Princess Zhaoling 4

After hearing Zhaoling say that he had no sons, the emperor had already come to loathe Chancellor Zongzheng. He was also somewhat dissatisfied with the chancellor's domineering conduct in court affairs. Thus, after the trial by the Three Judicial Offices, he punished him according to the law without showing any leniency.

Treason was a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of kin. In the end, Zhaoling pleaded for Chancellor Zongzheng, and only the chancellor, his son, and his grandson were sentenced to be cut in half at the waist. His other relatives within the five degrees of mourning were exiled.

At court, the emperor even remarked with gratification on Zhaoling's benevolence.

With the lives of the Zongzheng family alone, Zhaoling had silenced almost everyone in court who gossiped about her.

After dealing with Chancellor Zongzheng's family, Zhaoling knew that Li Lianhua would later become involved in the affair of the First-Rank Tomb alongside Di Feisheng.

Her great-granduncle and his family were buried in the First-Rank Tomb. Whether to show Feng Qing some consideration or to preserve the imperial family's dignity, she could not allow those who dared rob it to live.

The reason Zhaoling knew Li Lianhua's movements so well was that, in a previous life, she had transmigrated into a fisher girl of the Eastern Sea. Concealing her identity, she had roamed the martial world and made a name for herself as the Ethereal Immortal Maiden, living freely as she pleased.

Later, she met Li Lianhua when his Bicha had flared up and his life hung by a thread. For the sake of their past friendship, she fed him the antidote to Bicha and tossed him onto Mount Yun Yin.

But because she had met Li Lianhua a few times before, he saw through her identity. Whether it was because the emperor was wary of him and he needed to conceal his identity, or because he was grateful to her for saving his life, Li Lianhua eventually changed his name to Li Lianpeng and became her neighbor in an Eastern Sea fishing village.

Later, the two grew more familiar with each other. Since certain matters had spread throughout the martial world, Li Lianhua no longer avoided the subject. Whenever they chatted, he told Zhaoling stories of some of his experiences after meeting Fang Duobing.

Thus, Zhaoling now had a good idea of Li Lianhua's later movements. Moreover, after transmigrating this time, she had been eager to take charge of the Inspection Bureau. After all, if she had waited any longer, it would have fallen into the Zongzheng family's hands. This was also one of the reasons Zhaoling would never let the Zongzheng family off.

But Zhaoling's present body had no internal force whatsoever, and the first level of the Heavenly Devil Instruction could not cultivate much internal force. It was mainly used to cleanse the sinews and marrow and improve aptitude. What was more, this process of improving the physique could not be rushed.

For her internal force to surge, she would need to break through to at least the second level of the Heavenly Devil Instruction.

After many reincarnations, this was the first time Zhaoling had practiced another cultivation method alongside the Heavenly Devil Instruction: the Void Thought Art, which she had obtained when she was Yueqing.

Zhaoling's improved physique was no weaker than naturally born martial meridians, so she could naturally practice this cultivation method. Moreover, it was a quick cultivation method that could absorb other people's internal force, and it complemented the Heavenly Devil Instruction.

Thus, after transmigrating, Zhaoling first drew on the experience of her many lives to create a set of sword techniques and a lightness skill that did not rely much on internal force. Then, under cover, she secretly went out, found several scoundrels of the martial world, and drained all their internal force.

In the past, Zhaoling would not have deigned to look at such scoundrels with their mediocre martial arts. Even though Shan Gudao possessed all his master's internal force, Zhaoling had never thought of absorbing it when she killed him in her previous lives. It was too filthy, and she disdained it.

At the very least, someone had to be like Zhuoqing, the imperial family's foremost expert, to be worth Zhaoling's effort.

Unfortunately, time was pressing now, so she could only make do.

Afterward, it was thanks to her rudimentary internal force and profound swordsmanship that Zhaoling was able to defeat Yang Yunchun, who currently ranked second in the Ten Thousand People Register.

Now, Zhaoling had set her sights on Guanyin's Tear in the First-Rank Tomb. It was a treasure that could greatly increase one's internal force. With Guanyin's Tear, what would Zhaoling have to fear even if Di Feisheng returned to his peak?

Thus, after taking the time to further refine the sword techniques and lightness skill she had hastily created, and using imperial resources to prepare plenty of poisons that killed the moment they drew blood and colorless, odorless knockout drugs, Zhaoling set out alone for Wei Manor on Mount Puchu.

She planned to infiltrate Li Lianhua's case-solving team on her own, fish in troubled waters alongside him, and finally reap the fisherman's reward.

Besides, she had already decided to make Li Lianhua her prince consort in this life, so naturally she needed to go win some favor with him.

If she failed to win his favor, she would consider drugging him.

In any case, for the sake of her own freedom, Li Lianhua would not escape the palm of her hand in this life.

When Li Lianhua, using what he had learned from the Plain-Handed Scholar, impersonated him and saved Fang Duobing from a group of tomb robbers, a clear female voice rang out. "Lianhua, you didn't even wait for me."

As the voice sounded, a beautiful woman with her hair tied in a high ponytail with a red ribbon and dressed in vivid red walked briskly over and affectionately took Li Lianhua's arm.

Looking at the people who turned toward her, she introduced herself happily. "I am Feng Qingtang, the fiancée of Li Lianhua, also known as the Plain-Handed Scholar."

With Zhaoling gripping the pulse point on his wrist, Li Lianhua gave the crowd a false smile under their envious gazes.

Only when the three of them were alone did Fang Duobing point at Zhaoling and Li Lianhua with a trembling hand, unable to get his words out. "You, you, you, you two..."

Zhaoling gave Fang Duobing an emotionless glance. "You're allowed to flee a marriage, but I, a princess of such exalted standing, am not allowed to give my heart to someone else?"

Li Lianhua finally pulled his arm out of Zhaoling's grasp. "You must be joking, Princess. I presume that, as chief envoy of the Inspection Bureau, you have come this time because of the matter of Prince Fangji's First-Rank Tomb."

The cheerful expression vanished from Zhaoling's face. "That's one reason. Another is that I truly am somewhat interested in you, Li Lianhua. It's a rare chance for us to travel together, so why don't we get to know each other better?"

Without looking at the other two's unpleasant expressions, Zhaoling instead warned them in a very solemn tone, "But my main purpose on this journey is Guanyin's Tear."

Zhaoling's voice turned ice-cold. "Anyone who stands in my way dies!"

After uttering those words, laden with killing intent, Zhaoling took Li Lianhua's arm again. "Li Lianhua, who do you think is prettier, me or Qiao Wanmian, the greatest beauty in the martial world?

"Oh, right. You can call me Qingtang this time, since I'm concealing my identity on this journey."

Li Lianhua went rigid at her words. Since Princess Zhaoling knows that someone in the Hundred Rivers Courtyard secretly plotted against Li Xiangyi, does she know my identity or not?

Does she have some hidden meaning in saying that now, or is she threatening me with A Mian to keep me from getting in her way?

While Li Lianhua's mind was racing, Fang Duobing gave him a trembling nudge. "Li Lianhua, the princess is so changeable. Do you think she was driven mad because I fled the marriage?"

Only then did Li Lianhua pull himself from his thoughts. Looking at Fang Duobing, he reassured him absentmindedly, "You're still alive and well, which shows that the princess really doesn't consider you worth her notice. Don't worry."