Unruly Phoenix Xiaoyao

Chapter 56: Yet another failure for the Xie father and mother pair

Ning Xiaoyao swatted aside Empress Dowager Xie's hand before taking the Imperial Jade Seal from its casket and throwing it down the steps. The casket was jade too, so Ning Xiaoyao couldn't bear to break that as well.

When the Imperial Jade Seal fell on the ground, it shattered with a soft pyah. The noisy vegetable market that had become the imperial court instantly fell silent. A stray gust of wind plastered one of the papers from Ning Xiaoyao's medical records straight into Grand Preceptor Xie's face. Even so, he didn't budge. Empress Dowager Xie's face turned as white as a sheet as she clutched the edges of the imperial writing desk to keep from collapsing onto the ground.

Ning Xiaoyao's lips split into a happy grin. See what happens when you seek death? The broken pieces of the Imperial Jade Seal were an offensive sight to the Ning clansmen and court ministers alike.

"This Imperial Jade Seal is a fake," Elder Li said angrily as he recovered to look at Grand Preceptor Xie. "Xie Wenyuan, how do you explain this?"

Grand Preceptor Xie was utterly paralyzed. Events had gone beyond his expectations, leaving his mind in chaos. Elder Li was practically roaring by now.

"Do you really think that the world belongs to your Xie Clan? Xie Wenyuan, for fabricating an Imperial Jade Seal, you deserve the nine familial exterminations!"

Grand Preceptor Xie stilled his heart and turned to kneel towards Ning Xiaoyao again until his forehead touched the ground. "Your Majesty, this subject has secret facts to report to the throne."

Within a short time, Grand Preceptor Xie had not only calmed down, but rapidly reviewed the recent course of events in his head. If Ning Yu dared to destroy the Imperial Jade Seal, there were only two possible reasons: one was that she possessed the true seal, and two was that she'd made a trade with whoever stole the seal in the first place. If that person wanted state power, then he or she and Ning Yu would treat the Xie Clan as their mutual enemy. After getting rid of the Xie Clan, the thief could struggle with Ning Yu for power afterwards. This too, could be considered a strategy. Based on his own beliefs from before, Grand Preceptor Xie was more inclined to the second possibility. Thus, he said, "Esteemed Empress Dowager discovered the Imperial Jade Seal missing yesterday. As this was a significant event, this subject decided it wasn't suitable to alarm the members of court. Instead, this subject and Esteemed Empress Dowager set a trap to lure the snake from its den with the seal, wishing to trade the fake for the real one."

Ning Xiaoyao secretly admired this guy, who almost made lies sound like the truth. "Oh," she chuckled twice, "So what you're saying is, Zhen was too impulsive? Otherwise, you would've caught the thief who stole the Imperial Jade Seal by now?"

Grand Preceptor Xie knocked his head against the ground and said, "It was this subject who was useless."

Ning Xiaoyao called towards the door. "Windy, come inside the hall with the Imperial Jade Seal."

The sound of many footsteps sounded from outside, before Windy walked in with the Imperial Jade Seal resting in his hands. Behind he was Shadowthunder, Shadowrain, and Shadowbolt, each leading three separate lines of Dragon Guards.

"You," Empress Dowager Xie looked at Ning Xiaoyao, her eyes nearly popping out of her sockets. Right now, she didn't look a bit like a matchless beauty.

Ning Xiaoyao said to Windy, "Windy, give the Imperial Jade Seal to my Imperial Mother and have her try it out. See if this is the real thing." But even without Ning Xiaoyao's reminder, Empress Dowager Xie was determined to test it for herself.

"Esteemed Empress Dowager!" Grand Preceptor Xie yelled harshly when he saw his daughter actually reach out to take the seal.

Empress Dowager Xie's hands froze in mid-air, and Windy handed the seal to Ning Xiaoyao instead. Ning Xiaoyao picked up the seal and slammed it down on the writing desk. Only two tries were enough to split the desk in two.