Chapter 426

Li Qingluo's words fell, and the room instantly fell into deadly silence.

How could Pei Jingzhe not understand what she meant by her words?

Old Duke Pei is dead.

But how could the Pei family possibly be truly unaware of those wronged women who died miserable deaths?

Over these years, Old Duke Pei has only selected Pei Sanlang as his executioner and strictly forbidden any Pei family member from approaching his residence, all in an effort to keep the entire Pei family completely clean.

But how can the Pei family claim innocence after years of coldly watching, even condoning, Old Duke Pei's actions?

The Pei family must pay a price for these deeds!

That is Li Qingluo's meaning.

Saving the Pei family's young men is possible, but the Pei family must also stand up for those wronged souls who died miserably.

Pei Jingzhe breathed heavily.

His blood-red eyes glared at Li Qingluo, and his handsome visage turned somewhat ferocious.

"You want our entire Pei family to be buried with them!!"

"Yes, those wronged souls we are duty-bound to pay a price to atone, but if so, why must I exhaust myself struggling in the bitter sea and come to you again?"

"Better yet, let our whole Pei family waste away, waiting for the silken-thread poison to erupt one by one in our bodies; even if it is retribution, it would fulfill your wish."

Seeing him fly into a rage from shame, Li Qingluo felt not the slightest emotion stirred by him.

She merely continued calmly: "What to do ultimately depends on you, Pei heir."

"I think you will give me a satisfactory answer."

"Moreover, there is something I think you, the heir, would want to know."

"Your younger sister, Lady Pei, harbored affection for the Crown Prince, Your Highness, which the Crown Prince and many others came to know publicly that day at the hunt."

"Back then, by the lake before Hua Hua Hall, Princess Qinyu pushed the eldest daughter of the Pan family into the water, nearly killing her; on the spot, besides Lady Pei, there was also the Cui family's Eleventh Daughter."

"Coincidentally, during the Zhong family's rebellion at the Southern Palace annex, Lady Pei and the Cui family's Eleventh Daughter both perished there."

"Pei heir, do you understand what I want to say?"

Pei Jingzhe clenched his fists, veins bulging at his forehead.

Without a word, he turned and hurried away.

After he left, Li Qingluo then summoned Sha Yi again.

"Was there any difficulty getting out from the Pei family's dungeon?"

Sha Yi: "I started digging the collapsed section a few days ago; making another opening in the Pei family's residence is not difficult."

Li Qingluo followed with a sigh of relief.

"Pei Jingzhe is no fool."

"I believe the Pei family still has a chance at survival, and I trust he will make a wise decision."

This also counts as Duan Rongshi's promise to the old duke, giving the Pei family a chance to survive.

Otherwise, the Pei family would be nothing but a dead end.

Either they wait for the poison to strike and have the entire clan's sons exterminated,

or even no further legitimate bloodline will be born.

Or they make a decision to confess their crimes; at least then they could save half of the Pei family.

It all depends on what they ultimately decide to think.

In this world, anything comes with a corresponding price.

The Pei family should long have understood that their initial cover-up for Old Duke Pei would lead to this outcome.

Li Qingluo saw that the crowd on the street had mostly dispersed, and then she left the teahouse with Sha Yi.

Prince Su's residence.

When Li Qingluo arrived, Leng Dian was waiting in the front courtyard.

"Miss, you have finally come."

Leng Dian seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and hurriedly led Li Qingluo to the prison of Prince Su's residence.

Here, Li Qingluo saw Zongzheng Yuer and the already dying Zongzheng Wuhen.

Yes, transferring them to Qishan was still just a pretense.

At Qishan, the supposed Zongzheng Wuhen and Zongzheng Yuer were still just straw-stuffed dummies.

The true Zongzheng siblings are actually in Prince Su's residence.

"What happened to him?"

Li Qingluo looked at Zongzheng Wuhen, furrowing her brow slightly.

Zongzheng Wuhen's pair of feet had been smashed to pieces by himself, completely ruined.

It is said that Qin Ling, in order to control his injury, sawed off his ruined feet outright.

Leng Dian: "Originally his injury had been improving, but during the transfer he suffered jolts and then developed a high fever."

"If this continues, he probably won't last more than a few days."

"Your Highness still does not know of this, so I, as a subordinate, cannot decide whether we should still rescue him."

Li Qingluo: "Rescue. Why not rescue?"

"To let him die like this would be letting him off too easily."

Leng Dian: "However… Qin Ling says he has no other recourse, unless it is the Divine Physician Luo who can intervene."

Li Qingluo looked at Leng Dian.

"But my Grandfather Luo has been unavailable these past few days."

Leng Dian blinked in slight surprise.

When his gaze met Li Qingluo's again, his expression dodged slightly.

Li Qingluo then said again, "Isn't there still Doctor Jiang?"

Besides, with so many doctors in Prince Su's manor, altogether they surely aren't even as good as my grandfather Luo, right?

Leng Dian: "... Yes. I understand."

Li Qingluo felt somewhat displeased.

Prince Su's manor, something's off.

Zongzheng Yu'er knew she had come, and shouted demanding to see her.

"Li Qingluo, what exactly do you intend to do!!"

"You keep dragging us back and forth; could it be that you want to use me to expose the relationship between the Crown Prince and the Lotus Sect?"

Li Qingluo: "Congratulations, your answer is correct."

Zongzheng Yu'er:...

"You!"

"Are you doing this to try to kill me?"

Li Qingluo: "If we don't do this, would you be able to live?"

Zongzheng Yu'er rolled her eyes: "At least I could still escape back to Da Chu, and I could still marry safely into the Western Regions..."

Li Qingluo: "And then make a comeback?"

"Zongzheng Yu'er, you understand deep down. You are merely a hostage of the two states; though called a 'peace princess' in nice words, if any change occurs, both sides will immediately kill you."

"Is what I'm saying correct?"

Zongzheng Yu'er's face went blank for a moment.

Afterwards, her gaze turned stiff as she looked at Li Qingluo: "You really..."

She couldn't help but self-mockingly laugh: "Surely it's the woman Duan Rongshi took a liking to. You've got some brains!"

"But so what? I will also carve a bloody path for myself!"

"If it weren't for you repeatedly harming the Lotus Sect, I wouldn't have ended up like this! I wouldn't have become your prisoner!"

"I, Zongzheng Yu'er, will certainly not come forward to help you!"

Li Qingluo: "Who exactly the Lotus Goddess is, to the world, has never mattered."

"But the relationship between the Crown Prince and the Lotus Goddess will surely be exposed to all under heaven."

"You can continue to survive in this prison, but what Duan Rongyin thinks in his heart is beyond our control."

"Just heard that he now hates you to the bone."

"They also want to dig three feet deep into the Spring Banquet Building and search you out."

"Even to overturn your princess residence completely, arresting all the servants in the manor."

"Zongzheng Yu'er, even if we let you go, do you think you could still survive?"

"She might even be unable to walk out of Jinling City."

Upon hearing this, Zongzheng Yu'er was so angry she bared her teeth and claws.

"If it weren't for the iron chains binding her limbs, she would surely have lunged forward to tear Li Qingluo's face apart."

"It's all your fault!"

"It's you who cut off my retreat—"

Li Qingluo: "I'll give you another chance at a path to life; do you want it?"

Zongzheng Yu'er coldly laughed: "I won't fall for your trick!"

"Li Qingluo, you hate me to the bone; how could you be so kind-hearted?"

Li Qingluo walked up to her with her hands behind her back.

"Of course not."

"But you no longer have the qualifications to negotiate with me."

"Either you stay locked up until you die of old age, or you seize the chance to make a desperate last stand. You'd better think it through clearly."

Having said that, she turned and walked out.

Just as she stepped out of the room, Zongzheng Yu'er shouted: "Stop! What exactly do you want me to do——?"

Li Qingluo half-turned to look at her: "Tomorrow, you will understand on your own."

After Li Qingluo came out, she saw Doctor Jiang carrying a medicine box heading this way.

He was merely wearing a white hat on his head, with half his face covered by a white cloth.

If not for being acquainted, one would truly not be able to recognize him at once.

Li Qingluo stood there for a while before returning to the front courtyard.

Eunuch Wu came upon hearing the sound, still holding a bowl of soup.

"Miss, are you hungry? I personally watched the kitchen brew some ginseng soup for you; please try it while it's hot, otherwise it won't taste good when cold!"

Li Qingluo couldn't refuse his enthusiasm, so she had to drink it.

Who would have thought Eunuch Wu would then eagerly continue: "It's already late at night. I've arranged an upper room for you, miss; would you like to rest?"

This is Prince Su's manor.

Although Li Qingluo and Duan Rongshi are already engaged, they have not yet married.

She: "Thank you, Grandfather Wu; hasn't the prince returned yet?"

Eunuch Wu: "Rest assured, our prince is blessed and fortunate; nothing will happen to him."

Li Qingluo: "Then I won't disturb you further; I'll head back first."

With the guard named Sha Yi present, the night curfew is naturally no problem.

Li Qingluo was about to leave, and Eunuch Wu felt some regret.

Suddenly thinking of something, Li Qingluo couldn't help but ask: "Right, the tunnel beneath the Spring Banquet Pavilion…… could it be dug up?"

Eunuch Wu waved his hand upon hearing this: "Hey, miss, just relax."

"Your Highness has already started filling in that vicinity; even if the Crown Prince really dug three feet deep, he wouldn't notice anything."

That's fine then.

Li Qingluo had just stepped out when Leng Dian came out afterwards.

"Miss, it seems you've discovered something."

Eunuch Wu looked bewildered: "Discovered what?"

Leng Dian glanced at him: "Are you stupid? You can't even guess that!"

"Naturally, it's discovering that Your Highness is hiding something from her."

Eunuch Wu's mind hadn't caught up yet: "Why would Your Highness hide things from Miss?"

Leng Dian rolled her eyes, turned, and left in a huff.

Li Qingluo didn't sleep all night.

She feared that if she fell asleep she might not wake up again, so she kept her spirits up, reading and practicing calligraphy until daybreak.

The sun rose slowly.

In the morning glow of the rising sun, she set down her brush.

After rubbing her eyes, Li Qingluo got up, stretched widely, then washed up thoroughly, and went to see Lady Pei.

"Grandmother, Luo'er has come to keep you company for breakfast."

Lady Pei was delighted and hurriedly had someone lay out chopsticks and add an extra bowl.

"Come quickly. These days you're so busy you have no head or tail; Grandmother wants to share a meal with you, but it depends on whether you're free."

"Let Grandmother take a look—why have you gotten so thin?"

Li Qingluo snuggled up affectionately beside Lady Pei.

"Grandmother, Luo'er truly hopes to be by your side in the next life."

"That way, Luo'er would become the happiest maiden in the world."

Lady Pei: "What nonsense are you talking about, wanting another life?"

"In this life you will become the happiest little maiden, forever Grandmother's darling and treasure."

"Come try this—freshly made tofu pudding this morning, plus duck-oil pastry, and soup dumplings…"

Li Qingluo had only taken two bites when Sha Yi hurried over.

"Miss, Miss A Lan has arrived."