knife

Chapter 159: Different Ways, Don’t Conspire with Each Other
The raging deep blue flames suddenly scattered into countless tiny sparks, filling every corner of the hall. Strangely, these sparks passed through the thick pillars, over the thin sand veils, and landed on the thick mattresses, yet they did not ignite these places.

They burned silently, as if they were things that did not belong to this world.

Lin Yunqi stood there, too afraid to move, with beads of sweat visibly appearing on his forehead.

"Empress Dowager!" he called out weakly.

Jiang Qian suddenly came to her senses, looked at the sparks that were moving around in the hall, smiled slightly, turned around and sat back down. The sparks immediately flew back from all directions like birds returning to the forest and entered Jiang Qian's body.

There was never any news of Jiang Qian having any martial arts cultivation; everyone thought she was just an ordinary daughter of an official family.

After becoming Empress Dowager, Jiang Qian did not hide in the deep palace. Instead, she participated in a series of public activities, such as personally leading the expedition to Xiangcheng and organizing the army. If people could not see that she was highly skilled in martial arts, there was only one explanation.

She has reached the Innate Realm.

And since she actually cultivates Phoenix Flame, one of the most powerful techniques of the Demonic Sect, her true identity is almost obvious.

“Back then, He Qingqiu was about my age, right?” Jiang Qian looked at Lin Yunqi and said, “But how exactly did he manage to break through to the Innate Realm and travel through the Divine Realm in one fell swoop? Lin Yunqi, more than twenty years ago, you were already a teenager. Don’t you have any memories of her at all?”

Lin Yunqi breathed a sigh of relief: "How could there not be? Although she rarely appeared at the main altar back then, her legend has always inspired us kids. The last time she appeared at the main altar was when she clashed with several elders of the main altar. It was that battle that made us realize that she had broken through to the Innate Realm and reached the Divine Travel Realm, because she defeated several elders of the main altar."

"Compared to her, I seem to be far inferior. A dreamlike existence is something I can never reach!" Jiang Qian sighed.

Lin Yunqi shook his head and said, "No, in my heart, the Empress Dowager is much better than He Qingqiu. Although He Qingqiu's martial arts cultivation was unparalleled back then, she was ultimately unable to escape the shackles of worldly love and affection, and eventually locked herself in, ending up dead and vanished. Her ideals, naturally, also disappeared with her death. Now, except for a very few people, no one remembers her anymore."

“Why rely on others? I’d rather do it myself!” Jiang Qian bent her arm, spread her fingers, and then slowly clenched them. “Now that I know how He Qingqiu failed back then, how could I possibly repeat her mistakes? I will naturally avoid the pitfalls she fell into.”

Lin Yunqi laughed: "After today's battle, the Xiong royal family members with any strength have basically been wiped out. Next, I plan to open another prison. Once people are in my hands, I will give them whatever confessions I want. Those families that have always bared their teeth at the Empress Dowager, this time I will either kill them or make them suffer."

"Take it slow, don't rush it!" Jiang Qian said. "Like boiling a frog in lukewarm water or cutting flesh with a dull knife, we can't let those people feel the pain. If we cut them today and make another cut tomorrow, by the time they realize something's wrong, they'll be all skin and bones. They won't have any strength left to resist!"

"Xiong Yi and Xiang Ying?"

"No, no, no, these two can't be touched!" Jiang Qian shook her head and said, "They are two bodhisattvas that I keep there. When needed, I will bring them out to keep order. Go ahead and do it boldly, even if it goes a little too far. They will naturally come to me when the time comes."

"Understood, we must give these two face!" Lin Yunqi said with a smile. "Those survivors might have no choice but to stick close to these two from now on. When the time is right, we'll eliminate them all in one fell swoop!"

“He Qingqiu was too hasty back then!” Jiang Qian said. “Before she even did anything, the whole world knew what she was going to do. Who else would they kill but her? You need to have the courage to be an enemy of the whole world, but you also need the same wisdom!”

“He Qingqiu isn’t lacking in wisdom, but she wants to use Li Anze as a proxy, and this Li Anze is not cut out for great things! He has lofty ambitions but lacks the ability to spread his wings and soar to the heavens, harming both himself and others!” Lin Yunqi shook his head and said. “The Empress Dowager is different! Now, the 300,000 Shence Army of Great Chu obeys only the Empress Dowager’s orders, the Heavenly Net monitors the world, and the people have the support of the Divine Cult. Given time, she can rebuild the world.”

"The Divine Cult is following suit?" Jiang Qian sneered. "Not necessarily. Some people have become addicted to rebellion and have completely forgotten the ultimate purpose of the Divine Cult in instigating rebellion! These people have now completely degenerated and are acting recklessly for their own selfish interests."

"How to deal with it?"

"Of course, we'll send a large army to wipe them out!" Jiang Qian said without hesitation.

“But there are still many brothers and sisters of the Divine Cult inside!” Lin Yunqi reminded them. “And elders of the Divine Cult!”

"Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together!" Jiang Qian said coldly. "What they are doing now is blocking my way and disrupting my laws. How can I allow them to act recklessly!"

Stepping out of the vermilion gate behind him, Zhu Chi looked up at the blue sky and white clouds, smelled the fragrance of flowers and the warmth of people, and listened to the endless chirping of birds, barking of dogs and voices. He then let out a long breath.

You're still alive, that's great!

Yesterday, it terrified him!
He had barely returned and stepped into the Ministry of War when he was detained. Through the thin door, he could clearly hear people receiving orders and quickly leaving, and each order made Zhu Chi feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

Danyang is undergoing an unprecedented large-scale purge.

The incident was triggered by the current emperor's biological father, Xiong Qingxian, raising an army in rebellion with the intention of overthrowing the empress dowager.

Zhu Chi confirmed that this was a long-planned purge.

It should be noted that such a thing did not happen when the Empress Dowager first came to power, because at that time there were the Prime Minister Xiong Yi and the General Xiang Ying. Even if the Empress Dowager wanted to do it, she would be prevented by these two people.

Now, no one can stop the Empress Dowager anymore.

The key point is that Xiong Qingxian's rebellion is probably real.

If that's the case, even Xiong Xiang and General Xiang might be powerless to do anything about it.

Zhu Chi was drenched in cold sweat. He could only pray that the Zhu family wasn't involved in this matter. Within the Zhu family, there were many who hated the Empress Dowager. If they were also implicated, the Zhu family would truly be doomed this time, and all his years of biding his time and enduring hardship beyond the Great Wall would have been in vain.

Several times, Zhu Chi wanted to break through this thin door and rush out, but he would pull his hand back as soon as he reached out. Once he took a step out, he could never take it back.

After finally getting through to midday, someone finally opened the door.

As soon as the door opened, Zhu Chi smelled a strong stench of blood on the person who opened it.

Although A was washed with water, it was still heavily stained, and the purplish-black stains in the crevices remained.

The word "Commander Zhu" made Zhu Chi feel as if he had been granted a pardon.

Lin Shilang had already received the case file he submitted. Lin Shilang told him to go home and wait for two days, and then he would summon him to discuss some details.

These few words filled Zhu Chi with ecstatic joy.

This means his plan has been approved.

Lin Yunqi certainly didn't have the authority to make that decision; only the Empress Dowager could make such a swift decision.

The Zhu family's name appeared before the Empress Dowager once again, but this time, they would no longer be the targets of purges or implicated individuals.

The Zhu family still lived in Green Ivy Lane, a place where powerful and wealthy families gathered.

Zhu Chi walked cautiously along the way, and from time to time he could see some houses with fully armed soldiers standing outside the gates. Some courtyard walls and gate towers had been reduced to ruins. He even saw some richly dressed men and women lying in pools of blood on the street.

He lowered his head, unable to look any longer.

When he was still a hundred or so steps away from his home, he saw with some horror that the Shence Army was escorting a large group of prisoners out of a house.

It was the Wen family, my neighbor.

There wasn't a single man in sight; all those strung together by ropes were women.

The women stumbled along, and if they slowed down even slightly, the soldiers beside them would lash them with their whips, and cries of agony filled the air.

Zhu Chi watched with some sadness as several familiar faces passed by. Although three or four years had passed, they were still well-preserved and had not aged at all; they were still as young as ever. Meanwhile, he had endured several years of wind, snow, and bitter cold, and his appearance had changed drastically.

Zhu Chi knew the ultimate fate of these women.

Their livelihood would then be made through prostitution.

These women were the most sought-after by brothels. They came from prestigious families, were well-educated, and were proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and songs. Once they entered a brothel, they became cash cows. Those who could only look up to them in the past would spend a fortune to get what they wanted.

They finally arrived at the front of their own house.

The Zhu family has fallen on hard times. In Danyang, only this house remains unsold, which is also the old master's hope that they might make a comeback in the future.

However, maintaining such a house in Danyang is not easy; looking up, the paint on the door is peeling.

He knocked on the door, and after a flurry of panic, someone finally came and opened the door a crack.

A panicked face appeared through the crack in the door.

"Uncle Quan, I'm back!" Zhu Chi said.

After a moment of silence, the door was suddenly flung open, and Zhu Quan, the old servant with white hair, turned around and shouted, "Master, Madam, the eldest son is back!"

Zhu Chi rushed into the room, bypassed the screen wall, and was stunned by the scene before him.

The elderly father and mother sat upright in front of the main hall, surrounded by the men, women, and children of the family. Judging from their appearance, they had probably been sitting there for quite some time.

"Father, Mother, your unfilial son has returned!"

Zhu Chi knelt down with a thud.

(End of this chapter)