infodatos Chapter 704 - 703: Exactly Alike
Chapter 704 - 703: Exactly Alike
"Unexpectedly, someone from your family is still alive!" The counterfeit Prince Lan glared at Lu Qing, squinting his eyes, speaking through gritted teeth, "Given your age... you must have been just a child back then?
Who hid you away?
...Let me think, was it that wet nurse?
I should have realized it sooner! There wasn’t a trace of a child in the house, so why was there a wet nurse living there!
Back then, I really should have waited a bit longer to find you, maybe then many things would have turned out differently."
His words could be said to be maliciously intended, practically crafted to provoke Lu Qing, perhaps realizing there was no escaping this time, he simply wished to inflict pain onto Lu Qing before his own death.
The guards present, along with Lin Kun and Chang Yu, were still reeling from the imposter’s true identity. Upon hearing his words, they suddenly realized this person had deep ties to Lu Qing before wreaking havoc in Lan Country, and had committed other atrocities elsewhere, leaving them still in shock.
Lu Qing simply stood there expressionlessly, his gaze coldly fixed on the person opposite him, showing no emotion or response to his words, as if those cruel remarks were merely wind passing by his ears.
He remained composed, but someone was no longer as calm.
Zhu Yu strode forward, pointing at the counterfeit Prince Lan, gesturing to Fu Lu beside him, "Hold his head steady for me!"
Fu Lu didn’t know what Zhu Yu was planning, but of course, he had to obey the mistress’s orders, so without a second word, he walked over and reached from behind the chair to fix the imposter’s head upright.
Zhu Yu stepped forward, starting by tearing off the remaining wax mask from the imposter’s face.
"What are you going to do?!" The counterfeit Prince Lan stared at Zhu Yu, his tone carrying a hint of nervousness.
"Don’t panic." Zhu Yu’s face held no trace of a smile, her tone cold, as she continued to peel away the wax mask, "I’m just planning to use the most clichéd method to do what needs to be done, to let out my anger."
Having said this, she gave the counterfeit Prince Lan a smile, then swung her arm and slapped him across the face.
The imposter’s head was knocked forcefully by the slap, with Fu Lu holding his head steady from both sides, making it impossible for him to dodge or deflect the force; the strength Zhu Yu used was fully reflected on his long, narrow face.
A red handprint visibly emerged from the dark yellow skin.
However, this handprint didn’t last long, and was soon buried under the layers of new handprints from Zhu Yu’s repeated slaps, ultimately turning into a large red and swollen area.
The counterfeit Prince Lan had no chance to scream, and Zhu Yu was also silent—she wished to apply all her strength into her hand; there was no time for talking!
It was now she understood why immortals in stories were often depicted with three heads and six arms—it really speeds things up when hitting!
No one knew how many slaps were dealt in total, but someone gently held Zhu Yu’s hand away.
"By hitting him like this, your hand will hurt too." Lu Qing gently held Zhu Yu’s wrist, opened her hand to examine it, "Look at this, it’s so red now, it’s not worth it."
Only then did Zhu Yu feel her palm was hot and swollen, turning her head to look, indeed she’d slapped the imposter so much that her own palm had turned red and swollen.
"You don’t understand," but she didn’t feel regret at all, "Some strength shouldn’t be saved, some anger should be vented, otherwise it’ll be yourself regretting holding it all in."
She blew on her heated palm, "Besides, this kind of person who has committed endless evil, facing death yet stubborn as ever, I’ve long wanted the chance to give a few slaps myself. I couldn’t do it before, but now with this perfect opportunity, I certainly won’t miss it."
Lu Qing watched Zhu Yu speaking lightly, yet upon closer inspection, he could still catch sight of her slightly reddened eyes.
Whatever perfect opportunity shouldn’t be missed was just an excuse, she was standing up for herself, venting her resentment.
The corner of Lu Qing’s mouth slightly curled into an uncontrolled smile, mindful of the clueless crowd behind them, he could only softly "hmm" in assent, leading Zhu Yu away from the imposter.
Fu Lu saw that the mistress was done, let go of his hold disdainfully, even wiping his sleeve as if there was something dirty on the counterfeit Prince Lan’s head.
The guards and guests watching were stunned, seeing the harmful imposter slapped to the point where his face was red and swollen, visibly rounder than before, it was truly satisfying.
On the other hand, those clueless guards were further convinced of a fact—that the Chief Historian beside Lord Imperial Censor was indeed among the closest confidants, thoroughly intertwining his master’s interests with his own!
The imposter’s taunting words were obviously provocative, anyone with ears could hear it, yet if Lord Imperial Censor himself lost control and attacked, it would be beneath his dignity and publicly embarrassing.
However, doing nothing would suppress his spirit somewhat, allowing the imposter to go as far as disgust others before his death.
Thus having the Chief Historian step right up to slap the opponent like a hog’s head, with Lord Imperial Censor barely stopping him, maintaining both dignity and expression, it was exceptionally clever.
In their situation, if not absolutely knowing they were the closest to their master, they wouldn’t dare to charge forward so autonomously.
The counterfeit Prince Lan, under Zhu Yu’s relentless slapping, felt not only his face burning but his head like a muddled mess, with ears ringing, slumping in the chair appearing even more pathetic.
After pulling Zhu Yu away, Lu Qing didn’t immediately speak to the imposter but instead took out a box of ointment from his pocket and handed it to Zhu Yu, motioning for her to apply it on her swollen palm. Only after watching Zhu Yu apply the ointment did he refocus on the imposter, who had regained some semblance of composure.
"Looks like you already know very well who I am, so I can skip the introductions," he said to the man.
The counterfeit Prince Lan snorted, "You and your father’s and grandfather’s appearances are identical, impossible not to recognize."
"It seems your impression of them has never faded over these decades." Lu Qing smiled with a touch of sarcasm, directly asking, "So, why did you bring harm to my entire family back then?"