Chapter 105 Imprisoning a Wicked Mind

Feng Tan was right; they had to finish investigating the case while Xiao Yin was unconscious. Arslan was very efficient; the people who had infiltrated the Shen family army had obtained many new clues through their investigation. However, the consequence of their high efficiency was that the mastermind behind the scenes harbored murderous intent.

Xiao Liling knew perfectly well that Feng Tan was not far from knowing the truth, and once the fog in front of Feng Tan dissipated, she would kill her without hesitation.

In some respects, Feng Tan's ruthlessness was no less than Xiao Yinshi's. Xiao Yinshi's ruthlessness fascinated Xiao Liling, while Feng Tan's existence instilled fear in Xiao Liling, which is why she wanted to kill Feng Tan back then.

The calligraphy on the gold-flecked paper was vigorous. Xiao Liling carefully tucked it into her sleeve and asked Zhu Qi, "May I go into the inner palace to see my second brother?"

Zhu Qi looked troubled, then heard Xiao Liling say, "Since he has already issued the edict to establish me as his empress, I am his only wife."

It was Sun Cheng who came out of the hall and relieved his dilemma, saying, "The lady of the inner palace is summoning the princess in."

The candlelight inside the hall was dim, casting a soft glow on Xiao Yinshi's sleeping face, perfectly outlining his handsome features. As the saying goes, a person's sleeping posture reveals their true character. Even in his unconscious state, Xiao Yinshi possessed a restrained depth, devoid of any scholarly refinement, revealing the weight of his cunning.

This was the look Xiao Liling was so fond of. She looked at Xiao Yinshi's shoulder blade, which was bleeding profusely, and greeted Ban Huayun, who was wiping his body beside her. She asked with concern, "Second Brother, has your fever gone down?"

"I'll leave now," Ban Huayun said, having finished tidying up. She lowered the curtain, stood up, wiped her hands with a clean cloth, and said, "You've come at the right time. I just heard from Sun Cheng that the edict for establishing an empress has been given to you, and I was just about to go find you."

Xiao Liling helped her out of the inner hall, and the two sat on the rosewood chairs in the outer hall. She asked softly, "But... are you going to persuade me not to marry him again?"

Ban Huayun nodded, took Xiao Liling's hand, and said, "Liling, I've watched you grow up. Don't find me annoying; just consider it well-intentioned advice. I have a question for you: do you want to marry him for the position of Empress, or because you love him?"

The sound of water clock dripping echoed continuously in the spacious, bright yellow hall. After a few moments of silence, Xiao Liling said, "I want to be Empress because of this position, and also because of him. I was a pawn in my father and brothers' power grab. When the domestic situation was unstable, they wanted me to marry a foreign ruler; when foreign powers invaded, they wanted me to marry a foreign ruler, just because I was a woman. In their eyes, marrying me off was the greatest value of the life they had given me. They probably never imagined that I would be the one to overthrow their imperial power. Power is truly a wonderful thing; if they want it, I want it too."

Facing Ban Huayun's complicated gaze, Xiao Liling curled her lips, revealing a hint of her true nature and nonchalance, "You don't need to look at me like that. I want the Empress's position, but I can't afford to have his people. It's fine for me to stay by his side as a puppet."

"But you're not a puppet!" Ban Huayun suddenly raised her voice, looking at her stubborn expression. After closing her eyes briefly, she slowly said, "You killed Mr. Feng out of jealousy, didn't you?"

Xiao Liling abruptly pulled away from her fingers, stood up abruptly, and after a few glances, asked, "How did you know?"

Seeing her reaction, Ban Huayun knew that Shen Shiyi's words were true, and said with great distress, "You're confused! Since you know how difficult it is for women in this world, you know about the series of struggles Mr. Feng has made to improve the status of women, you..."

As she spoke, her turbulent emotions gradually calmed down, and she suddenly realized that Xiao Liling was a member of the Xiao family. The bloodline of the Xiao family were all predators who didn't care about morality or ethics.

Ban Huayun's voice calmed down as she said, "So what's your next step? Are you going to kill Miss Feng?"

Shen Shiyi knew Xiao Liling too well. She had inadvertently witnessed Xiao Liling's cruelty more than a decade ago. She knew that beneath her gentle exterior lay Xiao Liling's ability to weigh options, her indecisiveness, and her remarkable patience. She also knew that Xiao Liling would retaliate after her interests were threatened during Feng Tan's investigation.

Shen Shiyi felt indebted to Feng Tan, but she was not alone. She had the Shen family army behind her and could not risk her life. If things failed, she could not afford to offend the future emperor and empress. So she secretly passed on a message to the sensible Ban Huayun.

Ban Huayun sighed deeply. Xiao Liling could commit heinous acts for status and men, but she was still the child she had raised... She looked at Xiao Liling's beautiful face, her voice filled with authority, "Xiao Liling, I was imprisoned by your father for over a decade. During those years, what sustained me was not Xiao Yinshi, who was far away in another land, but the books 'Women's Education,' 'Women's Classics,' and 'Women's Gazettes' written by Ms. Feng. They gave me great spiritual strength, and I learned that there was such a free world. I had never met her, yet I regarded her as my teacher. She gave her life for Feng Tan. You... whether before or after the marriage, if you harbor even the slightest intention to kill Feng Tan, I will tell Xiao Yinshi directly."

This was a warning, but also a deterrent. Xiao Yinshi knew, of course, that Xiao Liling had killed Feng Youming, but as far as he was concerned, Feng Tan hadn't been injured, so he didn't care. Besides, for now, Xiao Liling was still useful to him, so he only gave her a stern warning to stop her from killing Feng Tan.

Now the situation has changed again. Once Feng Tan finds out that Xiao Liling was the one who killed her husband, she will not hesitate to avenge Feng Youming. Therefore, even with Xiao Yinshi's previous intimidation, Xiao Liling must now take action to eliminate Feng Tan. The key issue is how to eliminate her without being killed by Xiao Yinshi.

Ban Huayun's harsh words echoed in Xiao Liling's ears. Looking at her, Xiao Liling slowly felt that her voice, once it entered her heart, bore dark fruit, which clamored in her mind: Look, your mother-daughter relationship of more than ten years is not as valuable as Feng Tan's mere few months of presence. If that's the case, then let her be used by you, a stepping stone that will die a worthy death.

The perfect plan was formed in an instant. Xiao Liling looked regretful, and tears fell from her clear eyes. She was as beautiful as a white lotus emerging from the water, and her demeanor softened people's hearts instantly.

She knelt down, clutching Ban Huayun's clothes, and sobbed pitifully, "I know I was wrong, I know I was wrong, I won't do anything to Feng Tan..."

Ban Huayun, having raised her in the end, sighed and stroked her dark hair, saying, "Good child, jealousy will make you sink into the swamp of desire. We women already have a hard life, so why make things difficult for each other... You can't buy a second chance, so turn back and be your true self."

“Auntie’s words are wise,” Xiao Liling lowered her eyes, concealing all her ulterior motives in her pupils, and said with a double meaning, “Then… be true to yourself.”

***

Ban Huayun had raised Xiao Liling for many years, so Xiao Liling chose a relatively comfortable way for her to die. Since Ban Huayun enjoyed chatting and drinking tea with Feng Tan, she rubbed poison powder on the rim of her frequently used teacup. The slow-acting poison took effect gradually, and on the day she died, Xiao Yinshi happened to wake up from his coma.

Upon hearing the news of Ban Huayun's death, he showed little reaction, only asking a few questions about the details of the incident.

After Zhu Qi finished speaking, Xiao Yinshi got up from the couch. The curtain brushed against his lean back and the thin but powerful muscles on his bare arms. He casually took the robe that the palace maid knelt down and covered himself with it, and asked, "The results of the investigations by the two departments are completely consistent?"

Zhu Qi nodded and said, "Yes, all signs indicate that Feng Tan is the real culprit who murdered the lady."

Xiao Yinshi asked in a calm tone, "How long have I been unconscious?"

Zhu Qi said, "About a month."

Xiao Yinshi asked, "Who has come to see them?"

Zhu Qi replied, "Only the lady and the princess have come."

Xiao Yinshi's voice turned cold as he asked, "Is there no one else here?"

“There is no one else.” Zhu Qi was increasingly unable to fathom Xiao Yinshi’s thoughts. He felt that his master seemed to be completely integrated with darkness, with extremely deep cunning. “Madam Ban’s death has greatly affected the princess. She has fainted from crying several times.”

A faint fragrance of sandalwood wafted from the openwork of the large, three-legged, covered bronze incense burner, which wafted out as Xiao Yinshi emerged from the deep hall. He sat on the golden dragon chair behind the rosewood table, his imposing aura, still fresh from his illness, emanating from it. Throughout Zhu Qi's report, his face remained expressionless.

He read through all the messages he had missed during his coma, and when he turned to one of the letters, his eyes suddenly sharpened. He asked, "Where is Emperor Chongming's entourage?"

Zhu Qi said, "Judging from the date, we should be going to the capital in the next couple of days."

The man sat before the soaring dragon totem, his entire being seemingly painted into the layers, forming a somber ancient painting. Gazing at it for a long time, a chill would rise from the depths of one's heart, seeping into one's bones in wisps along the spine.

He didn't speak, so Zhu Qi had no idea what he meant. He only felt that this injury had made his master's imperial demeanor even more cold and indifferent. He asked, "Does Master have any plans?"

Whether you want to kill Feng Tan to avenge Ban Huayun or send more elite troops to keep an eye on her and settle scores later, give us a straight answer!

Xiao Yinshi spoke, his words cryptic, “The inner walls of the bedposts in the Ganhe Palace were forged from fine iron by the emperor at the beginning of the dynasty, and cannot be moved by human power. This time, instead of binding her hands and feet, send twenty craftsmen to wrap fine steel chains around the bedposts, tightly binding her hands and feet, and then fasten the chains to the four bedposts... She will surely struggle fiercely during the process, so send several strong and capable palace maids to hold her down.”

Zhu Qi asked in surprise, "Master, Feng Tan is a person with a temper. Instead of humiliating her like this, it would be better to just give her a quick death."

Xiao Yinshi didn't seem to be seeking revenge for Ban Huayun, nor did he seem to be obsessed with taming Feng Tan. It was more like a forced restraint after abandoning the discipline of the prey. He didn't need the prey to be willing; he just wanted to keep it by his side and let it ravage him.

The only reason for this was that Emperor Chongming's determination to personally bring his daughter back, despite the perilous situation, instilled a sense of crisis in him. He felt he had to keep Feng Tan firmly under his control, no matter what cruel methods he had to use.

Since the steel chains could only bind her hands and feet and not her body, they tied an immovable iron pillar to the other end, completely imprisoning her body to prevent her from escaping when Emperor Chongming arrived, since this wolf cub was too cunning.

Zhu Qi couldn't discern his wicked intentions at all. Full of doubt, he turned to carry out his orders, only to hear the emperor behind him say in a low voice, "If she asks for a reason, say that this is the price for killing Ban Huayun."