“I suspect Murong Li Chen might be responsible for this,” the princess mused. “Among my father’s many offspring, he alone possesses the audacity to oppose my brother and me. The others are mere pushovers, easily manipulated.”
Murong Shaolan sneered, her cruelty and ruthlessness laid bare.
Her indifferent and heartless gaze sent shivers down the spines of the servants in the room.
Just then, a robust voice echoed from outside the courtyard.
“Your Highness, what’s going on at the manor outside the city?”
Jing Dehai’s scolding voice preceded his arrival before he even entered the living room.
Jing Dehai was a tall, robust man with broad shoulders and a broad chest, standing as solid as a steel pillar. He wore a coat made of tiger hide, giving him a formidable and imposing presence.
However, he was a cunning man, with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a slightly elongated face. A small mustache adorned his upper lip, and a goatee graced his chin. His dark complexion and the very look of his face revealed a man of immense depth and guile.
“Uncle, you’re here!”
Murong Qiansong and Murong Shaolan said respectfully.
“Your Highness, why was that manor burned down?” Jing Dehai reprimanded.
“Uncle, I… I don’t know what happened. Not a single one of the dozens of guards I stationed there escaped, nor did the Qin夫人 and her two children whom I abducted,” Murong Qiansong said with a crestfallen face.
“Qin夫人? Which Qin夫人? Do you mean Qin Minghao’s wife?” Jing Dehai asked, his face full of confusion.
Murong Qiansong nodded.
“Alas, why didn’t you tell me you abducted her? She is Qin Minghao’s most cherished treasure. If anything happens to her, we will have difficulty controlling Qin Minghao.”
Jing Dehai, enraged, raised his hand and smashed a table in the living room.
This Murong Qiansong was truly a foolish ox. How could he possibly support such a person to ascend to the throne? It would be better for him to overthrow the old emperor himself and claim the throne. However, he could not reveal his true intentions yet.
“Uncle, older brother hasn’t thought things through carefully. Please don’t be angry with him anymore.”
Murong Shaolan walked to Jing Dehai’s side and gently caressed his chest, her actions so thoughtful that she had no intention of blaming Murong Qiansong any further.
“Princess, haven’t you visited your uncle’s manor in a long time to play with Duoduo?” Jing Dehai asked casually, finding an excuse.
“Yes! Since Duoduo fell ill and returned from outside, I visited her once and haven’t seen her in a long time,” Murong Shaolan said, her willow eyebrows furrowed.
“Why? Weren’t you and Duoduo very close before?” Jing Dehai asked casually.
Upon hearing this, Murong Shaolan inwardly sneered. Wasn’t it because you harbored lustful thoughts towards me, and your daughter discovered it, thinking I, this princess, was seducing you?
However, Murong Shaolan shrugged her shoulders, feigning a look of complete bewilderment.
“Uncle, I don’t know?” Murong Shaolan smacked her lips.
“Come, I’ll take you to my manor, and we can ask Duoduo.”
After speaking, Jing Dehai pulled Murong Shaolan out of the First Prince’s mansion right in front of Murong Qiansong, and they got into Jing Dehai’s carriage, heading towards the Duke of Jing’s mansion.
Murong Qiansong was left standing there, his face filled with a dark expression. Although he and Jing Dehai only learned that Murong Shaolan was a princess adopted from outside after their mother’s death, Murong Shaolan had called Jing Dehai “Uncle” for nineteen years. Yet, this uncle could bring himself to lay hands on his own niece.
This revealed just how arrogant and perverted Jing Dehai was.
Once he, Murong Qiansong, ascended the throne, he would gradually weaken Jing Dehai’s military power and reclaim it for himself. Then, he would unhesitatingly execute Jing Dehai, for such an ambitious man could not be allowed to remain by his side, threatening his imperial throne.
However, his most pressing concern now was to find the wife and children of that Qin Minghao.
Following that, Murong Qiansong calmed his mind and thought carefully. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. Could it be that Qin Minghao’s wife and two children had been rescued by Qin Minghao himself?
With this thought, he summoned ten guards and dashed towards Qin Minghao’s mansion.
However, upon arriving at Qin Minghao’s mansion and searching thoroughly, he found neither his wife nor his two children.
Just as Murong Qiansong was about to leave Qin Minghao’s mansion, he coincidentally encountered Qin Minghao returning home. Seeing Murong Qiansong leading a group of men to ransack his mansion in his absence, Qin Minghao was instantly filled with rage. He clenched his fists within his sleeves, wanting to strike Murong Qiansong in the face. But out of respect for his status as a prince, he could only grit his teeth and endure. However, he deeply remembered this incident, always feeling that Murong Qiansong would not be arrogant for much longer.
With the help of many capable individuals, the Third Prince would undoubtedly defeat this Murong Qiansong, rescue the current Emperor, and bring peace to the common people of Beichen Kingdom.
“Your subject, Qin Minghao, pays his respects to the First Prince. May I ask why Your Highness has graced my humble abode in the middle of the night?” Qin Minghao asked, cupping his fists towards Murong Qiansong.
“Oh! Minister Qin, this prince merely came to see if Qin夫人 had returned,” Murong Qiansong said indifferently.
“Did my wife not go to your estate as ordered by Your Highness, to teach the ladies of your household needlework? When did she return to the Qin residence? I was unaware. Has something happened to my wife within the estate?” Qin Minghao asked, feigning utter bewilderment.
“Nothing has happened? It’s just that the servants in the estate suddenly couldn’t find her, and the ladies of the household thought she had returned to the Qin residence, so this prince came to search your estate. Since Qin夫人 has not returned, she should still be in the First Prince’s mansion. I apologize for disturbing your rest this evening, Minister Qin,” Murong Qiansong said with a wry smile.
With that, he led his men away from the Qin residence.
Qin Minghao immediately turned around and watched the retreating backs of Murong Qiansong and his men, a cold sneer on his lips.
—
Meanwhile, after Jing Dehai and Murong Shaolan returned to the Duke of Jing’s mansion in the same carriage, Jing Dehai impatiently pulled Murong Shaolan into his room for illicit intimacy.
Since his wife’s passing, he had no one to restrain him and enjoyed far more freedom, indulging his desires with any woman he pleased.
After they had finished, Murong Shaolan quickly dressed and opened the door, preparing to leave the Duke of Jing’s mansion.
However, the moment Murong Shaolan opened the door, she was momentarily stunned. Standing outside the door were Jing Dehai’s son, Jing Taikang, and his daughter, Jing Duoduo.
Seeing that Murong Shaolan had opened the door, Jing Duoduo raised her hand and slapped Murong Shaolan.
“Bitch, you are a princess after all, yet you seduced your own uncle and slept with him! You have utterly disgraced the royal family.”
Jing Duoduo had never witnessed such a shameless woman in her life, one who would engage in such “acts” with her own uncle.
If her mother were still alive, this scene tonight would surely have infuriated her to death.