Chapter 29: Chapter 29

The battle only ended when day broke. The army was victorious. First-in-charge, who escaped from the secret passageway, was blocked at the entrance and caught. Second-in-charge’s whereabouts, however, were still unknown.

Following Bai Zongye’s arrest, thousands of bandits surrendered, while others refuse to submit. Those that rather die than give in were slaughtered. The notorious Hei Feng Gang finally disintegrated and ceased to exist.

Only, Yaoyao’s tracks had yet to be discovered.

Song Qi led a gang of brothers to search the corpses but was unable to find her. Yaoyao seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Facing the immense victory, Xia Chunyu did not feel happy. His heart felt more and more empty as the seconds passed with no news of Yaoyao. He should’ve been rejoicing, yet, here he was, sick to his stomach with worry.

“Has no one seen her at all?” Xia Chunyu asked, depressed.

Song Qi replied, “When we caught second-in-charge’s henchman, Li Tie, he said that before the battle happened, sis… Lady Ye was kidnapped by second-in-charge. She was imprisoned in the little house beside the meeting room. However, when I went over there, there was only a piece of bloodstained rope and an open window. Lady Ye must have escaped from the window.”

When Xia Chunyu heard the word bloodstained, his heart contracted into a tight vise. Second-in-charge must have realized Yaoyao eavesdropped in their conversation and captured her.

“Some men from the group of bandits who were arrested in the meeting room said that Lady Ye told them about it. She was the reason they knew of the passageway.” Song Qi visibly deflated and continued, “After that… there was no news of Lady Ye.”

“Master Crown Prince, there is someone outside called Auntie Jiang who wishes to see you.” A guard entered with the message.

Auntie Jiang? Xia Chunyu ordered hurriedly, “Let her in.”

After escaping the previous night, Auntie Jiang was busy taking care of the injured Auntie Zhao. She only came to look for third-in-charge to inquire about third madam. She was going to go as soon as she finished helping Auntie Zhao settle down, but she had no idea where third-in-charge was. She had asked many soldiers but they all ignored her. She couldn’t ask her old partner because he had gone to lead the army to the secret passageway to chase after first-in-charge.

“Third-in-charge!” At the sight of third-in-charge, Auntie Jiang was overwhelmed by an inexpressible agitation.

Song Qi smiled. “Auntie Jiang, it’s time to call him Master Crown Prince.”

“Yes, yes, my stupid mouth! Master Crown Prince, please do not take offense.” Auntie Jiang laughed in embarrassment.

Xia Chunyu was not concerned. “Auntie Jiang, have you seen Yaoyao?”

Auntie Jiang was astounded. “Master Crown Prince, you haven’t found third madam yet? That is terrible.”

Xia Chunyu’s heart sank. “What do you mean?”

Aunti Jiang recounted the events of the previous night. She started with how she and Auntie Zhao met second-in-charge and almost got slashed by him, continuing onto how third madam came to save them and became second-in-charge’s hostage.

“Auntie Zhao and I followed the direction third madam gave to look for you, Master Crown Prince. It was a pity we could not find you, but instead, we ran into a few soldiers. I told them where the second-in-charge of the stockade was at and they chased after him. I thought third madam would have been saved. Third madam gave herself over to save me, otherwise, she would not have been held hostage by second-in-charge. This is all my fault!” Auntie Jiang thought of Ye Jiayao’s kind and selfless heart, and could not help but weep grievingly.

Xia Chunyu’s brows were knitted. “Yaoyao said she saw me and even pointed you in the direction I was at?”

Auntie Jiang nodded.

“Which direction did she point in?” Xia Chunyu asked.

Auntie Jiang choked with emotions, “The training grounds.”

Xia Chunyu and Song Qi looked at each other in dismay. The previous night, he did chase second-in-charge, Shengwu, all the way to the training grounds, but he left when he realized that person was not Shengwu. How did Yaoyao know? Did she see him? When was it? Why didn’t she come out to meet him if she saw him? Did she make use of the chaos to escape?

“Oh, right! I remember third madam said something like, you are the crown prince and don’t want her anymore.” Auntie Jiang was so afraid at that moment and did not listen carefully.

Ugh! When did he say anything like that? Ridiculous!

Song Qi suddenly remembered something, saying hesitantly, “Master Crown Prince, could it be possible that Lady Ye was there near the courtyard at that time?”

Master Crown Prince have said something along the lines of putting on an act.

Xia Chunyu’s face lost all of its colors. If it was really then… but  wasn’t she always very thick-skinned? When did she become so sensitive?

Song Qi looked at the Master Crown Prince with sympathy. The Master Crown Prince was just reluctant to admit it, but he obviously cared about sister-in-law a lot.

“Chunyu!” A handsome man dressed splendidly walked in.

“Marquis,” Xia Chunyu welcomed with cupped hands.

Helian was the only king who still had a different family name from the ruling emperor, Zhao. Helian Xuan was an outstanding talent from the Helian royal family. The late Helian Marquis passed away at his prime, and Helian Xuan took over his position as the Marquis from a young age. He had a deep friendship with Xia Chunyu, and this time they worked together hand in hand to get rid of Hei Feng Gang who had been wreaking havoc in Shan Dong for more than 10 years.

“Shengwu’s corpse had been found,” Helian Xuan relayed.

“Where is it?” Xia Chunyu shuddered at the worry of Yaoyao’s condition. Where is she? 

“It is right outside. He was shot like a porcupine. The soldiers only realized that it was Shengwu as they were cleaning up.”

Xia Chunyu walked out at a fast pace with Song Qi and Auntie Jiang following him.

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In the courtyard, a corpse lay on its stomach with more than 10 arrows piercing his back. Xia Chunyu went up to examine him.

“That’s Shengwu. Where did you find him?” Xia Chunyu asked with a heavy heart.

A general stepped up and replied, “Right at the cliff by the Haze Lake.”

“Find the soldier who shot the arrows,” Xia Chunyu nearly howled, an ominous feeling settling deep in his heart. It was a chaotic and dark night. If Yaoyao was with Shengwu then, it didn’t bode well for her.

The same general raised his chest, his eyes gleaming with pride as he proudly replied, “To answer your query Master Crown Prince, it was I who shot the arrows.”

At that time, he did not know he shot the second-in-charge of Hei Feng Gang, otherwise, he would have carried the corpse back earlier. This was a huge merit for him.

Xia Chunyu stared daggers at him. “Was anyone with Shengwu at that time?”

That general did not seem to have noticed that misfortune was about to befall him. “There seems to be a woman.”

Xia Chunyu almost stopped breathing as he forced out his words with difficulty through his gritted teeth. “Where is she?”

The general finally noticed that something was amiss from the Master Crown Prince’s expression. His deathly glare looked like he could eat him whole, and for a moment he had no idea how to answer him.

Helian Xuan chided, “The Master Crown Prince is asking you. Why aren’t you answering?”

“I think… she fell down the cliff…”

Xia Chunyu gripped his collar, lifting him clear off his feet. “What did you say?”

The general was alarmed. “The sky was dark at that time. I saw that they wanted to escape so I ordered for the arrows to be shot. I am not certain if the woman was shot, but when we arrived there, the woman was not around. I could only guess that she fell off the cliff because I did not witness it.”

Xia Chunyu was struck speechless. She was by the cliff on a period of disordered shooting? Even Shengwu got shot like a porcupine!   Could Yaoyao have made a narrow escape?   Where? How could she just disappear? 

A few days ago, she was still biting his nose, forcing him to swear never to abandon her. It hasn’t been long since when she was still kicking him in her sleep. The previous day, she still got Song Qi to deliver steamed buns to him.

Each and every bittersweet scene kept replaying in his mind.

Her beautiful smile that can range from crafty, proud, to hypocritical. The look of her acting pitiful, acting obedient, making eyes at him while she pretended to cry. Every expression of hers were still so vivid as though they were ingrained in his brain.

Helian Xuan had no idea what happened, but judging from Xia Chunyu’s reaction, he could guess that this woman must be someone Chunyu cared for a lot.

“Master Crown Prince.” Song Qi was deeply upset as well. The sister-in-law that he had grown to care for in barely a month, the Lady Ye who made so much delicious food for them, was no longer around.

Auntie Jiang sobbed loudly, her face buried in her hands. “Third madam! I brought this upon you!”

Helian Xuan frowned. Third madam? Chunyu had a wife?

The exhausted Ye Jiayao climbed up the shore with the last of her energy, plopping down on the grass and unable to get up.

F*ck! If not for my good swimming skills, I would have drowned in the lake.

It wasn’t until her wet clothes were almost dried by the sun and wind, did Ye Jiayao finally manage to get back some strength. She lifted her hand to touch her chest, and luckily, her secret stash was still there.

Ye Jiayao sat up with great effort and looked at her surroundings. There was a forest not far away. The previous night, she swam northwards, so if she did not get her directions wrong, she was no longer in the boundary of Hei Feng Gang. If she continued walking north, she should be able to reach the Ji Nan province.

After her successful escape plan, she wanted to go to Ji Nan province first. She had to go to the Wei family to understand the situation.

Standing by the lake, she gazed at the majestic mountains, her heart breaking once again.

Hei Feng Gang, farewell…

Chunyu, Master Crown Prince, although we were forced to become a couple, and you were indeed horrible, we would not see each other again so let’s forget all the good and bad times! Treat it as a dream.

Also, Auntie Jiang, Auntie Zhao, and the other kind people in the stockade, I hope you are safe and sound. I hope that you’d be leading only happy and peaceful lives from now on.

After her personal farewell ceremony, Ye Jiayao tidied her hair and clothes, walking northwards into the forest without looking back.

At the moment Ye Jiayao was gazing back at Hei Feng Gang, Xia Chunyu was standing at the cliff by Haze Lake, silently commemorating the loss of his ‘wife’.

He once mistook Yaoyao to be a snitch sent by Bai Zongye and because of that, he never really treated her well. He would often scold her and even purposely torture her sometimes. Now, filled with guilt and remorse, he wished that he could turn back the time.

Wasn’t she also a pitiful person? At home, she was mistreated by her stepmother, and when she was about to escape to a better life, she was kidnapped by the bandits. She ridiculously became his woman and now, she died by the cliff, her corpse nowhere to be found.

Yaoyao…

He called out her name silently. There was a time that she kept requesting him to call her that, yet he had never done so.

Yaoyao…

I did not have the intention of abandoning you when I said that! Why couldn’t you have been a little more shameless and tough like always? Why didn’t you jump out, point at my nose and said, ‘hey, dumb donkey, I am already your woman, don’t you dare think of abandoning me…’

His eyes were stinging bitterly, hot tears flowing down his face uncontrollably.

Xia Chunyu rubbed his eyes, gazing at the endless lake, saying softly, “Yaoyao, I brought Da Bao and Er Bao with me. I will take care of them for you. If there is a chance, I will be back to visit you…”