Xi Qingyue sat on the sofa, likewise holding a cup of milk tea. Noticing Lu Jinshuang’s gaze, she turned her head and looked over in confusion. “Sister Jinshuang, why are you looking at me?”
Lu Jinshuang reached over and patted her on the head with a faint smile. “What? You’re not letting me look anymore? I think you’re getting prettier and prettier, so I wanted to look a little longer.”
Xi Qingyue rolled her eyes at that. She would never believe such nonsense.
Xi Weilan, however, leaned forward and beamed. “Sister Jinshuang, look at me! Am I prettier now? Big Sis said I’d grow up to be a great beauty.”
“That’s right. Lan’er is getting prettier and prettier. You’re already a little beauty.” Lu Jinshuang laughed heartily and reached out to pinch her plump little cheek.
Xi Weilan was even happier at the praise, her eyes narrowing into two little slits.
The group sat on the sofa, chatting and laughing. They enjoyed the air-conditioning, sipped their drinks, and nibbled on snacks without a care in the world. Meanwhile, the assassins aboard the large ship were already gravely wounded. Their injuries had been rubbed with salt, and they had been left to bake under the scorching sun. One by one, they lay on the deck, barely clinging to life.
One assassin kept trying to speak, but with his mouth gagged, he couldn’t get a word out. He shook and nodded his head repeatedly, attempting to communicate with the guards. He felt certain that he would not survive more than half a day and wanted to die quickly.
When the guards noticed his gestures, they immediately sent someone to report it. Before long, Xi Qingyue and the others arrived aboard the large ship.
She glanced at the assassin and said calmly, “Speak. Tell me everything you know, and I’ll grant you a quick death.”
The cloth was removed from the assassin’s mouth. He was then taken into the ship’s cabin.
“I want some water.” His throat was parched, and even his voice was hoarse.
Xi Qingyue raised a hand, and a guard immediately came over with a waterskin and handed it to the assassin.
“Go ahead. I’m a very kind person. If you tell me who is behind this, I’ll have someone prepare food and wine for you, so you can at least die with a full stomach on your journey to the afterlife.”
She did not promise to let him go. Even if she had, the assassin would never have believed her.
He gulped down the water. By the time he lowered the waterskin, some color had returned to his face.
He no longer hesitated and revealed everything he knew. “It was the Governor of Xinzhou. We’re members of Guangling Pavilion’s Dark Hall. The entire Dark Hall takes orders from the Governor. A few days ago, the Commandery Princess killed a man named Duan Pu. His younger sister is the Governor’s concubine. She resented the Commandery Princess for her brother’s death and kept crying and complaining to the Governor. That’s why he ordered us to wait here and assassinate her.”
When Xi Qingyue heard him mention the Governor of Xinzhou, the corners of her lips lifted slightly. “What else? Guangling Pavilion can’t consist of only the Dark Hall, can it? Where are the others? Do they also answer to the Governor? I’ve heard that children often disappear from the theaters. Where were those children ultimately taken?”
The assassin shook his head repeatedly. “We don’t know about the others. We were recruited by the Hall Master and have never met anyone else in the Pavilion. We don’t know whether they answer to the Governor either. As for the children from the theaters, the Hall Master took them away. I don’t know where he brought them.”
He was only an ordinary subordinate of the Dark Hall. The fact that he knew about the Governor of Xinzhou was already remarkable; he had no access to any of the organization’s core secrets.
Xi Qingyue asked again, “Did the theater workers know your identities? What part did they play?”
“They all knew. They were recruited by the Hall Master as well, though they don’t know martial arts. They were the ones who helped abduct the children…”
The assassin went on to reveal everything he knew, including the people they had killed and the wealthy merchants they had robbed in the past.
Xi Qingyue had it all recorded and made him affix his fingerprint to the statement.
Once everything was done, Xi Qingyue kept her promise. She had food and wine prepared for him and made him eat and drink in front of the other assassins.
When the other assassins saw their companion confessing and then feasting right before their eyes, they glared at him furiously, wishing they could beat him to death.
The assassin merely sneered at them. He was a dead man already. What was wrong with wanting to die quickly and leave this world with a full stomach?
He tore a drumstick from the roast chicken, taking two bites of meat before washing them down with a sip of wine. The wounds all over his body caused him unbearable pain, but fortunately, his hands were unharmed, so eating and drinking was no problem.
After finishing everything, he decisively closed his eyes and said calmly, “Do it.”
A guard swung his blade without hesitation. The assassin slowly collapsed, a smile still on his face.
The other assassins wore different expressions as they watched him die. Some looked disdainful, some contemptuous, and some envious.
Xi Qingyue remained in the ship’s cabin instead of leaving. She was waiting to see whether the other assassins would confess anything different. She did not believe that the Prefect of Xinzhou had established Guangling Pavilion for no reason. The children’s whereabouts were unknown, but the Prefect was certainly involved. Perhaps he had even ordered their abductions. But why would a Prefect abduct so many children?
She was even more suspicious of Prince Kang, because Prince Kang had also sent people to capture children.
“Mu Jin, have those people said anything yet?”
Mu Jin entered from outside and shook her head. “No. It looks like they won’t confess anytime soon. Should we torture them?”
Xi Qingyue nodded slightly. “Yes. Take them to the government office and torture them publicly. While you’re there, watch the onlookers for anyone behaving suspiciously. If there are any accomplices who slipped through the net, arrest them as well. If not, treat it as a public execution.”
She already knew the general outline of what had happened. The others could be sent to the government office to be dealt with. At least they could still serve one final purpose.
It was only after they returned to the yacht that Lu Jinshuang spoke. “Yue, do you really think Guangling Pavilion was established by the Prefect of Xinzhou? What are you planning to do?”
Xi Qingyue thought for a moment, then shook her head. “I don’t think so. I suspect it was your eldest imperial brother. As for the Prefect of Xinzhou, once we get there, we’ll simply cut him down and find out where the other members of Guangling Pavilion are hiding.”
Lu Jinshuang had reached the same conclusion, but one thing still puzzled her. “Even if Prince Kang is behind it, what does he want with all those children?”
Unable to make sense of it, the two of them turned toward Xi Weilan, who was playing with building blocks across from them. What could someone possibly do with children that young?
Xi Weilan looked up and saw them both staring at her. She smiled with innocent cheerfulness. “Big Sis, I’m hungry. I want braised pork. I also want lion’s head meatballs and chicken wings.”
At those words, Xi Qingyue and Lu Jinshuang were both startled. They had thought of the same possibility.
The two exchanged a glance, neither of them quite willing to believe it. Xi Qingyue had seen far too many beasts who ate people during her journey, but surely an imperial prince ought to be more civilized than that.
Lu Jinshuang’s entire worldview had been shaken. Could her imperial brother really be that kind of person?
Xi Qingyue smiled and beckoned Xi Weilan over. Then, with a wave of her hand, she brought more than a dozen dishes onto the table, along with two large bowls of rice, a bowl of mutton soup, and a bottle of orange juice. “Go ahead and eat. If it isn’t enough, just let me know.”
Xi Weilan happily ran over. She picked up the bottle of orange juice, unscrewed the cap, and took several gulps.
Afterward, she glanced at the chopsticks on the table and looked at Xi Qingyue in confusion. “Big Sis, aren’t you and Sister Jinshuang going to eat?”
The two of them shook their heads at the same time. “We’re not hungry.”
