316. Sincerity, The Death of Madam Bai
Watching Mo Xiuyao’s indifferent expression, Ye Li furrowed her brow slightly. Ever since she woke up, she had felt as if those around her were hiding sothing from her. Mo Xiuyao’s deliberate act of scaring off Madam Bai just now intensified this feeling.
Lifting her head and straightening her body, Ye Li looked directly at Mo Xiuyao’s handso face, which seed a bit guilty. She asked softly, "Xiuyao, are you hiding sothing from ?"
"Uh...of course not. Why would you ask that, Ah-Li?" Mo Xiuyao responded with a smile, though the smile on his face lacked its usual ease.
Ye Li raised an eyebrow, looked at him with a teasing smile, and asked, "Could it be that the Prince has taken a fancy to so maiden and wants to bring her to the Prince Ding’s Mansion as a concubine for our Little Treasure?" Mo Xiuyao’s expression changed slightly, his mouth twitched, and he quickly pulled Ye Li back into his arms, muttering, "Ah-Li, you’re talking nonsense. This Prince only loves Ah-Li." Ye Li laughed and patted his back, asking, "So what is it that you’re being so secretive about? I’ve been unwell these past few days; don’t you think I’ll ask once I’m better?"
So it was that even Prince Ding could act foolishly when overco with worry. For instance, he knew perfectly well that these matters couldn’t be hidden unless he silenced everyone aware of them. Yet, subconsciously, he simply didn’t want Ah-Li to see this side of him.
After a while, Mo Xiuyao finally muttered, "I killed Bai Yuncheng’s daughter."
Ye Li was slightly taken aback. She rembered Bai Qingning being by her side during the assassination attempt that day. She asked softly, "Was it because of the assassination attempt that day?" Mo Xiuyao looked at Ye Li and said solemnly, "It has nothing to do with Ah-Li. This Prince simply found her disagreeable." Ye Li gave a helpless smile and sighed softly. "Although Bai Qingning’s cri didn’t warrant death, you didn’t need to hide sothing like this from , did you?" Despite the deeply ingrained beliefs from her past life that made her uneasy about casually taking a life, in her heart, wasn’t Mo Xiuyao a thousand tis more important than the unrelated Bai Qingning? Moreover, after so many years, even if she still wasn’t comfortable with it, Ye Li should have understood that sotis people were eliminated not necessarily because they deserved death. Many who didn’t deserve to die were killed, perhaps even more than those who did. Being in their positions, they often had no choice.
Mo Xiuyao looked at her steadily for a long while before saying, "I also killed many influential people in Xiling."
Ye Li was silent for a mont before sighing softly and asking, "How many?"
"Thirty percent," Mo Xiuyao said indifferently. He had wiped out the entire households of over thirty percent of Xiling’s influential families in the imperial city. The impact of this on the world was far greater than killing tens of thousands of commoners.
After a long ti, Ye Li leaned back into Mo Xiuyao’s arms and sighed softly. "So you were trying to keep this from by not letting them tell ?" Mo Xiuyao lowered his head and gently stroked her hair, saying sullenly, "It’s because you don’t like it when I kill indiscriminately, do you, Ah-Li?" Ye Li, whose mood had been quite solemn, couldn’t help but find this a little amusing. She looked up, gave him an exasperated look, and said, "So you admit you’re killing indiscriminately? I’m not so Bodhisattva enshrined in a temple. If a massacre is truly necessary, I won’t be soft-handed. Fine, you killed those nobles out of a fit of anger or for whatever reason. But those ignorant maids and servants, what did they know? You’ve only needlessly sullied your own na."
Mo Xiuyao silently looked at her. He hadn’t been able to control himself then, had he...?
Seeing his expression, Ye Li couldn’t stay angry with him anymore. She reached up and gently touched his tightly knitted brow, saying softly, "Although I don’t believe in so-called karma, taking too many lives does indeed go against the harmony of nature and can easily lead one to lose their sanity. Xiuyao, I want you to be well." As early as their ti in Biancheng City, Ye Li had sensed the incredibly alarming murderous aura within Mo Xiuyao. He had controlled it well over the years, but the few instances of losing control had already produced shocking consequences. The root cause was likely a lingering effect of the hatred related to the Mo Family Army and the two previous Prince Dings, which he had forcibly suppressed. Ye Li didn’t want such loss of control to beco frequent. Otherwise, there were only two possible outcos: either he would gradually calm down after completely unleashing the murderous energy in his heart, or he would ultimately lose himself in an endless cycle of slaughter. Either path would cost countless lives.
"Ah-Li..." Mo Xiuyao stared blankly at his wife, who was looking worriedly at him. He leaned his head, heavy with exhaustion, onto Ye Li’s shoulder and said softly, "Ah-Li, I’m so tired... Please don’t leave ..." He clearly saw Ah-Li’s concern; in fact, he understood it himself. Take this incident, for instance. He knew he had better ways to handle it, but at that mont, his mind was blank except for the urge to kill everyone who had hard Ah-Li. He hadn’t considered any other possibility. Even now, while he didn’t think the outco was bad, he also realized it had sown the seeds for many future troubles.
Ye Li took his hand and gently placed it on her still-flat abdon, smiling as she said, "Why would I leave you? We have Little Treasure, and now we have a new baby too." Mo Xiuyao’s hand, resting on her abdon, paused slightly. He asked softly, "What if there were no children?" Ye Li chuckled. "If there were no children, I suppose the Prince would be looking at soone else by now?" Mo Xiuyao shook his head, lifted her small chin so her eyes t his, and said earnestly, "This Prince doesn’t care about children. Even without them, this Prince only wants Ah-Li."
In an era like this, for a woman, this could be considered the most heartfelt declaration of love. Ye Li smiled faintly and teased, "It’s a bit late for the Prince to be saying that now." They already had one child and another was on the way; naturally, the emotional impact of his words was greatly diminished.
Seeing that Ye Li genuinely didn’t seem angry, a smile slowly blood in Mo Xiuyao’s eyes. He tenderly wrapped her in his arms and chuckled, "What this Prince said cos from the bottom of my heart. If they are not Ah-Li’s children, what use would they be to this Prince?"
"By the way, why did Madam Bai want to see at this ti?" Ye Li asked softly, nestled in Mo Xiuyao’s embrace. Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow and replied indifferently, "So many noble families have fallen. These past few days, this Prince has been giving the Bai Family the cold shoulder. Bai Yuncheng must be getting anxious."
"Are you planning to abandon the Bai Family?" Ye Li asked curiously. The Bai Family was one of Xiling’s most distinguished aristocratic families and the first to seek an alliance; Prince Ding’s Mansion should, by rights and reason, show them so respect. Yet, Mo Xiuyao had unhesitatingly killed the Bai Family’s legitimate daughter, clearly signaling his intention to abandon them. Mo Xiuyao nodded. "The Bai Family has very few competent people, and besides, they’ve always been fence-sitters. When Lei Zhenting was in power, they sided with him. Now that we’ve just entered the imperial city, they’re siding with Prince Ding’s Mansion. While being pragmatic can be seen as a strength, when so people overdo it... it becos unsightly. The Bai Family possesses such vast holdings. If they are given important positions, others will inevitably feel it’s unfair. If they are sidelined, Bai Yuncheng will eventually rebel. It’s better to deal with it now. As for the so-called ’imperial consort clan,’ HUMPH! This Prince certainly doesn’t want Little Treasure to marry a Bai woman in the future."
Hearing this, Ye Li felt rather speechless. For an aristocratic family with a history of over two hundred years, to rummage through their ranks and find not even a handful of presentable talents was truly sothing. Such a family had not only prospered for two centuries but had even once been among Xiling’s most powerful aristocratic families; it was, undeniably, a peculiar case. Or perhaps, it wasn’t that the Bai Family lacked outstanding individuals, but that these individuals had never focused their efforts where they should have. Deep down, Ye Li also didn’t want such a so-called ’imperial consort clan’ to persist under Prince Ding’s Mansion for long. Leaving aside other concerns, marriage between close relatives would negatively impact the genetic makeup of future generations.
"What are your plans? Do you need to et this Madam Bai?" Ye Li asked.
Mo Xiuyao shook his head. "No need. Stay away from Madam Bai. There’s sothing not quite right about that woman."
"Hmm?" Ye Li raised an eyebrow. She hadn’t noticed anything amiss about Madam Bai in the few quick glances she’d had. Mo Xiuyao snorted lightly. "She dared to ask this Prince to step aside, yet was too frightened by this Prince to speak? If it were truly a matter vital to her family’s survival, she would have spoken out even if she were genuinely scared stiff and couldn’t get up from the floor. The Madam of the Bai Family would never act like an ignorant peasant woman, forgetting her place."
"Then what is she up to?" Ye Li asked, leaning lazily against Mo Xiuyao. Since waking up, she seed to have grown much lazier; even thinking felt like too much effort.
Mo Xiuyao responded indifferently, "I’m not sure yet, but I’ll have soone keep an eye on her."
"Hmm, alright..." Ye Li’s voice trailed off, tinged with weariness. Mo Xiuyao said no more, looking down at the woman in his arms who had closed her eyes and was gradually drifting into a light sleep, his gaze as gentle as water.
"Prince—" Feng Zhiyao had just stepped into the room and barely begun to speak when Mo Xiuyao’s icy gaze stopped him. Having had the fortune—or misfortune—of witnessing Prince Ding’s expression shift instantaneously from utmost tenderness to glacial frost, Feng Zhiyao couldn’t help but curse inwardly: Damn it, talk about choosing beauty over bros! He’s got no humanity when a woman’s around! As if he had read Feng Zhiyao’s silent complaints, Mo Xiuyao grunted softly, picked Ye Li up, and headed back to their room, leaving the aggrieved Third Young Master Feng to follow speechlessly.
Once Mo Xiuyao had settled Ye Li comfortably, he turned, exited the room, and glanced at Feng Zhiyao, who was standing by the door, lost in thought. "What is it?"
Feng Zhiyao coughed lightly, pulling his wandering thoughts back. "We’ve sent soone to tail Madam Bai. After she left, her expression seed a bit off. It looks like half of her being ’too scared to speak’ because of Your Highness was an act." Mo Xiuyao wasn’t surprised. "What did she want with Ah-Li?"
Feng Zhiyao shook his head, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Your Highness just killed her daughter a few days ago. Could she be... wanting to avenge her daughter? Uh... probably not. Where would she get such audacity?"
"Revenge? Shouldn’t she be seeking it from this Prince?"
Feng Zhiyao stared at him as if he’d seen a ghost. "Your Highness, even if that Madam Bai is completely clueless, she should know that trying to touch you is beyond her, even if she were reincarnated ten tis, right? Besides, how does that saying go... if you want your enemy to suffer a fate worse than death, you destroy the person he cares about most. Hmm?"
"What..." Mo Xiuyao was silent for a long mont, then nodded, seemingly accepting Feng Zhiyao’s speculation. "Have soone watch Madam Bai. If she makes any move, kill her imdiately! No... send soone to kill her now." Ah-Li is pregnant now and it’s inconvenient for her to act. Although the Mo Family Army and Qilin guards are very reliable, nothing in this world is one hundred percent safe. The safest way is... to eliminate all dangers before they can materialize!
Feng Zhiyao helplessly rubbed his forehead. Your Highness, your thoughts are racing ahead; this is just my speculation! However, Your Highness is paramount; what Your Highness says, goes. Feng Zhiyao irresponsibly thought to himself, I’ll have soone investigate later. If Madam Bai truly harbors any ill intentions, it’s better to eliminate her directly. If another incident really occurs, I’m afraid even the remaining third of the dignitaries in the imperial city won’t be safe.
"As Your Highness commands. I will see to it imdiately."
Mo Xiuyao nodded with satisfaction. As Feng Zhiyao turned to leave, Mo Xiuyao suddenly called out to him, his voice cool and quiet, "Third Feng, does this Prince seem old to you?"
Feng Zhiyao nearly stumbled, cursing silently in his heart: Honestly, is it the Princess Consort who’s pregnant, or is it you, Your Highness? Your moods and thoughts are changing far too quickly!
"How could that be? Your Highness is clearly in the pri of life, brimming with vigor and vitality, at the peak of youthful exuberance!" That should be enough, right? Looking at that white hair of yours, any more flattery and I’ll puke.
Mo Xiuyao nodded and said indifferently, "You may go."
「」
When Madam Bai returned to her residence, Bai Yuncheng rushed out anxiously before she even reached the main hall. "Madam, how did it go?" Madam Bai gave her husband a peculiar look before lowering her head. Bai Yuncheng’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly pulled Madam Bai into the hall before asking again, "Madam, what did Princess Consort Ding say?"
Lady Bai shook her head without speaking. Bai Yuncheng grew extrely anxious. "What on earth did Princess Consort Ding an? Say sothing!" Lady Bai said in a low voice, "Prince Ding was with Princess Consort Ding the entire ti. I had no opportunity to see the Princess Consort alone." Bai Yuncheng frowned. "Even so, you could have tried to gauge Prince Ding’s intentions. Could you tell what those two were thinking?"
Lady Bai lifted her head to look at Bai Yuncheng and suddenly let out a bitter laugh. Bai Yuncheng stared at her, perplexed. "What’s wrong with you? Are you unwell?"
"Master... do you still rember our Ning’er?"
Bai Yuncheng was stunned. What was this about? Their daughter had just passed away and wasn’t even buried yet; how could he forget her? If it weren’t for this daughter, perhaps the Bai Family wouldn’t be in such a passive position. Now, the Emperor of Xiling had already left the imperial city with his n; any ambitions he might have had were now dashed. At present, apart from obediently following Prince Ding’s Mansion, they had no other path. Yet, just before this, Bai Qingning had grievously offended Prince Ding.
Bai Yuncheng believed he hadn’t shown any particular expression, but Lady Bai, who had been staring intently at him, clearly saw the flicker of resentnt in his eyes. Lowering her gaze slightly to hold back tears, Lady Bai suddenly chuckled. "Master, Prince Ding will not spare us." Bai Yuncheng, confused, grabbed Lady Bai’s arm and demanded harshly, "What do you an? What have you done?"
Lady Bai raised her hand to shake off his grip, her voice laced with hatred. "I did nothing! I only hate that I am powerless to do anything!"
That’s right. She had indeed gone today intending to use the opportunity of a private audience with Ye Li to kill her and avenge her daughter. Qingning was the only daughter she had in her entire life, raised with utmost love and pampering, only to be killed by Prince Ding before her very eyes. Every ti she closed her eyes, she could almost hear her daughter’s tragic cries echoing in her ears: "Mother... save ! I don’t want to die! I was wronged..." All of this was because of Ye Li. If not for her, why would Prince Ding have vented his anger on Qingning? Why would her daughter have died? Most importantly, Ye Li was the woman Prince Ding loved most. If Ye Li died, Lady Bai could almost imagine how insane with grief Prince Ding would beco.
Unfortunately... none of it had gone according to her plan. After the recent assassination attempt, Prince Ding would never allow anyone unfamiliar near the Princess Consort. Her montary panic had also exposed a flaw. On the way back, she knew that people from Prince Ding’s Mansion were following her. Although she didn’t know exactly where they were, she could feel a pair of eyes constantly watching her. She knew... the Bai Family was finished, and she had lost her only chance to avenge her daughter. But she was so unwilling to accept it...
"What exactly happened?" Bai Yuncheng asked anxiously. This concerned the very survival of the Bai Family; he couldn’t help but worry.
Madam Bai looked at him with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile. "Weren’t you curious about what I said to Princess Consort Ding today? I said nothing... because I had originally planned to kill Ye Li. But Mo Xiuyao was constantly by her side, and there were skilled martial artists everywhere. I simply had no opportunity..."
"You’re insane!" Bai Yuncheng stared at Madam Bai in horror, yelling, "Do you have any idea what you’re doing? Do you want to destroy the Bai Family?"
Madam Bai chuckled, her eyes glazed. "My daughter is gone. What do I need the Bai Family for? Master, Qingning was our own flesh and blood. Mo Xiuyao killed her, and you didn’t say a single word. You spend all day thinking about how to curry favor with your enemy. Do you even have a heart? Every day... every day I hear my daughter crying, saying she was wronged, saying she doesn’t want to die... She wants to avenge her..."
Bai Yuncheng pushed her away, saying coldly, "So I’m heartless. The Bai Family has lost more than just one daughter over the years. What about Little Qi, Little Jiu, and the twelfth one, who were killed by Prince Ding a while ago? Did you ever grieve for them? They too were children of the Bai Family."
"They were rely sons of concubines and servants! What’s there to grieve? How can they compare to my precious Ning’er!" Madam Bai scoffed. Those lowly creatures, born of concubines or from collateral branches, how could they compare to her precious, treasured daughter? Her daughter could have been an Empress or an Imperial Consort! It was all... all Bai Yuncheng’s fault! If he hadn’t insisted on sending their daughter to Prince Ding’s Mansion, how could their daughter have died?
"I don’t want to talk to a madwoman like you!" Bai Yuncheng flung his sleeve dismissively. He had never imagined that the one to sabotage him at this critical juncture would be his principal wife, with whom he had always been quite satisfied. At this mont, Bai Yuncheng had no ti to deal with Madam Bai. He turned and walked towards his study; he had to discuss with soone how to handle the subsequent matters. He only hoped this woman hadn’t revealed any flaws that Prince Ding might have noticed. Otherwise, the Bai Family would truly be finished.
Watching Bai Yuncheng leave without a backward glance, Madam Bai remained indifferent. Ignoring the astonished gazes of the servants and her sowhat disheveled disguise, she walked unsteadily back to her own courtyard.
Madam Bai’s room was unusually dim, hardly fitting for the chamber of the Madam of House of a great aristocratic family. Upon entering, Madam Bai dismissed the servant girls following her and closed the door. She walked to the innermost part of the room, where heavy curtains hung low. Pushing them aside, she revealed a pitch-black morial tablet. Inscribed on it were the words: "The Spirit Tablet of Beloved Daughter Bai Qingning."
Madam Bai gazed tenderly at the morial tablet enshrined on the table, reaching out to gently caress it. It felt as if she were not gazing upon a cold morial tablet but her beautiful, elegant daughter herself.
"Ning’er, I’m sorry. Mother is useless... Mother couldn’t save you, and now, Mother hasn’t even managed to avenge you. My sweet Ning’er, your father doesn’t care about you at all, but Mother will always rember you. Go and reincarnate peacefully. Mother will definitely avenge you. Please, don’t co into Mother’s dreams anymore..." Madam Bai murmured to the spirit tablet, her voice gradually turning into sobs. Ever since her daughter’s death, Madam Bai hadn’t had a single peaceful night’s sleep. Every ti she closed her eyes, various images of her daughter would appear before her. The most horrifying were visions of her daughter being subjected to all sorts of cruel tortures, wailing in agony, which would jolt Madam Bai awake from her nightmares.
Since Bai Qingning’s death, Madam Bai hadn’t dared to look at her daughter’s corpse. Although the servants who prepared the body for burial said that the young miss appeared to have suffered little, Madam Bai could never find peace. A faint sense of guilt and unease gnawed at her heart. When Prince Ding had suddenly ordered Bai Qingning’s death, she had been genuinely terrified, so much so that she hadn’t pleaded much for her daughter, rely watching helplessly as she was dragged away. Sotis, she even dread of her daughter, covered in blood, coming to claim her life. Under the weight of such agonizing pressure, Madam Bai’s hatred for Prince Ding’s Mansion grew ever more intense. If only Ye Li were killed... if only Ye Li were killed to avenge Qingning, then Qingning would forgive her, wouldn’t she?
「」
Outside the door, in a hidden corner, two secret guards had heard Madam Bai’s words clearly. One gestured to his companion. Third Young Master Feng had ordered that if Madam Bai indeed harbored ill intent towards the Princess Consort, they were to kill her on the spot.
The other guard nodded, his face devoid of expression. Of course, she must be killed. If she really managed to do sothing to the Princess Consort, the Prince would go insane. They certainly didn’t want to face the Prince’s wrath.
The two guards shuddered simultaneously, their gazes turning towards Madam Bai, who was still muttering inside the room.
Madam Bai finally stopped after speaking to her daughter’s spirit tablet for a long ti. As she turned, she felt a sudden cold sensation in her abdon, followed by an excruciating, heart-piercing pain. She stared dumbly at the black-clad man who had suddenly appeared before her and the dagger embedded in her abdon, her eyes filled with terror. No, I don’t want to die yet!
"Rest in peace. Your daughter is waiting for you on the road to hell," the secret guard said, a hint of pity in his eyes, but his hand moved without rcy, thrusting the dagger deeper. A stream of bright red blood flowed from Madam Bai’s mouth, dripping onto his hand. Madam Bai’s eyes, wide with terror, gradually lost their light.
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