Jing Lu's burial place was not concealed from the public, and Jing Shuo followed the eunuch all the way to Nanshan.
After they finished burying Jinglu, the monks finished chanting sutras and left. As soon as they left, Jingshuo ordered people to take hoes and dig up the grave.
The soil was soft when the body was first laid to rest, and the dozen or so servants that Jing Shuo brought quickly dug it away, revealing the lacquered red coffin inside.
Jing Shuo tossed hammers to the servants, who began to hammer and chisel. With a loud shout from the crowd, the coffin lid was thrown aside, revealing the rotting corpse inside.
Jing Shuo covered his nose, suppressing his nausea, his eyes bloodshot as he slapped his legs and laughed at the lifeless corpse inside.
“Jinglu, your second brother said he would come to see you off, and he will definitely do so. He will never break his promise.”
He had long planned to dismember Jing Lu and burn him to ashes, and then had his men carry out Jing Lu's rotten corpse.
Jing Shuo first aimed at Jing Lu's legs, and was about to cut open his complicated lower garments when he suddenly realized that the corpse was not right. It was too small, like a child.
Jing Lu was at least seven feet tall, and even if his body was rotting, he wouldn't look like this. Jing Shuo quickly lifted the white cloth covering Jing Lu's face and pulled down his pants.
He barely needed to examine them carefully; he could tell at a glance that this was not Jing Lu at all, but an immature eunuch.
Jing Shuo suddenly realized what was happening and muttered in disbelief, "Jing Lu isn't dead? How could Jing Lu not be dead? His coffin has been kept there for so long, where is he not dead?"
"Impossible! I saw him drink the poisoned wine. How could no one have seen him?"
He couldn't understand why, on the hillside, servants from the Prince Jing's mansion stumbled and ran from afar, howling as they ran.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, something terrible has happened! The Prince Jing's residence is on fire! Half of the female relatives who came to pay their respects are trapped in the inner quarters of the residence, including the Crown Princess. They haven't been found yet. Please go back and check on them quickly."
Jing Shuo was still preoccupied with the fake Jing Lu's corpse when another shocking piece of news hit him, leaving him stunned for three or four breaths.
Realizing something in an instant, Jing Shuo disregarded the present situation and, leaning on his crutch, ran along the steep hillside, cursing anxiously.
"Can I put out the fire? Come find me and send people in to search!"
He had bad legs and couldn't outrun ordinary people even when he tried to run, and he tumbled several times.
When Jing Shuo returned to the front of the mansion, he didn't know what had happened in the backyard. The front yard of the Prince Jing's mansion had been burned to a skeleton.
The place where the fire was extinguished was still emitting thick black smoke. Suddenly, Jing Yan, who was out of town on business, appeared in front of Jing Shuo amidst the black smoke.
He was soaking wet, his clothes were stained with a lot of gray and black, and his hands looked like they had been digging through the ruins.
Before Jing Shuo could finish speaking, Jing Yan rushed up to him, grabbed him by the collar, and questioned him sharply.
"Where's Yue Jiang?"
Jing Shuo couldn't answer at all. He swallowed hard and said blankly, "Brother, Jing Lu is not dead. The one in the coffin is not him. Look if you don't believe me."
Jing Yan looked at the skeleton that Jing Shuo was pointing at and remained silent for a long time.
At this moment, Rong Ying and Shan Yi also ran out of the Prince Jing's residence.
Rong Ying hurriedly said, "Your Highness, Wei You's two cousins have been found. They are both seriously injured. It's not a simple fire. We must have been lured away by someone."
Dan Yi knelt down and begged for forgiveness: "Your Highness, I am guilty. I have been guarding the Crown Princess, but the inner quarters are all women and it is not easy to enter, so I had people guard around the Prince Jing's residence."
"As soon as the commotion started, I rushed in to look for the Crown Princess. At that time, the whole mansion was filled with the sound of firecrackers going off. Everyone was startled and there was chaos. I was incompetent and could not find the Crown Princess immediately."
Jing Yan cleared his hoarse voice and asked hopefully, "Rong Ying, so there's no Yue Jiang inside, right?"
“Yes, Wei You’s cousin is not dead, and the Crown Princess is definitely not dead either. She must have been kidnapped,” Rong Ying had heard about Jing Lu’s survival before he ran out, and he hurriedly asked Jing Shuo.
"Your Highness, where is Zheng Yutong's coffin?"
Jing Shuo, barely regaining his senses, asked the person next to him, his mind still elsewhere, "Where is the Princess's coffin?"
The servant, his legs trembling, bowed and said, "The princess's cenotaph has been taken for burial, and her remains have already left the city."
Jing Yan forcefully shook off Jing Shuo and walked towards the horse he had ridden back, while giving instructions to Rong Ying.
"I will go out of the city first and stop Zheng Yutong's coffin. Rongying, you go into the palace and tell Father that Jinglu is not dead and that the Crown Princess is missing."
As he spoke, he had already ridden his horse and led his men to Jing Shuo's side, and Jing Yan gave a cold command.
"Go to Zheng Yutong's cenotaph and check who is in the coffin."
After saying this, Jing Yan hurriedly rode his horse out of the city to chase after them, while Rong Ying rushed towards the palace without saying much.
Jing Shuo slowly came to his senses. He picked up his cane and got up from the ground, then went to find the cenotaph where Zheng Yutong was buried.
...
Yue Jiang woke up from the bumpy ride and only learned when she arrived at the Prince Jing's residence that Jing Shuo had secretly slipped away. The servants did not dare to say directly where Jing Shuo had gone, but she guessed that it must be related to Jing Lu's burial.
Yue Jiang then busied herself arranging for people to move around in the front and back courtyards of Jing Shuo's residence. Although there were many guests in the mansion, fortunately they knew that the mansion was the one offering condolences, so no one dared to cause trouble or make a scene.
Not long after Zheng Yutong's cenotaph was sent out of the mansion, some unknown trouble broke out, and the whole mansion was filled with the incessant sound of firecrackers.
At the time, the fire inside the mansion was not visible; instead, thick smoke billowed up from all directions.
All the women screamed in alarm, and in the midst of the commotion, Yuejiang was grabbed by the arm by one of the villains mixed in with them, who covered her mouth and nose.
Wei You's two cousins chased after her to save her, but Yue Jiang only saw them fall to the ground before she finally lost consciousness.
She could now smell the sandalwood scent all over herself, and she had a vague premonition.
Yue Jiang coughed twice, and the person next to her heard her voice and laughed clearly: "Sister-in-law, you're finally awake."
“Jinglu, you’re not dead,” Yue Jiang said, a hint of annoyance in her eyes after she recognized him.
She was already awake and could feel herself being jostled around. She looked around and saw a coffin lying there.
Yue Jiang asked unhappily, "Where are you taking me?"
Jing Lu smiled knowingly, not being frank: "Where I go is none of your business, as long as I live peacefully, you will live well too. You don't need to be afraid, my third brother can't harm you."
Yue Jiang sneered: "You've already committed a capital crime, where in Jing Kingdom can you expect to live a good life? Whose name are you impersonating?"
"By taking me hostage, you'll only be discovered sooner, and His Highness will certainly not let you go."
Jing Lu was completely unafraid and extremely arrogant: "Let's talk about finding me first, Your Majesty. It shouldn't be that fast. I've already set a trap for him to capture me."
"I'm looking forward to seeing if my brother can still rescue you after he finds out about you."
Yue Jiang didn't understand his words. Before she could ask for more details, Jing Lu waved his hand, scattering a lot of fine powder. She choked a couple of times and felt drowsy.
Finally, there was a loud thud from the coffin opening, and then all that could be heard was darkness.
...
Jing Yan, who had been chasing after them, finally caught up with Zheng Yutong's funeral procession. He waved for his men to surround them, forcing them to stop.
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