The Death of Duke Ren

Gu Qingyue quickly finished reading Ren Tianye's reply, but only felt her brain buzzing.

What was going on?

Why was it different from what she had imagined again?!

She had clearly kept her own eyes on Duke Ren's letter, checking it back and forth, over and over again to ensure there were no problems. How could...

How could the correspondence between Ren Tianye and Duke Ren still be like this?

"Duke Ren, exactly what kind of cipher are you and Ren Tianye using to communicate?"

"With blades and axes at your neck, you still dare to play these tricks right under my nose! Well done, very well done! You look weak and easy to bully, but I never expected your bones to be so hard!"

"You are the most stubborn man I, Gu Qingyue, have ever met in my life!"

Gu Qingyue trembled with anger, pointing at Duke Ren and cursing loudly.

Duke Ren was trembling uncontrollably.

Cipher?

What cipher!

"By the heavens, there really isn't one!"

"There truly is no cipher!"

"Not even the slightest bit!"

Gu Qingyue sneered coldly. "The facts are right in front of you, yet you still dare to deny it?"

She threw Ren Tianye's blood-written reply at Duke Ren and said, "If you didn't inform Ren Tianye using a secret code, how could he say these things?"

"And this line: even if he has to make enemies of the entire world, he will stand united with you."

"Do you still dare to say you didn't?"

Duke Ren's head was buzzing.

"Make enemies of the entire world?"

"No, why would I want to make enemies of the entire world?"

However, Gu Qingyue did not buy Duke Ren's genuine confusion in the slightest, only feeling that he was putting on an act again.

She had already experienced this old man's cunning and resolve multiple times. This time, she would show no mercy, immediately calling for the jailers.

"Chop off his fingers!"

"The fingers are connected to the heart. I want to see if he will tell the truth or not!"

Duke Ren screamed, "I am telling the truth! Believe me, believe me... Ah... Ah..."

Screams rang out, continuous and unending.

Duke Ren lost more than half of the half-life he had left.

Gu Qingyue didn't waste any more words this time, nor did she let Duke Ren write to Ren Tianye again. She simply sealed Duke Ren's severed fingers and sent them to Ren Tianye.

Hmph, without giving Duke Ren the chance to write a cipher this time, how could this stubborn Duke Ren pass on any messages?

Thinking this, she began another long wait.

Waiting for Ren Tianye's reply.

This was the third time, and this time, the reply came just as fast as the first time, incredibly quickly.

The content of the reply, however, made Gu Qingyue's vision go dark again.

"When the heavens are about to place a great responsibility on a man, it always first frustrates his spirit, exhausts his muscles and bones, starves his body, subjects him to extreme poverty, and confounds his undertakings. By these methods, it stimulates his mind, hardens his nature, and supplies his incompetencies..."

"Father, you are truly a role model for your son!"

"Your son is proud of you!"

Gu Qingyue scanned it once again and immediately began to roar at the top of her lungs: "Ahhh..."

"Duke Ren, how on earth are you transmitting these ciphers?"

Gu Qingyue could no longer hold back.

She grabbed a knife and stormed into the prison cell.

This time, she would do it herself. She would personally let Duke Ren taste her methods.

Thus, under Gu Qingyue's furious methods, Duke Ren, who was already on the verge of death, finally could not hold on.

He closed his eyes, kicked his legs, and his soul departed to the heavens, completely devoid of life.

"Who allowed you to die?"

"Did I tell you to die?"

"Wake up and tell me, how exactly did you pass secret codes to Ren Tianye?"

Gu Qingyue's expression was somewhat crazed.

Probably out of anger.

Since before summoning Ren Tianye to the capital, she had carefully schemed, digging a massive pit for him step by step, aiming to firmly control him to use against Tuoba Xiangtai.

But the result was that Ren Tianye went from a guerrilla general to the Grand Commandant, overseeing the affairs of the Masters of Writing, establishing his own administrative office, being exempt from stating his name during audiences, not having to scurry in the court, and being allowed to wear his sword and shoes into the palace hall!

It made everything she had done look like a joke.

Right now, Duke Ren had become her only saving grace, yet Duke Ren was so unyielding. Gu Qingyue was driven mad with anger.

Completely insane.

She directly drew the blade at her waist and hacked wildly at Duke Ren's corpse, slashing haphazardly until there was not a single ounce of strength left in her hands.

Only then was the anger in her chest finally vented.

But...

There were no longer any means left to restrain Ren Tianye!

What should she do in the future?

"M-My Lord..."

A jailer ran over trembling to report, "Someone has broken into the prison from the outside. It looks like that newly arrived general, and the ones who came are all soldiers from the Northern Frontier..."

"They look fierce and aggressive, it feels like they are here for revenge."

"Revenge? What revenge?" Gu Qingyue said coldly. "Who has a grudge against them?"

"If anyone has a grudge, it is I who have a grudge against them."

"M-My Lord..." The jailer looked at this descendant of the Duke of Zhenguo, who was clearly somewhat delirious, and said, "The one who died is Duke Ren."

"He is General Ren's father."

"His father was killed by you. This is the enmity of murdering one's father, an irreconcilable hatred."

Gu Qingyue's eyes instantly cleared.

The deadly blade in her hand also fell to the ground with a clatter.

Only then did she finally realize.

Right, she had killed Ren Tianye's father, Duke Ren.

And Ren Tianye was a guy who dared to call a stag a horse in the imperial court, confounding black and white. Most importantly, this Ren Tianye truly dared to kill people!

"So, Ren Tianye has sent people to kill me?"

After realizing this, Gu Qingyue immediately jumped up and fiercely charged outward.

She had already experienced Ren Tianye's ruthlessness.

If she was caught by Ren Tianye, the consequences... she dared not imagine!

Run!

Run immediately!

Run out of the capital at the fastest speed possible!

...

"Great General..."

Lieutenant General Wang Ming reported, "Your subordinate has personally gone to the heavenly prison to check. Duke Ren is dead."

"He died a miserable death. Torture devices were used on him while he was alive, and even in death, he found no peace. He was hacked with a blade until he was a bloody mess. It is incredibly tragic!"

"Is that so? That tragic?"

Ren Tianye wore a look of "pity": "He was, after all, this general's father, this general's only living relative in the world, yet he died so miserably?"

"These loyal officials of Great Yu kept shouting for this general to come and cleanse the emperor's side, making this general lead our brothers on such a long trek to rescue His Majesty."

"This general has arrived, yet they murdered this general's father?"

"As the saying goes, if this can be tolerated, what cannot be tolerated!"

"This general absolutely cannot swallow this insult."

"Like this..."

Ren Tianye directly ordered: "Go and spread the word about this matter. You must profoundly express the pain this general has suffered, and inform everyone that this general will not let this go!"

"Since they dared to kill this general's father, they definitely have accomplices and co-conspirators."

"This general orders you to take men and search!"

"Whether they are peddlers and servants, or princes and nobles, their homes must be thoroughly searched. We must find out exactly who murdered this general's father!"

...