The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Chapter 389 If it's for the sake of freedom

With a death wish, the assassin neither dodged nor resisted, but stubbornly attacked Qi Yongji.

Qi Yongji himself was quite skilled in martial arts, but the two assassins were also top-notch. He was cautious and naturally did not want to confront them head-on.

Just as he was about to dodge, Qiu Manyun, who was already on the verge of death, turned around and switched places with him.

Qi Yongji was completely unprepared for Qiu Manyun; he had never known she was so strong.

His vitals were exposed for a moment.

In that instant, the assassin could plunge his knife into his body.

Fortunately, he reacted quickly and turned to protect his vitals; the knife only passed through his shoulder.

Taking advantage of the moment he was in pain, Qiu Manyun used all her strength to leap forward and crash into the guard's knife.

No one expected her to be so decisive, so no one had time to stop her.

The guard put down his knife and knelt down in fear.

Qiu Manyun's body lay slumped to the side, and no one gave it another glance.

The assassins were subdued before they could finish off the attackers. In order to avoid falling into Qi Yongji's hands and suffering a fate worse than death, they tried to bite open the poisoned pills in their mouths, but the guards dislocated their jaws.

"Pity."

Qi Yongji extended his hand.

Mo Cheng shuddered, a sudden inspiration struck him, and he took out a handkerchief and placed it in his hand.

Qi Yongji carefully wiped the blood off his fingers.

Mo Cheng turned around and ordered one person to fetch the imperial physician, and another person to bring the sedan chair.

Qi Yongji glanced at him and said, "You're the one who has a good eye."

Mo Cheng's tense heart gradually relaxed.

He knew that he had finally survived the life-or-death crisis of the day.

After wiping his hands clean, Qi Yongji glanced casually at his concubines: "I don't ask much of you. Just behave yourselves and try to please me. Don't be like Qiu Manyun, trying to shake a tree like an ant."

He threw away the handkerchief and said coldly, "Consort Qiu Manyun has colluded with rebels. Her crime is unforgivable. She shall be executed by dismemberment and her entire family shall be exterminated."

A few casual words can trigger another bloody storm.

Cai Min closed her eyes, unable to bear it any longer.

She whispered in her heart: Qiu Manyun, what do you seek? Now you can't even rest in peace in death, do you regret it?

The light screen disappeared, and Zheng Xun sat down again, propping his forehead up with his hand and frowning in thought.

It seems Qi Yongji hasn't discovered that Qiu Manyun is one of our people.

Diao De should be made to take the blame for this.

I just don't know how badly Qi Yongji was injured.

The shock in Shen Jiaming's eyes had not yet subsided. He turned his head and asked, "Lord Cen, is Qiu Manyun one of our people?"

Cen Wan was preoccupied and did not hear what he said.

Shen Jiaming asked again.

"Correct."

"Qi Yongji!"

Shen Jiaming cursed angrily, adding another mark against Qi Yongji in his heart.

Lord Jiang wiped away his tears.

Liao Hongsheng was a bit of a headache. Why were his two best friends so prone to crying?

"why are you crying?"

"I was just thinking about my daughter..."

What could Liao Hongsheng say?

It's just that he doesn't have children, so he can't worry about this.

It was late, and the emperor waved his hand, dismissing all the ministers.

Zheng Xun kept Cen Wan.

At this point, Cen Wan appeared to have regained her composure.

Of course, this is just what she thinks.

The moment she saw Zheng Xun, her feigned composure crumbled instantly.

Your Highness…

Cen Wan covered her face and wept silently, tears streaming down her face and soaking her sleeves.

Zheng Xun walked slowly closer and squatted down: "Why are you crying?"

"I just... feel a little guilty."

Qiu Manyun was a spy planted by Cen Wan in the harem of the Brown Kingdom.

It was also her proudest move.

But it was also she who personally pushed her to her death.

Although they never met, she died because of her.

She had taken lives, but this was the first time she had felt guilty.

Qiu Manyun was so young; she could have had a brilliant life.

But because she wanted to use her, she let her go into an even deeper abyss.

Zheng Xun raised his hand and put it on Cen Wan's shoulder: "You really should feel guilty."

Because Qiu Manyun did indeed die because of her.

"We should all feel guilty."

Because they are working for the Dayong Dynasty.

Zheng Xun cupped Cen Wan's face in his hands and looked directly into her teary eyes: "But someone always has to do this kind of thing, someone always has to bear this guilt."

In a conflict between two nations, sacrifices are inevitable.

Cen Wan stared blankly at Zheng Xun, seemingly seeing her almost cold rationality for the first time.

"If you can't do it, you can give up, and I'll have someone take your place."

Without a moment to think, Cen Wan blurted out, "No! I can."

Zheng Xun scrutinized him but remained silent.

"Your Highness, I can do it!"

"Since you say you can, then think carefully about the cause and effect of this matter."

Zheng Xun released her, sat back down at his desk, and began to bury himself in handling government affairs.

Cen Wan sat blankly on the ground, her mind, which had been dulled by the emotional turmoil, finally began to work again.

cause and effect?

What could be the cause and effect of this?

She remembered that Qiu Manyun and her family actually didn't get along very well.

She was born beautiful, so from a young age she was treated like an object, waiting to be sold.

Her mother was shrewd and calculating, while her father appeared honest on the surface. They played the roles of good cop and bad cop, using every means, including family affection, to bind her.

Her parents had high expectations for her and were very strict with her, which made her crave freedom.

The rest of the story is quite cliché: the canary trapped in the mansion encounters a young swordsman who accidentally wanders in.

The story did not have a happy ending.

The parents, unwilling to allow the chances of their son's rise to power to spiral out of control, plotted to kill the knight-errant.

Before he died, the swordsman entrusted his life savings to Qiu Manyun, asking her to find his sister and that she would help her live a free and peaceful life.

When Qiu Manyun ran away, she didn't tell anyone, but her people searched for her everywhere and eventually caught her.

Her deceased lover planted the seed of freedom in her heart, making her increasingly "arrogant." She suffered a lot because of this, but she was always happy to rebel.

She wanted to avenge her young hero, and she wanted to avenge herself.

Therefore, she agreed to cooperate with Cen Wan.

Cen Wan sat blankly on the ground.

She forgot one thing.

Qiu Manyun had no will to live. She didn't care about life or death; she wanted revenge more.

And now, her wish has come true.

Exterminate nine generations of their families...

Cen Wan's throat was a little dry: "Did she... deliberately expose herself?"

"She was still soft-hearted after all, so she severed ties with you and Dayong before she died."

Qiu Manyun personally severed all ties between herself and Dayong, and personally shifted Qi Yongji's attention to Diao De.

She is a smart girl.

Pity.

She was initially bound by family ties, and later by romantic relationships. In the end, she never achieved the freedom she truly longed for.

What she wants, perhaps she herself doesn't know.

Cen Wan seemed shocked by the truth and sat there in a daze for a long time.

After finishing another important matter, Zheng Xun finally stood up unsteadily.

"I understand."

Zheng Xun nodded: "If you understand, go back to work."

Everyone is caught up in the struggle for survival, leaving no time for her to wallow in melancholy.

Cen Wan came to her senses.

Oh, right, Qiu Manyun is dead, so we need to find someone to replace her.