bookrebus Chapter 185 The Villainous Female Supporting Character's Mind Was Read 40
Chapter 185 The Villainous Female Supporting Character's Mind Was Read 40
As soon as the Third Prince finished speaking, the guards drew their swords and pointed them at Consort Jiang.
The situation here changed rapidly, and everyone was terrified, not daring to utter a sound.
Lin Shuwan sat with her head down, seemingly as shocked as everyone else by the turn of events, but in reality, she was trying to hide her drowsiness and figure out when this farce would finally end.
Catching those two foxes during the day took a lot of effort, and now she's so tired she just wants to lie down and sleep.
[It's almost time! After the Third Prince appears, Jiang Yiheng will also make his move.]
Qi Qi encouraged him, saying, "Over the years, he has secretly raised three thousand private soldiers by developing his businesses, and a thousand of them are currently hidden in the forest, ready to be deployed at any time."
【Here we go! 】
Without saying another word, the Third Prince simply raised his hand, and the guards beside him obeyed and killed Consort Jiang.
"Mother!" The eldest prince's eyes were bloodshot, filled with anger and grief. He struggled to roll off the table and tried desperately to crawl over, but he was too weak to move.
"Don't worry, eldest brother, you and your son will be reunited soon." Perhaps it was the sight of blood that made the third prince's smile tinged with a bloodthirsty cruelty, and his smile became even more pronounced.
He took the jade seal handed to him by his subordinate, carefully examined the patterns, and only after confirming it was genuine did his smile become more genuine. He looked at Emperor Chengping and said:
“Father, you know me. I always like to eliminate problems completely. In order to prevent you from denying the effects of the medicine after it wears off, I can only ask you to rest here in peace.”
No sooner had the Third Prince finished speaking than a sound like a cup shattering on the ground was heard, and suddenly hundreds of arrows shot out from the forest.
"Be careful, Your Majesty!"
"Protect His Highness."
"Ah, help."
"Don't kill me! Don't kill me!"
Fortunately, the archers were aiming at the Third Prince's men.
Although the people who had drunk the cartilage-inducing powder and collapsed in their seats cried out pitifully, they were actually unharmed. On the contrary, the maids and servants who were serving their master were caught off guard and ran around in panic, becoming easy targets and being hit by several arrows and dying.
After the arrows were fired, the people hiding in the woods rushed out one after another. The Third Prince and his men put up a stubborn resistance, but they were outnumbered and captured alive.
The imperial seal eventually ended up in Jiang Yiheng's hands.
Just now, after Jiang Yiheng smashed the cup, he came to Lin Shuwan's side and protected her behind him.
Although he had given orders beforehand not to harm Lin Shuwan in the slightest, he was still worried that the arrows would be indiscriminate and hurt her.
Gu Yanli had wanted to rush to Lin Shuwan's side the moment the arrow was shot, but Emperor Chengping quietly stopped him. Seeing that Jiang Yiheng was protecting her, he felt a little more at ease and remained still.
Before the banquet, considering the people coming and going around them, he subtly mentioned to Lin Shuwan that there was a problem with the drinks.
He had noticed during the banquet that Lin Shuwan hadn't touched any of the drinks.
As long as she didn't drink it, Jiang Yiheng shouldn't be able to hurt her.
Tonight's changes were within Emperor Chengping's expectations.
After Gu Yanli became the crown prince, Emperor Chengping gave him a list of the six ministries, intending to familiarize him with the responsibilities of each ministry, without expecting him to be able to figure anything out.
Unexpectedly, Gu Yanli did notice something amiss.
Emperor Chengping sent people to investigate, and after much effort, the results came out, but they sent chills down his spine.
His good sons and good concubines were all staring at the dragon throne behind him, wishing he would die sooner.
He was well aware that while the court appeared harmonious on the surface, people had already secretly chosen sides.
Surprisingly, the one who hid the deepest was actually the sixth brother (Jiang Yiheng).
This person, who usually appears dull and unlikable, is surprisingly well-connected among civil servants and has also run a thriving business behind the scenes, employing many staff members.
If his men hadn't accidentally discovered that Lao Liu's businesses had extra large monthly expenditures, and followed the clues to suspect that he might be keeping a private army, this whole charade wouldn't have lasted so long.
However, the leader of the Imperial Guard had changed twice, and for a time, no one in the entire capital could be trusted.
It was the Crown Prince who suggested that the Duke of Zhenguo step forward and call back some troops.
He hesitated. The Duke of Zhenguo held military power. If he were to recall some troops, he didn't know whether they would come to protect him or to rebel.
Later, news secretly arrived that the Duke of Zhenguo was willing to offer up his military power and stated that once the border matter was settled, his son would also resign from his position as general, only hoping that after this matter was over, his family could be allowed to leave the capital.
Emperor Chengping agreed, and in the end, the Duke of Zhenguo, whom he had been wary of day and night, became the only person he could use. It was truly lamentable.
According to the plan, the Duke of Zhenguo would first lead a group of people to deal with the two thousand private soldiers left behind by Jiang Yiheng. The rest of the men would either mingle with the eunuchs or wait outside the forest. Once all those who were plotting a rebellion appeared, they would be captured in one fell swoop.
Now, all the people who were supposed to be there have stepped forward.
Just in case, Emperor Chengping remained inactive, wanting to see if any had escaped.
Blood stained the ground, and many of the women and officials at the banquet turned pale and felt nauseous.
Presumably, after today's events, meat prices in Beijing will drop for a while.
Everyone thought that Jiang Yiheng would point the finger at Emperor Chengping, just like Consort Jiang and the Third Prince. To everyone's surprise, he turned around and looked at Lin Shuwan while holding the imperial seal.
Jiang Yiheng bent down to smooth Lin Shuwan's long hair as she sat down, his tone gentle and tender: "Wanwan, look, I will soon become the emperor. I'll ask you one more time, are you willing to marry me and be my empress?"
"Brother Yiheng, I've already said I don't want to join the royal family. Treason is a serious crime, so you should stop now," Lin Shuwan replied dismissively.
Upon hearing "unwilling" again, Jiang Yiheng straightened up, barely suppressing his inner rage: "What? If I don't rebel, am I supposed to wait for you to marry the Crown Prince and become his principal wife? Don't think I don't know you like the Crown Prince. Wouldn't it be better for you to be my Empress? I'll share this empire with you."
Lin Shuwan didn't answer again, but just tried to stay awake.
Emperor Chengping is being far too indecisive; how long does he intend to keep watching this show?
Jiang Yiheng took her silence as another form of resistance, raised his hand and pinched her chin, but under the influence of the Gu worm, his movements were so gentle that he couldn't bear to hurt her in the slightest.
When Jiang Yiheng saw the tears welling up in Lin Shuwan's eyes from exhaustion, he was filled with both sorrow and anger: "Are you really that unwilling to become my person?"
"So what if you don't want to? You can only stay by my side for the rest of your life!" Jiang Yiheng said fiercely, but the force in his hand did not increase at all. As if to prove his point, he leaned down to put a kiss on Lin Shuwan's face.
Lin Shuwan turned her head, unable to contain her irritation, and kicked Jiang Yiheng away.
At the same time, Emperor Chengping finally issued an edict to arrest Jiang Yiheng after being repeatedly urged by Gu Yanli.
Jiang Yiheng was easily suppressed. He looked up at Gu Yanli, who had run to Lin Shuwan's side, and chuckled. But a trace of sorrow appeared in his eyes. He said, his voice slightly hoarse: "So you knew that I could not succeed today."
He shook his head and murmured, "If I had known, I wouldn't have let A-Ning use this curse. The sorrow of missing out on the throne is nothing compared to yours."
Jiang Yiheng and the Third Prince were dragged away and handed over to the Imperial Clan Court for processing, thus bringing this incident to a close.
[Ding! Mission 1: Leave Jiang Yiheng with nothing. Points earned. Completed.]
[Cumulative Points: .]