First Meeting

April 3, 27th Year of the Chongming Era, clear skies

Ever since the Jun Prince had returned to the capital with his army, Prince Fu's Manor had been filled with cheers. Even a month later, the entire manor still carried an almost festive atmosphere. Yet today, one place was different.

A solemn, deathly silence hung over the manor's main hall, broken only by the occasional crack of a whip. The sharp smacks against flesh made one's skin crawl. Not a single servant in the manor dared approach the hall; even those passing by chose to take a detour.

In the center of the hall,

a person beaten into a bloody pulp by the whip finally collapsed. Blood spread across the floor, and the blood-soaked figure with disheveled hair looked particularly miserable. Yet no one felt any sympathy.

The people standing around the hall watched the scene without expression. They all exuded the iron-blooded aura of seasoned killers. At a glance, one could tell they were soldiers who had fought through blood and fire. On the battlefield, what miserable sight had they not seen? Severed limbs and spilled entrails were common enough.

The blood-covered man lay on the ground, barely breathing. Blood blurred his vision. A vertical whip mark ran across his left eye and down one side of his face. He could only vaguely make out a tall figure walking toward him, accompanied by an overwhelming sense of pressure.

He opened his mouth, letting out hoarse, rasping sounds as though he wanted to say something. Then a foot suddenly stepped on his chest. The force was not great, yet he coughed up a mouthful of blood, several drops splattering against the edge of the man's shoe.

"I... Agh..." The bloodied man's expression changed, and he spat out another mouthful of blood.

The foot on his chest had suddenly pressed down with greater force, as though it would crush his breastbone. It bore down on his existing wounds, turning his entire face deathly pale.

Yet the man showed not the slightest sympathy and instead continued to increase the pressure. The man beneath his foot writhed in agony, his face twisting as he began to struggle. But that only made the pain worse. More and more blood flowed, and the hall filled with an increasingly heavy stench of blood. At this rate, he would likely be crushed to death beneath the man's foot.

Even as he neared death, the others remained unmoved. To them, this person would not deserve pity even if he died a thousand or ten thousand times, because traitors deserved no sympathy!

Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside the hall.

The people in the hall finally reacted, though all they did was frown in unison. The general had expressly ordered that no one was to disturb him. Had someone still failed to recognize their place?

Everyone immediately looked toward the expressionless man with one foot on the traitor. The man did not so much as twitch a brow.

The person outside hesitated for a moment before seemingly gathering the courage to enter. Seeing the bloody scene in the hall, he lowered his head as much as possible to avoid looking. It was Steward Li of Prince Fu's Manor.

The man's threatening gaze fell upon him, as though he would punish him if he failed to provide a satisfactory answer. Steward Li's hands trembled uncontrollably with fear. Though he had already been here for a month, he still could not get used to it. The prince's gaze always made him tremble with fear, and he had become exceedingly careful in everything he did, terrified of being caught and punished.

"Y-Your Highness, someone outside requests an audience," Steward Li stammered.

At that moment, a young man standing to the man's right with a black headscarf tied around his head suddenly glanced at him and said coldly, "Didn't His Highness order that no one was to come and disturb him? You knowingly defied his order. What gall!"

Steward Li was so frightened that he immediately dropped to his knees. Looking anxiously at the man, he said, "Please forgive me, Your Highness. I truly have an urgent matter. Those two people outside have brought the old Princess Consort's token and said they wished to see you. The token is the Drake Jade from the Mandarin Duck Jade Pendant. I did not dare delay, so I..." He had served in the manor for more than ten years and knew full well how important the Mandarin Duck Jade Pendant had been to the old Princess Consort. It was said to have been left for her future granddaughter-in-law. How could he dare delay such an important matter?

"Are you certain it is the Drake Jade?"

The man spoke slowly, his deep, rich voice not as frigid as his appearance.

Steward Li hurriedly nodded. "I have seen the Mandarin Duck Jade Pendant before. I should not have mistaken it."

"Let them in."

Having received the man's answer, Steward Li immediately left the oppressive hall. Only after stepping outside did he realize that his back was drenched in sweat. The lingering fear in his heart made him afraid to think any further, and he tried hard to throw the scenes he had just witnessed from his mind.

Outside the manor gates, An Ziran, now permitted to enter, looked at Steward Li, whose head was covered in sweat, and could not help feeling puzzled. Still, he suppressed his doubts and followed Steward Li with Steward Su toward the main hall.

As the hall came into view ahead, An Ziran's expression suddenly changed slightly.

He smelled a trace of blood in the air. As they drew closer to the hall, that scent grew thicker and thicker. He was almost certain that something bloody had just happened in Prince Fu's Manor's main hall, and someone might very well have died.

When they reached the entrance to the hall, An Ziran immediately composed his expression so that no one could detect anything unusual, then entered the hall together with Steward Li.

A stronger stench of blood rushed at him, and almost at first glance, he saw the person lying on the ground, beaten into a bloody pulp.

An Ziran immediately caught Steward Su as his legs went weak. It was normal for the old man to be unable to bear such a cruel and bloody sight the first time he saw one. However, An Ziran's lack of a normal reaction appeared particularly astonishing to the others.

Before long, An Ziran noticed a gaze fixed on him with such a strong presence that he could not ignore it. Unable to resist, he raised his head and looked over, instantly meeting a pair of deep, icy eyes like black whirlpools.