Oh. My. Fate?! (BL, Volume 12, Part 1)

171 The Unbearable Fiancee

Qiu Ling's mood plummeted when he thought about this but there was nothing he could do. All of this was in the past and he couldn't prevent it from happening. He could only be there whenever Jing He returned and ensure that this wouldn't happen again in the future.

He sighed, wondering if he could really get along with his father-in-law one day in the future. He had always tried but ... it didn't even seem like something he wanted to happen if this was how the guy behaved. Jing He deserved so much better than this, at least his mother and his uncle understood this. But his father didn't seem to care at all.

Qiang Yan was still thinking about Qiu Ling's previous question, a hint of guilt in his expression. "What you just asked ... that matter could be considered my fault. You know that I am in charge of the distribution of guards in the capital, don't you?"

Qiu Ling was pulled out of his thoughts about Jing He's personality which had become slightly crooked and nodded. "Yes, I know."

"Well, the general idea was always to let the guards become familiar with the place they are stationed at but also change them often enough that they can't become blind to risks and to also ensure that things don't become too predictable for anyone with nefarious intentions. Because of this, I usually change the place they work at every few years. Their deployment while there is taken care of by the one in charge of that place and will vary as well. It always worked well."

"Until it didn't." Just like Qiu Ling had known that something had happened with the people around Jing He, he also didn't need to be told that changing guards every now and then had led to issues. It was obvious, both because of how the curse worked and because he usually saw the same guards around Jing He. Clearly, the previous system of deploying them had been changed for him which hinted at some deeper reason.

"Yes, until it didn't. This matter ... I am ashamed of myself for not seeing the issue earlier but I never would have thought it could be like this." He shook his head, his brows furrowing slightly. "Do you remember Yin Lin Lin?"

Qiu Ling thought for a while. He wasn't too familiar with the gods. Apart from Jing He's family, his guards, and a few tilted gods like the God of Justice and the God of Medicine, he had hardly had any contact with others. As for a Yin Lin Lin who clearly didn't even hold a title ... He had to shake his head. "Should I know this person?"

Qiang Yan could only smile wryly. "She is the daughter of my late mentor, the previous God of War. She was the one who incited Hong Bao back then to try and kill Jing He's mortal reincarnation with the soul-devouring dagger to get Shun Tao into trouble."

Qiu Ling raised his brows. "Did she make trouble back then as well?"

Qiang Yan sighed. "You could say that, although it wasn't her directly back then. One of the guards that was previously deployed at her palace was later assigned to my sister's palace where Jing He was still living at the time. When he saw a chance, he attacked him." He shook his head, still having trouble with this matter even after so much time had passed.

"The guards at my palace are all checked before they can enter. Apart from their physical fitness and their magical abilities, we also check their attitude. If there are any doubts, they would either not be allowed to enter the Palace of War at all or at least never be arranged to work at one of the titled palaces or that of the Heavenly Family.

"This person never showed any sign of being problematic. I checked later on and he originally entered my palace with decent results in all assessments. He wasn't special but he definitely didn't stand out negatively either. By the time this happened, he had worked at several titled palaces without issue. There were no mistakes during his work and nobody reported that he seemed to be radicalized in any way. There just seemed to be no clue at all as if he had just suddenly turned crazy."

Qiu Ling rubbed his forehead. He had already thought earlier that the curse seemed to magnify any possibility of issues. Maybe that truly wasn't too far off. Usually, that guard was alright and might not think of something as crazy as assassinating the crown prince but when alone with him and suddenly having the opportunity, whatever resentment he somehow felt must have bubbled to the surface and caused him to act without even thinking. "The reason was that Yin Lin Lin?"

Bai Fen took the opportunity to explain, seeing as Qiu Ling likely didn't remember anything about her. "Apart from being the previous God of War's daughter, she was also Rong Su's fiancee. After he met me, he clamored that he didn't want to marry her when before, while he might not have been thrilled, he at least didn't speak out against the arrangement. Because of this, she has always held a grudge against me."

Qiang Yan inclined his head. "She never got tired of complaining about it either, telling everyone who wants to hear about it how she should have been the Heavenly Empress. She was never all that interested in Rong Su as a person but looked more at his position.

"To be fair, I get it. She was born after my mentor found out that he wouldn't have long to live. He used the time that was left to try and make up for not being able to be there later on. It was a good idea but she became unbearable later on. I think he felt sorry for how she turned out but ... there really was no time to make up for it. In the end, he didn't even make it until she came of age and could only leave with regrets."