Chapter 32 Rising Stars of Shengjing City
Lingyun Villa.
When Xie Shang arrived at the entrance of the manor, the doorman didn't ask who he was, but said directly, "Your Highness Prince Heng, please. Our manor lord has been waiting for you for a long time."
Xie Shang was full of questions. Since the other party knew his identity, he believed that the other party had made preparations in advance. He calmly and reservedly followed the doorman into the manor.
Upon entering the villa, he realized it was a hidden paradise, full of wonders and surprises.
Tan Wanqing had already prepared tea and personally came out to greet him, saying, "This humble subject, Tan Wanqing, greets Your Highness, Prince Heng."
Xie Shang followed the gaze and saw that the woman in front of him was only about twenty years old. She was dressed in a black outfit and looked like a man, as if she were a martial arts practitioner.
He couldn't believe that the person in front of him was the owner of Lingyun Manor.
"Master Tan, you're too kind. In your eyes, I'm probably just an ant!" he added. "You killed the Minister of Justice without anyone noticing either."
Tan Wanqing's eyes were full of sincerity. "When Yang Jing killed my sister, she was only twelve years old. She kept begging for mercy as she died, but Yang Jing did not stop his beastly behavior. My sister was tortured to death by him, and I could only watch helplessly by the side. I still remember that feeling of helplessness and the collapse of the sky."
Xie Shang straightened his expression and said, "You can report this to the authorities." He regretted saying that as soon as he said it. If reporting it to the authorities were effective, Yang Jing wouldn't have been harming young girls for so many years without anyone intervening.
Tan Wanqing sneered, "Has Your Highness Prince Heng considered how many others have been cruelly tortured to death by Yang Jing besides my sister?"
“One hundred and eighteen,” Xie Shang said in a deep voice.
"These are just the specific data we've secretly gathered over the years. The corpses in the back courtyard of the Yang family mansion are piled up like mountains; it's impossible to piece together a single complete skeleton," Tan Wanqing said indignantly. "Shouldn't such people have died?"
Xie Shang pursed her lips, her heart filled with mixed emotions. She had not killed an official, nor a criminal, but a typical figure in the court.
"Without rules, there can be no order; with reverence, one knows how to behave. He broke the law, and naturally the law will punish him; you killed someone, and naturally you should also be punished by the law." Xie Shang's eyes were cold and sharp, and he exuded a majestic and domineering aura. "Please, Master Tan, come with me!"
Tan Wanqing clenched her fingers hidden in her sleeve, took the sword from the wall, and threw it at Xie Shang.
Xie Shang caught it with a spin, "What does Master Tan mean by killing me to silence me?"
"Has Your Highness ever seen someone kill someone to silence a witness without even drawing their sword?" she said in a deep voice. "This humble subject will have a contest with Your Highness. If Your Highness wins, this humble subject will go with you. If this humble subject loses, I will go back to the yamen with you."
Xie Shang had not used a sword for a long time. He drew his sword from its sheath and threw it violently, plunging the sword into a nearby pillar. "I am not here to negotiate with you. Besides, your manor is not qualified to negotiate with me."
Tan Wanqing paused, and seeing the depth of the sword embedded in the pillar, she instantly understood. Xie Shang's martial arts were not weak. She composed herself and said calmly, "Your Highness wants to catch the murderer of Yang Jing. It is probably not enough to arrest just me. At least 118 more girls are needed. It was their souls that killed Yang Jing together with me. Your Highness, please arrest us all to pay for Yang Jing's life."
A chill ran through Xie Shang's eyes. Was she threatening him?
Tan Wanqing continued, “We have always abided by the law and never caused trouble. Now that the case is closed, the Yang family deserves their punishment, and the people are all happy. Why should Your Highness bother with us poor, helpless women? We just want to eat and survive.”
Xie Shang really didn't want to escalate the matter further, so even though his people found out about Lingyun Manor, he didn't alert anyone.
He said in a deep voice, "I will remember Lingyun Manor."
After saying that, he went straight out of the living room and came to the door. He saw that the yard was suddenly surrounded by people, all of whom were women. They looked timid and stared at him without blinking.
Being stared at by so many women, and thinking about the more than one hundred girls who had died, Xie Shang suddenly felt a little scared. It seemed he had to ask Lin Feng to investigate the origins of these women.
Xie Shang was disappointed by the result. These were just pitiful and homeless women. Tan Wanqing was also a respectable woman who had her family destroyed by Yang Jing. She had taken in these women from Lingyun Manor.
Lingyun Villa is like a charitable hall.
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On the other side, when Jiang Fenghua returned to Baihua Lake, the flower viewing party had already ended.
This year's flower viewing party had both surprises and regrets. Everyone was talking about it. "It's a real pity that Young Master Jiang didn't participate. In previous years, when he was here, the flower viewing party would still be going on. Everyone was vying for the prize. His little page was also very capable and knowledgeable. Young Master Jiang is indeed worthy of being the son of Young Master Jiang."
"Sigh! I thought Young Master Jiang would come, but I didn't see him at all until the end." Another scholar sighed, "Without seeing him debate with the crowd, I won't be able to sleep well for a whole year."
"However, the young man in white who won ten consecutive games in today's Flower Contest is also very impressive. He can be considered a rising star in our Shengjing City. What's his name?"
"Xiao Yu, I heard he's also Jiang Shaofu's student, no wonder he's so amazing."
Suddenly someone pointed in a direction, "Young Master Xiao is over there..."
Xiao Yu, dressed in a plain white robe, stood tall and elegant at the bow of the boat. He was handsome, graceful, and refined, with clear eyes staring at a veiled woman on the bridge in the distance.
Jiang Fenghua strolled gracefully onto the bridge, admiring the beautiful scenery along the river while listening to everyone's discussions. She heard that this year's flower competition was also very exciting, with a rising star from Shengjing City winning the championship.
She seemed oblivious, her expression serene. Several flower boats floated on the lake, filled with laughter, song, and dance, creating a lively scene, as if the dramatic events of the morning had never happened.
At this moment, Su Tingwan finally found Jiang Fenghua, "Why haven't I seen the Princess all day?"
Jiang Fenghua said gently, "I haven't seen Consort Su all day either."
Su Tingwan had doubts in her heart. She knew exactly where Jiang Fenghua had gone all day. She had gone to a restaurant to eat, and then to a clothing store, a jewelry store, and a cosmetics store. She bought a lot of beautiful clothes and jewelry and sent them to the Heng Prince's Mansion.
She thought to herself that even if Ah Shang was a prince, he couldn't resist her extravagant spending.
The noble ladies of Shengjing City only know how to shop when they go out; how superficial!
She smiled and said, "Your Highness, look at those flower boats over there, they're so beautiful. Tonight, there will be no curfew in Shengjing City, and the city will be brightly lit all night. All the young masters and ladies in the city will come out to compose poems and paint. They are having such a pleasant and wonderful time."
Jiang Fenghua stared at the flower boat under the bridge, and nodded slightly to the person as a greeting.
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