Arriving back at the courtyard where he had been held, Du Ling entered a room adjacent to the one that he had left Wen Wanzhi and the guard in.
A cold smirk hung at the tip of his mouth as he laid in bed and entered a deep slumber.
The next day.
A commotion outside led Du Ling to open the door with a cold expression.
A woman with her hair tied into a bun of a married woman[1] walked to him. “What have you done to my Wanzhi? As the high and mighty Western Region King, how could you bully my daughter? If you don’t give me an explanation, I’m going to let everyone in the world know about this.”
Mockery found its way to the corner of Du Ling’s mouth. It looks like there’s a sequel to the drama from yesterday night.
Li Zikang was dressed in his armour as he walked over. “Who dares to make a scene in the imperial palace? Do you not cherish your head anymore?”
“General Li, you have to uphold justice for this servant. I am the Second Concubine of Prime Minister Wen. My daughter was summoned into the palace last night to accompany the Western Region King, but she hasn’t returned home since last night; I am worried for her.” The woman claimed with confidence, as if she was really in extreme grief.
Anger twisted Li Zikang’s face. “Western Region King, is this true?”
Du Ling’s eyes were cold. “Since when are you fit to interrogate this King? If you really have the evidence, just take it out.”
“Then you will have to forgive this General for being impolite. Guards, go in and search.” Li Zikang ordered with a sarcastic look in his eyes.
This only served to deepen Du Ling’s mocking smile. “What should we do if there’s really no one inside?”
“This General is willing to kowtow and admit to my crimes.” Li Zikang’s eyes shone with arrogance, as if accepting a kowtow from him was a blessing bestowed by the heavens.
“If there is no one, this King wants your life.” The frost in Du Ling’s voice seeped out.
Li Zikang’s heart recoiled in fear. He sounds so certain; could Wen Wanzhi’s plan have failed? But didn’t the guards say they heard the sounds?
His confidence faltered, and he wasn’t sure if he should proceed with the investigation.
“General Li, what are you waiting for? My husband is currently waiting outside. Are you trying to bully me just because I’m a woman?” The Second Concubine of Prime Minister Wen lashed out haughtily.
A scream from within the room shattered any semblance of hesitation, but when the Second Concubine glanced inside, she fainted on the spot.
Li Zikang followed his men inside, only to find the room in disarray. As for Wen Wanzhi, she was covering her naked body with the bedsheets while curled up in the corner. The guard was lying on the ground, confusion covering his face.
“It looks like this King’s innocence is proven. General Li, you had better investigate this properly and give this King an explanation. Otherwise, the Western Region wouldn’t mind greeting you on the battlefield.” Du Ling said mockingly as he walked out of the filthy room.
Panic gripped Li Zikang’s heart. Not only did the plan fail, they even provoked the Western Region King. They are really a bunch of good-for-nothings; they can’t even do such a simple thing right.
He scrambled to find a way to deal with the mess in front of him, especially since he was more worried about how he would explain to Hua Ziqing.
“This guard has disrupted the order in the palace. Drag him out and behead him. Also, send Young Miss Wen and Second Madame back to the Prime Minister Residence.”
Once he was done, he hurried to Hua Ziqing’s place.
Meanwhile, Pei Qianhao and Yun Ruofeng were already informed of the drama in the palace through their secret messengers.
~~~
In the posthouse.
Upon waking up, Su Xi-er saw Pei Qianhao playing chess.
“A-Jing, when did you come back last night? Why didn’t you let me know?”
1. Married and unmarried women have different hairstyles.
