Chapter 509: No Need for Companionship on the Road to the Underworld

Chapter 509: No Need for Companionship on the Road to the Underworld

Hearing Chief Liu's words, He Zhiran already realized what was going on.

No wonder they hadn't encountered a single servant when they entered the mansion earlier.

Minister He had anticipated what the Empress would eventually do. To prevent the servants from getting involved, he had sent them away early.

Uncle Feng was an exception. He had been loyal to my father until the end. Even knowing he might die, he would never abandon his duties and flee for his own survival.

Sure enough, He Yuanming burst into laughter.

"Ha ha ha... I knew this day would come. That's why I sent away all my family and servants early. Even if I die, I don’t need anyone to accompany me to the afterlife."

"You... you are incredibly bold!" Chief Liu hadn’t anticipated that Minister He would take such drastic measures. Before he had left to carry out his task, the Empress had instructed him that if Minister He wasn't afraid of death, they should use his family as leverage.

But the minister had prepared in advance.

What leverage did he have left to use against him?

Chief Liu’s eyes flickered, and then he had an idea.

"Don't forget, your living daughter is still in the Northwest. With just a word from the Empress, do you think she would have any chance of survival if a team was sent after her?"

He Zhiran couldn’t contain her anger any longer.

She and Mo Jiuya stepped out from behind the screen at the same time.

In perfect sync, they took advantage of Chief Liu's inattention and, from left and right, knocked out the two palace attendants standing by his sides.

With a cold smile, she said, "If you want to kill me, there's no need to go to the Northwest. I'm standing right in front of you now. Let’s see if you can do it."

Mo Jiuya, being a martial artist, had an extraordinary sense of danger.

While hiding behind the screen, he had carefully assessed the situation and confirmed that only three people had come to the Minister's mansion today.

Therefore, when He Zhiran decided to reveal herself, he fully supported her.

The two people were not recognized by Chief Liu, but he wasn’t completely foolish.

From He Zhiran's words, he could infer her identity, though he doubted it. After all, hadn't the eldest miss of the He family been exiled to the Northwest on the second day after marrying into the Mo family? How could she possibly appear in the Imperial City?

It must be said, this Chief Liu wasn't entirely without a brain.

Though he doubted the identity of the woman standing before him, he had clearly seen the entire altercation.

The swiftness with which they had acted was comparable to the imperial guards around the Empress—they were undoubtedly martial arts experts.

Chief Liu, being somewhat sensible, didn’t need He Zhiran and Mo Jiuya to remind him to stay quiet; he clamped his mouth shut on his own.

However, to verify the identity of the people before him, he asked in a normal voice:

"Who exactly are you?"

He Zhiran gave a cold laugh.

"He he... Weren't you just threatening my father, saying the Empress would send someone to take my life in the Northwest?

What's wrong?

"I'm right here in front of you, and you can't recognize me?"

Minister He was stunned by what he saw. He had witnessed He Zhiran and Mo Jiuya's movements just moments ago.

He had no idea his daughter had learned such skills.

And seeing how close she was to Chief Liu, he feared the eunuch might desperately take her hostage to threaten him.

"Ran Ran, come here to my side. Don't waste your breath on someone like him."

Minister He had already prepared himself for death. If his daughter and son-in-law hadn't shown up today, he might have already taken the poison from the table.

But now that his loved ones were present, he couldn't possibly go through with it.

It seemed he was determined to have a deadly confrontation with Chief Liu.

In the heat of the moment, he had momentarily forgotten about Mo Jiuya. With the former war hero of the Great Shun present, there was no way anyone could harm them.

Mo Jiuya also didn't want He Zhiran to take any risks. He stood in front of the He family father and daughter, staring directly at Chief Liu.

From his icy gaze, it was easy to tell that he viewed Chief Liu as good as dead.

Uncle Feng, listening to the commotion outside the study door, knew of Mo Jiuya's abilities. Assured that he was there, Uncle Feng believed that Master He and the young miss would be safe for now, so he remained dutifully guarding the door.

Even though he trusted Mo Jiuya, he still worried when he heard Master He call for the young miss.

Just as Mo Jiuya reached out to grab Chief Liu's neck, Uncle Feng burst through the door with a thick wooden stick in hand.

He had been prepared to die alongside his master, but today, with the young miss and son-in-law back, he knew Master He wouldn't choose to die.

If they were going to have a deadly confrontation, he wanted to help out too.

"You dog, how dare you threaten Master He and the young miss! I'll beat you to death."

Seeing Uncle Feng storm in with such ferocity, Mo Jiuya quickly tossed the nearly strangled Chief Liu toward him.

Chief Liu's heavy body landed at Uncle Feng's feet like a sack of meat.

Uncle Feng was swift. He raised the stick high and struck Chief Liu's body with all his strength.

With that blow, Uncle Feng used all his force, and Chief Liu was knocked out without even a groan.

Mo Jiuya and He Zhiran had no intention of letting the palace eunuchs survive after they revealed themselves.

They were confident that the two eunuchs they had knocked out earlier wouldn't wake up for another thirty minutes.

Chief Liu had also been dealt a severe blow by Uncle Feng's stick.

"Father, these people were sent by the Empress. Does she want your life?"

With the current chaos in the court, Minister He, unwilling to conspire with the Empress's faction, had already prepared himself for death.

But he didn't want to burden his daughter with that.

Minister He didn't want to say it, but Uncle Feng couldn't hold back.

Seeing that his master had remained silent for too long, he stepped forward and said, "Miss, please talk some sense into Master He.

Two days ago, he dismissed all the servants, already preparing to die."

"If I hadn't insisted on staying, Master would have driven me away too."

"Stop it, don't say these things to Ran Ran. She's a young girl and shouldn't be involved in such matters," Minister He harshly reprimanded Uncle Feng, forbidding him from speaking.

Uncle Feng, who had finally found a way to save his master, was not about to stop.

"Master, even if you beat me to death today, I have to tell Miss He. You must let her take you away from this dangerous place."

With that, Uncle Feng, disregarding Minister He's warning, continued, "Ran Ran, you must convince Master to leave. The Empress's faction won't stop until they get rid of him.

Master has dedicated his entire life to serving the court diligently and shouldn't meet such a fate.

You saw it just now—if not for you and your husband being here, he would have likely lost his life..."

Uncle Feng could barely continue, his eyes welling up with tears. "If not for you and your husband being here, he would have been killed..."