Just as Qin Ming got up, Mengtu and Meiyang walked over.
"We checked—Mu Sizhe really is dead.
No breathing, no heartbeat."
Qin Ming acted like it didn't matter at all.
"Dead is dead. Who cares if it's a transmigrator—it's not like the Princess will cry over him.
Send someone to toss the body into the mass grave.
Ladies, time to go home. I'm exhausted! I need to get back and eat the late-night snack Sister Lingyin made!"
Meiyang stretched lazily, her voice sultry.
"I'm going home for a long, hot bath. Then a long, sweet sleep."
"Meiyang, I want a bath too!
But since it's hard work for Sister Lingyin to heat all that water… how about we save some effort and bathe together?"
Meiyang: (⊙o⊙)!
"Dream on! You're not afraid the Princess will chop your head off?"
"The Princess knows I'm a eunuch! What evil thoughts could I possibly have?"
Both Meiyang and Mengtu laughed.
"This guy's actually pretty impressive when he's serious.
But when he's not? Total clown."
…
Taiyin Palace, Eleventh Floor of the Upper Hall.
It was a cold, silent night. The only sounds were the low, hoarse cries of soul-devouring birds circling above, eerie as ghosts.
At that moment, Princess Han Yuexi was pacing anxiously in her room, clad in armor, gripping her Moonshadow Sword.
How was the interrogation at the Demon Suppression Tower going?
Sigh… what did she expect?
Han Yuexi, oh Han Yuexi.
You're not seriously pinning your hopes on Xiao Qinzi, are you?
Even the White Feather Guards—experts in torture—couldn't get results.
How could a rookie officer like him possibly succeed?
At that thought, she clenched her sword tighter.
She had already made up her mind:
If there was still no progress tonight, she would personally go beg her sister, Han Yueli, to spare Qin Ming's life.
…
West Wing of Taiyin Palace.
Lingyin, wearing a pale yellow silk dress, sat curled up on her bed, staring blankly, full of worry.
This morning, Qin Ming was supposed to go to the Flame Hall to receive his official seal.
She'd been so excited she spent the whole day bouncing with joy.
Who would've guessed?
That afternoon, he was thrown into an impossible mission.
And according to the Princess, if they couldn't get results…
the Queen would surely find an excuse to eliminate Qin Ming.
What could she do?
Just then, she heard the sound of hooves outside.
Lingyin rushed to open the door.
At the same time, Princess Han Yuexi pushed open the eight-trigram mystic window on the eleventh floor.
Red Snake, a junior officer, came running in and immediately knelt when she saw the Princess.
"Reporting, Princess! At the Demon Suppression Tower—"
She was panting hard from the rush.
"What about the Tower? Speak!"
The Princess leapt out the window, Moonshadow Sword in hand, afraid her sister had already acted against Qin Ming.
Red Snake clutched her chest, trying to catch her breath, eyes shining.
"Princess… they… they got it! The interrogation worked!"
Princess Han Yuexi froze in mid-air.
"What?!"
"Princess, word from the Tower—Xiao Qinzi extracted the location of the bombs!
They've already been recovered, hidden under the Lantern Bridge!"
Shock and excitement surged through the Princess.
How had Xiao Qinzi pulled that off?
He was… a true talent!
Lingyin grabbed her dress and ran over.
"Red Snake, are you serious? You really mean it?"
"Absolutely. Three full carts of explosives were pulled from under the Lantern Bridge.
If the interrogation failed, the Lantern Festival could've ended in disaster."
The Princess landed, her purple sleeve sweeping dramatically.
"Tell me—how did he do it?"
"Princess, that part I don't know. I wasn't there for the questioning.
But I was at the bridge. At first, we turned over everything—even searched underwater—but found nothing."
"Then what?"
"Then Xiao Qinzi asked if the bridge had been repaired recently. Sure enough, the explosives were hidden inside the new bridge columns!
Three whole carts' worth! These transmigrators are truly insane!"
"Excellent!" The Princess slapped her hand on a stone table.
"This Xiao Qinzi… he really surprised me!"
Lingyin was also thrilled.
As she watched the Princess leave, she called out:
"Princess, you haven't eaten. I'll reheat your food!"
"Good!"
…
Great Yan Empire, Inner Hall of the Flame Hall.
Queen Han Yueli lounged in a red robe on a jade throne.
Beside her, her personal guard, Shangguan Qing'er, was softly reading a memorial.
"Your Majesty, this is a report from Blue Swordheart, Lord of Coldnight City:
'Your Majesty, I fearfully report: Recently, 200,000 snow beasts attacked Coldnight City.
Our 30,000 soldiers fought bravely but suffered heavy losses due to a lack of weapons, gear, and supplies.
We beg Your Majesty for immediate support.'"
"Another report from General Bai Qi of the White Feather Guards:
'Your Majesty, as the New Year approaches, civilian activity is increasing.
However, the location of the transmigrators' explosives remains unknown.
If an explosion occurs, the damage will be catastrophic.'"
The Queen didn't speak.
She rubbed her temples, silent for ten breaths.
Then suddenly asked:
"Qing'er, do you think that Xiao Qinzi my sister picked…
could actually get anything out of them?"
"Your Majesty, Qing'er thinks it's impossible.
Even the White Feather Guards couldn't get results after all this time.
Those two—the Greedy Daoist and the Ghost Elder—are incredibly stubborn."
"Seems like my sister really values that Xiao Qinzi.
But if he can't deliver, I'll still take his head."
Just then—
From the outer hall of the Flame Palace, the pale-faced eunuch Wang Jin ran in and knelt.
"Reporting, Your Majesty! News from the palace gates—Taiyin Palace's Xiao Qinzi extracted the information and recovered the explosives!"
"What did you say?"
The Queen shot up from her jade throne.
"Your Majesty, Xiao Qinzi found the explosives—three full carts' worth!"
The Queen was visibly shocked.