I became the demon of the female devil

Chapter 388 Carrying a Knife but No Umbrella on a Rainy Night! (Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!)

The entire hall was deathly silent.

Looking at the completely lifeless corpse, the color drained from everyone's faces, turning them as pale as paper.

Before they could react, two more officials from the Tax Bureau and the Maritime Trade Bureau collapsed one after another, convulsing violently, gushing blood from their mouths, and their eyes gradually losing focus.

Chu Yanli waved her hand and said, "Lying here is an eyesore and makes everyone lose their appetite. Let's drag it out and burn it."

Two black-armored guards who were standing at the door came in, dragged the body out of the hall, and left several winding trails of blood on the ground.

Moments later, a fire broke out in the courtyard, and the air was filled with the aroma of roasting meat.

Only at this moment did the officials present truly realize that the eldest princess was not joking...

There's definitely something wrong with this wine!

"vomit!"

Some people couldn't help but feel nauseous and dry heaved.

Others sat cross-legged, circulating their true energy, trying to force the Gu worms out.

"It's no use." Chu Yanli said indifferently, "The characteristic of the Seven Deadly Gu is that it dissolves immediately upon entering water and is extremely poisonous. Even a peak Transcendent Realm martial artist can only last for an hour at most. Rather than wasting your energy, you might as well use this time to eat your fill and get on your way."

"Your Highness, what is the reason for this?" an elderly officer asked in a trembling voice. "What have we done to offend Your Highness that you would resort to such a cruel method?"

"Want to know why?"

"Fine, then I'll let you die knowing why."

Chu Yanli raised her hand and tapped the table, saying, "Bring the person up."

wow-

Accompanied by the scraping sound of chains, two beautiful women were brought in and made to kneel in the center of the hall.

The two faces were familiar to everyone. One was Hua Yinglan, the head of the Li family, the main merchant in the city, and the other was Ming Yuchun, the mainstay of Liyun Pavilion, who had recently been in the spotlight.

Looking at the absence of several key officials from the Maritime Trade Office, some people already had their own guesses.

"Hua Yinglan, you not only colluded with the Gu God Sect, but also conspired with Tang Xingbang, the Transport Commissioner of the Maritime Trade Office, to illegally transport barbarian slaves using merchant ships. Is this true?" Chu Yanli asked.

"what?"

"Barbarian slaves?!"

There was an uproar at the scene!
These two words were absolutely taboo in the Great Yuan Dynasty, especially in the southern border regions!
They knew that Tang Xingbang was close to the Li family, and they thought he was just using his position to seek personal gain. They never expected that he would involve the barbarians.
Most of them looked astonished, but a few officials' expressions changed slightly, and they clenched their hands tightly in their sleeves.

"Oops!"

……

……

Hua Yinglan lowered her head, her eyes dark and brooding.

Ever since Qian Yi didn't come home all night and Xiao Die mysteriously disappeared, she realized something was wrong.

Before dawn, they took Ming Yuchun and fled the city by waterway. But as soon as they boarded the boat, they were surrounded by government officials...

At this moment, facing the Princess's questioning, Hua Yinglan knew that resistance was pointless and that she would definitely not be able to leave the prefecture alive today.

She glanced at the terrified Ming Yuchun, secretly made up her mind, and gritted her teeth, saying, "This was indeed my doing, and I am willing to bear all the blame. But Mr. Ming was not involved and knew nothing about it. I beg Your Highness to show leniency..."

"No, that's right!" Ming Yuchun said as if grasping at a straw, "I'm just an opera singer, I don't know anything else, I hope Your Highness will investigate!"

"is it?"

Chu Yanli raised an eyebrow and said, "But I heard that you were originally Tang Xingbang's mistress, and under his instructions, you deliberately approached Hua Yinglan, not only helping the two of them get together, but also secretly monitoring the Li family's movements?"

A flicker of panic crossed Ming Yuchun's eyes. "I really didn't..."

Chu Yanli tossed a stack of letters over, like snowflakes falling. "These were all found at your residence. The evidence is conclusive. What else do you have to say?"

One of the letters happened to fall in front of Hua Yinglan. She picked it up, glanced at it, and her expression froze instantly.

This is Tang Xingbang's handwriting, covered with a seal indicating that it should be burned after reading, but it was preserved by Ming Yuchun through some means.

In the letter, Tang Xingbang mentioned that the Eldest Princess was about to arrive in the prefecture and might investigate the Li family. If things turned sour, he suggested that Hua Yinglan be silenced beforehand to prevent the two of them from being implicated.

Just like when they poisoned Master Li.

"Yu Chun, is this true?" Hua Yinglan's voice was hoarse.

Yesterday, she was still dealing with Tang Xingbang, trying to use her "trump cards" to protect Ming Yuchun, but the two of them were plotting to kill her.
"Fake, it's all fake!"

Ming Yuchun's eyes darted around, and he pointed at Hua Yinglan, his voice sharp as he said, "It must be this woman's doing! She forged the letter to frame me! She was just pretending to be a good person, but she was clearly trying to use a self-inflicted injury to deceive Your Highness! Your Highness must not fall for it!"

"Meeting spring..."

Hua Yinglan looked at the people around her in disbelief.

The face that was so tender and affectionate last night now looks completely unfamiliar.

Chu Yanli interrupted impatiently, "Alright, stop with this mushy stuff. Do you think I'm interrogating you? I'm just letting you die knowing why... Guards, drag them both away and burn them."

"Yes."

The Xuanjia Guards stepped forward and escorted the two men out.

"Your Highness, I'm innocent... Hua Yinglan, you vile woman, it's all your fault! If you hadn't exposed the location of the barbarian slaves, how could I have been implicated! You deserve to die!" Ming Yuchun struggled desperately, her face full of resentment, cursing incoherently.

Hua Yinglan looked ashen-faced and remained silent, as if she had lost all her energy.

Just as she was about to leave the hall, she turned back, looked at the various expressions on the faces of the officials present, a fierce glint appearing in her eyes, and said sharply:

"and many more!"

"Besides Tang Xingbang, other officials from the prefecture government were also involved in this matter, and they are in this room right now!"

"Oh?"

Chu Yanli raised her hand to signal the Xuanjia Guards to stop, and said with great interest, "Then tell me, who's in there?"

Hua Yinglan took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "The military advisor Ke Jingning, the clerk Chang Hexuan, the prefect Ji Jin... all of these people have been bribed by Tang Xingbang, who gave them the green light in the approval of goods. Ke Jingning even prepared a warehouse specifically to temporarily store the barbarian slaves!"

“Every year, the silver they receive as a share of profits amounts to tens of thousands of taels of silver. This is all real gold and silver, and there’s no way to fake it. Your Highness can find out as soon as you investigate!”

"You bullshit!"

"You dare to slander me with such baseless accusations!"

"Slander, blatant slander! Your Highness, do not listen to the slander of petty people!"

Those who were named immediately became restless, stood up, and shouted angrily.

Chu Yanli ignored them, looked up at Hua Yinglan, and said, "You should know in your heart that even if you confess, you will still die because of the crimes you have committed."

"I know."

Heart-wrenching wails came from outside. Ming Yuchun was already burning. The firelight reflected on Hua Yinglan's face. She lowered her eyelids slightly and whispered, "I only want a quick death."

"That's right."

Chu Yanli stretched out her slender hand and pointed at something in the air.

A dazzling golden light flashed, and Hua Yinglan's brow was pierced with a bang.

Her eyes became vacant, and she collapsed to the ground, blood flowing freely beneath her, yet her face bore a relieved smile.

The wailing outside gradually subsided, and the smell of burning in the air grew stronger.

The air pressure was so low you could hear a pin drop.

The officials present hung their heads, their clothes soaked with cold sweat.

"Now, everyone should understand why I put poison in the wine, right?" Chu Yanli leaned back in her chair, crossed her legs, and said lazily, "Bailu City is rotten to the core and cannot be cleaned up at all. Rather than that, it is better to scrape the bone to remove the poison and completely remove the rotten flesh."

"I have already reported to the imperial court, and the additional imperial envoy will arrive no later than the day after tomorrow. At that time, he will take over all affairs of the prefecture."

"So, this dinner is less a welcome party for me and more a farewell party for you."

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces turned even paler.

"but……"

Chu Yanli changed the subject and said, "Don't say I'm heartless. I still gave you a chance."

A female official stepped forward and placed a white porcelain bottle on the table.

"This contains the antidote for the Seven Deadly Gu. There are fifteen pills in total, which means that only fifteen people can leave here alive today."

"The requirements are simple. I want you to denounce each other. Whoever provides the most detailed evidence and names the most accomplices will receive an antidote... However, time is limited. In another half hour, once the poison has fully taken effect, it will be beyond saving."

Chu Yanli said with a smile.

"Let us report on each other?"

The group looked at each other, hesitant for a moment.

"Uh... ah!"

Just then, another state official, his face ashen, collapsed to the ground.

Like the last straw that broke the camel's back, the atmosphere became restless and uneasy. Under the fear of death, their psychological defenses were gradually collapsing.

Ke Jingning, the military advisor in charge of the warehouse who had just been called out by Hua Yinglan, suddenly stood up and said loudly, "This humble official is reporting that Lan Mingda, the judicial officer of the Criminal Division, is secretly colluding with the Gu God Sect, making it easy for them to recruit followers in Nan Tu Prefecture!"

Since he's already been exposed, we might as well muddy the waters and die together!

Lan Mingda's face flushed red as he angrily retorted, "You want to drag me down with you? Who was it yesterday who bragged to me about the farmland we just seized, causing so many families to be ruined and destroyed? You have the nerve to report me?"

One stone stirs up a thousand waves, and others jumped out one after another:

"I want to report Sergeant Liu Jinnian for owning a large number of properties with unclear origins. There's definitely something fishy going on!"

"Heh, you abused your power and privately used the treasury's silver to repair the main hall of Ziyun Temple, do you think I didn't know?!" "The Registrar Huang Zhongqian is hiding a barbarian slave in his backyard, I saw it with my own eyes!"

"Your mother is a servant! You said you'd trade three concubines for me before, and now you're pretending to be a respectable person?"

The situation was extremely chaotic.

In order to protect themselves, state officials began to indiscriminately accuse each other, since there were only a few antidotes available, and they were all afraid that if they were too late to reveal the truth, someone else would beat them to it.

The female official standing nearby recorded everything they said, word for word.

This is the effect Chu Yanli wanted.

If these people stick together and give the same story, it could really cause some trouble.

In the end, she'll probably just push out a few low-level henchmen to take the fall, which won't hurt her at all, and the situation won't change after she leaves.

Only by dismantling the problem from within and cutting through the mess quickly can we expose the real giant pest!

As for the so-called Seven Deadly Gu, it is naturally fake; it is just ordinary medicinal wine.

The officials who died tragically at the beginning were all suspects implicated by Wang Kui. After it was confirmed that they were colluding with the barbarians, they were given poison wrapped in wax pills in advance. Then, they used their true energy to break the outer shell, creating the illusion that they had died from poisoning.

"Chen Mo's method is a bit unorthodox, but it's quite effective." Chu Yanli's eyes were full of smiles.

call--

At that moment, a whooshing sound rang out.

Chu Yanli sensed something, and in a flash, she arrived outside the government office.

Under the dark night sky, several figures flew over, with Zhong Lihe leading the way.

"Your Highness." Zhong Lihe approached and bowed.

"Why is it only you who came back? Where are Chen Mo and Yu Zhe?" Chu Yanli looked around and noticed a guard behind her carrying a Xuan Guang Armor. She frowned. "What happened?"

"Your Highness, please don't worry, it's like this..."

Zhong Lihe recounted the general events that had transpired.

Chu Yanli's expression darkened slightly upon hearing this, and her heart tightened.

She originally wanted Yu Zhe to come along so that the two of them could look after each other, but she never expected it to almost lead to a disaster!
She had absolute trust in Chen Mo. Since Chen Mo said that Yu Zhe had a problem, then Yu Zhe must have a problem... But what Zhong Lihe said also made sense. The Gu God Sect couldn't possibly have such great abilities.

There are very few people in the entire capital who can reach into the Xuanjia Guard!

Who could it be?

"With such a commotion, the person behind it will definitely try to escape tonight. We must immediately seal off the entire White Egret City!" Chu Yanli took out the tiger talisman from her waist, infused it with true essence, and a dazzling golden light shone forth.

She could no longer fully trust the Xuanjia Guards, so she decided to bring in her personal troops to take over the city and trap them!
However, after waiting for a while, there was still no response.

"Strange, what's going on..."

……

……

Southern Wilderness.

Night fell, and thick, dark clouds hung in the sky, obscuring the moonlight.

The faint rumble of thunder could be heard, and the air was filled with the scent of damp earth.

In a remote mountain valley, nearly a hundred barbarians hid. They wore leather armor, carried bows and swords, and their tall and burly figures were like iron towers. Their heterochromatic eyes flashed with a fierce light.

Each man led a warhorse, its bluish-gray muscles resembling rocks, a single horn on its head, a bit in its mouth, and it was kicking the ground restlessly.

This is the mythical beast "Qingyun Steed," which is said to have the bloodline of the Xie Zhi (a mythical beast), capable of carrying a thousand pounds of weight and moving at lightning speed. Only the elite cavalry of a few major tribes are qualified to be equipped with it.

"Remember, our purpose here is merely to harass and feign an attack to draw the attention of the Xuanhuang Army. Do not linger in battle; know when to stop!" Ugo said solemnly.

Although he didn't want to do anything for the human race, the two sides were, after all, in a cooperative relationship. If they could send this group of barbarian slaves to the capital, it would be of paramount importance to them.

"Yes!"

Everyone raised their hands and pounded their chests in response.

"set off!"

With a wave of his hand, Ugo sent the barbarians mounting their horses. With a spur of their legs, the steeds neighed and sped off towards the border village a hundred miles away.

In just a short while, they arrived near the border.

"Light the fire, draw the bow—"

The barbarian cavalry ignited the explosive runes and drew their bows to shoot arrows.

Even as the steed galloped at full speed, the rider remained as steady as a rock, without the slightest tremor.

"shoot!"

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—

With a command, a dense rain of arrows shot into the fortress, then exploded with a deafening roar, sending flames soaring into the sky!

But after waiting for a long time, there was no movement at all, as if the stationed soldiers had all fallen asleep.

"Something's wrong!"

A sense of crisis rose in Ugo's heart. He raised his hand, fired a signal arrow, and shouted, "Retreat! Get out of here immediately!"

The barbarian cavalry obeyed orders immediately, reining in their horses and carving deep furrows in the mud with their hooves before turning and galloping wildly across the wasteland!

Boom——

At that moment, a bolt of lightning flashed.

The pale lightning dispelled the darkness, and upon seeing the scene before him, Ugo's pupils suddenly shrank to pinpoints!

Hundreds of armored soldiers were lurking in the shadows not far away!
They were clad in dark red heavy armor, and their steps were perfectly synchronized, like a blood-red torrent rolling in, exuding an overwhelming sense of oppression!

When the two sides closed to within about a hundred meters, they planted their shields in the ground, and a scarlet light shone, transforming into a spherical barrier that enveloped all the barbarian riders!
boom!
The lead barbarian was moving too fast and couldn't stop in time. He crashed headfirst into the semi-transparent wall, smashing his mount to pieces and dying instantly!
"stop!"

The remaining barbarian cavalry could only rein in their horses, and the two sides faced off from a distance.

From the crowd, a female officer clad in blood-red armor rode out on horseback, her spear clanging, her eyes filled with murderous intent.

"Barbarian barbarians, how dare you invade the territory of my Great Yuan Dynasty? How dare you!"

"All soldiers, listen to my orders, follow me and kill the enemy!"

"kill!"

boom--

boom--

The armored soldiers advanced slowly, and the crimson barrier gradually closed in!

At the same time, a large number of cavalry poured out of the fortress and charged toward them!

"hateful!"

Ugo's face turned ashen. He realized that he had fallen into a trap. That cunning human was clearly trying to use someone else to do his dirty work!
But there's no time to think about that now; we have to figure out a way to get out of here first!
"The enemy is well-prepared; we cannot fight them head-on. Follow me and break through; we'll see how many of us can escape!"

Ugo slapped the saddle and leaped into the air.

Its body swelled in the wind, transforming into a colossal creature tens of meters tall, and crashed into the red wall with a thunderous roar!

……

……

Outside Egret City.

The rain fell in torrents.

A figure leaped out of the moat, trailing a chain behind him. A dozen barbarian slaves were bound together, each with a breath-holding talisman on their body, and were currently unconscious.

Qi Ye lit a talisman to send out the message, waiting for helpers to arrive.

Looking back at the city, a cold smile curled at the corner of his lips.

"Chu Yanli would never have imagined that the group of barbarian slaves on the merchant ship was just a smokescreen. The area beneath Bailu City had already been cleared... If I want to leave, who can stop me?"

"As for Chen Mo..."

"With four Grandmasters joining forces, plus that Purple Nether Devouring Jade, even a First-Rank cultivator would perish! No matter how lucky he is, he can't possibly leave alive!"

"If he were staying in Kyoto, it would be really difficult to make a move. I never expected him to come to me of his own accord. It's like heaven is helping me out, hahaha..."

Snapped--

Snapped--

Suddenly, a round of applause rang out.

? !
Qi Ye's smile froze, and he abruptly turned around to look.

A handsome man slowly emerged from the shadows, clapped his hands, and shook his head, saying, "I must admit, your plan is quite thorough, but unfortunately, you overlooked one thing..."

"Chen Mo, what are you doing here..."

The words stopped abruptly.

Looking at the two faint blue-green lights that slowly lit up in the darkness behind Chen Mo, Qi Ye felt as if his neck had been grabbed, his face filled with fear and horror!
"Jade, Jade Coldness?!"

"Not only do you have helpers, I do too."

Chen Mo smiled and said, "It seems that, in comparison, my 'jade' is still superior."

(End of this chapter)