Cold rain poured down, falling on the soft armor of the Tiger Guards and Prince’s residence guards. Standing at the front with a dark expression, looking at the tightly closed mansion gates before him, over a hundred men stood solemnly here without a single one making the slightest sound.

Pang Xiao stepped forward from the crowd to knock on the door.

Soon, the daytime gatekeeper’s impatient voice came from inside: “Who is it, who is it! In this heavy rain, at this hour, who would come!”

Pang Xiao lowered his voice, using official speech with some regional accent: “It’s me, open the door. The boss has arrived.”

Today Pang Xiao had established rapport with this gatekeeper, so hearing a familiar voice, the gatekeeper was completely unguarded and immediately pulled open the door.

“Hey, why did the boss come at this time? Is it…” Before he could finish speaking, he was completely stunned. The gatekeeper stared stupidly at the soldiers lined up before the door, his words caught in his throat. He stumbled back two steps and sat on the ground with a thud. “You, you all…”

Huzi and others silently swarmed in, efficiently knocking out the gatekeeper and placing him under the covered walkway to shelter from rain.

Everyone methodically penetrated deeper layer by layer, uniformly knocking unconscious any servants and maids they encountered and placing them under walkways. Soon, Pang Xiao led his men into the inner courtyard.

Almost as soon as the Tiger Guards arrived, the person who had been hiding in the dark monitoring returned to Pang Xiao’s side and quietly reported: “Your Highness, three of those six men are drinking and chatting in the flower hall, while the other three drank too much and went to their respective rooms to sleep.”

Pang Xiao nodded and ordered the Tiger Guards to split into three groups to search the bedrooms. He himself led men and kicked open the flower hall’s main door.

In the flower hall, Manager Dahu was drinking and chatting with two brothers, boasting about his glorious deeds of years past. He even modified and recounted the dangerous scenes in the desert for these two to hear. Facing their admiring gazes, Manager Dahu felt supreme satisfaction.

Who knew that just as he was getting excited, the main door suddenly made a loud bang.

All three were startled. Manager Dahu was more composed, maintaining his dignity and scolding without turning his head: “These servants are becoming more and more unruly in their work.”

Suddenly, Manager Dahu sensed something was wrong.

The two sitting across from him were like chickens grabbed by the neck, each one tongue-tied with eyes wide, as if they’d received a tremendous shock or fright.

Manager Dahu turned around in confusion, his pupils instantly contracting.

A cold sword tip pointed directly at his nose, and bean-sized sweat beads trickled down from his forehead.

“You, who are you, you, how dare, how dare…” The words he originally meant to question about trespassing were forcibly stuck in his mouth.

Because Manager Dahu had clearly seen the attire of everyone before him.

These were clearly all soldiers!

Pang Xiao coldly laughed. “You are Manager Dahu?”

Manager Dahu’s whole body shook, immediately knowing his situation was probably dire. They were calling him by name—clearly they’d come for him! Moreover, they were just small fish, while the opponents were all capable and formidable men!

Manager Dahu trembled as he spoke, his eyes fixed deadly on the sword tip, his eyes becoming cross-eyed as another drop of cold sweat flowed down his forehead.

“Indeed I am. May I ask who you are…”

Impatient to hear Manager Dahu say more, Pang Xiao directly announced his identity: “Pang Zhixi.”

Manager Dahu was so frightened his whole body shook violently, stuttering: “So, so it’s Prince Zhongshun who honors us with his presence. Whatever orders you have, just say them. This humble one will definitely speak without concealment.”

Pang Xiao shook his head, the sharp sword tip also swaying with his movement. “Orders are out of the question. Scum like you truly aren’t worthy of hearing this prince’s orders. Today this prince requires nothing from you and wants to hear nothing you say.”

Hearing these words, Manager Dahu’s heart went completely cold.

The Prince had brought so many people here like a house raid, yet demanded nothing. Wouldn’t this mean certain death for him?

“Your Highness, Your Highness!” Manager Dahu knelt in panic, always staring at the sword tip, trembling as he begged for mercy. “Your Highness, spare this humble one’s life. Your Highness, this humble one knows the secret of that batch of Great Yan treasure. As long as you spare this humble one’s life, I will definitely lead you to find the treasure!”

“Yes, Your Highness, spare our lives! We can also tell you the treasure’s location. Please spare our lives!” The other two also knelt and kowtowed.

Pang Xiao smiled and shook his head. “No need. This prince doesn’t care about treasures.”

Manager Dahu had a sudden realization and immediately understood. He knew Qin Yining’s position in Pang Xiao’s heart wasn’t simple, and they were all “traitors” who had betrayed Qin Yining and the Azure Sky Alliance. Could it be the Prince had come to help the Princess clean house?

Thinking of this, Manager Dahu broke out in another layer of cold sweat.

“Your Highness, this humble one is utterly loyal to the Princess, absolutely without second thoughts. With just one word from the Princess, if she wants this humble one to ascend to heaven, I’ll ascend to heaven; if she wants me to enter the earth, I’ll enter the earth.”

Pang Xiao coldly laughed, gradually thrusting the sword tip into Manager Dahu’s mouth.

Manager Dahu stretched his neck to dodge backward, but Pang Xiao had no intention of sparing him. With a flick of the sharp point, Manager Dahu cried out loudly as blood poured from his mouth.

“Since you can’t speak properly, you don’t need your tongue.”

Manager Dahu collapsed to the ground in pain, cold sweat quickly soaking through his clothes.

The two behind had long been scared witless, repeatedly kowtowing: “Spare our lives, Your Highness, spare our lives!”

Pang Xiao mercilessly cut out these two men’s tongues as well.

The entire room filled with bloody stench. If an ordinary person saw such a scene, they might suspect they’d entered the tongue-pulling hell. But the people around Pang Xiao were all battle-hardened veterans who had truly bled on battlefields. They’d seen far more cruel scenes in war—to them, these were just minor wounds.

Pang Xiao stood in place, coldly watching these three men’s painful groans.

Soon, Tiger Guards brought out three more men from behind.

Liu Ban and the others were thrown to the ground. Seeing Manager Dahu’s miserable state, they were scared out of their wits, left only with repeatedly kowtowing and begging for mercy.

But Pang Xiao showed no differential treatment.

All six men here first had their tongues cut, letting them taste the fear of death while bleeding, before finally being finished with one stroke each.

Pang Xiao ordered Huzi to lead men to stay behind to dispose of the corpses and restore the mansion to its original state before leaving.

After leaving the mansion, Pang Xiao told the Tiger Guards and Prince’s residence guards waiting outside: “These men must still have accomplices hiding nearby. Impose martial law throughout the city and search for suspicious persons.”

“Yes!”

Ji Yun changed into dry clothes and sat across from Qin Yining, sighing deeply.

“Princess, I was too late. When I arrived, the Prince’s men had already surrounded that mansion. Moreover, the Prince didn’t seem to be targeting only that mansion—there were the Prince’s men searching everywhere on the streets. I had great difficulty avoiding the Prince’s men on my way back.”

Qin Yining handed Ji Yun the ginger soup she’d prepared in advance, nodding. “I understand. Drink it while it’s hot—it can ward off cold.”

Ji Yun smiled her thanks, holding the ginger soup and drinking it all down, then said: “Princess, what do we do now?”

Qin Yining slowly shook her head. “Since the Prince insists on this, and we have no one available to use—the Silver-Masked agents have all gone to Xiyue—I only now feel the shortage of personnel.”

She had never before imagined that her opinions would conflict with Pang Xiao’s. Previously when she wanted to do something, she would directly order Tang Xiu to do it.

“With things as they are, there’s no other solution. I only hope that under the Prince’s city-wide manhunt, there are no fish that escaped the net. If there are, I fear the treasure’s secret will be exposed.” Qin Yining wearily rubbed her forehead. She had planned for so long before, done so much, all to obtain this treasure for Pang Xiao by any means necessary. But who could have expected things would develop this way in the end?

She couldn’t blame Pang Xiao—she just felt somewhat helpless.

The three sat facing the lamp in silence for a while, then Ji Yun returned Qiu Feishan’s maple leaf-shaped jade pendant to Qin Yining.

Qin Yining took the jade pendant and played with it for a moment, then suddenly said: “I previously disguised myself as Boss Qiu and already joined the Azure Sky Alliance.”

“Yes. Princess, what’s wrong?”

“So, if there really are fish that escaped the net, when they’re being hunted throughout the city and have nowhere to turn, where would they go for help?”

Both Ji Yun and Bingtang’s eyes lit up.

Qin Yining smiled slightly. “It’s too late today—the Prince will return soon. Tomorrow find time for Ji Yun to make a trip to Four Seas Trading to inform Chief Steward Yin.”

Qin Yining moved close to Ji Yun and whispered a few instructions in her ear. Ji Yun immediately smiled in agreement, saying: “The Princess’s thoughts are still most thorough. This method is good—I’ll go tomorrow.”

Qin Yining had Bingtang and Ji Yun prepare hot water bottles to warm the bedding, then changed clothes and lay down first.

She kept her eyes open waiting for Pang Xiao, but who knew he still hadn’t returned by the middle of the night. Unable to hold out, she unknowingly fell asleep.

In her daze, she seemed to feel the bedding beside her sink down.

Qin Yining turned over, pushing the quilt toward the other person, saying without opening her eyes: “Why so late coming back?”

Pang Xiao had originally been careful not to wake Qin Yining, but who would have thought that just as he lay down, Qin Yining would share her quilt with him and actively nestle into his embrace.

Today he hadn’t listened to her advice and went to hunt down those Azure Sky Alliance traitors. He’d already prepared mentally for Qin Yining to be angry with him and not allow him to sleep in the room. He hadn’t expected his Yining to be so gentle, soft and tender as she leaned against him.

“Be good, sleep.” Turning to circle her in his arms, Pang Xiao planted a kiss on her forehead and contentedly closed his eyes.

Now that he’d returned safely, Qin Yining finally felt at ease and slept without a cloud of worry.

The next morning, after Qin Yining and Pang Xiao finished washing and had breakfast together.

“Zhixi, I need to go to Four Seas Trading today.”

Pang Xiao raised his eyebrows: “How will you go? Just like this, or disguised first?”

“Disguised, of course.” Qin Yining tilted her head to look at him. “What’s wrong?”

Pang Xiao shook his head. “Not allowed.”

“Not allowed?” Qin Yining’s almond eyes widened.

Pang Xiao said, “You’ll stay obediently at home. Until I can thoroughly investigate and clean out the Azure Sky Alliance traitors, you’re not allowed to go anywhere—not even past the second gate.”

“Not even past the second gate? I was already under house arrest yesterday, why is it still like this today!”