Xiao Yu didn’t notice the pastry A-Li had crushed in her hand.
Seeing that she had stopped eating, he asked in confusion,
“Why did you stop?”
A-Li quickly hid the mangled pastry beneath herself and flashed him a bright smile.
“I’m full now. Your Highness… you must really love your younger sister, don’t you?”
Assuming she meant Xiao Li, warmth immediately filled Xiao Yu’s eyes.
“I do. She’s the most adorable princess in the world…”
Before long, he was lost in memories again, blaming himself for failing to save Xiao Li.
A-Li’s heart sank straight to the bottom.
She said nothing, only turned her gaze elsewhere.
Shen Yi sensed that something was off between the two of them. He merely assumed A-Li had been reminded of her own family, so he wisely kept silent.
And so, the three of them traveled the rest of the journey in silence until they reached Liyuan.
Only after Shouyang and the others had eliminated all the hidden sentries around the estate did the three finally step out of the carriage.
Liyuan had long since fallen into ruin.
Weeds choked every corner of the grounds, and the stream that once flowed through the estate had completely dried up.
“This place is creepy enough,” Shen Yi remarked as he flicked away a spider web with his folding fan. “If someone told me this was a haunted manor, I’d believe them.”
His tone remained light, but his eyes were sharp with caution.
Soon, one of the shadow guards reported a discovery.
The three followed him deeper into the garden.
Hidden within the overgrown grounds stood a moss-covered artificial rock formation.
The guard pressed several seemingly ordinary stones in succession.
Click.
A massive slab of rock slowly slid inward, revealing a pitch-black passage descending underground.
An indescribable stench of rot and decay poured out from within.
Everyone’s expressions changed at once as they instinctively covered their noses and mouths.
Shouyang took the lead with a torch.
Xiao Yu, Shen Yi, and A-Li followed close behind.
The tunnel was dark and damp.
Rats, insects, and snakes scurried through the shadows, while the steady sound of dripping water echoed endlessly in the darkness.
Then Xiao Yu saw what lay ahead.
His eyes widened.
Without hesitation, he pulled out a handkerchief and gently covered A-Li’s eyes.
She jumped in surprise.
“What happened?”
“It’s nothing.”
His voice remained calm—so calm that it instinctively put people at ease.
“Let’s keep walking.”
A-Li fell silent.
My eyes are covered… how exactly am I supposed to walk?
As if anticipating the problem, Xiao Yu tied the handkerchief securely behind her head before placing her hand on his sleeve, guiding her forward.
Behind them, Shen Yi wore a puzzled expression.
But the moment he saw the mangled corpse crumpled in a corner—its body tortured beyond recognition—he nearly screamed.
A single icy glance from Xiao Yu silenced him.
He forcibly swallowed the cry back down.
Looking at how carefully Xiao Yu shielded A-Li from the horrific sight, Shen Yi couldn’t help rolling his eyes.
We’ve been brothers for years…
And somehow I rank below a girl he’s only known for a few days?
Before long, faint sobbing drifted from deeper within the cavern.
Everyone quickened their pace.
Dark figures huddled together in the depths.
Shouyang raised the torch.
Its light spread across the cave—
Revealing countless people.
Their clothes were tattered.
Their bodies were gaunt and sallow.
Men.
Women.
Even children.
Every face was etched with numbness and despair, as though endless imprisonment and terror had long since hollowed out their souls.
Everyone present froze where they stood.
“…Animals.”
The carefree smile vanished entirely from Shen Yi’s face.
His grip tightened around the ribs of his folding fan until his knuckles turned white.
He forced the two words out through clenched teeth.
Even Shouyang, whose expression rarely changed, couldn’t hide the violent contraction of his pupils.
His hand instinctively settled on the hilt of his sword.
Xiao Yu took a deep breath, suppressing the fury threatening to consume him.
He strode to the nearest cage.
His voice was hoarse but restrained.
“Don’t be afraid.”
“We’re officials sent by the imperial court.”
“We’re here to rescue you.”
At first, the prisoners simply stared blankly.
Then disbelief exploded into hope within their eyes.
“The… imperial court?”
“You’re… here to save us?”
“Is it… really true?”
The crying gradually grew louder.
It was no longer quiet sobbing but the desperate release of emotions that had been buried for far too long.
Unable to see what was happening around her, A-Li listened to the sudden chorus of sobs with confusion.
“What happened?”
She reached up to remove the handkerchief.
Xiao Yu immediately stopped her.
Holding her hand, he led her back toward the exit while issuing orders in a voice as cold as ice.
“Shouyang!”
His face had gone deathly grim.
“Immediately summon more men.”
“Seal off Liyuan.”
“Send physicians to treat every one of them.”
“And investigate the Prefect of Suzhou.”
“I want to know exactly what role he played in all of this.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Shouyang immediately obeyed, turning to organize the newly arrived shadow guards.
Only after they emerged from the tunnel did Xiao Yu finally stop.
He released A-Li’s hand, doing everything he could to restrain his rage.
Taking the opportunity, A-Li untied the handkerchief.
Looking at the Crown Prince—who had always appeared gentle and refined like polished jade—she saw only fury written across his face.
For a moment, she wasn’t sure whether allowing him to witness such horrors had been the right thing.
“A-Li…”
A long time passed before Xiao Yu finally spoke.
His voice was rough.
“Is Suzhou like this… because the Prefect indulges only in luxury and excess?”
For the first time, Xiao Yu found his own campaign against the bandits unbearably ironic.
He had believed he was coming to save the people from suffering.
Instead…
He had unknowingly driven them deeper into hell.
After all, he was only thirteen.
Though mature beyond his years, he had grown up surrounded by admiration, never once leaving the capital.
He had simply…
been protected too well.
And had believed in himself far too much.
“…Yes.”
A-Li answered after a long silence.
“Many people only became bandits because they couldn’t survive anymore.”
Xiao Yu turned toward her.
Seeing her calm expression, he couldn’t stop himself from asking,
“What about you?”
“Why didn’t you join them?”
“Me?”
She gave a faint, self-mocking smile.
“I was going to that day.”
“But then I met Your Highness.”
“It was the first time I’d ever eaten a full meal.”
“So… I decided not to leave.”
“…The first time?”
A-Li tilted her head, recalling her days as a beggar.
She nodded.
“Yes.”
“Before that, I could never compete with others for food.”
“I survived on scraps.”
“When things were at their worst…”
“I went three or four days without eating anything.”
The corners of Xiao Yu’s eyes reddened.
He gently rested a hand on her head.
At last…
He understood why his imperial father and mother had accepted that Xiao Li was dead.
His little sister—
The girl who would cry for ages over the tiniest scrape—
How could she possibly have survived in a world like this?
He had charged forward with nothing but determination, vowing to bring Xiao Li home.
Now reality had dealt him a merciless slap across the face.
He had simply realized it too late.
A-Li looked at him in confusion.
For a moment, it seemed as though he had lost the very thing keeping him alive.
But Shen Yi understood.
A-Li’s answer had indirectly told Xiao Yu that Xiao Li was almost certainly no longer among the living.
He hurried forward, trying to steady his friend.
“A-Li…”
He asked casually, as though it were an afterthought.
“Do you know about the You Pavilion?”
Xiao Yu suddenly remembered.
The You Pavilion possessed the most extensive intelligence network in all of Great Sheng.
What if…
What if they could find his sister?
He stared at A-Li with unconcealed anticipation.
Seeing the hopeless Xiao Yu suddenly come back to life, Shen Yi quietly let out a breath of relief.
“The You Pavilion?”
“Mhm.”
Shen Yi nodded eagerly.
A-Li had no idea how they had learned of the You Pavilion.
But she happened to want to find out exactly what Xiao Yu was planning.
So she nodded firmly.
“I know it…”