Chapter 111: The Raid and the Hostage

That night, a slender crescent moon hung in the night sky, draping the earth in a delicate, misty veil.

A large bird glided silently through the darkness, settling in the chrysanthemum garden at the far edge of the Princess Yongtai’s residence, a remote spot beside the lotus pond.

This garden was seldom tended.

The chrysanthemums were sparse and of the most ordinary varieties.

Yet, they grew with remarkable vitality.

Surrounding the garden was a semi-circle of trees, with the only opening facing the lotus pond.

On a clear night with a gentle breeze, lotus blossoms filling the pond, and the scent of fruit trees wafting through the air, sitting on the bamboo chair by that opening would truly inspire poetry or elevate one’s artistic spirit.

But at this moment, the place felt profoundly eerie and chilling to the bone.

Even the guards patrolling the princess’s residence at night deliberately avoided this area.

Thus, they did not hear the unusual sounds that followed the bird’s descent onto the garden.

Meanwhile, inside the main hall of the rear courtyard, seventeen-year-old Li Xianxian was whispering softly with her husband, Wu Yanji.

“Who do you think our child will resemble?” Li Xianxian asked, gently caressing her belly, a look of blissful happiness upon her face.

Wu Yanji rubbed his eyes, stifling his drowsiness, and smiled indulgently, “It will definitely be like you. You are beautiful, gentle, kind, and virtuous. The child will surely take after you.”

Li Xianxian’s smile grew even softer, her face glowing with a pure, maternal light.

Seeing this, Wu Yanji suddenly recalled something and asked, “I heard you dealt with another one this afternoon? My dear, for the sake of our child, try to refrain from causing so much bloodshed.”

At his words, Li Xianxian’s expression changed abruptly.

She glared at him, “Can I be blamed? If you could control your eyes and your desires, would I have to be so ruthless with them?”

Wu Yanji replied earnestly, “My love, how many times must I say it? I have not—I have not—I have not! My heart belongs only to you. I love and adore you alone. With someone as wonderful as you, how could I be interested in anyone else?”

Li Xianxian rolled her eyes at him, then softened her expression again, leaning into his embrace and teasing lightly, “I only worry because I care for you deeply. It’s not you I blame, but those sly little vixens who never miss a chance to climb higher. I fear you might be blinded by them.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” Wu Yanji said helplessly, gently patting her back. Yet, in his mind, fleeting images of dazzling beauties passed by.

He casually added, “My dear, go to sleep now. At dawn, I will go up the mountain to pray for you and our child, wishing for our love to endure and our child to grow strong and talented.”

“Mm,” Li Xianxian replied contentedly, closing her eyes with a heart sweet as honey.

Especially when Wu Yanji kissed her forehead before leaving at dawn, she dreamed of an unimaginably beautiful future.

So, she had no idea what resistance under coercion truly looked like.

As soon as Wu Yanji left the princess’s residence, he hastened to a three-courtyard compound near the palace in a certain district.

Inside, several beauties awaited him.

...

That same night, without Xue Huaiyi, the elderly emperor summoned two other brothers surnamed Zhang.

They had been presented to the emperor by the Grand Princess.

In appearance, physique, and devotion, they far surpassed the illiterate Xue Huaiyi.

This swiftly caused the emperor to forget the street vendor who sold “strength pills.”

...

That night, Peng Liang returned to the princess’s residence carrying several skeletal remains.

“Sir, there are many more beneath that garden. I couldn’t carry them all, so I selected those whose time of death was most recent. Please take a look.”

Di Ying took the large leather sack, opened it, and looked inside.

He then turned to Peng Liang, puzzled. “Two of these remains are so decomposed that you dug them up in the dark and still handled them—how did you manage that?”

What he really wanted to ask was: how did you not vomit?

Peng Liang replied with an even more puzzled look and tone, “Did I forget to mention? I’ve been to the battlefield. After descending Mount Wutai, I volunteered for the army. I stayed on the battlefield for a year before being transferred to the Jinwu Guard.”

Di Ying nodded calmly. “Hmm, you did forget to say that.”

Peng Liang sighed helplessly. “Alright, my oversight.”

The two men dropped the subject of battlefield remains.

By the light of candles and torches, Di Ying began the autopsy.

This small courtyard was a place he had specially purchased for conducting secret examinations.

After examining three skeletons, Di Ying washed his hands and stood by the door, gazing into the night.

In a low voice, he said, “Why are there always people who treat others’ lives as nothing? She was already a pregnant woman, soon to be a mother. How could someone be so cruel to another? Three girls, three different methods of death—was she taking pleasure in executing them? Trying different ways just for her own amusement? What kind of child could such a person possibly raise?”

Peng Liang was silent for a moment, then replied solemnly, “That’s why among the great families and noble clans, few produce truly virtuous children.”

Di Ying glanced at Peng Liang, then smiled faintly. “I don’t like the cruel punishment of wiping out entire families. But now... I suddenly feel that existence itself justifies reason. If I pursue this to the end... His Majesty will probably never want to see me again.”

“In that case, should the family members be moved out in advance?” Peng Liang immediately asked.

Di Ying sighed deeply, a hint of frustration in his voice. “What do you think our officials’ families are? Why do you think, before I even took office, I was put under scrutiny and had to relocate my family first? They are all hostages. If suddenly one or two members of the Di family disappear, do you believe I would survive long enough to do anything? Enough—let me be quiet for a while and think about how to shift this burden.”

Peng Liang silently withdrew into a corner.

...

Meanwhile, that same night, Song Wen, citing that Cui’er was implicated in a case in the capital, had her—long forgotten by Li Xianxian—brought to the detention cells at Jingzhao Magistrate’s Office.

She was secretly protected there.

A few days later, in a foul mood, the old emperor went for a stroll in the imperial garden and overheard whispered discussions from young eunuchs beyond the palace walls.

“Li Xi? Shh... Are you out of your mind? How dare you mention him here in the palace?”