In the afternoon, the large chests hidden in the county office's secret vault were carried out to the open clearing.
The guards pried open the chests, immediately revealing the gold bars and official silver inside. As the guards distributed the silver to the disaster victims, the people were somewhat hesitant to accept it.
People from the capital had come to investigate the dam before, but nothing ever came of it.
Although the magistrate was dead, they didn't know if this time would end up just like the previous times.
After receiving their settlement allowances, the victims threw themselves back into the construction of the new dam. Xiao Yanchen followed them every day, carrying sandbags alongside them. They trudged back and forth through the mud, their shoulders rubbed raw and bleeding.
He didn't speak much, but the commoners saw everything he did. Coupled with deliberate efforts to build momentum, in just a few days, Xiao Yanchen's reputation spread throughout Nanjin County and even gradually extended to neighboring towns.
That night, candle flames flickered in the posthouse.
Bare-chested, Xiao Yanchen lay pitifully on his stomach on the bed. Watching Ji Zhaoxi walk over, his gasps of pain grew even louder.
"Xixi, my back hurts so much. Am I dying?"
Ji Zhaoxi carefully applied medicine to his back, pretending not to hear him.
"Xixi, it won't hurt if you kiss it." Xiao Yanchen looked at her with red eyes, his voice carrying a deliberate, slight tremble. "Xixi..."
"Xiao Yanchen, do you want me to apply the medicine or not!" Ji Zhaoxi blushed under his gaze and couldn't help but speak up. "Can you stop panting like this every day?"
Xiao Yanchen fell silent, looking at her with pitiful eyes.
He had wanted to kiss Xixi for a long time, but she kept avoiding him. Why wouldn't she let him kiss her...
He was going to kiss her!
Xiao Yanchen tentatively leaned closer to Ji Zhaoxi, closing the distance between them in an instant. With lowered eyes, his gaze lingered on her lips.
His eyes were moist, making him look incredibly pathetic. "Xixi, take pity on me."
Ji Zhaoxi didn't say a word. Holding his breath, Xiao Yanchen tentatively touched her lips. Ji Zhaoxi instinctively tried to dodge, but in the next second, Xiao Yanchen firmly pinned her down.
His kiss was urgent. His tongue parted her defenses without leaving room for argument, greedily drawing out the sweet taste in her mouth. His kiss carried a strong aggressiveness, as if he wanted to swallow her whole.
Her hands were tightly locked by his until their fingers intertwined.
Ji Zhaoxi was almost out of breath. Her eyes were filled with mist, and her face was flushed red. Xiao Yanchen gave her no chance to escape, pressing forward relentlessly. He sucked on her lips inch by inch until her body went soft, acting with absolute dominance.
"Xixi is so mean, always bullying me..."
Xiao Yanchen's voice carried an intense yearning. His hands restrainedly caressed the skin of her waist as his fragmented kisses fell upon her.
"But I just want to be bullied by Xixi."
He looked at her with moist eyes, gently rubbing his nose against hers, his gaze full of infatuation.
How could Ji Zhaoxi listen to such shameless words? She covered her burning cheeks with both hands, revealing only a pair of misty eyes as she accused him.
"Shameless!"
Xiao Yanchen pulled her into his embrace and said grievancely, "Xixi just bit me, and now you are scolding me. Xixi is bullying me again. Xixi, why are you so mean..."
"Shut up! You are not allowed to speak anymore!"
Mortified, Ji Zhaoxi forcefully covered his mouth.
Xiao Yanchen looked at her, his eyes full of laughter. He kissed her hand, then pulled her, along with the quilt, into his arms.
He coaxed gently, "Don't be angry, Xixi. I won't say it anymore. You are a good Xixi, not a bad Xixi."
He gently rubbed her ear and patted her back rhythmically. After a short while, Ji Zhaoxi's tense body relaxed, and the flushed heat brought on by her shyness gradually faded.
While gently patting her, Xiao Yanchen softly told her tales of the strange and supernatural.
The candlelight swayed in the room. Feeling Ji Zhaoxi's steady breathing, Xiao Yanchen carefully tucked her loose hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead.
The rain in Nanjin had not yet stopped, but earth-shattering changes occurred in the capital that night.
Inside the Golden Throne Hall, the candles burned brightly.
Wearing armor, Grand Secretary Lin held up his sword. Behind him stood the mutinous Imperial Feather Guards. His face was entirely cold.
The Emperor slumped on the dragon throne, his face deathly pale. He raised his voice, "Grand Secretary Lin, if you put down your sword now, I can still spare your life!"
Grand Secretary Lin sneered, his eyes full of madness. "Your Majesty, since you harbor such great prejudice against my Lin family, this old subject will send you on your way."
His daughter had been banished to the cold palace, his son had yet to return from the frontlines, his grandson's royal status had been stripped, and his Lin family had been thoroughly raided.
He had dedicated more than half his life to the imperial court. How could he resign himself to such an end!
The Emperor's body trembled uncontrollably as he shouted frantically, "Guards! Where are the Imperial Guards?!"
Grand Secretary Lin advanced step by step toward the Emperor. Just as the sword was about to reach the Emperor's neck, the heavy clashing of armor suddenly echoed from outside the hall.
"Grand Secretary Lin, how insolent!"
A sharp shout suddenly rang out. The main doors were violently pushed open, and the Great General, fully armored, barged right in. Blood still dripped from his sword.
A large number of elite iron-clad guards flooded in, immediately taking down all of Grand Secretary Lin's guards at the door.
Grand Secretary Lin looked at the Great General in disbelief. "How is this possible..."
Wasn't he in the Northern Frontier...
The Great General snorted coldly and thrust his sword heavily onto the green brick floor. He knelt on one knee. "This subject is late in coming to your rescue. Please forgive me, Your Majesty. Acting on a secret missive from the Seventh Prince, this subject traveled day and night, lying in ambush outside the city for three days, waiting for Grand Secretary Lin to fall into the net."
He looked at the dumbfounded Grand Secretary Lin and shouted sternly, "Grand Secretary Lin, put down your sword at once! Do you want the Noble Consort and the Second Prince to die alongside you?"
The Emperor leaned against the dragon throne as if drained of all strength. Upon hearing Xiao Yanchen's name, a trace of complex emotion flashed through his eyes.
Looking at the heavily surrounding iron-clad guards, Grand Secretary Lin suddenly burst into laughter, his laughter carrying endless desolation.
The Emperor's gaze turned cold. "Grand Secretary Lin, you..."
"Pfft—"
A sharp blade pierced through flesh and blood.
The Emperor's expression instantly froze. His face contorted in sheer agony, and his eyeballs became covered in red veins from the shock. He looked tremblingly at the sword lodged in his body.
Grand Secretary Lin pulled the sword out of the Emperor's body and, under the horrified gazes of everyone present, slit his own throat and died.
"Your Majesty!"
"Hurry! Hurry and summon the imperial physicians—"
The people in the Golden Throne Hall surged forward frantically. The hall was filled with screams and angry shouts. The setting sun shone into the hall, reflecting on the usurpation edict that Grand Secretary Lin had drafted with his own hands.
Grand Secretary Lin's eyes stared fixedly at the ceiling of the Golden Throne Hall, the sounds in his ears growing increasingly distant.
If there was a next life, he would definitely never agree to let A'wan enter the palace...
Deep inside the Imperial Clan Court, the Second Prince slumped in a pile of dry grass, his hand tightly clutching a jade pendant.
"Defeated..." He let out a laugh that sounded like crying.
Grandfather was defeated...
He staggered to his feet and pulled out a snow-white silk cord from the pile of rewards in the corner.
The beams in the Imperial Clan Court were very high.
"Clack."
The wooden stool was kicked over, making a crisp sound.
The silk cord bit into flesh, and the legs dangling in the air kicked violently. However, a moment later, the kicking sounds ceased.
The wooden beam creaked incessantly, the lifeless body swaying gently in the air.
