After reading my mind, Daddy, why don't you smile?

Shao Yihui was lying on the bed holding Qi Dongqiang.

The bright moonlight shone on the two of them. Shao Yihui grabbed Qi Dongqiang's hand and said, "Yuan'er, tonight, I felt that God was extremely unfair to me, but with you and a child, everything is different. Do you know how lucky I am to have met you..."

Qi Dongqiang's lips curled slightly, his face filled with happiness, "Me too."

After a while, seeing that Qi Dongqiang's mood had stabilized, Shao Yihui said, "Yuan'er, don't bother the princess again in the future. I'm doing this for your own good. She is very powerful..."

As soon as Zhao Ying was mentioned, the warmth in the room instantly dissipated. Qi Dongqiang sat up and interrupted him, "What are you afraid of? She only bullies gentlemen like you. She wanted to provoke me today, but she was defeated." She smiled smugly and looked at Shao Yihui, "You don't know how ugly her expression was when I left, hehe..."

Shao Yihui frowned deeply and looked at Qi Dongqiang suspiciously. It was not that he looked down on her, but could she really make Zhao Ying, who was so scheming, suffer a setback?

The more he spent time with Zhao Ying recently, the more he discovered how powerful Zhao Ying was.

Her strength lies in her ability to hide her true intentions without making a sound. From an observer's perspective, everything goes well for her, making people feel that she is lucky and favored, but how can it be such a coincidence?

If she plotted and schemed in secret without letting anyone know, how terrible she would be...

Just as scary as him...

A strange chill flashed across Shao Yihui's eyes.

He asked, "Tell me everything that happened at the banquet today!"

Upon hearing this, Qi Dongqiang excitedly told him about her "heroic deeds" at the banquet. Shao Yihui's face turned dark and his heart sank a little.

If someone else had narrated the story, it wouldn't have been so vivid and complete. However, a woman as conceited as Qi Dongqiang would not miss even a single moment of glory, which made Shao Yihui so angry that she felt dizzy.

"You said...you called Ma Li a dancer?"

"You still say that all women are inferior to men?"

"You're forcing the princess to compete with you?"

"I still lost... and I still blamed you..."

"Most importantly, the princess asked you to apologize, and you didn't go?"

Qi Dongqiang glared, "Yes, why should I apologize to that little girl? What did I do wrong?"

Shao Yihui stood up, took Qi Dongqiang's arm, and was about to walk out, "Follow me, to the Ma Mansion!"

Qi Dongqiang pushed him away and shouted, "I won't go! Ah Hui, are you okay? The princess is scared of me, and you still want me to apologize?"

Shao Yihui knew Qi Dongqiang well, and knew that he couldn't make sense with her. She had her own theories, but he couldn't just watch her die when disaster struck. He took a deep breath and slowed down his tone, "Yuan'er, listen to me, go now, there's still time..."

Qi Dongqiang looked at Shao Yihui in surprise, and after a while he seemed to understand something, and sneered, "I understand...you...you are attracted to that delicate princess, and you feel sorry for her being humiliated by me, so you want to force me to apologize, fulfill the bet, and make her happy, right?!"

Shao Yihui was stunned by her yelling, and then he was extremely helpless, "What are you thinking about..."

Qi Dongqiang's eyes were red, and she hissed, "Don't even think about it! If you want me to apologize, I'll have to die! Humph!"

Qi Dongqiang pushed Shao Yihui away, picked up the knife and was about to leave. Shao Yihui tried to stop him, but was kicked and hit several times by Qi Dongqiang. Shao Yihui was concerned about the baby in her belly and did not dare to use force, which gave Qi Dongqiang the opportunity to run away.

Shao Yihui took a deep breath, went back to the room, sat on the couch, and closed his eyes anxiously.

Now I can only pray to God...

Shao Yihui did not sleep all night. As soon as it was dawn, he sent someone to the Ma Mansion to inquire whether anything had happened.

The servant left with a bewildered look on his face, but came back half an hour later with bright eyes, "Sir, sir!"

"Did anything happen?"

The servant looked as if he had heard some great gossip. "Sir, you are truly as good as a god!"

Shao Yihui's heart sank. The next second, he heard the servant say, "The young lady from the Ma Mansion hanged herself in the middle of the night. Luckily, she was saved by a maid!"

boom!

Shao Yihui closed his eyes, his brows twisted together, his fists clenched, and his face looked gray and cold.

Seeing this, the servant asked softly, "What's wrong, sir?"

Shao Yihui didn't have time to talk to him in detail, so he lifted his robe and walked away quickly!

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

"Your Majesty, please make the decision for this old minister!!"

Lord Ma bowed deeply, tears streaming down his face.

Emperor Jianxi looked at the words on the memorial and listened to Lord Ma's report. He pursed his lips, which had become pale due to weight loss, and let out a long sigh after a while.

He threw the memorial on the table, leaned back, and said lazily, "Cheng Qian, you say!"

As the key witness that night, Zhao Ying truthfully reported what Qi Dongqiang had done and did not say anything else.

Emperor Jianxi was not that angry at first, until he heard that the crazy woman Qi Dongqiang even provoked his daughter... As the saying goes, it hurts no one unless the needle pricks the body, even if Lord Ma's child was humiliated to death, Emperor Jianxi would come out to uphold justice. But when it comes to his precious daughter, he would not do that, absolutely not!

He needs to review this matter carefully and seriously!

Emperor Jianxi slammed the table angrily, "How can this be possible!"

In a word, it was like a drop of water falling into a pot of boiling oil, and all the civil and military officials below were furious.

"Your Majesty, Qi Dongqiang made such a vicious statement and forced a good girl to death. This is a heinous crime!"

"Your Majesty, I witnessed the whole thing last night. Qi Dongqiang is indeed extremely rebellious. If he is not severely punished, it will not comfort the world!"

"His Majesty……"

The civil and military officials in the court are a bunch of blockheads with coffin-like minds. How could they have ever seen such an arrogant and wanton person who disregards etiquette and openly forces his subjects to death? Such a brainless person?

Such an alternative person suddenly appears, who can let her go?

The crime of forcing a servant to death is enough to make Qi Dongqiang lose his head.

Things like being disrespectful to Zhao Ying and making irresponsible remarks were nothing more than additional punishments, not death, and Qi Dongqiang's father and brother were given a light punishment in the end...

But this is not possible now.

It was a foregone conclusion that he was seeking death, and what was even more terrifying was that the Qi family was charged with the crime of lax discipline. The father and son of the Qi family were far away in the southern region and could not plead guilty. Shangguan Shu was a treacherous man, and as the former boss of the father and son of the Qi family, he took the blame for them both.

It didn't matter to him, but once the Qi family father and son admitted their guilt, there was no room for maneuver.

But after the court was dismissed, Emperor Jianxi did not issue an edict, but only said that Ma Li should be kept in custody and the case should be handed over to the Dali Temple for trial.

This creates a time lag.

All civil and military officials knew it well.

Who is this time difference for?

Who would Qi Dongqiang turn to for help when he realized that a disaster was imminent?

The person who tied the bell must be the one to untie it...