Nightshadow’s expression changed abruptly, and he shifted backward.
Looking at the sisters who had arrived, he ventured, “I’ve told you everything I should. Are you here to kill me?”
Xi Qingyue looked at him through the bars, her voice utterly calm. “What did the Ninth Prince mean by his final words? And what was the snake venom my mother was poisoned with? Why would Prince Kang, who had no grudge against her, want to kill my mother?”
Nightshadow’s heart lurched at her questions. If he answered badly, his fate would certainly be dreadful—perhaps worse than death itself.
Xi Weilan glared at him furiously, her gaze vicious. “Speak up! Otherwise, I’ll have Big Sister deal with you. Not even the Jade Emperor himself could save you.”
Xi Qingyue suddenly gave him an eerie, unfathomable smile. “Don’t even think about dying. As long as you have a breath left in you, I can bring you back to life. If you refuse to cooperate, I’ll dump you at the county yamen. For every piece of flesh someone cuts from your body, I’ll pay them a hundred copper coins. We’ll see whether you have more flesh or I have more money.”
At those words, Nightshadow’s face turned even paler. This woman was simply insane.
“You’re going back on your word! I already told you that Prince Kang ordered the Ninth Prince’s assassination.”
Xi Qingyue shook her head. “Mu Jin was the one who made you that promise. I haven’t even started interrogating you yet. Tell me why Prince Kang poisoned my mother, and I’ll let you die with some dignity. Otherwise…”
She left the rest unsaid, but Nightshadow clearly understood. It would be a death too horrible for him to bear—or perhaps one in which he would not be allowed to die at all. Just as she had said, she might actually sell him off piece by piece like pork. The more he thought about it, the more terrified he became.
He drew a deep breath and slowly said, “I’ll talk. I’ll tell you everything you want to know, but I’m seriously injured right now. Lying down or even lying on my stomach is unbearable. Can you wait until I’ve recovered a little before questioning me?”
In truth, Nightshadow was trying to stall. Once his injuries had healed somewhat, he would surely find a way to kill himself. Once he was dead, all his troubles would be over.
Xi Qingyue released a burst of her ability. Green light flashed over Nightshadow’s wounds, and he immediately felt his body grow lighter. The pain in his injuries had lessened considerably.
Just as he was staring at her in shock, Xi Qingyue’s cold voice rang out. “I told you, as long as you have a breath left, I can save you. Don’t bother trying any tricks. Tell me what you know, quickly. If you wait too long, I may lose interest in listening.”
This time, Nightshadow was truly terrified.
The ability to alleviate his injuries in an instant was far too strange. Even the imperial physicians could never accomplish such a thing.
He abruptly sat up, bracing his back against the wall as he stared at Xi Qingyue in horror. “I’ll talk. I’ll tell you everything right now. But this is a long story. It begins four years ago.”
Xi Qingyue was stunned for a moment. Then she waved her hand, and a large, soft sofa appeared beside her.
She pulled Xi Weilan down onto the sofa. “Go ahead. We’re listening.”
Nightshadow’s heart began pounding wildly. He stared at Xi Qingyue in disbelief. To him, producing an object out of thin air was nothing short of an immortal’s magic.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and then recounted everything he knew. The sisters listened intently, straining to catch every word.
However, Nightshadow’s very first sentence left Xi Qingyue stunned.
“Four years ago, Miss Bai’s disappearance was arranged by Prince Kang…”
“What did you say? Isn’t Prince Kang Bai Ruoshu’s cousin? The two of them were even planning to marry at the time. Why would he do such a thing?” Xi Qingyue asked, baffled.
Nightshadow sighed. “It was precisely because they were supposed to marry that he did it. Consort Bai wanted her own niece to marry Prince Kang, so their families could become even closer. But Prince Kang felt that would be a terrible bargain. Even if he didn’t marry Bai Ruoshu, the Bai family would still support him. If he married a young lady from another noble household, he could gain an additional ally. So he found several senior palace matrons and had them take her away.”
At this point, Nightshadow paused. When Xi Qingyue did not interrupt, he continued.
“The matter should have ended there. Everyone assumed Miss Bai had certainly died, but for some reason, Consort Bai sensed that something was wrong. She pressed Prince Kang for the truth and flew into a terrible rage after he confessed.
“Prince Kang sent men to search the area where she had been abandoned. That was how they found Miss Bai. However, by the time they located her, she was already pregnant. The reason the officials from the Minister’s residence were able to find her was because we secretly guided them there.”
At that, Xi Qingyue could not help interrupting. “You were one of the guards Prince Kang sent to search for her?”
“That’s right. We searched for her in secret. Once we found her, we sent word back to the capital, then discreetly led the people from the Minister’s residence to her.”
Xi Qingyue already knew roughly what had happened afterward. When the people from the Minister’s residence found her, they saw that Xi Daniu resembled Duke Anguo. Remembering that Duke Anguo had once lost a son, they agreed to take them back.
Naturally, the outcome seemed perfect for everyone. Duke Anguo had found his son and gained a daughter-in-law, while the Minister’s residence had recovered its daughter.
Consort Bai did not dare tell her family the truth. Instead, she had to help her son keep it hidden.
“If Miss Bai had already been found, why did they wait several years before sending people to kill her? My mother had never interfered with their affairs.” Xi Qingyue was filled with murderous intent toward the Prince Kang she had never even met.
Nightshadow continued, “It was still because of Miss Bai. Although Prince Kang had not wanted to marry her, he did have feelings for her. He disliked Song Wenliang even more, so he arranged for many guards to infiltrate the Duke’s residence.”
Xi Qingyue found herself thinking that Prince Kang must have been seriously deranged. He liked Bai Ruoshu, yet he had her kidnapped and abandoned far away. Then, after she married someone else, he became unhappy. He was nothing short of a pervert.
Nightshadow glanced at the two sisters before cautiously continuing.
“The Duke’s heir wanted to place bets on both sides and secretly pledge allegiance to Prince Kang. That was why he thought of his wife and daughters back home. But Prince Kang had left people in the capital and instructed them that if the heir showed any intention of bringing his family to the capital, they were to go to Willow Tree Village and kill them. That was why the hidden guards from the capital went there to murder them.”
After hearing this, Xi Qingyue’s gaze grew even colder. The air around her seemed to freeze solid.
Nightshadow hurriedly said, “It wasn’t me. I had already left the capital with Prince Kang by then. It was Wuying. He originally intended to kill all of you, but he overheard the conversation between your second uncle and second aunt. Once he learned that they planned to sell you off one by one, he decided not to kill you.”
When he finished speaking, Nightshadow prostrated himself on the ground, not daring to move. Beads of sweat on his forehead mingled with the damp floor, making it impossible to tell whether the moisture came from his sweat or the ground.
Xi Weilan had remained silent the entire time, but she had clearly understood everything. It was Prince Kang who had ordered her mother’s death.
She tugged at Xi Qingyue’s sleeve, her face streaked with tears. “Big Sister, I want to avenge Mother.”
Xi Qingyue wiped away her tears and comforted her gently. “All right. Big Sister will make sure you take your revenge yourself. When the time comes, we’ll torture him for forty-nine days before killing him.”
