Capítulo 645: Chapter 643: Building a Nest in Beijing, Qing Ying Comes to Join (Extended Chapter)
But now the Crown Prince is gone.
Xuelong was purely placed there through the Crown Prince’s abuse of power, so releasing him wouldn’t pose much of a problem.
“Family Head!” A male servant rushed over and knelt on the ground: “A woman at the door requests an audience, she says her name is Qing Ying.”
Qing Ying!
She finally came!
This once bewildered subordinate finally came…
Lin Xiaosu smiled gently: “Bring her to see me!”
“Yes!”
“You two, step aside for now!” Lin Xiaosu instructed the two maids.
The maids curtseyed gracefully and hurriedly withdrew.
Seeing their graceful figures, Lin Xiaosu couldn’t help but feel sentimental; just having crossed over from modern society, he already felt the corruption and decay of a feudal society.
No wonder people say that honey is most corrosive to human hearts.
This era of plentiful blossoms, free for picking, is exactly what modern men dream of.
Qing Ying’s figure flickered gently by the courtyard gate, seemingly traversing space with Instantaneous Movement, appearing before Lin Xiaosu, thud!
She knelt!
“In the past, you wouldn’t meet me like this!” Lin Xiaosu leisurely sipped tea from his cup.
Indeed, in the past, Qing Ying was a little assistant to him, the Lord Steward, and she acted with efficiency as her top principle, often using her unique movement technique to appear behind him quietly, whispering some information to him.
But today, she knelt directly.
Qing Ying said, “The Qing Ying of the past didn’t need to kneel before you, Lord Steward, but the Qing Ying of today must kneel once.”
“Oh? Why?”
“Because this kneeling represents the unjustly killed parents!” Her gaze slowly lifted, her eyes brimming with tears.
“Your parents? Who are they?”
“My father is surnamed Du, with the single given name Ding, he was the former Prime Minister. In the first month of the 17th year of Hongwu, my father was falsely accused and imprisoned; fifty-seven members of our family were all beheaded. Qing Ying, being at my teacher’s place, escaped the calamity. Upon hearing the tragic news, I disguised myself and returned to the Capital but couldn’t find any clues, only knowing it was related to the Heart Pavilion. Thus, I infiltrated the Heart Pavilion, just to find the real culprit behind my family’s murder. However, these many years yielded nothing, but with Lord Steward’s miraculous planning, the Heart Pavilion was eradicated overnight. Qing Ying’s great vengeance was avenged, and fifty-seven relatives trust Qing Ying to kneel before you, Lord Steward!”
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
A triple kowtow.
Her forehead already showed faint blood traces, her tears covered her face.
Lin Xiaosu understood.
He had long known about the deeds of the Heart Pavilion. As for former Prime Minister Du Ding, last night he had even specially presented it for Your Majesty and the officials at Wenling Hall to review.
Qing Ying was actually a spy from the Heart Pavilion.
The outside had spies; here too?
Qing Ying said, “Qing Ying has one request, hoping Lord Steward will fulfill it.”
“Let’s hear it!” Lin Xiaosu said.
“Please, Lord Steward, use the Sub-God Soul Suppressing Technique to verify whether what Qing Ying just said is true or false!”
The sole purpose of the Sub-God Soul Suppressing Technique is to make someone tell the truth.
Many in this world proclaim they can reveal anything, but in truth, almost none can.
And Qing Ying’s request to Lin Xiaosu was actually for him to use the Sub-God Soul Suppressing Technique on her!
How bizarre?
“Why such a bizarre request?” Lin Xiaosu asked.
Qing Ying replied, “Because only in this way can Lord Steward trust to have Qing Ying by your side, and only then can Qing Ying truly serve you with loyalty!”
The meaning became clear!
From now on, she intended to serve Lin Xiaosu!
No longer in the former nominal superior-subordinate relationship, but to truly fight life and death for him.
Lin Xiaosu smiled, “For you to propose such a request, there’s no need for the Sub-God Soul Suppressing. This magic, harms the brain! I wouldn’t want my shrewd and capable assistant to turn into a silly vase.”
The tears on Qing Ying’s face instantly vanished, and a bright, excited glow appeared in her eyes.
“Stand up and sit with me!”
“Yes!” Qing Ying rose from the ground and refilled Lin Xiaosu’s teacup: “Lord Steward, what should I do next?”
“Wait!”
Lin Xiaosu lifted his gaze, looking toward the distant Imperial Palace.
Qing Ying followed his gaze: “Lord Steward, there is something you must guard against.”
“Let’s hear it!”
“The Crown Prince… Oh no, the influence of the former Crown Prince Hong Ding is extraordinary; it doesn’t only come from the court but also from the Jianghu. He will not be content to fail and will surely make a comeback.”
Lin Xiaosu smiled lightly and did not answer.
Qing Ying became anxious, “Lord Steward, please don’t take it lightly. In a dynasty, the ups and downs of the heir apparent are not settled until the very end when one ascends the throne.”
Lin Xiaosu lifted his teacup: “Then if it comes to his burial, would that not be settled?”
“Burial? What does your use of this term mean, Lord Steward?” Qing Ying was stunned.
“Just the literal meaning; the body lies inside and is sealed with a coffin!”
Qing Ying’s eyes widened, “Throughout history, when princes vie for the throne and Crown Princes are deposed, it is rare for anyone to die outright. The former Crown Prince Hong Lie was forced by Hong Ding to raise an army and, after failing, was only then expelled from the Capital. Currently, Hong Ding has not yet reached the point of raising an army; being detained in the Heavenly Prison Cold Cell conveys to the world a ‘cold processing’ approach. Your Majesty doesn’t intend to execute him.”
This is what sets Qing Ying apart from ordinary people.
She belongs to the Heart Pavilion; she has grand ambitions and has collected loads of intelligence, knowing the officialdom like the back of her hand.
The Heavenly Prison is divided into three major levels: Heavenly, Earth, and Minor.
The danger decreases sequentially.
The Heavenly level signifies someone offending royal authority; essentially, those confined are condemned prisoners.
Just like Xuelong, who resides in the Heavenly level.
The Earth level represents causing public outrage; such a prisoner might be sentenced to death or given a heavy penalty to quell public grievances.