Damn it, Kong Xuan, that old fox, is using me as a pawn!
The Emperor's face darkened. She purposely didn't mention Yuan Quan's death and instead forced the kings to express their stance and continue with the decision to revoke Lang Kui's military power. She was sending a signal to the general's residence that she could ignore Yuan Quan's death, but Lang Kui had to be punished to maintain the dignity of the Imperial Court. This was also a form of compromise and exchange of benefits.
In fact, the annihilation of the violent ape's direct line of descent was a good thing in her heart. It would be best if the other six great royal courts were annihilated as well. That way, the Winged Clan would be the most powerful clan in her heart. Her previous rage was just an act to conceal her true intentions.
Thus, in her opinion, using an insignificant Lang Kui in exchange for the Imperial Court not pursuing the matter of Yuan Quan's death was definitely a good deal for her and the general's residence.
However, Kong Xuan, that old fox, had obviously seen through her intentions and directly placed the destruction of the Savage Ape Clan on the table, forcing her to pursue the matter.
"The murderer didn't leave any clues. I have already ordered the Imperial Guards to continue investigating. We will discuss this matter when we have more clues."
The Emperor's thoughts quickly turned and she had a solution. With a simple sentence, she put the matter on hold indefinitely.
"You're right, Your Majesty. However, the Imperial Guards aren't professional investigators, so I'm afraid they won't be able to find any useful clues. I suggest that we hand this case over to the Criminal Investigation Department of the Police Department. After all, this is their job, and we don't want outsiders to say that we didn't follow the procedures, which would negatively affect the reputation of the Imperial Court."
Kong Xuan spoke in a tone that was neither servile nor overbearing. He seemed to be selfless, but in reality, he was being overbearing.
The Emperor was furious. She glared at Kong Xuan, wishing that she could tear him into pieces. However, Kong Xuan's gaze was calm and he looked at her fearlessly.
How could the Emperor not understand Kong Xuan's intentions? He was forcing her to hand the case over to the Police Department so that he could destroy the possible tacit agreement between her and the general's residence.
Because the head of the Police Department was a member of the Peacock Race, handing this case over to the Police Department meant that this case would be investigated to the end. They would not stop until they found the real culprit. Even the Emperor would not be able to interfere. This would cause her to lose the biggest bargaining chip to make a deal with the General's Estate.
However, Kong Xuan was one of the King Lords, and his words were reasonable, so she couldn't find a suitable reason to refuse. She could only grit her teeth and say, "Fine. We'll do as King Lord Kong said and hand the case over to the police department."
After saying that, he didn't wait for the kings to reply and stormed off angrily.
"Farewell, Emperor!"
The corners of Kong Xuan's mouth curled up into a meaningful arc. He bowed and cupped his fists, then deliberately dragged out his voice as he shouted.
"Farewell, Emperor!"
The other King Lords also hurriedly cupped their fists and bowed.
The Imperial Lord didn't even look back as she swaggered off. It could be seen how furious she was at this moment.
…
In the General's Mansion, the mourning hall had been built. An enlarged portrait of Ding Ning hung on the wall of the mourning hall. Two white couplets were placed on the two corners of the portrait.
Below the wall was a tribute table. An incense burner and a dazzling array of tributes were placed on the table. They were all Ding Ning's favorite foods when he was still alive.
Under the tribute table was a huge brazier. Next to the brazier were piles of joss paper and incense for the mourners to pay their respects.
Below, Ding Ning's ten wives and Bai Lian 'er were dressed in mourning clothes and had white cloths draped over their heads as they kept vigil for him. Meanwhile, little Kong Xuan was dressed in mourning clothes. He knelt in front of the women and bowed to the guests who had come to pay their respects.
"What? The direct line of the Violent Ape Clan was annihilated overnight? "
Since this morning, there had been an endless stream of guests who had come to pay their respects. They were extremely busy. When the wolf guard reported the news in a low voice, Zi Que 'er couldn't help but cry out involuntarily. This startled the guests who had come to pay their respects and they all turned to look at her.
Zi Que 'er was indescribably shocked. She ignored the guests' gazes and furrowed her brows as she pondered. She didn't know who had such power to actually be able to annihilate more than a thousand members of the Violent Ape Clan's direct line of descent without alerting anyone.
It should be known that with the power of the marshal's residence, although they could easily annihilate the Violent Ape Clan, it was impossible to do so without alerting anyone.
Therefore, the culprit's cultivation base was simply unfathomable. Putting all these aside, why would this mysterious culprit attack the Violent Ape Clan at this critical juncture? What was his motive?
Zi Que 'er secretly guessed the culprit's intentions and weighed the pros and cons. With her intelligence, she could easily figure out that no matter who the culprit was, this debt would definitely be placed on the marshal's residence's head.
What was the culprit's motive? Was he trying to intensify the conflict between the marshal's residence and the imperial court?
That didn't seem to be the case. From Zi Que 'er's point of view, even if the culprit harbored ill intentions and had the intention to frame them, the situation he had created would be more beneficial than detrimental to the marshal's residence. At the very least, it would be able to deter some people and cause them to have scruples and not dare to openly oppose the marshal's residence.
However, as she couldn't figure out the culprit's motive, she couldn't feel at ease. She told the other sisters about the matter and together, they tried to guess the culprit's motive.
But no matter how they racked their brains, they couldn't figure out why the culprit would do such a thing. On the surface, it seemed like he wanted to frame the marshal's residence, but in reality, it was more like he was killing the chicken to warn the monkeys, warning those who had ill intentions towards the marshal's residence.
"Could it be Senior Old Donkey? He blamed himself for not being able to save my husband, so when he found out that someone wanted to harm the marshal's residence, he acted to warn them. "
Bai Xun 'er's eyes suddenly lit up as she guessed.
When the girls heard this, they all nodded their heads. From the looks of it, this seemed to be the only explanation.
Kong Lei, however, didn't think so. She shook her head and said, "I don't think so. Yesterday, all of you saw how obedient the Imperial Lord was towards that … that Senior Donkey. If it was him, he only needed to say a word to the Imperial Lord and no one would dare to have any ill intentions towards the marshal's residence."
"That's right, that makes sense. I also feel that it shouldn't be that simple."
Zi Que 'er also nodded her head slightly in agreement.
"Why did the Old Ancestor do this to us?"
Peng Tianjie was on the verge of tears as she said sadly.
"As the Imperial Lord, there are times when she has no other choice. After all, when the Imperial Court is discussing matters, she can't just make a decision with a single word."
Zi Que 'er hugged her and comforted her softly.
In fact, she knew very well that if the Imperial Lord really wanted to protect the marshal's residence, she could totally use her veto power. Since she didn't use it, it meant that she was also biased towards supporting the actions of the marshal's residence.
"The royal family is heartless. Ah Jie, don't pin your hopes on kinship. It's completely unreliable. Since those people dared to touch the people of the marshal's residence, it means that they have obtained the permission of your Old Ancestor. Don't be naive anymore. We can only rely on ourselves and cannot rely on anyone else."
Kong Lei coldly stated the essence of the matter.
Peng Tianjie's eyes widened in shock as she shook her head in disbelief, "No … it can't be … Old Ancestor … Old Ancestor dotes on me so much … How could she … do this to me? I don't believe it, I don't believe it. There must be a mistake. They might have … done it behind the Old Ancestor's back. "
Although she said that she didn't believe it, the sorrow in her eyes and the tears that flowed down her cheeks proved that she had already realized that what Kong Lei said was the truth. It was just that she was unwilling to accept it for the time being due to her emotions.
"Lei Lei, you …"
Zi Que 'er looked at Kong Lei resentfully, blaming her for insisting on revealing the truth to deal a blow to the already sad Peng Tianjie.
"Elder Sister Zi, I know that this is very hard for Ah Jie to accept but the truth is the truth. In the past, Ah Jie was doted on by her clansmen and later on, her husband doted on her. She was like a flower that grew up in a greenhouse and doesn't know how cruel this world is. I told her the truth. Even though it's cruel, it's for her own good. I hope that she can mature soon and face all of this calmly. Otherwise, when the time comes, she might not be able to bear it."
Kong Lei's gaze was a little sorrowful and she spoke with a desolate expression, "The only difference between Ah Jie and I is that I've realized the cruelty of this world much earlier than her. In the eyes of some people, there's nothing that they can't abandon when it comes to benefits. What's the big deal about blood and kinship?"
Zi Que 'er sighed softly and fell silent. Indeed, the Winged Clan's Old Ancestor was like that, Kong Lei's grandfather was like that as well. Wasn't she the same in the past?
As the former leader of a clan, she could understand the mentality of those so-called important figures very well. There was nothing selfish about them, it could only be said that most of the time, they lived for the sake of the entire clan. For the sake of obtaining greater benefits for the clan, there was nothing that they could not give up, even if it was their own bloodline.
Tears welled up in Peng Tianjie's eyes. Even though it was very difficult for her to accept this reality, she knew very well in her heart that what Kong Lei had said was the truth.
"Don't rely on others. This is something you can only say when you still have someone you can rely on."
Peng Tianjie suddenly recalled Ding Ning's words and could not help but murmur to herself.
Indeed, she had lived under the doting of her Old Ancestor, her elder brother, and her clansmen since she was young. Yet, she would often preach to others with the words "don't rely on others" in an old-fashioned manner. However, when it came down to it, she had truly lost all her reliance and was so weak that she could not withstand a single blow. She was even weaker than Meow Meow and her sister. This made her feel very ashamed.
"Don't worry, Lei Lei. I'll be strong. I'm the Marshal's woman. I won't embarrass my husband or the Marshal's Mansion."
Peng Tianjie wiped her tears and tried her best to make her smile more radiant. However, her tears flowed uncontrollably like spring water that had just been opened. Her sad look made everyone's heart ache for her.
"Ah Jie, don't be sad. If you want to cry, cry to your heart's content. You must remember that you still have us. We'll protect you."
Kong Lei took a step forward and pulled Peng Tianjie into her arms. She gently stroked her beautiful hair and comforted her in a gentle voice. However, tears had unwittingly welled up in her eyes.
When the women saw this scene, sorrow rose from their hearts. They lowered their heads and wept silently. At this moment, they felt as if the sky was about to collapse. Their hearts were filled with confusion and helplessness towards the future.
Stifled sobs rang out in the mourning hall. The gloomy and gloomy mood made the guests who had come to mourn secretly sigh. The Marshal had died at an early age, leaving behind a bunch of orphans and widows. How were they supposed to live?
"Ma … Madam …"
A Wolf Guard with a white cloth wrapped around his arm hurried over with an anxious look on his face. He seemed to want to report something but when he saw this scene, he could not help but stop in his tracks. His lips trembled as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.
"Lang Dong, what's wrong? Has something happened? "
Zi Que 'er recognized that this Wolf Guard was one of the four guards in charge of guarding Ding Ning's body. Her heart instantly thumped and she thought that something had happened to Ding Ning's body. She could not care less about her sadness as she wiped away her tears and asked anxiously.
"This … Madam, can I have a word with you?"
Lang Dong glanced at the guests who were mourning and pricked up his ears. He swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue and whispered his request.
Zi Que 'er nodded and bowed towards the guests who were mourning. She then gestured to Kong Lei and the rest before following Lang Dong out in a hurry.
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