After Entering The Abusive Novel, I Became The Empress - chapter 30

Neither the commoners watching from the doorway nor the people standing in the hall had expected such a scene to unfold.

Qin Yuqing closed her eyes, silently vowing in her heart: “Don’t worry. I, Qin Yuqing, swear on never being able to return to the modern world—your efforts will not be in vain. The scandal of exam cheating will never be allowed to happen again!”

The Emperor, who had weathered many storms, furrowed his brows, anger burning in his eyes. Just as he was about to speak, a commotion rippled through the crowd again.

“Report! Another dead body at the city gates!”
A servant stumbled forward, nearly crawling, followed by men dragging a corpse behind him.

“Another one dead? What’s going on?”

“You haven’t heard? They say it’s a victim of the past civil exam fraud come seeking revenge.”

“Heavens, what sin is this… isn’t this the fourth body already?”

“Who knows? As long as the dead are all scoundrels, I’m happy to see it.”

“In the end, isn’t it all tacitly approved from above? If not for exam cheating, such tragedies would never have happened.”

The murmurs of the people could no longer be suppressed, and the pressure around the Emperor grew heavier and heavier.

Hadn’t it already been said? The real play had only just begun. Without striking hard, how could those people retreat?

And how else could her so-called father bring himself to punish them properly?

The corner of Qin Yuqing’s lips curved slightly. Every one of the dead had deserved death under the law. She and Lu Jingchuan were merely acting in accordance with it. It wasn’t unlawful.

The Emperor’s gaze shifted toward Qin Yuqing, who was calmly sipping tea. Though he already knew the Sixth Princess was no ordinary girl, he hadn’t expected such ruthless decisiveness from one so young. Truly her mother’s child. If Qing’er were a son, perhaps this empire could one day be entrusted to her.

If only the Crown Prince had half of Qin Yuqing’s ruthlessness, he wouldn’t trouble the Emperor so much. But ruthless heart alone does not make an emperor.

“Your Majesty, please look.”
Lu Jingchuan stepped forward with a slip of paper he had just taken from the corpse’s hand. Written on it were three students’ names and places of origin. “The deceased is Assistant Minister Qi of the Ministry of War.”

The Emperor glanced at the names and immediately understood: yet another man involved in exam corruption.

His fingers trembled slightly. He had always known such cheating existed, but in order to balance court factions he could only turn a blind eye.

That didn’t mean he condoned it. He had sworn to be a wise ruler—how could he allow the hearts of the nation’s students to turn cold?

“Lu Jingchuan. Qin Yuqing.”
The Emperor’s voice was sharp, his aura overwhelming, suffused with killing intent.

“Your servant is here,” Lu Jingchuan knelt at once.

“Your daughter is here,” Qin Yuqing also bowed to the ground.

The Emperor’s eyes blazed with icy fire. His voice was like thunder:
“If there is any suspicion of cheating in the civil examinations—execute them. You need not report to me.”

“This is the authority I grant you!”

The cup in his hand shattered to pieces. Were it not for the wars in the north and natural disasters in the south, he would have purged these vermin long ago. Now was the perfect chance—a chance to reshuffle the entire court.

Let the ministers curse him if they must. He would never disappoint his people!

At that moment, the capital was shrouded in storm clouds, and the date of the civil exams crept ever closer. Time was running out for Qin Yuqing.

—

In the residence of a certain official, Qin Yuqing sat high in the main hall, one hand holding a book, the other lifting a teacup.

“Spare me, Sixth Princess! I have never taken part in exam fraud. Please, Your Highness, see clearly!”

Without lifting her gaze, Qin Yuqing gestured toward Lu Jingchuan seated to her side, then calmly sipped her tea.

The official immediately understood and turned, weeping, to him. “General Lu, I beg you—my family is honest and upright, we’ve never done anything to harm others!”

Expressionless, Lu Jingchuan produced a scroll from his robes and began reading aloud the man’s misdeeds, down to the exact times and places.

The official’s face drained of color. He collapsed to the ground, muttering, “It’s over… all over.”

When Lu Jingchuan finished, Qin Yuqing set down her teacup and finally raised her head.
“Do you have anything else to say?”

Suddenly, the man scrambled forward with obsequious flattery, pulling out a stack of silver notes from his robes and offering them up.
“Sixth Princess, this is a small token of respect. In a few days there will be more—much more.”

“Oh? How considerate.” Qin Yuqing took the notes, leafed through them, and chuckled. “Lu Jingchuan, do you see? Quite a tidy sum.”

Thinking her smile a sign of pardon, the official laughed nervously, “Not much, not much, just a trifle. I hope Your Highness won’t mind.”

Lu Jingchuan only shook his head. The man hadn’t noticed, but he could see clearly—Qin Yuqing was truly enraged.

“Lu Jingchuan, how long a sentence for bribery?” Qin Yuqing asked with a smile, waving the silver notes.

“At least five years in prison. At worst, execution.”

The smile on the official’s face froze. In panic, he clutched at Qin Yuqing’s robes. “Sixth Princess, I was wrong! I lost my head for a moment. Please, have mercy!”

“Mercy? Did you think of mercy for those students replaced by cheats?” Qin Yuqing’s voice dripped with scorn.

“Sixth Princess, I truly know my mistake, it was only for a moment—”

Before he could finish, Lu Jingchuan’s sword struck coldly.

“Too noisy,” Qin Yuqing muttered, glancing at the bl00d spattering her hem. With a small click of her tongue, she said, “Next one.”

At first, many officials thought they could buy off the princess. None had expected her to be such a merciless figure.

Soon fear gripped the city. Officials cowered in their homes, eyes fixed anxiously on their gates, dreading a knock. Those who had quickly withdrawn from corrupt dealings breathed easier.

By dusk, the capital had been scoured clean with bl00d. Stepping out from yet another mansion, both Qin Yuqing and Lu Jingchuan were stained crimson. Qin Yuqing rubbed her stomach and sighed.

“I’m hungry.”

“I’ll treat you,” Lu Jingchuan replied, leading her to a food stall outside the exam compound.

Seeing their bloodstained clothes, Qin Yuqing hesitated. “Boss, we’ll just sit on the ground over there. I don’t want to dirty your shop.”

But the stall owner beamed with unusual warmth. “No, no, it is an honor to have the Sixth Princess and General Lu at my humble stall. How could I let you sit outside?”

A warmth spread in Qin Yuqing’s chest. Her expression softened as she smiled. “Then let’s sit outside anyway. A bit of wind will help blow away the smell.”

“As you wish, honored guests. Please wait a moment.”

As she wiped bl00d from her face with a kerchief, Qin Yuqing complained, “At that last house, why did your killing intent flare so much? Now my face is filthy.”

Lu Jingchuan pressed his lips together, his aura still heavy, as if wrestling with some unseen rival. “He held you hostage.”

“Even a cornered dog will leap over a wall—let alone a man,” Qin Yuqing said casually. Her gaze fell on a group of poor students huddled together, sharing the light of a single oil lamp. “At least, this gives them an answer.”

Lu Jingchuan nodded, marking the final name on their list with a red stroke. “A pity… this is all we could get.”

“No rush. They’ll surface sooner or later.” Qin Yuqing accepted the bowl of wontons the stall owner brought, thanked him, and began eating slowly. “But with so many struck down at once, someone will have to fill the gap.”

“Don’t worry. They’ll be replaced soon enough.”

On the roadside, some students recognized Qin Yuqing and waved excitedly, their eyes brimming with gratitude.

“Sixth Princess, may I offer you a drink?”
A young man in patched clothing approached shyly, but carried with him the clean scent of soaproot.

Qin Yuqing froze, then handed him her bl00d-soaked handkerchief with a wry smile. “Both of us are covered in bl00d. Aren’t you afraid of me?”

“Why should I be?” His gaze was steady, full of fervent respect. “To us students, you are our benefactor!”

Lu Jingchuan pulled out a bench for him, but the young man declined, continuing passionately:
“We all know that coming to the capital for exams is little more than chasing a dream. Without a patron or a powerful marriage, there is no hope of reaching the Golden List. But now, things are different.”

“You and this general have staked your own names to give us a fair chance, to open a true road to success. Why should we fear a little bl00d?”

His words roused the others.

“That’s right! We’re not afraid!”
“Thank you, Sixth Princess, thank you, General Lu!”

Some of the better-informed students held up their books, grinning.
“Sixth Princess—we’ll see you at the exam hall!”

Qin Yuqing was momentarily stunned. Their simple, sincere blessing was the greatest affirmation she could receive.

For the first time, she felt her path had been acknowledged. She was happy—but one task remained undone.

The three women who had died at the Court of Judicature had no kin left to bury them. Qin Yuqing could not bear to see them left exposed to the elements, so she took it upon herself to arrange their burial.

Outside the city, in a quiet, secluded spot, facing south with good feng shui, they poured wine onto the ground. Qin Yuqing whispered, Lu Jingchuan standing silently at her back as he too emptied his jar.

“I did it,” she murmured. No answer came. “Your sacrifice wasn’t in vain. I cannot promise about future exams, but this year—this year there will be no cheating.”

The breeze stirred the branches, like a gentle reply.

Tears slid from the corners of Qin Yuqing’s eyes. She had felt lost, even frightened, watching official after official fall before her. Born in a peaceful era, she questioned whether her actions were right.

Was she too brutal? Too ruthless? Too inhuman?

But seeing the students’ genuine smiles, she understood—without that ruthlessness, she wouldn’t survive in this devouring dynasty.

“If you want to cry, then cry,” Lu Jingchuan said softly, handing her a kerchief.

As the sky opened and raindrops fell, Qin Yuqing finally broke. She sank to her knees, tears mixing with the rain.

“I did it. I didn’t betray their expectations.”

Lu Jingchuan knelt beside her, his hand steadying her back.

“Yes,” he said firmly. “You did it.”