The King of Northern Borders turned back, looking at the newcomer, his expression chilling, "What are you here for?"
Yan Jin Chao said faintly, "I've come to mourn Miss Jiang."
"You paid no attention to Yu Li when she was alive, and now you come? I don't need it," the King of Northern Borders said coldly.
"Who exactly harmed Miss Jiang, Your Highness knows better than I do," Yan Jin Chao suddenly leaned closer and said softly.
The King of Northern Borders trembled all over and looked up at him, "What do you mean?"
"I mean no offense, but I find Miss Jiang rather regrettable. She could have lived a peaceful life, how did she end up in this state? Does Your Highness bear no responsibility?"
The King of Northern Borders turned around and said, "If you had accepted Yu Li earlier, this situation would not have occurred."
Yan Jin Chao sneered upon hearing this, "According to Your Highness's words, you are blaming me?"
The King of Northern Borders sneered, "No blame, I just feel that life is unpredictable."
"Indeed, life is unpredictable. Just yesterday, Miss Jiang was free-spirited and lovely; now, we are separated by life and death."
The King of Northern Borders said no more, but his clenched fist within his sleeve betrayed his current feelings.
"My child, my child, why did you leave your parents and go alone?"
A woman by the doorway, crying, walked in and out, her grief inconsolable.
The King of Northern Borders quickly stepped forward and said, "Aunt He."
"Your Highness..." Madam He saw the King of Northern Borders. Although deeply saddened, she still bowed to him.
"Aunt He, please rise quickly," the King of Northern Borders quickly helped Madam He up.
Madam He said, "Your Highness, propriety must not be neglected."
"Aunt He, why must you do this?" the King of Northern Borders sighed.
"Your Highness, where is Yu Li?" Madam He asked.
The King of Northern Borders moved aside and pointed to the center, "Yu Li is there."
Madam He, weeping, rushed towards the mourning hall.
During this time, Madam He fainted several times from grief. However, Jiang Yu Li's father, Jiang Peng, was much calmer, with only red eyes and no other superfluous actions.
To provide an explanation for Madam He and Jiang Peng, the King of Northern Borders ordered that Jiang Yu Li be entered into the Xue family genealogy, and the body of Mr. Feng the Second was sunk into the lake.
Madam He wanted the King of Northern Borders to scatter Mr. Feng the Second's ashes, but she knew that sinking the body was the King of Northern Borders' greatest concession. If she pushed further, she felt the King of Northern Borders would no longer agree.
Madam He was not mistaken. The King of Northern Borders would not scatter Mr. Feng the Second's ashes. Firstly, Mr. Feng the Second had come to help him, and he could not bring himself to do that. Moreover, who was Mr. Feng the Second? He was a member of the Feng Yin clan.
The Feng Yin clan were all vengeful. If they knew Mr. Feng the Second had been reduced to ashes, he didn't know how the Feng Yin clan would retaliate against the Northern Borders.
He had invited the man, and then he wanted to scatter his ashes. It seemed utterly unreasonable.
As for why he chose to sink the body, he could secretly retrieve it later that night.
This way, the Feng Yin clan would not know.
The King of Northern Borders sent off Madam He and Jiang Peng, and then quickly ordered Ming Ning to have Mr. Feng the Second's body fished out. However, the body seemed to have vanished into thin air, disappearing without a trace...
"Go and search. You must find the body. Without Mr. Feng the Second's body, once the Feng Yin clan knows, the city of Northern Borders might cease to exist!"
Thinking of this, the King of Northern Borders quickly dispatched more people into the lake to search for Mr. Feng the Second's body, but by nightfall, his body had still not been found.
The lake in the King of Northern Borders' mansion was only so large and so deep. How could such a grown man as Mr. Feng the Second disappear?
Not long after, rumors spread throughout the mansion that when approaching the lake at night, one could hear a woman's cry. Some said it was Miss Jiang's, weeping for her fate.
It was also rumored that Mr. Feng the Second's body had been taken by Miss Jiang, which was why his body had disappeared.
This was just a rumor within the mansion. The next day, the King of Northern Borders had the servants spreading rumors beaten and driven out.
However, unexpectedly, the rumors not only did not stop but intensified, with some even claiming that the King of Northern Borders was solely responsible for Miss Jiang's death.
The King of Northern Borders, enraged, began a thorough investigation into the rumors, but nothing was found.
"Wen Yu Xi, you spread these rumors, didn't you!" Xue Zi Xuan looked at Wen Yu Xi, who was sitting on a stone chair and drinking tea, and couldn't help but ask.
Wen Yu Xi put down his teacup and looked at Xue Zi Xuan, "Why would you suspect me?"
Xue Zi Xuan shook his head. Did he have to say that he simply thought so and felt so, but saying it out loud seemed too abrupt?
"Why aren't you speaking?" Wen Yu Xi asked.
Xue Zi Xuan raised his head and said, "I've thought a lot about what you said that day. Perhaps you are right. If it is for my sister, I am willing to stain my hands with blood to pave the way for her."
Wen Yu Xi chuckled softly upon hearing this, then stood up and patted Xue Zi Xuan's shoulder, "Young Prince, you don't need to do such things. You just need to be yourself, the Young Prince, and let His Majesty have family besides a lover. That is enough. I will handle the rest."
Xue Zi Xuan was slightly taken aback. He looked at Wen Yu Xi, who patted his shoulder, "Don't think too much. You just need to be you."
The news of Mr. Feng the Second's death reached the Feng Yin clan. Xue Zi Ning heard it from Ling'er.
Ling'er was a little sad. Although her second uncle was not close to her, he was still family. How could she not be sad that he was killed?
The people of the Feng Yin clan were extremely protective of their own.
Even Feng Xian, who usually clashed with Feng Ling, was united in common hatred at this moment.
Xue Zi Ning knew it must have been Wen Yu Xi's doing. However, Mr. Feng the Second's death was rather unexpected. She thought Wen Yu Xi would take several months to kill him.
"Sister, the elder is preparing to take Second Sister and me out of the Feng Yin clan to investigate the cause of Uncle's death. I can't take you with us this time."
"It's fine, Ling'er, be careful," Xue Zi Ning said. She happened to have something she wanted to do.
The next morning, the Grand Elder led Feng Ling and Feng Xian out of the Feng Yin clan, leaving the place completely.
In the middle of the night, Xue Zi Ning, dressed in night-blooming clothes, arrived at the temple. Suddenly, after the soul lamp within her body emitted a faint glow, a voice came from within the temple, "Since you're here, come in!"
Xue Zi Ning was startled. She had no other choice because she found the path back was shrouded in darkness, likely caused by someone inside. She could only brace herself and walk in.
In the dim candlelight of the temple, she saw the person sitting on the cushion.
"You are..." Xue Zi Ning asked.