Wang Qiuniang ultimately failed to escape the twenty strokes.
The ones wielding the canes were strong and muscular guards from the War King's residence. Although they knew she was the princess consort's family member and deliberately held back, their blows were still far heavier than those usually dealt by ordinary servants.
Wang Qiuniang was beaten until her flesh split and blood ran freely. She screamed in agony, hurling filthy curses at Cheng Yao and even Yan Qing. Cheng Jiahui was terrified and hurriedly ordered someone to cover her mouth.
Wang Qiuniang passed out and woke again several times, barely clinging to life. When the beating stopped, she was somewhat more lucid, yet she stubbornly refused to return to her room. Instead, she ordered people to carry her to the main gate, saying that she wanted everyone in the capital to see her miserable state. That way, her daughter and son-in-law would feel sorry for her and seek justice on her behalf.
Naturally, Cheng Jiahui refused to let her make such a spectacle of herself. He ordered an old matron to carry her back to her room, but Wang Qiuniang resisted and caused a huge commotion.
Cheng Yao glanced at the sky. “It’s almost noon, yet the Second Prince and Second Princess are still nowhere to be seen. It seems they aren’t coming.”
Wang Qiuniang trembled all over, panic rising in her heart. Whether she was refuting Cheng Yao or reassuring herself, her voice was as faint as a thread. “Returning to her parents’ home is such an important occasion. How could Lan’er miss it? Something must have delayed her.”
Cheng Yao smiled. “Yesterday, His Highness and I went to the palace. His Majesty was making her and the Second Prince kneel. I wonder whether they’ve been released by now.”
Wang Qiuniang collapsed completely. “Impossible! His Majesty has always favored the Second Prince. Lan’er is dignified and well-mannered. His Majesty would never bear to punish them. He wouldn’t…”
She shrieked hysterically, wanting everyone to hear her words, but the voice that came out was extremely weak.
Cheng Jiahui had her forcibly carried away, then sent someone to fetch a female physician.
Wang Qiuniang was tough in her own way. She clenched her teeth and held on stubbornly, refusing to let herself faint.
Cheng Jiahui had no choice but to secretly send a servant to find out what had happened.
When the servant returned, he reported that the Second Prince’s residence had its main gate tightly shut. None of the guards or gatekeepers were there. Peering through the crack in the door, he could see servants moving about inside, but the entire place was eerily quiet. Something seemed very strange.
A bad feeling rose in Cheng Jiahui’s heart. Wang Qiuniang no longer dared to make a scene. She lay facedown on the bed, weeping while cursing Cheng Yao.
As for Cheng Yao, she and Zhan Haoting had leisurely finished lunch and were preparing to leave. Murong Chen and Cheng Lan still had not appeared.
At last, the hope Wang Qiuniang had been clinging to died.
…
It rained for two days straight, making it impossible for Cheng Yao to go out, so she stayed home and enjoyed a rare stretch of idleness.
Zhan Haoting left early and returned late, clearly very busy.
Although he never said anything, she knew he had already begun transferring their assets and secretly building up his forces.
What a pity. There was less than a month left—far too little time.
The skies cleared that day, and she decided to go out for a look around.
Now that the old madam had claimed to be ill and withdrawn from household affairs, authority over the household had been handed to Lady Zhan. The other younger members of the family knew Cheng Yao was not someone to provoke, while Zhan Haoting openly protected her. No one dared approach her, so her days had been going wonderfully smoothly.
But!
This was merely the calm before the storm.
Her first stop was Murong Chen’s residence, where she intended to investigate the situation.
The entire treasury had been emptied without a single whisper leaking out. Murong Chen had kept everything under such tight wraps that one had to admit he was quite capable. No wonder the emperor favored him and had chosen to groom him so carefully.
Cheng Yao slipped into the inner courtyard. She saw no servants moving about, and the entire area was deathly quiet. That only made the scolding coming from somewhere nearby sound especially clear.
She crept closer and listened for a while. A chill ran down her spine.
It turned out that everyone in the residence had been poisoned. As long as they kept the matters of the household secret, they would receive an antidote every month. Otherwise, they would lose their lives.
Perhaps afraid that they might report the truth—or simply lose control emotionally—two old matrons were trying to “comfort” them. In reality, they were brainwashing them. Cheng Lan’s wet nurse was among them.
The female servants were being dealt with here. Someone else must have been brainwashing the male servants, attendants, and guards.
Murong Chen was truly vicious. For the sake of his own selfish ambitions, he was willing to gamble with the lives of everyone in the residence—over a hundred people.
If even one person let the truth slip, every single one of them might die.
However, in the original novel, Murong Chen would eventually commit treason and collude with foreign enemies. In the end, the male lead would execute him, and everyone in his residence would be slaughtered.
Even if she did nothing to Murong Chen, these people would still be doomed to die unjustly.
But they could not die because of her. That would be a grave sin, and she refused to bear it.
Cheng Yao slipped to the outside of Murong Chen’s room, hoping to overhear some additional information. Instead, she heard Cheng Lan say nervously, “Everyone in the residence has been on edge these past two days. I’m afraid we won’t be able to keep them under control much longer.”
Murong Chen replied in a deep voice, “Then keep them under control anyway. You personally stay here and watch over the residence. Once I’ve moved those things, I’ll have a way to make them disappear forever.”
Cheng Lan’s face went pale, and her voice trembled. “There are so many people. Can you really dispose of them all without leaving a trace?”
Cheng Yao’s eyes turned cold.
Although she had guessed they planned to deal with things this way, confirming it still made her heart turn cold.
In the apocalypse, countless people died every day. Some were infected by the virus, while others killed one another over resources, food, water, and countless other reasons.
Yet after witnessing so much death, most people desperately hoped that those around them would survive. Whenever they saw fellow humans in danger, they did everything they could to rescue them. They would never slaughter innocent people so recklessly.
Those two vile creatures were not human beings at all. They were beasts.
Furious, Cheng Yao no longer had the patience to listen. She went to the courtyard where the men were being held and quietly locked the door from the outside.
No one nearby saw her. Still, for safety’s sake, she teleported to the outer courtyard, opened the central gate and the main gate, then returned to the women’s quarters. She quietly pushed the door open a crack and pitched her voice as she shouted, “Good heavens! Murder! His Highness the Second Prince is going to silence everyone! Run!”
The room instantly erupted like a hive that had been poked.
It wasn’t only Cheng Lan’s wet nurse—even the longtime servants of the residence lost all reason and charged outside like madmen.
All the guards and household protectors had been locked inside one courtyard. When they tried to escape and discovered that the door would not open, they truly believed Murong Chen intended to kill them all. Their panic and agitation intensified, and they began smashing the door. Some even turned on the people beside them with their blades.
Cheng Yao removed the wooden bar and teleported into a flowerbed to hide.
The door was kicked open, and every other gate around the residence stood wide open. All the men rushed outside.
The entire incident had taken place in the blink of an eye. By the time Cheng Lan and Murong Chen hurried out of the room, everyone was gone. All they could hear were shouts of “Help!” and “His Highness the Second Prince is killing people!” as the fleeing servants raced away.
Murong Chen’s vision went black. His body swayed, and he nearly collapsed.
Cheng Lan hurriedly supported him. Her face was deathly pale, but she remained relatively composed.
“Don’t faint. Have them bring everyone back!”
Murong Chen was utterly lost. He repeated her words unconsciously. “Yes. Bring them back…”
But in the next instant, a flash of clarity struck him. He abruptly raised his head and shouted, “Someone!”
But who would be foolish enough to risk their life?
Every guard and servant in the residence had fled. The moment they heard his voice, they vanished like startled rabbits. Not a single shadow remained.
The entire prince’s residence was deserted. Only the autumn wind swept through it, sending fallen leaves spiraling across the ground.
Murong Chen looked around blankly. “Where is everyone? All of you, get back here!”
