Dread King's Bride

QingWu stood on the carriage, holding the whip in her hand as she twirled it once: "You keep claiming to come for thieves? I, the Queen, do not wish to be smeared, but since everyone is here, let's see if there is indeed a thief hidden in my carriage!"

She pulled back the curtain, revealing the person inside. Mu Ying had been treated, and though she no longer looked as disheveled, it was clear to anyone with discerning eyes that her mind was not quite there. The old woman and her companions felt their hearts sink as they saw Mu Ying.

QingWu sneered coldly: "Aren't you here to catch a thief? Then tell me, who on this carriage is the thief?"

The old woman trembled in fear, her body shaking, but the situation left her no room for hesitation. She cursed herself for not realizing it was the Dread King's carriage. Her heart burned with more hatred for Mu Ying—how did this madwoman get involved with the Dread King's Manor? Having just claimed to be here to catch thieves, and now seeing Mu Ying right in front of her, if she changed her story now, she'd be slapping herself on the face. She could only force a smile and say, "Your Majesty, forgive me, it was my mistake, I have offended you. Please, as a person of great virtue, don't stoop to my level. But the madwoman on the carriage is undoubtedly a thief!"

She gritted her teeth and continued, "Please, Your Majesty, show mercy and allow us to take this thief away. Not only did she steal, but when she loses her mind, she becomes violent and harms people."

QingWu's anger flared as she heard the words "crazy woman" and "thieving hag" from the old woman. Her fury rose, and she snapped, "How dare you!" Her voice was sharp, her gaze as piercing as lightning. "She is the daughter of the Mu family, clearly your lady. You vile servant, not only have you harmed your master, but now you dare deceive others!"

The old woman was stunned as if struck by lightning. She attempted to argue, "How could she, a madwoman, possibly be our mistress? My lady, do not be fooled by her!"

It was clear that Mu Ying was so far gone that she could no longer recognize anyone. She had been locked away in the manor for years, and it was said that not many in the capital knew her. How could the truth of her identity be exposed like this?

"Alright, then why don't we invite your Minister of Revenue over and see if he even recognizes his own wife?"

The old woman was so frightened she turned pale. Before she could even attempt to argue, the bodyguards behind her were already trembling, kneeling, and shouting, "Please spare us, Queen! That is indeed our mistress! She suffers from a mental illness, and with the disappearance of the young master, it triggered her condition. We are merely out looking for her. We had no ill intentions! Everything was just that old woman's nonsense…"

The surrounding crowd quickly understood.

"I've heard of servants bullying their masters, but this is the first time I've seen such audacity. They dare to slander their own mistress as a thief?"

"What kind of Minister of Revenue is that? His own wife is being mistreated by her servant, and he doesn't even know?"

"How could a proper minister's wife go mad? She must have been abused at home!"

"Exactly, if it was just her illness and she ran out, they should have said so directly. The way they're hiding it, there must be something more to this minister's wife's condition."

QingWu tossed aside her whip without sparing a glance at the kneeling and begging crowd. She turned to Xiao Chenyuan, her voice steady but sharp. "Your Majesty, it seems that anyone can casually accuse us of harboring fugitives these days. This matter cannot be dismissed so easily! And this Minister of Revenue's wife—she's a critical witness."

"I see that the Minister's residence is a complete mess. When servants dare to bully their masters even in public, who knows what happens behind closed doors? If we allow them to take her back just like this, and something happens to her—say she dies—won't they just throw the blame back on us?"

Xiao Chenyuan clearly had no intention of standing idly by. He had met Mu Ying briefly in the past. Though their interactions were minimal, the fact that she was the niece of the Zhen Guo Marquis' wife and a cousin to his Little bean sprout gave him enough reason to intervene.

"Take these insolent servants and give them forty lashes each before throwing them back to the Minister of Revenue's residence. As for this old woman…" Xiao Chenyuan narrowed his eyes dangerously. "After her punishment, bring her back to the Dread King's Manor for a proper interrogation."

The old woman's face went pale, and she fainted on the spot, as though struck by lightning.

"Your Majesty," QingWu spoke again, her tone calm but firm. "It's best to report this to the authorities. Madam Mu is covered in injuries. This matter must be officially documented to prevent anyone from falsely accusing us in the future."

"The Queen makes a valid point." Xiao Chenyuan met her gaze and nodded in agreement.

News of the incident spread quickly throughout the capital. The old woman and the guards were publicly flogged, their punishment drawing a crowd. QingWu had every reason to take Mu Ying back to the Dread King's Manor for treatment. As for the Minister of Revenue's residence attempting to demand her return? Ridiculous. The household mistress had been subjected to such abuse—if they dared show up, QingWu would have no trouble finding excuses to shut the door in their faces. If the Minister of Revenue was shameless enough to cause a scene, QingWu was more than willing to tear his reputation to shreds.

With Mu Ying in the carriage, it wasn't appropriate for Xiao Chenyuan to join. He chose to ride his horse back instead, though the motion aggravated his fresh injuries. The veins on his forehead throbbed with pain, a stark reminder of his earlier battle.

The situation with Mu Ying also stirred buried memories. A cold, lethal aura enveloped Xiao Chenyuan as he rode.

Upon their return to the Dread King's Manor, the resident physician was summoned to treat Mu Ying. QingWu watched as the doctor carefully extracted over a dozen hair-thin needles embedded in Mu Ying's wrists and ankles. Each removal caused her body to spasm in agony. Only after she was given a calming draught did she fall into a deep, restless sleep.

A group of people gathered in the courtyard, their conversation tense. QingWu asked coldly, "Did that old woman confess anything yet?"

After being flogged and dragged back to the Dread King's Manor, the old woman had been subjected to severe interrogation. Under the torture, everything spilled out.

Lü Qiao reported, "The old woman admitted to acting under the orders of Madam Zhou, wife of the Minister of Revenue."

"Wait," QingWu interrupted sharply. "Isn't Madam Mu the legitimate wife?"

"Your Grace may not know," Lü Qiao explained. "A few years ago, the Minister of Revenue took in Zhou Xueqing, the illegitimate daughter of the Marquis of Qi Yuan, as a secondary wife. It's absurd—although Madam Mu married him first, her family's declining influence forced her to give up her position as the principal wife and become a secondary one."

QingWu's gaze turned icy, her fingers drumming on the table as Lü Qiao continued, "After Madam Zhou married into the household, she had people secretly drug Madam Mu. The drug drove her to lose her senses, and the needle torture was also her doing. Madam Zhou, unable to conceive a child, blamed it on Mu Yulang, believing he occupied the place of the child she could not have. She ordered the old woman to take him out of the Minister of Revenue's residence and... dispose of him."

Lü Qiao's voice trembled as she finished, "The old woman confessed they threw him into Shiying Mountain."

"Shiying Mountain?"

"Yes," Lü Qiao quickly explained. "It's a wild mountain thirty miles west from the city, rumored to devour children. Locals avoid it at all costs. Rest assured, Your Grace, the matter has already been reported to the authorities, and the magistrate has sent people to search the mountain."

QingWu frowned as her gaze swept toward Mu Ying, whose womb showed no signs of life, deathly silent. Waiting on the magistrate to find her little nephew seemed hopeless. Time was not on her side. Without hesitation, she stood and went to find Xiao Chenyuan.

At Si Wei Courtyard, Elderly Attendant stiffened as QingWu's stormy figure approached, instinctively trying to block her path. "His Majesty has instructed that no one—"

"Move aside!" QingWu shoved past, flinging the doors open. "Xiao Chenyuan, I have something to—"

"Get out!" The man's furious voice cut through the air like a blade.

QingWu's eyes landed squarely on him as he hastily held up his trousers. A memory of her reckless words surfaced abruptly. Without thinking, she blurted out, "Still functional?"

Elderly Attendant, who had just peeked one foot inside, immediately withdrew it and slammed the door shut in panic. Inside, the man's handsome face darkened considerably, veins bulging on the hand clutching his waistband. He ground out, "What. Do. You. Think?"

QingWu's heart sank. Dead. She was dead!

Xiao Chenyuan, equally alarmed, strode forward before QingWu could fire off another devastating remark. He clamped a hand over her mouth, pressing her firmly against the door. The pressure of his frame and the dangerous aura he exuded sent an undeniable shiver down her spine.