# Chapter Eighty-Nine
Qi Xiao rose and draped his robe over his shoulders. Princess Dun Su hastily cried out, "The wound is still seeping blood! What are you doing?!"
Qi Xiao shook his head. "It's nothing. Let him in... I have words for him."
Princess Dun Su could never win against Qi Xiao's stubbornness, so she had the eunuch brought into the inner chamber. The young eunuch was startled at the sight of Qi Xiao's condition, then knelt and kowtowed. "Greetings to Your Highness, greetings to Your Highness the Princess. Your Highness... as Your Highness commanded, this servant kept watch at the city gates, waiting for news from Lingnan. This morning, we finally received word. We hurried to follow up, and thanks to Your Highness's reputation, we managed to gather some information."
"After Your Highness released the World Prince that day, he didn't delay at all. He rode straight south, charging into Lingnan City by nightfall. Fortunately, the World Prince had planned everything meticulously—there were people inside the city waiting to assist. Together, they struck from within and without, catching the Second Young Master completely off guard."
"However..." The eunuch paused, lowering his voice. "It is said that out of the World Prince's several hundred men... more than half were lost. By the time they finally charged into the Lingnan Prince's residence, fewer than a hundred remained. The World Prince was also wounded..."
Qi Xiao's eyes darkened at this. "Where was he hurt?!"
The eunuch had known how doting Qi Xiao had been toward Bai Ren, so he quickly said, "Nothing serious. It seems to have been his arm. He'll be fine."
Qi Xiao said nothing. The eunuch continued, "The World Prince's strategies were brilliant. Upon entering Lingnan City, he struck under cover of darkness, before anyone realized what was happening. He led his men to attack the Xia residence first. After surrounding the compound on all sides, he set it ablaze. The Xia family was caught completely unprepared—utterly unable to execute any counter-strategy. The World Prince ordered his men to guard every exit. Anyone who tried to escape was killed. When the Xia household finally managed to put out the fire from within, the World Prince's men battered down the gates and swept through like no one could stop them. Then... the World Prince personally killed all thirty-seven members of the Xia family."
Princess Dun Su drew a sharp breath at this. But Qi Xiao smiled—a bloodthirsty smile. *This* was his Bai Ren.
Princess Dun Su clutched her silk handkerchief tightly and couldn't help but ask, "And after that?"
The eunuch continued, "With Martial Chancellor dead, the Lingnan soldiers were leaderless. The World Prince had his men stand atop the city walls, shouting repeatedly that the Emperor had lent him fifty thousand troops to return and purge the household. The people of Lingnan City were thrown into chaos. It was the middle of the night—common folk and soldiers alike were terrified out of their wits. They had nowhere to hide, nowhere to flee. Everyone cowered inside their homes. Only then did the World Prince lead his men to the Lingnan Prince's residence."
"The household within the residence had received the news as well. The Second Young Master and Consort Xia scrambled to dress, frantically ordering men to seize the Princess Consort... Oh, Your Highness may not know this, but ever since the Lingnan Prince died, the Second Young Master had claimed the Princess Consort was gravely ill and had kept her confined in her own courtyard. But when they burst into the Princess Consort's courtyard, it was already empty! She was long gone! The Second Young Master collapsed in fear. Consort Xia grabbed him and pulled Lady Kang Tai along as they fled in a panic. After hastily gathering some belongings, they stumbled toward the corner gate of the residence... The gate opened, and outside stood the World Prince, staring at them intently!"
The eunuch shook his head repeatedly and continued, "The residence only had a few dozen household guards, and half of those had already fled. The rest were no match for the World Prince. In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the World Prince's men had subdued everyone and bound them securely with rope. The World Prince sent men to search for the Princess Consort, but they found no trace of her... Actually, the moment the World Prince entered the city, he had already dispatched men to find the Princess Consort. But the man never returned—it was as if she had vanished into thin air. The World Prince was certain that Consort Xia and the Second Young Master had hidden her away. After secret interrogations and brutal interrogations, they still couldn't say where she was. By then, the World Prince had already killed himself into a frenzy. And when he couldn't find the Princess Consort, his rage knew no bounds. He slashed Consort Xia to death on the spot."
Princess Dun Su frowned. "But where was the Princess Consort actually?!"
The eunuch chuckled bitterly. "No one could say... Just as the World Prince was about to kill the Second Young Master, an old nanny came tippy-toeing out from inside. It was Nanny Yan! Nanny Yan had met the World Prince before. She had come out to scout the situation. The moment she saw that it was Bai Ren who had returned, she rushed up to him, crying and laughing at the same time. As it turned out, the man the World Prince had sent to the residence *had* found the Princess Consort. But by the time he had explained the situation to her and Nanny Yan, chaos had erupted outside. The World Prince's men wanted to take the Princess Consort away, but Nanny Yan was worried and wouldn't let them leave. While they were arguing and pulling at each other, the sounds of blades clashing and shouting filled the air outside. Nanny Yan made a decisive move—she led everyone into the residence's wine cellar. They hid there for almost half an hour. When all fell quiet outside, Nanny Yan finally crept out to look around. Sure enough, she spotted the World Prince. *Amitabha*—the mother and son were finally reunited."
Jiang Deqing exhaled in relief and sighed. "That was close..." The eunuch continued, "After that, everything went smoothly. When Bai Ren produced the gold seal, everyone believed and submitted. The World Prince confiscated weapons, reorganized the rebel forces, and made decisions swiftly and decisively. That very night, he executed dozens of people—cutting off the heads of every ringleader who had aided the Second Young Master's rebellion! This finally subdued the masses. By dawn, the World Prince had taken control of the Lingnan Prince's residence and was writing a memorial to the Emperor. Now, that memorial has finally reached the imperial capital."
Jiang Deqing was still uneasy. He turned to look at Qi Xiao. "Your Highness... the Emperor... what will he do? He won't punish the World Prince again, will he?"
Qi Xiao smiled faintly. "The World Prince? In a few days, he should be addressed as the Lingnan King."
Jiang Deqing's eyes lit up. "Truly? Good, good... If Your Highness says he'll be fine, then he certainly will be."
There would certainly be some punishment—it was inevitable. But at this critical moment, the Emperor absolutely would not dare to raise troops again. That alone would be a complete victory. Still... Qi Xiao took a deep breath. The eunuch had described it in just a few words, but the situation at the time had been far from simple...
Princess Dun Su sighed. "That's good, then... If he can ascend smoothly, then all the suffering you've endured will not have been in vain. I only hope he remembers your kindness and will, in the future... in the future, can lend you some support."
Qi Xiao smiled but said nothing. Princess Dun Su spoke again, "With that settled, my nephew and his wife can finally rest easy. These past few days, it's not just Roujia—my own sister-in-law has been on edge every moment."
Only then did Qi Xiao remember Roujia. "How is Roujia? Has she had a threatened miscarriage?"
Princess Dun Su forced a bitter smile. "How could she not? First, she received news of her father's death. Then, she suddenly heard that Wen Yu had rebelled. And then, just like that, she learned that Bai Ren had charged back to Lingnan—his life uncertain. She was startled repeatedly. Her pregnancy was severely destabilized. A few days ago, she even started bleeding. It seemed she would lose the child at any moment. Fortunately, Zichen's boy has been responsible. He's been at her side every day, coaxing her, comforting her, speaking softly to calm her. His mother also implored the best imperial physicians to attend to her. After several days of careful nursing, they barely managed to save the pregnancy. Now Zichen has closed his doors to visitors. He refuses to see anyone except family from the He household, for fear that others might disturb her peace of mind. He won't even let Roujia get out of bed. With good food and proper care, she's slowly recovering."
Qi Xiao lowered his voice. "She's his only sister. Now they are worlds apart, and I cannot look after her. I beg Your Highness to watch over her more."
Hearing this, Princess Dun Su's heart couldn't help but fill with urgency. "He's her *only* brother"? What kind of statement was that? She wanted to scold him for saying such things, but looking at all his injuries, she couldn't bear to say anything harsh. All she could do was say, "Rest assured. Setting aside everything else, she is my niece-in-law, and the child in her womb is of the He family's flesh and blood. How could I possibly neglect them?"
Qi Xiao nodded. "Jiang Deqing... Find some fine tonics and have Your Highness bring them."
"I have plenty of tonics. You needn't worry about that." Princess Dun Su took a deep breath, adjusting her hairpin. "Besides, I have no time to visit Roujia right now. Now that you're out of danger, there's somewhere else... I must go make my case."
Jiang Deqing frowned. "Somewhere else?"
Princess Dun Su冷笑 ("coldly smiled"). "I gave the Crown Prince this beating. Did you think the Emperor wouldn't ask about it?"
Before she could finish, an attendant chief maid came in and curtsied. "Princess, someone from the palace has arrived, asking Your Highness to enter the palace."
Princess Dun Su snorted coldly. "And so it comes, just as we were speaking."
Inside the Qianqing Palace's inner chamber, Empress Feng wore a face full of worry. "Princess, how is Xiao'er?"
Princess Dun Su sighed, lowering her eyes and wiping away tears, her voice choking. "I only meant to teach him a lesson. But who could have known... This child, he may look sturdy on the outside, but I struck him too hard, and he... he actually fainted dead away. I thought he was pretending, deliberately playing possum to deceive me, so I ordered them to continue. Now he's unconscious and unresponsive. I don't know if he'll even survive..."
Empress Feng's heart leaped with joy, but she dug her nails hard into her palm beneath her sleeve to keep herself from laughing aloud. On the surface, she still wore a worried expression. "That's terrible! Have the physicians examined him?"
Princess Dun Su nodded, still weeping. "They have. But I'm only a woman—what do I know about medicine? I really couldn't tell you what the diagnosis is..."
Empress Feng didn't know this, but the Emperor did. Upon hearing this, he said coldly, "How is it that I hear... that Your Highness drove away the imperial physician I sent?"
"Don't even mention it..." Princess Dun Su shook her head, sighing. "By then, he had regained consciousness. I grabbed that physician and said to him—look, your father sent this physician to see you. You've committed this terrible wrongdoing, and your father said nothing. When he heard you were injured, he specifically stopped me from beating you and sent a physician to tend to you. Such grace! What do you have to repay such kindness? But the Crown Prince was too stubborn—he wouldn't say a word. My anger flared up again, and I drove the physician out. I absolutely forbade him from treating the boy! Empress... ah..."
Princess Dun Su grasped Empress Feng's hands and wailed loudly. "You, too, have a son. You should understand my suffering! How could I not love him? I love him *too* much—that's why I'm so disappointed he hasn't lived up to his potential!"
Empress Feng was completely bewildered. She could only stammer along, "It's... it's been hard on Your Highness."
Princess Dun Su shook her head and sighed. "Hard? What hardship? It is all for the sake of Daxiang! I only hope that someday, those who come after will understand my一片苦心..."
The Emperor was completely speechless. He kept drawing sharp breaths. Hearing Empress Feng's bumbling response nearly made him spit blood. He suddenly remembered the scene a few days ago in court, when Qi Xiao had debated the assembled officials and successfully cleared his own name. At the time, the Emperor had privately marveled—Emperor Wu spoke little and was silent as the grave all day. The late Empress Xiaoxian was famously gentle; speaking with her was like a spring breeze. How could such parents produce a child so sharp-tongued and quick-witted? Now he understood. He finally understood where Qi Xiao had gotten it from!