Chapter 29-Part 1

The sound was not loud, but it made the listener’s heart tremble.

Jiang Xiurun, who had just entered the hall, felt a squeeze in her heart and hesitated in her steps. Meanwhile, Tian Ying couldn’t hold herself; her legs went weak, and she kneeled down.

At that moment, the sound of clubs striking flesh could be heard from the courtyard as several burly guards raised their clubs and fiercely smashed down on the two women.

At first, the muffled sounds of extreme pain could be heard, but gradually, the wails muffled by the torn fabric weakened, and two sack-like masses collapsed in a blur of blood and flesh.

Tian Ying, who had been pampered in Han State, had never seen such a scene of people being beaten to death alive. She was so frightened that her face turned pale. She kneeled on the ground, trembling.

Jiang Xiurun’s face was also pale because she didn’t know if the next person to be beaten to death alive would be her.

Feng Liwu half-closed his eyes, watching Tian Ying as if she had been grabbed by a ghost, not uttering a word. Then he slowly asked, “Just now, I interrogated those two women. They claimed they were instigated by a lecherous man to frame you two. Now you’re saying it was Master Jiang who was attracted by your beauty. Whom should I believe?”

Only now did Tian Ying realize that her confusion earlier was not caused by Jiang Xiurun. Her impulsive words had already made a mess, so she hurriedly said, “Of course, Your Highness’s wise interrogation is what matters, but Master Jiang…”

From Tian Ying’s perspective, she was framed by someone else, but Jiang Xiurun had taken advantage of the situation, daring to covet the future crown princess. This crime was unavoidable.

Although her innocence remained, she had been taken advantage of by that guy, and if the Crown Prince favored her, he would surely have to kill that guy to prevent the scandal from leaking out and to preserve her reputation.

But obviously, Feng Liwu didn’t wait for her to finish. He calmly interrupted her and continued, “You two were framed by someone, mistakenly ingesting something harmful. Fortunately, I arrived in time to rescue the princess and the prince. However, rumors spread easily. If Princess Tian intends to make a fuss, it will spread throughout Luo’an City. If  Princess Tian’s innocence cannot be maintained, her future prospects will be in jeopardy.”

Tian Ying was much smarter than Cao Xi. As soon as she heard the Crown Prince’s words, she felt that there seemed to be an implication in them, so she remained silent, only looking at Feng Liwu with a pitiful expression.

Because she was too close, the scent of rouge on her body involuntarily wafted over. Feng Liwu felt he had had enough of it and stood up, speaking in a relatively gentle tone, “I know that both you and Master Jiang are innocent. Today’s matter will stop at the Taoist temple. Those involved have already been punished. From now on, no one is allowed to mention the matter of the Taoist temple.”

With that, he stood up, ready to leave the Taoist temple.

Exiting the Taoist temple, Jiang Xiurun realized that the entire temple had been sealed off from the inside out.

How many people died? Not just the two women, but also Tian Ying’s maidservant, and several Taoist priests responsible for tending the gardens in the temple… all taken and killed.

As they walked out, bodies wrapped in straw mats were being carried out one by one.

This was not just for Jiang Xiurun and Tian Ying to see, but for everyone present. From today onwards, everything will be based on the Crown Prince’s words. Anything else must remain buried deep within, or the next body wrapped in straw mats to be carried out would be yours!

Feng Liwu personally closed the coffin and made the final decision.

Tian Ying naturally knew what was good for her and refrained from mentioning killing Jiang Xiurun again.

However, Jiang Xiurun’s heart did not relax because of the Crown Prince’s leniency.

This time, the fact that the Crown Prince let her leave the temple alive did not mean there would be no consequences in the future.

After all, the Crown Prince intended to marry Tian Ying not out of love but to secure support from Han State and solidify his position as the heir.

Therefore, even if she had really slept with Tian Ying, the Crown Prince would not want to make a big deal out of it and ruin Tian Ying’s innocence.

While the others who framed Tian Ying were dead, it was particularly inconvenient for her, the adulterer, to leave the temple alive, as if nothing had happened, in order to silence any potential gossip.

After all, no one could imagine the Crown Prince, with his broad-mindedness, calmly walking out of the scene with a pair of adulterers.

But once the idiotic young master and Princess Tian safely returned home… it wouldn’t be surprising if something happened to this weak prince of a minor country.

After all, humans are so fragile; even eating a chicken could potentially choke on a bone.

After leaving the Taoist temple that day, Jiang Xiurun’s heart sank all the way when she climbed into her carriage.

She understood very clearly that she was on the verge of being doomed.

When she returned to the Crown Prince’s residence and got off the carriage, she didn’t see the Crown Prince again. Everything was as calm as if nothing had happened.

But this calmness made her even more anxious and tormented.