I traveled back to the Qin Dynasty, and the First Emperor begged me to become his empress.

Chapter 212 The Death of Lord Changping and Lady Hu (Part 3)

Li Xin's hoarse and deep voice echoed in the air. With a solemn expression, he ordered, "Someone! First, carefully help Lord Li up, then arrange for someone to properly handle Lord Changping's body. We absolutely cannot let Lord Changping lie here on the cold ground like this."

Upon hearing the commotion, the guards sprang into action, quickly carrying out the order. They carefully and forcefully dragged the grief-stricken and nearly limp Li You to his feet. At this moment, Li You seemed to have lost all his strength, swaying precariously like a sapling battered by a storm. Had it not been for the guards holding him tightly, he would likely have collapsed to the ground long ago.

At the same time, several guards hurried into the room. With gentle yet decisive movements, they lifted Changping Jun's body and carefully placed it on a thick wooden plank that had been prepared beforehand. Then, one of them bent down and carefully picked up Changping Jun's head, which had separated from his body, and gently placed it back in its original position above his neck. Immediately afterward, others rushed out to fetch clean water so that they could quickly perform a thorough cleaning of Changping Jun's body.

At this moment, Li Xin raised his voice again and said loudly, "Fellow soldiers! We have just successfully captured the Japanese royal palace, but Lord Changping has been brutally murdered! This is undoubtedly a blatant provocation against the brave soldiers of our Great Qin! Yesterday, Inoue Shoko from Japan told me that a group of vicious pirates is active in this area. In my opinion, Lord Changping was very likely brutally murdered by this pirate gang."

Li Xin's words immediately caused an uproar among the crowd, turning the previously quiet scene into a noisy cacophony. People whispered among themselves, discussing the various speculations surrounding this sudden mention of pirates. Some asked in astonishment, "What exactly are pirates? I've never heard of them before!"

Someone nearby immediately responded, "It's said that those pirates are ruthless and wicked, committing all sorts of atrocities, including burning, killing, and looting!"

Someone raised their arms and shouted, "Kill these despicable pirates and avenge Lord Changping!" Their voice was as loud as a great bell, resounding through the sky.

The others were also moved by these impassioned words and echoed in unison: "Kill the pirates and avenge Lord Changping!" In an instant, shouts of killing rose and fell, deafeningly loud.

Li Xin and the others had reached their peak of emotion. With a solemn expression, he looked around and then said loudly, "Please rest assured, everyone. I, Li Xin, hereby swear that I will use the blood of these pirates to pay tribute to the spirit of Lord Changping in the heavens!" After saying this, he clenched his fists, his eyes flashing with the fury of revenge.

Upon hearing this, the crowd surged with even greater emotion, shouting, "Kill! Kill! Kill!" Their cries were like a raging torrent, earth-shattering and exhilarating. The atmosphere was incredibly tense, as if a bloody massacre was about to unfold.

At this moment, Li Xin took a deep breath, calmed himself down a bit, and then said, "The remains of Lord Changping must not remain in this foreign land. We should cremate him immediately and bring his ashes back to the homeland of Qin so that Lord Changping can rest in peace." The guards standing to the side bowed and agreed, and quickly ran out to prepare for the matter.

After making the arrangements, Li Xin turned to the crowd and said, "I'm going to visit Madam Hu. You may all go and rest." With that, he took a step forward. Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out in the crowd. It turned out that Li You had struggled to break free from the guards' restraints and was following Li Xin away, staggering.

When Li Xin rushed to Hu Ji's courtyard, a commotion of shouts reached his ears. Looking in the direction of the sound, he saw Hu Hai, his face contorted with rage, grabbing a pitiful little eunuch and kicking him violently while yelling, "You bunch of dog slaves, let me go! How could my mother die like this? You must have conspired to deceive me! You're all despicable scoundrels and liars!"

Seeing Hu Hai's near-out-of-control emotions, Li Xin frowned, pondering to himself, "How did Prince Hu Hai find out about Lady Hu's affair?" Just then, Li Xin's imposing gaze swept over the several palace maids kneeling beside him. Sensing that sharp gaze, the maids trembled with fear, collapsing to the ground like leaves, not daring to utter a sound.

Seeing this, Li Xin suddenly shouted, "Speak! Who leaked the information? If there is even a single lie, you will be severely punished!"

Under his reprimand, a palace maid finally spoke up tremblingly: "Your Excellency... Chunhua was the first to discover Madam Hu's body. When she saw the body, she screamed in terror and then fainted. The commotion was so great that many palace maids and eunuchs were attracted and witnessed the scene. Before long, the news of Madam Hu's death spread throughout the courtyard. Usually, the young master ate with Madam Hu. This morning, the young master came to have his meal with Madam Hu as usual, but as soon as he reached the door, he heard the palace maids discussing this matter. After hearing this, the young master immediately tried to rush into the room, but we servants desperately tried to stop him, and we haven't let him in yet."

Li Xin strode forward with firm and powerful steps, then stretched out his arms and scooped Hu Hai up in his arms. His face was solemn, and his voice was deep and resonant: "My lord, although you are still young, never forget that you are the bloodline of the current King of Qin, and you are a man. You should shoulder your share of responsibility and duty. Lady Hu has unfortunately fallen victim to the pirates; it would be ungentlemanly not to avenge her. You should be determined to avenge your mother, instead of blindly beating and cursing those innocent palace maids and eunuchs."

Hu Hai was overwhelmed by Li Xin's imposing aura, his small body trembling slightly. However, when he felt the powerful force emanating from Li Xin, a raging fire seemed to ignite deep within him. He clenched his small, tender fists, raised his head, stared directly at Li Xin, and asked in a slightly trembling voice, "My mother... has she truly left me?"

Looking at the pitiful child before him, Li Xin nodded involuntarily and replied softly, "Yes, Prince Huhai, this is an unchangeable fact."

Upon hearing this devastating news, Hu Hai, who had been holding back tears, could no longer bear the onslaught of grief. Tears, like glistening pearls, streamed down his delicate cheeks like a burst dam. He sobbed, his face streaked with tears, and murmured, "Father doesn't want me anymore, and even Mother cruelly abandoned me and left first. Is all this because I wasn't obedient and sensible enough?"