The mistress is reborn, no one who bullies me can escape

Ling Yan's mind was as clear as a mirror, and he knew very well that these words were just excuses from the other party.

Faced with this situation, his expression remained as calm as water, making it difficult to guess his true thoughts.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, stared at the other person with a sharp gaze, and then said in a leisurely but unquestionable tone: "What if I am determined to see it?" This sentence was like a thunderclap, exploding in the already tense and depressing atmosphere.

In an instant, the whole scene seemed to freeze. It was so quiet that even a pin drop could be heard clearly.

Everyone was stunned by this sudden change and for a moment they didn't know how to respond.

Even Runanji, who was standing nearby, was so frightened that he didn't dare to breathe, with cold sweat dripping down his forehead.

He secretly groaned in his heart, fearing that the situation would get completely out of control due to his carelessness.

"City Lord Meng?" Ling Yan's voice suddenly rose eight octaves, and his tone became even colder and piercing. "If I insist on checking, do you dare to openly disobey the imperial order?" His narrow and deep eyes were flashing with a cold light at this moment, which made people shudder.

"Back then, Southern Xinjiang was the territory of our Great Jin, and was under the jurisdiction of the imperial court. But now, as the lord of Southern Xinjiang, do you really think that I can't control this place because the mountains are high and the roads are long? That's why you dare to act so recklessly and even ignore my orders?"

Ling Yan grew up in the palace since childhood, and naturally exudes an innate noble temperament and majesty.

With just a few words, the whole scene instantly heated up to a fever pitch.

At this moment, it seemed that everyone's heartbeat and breathing were clearly audible, and any slight movement could cause an uproar and change the direction of the entire situation.

It was obvious that Ling Yan's move was a deliberate provocation.

If Meng Jincheng dared to refuse directly, Ling Yan would definitely turn hostile on the spot.

Not only that, he would not even hesitate to mobilize his troops and send them out in full force.

By then, let alone a mere Nanjiang city, I am afraid that the entire Nanjiang region will be wantonly trampled and searched thoroughly.

How could Meng Jincheng not know Ling Yan's wishful thinking? He knew it clearly in his heart.

However, in order to achieve his own goals, this is definitely not the time to completely break up with Ling Yan.

So Meng Jincheng could only endure it again and again and suppress the anger in his heart.

After enduring for a while, Meng Jincheng finally slowly opened his mouth and said, "Since the emperor wants to see my face, I will obey your orders without hesitation."

"However, I have already stated before that my appearance is extremely ugly."

"If this has frightened His Majesty, I hope that His Majesty will be magnanimous and not get angry." As soon as he finished speaking, Meng Jincheng no longer hesitated and reached out to quickly take off the silver mask on his face.

"vomit......…"

Before Ling Yan could react, Run Nanji, who was standing beside him, could no longer hold back. His stomach was churning and he almost vomited.

Looking closely, I saw that hidden under the silver mask was a terrifying pile of rotten flesh! Some of the rotten flesh was dark brown, with traces of pus and blood oozing out; some of it looked like it had been burned by a raging fire, with skin and flesh torn apart, and it was horrible to look at.

Because the wound could never heal, the exposed muscle tissue was in a shocking state. It was by no means intact, but a bloody and horrific sight.

Runanji was originally a scholar, and his innate character made his heart and intestines relatively soft.

When he witnessed such a horrifying scene, his body trembled involuntarily and his stomach was churning. He could not bear the strong discomfort brought about by this visual impact.

However, with the emperor right beside him, he could not afford to appear too inappropriate or cowardly.

So, even though his heart was filled with fear and disgust, he could only close his eyes tightly, forcing himself not to look directly at the horrific scene.

For Meng Jincheng, it was undoubtedly a great humiliation and embarrassment to reveal his ugliest side to others without reservation.

Even though he was already in great pain, he still tried to remain calm on the surface and asked the emperor in a calm tone: "Your Majesty, do you see clearly?"

Ling Yan naturally would not miss any details. At first, he even suspected whether the rotten piece of flesh on Meng Jincheng's face was a disguise.

But after careful observation, it was found that its realism was beyond imagination and it did not look like a fake at all.

Finally, Ling Yan responded: "City Lord Meng, I have seen it clearly."

However, he was obviously not in a good mood. He frowned slightly and then told Meng Jincheng to put on the mask.

There was no emotion on Meng Jincheng's face. He just slowly put on the mask. The mask seemed to blend into his face, making it difficult to see his true thoughts.

However, his words carried a hint of obvious irony: "Since you have seen it clearly, that's good. I am afraid that the emperor may not see it clearly and will still have doubts next time."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone could hear the implicit sarcasm towards Ling Yan.

Ling Yan naturally knew this, but he did not show any displeasure on his face. He just responded calmly: "City Lord Meng, is there anything else you want to do here?"

Hearing that Ling Yan had finally asked the key point, Meng Jincheng pursed his lips slightly and said, "Your Majesty's visit to Southern Xinjiang is truly a blessing for the people of Southern Xinjiang. Therefore, I am thinking of holding a grand banquet in a few days to express my welcome. I wonder what Your Majesty thinks of this?"

Ling Yan's eyes sparkled when he heard this, and then he asked calmly, "Are you going to invite all the officials from Southern Xinjiang to attend this banquet?"

Meng Jincheng nodded quickly and said, "That's right."

Just when everyone thought Ling Yan would hesitate, he answered straightforwardly, "In that case, I'll have to trouble City Lord Meng to take care of it."

Meng Jincheng originally thought that Ling Yan would put forward some conditions or requests, but he did not expect that he would agree so readily. He could not help but feel a little surprised.

But on second thought, Ling Yan is currently in southern Xinjiang, where the situation is stronger than he is, so he probably has no reason to refuse.

Thinking of this, Meng Jincheng said no more. He bowed and left the room.

After Meng Jincheng gradually walked away until his figure disappeared, Runanji finally came to his senses as if awakened from a dream, and said anxiously: "Your Majesty! How can you agree to this so easily? What if there is a conspiracy and something unexpected happens? The consequences will be disastrous!"

However, in the face of Runanji's worry and anxiety, Ling Yan remained extremely calm from beginning to end. He narrowed his eyes slightly and asked thoughtfully: "You can't get a tiger cub without risking it."

"My dear, in your opinion, what caused the scar on his face?"

Obviously, Ling Yan had already made up his mind whether to attend the banquet.

Even if Runanji tried to persuade and stop him at this time, it would probably be difficult to shake him in the slightest.

Hearing Ling Yan's question, Run Nanji couldn't help but frown, and his face instantly became solemn.

He hesitated for a long time, and finally answered slowly: "Your Majesty, I have observed that his injuries appear to be burns, but after a closer look, I feel that they are not... If they were really burns, then according to common sense, the wound should have healed long ago after such a long time. But the current situation is really strange. Not only has it not healed for a long time, but what is even more puzzling is..."

Having said this, Runanji suddenly paused, as if he had some concerns. The rest of the words were stuck in his throat and he could no longer continue.

Seeing this, Ling Yan frowned in dissatisfaction and shouted in a deep voice: "Just say what you want to say, no need to hesitate!"

"I just think that even if the rotten flesh on the face is so rotten, it should at least emit some strange smell. However, whether City Lord Meng was wearing a mask when meeting guests or when he was not wearing a mask, I was unable to detect any abnormality in the rotten flesh, and I didn't even smell a trace of special smell. It is really strange!"

As Runanji spoke, he frowned slightly, and his deep eyes revealed an increasingly solemn look.

Hearing this, Ling Yan immediately said: "It's not just strange, there may be something behind this."

"Really?"

Runanji couldn't help but look astonished, obviously shocked by this statement.

He opened his eyes wide and asked anxiously, "Your Majesty, what is going on? I really can't figure it out."

Ling Yan hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "I've heard that Southern Xinjiang is a place that specializes in breeding poisonous insects. It's said that poison techniques are prevalent there, and if a person has a large number of poisonous insects in their body, their body will often show some unique characteristics. For example, the rotten flesh on City Lord Meng's face has no odor at all... Don't you think this is too weird?"

Hearing this, Runanji's face suddenly changed, full of horror, and he said in a trembling voice: "Could it be that this City Lord Meng has a poisonous insect hidden in his body?"

Ling Yan remained silent, his mind constantly recalling the various things the Queen Mother had mentioned to him. He had already vaguely guessed some clues in his mind, but he didn't dare to jump to conclusions at this moment.

He only sighed and said in a heavy voice: "We are still unable to determine the truth, so we can only wait and see. But remember one thing, no matter what happens, we must not forget the real purpose of coming here this time."

Runanji nodded slightly and responded respectfully: "Your Majesty, I understand." After that, he turned around and slowly left.

After Run Nanji disappeared from his sight, Ling Yan's originally tense face did not relax. Instead, it looked even more solemn and gloomy, as if a heavy burden was pressing on his heart.

At this moment, his heart was like a tangled mess, with complex emotions intertwined together, making it almost impossible for him to sort out his thoughts.

"Huahua, where on earth are you?" Ling Yan murmured to himself, his voice full of anxiety and worry.

He looked into the distance with empty eyes, as if trying to find the trace of the person who worried him through the layers of fog.

At the same time, the news that Meng Jincheng was about to host a dinner party spread rapidly as if it had wings.

This news not only reached Meng Jinyao's ears, but even the city lord's wife learned about it.

Ever since Xue Jinhua was secretly moved away, the city lord's wife has been extremely anxious and has continuously sent people to search for her whereabouts in secret.

However, after a long and arduous search, nothing was found.

"Tracy, are you really sure that you have searched all possible places?" The city lord's wife frowned and asked Tracy with a suspicious look on her face.

Although Tracy felt somewhat disapproving of the City Lord's wife's persistence in finding Xue Jinhua, she was her master after all, so she did not dare to show the slightest dissatisfaction.

Tracy knelt on the ground with her head down, and answered solemnly and seriously: "In reply to Madam, I have indeed turned the entire Nanjiang City upside down, and I am sure that I have not found any clues about Madam Xue. In my opinion, the Lord of the City must be determined to hide Madam Xue well this time. I am afraid that it will be in vain for you to continue to work so hard. Why don't we just give up now?"

"Absolutely not! We can't just sit there and watch him make mistakes! No matter what the cost, we must find her and stop the city lord from making a big mistake in time."

The city lord's wife frowned and thought for a moment with a serious expression before saying, "Based on the current situation, if we still can't find any trace of her in this city, then she must not be in the city. How about this, you quickly go outside the city to look for her."

The maid Tracy beside her was embarrassed and timidly advised: "Madam, why don't we stop doing this? If the city lord knew that you acted like this, he would be furious! You have spent a lot of effort to win the favor of the city lord. I am really worried... I am worried that all your previous efforts will be wasted!"

The city lord's wife looked at Tracy firmly and said earnestly, "Tracy, I know you are only thinking about me, but our royal family in Southern Xinjiang has a ancestral precept that requires generations to be loyal to the emperor of Jin. What the city lord is doing now is simply going against the will of heaven and committing a serious crime."

"As the wife of the city lord, how can I sit back and do nothing? So, if you really want to do this for my own good, then you should follow my instructions."