Luo Huaimeng did not know whether what Shi Guang had said was true or false. Cut off from information, she had no way of knowing Shi Ting’s current situation.

Had he successfully escaped, or had he truly been surrounded by the Xi Nan Army?

If Shi Guang had joined forces with the Xi Nan Army, then the Xi Nan Army would certainly be fully informed of Shi Ting’s every move, and what he had described was not impossible.

Luo Huaimeng also thought of how Shi Guang might harm Yan Qing, and combined with the sight of Hong Hua collapsed in a pool of blood right before her, she immediately felt her vision go black and fainted.

Meanwhile, in Shao Lan Garden, Yan Qing was still unaware of what had happened outside.

The weather remained cold, yet it was a rare day of billowing white clouds.

Yan Qing took two pieces of meat to feed Er Dan, while Jiangguo clutched a large bone and gnawed at it with relish.

Although Shi Guang had confined them, their daily provisions were not only adequate — they were even better than before.

Er Dan was eating heartily when footsteps were heard outside.

“Miss, someone is coming.” Jing Zhi had grown especially sensitive to such footsteps lately. Apart from Er Yitai, the only one who came here at this hour was the Second Young Master, and Shi Guang’s intentions toward Yan Qing were plain for all to see.

Yan Qing stood up and set the basket of meat on the stone table.

“Go and see who it is. I’ll go back to the room first.”

People she disliked — she truly did not want to see them even for a moment.

Jing Zhi quickly walked to the gate. Before she could step outside, Captain An had already entered, followed by Shi Guang and a doctor carrying a medical case. This doctor, who kept his head lowered and whose hands were trembling, was the very same one who had come before.

Jing Zhi saw at once that the situation was bad and turned to run. She had barely taken two steps when Captain An grabbed her by the arm. “What are you running for, little maid? Rushing off to warn someone?”

“Miss—” Jing Zhi opened her mouth to call out, but managed only one word before Captain An covered it with his hand.

“Be sensible and don’t cause trouble for me,” Captain An warned in a low, heavy voice. “Otherwise, for a little maid like you, one bullet is all it takes.”

Jing Zhi was muffled by Captain An’s hand, struggling but unable to make a sound, while Shi Guang had already led the doctor into the courtyard.

“What are you doing?” Murong stood guard outside the room door. Seeing that Shi Guang had come with ill intent, she hurriedly spread her arms wide to block his path.

“Captain An,” Shi Guang frowned, “Is it that now just anyone can stand in my way?”

Captain An heard the order and shoved Jing Zhi toward one of his subordinates, then stepped forward to pull Murong away. But Murong suddenly moved — Captain An was caught off guard, and she seized his arm. Murong swung her leg and delivered a fierce kick squarely into Captain An’s stomach.

Captain An let out a cry of pain and tumbled off the steps.

“Useless fool.” Shi Guang glanced coldly at Captain An, then signaled to his subordinates. Immediately four or five men rushed forward, raising their gun barrels in unison, all aimed at Murong.

Faced with those gun barrels, Murong showed not the slightest trace of fear. She held her position from before, and her eyes were fixed unblinkingly on Shi Guang.

“What are you waiting for?” Shi Guang could least tolerate being disrespected now. His hands were already soaked in blood — he was hardly afraid of adding a little more.

Just as those men were about to fire, the room door was suddenly thrown open. The sound was not loud at all, yet it carried its own weight. The gaze that followed was utterly clear, yet it sent a tremor of unease through the heart.

“Shi Guang, do you intend to kill my people in my own courtyard?”

Shi Guang reined in the fierce expression of a moment ago and replaced it with an ingratiating smile. “Your maid has no sense. I’m only warning her.”

Yan Qing had not been sleeping well these past few days, and her complexion was somewhat wan. Yet this did nothing to diminish her exceptional bearing. She stood there like an untouchable, noble snow lotus.

“What exactly do you want?” Yan Qing said coldly. “We are already your prisoners now. You’ve confined us in this courtyard — we cannot go out, no one can come in. What more do you have to worry about? Or is it that you are afraid? Afraid that we — women and children — might overturn the power you believe is already within your grasp?”

“Yan Qing, you think too much,” Shi Guang said. “I’m only concerned about you.”

He glanced back at the doctor: “What are you standing there for? Hurry and examine Young Madam.”

“Yes.” The doctor steeled himself and stepped forward. “Young Madam, please allow me to take your pulse.”

“I’m not ill. What pulse is there to take?” Yan Qing cast a glance at Shi Guang and saw that his eyes were pitch-dark, churning with complex emotions.

A vague sense of dread stirred in her heart. She suspected that Shi Guang had already learned of her pregnancy.

“Yan Qing, it’s just taking a pulse — what are you afraid of?” Shi Guang stepped forward, his smile carrying a trace of sharp cunning. “Or do you have some secret you dare not let me know?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Yan Qing turned her head away, avoiding his gaze.

“You do.” Shi Guang suddenly reached out and wrenched Yan Qing’s wrist in an iron grip, his eyes turning fierce. “The child you are carrying should not be born. The moment he is born, he will have no father.”

Yan Qing glared at him in fury: “What did you say?”

“Are you still waiting for Seventh Brother? Ha — no need to wait. His corpse is already stone-cold by now. He’s probably been left out in the open wilderness, being gnawed at by wild beasts.”

Yan Qing’s eyes narrowed: “Do you think I would believe your words?”

“Believe it or not, these are the facts,” Shi Guang said. “The young commander of the Xi Nan region, Lei Li, has always been renowned for his use of surprise tactics. He is no fool. You say Shi Ting was with only a small personal guard — do you really think he could escape Lei Li’s relentless pursuit?”

“This is Bei Di, not Xi Nan,” Yan Qing said, looking at this somewhat unhinged man before her. “For your own selfish desires, you have sold out your own territory and plunged all the people into misery and suffering. Shi Guang, you have truly gone mad.”

“Don’t make it sound so noble.” Shi Guang’s voice also rose several notches. “What people? In my eyes, they are all worthless. They want to support Shi Ting, do they? They think Shi Ting is the rightful lord of Bei Di? If that’s the case, why should I care about their feelings? What do their lives or deaths have to do with me?”

“Only he who wins the hearts of the people can win the world,” Yan Qing said with boundless contempt. “There is a saying: water can carry the boat, but water can also overturn it. You have no people in your heart, and so the people will naturally not support you. These common people see further than you and understand deeper than you, yet in your eyes there is only that seat. Shi Guang, even if you were to truly sit upon it, with the people of the realm turning their backs on you and everyone around you speaking falsely, what good would that title do you? You cannot hold it firmly, you cannot hold it securely — you would be pulled down very quickly.”

Shi Guang listened and could not help but laugh. “Yan Qing, you and Seventh Brother are truly alike — both always speaking of benevolence and righteousness.”

Yan Qing said: “You have mistaken one thing: these principles of benevolence and righteousness — we did not merely speak of them. We also put them into practice. And that is why, Shi Guang, you are destined to fail.”

“Whether I fail or not, the fact remains that right now, Yan Qing, you are in dire straits yourself.” Shi Guang’s gaze fell on her flat abdomen. “Since you won’t let the doctor examine you, so be it. I have prepared a bowl of medicine. You will drink it obediently.”

Shi Guang glanced at the doctor, who hurriedly reached into the medical case and took out a packet of medicinal powder. A guard behind him held a tray with a bowl of clear water on it.

The doctor poured the powder into the water and stirred it evenly with a small spoon.

“Young Madam, rest assured — this medicine will not cause any major side effects,” the doctor said. “Once you have drunk it and rested well, there will be no serious harm.”

“Yan Qing, you see how gentle the medicine I’ve prepared for you is — how well I treat you,” Shi Guang said, taking the bowl of medicine. “Drink it obediently and we will be done with this matter.”

“Miss.” Murong rushed to step forward, and several gun barrels immediately swung toward her in unison.

“Tell your maid not to act recklessly. Bullets have no eyes,” Shi Guang warned in a low voice. “She is your person. I can tolerate her once out of respect for you — but there will absolutely not be a second time.”

Yan Qing believed that Shi Guang, now nearly consumed by madness, was fully capable of doing such a thing.

Yan Qing gave Murong a slight shake of her head, telling her not to act impulsively. Murong looked at her with an expression full of indignation and heartache, and tears instantly filled her eyes.

“Yan Qing, don’t resist. The medicine is gentle — the doctor was not wrong. Drinking it will not cause great suffering, and after resting a few days you’ll be fine. Don’t worry — I will find two experienced women to tend to you, and I guarantee you won’t be left with any lasting after-effects. If you were to suffer any after-effects, how would you bear my children in the future? So I will be very careful.” Shi Guang softened his tone, his eyes carrying a smile.

“Shi Guang, you are utterly shameless.” Yan Qing had not expected him to say something so brazen, and her face flushed crimson with fury. “How dare you say such things.”

“Sooner or later you will be mine. What did I say that was wrong?” He pushed the bowl of medicine forward. “Drink it obediently. I promise you that everything from now on will be a hundred times, a thousand times better than today. You will become the happiest woman in the world.”

“And if I don’t drink it?”

“Yan Qing, I don’t wish to use force on you. Look — I’ve been speaking to you with kind words throughout,” Shi Guang said patiently. “You are so intelligent — you should understand clearly that this bowl of medicine, you will drink it whether you want to or not. If you choose to resist, I have many methods to make you swallow it.”

Shi Guang pushed the bowl forward once more, this time with an unmistakable warning in his voice: “Or would you rather watch the people you cherish die before your eyes one by one before you’d drink it?”

The words had barely left Shi Guang’s mouth when a shadow suddenly shot out from somewhere off to the side. Before anyone had time to react, this shadow had already, with the swiftness of a thunderclap, tackled Shi Guang to the ground — and the bowl of medicine in his hand was flung away.

The fine porcelain bowl struck the ground and shattered into pieces. The medicinal liquid inside splattered outward, soaking a large patch of earth.