CHAPTER 267: CHAPTER 265: YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND LU YING

"It’s me!" Luo Wanxiang stood up, admiration hidden in her almond-shaped eyes. "I heard Shen Yinning has gone mad and wants to kill you all, so I came to save you. Lord Xue, though I am a woman of the Luo family, I am not like my elder brother. I’ve never thought of betraying the court. I stand on your side!"

Behind Xue Ling, more and more Ritual Officers and Imperial Guards surged in.

Luo Wanxiang was taken aback. "I heard Shen Yinning poisons your tea every day to stop you from using your Inner Strength. But now it seems you weren’t poisoned at all?!"

Doctor Xiao Chen squeezed his way forward, grinning with pride. "The day before the Princess’s wedding, Lady Shen ordered poison to be delivered to Lord Xue. Under the Crown Prince’s command, I, as the accompanying Imperial Physician, spent a whole afternoon crafting an antidote and worked overnight to produce pills to carry with me. Detoxifying everyone wasn’t difficult at all."

Luo Wanxiang couldn’t hide her shock.

So, being imprisoned in Ciyin Temple was merely the Crown Prince’s strategy of feigned weakness.

But even the single crime of imprisoning the Crown Prince was enough to bring down the Luo family.

Luo Wanxiang broke out in a cold sweat. Ignoring romantic sentiment, she said hurriedly, "Lord Xue, you all have seen clearly that I am different from the Luo family. My path converges with yours. If the Crown Prince moves against the Luo family in the future, please speak on my behalf! If you are willing to protect me, I... I can steal my father and elder brother’s account books for you!"

Xue Ling played with a copper coin, a wicked smile curling his lips.

The Luo family, brigands for two generations, unexpectedly gave birth to such a filial daughter as Luo Wanxiang.

A surprising gain for the night.

He immediately promised, "If you can retrieve the account books, Luo Xibai’s troubles will not be yours to bear."

He needed to take advantage of the dark and windy night to regroup with Lu Ying along with the Ritual Officers and Imperial Guards, so he didn’t linger long in Liang Garden.

After they left, Luo Wanxiang collapsed to the ground. "The account books..."

With her father and brother now unreliable, and her sister reduced to a common fool chasing after love, the account books were now her only way to save herself.

Calming her emotions, she was about to return to her own courtyard when she suddenly recalled that Xue Ling and the others seemed to have left without taking Lu Qianqian along.

When morning came and Shen Yinning discovered that Xue Ling and company had fled, she would surely vent her anger on Lu Qianqian.

If she secretly hid the Princess away, wouldn’t that be a great merit?

Without hesitation, she dashed into Ciyin Temple. "Your Highness Princess!"

...

The next day.

During Shen Yinning’s morning grooming, the maidservants reported nervously on the situation at Ciyin Temple. "Lord Xue and the Ninth Princess are both missing. Even the Ritual Officers and Imperial Guards have vanished without a trace overnight! The patrolling soldiers were either killed or injured. Those who fainted and later regained consciousness said they saw nothing but heard the sound of copper coins clinking. Following that, a slender red thread wrapped around the necks of those nearby. The red thread was sharper than any blade, and those entangled bled out and died instantly!"

Shen Yinning hadn’t yet put on her embroidered silk socks or shoes.

Her bare, fair feet touched the floor. Her raven-black hair cascaded like silk down to the ground, revealing a petite, delicate face that was pale and sharp. Her freshly cleansed face, still damp from the towel, looked like a frost-covered pear blossom.

She remained silent for a long time before expressionlessly flinging the towel into the golden basin.

Splashes of water soaked the maids’ skirts, and they fell to their knees with their heads lowered, not daring to utter a word.

"Sister!"

Luo Xibai stepped in with heavy strides. His plump face was filled with an air of gravity. "I’ve heard that Xue Ling and the rest escaped. What are we to do? Their lives were our strongest bargaining chip. Now what do we have to contend with Lu Ying?"

Shen Yinning’s voice was low and ruthless. "Seal the city gates. Search every corner of the city!"

Luo Xibai hesitated. "They went to great lengths to escape. Could they have slipped out of Lin’an City overnight, heading back to the Capital?"

"Impossible. Lu Ying has targeted Jiangnan like a fat piece of meat; he won’t leave so easily. You, I, the Luo family, Jiangnan—we are all his prey. In this game, it’s either his death or ours. Brother, start the search immediately. Dead or alive, capture them!"

Luo Xibai cautiously nodded. "I’ll handle it at once!"

Three days passed, yet there was still no news of Lu Ying.

It was as if he, Xue Ling, and the rest had vanished into thin air. Though unfamiliar with Jiangnan, they left no trail for the soldiers to follow.

Every day, Shen Yinning studied the map of Lin’an City.

Using a brush, she deliberately marked the areas searched by the soldiers and those unsuitable for hiding. She analyzed the remaining streets and alleys, trying to deduce the most likely places for him to conceal himself.

Luo Xibai felt a twinge of sympathy. "Sister, you haven’t slept well these past days. I say, there’s no need to push yourself so hard. Whether or not we catch him, Jiangnan is still our domain. With no external aid, what trouble could he possibly stir?"

Shen Yinning gripped the brush tightly. "You don’t understand Lu Ying..."

That man had fought his way out of the cutthroat struggle between the Princes. His resilience exceeded her imagination.

The quieter Lin’an City seemed, the more she suspected he was planning something monumental.

"Oh!" Luo Xibai carelessly grabbed the brush from her hand and tossed it aside. "Sister, listen to me. Let’s stop worrying about him for now and relax! The weather’s nice today. Come, let Brother take you to the Beast Fighting Arena for some excitement! I raised a lion that just came of age yesterday—it fought with the zoo’s big white tiger with hanging eyes..."

He rambled on as he tugged at Shen Yinning’s sleeve to pull her outside.

Shen Yinning rubbed her temples.

After staying tense in Zhaoyue Pavilion for three whole days, basking in the warm sun relaxed her somewhat.

To please her, Luo Xibai specially ordered his attendants to invite other bureaucrats, wealthy merchants, and many women to the event. For a time, the Beast Fighting Arena in Liang Garden was filled with lively crowds.

Shen Yinning sat upright beside Luo Xibai. On the table before her were exquisite flower-shaped pastries and seasonal fruits.

She leaned her cheek against her hand, her gaze sweeping over the other spectators. They were all accompanied by personal bodyguards. Perhaps it was a common custom among Jiangnan officials, but something about the shadows cast on the guards’ faces by the high eaves gave her a faint sense of unease.

Suppressing the feeling, she picked up a small wine cup and drained it in one gulp.

She narrowed her phoenix eyes, looking into the arena at the beast fight.

Yet, her mind replayed countless times the strategies of her struggle against Lu Ying in Jiangnan.

Where had he hidden these past few days?

"Beast fighting is dull." Luo Xibai, tipsy from several cups of wine, suddenly raised his voice. "Someone, bring in the slaves! I want to see man against beast!"

The crowd around instantly erupted in cheers.

Before long, the steward led a young man into the arena.

The youth wore a narrow-sleeved, red robe with diagonal lapels and a fox mask. He was slender and tall, with a pair of black, half-finger leather gloves on his hands.

He was a new face in the Beast Fighting Arena.

Some of the young aristocrats whistled flirtatiously.

As the iron gate slowly opened, the newly-matured male lion stepped out proudly.

It circled the youth in the red robe for a moment, then raised its head and issued a roar only a king of the grasslands could produce. Then, opening its blood-stained jaws and shaking its mane, it suddenly lunged at the youth!

Amid the chaos, Shen Yinning suddenly heard a faint clinking of copper coins.

She raised her lashes and looked into the arena.

In the youth’s hand appeared several strands of red string threaded with copper coins. His movements were as swift as a ghost’s, and in a flash, he vanished from his original spot.

In one agile leap, he landed on the lion’s back. The red string slipped across the lion’s neck. The crowd could only see a geyser of blood spray out, staining the lion’s mane crimson. The lion didn’t even have time to stop before staggering and collapsing to the ground. Blood gushed from its neck, pooling into a sea of red.

Silence engulfed the crowd.

Shen Yinning’s gaze locked onto the youth in red, her pupils narrowing sharply.

Xue Ling?

The copper coins clinked again.

The youth threw off the fox mask, a devilish and dazzling smile curling his lips. "Lord Luo, why aren’t you kneeling upon seeing the Crown Prince?"

Spring winds swept through.

The crowd instinctively looked toward the highest point of the arena.

A man dressed in a dark robe adorned with a golden hairpin stood tall against the wind. Thousands of pear blossom petals swirled around his wide sleeves.

He looked down with an expressionless face. "Luo Xibai, you’ve taken bribes, formed factions for personal gain, colluded with bandits, murdered merchants, imprisoned the Crown Prince, and defied the court... Do you admit your guilt?"