Even though she was detained, Madam Shang still clung to hope, not to mention the Shang family’s powerful in-laws; solely on the fact that they were part of Prince Duan’s faction, and they still paid a large tribute to Prince Duan every year, she believed that Prince Duan would undoubtedly protect the Shang family.
But now, the imperial edict listed over a dozen charges against the Shang family, and in three days, all the male members would be beheaded in public, while the women would be exiled to the borderlands to become slaves. How could this happen? How could this be? When had the Shang family committed these crimes? And what about Prince Duan and those in-laws, hadn’t they thought of a way to save the Shang family?
Madam Shang was completely stunned. She had not received timely treatment for the injuries inflicted by Long Fengying, and upon entering the jail, the thick clothes and woolen cloak were stripped off by the jailers. Coupled with the dire and cold environment of the cell, and being fed only one dark steamed bun per meal, her complexion was now pale, her demeanor wan and frail, as if she had aged a decade all at once, devoid of her past grace and grandeur.
Three days later, at the Caishikou Execution Grounds, all the men of the Shang family were beheaded, and the women were sent to the borders. Even the natal families of the legitimate daughters did not redeem them (no one dared defy the imperial edict) but instead publicly declared they severed ties with them.
During her exile, Du Yueshan died en route (with Long Xuanmo’s consent) and the Duke Jin Mansion sent her to a country estate, planning for her to return to The Capital under a new identity in a few years. By then, naturally, no one would care.
Yang Mengchen stood quietly by the window, looking at the plum blossoms blooming in the courtyard, her expression serene as still water, with stars glimmering deep within her dark eyes.
Princess Jiayang, those who plotted against you have met justice. May your journey be peaceful. If there truly is an afterlife, I hope you are born into a loving family.
As for the real perpetrator, I will not let them go either.
"Princess," Hai Tang came in and reported in a low voice, "the Elite Guards have sent a secret message."
Yang Mengchen’s eyes remained fixed on the plum blossoms as she parted her lips slightly, her calm tone devoid of emotion, "Read it."
Hai Tang immediately unfolded the secret letter and read it to Yang Mengchen.
On New Year’s Eve, Ma Tiankun had people quietly take Long Fengying out of the Princess Mansion and rush to Sanqing Mountain, which was about five hundred li away from The Capital.
Sanqing Mountain harbors nearly a thousand bandits, who are said to be ferocious and vicious. Considering the dense forests and treacherous terrain that makes it easy to defend but hard to attack, Imperial Court efforts to eradicate them have always failed.
Apart from the bandits, there were women who had been abducted from elsewhere, but no one else.
Aside from their duties such as washing clothes, cooking, and mending garments, these women were treated as objects to be used by the bandits at any time, sometimes serving many at once. Hence, the lifespan of those women was short, as none could withstand such inhumane torment. As a result, the bandits had to frequently descend the mountain to capture new women.
From the moment Ma Tiankun decided to take revenge on Long Fengying, he visited Sanqing Mountain several times and gradually became chummy with the bandit chief, even becoming sworn siblings of different gender.
That very night, Ma Tiankun offered Long Fengying to the bandit chief, and five days later, she was handed down to the other bandits.
Long Fengying, with her attractive features and delicate, fair skin, and being new, naturally attracted the keen interest of the bandits, and her life was especially miserable.
Seeing Long Fengying living in daily torment, Ma Tiankun felt a rush of exhilaration and, a few days later, revealed the truth to Long Fengying.
After hearing it, Long Fengying was filled with both regret and hatred; sadly, she was but a frail woman, utterly powerless against Ma Tiankun. She had considered escaping, but the complex terrain with its traps, along with the bandits’ methods for recapturing runaway women—brutally beating them before resuming their nightly nightmares—meant that no one had ever successfully escaped.
In just a few days, Long Fengying’s body was devoid of any uninjured part, her figure gaunt and aged as if she had become a completely different person.
Long Fengying held hatred for the Emperor, Yang Mengchen, the Ma and Shang families, and of course, most of all for Ma Tiankun, plotting relentlessly for a chance at retribution.
One girl, whose father was a doctor from a rural area, thus having some knowledge of herbs, pointed out a specific herb to Long Fengying and said that drying and grinding it to mix with wine would produce an effect akin to a potent aphrodisiac; afterwards, Long Fengying secretly dug up that herb to take back with her.
The bandits had a habit of celebrating whenever they captured new women, and just two days prior, they had abducted a few more. While the other bandits celebrated in the hall, the bandit chief and Ma Tiankun were discussing matters in a room. It was then that Long Fengying replaced the original wine with the drugged one and had it sent to the room by an unsuspecting woman server.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
