Chapter 723: Bloody Long Street (Part 2)
In the northern district of the capital, there was a long street called Peaceful Way. It was not far from the imperial city; crossing the Three-She Bridge just ahead led directly to Vermilion Sparrow Avenue, making morning court attendance very convenient. For countless years, this street had been home to high officials and nobles, from the previous dynasty to the present, never changing in that regard—only the people living in the mansions along the street had shifted with the times.
By the Zheng-Tong era, the best-positioned mansion on Peaceful Way, the one closest to the imperial city, naturally belonged to the Tianhai family. After the incident at the Heavenly Book Mausoleum, the Tianhai family remained unchanged, but counting eastward, many mansions had changed owners and undergone extensive renovations, because the Prince of Xiang, the Prince of Zhongshan, and over a dozen other princes had moved in one after another.
The easternmost mansion on Peaceful Way, closest to Locust Flower Lane, was the Xue residence. As the military leader of the Great Zhou dynasty most trusted by the Heavenly Sea Holy Empress, Xue Xingchuan naturally deserved such treatment. Now, the Xue family could no longer keep this mansion; its new owner might be some prince or divine general—who could say?
Madam Xue didn't know who the new owner of this mansion would be, but she knew it was inevitable. She had never hoped to continue living there and had long since made preparations. All the servants had been dismissed, and after the memorial ceremony, she used her dowry silver to buy a small courtyard on the street outside Hundred Flowers Lane.
After doing all this, she thought she could find peace. But hearing the sobbing beside her, she realized that peace was also a luxury. Her head began to ache, and she asked sternly, "Are you crying because of the pain, or because of grief?"
The Xue family's young miss, who had been driven out of the Vice Minister's mansion a few days ago, had stayed at the Xue residence, weeping endlessly. Hearing the news today, she cried even harder. Startled by Madam Xue's harsh question, she looked up timidly, sobbing, "Mother, what's wrong?"
Her eyes were already red and swollen, her voice hoarse. For some reason, her face was covered in wounds, as if she had been beaten.
Madam Xue pointed at her still-bruised face and said angrily, "If you're crying because it hurts from being hit, that means you're worthless and unworthy of being your father's daughter. If you're crying because he's dead, that means your mind is broken. Is it worth crying over a man like that?"
The news that Vice Minister Wei of the Rites Ministry had been killed by Chen Changsheng and Wang Po had spread throughout the capital. Whenever the Xue family's young miss thought of her husband's ruthlessness, she was furious, wishing him dead. But now that he was truly dead, thinking of those years together, she couldn't help but feel sorrow, lamenting her bitter fate.
Hearing her mother's words, the young miss felt she truly was useless. But... why did Dean Chen have to kill him? Shouldn't he have just beaten the man severely, dragged him to the Xue residence to apologize, and made him swear on heaven to treat her well from now on, just like before...
A sudden, piercing shriek interrupted her chaotic thoughts.
The shriek came from the mansion next door to the Xue residence.
Then came countless crashing sounds, faintly mixed with the roar of wind and thunder, followed by collapsing buildings and billowing dust.
The Xue family's young miss was stunned, her face pale, no longer caring about grief or tears.
Madam Xue's gaze fell on the rising dust next door, a puzzled expression on her face.
The collapse of the neighboring mansion didn't affect the Xue residence, but for some reason, she felt it must be connected to them.
Many years ago, after the Holy Empress bestowed this mansion on Peaceful Way to Xue Xingchuan, the mansion next door, separated by a single wall, began renovations simultaneously.
That mansion's gate opened onto Locust Flower Lane to the south, so ordinary people couldn't even notice it. Walking along Peaceful Way, one would only think it was part of the Xue estate.
The owner of that mansion was very mysterious, never interacting with anyone. To this day, Madam Xue didn't know who it was, only vaguely guessing it was connected to her family, because she had once overheard Xue Xingchuan make two relevant arrangements and issue the strictest warnings.
She had even suspected that this mysterious neighbor might be the legendary Crown Prince Zhaoming, though that guess later proved wrong.
The building collapsed, raising clouds of dust. Broken bamboo, like snapped bows, scattered green splinters into the Xue residence's garden.
Madam Xue embraced her terrified daughter, murmuring words of comfort.
The neighboring mansion continued to collapse, the rumbling unceasing, as if someone had fallen from the courtyard directly into the street. Madam Xue didn't know why it had collapsed, but seeing such a terrifying commotion, she thought that even if someone escaped, they would likely be injured. She ordered the steward to open the gate and see if they needed help.
Dusk was falling, the light dim, but thankfully the snow on the street was still so white that they could clearly see the blood-soaked figure.
Even though the blood flowing from that person seemed black.
When the steward pushed open the Xue residence's gate, this bloody scene was the first thing Madam Xue and her daughter saw.
The Xue family's young miss screamed, shouting repeatedly, "Someone, come help!"
As she said this, she witnessed a very eerie sight.
A palace-dressed beauty appeared silently behind the blood-soaked figure.
That palace beauty was also bleeding, with some dust obscuring her features, but not enough to hide her beauty.
Who was she? What was happening? Just as the young miss was frozen in confusion, the palace beauty raised a broken sword and struck down at the blood-soaked figure.
A spray of blood splattered onto the snow—not enough to kill him outright, but not so little that it went unnoticed.
"Murder!" the Xue family's young miss screamed in terror, then her voice cut off abruptly.
Madam Xue covered her mouth, her hand trembling violently but pressing firmly, preventing her daughter from making any sound.
She saw clearly: the palace beauty was Mo Yu, and the blood-soaked figure was... Zhou Tong.
So that neighboring mansion belonged to Zhou Tong.
She finally understood, and thinking that Xue Xingchuan had kept this from her too, she grew even angrier, her body shaking more intensely.
"It's Zhou Tong," Madam Xue said, her voice muffled and cold.
The Xue family's young miss stiffened, watching the bloody scene on the snowy street, her hands slowly clenching.
Zhou Tong, like a wounded beast on the verge of death, let out a strange, low growl. He struggled to rise from the snow and stumbled forward a few steps.
He knew this was the Xue residence, and that the mother and daughter on the stone steps were his sister-in-law and niece, so he didn't turn his head to look at them.
He wouldn't beg them for mercy—that would be self-humiliation—nor did he want them to see him like a stray dog.
He wanted to leave as quickly as possible, but just then, a harsh sword wind struck the upper side of his left thigh.
Muscle was sliced open horizontally, blood oozing like porridge spilling over a pot's rim. He fell heavily to his knees in the snow, snow splashing beneath them.
Seeing this, the Xue family's young miss screamed again, but this time, beyond terror, there was more satisfaction.