Martial Arrogance Dragon Soul-Chapter 209 - 199: After the Sinner

The Great Qian imperial palace consisted of a total of one hundred and eight large and small royal courtyards.

But the Wanhe Palace of the Third Prince and the Dongyuan Palace of the Seventh Prince were the most eye-catching.

"A mountain does not need to be high to be spiritual; a presence of immortals gives it spirit. A water does not need to be deep to be spiritual; a presence of dragons gives it spirit."

The reason the Wanhe Palace and Dongyuan Palace caught so much attention was not due to their extreme luxury, but because their masters were the most dazzling among the many princes of the present day.

Third Prince Qin De and Seventh Prince Qin Zheng were the two with the highest callings among the many princes of the contemporary era.

It was said that the current emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty, Qin Sheng, was soon to choose a Crown Prince.

The candidate for the Crown Prince was very likely to emerge from among the Third Prince Qin De and the Seventh Prince Qin Zheng.

Of course, there was also the Fourth Prince Qin Yuan, who held certain sway within the court and the common folk.

Though the support for the Fourth Prince was not as vocal as that for the other two, the final outcome was uncertain until the very end, and no one knew what would happen.

Today, a grand banquet was being held in the imperial palace, and it was said that princes, princesses, as well as the heirs of many prestigious families from Luochuan Imperial City, and those with outstanding talent in cultivation, would all gather within the palace.

The common topic for all was the spring hunt that was to take place one month later.

This was also why Qin Qing and Jiang Ruorong had come to the imperial palace.

Qin Qing and Jiang Ruorong hastened their steps, gradually making their way toward the palace.

Along the way, Qin Qing’s expression changed several times.

"It seems that the Eighth Princess has no intention of letting us off at all," Qin Qing chuckled coldly.

Jiang Ruorong nodded slightly.

From where they had encountered conflict with the Eighth Princess’s beast carriage to this spot, they had discovered several times that they were being followed in secret.

It was clear that those trailing them were the Eighth Princess’s spies.

The Eighth Princess and the Eleventh Princess had a bet, so they hastened to Wanhe Palace.

However, the Eighth Princess’s men persistently watched Qin Qing and Jiang Ruorong, clearly not intending to let the previous incident slide.

"This Eighth Princess probably doesn’t realize that she doesn’t need to have people watch us. We’re headed to Wanhe Palace now, and we’ll meet her again there," Jiang Ruorong said.

"By then, this princess will probably make things difficult for us!" Qin Qing said.

"If it comes to it, I will simply apologize to her. The matter was never our fault to begin with. As long as she’s somewhat reasonable, she shouldn’t cause undue trouble," Jiang Ruorong said.

Qin Qing snorted coldly and shook his head, "If she had any sense of reason, she wouldn’t have let her beast carriage charge recklessly on the imperial city’s main road nor allowed her coachman to whip and kill a helpless old woman."

Qin Qing simply did not believe there could be any reasoning with that Eighth Princess.

These princesses were likely spoiled since childhood, raised to be untouchable, and had long since thrown the rules to the wind.

"But what should we do if the Eighth Princess causes unwarranted trouble?" Jiang Ruorong asked with some worry.

She wasn’t concerned for herself, but rather for Qin Qing’s situation.

"We’ll just have to take it one step at a time," Qin Qing said as they approached the palace gates.

The soldiers guarding the palace did not stop Qin Qing and Jiang Ruorong from entering.

Clearly, they recognized Qin Qing and Jiang Ruorong; the last time Qin Qing visited Wanhe Palace, these same city guards were stationed at the palace gates, and this day, as various princes and princesses were hosting banquets, they had likely informed these soldiers of the guest list beforehand.

These guards at the city gate must have also put in a certain amount of effort.

"Hm?" But just as Qin Qing was about to pass through the city gate, suddenly two blazing red horses galloped toward them from behind.

The red horses stopped outside the palace gates, and the riders turned out to be ones that made Qin Qing narrow his eyes involuntarily.

Mu Yunlan, along with his father, Mu Hongtu!

"These two actually came as well?" Qin Qing frowned.

Jiang Ruorong also saw these two people, and she recognized Mu Hongtu.

Back then in Tianjue City, she had attended the birthday banquet hosted by Mu Hongtu.

"How has he come as well?" Jiang Ruorong wondered.

"Qin Qing, it’s you!" At that moment, as Mu Hongtu dismounted from his horse, he too caught sight of Qin Qing inside the city gates.

Qin Qing let out a cold laugh, looking at Mu Hongtu, and called out, "Qin Jiu!"

Qin Jiu was the name Mu Hongtu had when he served as a servant at the Qin Residence.

Or rather, he never truly had a name of his own. Being a lowly servant, he simply wasn’t given a name.

The surname followed that of his master, the Qin Family, and the single character "Jiu" denoted that he was ninth in the pecking order among the servants.

Thus, he was called Qin Jiu.

On hearing Qin Qing address him by the ignoble name of his past, Mu Hongtu’s expression instantly turned cold.

Likewise, the expression on the face of Mu Yunlan standing beside him also turned very unsightly.

"Qin Qing! It is true that I was once in your Qin Residence, and you can choose to humiliate me for that. But you’d better not forget your current status!" Mu Hongtu scoffed as he looked Qin Qing up and down.

"Oh? And what would my current status be?" Qin Qing retorted.

"You are the offspring of a criminal!" Mu Hongtu pointed at Qin Qing, then shouted toward the city defense soldiers not far away, "Guards! This person is the offspring of a major Imperial Court offender, trying to sneak into the Imperial Palace, likely with some nefarious intentions!"

Upon hearing Mu Hongtu’s words, armed soldiers immediately rushed over.

After all, being labeled as an Imperial Court major offender, trying to infiltrate the Imperial Palace, and harboring nefarious intentions — any one of these accusations could lead to decapitation.

"Is it you who is causing all this commotion?" a City Defense Captain at the head of the soldiers asked Mu Hongtu sternly.

"Yes, sir!" Mu Hongtu was extremely polite to the City Defense Captain, his demeanor and mannerism eerily similar to when he was a servant at the Qin Residence.

"What did you say just now?" the City Defense Captain asked again.

"Sir!" Mu Hongtu replied with a salute, then pointed at Qin Qing, speaking aloud, "Your honor must discern this clearly: this person is the offspring of a major Imperial Court offender, his father’s name is Qin Yi, currently imprisoned in the dungeons of the Great Qian Martial Institute. This can be verified at any moment, sir. Now, I suspect this person is attempting to sneak into the Imperial Palace with ill intentions."

Mu Hongtu looked at Qin Qing with a sneer.

He was, of course, aware that Qin Qing’s entry into the Imperial Palace was likely due to an invitation.

After leaving Tianjue City and arriving in Luochuan, he had learned about most of the incidents that had occurred inside the Great Qian Martial Institute from Mu Yunlan or others.

To be honest, there was some regret in Mu Hongtu’s heart.

He had never imagined that Qin Qing could grow so rapidly in such a short period!

However, Mu Yunlan’s betrayal of Qin Qing had also been influenced in part by Mu Hongtu’s wishes.

In choosing between Qin Qing and Shangguan Xuan, Mu Hongtu didn’t have to think twice to know what his choice would be.

He hadn’t anticipated, however, that Shangguan Xuan would die at Qin Qing’s hand, and moreover, that Qin Qing would manage to establish a foothold in Luochuan Imperial City!

Nonetheless, deep down in his heart, Mu Hongtu wished that one day Qin Qing would die miserably within the walls of Luochuan Imperial City.

Today, although he had guessed that Qin Qing was being invited by a prince, the thought of being able to discomfort Qin Qing was pleasing to him.

The City Defense Captain’s face turned grave upon hearing Mu Hongtu’s accusation.

"Halt!" He pointed at Qin Qing, shouting sharply, "Just who exactly are you?"

With the City Defense Captain’s stern bellow, a squad of soldiers immediately charged over, encircling Qin Qing and Jiang Ruorong with weapons drawn.

"Haha, Qin Qing. You, the offspring of a criminal, just wait to be interrogated slowly," Mu Hongtu mocked with a sneer, then strode away triumphantly.

Mu Yunlan too gazed at Qin Qing with a cold indifference. However, as her gaze swept over Jiang Ruorong standing beside Qin Qing, a faint complexity flickered across her expression.