BLHO Chapter 21
by VolareChapter 21: Setting the Trap
The night was as dark as ink, with no moon and no stars, and an icy cold permeated the General’s Manor.
A young servant walked ahead, holding a dim lantern, along a long corridor.
“Princess? Your Highness…”
A gust of cold wind blew past, raising goosebumps on his skin. Beyond this point was the storeroom where the manor kept old items, a dark and secluded place rarely visited. This servant was timid and didn’t dare to go any further, but the steward had assigned him this task, and if he didn’t search thoroughly, he wouldn’t be able to report back.
He clenched his fists to embolden himself, and with a stiff upper lip, he proceeded.
The dust-covered wooden door was decaying and old, pitch black, resembling an upright coffin lid. The servant swallowed hard and carefully reached out to push the door.
With a creak, the door opened, and a heavy, musty smell rushed out.
The servant raised a hand to cover his nose and mouth, and entered with the lantern.
Old items were piled up like mountains. Most weren’t discarded junk, but rather surplus items with nowhere else to be placed. Among them were quite a few imperial gifts, casually piled here.
The servant walked around the cabinets further inside, carefully searching every corner. Everything was quiet, and he unconsciously lowered his voice.
“Princess?”
The storeroom was empty, but for some reason, when he called out, he felt like there were shadows flickering around him. But when he turned his head, it was all empty.
This gloomy place was rarely visited by the servants, and the princess had no reason to be here. The servant rubbed the goosebumps on his arms, planning to hurry back.
Before he could turn around, he heard a crisp “bang.”
He was so startled that he broke out in a cold sweat, and his hand trembled, causing the lantern to fall to the ground.
He quickly squatted down and scrambled to pick up the lantern. Shining the light, he saw a celadon vase placed against the wall had fallen over.
This… the vase was properly placed, and there was no one else in the room, so how could it have fallen for no reason?
The more he thought about it, the more afraid he became. He didn’t dare to go over and pick it up, staring at the fallen vase as he retreated toward the door.
He wanted to run, but after that scare, he had no strength in his legs and could only move step by step.
He had only taken two steps when he suddenly felt something soft under his foot, something fleshy and bony, that seemed to be moving.
His scalp went numb, and he froze for a long time before daring to look down. He lifted his foot and saw a dying rat.
To prevent rats and ants from gnawing on the items, poison was occasionally spread in the storeroom. This rat had probably eaten some of the poison.
So… most likely, he had startled the creature when he entered, and it had knocked over the vase while scurrying away.
The servant felt slightly relieved and wiped his forehead with his sleeve.
However, in the middle of the night, this place was truly eerie, so it was best not to stay long.
Just as he was about to leave, he saw a dark shadow flickering in the light at his feet.
Just now… the shadow from before wasn’t his imagination.
His heart pounded nervously, and he stiffly turned his head to look, but there was still no one behind him.
Suddenly, he thought of something and slowly raised his head, looking up.
The color drained from his face at the sight.
Directly above his head were a pair of gold-embroidered red shoes. Above that, the feet wearing the red shoes hung in the air, swaying lightly. The bright red wedding gown was stained with blood, swaying gently in the night.
The servant’s breath hitched, and he fell to the ground, his face ashen.
“Ghost!…”
“Someone! Help! The princess has hanged herself!”
–
In an instant, the General’s Manor was in chaos. The servant, flustered, rushed to Lin Shuangxu’s courtyard to deliver the news.
“Young Master, General, something terrible has happened! The princess is dead!”
Lin Shuangxu’s worries had finally come true. He didn’t say a word, his face terrifyingly grim.
He Yuncheng’s expression also changed upon hearing the news, but he completely refused to believe it.
“That’s impossible…”
“Don’t say anything.” Lin Shuangxu said in a low voice, “Let’s go see first.”
“Okay.”
The two quickly arrived at the main hall. The woman in her wedding dress was laid flat on the ground, a white cloth covering her face tightly.
Lin Shuangxu stepped forward and lifted the cloth. Even though he had prepared himself mentally, he still felt a wave of discomfort upon seeing Princess Meng Ning’s face.
Regret, anger, and a trace of unspeakable… heartache.
He lifted Princess Meng Ning’s wrist, placed two fingers on her pulse, and then his gaze turned exceedingly dim.
He turned his head and shook his head at He Yuncheng.
She couldn’t be saved.
He Yuncheng knelt down beside him. Although there was no love between them, he felt a chill seeing Princess Meng Ning’s tragic face.
They had clearly agreed that once the court situation stabilized, they would part ways and not disturb each other. How could such a resolute woman like Princess Meng Ning suddenly be unable to think clearly and hang herself?
He reached out and examined her neck and mouth. Judging from her death, it was indeed a suicide by hanging.
But what was the reason? He couldn’t understand.
Lin Shuangxu said, “Something’s not right.”
He Yuncheng looked at him.
On Princess Meng Ning’s neck, near the collar of her dress, was a small patch of faint red marks.
Lin Shuangxu used his fingertip to slightly open her collar, revealing the shape of the entire mark.
It wasn’t caused by impact or pinching. It was a regular red mark floating on the skin, shaped like a beautiful swirl of clouds.
Lin Shuangxu’s thoughts raced, past images flashed through his mind, and finally settled on the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion.
That night, he and He Yuncheng had infiltrated the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion, intending to win over Li Yuliang’s favorite consort—the male prostitute named Song Jiting. At the time, they had inadvertently spied on Li Yuliang and Song Jiting being intimate through the window. Lin Shuangxu clearly remembered that Song Jiting seemed to have been given some kind of aphrodisiac, and he also had similar red cloud marks on his back.
He remained silent, watching He Yuncheng’s reaction. Without saying anything, he also remembered.
“The princess was murdered,” Lin Shuangxu said, “We’ve been framed.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the gates of the General’s Manor were forced open, and torches illuminated the courtyard brightly. Dozens of Embroidered Uniform Guards swarmed in, surrounding the main yard.
The cold mist was thick, and a sudden air of murderous intent permeated the manor.
The leader, composed and solemn, rested the tip of his Embroidered Spring Blade on the ground.
It was Shen Tan.
He Yuncheng inconspicuously protected Lin Shuangxu behind him and stepped forward to ask, “Commander Shen, what brings you here so late at night?”
Shen Tan’s sinister gaze swept around, “Someone reported to the Northern Garrison that the princess died in the General’s Manor. Is this true?”
Her relationship with Princess Meng Ning was extraordinary. Others didn’t know, but He Yuncheng was well aware of it. His fear was that she would let anger cloud her judgment and blame the General’s Manor, which would play right into the hands of the Directorate of Ceremonial, giving the eunuch party a reason to eliminate them.
He Yuncheng didn’t answer directly, but asked, “Who reported this to Commander Shen?”
Shen Tan naturally wouldn’t tell him, and continued to scan the surroundings, quickly locking her gaze on the direction of the main hall.
Without another word, she walked straight over with her sword.
He Yuncheng and Lin Shuangxu exchanged a look.
They couldn’t avoid this calamity today.
Shen Tan reached the hall and saw Princess Meng Ning’s body. Her face was as cold as frost, no different from when she was handling ordinary cases, revealing no emotion.
“Commander Shen…” He Yuncheng tried to explain, but Shen Tan refused to listen.
“Men!” she ordered, “Take the princess’s body back and hand it over to the coroner for examination. General He is suspected of harming the princess, and will be escorted to the Imperial Prison for questioning!”
“Yes!”