Chapter 718: with translation of chapter title

Bai Xiaosheng gripped the bridal sedan's curtain with his fingers, clenching them one by one so tightly that his joints turned slightly white from the force.

His gaze suddenly narrowed sharply, staring fixedly at the bridal sedan before him.

Inside the bridal sedan this time, aside from a half-body stone statue, there was only the red apple that the bride should have held in her palm, rolling beside the statue; nothing else was present.

At that moment, Bai Xiaosheng even doubted whether his eyes were playing tricks on him.

He blinked instinctively, then looked again at the sedan—it was empty, with no one inside.

"Where is the person?" Bai Xiaosheng murmured lowly, then turned and kicked over the dazed sedan chair bearer, shouting furiously.

The two matchmakers escorting the bride rushed forward, stumbling to the sedan's front; upon seeing the empty sedan, they turned pale with fright and fell to their knees with a thud.

"Master! Master! We servants truly didn't leave the lady's side even a step—how could such a living person just vanish?"

The surrounding guests watching the ceremony also stood there stunned; they never expected that Bai Xiaosheng, who had grandly invited guests to celebrate his marriage, would find the bride gone without a trace.

The sedan bearers were also scared stupid; if the person were missing, how could they not have noticed?

This time, could it be that the bride inside the sedan had been secretly swapped for a stone statue?

You know, from Miss Yun Duo's residence to the wedding venue, it's not far at all.

Moreover, along the way there were not only the sedan bearers and matchmakers, but also many guards following.

Besides, Bai Xiaosheng himself personally accompanied the wedding procession—how could someone be switched right under his nose?

The sedan bearers hurriedly knelt before Bai Xiaosheng: "Master, we truly don't know when the lady inside was swapped out; we really don't know!"

Bai Xiaosheng's eyes narrowed slowly; the whole journey had been smooth and steady, the only little incident being that Gu Jiu Ling had previously leaned against the sedan window and exchanged a few words with Yun Duo.

Bai Xiaosheng's heart jolted; he gritted his teeth and spat out each syllable: "Gu—Jiu—Ling!"

Suddenly another clamor arose.

"What is that? So many lanterns!"

"Who released these blessing lanterns?"

"Quick, look—there's writing on the lanterns!"

Bai Xiaosheng's gaze turned ice-cold; he ordered the guards on both sides to shoot down those lanterns, then hurriedly grabbed one in his hand.

Although the Kongming lantern had been partially burned, the material looked like the Shu brocade fabric he had given Yun Duo for her wedding embroidery.

Crucially, crooked characters were written on it, clearly revealing Bai Xiaosheng's hiding place.

It also claimed that Bai Xiaosheng had kidnapped the Empress, promising a reward of ten thousand taels of gold to whoever rescued her.

Bai Xiaosheng's eyes reddened with rage; he gripped the lantern's frame tightly, his body trembling slightly.

Although everyone here is Bai Xiaosheng's own, who could resist the temptation of a ten-thousand-tael gold reward?

Besides, it's the Empress herself; with the Qianyuan Emperor's deep affection for her, if she could truly be returned to the capital, ten thousand taels of gold would be trivial, and one might even be ennobled as a marquis and appointed prime minister.

Everyone knows Gu Jiu Ling is Xiao Yin's beloved; he would certainly be able to meet this condition.

Some of the onlookers also took down the Kongming lanterns; after reading the words, each of them looked at Bai Xiaosheng with changed expressions.

Bai Xiaosheng instantly felt a chill run through his heart—he had underestimated Gu Jiu Ling's methods; without spending a single soldier, she had set up so many lanterns, instantly making his situation dire.

Bai Xiaosheng leapt onto his horse and galloped wildly toward Gu Jiu Ling's residence.

This time he would surely kill that woman; from the start he shouldn't have listened to her endless lies.

But just as he had mounted and taken a few steps, a trip cord suddenly sprang out ahead, snaring the horse's hooves and toppling it.

The sudden mishap threw Bai Xiaosheng to the ground; despite his somewhat unorthodox martial arts, he fell, his head split open, blood streaming down his cheeks in utter disarray.

"Who?" Bai Xiaosheng's face turned pale as he staggered back a few steps, drawing his waist sword in one motion.

He cherished his life, so even on his wedding night he would carry a sword.

Just as Bai Xiaosheng and the many guests were bewildered, sudden bursts of fire-oil explosions rang out from around the lake island.

Then came waves of shouting and killing, flooding in from all directions.

At some point, the island had already been encircled by tens of thousands of soldiers.

Kongming lanterns in the sky, explosion sounds on the ground, the roar of blazing flames, and the ever-closer cries of slaughter.

Bai Xiaosheng's forehead instantly beaded with cold sweat; others might not react in time.

As a deposed Crown Prince, how could he have mobilized such forces in such a short time, especially in this highly sensitive border zone of Bei Di, Southern Qi, and Xi Rong—only the current emperor's tiger tally could make it possible.

At this moment, the guests Bai Xiaosheng had invited were terrified, instinctively putting more distance between themselves and him.

This person actually kidnapped the Empress—has he gone mad?

If it were just ordinary banditry, they might go along, but who would dare to oppose the imperial family unless forced?

For a moment, murmurs of discussion rose softly, and the situation gradually began to slip out of control.

Suddenly, the crowd facing Bai Xiaosheng split to left and right, and an elderly figure walked slowly forward from the middle.

"Surname Qin—is that you?" Bai Xiaosheng stared at the Qin elder who had just stepped forward, his eyes instantly turning icy cold.

But the Qin elder raised his hand to his ear, then actually tore off his mask, revealing Xiao Yin's cold, handsome face.

Ling Feng stepped forward a pace and shouted: "Seeing the emperor, why don't you kneel?"

That shout made everyone around change their faces in unison?

The emperor? Actually, His Majesty the Emperor has personally arrived?

No one nearby dared to say anything else; they all fell to their knees.

For a moment, the cries of "Long live!" echoed across the entire lake island.

Although the lake island had stationed experts, no matter how many masters you have, you cannot withstand tens of thousands of soldiers.

Moreover, the troops Xiao Yin brought are not weak either; the absolute strength of the Imperial Secret Guard—Bai Xiaosheng never expected so many to be deployed under his command.

The instant Bai Xiaosheng saw Xiao Yin, he felt as if he had seen a ghost, staggering backward repeatedly.

He had laid out his plans meticulously all along and hidden here; if it weren't this time to accommodate Yun Duo, he would never have agreed to bring so many people to the island.

But Bai Xiaosheng never imagined that in such a short time he would be caught red-handed by Xiao Yin, which made him panic instantly.

Bai Xiaosheng secretly furrowed his brow, how exactly did Gu Jiu Ling manage to get that news out?

Logically speaking, he had summoned the maidservants and old women, and searched Gu Jiu Ling's entire body up and down.

Even the hairpin on her hair was checked back and forth several times, but even so, summoning her courage still caused such a big commotion.

Xiao Yin stared fixedly at Bai Xiaosheng before him: "I wanted to spare your life, but I didn't expect you to court death like this, xI will personally send you to your death today!"