Chapter 79: Did Xiao Ying start courting death as soon as he woke up?

The Huachao delegation returned to the capital today. In front of Xuande Hall, where Emperor Jingde Xiao Songyun usually reviewed memorials and handled government affairs, many eunuchs and palace maids stood in rows, none of them daring to make a sound, bowing their heads and waiting quietly outside for someone inside the hall to summon them to serve them.

An Imperial Guard from outside the palace hurriedly handed over a sealed piece of parchment with five feathers attached and lacquered. Huang Wu, the current Grand Eunuch who had been with Xiao Songyun since his time as a prince, presented it to Emperor Jingde.

After reading it, Emperor Jingde frowned and said, "According to the urgent message from Dahuang, Xiao Ying has already obtained Dahuang's defense map."

Upon hearing this, Huang Wu trembled and tentatively asked, "Does Your Majesty intend to grant him permission to return to Hua?"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jingde glared coldly at Huang Wu and said with a gloomy expression, "Xiao Ying was able to sit in the position of a cabinet member in the highest power center of Dahuang while remaining in plain clothes. His intelligence and ability should not be underestimated. He is no longer the defeated crown prince who was easily manipulated fifteen years ago. Now that he has grown strong, I will never allow him to return to the court."

Huang Wudao said, "If His Majesty does not allow him to return to court, how can he obtain the defense map of Dahuang?"

“Of course we have the means,” Emperor Jingde said, flicking his sleeves as he stepped down from his throne. Looking at the palace maids and eunuchs standing in the courtyard outside the hall, he said, “When the delegation arrives, have them wait here. I will go to Songling Palace first.”

The delegation that went to Dahuang signed a treaty ceding territory and paying reparations, so even though they returned to the capital, Emperor Jingde was still displeased and simply let them wait outside.

Now that Xiao Ying has obtained the defense map of Dahuang, he can threaten him with his mother Ban Huayun's life once, and he can threaten him with his mother's life a second time. As long as his mother is alive, he will always have leverage over him, and he will never have a chance to turn the tables.

Songling Palace was not far from Xuande Hall, so Emperor Jingde skipped the imperial carriage and walked there.

Since their unpleasant meeting on New Year's Eve last year, Emperor Jingde had not visited this palace for a long time. His harem boasted dozens of beauties and countless young and beautiful women, yet ironically, none could match the charm of Xiao Ying's mother, Ban Huayun. Indeed, she had been crowned the most beautiful woman in Dahua for years, and even with her husband's tragic death and her son's exile, her noble bearing remained as dignified as ever.

Her slender waist was outlined by a plain white dress, and her hair was neatly tied back with a light-colored ribbon. The candlelight in the shrine in front of her cast a dim yellow glow on her, making her look like a goddess descended from the heavens.

Emperor Jingde's gaze flickered, and he was once again captivated by her detached and otherworldly demeanor. What a pity, what a pity, that such a beauty chose to marry Xiao Chuoyi, only to end up as someone everyone could pluck a branch from and admire the flower's stamen.

He entered the hall, and Huang Wu, with his keen insight, closed the hall door and stepped outside to wait respectfully for his master to come out.

Emperor Jingde stood behind Ban Huayun, who was kneeling on a prayer mat with her eyes closed, chanting sutras, and said, "My sister-in-law is in the world of worldly pleasures, but her heart... is like a lotus flower untouched by water. Such a character truly impresses me."

Ban Huayun seemed not to hear, and continued to close her eyes and chant sutras while fiddling with her prayer beads.

Emperor Jingde stepped forward and lightly tapped the wooden fish. Looking at the woman's beautiful, wrinkled face under the Buddha's light, he smiled coldly and said, "Xiao Ying has obtained the defense map of Dahuang."

The sound of turning the prayer beads stopped, and Ban Huayun opened her eyes, looked at Emperor Jingde, and said, "You are going to break your promise."

"No one knows me better than my sister-in-law," Emperor Jingde said, casually tapping the wooden fish twice more, the sound rolling past Ban Huayun's ears. "If my sister-in-law does not wish him to die, please write a letter and ask him to submit the defense map so that he can continue to work for me in Dahuang."

As he finished speaking, he handed over Xuan paper and ink. A cold smile flickered across Ban Huayun's lips, barely visible in the dim light. She said, "Do you really think you've used me to restrain him?"

She knew her son. Although he appeared to be a kind and righteous royal heir in public, she could tell from the day he was born that there was no emotion in his eyes when he looked at everything around him. He was a heartless monster, as if he was trying to figure something out by following some kind of rule, and he was extremely cunning.

When his son was five years old, he told his father to be wary of Xiao Songyun, but Xiao Zhuoyi slapped him in front of the East Palace and angrily rebuked him for having ulterior motives at such a young age.

She quickly went over and separated the father and son. Watching her husband angrily walk away, she rubbed her son's sore cheek and said, "Ying'er, don't say such rebellious things again and upset your father."

Xiao Ying's eyes were pitch black, almost completely obscuring the whites, giving him a chilling appearance. Even Ban Huayun, his biological mother, trembled as she touched his face. Yet, a sinister smile played on his lips as he said, "Since he remains stubborn, let him continue down his path of destruction. And what about me, Mother? Do you believe me?"

Ban Huayun shook her head, her eyes filled with worry, and said, "Nonsense, Ying'er, what's wrong with you?"

Xiao Ying's dark eyes reflected the plaque of the Eastern Palace. His gaze returned to Ban Huayun, and his words were inscrutable. "My parents gave me life once, and I will be reborn nine times as cause and effect... Since cause and effect are fixed, all things are in one realm, and life and death are the same. I will no longer interfere with your path."

To this day, Ban Huayun still doesn't understand what Xiao Ying was talking about back then, but what he predicted really happened. Xiao Songyun slaughtered the entire Eastern Palace and became the Jingde Emperor of the Dahua Dynasty.

Amidst his thoughts, Emperor Jingde frowned and replied, "Naturally, it was you who restrained Xiao Ying. You are his mother, the only weapon that can restrain him."

The incense in front of the Buddha suddenly went out. Ban Huayun watched this and sighed, "Yes, the love between mother and child."

Xiao Ying was born without it.

As Emperor Jingde emerged from the palace, Huang Wu hurriedly stepped forward to report, "Your Majesty, the Second Prince and the others have arrived."

Xiao You and Xiao Liling waited for a long time in the Xuande Hall. After hearing a report from a eunuch outside the hall, they bowed and kowtowed, saying, "Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."

"Rise," Emperor Jingde said, taking a sip of tea as he sat on his throne. His sharp gaze fell on Xiao You. "You are truly a capable son of mine. You ceded territory and paid reparations, yet you didn't lose out on anything!"

Xiao You trembled upon hearing this. He swallowed hard before replying, "Father, you have no idea how cunning those officials of Da Hua are. Even Shen Shiyi was defeated! When I was there, I tried my best to protect the rights and interests of Da Hua, and I made them glare and bristle. However, we are the defeated side after all, and ceding territory and paying reparations is only to be expected. After some persuasion, they finally relented... If you don't believe me... if you don't believe me, ask my elder sister!"

Xiao Liling concealed the mockery in his eyes and said, "Second brother is right. The power-hungry people on the throne are all eloquent. Our side was ultimately defeated and lost a step. We are not exactly at their mercy, but we have to compromise. Second brother has suffered a lot on this journey."

Emperor Jingde's gaze swept between the two of them, and finally he sighed and said, "Very well, You'er has been through wind and rain all the way and looks quite thin and dark. Go back to your residence and rest for a couple of days before talking to your elder brother and younger brother. Liling, you stay here, your father has something to tell you."

Xiao You glanced at Xiao Liling, bowed, and took his leave. Xiao Liling stood below the steps and asked, "Father, please speak."

Fine dust particles floated in the slivers of light filtering through the south window. Emperor Jingde walked up to Xiao Liling, a hint of affection in his eyes, and gently patted her shoulder, saying, "Liling, you've suffered some injustice on this trip for the marriage alliance."

Xiao Liling lowered her gaze at the right moment, her eyes reddening slightly, and said softly, "It's all for Dahua, I don't feel wronged."

Emperor Jingde spoke with deep concern, saying, "You are truly my good daughter. It's a pity that you are my only legitimate princess, otherwise..."

The implication was clear, and Xiao Liling felt somewhat uneasy. She looked up at Emperor Jingde, whom she hadn't seen for a year, and asked, "Father, has something troublesome happened?"

Emperor Jingde sighed deeply, and Huang Wu picked up the thread, saying, "Your Highness, you may not know this, but since our dynasty's defeat, the barbarian Sotaha on the border have frequently invaded. Our cavalry is no match for the Sotaha, who thirst for wolf blood on the grasslands. After three defeats, they have become even more aggressive. Now, perhaps only... a marriage alliance can bring peace to the border..."

Having said that, Huang Wu cautiously observed the princess's expression. Emperor Jingde roared, "You audacious servant, why are you saying these things to the princess! The princess has only been back in court for less than a day, and she suffered a great humiliation in Dahuang. I haven't even said a word of comfort yet, and you, you dog servant, are already trying to upset her. Get out of here now!"

Huang Wu quickly apologized and bowed before leaving Xuande Hall. After he left, Emperor Jingde's deep gaze fell on Xiao Liling's calm and composed face. His daughter was always respectful and gentle. Now that things had been said to this extent, she was intelligent and must have understood the meaning behind the question.

Xiao Liling concealed the fierce glint in her eyes, and when she looked up, all she saw was the righteousness of sacrificing herself for the country. She said, "If Father Emperor has encountered difficulties, he should have told his daughter earlier. I am a princess of the Great Hua Dynasty, and marriage is my destiny. Father Emperor does not need to worry too much about this matter. After I go and appease the Sotaha tribe, everything will be alright."

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, it was already dark when Xiao Liling returned to her palace. Her personal maid, Pan Pei, stepped forward and said, "General Shen sent a message requesting that the princess personally come out of the palace to see her, saying that he has something to ask her."

Xiao Liling's eyes flashed. The cicadas chirped incessantly in the summer night. She turned her head to look at the starlight of the crape myrtle hidden by dark clouds outside the window, and tapped her fingertips lightly on the table, her rhythm still orderly.

***

The drizzle had stopped in Jiangding Valley, thousands of miles away, and the starry night sky shone brightly. The light shone on the armor of the heavily armed soldiers guarding the thatched huts in the dense forest, reflecting a chilling and menacing light.

Because the person inside the house had a persistent high fever, the Luosha Army had been stationed here for a whole day. The longer they stayed, the more difficult their situation would become. But if they were to embark on a long journey, the girl inside the house, who seemed as fragile as a broken stone, would not survive until tomorrow.

She had a high fever. The four bloody holes left when she was attacked by the Princess of Chu in the imperial prison were opened by her master with four rolling stones. During her escape in the forest, she was injured all over by the secret guards. In addition, she was too angry after being captured and had been unconscious for a whole day.

The thatched hut must have been abandoned for a long time. It took the Luosha army half an hour to clean it up. Now the candles are burning brightly inside. The clothes that were stained with blood, rain and mud have been removed. The person on the wooden bed is naked. The man beside the bed is holding a small bowl-sized bottle of wound medicine and applying it little by little to the wounds all over his body.

Xiao Yinshi tried to be as gentle as possible, but it still made Feng Tan, who was unconscious on the bed, break out in a cold sweat. The sweat soaked his soft, white skin and slid down his body’s graceful lines, making the man’s already dark eyes even darker.

"Hmm..." Feng Tan murmured, her brows furrowed, her whole being so fragile that she seemed like she could break at any moment. She had always been full of vigor, but this illness had drained most of her life force.

After applying the last bit of ointment to the wound, Xiao Yinshi broke out in a thin layer of sweat. He turned to wash his hands by the basin of water beside the bed, when a short, sharp blade came flying with a gust of wind and aimed precisely at his back.

Xiao Yinshi dodged aside, and his short, sharp knife plunged straight into the corridor pillar. Perhaps because he was still recovering from a serious illness, it did not penetrate very deeply, only an inch deep, with the hilt and most of the blade hanging outside.

Xiao Yinshi slowly continued to wash his hands, then took Feng Tan's short, sharp knife and looked back at the girl whose body was mostly covered by a thin blanket.

A dangerous aura then emanated from him. He strode to Feng Tan's bedside, lightly grasped the steel chains binding her hands, and then yanked them over her head. With his other hand, he used a short, sharp knife to cut open the thin blanket covering her body, making her consciously feel the helplessness of her exposed skin. He said, "You're already courting death as soon as you wake up?"

Feng Tan was the only legitimate princess of Da Huang. She was raised and pampered in the palace by Empress Xiaoxian from a young age. She was taught by Feng Youming and grew up with the idea that women should be strong and self-respecting. Even though she suffered many setbacks in the officialdom, she only suffered physical pain. She had never been so humiliated before. She was like a clam that a fisherman caught in the sea. The shell covering her body was easily lifted, revealing her fresh and tender flesh to be picked.

Forced to expose her naked body to Xiao Yinshi's eyes, Feng Tan struggled desperately with her wrists bound above her head and her legs imprisoned by steel chains. Her body swayed into an even more alluring arc. Realizing that this made her even more pathetic, a layer of bloodlust surged in her eyes, and her voice was trembling with calm, "Xiao Yinshi, I came into this world not to fulfill your disgusting desires."

Xiao Yinshi suppressed Feng Tan with a heavy breath. Upon hearing this, his handsome face did not change, but the fingers holding her wrists tightened again. He said coldly, "At this point, you're telling me this. Do you still have any expectations of me?"

Feng Tan looked into the man's cold and ruthless eyes, and she seemed to hear the sound of her own flesh trembling wildly. No, she couldn't back down, she couldn't be afraid... In the past, she had witnessed Wan Niang's suffering and the suffering of countless girls on Evil Spirit Island. It was as if it were some kind of destiny in the dark, and now it was her turn.

She encountered a beast far more terrifying than any they had faced. He had initially been disguised in human skin, but now that the time was right, he had spread out his net, trapping her within it, intending to make her his personal plaything.

Even if the case is overturned, Feng Tan will never allow herself to fall into such a state. How ironic that the student taught by her teacher has ended up as a man's bedmate!

But she was still afraid. Xiao Yinshi's eyes never wavered from the beginning, his dark eyes filled with a storm of lust. She was absolutely certain that if she hadn't had a high fever, the moment he stripped her clothes off, whether she was asleep or awake, he would have already devoured her.

But why? There are countless women in the world, and with his abilities, who couldn't he have? Why is he always fixated on her body? Life seems to have fallen into some kind of hopelessness, with one calamity after another. After the heartbreaking failure to overturn the case, she is now experiencing the most tormenting suffering. Her teacher and Ren Pingsheng cannot protect her, and the Imperial Dragon Camp has been defeated by Xiao Yinshi. Apart from saving herself, no one can save her anymore.

Seventeen-year-old Feng Tan was shattered in her struggle against societal norms, and after being shattered, she was oppressed and suppressed by Xiao Yinshi, experiencing all the bitterness of life. If she had been raised in the cage of feudal ethics from childhood, it would have been better, but she had received Feng Youming's education, and her awakened feminist consciousness made her feel increasingly ashamed when subjected to this cruel oppression.

Like a divine punishment, she was born with the body of a phoenix but refused to accept her fate. So the heavens made her suffer the torment of being swallowed after stepping into the abyss, and she was imprisoned on Cage Island and became a plaything.

Feng Tan's eyelashes trembled slightly. Her body, exposed to the candlelight, dared not move. With the ferocious beast pressing down on her, her heart pounded fiercely.

Xiao Yinshi sensed her fear and knew that re-taming a wolf cub required stopping short of causing serious injury. His words, however, still carried a menacing tone, his aura sinister and oppressive: "You should know that all my lust resides in you. You are injured, which is why I have restrained myself. But Feng Tan, this is the last time I will allow you to lay a hand on me. If you dare to come again, no matter how badly you are injured..."

The man's fingers, gripping the short, sharp knife, moved slightly, the tip touching below her exposed navel. His eyes darkened. "I'll break into any place here."

Author's Note: A long, thick chapter as compensation!