Chapter 109 I beg Lord Bai to show mercy
After the sun set, twinkling lights appeared in Xiling City. Outside the vermilion gates of the Xiling Prince's Palace, two strings of pale lanterns hung, as if for a funeral.
As soon as Achan and Bai Xiuming entered the palace, Shen Zhuo appeared out of nowhere.
Shen Zhuo first looked Bai Xiuming over from a distance and saw that his complexion was much gentler than when he saw him this morning, and the fierce aura on his body had also dissipated. Finally, he felt relieved.
He stepped forward, his tone much more relaxed: "You're back."
Bai Xiuming nodded slightly.
Seeing Achan standing to the side, Shen Zhuo was somewhat surprised, but he didn't ask her what she was doing here so late. Instead, he addressed the important matter to Bai Xiuming, saying, "Aunt's remains have been placed in the Zhaixing Tower. Let's go."
Bai Xiuming followed Shen Zhuo to the Star-Picking Tower, with A Chan walking behind them. The three of them remained silent the entire way.
The closer you get to the Star-Picking Tower, the more somber the atmosphere becomes.
Eight guards from the Mingjing Division stood watch outside the Zhaixing Tower. Although no one dared to trespass on the Xiling Prince's Mansion now, it was clear that Shen Zhuo was indeed very concerned about this matter.
The first floor of the Star-Picking Tower was originally empty, but now there is a coffin. Next to the coffin is a white cloth, on which are bones pieced together to resemble a human figure.
Although the light was dim, the bones on the white cloth were still visible; they had turned grayish but had a reddish tinge. The bones on the body were not yet very distinct, but the color of the skull was exceptionally clear.
These are the marks left after the remains were refined.
No one knows how the King of Xiling used this corpse to cultivate. In any case, Shen Zhuo spent a lot of effort to find the scattered bones from various parts of the underground palace.
He didn't intend to tell Bai Xiuming what happened. Bai Xiuming had stayed here all night, so he probably knew that his mother's remains weren't in the same place.
Thinking of this, Shen Zhuo sighed inwardly, cursing the King of Xiling for being inhuman, before carefully observing Bai Xiuming's expression and saying, "This is the color of your aunt's remains when they were dug out of the ground."
Bai Xiuming's expression was calm: "Thank you."
"Why are you being so polite with me? I even had someone choose a coffin. If you don't like this style..."
"It's alright, let's use this coffin." Bai Xiuming slowly squatted down beside the skeleton, but he could no longer find any trace of his mother in the skeleton.
It turns out his mother had been dead for many years.
A person who was once so vibrant and alive is now nothing but a skeleton. The past he thought he couldn't get over is finally over.
She would never appear in his dreams again, repeatedly begging him to kill her.
Bai Xiuming looked at the skeleton in front of him and said in a low voice, "Every autumn, she always liked to go to Frost Forest Mountain to enjoy the scenery. Now that the season is right, let's bury her on Frost Forest Mountain."
"Don't you plan to bring your aunt's remains back to the capital?" Shen Zhuo asked, somewhat surprised.
Bai Xiuming shook his head: "No need, let's stay in Xiling. Those who are in her way will soon leave and never bother her again."
They will go to the capital to face their deserved fate. Whether their bones are crushed to ashes or they are torn to pieces, no one can escape it.
Since it was Bai Xiuming's idea, Shen Zhuo naturally did not refute it.
Then Achan and Shen Zhuo watched as Bai Xiuming placed his mother's bones one by one into the coffin and then pushed the lid on.
With a click, the Princess of Xiling, who had been restless for over a decade after her death, could finally rest in peace.
Bai Xiuming carefully collected his mother's remains and stood by the coffin for a long time before turning around to thank Shen Zhuo once again: "Thank you for today. You should go back and rest now."
Shen Zhuo looked helpless: "I can't rest. There are still half a dungeon of prisoners waiting to give their confessions."
Besides the Shen family, there was also the entire Xiling Prince's mansion. Today, they arrested many more of Xiling Prince's officials, numbering over a hundred.
Even if the King of Xiling is caught red-handed colluding with the demon race, the evidence for his conviction must be prepared in order to avoid being found fault with him when he returns to the capital.
After all, there are quite a few officials in the court who feel that the Mingjing Division has too much power. Now that they have captured a prince and brought him back to the capital, they will inevitably be watched by many people.
"I'll ask for you."
"Really?" Shen Zhuo looked incredulous. Had Bai Xiuming changed his mind?
"real."
Shen Zhuo hesitated for a moment, his gaze lingering on A Chan for a while, before finally nodding and saying, "Alright then, I'll trouble you tonight."
He didn't know what Bai Xiuming was planning to do, but it wasn't his shift tonight, so what did it have to do with him?
After Shen Zhuo left, Bai Xiuming took A Chan to the dungeon of the Xiling King's Mansion.
This dungeon is relatively new, probably because it hasn't held many prisoners before, so it doesn't have the unpleasant smell of a typical dungeon.
However, the dungeon is now overcrowded.
Upon seeing Bai Xiuming bring his men down, the commander guarding the prison gate hurriedly stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "My lord."
This commander looked somewhat familiar. Achan remembered that she should have seen this person at the Mingjing Division in the capital.
Therefore, he was Bai Xiuming's subordinate.
"Are you the only one guarding the dungeon tonight?"
"Yes." The commander was quite astute. Hearing the question, he replied, "The men guarding inside today are all my men. Does the lord have any instructions?"
"Go find two women's corpses and bring them in."
The commander didn't ask why, but bowed and said, "I'll take care of it right away."
In the past, corpses were hard to find, but now it's very simple.
When the dragon mother raised by the Shen family went mad, she killed countless people, and now the mortuary is piled high with corpses.
After giving instructions to the commander, Bai Xiuming led Achan into the dungeon.
After passing through the narrow door at the entrance, there was a spacious area behind it, where two Mingjing Guards were resting at a table. When they saw Bai Xiuming enter, they quickly stood up to greet him.
"Take me to Shen Qingwu and Shen Huixue's prison cell."
"Yes." The two guards from the Mingjing Division immediately took the cell keys and led the way.
After walking through a short passage and turning left, you will see rows of prison cells.
By the light of the oil lamp on the wall, Achan saw a familiar face in a small cell on the outside.
"My lord, it's right there." The guard from the Mingjing Division was pointing to the cell that Achan had seen.
Bai Xiuming nodded, standing still without stepping forward. The two others also stood quietly to the side with their hands at their sides. Only Achan stepped forward.
She stood outside the cell door and softly called to the person sitting against the wall: "Huixue."
Shen Huixue was in a light sleep when she suddenly heard Achan's voice and thought she was dreaming.
She opened her eyes only after hearing another sound, and saw Ah Chan standing outside the prison door.
"Achan, what brings you here?" Shen Huixue stood up, startling Shen Qingwu who was sitting to the side.
When Shen Qingwu saw that it was Achan, she didn't say anything, but just watched her daughter go forward and talk to Achan.
"I've come to see you. Have you been suffering?" Achan asked.
Shen Huixue shook her head: "No."
"That's good."
"You..." Shen Huixue wanted to say something, but she caught sight of Bai Xiuming standing not far away and immediately shut her mouth.
Achan noticed her expression was off and turned to look, only to see Bai Xiuming watching them.
She waved to him, signaling him to step back and not interrupt their conversation.
Bai Xiuming stared at her for a while, then actually turned around and led the two of them back a short distance.
Although with his cultivation level, he could not be stopped if he wanted to eavesdrop, Shen Huixue felt safer because he was far away.
Seeing that Bai Xiuming had stepped back, Shen Huixue spoke to her in a low voice: "Achan, I'm fine. They just arrested my mother and me, and no one has interrogated us."
As she spoke, she raised her chin, gesturing for Ah Chan to look at the cell next to her: "It's much better than theirs."
Even if she hadn't said anything, Ah Chan wouldn't have noticed that the person living in the cell next to Shen Huixue was actually Shen Yingzhu.
Shen Yingzhu was no longer the glamorous woman she once was. Her hair was disheveled, and she was lying on a clump of weeds. Blood was still seeping through her clothes, indicating that she had just gone through a brutal interrogation.
Lying next to her was a woman she had never seen before, and the third person in the cell... was Xue Ying.
Achan only saw Xue Ying once on the way to Xiling, and never saw her again.
Meeting here now, who can say it's not fate?
Xue Ying sat expressionlessly against the railing near the aisle. She didn't look much better than Shen Yingzhu. Her clothes were torn, and strips of cloth were wrapped around her left forearm and right leg.
Yesterday, the Dragon Mother went berserk. She was with Shen Yingxiao at the time and was thrown to the ground by the Dragon Mother, suffering multiple fractures.
Compared to Shen Yingxiao, she was extremely lucky.
Xue Ying is still reeling from yesterday's bloody and cruel scene. She can't understand how things could have suddenly turned out this way when everything was fine.
At that time, she thought that since her parents no longer cared about her, and Shen Yingxiao and Shen Zhiheng were very good to her, she could stay here with peace of mind.
But in the blink of an eye, the entire Shen family was imprisoned, accused of committing a heinous crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of their clan. Shen Yingxiao was even killed by a terrifying demon. What should she do next?
Xue Ying pondered this question repeatedly. She was still so young; of course, she couldn't let the Shen family sink with her.
Since she and Shen Yingxiao did not hold a wedding banquet, it was as if they were not married, and she could not be considered a member of the Shen family at all.
Moreover, she is the daughter of the Marquis of Jinyang. Those who imprisoned her here must not know this. As long as she tells them, she will surely be exonerated!
Thinking of this, Xue Ying's eyes lit up. She needed to find the people from the Mingjing Division and tell them her identity.
Xue Ying, who had been lost in thought, only then noticed that there was another person outside the cell.
She looked up and immediately saw that familiar face that she loathed and that made her whole family restless and unable to eat or sleep.
"Ji Chan." Xue Ying squeezed out the two words through gritted teeth.
I never dreamed I would see her in prison.
Ah Chan looked at Xue Ying through the cell bars, a slight smile playing on her lips: "Xue Ying, what a coincidence."
Xue Ying stared at her.
Achan didn't mind her coldness and said softly, "Speaking of which, I really have a connection with your Xue family. Last time, I attended your brother's funeral, and it hasn't been long since then, and it's your turn."
Xue Ying gripped the railing, her eyes blazing with hatred: "You admit it, you really did kill my brother!"
“Miss Xue must be out of her mind. What does his death have to do with me? Just because I was there and couldn’t save him, does that mean I’m the murderer?” Achan retorted with a smile. “Just like now, I want to save you, but I’m powerless to do so. If Miss Xue knows this in the afterlife, please don’t blame me.”
"I won't die. My father is the Marquis of Jinyang. They won't dare to kill me."
"Is that so? Then I wish Miss Xue all her wishes come true."
Achan just smiled.
She turned and waved to someone not far away. The Mingjing Guard who was holding the prison key stepped forward and opened the cell where Shen Huixue and Shen Qingwu were imprisoned.
Shen Huixue and her daughter were still unaware of what had happened when they heard Achan say, "Huixue, it's getting late, let's go home."
“Go...go home?” Shen Huixue was stunned.
"Yes, go and help your mother out quickly." Shen Huixue was only stunned for a moment before she hurriedly turned around and helped her mother out. When she stepped out of the cell, the Mingjing Guard standing to the side did not react at all.
"Achan, we..." Shen Huixue didn't know what to say for a moment.
She wasn't ignorant; this was a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family. Under such an imperial decree, even innocent people would find it difficult to escape death.
What price must Achan have paid to bring them out of prison?
How could she ever repay such a deep friendship?
"Let's go." Achan didn't say much to Shen Huixue and turned to walk in Bai Xiuming's direction.
The guards from the Mingjing Division behind him closed the cell door, but before they could turn around, they heard Xue Ying's shrill voice from next door: "Wait, why were they released? Their surname is Shen, and they are from the Shen family."
No one answered her question.
"Help! Help! A prisoner has been released!" Xue Ying's shouts continued.
Many prisoners joined in the commotion because of her words, and soon the dungeon was filled with a cacophony of noise.
The guard from the Mingjing Division gave Xue Ying a cold look and shouted angrily, "Anyone who dares to speak again will be sent to their death by me."
Most of the prisoners who were jeering had been tortured during the day. Even if they saw no hope of survival, they still wanted to prolong their lives for a few more days, and suddenly they fell silent.
Only Xue Ying remained unconvinced, saying to the guard from the Mingjing Division, "What are you glaring at me for? I won't be threatened by you. My father is the Marquis of Jinyang. Call your superior over; I want to speak with him!"
The guard from the Mingjing Division looked away, finding it laughable.
Does this girl not understand what the crime of exterminating nine generations of one's family means? Let alone the Marquis of Jinyang, even members of the imperial family would not dare to get involved in this case at this moment.
At this moment, Xue Ying suddenly spotted Bai Xiuming in the distance. As if grasping at a straw, she raised her voice even louder: "Bai Xiuming, Lord Bai, I am the daughter of the Marquis of Jinyang. I am innocent. Please let me go. My father will definitely repay you!"
Xue Ying cried and shouted, and her cries sounded particularly pitiful.
Ah Chan thought to herself, if Madam Xue heard her daughter crying here, she would be heartbroken.
Such news should be shared with Madam Xue as soon as we return to the capital.
Achan came to Bai Xiuming's side and said to him, "Lord Bai, let's go."
Bai Xiuming remained silent and strode out, unmoved by Xue Ying's mournful cries.
Amid Xue Ying's cries, A Chan asked, "I wonder what will become of Miss Xue in the end? Will Lord Bai spare her because she is the daughter of the Marquis of Jinyang?"
"That depends on the Marquis of Jinyang's abilities."
"What skills do you have?"
"If he can plead with the emperor for leniency, I might consider it."
"What if the emperor shows mercy?" Achan suddenly felt that even the heinous crime of exterminating nine generations of one's family might not be safe enough.
Bai Xiuming glanced at A Chan and said slowly, "It's too late to show mercy."
Achan's eyes darted around as she asked, "If I take Shen Huixue and her daughter away in front of so many prisoners, what if one of them tells others about it?"
"Who are you telling this to?"
Those imprisoned here are all members of the Shen family. From the day they entered, the only way out is death.
As the group approached the prison gate, Shen Huixue could no longer contain her excitement. Suddenly, she heard Bai Xiuming call her name.
"Shen Huixue".
Shen Huixue snapped out of her daze, her body tensing: "Lord Bai, please give your orders."
Bai Xiuming looked at her indifferently, raised his finger, and touched her forehead.
Shen Huixue felt a powerful surge of internal energy rush into her body, followed by a buzzing in her head and a brief blankness in her mind.
When Bai Xiuming withdrew his hand, Shen Huixue subconsciously lowered her head to look at her hand, and the clear contract mark on the back of her hand had disappeared.
She's free now?
Shen Huixue seemed not to have reacted yet, but Bai Xiuming had already said to A Chan, "Let's go."
Achan left through a side gate of the Prince's mansion. During this time, the original guards inside the mansion were all removed, and she left with the two of them.
After Achan left, the Mingjing Division commander who was guarding the dungeon returned and reported to Bai Xiuming: "Sir, the body has been prepared."
"Note: Shen Qingwu and Shen Huixue died suddenly tonight."
"Understood, sir. What about their corpses?"
"Dispose of them as soon as possible, along with the rest of the deceased members of the Shen family."
The commander nodded. Since it was to be done as soon as possible, it should be dealt with tonight.
The Mingjing Division handles corpses; if the body can be returned to its family, it is preserved intact. If there are no family members, to prevent future problems, it is cremated directly.
"I will take care of it immediately."
When Achan brought Shen Huixue and Shen Qingwu back to her residence, the mother and daughter were, in official terms, already dead.
The next morning, Bai Xiuming, who had been busy for most of the night, had just gotten up when he heard the voice of a Mingjing Guard outside: "My lord, Lord Zhang Jinghuai requests an audience."
"Please invite him in."
The words had barely left his mouth when Zhang Jinghuai strode in.
Zhang Jinghuai's face was extremely ugly. He didn't even exchange pleasantries with Bai Xiuming and went straight to the point: "I want to beg Lord Bai to show mercy and let one person leave."
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