Chapter 48

Lin Yi took a step towards the main gate, when suddenly two figures darted out and started punching.

He was taken aback!

With a quick step, he spread his arms slightly, and his body flew back like a wild goose. In mid-air, he summoned two pistols into his hands with a thought.

“Bang bang!”

He fired two shots.

These were equipped with silencers.

The two men in guard uniforms fell to the ground, motionless.

Although Lin Yi had only practiced shooting for a few days, his internal strength greatly improved his eyesight, reaction time, and body control.

After a few days of intense practice, he had become a dead shot.

But his heart was pounding, as he had just killed someone!

Lin Yi swore that he had only reacted instinctively to the attack. The past few days of intense practice had made it a reflex!

It wasn't until after he had killed them that he realized he had taken two lives!

Although he had indirectly caused Hai Dafu's death, that was under constant threat to his life, out of necessity. Now, he had taken lives on his own initiative, which was a different matter.

Lin Yi stood there, dazed, until a voice from inside the room called out, “Who’s there?” It seemed they had heard the commotion outside.

He snapped back to his senses, put away the pistols with a thought, and walked to the main gate, pushing it open and entering.

Ziwei was already on the ground, barely conscious, almost in a coma.

Rong Mama looked up and shouted, “Which eunuch are you? What are you doing here? Where are Sai Wei and Sai Guang? Someone! Seize him!”

“They’re already dead!”

Dealing with Rong Mama was much simpler. Lin Yi kicked her, sending her flying and landing unconscious on the ground.

Speaking of Rong Mama, she was very similar to Hai Dafu—though not a good person, she was loyal to her master, which made her both formidable and somewhat endearing.

Lin Yi walked over and looked at the unconscious Ziwei, thinking how beautiful she was, not at all inferior to Ruby Lin.

“You… you…” Ziwei, nearly unconscious, could barely speak.

At this moment, Er Kang, Er Tai, and Wu A-ge also arrived. Seeing the two bodies outside and the unconscious Rong Mama and the nearly dead Ziwei inside, they were all shocked.

“Ziwei!” Er Kang cried out, rushing to her side and holding her in his arms, tears streaming down his face.

Yong Qi and Er Tai exchanged glances and glanced at “Xiao Jian,” marveling at his formidable martial arts. Sai Wei and Sai Guang were top guards, the Empress's trusted subordinates.

Yet, this person had taken them down in such a short time!

How impressive!

Er Kang looked up at Lin Yi and said solemnly, “Thank you for saving Ziwei’s life. If you had come any later, I might never have seen her again… I, Fu Er Kang, owe you my life!”

“Mm-hmm.” Lin Yi nodded, not saying much, as Er Kang was already in a state of emotional turmoil.

He envied the deep, life-and-death bond between Er Kang and Ziwei.

Er Kang, a grown man, would cry for Ziwei at the slightest provocation.

Ziwei, not to be outdone, had once declared, “Until the mountains crumble and the heavens and earth merge, I will not part from you,” a deeply moving declaration.

“What do we do now?” Yong Qi whispered. Although they had found Ziwei, breaking into the Kunning Palace and killing the imperial guards was no small matter.

“What else can we do! Ziwei is in this state!” Er Kang growled, his eyes red as he looked at the fallen Rong Mama, “I’m going to kill her! Kill this heartless devil!”

“Don’t be impulsive.” Yong Qi and Er Tai quickly tried to calm him down.

Yong Qi said, “We can’t kill her here! First, we need to save Ziwei! We can deal with this old woman anytime! Let’s clean up Sai Wei and Sai Guang’s bodies to avoid alarming the Empress. Then we’ll go to the Emperor and ask for Ziwei!”

“Right!” Er Tai agreed.

“This… okay!” Er Kang hesitated, nodding, but the thought of leaving Ziwei behind was like a knife in his heart.

Then, Lin Yi, Er Kang, Er Tai, and Wu A-ge lifted the bodies of Sai Wei and Sai Guang and quietly left the Kunning Palace.

Before leaving, Er Kang gave Rong Mama a few more heavy blows, fearing she might wake up and continue torturing Ziwei.

Looking at the old woman’s frail body, Lin Yi wondered if she could survive, and whether Er Kang might kill her out of hatred.

After disposing of Sai Wei and Sai Guang’s bodies, the group went to find Emperor Qianlong.

Qianlong was already asleep but was woken up and summoned them.

“Xiao Yanzi, what’s happened? What’s wrong with you? Your eyes are swollen like walnuts!”

Xiao Yanzi prostrated herself on the ground, tears streaming down her face, sobbing and crying out:

“Father! I have no other choice! Please save me, save Ziwei! If Ziwei dies, I can’t live either! I’ve confessed to Father, Ziwei is not just an ordinary palace maid; she came to the palace for me! She is my sworn sister! I swore to the Jade Emperor and the Lord of the Underworld that I would live and die with Ziwei! Now, I’ve caused her so much suffering, I really can’t go on living…”

She cried and sobbed uncontrollably.

Lin Yi stood to one side, quietly observing Qianlong, the grandson of Emperor Kangxi.

As a lover of historical literature, he was naturally familiar with Emperor Qianlong.

Qianlong ascended the throne at the age of 25, ruled for 60 years, and served as the retired emperor for three years, effectively holding the highest power for 63 years and four months, making him the longest-reigning and longest-living emperor in Chinese history.

During his reign, he quelled the rebellion of the Big and Little Hojins, consolidated the development of a multi-ethnic state, made six tours of the south, and cultivated both civil and military achievements. The culture, economy, and industry flourished during his reign, and he made significant contributions to the prosperity of the Qing Dynasty, truly a capable ruler.

Although he was a Manchu emperor, he was also talented.

However, during the compilation of the Siku Quanshu, he banned and destroyed Han books, allowing only 3,000 volumes to remain, while 7,000 others were listed and destroyed, with countless others completely banned, making him the most extreme censor in 5,000 years, surpassing even the burning of books and burying of scholars by the Qin Dynasty.

It could be said that Qianlong created the most severe literary inquisition in history.

“Xiao Jian” and Xiao Yanzi’s parents suffered because of this.

At this time, Emperor Qianlong was 50 years old but was in excellent condition, looking very young.

He had a straight back, a tall and slender figure, a broad forehead, deep-set eyes, a straight nose, and a firm mouth, making him a true manly figure.

Lin Yi thought, having ruled for over 20 years during the peak of the Qing Dynasty, he must be very confident! His mental state also reflected this.

At this moment, Qianlong asked with concern, “Speak slowly, speak slowly. I’m confused. What happened to Ziwei?”

He was also very concerned about the new palace maid, Ziwei, who had recently arrived at Shufangzhai.

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Note: The original text includes a link to a mobile version of a website, which has been omitted in the translation.