Xiao Shan used the excuse of fetching rice to send people away. He then went to survey the site for making rice cakes. The villagers were cheerful, and it was evident their lives had improved.
By the time he returned home, it was dusk. A person was kneeling at his doorstep.
These days, they just wouldn't let him have any peace!
Xiao Shan lit a lamp, washed his hands, and made some corn cakes in the kitchen. He ate them with a radish to finish his dinner.
Only then did he return to the main hall and sit in a chair.
"I heard you're called Xing Ran now, a name given by the mistress?"
With a casual glance, his gaze stopped on Xing Ran's head.
"Yes..."
As Xing Ran spoke, she saw a shadow cast over her head and froze, unable to move.
Then, the hairpin on her head was pulled out.
It was a plum blossom silver hairpin, the most common style, sold everywhere on the street. However, this one had a bent petal, which he had accidentally broken when he clenched his fist too tightly in anger as Xue Niang escaped the fence. Although he had straightened it later, a faint crease remained.
That's right, this was the hairpin he had given to Xue Niang.
No wonder he hadn't seen her wear it; it was here all along.
But even if she wanted to give it to someone, she wouldn't have given this hairpin away?
"Where did the hairpin come from?"
"Please punish me, my lord..."
Xing Ran kowtowed, her voice tight as she explained the situation. Then, she bowed her head to the ground, awaiting judgment.
So it was him!
When Xue Niang left the southwest, he had already investigated the events in the capital. The plague had severely weakened her, and she was later abducted. However, the identity of the abductor could not be found; only she knew who it was.
So, it was Lu Yanmo!
"Damn you!"
Xing Ran trembled all over. She thought that this time, she would truly lose her life for a traitor.
But there was nothing she could do; she accepted her fate.
"Xing Ran, if I recall correctly, you were brought into the army by me when you were ten years old. I even trained you personally for a period, so you could be considered my direct disciple."
"Your subordinate is ashamed of your teachings, my lord."
Xing Ran was overwhelmed with shame and wept on the ground: "Your subordinate has committed a grave offense. Please grant me death, my lord."
"That's enough. You have been loyal, and the mistress values you. She has already granted you freedom. As for Lu Yanmo, let Feng Yi investigate. If he is indeed foolish, you may take him and go somewhere secluded, never to appear again."
He wouldn't interfere with those Xue Niang had let go.
Xing Ran couldn't believe her ears. She looked up as if stunned, only to see her lord toss the hairpin at her feet and crush it with his shoe.
"Get out now!"
The sharp reprimand jolted the ice-cold Xing Ran. She instinctively obeyed and retreated from the small courtyard.
It wasn't until the cold wind outside blew that she soberly realized her lord had truly spared her and even granted her wish!
But she was no longer a member of the Xian Wang Sect.
In the darkness, she knelt outside the door and kowtowed several times: "Your subordinate will set up longevity tablets for my lord and mistress, praying daily for their long life, prosperity, and many descendants."
A few days later, Feng Yi sent news: Lu Yanmo had permanent brain damage and could no longer recover.
From then on, Xing Ran was removed from the Xian Wang Sect, taking Lu Yanmo with her, and their whereabouts became unknown.
Outside the capital, in the backyard of a certain real estate agency.
Above an iron cage, two black dogs, starved for several days, bared their sharp, bloody teeth and gnawed at the iron bars, emitting low growls. Their foul-smelling saliva dripped down in strings, landing on the face and body of the person in the cage.
Feng Shijin woke up from a nightmare, gasping for breath. His body was stiff with cold, and his hands were swollen like carrots.
Ever since he was frightened by the vicious dogs that day, he had been having nightmares every night. He no longer had the heart to think about revenge. Now, all he thought about was who could save him from this purgatory.
He had seen clearly these past few days that he was the only one in the agency locked in a cage. Even though he hadn't caused trouble recently, those people still tormented him, splashing him with cold water, scaring him with fierce dogs, and feeding him the worst food.
He was now like a stray dog, barely clinging to life.
He missed his imperial sister. If she were here, Feng Shihao would never dare to be so presumptuous. Did she know he was imprisoned here and being abused...
"Ling Yao, are you really not going to care for your imperial brother anymore?"
He longed for someone to save him, but could he wait? Every day, every moment, felt like an eternity.
But their torment was not over. He was dragged out of the cage again. This time, his clothes were stripped off, and he was thrown into the water. After a rough scrubbing, he was dressed in clean clothes, his face covered, and taken out.
This was the first time he had left the agency in so many days. He had felt a flicker of excitement, but it quickly turned into deeper despair.
He was bound and taken into a hidden building, then pushed into a room filled with incense.
Soon, he realized what kind of place this was.
"Serve this Master Fu well, and you'll get extra food when you return. He likes people like you, with fair skin and whip marks."
Then, a fat, white-haired old man walked in and looked at Feng Shijin as if inspecting merchandise.
A great wave of humiliation washed over him. Feng Shijin's exposed eye blazed with overwhelming killing intent.
But at this moment, he discovered his body had become weak, and even his muffled curses were as faint as a cat's meow.
I am the Son of Heaven! I am the Emperor!
How dare you! How dare you!
The door was closed, and the smell of incense became more intense.
The old man began his inspection, his disgusting hands roaming over his body.
Feng Shijin bit his tongue, but he didn't even have the strength to commit suicide. He closed his eyes in despair.
He never thought he would be worse off than his father. At least his father was buried in the imperial mausoleum, while he was to die in disgrace in such a place.
Behind him, there was a muffled groan, followed by the sound of something heavy falling.
Feng Shijin opened his eyes and saw a masked figure in black standing by the bed.
Saved?
Feng Shijin truly felt what it was like to go from hell to heaven.
The masked figure took him out of the building and threw him into a civilian residence. His strength gradually returned, but the feeling of humiliation and despair from before remained, causing his body to tremble with grief and indignation.
The masked figure threw him down and left. Then, another person entered.
"Feng Shihao! It's you! Beast, you've harmed me!"
"You still have the strength to curse? It seems the torment wasn't enough."
Feng Shihao, dressed in a magnificent blue robe, looked noble and wealthy, forming a stark contrast with the disheveled and emaciated Feng Shijin.
He squatted down, his eyes cold and emotionless.
"You can't stand it after only a month? You're not even as good as a woman. Ling Yao spent several months with human traffickers, you know. What hardships did she endure?"
"At least you were with official brokers. Those who captured Ling Yao were private traffickers who disregarded the law!"