The leader of the group, a man in black, said, “Report to Prince Yun that we have them.”
“This subordinate obeys the order!” Another man in similar clothing nodded and left.
Yu Xiao’s eyes widened upon hearing ‘Prince Yun’. He turned to Mei Jinxiu and said, “Look! Qin Ling is still loyal to Prince Yun! He wouldn’t dare disobey Prince Yun’s orders! We’ve fallen for his trap!”
Mei Jinxiu turned pale at this.
The leader in black laughed and said, “Commander Qin would obviously obey Prince Yun. Don’t worry though, you never would have succeeded in neutralising Yinluo Grass anyways. While we’re at it, you should know that Beimin would be a ghost town by now if it weren’t for Prince Yun’s compassion. You would be wise to swear loyalty to him too, since the entire world will soon be under his control!”
Yu Xiao scoffed. “Prince Yun is too hungry for power. I thought he really missed the Eldest Imperial Princess, but I guess that’s just a sham!”
The man in black slapped Yu Xiao. “How dare you insult Prince Yun? There’s nothing that’s out of reach for him; it’s just a matter of whether he wishes to pursue it or not! Prince Hao is nothing compared to him, little more than a useless turd on the roadside. For Prince Yun to have feelings for Princess Consort Hao means that she’ll be Princess Consort Yun in the future, or even the Empress of the world!”
“What a joke! You’re really funny!!!” Yu Xiao then spat at the man.
The man raised his whip and struck Yu Xiao several times.
Mei Jinxiu tried her best to stop thinking about Qin Ling’s betrayal and quickly spoke up. “Prince Yun wouldn’t have asked for us to be captured if he didn’t have a use for us. If he sees that we’re injured, you won’t be able to give him a satisfactory answer!”
The man in black stopped his whipping and said, “This bitch is right. Take them away secretly!”
Mei Jinxiu and Yu Xiao were taken away from the clinic shortly after.
By the next day, more strange rumours had sprung up around the capital. There were stories about an entire village meeting a gruesome end, while others spoke of a crowd of headless white figures hopping in single file in the middle of the day.
“The heavens are punishing Beimin! The imperial court sent an announcement, but nothing else has been done!”
“You’re right, the villagers are dying one after another. What’s going on? Is this happening because of Princess Consort Hao being an evil spirit?! Beimin would be safe without her!”
“Though that would be going against Prince Hao, it’s his duty to protect the citizens of Beimin. Now that we’re not safe, it’s only right for Princess Consort Hao to be handed over to the court!” A middle-aged man spoke up, but collapsed immediately after, foaming at the mouth. He was dead before he even hit the ground.
Those who witnessed it were terrified. “Heavens! This is too frightening. The problem must lie with…”
‘Princess Consort Hao’ was what everyone was thinking, but no one dared say it aloud, fearing that they would end up like the middle-aged man before them.
More and more unexplained occurrences continued to crop up, and the rumours began to spread uncontrollably. Many of the court officials who heard about them started to panic, and some even petitioned that Princess Consort Hao should be brought out to explain herself!
