knife

Chapter 418 A pleasure to meet you
It seemed like he had been asleep for a very long time. When Wang Jun opened his eyes, he was momentarily lost and confused, but he quickly came to his senses.

I tried to stand up, but my whole body was sore and weak, and I couldn't muster any strength at all.

The seemingly inexhaustible strength that once surrounded him had vanished without a trace.

With difficulty, I lifted my eyelids and saw a pair of moon-white shoes a foot away. As I tried to roll my eyes upward, I saw a face that seemed to be smiling but not smiling.

Then, as if lifted up by an invisible hand, he was pressed directly into a chair, and opposite him was Jiang Qian, the wicked empress he had longed to kill.

Everyone had always thought that Jiang Qian was just a delicate woman, and that she had gotten to where she was today only because she was cunning and calculating, and had the help of henchmen like Lin Yunqi and He Han.

Today, Wang Jun finally saw the true face of the empress, but it all seemed too late.

He glared at Jiang Qian with eyes blazing with fury.

I did nothing wrong.

There was nothing wrong in the past, and there is nothing wrong now.

The only mistake was not having a correct understanding of the opponent.

For hundreds of years, the Great Chu had suppressed the Demonic Sect, but no one expected that the person sitting in the highest position in the Great Chu was a big figure in the Demonic Sect.

Wang Jun wanted to slap himself a few times. Why hadn't he thought of this before?
Clearly, the same thing happened in the Qin Dynasty decades ago.

The Crown Princess of Qin was also proven to be a disciple of the Demonic Cult.

"Empress Dowager, kill me if you want!" Once he felt that the tongue was under his control again, Wang Jun immediately sought death.

Jiang Qian looked at Wang Jun and sighed, "Of course you have to die, but before you die, there are some things I want to ask you!"

"What do you want from me? Don't even dream about it!" Wang Jun sneered.

Jiang Qian shook her head: "What I want to ask is different from what you think. What, do you think I want to get some information about General Xiang or Chief Minister Xiong from you?"

Wang Jun kept his mouth tightly shut.

“No need. The fact that you’re in my hands is the best proof. You don’t need to say anything!” Jiang Qian said with a smile. “As long as General Xiang knows that you’re in my hands, he will definitely come looking for me.”

"Empress Dowager, kill me!" Wang Jun roared hoarsely.

"If you want a quick death, then answer my questions properly!" Jiang Qian said calmly, "Wang Jun, I remember when He Qiku attacked Xiangcheng, and I came to the front line to supervise the battle, you were still very respectful to me. And you should also admit that in the battle of Xiangcheng, if I hadn't come to the front line and turned the tide, with just you people, you wouldn't have survived until the later internal strife in Qin and the mutiny of the Imperial Guards. Our Great Chu wouldn't have been able to talk about the final victory, would it?"

Hearing these words, Wang Jun remained silent for a long time. Although he hated the woman in front of him, he was unwilling to deny the facts, as it was against his principles.

"Yes!"

"Although we won Xiangcheng, the country was in chaos due to the death of the late emperor and the young age of the new emperor. Rebellions broke out everywhere, and the economy was on the verge of collapse. It was only through my efforts that the Chu Kingdom was stabilized at this time, wasn't it?"

"Correct!"

“It can be said that without me, Jiang Qian, there would be no Great Chu as we know it today. You people claim to be loyal subjects of Great Chu, so why do you insist on being my enemy, overthrowing me, or even killing me?” Jiang Qian asked curiously, “Does it mean that if I die, the Chu Kingdom will be better off than it is now?”

"If you had retired to the inner palace and ceased interfering in politics when everything was stable and Great Chu was on the right track, you would still be the Empress Dowager revered by everyone in Great Chu. But you didn't!" Wang Jun shouted. "What we see is your greed for power, your suppression and killing of loyal ministers. General Xiang and Chief Minister Xiong were forced to resign one after another, while those wicked and unscrupulous people gathered in the central government. If this continues, can Chu still be Chu? Can the emperor still be the emperor? I'm afraid that in a few more years, we will all have to kneel before you and call you Your Majesty."

Jiang Qian sighed: "So, you don't care what Chu Kingdom becomes after I'm overthrown?"

"The State of Chu will only get better!" Wang Jun shouted.

"Is that so?" Jiang Qian sneered. "Let's not talk about the current emperor. He's young and doesn't understand anything. You can't blame him for anything. Just tell me, which was better, the Chu Kingdom during the reign of the late emperor or the current Chu Kingdom? Wang Jun, you are a loyal minister, but also a gentleman. Ask yourself honestly, is it better now or in the past?"

Wang Jun remained silent.

“You people just can’t stand seeing a woman wielding power and controlling you all!” Jiang Qian said.

"That demonic witch deserves to be killed by everyone!" Wang Jun shouted sternly.

“But before you came here today, you didn’t even know who I was!” Jiang Qian said, “Wang Jun, is that your reason? The reason you people oppose me is not because of who I am, but because I am a woman, a hen crowing at dawn, hehe! So, don’t try to come up with any noble and high-sounding reasons, that will disgust me.”

"So what if it is? Facts have proven that we were right after all!" Wang Jun shouted, "Great Chu must not fall into the hands of the Demonic Sect. Can you hide it for a while, or for a lifetime? The truth will eventually come out. He Qingqiu died a violent death back then. Are you stronger than He Qingqiu?"

Jiang Qian laughed loudly: "I am indeed stronger than her. Wang Jun, don't worry, I won't kill you. A living Wang Jun will allow me to obtain more from General Xiang. Moreover, I believe that if you fall into my hands alive, you will lure out more of those hidden adversaries that I don't yet know about. Tell me, where do you think I'll place you? Will they come to rescue you or kill you one after another?"

Wang Jun's face showed pain; he knew this would be the outcome.

Unfortunately, even if he wanted to commit suicide now, he wouldn't have the strength at all.

With a flick of her index finger and thumb, a blue spark appeared at Jiang Qian's fingertip. The spark floated up and landed between Wang Jun's eyebrows, then silently disappeared inside.

"Don't overthink it, you won't die," Jiang Qian said with a smile.

"I have one more question!" Wang Jun said, sounding somewhat desperate.

"Ask whatever you want quickly. If the fire gets into your brain, you'll be in a daze from now on, unless I want you to come back to your senses!"

"Did the late Emperor truly die from an incurable illness?" Wang Jun asked, enunciating each word clearly. Jiang Qian giggled, "Guess!"

Wang Jun closed his eyes, his head throbbing with increasing pain, and his consciousness growing increasingly hazy.

It turned out to be the case.

That should be the case.

When he saw the sparks dancing on the woman's fingertips, he already guessed that this would be the outcome.

When the late emperor was still the crown prince, although he was in poor health, he did not have any life-threatening illnesses. So many imperial physicians in the palace could not find anything seriously wrong with him. How could he have fallen ill and died so suddenly just two years after ascending the throne?

Jiang Qian is a demoness from the Demonic Sect, so everything makes sense.

Endless regret filled my heart.

But his mind became increasingly confused, and Jiang Qian's face became more and more blurry in his eyes. Finally, he fell into darkness, and his body seemed to be falling endlessly into an abyss.

Jiang Qian sat there quietly, motionless, and after a long while, she gave a self-deprecating smile.

These disgusting men!

Why can't women be above them and control them?
Am I worse than anyone else?
If it weren't for me, you people would have been prisoners of Qin long ago, captured by that He Qiku and sent to the border to build cities and roads, right?
If you're ungrateful and instead want to discard someone after they've served their purpose, then you've chosen the wrong people.

"Someone come here!" she whispered.

A pale-faced, beardless man walked in through the door.

"Escort Wang Jun back to Danyang and settle him in Tonggong. Top secret."

"As ordered!"

Lin Hong's hair was disheveled, and his helmet had been shot off by an arrow at some point. At this moment, he had fewer than ten personal guards left by his side.

He Han's hundred heavily armored cavalry easily breached the force he had been proud of for years, which he had trained for many years. Zhang Yuan's light cavalry seized the opportunity to launch a surprise attack and expand their gains.

Just as Lin Hong had finally managed to reorganize his troops and stabilize his formation, Li Dachui led over a thousand members of the Demonic Cult to deliver a fatal blow to him.

At this critical juncture when his old strength was exhausted and new strength had not yet emerged, the appearance of Li Dachui shattered the last bit of confidence he and his subordinates had.

Another master of the ninth rank of Xuan Yuan.

This made them all feel desperate.

Therefore, the only option was to escape.

After fighting with all his might and losing countless loyal subordinates, Lin Hong finally escaped. Now, only one man and one horse are still chasing him.

But the despair in Lin Hong's heart continued to grow.

Because the person who chased after them was the same expert who later joined the team at the ninth rank of the Xuan Yuan realm.

The dozen or so guards behind him reined in their horses and turned back to meet the pursuer.

Lin Hong's eyes welled up with tears, but he dared not look back. He simply spurred his horse and fled.

His personal guards were willing to risk their lives to cover his escape.

Li Dachui looked back and saw that no one was chasing after him anymore.

It seems that He Han will stay there to wipe out the remaining Lin clan cavalry, and he should believe that he can catch up with Lin Hong.

Therefore, at this point, there is naturally no need to hide anything anymore.

The dozen or so guards who rushed up didn't even see how Li Dachui made his move before they all fell from their horses. Before they fell, they had already lost their lives.

Lin Hong heard the sound of horses' hooves behind him, and then he encountered something he had never experienced before in his life.

His own horse, in the midst of its gallop, suddenly flew into the air.

The horse neighed loudly, and Lin Hong couldn't believe his eyes. He even reached out and rubbed his eyes hard.

Yes, his horse flew into the air.

Although it thrashed about wildly, it didn't run any further.

The horses' hooves clattered, and an unfamiliar face appeared before Lin Hong.

"Prefect Lin, I have long admired your name. It is an honor to meet you!"

(End of this chapter)