Venerable Demon King & The Doting Immortal (QT)
Chapter 77: Peng Xiu’s motive

Chapter 77: Peng Xiu’s motive

AN: This author is asking for reviews. Thank you and happy reading.

Han Xin walked out of the hidden room, his figure imposing and his expression unreadable. He couldn’t fathom why Princess Xiu had papers laced with poison in a hidden room. Did she use the same paper to write letters to the emperor? Did she want to carry out revenge for her disgraced mother? What was her motive exactly? Han Xin found that he couldn’t get a read on her.

He opened the door to the study and beckoned the older lady inside. She entered with her head bowed, her body trembling with fear. When she saw that the hidden room was discovered she bowed her head even lower. Han Xin noticed her little actions.

It seemed she was aware of the existence of the hidden room. He pulled a chair and sat down his gaze fixed on her. Han Zhan leaned nonchalantly against the bookshelf, staring at his nails with feigned disinterest but he was watching her every move. If she decided to run into a wall, he would be there to stop her.

"What happened the day Princess Xiu was kidnapped by the crown prince of Zhen?" Han Xin asked. His voice was calm but it carried with it an oppressive tone that made her shiver in fright.

The elderly lady’s hands shook as she began to speak. "The crown prince of Zhen breached the gates of the palace," she stammered. "He demanded Princess Xiu come with him, threatening to burn down the palace if she refused."

Han Xin’s eyes narrowed with scepticism clear in his gaze. She had retold the story exactly as in the letter sent to him by his Majesty but something was not adding up.

Han Zhan chuckled, his tone mocking. "The palace looks like it suffered no damage at all. It seems the crown prince didn’t even have to fight his way in." The older lady quivered under their scrutiny, her forehead laced with a sheen layer of cold sweat. How could the crown prince of Zhen infiltrate the palace of a deposed empress without provocation? It was unbelievable.

"Tell us the truth," Han Zhan demanded, his voice low and dangerous. "How did the crown prince gain entry so easily?"

The elder lady’s eyes darted around the room, searching for a way out. "I-I don’t know," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "He... he had an entire army. He broke through the gates and entered the palace. I am telling the truth."

Han Zhan’s sword flashed in the dim light, the blade resting against the elder lady’s throat. She tilted her head back, her eyes wide with terror. Han Zhan sneered, looking down at her as if she were an insignificant insect. "Tell the whole truth," he hissed, "or you will suffer death by a thousand cuts." This matter involved the royal family and they were well in their right to investigate.

The woman hesitated but her fear was palpable. She didn’t know what Her Highness did in that hidden room, but she saw the endless letters the princess kept sending. This could be why the crown prince of Zhen thought they were in a relationship but she couldn’t expose this matter to the general. She was loyal to the empress and, by extension, the princess. She would never expose her master.

Han Zhan glanced at his cousin, who gave a silent nod of approval. With a swift motion, he cut her arm shallowly, the blade returning to her throat immediately after. "Speak," he demanded, his voice cold and unyielding.

The elder woman tried to bite down on her tongue but Han Zhan was quicker. He tore a piece of cloth from the table and stuffed it into her mouth tying it at the back of her head. This was to prevent her from harming herself. He then cut her skin three more times, each slice shallow but painful. Her blood dripped onto the floorboards her muffled cries haunting.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she finally begged for him to stop, her voice muffled by the cloth. Han Zhan removed the gag, and the older woman began to speak, her words tumbling out in a rush.

"The crown prince... the crown prince of Zhen came... he came with betrothal gifts in five carts," she confessed, her voice stammering. "He announced his purpose to marry Princess Xiu, but we did not open the gates. After two days of waiting... he breached the gates and entered the palace. He demanded to see the princess claiming—." She immediately shut her mouth recalling the words the crown prince said. If he weren’t from an enemy country, he would have surely made a good son-in-law.

Han Xin’s jaw tightened annoyed by her antics. He leaned forward, his presence overwhelming. "What did he claim."

Tears welled in her eyes as she finally continued. "He claimed they had a relationship."

Han Xin’s gaze hardened as he held up the paper with a handkerchief. "What do you know about this paper laced with poison?" he demanded.

The elder woman, already trembling, seemed to shrink further under his scrutiny. She crawled forward, her voice quivering with fear. "I swear, General, I I I had no idea about the poison," she pleaded. "But the princess... she had a master who taught her for years. Then, one day, the master stopped coming. The princess also sent out letters, but I don’t know who she was writing to."

Rubbing her bloodied hands in a pleading gesture she begged, "Please, spare my life, my lord. I have told you everything I know."

His expression remained impassive as he pieced together this mystery. Her voice was messing with his thought process so he ordered her to leave. The elder woman scrambled to her feet, having received amnesty, and hurried out, the door closing behind her with a soft thud. After she was gone, he turned to Han Zhan.

"Here is what I am thinking... she wrote letters to Xiang Yu for years giving the prince an illusion that they were in a relationship. We already know writing letters is her thing. So, he came here to propose marriage, but she refused, and he ended up kidnapping her," he said, his voice low and his expression thoughtful.

"Then what about the paper? Who was she poisoning because we know it’s not you? It could be the emperor, Xiang Yu or someone else we don’t know about," replied Han Zhan, unable to put that face with all of this planned malice.