Surviving in the General's Mansion - Chapter 91

“Was he delivered to Dali Temple?”

“Yes, General. He has already been taken there. I handed him personally to Lord Li.”

“Good.”

Cang Chuli nodded slightly.

“Go to Xia Mansion first thing tomorrow morning and collect the property.”

“Tomorrow morning?” Mo Bai confirmed.

“Mm. Strike while the iron is hot.”

“That makes sense. Once all of Miss Ah Heng’s belongings are recovered, she’ll have nothing more to do with Xia Mansion!” Mo Bai said to himself.

Zhao Siyan sat beside the bed. Two padded jackets lay spread out across it.

Xia Heng and Chuqing stood side by side, shooting meaningful looks at Zhao Die.

“Ahem. Siyan, they didn’t do it on purpose… Look, it’s already fortunate they came back unharmed,” Zhao Die said.

“Oh, my head hurts!”

“Mine too! Mine too!”

Xia Heng began acting pitiful at precisely the right moment, and Chuqing immediately followed her example.

Zhao Siyan glared at them in annoyance.

“Elder Sister! You spoil them!

“It would have been one thing to issue Ah Heng’s padded jacket separately, but they were going out together. Aunt Chen thought the two should match, so she stayed up late to finish Chuqing’s as well. Look how they’ve ruined their new clothes!”

“Ah, but that’s the villains’ fault. Otherwise, the jackets never would have… Isn’t that right, you two?” Zhao Die prompted them.

“Yes, yes! Exactly!” Xia Heng agreed at once.

“Mm-hmm! We were truly taking very good care of them! It was all those people’s fault. They knocked us unconscious, threw us onto the ground, and even sprinkled that meat-scent powder all over us,” Chuqing added.

“It’s all my fault…” Xia Heng murmured guiltily.

“Hey! No, it isn’t!”

Seeing that they were falling into the same endless loop again, Chuqing grew frantic.

Zhao Siyan sighed. “Come here. Let me see the backs of your heads.”

The two women obediently walked over.

“That lump is enormous! Elder Sister! Qiulin! Come and look!”

“Who did this? Who hit you that hard? If your skulls had been any more fragile, that could have knocked you senseless for good!”

Only then did Zhao Die and Zhao Siyan see the lumps. The women’s hair had hidden them, and no one had examined the injuries closely before.

“The Xia family?” Qiulin asked coldly.

“Mm… Xia Lang had other people do it. It looked like he wanted to kill me to silence me… Chuqing was dragged into it because of me…” Xia Heng answered guiltily.

“He is at Dali Temple now?”

“Hmm? Yes. Probably. On the way back, the General ordered that he and the others be sent to Dali Temple.”

“All right. I understand.”

Qiulin acknowledged the answer, though Xia Heng did not understand what she meant.

“Come on. Let’s find Doctor Lin and have him prescribe medicine for you,” Zhao Die urged.

“More medicine? N-no, surely that isn’t necessary!”

Xia Heng refused. Who could endure drinking traditional medicine every day? Chuqing did not look particularly willing either.

“The lumps are this large! What if the pooled blood doesn’t disperse? Come on!”

Zhao Die dragged both women away. Behind them, Zhao Siyan added, “Ask whether he has medicinal oil too. Rub some on the injuries!”

Qiulin left as well, her expression dark.

Zhao Siyan sighed, fetched her scissors, and began taking apart the padded jackets that had been finished only days ago.

* * *

That night, inside the prison at Dali Temple, Xia Lang rubbed the large lump on the back of his head with a vicious expression.

“Damned bitch. Don’t think I don’t know it was you! Once this young master gets out, I’ll pull out your tendons and skin you alive!”

The instant he finished the threat, a pebble flew from nowhere and struck him.

“Ow!”

Xia Lang covered his mouth and spun around. Where had that pebble come from? It had hit him directly in the lips.

It had nearly chipped one of his front teeth. When he lowered his hand and looked, he saw blood!

“Who’s there?”

Could it be that bitch Xia Heng again?

A masked man in black appeared in front of him.

The short blade in the man’s hand reflected Xia Lang’s terrified eyes.

“Who are you?”

The man lashed out with the blade, slashing toward Xia Lang’s throat.

At that instant, another pebble flew out and struck the black-clad man’s hand.

His aim shifted.

The blade hacked into Xia Lang’s shoulder instead.

“Aaaah! Guard! Help! Help! Someone is trying to kill me!”

Xia Lang screamed like a pig being slaughtered.

Help! This time someone truly was trying to kill him!

The man in black looked warily around. Someone was protecting this brat?

Qiulin leaped down from the rafters. Holding a flexible sword in her right hand, she faced the attacker.

Footsteps sounded outside the cell. Knowing he could not remain, the man hurriedly pulled a handful of powder from inside his clothes and flung it at Qiulin.

Qiulin raised an arm to shield herself. By the time the powder dispersed, the black-clad man had kicked aside the approaching guard and fled.

“Alert! Sound the alert!”

The guard lay on the ground. When he saw Qiulin inside the cell, he hurriedly shouted to those outside.

Qiulin took two steps forward. Just when the guard thought she intended to kill him to silence him, she pulled a token from her clothes.

That was an imperial palace token!

“Send men after the black-clad attacker. He intended to kill the prisoner and silence him.”

“Yes!”

Enduring the pain, the guard scrambled to his feet and limped out to report.

Qiulin walked over to Xia Lang.

He was sprawled by the cell door.

“My lord! My lord! Please let me out! The attack on the Emperor truly had nothing to do with me!

“I only wanted to kill two maids! That isn’t a serious crime!

“You saw it too. Someone wants to kill me! Please…”

*Thump!*

Qiulin struck Xia Lang squarely in the forehead with the hilt of her flexible sword.

His eyes widened, and he toppled backward.

It was not the same location, but close enough.

Qiulin watched with satisfaction as Xia Lang’s forehead gradually reddened and swelled. Only then did she withdraw her sword.

She had originally come merely to avenge Xia Heng and Chuqing. Who could have imagined she would encounter an actual assassination?

She had to hurry back and report to the General.

* * *

The following day, Xia Jinguang demanded through tightly suppressed fury, “What is the meaning of this, Prime Minister?”

Early that morning, men from Dali Temple had summoned him and reported that someone had tried to assassinate Xia Lang the previous night. Fortunately, the attempt had been stopped.

They asked whether he had any clues or knew who might be responsible.

When he went to look, his Lang’er was still unconscious.

There was one large lump on his forehead and another on the back of his head. His shoulder and mouth were both bloody.

He looked utterly miserable.

Who else could have done it but Cheng Zhesong?

“This subordinate has worked himself to the bone for the Prime Minister. Does the Prime Minister now intend to destroy the foundations of my Xia family?”

Cheng Zhesong answered at an unhurried pace.

“Lord Xia, the person you should work yourself to the bone for is His Majesty, not me.”

Xia Jinguang’s face turned ashen.

Cheng Zhesong saw that he had no way back and was using that fact to control him!

The Prime Minister slowly approached.

*Slap!*

Xia Jinguang’s eyes widened. He stood frozen in place.

He could not believe that at his age, after rising to the position of Vice Minister of Rites, someone would still slap him across the face!

Cheng Zhesong accepted a hand towel from the manservant beside him, wiped his hand, and tossed the used cloth onto Xia Jinguang.

“I gave you one task.

“Only one, and still you could not set aside your selfish desires.

“You even left such an enormous weakness for others to seize.

“Lord Xia, after all that trouble, you could not even handle two maids?”

Xia Jinguang opened and closed his mouth, trying to defend his son.

“Lang’er did fail to arrange the matter thoroughly, but—”

“But what? When Li Zhi asks how he knew where the wolf den was located, how will he answer?

“Will he say he scouted it in advance?

“Then why was he searching for a wolf den? And once he found it, why did he not report it to the hunting-ground officials so they could clear the den beforehand?

“Tell me, Lord Xia. How should your esteemed son answer?”

Cheng Zhesong took a sip of tea and sat down.

“I am not the one demanding his death, Lord Xia. The moment you failed, he was destined never to open his mouth again.”

Xia Jinguang wanted to argue, but no words came for a long time.

At last, he lowered his head helplessly and knelt.

“Lang’er will not reveal anything. Please give Xia Mansion one more chance, Prime Minister. Trust this subordinate once more.

“I guarantee Lang’er will say nothing.”

Cheng Zhesong let him kneel and studied him carefully without speaking.

Only after a long while did he say, “Lord Xia, do not disappoint me again.”

Xia Jinguang finally relaxed slightly and struck his forehead heavily against the floor in obeisance.