Chapter 110: Tang Li Commits Murder, Hua Er Leaves Home

The Second Prince's eyes were brimming with smiles. "Well, what do you think would happen if you smashed your master's things? Would your master be able to throttle you to death when he returns?"

"..." He had forgotten; this wasn't the Second Prince's estate where there was plenty of stuff to smash. How terrifying!

Ye Lishang shrank into a ball of sheer cowardice, then shot an angry glare at the Second Prince. Just because there was nothing to smash didn't mean there was no one to hit—he could always beat people up instead!

Right before Ye Lishang could brew up his next wave of temper, the Second Prince let out a lingering sigh and said softly, "To find you, I haven't eaten a single grain of rice or had a single drop of water all day. I'm starving!"

"What are you looking for me for? I'm a grown man with my own hands and feet; did I ask you to look for me?" Despite his sharp words, Ye Lishang still pulled the Second Prince toward the back kitchen.

"Where are we going?" the Second Prince asked.

Ye Lishang snapped, "To kill you and use you as fertilizer for the flowers!"

"Ah, well, make sure you pick a pretty flower then, otherwise it would completely waste my Pan An-esque good looks." The Second Prince had truly reached the pinnacle of shamelessness.

Ye Lishang rolled his eyes and chose to ignore him.

He had no idea how fitting their intertwined red and white figures looked against the snowy backdrop!

"Oh my, whose little family of three is this? You all look so dashing!" Granny Hua had failing eyesight, but seeing the two of them walking over while holding a child, she thought this family of three was simply a feast for the eyes.

Pfft!

Ye Lishang ground his teeth. "Granny Hua, your eyes are truly failing you. This is His Highness the Second Prince, what family of three? Just whip up something for him to eat—it doesn't need to be anything special, since he didn't give me any silver, and I have no obligation to entertain him!"

"Your Highness the Second Prince, that name is a bit too long. I'll just call you Little Huang! Didn't little Pear here just roast a chicken? It goes great with wine. I'll warm up a pot of wine for you two. Go sit over there, and I'll rustle up a couple of small side dishes so you can enjoy a hearty meal!" Granny Hua gestured toward a small stove nearby, where a roasted chicken was sizzling with glistening oil.

Uh...

The Second Prince fell silent. Truly, this was a wonderfully bizarre and refreshing place. Since the title "His Highness the Second Prince" was a bit too long, he had been rechristened "Little Huang." It seemed that raising Ye Lishang into the creature he was today must have required a staggering amount of innate talent!

Guarding his food jealously, Ye Lishang scurried over, snatched a chicken leg and a chicken wing for himself, and then used a small knife to carve off the chicken's rear and hand it to the Second Prince. "Little Huang, you eat this!"

"Little Pear?" The Second Prince's deep voice echoed in Ye Lishang's ear, making him feel as intoxicated as if he'd drunk a vat of wine.

"Don't call me Little Pear, Little Huang!" Ye Lishang raged, shoving the chicken rear straight into the Second Prince's mouth. "If I tell you to eat it, you eat it! Do you want to burn me to death?"

Even if Ye Lishang had handed him poison right then, the Second Prince wouldn't have resisted. Fighting down his nausea, he swallowed the chicken rear whole, then pointed at the chicken wing and said, "Yixiao wants to eat!"

"Does Xiaoxiao want to eat?" Ye Lishang asked.

Feng Yixiao babbled and nodded. "Eat!"

With that, Ye Lishang broke off a large chicken wing and handed it to Feng Yixiao. Having just polished off a massive chicken leg, Feng Yixiao couldn't possibly manage any more, so she smilingly fed the wing to the Second Prince instead. "Imperial Uncle eat!"

"Such a good girl!" With a provocative look, the Second Prince took a bite of the wing right from Feng Yixiao's hand.

Ye Lishang felt his fragile glass heart instantly shatter into tiny, worthless dust!

"Xiaoxiao, give one to Shangshang!" Ye Lishang opened his mouth expectantly.

Feng Yixiao was equally generous, feeding a bite of the wing to Ye Lishang as well. Because Ye Lishang bit down precisely where the Second Prince had bitten, for some inexplicable reason, as the Second Prince watched, a certain part of him began to burn.

However, he lacked the sheer audacity to try anything right then, so he could only plot in his heart when exactly it would be appropriate to consume the grand feast that was Ye Lishang.

As expected, a wolf's nature is hard to change; once he locked onto his target, he would never let go easily again!

While peace and harmony reigned between Ye Lishang and the Second Prince, a similarly "harmonious" scene was playing out for Linglong.

Speaking of Linglong.

The moment she dumped Feng Yixiao onto the Second Prince, she scurried as fast as her legs could carry her toward the hot springs in search of Qin Daofei.

Yet when she stepped inside, there was not a trace of Qin Daofei to be found. Puzzling, Linglong muttered under her breath, "Didn't he say he was coming to heal his injuries? Where on earth did he go?"

Finding the spring empty, Linglong turned to search elsewhere. The moment she pivoted, she felt something wet wrap tightly around her ankle. Looking down, she saw a belt coiled securely around her foot. Before she could even react, a powerful yank hoisted her into the air.

With a heavy splash, she plunged straight into the hot spring.

"Qin Daofei, why don't you just drop dead?" Linglong furiously wiped the water from her face, wishing she could strangle him on the spot!

Qin Daofei paddled out from behind a small artificial rockery, grabbed Linglong's ankle, and hauled her against his body.

"What are you doing?" Remembering how close they had come to crossing the line last time, Linglong felt a shiver run down her spine and shrieked, "Old Man Ye is going to skin you alive!"

"He never stays at Carefree Pavilion during the winter; right now, he should be eating seafood on some tiny island in the South China Sea." Qin Daofei tightened his grip around Linglong's waist, refusing to let her escape.

Linglong rolled her eyes. "I want to go eat seafood too!"

"Once everything is settled, I'll take you out to see the jianghu." Qin Daofei pulled her closer against his chest.

Refusing to yield, Linglong struggled and insisted, "I need to check your wound!"

Since Qin Daofei was wearing an inner tunic, Linglong brushed aside his wet garments and unwrapped the gauze to expose his injury. "Didn't you say you came here to heal? Why aren't you letting the wound soak in the water?"

"I was waiting for you to undress me." Qin Daofei delivered this ostensibly proper sentence with a thoroughly improper tone and expression, making it sound intensely suggestive.

If not for the genuinely terrifying appearance of the wound across his back, Linglong would have kicked him straight to the opposite side of the pool without a second thought.

"Well? How is it?" Feigning total innocence as though he had done nothing licentious just moments before, Qin Daofei asked with a straight face.

However, Linglong's mind was anything but innocent right now. She retorted defensively, "Not great. I'm sure there are plenty of women at your Carefree Manor just waiting to undress you—I'm simply not one of them!"

Tsk tsk tsk!

Qin Daofei shook his head. "I was asking how my wound looks, Linglong. Why did your mind wander off in such directions?"

Pfft!

Linglong wasn't sure whether to spit a mouthful of frustrated blood or swallow it.

"You have to admit, this pool water is truly remarkable. What on earth is in it?" Linglong watched in genuine fascination as Qin Daofei's wound visibly healed before her eyes in the mineral-rich water.

Qin Daofei smiled. "Old Man Ye spent ten years soaking thousands of rare healing herbs into these stones before using them to build the spring. The water itself has potent medicinal properties, and he cultivates countless precious herbs right at the source. This hot spring is essentially a natural apothecary pool—there isn't an ailment it can't cure!"

Tsk tsk tsk!

Linglong clicked her tongue in amazement. "Old Man Ye is truly decadent and extravagant!"

"Still, you shouldn't soak in here too long. It's almost time to head out. Wait here, I'll go fetch some clothes for you." Qin Daofei stood up and waded ashore.

Left alone in the pool, Linglong splashed about to her heart's content.

When Qin Daofei returned, he found a veritable mermaid swimming gracefully in the water. For a fleeting second, he felt a fierce urge to... have his way with Linglong. But possessing a self-preservation instinct even stronger than the Second Prince's, he wisely kept his hands to himself.

When the two of them finally changed into dry clothes and arrived at the back kitchen, they found Ye Lishang and Feng Yixiao thoroughly inebriated and swaying drunkenly.

Qin Daofei ground his teeth.

"You just let him indulge in this nonsense?" This was naturally directed at the Second Prince.

The Second Prince shrugged. "He said this wine is a supreme medicinal brew that's beneficial for Yixiao's health. He's the physician, so I follow the physician's orders!"

Humph!

Linglong let out a cold snort. "If he asked for the stars in the sky right now, the Second Prince would probably hand them over without a second thought!"

"Little Huang, give me a star!" Truly plastered, Ye Lishang lunged forward and pinched the Second Prince's cheeks hard.

Little Huang?

Qin Daofei and Linglong exchanged a knowing, highly amused glance.

"Take your daughter and get out of here." Handing Feng Yixiao over to Qin Daofei, the Second Prince scooped up Ye Lishang and strode away.

Tsk tsk tsk!

"Your Highness, a single moment of a spring night is worth a thousand pieces of gold. Take a left down the hall, any room will do!" Qin Daofei cheerfully offered directions.

The Second Prince's body stiffened visibly, but he carried Ye Lishang away without uttering a single word in response.

Granny Hua remained completely unperturbed as she walked over and asked, "What would Little Fei and Linglong like to eat?"

"Whatever's here is fine, don't trouble yourself, Granny Hua!" Ye Lishang retained a shred of conscience; he had roasted a separate chicken for Qin Daofei and Linglong as well. Tearing off a leg for Linglong, the two of them simply made do with that.

They stayed at Carefree Pavilion for three full days, during which the wound on Qin Daofei's back healed completely.

With his recovery complete, the time had come to return home.

That day, Qin Daofei asked Ye Lishang, "We're heading back to the capital. Are you coming or not?"

"No!"

"Yes!"

The negative came from Ye Lishang, while the affirmative came from the Second Prince.

Ye Lishang declared, "I'm not going back. If I leave, Granny Hua won't have any company!"

"If you don't go back, you won't be around if anything happens in the capital anyway. What are you even staying here for?" The Second Prince's reasoning was equally airtight.

Still reluctant to leave, Ye Lishang stubbornly argued, "You're all the same—you only remember me when you need the divine physician..."

"Don't flatter yourself. Even if we need you, we certainly won't treat you like a divine physician!" Linglong laughed lightly.

Ye Lishang looked up at the ceiling with tear-filled eyes. It seemed that was indeed the case!

"In that case, I'm definitely not going back. From now on, anyone who wants medical treatment can crawl up this mountain from the foothills!" Ye Lishang decided it was high time to establish his legendary reputation as a supreme physician.

Ha!

The Second Prince and Qin Daofei shared a cold, mocking laugh. "You really are overthinking this. Do you plan to just abandon all the rare herbs in your capital medical clinic?"

"My herbs!" The initial wave of stubborn anger fading, Ye Lishang instantly began worrying about his precious pharmacopeia. Stung by their reminder, his heart ached—who knew if anyone was taking care of them, or if they had all withered away by now?!

"Then what are you still hesitating for?" Snatching Ye Lishang's wrist, the Second Prince hauled him away.

After a few days of carefree leisure, Linglong wasn't particularly eager to return either.

Yet she never expected that awaiting them back home would be an entirely different storm!

The capital, Carefree Manor.

The moment their carriage passed through the gates, they spotted Swift Wind waiting anxiously for them by the entrance.

Seeing their vehicle arrive, Swift Wind hurried forward, lifted the curtain, and reported to Qin Daofei, "Master, something has happened to Li-ge!"

"What happened?" Qin Daofei furrowed his brows and asked calmly.

Swift Wind explained, "Word came from the Yangyuan branch that several people witnessed Li-ge killing a handful of local scoundrels in Yangyuan City. Among them were the son of Prince Yongchen and his cousin."

"What was Tang Li's reason for killing them?" Qin Daofei asked as he stepped down into the courtyard.

Swift Wind shook his head. "Li-ge has returned, and he admits to the killings, but he refuses to give a reason!"

"I have heard rumors of that cousin of mine; his reputation is foul. He is said to be an unrepentant flower-picker in Yangyuan City, though I never imagined..." Hearing the Second Prince's words, both Linglong and Qin Daofei's expressions shifted drastically.

Instantly, their minds turned to Hua'er!

"I'll go take a look!" With that, Qin Daofei handed Feng Yixiao over to Swift Wind, who escorted them back to Linglong Pavilion.

Qin Daofei proceeded to the front courtyard to find Tang Li, only to discover him kneeling outside the study doors.

Princess Qin and Princess Nuo Hair were both present. Princess Qin's expression was grim, as though she were in the midst of reprimanding him.

Stepping forward with long strides, Qin Daofei said coldly, "Mother, Tang Li does not answer to the inner courtyard. Why on earth are you forcing him to kneel in the snow?"

"He chose to kneel in the snow of his own accord. As for the reason, you had better ask him yourself! Prince Yongchen's formal letter of accusation has already been delivered to Carefree Manor, demanding justice. Your subordinates are growing increasingly brazen by the day!" Princess Qin glared coldly at Qin Daofei, highly displeased by his three-day disappearance.

Qin Daofei let out a cold laugh. "He's demanding justice from Carefree Manor?"

Qin Daofei didn't believe Prince Yongchen possessed such capability; if he so desired, Qin Daofei could conjure countless reasons to ensure Prince Yongchen couldn't even protect himself.

"Even so, you can't just let them run amok!" Princess Qin detested Tang Li primarily because he had feelings for someone in Linglong's inner circle, which made her want to make life difficult for everyone around Linglong.

Casting a cold glance down at Tang Li, Qin Daofei said indifferently, "Since you know that leaving without notice and abandoning your duties was wrong, be more careful in the future. Is kneeling on the ground necessary over such a minor matter? A man's knees are worth gold!"

"Master, the matter in Yangyuan..." Before Tang Li could finish, Qin Daofei shot him a chilling warning glare, silencing him instantly.

"Although I didn't dispatch you to handle the situation in Yangyuan, you managed it well. As for the accusations made by Prince Yongchen, we will investigate thoroughly!" Refusing to give Tang Li a chance to speak further, Qin Daofei added, "Get up and come with me to the study."

Seeing Qin Daofei's obvious inclination to protect Tang Li, Princess Nuo Hair stepped forward to block his path, her face etched with worry. "Husband, isn't it counterproductive to offend Prince Yongchen over a mere subordinate?"

"Counterproductive?" Qin Daofei repeated with a derisive sneer. "It seems you don't truly understand Carefree Manor. I, Qin Daofei, am fiercely protective of my own. Anyone who belongs to me is off-limits to outsiders, and no one has the right to throw dirt on them. Furthermore, in my eyes, a single Tang Li is worth more than ten parasites who merely collect stipends, accomplish nothing, and know only how to harm innocent people."

Uh...

Nuo Hair fell silent, intimidated.

Throwing her one final glacial look, Qin Daofei warned, "You are free to move about the inner courtyard, but it would be best for you not to meddle in the affairs of the front courtyard. Don't test my patience."

With that, Qin Daofei led Tang Li inside and slammed the study door shut right in Nuo Hair's face.

Princess Qin glanced at Princess Nuo Hair and said flatly, "Well... such are the rules of Carefree Manor; you truly have no right to interfere in front-court business. The men under Daofei's command were cultivated through decades of painstaking effort. Losing even one of them is a massive blow to the manor. I was acting on impulse just now; in the future, it's best we both stay out of front-court matters!"

Hearing this, Nuo Hair naturally dared not object further. Following behind Princess Qin, her eyes gleamed with a mixture of ambition and suppressed resentment.

Inside the study.

Qin Daofei seated himself and ordered in a low voice, "From now on, your trip to Yangyuan was strictly to investigate those who slaughtered the Yangyuan branch of Carefree Manor years ago. Your presence at the scene of those men's deaths was purely coincidental. You did not kill anyone!"

"But... Master, I really did kill them." Tang Li had no wish to bring trouble upon the manor.

"Old Zhu is dead, and Uncle Kang has left. If anything happens to you as well, it would be as if my arms and legs were hacked off simultaneously." Qin Daofei laid out the grave stakes.

Staring at him in shock, Tang Li gasped, "Master, you're saying... Old Zhu is dead? Uncle Kang has left?"

"The day you left, Xiaocui tried to poison Yixiao, intending to frame Tan Xiyin. To our surprise, Xiaocui was Old Zhu's own niece. When Old Zhu tried to smuggle her out, she was murdered by a mysterious assailant. Believing it was our doing, Old Zhu attempted to kill Linglong, but she only managed to wound me before Linglong poisoned her. Linglong gave her the antidote, but in an attempt to drive a wedge between Uncle Kang and me, Old Zhu committed suicide by poison to frame Linglong. Though Linglong and Ye Lishang proved it was a suicide, Uncle Kang couldn't accept it and left anyway. Can you imagine what Carefree Manor looks like right now? While the rest of us were incapacitated, only Linglong and Hua'er held the manor together!" Though devoid of direct blame, Qin Daofei's tone carried a heavy weight of exhaustion.

Falling to his knees before Qin Daofei, Tang Li bowed his head. "Master, I acted rashly!"

"Were you rash?" Qin Daofei chuckled dryly. "As a man, if you hadn't taken action, I would have lost respect for you. You merely executed a few scoundrels who committed unpardonable crimes—killed is killed. Carefree Manor has never cared about some useless prince."

"But Prince Yongchen won't let this go!" Tang Li remained deeply concerned.

Ha!

Qin Daofei sneered. "Him? He's not worth my concern."

"Still, the Emperor has always sought a pretext to move against you. If we hand him this opportunity, won't he hold a grip over your head?" Though Qin Daofei condoned his actions, Tang Li knew he had been reckless, at least in leaving evidence behind.

Pacing his fingers against the desktop in thought, Qin Daofei summoned a figure cloaked in black from the shadows of the room.

"Investigate whether Prince Yongchen's son has committed any heinous acts in the past few days."

The shadow vanished as silently as it had arrived.

Throwing Tang Li a cool look, Qin Daofei asked, "Have you seen Hua'er?"

"No, I didn't dare face her." Tang Li lowered his head in deep guilt.

"Act normal and come with me to see her. She has worried endlessly over you these past few days," Qin Daofei instructed.

Linglong Pavilion.

Following behind Qin Daofei, Tang Li felt a wave of guilt upon seeing Hua'er holding a stack of ledgers. Unable to resist his longing, he stepped forward quickly and relieved her of the books.

Hua'er smiled up at him. "Where has Elder Brother Tang been all these days?"

"The master sent me to Yangyuan on some business. I'm sorry for worrying you!" Tang Li chose to conceal the truth.

Hua'er smiled softly. "It's fine. I need to head to the accounts room—could you give the ledgers back to me?"

"Let me walk you there," Tang Li said, refusing to relinquish the books.

After a moment's hesitation, Hua'er raised no objection and allowed him to accompany her.

Upon entering the room, Linglong immediately asked Qin Daofei, "How is Tang Li?"

"He went and killed that bunch, and wiped out every last one of them," Qin Daofei replied quietly.

"Why on earth did he do that?" Linglong asked, still perplexed.

Pondering for a moment, Qin Daofei recounted the full sequence of events.

Narrowing her eyes with cold menace, Linglong spat, "Good riddance!"

"We shouldn't mention this to Hua'er; she's still sensitive about that incident," Qin Daofei said as he reached out to take Feng Yixiao.

Linglong retorted, "Of course I won't tell her. But for some reason, Hua'er has been entirely too calm about Tang Li's disappearance. It actually scares me!"

"She trusts Tang Li. He's always been level-headed. Besides, didn't you just see them acting normally together?" Pouring himself a cup of tea, Qin Daofei smiled reassuringly.

Dropping down from the rafters, Fei Yi muttered, "What exactly did Tang Li do?"

"He executed a group of scoundrels who violated women in Yangyuan!" Before Qin Daofei could finish, Fei Yi slammed her palm onto the table, shattering the teacups sitting upon it. Her eyes flashing coldly, she declared, "He did the right thing!"

Qin Daofei shrugged, set down his empty teacup, and cautioned, "Try not to break my teacups next time; those cost money."

Flipping down from the beams, Swift Wind bowed and reported, "Master, news has come back from Yangyuan. Two days ago, those men brutally violated the younger sister of a Biao-shi from the Weiyuan Escort Agency."

"Did you find the Biao-shi?" Qin Daofei asked.

"Yes. He fought off several of Prince Yongchen's guards at the time, though he failed to kill the young lord, and managed to escape afterward."

"Can you locate him?"

"He's been hiding out in the Yandang Mountains near Yangyuan and hasn't surfaced since."

"Find him, give him a thousand taels of silver, and have him publicly claim that he hired mercenaries to execute those men. Once he makes the confession, arrange for him to be escorted out of the region with a new identity, and tell him never to return to Yangyuan." With those instructions, Qin Daofei turned a smiling gaze toward Fei Yi.

Fei Yi shrugged. "Using me isn't out of the question—the nether halls of my Underworld Gate have dispatched plenty of rapists anyway. But the silver had better be delivered, since we aren't particularly close!"

"Fine." Tossing a stack of bank notes to Fei Yi, Qin Daofei added, "Take a trip to Yangyuan and warn Prince Yongchen to stop stirring up trouble, or I'll wipe out his entire lineage."

Pocketing the silver, Fei Yi turned to leave, prompting Swift Wind to plead eagerly behind her, "Master, I want to go too!"

"What an ambitious fool!" The moment the words left Qin Daofei's mouth, Swift Wind darted out after Fei Yi.

Linglong asked Qin Daofei, "Will this actually work?"

"We'll return the thousand taels of gold to the Second Prince and dispatch him to Yangyuan instead," Qin Daofei suggested with a smile.

Showing no reluctance whatsoever, Linglong ground her teeth and said, "That bastard deserved to die long ago. A thousand taels of gold wouldn't even begin to buy back Hua'er's happiness!"

"Stop being angry. There's nothing in this world that money can't fix."

Giving him a swift kick, Linglong ordered, "Then go down to the Second Prince's residence yourself!"

Frowning slightly, Qin Daofei muttered, "I can only imagine how insufferably smug he'll be."

"Call it karma!" Linglong crowed with malicious glee.

To allow Linglong to witness his karmic retribution firsthand, Qin Daofei straightened his robes and stepped out into the freezing wind.

The Second Prince's residence.

Seated beside the fireplace, the Second Prince smiled warmly as Qin Daofei entered. "Brother Qin rarely visits without a purpose. What brings you here?"

"I'm returning your thousand taels of gold. Take a trip to Yangyuan and warn your uncle; if this actually reaches the Emperor's ears, it won't go well for him. The atrocities his son committed against women in Yangyuan over the years are enough to warrant executing their entire family ten thousand times over." Qin Daofei wasn't afraid of Prince Yongchen; rather, Carefree Manor had enough trouble on its hands without courting a feud with the imperial court.

The Second Prince chuckled. "Your Carefree Manor has been exceptionally turbulent lately."

"None of your damn business. If you can manage to keep Ye Lishang under control, then I'll call you a hero," Qin Daofei retorted icily.

Hahahaha!

Throwing his head back, the Second Prince laughed heartily. "We're in the same boat, Brother Qin!"

"Just make sure you handle this cleanly," Qin Daofei urged, prompting the Second Prince to get moving. "Or are you waiting for me to beg?"

With a helpless sigh, the Second Prince complained, "Is this really how you ask someone for a favor, Brother Qin?"

"Shall I have Ye Lishang come ask you instead?" Qin Daofei shot back coldly.

"That won't be necessary!" The Second Prince's cowardice flared up instantly at the mere mention.

Following the Second Prince's departure, Qin Daofei returned to Carefree Manor.

Though their influence in the capital had taken a hit, Carefree Manor's network in Yangyuan remained as formidable as ever. They located the escorts' guard within a single day. Learning that Carefree Manor intended to back him up and that the scoundrels had already met their end, the guard felt overwhelming gratitude and readily agreed to the plan.

Returning to Yangyuan, he stationed himself outside Prince Yongchen's estate and openly denounced the young lord's depravity. By the time the prince's guards rushed out, the guard had already been spirited away to safety by Carefree Manor operatives hidden in the shadows.

That very night.

As Prince Yongchen was frantically plotting to journey to the capital to lodge a formal complaint, Fei Yi kicked open the doors to his study, hung a stark white mourning lantern from his lintel, and warned coldly, "Your son got what he deserved. Cease your plotting immediately, or your entire bloodline will be extinguished."

Though unfamiliar with the jianghu, Prince Yongchen was well aware of the white lanterns hung outside the Yangyuan branch of Carefree Manor. The sight terrified him so thoroughly that his legs went weak beneath him.

Dropping to his knees, he swore profusely to Fei Yi, "Heroine! I swear I will never seek trouble with Carefree Manor again, never!"

Shortly after Fei Yi's departure, the Second Prince arrived. Employing a far more subtle approach—combining appeals to reason with gentle reminders of reality—he left Prince Yongchen with no choice but to swallow his broken teeth and bear the humiliation in silence.

With these matters resolved, Tang Li's crisis averted, and a direct clash with the imperial court successfully avoided, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

That night, a cloaked figure dressed entirely in black slipped silently out through the rear gates of Carefree Manor.

The following morning.

Waking up to find Hua'er absent, Linglong bundled up Feng Yixiao and headed to the back kitchen for some food. Afterward, still failing to spot Hua'er anywhere, she decided to check on her in case she had fallen ill.

However, Hua'er's room was completely empty, and the bedding was neatly folded.

Curious, Linglong proceeded to the accounts room. Seeing her approach with the baby, Qin Daofei assumed she had come to see him, so he took Feng Yixiao from her arms and asked, "Up so early today?"

"Isn't Hua'er in the accounts room?" Linglong asked.

Shaking his head, Qin Daofei replied, "No. She said yesterday that all the ledgers were organized and even told me to review them today..."

Realizing something was amiss, Qin Daofei masked his worry with a smile and said, "She probably just stepped out. Let me go ask Tang Li."

Tang Li was searching for her as well. When he crossed paths with Qin Daofei, he sat numbly in the snow, his face drained of all color as he muttered, "Master, a sketchbook I kept in my room is missing!"

"What sketchbook?" Qin Daofei stared at him darkly.

"When I was investigating Scholar Cheng Chun, I found it among his belongings. Every single scene of Hua'er being violated by those men... he drew every last one of them!" Tang Li's eyes flashed with murderous intent.

"Then why aren't you out looking for her?" Qin Daofei commanded sharply.

"Yes!" Springing to his feet like a coiled spring, Tang Li vanished like an arrow released from a bow.

Fearing for Hua'er's safety, Qin Daofei immediately mobilized every single intelligence asset in the capital to track her down. Yet having managed Carefree Manor's intelligence network for so long, Hua'er successfully bypassed every single surveillance web the manor possessed.

Sensing that something was terribly wrong, Linglong rushed into the study and demanded of Qin Daofei, "Did something happen to Hua'er?"

Knowing he could no longer conceal the truth, Qin Daofei confessed, "When Tang Li was investigating Scholar Cheng Chun, he found the sketchbook detailing the entire ordeal Hua'er suffered back then. That was how he tracked down those men in the first place. He kept the book hidden in his room, but Hua'er must have found it."

"Oh no!" Linglong staggered backward in horror. If Hua'er had seen those pages, what would she do?

Catching her by the shoulders, Qin Daofei said grimly, "Our top priority right now is finding her!"

"That idiot Tang Li! Why didn't he just burn the damn book instead of keeping it? Now that Hua'er has seen it, given her personality, she'll assume Tang Li can never move past what happened, and seeing those vile images herself... she won't be able to bear it either. Idiot, absolute idiot!" Lacking any other outlet for her panic and fury, Linglong directed her anger entirely at Tang Li.

Running a soothing hand through her hair, Qin Daofei murmured, "We can't blame Tang Li. If I were in his shoes, I would have quietly hunted those men down to avenge her too. This time, I stand with Tang Li. If a man loses his last shred of blood, what meaning is there in living?"

"What you're saying isn't entirely wrong, since those scum would have otherwise escaped justice entirely," Linglong wavered momentarily, before panicking anew. "What about Hua'er? What's going to happen to my Hua'er?!"

Seeing her completely unraveled, Qin Daofei placated her. "I've already dispatched search parties. Everyone is looking for her right now, don't panic!"

Not panic?

How could Linglong possibly not panic!

The sudden upheaval within Carefree Manor left the capital on edge. Though outsiders remained oblivious to the manor's precise actions, the palpable tension was unmistakable.

Yet Hua'er seemed to have vanished into the vast sea, leaving behind not a single trace.

If she had merely run away to escape the manor's watchful eye, it would have been manageable. But if she had been captured by that mysterious assailant, the situation would be catastrophic.

Naturally, Qin Daofei kept that latter possibility to himself. Ever since Hua'er's disappearance, Linglong had grown increasingly volatile, prone to sudden outbursts of temper and tears.

Having known her for a decade, Qin Daofei had never seen her this unhinged, proving just how deeply she cared for Hua'er.

Yet the person suffering the most was unquestionably Tang Li.

From the moment Hua'er vanished, he searched the world relentlessly, investigating any scrap of rumor about a young woman matching her description.

The laughter that once filled Linglong Pavilion was completely gone.

Unaware of the full picture, Tan Xiyin sensed the oppressive atmosphere gripping the pavilion. Once her maids finished dressing her, she instructed coldly, "We're going to the front courtyard. I wish to pay my respects to the Princess!"

"Second Madam, Senior Servant Xiahe issued strict orders that you are not to approach the Princess casually. Until the Princess gives birth, you'd best remain quietly within Miaoyin Pavilion," the young maid replied dismissively.

Narrowing her eyes at the girl, Tan Xiyin asked quietly, "Are you... giving me orders?"

"Second Madam, this servant is only looking out for your own good. Your standing within Carefree Manor isn't exactly secure right now!" Clearly emboldened by Xiahe's backing, the maid showed zero respect.

Taking a deep breath, Tan Xiyin beckoned. "Come here and adjust my shoes; they feel rather uncomfortable."

As the maid knelt to fix her footwear, Tan Xiyin suddenly struck her across the face with a hard slap, grabbed a handful of her hair, and hissed viciously, "Who do you think you are to talk back to me? No matter how low I've fallen, I am still the Second Madam of Carefree Manor, you wretched slave!"

Stunned by the sudden violence, the maid clutched her stinging cheek and glared up in anger.

Clutching her hair tighter to pull her closer, Tan Xiyin seized the opportunity to shove a pill directly into the girl's mouth, whispering chillingly, "If you don't want to die, show some respect from now on. Don't forget, I am your mistress—what is Xiahe compared to me?"

"Second Madam, what did you give me?" Terror seizing her, the maid clawed frantically at her throat, trying to force the pill back up. But Tan Xiyin gripped her hair mercilessly, forcing her head back at an agonizing angle. The helplessness of being unable to purge the substance broke the maid's spirit instantly.

Weeping bitterly, she begged, "Second Madam, I beg you! Please don't do this to me! I was wrong, I'll never dare cross you again. I'll do whatever you want!"

"Whatever I want?" Tan Xiyin sneered. "Listen closely, little bitch. If you ever report on me to the Pine and Cypress Residence again, you won't get the antidote. Let me tell you something: when this poison acts up, nobody will ever guess you've been poisoned. They'll simply think you've gone utterly mad. That old hag Princess Qin isn't merciful; once you start raving, she'll have you thrown out onto the streets. You'll have to watch the flesh rot right off your fingers, toes, and face, yet death will refuse to claim you until nothing is left except bare bone and rotting sinew."

Aaaah!

"No! Please, Second Madam, don't do this to me! I'll never go against you again, I was wrong, please spare me!" Paralyzed by the gruesome picture painted by Tan Xiyin, the maid sobbed uncontrollably.

Humph!

Kicking the trembling girl away, Tan Xiyin warned, "Then you'd better obey. I'll give you your antidote every three days to temporarily suppress the pain, but don't ever dream of being cured!"

"I will obey! I'll do whatever Second Madam says, as long as you don't kill me!" Cringing on the floor, the maid's arrogance was entirely extinguished.

Tan Xiyin continued indifferently, "Hua'er's poisoning was exposed because I deliberately let them find out. But there's another poison lingering in her system that no one detected. So don't harbor any foolish notions—otherwise, your fate will be far worse than hers."

"Was... was Hua'er-jie murdered by you?" Shaking with fear, the maid finally understood why Hua'er had vanished without a trace.

Humph!

"That little wretch disobeyed me and her poison flared up, which is why Feng Linglong couldn't find her. You'd better obey just as well, or your end will be infinitely more agonizing!" Setting her expression straight, Tan Xiyin smoothed her robes in front of the cowering girl.

Staring at her in astonishment, the maid heard Tan Xiyin add, "If anyone in this manor so much as learns that my legs have healed, you will never see another dose of the antidote."

"I understand, I understand! Please spare me, Second Madam!"

Pausing for a moment, Tan Xiyin instructed, "Go wash your face and pull yourself together. I'm going to see Princess Nuo Hair."

After taking a long while to calm her shaking limbs and wipe away her tears, the maid returned to assist her.

Pushing Tan Xiyin's wheelchair, she made her way to the front courtyard.

There, they found Princess Nuo Hair sitting alone along the covered corridor, clutching a hand warmer and staring blankly into space.

"Why is the Princess sitting out here in the corridor in this freezing snow?" Tan Xiyin asked with a practiced, radiant smile.

Nuo Hair smiled back, though her expression was profoundly desolate and lonely. Pointing toward the plum blossoms in the courtyard, she murmured, "I was admiring the blossoms. The plum flowers here in Hanshi are truly lovely. The winters in our Great Demon City are nothing but endless snow and ice—there are no colors besides white. I've always loved the flowers here."

"What's wrong, Princess? Are you unhappy?" Tan Xiyin masked the biting cold as she approached.

Lowering her head, Nuo Hair let out a hollow, lonely laugh. "How could I be happy? I naively believed that by carrying his child into this marriage, Eldest Brother Qin would at least show me some kindness for the sake of the baby. But it seems I was wrong; he remains utterly indifferent to the child, pouring all his warmth and affection solely onto Feng Linglong."

"Ah... speaking of which, I've served alongside Daofei-ge for many years, and he has always been just as ruthless to me. I've grown used to it—used to the fact that his heart belongs exclusively to Feng Linglong. But you're in a much better position, Princess. You have the Elder Princess backing you up; at least no one in Carefree Manor dares mistreat you. I, on the other hand, have no powerful family to lean on and no child to secure my standing, yet I still have to survive. Who told us to choose a man like him?" Tears came as naturally to Tan Xiyin as breathing; looking up at Nuo Hair with tear-filled eyes, she cut a picture of utter wretchedness.

Narrowing her eyes thoughtfully, Nuo Hair murmured, "Come to think of it, this Feng Linglong is truly detestable. She monopolizes Eldest Brother Qin's love entirely and even bore him a daughter, leading him to believe he lacks nothing else, which only makes him even more indifferent to the rest of us."

"Exactly! But what can we do? Daofei-ge protects her so fiercely, as though terrified that we might somehow harm her!" Tan Xiyin gave a delicate cough, hugging her arms as if shivering from the chill.

Coming back to her senses, Nuo Hair said hastily, "Look at me—I'm so accustomed to the bitter cold of the Great Demon City that I completely forgot about you. How thoughtless of me. Let's go inside where it's warm!"

With that, Princess Nuo Hair personally wheeled Tan Xiyin indoors.