Chapter 638: No One to Trust

The Beili Emperor’s brow furrowed even deeper. The Eighth Prince was like a husk, his soul hollowed out. He no longer possessed any sense of fear or reverence.

A person like that would be difficult to tame.

"Your Majesty, after all our years together, are you truly going to exile me?" With everyone else gone, Consort Yuan’s voice was accusatory.

The Beili Emperor withdrew his gaze. "If you hadn’t done something so foolish, would the Eighth Prince have become like this?"

’It should have been so easy to obtain. Now, because of her foolishness, it’s as difficult as scaling the heavens.’

"Heh." Consort Yuan let out a cold laugh. "So that’s what you truly care about. And I was foolish enough to believe you actually loved me... I was so, so foolish..."

"You brought this situation upon yourself. I indulged you at every turn, which is why you’ve become so utterly indiscreet."

"You claim to love me, but I was just led astray! All I did was kill some bastard of unknown origin, and for that, you cruelly destroyed my entire sect!" Consort Yuan enunciated every word, her eyes filled with ferocity and disappointment.

"You still don’t realize your mistake. By now, all of Beili—and even the other three kingdoms—knows what happened on Four-direction Mountain. If I don’t punish you, the Beili Imperial Family will become a laughingstock to the world. As the Emperor of this nation, I will not allow anyone to look down on the Imperial Family." The Beili Emperor felt a surge of anger, like one feels toward a hopeless case.

Consort Yuan’s fingers clenched into fists, her lips trembling.

Seeing her state, the Beili Emperor’s tone softened a fraction. "Once you reach the borderlands, you’d best curb that awful temper of yours and work on self-cultivation. If you don’t, you can forget about ever returning to the Capital City."

Consort Yuan looked up, slightly stunned.

"Behave yourself. Someone from the Ministry of Justice will arrive early tomorrow morning. Don’t make a scene, or you’ll be the only one who suffers." The Beili Emperor gestured for the guards to lead her back to her room.

A guard stepped forward. "Your Highness, please."

Something shifted in Consort Yuan’s eyes. Pondering the Emperor’s words, she turned and hesitantly walked back into the room.

"The four of you, from this moment on, do not leave the Crown Prince’s side. Protect him at all times." The Beili Emperor was deeply worried that Sang Zhi would target the Crown Prince in the future.

"Yes."

The four Hidden Guards bowed, then vanished from the courtyard.

’Consort Yuan stood at the doorway. Hearing the Emperor’s command made her feel a little more at ease about the Crown Prince. For the Emperor to assign his personal Hidden Guards to Qi’er’s side, it meant he still held Qi’er in high regard.’

’The Emperor’s words just now... they held a hidden meaning...!’

Sang Zhi and Du Yi had walked a long way.

Du Yi stopped in his tracks. "Eighth Prince, I must leave the palace."

"Du Yi, are you willing to stay by my side?" Sang Zhi turned to ask.

"I am my lady’s guard. In this life, I will only ever be my lady’s guard," Du Yi said coldly.

"I’m not asking you to swear fealty to me. I have no one I can trust right now. I only trust you." He trusted Ye Qianning’s guard—unconditionally.

Du Yi was silent.

"If you’re unwilling, I won’t force you."

"I will consider it. Right now, my mission is to escort my lady’s body out of Beili."

"Why must Ye Qianning’s body be taken out of Beili?" Sang Zhi asked in surprise.

"Has the Eighth Prince not heard? The Emperor has forbidden my lady’s body from being buried on Beili soil. Dean Chen and the entire Qian family have also been banished from Beili."

"When did this happen?"

"I overheard officials discussing it when I entered the palace. It was a decree from this morning’s court session." After hearing the discussion, Du Yi had found a guard on duty to inquire and learned that it was true.

"I’ll go with you to the General’s estate."

’She’s already dead, and still she must suffer such torment.’