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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 228 King Qi
At this moment, in front of Jinyang City, King Qi Li Yuanji rode a tall horse, entering the city with great spirit. The city guards cleared the way for the common people, allowing Prince Qi to enter first.
Li Yuanji was accompanied by several Hundred Riders, along with various hunting dogs, falcons, and lynxes. The hunting nets required more than thirty carts to carry, creating a grand spectacle.
Seeing this, the common people hurriedly moved far away, quickly covering up anything valuable, even the Hu Merchant did the same.
As Li Yuanji was about to enter the city, he suddenly drew his bow and aimed towards the area with the most people, instantly causing chaos as screams erupted and people scattered in panic.
“Hahaha.” Li Yuanji laughed heartily and said to those around him: “I would rather go three days without food than a single day without hunting.”
“The king is diligent and brave, which is why he can capture leopards and hunt tigers, always returning with a full load.”
“Even if the king were not a prince, with these skills, he could roam the world freely.”
“Among the Royal Family, when it comes to archery and combat, no one is a match for Prince Qi!”
With flattery from those around him, Li Yuanji felt quite pleased. He was actually satisfied with his current life; his elder brother had become emperor, he himself was titled King Qi and managed Bingzhou. Although his second brother was a nuisance, seeing him suffer significant losses in the northern campaigns and facing a hundred lashes awaiting him was enough to make him smile.
He casually pointed to the soldiers who had achieved merit this time: “Go ahead, whatever you seize within an hour will belong to you.”
The soldiers, already prepared, charged into the city like wild horses. Along the way, they dismounted and directly seized anything they fancied...
Upon returning to Jin Wangfu, his wife Yang Clan came out to greet him. She was a noblewoman from the previous dynasty's Royal Family, descended from Prince of Observation Yang Xiong, possessing beauty and grace in abundance.
Since Li Yuanji had gained much today, he did not mind his wife's cold demeanor. He even joked about hunting tigers and bears before winter to personally make her a blanket.
The Yang Clan performed the proper greeting to express gratitude, but Li Yuanji, witnessing this, began to feel dissatisfied. He thought to himself that even in the previous dynasty, one could hardly consider a mere Princess more noble than him, the legitimate son of a Duke.
Moreover, I am now a prince, worthy of a royal family of a fallen kingdom. Is there still any reason for discontent?
Li Yuanji snorted coldly and strode towards the Main Hall without any intention of slowing down to wait for his wife. The Yang Clan sighed as she stood in place.
Amidst the disdainful gazes from everyone in the residence, she maintained her composure and instructed the steward to tidy up the hunting gear before heading to the Main Hall.
However, by the time she entered, Li Yuanji had already been waiting in the hall for quite some time and was seething with anger. He pointed at the newly arrived princess and scolded, "How dare you keep this king waiting!"
The Yang Clan did not argue but lowered her head. "I am guilty; I accept punishment. Please calm your anger, Your Highness."
Such an attitude only fueled Li Yuanji's rage further, making his already somewhat unattractive face appear even more ferocious. Yet he could not openly confront the Yang Clan.
As Li Yuanji paced back and forth in the Main Hall, he suddenly caught sight of himself in a sea beast-patterned mirror. The mirror was imperial craftsmanship adorned with sea creatures, birds, butterflies, and flowers; its decorations were splendid and intricate. However, what was reflected in the center was an ugly face.
Li Yuanji stared intently at the person in the mirror, his fists clenched tightly as they made cracking sounds. At that moment, Aunt Chen rushed in upon hearing the news and quickly covered the mirror.
Seeing her arrive brought relief to the Yang Clan; aside from the Retired Emperor and His Majesty, it seemed only Aunt Chen could speak in front of the furious King Qi.
Aunt Chen's name was Chen Shanyi; she had once been a maidservant of the Dou Family. When the Dou Family gave birth to Li Yuanji, it was a difficult labor accompanied by ominous signs. Given that Li Yuanji was born extremely ugly, they considered abandoning him.
It was Chen Shanyi who painstakingly raised him, thus preserving the life of the infant Li Yuanji and earning an exalted status within Qi Wang Mansion.
Chen Shanyi approached Li Yuanji to comfort him. Despite being brushed off several times, she continued to advance and soothe him, which only made Li Yuanji more furious.
He wanted to question the Yang Clan about whether she despised him for his looks, but as King Qi, his pride would not allow him to voice such thoughts. Aunt Chen's constant attempts at consolation felt like a reminder of why he might be rejected by his mother.
Li Yuanji waved Chen Shanyi away, saying, "Bring someone, let’s practice battle!"
The Yang Clan, aware of the situation, advised, "Your Majesty, I have not served you well. As a husband should guide his wife, you may reprimand me, but please do not command the servants to engage in battle again. Last time, we lost several lives, and if it happens again, the court will surely find out."
At this moment, Li Yuanji only wanted to see blood and ignored the Yang Clan's words, even ordering a servant to help him don his armor.
King Qi was the ruler of Bingzhou, and especially within the Qi Wang Mansion, no one could disobey King Qi's orders. This applied to the Yang Clan and even more so to Chen Shanyi.
Soon, the Guardians and Servants who accompanied him on the hunt donned their armor with grim faces and formed ranks. Li Yuanji chose to join the side with fewer people and immediately began to beat the drums as a signal to start fighting.
The closer they got to King Qi, the less they dared to pretend; everyone exerted their full strength. After all, weapons were not that sharp, and with armor for protection, it was not easy to kill someone.
However, if they pretended and were discovered by King Qi, it would be a dead end. If they didn’t die here, they would become bait for Bear Hunting and Tiger Battling.
Li Yuanji naturally wore the best armor and wielded the sharpest weapon, and his opponents dared not harm him in the slightest.
Thus, King Qi swept through everyone without mercy. At this moment, only true slaughter could bring him satisfaction.
Li Yuanji had a natural talent for combat; his strength surpassed that of ordinary people. Coupled with his upbringing of luxury since childhood, he was naturally strong in physique.
When he finally stopped to catch his breath, over twenty people were severely injured and wailing in pain, while six or seven were dead.
This instilled fear in the Guardians and Servants. Previously, King Qi's most brutal encounter had only resulted in two deaths and four or five injuries.
But at this moment, Li Yuanji felt an immense sense of exhilaration, especially upon sensing the fear and reverence from those around him. The ability to control life and death at will was truly delightful!
How happy must his elder brother be?
Li Yuanji suddenly hated why he was the Fourth Son, why that position could not be his.
"Continue! Who told you to stop?"
Meanwhile, Chen Shanyi, who had been blocked outside, suddenly gathered her strength and quickly squeezed through the crowd, rushing to Li Yuanji's feet. "Your Highness, you cannot do this; these are lives at stake."
Everyone hoped that Aunt Chen could persuade King Qi, so no one dared to act, but in Li Yuanji's eyes, this was nothing but contempt.
Why did they dare? Did this old woman think that without her, the legitimate son of the Duke could not survive?
Li Yuanji smiled and pointed at the person at his feet. "Kill her! You can kill her!"
Everyone knelt down. Li Yuanji kicked Chen Shanyi aside and then walked up to a trembling Guardian. The cold blade pressed against his neck made him slowly stand up.
Thus, Chen Shanyi died. She shed tears but did not plead for mercy; she simply died quietly with despair.
………
(End of Chapter)
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