The Princess’ Shadow Guard Cannot Be Too Clever

so much blood, will you die?

End up like my mother did, bleeding like this.

Murong Yan’s thoughts raced as she watched the blood flow from Ming Qin’s nose.
She leaned against the wall and slid down, feeling her strength leaving her.

Her hands were stained with blood, but she ignored it as she tightly curled her fingers against her mouth.
She forced herself to stay silent, suppressing the absurd thought that had just flashed through her mind.

No.

No, no, no!

Ah Qin can’t die.

How could Ming Qin die?

If that’s the case, then heaven is too cruel.

Murong Yan grabbed her arms as if embracing herself to prevent herself from collapsing, repeating in her mind over and over again.

Ming Qin cannot leave her.

It’s impossible.

Impossible.

On the grand hall of the palace, Murong Xiao, always elegant and well-dressed, sat slumped on the dragon throne.
His hair was in disarray and there were scattered jade pots around him.

Dozens of court officials in official robes knelt on the ground, bowing to the man reeking of alcohol above them.

“You’re telling me you haven’t found her yet?” Murong Xiao scoffed at his kneeling subjects, playing with a jade cup filled with clear liquor in his hand.

The man in red, who was being questioned, banged his head heavily on the ground, making a loud noise echoing in the vast hall.
He trembled in a fearful voice, “Your Majesty, I’ve sent all my men to track Princess Chongwen’s footsteps, and they rode northward at full speed until they seized an opportunity to hijack a boat on the canal.
But…”

“But?” Murong Xiao raised an eyebrow, looking down on him with a cold tone.

“But it was discovered that the person on the boat was not the princess, but rather a servant disguised to mislead us,” the man in the red robe said, swallowing nervously, his voice trembling as he kept his head pressed tightly to the ground.
“My men killed them, and we are currently searching for the whereabouts of the real princess.”

The man in the red robe was terrified and uneasy, but he did not receive the expected angry outburst.
Instead, he looked up in confusion and saw Murong Xiao slowly walking towards him with an expressionless face, holding a wine cup.

Despite his heavy drinking, Murong Xiao’s face was even paler than usual.
He approached the prostrate man and slowly poured the wine from his cup over him.

The warm wine flowed down the man’s head and neck, seeping into his collar, mingling with the sweat on his forehead, and dripping down his chin, staining the large red carpet on the floor.

“Would you like a taste of my wine?” Murong Xiao crouched down and spoke slowly, like a venomous snake.
“Do you like it?”

The man in the red robe couldn’t comprehend the unstable behavior of the person in front of him, who appeared to have no control over his emotions.
He trembled and spoke in a low voice, “G-great…it’s delicious.”

“Is it?” Murong Xiao smiled, then forcefully grabbed the man’s collar, inserted his fingers into his mouth, and shoved the jade cup in.
With a wicked expression, Murong Xiao laughed maniacally and said, “Then I’ll give you a little more to drink.”

He pressed the struggling man to the ground and used all his strength to cover his nose and mouth.
The small, delicate wine cup slid into the man’s throat, cutting off his air supply and causing him to grasp his neck and foam at the mouth.

With disgust, Murong Xiao took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands and stood up, observing the man roll and struggle with a gaze that appeared to look at a sewer rat.

The entire hall was silent, except for the man’s painful moans.
Nobody dared to speak, fearing for their own safety.

A few moments later, the hall was once again shrouded in a deathly silence.

Murong Xiao nonchalantly opened his eyes and sauntered to the front of the crowd, sneering, “What good are you to me if you cannot even find a few rats scurrying about in the capital or locate my sister outside the city?”

“Hmm?” Murong Xiao abruptly kicked the head of the person nearest to him and bellowed, “What use are you, a pack of incompetent fools?!”

The person crumpled to the ground, clenching his teeth and making no sound.

“Xiao Bu!”

Upon hearing the prince’s shout, a scar-faced man guarding outside the hall hastily flung open the door and replied, “Your Highness, I am here.”

“You don’t need to prepare anything in the army.
Leave the city immediately and bring my sister back to me,” said Murong Xiao, staring at the man kneeling before him with one knee.
His eyes were bloodshot and he was growling hysterically, “Bring my sister back at any cost, no matter what it takes.”

His voice was filled with madness.

“And if anyone tries to stop you, kill them.”