Chapter 22: Stick Out Your Hands

Chapter 22: Extend Your Hand

The physician’s words were like a boulder crashing into a deathly still lake, stirring up a thousand waves.

This extremely specific clue made everyone’s eyes instantly grow guarded and knowing.

“Liu Qingci?!”

“It’s him?!”

“Heavens! How dare he…”

One after another, looks of shock, suspicion, contempt, and even schadenfreude shot toward where Liu Qingci stood.

Everyone kept their thoughts to themselves.

Prince Yu had forcibly seized and humiliated the once-proud scholar, and Liu Qingci bore a grudge, seizing the chance for revenge.

It all fit perfectly.

With that line of thought, combined with the evidence the physician had uncovered, it was practically enough to condemn Liu Qingci to death.

Two guards strode forward, seizing Liu Qingci’s arms on either side with brutal force.

Liu Qingci was still immersed in the shock of the accusation.

He tried to pull away, his pale eyes still clouded with shock and a spark of indignant anger.

The next second, a merciless blow forced his knee to buckle.

“Thud!”

Liu Qingci gave a suppressed cry, his slender body pitching forward as he was shoved to his knees.

The tails of his blue robe fanned out, stained with dirt and water.

Forced to bow his head, all he could see in his field of vision was the messy floor in front of him.

All the surrounding noise, at this moment, seemed muffled, as though a muffling veil had fallen.

The pain was sharp; his posture was humiliating.

A name flashed quickly through his mind.

Xu Ming.

Xu Ming had deliberately blocked his path earlier—not merely to taunt him.

He remembered the deliberate way Xu Ming had brushed his sleeve when he left; that was when Xu Ming had planted the powder on him.

Xu Ming had framed him!

No—maybe framing wasn’t his original plan.

He’d planted the powder on Liu Qingci.

Xu Ming had wanted him dead.

Liu Qingci’s eyes went blank.

Even now, the thought of the mastiff charging at him with such ferocity still made his blood run cold.

If someone hadn’t yanked him back from behind, he might already have been a corpse in the mastiff’s jaws.

He had been seated by Prince Yu’s side at the time, with too many attendants scurrying about; in the confusion, he hadn’t seen clearly.

Who had pulled him away…

“Your Highness, it was him!”

A theatrical gasp interrupted Liu Qingci’s thoughts.

Xu Ming stepped forward, wearing a look of feigned indignation, raising his voice:

“It must be that Liu Qingci harbors resentment against Your Highness, devising such a vicious scheme that nearly cost Your Highness his life! With such a poisonous nature, he cannot be allowed to live!”

As soon as Xu Ming finished speaking, Xiao Yan gave him a flat, indifferent look.

Xu Ming was used to offering suggestions to Prince Yu, so speaking up like this wasn’t out of place.

But today, Prince Yu’s gaze... it felt foreign, and that alone sent a chill through him.

Xu Ming felt ice flood from his feet up to his scalp, nearly making him collapse.

He instinctively glanced at the still-dazed Liu Qingci, his heart hammered in his chest.

That cursed incense... there was no way it could be traced back to him, right?

And through some freak accident, it had injured His Highness Prince Yu.

He… he never imagined it would cause such a big commotion!

How could he have known that Prince Yu would keep Liu Qingci constantly at his side, and he’d gotten caught in the crossfire?

Xu Ming frantically made excuses for himself in his mind, while struggling to keep a righteous look on his face and even stepping half a step forward.

He tried to pin the blame squarely on Liu Qingci with even more vehement words:

“Your Highness, the evidence is solid. Liu Qingci’s intentions are murderous! Punish him severely at once, to serve as an example.”

He had to nail down Liu Qingci’s guilt quickly, cutting off any chance for deeper investigation.

A few other young rakes who were friendly with Xu Ming or also disliked Liu Qingci chimed in:

“Xu is right! Your Highness, this man must not be kept!”

“He dared to harm Your Highness today; who knows what he might do tomorrow!”

Listening to these voices so eager to see him condemned, Liu Qingci felt a growing chill and absurdity in his heart.

His thick lashes fluttered violently; he bit his lower lip until it hurt to suppress the wave of grievance and other complicated, unnameable feelings rising in his throat.

With the heavy charge of attempting to murder a prince, his entire Liu family was doomed.

But faced with these accusations, Liu Qingci didn’t defend himself.

Not because he didn’t want to, but because it was pointless.

Begging for justice from the people who wronged him... how utterly ridiculous.

The evidence clearly pointed to him. Fu'an stepped forward as well and asked cautiously, "Your Highness, how should Young Master Liu be dealt with?"

Should he be dragged away to feed the dogs, or slowly tortured? Fu'an wondered.

Fu'an was already rubbing his hands together, eager to take the man away for execution.

He was only waiting for His Highness Prince Yu to give the order.

Xiao Yan remained seated, his wounded hand properly bandaged and resting on the armrest.

Xiao Yan gave Fu'an a cold glance. "Tell him to come here."

Fu'an was startled.

Come here? How was he supposed to come?

He glanced behind him and saw Liu Qingci kneeling not far away.

Fu'an ordered the two guards, "Bring him before His Highness at once!"

Hearing this, the two guards took Liu Qingci by the arms and prepared to drag him over.

He was still kneeling, so when they dragged him, Liu Qingci had no way to steady himself and lurched forward.

Xiao Yan frowned. He casually picked up a wine cup from beside him and flung it.

The cup hit the empty floor, the crisp sound of shattering ringing out.

The two guards stopped dead.

Xiao Yan said, "Have him come himself."

The guards hastily let go of Liu Qingci's arms.

Liu Qingci was somewhat bewildered.

He had no idea what Prince Yu wanted to do next.

Interrogate him himself?

But now wasn't the time for that.

Prince Yu wanted him to come over alone.

He was a ways from where Prince Yu sat. If he stood up and walked over, Prince Yu would surely accuse him of great disrespect.

Given his current status and the accusation of attempting to murder a prince, the best course would actually be to... kneel-crawl.

Liu Qingci knew the etiquette of the royal family.

But he really didn't feel like it.

Since he was going to die anyway, why put himself through that?

So Liu Qingci hitched up his robe and stood up, his back as straight as a stalk of bamboo.

He marched straight over to Xiao Yan's side.

Seeing this, Fu'an drew in a sharp breath, his eyes wide as saucers.

This Young Master Liu was truly defiant—not only reckless but also so rude!

Instinctively, he wanted to bark out a reprimand.

But when he looked up, he saw his master's face—it seemed... not angry at all?

Fu'an was a master at reading expressions, so he promptly held back the "How dare you!" that was on his lips.

He watched silently from the sidelines.

Liu Qingci stood while Xiao Yan remained seated.

Then His Highness Prince Yu looked up at Liu Qingci, held out his uninjured hand, and said:

"Give me your hand."

Liu Qingci looked a little stunned.

But he still instinctively held out his hand.

Fu'an felt a knot tighten in his stomach as he watched.

"Here we go!"

"Is His Highness really going to do it himself?"

Was he going to personally cut off Young Master Liu's hand?