Chapter 175

Until she returned to her room, Qiao Nian still couldn't get rid of the anger and grief in her heart.

She thought that she must have owed Lin Ye a blood debt in her previous life.

Otherwise, why would every time she thought her life would turn around, it would collapse because of Lin Ye's words?

This is the case with King Ming.

Jing Yan is even more so!

But, if she really owed Lin Ye in her previous life, then let her pay it back alone.

Why, should Jing Yan be implicated?

Qiao Nian couldn't stop crying.

Ning Shuang looked at her with heartache, but suddenly thought of something, pointing to the object on the table and said, "Miss, what do you see there?"

Following Ning Shuang's finger, Qiao Nian saw a letter.

There were only four big words on the envelope: Xiao He's personal letter

It's not for her.

Qiao Nian couldn't help but reveal a bit of disappointment in her eyes, "Why is there only one letter? Jing Rou clearly said that he left something for me!"

Could it be that this was the only letter to be given to Xiao He?

Qiao Nian's tears surged again, but Ning Shuang suddenly thought of something and said, "Two days ago, after Miss Jing knew that Deputy General Jing had passed away, she took me to the kitchen of Zui Xiang Lou and asked Chef Li to teach me how to cook pig intestines!"

"Also, Miss Jing Rou took me to the forest in the east of the city and said that there would be many wild hawthorns there from October to December every year. She taught me how to dry and preserve the hawthorns."

"Deputy General Jing did leave something for the young lady. He left the only person in the world who would be good to the young lady to the young lady!"

Ning Shuang wanted to comfort Qiao Nian, but after hearing these words, Qiao Nian could no longer control her grief and hugged Ning Shuang, crying bitterly.

Grandmother died, and Jing Yan also died.

In the days to come, the only person in the world who would be good to her was Ning Shuang!

Ningshuang was extremely distressed, and she cried with Qiao Nian, calling out, "Miss, I will stay by your side forever, and will never leave you."

Forever, stay by her side?

Qiao Nian buried his head in Ningshuang's neck.

He shook his head slightly.

She thought that someone like her was not worthy of Ningshuang staying by her side forever...

On the other side, Xiao Heng entered the palace without any rest.

The emperor summoned him in the imperial study.

Xiao Heng was covered in dust. He knelt on one knee and saluted, "I am Xiao Heng, the humble general, and I pay my respects to the emperor."

"Get up quickly." The emperor hurriedly stood up to greet him. Seeing Xiao Heng's slightly embarrassed appearance, he felt very uncomfortable. "I have read the military report you sent earlier. The officials and bandits are colluding with each other. They are really brave. I want to see who in the capital dares to do such a bad thing!"

At this point, the emperor noticed a bundle tied around Xiao Heng's waist, "What is that?"

"It's a clue." Xiao Heng answered truthfully, but worried that the emperor would be scared, he added, "It was taken from the bandits."

Taken from the bandits?

The emperor was already frightened, but he still said, "Show me."

Hearing this, Xiao Heng took off the bundle, but unexpectedly, the knot of the bundle suddenly loosened, and the things in the bundle rolled down.

The emperor was so frightened that he stood up on the spot, and even the eunuchs serving beside him couldn't help but scream.

It was an arm.

It was a complete arm cut off from the shoulder blade.

Xiao Heng's face was cold, and his narrow eyes looked at the broken arm indifferently.

This was cut off from the bandit who was captured alive. Luo Shang had his left arm cut off by the bandit, so it was reasonable for him to cut off another one.

But what was important at the moment was not the broken arm, but the tattoo on the broken arm.

In order to let the emperor see clearly, he also specially asked the coroner to embalm the broken arm.

However, perhaps because of the long time, unlike Jing Yan, who was not sprinkled with lime in the coffin, the broken arm already had a bit of rotten smell.

The emperor couldn't help but pinch his nose and said unhappily, "What are you going to show me?"

Then Xiao Heng said, "Does the emperor think the tattoo on this broken arm is familiar?"

Hearing this, the emperor couldn't help but look at the broken arm again, and saw that there was indeed a tattoo on the broken arm, and it looked like a tiger head!

"One of the bandits who killed King Ming had this tattoo on his body. I didn't take it seriously at first, but later I found that among the bandits in Yongbei, several of them with strong martial arts had this tiger head tattoo on their bodies."

As Xiao Heng spoke, the emperor had already walked around the table, walked to the broken arm, squatted down, and examined it carefully.

Just listening, Xiao Heng's voice came like a ghost, with a hint of coldness and a hint of chill, "Does the emperor think that this is the former tiger guard?"

Hearing the last two words, the emperor was so shocked that he sat directly on the ground.

The eunuch beside him was startled and hurried forward to help, but the emperor raised his hand to refuse. He stared at the broken arm with his eyes, and finally couldn't help but speak, "Pingyang King's tiger guard? Looks like it, this tattoo does look like it!"

Xiao Heng's deep eyes suddenly sank, "Pingyang King disappeared eight years ago, and the mountain bandits in Yongbei Hezhou started to run rampant six or seven years ago, the time is right."

"No!" The emperor suddenly raised his voice, "Fourteenth brother will never do such a cruel thing!"

Pingyang King, named Chu Zhiyi, is the fourteenth brother of the current emperor.

He is also the only brother who may still be alive in this world.

Back then, when the emperor was still the crown prince, the harem was in chaos, killing countless heirs. In the end, only seven of them, including the emperor, were able to grow up alive.

Later, after the emperor ascended the throne, the remaining six were each made kings, but unexpectedly, five of them colluded secretly and plotted to usurp the throne.

It was Prince Pingyang who killed the five kings on his own.

However, after the rebellion of the five kings, Prince Pingyang also disappeared strangely.

Missing with Prince Pingyang were his Tiger Guards.

There were only ten Tiger Guards in total, and they were Prince Pingyang's most capable subordinates.

Rumor has it that ten people can defend a city.

But now, the tattoo of the Tiger Guards appeared on the broken arm of the mountain bandit. Doesn't this prove that Prince Pingyang became a bandit after his disappearance?

But, even if the tattoo appeared in front of the emperor, the emperor still didn't believe it, "Fourteenth brother is devoted to the country and the people, and he would never do such a thing as massacring the village. Even if those mountain bandits are really Tiger Guards, it must have nothing to do with Fourteenth brother!"

If it weren't for Prince Pingyang, the emperor would have been torn into pieces by the five kings. How could he believe that such a person who was so devoted to his country would become a bandit?

Xiao Heng's eyebrows twisted slightly. His brother died in the hands of the Tiger Guards, but the emperor still protected Prince Pingyang so much. He was somewhat unhappy in his heart.

At that moment, his tone became colder, "There are still remnants of mountain bandits fleeing, so will the emperor order their arrest?"

Hearing this, the emperor calmed down and stood up slowly, "Of course they will be arrested. However, Prince Pingyang is my brother, Xiao Heng, you should know what to do."

The implication was that Xiao Heng was not allowed to hurt Prince Pingyang in the slightest.

Xiao Heng's eyes darkened slightly, he lowered his eyes and didn't look at the emperor, he just bowed his hands and saluted, "I understand."

The emperor then responded lightly, slowly walked back to the dragon throne and sat down, and then asked, "You have made great contributions in suppressing the bandits this time, tell me, what do you want?"

Hearing this, Xiao Heng's body stiffened slightly, and the figure of Qiao Nian appeared in his mind...