Mountain and River Sacrifice 317. The Bai Family's Destruction

In the study of the Bai Mansion, Bai Yuncheng was discussing strategies with his brothers and aides from the side branches when the steward outside the door came hurriedly to report, "Master, the third young master Feng and the third young master Xu are here." Bai Yuncheng's heart skipped a beat. Feng Zhiyao was Mo Xiuyao's confidant, and Xu Qingfeng was the third young master of the Xu family and the cousin of the injured Xu Qingbai. What good could come from these two people coming together?

"Does the Third Master Feng have anything to say?" Bai Yuncheng asked.

The steward's face turned pale, and he said, "Mr. Feng said he had something to see you on the orders of the prince, but he didn't elaborate. But...Mr. Xu was followed by many guards, and it seemed... they had surrounded our house." Hearing this, everyone in the study was startled, and their faces became even uglier. After a while, Bai Yuncheng sighed and said, "Forget it, I'll go and take a look."

When he came to the hall with the butler, he saw Feng Zhiyao in red and Xu Qingfeng in black sitting and standing in the hall. Seeing him come out, Feng Zhiyao, who was sitting and drinking tea, stood up and bowed with a smile like spring breeze, "Master Bai, I'm sorry to bother you." Xu Qingfeng, who was standing on the side, didn't say anything, and his face didn't look very good. Bai Yuncheng's smile was a little stiff, and he bowed in return, saying, "No, it's a great honor for the Bai family to have the presence of the Third Master Feng and the Third Master Xu. Please sit down and have some tea?"

Xu Qingfeng didn't appreciate it at all. "No need. I'm not here for tea."

Bai Yuncheng choked again. He thought that Xu Qingfeng was born in the Xu family and must be gentle and polite like Xu Qingbai, even if he practiced martial arts. However, he did not expect that he would be so direct and not give anyone face at all. Feng Zhiyao did not care and smiled insincerely: "Master Bai, don't worry about it. He is in a bad mood."

Bai Yuncheng asked cautiously, "How is it possible that we have not been able to provide such a good hospitality?"

Xu Qingfeng sneered and said, "No matter who it is, he would not be happy if he heard that someone wanted to kill his cousin's unborn nephew." Bai Yuncheng was shocked, his face turned pale and he forced a smile and said, "The third young master said that this... this princess is so graceful, who dares to be so rebellious..."

Feng Zhiyao waved his folding fan nonchalantly, looked at Bai Yuncheng with some regret and said, "Master Bai, what Brother Xu said is indeed true. Otherwise, I would not dare to make this trip. I came here in the name of the prince... to investigate this matter."

Bai Yuncheng's smile had already become as stiff as a mask on his face, and his eyes could not hide the shock that he had suppressed. "Mr. Feng San...what do you mean by this?"

Feng Zhiyao did not beat around the bush and said sternly, "I have received news that your wife is planning to kill the princess, and the prince is furious. However... the Bai family is different from others, and the prince is still willing to give the Bai family master some face. I also ask the Bai family master to ask your wife to come out and confront me. If it is something false, I can explain it to the prince and the princess when I go back."

"This..." Bai Yuncheng secretly groaned in his heart. His wife had just confided her thoughts to him, and now someone from Prince Ding's Mansion came to visit. Bai Yuncheng was really unsure whether Feng Zhiyao had indeed obtained some evidence, or whether someone from Prince Ding's Mansion in his house had overheard the conversation between his wife and him.

Feng Zhiyao raised his eyebrows and smiled faintly, "This is also an opportunity for Master Bai to prove his innocence. Master Bai's prevarication is not groundless. Although the Bai family is submissive to Prince Ding's Mansion on the surface, they still have rebellious intentions in secret?"

"How could that be?!" Bai Yuncheng said hurriedly, "In that case, I will ask Madam to come out." He was about to ask someone to invite Madam Bai over. Feng Zhiyao waved his hand and smiled, "Don't bother. It will be faster for us to go there in person."

"This... the backyard is probably..." Bai Yuncheng wanted to refuse, but Feng Zhiyao smiled calmly and said, "The people we brought are all well-behaved. As long as the people of the Bai family keep their mouths shut, there will naturally be no rumors." Looking at Feng Zhiyao who seemed to be smiling, and facing Xu Qingfeng who was staring at him coldly, Bai Yuncheng could only give in, "In this case, Third Master Feng, Third Master Xu, please go in."

Bai Yuncheng led the two of them all the way to Mrs. Bai's yard in the backyard. As soon as they reached the gate, they heard crying from inside. Bai Yuncheng was anxious and didn't care about Feng Zhiyao and Xu Qingfeng, and walked in quickly. As soon as he entered the door, he saw Mrs. Bai lying on the ground, with dark red blood under her body and a small dagger stuck in her abdomen. Looking at the way Mrs. Bai held the dagger in one hand, it seemed like she committed suicide. Bai Yuncheng also recognized that the dagger was the one that Bai Qingning loved and often played with.

Seeing that Mrs. Bai was dead, Bai Yuncheng's first reaction was relief, followed by a faint sadness for the death of his first wife. Turning back, he saw Feng Zhiyao and Xu Qingfeng coming side by side. Bai Yuncheng said in a sad voice: "The third master Feng, the third master Xu, Zhuo Jing..." was killed.

Feng Zhiyao would not give him a chance. He glanced at her and frowned, "How could this happen? Why did Madam Bai commit suicide?"

Xu Qingfeng crossed his arms and smiled coldly, "Of course he is guilty of being a thief. You will know if you go in and take a look." After walking a few steps inside, he saw Bai Qingning's memorial tablet. In front of the memorial tablet was a stick of incense that had just been burned. Feng Zhiyao turned around and looked at Bai Yuncheng, sneering, "Master Bai, how do you explain this?" Bai Yuncheng tried to calm down and said, "I don't understand what the Third Master Feng meant. What's wrong with this being my daughter's memorial tablet?"

Feng Zhiyao sneered and said calmly: "Master Bai, are you kidding me that Feng San is not old enough to come from a humble family? Even if there is an altar for the dead, who would place it in their bedroom?"

Bai Yuncheng said with a pale face: "Zhuo Jing doted on my daughter since she was young, and now she has suddenly passed away, so..."

"That's why he harbors resentment and wants to assassinate Princess Ding to avenge Prince Ding's Mansion?" Feng Zhiyao interjected.

Bai Yuncheng said in a stern voice: "Mr. Feng San, you are slandering me!"

Feng Zhiyao said calmly, "Whether it is slander or not, Patriarch Bai should go to the prince to explain." Bai Yuncheng looked at the door in a panic. The line of black-clothed figures standing outside the door made him feel a little desperate. Under the gaze of Feng Zhiyao and Xu Qingfeng, he finally lowered his head in frustration.

In September, the Xiling Imperial City was still bloody even though there was no war. After the bloodbath in Sunjia Garden a few days ago, the Bai family, known as the family of concubines in Xiling, also fell. Mrs. Bai attempted to assassinate the princess to avenge her daughter, but committed suicide after her conspiracy was exposed. The Bai family was also locked up and imprisoned. Although they were not executed immediately, the Xiling dignitaries no longer paid attention to the news of the Bai family. When the princess was assassinated, half of the people in Xiling Imperial City were implicated. Now the Bai family is trying to assassinate again. Do they want to implicate the remaining half of the city? Such idiots are not worth dying for. Who would want to have anything to do with them?

Sun Family

Mrs. Sun was sitting in the study, holding her well-behaved daughter and looking at the account books. When she heard the servants report that the Bai family's property had been confiscated, she didn't even blink, and said calmly, "I understand. Go down."

The servant who had reported respectfully left. After a long while, Mrs. Sun put down the booklet, looked up at her daughter and smiled faintly, "Do you understand, Xiaofu?" Sun Xiaofu was only a seven or eight-year-old child, so naturally she couldn't understand these densely packed account books. She shook her head in frustration and embarrassment, and said softly, "Mother, Xiaofu is so useless..." Mrs. Sun smiled and gently stroked her daughter's little head, saying, "Mother couldn't understand it when she was your age, so you just need to learn slowly."

Sun Xiaofu nodded obediently, looked at her mother who looked indifferent, and finally asked, "Mother, are Aunt Bai and the others...dead?" Although she was young, Madam Sun often took her daughter out, so Sun Xiaofu knew most of the rich and powerful ladies in the capital. Madam Sun smiled and said, "I don't know. Why did Xiaofu think they were dead?"

Sun Xiaofu's small body trembled slightly, and her little hands tightly grasped Madam Sun's clothes and said, "Xiaofu heard that Prince Ding killed many people, including Sister Zhao and Brother Qian's family..." A small child should not understand what death is, but Sun Xiaofu was also present when the assassination took place that day. Although Madam Sun tried her best to protect her, Sun Xiaofu still saw those bloody corpses. So in her little heart, the friends she used to play with turned into broken and bloody corpses after death. Such a scene is indeed enough to make a seven or eight-year-old child feel extremely terrified.

"Is Xiaofu afraid of Prince Ding?" Lady Sun looked down at her daughter and sighed softly.

"Yes." Sun Xiaofu nodded heavily, indicating that she was very afraid of the big brother who was very handsome in white clothes and white hair. Madam Sun's eyes were filled with a hint of heartache, but more of helplessness, and she said softly: "Xiaofu, don't be afraid. Prince Ding and Princess Ding are not bad people. We are guarding the industry left by your father, and there are so many people eyeing us. Only by joining Prince Ding's mansion can mother keep the things your father left for you. So, if you meet Prince Ding and Princess Ding in the future, Xiaofu must not be afraid, do you understand? They are all good people and will not hurt Xiaofu."

Sun Xiaofu looked at her mother in a daze. What her mother said was all right, but...was Prince Ding, who killed so many people, really a good person? Aren't good people...not allowed to do bad things? Killing people...should be considered a bad thing, right? As if she understood her daughter's thoughts, Madam Sun sighed in a low voice: "Some people who kill many people are not necessarily bad people. Sometimes they are forced to do so." Facing her daughter's blank eyes, Madam Sun rubbed her daughter's little head and smiled: "You will understand when Xiaofu grows up."

"Sun Yu's Hui Niang has seen the prince and princess." In the study room of the inn, Madam Sun bowed respectfully to Ye Li and Mo Xiu Yao. Mo Xiu Yao raised his head and glanced at her, and said calmly: "Get up." Madam Sun thanked her, lowered her head and whispered to her daughter: "Xiaofu, haven't you seen the prince and princess yet?" Sun Xiaofu, who had been well taught at home, still had some problems. Seeing Mo Xiu Yao sitting at the top, she was so scared that she dared not speak. She just hid beside her mother and held Madam Sun's corner and dared not come out.

Seeing this, Ye Li smiled and said to Madam Sun: "The child is still young, don't force it."

Madam Sun smiled helplessly, and there was a hint of worry in her daughter's eyes. When the nurse took Sun Xiaofu out, Madam Sun bowed to Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li again, and said in a deep voice: "The assassination of the princess this time was all due to my improper arrangement. Please punish me, Your Majesty." Although Mo Xiuyao did not get angry with them these days, the sharp Madam Sun knew that Prince Ding was also dissatisfied with the Sun family because of the Princess Ding's matter. However, Xiling Imperial City had just been taken over, so Prince Ding naturally could not abolish all the powerful and wealthy businessmen. What's more, the Sun family was the leader in joining Prince Ding's Mansion. Now that the Bai family is gone, Prince Ding will not touch the Sun family at this time. But... not moving now doesn't necessarily mean not moving in the future. Although she is a woman, since she has taken on the title of the head of the Sun family, she must also take on the responsibility of the head of the Sun family.

As expected, Mo Xiuyao looked at her calmly without saying anything. But the subtle pressure made a mentally retarded woman like Madam Sun lower her head with some difficulty.

On the main seat, Ye Li raised her hand and gently held the back of Mo Xiuyao's hand with a faint smile. Mo Xiuyao's expression eased and he said calmly: "This time, the princess pleaded for you, so the punishment will be waived. The king and the princess are about to leave the imperial city. In the future, you should assist the fourth master in governing Xiling. Do you understand?" Madam Sun was delighted and bowed respectfully to Ye Li, saying: "The Sun family thanks the princess for her great kindness."

Ye Li smiled faintly, raised her hand and said, "Get up, this matter has nothing to do with you." Speaking of it, Madam Sun was really wronged. The original purpose of holding the Autumn Flower Fair was to help Prince Ding's Mansion make friends with those who were interested in joining Prince Ding's Mansion. How could she have expected the assassination? Moreover, with the power of the Sun family, how could they compete with the confidants and elites under the command of the King of Zhennan? It was not easy for a young woman to support such a large family business with a daughter. As long as she didn't do anything she shouldn't do, Ye Li was willing to give her some convenience and face.

Madam Sun was even more grateful to Ye Li. She knew very well that although she was able to support the Sun family's business, she was not very outstanding compared to the talented people under Prince Ding. Even in terms of business, the Han family and the Feng family in Licheng were probably far superior to the Sun family. It was not easy to get the attention of Prince Ding, but if there was support from the princess, no matter what, ordinary people would not dare to bully an orphan and a widow. So, the look she gave Ye Li became more sincere. Madam Sun bowed to Ye Li again to thank him, and then stood up.

"Have you dealt with the Bai family's affairs?" Mo Xiuyao asked after Madam Sun stood up. As a famous family in Xiling, the Bai family naturally had countless properties. In addition, there were treasures bestowed by successive Xiling emperors and empresses. Not to mention others, even Madam Sun, who was ordered to follow the Bai family to confiscate their property, was shocked. Madam Sun nodded and said, "It has been properly handled. After the accounting of the properties under the name of the Bai family, they have been sent to the study and sealed. They will be available for inspection after the fourth young master recovers from his injury. There are also 57,000 taels of cash and 12,000 taels of gold. The bank has 873,000 taels of silver, 100,000 taels of gold notes, 678 pieces of various precious antiques, 34 boxes of jewelry, 275 volumes of famous paintings and calligraphy, and 452 rare ancient books. All the properties confiscated from the Bai family can reach a total of 5 million taels. They have all been registered. Please take a look, my Lord and Princess. After the fourth young master takes over the imperial city, you can send someone to transport them to Li City." As she spoke, Madam Sun took out a thin booklet from her sleeve and presented it to her.

Mo Xiuyao took it and glanced at it, then smiled faintly, "It seems that Xiling is not poor, so is this considered as sharing wealth with the people?" He handed the booklet to Ye Li, who flipped through it and was also somewhat surprised, but when she thought about the huge and almost incalculable family property of Prince Ding's Mansion, she felt that it was not so difficult to accept. This is the foundation of a real century-old family. The Ye family, who could be as anxious as a black-eyed chicken for a few tens of thousands of taels of silver, was obviously a newly-minted nouveau riche. However, even so, the Bai family's industries were obviously too much. Just think about the fact that the Bai family has produced several queens and more than a dozen imperial concubines over several generations, and the relationship with the royal family cannot be said to be close, so perhaps such a deep family foundation is not difficult to understand.

Ye Li thought for a moment and said, "Send all the banknotes, cash and gold to Fourth Brother. It would be a bit laborious if the military pay and military supplies for the 300,000-man army were still to be sent from Li City."

Mo Xiuyao nodded without hesitation and said, "Ali is right. Let Zhuo Jing send it over later."

Ye Li nodded and ignored the matter. She looked at the book in her hand and said, "These antiques... it's probably a lot of trouble to take them back. Just pick a few and take them back. Also, I see there are two swords here, plus the two someone sent some time ago. Give one to General Zhang, General Lu, and General Yuan, and the remaining one to Marquis Nan."

Mo Xiuyao leaned back in his chair and played with the ends of Ye Li's hair, motioning Zhuo Jing, who was standing beside him, to write down what Ye Li had told him, "You only sent Zhang Qilan and a few others, aren't you afraid that Feng San will come and cause trouble for you?"

Ye Li smiled and said, "I remember among these antiques there is a folding fan with a picture of mountains and rivers painted by Wu Zhikai of the previous dynasty. I guess the Third Young Master Feng loves the fan more than the sword." Feng Zhiyao always likes to show off his unrestrained and dashing manner. He fan himself with a fan regardless of winter or summer. With such a fan that can be called a treasure, how could he remember the sword? Mo Xiuyao seemed to remember the Third Young Master Feng wearing a red dress and holding a folding fan and waving it with great pride, and couldn't help but smile, "It's a waste to give such a good thing to him." But he still waved his hand to signal Zhuo Jing to write it down.

Ye Li picked out many things from the booklet to reward the meritorious officials of the Western Expedition, almost everyone got one. In addition, she also remembered to increase the rations of ordinary soldiers by one month. After all, the many things that the Bai family seized this time were unexpected gains. It would be bad if the Dingwang Mansion was the only one to take the money from Dingwang. Meanwhile, Mo Xiuyao did not raise any opinions, but just smiled and watched Ye Li calmly giving instructions. He had a cold smile on his face that was different from ordinary people, and he looked very gentle and peaceful.

Zhuo Jinglinhan, who was standing next to him, didn't care, but Madam Sun, who was waiting with him, was extremely shocked. It was obvious that Prince Ding trusted Princess Ding much more than anyone imagined. Princess Ding didn't need to discuss many things with Prince Ding, and directly ordered people to do them. Prince Ding didn't seem to have any displeasure or doubts, as if it was natural for Prince Ding's mansion to interfere in the political and military affairs of Prince Ding's mansion. In this regard, Madam Sun's appreciation and loyalty to Ye Li silently increased a little.

After Ye Li finished giving instructions, Zhuo Jing turned around and went out to do some work. Ye Li closed the book and said with a smile: "Let's take those rare books back to Licheng together. Grandfather will be very happy to see them. I didn't expect that the Bai family actually hid some good rare books." Although the number is a drop in the bucket compared to the Xu family, many stocks are hard to come by, and even one more book is enough to make many literati and scholars overjoyed.

Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "I'm afraid we can't take all of them away, so we should at least leave some for your fourth brother as a bribe."

Ye Li blinked and suddenly understood. Great Confucian scholars are not only found in Licheng, there is another great Confucian scholar in Xiling, and he just happened to be the one who asked them for help. If Mr. Longting knew that they had taken away so many rare ancient books and did not leave any for him, I am afraid that the old man would not give up until he made things difficult for the fourth brother.

Ye Li had no choice but to pick out some that her grandfather and two uncles were interested in and take them away, and gave the rest to Xu Qingbai to use as a door-knocking brick to invite Mr. Xiuting to come out of retirement.

Time passed very quickly, and in the blink of an eye, a few days had passed, and it was already the day when Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li were ready to set off to return to Li City. The 300,000 troops and Zhang Qilan were all left in Xiling, and the only ones who followed Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li back were Feng Zhiyao, Xu Qingfeng, Yun Ting, the three thousand black cloud riders, and the dark guard Qilin Ruogan.

The day before he left, Mo Xiuyao issued his first imperial decree in the name of King Ding. The decree declared that the imperial city of Xiling would be changed to Anping City, and at the same time, Xu Qingbai was granted the title of Governor of the Five Prefectures and Twelve Cities of Xiling, in charge of all military, political and civil affairs of Xiling. Zhang Qilan was also appointed as the General of Zhenxi, commanding 300,000 troops to garrison Xiling, and all troops in Xiling were under Zhang Qilan's control. When this order was issued, everyone was shocked. Although there was no so-called governor-general title before, just looking at the power granted by Mo Xiuyao, one can understand the great power of this official position. As long as it is within the territory of Xiling, it can be said that it is Xu Qingbai's world. Although Zhang Qilan was in charge of the military affairs, it should be noted that the military pay was in the hands of Xu Qingbai. This shows the trust that Prince Ding had in the Xu family.

Xu Qingbai, who felt that he had been cheated by Mo Xiuyao, helplessly supported his body, which was already able to walk, and personally returned the millions of silver coins that Mo Xiuyao had handed over to him. He said that since Feng Huaiting was going to be sent, the money matters should naturally be handled by someone who knows how to manage money, and this young master would not serve him. Mo Xiuyao was quite unhappy with Xu Qingbai's distrust of him. Xu Qingbai sighed helplessly: "I have not offended His Royal Highness Prince Ding, right? Are you trying to put me on the fire?"

Mo Xiuyao could only withdraw his words in dismay, and said in defense: "Isn't this because I trust the Fourth Master Xu?" But he sighed silently in his heart. Why are the people of the Xu family so smart? Isn't it because he feels that Xu Qingchen, that cunning fellow, is unreliable and might run away at any time, that he wants to train the Fourth Master Xu more? Compared to Xu Qingchen, who is so smart that he is almost a demon, Xu Qingbai is so smart and down-to-earth that he is a good choice for enslavement. The resentful King Ding forgot to think that if Xu Qingbai was not smart enough, why would he set a trap for this possibility that might happen eight hundred years later?