The people in the courtyard swarmed forward, subduing the Cheng Prince in an instant. The soldiers on the Star Gazing Tower, either dead or gravely wounded, were quickly captured by the Shadow Guards and the soldiers brought by Marquis Wenxin.
The rain continued to pour relentlessly. The arrows that had been fired at the Star Gazing Tower were coated in tung oil, and instead of being extinguished, they burned fiercely, illuminating the entire courtyard. The commotion in the Cheng Prince’s residence was so loud it seemed to have alarmed the entire capital.
“Father…”
Xie Yin clung to the Cheng Prince’s sleeve, utterly at a loss. Seeing Cang Lang and the others approach to press the Cheng Prince to the ground, Xie Yin, who had been silently observing moments earlier, now became increasingly panicked. As he was forcibly restrained, he looked around frantically, his pale face filled with fear.
“Mother, Mother, save me…”
Smack!
Cang Lang viciously kicked Xie Yin’s leg, forcing him to kneel. “Now you cry for your mother? Weren’t you watching with great amusement earlier as your father tried to kill her?”
“No! I… I was just scared! I didn’t know anything…”
Xie Yin, pale as a ghost from the pain, was dragged along. As he passed by the Cheng Princess, he grabbed the hem of her robe, his tear-filled eyes pleading.
“Mother, Mother, I was just frightened earlier. Save me! I didn’t know about Father’s plans, I didn’t know he was hiding military weapons. I… I only thought it was you who killed Grandmother. I panicked…”
Slap!
The Cheng Princess struck him hard across the face. “You didn’t know? Or did you know the truth and still conspire with Xie Tianyu to harm me?”
“No! I didn’t…”
“Then why did you assume it was me who killed the Dowager Consort?”
“I…”
Xie Yin clutched her arm, his face drained of all color. “I didn’t know! Father came to me last night, crying about how you had turned against him. He told me you weren’t as affectionate with us as you used to be. I didn’t know anything…”
“I only heard someone crying for help outside, and then I saw you and your people covered in blood coming out of Grandmother’s room. Father said you killed Grandmother. He said you colluded with Xiao Yan and the others to destroy our family.”
“I didn’t want to hurt you. I swear I didn’t…”
The Cheng Princess looked at Xie Yin, his face covered in tears and lies, and felt no pity at all.
She had once loved this child as if he were her own life. Even when she hated Xie Tianyu for deceiving her, she thought she could endure it all for Xie Yin’s sake. She had returned to the Cheng Prince’s residence mostly out of concern for Xie Yin. But in her moment of life and death, Xie Tianyu had wanted her dead, and Xie Yin had stood by without lifting a finger to help.
In that instant, she knew with clarity—her son did not see her as his mother.
The Cheng Princess wrenched her arm free. “You say you didn’t want to harm me, but you stood by while they tried to kill me. Xie Yin, I don’t have such a heartless son.”
“Mother…”
“Get away from me!”
As Xie Yin tried to throw himself at her in desperation, Gu Helian delivered a heavy kick that sent him staggering back. “Disgusting!”
Turning to Xiao Yan, Gu Helian said, “Get your men to drag this ungrateful wretch out of here. I feel sick just looking at him.”
Cang Lang grabbed Xie Yin by the collar and dragged him away without hesitation.
Gu Helian, still wincing from the arrow wound in his back, heard Xie Yin screaming “Mother!” as he was taken away. When the Cheng Princess refused to plead for him, Xie Yin began cursing her for being heartless. Gu Helian couldn’t help but spit on the ground. “If he weren’t Rong Yue’s son, I’d have skinned him alive.”
Marquis Wenxin glanced at the Cheng Princess, whose face was as white as a sheet. Thinking of everything that had transpired that night, he couldn’t help but shake his head.
He had always assumed the heir to the Cheng Prince’s household was simply young and naive, easily misled by the concubine from the Song family. But now he saw that Xie Yin’s cruelty and cold-heartedness were deeply ingrained, just like his father’s.
“If he were my son, I’d have drowned him in a latrine,” the Marquis muttered.
“Commander Xiao, there’s someone still alive inside,” reported Wu Huai, who had entered the Dowager Consort’s quarters with his men.
Upon seeing the Dowager Consort’s ghastly body, Wu Huai froze momentarily. The coroner who accompanied them carefully directed others to carry the Dowager Consort’s body outside for examination. It was then that they discovered that Jiang Momo, who had collapsed on the floor, was still clinging to life.
When Jiang Momo was brought out, Gu Helian spat again. “That old hag is still alive?”
Jing Yun, who had been inside as well, wiped his hands clean and remarked, “She’s not completely dead yet, but her tongue was cut out, her limbs are crippled, and her internal organs are damaged. She won’t last long.”
Clearly, the Cheng Prince had not intended for Jiang Momo to survive.
When Jiang Momo was placed on the ground, her breaths were shallow, her body battered and broken from the Cheng Prince’s torture. Yet, summoning the last of her strength, her blurry vision locked onto the Cheng Princess. Her eyes bulged as she desperately stared at her, letting out guttural cries of “Ah! Ah!”
With her tongue severed, she couldn’t speak. Her mouth was a mangled mess of blood and flesh, and the grotesque sight made everyone recoil. Her twisted fingers reached toward the Cheng Princess, the movement slow and unsettling under the flickering torchlight.
The Second Prince covered his mouth in disgust. “Uncle Cheng is truly ruthless.”
Wu Huai shook his head in dismay. “Killing someone is one thing, but this… This is inhuman.”
Marquis Wenxin, who had known the Cheng Princess in the past, recognized Jiang Momo as one of her trusted servants. He couldn’t help but glance at the Cheng Princess, whose face had turned even paler.
“A servant who betrays her master deserves death,” he said coldly.
The Cheng Princess pressed her lips together tightly. Compared to Xie Tianyu and Xie Yin, Jiang Momo’s betrayal cut her the deepest. She had been raised by this woman, trusted her like a mother, and had never doubted her loyalty—even upon returning to the Cheng Prince’s residence.
“Why did you betray me?” the Cheng Princess asked, her voice trembling.
Jiang Momo, her face streaked with tears, shook her head violently. Her disheveled hair scattered in all directions, making her look like a madwoman.
She wanted to scream that she hadn’t betrayed her, that she had been deceived by Xie Tianyu, that it was a moment of weakness. But all her words came out as incoherent cries.
Blood filled her mouth and began to pour from her nose. She struggled to move closer, dragging her broken body across the blood-soaked ground, leaving a crimson trail behind her.
Gu Helian quickly pulled the Cheng Princess back, yanking her away just as Jiang Momo’s hand almost reached the hem of her skirt. Her hand fell lifelessly to the ground with a dull thud.
“Don’t waste your time on this madwoman. Let’s go.”
The Cheng Princess closed her eyes, exhausted. She fought back the tears threatening to fall, nodded weakly, and turned to leave.
Behind her, Jiang Momo let out a frenzied scream.
“Ah! Ahhh! Ahhh—!”
Song Tang Ning flinched at the sound, startled. Xiao Yan quickly stepped in to shield her, pulling her back as Jiang Momo thrashed and howled like a lunatic. Even the officers from the Capital Prefecture struggled to hold her down.
Jiang Momo, drenched in blood, flailed on the ground, her mouth wide open as if she were trying to speak. Her eyes remained locked on the Cheng Princess, her outstretched hand trembling as though it carried some desperate, unspoken message.
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You can read ahead to chapterr 234 (100+ extra chapters) here
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