Chapter 15: It's Over—Our Whereabouts Have Been Exposed!
Jiang Mubai entered the pavilion, setting down the lunchbox and lantern he carried. He seated himself on the stone steps, the very spot where Feng Sanniang had died. He recalled how she had struggled tirelessly, trying to rise, but death was near. She could only gaze up at the sky with eyes full of unwillingness and despair.
At that moment, she must have been utterly hopeless, harboring nothing but hatred for him—resentment for his disregard of six years of marriage, for his merciless act of killing her. To conceal the crime of murdering his wife, he had slaughtered a male servant in the household, stripped both their clothes, and left them on the bed to fabricate a scandal of Lady Jiang’s infidelity.
Later, Lvxiu had burst into the room, discovering the lady and the servant dead together, driven mad with terror on the spot.
For Feng Sanniang’s sake, Jiang Mubai had spared Lvxiu’s life, banishing her from the capital, her fate unknown to this day.
These memories churned relentlessly in Jiang Mubai’s mind, his terrifying endurance and twisted love for his wife forming a complex, distorted bond.
He exploited her and yet loved her.
Between love and ambition, he chose power and prestige, believing only through these could he obtain all he desired. The love he sacrificed, he engraved deeply in his heart, never to forget.
He would forever remember that everything he had achieved was built upon Feng Sanniang’s corpse—and he vowed never to betray that truth.
Jiang Mubai opened the lunchbox, pulling out a pot of wine, a cup, a plate of dishes, a portion of snacks, fruit, incense, candles, and finally, paper money.
Carefully arranging everything in order, he lit the incense and candles, tearing several sheets of paper money to burn. Then, he poured a cup of wine onto the ground, offering a solemn tribute to Feng Sanniang.
“My dear, I miss you. Are you well down there?”
After speaking, he drained the cup.
Gu Nanshu watched silently, her spine stiffening, fists clenched tight, burning with an urge to rush out and kill him on the spot to ease her fury.
Jiang Mubai said he missed her? The absurdity was beyond belief; even restless spirits would not trust such words.
Huantao, overhearing this, widened her eyes and whispered fiercely to Gu Nanshu, “Your Highness, I think this Minister Jiang is either insane or seriously ill!”
To murder one’s own wife with one’s own hands, then kneel at her grave professing longing—either his mind is broken or his soul corrupted. Terrifying.
“Shh...”
Gu Nanshu quickly gestured for silence.
Moments later, having consumed several cups of wine, Jiang Mubai, perhaps drunk or maddened, suddenly broke into a sinister, wild, and arrogant laugh.
“My dear, rest assured. When my position is high and my power great, when I truly have everything I desire, I will avenge you. I will kill them all—every last one!”
His eyes glowed bloodshot with fury. His twisted face bore an evil grin. The cold wind stirred his long hair, painting a terrifying figure—like a bloodthirsty demon risen from hell.
Gu Nanshu frowned tightly, lost in thought.
Who did he intend to kill? To wipe out entirely in her name?
Could he not see that he himself was her greatest enemy?
This madman! So terrifying, so perverse.
Huantao trembled all over, stepping back and snapping a dry branch beneath her foot. The crisp crack echoed sharply in the still night, unsettling the heart.
Jiang Mubai’s keen ears twitched. His furious eyes darted sharply toward the noise.
“Who’s there? Who’s there?!”
He rose and strode toward the great banyan tree, noticing a flutter of fabric.
Someone was there.
Squinting, he approached slowly.
Gu Nanshu, annoyed, slapped Huantao on the forehead.
“What are you doing?!”
Huantao’s legs weakened from fright. Flustered, she stammered, “S-Sorry, Your Highness. I didn’t mean to... What should we do now?”
Gu Nanshu calmly scanned their surroundings. Except for the banyan tree shielding them, everything else was bare and exposed. If they fled, they would surely be discovered.
She glanced down, spotting some wooden sticks. She grabbed two, handing one to Huantao.
“Let’s fight! I’ll kill him right here today!”
Huantao gripped the stick with trembling hands, debating whether to strike lightly or hard—too gentle and it wouldn’t be fatal.
From a branch above, Lu Heng observed the chaos below, frowning deeply. He glanced at the approaching Jiang Mubai and signaled to Lieyan and Yunfeng.
They nodded in unison.
In a flash, Lu Heng descended like a serpent, grabbing Gu Nanshu by the shoulder of her garment and pulling her away. Huantao was likewise seized by Lieyan.
The suddenness left Gu Nanshu no time to react before a branch scraped her right ear, knocking off one of her earrings. Pain flared as she clutched her ear.
“Ah! My ear hurts.”
“Silence!” Lu Heng barked sharply.
The rustling of branches sounded as five figures vanished.
When Jiang Mubai neared, he found only the fallen earring and scattered leaves. His eyes narrowed dangerously.
Damn it! They had escaped!
Who was watching him here in the dead of night?
Lowering his gaze, he picked up the gold earring, inspecting it carefully. It bore the imprint “Jinyu Fang.”
Jinyu Fang was the capital’s most renowned jewelry store, crafting gold and gems for noble ladies—famous throughout the city.
Jiang Mubai’s eyes darkened with cold resolve. Whoever had overheard his earlier words must be found and eliminated swiftly, or they would ruin his grand design.
Suddenly, a thought struck him.
He spun around and strode toward the bedroom his wife had once occupied, only to find the door wide open.
His heart skipped. Rushing inside, he checked the secret compartment in the bed—Feng Sanniang’s jade hairpin was gone!
Alarm bells rang in his mind. If someone was spying on him, they wouldn’t have taken the hairpin. And only he and Feng Sanniang knew about it.
So this visitor was not spying on him, but after the hairpin.
But Feng Sanniang had never revealed its secret to anyone else. Who had taken it?
Could it be Feng Sanniang herself? Impossible!
She was dead, buried by his own hands. How could she still be alive?
Jiang Mubai’s sharp intellect and astuteness were renowned. Rising to the rank of Left Minister of Justice in just three years was no boast—it was a testament to his ability.
Determined to leave no clue behind, he hastened by carriage to a desolate wilderness, dug open Feng Sanniang’s barren grave, and unrolled the tattered mat to confirm whether she was truly dead.
The mat was pulled aside to reveal her corpse, still clad in the bright red court robe. The body remained.
Thus...
Jiang Mubai dropped the hoe he held, sitting down heavily on the ground, his expression dazed as he stared at the body.
Who was it? Who had taken Feng Sanniang’s jade hairpin?