Chu Wang Fei

The assassin did not expect Yun Qian Meng to press her hairpin to his throat again, but knowing the meaning of Yun Qian Meng's words, he unexpectedly sneered and snorted, then arrogantly said, “It's rather unlikely for me to care about that insignificant Fu Guo Gong Fu. Why would I trouble myself to frame them? But I also cannot tolerate you blaming me for this; Northern Qi will not let this pass. We will surely make you pay for this in blood.”

The assassin spoke with stern righteousness, but Yun Qian Meng's heart did not totally believe in him. Her hairpin continued to put pressure against his throat, and she slightly narrowed her eyes, emitting a dangerous gaze as her soft voice revealed an unprecedented fierceness, “If it has nothing to do with you, why did you sneak into the palace? There were so many carriages entering the palace, why did you chose to hide in my carriage? You not only caused the xiangfu to be searched and examined, but also attempted to assassinate houye. Since you have spoken so disdainfully, give us the evidence to prove your innocence; otherwise, today will be the day you die.”

“Although the Northern Qi is strong, Xi Chu does not lack for people. According to what you've said, since the Northern Qi will have us pay in blood, then Xi Chu would not have long to survive. Isn't the tenth prince too naive to think that the Emperor of Northern Qi will command an army to march to Xi Chu for you? If that was the case, doesn't it mean that the Emperor of Northern Qi is too hasty? What does he have to contend with Xi Chu's army of a million soldiers?” Chu Fei Yang followed Yun Qian Meng's anger with a most relaxed speech.

The assassin had already felt uneasy from Yun Qian Meng's words, but after hearing what Chu Fei Yang's words, his face suddenly became pale and his lips trembled, leaving him unable to find the words to reply.

And Chu Fei Yang had revealed his identity, so he could not lose the dignity that a prince should have. Facing the psychological attack the words posed, the tenth Prince arrogantly straightened his body and disdainfully said, “If Xi Chu is so great, why send that Qu Zhang Qing to infiltrate the border station to investigate the military forces of Northern Qi? If you are not afraid of Northern Qi, why did you need to make such an unnecessary move? Now that your Imperial Court has begun infighting and scheming against each other, you attempt to place the blame on us. This is only an act of a vile person that will only cause people to disdain you.”

“Hmph! Speaking of acts of a vile person, You seem to dislike being outmatched. Is hiding in the carriage of a young lady the act of a real man? Is mounting a sneak attack against a weak woman the proper conduct of a prince? Don't use pompous words to mislead us; our court may be formidable, but we still won't tolerate dirty little tricks from others. Besides, I believe the tenth Prince understands the concept of saving for a rainy day better than anyone else. Since we will be meeting with the Northern Qi on the battlefield sooner or later, it is better to end your schemes as soon as possible to prevent causing future disasters that could involve the citizens of Xi Chu in a war.” Yun Qian Meng was always fluent with words, even through her surprise at Chu Fei Yang's mention of the identity of this man. Remembering the things that happened before, she had some inkling regarding the identity of the assassin, seeing as he was still arrogant even in a difficult position. Yun Qian Meng's words became more and more sharp and incisive as her questioning continuted.

Right after she spoke, the Prince's disdain from a while ago suddenly changed into a cold laugh. His cruel and fierce gaze suddenly shifted to one with great killing intent as he firmly stared at Yun Qian Meng like he had never seen this kind of woman before. She spoke of national affairs and life-and-death struggles so casually, but directly stabbed one's weak spot. Whether verbally or physically, she coordinated perfectly with Chu Fei Yang.

“Hmph! Xi Chu will have split up without help from Northern Qi.” He was still a prince of the Northern Qi who had lived in a palace since he was born. He had a sense of arrogance and insight normal people did not possess. While hiding in Xi Chu for this long, he had already noticed the dangers that lurk on every side of Emperor Yu Qian. The officials of Xi Chu, who had evil intentions, were likely to cause harm to Emperor Yu Qian, regardless of Northern Qi's intervention.

“You are not of Xi Chu. How would you possibly understand our situation? Even if you've stayed in Xi Chu for this long, what you've seen might have just been the moon in the water. Aren't you afraid that everything you've seen were just scenes acted out by the Emperor and officials of Xi Chu?” Chu Fei Yang's was holding the tenth Prince's neck with ease, but his eyes were staring at Yun Qian Meng and his lips slightly smiled as he slowly spoke.

Chu Fei Yang's words caused him to fall into deep thought for a while. Meanwhile, Yun Qian Meng had already drawn her golden pin back, wiped it clean, and was not pinning it back into her hair. After meeting Chu Fei Yang's eyes, she said, “The crime the tenth Prince has committed in the Palace is punishable by dismemberment by five horses. If we presented you to the Emperor, it's possible that the injustice on Fu Guo Gong Fu will be washed away. There would then be no need for us to search for the truth. The Prince is really the best scapegoat.”

After hearing Yun Qian Meng's words, he suddenly felt worried so he was prompted to shout, “I will not deny the things that I have done. But don't you dare blame me for that which I have not done. It's hard to imagine that a lady like you has such a vicious heart! No wonder Jiang Mu Chen broke the engagement—”

His voice was stopped before he was able to finish.

Chu Fei Yang, keeping a smile on his face and eyes cold, exerted more force through his fingers. The tenth Prince's face turned pale, like he was having difficulty breathing smoothly.

The continuous coldness and aura of death that was emitted caused fear to arise from within his heart and his mind immediately thought of his brother, the crown prince. Even though this Chu Fei Yang wore a smile on his face, the level of cruelness equally matched his brother's.

The crown prince had always loved him since they shared one mother, but Chu Fei Yang, being an official of a rivaling country, surely would not show him mercy.

Yun Qian Meng was caught off guard by Chu Fei Yang's abrupt anger. She somewhat understood his reasons but was still afraid to confirm them, so she turned her gaze away and smiled menacingly at the tenth Prince, hiding from the Chu Fei Yang's gaze. “So, what? If a woman only lived for a man all her life, then I'd rather not have that life. I think, you also do not like walking-dead women who are dependent on you. But, looking at your unreasonable behavior, perhaps it is hard to receive the affection of women. No wonder you're this ruthless, I suppose it's because you've been worrying that you won't be able to marry in the future.”

The words of Yun Qian Meng gained her a stare from the tenth Prince, even though he could not even breathe easily at this moment. What Yun Qian Meng had said stabbed directly into his weak spot and caused him to forget that his life was in the hands of Chu Fei Yang. He turned his neck to stare at Yun Qian Meng, hoping he could kill this vicious woman who was smiling like a flower with just his eyes.

“The tenth Prince is really deserving of having grown up with the crown prince; your words are really vicious. Though benxiang likes speaking with people who have clever mouths, I really dislike your using a woman as a shield. Now, there are two roads that you can choose from: one is to die by the hands of benxiang right now, and the other is to help benxiang find the person where the waist medallion of the of Northern Qi's Imperial Family came from.” When Yun Qian Meng looked away, the tightly closed lips of Chu Fei Yang formed a smiled. Composed, he enumerated his two options, but the force exerted from his hands did not lessen. For quite awhile, there was no response and Chu Fei Yang unexpectedly answered his own question, “What? Would you rather die than serve Xi Chu? Since that is the case, benxiang will grant your wish.”

After this statement, Chu Fei Yang's fingers suddenly exerted great force. In the blink of an eye, the Prince turned ghastly pale, scaring the bodyguards who stood ten feet away and shouted without hesitation, “Mercy!”

“He is an enemy of Xi Chu. Benxiang does not have a reason to set an enemy free.” Chu Fei Yang continued to pinch the Prince's neck. Although his force lessened somewhat, he cleverly made sure that the Prince would not be able to speak and could only listen to Chu Fei Yang negotiate with his bodyguards.

“As long as you don't harm the life of our Prince, we will find the craftsman.” The bodyguard looked at Shi Huang Zi, and agreed to Chu Fei Yang's condition after having thought for a while.

After all, the life of a craftsman would never be able to compare to the life of the tenth Prince.

If anything bad were to happen to the tenth Prince under their protection, not only the Emperor, even the crown prince would not forgive them. The whole clan, to the ninth degree of kindred would be killed by the crown prince.

Thus, they agreed to Chu Fei Yang's condition.

“You idiots! Do you want your entire clan killed? If Chu Fei Yang has the craftsman, he could make numerous waist medallions, and the Northern Qi would be invaded by Xi Chu. Do you want the Northern Qi to be wiped out? Fools! People who care for nothing but yourselves!” whether Chu Fei Yang intentionally released his hold or not, the Prince did not bother to breathe and immediately scolded the bodyguard who spoke. His face was red and he wished that he could tear off the skin of the bodyguard.

But right after he ran rampant for a while, his throat was clutched once more by Chu Fei Yang. Yun Qian Meng remained calm and composed at his furious look. She smiled and said, “It seems that you would rather die than submit. Since this is so, we can only present you to the Emperor and let Emperor deal with you. I believe that the Emperor will surely give you a satisfactory death. Too bad you have lost your waist medallion and allowed people with bad intentions to take advantage and use it to blame Fu Guo Gong Fu. Presenting the tenth Prince of the Northern Qi can wash away the injustice on Fu Guo Gong Fu. You have become a sacrifice used by a malevolent person and dying so obscurely is really pitiful.”

In between Chu Fei Yang's words, Yun Qian Meng had pieced together the beginning and the end of the whole story.

The incident that led Emperor Yu Qian to make the decree for the Three Division Trial likely came from the evidences that could prove that Qu Zhang Qing was possibly colluding with the enemy to betray the country.

Chu Fei Yang was forcing the tenth Prince to hand over the craftsman who made waist medallions. When the Prince had lost his waist medallion accidentally, and the person behind the scene incidentally picked it up and made use of it to frame Qu Zhang Qing.

Else, Chu Fei Yang would have already released him back to Northern Qi. Why would he still be lingering around the capital after a month and a half? It was likely because he lost his waist medallion and could not return to his palace.

Fu Guo Gong Fu need only find someone who could made the medallions to have him appear and state that he had been approached and asked to make a waist medallion. This would have been a way to restore the innocence of Qu Zhang Qing.

But what Yun Qian Meng did not understand was why Chu Fei Yang had not given the previously captured Prince to Emperor Yu Qian directly. If such a hostage was in Xi Chu, she believed that Northern Qi would not dare to cause problems at the borders of Xi Chu in the future. Why would Chu Fei Yang seek from afar what lied close at hand?

Being blocked by Yun Qian Meng's words, the tenth Prince showed a hint of hesitation in his face, and lowered his head in thought again.

The craftsman and him as a prince; it was clear to him how both could be of use to Xi Chu.

The craftsman's part in this was to make inanimate objects. But if he, as a prince, were to fall in the hands of Xi Chu, then Northern Qi would surely held at a disadvantage by Xi Chu. This was equal to involving Northern Qi into trouble and inflicting heavy losses to brother's huge undertaking.

Straightening things in his mind, the tenth Prince raised his head. His eyes coldly glanced at Yun Qian Meng, but the cold fingers on his neck reminded him that he was already meat on the chopping board. He had no other choice.

“Since you have already come to a decision, after ten days, bring the craftsman for the exchange in the Chu wangfu in the capital. Remember, benxiang will only give you ten days. After that, your master will be a hostage of Xi Chu. How will you explain that to Emperor Ling Xiao Di.” After speaking, Chu Fei Yang hit the vital points of the tenth Prince's body and gave Yun Qian Meng a glance, as if giving her permission to follow him as he moved the tenth Prince out.

The bodyguards obviously had not yet given up. Some of them secretly sneaked into the woods to wait for the opportunity to seize back their Prince. Chu Fei Yang saw through their actions and laughed. “Chu wangfu is as strong as a city protected by walls of metal and a moat of boiling water. Benxiang suggests that you obediently do as instructed. As long as you do it well, benxiang will definitely not treat your master badly.”

After Chu Fei Yang had coldly spoken to the shrub, the bodyguard hiding inside felt a cold gaze sweep over him and did not dare to act rashly.

Smoothly gliding out the gates of Pu Guo An, Yun Qian Meng nodded her head at Ying Xia and Yuan Dong who were waiting in the hall and the two quickly followed Yun Qian Meng to the carriage. Chu Fei Yang took out some oxhide rope from a pouch attached to the saddle of his horse, and bound the tenth Prince to the carriage. He jumped up the carriage and drove it towards the city.

“Yun Qian Meng, don't think that you can do whatever you want with the help of Chu Fei Yang.” Without the threat of Chu Fei Yang's martial arts, the tenth Prince was arrogant once more.

Moreover, because he was threatened a while ago by both Chu Fei Yang and Yun Qian Meng, he had a lot of anger stored up inside. His eyes were two burning flames and his tongue sharp even though his limbs were tied up.

He seemed to have forgotten that he had been caught by Yun Qian Meng in the beginning.

Yun Qian Meng's kick had accurately hit the part where he had been hurt a moth and a half ago, causing him to immediately lose the ability to counter, and Chu Fei Yang had clutched his neck right after.

Because he was in the hands of Chu Fei Yang longer, he had forgotten Yun Qian Meng's abilities. He once again regarded her as the seemingly weak lady who became useless and teary-eyed after being frightened.

Yun Qian Meng naturally understood his frame of mind. But even if she understood, there was no reason for her to endure the rude remarks.

Yun Qian Meng looked down at the haggard man Chu Fei Yang had thrown to the wooden floor of the carriage and her eyes grew taunting. She raised a foot and harshly stepped on his chest. “Prince, one needs to concede if one's skills are inferior. You are a man, so why are you so talkative and refuse to admit defeat? Did you forget that my kick a while ago stopped you? If you've forgotten the feeling, I don't mind reminding you.”

The tenth Prince's hands were tied to his back and he was sprawled on the carriage facing up. For Yun Qian Meng, a woman, to step on his chest humiliated him extremely. His face suddenly turned red and his eyes seemed likely to bleed now. He could not help his anger, “I will surely repay you for what happened today, and avenge this insult! Yun Qian Meng, wash your neck clean for me for I will surely take your life and let experience a fate worse than death… cough, cough...”

He was not finished talking yet when Yun Qian Meng suddenly brought her foot down harder on his chest and he started coughing.

The cold voice of Yun Qian Meng sounded in his ears, “Save your life first before coming back for revenge.”

The tenth Prince raised his eyes, but only saw Yun Qian Meng's cold like steel face and icy glare, her whole body surrounded by coldness. He had the same feeling earlier from Chu Fei Yang's glare, and he shivered uncontrollably in his heart. Other than his brother, only these two people gave him this kind of feeling.

But he would never submit himself to a little girl. He simply closed his eyes and pretended he was dead to avoid opening his eyes and see Yun Qian Meng's face.

Ying Xia and Yuan Dong stayed beside Yun Qian Meng. Although they did not know what happened to xiaojie in Pu Guo An, hearing this man speaking arrogantly annoyed them. They originally planned to teach this man a lesson, but their xiaojie shocked them into becoming tongue-tied. Secretly cheering inside, they allowed Yun Qian Meng to continue punishing the man. In any case, there were no outsiders in this carriage, so no one will be able to see the fierce side of their xiaojie.

Remembering Jiu Xuan shitai's words, Yun Qian Meng lost her interest in arguing with this prince.

The Hu Ge she might have been able to get had been stolen, and although Jiu Xuan shitai had given her an alternate solution, it probably wouldn't work.

There were so many taiyi in Fu Guo Gong Fu and they report Qu Ling Ao's situation to the palace from time to time. If everyone knew of Qu Ling Ao's poisoning, why did Hai wangfu stay silent for this long? Probably, because they already knew what herb the antidote for Qu Ling Ao's poison lacked. It was not that they did not have Hu Ge, but perhaps they did not want to save Qu Ling Ao.

At once, Yun Qian Meng became depressed. She felt that the things happening in the Court were really changing rather fast. Previously, they wanted to become relatives by marriage with Fu Guo Gong Fu, but now they actively stayed away to remain uninvolved in the situation.

“Hey, Yun Qian Meng! I have a question!” For a time, the carriage had been silent, but for some reason, the tenth Prince opened his eyes again. His voice was not as furious as a while ago, rather, it contained a sense of helplessness, but still as arrogant as before, as if the citizens of Xi Chu were also under him.

Yun Qian Meng saw how he carried his ostentation and extravagance everywhere he went, so she coldly asked back, “Oh? Are you requesting something of me?”

He wished he could bite his tongue off and he cursed himself for asking for trouble. Why did he need to ask this fierce girl?

But after a while, he could no longer bear it and finally asked, “Is that Hai Tian of Hai wangfu the most beautiful woman of Xi Chu?”

Hearing his words, Yun Qian Meng kept to her thoughts and looked at the Prince deeply, speculating of the meaning of his words, then smiled and said, “Hai Tian junzhu beauty can cause the downfall of a city, and is also known for being very talented. She is really the most famous and beautiful lady in Xi Chu. From your question, can it be that you came here after hearing of her reputation?”

He only snorted and closed his eyes again, refusing to communicate further with Yun Qian Meng.

Chu Fei Yang drove fast but stably, and in the moment of silence, the carriage had entered the city gates and was now passing through the streets and lanes. When the carriage stopped, Yun Qian Meng partly opened the curtain only to notice that the carriage had stopped at a door that she did not recognize.

In this moment, Jiao DA stood at the side door stood. If she were not mistaken, this was surely Chu wangfu.

Chu Fei Yang opened the carriage curtains and Jiao Da immediately lowered his head to pull the oxhide rope connected to the Prince and quickly stuffed a piece of clumped cloth into his mouth. Carrying him on over a shoulder, Jiao Da soon disappeared into the side door.

“Thank Chu xiang very much for today. Chennu will take her leave.” Yun Qian Meng immediately met Yuan Dong's gaze. Yuan Dong cleverly moved to the front and held the reins to drive the carriage away.

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