Before the words had even fallen, a discordant voice suddenly rang out: “Your Majesty, please wait!”
Everyone was startled.
Who could have the audacity to interrupt the emperor’s decision?
They saw Chancellor Xu Feng stand up and passionately plead to the emperor: “Your Majesty, the Duke of Changning is your brother. How can you sentence him to death? Besides, the Crown Princess is unharmed. At most, the Duke of Changning attempted regicide—there may be misunderstandings in between. If Your Majesty executes the Duke arbitrarily, you risk bearing the infamy of killing your own brother. I earnestly beseech Your Majesty to reconsider and make a judgment only after thoroughly interrogating the Duke.”
Qin Ling was truly a foolish ruler of his time; he was swayed by such words and began to hesitate.
Just as Qin Ling wavered, dozens of officials stood up and shouted in unison: “Your Majesty, please reconsider!”
Qin Ling’s ears were soft, and seeing so many court ministers object, he ordered: “Summon the Duke of Changning to the capital. I will interrogate him personally!”
Qin Yu panicked upon hearing this: “Originally, the Duke of Changning’s fate was sealed—death was certain. How did this suddenly do a complete 180? Although Father intends to interrogate the Duke, everyone knows that the death sentence will be commuted to life imprisonment, life imprisonment will be reduced to a fixed term, and eventually that will lead to acquittal.”
Qin Yu carefully glanced at the ministers seated below.
Those who had just voiced opposition were precisely the officials who had remained silent during earlier discussions.
It seemed these ministers at court had long been bribed by the Duke of Changning.
Qin Yu was about to argue vehemently, but Qin Ling suddenly stood up and announced the court session’s end.
Of course—Qin Ling wanted to return to the Imperial Palace for his pleasures.
To him, attending court sessions was no different from imprisonment, especially since the agenda had been fully discussed.
Qin Yu was deeply disappointed—not only because the Duke of Changning would escape punishment, but also because her own father did not value her.
She left the main hall, feeling her life was engulfed in darkness.
At this moment, Luo Shangyu patted her shoulder: “Still worried?”
Qin Yu remained silent.
Luo Shangyu stroked Qin Yu’s head: “Don’t worry. If he dares to hurt you again, this time I will protect you with all my strength.”
“All your strength?”
“Yes, give everything.”
“Everything… including your life?”
“Yes.”
A warmth blossomed in Qin Yu’s heart.
She hugged Luo Shangyu tightly: “Thank you…”
“We’re not just ordinary friends. We’re best friends.” Luo Shangyu whispered softly as she held Qin Yu in her arms.
Suddenly, Qin Yu recalled that when she had just left the hall, there were guards by her side, as well as eunuchs and maidservants nearby.
She quickly pulled her head out from Luo Shangyu’s broad chest, but the blush on her face was unmistakable.
Looking up, she saw the guards wearing helmets with masks, hiding their expressions, and the maidservants all had their backs turned.
From the quiet whispers around, it was clear they were laughing.
“My reputation is ruined forever…” Qin Yu sighed.
“Maybe I should just live on another planet…”
After lunch, Qin Yu’s mood improved somewhat and she thought, ‘Why bother with all these troubles? It’s best to seize the time and enjoy the holiday.’
Luo Shangyu suggested: “We could go for a walk.”
“A walk?”
“To stroll around the capital city. I rarely come to the capital and haven’t really taken a good look around. How about you accompany me?”
Qin Yu gladly agreed.
The two changed into casual clothes and slipped out through a small gate of the Imperial Palace.
Qin Yu wore a deep blue hoodie paired with white shorts; the color of her clothes matched the color of her eyes perfectly.
They walked through the bustling streets, weaving through the crowd.
“We should hold hands, or we might get separated,” Luo Shangyu reminded carefully.
“Okay.”
Qin Yu took Luo Shangyu’s offered hand.
‘Such a warm hand,’ she thought.
“Such delicate skin, such soft hands,” Luo Shangyu said, holding Qin Yu’s hand and feeling it carefully.
The pedestrians’ expressions were light and cheerful, completely unaffected by last night’s events.
It was early autumn; the air lacked the oppressive heat of summer, and the sunlight was neither harsh nor glaring.
A gentle breeze brought coolness mixed with a touch of melancholy.
They entered the busiest street of Yongan City.
Buildings lined up like scales.
Storytellers’ tales, musicians’ songs, and actors’ arias drifted beneath the eaves fraught with scheming.
Luo Shangyu slowed her pace, eyes scanning the surrounding shops carefully.
“Magic Weapon Shop?” Luo Shangyu was drawn to a certain store.
She pulled Qin Yu inside.
The shop was large, with two floors above ground and one below.
The first floor displayed exquisitely designed defensive magic devices, such as jewel-encrusted miniature Magic-conducting Guns and intricately carved disposable Magic-conducting Swords.
Mostly, these were showy but not very practical.
“This is for profit,” Luo Shangyu muttered.
“Profit?”
“Otherwise, who would come here? These aren’t mercenaries—only ordinary folks come. Compared to damage power, they care more about appearance. They treat these things like crafts.”
Qin Yu looked at the items and agreed silently.
They quickly browsed the first floor.
What surprised them most was finding “Yuchong” for sale.
The professional term for “Yuchong” is [Single-use Portable Mana-storing Instant-cast Staff].
Portable means it’s small, about the size of a 550ml bottled water.
Mana-storing means it can store mana internally, requiring no external mana input when used.
Instant-cast means it requires no spell chanting.
In short, anyone can use it.
However, it’s extremely expensive, costing nearly ten million copper coins.
They ascended to the second floor, where the merchandise was more specialized: Magic-conducting Guns were sleek and neat, entirely painted black without extra decoration.
About a dozen customers were there, dressed casually in tank tops and beach shorts.
Qin Yu was curious about their identities and tugged Luo Shangyu toward them, pretending to pick items while eavesdropping.
“Old Wang, why did you splurge on equipment this time?” a middle-aged man asked another who was busy loading bullets into his shopping cart.
Old Wang looked up and said: “Old Li, you don’t understand the importance of this mission. We’re going to the Boermai Empire to quell a rebellion! The king of Boermai has angered heaven and earth, and the nobles are raising arms. We need to help the king suppress this rebellion. The noble leading the rebels has extremely pure Demon Clan blood and is a seventh-tier demigod-level mage. This mission is incredibly difficult; we must be fully prepared.”
“If you ask me, we should play it safe and not charge in headfirst. The death rate will be much lower, and we still get paid as usual,” a young man joined in.
***
Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu listened intently, realizing this group must be from the capital’s largest mercenary company—the Tiexuan Mercenary Group.
Their headquarters was not far from here, so coming here to purchase supplies was normal.
Besides, this store was a chain with reliable quality.
While Qin Yu pondered, a burly man suddenly stood before them and asked, “Ladies, what are you doing here?”
Qin Yu was too startled to meet his gaze, awkwardly looking down at her shoes, thinking: ‘Damn, these shoes are just too cute.’
Luo Shangyu appeared calm: “We were drawn by your conversation and wanted to listen carefully.”
The burly man sighed in relief: “I thought you were some suspicious characters sneaking behind us.”
“Haha,” Luo Shangyu laughed awkwardly.
“So, what exactly are you going to do? We didn’t catch everything.”
They had only caught the gist and didn’t know the background story.
They wanted to understand more.
The burly man looked hesitant; he didn’t want people talking too long nearby, as it would disrupt their shopping and he worried these two girls might be suspicious.
“I’ll treat you—we can chat over drinks at any bar!” Luo Shangyu saw the man’s expression and played her trump card.
“No problem! Glad to share our story! By the way, I’m Zhang Han, the squad leader,” the man agreed heartily.
Zhang Han thought: ‘I had no choice. She gave too much.’
Luo Shangyu smiled: “Nice to meet you, Captain Zhang. Which bar shall we meet at?”
“The one next to Tiexuan. My brothers love that place.”
After settling the time and place with Zhang Han, Luo Shangyu and Qin Yu left the Magic Weapon Shop and stepped onto the street.
“Not bad for an old woman. Social skills are something else,” Qin Yu complimented.
“Who are you calling old woman?” Luo Shangyu glared playfully and ruffled Qin Yu’s hair.
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
They continued strolling, since there was still some time before their appointment with Zhang Han.
“Saint Roppu Empire Clothing Store?” Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu were curious and went inside to explore.
The store specialized in Saint Roppu Empire style clothing.
If the Chengji Empire’s style was primarily traditional Chinese, then the Saint Roppu Empire’s was European.
The exotic designs were an eye-opener.
“That’s nice. It suits you,” Luo Shangyu pointed to a mannequin wearing a white dress.
The dress had a fitted waist and a large skirt supported by petticoats, layered and voluminous.
A saleswoman approached, seeing their refined looks and elegant manners, assuming they were nobles.
She eagerly introduced the merchandise.
Hearing her pitch, Qin Yu grew interested and decided to try it on.
She took the dress into the fitting room, attempting to change alone.
However…
To ensure the dress’s fit, the back was not sewn but designed with holes through which laces were threaded and tied.
Qin Yu couldn’t tie it by herself and called for Luo Shangyu.
Luo Shangyu carefully adjusted the laces behind her, making sure Qin Yu was comfortable.
‘So gentle…’ Qin Yu marveled at the soft touch behind her.
The dress fit surprisingly well.
The saleswoman couldn’t help but praise Qin Yu’s perfect figure and the dress’s flawless fit.
Qin Yu herself was thrilled.
“Wrap it up for her,” Luo Shangyu said to the saleswoman with satisfaction.
“Um, I didn’t bring that much money…” Qin Yu pointed at the price tag, warning Luo Shangyu.
“No worries, this is my gift to you.”
“Isn’t that too much? It’s too expensive.”
“What’s there to fear? We’re not just ordinary friends, you know,” Luo Shangyu said with a mischievous smile.
“…Not ordinary friends?”
“Yes, the best friends.”
“Best friends…” Qin Yu pondered the meaning behind those words carefully.