It was obvious where he was going.
Qin Zhanhan, for reasons that could not be spoken, was walking a bit slowly. So, when he arrived, he happened to see Ming Li and Qin Yu coming out of the Empress Dowager's palace.
Seeing Qin Yu's somewhat peculiar gait, Qin Zhanhan assumed that the woman he fancied had been violated by his brother. A flicker of murderous intent flashed through his eyes, and his gaze towards Ming Li was extremely cold, as if looking at a dead person.
The keenly perceptive Ming Li instantly felt the murderous gaze. Her eyes, filled with a chilling aura, glanced faintly in a certain direction.
Qin Zhanhan, who was staring at Ming Li's retreating figure, suddenly felt a sharp, bone-piercing pain in his eyes. It almost made him cry out, but the stinging sensation passed quickly. Qin Zhanhan's eyes no longer hurt, so fast that he almost thought the piercing pain was his imagination.
As they rounded the corner, Qin Yu and his group saw Qin Zhanhan, clad in a yellow robe and with his hair tied up by a golden crown.
Instantly.
A crowd of people prostrated themselves on the ground. Only Ming Li and Qin Yu remained standing.
Qin Yu remembered her current female identity and also bowed to Qin Zhanhan.
Beside them, Ming Li playfully fanned herself with a folding fan, completely ignoring Qin Zhanhan.
Qin Zhanhan's face showed displeasure, and he cast a sinister glance at Qin Yu.
This woman dared to betray him. Very good! He would make this woman understand the consequences of betraying Qin Zhanhan!
He withdrew his gaze.
Qin Zhanhan then looked at Ming Li, who dared not pay him homage, and spoke in a cold tone: "Yu Wang, why do you not bow when you see me today? Has your courage grown after marriage? Have you forgotten the rites between sovereign and subject?!"
Ming Li spoke nonsense, replying, "Your Majesty, your humble brother's waist was accidentally injured today."
Heh heh... Do you deserve the bow I offer? Are you perhaps hoping to experience the taste of being struck by lightning?!
Upon hearing this, Qin Zhanhan, recalling Qin Yu's gait and combining it with Ming Li's current words, his face instantly darkened.
At this moment, Eunuch Liu, the chief eunuch by Qin Zhanhan's side, who had his face covered in white powder, saw Qin Zhanhan's changing expression. He quickly chimed in with a shrill, effeminate voice, speaking to Ming Li with a tone of earnest persuasion: "Your Highness Yu Wang, since ancient times, no subject has failed to bow to the Emperor. Your injury is a minor matter, but do not break the rules and give others cause to gossip! If any gossiper were to spread this, how would the people of this land view you?"
Ming Li twitched the corner of her mouth, feeling somewhat speechless. The way he spoke made it seem as if by not bowing now, the people of the land would be pointing at his nose and calling him rebellious the very next second.
Seeing that the chief eunuch was about to press further, Ming Li twitched her mouth again, a strange glint flashing in her eyes. She said, "Eunuch Liu speaks reason. The rites between sovereign and subject must not be absent. This bow, this king shall perform."
You're the one who asked me to bow.
Suddenly, Ming Li closed her folding fan and bowed in Qin Zhanhan's direction, saying, "Your humble brother pays his respects to the Emperor..."
Boom!
As Ming Li was only halfway through the word "Emperor," a thunderclap sounded in the clear sky. A bolt of lightning as thick as a wrist struck directly towards Qin Zhanhan. It ultimately struck at his feet, scorching half of his hair and also half of his yellow robe.
Eunuch Liu, standing beside Qin Zhanhan, was not faring any better. His face, smeared with a frighteningly white powder, had turned into the face of Bao Gong.
Qin Zhanhan: ...
Eunuch Liu next to Qin Zhanhan: ...