The immediate priority is to visit the prison and ascertain where Nie He went after leaving, and why he appeared at the General's mansion to assassinate the Ninth Prince. Knowing these details might provide a way to save Brother Feng. General Su proposed this, volunteering to handle the task himself.
However, the Ninth Prince was heavily guarded. If they wanted to interrogate him openly, it would be difficult, so they needed to find another method. Xiao Muqian glanced at his uncle and suddenly spoke.
"I heard from the Heavenly Watcher in the army that there will be a thunderstorm in the coming days. If by chance it strikes the General's mansion, it might start a large fire."
He didn't elaborate, but his meaning was clear. Madam Hua and Feng Jinhua exchanged glances. Even scheming against her own uncle's residence, this young general was truly a formidable figure!
Xiao Ji patted Xiao Muqian's shoulder and said with a smile, "You rascal, you've only been back to the Eastern Capital for a while, and you've become so much more cunning. Have you made bad friends in the capital?"
Xiao Muqian merely smiled and didn't reply. Would he admit that his wicked ideas were all learned from Su Cheng and Feng Jinlin? If he did, wouldn't General Su and the Feng family beat him to a pulp?
For the next few days, Feng Shan was confined to the General's mansion. Perhaps hearing that the Feng family was busy raising money to bail him out, the Ninth Prince treated him with some courtesy, refraining from torture. As for himself, he hid in the main chambers, ostensibly recovering from his injuries, but in reality, he was having such a good time with Long Guang that he forgot to leave.
No one was left to guard the courtyard, for fear that their affairs would be leaked. If his fondness for men were to reach the Emperor's ears, it would likely cause a huge uproar. Therefore, while his personal preferences were important, he was willing to pay any price for imperial power.
"Your Highness, the Feng family truly refuses a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. If they had offered all of this during the banquet, why would they have to suffer imprisonment?" Long Guang said while attending to the Ninth Prince.
"Hmph, otherwise, why call them a bunch of lowly commoners? They have no shame! They only break their wealth to avert disaster when a knife is at their throat." His eyes showed utter disdain for the Feng family, or rather, for the actions of the merchant families. The thought that someone would soon be offering him tribute made him feel much better, and even the General's mansion seemed more pleasing to his sight.
"General Su has been visiting quite frequently these days, almost as if he's grown into your courtyard." Long Guang complained. He always felt a bit scared whenever he saw that General Su, constantly worried that he might expose his identity. In such a case, the Ninth Prince, being of imperial blood, would at most receive a few reprimands, but it would be different for him; he would surely face dire consequences. The thought sent a shiver down his spine, and he couldn't help but lean closer to the Ninth Prince. Soon, the two were lost in their embrace again.
Perhaps due to excessive fatigue, or perhaps due to over-relaxation, as the Ninth Prince slept soundly, holding Long Guang, he heard noisy sounds from outside.
"Fire! Fire!"
The shouts grew louder as they approached, startling Long Guang awake. He quickly nudged the Ninth Prince beside him and said anxiously, "Your Highness, wake up quickly, there's a fire!"
The word "fire" jolted the Ninth Prince from his sleep. He quickly got out of bed and dressed, not even bothering to tidy the bedding. The two of them rushed out. In their haste, they failed to notice the person lurking in the shadows who had witnessed their illicit affair.
As the Ninth Prince stepped out, he smelled the thick scent of smoke. Long Guang tore off a piece of his inner garment, quickly soaked it, and handed it to the Ninth Prince, while he himself casually covered his mouth and nose. The two of them rushed outside. The fire was raging, clearly spreading across more than ten rooms. Perhaps due to years of disrepair, or perhaps due to the dry northwest, whatever the reason, it was burning terrifyingly.
Worried about the Ninth Prince's safety, Long Guang escorted him towards the main gate of the General's mansion. On the way, they encountered people who were about to fetch water to fight the fire. Long Guang immediately snatched a bucket and doused the Ninth Prince from head to toe, then soaked himself thoroughly.
"Your Highness, this will be safer." The Ninth Prince had never experienced a fire and naturally didn't know how to protect himself. However, given Long Guang's reaction, it was probably the right thing to do. He ignored the matter of punishment and they quickly ran towards the outside of the mansion. Fortunately, they were quick on their feet. As they escaped to safety, they saw that none of the subordinates who had been living with him in the General's mansion had emerged. His heart sank considerably!
The Ninth Prince and Long Guang were drenched, and the terrifying lightning strikes in the sky continued. It was only thunder and no rain, something they had truly witnessed now. The dark sky, the lightning that seemed to be striking their heads, instilled a sense of fear even in the usually arrogant Ninth Prince.
"It's likely that the fire started because the houses in the General's mansion were struck by lightning," Long Guang, having grown up in the common folk, had seen houses struck by lightning before, so it wasn't that terrifying to him. But it was different for the Ninth Prince. Lightning strikes were not a good omen for royalty. If this had happened in the palace, his father would have likely written a decree of self-reproach. And the lightning striking only the General's mansion, not anyone else, was it a warning to him? After all, regarding the great victory in Liangzhou City and everything that had happened today, he was undeserving. Thinking of this, despite his usual overbearing nature, he felt a sense of worry and guilt.
After the lightning, a torrential downpour soon followed. The General's mansion, washed clean by the rain, looked even more dilapidated, exuding a sense of deathly stillness. When General Xiao Ji arrived with his troops to provide support, the Ninth Prince originally intended to fly into a rage, but upon recalling the lightning strike, he swallowed the words back.
"General Xiao, please rise quickly."
"Your Highness, the immediate priority is to find you a place to stay, change into clean clothes, and then find a doctor to examine your injuries. If your previous stab wound festers due to getting wet, it will be quite troublesome." When General Xiao mentioned this, not only the Ninth Prince but also Long Guang felt guilty. His injuries were fake to begin with. In a moment of crisis, who would bother with bandages? So, beneath the soaked inner garment clinging to his skin, there wasn't even a scar. The Ninth Prince quickly clutched his chest, remembering, and feigned weakness, saying, "I will follow General Xiao's arrangements!"
"Yes!" After putting the brought straw capes on the two of them, they were immediately escorted to the nearest inn. This inn was a property of the Hua family. In their haste, they couldn't drive out all the guests, so they had to book the entire top floor, allowing the Ninth Prince to quickly "recover."
Meanwhile, Xiao Muqian and General Su were in the General's mansion's dungeon, rescuing Feng Shan and Nie He.