“Princess, he has entered,” a voice reported to Fengzhao from nearby.
Upon hearing this, Fengzhao’s lips curled into a slight smile. Excellent, even the heavens were aiding her today.
Initially, Ming Tan had shown no reaction, leading Fengzhao to doubt the efficacy of the drug. However, when informed that Zhai Nianci had responded, she was perplexed. Ming Tan had drunk the wine, so why was Zhai Nianci affected?
Unaware of what had transpired, Fengzhao regained her composure. She reasoned that dealing with Zhai Nianci might be advantageous; his simple mind would be far easier to manipulate than the ever-elusive Ming Tan.
Yet, just as she prepared to temporarily abandon her plans for Ming Tan, an unexpected opportunity presented itself. Without hesitation, she ordered Ming Tan to be knocked unconscious and sent to accompany Zhai Nianci.
Her eyes gleamed with a mix of pride and madness as she contemplated the scene. With that lust-driven fool already inside, she wondered how these two would dare show their faces in public after today. How could they even bear to live?
“Light the fire,” Fengzhao commanded, her voice tinged with both arrogance and a touch of insanity.
She had warned them to watch out. If she couldn’t find peace, neither would anyone else.
—
As noon approached, the sun blazed fiercely overhead. The gatekeeper of the Ping Guo Gong mansion, having welcomed guests all morning, was about to take a brief rest when the sound of approaching hoofbeats reached his ears.
Jiang Xu loosened the reins and dismounted.
“May I ask who you are, sir?” the gatekeeper inquired, momentarily overwhelmed by Jiang Xu’s imposing presence. Recovering quickly, he added with a bow, “Today, the mansion is hosting a gathering. Entry requires an invitation. Might I see yours?”
Without a word, Jiang Xu tossed him a jade token.
The gatekeeper, having some education, examined the token and noticed the characters for “Ding Bei” inscribed upon it. His legs suddenly felt weak. “L-Lord Ding Bei?” he stammered, hastily opening the gate and stepping aside. “This humble servant failed to recognize Your Highness. Please forgive me and enter!”
Jiang Xu strode into the compound without hesitation.
The gatekeeper wiped the sweat that had suddenly appeared on his brow and quickly dispatched someone to guide the esteemed guest to the polo field. Simultaneously, he sent another to spread the word: Lord Ding Bei had arrived!
When Jiang Xu reached the polo field, the atmosphere was lively.
Zhang Huaiyu approached him with enthusiasm, clapping him on the shoulder. “What a rare honor to have Lord Ding Bei grace us with his presence,” he teased. Then, recalling something, he added, “Weren’t you in Qingzhou? You’ve returned quickly. Is your business concluded?”
Jiang Xu grunted in affirmation, his gaze sweeping the field.
Zhang Huaiyu raised an eyebrow. “Care for a match?”
Instead of answering, Jiang Xu asked, “Where is Shu Jingran?”
“I believe that talented Su fellow invited him for a boat ride and poetry composition. They’ve been gone for quite some time. Wait, I’ll send someone to fetch him.”
“No need,” Jiang Xu said after a moment’s consideration. “Where is the Princess Consort?”
“The Princess Consort?” Zhang Huaiyu was surprised by the question. “I never thought you’d be so concerned about your wife. Marriage has changed you.”
Sensing Jiang Xu’s growing impatience, Zhang Huaiyu quickly added, “But I’m afraid I don’t know where your Princess Consort is. Don’t worry, I’ll ask my sister.”
Before Zhang Huaiyu could seek out Zhang Hanmiao, she came running towards them, visibly distraught.
Not recognizing Jiang Xu as Lord Ding Bei, she addressed her brother in a hushed, panicked tone. “Second Brother, please help me! The Ding Bei Princess Consort and the Yongle County Princess have disappeared!”
Despite her competence, she was still a young girl barely in her teens. The fact that she hadn’t fainted upon discovering such a crisis was remarkable in itself.
She had made all the necessary arrangements but was still overwhelmed with worry. Unwilling to trouble her aunt, she sought help from her cousin, who had always shown her great affection.
“What did you say?”
Zhang Hanmiao was startled to hear a man’s voice respond before her cousin could react. How had he overheard?
“Repeat that,” the man demanded, his tone icy and unsettlingly ambiguous.
Zhang Hanmiao swallowed nervously before stammering, “The… the Ding Bei Princess Consort and the Yongle County Princess have vanished.”
Earlier, when the Yongle County Princess’s maid had reported her mistress missing, Zhang Hanmiao hadn’t considered it a serious matter.
The Yongle County Princess, like Princess Fengzhao, was widely disliked for her sharp tongue and unforgiving nature. Zhang Hanmiao had assumed she had simply wandered off somewhere.
However, not long after, there was an incident by the lake. More surprising than the near-drowning was the fact that while the Ding Bei Princess Consort’s maid had gone to rescue someone, the Princess Consort herself had vanished. Another maid attending the Princess Consort had been found unconscious, hidden in the bushes!
It was then that Zhang Hanmiao began to panic. She quickly suppressed news of the incident and ordered a search of the surrounding area.
The Princess Consort’s maid was known for her exceptional martial skills. For such a catastrophe to occur in the brief half-quarter hour she was gone seemed impossible without premeditation!
—
Meanwhile, the third madam of the Ping Guo Gong household was chatting and laughing with other ladies as they made their way to the theater to watch a new play by the Fuchun troupe.
Halfway there, someone suddenly exclaimed, “Oh my! Is that smoke rising from the southeast? Could there be a fire?”
The group hurried closer to investigate.
“Fire! Fire!”
Some servants had already discovered the blaze and were rushing to spread the alarm. The third madam immediately stopped one to inquire, “Where is the fire?”
“In Cui Yuan, Third Madam,” the servant replied breathlessly. “It’s one of the buildings there! And… and someone saw the Jiangyang Marquis heading in that direction.”
Upon hearing this, the Third Madam’s face drained of color.
Cui Yuan was near the lake but within the inner courtyard, typically off-limits to outside guests. The Third Madam, recalling something, turned pale.
Cui Yuan had once housed a concubine of their third branch family. This concubine had an affair with the household steward and secretly created a small door in a secluded area of the garden, connecting to the outer courtyard.
When discovered, the concubine and steward were either sold off or beaten to death. Since then, Cui Yuan remained largely unoccupied, serving only as temporary lodging for distant guests.
Someone had seen the Jiangyang Marquis heading there…
She hastily ordered someone to find the Madam of Ping Guo Gong while dispatching others to fetch water and extinguish the fire.
The fire wasn’t extensive when first discovered, but its pattern was peculiar. It didn’t burn the main building but surrounded it, creating an alarming scene.
As the ladies approached, most of the fire had been contained. Servants were systematically dousing the flames, though thick smoke still filled the air.
“Help!”
“Someone save this Marquis!”
“Help! Help!”
The crowd’s expressions changed abruptly. A man and a woman were calling for help from inside the main building! They must have seen the smoke and panicked, unaware that the fire hadn’t reached the main structure.
The Third Madam’s face contorted with worry. Fearing misunderstandings about impropriety within their household, she quickly explained, “Though Cui Yuan is part of the inner courtyard, it’s usually unoccupied. Due to certain circumstances, there’s a small door here connecting to the outer courtyard.” She pointed to a previously sealed door in a secluded spot. “It’s usually sealed, but it seems someone opened it from the outside.”
The crowd understood.
Was this a case of illicit rendezvous gone wrong? The man seemed to be the Jiangyang Marquis, but who was the woman?
Someone in the crowd murmured, “Earlier, by the lake, people were searching for the Ding Bei Princess Consort and the Yongle County Princess.”
The crowd exchanged glances.
Those two? Surely not…
As servants continued to douse the remaining flames and the Madam of Ping Guo Gong hurried over amidst the whispers, a dark figure suddenly moved with incredible speed, entering the garden before anyone could react.
Jiang Xu’s expression remained impassive. Despite the thick smoke, he seemed unaffected as he climbed the steps and kicked open the main door of Cui Yuan.
Inside, traces of a potent aphrodisiac lingered in the air.
The Jiangyang Marquis, his clothes disheveled, cowered under a table, apparently terrified by the sudden fire.
Seeing the door burst open, he crawled out. But as he shakily stood, Jiang Xu spotted a huddled female figure in the corner. Without even a glance, he reached for the Marquis, grasping his throat.
“Let… let go… let go…”
The Marquis’s face turned ashen, his eyes bulging in agony. His words became fragmented as his breath weakened.
Jiang Xu stared directly at the figure in the corner, her clothes in disarray, curled into a ball. His hand twitched, and a faint sound of breaking bones was heard. The Marquis’s expression froze, and he fell silent. Jiang Xu discarded the lifeless body as if throwing away trash.
He was about to approach the huddled figure when he suddenly realized something. He paused and asked, “Where is this Prince’s consort?”
Standing at the bottom of the steps outside, Ming Tan wanted to say “I’m here,” but whether from shock or something else, she couldn’t find her voice.
Jiang Xu, as if sensing something, instinctively turned around.
The afternoon sun slanted westward, falling on her jade-white brocade dress and her slightly disheveled, dust-covered face. It seemed to bathe her in a gentle halo, making her appear delicate and pitiful from afar.
He descended the steps, stopping before Ming Tan, and looking down at her.
The fire was extinguished, and people entered the courtyard. The Madam of Ping Guo Gong sent a maid into the main room, while Zhai Nianci’s anxious maid followed.
“County Princess! County Princess, what happened to you?”
The crowd was astonished. It was the Yongle County Princess.
The maid sent by the Madam entered the room and immediately noticed the Jiangyang Marquis lying on the floor. She screamed, “Ah! The Jiangyang Marquis! The Marquis is dead!”
Upon hearing this, the crowd, standing ten meters away, glanced toward the imposing figure in the courtyard.
Ming Tan also froze, her throat dry as she looked up at Jiang Xu.
The Jiangyang Marquis was highly favored by the Emperor. How would they explain his death in front of so many witnesses?
Jiang Xu seemed to understand her concern. He instinctively raised his hand, his rough fingertips wiping the dust from her face. He spoke indifferently, “If he’s dead, he’s dead. What can they do to me?”