, this was the first person to make her suffer. The second was that damned Ji Ying!
Gu Chenzi suppressed his anger and spoke kindly: "Why is the Second Miss joking about her own life? It would break my heart to hear it."
"What does it matter to me if you feel sorry for me?"
"Alright, I'm shameless enough to be shameless in front of the Second Miss."
Yan Qing let go of her: "I want to know if it's true or not that A Si was injured."
"Disaster."
Why is it difficult?
Speaking of this, Gu Chenzi, in a fit of desperation, said: "Your good Ah Si's move of 'the thief crying 'stop thief' has made everyone in my Xuan Yin Sect a rat crossing the street. Your imperial temperament is truly great, and your methods are truly vicious."
"Go yourself and check if he is injured."
"..."
"What? Scared?"
Taking advantage of the situation, Gu Chenzi put his arm around her waist and sighed, "Alright, I'll listen to you, Miss."
Ordinary people all have weaknesses.
Yan Hui's weakness is her only surviving daughter, and Gu Chenzi's weakness is that he doesn't love Miss Yan Er. But a weakness is a weakness; they can face any danger with a single word, and even life and death can be sacrificed.
The assassination attempt was a ruse; Ji Ying's injury was real.
Blood stained his clothes, frightening many people.
Yan Xiu rushed back to the palace, lifted the curtain and entered, only to see the emperor sitting on the dragon bed, looking frail.
"Ah Ying?"
Ji Ying smiled at her: "Don't worry."
Without setting an example, how can we lower the guard of all parties?
This tactic targets not only those outside the palace but also those inside.
...
"Is the emperor really injured?"
"I'm injured. The knife cut me, and I bled a lot."
Empress Dowager Yan suddenly laughed and said, "Well done! The Suspended Yin Sect has finally done a good deed."
She was very suspicious. No sooner had Ji Qingyao left Fushou Palace than Yan Hui led the palace servants to personally enter the emperor's bedroom.
She was relieved to find out that Ji Ying's injuries were serious.
"What's He Su busy with?"
She asked about her troublesome daughter.
"The eldest princess is still in the Yu family."
"Was that willow branch broken?"
"No..." the palace servant said cautiously, "At first he was barely alive, but then somehow he recovered."
This is really bad news.
Empress Dowager Yan gently rubbed her temples: "Get ready, it's time to get down to business."
Amidst the turmoil and the tense situation where everyone was calling for the destruction of Xuanyin Sect, as dusk settled, Yuzhi wrung out a handkerchief to wipe the Fourth Miss's body.
She was still not fully recovered, yet she refused to let jade and agate do such intimate things for her.
The four maids were injured, and their recovery was far slower than that of Yu Zhi, who had taken the Rejuvenation Pill. She insisted on doing everything herself, and everyone could only let her be.
The sky gradually darkened, and the stars twinkled in the heavens.
The candlelight inside the room was dim.
Yu Zhi deftly helped the fourth young lady put on her nightgown, then sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at her flawless face.
I don't know how long I watched, but a tear fell and landed on someone's lips, which were gradually regaining their rosy color.