Xiao Man stared at Nangong Yu in shock. Did he sense it?
"Why would Your Highness say that?"
"I can't say I understand Dugu Man very well, but I understand her better than most. She is by no means a person without any defenses. For Murong Sheng Rui to have captured her so quickly, wiped out her entire family, and not even given her a chance to retaliate, the entire affair was too meticulously planned, too perfect. There must be something wrong with it! Yet, despite my many investigations, I still can't find any useful information."
Xiao Man grabbed Nangong Yu's hand, saying nervously, "Have your people withdraw. Don't investigate."
Nangong Yu looked at Xiao Man, puzzled. "Don't you want to know the truth?"
"I only know that the force behind this is extremely powerful and extremely dangerous. With our current capabilities, we are no match for them. I don't want anything to happen to you!"
Nangong Yu patted Xiao Man's hand. "Don't worry, nothing will happen to me. The reason that person succeeded so easily was because Dugu Man was caught off guard. Now that we are prepared, he won't have such an easy time. Besides, I believe someone like that, hiding behind the scenes, must have great ambitions."
"You must not get involved in this matter!"
"I cannot," Nangong Yu said gently. "You and I are one. I will never allow you to face danger alone."
Old King Yan went to the palace early in the morning to lodge a complaint. However, a memorial regarding Nangong Fei was already on the Emperor's imperial desk. One by one, the accusations, written by unknown hands, ignited a burning rage in him, making him wish to dismember the perpetrator.
The Emperor carefully read the memorial and the accusations, his body trembling with anger. In such a short time, Nangong Fei had committed countless bloody crimes: abducting fourteen civilian women, forcing seventeen to their deaths, and killing twenty-three people! He was truly wicked!
"Scoundrel, he is truly a scoundrel!"
Hu Wan tried to minimize his presence. Of His Majesty's brothers, only the old King Zhao and King Yan remained. King Zhao was virtuous and well-loved, while King Yan was somewhat difficult to describe. However, King Yan had never been interested in power, so His Majesty had treated him with more leniency. He hadn't expected the King Yan's son to be even more foolish than King Yan in his youth!
"Your Majesty, King Yan requests an audience."
"Let him in," the old Emperor's face was ashen. How dare he show his face at a time like this.
"Your Majesty, you must be the judge for this humble subject." As soon as Old King Yan entered, he began to lament, "General Xiao Zhen's daughter has committed violence and severely injured my young son, severing the lifeline of my Yan King's manor. I beg Your Majesty to judge this case for me!"
The old Emperor's face had turned so dark it could drip water. "Imperial Brother, are you saying that Xiao Man was arrogant and deliberately severely injured Nangong Fei?"
"Isn't that so? That Xiao Man is truly malicious. Fei'er merely spoke a few words to her, and she cruelly crippled my son. Your Majesty, my lineage is passed down through a single heir, and I have only this one son. Now he has been crippled by Xiao Man. Your Majesty, you must judge this case for me."
"How do you wish for me to judge this case?"
A sinister glint flashed in Old King Yan's eyes. He gritted his teeth and said, "Xiao Man has severed the roots of the Yan King's manor. I want the General's manor to also be without descendants!"
Upon hearing this, the old Emperor could no longer restrain himself. He grabbed the teacup at hand and hurled it at Old King Yan. The teacup shattered on the ground, splashing tea all over King Yan.
"Your Majesty..."
"Scoundrel, do you think I am as senile as you are? At this point, you dare to try and deceive me!" The old Emperor grabbed the memorial accusing King Yan and threw it at him. "They are all accusing your good son of bullying the weak, abducting civilian women, forcing them into prostitution, and murder. These crimes are enough to have him executed a hundred times over!"
King Yan's face turned pale. He picked up the memorial from the ground and flipped it open, his heart instantly turning cold. No, he had to find a way to remedy this.
"Your Majesty, these accusations..."
"Do you intend to say these are slander?" The old Emperor grabbed the accusation paper from the desk. "With witnesses and evidence, how dare you argue?"
"Your Majesty, Fei'er is still young. When I return, I will strictly discipline him so that he dares not commit such acts again!"
"You scoundrel!" The old Emperor, filled with both anger and rage, pointed at King Yan and yelled, "Usually, you are fond of beautiful women, and I've turned a blind eye. You found some hooligan from somewhere and truly believe the world belongs to him, that he is second only to heaven. I am not dead yet!"
"Your Majesty, please forgive me." Old King Yan was terrified.
"Can such great crimes be excused because he is young?" The old Emperor gritted his teeth. "He is twenty-one years old, and you call him young? Xiao Man is indeed arrogant, but have you seen her kill anyone? Have you seen her force women into prostitution? Nangong Fei is simply wicked and unforgivable! Issue a decree: the criminal Nangong Fei, for his grave offenses, shall be stripped of his title, demoted to commoner status, and beheaded in the West Market in three days as a public warning!"
The old King slumped to the ground. It was over, completely over!
The Imperial Guards directly went to the Yan King's manor to arrest him. After Old King Yan returned from the palace, he fell ill. When Nangong Fei was arrested, he still showed no remorse, shouting that he would kill everyone. The steward of the Yan King's manor, truly afraid, stuffed a handful of mud into his mouth, finally silencing Nangong Fei.
The King Consort of Yan watched as Nangong Fei was taken away, a mocking smile appearing on her lips. "What is the King doing? His precious son is about to be arrested. Won't he come out to see?"
"Your Highness, the King is not in a good mood right now."
"He might not be in a good mood, but I am in a good mood." The King Consort of Yan took out a handkerchief and wiped her mouth. "If it weren't for considerations of reputation, I would truly want to have firecrackers set off to celebrate!"
"Your Highness should not provoke the King's temper at this time. After all, that bastard cannot escape death anyway."
The King Consort of Yan smiled gently. "I will not provoke him. I will continue to watch closely, watching how the Yan King's manor heads towards its demise."
On the day Nangong Fei was to be beheaded, many commoners gathered to watch, cheering. Old King Yan was grief-stricken and did not dare to go to the West Market to witness the execution. The King Consort of Yan, however, had no such reservations and had a carriage take her there.
Witnessing Nangong Fei's head fall, a look of vengeful pleasure flashed in the King Consort of Yan's eyes. She ordered Nangong Fei's head to be placed in a box and taken back to Old King Yan.
Old King Yan looked at his son's unseeing eyes in the box and immediately vomited a mouthful of blood, then fainted.
Originally, Nangong Fei was just a common ruffian. If he had been properly guided, though he might not have achieved much, he could have lived a peaceful life. Unfortunately, Old King Yan doted on his newly acquired son excessively, indulging his misdeeds, and finally sent his only bloodline to hell.
It is said that a parent's love for their child should be far-sighted. Blind doting and indulgence is not love, but harm. However, Old King Yan did not understand this. He mistakenly believed that giving his son whatever he wanted was love, which ultimately led to Nangong Fei's tragic fate of being beheaded.