Chapter 592: They Just Want to Claim Their Own Justice
Yuan Yintang himself didn’t even have time to react. If someone hadn’t made a move, he would have been a corpse by now.
Qian Fanji steadied himself. Without a moment’s hesitation, he launched an attack against the dark figures blocking his path.
A flash of Sword Qi erupted, his aura flaring into the open.
The Beili Emperor was stunned. Qian Fanji actually dared to draw a weapon in his presence. If he harbored any intention of assassination—
Seeing Qian Fanji make his move, Zhan Chi violently threw off the Imperial Army guards holding him down. He ripped the gag from his mouth, snatched a longsword from one of the guards, and leaped into the fray.
Gu Shuo placed Ye Qianning’s body into Zhan Yi’s arms.
Zhan Yi took her, his hands trembling. He had the urge to stop them, but he couldn’t. Gazing at the child’s lifeless body, who could possibly endure such a sight?
As a father whose child had been brutally killed, how could anyone bear such pain?
Without a moment’s hesitation, Gu Shuo drew his sword and charged toward Yuan Yintang.
Yuan Yintang had already recovered from Qian Fanji’s initial assault. When Zhan Chi charged at him with a drawn sword, he scrambled to his feet to defend himself.
Zhan Chi’s every strike was vicious. Yuan Yintang barely dodged two of them when another blast of Sword Qi shot toward him. He was horrified; unable to evade it completely, his shoulder was slashed open by a deep gash.
Sang Yan was aghast. He frantically looked toward the Beili Emperor.
Just as he’d feared, the Beili Emperor’s expression was terrifyingly dark. "Guards! Seize them!"
The Imperial Army moved as one.
Gu Shuo turned, his aura frigid. He didn’t slow in the slightest as the Imperial Army moved to block him, his killing intent undiminished. With every flash of his silver blade, blood sprayed through the air.
The Imperial Army guards were stunned. Any martial artist could sense the sheer viciousness of his attacks and his staggering killing intent. He was clearly fighting with the resolve to take them all down with him.
Before long, the Imperial Army was forced into a steady retreat. Faced with a nearly frenzied opponent, they found him incredibly difficult to handle.
At that moment, the Beili Emperor’s fury boiled over. "Eagle Four! Take all of them into custody! Execute any who resist on the spot!"
At his command, the Emperor’s elite Hidden Guards appeared in a flash.
"Imperial Father, I beg you to reconsider!" Sang Yan cried out in alarm, dropping to his knees.
"They dare to act so brazenly before me? How could I possibly let them live?"
"Imperial Father..."
"Silence!" the Beili Emperor snapped. "If you dare utter another word, I will strip you of your title as Prince!"
Sang Yan trembled. ’Imperial Father is truly furious.’
’Qian Fanji and the others are being far too reckless. To openly defy an imperial command... no emperor would ever tolerate such a provocation.’
’It’s not as if they don’t understand that. Why are they being so rash?!’
"Why is Your Majesty so enraged?" Qian Fu asked as he slowly approached.
The Beili Emperor shot him a cold glance but said nothing.
"The world is unjust. They merely wish to claim justice for themselves. As parents whose own child has been murdered while the killer roams free, they would be unworthy of being called human if they could simply stand by and do nothing. Wouldn’t you agree, Your Majesty?"
"Are you insinuating that I am unjust?"
"Does Your Majesty believe this is fair?" Qian Fu retorted.
"I am the sovereign of this nation! I will not tolerate anyone questioning my decisions! The act of Ye Qianning luring a Prince from the palace is, by itself, a capital offense punishable by the execution of her entire clan—"
"You’re the ones who deserve worse than death! You’re the ones who should die! All of you!"
"Eighth Prince, don’t be rash! Eighth Prince—"
The furious outburst came from Sang Zhi. The very words seemed to jolt him from his stupor. He struggled out of his carriage and ran over, his guards scrambling to keep up.
The Beili Emperor turned, his brow furrowed. "Take the Eighth Prince back."
Not daring to delay, the guards forcibly lifted him.
"Let me go! Let me go!"
The guards carried him away and forced him back into the carriage.
Qian Fu gazed in the direction of the carriage before turning back. "Your Majesty, the Eighth Prince knows the truth of this matter better than anyone. He himself has said she is not to blame. If you so blatantly protect a member of Consort Yuan’s sect, how will you maintain your credibility if word of this gets out?"