The Princess and Her Rough-Rider Khan
Chapter 198 Malicious Intent (First Update)

Chapter 198: 198 Malicious Intent (First Update)

The man approached the bed, where someone appeared to be sleeping beneath the covers, their head covered. He leered as he bent over, lifting the blanket, only for his complexion to change on the spot.

There was no one in the bed at all—only several stacked pillows arranged to look like a person.

At that moment, the cold edge of a dagger pressed against his throat, and the man was terrified, his body instantly turning to stone.

Zhuo Ma, dagger in hand, demanded coldly, "Who sent you here, speak!"

The man fell to his knees with a thud, pleading tearfully, "Merciful heroine, spare my life! I was deceived—some woman told me that by following her instructions I could hold a beauty in my arms and experience utmost earthly pleasures. So, I came, not knowing this place was not a lover’s den but the Ghost Gate Pass. Had I known, not even death would have made me come here."

Li Xianyun and Yuchi Qian walked over and sat down on the Taishi Chairs.

Having been sheltered since childhood, Yuchi Qian had never heard such vulgar language, and realizing the vile intentions of the other party, she immediately turned pale with rage.

Li Xianyun was the apple of the Khan’s eye, and should anything happen to her, even the complete destruction of both the Liuwang Residence and the Grand General Residence could not quell the towering rage of the Khan.

With this in mind, Yuchi Qian felt a rage so intense, her teeth itched with the hatred she bore towards the person behind all this, a hatred that seeped to the bone.

Li Xianyun scrutinized the man on the ground with a cold gaze.

Though he wore the clean clothes of a servant, the skin of his face, neck, and hands exposed to the air was filthy, especially his hands—cracked and calloused, with dirt wedged beneath his fingernails, disgusting to behold.

The tea held a potent aphrodisiac, and had she not noticed it and drunk it, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

The enemy had planned to tarnish her reputation with someone as filthy and stinking as a beggar—their scheming was exceptionally malicious.

Li Xianyun had long understood that the cruelty of evil people was something kind-hearted people could never imagine; they always managed to broaden the horizons of the good.

Soon, Bater reported from outside the door, "Your Highness, the Prince’s Consort, the person has been brought."

Li Xianyun replied calmly, "Let them in."

When Yuchi Qian saw the woman who had served them tea being dragged in bound, she asked, "Who is this?"

Li Xianyun turned to look at Yuchi Qian and said, "You’ll find out soon enough."

The woman was made to kneel on the ground, her vicious nature unchanged, glaring malevolently at Li Xianyun.

Li Xianyun had someone remove the coarse cloth from her mouth and then commanded, "Speak, who sent you here?"

Her posture was languid, her tone mild, yet she exuded an authoritative aura without even showing anger.

The kneeling woman was tall and sturdy, the typical physique of a Khitan woman.

"Pah! You lowly, vile Han person, you’re not even worthy to question me!"

Zhuo Ma delivered a fierce slap across her face, "Speak human language!"

Zhuo Ma was highly skilled in martial arts, trained from childhood, and her slap caused the woman’s mouth to bleed.

The woman glared at Zhuo Ma, fury blazing in her eyes, "You, a Khitan, have become the lapdog of the Han people—how can you face your parents?!"

Zhuo Ma slapped her again.

This slap was even harder, making the woman see stars and loosening her teeth.

With hatred burning in her eyes, she growled at Zhuo Ma, "I won’t say anything. You won’t get a single word out of me!"

Li Xianyun smiled faintly, "Good."

She withdrew a small green bottle from her sleeve and passed it to Youlan, "Pour out a pill and make her take it."

Bater took the bottle, poured out a small brown pill, and forced the woman to swallow it.

The woman clutched her throat, flushed with anger as she stared at Li Xianyun, "What did you make me eat?"

Li Xianyun looked at her and said enigmatically, "A kind of poison that will tear your intestines and rupture your stomach."

The woman panicked, retching continuously, sweating profusely, her complexion deathly pale.

Li Xianyun murmured with an air of indifference, "Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you, if you do not take the antidote, within the time it takes an incense stick to burn, you will..."

She stopped without finishing, but the unspoken threat was far more terrifying than anything she could have said.

The woman said, "I’ll talk, I’ll talk."

That she would capitulate was something Li Xianyun had anticipated.

Although this woman was a maid, her makeup was impeccable, and her shoes were so clean they lacked even a speck of dust. From this, it was clear she possessed an obsession with cleanliness bordering on fanaticism.

For someone like that, filth was unbearable; to her, being gutted and disemboweled was a fate far worse than death itself.

The woman’s forehead was beaded with cold sweat as she looked at Li Xianyun and said, "It was the Grand Imperial Consort who sent me to spy on the Liuwang Residence. Some days ago, she dispatched a secret message, ordering me to ruin your chastity during the birthday celebration of the Princely Heir Xuanxuan. She wanted the most vile man to defile and humiliate you, to ensure you could never lift your head in honor again. Moreover, if you were implicated in an incident at the Liuwang Residence, they too would not escape blame. In one fell swoop, she could eliminate two thorns in her side."

Yuchi Qian trembled with rage, grinding her teeth in hatred against Guli, wishing she could devour her flesh and drink her blood.

Li Xianyun appeared much more composed, "List all other informants you have in the Liuwang Residence. If you hide anything, I cannot guarantee your fate."

She turned to Youlan, "Have you written it down?"

While the woman on the floor was confessing, Youlan had already prepared pen and paper, meticulously recording every word.

Having followed Li Xianyun for years, Youlan had developed the habit.

Each time Li Xianyun conducted an interrogation, she would have Youlan document the confessions on paper.

With the confessions in black and white, and their personal seals attached, it was difficult for anyone to deny their words.

"Done."

"Let her affix her seal," Li Xianyun said indifferently.

Youlan approached the woman and presented the red seal paste, prompting her to sign and affix her seal.

The woman hesitated.

Li Xianyun let out a mocking laugh, "The moment you uttered your first word, you had already betrayed the Grand Imperial Consort. Why hold back now?"

Reluctantly, the woman signed and sealed the document, revealing her accomplices one by one before looking at Li Xianyun, "Can you give me the antidote now?"

Li Xianyun produced a small white vial from her sleeve and handed it to Youlan.

"To fully cure the poison, you need to take two pills. I’ll give you one now, and you will receive the second after you’ve seen a certain person."

"You’re despicable."

Li Xianyun found this amusing. Was she really being despicable now?

The wicked always seem to be this way; they forgive themselves for unspeakable acts, yet deem others unforgivable for the slightest offense.

Li Xianyun looked at Bater, "Take a few trusted men and keep this woman securely detained. Bring her to the palace after dark."

Bater bowed respectfully, "Yes!"

Zhuo Ma looked at Li Xianyun, "Master, what do we do with this beggar?"

Li Xianyun stared coldly at the man groveling on the ground, "I detest those who cannot control themselves and sully others’ purity. Such men are calamities to the world, preying on countless women. It’s better to be rid of such a menace. Kill him."

With that breezy statement, she determined the man’s fate.

The beggar in servant’s clothes was terrified. He had indeed preyed on several women in the past, but his crimes were not worthy of death.

"Lady please spare my life, Lady please spare my life!"

He had gleaned Li Xianyun’s identity from the conversation and was shivering like a leaf caught in a bone-chilling wind.

Li Xianyun’s eyebrows knitted slightly, "Today is Xuanxuan’s birthday. Don’t disturb the guests or spoil Xuanxuan’s mood. Gag him, take him outside for execution, and do not alarm anyone."

Zhuo Ma bowed, "Yes."