CHAPTER 211: CHAPTER 210: SHANGJING IN TURMOIL

Mu Hongxuan led the Dragon Shadow Guards and, in a swift movement, stood atop the wall, their bows and arrows uniformly aimed at them.

If the Hidden Guard dares to make a move, the Dragon Shadow Guards will immediately turn them into a sieve.

"Prince Su?"

The Zhaohua Princess’s eyes cleared for a moment, "Why do you appear here?"

"You invited my princess here, yet you ask why I appear here?"

Xie Jiuxiao squinted his eyes slightly, "I am not just here to bring the princess back. Recently, a series of murders have been happening around Shangjing, all involving women killed, and two died shortly after childbirth, killed cruelly. Various signs indicate that these victims are all connected to Tang Jing. I originally planned to capture him for questioning, but unexpectedly, it’s one step late, he’s already dead?"

"Yes, Tang Jing is dead..."

The Zhaohua Princess covered her face and cried, "Why do all the men I like leave? Am I not good enough for them? Or am I destined to be apart from them, boohoohoo..."

"Mother, Father died of illness, while Tang Jing was truly evil; he was never worthy of you. Please don’t blame yourself anymore. Look, he even had illegitimate children outside."

Xia Muyan sighed lightly, turning around to comfort her.

She then pleaded towards Yu Nianzhao, "Miss Yu, can the Clear Heart Talisman be used on my mother now?"

She also thoughtfully had someone prepare a box full of silver notes, "These are all my saved silver notes, please take them first."

Seeing the box full of silver notes, Yu Nianzhao’s mood improved significantly, "Alright then, considering your favor, I will reluctantly use it on her first."

Yu Nianzhao drew the talisman in mid-air with spiritual power, lightly pushed her wrist, and the golden talisman sank into the Zhaohua Princess’s body, a stream of ghostly aura emanating from her.

The Zhaohua Princess shuddered slightly, her sobs ceased, "Actually, after giving birth to Yanyan, I developed a disease. At the time, the Imperial Physician said that it would be difficult for me to conceive again in this lifetime. This matter was always kept secret by me; no one outside knew. Although my consort wanted progeny, I couldn’t give him any! But he absolutely shouldn’t have gone outside to conceive with others, let alone even take their lives!"

She lifted her head, her makeup already smeared, and self-deprecatingly smiled, "Yu Nianzhao, you’re right, evil spirits did attach themselves to me, revealing my dark side without restraint. I did want to save Tang Jing’s life to ease my feelings of longing and also wanted to forcefully keep you here, not wanting to let you spread the scandal of the princess’s residence."

"You’ve really thought too much; I have professional ethics. Since I received your silver to come and exorcise, naturally, I won’t spread the matters between you."

Yu Nianzhao’s eyes were clear, she was straightforward and honest.

The Zhaohua Princess was relieved, forced a smile, "I trust you!"

She then looked up at Xie Jiuxiao and asked, "Did these two female ghosts bear children?"

"Tang Jing has two illegitimate children."

"Alright, I understand. Since the fault lies with the consort, it’s my failure to discipline him, and I will take responsibility for resolving this mess."

The Zhaohua Princess took a deep breath, "As for Tang Jing, since he’s already dead, if you wish to capture him, just take his corpse away."

Xie Jiuxiao sneered coldly, "You wouldn’t think you can wash your hands of this matter so easily, would you? Though Tang Jing did the killing, until his death, he remained your consort and took seven lives. This has already been reported to my royal brother. Whether it’s the Tang Family or the princess’s residence, neither can escape responsibility. You should save your words for my royal brother and see if he will spare you."

Facing the assertive Xie Jiuxiao, the Zhaohua Princess knew she was in the wrong, and the Hidden Guard was no match for the Dragon Shadow Guards, she could only exhaustingly admit defeat, "I understand!"

The Dragon Shadow Guards took away Tang Jing’s corpse, and those in the princess’s residence were also clearing out Xia Muyan’s room.

Xia Muyan changed her clothes and saw the female ghost express gratitude and bow consecutive times before leaving as Yu Nianzhao permitted.

"Miss Yu, have those two female ghosts left? Will they never return here again?" Xia Muyan asked cautiously.

"Do you hope they come back?" Yu Nianzhao raised her eyebrow, looking at her.

"Ah? Of course not!" Xia Muyan smiled wryly, "I just hope to return to a normal life."

"I have approved their reincarnation and rebirth; they will not appear again."

Seeing her worried eyes, Yu Nianzhao explained.

Xia Muyan’s eyes brightened, she clasped her hands together, "Really? That’s great, indeed worthy of my previous efforts of reciting sutras for them by leaning on a Buddha at the last moment; as fellow women, their lives ending abruptly was truly pitiable."

Her eyes suddenly dimmed, bitterly saying, "I also killed someone; will Prince Su take me away?"

Yu Nianzhao shook her head, "You acted in self-defense, which isn’t wrong. Moreover, that paramour was up to no good from the start; if you hadn’t resisted, you would be the one dead. What you did was right, there’s no need for self-reproach."

Xia Muyan’s eyes lit up, as if grasping a life-saving straw, she timidly asked, "Really? Will his soul come looking for me?"

"His soul is no more; you can rest easy."

"Alright, thank you, Miss Yu."

Late night, the Zhaohua Princess was summoned to the palace, a farce finally coming to an end.

"Xie Jiuxiao, your timing was really impeccable."

On the way back, Yu Nianzhao leaned against Xie Jiuxiao and yawned.

Though very tired, having vanquished a malicious spirit, her heart felt content.

"Things haven’t been peaceful in Shangjing lately."

Xie Jiuxiao’s eyes glimmered deeply, his voice low, "The Minister of the Ministry of Justice was found dead in his residence, and my royal brother has asked me to temporarily manage it. I’ve been shuttling between the Ministry of Justice and the Imperial Prison lately, uncovering plenty of old cases, one of which directly implicates Tang Jing."

Yu Nianzhao nodded, "I see!"

Xie Jiuxiao sneered, "What’s laughable is, so many clues pointed at Tang Jing, yet no one from the Ministry of Justice went to capture him."

Yu Nianzhao tilted her head, looking at him, "You mean, the Ministry of Justice is already infiltrated by external forces, accepting bribes and sheltering Tang Jing."

Xie Jiuxiao said, "Tomorrow, I will visit the Minister of the Ministry of Justice’s residence; it will be clear at a glance. I fear that the Great Chao Country is full of culprits like Tang Jing, a complete mess."

"The Qingyun Taoist Temple definitely has issues too."

Yu Nianzhao said lazily, "Tang Jing’s talisman was sought from the Qingyun Taoist Temple. I don’t know how much silver was spent, but recently almost every talisman I’ve encountered is sold by the Qingyun Taoist Temple. I even suspect that the group pulling me into the ghost domain to try and eliminate me was also hired by the Qingyun Taoist Temple."

"Qingyun Taoist Temple!"

Xie Jiuxiao pursed his thin lips, said ominously, "One day, I will burn it all clean!"