2: Discarded corpse
Luoxia Mountain Villa, owned by the Crown Prince.
A delicate, cooing voice came from within the warm bed curtains. Qiao Shilian found it somewhat familiar, yet the affectation in the tone was so pronounced that she couldn’t immediately place it. She thought perhaps it was one of Qin Shuo’s chamber maids.
“Your Highness, it’s only been a day since we last saw each other. Why are you so impatient today?”
“I am in a foul mood.”
The overlapping silhouettes behind the curtains were blurred, but even without floating closer to investigate, Qiao Shilian could imagine the licentious scene within.
“Your Highness… it couldn’t be because of Sister Qiao, could it? This humble one heard that Sister Qiao… was unchaste, and with a…” The woman’s voice, soft and sticky, asked the Crown Prince.
Qiao Shilian hadn’t wanted to listen to the couple’s flirtatious, vulgar words and was about to leave when she heard the woman mention her.
“Shilian is not that kind of person.” Qin Shuo sounded displeased.
“Then why… when Prime Minister Qiao came to see Your Highness earlier, asking if you were at the Princess’s residence when Sister Qiao encountered trouble… why did Your Highness deny it?” the woman asked softly.
But the words Qin Shuo spoke next froze her in the empty air, a roaring sound filling her ears.
“Don’t think this prince doesn’t know what you’re getting at. This prince merely denied what Minister Qiao said to avoid exposing what is between you and this prince. If you try to drive a wedge between This prince and Shilian again, this prince thinks you can go home.”
Who exactly was the person in his bed?
Qiao Shilian turned back and saw a woman, half-naked, step barefoot from the warm curtains.
Qiao Shilian instantly froze, her spirit feeling as if struck a heavy blow—the woman frolicking with Qin Shuo was her close confidante, the legitimate daughter of a Vice Minister, Fang Yaoyao.
Fang Yaoyao had a delicate, round face and an innocent, seemingly guileless, obedient appearance that easily evoked pity.
At this moment, the duijin feathered robe she was stepping on was a birthday gift Qiao Shilian had given her not long ago. Qiao Shilian couldn’t fathom what kind of mentality Fang Yaoyao possessed, to wear this very garment while carrying on an affair with her fiancé.
Fury surged within her instantly. If she weren’t merely a disembodied, wandering ghost with nothing but consciousness and no ability to act, she would have rushed forward to slap Fang Yaoyao across the face. How could a woman be so shameless as to covet her friend’s betrothed?
And then there was the Crown Prince Qin Shuo, whom she had admired for years. She felt herself to be utterly laughable. While alive, she had actually held onto a sliver of hope regarding Qin Shuo, wishing he could help her restore the truth and clear her name.
She hated herself for having eyes that failed to see their true faces in time, for feeding her sincerity to dogs.
It took Qiao Shilian a long time to calm her emotions.
Feeling deeply disgusted, she turned her back, unwilling to look at the pair. She then thought about Fang Yaoyao’s earlier remark about not having seen Qin Shuo for a day.
Qiao Shilian suddenly thought, could it be that yesterday at the Princess’s residence, the two of them were already carrying on behind her back?
Thinking about it this way, there seemed to be clues.
She recalled Fang Yaoyao acting strangely at the time, excusing herself from the banquet halfway through, claiming she felt unwell. And she vaguely remembered that Qin Shuo had also been absent from the banquet at that time.
Qiao Shilian suppressed a wave of nausea. Forcing herself to stay calm, she delved deeper into her thoughts. Many doubts still remained.
If Qin Shuo had been in the midst of an affair with Fang Yaoyao at that time, why would he risk discovery by arranging to meet with her?
And if Qin Shuo had never asked her to meet at the bamboo pavilion last night, then who was the figure she had seen in the courtyard, the one with Qin Shuo’s silhouette?
The strange incense that suddenly appeared halfway, the guard who came to support her, the crowd that happened to pass by at just the right moment…
The more Qiao Shilian thought, the colder she felt, even though she shouldn’t be affected by worldly temperatures anymore.
The entire sequence of events in this scandal of lost chastity was gradually becoming clear.
Each link in the chain was connected, and the final, crucial element that solidified her guilt rested on the main character in the event—the Crown Prince himself. Because he wanted to cover up his own affair, he would not testify for her.
There was no doubt about the role Fang Yaoyao played in this. Only she, being close to Qin Shuo at the time, could have temporarily stolen his robes and lent them to someone else to impersonate him, luring Qiao Shilian into the trap.
The thought that all this was the doing of Fang Yaoyao, to whom she had opened her heart and given her sincere friendship, made Qiao Shilian’s rage boil even hotter, while also filling her with profound sorrow.
To be betrayed so utterly brought such pain and hatred.
Inside the hall, Fang Yaoyao had already left. The old eunuch attending nearby could see that the Crown Prince was genuinely troubled and irritable today, making the likelihood of being scolded for approaching quite high. However, he had just received news from outside, and the written message now clutched in his palm burned like a hot coal, causing him great distress.
He had no choice but to call out respectfully, “Your Highness…”
“Speak.” Qin Shuo’s vexation, of course, stemmed from the matter of Qiao Shilian.
He knew the incident with Qiao Shilian was a misunderstanding. Having known her for ten years, how could he not understand her? She had always strictly observed the rules for young ladies, maintained her virtue, and was utterly incapable of the acts the rumors accused her of.
When Qiao Qingsong came to inquire, it was also with the intention of managing and protecting the Qiao family’s reputation. At the time, Qin Shuo didn’t think much of it, informing him that he would weigh the matter himself, assuming that would be the end of it.
He thought, wasn’t this also a way of protecting her? As her fiancé, he doesn’t even mind those rumors. Once he marries her in the future, who would dare say anything?
It was just that his private meeting with Fang Yaoyao at the Princess’s residence had to be concealed for the sake of the imperial family’s dignity.
The old eunuch presented the written message, keeping his head bowed as he reported, “A message has come from the Prime Minister’s residence… Regarding the Young Lady Qiao… she…”
“What about Shilian?” Qin Shuo felt an inexplicable tightness in his chest.
A sudden, ominous premonition seized him.
“Young Lady Qiao… has taken poisoned wine and ended her own life—” the old eunuch cried out mournfully.
The words written on the message were brief, the kind one could grasp with a single glance. Yet Qin Shuo stared fixedly at the characters, stunned and disbelieving.
Ended her own life? How could this be? Just a few hours ago, Qiao Qingsong was here asking about her… how could she be… dead?
Seeing Qin Shuo remain silent for so long, the old eunuch stole a glance and noticed the erratic rise and fall of his chest. He immediately lowered his head further, awaiting orders.
He no longer dared to look up at Qin Shuo’s face.
“No… no… it was This prince… it was This prince who harmed her…”
Qin Shuo’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his voice hoarse. He wasn’t a fool. Recalling Qiao Qingsong’s parting words—”This subject will return and give Your Highness an answer regarding this matter”—he understood exactly how Qiao Shilian had died.
It was his own veiled hints, his indication to Minister Qiao that as the Crown Prince, he would weigh imperial authority against personal matters, that became the final death warrant for Qiao Shilian.
“This prince has wronged Shilian…”
Qin Shuo slumped weakly by the edge of the soft couch, guilt evident in his eyes.
He had never imagined she would die. How could he have known his words would directly cost her life?
And now that she was dead, would he investigate to clear her name? He quickly arrived at the answer to that question.
He would not.
If he investigated, his affair with Fang Yaoyao would inevitably be exposed. Such a scandal damaging to the imperial family’s dignity, if it provoked the emperor’s wrath, the consequences were unpredictable. He couldn’t afford it, and there was no need to go to great lengths for a woman already dead.
Before imperial power, everything else paled into insignificance.
Even if that dead woman was someone he had once doted on without measure.
Seeing Qin Shuo covering his face as he wept, everyone in the hall lowered their heads and fell silent.
Qiao Shilian had long since departed without a sound.
No matter how much Qin Shuo repented or felt guilty, it couldn’t bring back the slightest bit for her, a person already dead.
In this incident that ruined her reputation and cost her life, everyone had abandoned her, regardless of their motives.
This was also what wounded Qiao Shilian’s spirit most deeply as she now drifted aimlessly between heaven and earth.
The night was deep, the sudden downpour unceasing. Amidst the sound of the relentless rain, Qiao Shilian wandered purposelessly through the wilderness.
She couldn’t feel the deluge; she allowed the rain to pass through her spirit, stirring up misty vapors. Yet she felt terribly cold, as if this icy rain had flooded her entire being, freezing her to the very marrow.
The events of her life remained vividly clear. Amidst the grief and indignation, Qiao Shilian hated only that she had not yet dissipated from this mortal world. She didn’t wish to remain in this realm for another half-moment. She only wanted to fall into a long slumber, to cease thinking about the people and events that chilled her to the bone.
Even if she were devoured by demons from the underworld, or subdued by a passing exorcist, it would be better.
Madly, she drove her spirit through the wilderness, racing recklessly.
She couldn’t cry, nor could she scream or shout. Having lost the vessel of her flesh, even venting was a luxury. Only the continuous sound of rain accompanied her, yet it only hammered more painfully against her agonized heart.
She didn’t want to hide within the interminable long night. The eternal torment of loneliness and the hatred of being discarded was no different from torture, making her desperately crave an end.
Because in this world, no one cared about her anymore.
She raced towards the vast, rainy darkness ahead when, in an instant, she collided head-on with a figure walking hurriedly. But she was merely an incorporeal spirit; at the moment of contact, she passed right through the person.
Who would come to this desolate place in the dead of night?
Qiao Shilian stopped and looked back. There was a figure in the wilderness, strikingly conspicuous in the gloom because of his white robes.
In the torrential rain, the man’s steps were urgent. He was drenched from head to toe, the hem of his robes stained with mud. Rainwater streamed down the man’s sharply defined jawline. Looking up, she saw a face as cold and frosty as ice, making one feel he was like the color of snow on distant clouds, unattainably remote.
But at this moment, that face held a tension quite at odds with her past impressions of him.
Su Zhuoguang?
Qiao Shilian had seen him twice while alive. In her memory, he was an aloof young general, treating people and affairs with the same cold demeanor, difficult to get along with.
Could someone like this also have matters that made him anxious and tense?
Driven by curiosity, Qiao Shilian followed in Su Zhuoguang’s direction.
Before long, several howls of hungry wolves mixed with the unpleasant screeching of carrion crows reached her.
Su Zhuoguang strode swiftly to a spot amidst the wolves and crows, flicking his sleeve as if brushing aside the rain. In an instant, he dispersed the flock of crows, sending them scattering into flight. Then, a short dagger appeared from his sleeve. A flash of silver light cut through the gloom, his movements sharp and decisive, repelling the hungry wolves that sought to pounce and feed.
Just catching up to him, Qiao Shilian saw his lips pressed tight, his face etched with sorrow.
He turned and knelt down. Only then, looking past him, did Qiao Shilian see what Su Zhuoguang was protecting—it was her own corpse, abandoned here by the Qiao family.
Qiao Shilian was stunned.
The scene before her was so real, so tangible, she could hardly believe it.
Su Zhuoguang knelt in the mud, his robes, once always immaculate and spotless, now caked with filth.
Her body at this moment had been pecked ragged by carrion crows and torn apart by hungry wolves; it could be described as mutilated beyond recognition, horrifying to the extreme. Even Qiao Shilian herself couldn’t bear to look directly at it for long.
But Su Zhuoguang didn’t seem to mind. He lowered his gaze to the dead Qiao Shilian before him, the grief in his eyes washed by the rain. Then, using the water pouring from the sky, he gently wiped the grime and blood from Qiao Shilian’s face. He passed his hand over her features, closing her eyes for her.
Qiao Shilian didn’t understand. She was dead. Why was he sad?
Racking her brains, she could only recall two brief, unremarkable interactions with him while alive, and two equally bland conversations.
This relationship, which on the surface seemed as ordinary as that between strangers, had now, after her death, overturned all her assumptions.
At a time when everyone had abandoned her, only this man before her had braved the pouring rain, heedless of everything, come to this wasteland to find her corpse, to take her body for burial.
Qiao Shilian stood silently beside Su Zhuoguang, watching as he removed his outer robe and wrapped it around her body, then cradled her as he headed back towards the city.
At the city gate, the night was at its deepest.
“Tsk. Master, such heavy rain, how could you just get drenched…”
A dark shadow moved through the curtain of rain; it was the guard who had been speaking, finally locating Su Zhuoguang, who had returned quietly from outside the city.
The guard sighed inwardly. In the dead of night, his master could vanish without a trace. If he really had run away from home, wouldn’t General Su take it out on him? His master and his father had been at odds for years. Whenever their arguments grew fierce, General Su would order him to keep an eye on the young master to prevent him from running away.
But lately, it didn’t seem like the master and General Su had quarreled?
The guard noticed Su Zhuoguang’s expression was off, but even more unusual was the fact that he was carrying a young woman in his arms. This act alone was enough to shock him speechless. He rubbed his eyes, and as he drew closer, he realized Su Zhuoguang was holding a female corpse with a horribly disfigured face.
He certainly wouldn’t jump to the absurd conclusion that his master had a necrophiliac fetish. Having served Su Zhuoguang for years, his master’s current demeanor could only mean the situation was extremely grave.
“Summon Lanze. Have her come to wash and dress her, and find clean clothes for her.”
“Ah?” The guard hadn’t fully processed this when he saw Su Zhuoguang heading towards the city’s charity burial ground and suddenly understood.
“Wait.”
The figure about to spring away through the rain stiffened, nearly slipping. The guard heard him say, “Go back and fetch some silver.”
“How… how much?” The guard was momentarily stunned. His master’s thoughts were always difficult to decipher, and now, not understanding the connection between this female corpse and his master, he naturally needed to ask more to avoid mistakes.
“Enough for a good-quality coffin.”
Su Zhuoguang half-lowered his eyes, gazing at the dead person in his arms, then added, “Have Lanze bring me a set of clean clothes. Tomorrow morning, we go to the Princess’s residence. I want to investigate the banquet from last night.”
The guard acknowledged the order and left, privately marveling. Didn’t the master decline to attend the Princess’s banquet? What was he investigating? And he’s not even going home to change clothes first—how urgent was this?
Wait, if the master doesn’t return home tonight, General Su might really think he’s run away from home. As his attendant, won’t he get his legs broken by General Su? But how can he possibly stop the master!
Forget it. Either way, it’s trouble. Better help the master cover it up for now.
**