NOVEL NEXT chapter 10
Chapter 10 The Death of the Coachman
Everyone was very surprised by Governor Liu’s request.
In the past, it was indeed a path for noble girls to enter the harem, after all, if chosen by the emperor, it meant that their family would also gain great power. But with the new emperor ascending the throne, this became an empty talk—
The new emperor is a girl, and it seems that the new emperor does not like to keep male concubines. So what’s the use of having so many concubines in the harem? To turn the new emperor gay?
Fortunately, the new emperor is still very young, so there is no need to worry about heirs for the time being. The ministers in the court also understand—the new emperor’s desire to have offspring is not a big issue. At worst, they can establish a royal relative or simply bring out the new emperor’s brother in the future.
Therefore, Governor Liu’s request really puzzled Qin Ji. After all, in the past, noble families sent their daughters to the palace hoping that their daughters could win the emperor’s favor and thus bring their family closer to the emperor. But Governor Liu sending his daughter to the new emperor… To be honest, trying to turn the new emperor gay, you might as well usurp the throne.
“Can you tell me the reason?”
Qin Ji asked.
“Sigh, what other reason could there be,” the elderly man was full of exhaustion at this moment, “My deadbeat daughter is stubborn and refuses to marry. I’ve tried everything, but it’s no use. Last time, a matchmaker came to propose, and she directly beat him up.”
“Ahaha, your daughter is really… fiery,” Qin Ji could only give a high EQ evaluation, “Since that’s the case, why send her to the palace? Doesn’t she dislike marriage?”
“She doesn’t like marriage, but that doesn’t stop others from wanting to marry her,” the old man whispered in Qin Ji’s ear, “Look, even among those present, there are a few who want to take her as a concubine. I’ve heard they all fancy my daughter. She doesn’t want to marry out, and I don’t want to marry her out either. So, it’s better to send her to the palace—no one would dare to compete with the emperor for a woman, right? I’ve lived this long, and she’s my only daughter. I don’t want to…”
“Mm, I understand,” Qin Ji nodded, “I understand, since Governor Liu has spoken so frankly, out of respect for your trust, I will handle this matter.”
“Really!?”
“Really, rest assured, I will communicate with His Majesty. If there are no issues, she will enter the palace soon. I think His Majesty probably won’t mind having another woman around.”
This matter is actually not difficult. To put it bluntly, Governor Liu just wants his daughter to have a place to escape from marriage. Arranging her into the palace is naturally the best. Which noble or minister would be crazy enough to compete with the emperor for a woman?
It’s just unfortunate for His Majesty. According to Qin Ji’s observation, His Majesty doesn’t seem to be gay. Letting her accept a girl into her harem would feel awkward no matter how you think about it. But it doesn’t matter, if His Majesty doesn’t like her, she won’t favor her. Anyway, Governor Liu’s daughter probably doesn’t care about that.
Originally, Qin Ji thought the old man would ask him for a real central ministerial position. Although he could recommend a central official to His Majesty, this would ultimately damage His Majesty’s goodwill. But pushing someone into the harem doesn’t matter.
After finishing the meal and exchanging pleasantries with a few officials, Qin Ji got on the carriage back to the Duke of Anguo’s mansion.
Unexpectedly, the coachman had changed this time. His lovely guard was sitting in the original coachman’s position, with black hair draped behind him.
“Why the interest in driving today?” Qin Ji asked with a smile.
“Old Sun is dead.”
Ling Yan said, shouting at the horse in front, and then the sound of hooves rang out as the carriage began to move forward.
“What?!” Qin Ji almost jumped up.
Old Sun was the name of the coachman of this carriage. Old Sun had been the coachman of the Duke of Anguo’s mansion since Qin Ji’s father was still around. Because of his excellent driving skills, his treatment in the Duke of Anguo’s mansion was much better than most coachmen in Daxia, and Qin Ji also regarded him as an elder.
Even the previous owner of this body was not unkind to him. Although Qin Ji was ruthless in the past, he was also very good at controlling his subordinates. When it was time to be generous, he was never stingy. Old Sun, by taking care of the horses for the Duke of An’s mansion, earned enough money to build several large houses in his hometown.
Such a trustworthy old coachman of the Duke of An’s mansion, who was still pulling him to the court meeting this morning, was already dead when he returned?
“How did he die?”
“I killed him.”
Ling Yan said softly. When the voice floated into the carriage, Qin Ji suddenly felt a sense of confusion.
It was only at this moment that he realized that there was a short sword lying opposite his seat.
It was a finely crafted bronze short sword with exquisite patterns engraved on it. Rather than being a weapon, it was more like a decorative item. Eight characters were engraved on the blade:
“Shining sword edge, a gift to my servant.”
This was something he had given to Ling Yan.
And now, this bronze sword, which was originally just for decoration, was stained with dark red blood.
Ling Yan had killed Old Sun. His trusted guard had killed his trusted coachman, and now, the murder weapon was right in front of him. No wonder Ling Yan seemed a bit off today. She was probably hesitating whether to explain the situation to him.
Qin Ji looked at Ling Yan’s back:
“Why did you kill him?”
“After you entered the palace, I went outside to buy some herbs to nourish your body. But when I came back, I found Old Sun chatting with someone. They were talking about how to kill you.”
A very simple and direct explanation. Ling Yan explained the whole story clearly in a few sentences.
“So you killed him.”
“Not entirely. According to the rules, I should have controlled him, reported to you, and waited for your decision,” Ling Yan’s eyes showed a hint of gloom. “But Old Sun seemed to have sensed something. Before I could act, he and those who colluded with him surrounded me.”
Qin Ji nodded, understanding.
In this way, the blood on the bronze sword was not just Old Sun’s. Apparently, Ling Yan, who did not expect Old Sun to turn hostile so quickly, used whatever she had at hand and directly drew the bronze sword she carried to kill those who tried to attack her.
“Where is the body?”
“I have already disposed of it.”
As she said this, Ling Yan glanced at the river under the bridge.
“Ah… As expected, someone couldn’t hold back. They originally wanted to pressure His Majesty, but they failed. In the end, they could only use this method…” Qin Ji sighed deeply. “Ling Yan, let’s take a detour home today. I don’t want to be attacked by a group of people halfway.”
“Yes, young master.”