The case of Princess Anyang was investigated by the Divine Strategy Camp, and Emperor Jingyou directly announced the result.
On the thirteenth day of the eighth month, as the imperial decree was announced, the entire family of the Marquis of Wenchang was first stripped of their titles, then exiled, and those to be beheaded were executed.
Everything happened as if fast-forwarded, catching everyone by surprise.
Meanwhile, Lu Qingwan had finally made up her mind. She had told Lu Zhenting the truth early on, hoping that by witnessing the execution of his enemies with his own eyes, he could finally find peace regarding the death of his beloved wife.
Unexpectedly, just as Lu Qingwan finished her makeup, Li Qing rushed in in a panic, "Something's wrong, Your Highness! Marquis Lu is gone!"
Lu Qingwan almost stabbed herself in the head with her last hairpin. She stood up abruptly, "What are you waiting for? Go find him! Marquis Wenchang, Marquis Zhaolie, find him quickly!"
Li Qing, for the first time, did not consult Feng Xiwu and rushed out.
Feng Xiwu held Lu Qingwan's hand reassuringly, "Don't panic. We'll go to the Marquis of Wenchang's residence immediately. As long as your father doesn't see Lu Zhensan and Madam Zhang, he'll be fine."
It was clear that, like Lu Qingwan, he was worried that Lu Zhenting might do something extreme in his rage.
Lu Qingwan nodded and took out several bottles of rapid-acting heart-relief pills from her spatial laboratory, handing them to Li Yang.
"Distribute them to the guards. Whoever finds my father, administer one to three pills on the spot, depending on the situation."
Li Yang didn't dare to delay. He took the medicine and had the guards chase after them to deliver it.
Lu Qingwan then directly pushed Feng Xiwu towards the exit. Seeing how flustered she was, Feng Xiwu hated his disability for the first time.
He gritted his teeth and said, "You go ahead. Don't let Marquis Lu do anything foolish. I'll catch up later."
Feng Xiwu's hand, gripping the armrest, stiffened slightly. Then, he lowered his head and kissed Lu Qingwan's cheek. "Trust me. After today, I will definitely be able to cure your legs."
With that, he pushed Feng Xiwu to a stable position on the ground and then turned back, retrieved a horse from the stable, and galloped towards the Marquis of Wenchang's residence.
Feng Xiwu touched the spot where Lu Qingwan had kissed him. The momentary despair he had felt just moments before was strangely soothed.
Li Yang watched his master standing there, not daring to make a sound.
His master's legs were a taboo in this manor, especially at a time like this. How could the Princess dare to touch this sensitive spot?
Li Yang was prepared for his master to erupt in thunderous rage. To his surprise, Feng Xiwu showed no reaction and even calmly instructed him.
"Prepare the carriage. Tell Tang Xiao to protect Lu Zhensan and his son. It's alright if they get beaten and injured, as long as they don't die and implicate Marquis Lu."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
His master wasn't angry?!
Li Yang looked up at the sky earnestly. Was the sun rising from the east? Was it raining red rain?
Could it be that his master had a fever today?
It was unlikely that being kissed by the Princess would make his usually explosive temper disappear.
Li Yang shook his head vigorously. If that were the case, the Princess would be too terrifying!
The carriage carrying Feng Xiwu sped towards the Marquis of Wenchang's residence. The Minister of Justice and the eunuch delivering the imperial decree saw him and quickly bowed. The yamen runners from the Ministry of Justice knelt on the ground.
Feng Xiwu got straight to the point, "Have Marquis Lu and the Princess been here?"
"Replying to Your Highness, Marquis Lu has been here. He heard that Lu Zhensan and his mother have already been escorted to the execution ground and left. The Princess has not been here."
The one who answered him was the Minister of Justice, who, still mindful of Lu Qingwan's life-saving grace, specifically reminded him, "Your Highness, there is something I don't know if I should say."
Feng Xiwu was concise, "Speak."
The Minister of Justice quickly lowered his head, "Your Highness, I felt that Marquis Lu's condition was a bit unusual when he left. I am not a martial artist, but I have seen many martial artists. Marquis Lu's demeanor had signs of deviation from proper cultivation..."
"Someone, relay an order to Lian Yu. Tell him to get his rear end to the execution ground!"
Feng Xiwu lowered the curtain. "To the execution ground!"
The carriage sped down the center of the road. When the common people saw it was the carriage of the Regent's manor, they swallowed all their complaints.
Feng Xiwu impatiently hit his leg. "Please don't let anything happen. You must not have anything happen..."
Meanwhile, on the other side, Feng Xiwu received news from Li Qing midway. Lu Zhenting had gone to the execution ground. Without a second word, he rode his horse directly to the execution ground.
As soon as he arrived at the execution ground, he saw Li Qing and someone he didn't recognize holding onto Lu Zhenting's arms fiercely. Lu Zhenting was less than ten paces away from the prisoner cart where Zhang Shi was being held.
Lu Qingwan dismounted and, before she could get close, Lu Zhenting suddenly broke free from their grasp, snatched the saber from the man's waist, and lunged forward.
"No!"
With a few leaps, Lu Qingwan rushed in front of Lu Zhenting, spreading her arms wide and blocking his path with all her might.
Lu Zhenting's fair face, which had remained unchanged after years of wind and sand in the Western regions, was now pale and bruised.
Seeing Lu Qingwan, he questioned her in agony, "A'wan, are you also going to stop me from killing those two despicable villains who killed your mother?"
"They are despicable villains, but they are about to be punished. If you kill them now, you will be a murderer!"
Lu Qingwan tried to reason with him. "I know you are in pain because Mother was harmed, but Father, I have also lost my mother. Do you want me to lose you as well?!"
When Lu Zhenting suddenly learned of his beloved wife's death, his only thought was to kill Lu Zhensan and his son to avenge her.
It wasn't until Lu Qingwan appeared before him that the pain of his wife's death and his guilt and concern for his daughter tore at his soul, causing him immense suffering.
He let out a roar towards the sky. He was like a furious beast, roaring.
At the same time, his veins bulged, his eyes turned red, and his hair stood on end. An incredibly unfamiliar power spread out, pushing everyone around them away.
Even Lu Qingwan, his own daughter, was not spared.
"Da Bai!"
Lu Qingwan anxiously called out to Da Bai, hoping the spatial laboratory could provide some assistance.
Da Bai appeared out of thin air, leaped up, and landed on Lu Zhenting's shoulder. He struggled to hook his claws into Lu Zhenting's clothes. Lu Zhenting's emotions gradually stabilized.
However, the power erupting from his body still surged intermittently, making it impossible to know when it would explode again.
Just as Lu Qingwan tried to get closer, someone placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't move erratically. Someone will save him."
Lu Qingwan suddenly turned her head and saw Feng Xiwu's carriage stopped beside her. The surrounding bystanders had already retreated.
She looked at him blankly. Feng Xiwu said nothing, tilting his chin slightly to indicate Lu Qingwan to look ahead.
Following his gaze, she saw Lian Yu, the strategist of the Black Armored Army, whom she had met once before, emerge from somewhere.
He struck Lu Zhenting on the back with a palm, then tapped him lightly a few times, and Lu Zhenting fainted.
"Get into the carriage behind. Check if Marquis Lu is alright. If he is unharmed, accompany me to witness the execution."
Lu Qingwan looked back and saw that Lian Yu and Li Qing were indeed helping Lu Zhenting into the carriage behind. She nodded decisively. "Okay, I'll go first. See you later."
Feng Xiwu curled his fingers. "See you later."
This way of saying goodbye was casual, yet it felt remarkably heartwarming.