Chapter 59: Confrontation

Everyone looked at each other in confusion.

Chen Shanling strode quickly to the Empress and knelt, saying, “Your Majesty, I have already led three thousand imperial guards to defend the outer city, in case of any unforeseen incidents.”

At these words, a commotion rippled through the crowd. Anxiety was written plainly across everyone’s faces. Ling Xiaoyue’s expression was dark as water.

...

Ouyang Haotian and the others wore unreadable expressions, a faint sorrow flickering in their eyes. Whether it was empathy or mourning for something nameless, it was hard to tell.

With these thoughts in mind, his original plan had been to have Huang Binghui handle the processing of the jadeite.

“You’re going too far! What exactly do you want?” Nier’s voice was uncharacteristically loud and filled with fury; she didn’t want anyone to know that her father was involved with this organization.

Seeing Ling'er still licking his shoulder incessantly, Wuming quickly pushed her head away, thinking, If you keep licking, I’ll lose control for sure.

Last time, the State of Wei had already sent men to attack him. Judging by their fate, which he should have seen clearly on the security footage, he should know better now.

He returned the call, only to be informed that the number was out of service. Most likely, Erlai couldn’t get through either, which was why he made up that story in his message—sending it whenever he passed through an area with cell reception.

Since it was the holidays, the campus was silent. All the classrooms were locked, and they could only peer inside, straining to make out the scene through the dim evening light.

While others would spend ages choosing a stone, afraid of making the wrong pick, Lin Ran was completely different. It was as if he were window-shopping—he passed by, found one in less than three seconds, grabbed it, and tossed it onto the stone-cutting machine without a care.

However, Modeng Yong’s carefully planned ambush was not so easily dealt with. The Yong army’s combat prowess was formidable.

It really was Alisa, and she appeared to have completely recovered. Gone was the drowsy, lethargic look she used to wear; now she was energetic and looked just as she had before anything happened.

They all knew that as long as they dedicated themselves, mastery of skills and techniques would come—they just had to search for information with all their might.

Xu Zhigang’s eyelids twitched violently, his heart tightening. He narrowed his eyes slightly, a flicker of anger appearing within them.

Li Huailin sat back on the dragon throne, his robe swirling. The five-clawed golden dragon embroidered upon it gleamed brightly. When he looked up, the youthful features of his face were suffused with an undeniable air of authority.

Out in the courtyard, Mu Ziyue fainted and collapsed to the ground, her face deathly pale, her lips bitten so hard they were nearly bloodless.

She had once thought Jiang Xuanjin was different from the rest of the court—though he often made things difficult for her, he was earnest in his service to the new emperor and in consolidating the dynasty. He was a rare and loyal minister.

That night, Liang Rou drifted through a string of feverish dreams, and when morning came, her sheets were soaked. Nie Yan did not return at all that night.

But she also knew that matters of the heart are not like some trinket one can simply take off and discard; the most helpless thing about love is how powerless one is to control it.

Yuan Hu’s face was fierce and wild. “What? You want to shoot me now?” His tiger eyes swept across those present, radiating a palpable intimidation.

“Impossible!” Ling Lin would not believe it for a moment. She was certain Yan Yize was deliberately spouting nonsense just to send her to prison.

Yin Ange pursed her lips, clearly displeased that Qian Fancheng hadn’t continued to duel her with sword energy. As she watched Qian Fancheng charge toward her, a new seriousness glinted in her eyes. Suddenly, her Zhishui staff shot forward like a dragon leaping from the sea, seizing the initiative by a hair’s breadth.

Dong Boyi only appeared in dreams; could this pattern be like him, able to offer me some clues while I sleep?

But as the principal wife, the Third Princess should have been there to support her husband, not storming around in a jealous rage and speaking recklessly.