With a "crack" sound, Immediately，the guard's agonized scream rang out.

  He Jingheng released his hand, and the guard's hand hung in an extremely strange position. It was obvious that it was broken.

  Shang Ruoyi curled her lips. It wasn't just broken; it was shattered.

  With just a gentle exertion from He Jingheng, the guard's hand bones and wrist bones were all shattered. Even surgery might not be able to restore it.

  "He Jingheng! How dare you resist!"

  "He Qing, are you deaf? Even if my title is stripped, I'm still a member of the royal family. Not only can I call you by your name, but I can also call He Lingsheng by his name," He Jingheng wiped his hands and glanced at him. "If you haven't brought any orders from anyone, I advise you to go back and obtain them quickly. Otherwise, although my leg is injured, my fists are still here. I'm used to fighting and killing over the years. If I don't kill anyone for a few days, my hands itch terribly."

  Upon hearing this, He Qing's hand couldn't help but tremble.

  Unlike them, the heirs and young masters who had always been in the capital, He Jingheng had truly seen blood and taken lives.

  So, the murderous aura on him could be felt from a great distance. Especially when he fixed his eyes on someone, it was terrifying.

  Just like at this moment, He Jingheng merely glanced at him, but the murderous intent in his eyes made him tremble until now.

  He Qing never expected that even in He Jingheng's current down - and - out state, he could still make him feel afraid.

  Zhang, seeing that He Qing had no way to deal with them, couldn't help but despise him.

  A dignified heir, yet having no real power at all. It was truly exasperating.

  He Qing looked at Shang Ruoyi, his eyes narrowing slightly. It didn't matter that he couldn't kill He Jingheng. He had originally just come to kick a man when he was down, not intending to take his life. Now, if he couldn't kill him, at least he could still annoy him.

  With this thought, he extended his hand towards Shang Ruoyi's face. Just as he was about to touch her, He Jingheng's eyes darkened, and he was about to take action when He Qing suddenly let out a pained cry, his face turning deathly pale as he clutched his stomach.

  The attendants were startled. How could their young master suddenly become like this?

  They rushed forward and saw a silver needle stuck in his stomach, a trace of blood trickling down.

  "Assassin! There's an assassin!"

  They surrounded He Qing tightly, looking around vigilantly.

  Shang Ruoyi curled her lips. How dare he touch this granny？This was just a small lesson. It would make him suffer pain for more than a month and be unable to sleep peacefully every day. If there was a next time, it would be his life. Whether it was needles or knives, there was an endless supply in the space.

  The guards guarded for a long time, but no assassin was found. But where did this silver needle come from?

  "Useless! A bunch of useless people. You can't even find one assassin," He Qing clutched his stomach. Just as he was about to stand up, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his abdomen.

  "Ah! It hurts, it hurts!" The stabbing pain made him kneel directly to the ground. Coincidentally, the direction he knelt was exactly towards He Jingheng.

  "He Qing, we are of the same generation. There's no need for such a grand gesture," He Jingheng smiled. "Since you've realized your mistake, I won't pursue your previous rudeness."

  "You!" He had just uttered one word when he felt the pain in his abdomen intensify, and finally, he fainted directly.

  "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and take this sickly fellow back to the mansion," He Jingheng looked at the attendants around He Qing and said calmly. "If it's too late, his life may be in danger."

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  So, He Qing came in a hurry, and the servants left in a hurry. For a moment, the guards looked at He Jingheng with different eyes than before. Zhang Hu was even more convinced of his previous thoughts.

  He Jingheng could never be so easily defeated, and Shang Ruoyi was not as simple as she seemed on the surface. Prime Minister Shang actually told her such a secret matter about the princess of the Xiao Wang Mansion. This was not the attitude towards an ordinary concubine - born daughter.

  So, during the room allocation that night, the He family received special treatment.

  Originally, the prisoners were all to be housed in the firewood shed outside. But due to the continuous heavy rain, the firewood shed had collapsed, so the prisoners had to be placed in the rooms inside the post station.

  That night, except for the second - branch of the He family, the rest of the He family were separately placed in a room. The remaining prisoners were placed in a leaky room on the first floor. The ground in the room was damp, the whole room was filled with a musty smell, and the space was extremely narrow.

  The He family's room was also very simple, but at least it was dry and had a low couch.

  Zhang sat in the corner and said in a deep voice, "Why? We're all from the He family. Why are we driven here? Even that Aunt Li and Fuzi can be in a dry room. Are we even worse than a servant?"

  He Ning'an's face also darkened.

  Since the exile, although he hadn't said anything, he had harbored deep resentment towards the eldest - branch of the He family in his heart. Leaving aside Shang Ruoyi's father, surely his elder brother, He Yuwen, and He Jingheng had offended the emperor somewhere, which led to this disaster. Now, they were implicated, and not only did they show no apology, but they also excluded them.

  Zhang was right. In the eyes of the eldest - branch, they were even inferior to servants.

  "I think they've all been bewitched by that little slut Shang Ruoyi. They all revolve around her. And those guards too. Father is still a prince, yet he's not as favored as that little slut Shang Ruoyi," she said in a deep voice. "I say, Shang Ruoyi might have had some improper dealings with the guards. Otherwise, why would the guards always give her convenience?"

  He Jinghe nodded upon hearing this. "Mother is right. Shang Ruoyi has a seductive look. She's clearly not a well - behaved woman."

  Qiao Yanxin glanced at him. Seductive? True, Shang Ruoyi was extremely beautiful. But what kind of person was He Jinghe? His eyes would often land on Shang Ruoyi's face and body. Did he think she didn't notice?

  Just then, a prisoner reeking of stench plopped down beside Zhang. The extremely pungent smell made her retch uncontrollably.

  In the previous few days, although everyone was close, the living places were ventilated. It was nothing like this air - tight space now.

  At this moment, the smell in the whole room was hardly any better than that of a pigsty.

  He Ning'an and Zhang's family couldn't bear it any longer and went to the guards. "We're also from the He family. Why are we placed here?"

  The guards were eating roast chickens bought in the town. Being interrupted, their moods clearly worsened. With a cold face, one of them said, "What? Not satisfied?" He picked up the whip on the chair and lashed it hard. The whip directly struck He Jinghe. "If you're not satisfied, just say it. I'll beat you until you are!"

  Blood seeped from the wound on He Jinghe's arm, and he grimaced in pain.

  Seeing the guards' tough attitude, they could only slink back to their places.