Drunk on Madness - Chapter 47

Not long after Li Xiang fled through the hidden wall, three black-clad men were drawn to her opulent attire. Abandoning their wicked deeds, they gave chase.

Auntie Su watched as their figures gradually disappeared into the distance and immediately rushed toward the “Elegant Garden.” The gates of the garden were tightly shut, surrounded by corpses and dismembered limbs. The scent of charred flesh hung thick in the air. Ignoring the gruesome scene before her, Auntie Su pounded on the door and shouted, “Is anyone there? Open up!” Inside the garden, two guards stood watch at the entrance, silently observing the commotion outside.

When the guards caught sight of the child in Auntie Su’s arms through the crack in the door, they instantly recognized the imperial grandson and naturally dared not refuse entry. They swiftly opened the gates to let her in.

The moment she stepped inside, Auntie Su urged, “Quick, go save the concubine of the heir! She just lured the pursuers toward the lotus pond. Hurry and rescue her!”

The guards hesitated. Most of the first wave of guards had already escorted the consort, Lady Zhao, and the princess to safety. The second wave had also retreated with the concubine, Lady Wang, and her child. The few remaining guards from the third wave had nearly all perished in battle, leaving only these two to guard the gates.

Seeing their reluctance, Auntie Su grew frantic. “Why aren’t you going?” The guards could only explain, “The entire ‘Elegant Garden’ is now defended by just the two of us. If we both leave, the garden will be an empty shell, easily overrun by the black-clad men. Once that happens, escaping through the garden’s secret passage will be even harder.”

Auntie Su cried out in desperation, “So we’re just going to abandon her?” Her voice trembled with urgency, and the baby Qingqing in her arms, sensing her distress, began to wail.

“Waaah!”

The child’s sudden cry pierced the night. Auntie Su immediately tried to soothe him. One of the guards, the elder of the two, spoke up, “The young imperial grandson is in grave danger here. Nanny, you must take him through the secret passage and escape. I’ll go find the concubine. Sun Xiaohu, you stay and guard the ‘Elegant Garden.'”

Upon hearing this, Auntie Su knelt before him at once. “This old woman thanks you for your noble sacrifice on behalf of the concubine.” The elder guard helped her up. “No need for such formalities. Please, Nanny, you must leave quickly with the imperial grandson.”

Auntie Su nodded and watched as the elder guard left the garden. Only then did her heart settle slightly. She glanced down at Qingqing, then turned and ran toward the consort’s quarters. Along the way, she finally noticed that the situation inside the garden was no better than outside. Most of the buildings were engulfed in flames, and arrows littered the ground haphazardly, embedded in both the earth and corpses. She shielded Qingqing’s eyes, afraid he might see such brutal sights.

Meanwhile, Li Xiang had been running blindly. The long corridor eventually came to an end. At the corner, she leaped into the greenery lining the walkway and hid under the cover of darkness.

The three pursuers reached the corner and, seeing no one in the corridor, realized she must be hiding. One of them called out threateningly, “Miss, you’d better be sensible and come out on your own.” They exchanged glances and fanned out to surround the shadowy foliage.

Li Xiang watched as the three dark figures drew closer, a chill creeping through her entire body. Beads of cold sweat formed on her forehead. She knew she couldn’t let them capture her. Taking a deep breath, she prepared to dash out from the side.

But before she could fully rise, hands seized her limbs. Her arms were wrenched behind her back and bound as she was forced to her knees.

The black-clad man took out a torch, and upon seeing a young woman with a lovely face, one of them crouched down, lifted her chin, and asked, “Little lady, who are you in the Prince’s mansion?”

They had received secret orders that day to capture the Princess Consort and the Princess of Yan to use as leverage against the Prince of Yan. As for the servants in the mansion, their master had ordered that none be spared, kill them all and burn everything.

Li Xiang’s hair stood on end as if a cold wind had swept over her. The black-clad man saw she didn’t answer. “Look at your delicate skin and tender flesh, could you be the Prince of Yan’s concubine?”

The man holding the torch said, “Who cares who she is? Anyone dressed in such fine clothes must not be an ordinary person. Take her back to the leader, and we’ll find out.”

The three black-clad men seemed to have reached a consensus. They hoisted Li Xiang from the ground and slung her over a shoulder. The pressure against her stomach was unbearable, but there was nothing she could do.

Auntie Su led Qingqing through a secret tunnel for over half an hour before emerging into a dense forest. In the silence of the deep night, the chirping of insects filled the air as Auntie Su wiped the sweat from her brow. Just then, rustling sounds came from the nearby bushes.

Auntie Su immediately shielded Qingqing, peering into the pitch-black darkness. “Who’s there?” It felt as though danger lurked everywhere.

After a moment, torches flared in the distance. It turned out to be several of the Prince of Yan’s guards, men left behind by the Princess Consort to rendezvous with Li Xiang. When Auntie Su told them the concubine was still in the mansion, the men immediately descended into the tunnel, leaving only one behind to escort them to reunite with the Princess Consort.

Two days later, Su Mo and the others stared at the ruins of the Prince of Yan’s Mansion. He searched the entire estate but found no survivors. The charred corpses were indistinguishable from one another.

Silently and numbly, they moved the bodies, arranging them in rows. After what felt like an eternity, when thousands of corpses from the mansion were laid out in the front hall, Uncle Li counted the burned remains and said to Su Mo and the others, “The Princess Consort must have escaped. There’s a secret tunnel in her chamber. We’ll leave two men here to keep watch while the rest of us go down the tunnel.”

Hearing this, a glimmer of life finally returned to Su Mo’s hollow eyes. The group hurried into the tunnel and, after much searching and following footprints, finally reunited with the Princess Consort.

They were now in a peasant’s cottage, where the Princess Consort and her party were taking refuge. Fearing the farmer might betray them, the guards had tied up the entire household. The Prince of Yan’s Mansion had been destroyed overnight, and with the situation unclear, they dared not reveal their whereabouts.

When Su Mo and his group arrived at the cottage and saw the Princess Consort and the twenty-odd others, his eyes anxiously scanned the crowd.

Auntie Su spotted Su Mo at once. The terror of the past few days finally found an outlet, and she walked toward him with tears streaming down her face. Su Mo’s eyes brightened at the sight of his mother. He approached to comfort her, but when he heard Li Xiang was missing, the familiar ache in his chest returned.

When the Princess Consort and her party learned from Uncle Li that the Prince of Yan had successfully taken the capital and would soon ascend the throne, the gloom of their massacre was somewhat lifted. Days of hiding had left them in constant fear, and this good news was undoubtedly their greatest victory.

But Su Mo stood apart from the relieved crowd. With Li Xiang’s fate unknown, he couldn’t bring himself to smile. He couldn’t bear the thought that among the thousand charred corpses in the mansion, Li Xiang might be lying there. His slightly swollen eyes glistened with unshed tears.

He turned to leave, and Auntie Su followed him out of the farmhouse. Afraid his mother might notice something amiss, Su Mo hastily wiped his eyes and turned back to say, “Mother, stay with the princess consort. I’m going to find Xiangxiang.”

Auntie Su naturally understood her son’s feelings, but Li Xiang was now the prince’s concubine. There was no possibility between them anymore. Still, hearing that he was going to look for Xiangxiang, she couldn’t help but approve.

“Don’t worry about me,” she urged quickly. “Finding Xiangxiang is what matters.” Just then, Uncle Li emerged from the house looking for Su Mo. The princess consort had just informed him that the prince’s concubine was missing. They needed to investigate immediately. However, the princess consort and her party required an escort to the capital, forcing them to split into two groups.

After some discussion, Uncle Li left fifty men with Su Mo while the rest accompanied him to escort the princess consort back to the capital.