Black pills came into Yan Kuan's sight.
His pupils contracted sharply.
These were actually the tonic pills that Du Chun usually offered to Nan Rong Qi!
Nan Rong Qi had not taken them? But had kept them all?
At that moment, Yan Kuan realized that the Nan Rong Qi they saw daily was not as simple as he appeared.
This man's mind was too deep.
"Your Majesty, these, your humble servant..."
Yan Kuan knelt on the ground, his voice revealing a hint of refusal, but he dared not say it aloud.
"What? You dislike what朕's things are not good?"
Killing intent appeared in Nan Rong Qi's eyes.
"Your humble servant dares not."
"Since that is the case, then take them back. Consume one daily. This item is very nourishing. You are the person朕 trusts the most, so朕 naturally wishes you good health and longevity."
As he spoke, Nan Rong Qi assigned a follower to Yan Kuan and instructed him to serve Yan Kuan well.
The loyalty of a dog is reflected in whether one controls the dog's lifeline.
While speaking, two guards brought in a woman.
The woman was dressed in worn, greyish-white patched coarse cloth, her hair disheveled, and her dust-covered cheeks bore two very obvious scars.
The scars were rather dark, indicating old wounds at first glance.
After being dragged in by two guards, the woman knelt on the ground, raised her head, put her fingers in her mouth, and looked around foolishly.
The moment she saw Yan Kuan's back, she smiled foolishly, "Son, son!"
Taking her fingers out of her mouth, she was about to crawl towards Yan Kuan.
A familiar voice sounded in his ears.
Yan Kuan turned his head sharply.
The first moment he saw the woman, his eyes were filled with shock.
The woman hugged Yan Kuan and casually took out candies hidden in her sleeves, placing a large handful into Yan Kuan's hands.
"Son, eat candy. This candy is very sweet."
The woman, not knowing what she had experienced outside.
At this moment, Yan Kuan could clearly see that the skin behind her ears and on her forehead was broken, with little bleeding, already dried.
"Mother! What happened to you?"
Saying this, Yan Kuan took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped the blood from the woman's forehead and the back of her ears.
But before he could wipe the blood clean, he heard the woman's sobbing.
It turned out that the woman saw that his sleeve had been torn at some point, and she cried sadly.
"Son, I'm sorry. It's my fault. I'm useless, making you wear old clothes and be disliked by your father..."
The woman hugged Yan Kuan, crying and laughing alternately, her mind somewhat unstable.
It was not until Yan Kuan managed to coax the woman back with the candies she had just given him.
He then knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Nan Rong Qi: "Please, Your Majesty, spare your humble servant's mother. My mother, her mind is not quite right, and she has always lived in the countryside. From now on, whatever Your Majesty asks your humble servant to do, your humble servant will do."
As he spoke, Yan Kuan immediately took a pill from the tray beside him, put it into his mouth, and swallowed it directly.
He had previously worried that these were not longevity medicines but some kind of slow-acting poison pills. However, at this moment, he had no other way out and swallowed it directly.
Seeing Yan Kuan like this, Nan Rong Qi smiled and said, "You still have many tasks ahead.朕 understands your hard work and your mother's hardships living in the countryside. From today onwards, your mother will remain in the palace, residing in the Du Dan Palace as a wet nurse for Consort Wang, to keep her company."
Consort Wang was a palace maid who had served Nan Rong Qi. After being favored by Nan Rong Qi once, she was promoted to the rank of consort.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."
Using his mother as a hostage, Yan Kuan's calm demeanor was filled with anger.
But given the current situation, he was powerless to change it.
The Yan clan, on the surface, did not participate in any court struggles, but they had secretly pledged allegiance to the current emperor (then Crown Prince) Nan Rong Qi.
And he had always been working for Nan Rong Qi.
His interactions with Gu Qianying at that time were also at Nan Rong Qi's command, a disguise under the guise of "friendship."
Being imprisoned, being rescued, and accompanying Gu Qianying to search for treasure, all of this was premeditated.
However, the感动 he felt at that time was real, and the feelings he developed for Gu Qianying were also real.
"I heard that my sixth brother has been hiding in the Poisonous Doctor's Sacred Hall for many days, and has now learned a great deal. Divination is one of them, and his martial arts have also improved. Such a capable person, I want to know, who is his master?"
Nan Rong Qi stood up, descended from the dragon throne, and came before Yan Kuan, looking down at him.
At this moment, Yan Kuan was still kneeling on the ground.
Nan Rong Qi did not allow him to rise.
"Replying to Your Majesty, it is Meng Qinghua, the hall master of the Poisonous Doctor's Sacred Hall."
"Meng Qinghua? I seem to have heard this name somewhere before?"
"Replying to Your Majesty, according to your humble servant's investigation, the Meng family established their own sect in the martial arts world, the Yi Jing Ge, which is a major Xuan sect skilled in divination. And this Meng Qinghua is the new sect leader of the Yi Jing Ge. His father, the former sect leader, passed away a few days ago."
He had also heard about Meng Qinghua leaving the Poisonous Doctor's Sacred Hall.
The Meng family had considerable prestige in the martial arts world, which he only learned later.
"So, he is from the Yi Jing Ge! Heh! Interesting!"
A glint of light appeared in Nan Rong Qi's eyes, and then he said, "Du Chun is no longer a threat to朕. As for the Meng family, send people to monitor them. In the past few days, Ye Feng has been making significant moves in the military camp, with Old General Ye also helping him from behind the scenes. The Gu family army has also been largely incorporated by him. Tonight, I will give you two thousand elite soldiers to go to the military camp and kill all those soldiers who do not obey朕, leaving none behind."
As he said this, Nan Rong Qi glanced outside the hall.
Outside the hall, peach blossoms were flying everywhere, exuding a fragrant aroma.
In the blink of an eye, rain began to fall from the sky, the sky turned overcast, and the wind picked up.
"Yes, Your Majesty, your humble servant obeys."
Yan Kuan kowtowed, obeying the order.
"Besides that, I also want to see my sixth brother's head soon. This time, I will personally destroy the evidence!" Do you understand?"
"Yes, your humble servant understands."
That night, after changing into night-traveling attire, Yan Kuan led two thousand elite soldiers, also clad in night-traveling attire, to the military camp.
It was also on this night that Nan Gong Li, staying at the post station, encountered an assassination.
Several masters attacked Nan Gong Li.
Princess Luolayata of the Southern Barbarians, who was with him, encountered an assassination.
The master accompanying her clashed with the assassins. Amidst the chaos, Nan Gong Li escaped the post station with the Southern Barbarian princess.
The two of them fled together outside the city.
Who would have thought that they would encounter another group of death warriors outside the city?
The two, one wielding a sword and the other a long whip, began to fight against several death warriors.
Under the glint of swords and blades, the Southern Barbarian princess Luolayata was injured, and Nan Gong Li, who was holding her tightly, was also injured.
Facing death warriors who were unafraid of death and felt no pain, Nan Gong Li found it very troublesome.
After a fierce battle, the two were exhausted.
They could no longer fight, and looking at each other, they made the worst possible plan for the death warriors opposite them.
However, at that moment, a strong wind suddenly arose, and a white figure slowly walked over from a distance.