Chapter 236: The Complicated Imperial Harem
Deep inside the imperial harem, the old madame had finally understood why she and her grandchild were being held captive within the palace. The emperor was targeting her son because his reputation within the capital had risen to the point where his fame eclipsed the emperor's. The old madame had planned on having Long Heng retire and return command of the army to the emperor upon his return, but the emperor had been one step ahead of her.
A mama that the old madame sent out to gather news returned while the old madame walked around the room with her grandson in her arms. The mama whispered. "Old Madame, Miss Lin... I mean Noble Lady Lin seems to be facing some issues. A few imperial doctors have been summoned, but the problem seems to remain undiagnosed."
"Have you delivered the fragrance pouch?"
"I have. I've gotten a maid to put it under Noble Lady Lin's bed. However, what does Concubine Xiu gain by doing this?"
"Just call her madame. 1 That child has done so much for my son already. I owe her that much at least."
"Understood. What does Madame Xiu stand to gain by doing this?"
"I'm not too sure either, but hopefully we can locate Heng'er by following her plans and arrangements."
"Wa... waaa..." Long Lin reached for the fragrance pouch in the old madame's hand. Bai Xiangxiu had made two, one of which would stay with the old madame.
"What is it? Do you miss your mommy?" The old madame stared at her grandson. After two months, hints of majesty were beginning to form between the child's brows, reminding her of Long Heng. Long Lin had looked so similar to Bai Xiangxiu when he was first born that the old madame already felt pity for young women in the future. But regardless, even if the old madame couldn't quite describe the similarities, she was sure that everyone would definitely be able to recognize Long Lin as a descendent of the Long family at first glance. This was the power of a bloodline! Otherwise, why would her heart melt whenever she took a look at him? She was going to protect Long Lin even at the cost of her own life. If she died... no matter, she'd finally get to see that darned husband of hers again anyway.
Bai Xiangxiu had her fair share of worries too. She'd been borrowing Huo'er's powers to listen in on everyone the whole night and finally grasped a rough idea of what was truly going on. She was incredibly worried after she realized what was happening. This world was really far too chaotic, and the female lead was simultaneously worthy of her pity and a source of pure irritation. The reason? Lin Qianzi was pregnant again. But the kicker was that she was two months pregnant, yet it had only been one month since she'd entered the palace. The emperor was furious when he found out and had personally fed her medicine for miscarriage to get rid of the child.
Bai Xiangxiu had found out about this because of the cactus spines in the fragrance pouch that had been snuck into Lin Qianzi's room. The emperor himself had visited her room that night. Back with Bai Xiangxiu, Huo'er mimicked the emperor's tone of voice. "Lin Qianzi, five imperial doctors have already discerned the truth. Why are you still trying to hide? Are you planning on giving birth to the enemy's child and let him take over Our country?"
"No! How could this concubine possibly dare to do such a thing? I just want to keep my child!" Moreover, there's a possibility that this isn't Commander Lu's child. He only used me a few times and threw me to his subordinates. But these were not words meant for the emperor's ears. No man could possibly want a woman who had been sullied by so many men. The truth would have to remain a secret forever.
"Let me be clear, I do not intend to raise another man's child. If you wish to keep it, you will be banished to Cold Palace for as long as you draw breath. However, if you choose to give up the child, you can remain as my beloved concubine. So tell me. What is your choice?"
"No! Please, Your Majesty! Please have mercy on the child!"
"Servants, give me the medicine."
"Your Majesty, why don't you try letting this servant persuade the noble lady?"
Bai Xiangxiu was listening in on the conversation. "Who's that person?"
"It's a woman. She's wearing a veil over her face," Huo'er explained.
Wearing a veil? Could it be Su Yun?
"Go ahead," the emperor responded. The ruler of the nation is listening to the advice of a palace maid? Something is definitely amiss here. While Bai Xiangxiu was caught up in her thoughts, Huo'er began to convey the two women's conversation.
"Noble Lady. Why are you so afraid of lacking children when His Majesty dotes on you so? You should view things from his point of view as well. This is an enemy's bastard after all."
"But..."
"There'll always be wood to burn as long as the hills remain green. There will always be new opportunities. Have you perhaps forgotten how you've suffered in the past?"
"I remember. Fine! I'll take the medicine."
"Very good, then I will personally feed it to you."
The last sentence was spoken by the emperor. Bai Xiangxiu had to analyze and guess who was the one speaking as Huo'er was the one talking to her. Fortunately, the voices all had different tonalities, which made differentiating them much easier. Chaos soon followed. Complaints about stomach aches, about the doctors, and then something about killing every single one of the doctors. In the end however, there was only one clear sentence, filled with resentment and despair. "Long Heng, I will never forgive the two of you. It hurts... my child..."
Go to hell! Why are you blaming us when they were the ones who forced you to miscarry your child? Anyway, I don't think there's much more to learn tonight, but I'll try to scout a little in my sleep. Long Heng is definitely being held in a place without cacti. It'll be near impossible to scout out where he's being held captive. Nothing I can do about it I guess. This world simply has too few cacti!
It didn't take long for her to fall asleep since she and Huo'er were both exhausted. The next day, Bai Xiangxiu tried to listen in on Lin Qianzi to glean clues on Long Heng's whereabouts. However, Lin Qianzi was currently recuperating and wallowing in grief. She didn't really talk to anyone except her maid and the woman who was quite possibly Su Yun. She didn't have many topics to talk about either, other than how much she hated Long Heng and Bai Xiangxiu.
However, Bai Xiangxiu could tell that Su Yun was almost constantly instigating Lin Qianzi's hate towards Long Heng. She fanned the flames of hate until Lin Qianzi hated him to her very bones. What an awful woman. Song Jiaoyue also found out from the Lin family that Lin Qianzi had been sent by Minister Lin to a temple for meditation. After a while, she came back with a woman who masked her face with a veil. Apparently, that veiled woman had been rescued from around the area. Her body was riddled with wounds and her face had been disfigured.
"It's Su Yun after all! It really is the will of the heavens for these two to meet!" Bai Xiangxiu knew that out of the two of them, one would never forgive Long Heng, while the other would never forgive herself. The amount of hatred harbored by these two women had driven them crazy, which was why they were using every conceivable method to seduce the emperor, the ultimate boss of this world. After that, they would come up with a plan to deal with Long Heng!
I can't believe that the emperor actually listens to them. Is he really in love with Lin Qianzi? If this was true love, why did he force her to miscarry the child? Is he the type that shows his love with abuse? Bai Xiangxiu was depressed. There was always one rule that she'd adhered to when choosing novels. She'd rather have her teeth fall off from reading a super sweet plot than read something with plenty of drama and abuse, especially those with stories that abused both the heart and the body. The kind of story that she hated the most was currently being aired in the palace. She couldn't help but pity Lin Qianzi, even though the cause for all her suffering was no one but herself. Instead of falling of every lie told to her, she could've been enjoying her status as a noble young lady of the capital.
1. This usage is important because it indicates that the old madame has accepted Bai Xiangxiu as the main wife of the household.
Chapter 237: Famous Doctors From All Places Enter the Palace
The capital had been quite lively lately. Famous doctors from various places had come, and more continued to come. Even doctors from the enemy countries had been invited, which seemed a bit odd. Who had fallen ill in the palace for them to invite so many famous doctors?
Long Heng's trusted aide shook his head, "It seems that it's not a serious illness. Apparently these doctors all treat external injuries."
"Oh?" Song Jiaoyue became increasingly curious. Even though he knew the palace had been searching for excellent doctors during this time, he felt it strange that they even invited some doctors from the enemy country.
"Do any of you know any famous doctors? Or, can any of you have someone place this on his body and take it into the palace with him?" Bai Xiangxiu took out a fragrance pouch. The workmanship on it still didn't look like much.
Song Jiaoyue frowned with a twitch of his lips, "What is this for?"
"This object is very useful. Do you remember when I told you about entering the palace? This was how I discovered what was going on."
"Oh?" This couldn't be possible, right? But when he saw her confidence, he felt that she didn't seem to be lying. All right, Song Jiaoyue conceded. He seemed to unconditionally believe her words now, even if her words were a bit mysterious and fantastical.
"I can put it on his body, but we have to put some banknotes inside." Long Heng's trusted aide indicated that he didn't have that much money!
Bai Xiangxiu immediately took out two banknotes from her sleeve and said, "Are two hundred silver banknotes enough?" She remembered the concept of a poor home making for rich paths, so had brought much money with her when she left home. Thus, Song Jiaoyue, Yu Kuang and everyone else looked at the pile of banknotes in her hand speechlessly.
"Did you bring out all the money from the prince's mansion with you?"
"Nope. This is just some pocket money that the prince usually gives me to spend."
"..." Song Jiaoyue coughed softly. This old friend of his really did favor this little concubine, actually going as far as to give her so much money! On the other hand, Yu Kuang was thinking, so it turns out she likes money... Should I give her some?
This was why they said that public displays of affection had to be limited to the appropriate time location and audience. Bai Xiangxiu's little display immediately struck the two men speechless. Bai Xiangxiu silently put the banknotes back. It seemed that the hearts of men were just as easily hurt as the hearts of women. She would have to keep this in mind in the future.
She chuckled and continued, "Perhaps, we can glean something from those famous doctors. I'll go into my room first."
She went into her room to find Huo'er and ask about the circumstances in the palace. However, her targets still didn't say anything of Long Heng. Where are they keeping him? However, the people in the palace didn't have the intention of harming the old madame and Xiao Lin yet. In fact, they were treating the two very politely and made no movements towards the Prince Li Manor either. From this, she could see that nothing had happened to Long Heng because if he'd died, the emperor would have easily taken care of them by now.
It wouldn't be that easy to kill Long Heng either. Firstly, he was a loyal official, especially one who had been crowned with glory for his accomplishments in battle. Discussion was rife about him on the streets after her return to the capital. No one cursed at him possibly because he had won many battles. Most importantly, he had even exterminated many big and small cities and towns of the enemy nation, even forcing their people back to their old homes. This really boosted morale, so the people were all especially excited.
In fact, this almost seemed like the Olympics or some competition with foreigners. No matter how badly the public normally thought of those athletes, public sentiment would completely change as long as they gained glory for their country. No one would believe the emperor if he was to suddenly announce some sort of crime that Long Heng had allegedly committed. But if the emperor was to take action after these times passed, then it would become much easier.
They all understood this principle, but they still couldn't find the person they were searching for. As for Bai Xiangxiu, she was waiting for news from Huo'er. It finally spoke of what if had gleaned from the fragrance pouch on the second day. It turned out the emperor had invited those famous doctors to help a girl heal the wounds on her face.
Huo'er quickly told her of the circumstances inside, but it seemed that doctor had been too afraid to speak his thoughts, so they gained limited information. However, Bai Xiangxiu had still grasped the situation a bit more clearly. The emperor asked right after the doctor had entered, "Come look at the wounds on this lady's face. Is there any way to heal them?"
Because Bai Xiangxiu had determined that the person speaking was the emperor, Huo'er also called him the emperor as it relayed the events of the situation. The doctor assented and walked over. The emperor spoke again after roughly ten minutes, "Don't worry, I will definitely heal your injuries."
"Many thanks to Your Majesty. I am already very happy that Your Majesty has summoned all these dermatologists to look at my injuries."
Huo'er said that this was a woman's voice. After some analysis, Bai Xiangxiu felt the only person who would dare address herself as "I" in front of the emperor could only be Su Yun. Moreover, the woman had used the more exact term of dermatologist to refer to the doctors. But that wasn't right. Wasn't Lin Qianz the one locating doctors for her? How come the emperor was doing this now? Plus, it was extremely peculiar for the emperor to speak these words to a slave.
The current doctor said the wound was very deep and that it would be a bit difficult to help it recover its former appearance. It was likely that a scar would remain for the rest of her life. The emperor heard this became extremely angry when he heard this. "Get out! Get this quack out of here!"
The doctor was promptly thrown out, leaving Bai Xiangxiu unable to hear anything else because the cactus spines had also been taken out of the room. However, she felt that perhaps the emperor hadn't bedded just Lin Qianzi, but also Su Yun. Everyone spoke of the beauty seducing the man, but it was likely that only a transmigrated female could seduce a man completely with destroyed looks.
Just when she was about to become resigned from being unable to discover any news of Long Heng, Song Jiaoyue suddenly returned from his home with a very strange expression on his face. He called everyone over before speaking, "Last night, a man in black entered my room. His level of martial arts was very powerful and he left after a while."
"What did he say?" Something worth gathering everyone together for was absolutely not simple.
"He said that Long Heng is imprisoned in the Imperial Justice Dungeons. That place has been abandoned for many years.
"What?!" Bai Xiangxiu became excited but when she thought about it, but calmed down after pacing in a circle, "Sir Song, do you think this is a trap?"
Song Jiaoyue sighed. It was good she had calmed down, otherwise he didn't know how he would have convinced her. "There's that possibility. That man's level of martial arts ability was so high that even I could not catch up to him. For this type of a man to bring this type of news, it's a bit suspicious."
"But, this was such a difficult piece of news to attain. We can't go without confirming this." Bai Xiangxiu pondered this. If this is a trap, it's probably aimed at Long Heng's trusted aide and Song Jiaoyue. Song Jiaoyue in particular actually. If he really does take action, he might be implicated, and when the time comes, the entire Song clan will be done for.
Yu Kuang spoke up at this moment, "What about I'll go?"
"No, if this is a trap, all of you may be lost forever. How would they have possibly sent anyone to Sir Song if all preparations hadn't been made already?"
Chapter 238: The Black Devil's Snare Appears Again
Bai Xiangxiu shook her head. This wasn't the time to be brash. Everyone remained silent for a moment before one of Long Heng's trusted aides spoke up, "Let me charge in to take a look. Even if it's a trap, there will only be one death."
"No one is allowed to die!" Bai Xiangxiu stood up straight. "If only the black devil's snare was here." I can go in as I'd like and nobody can get in my way.
"Is that the black flower that you love so much?" Yu Kuang asked.
"Yes. It's such a pity that I left it behind in Tranquil City."
"It won't be there any longer. I've instructed one of my junior disciples to bring the flower here. It should be arriving soon!"
"Ah... Yu Kuang, why have I never realized how cute you are!" Bai Xiangxiu was jumping for joy and couldn't help but praise him a little. Sweat dripped down Yu Kuang's forehead. Was that supposed to be praise? However, he still felt very appreciated, despite knowing that she loved someone else.
Song Jiaoyue was shocked when he learned about the abilities of a black devil's snare. He never imagined that a plant could possibly have such magical properties. Newly confident, Bai Xiangxiu outlined her plan. "I can freely enter and exit the place as long as I water the plant with my blood. Nobody will be able to stop me."
"But the effect only works in the area around you. What if there's a trap..." Song Jiaoyue furrowed his brows.
"Just leave the rest to me," Yu Kuang quickly interjected. After the details of the plan had been finalized, all that was left was to wait for the black devil's snare. The junior disciple from Whitecloud Mountain was the center of attention when he arrived with the flower in his hands. It almost seemed like he was carrying some incredibly important treasure instead of just a flower pot.
Bai Xiangxiu grabbed the flower from his hands and put it on a table. She marveled at how amazing the black devil's snare was. It hadn't even wilted the tiniest bit despite having travelled such a long distance. It now had some magical properties since it had already been fed her blood. She reached her hands out towards the flower. The wounds from last time were still there. She gave her hand to Song Jiaoyue and said, "It's a little difficult for me to do it myself. Why don't you help me!"
"Why don't you just let me do it instead?" Song Jiaoyue replied.
"We'd better not. The plant has already accepted my blood and fulfilled my wish once. It'd be more secure for me to do it myself."
"As you wish," Song Jiaoyue never imagined that there would come a day where he'd have to harm her. However, he still raised his knife and gently drew it across her palm.
Blood began to drip from her hands. However, something very strange occurred. The droplets of blood that fell on the plant were instantly absorbed the plant. "That's strange. It used to absorb the blood like how a normal plant would via soil. Doesn't it seem like it's incredibly thirsty?"
"Will it harm you?"
"It shouldn't" Bai Xiangxiu had a deep trust towards plants. She allowed the blood to flow and only withdrew her hands when her wounds eventually stopped bleeding. Song Jiaoyue quickly bandaged her wounded hands, "How long must you do this?"
"It should take about two days. We can use this chance to surveil the place."
"Alright, leave it to me. I was their original target anyways." Even though Song Jiaoyue was Long Heng's friend and wouldn't hesitate to help him in his time on need, his enthusiasm right now was almost certainly due to the woman beside him right now. However, he felt a little melancholic when he realized the possibility that they might never meet again after Long Heng was rescued. He used the two remaining days to sort out everything that he needed to do, while Bai Xiangxiu continued to water the black devil's snare.
With two days of watering, the plant had become quite the eerie-looking flora. It had drunk so much blood, it had turned almost purple-ish black. Bai Xiangxiu put on some makeup and made her way to the Imperial Justice Dungeons with the potted plant in her hands. She made sure that no innocent party would be implicated before she slowly started to walk towards the Imperial Justice Dungeon's entrance. Song Jiaoyue and Yu Kuang remained ten steps behind, but even their eyes widened as what seemed like a miracle occurred. Every person who came within ten steps of her dropped to the ground in a dead faint. It didn't matter if they held any ill intentions or just wanted to ask why she was here, there were no exceptions. Even the ten guards at the entrance fell at her feet.
Song Jiaoyue and Yu Kuang were sweating profusely. This was simply too illogical! It would seem that this harmless looking woman was not as harmless as she seemed. Song Jiaoyue's intelligence didn't speak of any ambushes inside, but they soon realized that it truly was a trap when they went deeper into the building. Not only was the place filled with hidden guards, there were experts from the wulin lying in wait as well. Fortunately, they all fainted dead away before they could even get near Bai Xiangxiu. On the other hand, Yu Kuang's men took care of the concealed weapons experts. Unfortunately, Bai Xiangxiu soon found herself very lost!
There was nothing they could do about it. This prison was simply too complicated and everyone within ten feet of her fainted before she could ask for directions! She could only look at Song Jiaoyue ten steps away from her and reveal a very helpless look. He had no choice but to point the way for her. This girl is surprisingly muddle-headed at times.
Bai Xiangxiu smiled apologetically. She soon arrived at a door in the corner of the prison by following his instructions. There were supposed to be guards in front of the door, but they had been incapacitated by the black devil's snare. She opened the door and someone actually charged towards her with a pike in his hands. However, that person soon took a nose dive as soon he passed the ten steps mark. The guards behind him assumed that she had some sort of hidden weapon and retreated en masse. It'd be fine as long as they didn't attack. After all, there's no way a hidden weapon would work when attacking preemptively, right? Moreover, they were grouped up while she was just one woman! Unfortunately, their numbers didn't matter as they all fainted away as soon as she reached within ten steps of them.
Bai Xiangxiu didn't know where Long Heng was, so she had no choice but to search the cells one by one. Finally, she found some of her husband's men. These were all men who had followed Long Heng back to the capital. Bai Xiangxiu was filled with joy. She'd planned on asking them for Long Heng's location but they all immediately fainted when they saw her. Are you kidding me? This ability is so frustrating! Bai Xiangxiu was truly speechless now.
However, this was proof that Long Heng was probably being kept here as well. They'd probably released the information to lure Bai Xiangxiu and the rest in, and baited the trap with the real person to make doubly sure. But they'd probably never imagined that Bai Xiangxiu would have such a cheat that would render their trap so useless. In a corner of the hallway, she finally found a flight of stairs leading down.
Bai Xiangxiu wanted to go downstairs to take a look. There was a possibility that Long Heng was locked in a cell down there.
"Go hide in one of the empty cells here. Let me do it."
Bai Xiangxiu nodded, quickly unlocking a nearby cell with a key she'd found and hiding inside. A moment later, she saw Song Jiaoyue and Yu Kuang's men run past, with Yu Kuang taking the lead. Step by step, they walked down the flight of stairs to investigate, only to be attacked by hidden weapons out of nowhere. Yu Kuang quickly used his sword to deflect the hidden weapons, but the barrage of attacks almost seemed endless. His swordplay was quick, but it wasn't invincible.
"Step back. Allow me," One of Long Heng's trusted aides had brought one of the metal shields that they'd previously used in battles. If it were any other person, the shield would've been almost impossible to lift, let alone wield. However, this man was born with unimaginable strength. The pathway was narrow enough for him to use the shield to protect everyone behind him. The hidden weapons were incredibly powerful, but they couldn't penetrate an iron shield.
"Keep the shield raised and charge to the front!" Song Jiaoyue yelled as everyone was took cover behind the shield. The trusted aide roared loudly and charged forward, keeping the shield raised. His strength was so immense that he still managed to pick up speed even while his shield was being battered by the hidden weapons. Leaving the enemies aside for the moment, Song Jiaoyue and the assault team was incredibly surprised by how powerful he was. It seemed that Long Heng had picked the cream of the crop when he'd assigned men to protect Bai Xiangxiu.
Chapter 239: Saving Someone and a Misstep
In the past when Song Jiaoyue looked at the ice-cold, apathetic face that Long Heng always wore, he felt Long Heng definitely wouldn't be gentle to Bai Xiangxiu.
In fact, whenever the couple interacted in public, they didn't put on ridiculous displays of affection either. They usually only spoke of proper business. Bai Xiangxiu was always the clever and sensible sort, so Long Heng seemed to just put in the minimum level of effort. Who knew if Bai Xiangxiu voiced her irritation or anger in private? But now Song Jiaoyue came to understand the adage that outsiders really couldn't understand the situation between a married couple. For example, even though Long Heng was in danger, he had left his most trusted aides as well as those most versed most martial arts with Bai Xiangxiu. It wasn't likely that he'd expected her to save him, but rather had done so just to ensure her safety!
As for Bai Xiangxiu, he had never seen her cry desperately over Long Heng, or act resentful and helpless. Instead, she had remained extremely calm, the entirety of her thoughts focused on saving him. This was where she differed from other women. Song Jiaoyue remained focused on the present while these thoughts flashed through his mind. He felt he had missed more than a little bit in passing up his opportunity to be with her.
Yu Kuang suddenly leaped out with a loud roar. He whipped his arm forward, and a blur escaped his hand. The long arrow cut through the air and sank itself into the man manipulating the concealed weapons. The man's eyes widened, and he fell to the ground with a gurgled scream.
Once Song Jiaoyue came to, he too leaped out and engaged the dozen men who were charging at them. As Bai Xiangxiu watched from afar, she noted the concealed weapon frame and began to wonder why it looked so like a modern machine gun. However, its manufacturing method was very strange. Instead of shooting bullets, it shot ordinary pebbles. If it really was to shoot bullets, then all of them would have been pure cannon fodder. Even if it did shoot pebbles, if they hadn't brought a shield, there would still be an extremely high chance of grave injury or death.
She didn't dare rush in to search for Long Heng just yet. She couldn't go past her allies without making them faint. So she quietly stood ten steps behind them and watched, "Have you found him?"
"Please hold on a moment, we are still fighting." Yu Kuang took a moment from the scrap to answer Bai Xiangxiu. However, she soon realized something very strange. She had been able to clearly see the other side fighting just now, but how come the light of the scene was growing fainter?
She whipped her head around and saw that the only passageway behind them was being blocked. A big rock was soundlessly rolling across the hole until the entire passage was sealed off. They actually came up with this type of a move?! Do they want to trap us all here? Right when she was about to remind everyone to watch out, she heard Song Jiaoyue say, "I found him!"
Bai Xiangxiu almost charged over, but realizing that she would only get in the way, she anxiously asked, "How is he doing? Has he been tortured? Is he covered in wounds? Is his mind clear? Is he covered with fresh blood..." She was thinking of the distinctive punishments used upon the criminals from those television dramas, alright? She felt her own husband would be tortured that way too.
In the end, when all the light gave way to darkness and she could no longer see anything anymore, she heard a voice say, "Nothing happened. He just went hungry for a few days, and is a bit weak."
"Oh, that's wonderful," Bai Xiangxiu had just relaxed and sighed in relief when she heard footsteps. She immediately said, "Don't come over here. I'm still holding the black devil's snare. It lasts for two hours so it'll still take a while for its effectiveness to weaken."
"All right. Everyone, do not move and stay where you are." Long Heng started to take command of the situation the moment he was freed. Song Jiaoyue struck up a match so that everyone see the circumstances around them.
Only their own people were left, but the question now was, how could they get out?
Bai Xiangxiu said, "I have a way. Whoever takes the item I am about to throw must catch it well." She trembled as she took out a fragrance pouch. Clearly, whatever was in it was very frightening.
Yu Kuang stood up and walked out of the crowd., "Give it to me."
"You must be careful." Bai Xiangxiu glanced at Long Heng. He was indeed a bit weak. At the moment, he was focused on gnawing at some beef jerking, putting his all into recovering himself. Even as he temporarily ignored everything around him, his eyes were still bright and clear. As he raised his head to watch Bai Xiangxiu, he flashed her a smile. This smile was very comforting, but revealed traces of disbelief. Perhaps he thought that Bai Xiangxiu saving him was extremely unbelievable! However, he was a reserved person. Especially in crucial moments like this, he would seem ten times calmer than the average person.
"Is it one of those gunpowder bombs?" Long Heng asked.
"Yes."
"Then make a hole in the wall to the right and slip it in. Behind that wall is a garden, so there shouldn't be too many people lying in wait." When Long Heng finished speaking, he stood up, "Xiu'er, take ten... or twelve steps back. We're going to take our people with us." He estimated she needed to take twelve steps back from a glance at her small legs.
"Alright." Bai Xiangxiu always listened to Long Heng's orders. Thus, she backed up about fifteen steps to allow them to take their people away.
They averaged one person each, with Yu Kuang having already put the bombs inside.
"Are you ready..." He glanced at Bai Xiangxiu, as if asking what she would do.
"No problem, I can walk there myself." Bai Xiangxiu knew that if she walked over right then, her own people would faint, but she did not want to leave the black devil's snare here. This type of a strange flower was an uncommon treasure. There was no way she was leaving without it!
Long Heng knew what she was thinking and found a weapon with a good heft on the ground. "Let us begin."
Yu Kuang nodded, "Everyone, find a place to hide."
He hit the pouch with a sharp pebble and a loud roar ripped out. The explosion took out the entire wall in a split second. No wonder she'd been so careful when she took it out! It turned out its might was much more powerful than before! If this formidable power could be fielded in battle, they would be invincible. But now there was no time to think about any of that. Long Heng and the others rushed out and started fighting with the people outside. A few enemies slowly encircled them, as if they wanted to capture them all in one go.
Yet at that precise moment, Bai Xiangxiu decided to make her move. A clear voice rang in Long Heng's ear, "Take three steps back." His heart could not help but become conflicted. When had this little bunny changed into a fierce wolf? Everyone has to give way to her the moment she walks out! His opponent didn't consider Bai Xiangxiu to be a human killing tool. He only saw a very ugly woman walk out. He wanted to grab her, but darkness claimed his eyes as he fell unconscious.
Long Heng laughed helplessly, "Be wary of getting too close to her. Everyone get out of the dungeons."
"Understood!" Most of the rescue party were military personnel so they conscientiously got in line. Some took up the task of defending against the charging enemies, others had the responsibility of opening the path, whereas yet more protected Bai Xiangxiu. Everyone retreated in an orderly fashion, but one thing stumped then.
Song Jiaoyue said, "She has no way to escape over the wall."
"What should we do?" She had no way to escape, and they had no way to help her.
"You guys go first. I have a way," Bai Xiangxiu took out another fragrance pouch. After they saw the item in her hand, the corners of their mouths all twitched. Without a word, they leaped over the wall and started to pound dust. They didn't want to be anywhere near the wall if they could help it.
Chapter 240: Return Home With Head Held High
Why wouldn't they run? Their lives were on the line! The slightest delay, and they might lose an arm or a leg! Who was going to compensate them if that happened? The enemy had no idea what was going on. Some of them decided to chase after the runners while others decided to surround Bai Xiangxiu. However, the latter group all immediately fainted when they came within ten steps of her, courtesy of the black devil's snare. She decided to use this opportunity to throw the bomb at the wall.
BOOM! The wall was smashed into smithereens. Bai Xiangxiu hugged the flower pot tightly and ran through the rubble, eventually emerging from the heavy smoke on the side. The thick smoke and dust in the air sent her into paroxysms of coughing. As the smoke began to scatter, a lone enemy charged straight through it. Sword in hand, he was coming straight for her. But to her immense surprise, he crossed the ten steps barrier without the slightest hint of fainting. Are you kidding me!? Right now!? The black devil's snare had to choose right now to wear off?
As she stood frozen, like a deer caught in headlights, the enemy's sword swung down on her head. Just before it could land, another sword intercepted the killing blow, causing a shower of sparks right above her head. She was so frightened that her knees immediately gave way, nearly pitching her head first into the flowerpot.
"Is it not poisonous? Won't you hurt yourself by doing that?"
Bai Xiangxiu lifted her head to see Long Heng standing over her, "I'm fine."
Long Heng dispatched the lone swordsman with ease, grabbing the flower and her hand in one easy motion. "Let's go. It's time for us to return to the manor."
"Ah?" Are we supposed to go home with our heads held high? Won't that just look weird?
"We're going home," Long Heng walked along the capital street in broad daylight while clasping Bai Xiangxiu's hand. Eventually, they arrived at the Prince Li Manor. Endless amounts of assassination attempts happened along the way, but it all stopped when they arrived at the manor's gates.
They seemed to be restricted to working in the shadows and didn't dare to do anything to Long Heng in public. Otherwise, they would've attacked Long Heng in his own home in broad daylight already. However, the only people entering the manor was Long Heng and associates. Yu Kuang and Song Jiaoyue didn't follow them inside.
Bai Xiangxiu wanted to turn around and say something to them, but she didn't in the end. She immediately headed for Apricot Garden. Her current looks frightened many people along the way, but they soon realized that the ugly woman that they'd met was actually Madame Xiu after she was finished cleaning up.
Bai Xiangxiu had already ordered servants to serve Long Heng some porridge after he was done changing. He immediately wolfed down the food after sitting down. Bai Xiangxiu only said, "Don't eat too much. It's been few days since your last meal after all."
Even a man made of metal would find it difficult to last as long as him. Is he really doing fine?
Long Heng nodded. "Don't worry, my body is fine. You seem to have gotten thinner, however."
"Is that so? It's good to be thin!" Bai Xiangxiu immediately thought it was a compliment as she was a girl that couldn't slim down despite many attempts in her life. She even went as far as to caress her face, to show her happiness for being called slim.
Long Heng truly felt that Bai Xiangxiu no longer held herself back in front of him. Why was she being so adorable when they were having a meal? "Eat."
Long Heng knocked on the table so that she would properly have her meal. He was genuinely glad nothing happened to her during this period of time. However, she'd been spending too much time with other men. He was afraid that her heart might stray. Song Jiaoyue and Yu Kuang were both remarkable men. Moreover, they'd helped him and Bai Xiangxiu time and time again. This made him feel like he owed them a lot. He would have to repay their favor personally. Bai Xiangxiu on the other hand, could just stay in manor and be her princess consort.
"What's the next step?" Isn't Long Heng being a little too calm? He's going against the emperor here! He might lose his life if he makes any mistakes!
"I'll be entering the palace to face the emperor. All you need to do is rest at home."
"Enter the palace? Is that really a good idea?"
"Sometimes avoidance is not the best strategy. It'll be better if I go against him face to face. I really wish to see how he plans to face me in broad daylight. Maybe... he's gotten sick of the dragon throne?"
Such dominance! Bai Xiangxiu gulped audibly. Her husband was truly amazing! He had foresight that she could never hope to reach, and he was incredibly knowledgeable at politics.
"Don't worry. They won't be able to do anything to me as long as I remain in the light. I am now a hero after all. It'll be difficult for them to do anything to a hero right now. It's easy to evade a spear in the open but it's much harder to avoid an arrow in the dark. Especially since they have two dark arrows on their side."
Bai Xiangxiu then revealed everything she knew about Lin Qianzi and Su Yun. Long Heng furrowed his brows when he heard everything. "He's not the kind of emperor that would be manipulated by women, nor is he the type to go against me to avenge these women. However, how do you know these things?"
Crap. I can't keep it a secret anymore. Actually, Bai Xiangxiu no longer wanted to keep it a secret either. She pointed at her head, "I seemed to have developed some supernatural powers quite some time ago. I can actually communicate with Huo'er."
"..." Long Heng didn't say anything. His arms remained crossed and his expression didn't change a single bit. Just like previous, it was difficult to see what he was actually thinking of.
Bai Xiangxiu became nervous due to his unwavering gaze. She'd told him the truth but she still felt a tinge of guilt for some reason. It was the same feeling one had when talking to the police. She just couldn't look at them in the eye. "That is... Huo'er can transmit things that it hears to me as long as a piece of itself is there. It can overhear things around a room as long as its spines are present." Bai Xiangxiu rubbed her hands. She could feel her clammy hands drip with sweat.
"And then?"
"And then... I delivered some of its spines to the old madame so that she'd put it in Lin Qianzi's room. I even had to get a famous doctor smuggle it into the palace in order to get this information."
"......"
"That's really everything to the story! I've told you everything!" Bai Xiangxiu almost wanted to raise her hands and surrender. Her face was covered with sweat.
"I just have this nagging feeling that you're keeping something else from me." Long Heng stared at Bai Xiangxiu. She seemed to be avoiding his gaze, and he had the growing feeling that he couldn't fully grasp her. Maybe it was because she seemed too clever and vigilant lately. This made him feel a little threatened as she'd become a little too dazzling and he could no longer control her. This gave him a foreboding feeling, even though it was wonderful that she'd become like this. He was actually rather proud of her.
Irritated, he stood up and paced around the room a little. He used this moment to refocus his thoughts a little and finally grasped something. Smiling ruefully, he seemed to finally understand the reason for his current mood. He was afraid of losing her! He never imagined that there would come a time where he'd become afraid of losing a woman. Long Heng's breathing finally calmed down. "Xiu'er."
"I'm here! What is your command?" The frightened Bai Xiangxiu immediately stood up. She nearly saluted him like a soldier.
"Behave and stay in the manor. I will get someone to retrieve your things."
"What about the old madame and Xiao Lin?"
"Nothing will happen to them. Trust me."
"Alright. I trust you with all my heart." He was speechless when he saw the tiny woman seemingly try to curry favor with him. He only kneaded his head and left the room after turning around. Time was of the essence as he had to quickly make his move before the other side had ample time to prepare. Fortunately, he had already planned his move beforehand. He requested a meeting with the emperor while bringing along a few key witnesses and fifteen golden tokens. It was now time to put his acting skills to use. He wanted to see how good this emperor was. Was the emperor good enough him to be thoroughly impressed?