Chapter 47: Even So, It Fails to Ease the Hatred in My Heart

"You scoundrel, how dare you try to frighten me!"

Feeling that a single slap was not enough to vent his anger, Yuan Tianze rolled up his sleeves and struck out with another fierce blow.

Seeing this, the rest of the assassins assumed it was all just a misunderstanding and raised their swords and blades once more.

As for Tian Yueying and Yang Chuan, they stood quietly on opposite sides, watching the dramatic spectacle unfold before them.

After enduring several slaps in succession, the assassin could bear it no longer and shouted loudly, "Lord Yuan! What this humble subordinate said is the absolute truth! Standing right before you are none other than the Empress of Great Qi and the newly appointed Prime Minister, Yang Chuan!"

At these words, the entire room fell into a dead silence once more.

Yuan Tianze stood frozen in place for a long moment before slowly speaking.

"How could you possibly recognize the Empress? She has not attended court for three years and only returned to the capital a few months ago..."

Clinging to a sliver of desperate hope, he prayed silently in his heart, hoping against hope that this assassin had simply mistaken their identities.

The Empress of Great Qi!

The supreme ruler of the entire Qi nation—why would she suddenly appear in Xiao City?

Furthermore, the two of them had clearly introduced themselves as mere imperial commissioners dispatched by the Empress.

How had everything reversed so dramatically once they stepped into his own mansion?

Killing two imperial commissioners, if the news somehow leaked back to the capital, he still had Prime Minister An Xunlu to cover for him. But the crime of regicide...

Even if An Xunlu had countless factional allies willing to speak on his behalf, the court also included figures like Grand Guardian Sun Xin and the Grand Academicians of the Imperial Academy, who were the Prime Minister's mortal enemies.

Moreover, those officials were staunch loyalists to the monarch of Great Qi; regicide was a line that could never, ever be crossed!

"Lord Yuan, have you forgotten? Just a month ago, you personally summoned this subordinate to your presence and instructed me to deliver... to deliver certain items to the capital, addressed to Prime Minister An."

"At that time, this subordinate was fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of the sacred countenance of the Great Qi Empress within the imperial palace. It—it is truly her right here!"

With that, the assassin cast a cautious glance at Tian Yueying to make sure his identification was correct.

"Slap."

Recalling that this event had indeed occurred, the long sword in Yuan Tianze's hand instantly slipped and clattered to the ground.

That was correct. A month ago, he had indeed dispatched this very assassin, along with several thousand liang of silver, to the capital as a tribute to Prime Minister An Xunlu.

That being the case, it was entirely possible that the man had indeed seen the Empress.

As for the woman standing before him, both her appearance and aura were superior to ten thousand people, radiating that innate imperial majesty.

And the young man beside her—though he looked more like a frail scholar at first glance, that aura of his...

Yuan Tianze had served as a provincial administrator in Great Qi for over a decade. He vaguely recalled that when the former Emperor of Great Qi had been surrounded by countless hostile armies, the man who had fought his way through the heavy encirclement alongside Empress Yan Wugou of Great Kang was none other than Yang Chuan.

Ever since Yang Chuan had completely broken ties with the Great Kang Empress a few months ago, he had been brought back to Qi by the Great Qi Empress.

From that day on, the two of them were inseparable, and Yang Chuan participated in all affairs of state.

That being the case, if this woman was truly the Great Qi Empress, the man who could accompany her so closely and remain entirely unfazed by any assassin or martial artist was bound to be none other than the former Prime Minister, Yang Chuan!

Swallowing hard, Yuan Tianze turned around with a trembling body and dropped heavily to his knees before the two of them.

"Your Majesty, Prince Yang, this humble subject is blind and failed to recognize Your Two Highnesses! I beg you to spare my life this once, taking into account that this subject knows the error of his ways!"

With that, he crawled on his knees toward the pile of gold, silver, and jewels, grabbed a handful of treasures, and held them up in his palms as he shuffled toward Yang Chuan and Tian Yueying.

"Y-Your Majesty, this is the wealth this subject has accumulated for you over the years! I confess that I have indeed embezzled a great deal of public funds, but I have always lived frugally, and these riches were merely hidden away in the secret chamber; I never dared to squander them!"

"There are currently ten million liang of silver, five hundred thousand liang of gold, and countless pieces of jewelry in this room. Your Majesty may take them back to the capital at any moment to... to relieve the crisis of the imperial treasury!"

Having said this, Yuan Tianze even managed an awkward smile, convinced that honestly surrendering these riches would allow him to escape with his life.

To his dismay, Tian Yueying stepped forward abruptly, fixing him with a look of utter contempt.

"Hmph! You are merely a petty provincial administrator, yet you have embezzled such a massive fortune over the years. Even if I were to execute your entire clan down to the ninth degree today, it would hardly appease the hatred in my heart!"

Glancing past Yuan Tianze at the assassins behind him, she resorted to psychological warfare.

"As for you lot, you usually aid and abet Yuan Tianze in his corruption and lawlessness, and I should rightly sentence you all to death. Today, seeing as you did not blindly resort to violence, I will spare your lives for the time being."

"If you still wish to protect your wives, children, and elderly parents, go and surrender yourselves to the county magistrate immediately. If your offenses are relatively minor, I will instruct the prefect to deal with you leniently!"

"Ah—we, we kowtow and thank Your Majesty for your immense grace!"

Hearing this, none of the assassins dared to continue fighting for Yuan Tianze. They tossed aside their weapons and scattered in all directions.

Seeing that all his backup had fled, Yuan Tianze’s eyes darted around as he concocted yet another scheme.

"Your Majesty, this... this humble subject is a man of Prime Minister An Xunlu. I know that Your Majesty enjoys a fine relationship with the Prime Minister. Can you spare me for his sake?"

Realizing that he was ultimately unlikely to escape death today, he hardened his heart and lowered his demands by another notch.

"Today, this humble subject only asks that Your Majesty spare my family. As for myself, subject me to a thousand cuts or whatever punishment Your Majesty sees fit!"

"Heh, you are someone who shows utter contempt for the laws of the realm and acts with reckless abandon. How dare you beg the Empress for mercy?"

Seeing that Yuan Tianze still lacked self-awareness, Yang Chuan stepped forward and ruthlessly planted his boot squarely on the man's hand.

Though he used only a fraction of his strength, it was enough to make Yuan Tianze wail in excruciating pain.

Yet, knowing that the person before him was the Empress's most trusted official, Yang Chuan, Yuan Tianze did not dare to show the slightest trace of defiance, no matter how he was tormented.

"Your Majesty, now that your identity has been exposed, I think it is time this scoundrel and his nine familial generations gave a proper accounting to the people of Xiao City."

Just as his voice fell, a commotion of hurried footsteps echoed from outside.

Moments later, Prefect Li Yunshan rushed into the secret chamber followed by dozens of imperial guards.

Catching sight of Yuan Tianze prostrate on the ground, Li Yunshan immediately realized that the Empress had revealed her identity. Without hesitation, he dropped to his knees to report the situation outside.

"Your Majesty, this subject was fearful that Your Majesty might come to harm, so I secretly dispatched a few scouts to follow Your Majesty from a distance. Upon seeing that Your Majesty had entered the Yuan estate, I presumed to lead the troops here. I trust I have not disrupted Your Majesty's interrogation of this criminal!"

"Lord Li, you have done well. My purpose in embarking on this imperial inspection in disguise was precisely to investigate corrupt officials across the various regions while concealing my identity."

"Today, since Yuan Tianze's crimes have been fully investigated, you are to send men to escort him to the county yamen to await sentencing. As for the nine generations of the Yuan family, regardless of age, they shall be punished accordingly!"