"Okay, go quickly."
The Empress Dowager nodded repeatedly. Ye Lingfeng and Hai Ling got up and left the bedchamber of Lanqing Palace, returning to Liuyue Palace. In the main hall, the palace maids and eunuchs were not present. Ye Lingfeng summoned his trusted confidants, Shizhu and Shiju, and instructed them to immediately leave the palace to spread rumors as soon as possible.
Shi Zhu and the others left the palace. It was already late at night. Ye Lingfeng pulled Hai Ling to rest. If nothing unexpected happened, west Xiu would definitely send a letter to the palace tomorrow. At that time, they must save Xiao Mao'er and kill west Xiu and Sima Yuan.
The night passed quickly. Although neither Ye Lingfeng nor Hai Ling slept well, their mood was not as angry and anxious as before because they had hope in their hearts.
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, a rumor spread in Bianliang City that Sima Yuan, the Right Chancellor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, was not dead and was now in the Emperor's hands. The Emperor had not killed Sima Yuan but had imprisoned him.
The news spread like wildfire throughout Bianliang City, with many speculating about its veracity. Most, however, did not believe it. The reason for this disbelief was that when the envoys from the Great Zhou Dynasty came to Beilu to demand the person, the Emperor had not handed him over. If Sima Yuan were truly alive, why hadn't the Emperor handed him over to the envoys? Therefore, they concluded that it must be a rumor, spread by someone with ulterior motives.
Although many people did not believe it, a small number of people still did. So on the third day of the Lunar New Year, the most talked-about topic was whether Sima Yuan was alive or dead, and who spread the rumors.
In short, this New Year was very lively. Everyone loves gossip, and as long as there are topics to discuss, things will be lively.
Inside the palace, Ye Lingfeng and Hai Ling soon heard the news from outside. Now that they had done what they needed to do, they just had to wait for Xi Xiu to send someone to deliver a message.
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Nalan Mingzhu went to the palace to pay his respects to Hailing. He noticed that Hailing looked unwell and, upon asking, learned that the kitten was missing. He was shocked and dismayed.
"Ling'er, what do we do now? That madwoman Xi Xiu really wants to tear her to pieces. If we catch them, we must not let her go, otherwise she will never have a good life again."
Hai Ling nodded, not forgetting to remind Nalan Mingzhu: "We haven't leaked this matter, so you must not tell Father and Brother. They would be worried to death if they knew. If outsiders find out about this, it will be troublesome and may cause panic."
“Okay,” Nalan Mingzhu nodded. She knew the importance of this matter. Hailing had specifically instructed her, so she naturally wouldn’t speak carelessly.
Nalan Mingzhu originally wanted to stay in the palace to accompany Hailing, but Hailing ordered someone to send her back. She is currently pregnant, and a pregnancy of three or four months is very easy to miscarry, so she must be careful in everything she does. Now that Xixiu's whereabouts are unknown, if she suddenly appears and harms Nalan Mingzhu, her heart will be even more uneasy, so she must minimize the risk.
Not long after Nalan Mingzhu left, Ye Lingfeng walked in with a letter in his hand, his face cold and arrogant. He raised the letter in his hand and spoke in a deep voice.
"Ling'er, she did indeed send someone to the palace with a message."
Upon hearing that Xi Xiu had sent a message to the palace, Hai Ling immediately jumped up from her chair and rushed to Ye Lingfeng. She snatched the letter from his hand and eagerly opened it. The letter didn't contain much, only a simple instruction to take Sima Yuan to Black Wind Cliff to exchange for someone. If they didn't see Sima Yuan, their son would not live. In addition, the letter also instructed Ye Lingfeng to bring Ji Hai Ling with him and meet at Black Wind Cliff at 7 PM tonight.
Hai Ling read the letter, looked up at Ye Lingfeng, and saw the ruthlessness and coldness in Ye Lingfeng's eyes.
"Let's go to Blackwind Cliff together tonight."
“Okay,” the couple agreed, and Ye Lingfeng went out to make arrangements, dispatching men to lie in ambush near Black Wind Cliff before they arrived at 7 p.m.
Ever since receiving west Xiu's letter, Hai Ling had been anxiously waiting, too lazy to even eat. She paced back and forth in the main hall of Liuyue Palace until dusk, when Ye Lingfeng arrived with Shi Zhu and several other subordinates.
"Ling'er, would you like to eat something before you go?"
Ye Lingfeng was worried because Hai Ling hadn't eaten much these past two days. He knew that west Xiu would definitely try to get rid of them both on Black Wind Cliff tonight, so they had to be careful.
"Let's go, I'm not hungry. As long as we find the kitten, we can eat as much as we want."
As the two talked, they left Liuyue Palace and boarded the carriage in front of the palace gate. There weren't many people behind the carriage, only three or four, because Xixiu had said not to bring too many people. If they brought too many people, she wouldn't show up.
Therefore, Ye Lingfeng only brought a few trusted confidants, while the others had already been arranged around Black Wind Cliff.
The carriage sped out of the palace and along the streets. On New Year's Eve, lanterns were everywhere, stretching as far as the eye could see like a silver river, a breathtaking sight. The night market was bustling with activity. Who would know the Emperor and Empress's torment? Everyone else was celebrating the New Year with great joy, but those in the palace were living each day as if it were an eternity.
The carriage soon drove out of Bianliang City and headed towards Black Wind Cliff.
In the darkness, only the powerful clatter of hooves could be heard as the horse galloped forward.
Inside the carriage, Ye Lingfeng held Hai Ling's hand tightly, feeling the coolness of her palm.
At 7:15 PM, they arrived at Black Wind Cliff. There were no lights on Black Wind Cliff, nor was there moonlight on the third day of the lunar month. Only sparse stars were visible, so Black Wind Cliff was completely dark. Several of Ye Lingfeng's men, who had brought him with them, were holding Sima Yuan captive and waiting in the darkness.
After a long silence, Ye Lingfeng couldn't help but roar.
"west Xiu, west Xiu, return my son to me!"
There was no response when he didn't call out, but when he did, a voice rang out from the shadows, cold and indifferent as ice.
"Feng'er, you are truly my good son. You even know my name so well."
As the voices were heard, several figures emerged. Although the night was pitch black and Hai Ling's vision was not very clear, Ye Lingfeng and the others were extremely skilled in martial arts, so they could see as clearly as if it were daytime. They immediately recognized the people who had come out from the opposite side. The leader was Xi Xiu, who was holding a small child in his arms, which appeared to be his son.
Ye Lingfeng saw everything clearly, and after hearing west Xiu's words, he spoke coldly and bloodthirstily.
"You are truly heartless and insane. If you considered me your son, you wouldn't have treated me like a pawn from childhood to adulthood. Now you've even kidnapped my son. If you don't consider me your son, do you think I consider you my mother?"
Ye Lingfeng spoke coldly, and before Xi Xiu could speak, he continued, "You asked me to bring Sima Yuan here. Now that he's here, hand over my son, and I will give Sima Yuan to you."
"Sima Yuan, he's really not dead?"
west Xiu clearly didn't believe it. Even so, her eyes were still fixed on Ye Lingfeng. Ye Lingfeng waved his hand, and several of his subordinates brought Sima Yuan over. Sima Yuan's martial arts had been crippled, and he was now clearly like a cripple, but he was indeed not seriously injured and was alive and well.
Upon seeing him, tears welled up in Xi Xiu's eyes. Although she didn't love Sima Yuan, he was still the father of her son, which was why she wanted to save him. However, she didn't know if this Sima Yuan was an imposter, so Xi Xiu suddenly cried out sharply, "Sima Yuan, say something! Are you an imposter?"
Upon seeing Xi Xiu, Sima Yuan was reminded of all that had happened in the past. He had only acted foolishly and had a relationship with this woman, who knew that she would become pregnant. Years later, she still used this incident to blackmail him into doing things for her. He could have lived a good life as the Right Chancellor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, enjoying a life of luxury and honor. But who knew that he would end up like this?
Sima Yuan was filled with hatred, so he couldn't help but shout.
"west Xiu, go away. I don't want to see you. I don't want to see you."
Seeing her reminds me of a mistake he made that ruined his life. Even in death, he was tainted with a stigma. Now, who doesn't know that he had an affair with a concubine from Beilu and fathered an illegitimate child? This reputation is a disgrace to the Sima family. How can he face his ancestors in the afterlife?
Upon hearing Sima Yuan's hatred, west Xiu knew that Sima Yuan's hatred was genuine and not feigned; such hatred could not be faked.
Although he hated her, she couldn't bear to see him alive and do nothing, because even though she didn't love him, he was still the father of her son.
"Okay, let's change players."
west Xiu spoke up, explaining that she had brought the child with her today, having already made two preparations. If Sima Yuan was truly alive, she would use the child to exchange for Ye Lingfeng; if Sima Yuan was dead, she would use the child to force Ji Hailing, that despicable woman, to commit suicide, in retaliation for ruining all her plans.