FBC – Chapter 227 Killed

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Everyone was stunned. No one expected the princess to suddenly strike and kill someone.

“Princess Shuhe has gone mad! Guards, seize her!”

Just then, Young Master Jiang appeared, leading a troop of imperial guards.

Chiyu’s eyes darkened as he gave a low order: “Protect the Sixth Prince and Sixth Princess!”

A dozen guards immediately closed ranks, shielding Zhao Yuwen and Zhao Luoxuan tightly in the middle.

Zhao Luoxuan gripped the bloodied dagger with all her strength and shouted angrily: “Your Jiang family has harmed loyal ministers, defied imperial edicts, murdered princes and princesses—your crimes are beyond forgiveness! Even if you slaughter all of us here today, do you think you can escape justice?”

The Jiang heir sneered coldly: “Where did we ever kill any prince or princess? It was nothing more than a band of robbers who came to murder you and then tried to frame the Jiang family. And those same robbers killed my younger brother. Every last one of them deserves to be executed on the spot!”

Zhao Luoxuan’s bloodshot eyes widened in shock.

Even Zhao Yuwen was dumbfounded by the heir’s shamelessness.

Chiyu gave a cold laugh: “Then let’s see if you can stop us!”

The Jiang heir waved his hand: “Kill them all! Leave no one alive!”

Suddenly, a faint whistling filled the air—several short arrows struck the backs of the charging guards.

The heir’s face changed. He looked up to see the walls crawling with figures wielding handheld crossbows.

Their shots were deadly precise: every man who charged forward was instantly felled.

The Jiang heir’s soldiers and guards froze in terror, none daring to move.

Then Chi Yan burst in with dozens of fully armed Black Armored Guards, murderous intent rolling off them in waves.

Chiyu and his group finally relaxed.

Dressed head to toe in black, Chi Yan radiated a chilling aura. He cupped his fists toward the Jiang heir and said: “Young Master Jiang, by order of the Grand Madam, I’ve come to escort General Qi back to the manor and return the Sixth Prince and Sixth Princess to the palace. If you refuse to release them, the Grand Madam will personally bring the Dragon-head Staff here to demand them!”

The Jiang heir’s face turned as dark as ink.

Could he possibly refuse now?

Seething with rage, he growled: “You killed my younger brother—I will make sure you pay for that!”

Supported by Zhao Yuwen, Zhao Luoxuan walked out, still clutching Qi Jun’s limp hand. As she passed the Jiang heir, she spat directly onto his face.

The heir was stunned into silence, not reacting for a long while. When he finally came to his senses, he leapt up in fury.

He pointed at Zhao Luoxuan’s back, about to curse her.

But Zhao Luoxuan suddenly turned, her blood-red eyes blazing with killing intent: “Jiang scum, I, Zhao Luoxuan, will never let you go! This princess will fight you to the bitter end!”

The heir’s words stuck in his throat, unable to come out.

He could only stare dumbfounded as the group marched away in force.

At the manor gates, the Grand Madam was waiting. When she saw the guards escorting the Sixth Princess, who was clutching a man’s body and crying all the way, her heart clenched.

Her eyes turned red as she choked out: “Hurry, take him inside.”

She already knew the man was gone.

Zhao Luoxuan held on until they reached the gate—then her vision went black and she fainted again.

Zhao Yuwen quickly caught her. “Xuanxuan! Xuanxuan!”

“Quick, take the princess inside and let Shen Li examine her!”

“And don’t alarm the madam,” the Grand Madam instructed Zhou Zhilan.

“Yes, I understand.”

The Mu manor quietly bustled into motion. Soon, the finest coffin was carried inside.

Shen Li personally reset Qi Jun’s broken bones and arranged his body.

Chi Yan, Chiyu, and the others kept silent vigil outside the room, none leaving, every one of them grim-faced.

Gu Hua couldn’t sleep. Her heart hung in her throat, but no one came to tell her whether they had been rescued.

Unable to bear it, she tried to head for the gates, but was stopped by Dong Hua and Dong Qing.

“Madam, Sister Zhou ordered that you must rest well. Otherwise, she’ll punish us.”

Gu Hua grew anxious. “Fine, fine, I’ll rest. But you go check whether they were rescued or not! If you won’t let me out, I’ll die of worry here.”

Dong Hua had no choice. “Alright, alright, I’ll go now. Please don’t fret.”

Gu Hua finally eased a little as she watched Dong Hua run off.

Dong Qing handed her a warm bowl of soup: “Madam, don’t worry. Chiyu took all the guards—no one in the capital can match our Black Armored Guards.”

Gu Hua nodded, then shook her head: “In pure combat, yes. But what if it comes to a real battle? This is the capital—if the Black Armored Guards fight openly here, it’ll give people ammunition to use against us.”

Dong Qing nodded. “Madam is right. But Chiyu and the others are cautious, and with the Grand Madam presiding, you can rest assured.”

Rest assured? If only she could.

It was her fault—how could she have been so careless, letting Jiang Duo exploit a loophole and abduct Qi Jun?

Dong Hua came running back, panting.

“They’re back—everyone’s back!”

Gu Hua lit up. “Truly? Is General Qi alright?”

“He’s fine, nothing serious. Miss Shen and Doctor Shen are treating him. The Sixth Prince and Sixth Princess are also safe.”

“They came too?” Gu Hua finally exhaled in relief.

“Then I must go see them.” She rose to her feet.

Dong Hua quickly pressed her down: “Please, madam, don’t go.”

“Didn’t you just say everything was fine? Why not let me go?” Gu Hua asked in confusion.

Dong Hua’s eyes flickered nervously, red veins crisscrossing them. As Gu Hua pressed, her own eyes filled with tears.

Gu Hua’s expression darkened. “Something’s wrong, isn’t it?”

“No, no,” Dong Hua quickly wiped her tears. “It’s just…the injuries were too heavy. It made me sad to see.”

Gu Hua sighed. “Of course. With Jiang Duo’s cruelty, how could anyone escape unharmed?”

Her tone hardened. “He must be killed, sooner or later!”

“The princess already killed him.”

The words slipped out of Dong Hua’s mouth before she realized—and she immediately clamped shut.

Gu Hua grabbed her hand. “You said the princess killed Jiang Duo?”

Seeing she couldn’t hide it, Dong Hua nodded. “Yes… the princess saw General Qi gravely injured and, in her fury, killed Jiang Duo.”

The princess killed Jiang Duo?

Gu Hua’s face went pale.

This was serious trouble.

Jiang Duo deserved death, yes—but the princess was the empress’s legitimate daughter. The Jiang family had been desperate for a pretext, and now she had handed it to them.

“I must see the princess.”

“Madam—” Dong Hua dropped to her knees.

“What are you doing? Get up at once.” Gu Hua tried to pull her up.

Tears streamed down Dong Hua’s face. “The Grand Madam ordered you to rest. If you insist on going out, she’ll kill us maids first!”

Gu Hua had never seen Dong Hua cry before—she was startled. “Alright, alright, I won’t go anywhere. What’s the matter with you all…”

Dong Hua sobbed as she stood.

To reassure her maids, Gu Hua extinguished the lamp and lay down. But sleep wouldn’t come. She sat on the bed, gazing outside.

Suddenly, she noticed the courtyard beyond was ablaze with lamplight.

From her spot in the inner quarters, through the low wall, she could faintly hear crying.

Her heart clenched. Could it be that General Qi hadn’t survived?

She couldn’t restrain herself any longer. Quietly, she put on a cloak and slipped out.

She circled past the decorative gate connecting the inner and outer courts—and froze when she saw a black coffin outside.

“Elder Sister!”

Zhao Luoxuan spotted her at once, and ran over crying, grabbing her hand. “Qi Jun is dead! They killed him!”

Gu Hua’s chest tightened, her body swaying.

Zhou Zhilan hurried forward to support her, whispering: “Take care of yourself.”

Clutching her chest, Gu Hua’s eyes reddened, tears spilling uncontrollably.

“Dead? How can I ever face Ziyuan? Dead…”

Shen Li rushed over too, forcing a pill into her mouth. “We cannot afford to lose anyone else.”

Choking back sobs, Gu Hua swallowed the pill. Soon she steadied herself and stared fixedly at the coffin.