“Where has the Junior Consort gone?” Feng Suige rushed to the front gate and immediately questioned the Shusha Guard Captain on duty. A quarter of an hour ago, he had left the room where Xiyang was resting, intending to return to his chambers for rest. But upon opening the door, he found only a cold bed and dying candles—Yi Xiao was not in the room, and even the maids couldn’t say where she had gone.
“Ah… Prince,” the Guard Captain hurriedly bowed. “Earlier, the Junior Consort said she had urgent business. She took only one maid from Jinxiu and left in a large carriage towards the inner city. Before leaving, she instructed that if she hadn’t returned by the Hour of the Ox, I should go to the inner residence to find the Prince…” Feng Suige had an ominous feeling and urgently asked, “Did she leave any message? Speak quickly!”
“Yes! The Junior Consort said that if she hadn’t returned by that time, I should inform the Prince not to act rashly no matter what rumors he might hear. He should delay and postpone as much as possible, and must wait for Colonel Xiao to arrive at all costs,” the Guard Captain looked around vigilantly and lowered his voice. “But if there’s no news, he should find an excuse to leave Jinxiu immediately after daybreak, without concern for her.”
“What does she mean by ‘without concern’?” Feng Suige clenched his fists and cursed under his breath. “What is that foolish woman thinking?” He looked up at the moon just beginning to tilt westward and ordered grimly, “Pass down the order: report any developments immediately, without fail!”
Despite the sudden turn of events, the Holy Emperor didn’t panic. After failing to break free on the first attempt, he took advantage of the moment when Fu Yi Xiao tightened the whip to subdue him. He reversed his outward struggling force and lunged forward with all his might. Yi Xiao caught off guard, was knocked to the ground by him, nearly losing her grip on the whip. As Xia Jingshi pounced forward to join the fray, the prison door clanged loudly, and the jailers who were a step too late rushed in.
“Anyone who comes a step closer, I’ll gouge out his eyes,” Xia Jingshi, entangled with Fu Yi Xiao and the Holy Emperor, growled breathlessly. Though in an awkward position, he not only pinned down the Emperor’s still-struggling limbs but also accurately placed his fingers on the Emperor’s eye sockets. The warden and several jailers froze in place.
“Xia Jingshi, I will have you torn to pieces,” the Holy Emperor, his forehead veins bulging from Yi Xiao’s chokehold, had no room to move under the joint restraint of Yi Xiao and Xia Jingshi. With his eyes painfully poked by Xia Jingshi, he tried to struggle a few more times before finally relaxing his efforts. He managed to squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth, “I will make you taste what it’s like to wish for death…”
“Stop!” Xia Jingshi shouted at a jailer who was about to run outside upon seeing the situation deteriorate. “Take another step forward and see what happens.” The man immediately stopped, frozen like a clay statue.
Xia Jingshi coldly surveyed the few people crowded in the narrow prison cell, quickly calculating in his mind. With just him and Yi Xiao, it was impossible to break out of this forbidden palace, especially with his severe injuries. Fresh and old wounds on his body were constantly oozing blood, and his physical strength wouldn’t allow him to drag this out much longer.
“Throw your sword in here,” he commanded the warden. The warden hesitated briefly, but Xia Jingshi had already made a motion to press down on the Emperor’s eye socket. The Emperor groaned in pain, startling the jailers into fearful exclamations. The warden hastily unfastened his sword and threw it in with a clang. “Back out,” Xia Jingshi said curtly.
Yi Xiao was both tense and exerting herself, her palms completely sweaty. Seeing the sword thrown in, she instinctively transferred the whip from her right hand to her left, preparing to pick up the sword. At that moment when her grip loosened slightly, the Holy Emperor summoned all his strength, enduring the choking sensation of the whip digging into his neck, and flipped Xia Jingshi over, reaching for the nearby sword.
In a flash, the Emperor’s hand had already touched the scabbard.
Yi Xiao, with unexpected quickness, lunged forward with the momentum from the Emperor’s movement and grabbed the sword hilt first.
With a “clang,” the cold gleam of the blade reflected on the Emperor’s pale face. Yi Xiao steadily pointed the sword tip at his throat, grimacing. “Your Majesty’s martial skills are quite impressive.” The Emperor snorted but dared not move rashly. “Fu Yi Xiao, do you understand the gravity of the crime of holding the Emperor hostage?”
“Of course I do,” Yi Xiao smiled in response, but her hand didn’t loosen at all. “But I’m also forced by circumstances, aren’t I, Your Majesty?” “What about Feng Suige? Don’t forget your current identity. If because of you, Shusha gets involved…” Before the Emperor could finish, he was forced to take a step back by Yi Xiao’s slightly advancing sword tip. “Identity?” Yi Xiao stepped closer. “Moreover, at this moment, shouldn’t Your Majesty be more concerned about yourself?”
Xia Jingshi, who had rested for a few breaths nearby, stood up again and commanded in a low voice, “Warden, lock all the others in the empty cells and give the keys to me.” The warden hesitated and stammered, “Your Highness… in my humble opinion, no matter how great the injustice, you shouldn’t escalate the situation… uh… His Majesty is merciful and surely won’t mind…”
“Do as I say,” Xia Jingshi interrupted him. “This matter has nothing to do with you. If you don’t want to be implicated, stay here quietly. Someone will come to release you at daybreak.” He turned to glance at the Holy Emperor. “Your Majesty is merciful and surely won’t mind this small arrangement of mine?”
The Emperor coldly looked at him. “You won’t escape—if you kneel and admit your fault now, I can spare your life.” Xia Jingshi smiled slightly, “I appreciate Your Majesty’s kindness, but I must decline.”
Though winter had not yet arrived, two braziers of charcoal were already lit by the bed. Even the maid quietly serving nearby was sweating profusely, but Feng Xiyang, tightly wrapped on the bed, showed no sign of perspiration. Her thick, black eyelashes contrasted with her face, as red as the evening glow. In the flickering lamplight, it seemed as if her soul might leave her body with the shifting shadows.
The room was unbearably stuffy, and Feng Suige in the outer room felt even more anxious. Xiyang was still unconscious, and Yi Xiao’s fate was unknown. But what if Xiyang woke up? Emotionally, he hoped Xiyang hadn’t deceived him; rationally, he was more inclined to believe Yi Xiao’s frankness. And what would happen when Yi Xiao returned? Everything that might happen in the future could take an unexpected turn at any moment, and his intense worry was driving him nearly mad.
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps came from the corridor. Feng Suige darted to the door and yanked it open forcefully. “Any news?” The Guard Captain rushed forward and reported with a grave expression, “Prince, the Holy Emperor has arrived.” “Why has he come…” Feng Suige narrowed his eyes sharply. “How many people did he bring?” The Guard Captain hesitantly replied, “It seems… only one carriage and a driver.”
Feng Suige was stunned. “Are you sure it’s the Emperor himself?” The Guard Captain shook his head. “I can’t be certain, but when we went to inquire, they handed down an imperial gold token from the carriage. I’ve examined it, and there’s no mistake.” “I’ll go see,” Feng Suige responded briefly.
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed in the corridor. As the lights at the main gate of the guest house grew closer, Feng Suige’s heart began to race. The moment he stepped over the threshold, his heart leaped to his throat—in the bright lamplight, the face revealed behind the half-lifted curtain of the carriage was none other than the Holy Emperor.
“Your Majesty is in a poetic mood, emulating the ancients with a night tour by candlelight?” Feng Suige said lightly, seemingly casually glancing around.
Empty.
“Prince Feng,” the carriage driver called out timidly, breaking through his confusion. “His Majesty wishes to speak with the Prince alone.”