Chapter 159: The Strange Ministers

Thinking of this, You Lanchen looked at her as if she was a pig that was finally going to be killed for its meat. His eyes were filled with greed and desire.

Xia Muqing frowned. The expression on his face appeared again, along with that disgusting gaze. She suddenly grinned and said, “I want to go out and play.”

You Lanchen’s eyes flashed. “Let’s wait a few days. When you’re 20 years old, I’ll prepare a huge banquet for you.”

“But I want to go out of the city for my birthday.”

“Stay here for the next few days. I’ll bring you out to have fun after these few days.”

With that, he left.

This was the first time he had rejected her request. It seemed like they were going to take action on her birthday in a few days.

Xia Muqing could clearly feel that the guards had doubled recently. The explanation given by You Lanchen was that many criminals had appeared in Jin Country recently and it wasn’t safe. Hence, these people were here to protect her.

Xia Muqing sat on a high seat as she looked at the soldiers patrolling below her. It seemed that the protection was fake but the guards were guarding her instead.

Several days passed by in a flash. Today was her 20th birthday.

The entire palace had been bustling with activity since dawn, as if everyone was really preparing a large-scale birthday banquet for her. In the afternoon, all the ministers gathered in the palace, their faces filled with joy and excitement.

It seemed as though it was their birthday instead, and no one cared about Xia Muqing, who was celebrating her birthday. They only asked her to stay in the bedchamber. As long as she didn’t leave, she could do anything she wanted.

They only went to her at night.

They had suffered so much in the past three years. Today, they could finally get what they wanted.

All the ministers who had been tricked by her, looked at her joyfully. The fake respect in their eyes was gone, and it was replaced with contempt and mockery.

They mocked this stupid woman for thinking that the Holy Lady had a high status. In reality, she was just a pet they kept.

“How dare you look at me like that? Someone, drag them away.” Xia Muqing’s eyes flashed and she pretended to yell arrogantly.

However, the guards around her didn’t listen to her like before. Instead, they remained standing coldly.

The ministers looked at her mockingly. A minister with a beard couldn’t help but comment, “You really think of yourself as something special. Tonight, you will be our offering.”

“Third Brother, shut up.” You Lanchen walked over and interrupted him coldly. He clearly looked like a young man, but he called someone who could be his father, Third Brother. It was so bizarre.

Xia Muqing still registered a keyword. Offering?

It seemed like they really needed to use her to achieve something.

You Lanchen continued to maintain his fake smile and said, “Muqing, I’ve already prepared a birthday banquet for you. Let’s go.”

Xia Muqing pretended to be clueless and followed him towards the banquet. All the ministers followed behind them, and the scene was spectacular.

Once she entered the courtyard, she was pushed onto a platform. There was a lot of firewood under the platform, and two men with torches stood beside them.

At this moment, You Lanchen finally stopped smiling. His eyes were blazing as he said, “Holy Lady, my dear Holy Lady, transfer your lifespan to us. Haha!”

Lifespan and offering. These two phrases were connected together and Xia Muqing understood everything.

It turned out that the reason why they had raised the Holy Ladies for generations was because they wanted to steal their lifespans from them. Looking at the people standing underground, it seemed that countless Holy Ladies had died at their hands. No wonder there was no record of the previous emperors in the Jin Kingdom. They were probably old monsters who had used this sorcery to survive until now.

Xia Muqing understood everything and felt a little disgusted.

You Lanchen was still rambling about some kind of spell. The guards beside her threw a torch onto the firewood. The raging fire ignited and instantly submerged Xia Muqing.

You Lanchen and the ministers stared intently at the flames on the stage, as the greed in their eyes intensified.

As time passed, Xia Muqing didn’t cry out in pain. This made them realize that something was wrong. They went up to the platform and realized that the person who was standing on the platform had disappeared.

You Lanchen’s expression darkened and he roared, “Find her!”

It had been three years. They had been preparing for three years. He definitely couldn’t accept his plans being ruined at the last moment.

Everyone searched anxiously and there was a commotion.

A clear voice traveled from the sky. “Are you looking for me again?”

Everyone looked up. A giant eagle spread its wings and stopped in midair. The sound traveled from the giant eagle.

You Lanchen narrowed his eyes and looked at the faint shadow on the back of the black eagle. “Muqing, we were just kidding.. Come down quickly.”