The Emperor Arrives

With a strange, savage chuckle, Ying Sheng viciously pointed at Lin Qi, then strode arrogantly out of the Jade Palace with his large retinue of guards. The two women he had initially chosen were still slung over his guards' shoulders. It seemed that although Ying Sheng had temporarily given up pursuing Sha Xinyue, if no one stood up for these two women, they were destined to consummate their marriages tonight.

The two women shrieked themselves hoarse, weeping bitterly. The many young lords and royal descendants around them trembled as they exchanged glances, then all shook their heads.

Throughout the entire Blood Qin Empire, only the First Prince and Second Prince were permitted to lead large contingents of guards into the imperial city. In private, one was called a madman and the other a rabid dog—both were the sort who were unruly and defiant, convinced that they alone stood above all under heaven.

Now that the Second Prince had been confined in Tranquil Mind Nunnery, the First Prince, left without a rival, had become even more tyrannical and overbearing. What ordinary prince would dare provoke him? Even a favored prince like Ying Qin went weak in the knees at the sight of Ying Sheng, let alone anyone else.

But there were still those with a little courage. The two women's relatives—four handsome young men with red lips, white teeth, and the graceful bearing of jade trees in the wind—hurried to Ying Sheng's side and repeatedly bowed. "Prince Stabilizer of the Realm, matters of marriage should be conducted with a proper matchmaker and formal wedding rites. They should..."

Ying Sheng's answer was a resounding slap for each of them. The earth-shaking smacks sent the four refined young scions of great clans vomiting blood and rolling on the ground. Ying Sheng glared at