Chapter 26 "Sixth Young Master, don't persuade your master to go back..."
"I'm fine." Bai Xuerou was still in a daze, but she was already able to think rationally.
Seeing her like this, Ling Xun took the initiative to help her sit up.
"Sister-in-law, what's wrong?"
“Ling Zheng wants me to be buried with him.” Bai Xuerou said silently, looking towards the mourning hall, where thick smoke was billowing out, indicating that a fire had already been lit inside.
At this moment, Bai Xuerou desperately needs someone to lean on, someone who can hold her tightly in their arms, just like her mother's embrace when she was a child, shielding her from all the storms and bringing her unparalleled peace, tranquility, and a sense of security.
But with Ling Xun beside her, her remaining rationality stopped her impulse. In the end, she couldn't hold back any longer, reached out and tightly grasped Ling Xun's arm, whispering, "Abao, he wants me dead."
A surge of rage welled up in Ling Xun's heart, and he almost wanted to grind Ling Zheng to dust. He was about to get up in a moment of impulse, but Bai Xuerou grabbed his hand, and he immediately dared not move, his whole body stiffening.
"Sister-in-law, it's alright. I'm here. It's all over." Ling Xun said, his voice steady and reassuring, pausing between each word.
Bai Xuerou was extremely tired.
She had been feeling very tired these past few days. She had finally breathed a sigh of relief after Ling Zheng's death, but tonight's events brought back that weariness, even more so, deeper and heavier.
Ling Xun's words of comfort slightly soothed their weariness.
Yes, it's over. She's still alive.
She felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude and dependence on Ling Xun, yet she clearly knew that this was due to the suspension bridge effect.
But that's just how some things are; even if you know it, you can't help it.
Bai Xuerou closed her eyes, forcing herself to remove her hand from Ling Xun's grasp.
“I set a fire in the funeral hall,” she said.
She felt great burning up then, but now that she's free, Bai Xuerou is worried about cleaning up the mess.
"It's alright, leave all of this to me, I'll handle it. Sister-in-law, you should go back and rest first," Ling Xun said.
Bai Xuerou wanted to say that it was inappropriate. How could she leave a mess for Ling Xun? She always subconsciously treated Ling Xun as a junior she needed to take care of.
But she was so tired that she had no energy left and didn't want to do anything, so in the end she said, "Okay."
"I'll rest for a bit. If you need anything, just come find me," she said, ultimately unable to shift the blame for the trouble she'd caused onto others.
Ling Xun knew her personality and was determined to let her rest well without disturbing her, but he only agreed verbally.
"You all come and help your sister-in-law," he instructed.
The group of maids who had been knocked unconscious had been woken up and had rushed over. Upon hearing this, they immediately stepped forward.
Bai Xuerou was helped to her feet. She took one last look at the increasingly large fire in the mourning hall, then turned away and never looked back.
"I'll just faint for a bit." After leaving, she said, closing her eyes and letting her body go limp.
The maids immediately rushed to the princess and ordered someone to fetch a sedan chair.
Ling Xun came out when he heard the commotion. He panicked when he saw what was happening, but he calmed down after hearing Yin Gui's whispered report and immediately understood what Bai Xue Rou meant.
The fire in the mourning hall grew larger and larger, and people from all over the Prince's mansion noticed the commotion and sent people to investigate. Naturally, they saw Bai Xuerou unconscious being helped into a sedan chair by her maid.
A little inquiry revealed that an insider had sent assassins to attack the mourning hall, and the princess was nearly killed. Fortunately, the guards fought desperately to protect her, and the sixth prince, Ling Xun, arrived in time to save her. However, those people were still incredibly brazen and set the mourning hall on fire.
The message was sent back, and everyone was immediately filled with surprise and doubt.
It's not that they refuse to believe anything they're told, but rather, even though Ling Zheng is dead, why would they attack and burn down the mourning hall? What are these people after?
The first thought that came to everyone's mind was that there was something else going on, which was why Ling Xun used this excuse to cover it up.
So, what exactly happened?
Ling Xun didn't care what these people thought. After taking over the guards of the Prince's Mansion in the morning, he immediately arranged his men in various places and ordered them to control the inside and outside of the mansion before he came.
After Bai Xuerou left, he was able to free up his hands to tidy up the affairs in the mourning hall.
Looking at Ling Cunrui and the others who were being forced to kneel before him, Ling Xun merely glanced at them and said, "Kill them."
No one really wanted to die. Ling Cunrui and the others struggled, and some even tried to say something, but they all stopped forever with the sharp blade slicing across their necks.
Blood splattered all over the ground, but Ling Xun just stared at the raging fire in the mourning hall.
Seeing that he had no intention of putting out the fire, the guard asked, "Master, what should we do with these corpses?"
Ling Xun nodded his chin and said, "Throw it in."
The guards understood, and one by one they dragged the corpses and threw them into the fire.
Ling Xun watched quietly, his eyes chillingly cold.
The guards were inwardly skeptical, thinking that these people were courting death. Their master's mother had died early, his father was distant, and the only person he cared about was this sister-in-law.
You're saying that even though Ling Zheng is dead, you still want to listen to him and harm the princess? How could you be so foolish?
After dealing with these guards, Ling Xun sent someone to bring in the strategists.
Ling Zheng had a total of five advisors, with Hou Feng as the leader.
A strategist is skilled in planning; his talent and learning may not necessarily be outstanding, but his grasp of situations and understanding of human nature are exceptional. When the funeral hall caught fire first, and then Ling Xun's personal guards arrived, they sensed something was wrong, but they were helpless.
Hou Feng was the last to be brought in. The guards said he was planning to sneak out of the mansion, but Ling Xun was prepared.
When Hou Feng arrived in the courtyard, he looked at the towering fire and the people around him who were watching the fire burn without moving, and sighed.
Ling Zheng is a truly ruthless person.
If he had revealed this intention earlier, he would have had time to prepare. But he didn't, which shows that he didn't care about their lives at all when he gave this order.
He looked at Ling Xun, who was expressionless, and felt that this matter was really difficult to handle. Ling Xun was a calm and reserved person, but he had a good temper and was quite lenient with his subordinates. He rarely showed obvious joy or anger, let alone such a cold demeanor as he was now.
This shows how angry he was.
At this moment, Hou Feng only felt that the situation was difficult, but he still believed that there was a chance of survival.
After all, as Ling Zheng's strategist, he knew far too many secrets and could always move Ling Xun.
Hou Feng didn't expect that after Ling Xun looked at them, he only said one word:
"kill."
"Wait..." As Hou Feng watched his guards raise their swords without hesitation, his eyes widened. Just as he was about to say something, a sharp pain shot through his neck, and warm blood splattered out. His last glance was at the night sky.
Dark clouds obscured the view, revealing only a few stars.
He died so easily.
The power of the Prince's Mansion once allowed Hou Feng to rise above many people, able to decide many things and the lives of many with a single word, and even influence the course of the world.
He had thought about his fate back then, but he never expected it would end like this.
All five advisors died.
In the end, they were all thrown into the fire.
The fire in the mourning hall burned for half the night, leaving only ruins in the end. Ling Xun had people clean it up and followed the place in his memory to find the location of Ling Zheng's coffin. They only found a charred skeleton, which was put back into the coffin. The mourning hall had also been rearranged in another place.
Everything seemed the same.
After returning home, Bai Xuerou asked someone to boil hot water and took a good soak, trying to wash away the previous discomfort. However, this was only a comfort in her heart. When she changed into smooth and comfortable nightgowns and lay down on the bed, she still felt uncomfortable.
Her heart felt heavy, as if weighed down by dark clouds; anger, resentment, and mockery made her desperately want to do something to vent them.
Unable to sleep, she finally got up and asked someone to bring her wine.
Let's get drunk then.
Jin Tao and Yin Gui both knew what had happened before, and without delay, they immediately had people prepare.
In the middle of the night, the firelight of the mourning hall could still be seen in the distance. Bai Xuerou sat on the veranda watching, drinking one cup after another.
Alcohol isn't very palatable.
Bai Xuerou couldn't bring herself to like it in either of her previous lives. She used to find it hard to understand why anyone would like to drink such a strange thing, until she encountered some problems and gradually began to understand a little.
The world is too bitter, and there are always various things weighing on our hearts, making it impossible to relax.
So people have come up with all sorts of ways to relieve their worries, and wine is one of them. When one is drunk, all the troubles of the world seem to disappear, and naturally, all worries are gone.
Wine is the best way to forget your worries.
The ancients were right.
Before she knew it, she had finished a pot of wine. Bai Xuerou was dizzy and slumped on the table, her wide sleeves and loose hair trailing on the ground. Her eyes were half-closed and she seemed to be asleep, but then again, she was not, just staring blankly.
"Your Highness, let me help you to bed," Jin Tao said softly as she stepped forward, her eyes red-rimmed.
Several maids had narrowly escaped death. When they returned, Bai Xuerou told them to go and rest, leaving other maids to serve them. However, the maids couldn't bear to leave and stayed. Such a great change must have made their mistress very sad, so how could they just leave like that?
They stood by and watched Bai Xuerou get herself drunk, their eyes stinging with tears.
Why would the prince do such a thing to someone so good?
If you love someone, don't you want her to live a long and happy life?
"Don't call me Princess! I... I'm disgusted..." Bai Xue Rou, though drunk, still remembered and immediately retorted.
Yingui patted Jintao, who then muttered a defense that had caught on, and immediately changed her tune, advising Bai Xuerou, "Master, go back to sleep."
“No,” Bai Xuerou said, murmuring, “I don’t want to move.”
“It’s not good to catch a cold here,” Yingui whispered as she stepped forward.
“Then it’s just a cold,” Bai Xuerou said dreamily. “I’m going to have a good sick period.”
“Master, please don’t speak nonsense,” Zhu Cui hurriedly said.
Being sick is never a good thing.
As they were talking, a maid came to report that Ling Xun had arrived.
After handling the funeral arrangements and making follow-up plans, he was still worried about Bai Xuerou and decided to come and check on her. He had planned to go back if Bai Xuerou was asleep, but to his surprise, she was drinking and drowning her sorrows.
Bai Xuerou, who was in charge, was drunk. Jin Tao and the others hesitated for a moment, but still invited Ling Xun in.
It's already quite late, and we shouldn't be meeting, but things have changed drastically tonight. It's understandable that Ling Xun is visiting Bai Xue Rou.
"Sixth Master." Everyone greeted Ling Xun, who was dressed in silver-gray clothes, as he approached.
Ling Xun raised his hand, signaling everyone to stand up. He looked at Bai Xuerou with a slight frown, somewhat worried.
"How much did your sister-in-law drink?" he asked.
"One pot. If Master wants more, we dare not take it." Jin Tao was still somewhat afraid of Ling Xun, so Ying Gui stepped forward and said.
"Why don't you help your sister-in-law back to rest?"
"The master refuses."
Ling Xun didn't ask any more questions, gestured for everyone to step back, and went forward to sit opposite Bai Xuerou.
She was alone, using a single long table, which could only comfortably accommodate two people sitting side by side. It was also cramped; he was opposite her, and could touch her with a simple outstretched arm. Now, with Bai Xuerou leaning over the table, he could see her eyelashes clearly with just a slight tilt of his head.
Bai Xuerou was so drunk that she didn't even react to his arrival. Her eyes were half-closed as she gazed vaguely out the window. Ling Xun followed her gaze and saw a pomegranate tree there. In July, the pomegranate blossoms had already faded, and the fruit had just begun to ripen, offering little of interest.
My sister-in-law was probably just lost in thought.
Ling Xun went to see her again. His sister-in-law was undoubtedly beautiful. No matter how long he looked at her or how many times he saw her, she would become more and more charming with each visit.
But he couldn't care less about her beauty at the moment; he only saw her annoyance.
"Sister-in-law," Ling Xun called softly.
Bai Xuerou seemed to sense something, slowly got up, and glanced at him.
“It’s Liulang,” she said.
“It’s me,” Ling Xun said. “Sister-in-law, you’re drunk. Go back to your room and rest.”
“No, no,” Bai Xuerou refused, “I’m tired, I don’t want to move, I’ll stay here.”
Ling Xun had no choice but to ask his maid to bring him a cloak.
"Sixth Master, shouldn't you persuade Master to go back?" Yingui hesitated.
“My sister-in-law is upset and needs to find a way to relieve it. If she wants to stay here, let her stay here. We’ll go in after she falls asleep,” Ling Xun said, and then had someone lower the curtain under the eaves to block the wind.
Yingui led a group to do it.
After a while, Bai Xuerou closed her eyes. Just as the maid was about to move her, she opened them again. It turned out she hadn't fallen asleep yet and was still angry.
"I said, don't move! Get out of here, all of you get out of here!" Bai Xuerou said unhappily, waving her hand and shoving people.
The sleeve brushed against Ling Xun's chest, and he stepped back slightly, feeling the smooth fabric brush against him. It carried a faint scent of lotus flowers and was so soft that it reminded him of the last time, when he was also drunk, when Bai Xuerou's fingers had caressed his cheek.
His heart skipped a beat. He took a breath to calm himself and looked up at her somewhat childish demeanor. He felt a mix of unfamiliarity and surprise. When he was familiar with Bai Xuerou, she had always been gentle and dignified, speaking and acting in a calm and unhurried manner. This was the first time he had seen her like this.
Yes, my sister-in-law is only twenty-one.
Twenty-one years old is considered an adult, but he is far from being a stable and mature age. Among the men he knows, many are still immature and foolish, especially those spoiled brats.
The maids rarely saw their mistress like this, especially in front of the Sixth Prince. It was truly too much of a loss of composure. They looked around, feeling rather embarrassed.
In the end, he lowered his head and pretended not to see it.
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