A hush fell over the courtyard. Though servants still bustled about tending to the fire’s aftermath, the ladies and young misses in the yard felt a chill run through them, none daring to speak.
The words were extremely arrogant, but coming from Lord Ding Bei’s mouth, they seemed somehow fitting.
Ming Tan was at a loss for how to respond. Though she’d known of his reputation as a “god of death” before marrying him, the Jiang Xu she’d encountered had never been as terrifying as the rumors suggested. He was merely cold and brusque, easy to talk to in daily life, and never one to make things difficult for others.
“Tan’er! Tan’er!” At that moment, Bai Minmin, having received news of the incident, hurried over. “Are you alright? Let me take a look at you.”
She grabbed Ming Tan, anxiously examining her.
The crowd: “…”
The Madam of Chang Guo Gong, who had rushed over as well, hastily pulled Bai Minmin back. Who had given her the courage to snatch someone from Lord Ding Bei’s presence?
“I’m fine, don’t worry,” Ming Tan reassured her.
Bai Minmin pressed urgently, “What exactly happened?”
Though Zhang Hanmiao had ordered everyone to keep quiet, the disappearance of two people and the ongoing search made it impossible to keep things completely under wraps.
By now, many knew that the Ding Bei Princess Consort and the Yongle County Princess had vanished earlier and that the Princess Consort’s maid had been knocked unconscious.
Ming Tan had already prepared her story to extricate herself from the situation. Gathering her thoughts, she explained, “Earlier, by the lake, someone struck me with a wooden stick. Then an unfamiliar maid carried me towards this place. But I woke up halfway and managed to stab her with my hairpin. I ran for a while and fortunately met my maid who was searching for me. We overpowered the attacker and forced her to confess… it was Princess Fengzhao who ordered her to do this.”
“Princess Fengzhao?!”
The crowd was shocked, but after a moment’s reflection, it seemed logical given the long-standing grudge between Princess Fengzhao and the Ding Bei Princess Consort.
Ming Tan nodded, “She confessed that Princess Fengzhao had also kidnapped the Yongle County Princess and planned to start a fire to lure people here to ‘catch them in the act.’ I wanted to find help immediately but given the delicate nature of the situation for a young lady…”
She trailed off, then continued, “My maid is skilled in martial arts, so I didn’t raise the alarm. I thought we could come help first, but when we arrived, the place was already filled with smoke.”
The crowd was so stunned they didn’t know what to say.
Had Princess Fengzhao truly gone mad? To do such a despicable thing in someone else’s mansion!
Originally, Ming Tan had only planned to say that she had broken free from the maid, then seen the fire and rushed over, knowing nothing else.
This version would have minimized her involvement in the affair, leaving Zhai Nianci’s status as a victim or willing participant with the Jiangyang Marquis irrelevant to her. As for Fengzhao, Zhai Nianci would be the first to seek revenge, and Ming Tan would have had plenty of ways to deal with her gradually.
But now that her husband had killed the Jiangyang Marquis, she had no choice but to directly implicate Fengzhao, confirming that Fengzhao had set a trap and that the Marquis had intended to violate the County Princess, thus deserving his fate.
Indeed, the Jiangyang Marquis truly deserved his fate!
Earlier, when Fengzhao had sent someone to relay a message to the Jiangyang Marquis, it wasn’t in her voice but in the guise of the Yi Wang Princess Consort—
Hinting that she was stubborn and unwilling to marry, suggesting it would be better to present her family with a fait accompli.
Presented with such an opportunity, the Jiangyang Marquis was unwilling to let it pass. So when he saw Ming Tan bound hand and foot and gagged on the bed, he didn’t find it strange. He lustfully approached, intent on taking advantage of the situation.
At first, he truly believed Ming Tan to be Princess Fengzhao, but as he drew closer, he noticed the woman’s hairstyle, which was that of a newlywed, and the high-ranking jade pendant at her waist. His expression changed, and even Ming Tan could see that he had realized she wasn’t Fengzhao.
But he had defiled countless women, including other men’s wives. He found married women more satisfying, as they valued their reputations and wouldn’t dare speak of such encounters.
With this in mind, he decided to proceed, planning to thoroughly enjoy this beauty.
Since he intended to have his way with her, he decided to untie her legs for convenience while leaving her hands bound and mouth gagged. Standing by the bed with ill intent, he began to loosen the hemp rope around Ming Tan’s legs, intending to play with her feet.
However, Ming Tan, watching intently and reacting swiftly, kicked out hard at his face the moment her legs were free!
The kick was not only accurate but powerful. No one would have expected such strength from Ming Tan, the epitome of a delicate noble lady. The Jiangyang Marquis was knocked backward, seeing stars, with blood flowing from his nose.
“You little harlot, how dare you kick this Marquis!”
Ming Tan was internally panicking, but precisely because she had reached the height of panic and the situation couldn’t get worse, her mind became exceptionally clear.
With her feet free, she immediately ran from the bed, deliberately crashing into the screen behind which Zhai Nianci was hiding.
Though the screen wasn’t particularly heavy, it would still hurt falling on the Jiangyang Marquis, buying her some time. Moreover, with the screen fallen, Zhai Nianci, who had been drugged and was struggling to resist, was exposed!
Taking advantage of the Marquis’s shock at the sudden appearance of another beauty, Ming Tan ran towards the outer room.
“Hurry and chase her! If she escapes, you’re dead!” Zhai Nianci warned, his deliberately deepened voice tinged with irrepressible allure.
Ming Tan had no time to mentally curse Zhai Nianci. Reaching the outer room, she desperately tried to force the door open, but with her hands still bound and mouth gagged, she found it locked from the outside.
“You wench, where do you think you’re running?” The Jiangyang Marquis, his eyes cruel and lustful, wiped his bloody nose as he entered the outer room.
The room was filled with the scent of an aphrodisiac incense. Ming Tan tried to control her breathing while ramming the door, despair slowly creeping into her heart.
Soon, the Jiangyang Marquis was upon her, grabbing her hair.
He pulled Ming Tan away from the door, about to teach her a lesson, when at the critical moment, the door was kicked open from the outside—
Yun Yi!
It was Yun Yi!
Ming Tan’s despairing heart suddenly filled with joy, her eyes inexplicably blurring with tears. A strange thought flashed through her mind: she must buy Yun Yi lots and lots of roast chicken!
Seeing Ming Tan’s disheveled state, Yun Yi’s expression changed. With a powerful palm strike, she sent the Jiangyang Marquis staggering back, releasing his grip. She then swiftly pulled Ming Tan to her side, removing the tightly packed handkerchief from her mouth.
Ming Tan, nauseated by the gag, coughed dryly a few times, tears springing from her eyes.
“Your Highness, I’m sorry I’m late!”
Yun Yi untied Ming Tan, her eyes flashing with guilt. She then moved forward, seemingly about to deal with the Jiangyang Marquis.
Seeing this, Ming Tan quickly held her back. “No need.”
Since Fengzhao had set this trap, she surely had more plans. They needed to leave quickly.
She checked that none of her belongings or hairpins were missing, then decisively said, “Let’s go.”
As for Zhai Nianci, she hesitated briefly.
In truth, Ming Tan didn’t feel she had any deep grudge against Zhai Nianci. If she had felt even a hint of guilt, she would have risked saving him. But given how he had egged on the Jiangyang Marquis in that dire situation, she was no bodhisattva. Let him fend for himself.
Just as the two stepped out of the room, fires began to spread in the side rooms and wing rooms. It wouldn’t be long before others arrived.
Yun Yi, suddenly remembering something, turned back to lock the door before supporting Ming Tan as they quickly left the courtyard.
“Yun Yi, where is this? How did you find me?” Ming Tan asked as they hurried away.
“Your Highness, I don’t know exactly where this is, only that it’s a courtyard in the Ping Guo Gong mansion,” she replied, unfamiliar with the layout.
As for how she found Ming Tan—
Earlier, she had found the unconscious Lü’e nearby, woken her, asked a few questions, and then set out to rescue Ming Tan.
Unlike Zhang Hanmiao’s search method, Yun Yi’s approach was extremely simple. The only person openly antagonistic towards her mistress today was Princess Fengzhao, so why search for anyone else when she could go directly after Fengzhao?
Laughably, Fengzhao dared to be wandering nearby.
Yun Yi didn’t waste time with words. She directly apprehended Fengzhao and her servants, questioning them. At first, they were tight-lipped, but Yun Yi wasn’t one for a reason. She resorted to violence, and after a few blows, the maid confessed. Then, under threat of death, she forced them to lead the way. Thus, there was no way she wouldn’t find Ming Tan.
Hearing this, Ming Tan had to admit that while Yun Yi’s methods were crude, they were extremely effective.
Now, with Fengzhao and her servants silenced by Yun Yi’s unorthodox tactics, Ming Tan stuck to her earlier story, preparing to hand over the maid who had knocked her unconscious to the Madam of Ping Guo Gong for punishment.
The Madam of Ping Guo Gong hurriedly said, “The Princess Consort has been frightened. Today’s events, ultimately, were due to the Ping Guo Gong household’s failure in hospitality, leading to these various incidents. The Ping Guo Gong household will certainly give Your Highness and the Princess Consort a proper explanation.”
“Unnecessary,” Jiang Xu’s voice was cold.
Ming Tan turned to look at him.
Ming Tan’s thoughts were quite normal. A princess harming others, a county princess’s reputation sullied, a marquis dying on the spot—such shocking and scandalous events occurring in the Ping Guo Gong mansion should, by all rights, be handled by the host family, whether in communicating with other families or reporting to the emperor. The Madam of Ping Guo Gong felt that her family should bear this responsibility.
But she had forgotten that her husband was Lord Ding Bei, standing at the pinnacle of power and influence. With him present today, there was no need for her to go to the trouble of explaining herself. Because whatever her husband said, would be.
“The Jiangyang Marquis trespassed into the inner quarters and attempted to violate the County Princess. His crime is unforgivable. I will personally report to His Majesty and request an imperial decree for his execution and property confiscation. As for Princess Fengzhao, who attempted to harm the Princess Consort and the County Princess, she will be sent to the Imperial Clan Court for investigation and punishment.”
His voice was calm and decisive, carrying an air of authority that brooked no opposition.
Ming Tan, having held herself together until now, felt utterly exhausted as she finally relaxed.
As she swayed slightly, Bai Minmin, quick to notice, was about to reach out, but Jiang Xu had already steadied her by her thin shoulders from behind.
His hands were cool, as was his embrace.
Yet Ming Tan inexplicably felt safe.
She turned her head, looking up at Jiang Xu, who lowered his gaze to meet hers. Then, in front of everyone, he suddenly lifted her into his arms.
“Let’s go home.”