Chapter 658: Clues to the Descendants of the Jiang Clan (6)
A group of the court’s lackeys quickly left, leaving only a few corpses scattered in the courtyard, old and young, mangled and incomplete, a truly tragic sight.
Of course, this was the scene visible to ordinary people!
However, from Mu Ruoyi’s perspective, she could clearly see the Life Souls of several individuals floating out of their bodies.
This was impossible! This place was not a place of extreme Yin; ordinary people’s souls should be immediately annihilated by the Heavenly Dao’s will!
Mu Ruoyi couldn’t figure it out. She observed carefully and found that Chen Kai’s Life Soul was shrouded in resentment, absorbing the surrounding Yin energy, which indirectly protected the other souls.
“Why? Can anyone tell me why? Who did I offend? I was inexplicably killed by the soldiers!”
Chen Kai cried out in anguish.
Madam Chen felt unbearable, so she stepped forward, took her son’s hand, and recounted the whole story.
“You coward! You are a sinner of the Daqi Kingdom! You deserve to die!”
Master Chen, furious, rushed towards the beggar.
“Daughter… Daughter… *sob sob*… Father has failed you!
Unexpectedly, the beggar then rushed towards “Jiang Fu’s” Life Soul as if he had gone mad, holding the small body in his arms and weeping.
“Daughter?”
Upon hearing this address, Master Chen’s footsteps froze.
Mu Ruoyi was also drawn to the situation. Her mind seemed to freeze, unable to comprehend why the beggar would call the former dynasty’s young duke his daughter.
“Daughter… Daughter… *sob sob*… Father has failed you! You only… only lived in this world for a few ten… a few hundred days… and before you could even learn to speak, your father caused your death… I am truly unworthy of being your father… I am worse than a beast!”
The beggar wailed, holding “Jiang Fu.”
“Jiang Fu,” being too young, understood nothing and simply cried foolishly.
“Why do you call her daughter?”
Master Chen tentatively asked.
“Because… because she is my daughter… not the former dynasty’s duke!”
The beggar said, startling everyone.
“What? She’s your daughter? Then why did you use her to impersonate the duke?”
Master Chen asked with disbelief.
“Master Chen, you are a smart man. Don’t you… don’t you understand my intentions? I was cornered by the court’s lackeys… lackeys, and to protect the County Princess’s life, I could only find a scapegoat. Since I couldn’t find any other female infants, I had to use my own daughter as a replacement… *sob sob*…”
The beggar whimpered in pain again as he spoke.
Hearing this, Mu Ruoyi felt as if struck by lightning. Her whole body trembled, and she couldn’t believe that such a loyal person existed in this world, someone willing to sacrifice his own daughter to preserve the royal bloodline.
Meanwhile, Cheng Hong Ling, pale as paper from excessive blood loss, her elegant and slender body swaying precariously.
“Let her stop for now.”
Qi Huang suggested in a low voice again.
“No, if it’s like this, won’t my previous blood be wasted?”
Cheng Hong Ling still shook her head stubbornly.
Qi Huang had no choice but to reach out and support her.
So, everything before was you acting? You deliberately made everyone think you entrusted the little County Princess to our family. As soon as the court’s lackeys came to kill your daughter, you could deceive heaven and earth, right? If I’m not mistaken, you getting caught by those soldiers was also walking into a trap? Your purpose was to identify us personally.
Master Chen finally reacted to the shock after a long while.
“Yes, I had no other choice! I’m just sorry to your family of three.”
The beggar said apologetically.
Your apology is enough? You wanted to be loyal, what does that have to do with us? Why did you treat us like pawns? Did you even ask for our opinions?
Chen Kai rebuked incessantly, his resentment growing stronger, showing signs of turning into a vengeful spirit.
“I apologize! However, I already warned you in the letter. If Master Chen feared being implicated, he could have taken my daughter out. Since he chose to stay, he must have been prepared for sacrifice and shouldn’t resent me too much, right?”
The beggar retorted in self-defense.
Chen Kai’s momentum suddenly halted upon hearing this. Since it was his father’s choice, what could he, as a son, say?
What?
So your last sentence had such a deep meaning.
Master Chen suddenly realized and then declared, “I have no regrets dying as long as the little County Princess is saved! However, there is one thing I don’t understand. I clearly burned that letter, so why did the soldiers still find it?”
Master Chen asked his greatest doubt.
“Because I left more than one letter. Another one was hidden in a hidden compartment of the basket, which you wouldn’t easily discover.”
The beggar clarified.
“Heh heh, you went to such great lengths to bring about our demise!”
Master Chen gritted his teeth and scoffed. Although he was indeed willing to sacrifice his life for the former dynasty’s royal family, it didn’t mean he was willing to be manipulated like a chess piece.
“Have you heard a saying? Even ants cherish life. Actually, I didn’t intend to do this at first. As long as you raised my daughter well as the little County Princess, nothing would have happened. Who knew you would reveal my daughter’s gender so quickly, attracting the attention of the court’s lackeys? I was forced to resort to this desperate measure. At least this way, no one would have died in vain.”
The beggar explained further. The reason he gave his daughter to the Chen family back then was not only to protect the little County Princess but also for his daughter to grow up healthy. Who knew it would turn out like this.
“Heh heh, I never expected this! I, Chen Kai, would end up dying by my own hand. It’s true that lust can lead to one’s downfall.”
Hearing this, Chen Kai finally understood everything. The resentment in his soul quickly dissipated, rendering his hope of becoming a ghost futile.
Master Chen walked with heavy steps towards his wife and son behind him and bowed deeply, “I am sorry to you, my mother and son! Especially to Chen Kai, I did not consult you when making my decision. I am not worthy of being this father!”
“Heh heh, who cares if you’re my father! My life was given by you, so you can take it if you want, no need to inform me!”
Chen Kai gave a self-deprecating smile.
Master Chen turned back and asked the beggar, “Last question, where is the real County Princess? I don’t want to die for nothing!”
“Don’t worry, I secretly sent her to Huang Tian Prefecture on the second day of the Lunar New Year, leaving her at the doorstep of a family in Jinlin Village.”
The beggar reassured him.
Why did you send her there? Is it safe?
Master Chen asked for details, worried.
“First, Huang Tian Prefecture is remote, and Jinlin Village is even more remote. So even if someone found the infant girl, the news wouldn’t spread far, making it naturally safe; second, that family also has the surname Jiang but has no relation to the royal family. So, even if our hopes of restoring the kingdom are dashed, the County Princess can legitimately use her surname, which could be some comfort to her ancestors in heaven.”
The beggar continued to explain.
“That’s good!”
Master Chen smiled with relief and was then embraced by his wife and son.
As time passed, under the suppression of the Heavenly Dao’s Will, the few souls began to show expressions of pain. The little infant girl felt the pain and cried even harder, but there was no one to save her.
Mu Ruoyi’s eyes welled with tears. She wanted to reach out and help but could do nothing, only watch as their souls dissipated into nothingness.
Mu Ruoyi’s spirit broke. She could no longer hold on and collapsed with sobs.
Cheng Hong Ling, weak from blood loss, felt her senses swim and fell backward.
Qi Huang, quick-witted, caught both girls, one on each arm, and helped them sit on a nearby stool. The other two men wanted to help but, due to the gender difference, could only watch.
Although Jiang Feng was eager to know the outcome, as the Crown Prince, he possessed great composure and did not immediately press for answers.
Mu Ruoyi hid her face and wept hysterically, crying until she was exhausted, leaning into Qi Huang’s embrace. If she hadn’t witnessed it firsthand, she would never have imagined such an unforgettable tragedy could occur in the human world.
Cheng Hong Ling, weak from blood loss, also leaned into Qi Huang’s embrace.
Qi Huang held both women, but at this moment, she had no other thoughts.
It took Mu Ruoyi a full half hour to calm down before she managed to sit up with difficulty and wipe away her tears.
Only then did Qi Huang free a hand and take out another blood-replenishing pill for her main body.
“I’m sorry! I lost my composure.”
Mu Ruoyi choked out.
Jiang Feng finally couldn’t help but ask.
Mu Ruoyi hesitated, truly unwilling to revisit that sorrowful past, but knowing she couldn’t conceal it, she took a deep breath and recounted all the scenes she had seen through spiritual connection.
The expressions of her companions gradually changed, and eventually, everyone trembled, their eyes welling with tears.
Qi Huang was no exception. She truly couldn’t believe such loyal people existed in this world, nor could she imagine such a distressing tragedy occurring in the human world.
“These are all loyal subjects of our Daqi Kingdom. The Jiang Clan owes you too much, yet we don’t even have the chance to repay you. How can I, as the Crown Prince, bear this?”
Jiang Feng clenched his fists tightly, letting tears of blood slide down his cheeks, dripping onto the zombie blood in his palm.
General Li beside him closed his eyes in pain, his powerful body trembling violently.
Everyone’s mood was heavy, and it took a long time for them to recover.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince, please do not be sad. I have inquired, and this Princess Ying Yue is your eldest daughter, County Princess Ying Yue. After we were trapped in Pingshan Mass Grave, the late emperor enfeoffed her as a princess shortly after. At least she escaped.”
Li Jin comforted him.
“Yes, it’s great news that Yue’er did not suffer a terrible fate.”
Jiang Feng sighed with relief and then continued to ask Mu Ruoyi, “Since that infant girl was a fake, where is the real County Princess?”
“The beggar said he took the County Princess to the Jiang family in Jinlin Village, Huang Tian Prefecture.”
Mu Ruoyi answered truthfully.
“How is she now? Is she still alive?”
Jiang Feng anxiously pressed.
“What? You said where?”
Cheng Hong Ling suddenly sat up straight, her beautiful eyes fixed on Mu Ruoyi.
