jdhmnovel Chapter 4: The Heart of Evil Has Been Revealed; Exile Officially Begins
Chapter 4: The Heart of Evil Has Been Revealed; Exile Officially Begins
After Gu Liuli left, the two of them entered the secret room again and found that there was no trace of theft, so they had no way to find anything!
Xuan Huo looked at the Crown Prince in horror. Was this even human? With a wave of his hand, everything disappeared!
Back inside the house, Gu Liuli was looking forward to seeing what the system would look like after the upgrade when a noisy commotion erupted outside.
"Oh no! Your Highness, a thief has broken in! Everything in our kitchen is gone!"
The cooks and maids also discovered that the entire mansion was now an empty shell, and even the koi fish in the ancestral hall were gone.
"A thief has broken in!" the butler shouted as he walked toward the main house.
Meanwhile, the other households that had been robbed were also awakened from their sleep.
When they opened their eyes, they were horrified to find themselves lying naked on the cold, hard ground!
They looked at each other, their faces filled with astonishment.
In the end, they hurriedly grabbed the quilts next to them and wrapped them tightly around their bodies, some even bursting into tears.
Before Xiao Jingchuan could speak, the sound of hurried footsteps approached from the Crown Prince's residence.
Immediately afterwards, a large number of soldiers in armor and armed with weapons flooded into the house like a tide.
The person walking at the very front of this procession was none other than Eunuch De, who was standing next to the emperor!
The maids in the Crown Prince's residence had never seen such a scene before.
Everyone was so frightened that their faces turned pale, and they knelt down on the ground, trembling all over.
They dared not look up and stare directly at each other, knowing that what awaited them at this moment was being sold off or exiled.
Xiao Jingchuan looked at Gu Liuli, a fleeting emotion flashing in his eyes, but it vanished just as quickly.
Since the woman administered acupuncture to him, he hasn't experienced any relapses of the poison for the past few hours; perhaps she really can cure him.
"Hehe, Your Highness! Oh, but you're no longer Your Highness! I'm here to read the imperial edict on His Majesty's orders. Even if you're paralyzed, you should still kneel!" Eunuch De said loudly in his thin voice.
The Emperor was furious at the morning court session today. He not only took away the Empress's seal of office but also banished her to the Cold Palace, where she is forbidden from entering or leaving at will!
They even exiled several officials who had good relations with the Empress's maternal family.
This really means they don't intend to let them come back alive!
"Heh! You think you can make me kneel? You're dreaming!" Xiao Jingchuan bared his back teeth.
Grandpa De wanted to continue making things difficult, but when he saw Xiao Jingchuan's piercing eyes, his legs trembled involuntarily.
So he turned to look at the nominal Crown Princess.
It should be noted that Gu Liuli is a modern woman from the 21st century.
They have always scorned those outdated and corrupt feudal ethics.
Moreover, now that she is the Crown Princess, even the Crown Prince doesn't need to kneel and pay his respects, so why would she easily bend her knees?
At this moment, the couple were completely in sync, showing no fear towards each other.
"You dare make me kneel? I dare take your life!" The father-in-law didn't continue but instead read out the imperial edict!
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Crown Prince Xiao Jingchuan, upon investigation, has been found to have colluded with foreign enemies and plotted a rebellion, resulting in the deaths of 100,000 soldiers on the front lines. Considering his meritorious service in battle, he is spared the death penalty, but cannot escape punishment. He is hereby stripped of his title as Crown Prince, demoted to a commoner, and his family is exiled to the desolate land of Ningguta... All his property is confiscated! So be it!"
After reading the imperial edict, Eunuch De sneered at everyone and added, "His Majesty, out of consideration for Liuli's past relationship and knowing that you are paralyzed in both legs, has granted permission for you to be pulled by a carriage. As for the others..." The implication was clear.
Gu Liuli frowned, her eyes clouded with coldness, because she saw Zhao Hao, the imperial guard.
[Host, this Zhao Hao is no good person. The original owner was defiled by Zhao Hao on the way to exile!]
[Damn it! System, can I exchange for some self-defense tools or poison? And how many points do I have now?]
The system looked at itself and realized it hadn't mentioned that it had upgraded.
[The host currently has 20,000 points.]
Huh? That's not right?
The space collected so many things that day, but only had 20,000 points?
[Host, I completely forgot to tell you, it was originally 50,000 points, but I ended up using 30,000 to upgrade.]
The system covered its face in embarrassment.
[Me! You spent 30,000 on the upgrade?! I'll settle the score with you later. Now hurry up, and it would be best to get a giant python or some kind of itchy-skin medicine, then...]
The system looked at its host, trembled, and was a little scared. Women really are not to be trifled with!
Ding!
[Congratulations, host, your redemption was successful, consuming 300 points! Just take them out whenever you need them.]
Gu Liuli looked at the incredibly docile cobra sleeping with its eyes half-closed in the corner of the space and wondered if this snake really worked.
While the guards ransacked the Crown Prince's residence, Dequan was having a wonderful dream.
He still fantasized that the emperor would surely reward him with something, but in the end, the guards received nothing.
In addition, several officials came to the Emperor today wrapped in blankets, saying that their homes had been robbed. Could it be that...?
"Eunuch De, our mansion was robbed overnight, and nothing was left."
When Zhao Hao, the imperial guard, saw a lewd glint in Gu Liuli's eyes, he didn't make things difficult for her. Instead, he told them to change into prison clothes and prepare to leave.
Zhao Hao looked at Gu Liuli, his eyes filled with excitement, a wicked smile playing on his lips. On the way...
Gu Liuli walked beside him, Xuan Huo pulled the carriage, followed by the servants and stewards from the Crown Prince's residence who were unwilling to leave. There were soldiers on both sides to prevent the prisoners from escaping.
Upon arriving at the city gate, they discovered that even the Great General Protector of the Nation had been exiled, and Empress Mu Qingling's entire family, young and old, had followed him.
The youngest is only three or four years old, and the rest are people from collateral branches who have a good relationship with the Mu family.
"Snapped!"
Zhao Hao cracked his whip, looking on coldly: "You all better behave yourselves. Things aren't like they used to be. If anyone doesn't behave, I'll whip you!"
At this moment, the youngest grandson of the Mu family's collateral branch cried incessantly; "No, I don't want to go, I don't want to wear this, I don't want to! Waaah!"
Zhao Hao was already angry because he hadn't received any money, and when he saw the child from the collateral branch of the Mu family, he immediately took a whip and lashed him.
The whip was about to strike the child.
Gu Liuli secretly threw a small stone at it, causing the whip to miss its mark.
"Lord Zhao, you should think this through. We are indeed being exiled, but the Emperor has not taken our lives."
"Even though we are in dire straits now, my husband is still the Emperor's own son, and the Mu family is still a true member of the royal family!"
"You'd better think it over carefully before you act! I hope Lord Zhao can weigh the pros and cons and make a prudent decision!"
Mu Chun and Liu Lan watched as Gu Liuli spoke with a powerful and resolute voice, neither arrogant nor humble, exuding an aura like a king returning home, making them dare not make any rash moves.
Mu Chun and Liu Lan then exchanged an admiring glance.
Zhao Hao wanted to fight but didn't, not because he was afraid, but because he had bad intentions. It wouldn't be fun if someone got hurt.
Late at night, each family sent one person out to find food, while the others stayed behind.
Zhao Hao watched Gu Liuli leave, and he secretly followed her. After all, they were already out of the capital, and they were in charge.
Xiao Jingchuan signaled Xuanhuo to immediately intervene if anything seemed amiss.
Before the Xuanhuo could reach its destination, Zhao Hao's face turned deathly pale, whiter than the paint on a wall, and urine streamed down his trousers.