Chapter 340 : It’s Not Easy Being the Head of Household 24 (1/2)

Shi Sheng expressed much ‘concern’ for Dai Yue after learning the latter had not only failed to kill Duan Qingyun, but also allowed him to escape.

“He can’t even truss up a chicken. Tell me, how did he manage to escape from you?”

Eyes narrowed, Shi Sheng gave Dai Yue a smile that terrified her more than had she not been smiling.

Cold sweat trickled down Dai Yue’s brow. “I’m not certain either…it was like I just blanked out for a moment—and by the time I came to, Duan Qingyun was gone.”

Pa!

Shi Sheng slapped the desk, having trouble controlling her temper. “Is everyone else dead?! How the hell did you lot manage to let a fully grown person escape?!”

Dai Yue fell to her knees, not daring to speak, head lowered.

This was the odd part. There were guards everywhere in the vicinity, yet not a single one saw Duan Qingyun leave. It was as if…he’d just vanished into thin air.

Dai Yue was startled by this thought. ‘How could a living person vanish just like that? I must’ve overlooked something.’

Shi Sheng reached up to knead the space between her brows. It was impossible that Duan Qingyun would be able to escape Dai Yue on his own—he must have had help.

“Place all officials in the capital under house arrest.” Shi Sheng finally ordered.

Dai Yue’s eyes lit up. ‘Is Her Excellency finally going to rebel?’

No, Shi Sheng was not in the mood to rebel. She was just cutting off all of Jiang Zhi’s possible support.

If Jiang Zhi was the one who rescued Duan Qingyun, then according to the original plot’s progression: he would definitely tell Jiang Zhi that the Prime Minister had ulterior motives towards him, leading her to do something stupid like opposing Shi Sheng.

Regardless of whether this would really come to pass, Shi Sheng reckoned it was best to cut off Jiang Zhi’s avenues of retreat sooner rather than later.

With only the Ning Princess’s residence to back her up, Jiang Zhi wouldn’t be able to do much if the capital was controlled by the Prime Minister.

All officials in the capital, big and small, were put under house arrest. Apart from those who belonged to the Prime Minister’s faction, of course.

But even her people didn’t know what Shi Sheng was planning. All their visits were rejected, so no one got a chance to see her.

The rumours circulated even more fiercely than before.

The entire capital seemed shrouded in a strange tension, as though there were countless crossbows nocked and ready to fire.

The Empress immediately tried to contact all the other people with military authority to rescue her, but the supporters she could use were few and far between.

Her messages were either being intercepted by the Prime Minister’s faction, or their recipients simply didn’t have enough military might to resolve the situation at the capital.

When Shi Sheng climbed the stairs to the palace, she heard the Empress smashing stuff inside.

“Prime Minister…” The servants kneeling outside all bowed, trembling even more than when they’d watched her climb the steps.

She strode past them and opened the door.

The Empress was wearing her everyday clothes and smashing a bunch of porcelain. The floor was filled with porcelain shards, and several trembling men kneeled in the corner.

“Jun Liyou, why have you come? To watch me(z) make a fool of myself?!” The Empress shrieked and flung the porcelain vase in her hand at Shi Sheng.

Shi Sheng dodged it and examined the Empress. “You don’t look like a fool. Why are you calling yourself one?”

The Empress felt the anger messing with her breathing and couldn’t squeeze another word out for quite a while.

Shi Sheng pulled a chair over and swept aside the shards scattered across the seat before sitting down. “Want to keep your throne?”

The Empress’s hateful glare seemed to cut at Shi Sheng like knives. “Jun Liyou, just what are you playing at?!”

“A multiple choice question.” Shi Sheng pulled two strips of paper from her sleeve and presented them to the Empress. “Do you pick your throne, or your daughter?”

“Hmph! Would you really let me off?” The Empress scoffed coldly. ‘She’s already done this much; would she really give up the throne when it’s within her grasp?’

“What’s your choice?” Shi Sheng shook the papers.

The Empress cursed indignantly. “Jun Liyou, you traitorous vassal! You’ll die a terrible death!”

“Last chance: which do you pick?”

The room suddenly fell silent, as the Empress simply stood there with bloodshot, hate-filled eyes.

After a long time, the Empress finally reached out and pointed at one of the two strips of paper.

Shi Sheng released the other one, which fluttered to the ground to lie amongst the shards of pottery.

“Before dawn tomorrow.” Shi Sheng got up and placed a tiger tally and the piece of paper on her chair. “I don’t want to see a single person from the Ning Princess’s residence any more.”