Chapter 22: Blooming
How could the delicate princess withstand such mistreatment from him?
Early in the morning, Xuan Rui knocked on Bai Yao’er’s door once again.
Having spent years surrounded by corpses on the battlefield, he seemed oblivious to the foul odor filling the room. With a relaxed demeanor, he casually took a seat on the carved pearwood chair beside the bed.
Having stayed up all night, faint dark circles shadowed his eyes. His gaze was cool as he watched Bai Yao’er struggle to sit up.
“The General seems to be in good spirits,” she remarked, her eyes flickering to the woman’s silk handkerchief bandaged around the tiger’s mouth of his right hand before lowering her gaze. “You must have slept well last night.”
How interesting—this mad wolf who usually abstained from carnal pleasures now had a woman by his side.
Remembering the Third Princess she had seen yesterday, her heart couldn’t help but tighten with worry.
How could such a delicate princess endure the brutish treatment of a savage like him?
Recalling how the princess had treaded on thin ice in his presence yesterday, trembling with fear, she couldn’t suppress a surge of pity.
Xuan Rui let out a scornful laugh, leaning forward to examine the pile of beauty’s bones with a detached coldness in his eyes. “Your body is already rotting to this state, yet you still pretend to be some heroic woman in front of this General? I gave you a night to think it over. If you haven’t made up your mind yet, I’ll just sit here a while longer—”
His tone was casual as he scooped a spoonful of incense into the burner, his eyes fixed on her. “I’ve seen intestines rotting through countless times, but watching them spill out from between the legs of a living beauty—now that would be something fresh.”
“Xuan Rui, you vile and shameless scoundrel!” Bai Yao’er was provoked, her face growing even paler as her breathing became ragged. It took her a long while to calm down.
Then, in a weak voice, she said, “I’m afraid the General won’t get to see that today. The poison of Heartbreak Grass acts slowly—it would take at least several days to reach that state.”
She knew she wouldn’t die, for just yesterday, a pardon token had been delivered to her doorstep.
As long as she delivered the Third Princess to the Prince, he would surely trust and value her as he had before.
By then, what would a mere commander of the Zhenbei Army matter?
Moreover, she was doing this for the Third Princess’s sake.
In this land of Mobei where people devoured others without leaving even bones, only her own father could protect her from harm.
She couldn’t stand by and watch the delicate young princess be destroyed in the jaws of this beast.
Xuan Rui slowly shook his head, pointing indifferently at the incense burner by her bedside. “Before I left yesterday, I already added powdered Heartbreak Grass to it. After burning all night, this body of yours should be just about ripe—”
Staring into her shocked and furious eyes, he said with nonchalance, “Chief Bai, my patience is truly limited. You ought to know when to yield.”
Bai Yao’er met his gaze, unable to conceal the hatred in her eyes, as if she wished she could tear him apart limb from limb.
Xuan Rui had already closed his eyes, leaning back against the chair to rest quietly, as if his visit wasn’t for interrogation but merely to watch her die a miserable death.
“Was the General truly sent by the Prince to interrogate me?” Bai Yao’er had always harbored doubts. The Prince hadn’t involved General Xuan in the entire plan, so why would he send him to Wu City at the last moment?
Xuan Rui kept his eyes closed, rhythmically tapping the pearwood armrest with his knuckles. “Based on my past experience, in about half an hour, Chief Bai’s lower half should start blooming.”
His tone was flippant, yet carried a ruthless edge.
“No, please, General, please extinguish the censer first, then Yao’er will answer!” Bai Yao’er felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen and struggled to reach the edge of the incense burner.
Xuan Rui stretched out his long leg and kicked the burner farther away.
Remembering how she had only stayed in the room briefly yesterday before vomiting uncontrollably, he couldn’t help but sniff his own clothes.
Suddenly recalling last night’s events, his temples began throbbing with pain again.
She had made such a fierce scene at first, yet ended up clinging to him shamelessly and refusing to let go.
She was truly like sticky malt candy—impossible to shake off.
He sneered and replied lazily, “After the White Sect Leader’s death, his corpse must have been quite horrifying. This General is in a good mood today, so I’ll grant you cremation…”
“General, please hear me out. Yao’er did not intentionally delay matters, but that Xiao Ziyan was truly relentless, prying and gathering information everywhere. Yao’er had no choice but to reroute that shipment of military supplies through the river route. Though this was a desperate measure, it hardly warrants death!”
Bai Yao’er pleaded tearfully: “This subordinate has schemed tirelessly to secure Wu City for His Highness. Even without merit, there has been toil. I’ve already learned my lesson from this incident—I beg the General to show mercy and grant me the antidote!”
Xuan Rui’s mind exploded with realization, his fists clenching involuntarily.
The long-suspected answer was now clear—the Wu City incident had truly been masterminded by his adoptive father, with King Bai merely serving as a decoy to deceive the court.
Moreover, his adoptive father had even supplied military equipment to that old traitor Ka’er.
Xuan Rui tilted his chin upward slightly, his face darkening as he remained silent.
Seeing his expression grow even grimmer, as if dissatisfied with her answer, Bai Yao’er finally broke and confessed everything: “This subordinate should not have acted on my own cleverness—I forged His Highness’s order to transfer the five thousand garrison troops to Ming City.”
Xuan Rui leaned forward, staring sternly at Bai Yao’er. “Why would you do this?”
Bai Yao’er answered dazedly: “King Bai brought a hundred thousand troops to attack the city according to his agreement with His Highness, but I couldn’t bear to watch the defending soldiers die in vain or civilians suffer. So I forged His Highness’s secret order, sending Xiao Ziyan and others with their troops to Ming City to avoid this disaster.”
“I know I deserve death ten thousand times over, but I beg the General to consider that Yao’er only wished to prevent mass casualties and the displacement of Wu City’s citizens. Please put in a good word before His Highness to spare Yao’er’s life.” Bai Yao’er spoke with desperate sincerity.
Today’s Wu City remained vibrant despite great upheaval, with citizens living orderly lives, precisely because that catastrophe never actually occurred.
The Zhenbei Army had withdrawn from Wu City in advance, and the Rou Lan royal house changed allegiance—everything happened without suspense.
To Bai Yao’er, whoever ruled Rou Lan made no difference.
She had simply acted from the perspective of an ordinary Rou Lan citizen, doing what she believed was right.
Having said this, Bai Yao’er retrieved the forged secret letter from Zhenbei Wang from a hidden compartment in her bed and handed it to Xuan Rui: “However, Xiao Ziyan and the others refused to retreat with the troops, which is why they were hanged on the city walls. Yao’er knows she is the criminal behind this rebellion—no punishment could be too severe. But even ants cling to life—Yao’er doesn’t want to die so miserably. I beg the General for mercy!”
Silence lingered for a long while, the censer’s fragrance growing so thick it seemed to boil, embers crackling sporadically.
Listening to these sounds, Bai Yao’er curled into a trembling ball of fear.
Xuan Rui drew a white jade porcelain bottle from his sleeve, poured out a pill, and said coldly, “This medicine can temporarily slow the onset of your poison.” Combined with the antidote I added to the incense burner, it will ensure your survival for half a month.”
Seeing that he had finally relented and given her the antidote, Bai Yao’er relaxed completely, habitually tilting her face up to assume a seductive pose.
Unfortunately, her face now resembled a skull, devoid of any beauty.
After taking the pill, her slender fingers rested on the man’s arm as she asked softly, “General, why not give me the antidote directly?”
Xuan Rui’s expression darkened, his attention seemingly no longer on her: “Endure it for now, girl. It won’t kill you anyway.”
With that, he stood up and strode out of the room.
Bai Yao’er’s hand hung empty in the air without support, a trace of melancholy crossing her face.
This man was impervious to persuasion, his words both warning and testing her, yet she hadn’t revealed any weakness.
But at least, she had glimpsed a sliver of hope for survival.
As long as she could deliver the Third Princess to Zhenbei Wang, she would surely redeem her crimes and regain the prince’s trust.
Zhenbei Royal Mansion
Lu Zhan had believed the Crown Prince’s words, thinking his long-lost daughter would finally return to him, only to be met with a devastating blow in the end.
Scouts brought back the tragic news of the young princess jumping from the city tower, her face shattered beyond recognition, leading to her immediate cremation according to royal rules.
With Emperor Jian gravely ill, the Empress deceased, and Shu Fei paying no attention to her biological daughter, the entire matter was handled solely by the Crown Prince.
Though aged, Lu Zhan’s mind remained clear. His first thought was that the Crown Prince had pulled a switcheroo.
He had hidden the young princess to use her against him in the future.
These inexperienced youngsters dared to play imperial mind games with him.
Yet at this moment, he truly wished this were the Crown Prince’s scheme rather than his daughter truly being gone from this world.
On the desk lay a letter from Shu Fei, vehemently accusing him of collaborating with the Crown Prince to attack the Li Zhen Tribe, urging him to unite with the Sima Family and secure the Fourth Prince’s succession.
“Your Highness, please reconsider! The Sima Family harbors wolfish ambitions, and their influence in Daliang is deeply entrenched. Cooperating with the Crown Prince would bring us far greater benefits,” an advisor counseled beside him.
Seeing that the prince, grieving the young princess’s death, was leaning more toward Shu Fei’s side, the advisor decided to play his trump card: “This may be inappropriate to say, but before Shu Fei entered the palace, she had more than just Your Highness as a lover. Even the young princess’s parentage is questionable—she may not be Emperor Jian’s, nor necessarily Your Highness’s blood!”Zhenbei Wang, touching a raw nerve, crumpled Shu Fei’s letter in his large hand and asked in a low voice, ‘Have you found evidence for that matter?””
The advisor replied, “Your Highness, before entering the palace, Shu Fei Niangniang went up the mountain to offer incense several times, where she was seen intimately involved with a foreign man by the abbot himself. What more evidence do we need?”
“I said, produce your evidence!” Zhenbei Wang erupted in anger, sweeping the teacups and utensils off the table as he stood and roared at them, “Without evidence, no one is allowed to slander my daughter!”
By now, what concerned him was no longer Shu Fei, but the young princess who had suffered alone in the palace all these years.
She was his only remaining flesh and blood, the sole consolation of his half-life spent in military campaigns, the pearl he held in the softest part of his heart.
“Your Highness, urgent news from Wu City!” Another guard hurried over, knelt and reported: “General Xuan led a thirty-man team to Wu City, retrieved the bodies of Xiao Ziyan and other defending generals under cover of night, and forcibly took over the Qing He Dance House.”
Lu Zhan, who had been in a rage, calmed down upon hearing this news and said: “Rui’er is young and impulsive. Having achieved repeated victories and accumulated numerous military merits over these years, I should indeed grant him some rewards… Send the order for him to come see me as soon as possible.”
“Yes.” The guard replied respectfully, then presented a letter: “Your Highness, Bai Yao’er has sent another message. I’m afraid she can no longer endure without having obtained the Heartbreak Grass antidote.”
Seeing that His Highness had turned away, seemingly uninterested in the matter, the guard placed the letter on the cluttered table and withdrew first.