Chapter 116.1 – Sowing Discord
The Third Princess fell. Her crimson blood splattered all over the ground, and it looked very shocking against the backdrop of pure white snow.
A crisp clanging sound woke up the stunned crowd. It was a guard who dropped his blade, still dripping with blood. Clearly, it was one that had fallen on the Third Princess before. It was exactly because of this that when his boiling blood finally cooled down and he saw that the Third Princess had died tragically in front of him, he couldn’t help but fall into panic. And his panic quickly spread to the people around him, making the blood drain from all the guards’ faces.
Xie Yuan also had an ugly look on his face. Meng Fei, who hurried over when he saw this, couldn’t help asking, “
Xie Yuan’s face was also very ugly. Meng Fei, who hurried in, couldn’t help but ask, “Milord, what should we do now?’
Killing the princess was clearly a sign of rebellion. Especially now when the Rong Emperor and Xie Yuan had a rift between them, it was a sensitive time. If this news really got out, it would be a big matter, and no one would remember Xie Yuan’s contributions during the establishment of Rong State.
Xie Yuan had a calm look on his face and asked Meng Fei, “Where are Ayana’s guards?”
Upon hearing this question, Meng Fei immediately replied, “I’ve already taken them down, and now they’re all tied up in the courtyard.”
When he heard that, Xie Yuan lightly ordered, “Kill them.” Then he glanced at the Third Princess who died with unfinished business and continued, “Today, an assassin broke into the prime minister’s mansion. Unfortunately, the Princess and her guards were killed. I will go to the palace and plead guilty to His Majesty.”
His tone was calm, and as he spoke, his gaze swept over the guards. It looked as if it was announcing something, and at the same time it was observing them. All the expressions that entered his gaze, whether they were panic, fear or ruthlessness, they were all caught by him one by one.
After giving the order, Xie Yuan turned around and left, “Clean up the place.”
The guards looked at Xie Yuan’s back, then at the Third Princess who died a tragic death. Their bodies subconsciously trembled, and they didn’t know what to do. But when Xie Yuan walked away, faced with this situation, they still had no choice but to obediently handle the aftermath. And after one person started, the others naturally followed suit. It set the example, just like the first blade that fell on the Third Princess before.
Xie Yuan and Meng Fei walked away, but Meng Fei was clearly worried, “Milord, many people were talking just now, and there was a lot of commotion. I’m afraid it would be hard to hide the news.” After a pause, he said, “Also, the princess died so tragically. If the Rong Emperor wants to investigate…”
As far as the Third Princess’s death was mentioned, it was impossible to make people trust that it was done by an assassin. After all, assassins emphasize killing with one strike, and no one would spend the time hacking their target hundreds of times. From the Third Princess’s injuries, it was clear that she had fought with many people before her death.
This was probably the reason why the Third Princess chose to fight to the end. She didn’t want to die in vain, so she left her wounded body as the best weapon to testify against Xie Yuan.
How could Xie Yuan not understand this? It was precisely because he understood that he became increasingly angry.
However, it was obvious from Xie Yuan’s ability to reach this point that he could not easily be led by the nose by others. Since he dared to give the order, of course he also had a plan for what to do next. He immediately said, “Go find the butler and tell him that an assassin entered the mansion today. The mansion’s gates are to be closed for the time being. Deal with the guards quietly today, and also check everyone in the mansion to see if anyone saw anything.”
These were not difficult. Xie Yuan had always run the family very strictly, and even the Rong Emperor’s nails could not infiltrate the mansion. He was the supreme master in the mansion, and everything he wants will be done easily. No one could play tricks under his nose!
Of course, how the Third Princess learned about that secret still needed to be investigated separately. Before it could be found out, he just had to seal off the mansion.
Meng Fei agreed and waited for Xie Yuan to continue giving orders.
As expected, Xie Yuan continued, “As for Ayana, just destroy her face and throw her at a public burial mound. Then go find a female corpse with a similar body shape, put her clothes on it, and destroy her face.”
He spoke lightly, but Meng Fei would do the best for him when given a command. Seeing that he had no other orders, Meng Fei took his leave and went to do what he had been ordered one by one.
Xie Yuan looked up at the gloomy sky after he left, then lowered his head to see the blood stains on his torn sleeves and at the feet of his robe. His cold face showed no signs of emotion.
Finally, with a flick of his sleeves, he turned around and went to change his clothes.
The Rong Emperor establish the Rong State with Xie Yuan’s support. Although his development was restricted due to his identity, and the Emperor was now estranged from him, but his influence had taken root in the Rong State court for years, and it would not immediately collapse just because of this.
Today, he wanted to close his mansion and deal with the aftermath. It was still on his own territory, so how could he be unable to do it well?
In the evening, Meng Fei came to report. All the people in the Third Princess’s courtyard were killed, and all the guards who participated in killing the Third Princess were also dealt with. As for the other people in the mansion, after careful investigation, it was found that only two servants happened to be nearby at that time. Following the principle of better to kill the innocent than to let the guilty go, regardless of whether they actually saw anything or not, they were also dealt with the same way.
As for the Third Princess’s body, it was naturally the first to be disposed of. A female corpse similar in size to the Third Princess had also been found, and her face was ruined with poison. Things were barely plausible, but news of the Third Princess’s death could not be concealed. During this sensitive time, people would definitely try to find faults with him. And with the Rong Emperor’s understanding of Xie Yuan, he would not want to easily cause trouble.
Everything seemed to be fine; Xie Yuan listened to Meng Fei’s report and finally relaxed after being in a gloomy mood the whole day. He held a tea cup in one hand and gently turned it, then asked Meng Fei, “Who passed the news to the Third Princess, and what evidence convinced her? Have you found it?”
Meng Fei had done an excellent job in dealing with the aftermath before, but when Xie Yuan asked about this, his brows furrowed slightly and he immediately knelt down on one knee, saying, “I haven’t found out yet, please punish me, Milord.”
Xie Yuan paused when he heard this. Today’s incident caught him off guard and made him feel extremely unhappy. If others fail to do what he ordered, he would definitely be angry. However, Meng Fei had been with him for many years and was very loyal. In the end, he didn’t say anything other than, “Continue investigating and find out about this matter as soon as possible.”
Meng Fei acknowledged the command and naturally continued stepping up his investigation, and this day full of panic was finally over.
