Xiao Yingchu was stunned at that moment.
She never thought that her own mother would ask her to climb into a strange man's bed like a lowly prostitute...
Shame and anger welled up in her, and she immediately refused. But this only earned her a scolding from Mrs. Kang:
"Do you think you're some noble young lady? How dare you think this is something dirty!"
"You're just the daughter of the concubine - born second son of a prince's mansion, a good - for - nothing who stole someone else's place! If it weren't for me back then, you might have already thrown yourself at that poor wretch for nothing! Now you're pretending to be so chaste. Who do you think you are?"
Xiao Yingchu was struck as if by five thunderbolts.
She never imagined that her mother would think of her like this.
The two had a big fight, and Xiao Yingchu rushed out of the door, crying loudly.
However, she didn't feel comfortable telling Li Wanming about these things. She just lowered her head, tightly clutching her handkerchief, burning with shame and anger.
Li Wanming didn't know the whole story and just continued to ask, "Did she say anything else to you besides this?"
Xiao Yingchu blushed and shook her head, biting her lip.
Li Wanming turned to ask, "Uncle, does Aunt have any close female friends in the capital?"
"I don't think so..." Xiao Yuanjie was taken aback. "I always hear her say that others are stupid and vulgar. I've never seen her be particularly close to anyone."
"This is bad."
A slight frown appeared on Li Wanming's forehead.
"If she had a close female friend she could trust, that friend could shelter her for a while. But if she's on the streets and gets caught by the officials from the Capital Magistrate's Office or the Censorate, then we'll be in big trouble!"
Actually, what she was most afraid of was that Mrs. Kang had already entered the palace.
Although she didn't know if Mrs. Kang had noticed anything, at this critical moment, there must be no unexpected problems.
"If she's entered the palace..." Li Wanming deliberately said, "It'll be even more dangerous!"
Xiao Jingbai, who had been lowering his head beside them, suddenly looked up. "Why would it be dangerous if she enters the palace?"
Li Wanming said slowly, "Think about it. Aunt was locked up in the ancestral hall for a whole day and night. She must look haggard. How could the Empress Dowager not ask when she sees her? In that case, the matter of the evil sorcery can't be hidden. With the Empress Dowager's wrath, Aunt might not just end up in prison..."
"My mother has entered the palace!" Xiao Jingbai couldn't wait for her to finish and shouted anxiously, "She left early this morning. She might have already seen the Empress Dowager by now... Cousin sister - in - law, please save her quickly!"
Just as she thought!
The Ning Prince's Mansion was heavily guarded. Without help, Mrs. Kang couldn't have escaped.
Xiao Jingbai was so anxious that he didn't know what to do. "Last night, after mother and sister had a big fight, I wanted to go and persuade her... But she said that if I still recognized her as my mother, I should help her escape!"
"She said that Uncle is very angry now and will surely not spare her. If she stayed here, she would surely die! Instead, I should let her out so that she could find a place to hide for a while and come back after Uncle calmed down..."
"So, you agreed." Li Wanming's voice was terrifyingly calm.
Actually, she was extremely anxious now, but the more critical the moment, the calmer she had to be. She must ask everything clearly and plan before taking action.
Xiao Jingbai lowered his head in shame. "I had a carriage waiting at the second gate, saying that I was going out to play. I also found a set of servant's clothes for mother and helped her get out..."
"Oh, you're so stupid!" Xiao Yuanjie beat his chest in frustration. "Your mother has done such a heinous thing. Instead of persuading her to admit her guilt, you helped her escape? You... You're showing favoritism and breaking the law!"
Li Wanming raised her hand to stop his scolding and just asked, "How did you know that Aunt went to the palace?"
"I... I took an extra precaution." Xiao Jingbai said, "After mother got in the carriage, I followed on horseback. I was worried about her safety in the middle of the night, so I followed secretly! Unexpectedly, I saw her carriage stop at the palace gate..."
Li Wanming and the Prince of Ning exchanged a look, and both their eyes were filled with solemnity.
She nodded imperceptibly, then turned around and walked out with Qinglan. "Immediately ask General Gao to inform the heir apparent that the second branch has entered the palace!"
Qinglan took the order and left. Her footsteps quickly faded away at the end of the long corridor.
Li Wanming looked in the direction of the palace, unconsciously rubbing the black - sheathed dagger at her waist.
She didn't really know Xiao Jingnan's plan, nor did she know which step he had reached. Although he didn't deliberately hide things from her, she didn't ask either.
She would do what he asked her to do - that was enough.
The autumn wind swept the fallen leaves across the courtyard. All that was left to do was wait.
...
The autumn sun was always pale. Even at noon, it wasn't very dazzling.
Feeling uneasy, Li Wanming sat in the courtyard waiting.
Maybe because she had been dealing with Mrs. Kang these days and had been thinking too much, a rare look of tiredness appeared on her face. Her fingers unconsciously twirled the tassels of her cloak, and her eyelids gradually grew heavy.
"Your Highness, the Princess of the Heir Apparent!" Qinglan's hasty footsteps woke her from her light sleep. "The heir apparent is back at the mansion!"
Li Wanming suddenly opened her eyes, and the remaining drowsiness instantly dissipated.
Now?
At this moment, Mrs. Kang might be informing the palace of secrets. Why would he suddenly come back to the mansion?
"Where is he?"
"He's... in the ancestral hall. The heir apparent is kneeling in the ancestral hall now." Qinglan's voice was filled with confusion.
Li Wanming was also stunned.
Kneeling in the ancestral hall?
At this critical moment, he was kneeling in the ancestral hall?
What on earth was Xiao Jingnan up to...
"Let's go," Li Wanming tightened her cloak. "Let's go and take a look at the ancestral hall!"
...
The Xiao family's ancestral hall was still empty, quiet, solemn, and grand.
The autumn sun shone through the branches and leaves of the ancient cypress trees, casting mottled shadows on the blue - black roof tiles.
Maybe because her state of mind had changed, Li Wanming wasn't as nervous as she was the first time she came. Instead, she was filled with worry.
Inside the door, there were two figures, one standing and one kneeling.
Li Wanming didn't dare to go in. She could only quietly stand outside the door, holding her breath and straining her ears to listen.
"Why did you come back?" The voice of the Prince of Ning seemed to have aged overnight. "You're very busy now... Your mother is also fine..."
"Your son should come back." Xiao Jingnan knelt directly on the cold and hard floor tiles. His voice was deep as he pleaded guilty to the ancestors and to his three elder brothers... "For my blindness, my indecisiveness, and my self - righteousness."
The autumn wind blew through the hall, lifting his falling hair.
"Although I knew about the Avalokitesvara statue, I didn't know that the curse was so vicious. It was actually... actually related to my three elder brothers'..."
His voice suddenly stopped. The words were stuck between his teeth, and he couldn't say them anymore. His shoulders trembled uncontrollably.
"If it weren't for Wanming... If it weren't for her... I wouldn't have known that even after death, my three elder brothers couldn't rest in peace..."
His well - defined fingers dug deeply into the cracks between the bricks, as if he wanted to press all his remorse into this small space.