The whole family was brutally murdered? The ruthless heiress's eldest daughter went berserk aft

"Rashly?" Ning Feng sneered, her voice suddenly rising. "Lord Lin, do you know how long we in Nanzhao have waited for this day?" Her gaze swept over everyone present. "Ever since the ascension of our sage, the Great Qi has coveted our Nanzhao territory. Now that Heaven has bestowed this opportunity upon us, are we going to let it slip away?"

"The Holy Maiden is absolutely right!" The Minister of War stepped forward. "The internal turmoil within the Great Qi is the perfect opportunity for us to send troops!"

Minister Lin shook his head and said, "This old minister has heard that the Empress of Great Qi is seriously ill, and the Emperor has personally gone to the far north to search for medicine. If we send troops now, wouldn't that be..."

“What else could it be?” Ning Feng interrupted him, a dangerous glint in her eyes. “Could it be that Lord Lin is feeling sorry for the Emperor of Great Qi? Or perhaps…” She paused meaningfully, “your loyalty to Nanzhao is no longer as strong as your sympathy for Great Qi?”

Upon hearing this, Minister Lin's expression changed drastically: "This old minister dares not!"

"Dare not?" Ning Feng slowly descended the altar, her phoenix robes trailing on the ground with a rustling sound. "I recall that Lord Lin's youngest son served as a hostage in the Taichu Kingdom for ten years, didn't he?"

Minister Lin immediately knelt on the ground, cold sweat beading on his forehead: "Please, Your Majesty, investigate thoroughly. This old minister is utterly loyal to Nanzhao..."

"Enough!" Ning Feng suddenly waved her hand. "I know Lord Lin is acting in Nanzhao's best interests. But..." Her voice turned icy. "Betrayal is betrayal, and there's no room for excuses. Guards!"

"Holy Maiden, spare my life!" Minister Lin fell to the ground.

Just as the guards were about to step forward, the high priest suddenly spoke: "Today is the coronation ceremony of the Holy Maiden; we beseech the Holy Maiden to show mercy."

Ning Feng glanced at Minister Lin, who was kneeling on the ground trembling, and a cold smile curled at the corner of her lips: "For the sake of the High Priest, I will spare your life for now. But from today onwards, you no longer need to attend the morning court."

"Thank you for your mercy, Holy Maiden!" Minister Lin kowtowed repeatedly.

Ning Feng returned to the altar, looking down at the assembled officials: "Is there anyone else who objects to sending troops?"

There was silence in the hall.

“Very good.” Ning Feng nodded in satisfaction. “Issue my decree: effective immediately, mobilize 100,000 troops from the border to prepare for the recapture of lost territory!” Her gaze swept over the pale face of the Great Qi envoy, a hint of pleasure flashing in her eyes. “Let us have a good meeting with this new emperor and his empress…”

After the sacrificial ceremony concluded, Ning Feng had just returned to the Holy Maiden's chambers when her personal maid, Xiao Cui, rushed in: "Holy Maiden, the former prospective Holy Maiden, Ning Qingyun, requests an audience."

Ning Feng was removing her heavy phoenix crown when she heard this, her hands paused, and a cold glint flashed in her eyes: "Let her in."

A moment later, a woman dressed in a plain white gauze dress slowly walked in. Her face was beautiful and her demeanor elegant, but her eyes revealed an indomitable pride. She was Ning Qingyun, the youngest prospective holy maiden in the history of Nanzhao.

“Ning Feng.” Ning Qingyun addressed her by her given name directly, showing no sign of submission. “Or should I call you Xiao Wan Ning?”

The air inside the hall seemed to freeze instantly. Xiao Cui was so frightened that she knelt on the ground, trembling.

"How dare you!" Ning Feng shouted angrily, "How dare you address the Holy Maiden by her given name!"

Ning Qingyun remained unfazed: "Holy Maiden?" She sneered, "A spy who infiltrated Nanzhao from Daqi dares to call herself a Holy Maiden?"

"You!" Ning Feng's eyes flashed with murderous intent. "It seems these years of house arrest haven't taught you restraint."

"I'm just waiting," Ning Qingyun said, looking directly into Ning Feng's eyes, "waiting for the day you slip up. Ning Feng, do you think you've hidden it well? Do you know that the people of Nanzhao have already discovered that you don't have the Holy Maiden's mark!"

Ning Feng suddenly laughed: "A mark? You mean this?" She rolled up her sleeve, revealing a mysterious pattern on her wrist. "Ning Qingyun, you're too naive. Over the years, I've not only obtained the Holy Maiden's mark, but also the trust of the entire Nanzhao Kingdom. And you, you're nothing but a useless, imprisoned person."

"You..." Ning Qingyun's expression changed drastically, "How do you have the Saintess's mark?"

“Because I am the true Saintess.” Ning Feng slowly walked towards Ning Qingyun, “And you, you are nothing but an accident. An accident that should have disappeared ten years ago.”

"Impossible!" Ning Qingyun took a step back. "The sacrificial ceremony ten years ago was clearly my..."

"Did you see me come from Daqi to Nanzhao with your own eyes?" Ning Feng sneered. "Or did you see me kill the real Xiao Wan Ning? Ning Qingyun, you know nothing."

Ning Qingyun suddenly realized something, her face turning deathly pale: "You mean..."

“Not bad.” Ning Feng’s voice carried a hint of smugness. “I’ve been in Nanzhao from the very beginning. Xiao Wan Ning was just a pawn in my scheme. And you, you’re just the right person to help me finish this final act.”

"What do you want to do?"

"Let everyone know," a ruthless glint flashed in Ning Feng's eyes, "that the former prospective Holy Maiden, driven by jealousy and hatred, attempted to assassinate the new Holy Maiden, but ultimately committed suicide out of fear of punishment."

"Don't even think about it!" Ning Qingyun suddenly pulled a dagger from her sleeve. "Today I will expose your true colors!"

"Guards!" Ning Feng shouted coldly.

Several guards rushed into the hall. Ning Qingyun already held a dagger to her own neck: "Ning Feng, don't force me!"

Ning Feng remained unmoved: "You think you can threaten me like this?" She stepped forward slowly. "Your death would be more advantageous to me."

Ning Qingyun gritted her teeth and glared at Ning Feng, then suddenly laughed: "You're right, my death would indeed be more beneficial to you. But..." Her gaze swept past Ning Feng, looking towards the outside of the hall, "Is that so? The new Holy Maiden has just ascended the throne, and I, the former prospective Holy Maiden, am going to die in the Holy Maiden's residence? Aren't you afraid the world will despise you?"

Ning Feng scoffed at her words: "The contempt of the world?" She slowly walked up to Ning Qingyun, reached out and lifted her chin. "You think I care about that?"

"You..." Ning Qingyun was startled by the ruthlessness in her eyes.

“In Nanzhao,” Ning Feng released her grip, turned, and walked to the window, “the Holy Maiden is the heavens. As long as I remain the Holy Maiden, no one dares to point fingers at me.” She suddenly turned back, “Besides, do you think I would give you that chance?”

Before she could finish speaking, Ning Qingyun suddenly felt a numbness in her wrist, and the dagger fell to the ground with a thud. "You...you poisoned the tea?"

“That’s right,” Ning Feng chuckled, “You’re right, dying in the Holy Maiden’s residence isn’t a pretty sight. But if you commit suicide by poison in your own room, that’s a different story.”

"You...you're really crazy," Ning Qingyun staggered back, "Aren't you afraid...the truth will be discovered?"

Ning Feng glanced at her disdainfully: "The truth? What does the truth matter in the face of absolute power?" She turned to Xiao Cui, "Send Miss Ning back and 'take good care' of her."

Watching Ning Qingyun being taken away, Ning Feng gazed into the distance: "Nanzhao will soon know who the true Holy Maiden is."