in2ebook Chapter 171 The mantis stalks the cicada
Chapter 171 The mantis stalks the cicada
The chief executioner of the Censorate was seen sneaking off towards the Yongshou Palace's sleeping quarters...
The three exchanged a glance, speechless...
The late emperor's head was practically covered by the entire Hulunbuir Grassland!
Just when the three thought they were going to return empty-handed, another figure quietly slipped in through the crack in the door…
Jiang Qingyan craned her neck and stared intently at the man's face. After seeing his appearance clearly, the three of them took a deep breath at the same time. This time it was finally Father Xu!
Upon hearing footsteps outside, the executioner inside the room quickly hid under the bed, covering his mouth for fear of making a noise and being caught.
After looking around the courtyard, Grandpa Xu felt reassured and pushed open the door to the Yongshou Palace bedroom, then quietly went inside.
Looking at the familiar room before him, Grandpa Xu's expression gradually became solemn...
He reached out and gently stroked the table and chairs where the Empress Dowager often sat, the small couch, the dressing table, and finally the bed where he and the Empress Dowager had made love many times...
Grandpa Xu slowly sat down on the bed, unfolded the neatly folded quilt, held it in his arms, and gently inhaled the lingering scent of the Empress Dowager...
Recalling those wonderful times, Grandpa Xu burst into tears instantly…
He could no longer control his emotions and burst into tears, crying out, "Rui'er... how could you bear to leave me all alone..."
The executioner, who was hiding under the bed, immediately perked up at the sound. Damn it! This person wasn't a patrolling guard! His narrow-mindedness pounded in his chest!
The executioner suddenly crawled out from under the bed, dusted himself off, and said unhappily, "Who are you? How dare you call me Rui'er?"
Upon seeing someone suddenly appear inside the room, Old Man Xu's heart skipped a beat. He quickly put down the quilt he was carrying and turned his head warily to look at the executioner.
He looked the executioner up and down before he felt relieved.
With his droopy eyebrows, bulbous nose, thick lips, and short stature, he looked like a harmless, sleazy creature...
Old Man Xu frowned and said coldly, "And who are you? Why are you here?"
Suddenly confronted with a counter-question, the executioner became displeased. "You haven't answered my question yet, so why are you asking me the same question?"
Old Man Xu rolled his eyes at him, then got up and tried to walk out of the hall.
The executioner narrowed his eyes and, seeing that Old Man Xu still retained his charm, immediately had a wicked thought.
He rubbed his hands together and grinned slyly. "Oh, judging by your attire, you must be a eunuch from some palace, right? I'm the chief executioner of the Imperial Prison. If you follow me, you'll definitely have a good life in the future!"
Old Man Xu raised an eyebrow and said coldly, "Oh? The chief executioner? Someone like you?"
The executioner was taken aback. What do you mean by "like him"? What happened to him?
But with such a beautiful woman before him, he was aroused again, and had no choice but to suppress his displeasure and continue to flatter her, saying, "Life in the palace is dull; why don't we have some fun now..."
As she spoke, she reached out to take off Old Man Xu's clothes...
Grandpa Xu flew into a rage, raising his foot and kicking the executioner in the stomach, sending him rushing out of the house and into the courtyard...
The executioner clutched his groin, the pain causing cold sweat to pour down his forehead…
He took a deep breath and yelled at Old Man Xu, "You son of a bitch! You dare kick me! You don't want to live anymore!"
Old Man Xu strode out of the bedroom, stood at the door and looked down at the executioner with disdain, "Someone like you dares to lay a hand on Rui'er. Today I will send you on your way."
The executioner was so frightened that he stumbled backward, tilting his head back and shouting, "Help! Help! The eunuchs are plotting a rebellion! They're killing people!"
Grandpa Xu showed no panic. He approached the executioner step by step with a blank expression, then pulled out the dagger from his waist and pointed it at the executioner's heart...
Mo Ting was about to rush out to stop them when Jiang Qingyan stopped him.
She looked on with amusement and whispered, "Let them fight like dogs! I can tolerate lechery and unreliability, but anyone who has an affair with that old hag, I'll wipe them out completely!"
Mo Ting nodded, already understanding the situation, and quietly watched the show with Jiang Qingyan.
The executioner scrambled to his feet, begging in terror, "Hero, spare my life! I was only attracted by your looks, that's why I had such evil intentions... I know I was wrong, please, have mercy on me!"
Without flinching, Old Man Xu plunged the dagger directly into the executioner's heart...
The executioner coughed up a mouthful of blood, mumbled something incoherently, and then collapsed, his breathing ceasing.
Old Man Xu snorted coldly, "Now my Rui'er won't be lonely in the afterlife..."
Seeing that the time was ripe, Jiang Qingyan patted Mo Ting and Xuan Ye's hands, signaling them that they could rush out and capture Father Xu.
Mo Ting and Xuan Ye understood each other and immediately used their lightness skills to fly away...
Upon seeing this, Grandpa Xu hurriedly turned around and tried to escape, but Mo Ting and Xuan Ye quickly grabbed him from the left and right.
Jiang Qingyan strode forward and laughed, "This is called 'the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.' Fun, isn't it?"
Old Man Xu struggled, clenching his teeth and glaring at Jiang Qingyan, roaring, "You unfilial beast! How dare you murder your mother! This is an outrageous act! You will surely be punished by heaven!"
Jiang Qingyan raised an eyebrow. "Murder? I don't even know where my mother is, how could I murder her?"
Old Man Xu turned his head and looked at the gate of the Yongshou Palace's sleeping quarters, saying sorrowfully, "Rui'er... this is the child you carried for ten months and gave birth to, just as heartless and ungrateful as her dog emperor father... now she won't even acknowledge you, her own mother..."
Jiang Qingyan twitched the corner of her mouth, speechless, and said, "So you're talking about that old hag? Sigh... You said she changes grooms every night, is it possible that this child isn't the late emperor's?"
Upon hearing this, Old Man Xu's heart trembled... Yes... At first, as long as the dog emperor didn't summon Rui'er to his bedchamber, he would sneak in and share his pleasures with Rui'er...
Could it be... that this little emperor is his and Rui'er's child...?
Look closely, the little emperor's eyebrows and eyes do seem somewhat similar to his…
A wave of self-reproach washed over him instantly; he had almost killed his own flesh and blood…
With tears welling in his eyes, Grandpa Xu stared at Jiang Qingyan, choking back sobs, "Child... I'm your father... call me 'Father'..."
Jiang Qingyan slowly typed a question mark. What's going on? Is this some kind of crazy thing to do?
She was just saying it casually, but he actually took it seriously?
Didn't he know that there was such a thing as a contraceptive potion in the palace? Even if that old hag was bold, she wouldn't dare to give birth to another man's child in front of the late emperor!
Jiang Qingyan suddenly scoffed, "Hahaha...Are you stupid? How can you believe everything I say? These days, you can't just randomly claim sons everywhere! Putting everything else aside, can you even come up with the dowry, car, and house that I've had with so many wives?"