Regardless of the truth behind the deaths of the Black Armored Guards, releasing such explosive news was bound to shake the imperial court and all the various factions, increasing the pressure on Zhan Haoting and everyone connected to him.
When that time came, what would Cheng Yao, a woman hiding countless secrets, do in response?
He was looking forward to finding out.
“Yes!” The hidden guard accepted the order and vanished in an instant.
…
At the camp of the exile convoy, a suffocating gloom had settled over the place because Cheng Yao had been abducted.
Feng Xianxian had not returned all night, but at first, no one paid much attention.
However, when the sun was already high in the sky and she was still nowhere to be seen, Second Madam Zhan—who needed help whenever she had to relieve herself—began cursing loudly when she could not find anyone to attend to her.
Only then did the members of the Zhan clan realize that Feng Xianxian was missing.
“Jinmo, where on earth did your wife go? This is the middle of nowhere. Could something have happened to her?” one of the clan uncles asked with a frown.
“She’s a daughter-in-law of the Zhan family, no matter what. Go look for her! Don’t tell me she died somewhere out there!”
With her eyes swollen from crying and her voice hoarse, Zhan Qingrou said, “I think she has a guilty conscience! My sister-in-law was abducted under mysterious circumstances yesterday, and today Feng Xianxian disappears without a trace. How could that be a coincidence? She’s always resented my sister-in-law. Her disappearance definitely has something to do with her!”
“That’s enough!”
Zhan Jinmo suddenly rose to his feet, his face livid.
He was already upset enough as it was.
With Feng Xianxian gone, he and his father had to take care of his mother and grandmother—cleaning them, feeding them, and dealing with all their bodily needs.
He regretted divorcing her!
Now, being questioned by everyone and hearing Zhan Qingrou pin the blame for Cheng Yao’s abduction on Feng Xianxian, the nameless fury he had been suppressing finally erupted.
He shouted at Zhan Qingrou and the other clan members, “Feng Xianxian is already miserable enough! She hadn’t even been married into the Zhan family for three months before she was forced to follow us into exile. What more do you want from her? Do you have to drive her to her death before you’re satisfied? She’s just a weak woman—what could she possibly do? Why are you all throwing every accusation at her? You’ve gone too far!”
His indiscriminate defense and furious outburst left Zhan Qingrou stunned. A moment later, tears of grievance spilled from her eyes.
The other clan members were even more outraged. They had never expected him to remain so foolishly biased at a time like this.
“Zhan Jinmo! What are you shouting for? Was Qingrou wrong?”
“Do we not know what kind of person Feng Xianxian is? What is there that woman wouldn’t do?”
“You’ve clearly been bewitched by her! She’s harmed Yao’er several times already, yet you still refuse to see the truth!”
“You think it’s pitiful that Feng Xianxian was sent into exile after being a daughter-in-law of the Zhan family for only three months? What about Yao’er? She hadn’t even been married into the family for a month. Did you ever hear her complain?”
The scene descended into chaos. Accusations and curses rang out without end.
Many of the clan members also turned their fury on Second Madam Zhan, their words filled with contempt and hatred.
Second Madam Zhan snapped back, “My son hasn’t even said anything! Why are you all getting so worked up?”
The others showed her no mercy.
“He can’t tell right from wrong because you spoiled him!”
“Like mother, like daughter-in-law. You and Feng Xianxian are two of a kind!”
Mother and son were surrounded by the crowd like a pair of rats everyone wanted to chase away.
“Everyone, please calm down. I was wrong…”
The bickering had given Constable Wang a headache, and he finally stepped in. “Have you all had enough?”
After a few stern shouts, he managed to suppress the chaos for the time being.
Then he turned toward Uncle Xiao, who had been standing silently outside the crowd.
“Elder Xiao, you’ve been traveling with the convoy and went to the market yesterday as well. Did you see or hear anything related to Feng Xianxian?”
Uncle Xiao sighed and stepped forward. His gaze swept over everyone before finally settling on Zhan Jinmo, whose face was flushed with anger.
He began, “This old man did manage to find out a few things. The men who forcibly took Madam away yesterday were servants of an old man who was critically ill. Feng Xianxian was the one who approached the old man’s attendants at the medicine hall. She lied and claimed that Madam was a miracle doctor, then incited them to come and seize her. She even led them there and identified Madam for them, all in exchange for a promised reward.”
He paused, watching Zhan Jinmo’s face stiffen instantly, then continued, “After the plan failed, Feng Xianxian knew her crime had been exposed. Instead of returning to the exile convoy, she followed those servants and found the old man, Gu Yanzong. She offered herself to him, claiming that her birth chart would bring prosperity to her husband and that she was willing to become his servant or concubine to bring him good fortune through marriage. Yet for some reason, Gu Yanzong actually agreed on the spot to marry her as his principal wife.”
“As for the local thugs,” Uncle Xiao added, “this old servant also found out that they were hired by a fruit vendor at the market who was jealous of our successful business. They had nothing directly to do with Feng Xianxian.”
The truth was finally out!
The camp erupted instantly. Everyone’s fury reached its peak.
“That vicious woman! That poisonous woman! She was the one who framed Cheng Yao!”
“She’s so malicious—she actually harmed her own family! What shamelessness!”
“Zhan Jinmo, listen carefully! Are you still going to defend that snake-hearted woman?”
“And you, Second Madam Zhan! This is the wonderful son you raised and the wonderful daughter-in-law he married!”
A tide of furious abuse surged toward the ashen-faced mother and son.
It was as though all the strength had been drained from Zhan Jinmo’s body. He staggered backward and collapsed onto the ground. Clutching his head in both hands, he could not utter a single word in his defense. Only endless regret and shame remained.
Second Madam Zhan covered her face, too frightened to meet the gaze of a single clan member.
Constable Wang’s face had turned livid. Feng Xianxian’s actions were utterly reprehensible.
He immediately ordered several of the constables, “Go and find out where this Gu Yanzong is staying! We must capture Feng Xianxian and bring her back! She will be punished according to the law!”
“Wait…”
Zhan Jinmo’s lips trembled. After hesitating for a long while, he finally managed to say, “I already divorced Feng Xianxian. She has the divorce papers…”
“What?!”
No one had expected that he would divorce his wife at a time like this!
“Foolish! Utterly foolish!”
Fifth Grandfather was so furious that he pounded his chest. “On the road to exile, do you really think you can divorce your wife simply because you say so? You’ve practically cast her out, giving her free rein to commit evil and take revenge on all of us!”
“Even if she has been divorced, she was still once a daughter-in-law of the Zhan family! How could she scheme against her own family like this and bring shame upon our entire clan?”
Constable Wang’s expression also darkened. He took a deep breath and suppressed his anger before saying solemnly, “Zhan Jinmo, listen carefully! According to the law, anyone sentenced to exile must be accompanied by their family members, who are likewise placed under the court’s supervision. Feng Xianxian was divorced on the road to exile, but she is still an exile convict! Now that she has left the convoy, she is a fugitive fleeing punishment—and her sentence will be increased!”
Constable Wang’s words fell like the cold strike of a judge’s gavel, pounding into Zhan Jinmo’s heart.
He crouched on the ground with his head in his hands, his body trembling. He could no longer say a single word.
“Zhang Dapeng! Sun Zhihui!” Constable Wang no longer looked at him and called out the two men directly. “Take the documents and your badges to the local authorities. Have the soldiers there cooperate with you in finding Gu Yanzong’s residence. You must capture that poisonous woman, Feng Xianxian, and bring her to justice!”
“Yes, Chief!”
Zhang Dapeng and Sun Zhihui accepted the order and hurried away.
Constable Wang gazed at the dispirited convoy and sighed.
“Why are there so many problems?”
