Meanwhile, Hai Ling had already led several people straight to the General's Mansion.
She had already thought of this while sitting in the carriage. If Feng Zixiao realized what was happening, he might stop the carriage, and then she wouldn't be able to leave the palace. Since he had already spoken, how could she give him a chance to take it back?
The news of the Emperor banishing her from the palace hasn't spread yet, so she needs to rush into the General's Mansion and take her mother away before the Emperor reacts, so that the feud between the Feng and Jiang families will no longer be their concern.
The general's mansion was quiet in the morning light. Hailing led Shimei, Shilan, and Yanzhi quietly into the mansion through a side gate.
Since we are going to take Mother away, we must not disturb the others in the General's Mansion.
However, as soon as Hailin stepped inside, she sensed an atmosphere that was different from usual.
The mansion was deathly silent, as if no one was there.
The servants, who should have been up early to clean the area, were all completely silent.
"Miss, this is strange."
Rouge spoke uneasily, and even she could sense it. Hailing's unease intensified, and she flew straight to the Qinfang Courtyard in the back garden of the General's Mansion.
The Qinfang Courtyard was also quiet, without the slightest sound.
Hailin rushed in, heading straight for her mother's room, calling out anxiously, "Mother, Mother."
Rouge joined in, calling out, "Madam, Madam, where are you? Madam, where are you?"
Unfortunately, no one answered them. Shi Mei and Shi Lan quickly searched everywhere, and soon they heard shouts coming from an empty room at the back: "Miss, Miss, quick, Madam is here, Madam is here."
Hailing and Yanzhi were searching aimlessly when they heard Shimei's words, so they quickly ran over.
The Fourth Madam, Du Caiyue, was currently in the smallest woodshed behind Qinfang Courtyard. Outside the door, Shimei and Shilan stretched out their arms, looking at the two people running towards them with reluctance, and first stopped Hailing from entering.
"Miss, you should be prepared?"
"Mental preparation?" Hai Ling's eyes flashed with fear and unease. She shook her head repeatedly, then suddenly pushed Shi Mei aside and screamed shrilly, "What happened to my mother? What happened to my mother?"
She rushed into the small house behind Shi Mei. Inside the small house, there was nothing but a tall cross. But the person tied to that cross was none other than her mother, Du Caiyue.
Du Caiyue's body and face were covered in horrific injuries, and her head was drooping, completely still.
Hailin cried out in anguish, "Mother, Mother, what's wrong with you?"
She rushed over, her hands trembling as she cupped her mother Du Caiyue's face in her hands. Her face was a bloody mess, with several cuts crisscrossing across it. The blood at the corners of her eyes had dried, and her mouth was also covered in blood. Her eyes were tightly closed, and she showed no reaction whatsoever.
Hailing shook her face as if she were crazy: "Mother, Mother, talk to me! What's wrong with you? Don't scare me! Don't scare me! What's wrong with you? Open your eyes and talk to me! I've come back to see you."
Rouge, who was behind Du Caiyue, also clung tightly to her and collapsed to the side, crying sadly.
"Madam, Madam, what's wrong? What happened?"
Seeing the two girls heartbroken, the maids Shimei and Shilan couldn't help but shed tears as well. Shimei spoke softly.
"She's dead, miss, she's dead."
Upon hearing Shi Mei's words, Hai Ling turned around angrily and glared at her fiercely: "What nonsense are you talking about? What nonsense are you talking about? My mother won't die, how could she die? She's still with me!"
After saying that, she turned around, hugged Du Caiyue's face, and burst into tears.
"Mother, why, why won't you tell me? What happened?"
Images of her interactions with her mother over the past three years flashed through her mind.
When she was sick, her mother stayed by her bedside, brewed medicine and fed it to her. Seeing that she was afraid of taking medicine, she coaxed her gently, "Ling'er, come on, take your medicine obediently. If you take your medicine, Mommy will give you a piece of candy. I promise it won't be bitter at all. Our Ling'er is the best child."
"Ling'er, don't lose weight anymore. Actually, you're not ugly at all. You're very cute, you know? There are many kinds of women in the world—beautiful, charming, and gorgeous—but cute is the most endearing. You're my precious darling."
"Ling'er, if your mother is no longer by your side in the future, you must take good care of yourself and not worry your mother."
"Ling'er, I love you so much, what can I do? I love you so much that even if I leave one day, I will leave my heart to you. So Ling'er, don't be sad, I will always be by your side."
“Our Ling’er was a little beauty when she was young. I believe that one day you will lose weight and become a great beauty. On that day, the world will know what it means to look down on people.”
Memories flooded her mind, and Hailing wept bitterly.
"Mother, who killed you? Who was it?"
My mother's body and face were covered in bruises; she had been beaten to death. Not only that, she was bound to a cross, her arms chained with toothed iron rings. These toothed iron rings were used on serious criminals by the imperial court; the iron rings had gears that drove into the flesh and bone of the arm to prevent the prisoner from escaping. But my mother was just a weak woman. Who could be so heartless?
"Mother, I will not let the person who harmed you get away with it. I will definitely kill him."
Hai Ling's face was filled with murderous intent. She bit her lower lip tightly, and drops of blood dripped onto the ground. She felt no pain at all, and her eyes shone with a wolf-like light that seemed to want to devour people.
The people inside were so preoccupied with their grief that they noticed a number of footsteps rushing in from outside.
Shi Mei and Shi Lan exchanged a glance and rushed out. They saw a dark mass of soldiers rushing towards Qin Fang Courtyard. Shi Mei and Shi Lan were shocked and flew into the small house, speaking in a low voice.
"Miss, something bad has happened! There are people coming from outside. They seem to want to arrest you. We'd better leave quickly, or it will be too late."
Although Shi Mei and Shi Lan were highly skilled in martial arts, they only glanced at the crowd and realized there were thousands of people. How could they possibly defeat so many?
"Miss, let's go quickly, let's go quickly."
Rouge was anxious. The madam was already dead. If something happened to the young lady, the madam would be heartbroken if she knew in the afterlife. Hailing, however, was unwilling to leave. She couldn't leave her mother here alone. So she ignored everyone else and frantically tried to unlock the gear chain that was locking Du Caiyue's arm. Unfortunately, the chain was made of fine steel and could not be opened without a key.
Rouge hurriedly pulled her: "Miss, you should go, you should go quickly, otherwise Madam will die with her eyes wide open in disbelief."
"Miss, let's go."
Shi Mei knew that the people outside were getting closer and closer to the small house, and if she didn't leave soon, it would really be too late.