CHAPTER 268: CHAPTER 266: DO NOT HURT HER

Luo Xibai sprang to his feet: "Crown Prince?!"

After his initial shock, he sneered: "Well, well, well, I couldn’t find you, and yet you’ve delivered yourself to me! Today, I will avenge my little sister from the Shen Family! Men, seize him!"

The private soldiers in the Beast Fighting Arena were about to act, but the guards brought in by the bureaucrats and wealthy merchants silently appeared behind them, cold, gleaming blades dangerously pressed against their throats.

These guards turned out to be Lu Ying’s men!

Luo Xibai’s face turned incredibly grim. Staring furiously at his former colleagues and subordinates, he demanded, "What is the meaning of this?!"

Several leading officials avoided his gaze in unison, beads of cold sweat breaking out on their foreheads.

One of them clasped his hands and said, "Lord Luo has committed many crimes and should have confessed and faced justice long ago. We are all loyal subjects of the Court, steadfastly serving the Crown Prince and the Emperor. Helping His Highness enter Liang Garden today is simply our duty. Lord Luo, do not resist in vain; you must know that admitting fault is the way forward!"

Shen Yinning continued to rest her cheek on her hand.

She now understood where Lu Ying had been these past days.

He hadn’t gone into hiding but had visited the bureaucrats and wealthy merchants of Lin’an City one by one.

Perhaps he reached some sort of agreement with them, leading them to betray Luo Xibai and change allegiance to Lu Ying.

Luo Xibai’s jowls quivered with rage, his eyes narrowing: "Do you realize what you’re saying? Have you forgotten that in the deeds I committed, some of you were complicit? You also shared the spoils from the wealth we plundered! The account books are still in my study—if you pledge allegiance to him, are you not afraid he’ll uproot and eradicate you along with me?!"

The group hung their heads, unwilling to answer him.

A crisp female voice suddenly interjected: "Brother, are you talking about these account books?"

Luo Wanxiang, her hair tied in a high ponytail, signaled for the maids to carry a box of account books into the Beast Fighting Arena.

Seeing the physical account books, the officials’ eyes lit up instantly.

Luo Xibai furrowed his brow: "Xiang’er, what are you doing?!"

Luo Wanxiang ignored him and bowed towards Lu Ying and Xue Ling: "I have fulfilled the promises I made to His Highness and Lord Xue. Additionally, I wish to report my father and brother’s involvement in the trading of official titles, taking bribes, and committing murder for profit. I humbly ask the two of you to spare me from being implicated in the Luo Family’s crimes, as I voluntarily chose to defect."

Luo Xibai trembled all over, incredulous: "Xiang’er..."

Luo Wanxiang, with her back turned to him, raised four fingers skyward: "If I have spoken even a single false word, may the heavens strike me down and deny me peace in death!"

Luo Xibai was on the verge of collapse.

He roared angrily: "Luo Wanxiang, do you even understand what you’re saying?!"

"Of course I know what I’m saying!" Luo Wanxiang turned to him in fury. "You and father colluded with criminals to murder for profit in the past, but that’s one thing. Now, your lustful foolishness has led you to heed the words of a depraved individual, imprisoning the Crown Prince and betraying the Court—that is a crime that warrants the extermination of nine generations of our family! I, Luo Wanxiang, have always kept my innocence and refused to associate with people like you from a young age. What wrong have I committed by stepping forward to expose you today?!"

Luo Xibai’s eyes were filled with shock and incomprehension.

In the past, he and their father doted on Luo Wanxiang deeply.

Whether it was treasures or gifts, they always made sure to deliver them to her quarters.

Back then, she didn’t mind that those items were stolen goods. Fully aware they were plundered, she still wore them proudly. Now, it seemed she despised them.

Shen Yinning watched the siblings’ falling-out unfold. She picked a jade-green grape off the vine before her.

Slowly peeling the skin, she placed the fruit into her mouth.

Its juice burst forth, a mix of sweet and tart, causing her to squint slightly in enjoyment. Her gaze once again fell upon that box of account books.

She suspected the substance of Lu Ying’s dealings with the Jiangnan officials.

As if to confirm her guess, Xue Ling set the box of account books ablaze.

Lu Ying’s voice was indifferent: "The past is the past; let bygones be bygones. I will not inquire into what you may have done before. But from this moment forward, if any of you dares to violate the law again, I will personally execute you."

The officials collectively let out sighs of relief, bowing to him with heartfelt submission: "Long live His Highness! We swear our undying loyalty to the Crown Prince!"

Compared to living under Luo Xibai in constant fear of their crimes being exposed, leading to confiscation of property and execution, pledging loyalty to the Crown Prince was undoubtedly the more comfortable choice.

Luo Xibai’s face darkened as he snarled: "You climbed to your current posts through the Luo Family’s patronage! Over the years, how much have you profited from us?! In your daily indulgences, you have never lacked; when have we ever been stingy with you?! How dare you repay us with betrayal and ingratitude?!"

The crowd bowed towards the northern direction and responded at once:

"We are officials of the Court, drawing a salary from the Court. What does it have to do with the Luo Family?"

"Indeed! In the past, we lived under the shadow of the Luo Family. If we didn’t cooperate with you, we would’ve been ostracized and left for dead. Everything we did before was out of coercion!"

"His Highness now seeks justice for us; he is truly a wise ruler!"

"..."

Luo Xibai’s eyes turned bloodshot, gritting his teeth until his jaw was near breaking: "I never imagined that the people fostered by the Luo Family would have less loyalty than a dog! The Luo Family has never wronged you, yet you wish to push us to ruin and complete destruction!"

Under his accusations, the officials and merchants averted their gazes, pretending not to hear.

Some even began suggesting he voluntarily surrender, hoping that the Crown Prince’s magnanimity would spare his life.

Hearing these words, Luo Xibai trembled with rage, veins bulging along his forearm, muscles taut: "You treacherous wretches—"

Shen Yinning suddenly tugged at his sleeve.

"Brother." In the tense atmosphere, the girl’s voice sounded particularly clear and tempered, "Since they’ve already made their choice, what good will saying more do?"

Even if cursed thousands of ways, they would still wear their official hats and sit comfortably in the government office.

Why waste words?

She lifted her gaze towards Lu Ying, positioned high above.

Like others, she had always thought the Crown Prince was upright and incorruptible, a man unswayed by any grain of deceit.

Yet she would never have imagined Lu Ying would issue invitations to and align with other Jiangnan officials, isolating the Luo Family.

Knowing full well these individuals were not clean themselves...

Crystal-clear waters cannot harbor fish. Between two evils, choose the lesser.

So this is the Emperor’s Skill?

In this game, she had lost yet again...

"Brother..." Shen Yinning clasped Luo Xibai’s sleeve firmly, "Let’s go."

The garden still housed private soldiers loyal to Luo Xibai.

As the two factions clashed, Shen Yinning and Luo Xibai seized the confusion to escape the Beast Fighting Arena.

Xue Ling approached Lu Ying: "What now?"

"Seal off Liang Garden and capture Luo Xibai alive," Lu Ying ordered coldly, then paused to add, "Do not harm her."

Xue Ling smirked faintly.

Over these past days, Shen Yinning had issued death warrants, ordering their capture throughout the city, dead or alive.

But with the Crown Prince, she was not to be harmed.

Too sentimental!

He flexed his wrists and set off to capture them.

Protected by private soldiers, Luo Xibai and Shen Yinning had planned to use a secret tunnel to reach the North City Pier, but Luo Wanxiang’s betrayal was thorough. She revealed the tunnel’s existence to Lu Ying as well.

Guards blocked the tunnel entrance, forcing the two to retreat into Zhaoyue Tower.

By dusk, the area around Zhaoyue Tower was encircled by troops mobilized by Lu Ying.

Inside the tower, over a hundred private soldiers stood guard on every level’s railing, bows drawn and arrows aimed, barring the soldiers from stepping closer.

However, the tower’s supplies—be it arrows or food—were severely limited and wouldn’t last more than three days.