If one followed a typical novel, there would still be some characters who fall for the female transmigrator and love her to death regardless how ruthless, violent, and crafty she may be. Su Yun was currently heading in that direction. But those were still human lives! At the end of the day, Bai Xiangxiu believed that those who didn't value life were truly the ones to be feared. Although Long Heng appeared to be very cruel, he was very respectful of life. If the enemy surrendered, he would never rashly slaughter them, especially for personal reasons.
Bai Xiangxiu received news from Su Yun right at that moment. She had just finished potting the cactus, and so Huo'er was able to hear and share the conversation around it.
"Clearly, they have someone purposely backing them up. Or else, they wouldn't have dared go against you for those doctors, your Majesty. That's what Noble Consort Su said."
"They are merely peasants. What can they accomplish? That's what the emperor said."
"But now, rumors have started to spread. Rumors that cast us in a bad light. We need to think of a way to stop them. That's what Noble Consort Su said."
"Agreed. So what do you suggest, my beloved concubine?"
"They won't be able to find their doctors again, but we can fabricate a jianghu pervert who captured their miracle doctors. As long as doctors continue to go missing or are killed, they wouldn't think that the palace is responsible. How would the jianghu people find the solution or levy a punishment? That's what Noble Consort Su said."
"Good idea. My beloved concubine's mind is always filled with brilliant strategies. The emperor said that." Bai Xiangxiu couldn't help but knit her brows. Deep down, she knew that she wasn't the kindest person, but this solution would result in the loss of a few more innocent lives. She decided to discuss this development with Yu Kuang and the others. Nonetheless, she needed to find an excuse as to how she obtained this information. So, Long Heng played along and said one of his subordinates had overheard this tidbit. They had to use this as an excuse to cover the fact that the cactus had eavesdropped on the conversation. To be honest, her husband was probably the only one who would believe her if she said she could communicate with plants. Anyone else would likely treat it as a joke.
When Yu Kuang and Luo Yunzheng found out that Su Yun wanted to kill more people, they were stupefied. This was when Bai Xiangxiu received confirmation that her morality meter was still rather normal.
"This is the first time that I've realized women can be so cruel." Even though Luo Yunzheng had been burned by a woman before, his woman had been foolish and liked to put on the airs of the holy mother; she wasn't malicious. Sometimes, he wished she would have treated him more cruelly. Take Bai Xiangxiu for instance. Since she was aware that Yu Kuang fancied her, she always kept her distance from him. Even if they were to meet, it wouldn't be one on one.
Perhaps Bai Xiangxiu was afraid that Long Heng would grow jealous. On the other hand, she probably didn't want to give Yu Kuang any hope. It may seem cruel, but it wasn't necessarily a bad way to handle it. As a result, although Yu Kuang was interested, they got along as friends and he never reacted overly emotionally or forced her to do anything because he was aware from the start that getting together was not an option. But Yu Kuang couldn't bear parting with the woman he liked, or perhaps matters kept cropping up that brought the two together again. And what of that? Nothing would happen as long as the two of them toed the line.
In the past, Luo Yunzheng had never thought that being affectionate towards someone else was wrong. But now, he didn't hold emotional ties with anyone. Emotions were exceedingly painful. Whereas, when he was heartless, he knew exactly what he was doing. Of course, being heartless didn't mean that he was ruthless towards life. There was a bottom line when it came to killing in the jianghu. Or else, the world would be a mess.
Bai Xiangxiu was troubled. She didn't know how to prevent Su Yun from killing others.
"Right now, all we can do is spread the word and warn the doctors to take precautions. In addition, we'll notify them that this is merely a plan to cover up their act. If we reveal the truth early, the enemy will have no other ways to stop us." Long Heng spoke as he came in. What a joke. His little wife was in the same room as two adult males. One of them longed for her, and the other was a playboy. It would be absurd of him to leave them alone with her. So, he spoke up and made his suggestion when he overheard their troubled conversation.
Bai Xiangxiu knew that this was their only option. She frowned, "We must spread the news in the shortest time possible, Or else many innocent lives will be lost.
Yu Kuang stood up, ready to go. He was a man of action to the core.
Luo Yunzheng stated, "At least have a meal here before you go."
But Yu Kuang refused since there was already a time crunch. He had his faction to look after. Although they felt that they were already acting quite swiftly, two more doctors went missing by the time they could spread the news. Shortly after, someone discovered the corpse of the first one. Eventually, the second one was found dying. Their hands had been hacked off. According to sources, it was because they were unable to cure a jianghu person's injuries. There were many speculations, and no one didn't know who to believe.
However, some of the doctors came up with their own methods to save themselves, so at least the trio's actions had still been somewhat useful. There was also a response from the palace. People were naturally discussing the noble consort's background and appearance. So the palace decided to hold a carnival to allow everyone to see how virtuous the noble consort was.
Su Yun was also quite bold. During the event, she actually came to the rescue of a child who had been shoved. Indeed, once this news spread throughout the city, everyone would start praising the noble consort for her magnanimous and gentle nature.
Bai Xiangxiu sat in the teahouse as she watched all of this unravel before her eyes. It had obviously been staged. In novels, every female lead had to save someone from a lower status class once or twice to demonstrate their kindness. Su Yun had likely planned it all from the start. It was obvious that the child had been shoved beneath a horse carriage by a soldier. But if the horse carriage had lost control, the child would've died for sure. Bai Xiangxiu squeezed the cup in her hand. Now that the old madame and Xiao Lin had left the city, she wasn't afraid to go against Su Yun anymore. If Su Yun wanted to act, then Bai Xiangxiu would play along to the bitter end.
Bai Xiangxiu whispered into Xiaoshi's ear, sending the maid downstairs to find the person who was already waiting for her. They were ready. Out of nowhere, a girl cried out loudly, "Noble Consort, please help me gain justice!"
Su Yun was caught off guard. This wasn't part of her plan!? However, since she had just demonstrated her magnanimousness, she naturally couldn't react negatively. She gestured to the soldiers to let the girl in. The girl dropped to her knees after seeing the noble consort and begged revenge for her husband. Her husband was a famous doctor and had sent her a letter via carrier pigeon before his death. He had proof that it wasn't some jianghu pervert who'd killed him, but a woman with an injured face.
Su Yun's expression immediately turned nasty. "What proof do you have?"
"I do have proof. He gave me a picture of the woman and left a mark on her. As long as that woman uses the special medicine that has been passed down in our family for generations to wash her face, a word will show up."
"What word?"
"Murderer."
".....is that so? Then it will be quite easy to locate the person."
"Noble Consort, since there are rumours out there saying that you're the woman with the injured face, could you brush your face with the special medicine in front of everyone to prove your innocence?"