Chapter 129: Chapter 129: This Man Should Have Been Hers Too

「The General Mansion.」

The occasional screams from outside the window frightened Mrs. Liu so much that she wrapped herself in a blanket and huddled in a corner.

In the courtyard of Die Cui Pavilion, Xin Haiyun was tied to a post. Her hair was a mess, her face was covered in blood, and there wasn’t a single patch of intact skin on her entire body.

A wizened, frail old woman with graying hair and a hunched back held a boning and skinning knife used by butchers.

An oiled paper cloth was spread on the ground, covered with bloody pieces of… something. One could faintly make out the texture of fine, fair skin…

The old woman tottered over, placed a freshly cut piece of skin on the cloth, then turned to sharpen her skinning knife before walking toward Xin Haiyun again.

“Help… help… I’m begging you, let me go…”

Xin Haiyun didn’t even have the strength to cry anymore. She didn’t dare to, because her tears would sting her wounds.

The old woman’s thin, withered lips pressed into a line. Her eyes were cold, unmoved by the pleas. Though she was so old she could barely walk steadily, her hands moved with swift, falling strokes—her knife skills were exceptionally fast.

One could tell she was a professional.

In just a few moments, she had carved two pieces of skin from Xin Haiyun’s face, leaving behind two small, bloody wounds the size of silver ingots.

The pain sent Xin Haiyun into convulsions, and her head lolled to the side as she passed out.

The wounds the old woman inflicted were not fatal, but they were exceptionally painful. The terror of being flayed alive was enough to shatter a person’s spirit.

Even someone like Song Xingfeng, who was accustomed to the sight of mangled corpses and severed limbs, couldn’t help but look away, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

The entire General Mansion was filled with the stench of blood, like a living hell on earth.

He gritted his teeth and finally mustered the courage to speak. “Your Highness, she has received the punishment she deserves…”

Before he could finish, a fine celadon teacup suddenly smashed on the ground, landing right at Song Xingfeng’s feet.

The shattering sound was especially piercing in the dead of night.

Zhou Cangyan acted as if his hand had slipped, raising it to look it over. “She certainly deserves to die, but she shouldn’t be the only one punished, should she?”

Song Xingfeng’s expression was grim. He slowly straightened his back and stared at Zhou Cangyan with a dark face.

Zhou Cangyan ignored him and gave a direct order, “Go and ’invite’ Mrs. Song out.”

“Don’t!”

Song Xilan had been watching the situation from the shadows. When she heard him hold her mother accountable, she couldn’t restrain herself any longer. She rushed out and knelt before him. “Prince Qing, my mother has nothing to do with this! If you don’t believe me, you can investigate!”

She was actually telling the truth. From beginning to end, Mrs. Liu had never once said anything about getting revenge on Song Lianhe. It had all been Xin Haiyun’s own idea, an attempt to curry favor with her.

Song Xingfeng also stepped forward. “Your Highness, my wife is kind-hearted and gentle. She has always treated Lianhe as her own daughter. This matter definitely has nothing to do with her. It must have been that venomous woman acting on her own. I pray Your Highness sees the truth.”

Zhou Cangyan’s eyes were half-closed. They were long and narrow, and in a lazy posture like this, he exuded a sense of unrestrained, roguish charm that was quite captivating. And yet, he was constantly shrouded in the Evil Qi he’d accumulated over the years, so no one would ever associate him with the word “roguish.”

Song Xilan had been observing him secretly. ’The reason he’s standing up for Song Lianhe can’t be as simple as he claims. He and Zhou Junlin are two completely different types of men. Zhou Junlin is more restrained and courteous, the very model of an upright gentleman. But Zhou Cangyan is different. He is more audacious, more arrogant. Although he has kept a low profile since returning to the capital, how low a profile could a man who had carved a bloody path through the battlefield possibly keep?’

Song Xilan found herself staring at him again. ’It’s undeniable that he is exceptionally handsome. Just sitting there, the slightest glance upward from him is breathtaking…’

Realizing she’d been lost in a daze, she hastily lowered her head, an uncontrollable heat rising in her cheeks.

“My Princess Consort-to-be nearly lost her life in the General Mansion, yet when I come to take the culprit, you obstruct me at every turn…”

His voice was extremely soft, yet every word dripped with murderous intent.

A cold chill ran down Song Xingfeng’s spine. His feelings upon first seeing the imperial edict had been complicated.

’Two daughters, one marrying Prince Ling and the other Prince Qing… I should be happy. This is also the best way to resolve my younger daughter’s previous entanglement with Prince Ling!’

’But I can’t bring myself to be happy. Seeing Prince Qing’s attitude, he clearly plans to back my younger daughter to the very end! Who knows if he’s using this as a pretext for some other scheme?’

’What if he has villainous ambitions and wants to join forces with the Xuan Chang Marquis Mansion to deal with Prince Ling’s faction? The Song Family would be pushed into the eye of the storm, forced to pick a side and make a sacrifice. Losing a daughter is one thing, but I’m afraid someone will use this to cause trouble in the future.’

In Song Xingfeng’s eyes, Zhou Cangyan’s current actions were all deliberate.

He even wondered, ’If the marriage has already been decreed, why not announce it to the world immediately? Isn’t this just a trap, set for us to walk right into?’

’Zhou Cangyan is one thing, but Song Lianhe is my own flesh and blood! To think she’d conspire with an outsider to plot against her own family!’

Song Xingfeng’s resentment toward his younger daughter deepened, and the perfunctory nature of his words grew more and more obvious.

“Prince Qing, you and my younger daughter are not yet married, which means she is still a daughter of the Song Family. As a member of the Song Family, it is only natural that she be reprimanded by her elders! It’s one thing for Your Highness to punish a guilty woman, but now you wish to punish my wife as well. Aren’t you overstepping your bounds, Your Highness!”

Song Xingfeng was, after all, a dignified Second-Grade National Guardian General. Being ignored by Zhou Cangyan again and again had left him simmering with resentment. If he couldn’t even protect his own wife today, who knew how the officials at court would mock him!

Zhou Cangyan seemed not to have heard him, merely glancing up at the sky.

This whole affair had dragged on all night. The sky was turning a pale grey; dawn would break soon.

Thinking of the person still at his mansion, he suddenly felt a strong urge to go back and see her. ’Is she sleeping well? Is she in too much pain to sleep?’

A wave of irritation washed over him.

He hadn’t felt this kind of agitation in a long time. Whenever it had appeared in the past, he would inevitably take the lives of a few enemy soldiers, only calming down after his hands were stained with warm blood.

He looked up again at the people opposite him—one was her father, the other her sister…

They were all people connected to her.

’Can’t kill them.’

Zhou Cangyan frowned, his impatience growing. “Seize her.”

“Yes, sir!”

Without a word, the Shadow Guards charged into the side room. A moment later, Mrs. Liu’s sharp screams followed.

“No! Don’t take me! General… General, save me!”

Mrs. Liu was dragged out in a disheveled state. The moment she looked up and saw the “blood man” tied there with its head lolling, she gasped, unable to catch her breath, and fainted dead away.

“Mother!”

Song Xilan lunged forward but was blocked by the Shadow Guards.

Song Xingfeng was stunned. He never would have expected Zhou Cangyan to be this brazen!

’Even if Mrs. Liu really was involved, when an official’s family member breaks the law, the case should be handed over to the Ministry of Justice. How could he be allowed to carry out a private punishment?’

The guards from both sides faced off in the small courtyard. Zhou Cangyan’s Black Armored Guards formed a line, ready for battle, their presence easily overpowering the mansion’s guards.

“Take her away.”

Zhou Cangyan rose and began to leave.

Song Xingfeng snarled through gritted teeth, “If Prince Qing wishes to take this general’s wife, he’ll have to ask if this general agrees!”

As he finished speaking, he drew his sword and was about to charge forward, but someone suddenly blocked his path.

“Lan’er, move aside!”

“Father, don’t be rash! There must be a misunderstanding. I believe Prince Qing would never wrong an innocent person.”

Song Xilan calmly blocked her father. In that brief moment, Mrs. Liu was taken away.

As Zhou Cangyan passed her, he threw a fleeting glance her way.

Their eyes met, and Song Xilan’s heart suddenly trembled. A strange, absurd thought surfaced in her mind:

’This man… he should have been mine, too.’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep