Xu Chengkang’s face darkened as he angrily demanded, “What do you mean by that?”
The officials present were all utterly bewildered.
Several of his trusted aides knew of Liyanghou’s plan for the day. Seeing that the post house had already been set ablaze and Young Master Xu Liu should have been safely rescued, why was Shiziye speaking like this?
Before anyone could figure it out, the bustling long street suddenly erupted into chaos.
In the distance, dust billowed as the Shizi’s guards galloped on horseback, closely pursuing a carriage.
The carriage driver panicked, ignoring the lives of the surrounding commoners as he desperately fled for his life. The people on the street hurriedly retreated to the sides to make way.
The street was too crowded. The driver, pursued relentlessly by the guards, grew even more frantic as more guards lay in wait ahead to block his path.
The driver had no choice but to forcibly turn the carriage around and charge in another direction, only to find that all four directions were dead ends.
Other groups of guards simultaneously blocked every intersection, quickly tightening the encirclement and forcing the carriage to flee recklessly toward Qianzhen Lou.
The commoners whispered among themselves, only daring to crane their necks for a better look after the carriage and the pursuing guards had passed.
Yu Sheng sat high in the tower, taking in the entire scene.
The carriage was forcibly stopped in front of Qianzhen Lou by the guards. The horses reared and neighed, the driver was thrown out, and the carriage spun halfway around, causing a person to tumble out.
The man, disheveled and unable to get up, screamed with all his might, “Father! Save me! Save me, Father!”
This person was none other than Liyanghou’s own son, Xu Liu.
“My son! How… how could he be here?” Xu Chengkang’s heart sank at the sight: he had sent so many people to rescue him, how could they have failed?
Only a single driver had fled in panic with Xu Liu. Where were the others? Where had they all gone?
And last night…
Those who had gone to Yu Yuan last night never returned. Not only did the plan fail, but the men were gone, without even a trace of news.
“Xu Liu,” Sheng Huaijin’s voice deepened slightly. “Those who flee from their crimes may be executed on the spot.”
As he spoke, he suddenly rose and leaped to the railing, calling out, “Jinfeng, bring me the bow.”
“As you command!” Jinfeng immediately produced a bow and arrows, stepping forward quickly to present them to the Shizi.
Sheng Huaijin took them without hesitation.
The poised young man stood atop the high tower, his handsome face illuminated by the faint glow of candlelight, his robes fluttering in the wind as he drew the bow like a full moon.
“No!” Xu Chengkang suddenly realized what he intended to do and cried out in alarm, “Stop!”
But Shiziye seemed not to hear him. The arrow left the bowstring, slicing through the wind and flying straight toward Xu Liu, who had just managed to struggle to his feet.
It pierced his heart.
“Father…” Xu Liu’s eyes widened. He hadn’t even processed what was happening before his robes were soaked with his own blood.
He had thought that seeing his father would solve everything. He never imagined he would die here.
Xu Liu collapsed heavily, dead on the spot, his eyes still open as he breathed his last.
“Liu’er!” Xu Chengkang rushed to the railing and looked down, his eyes wide with shock and fury.
He roared in anguish, “Sheng Huaijin, how dare you! How dare you shoot my son dead right before my eyes!”
The officials could no longer remain seated: had this Shizi gone mad?
And it wasn’t just them.
Even though Yu Sheng had imagined countless possibilities of what might happen tonight before attending the banquet, she never dared to think that Sheng Huaijin would shoot and kill someone’s son right in front of Liyanghou.
She suddenly felt she had paid too little.
What ten thousand taels of gold had brought was not merely reinforcements—it was clearly a god of death summoned to hasten fate.
“Just turning the tables, Liyanghou—” Sheng Huaijin tossed the bow to Jinfeng beside him, brushed his sleeves, and curled his thin lips into a faint smile. “Can’t handle losing?”
“Can’t handle losing? Playing?” Xu Chengkang’s rage surged to the top of his head, his aged face flushing to the color of pig liver.
Over fifty years old, having lost his beloved son, yet in the mouth of the Sheng family’s young master, it was merely a matter for amusement.
The others at the banquet were utterly terrified upon hearing these words.
So the Shiziye had long been aware of what Liyanghou intended to do, even deliberately allowing Xu Liu to be rescued.
Ever since arriving in Lizhou, Sheng Huaijin had only visited the Yujia once, had his guards capture Xu Liu and take him back to the posthouse, and then remained secluded without emerging.
When the Houfu sent people to negotiate, he ignored them.
When local officials found excuses to pay visits, he refused to see them.
Yet he never ordered torture for Xu Liu, simply detaining him without release.
After learning of this, Liyanghou consulted with his advisors and various officials several times, unable to discern what this Shiziye truly intended.
However, considering themselves seasoned in officialdom and accustomed to the tactics of noble youths seeking fame, they looked down on his youth and noble birth, somewhat harboring the thought that “this lad is just fortunate in life; what talent or fearsome reputation? Likely all built up by others propping him up.”
They believed the Shiziye’s demeanor here was merely a display of arrogance, forcing others to bow and flatter him.
It was only tonight that these people realized how gravely mistaken their earlier assumptions had been.
From their vantage point on the high tower, they had seen clearly: aside from the guards closely pursuing the carriage, those blocking the streets were unmistakably arranged in advance.
As for Xu Liu, this Houfu young master was still wearing the clothes from the day he was captured. He bore no significant injuries, merely appearing disheveled from two days of confinement.
See how wildly arrogant this Shizi is? Yet he was utterly law-abiding, deliberately waiting until Liyanghou sent men to rescue Xu Liu before firing that single arrow.
Precisely because of this, Xu Chengkang was filled with regret and hatred!
Relying on his unchallenged authority in Lizhou and his seemingly flawless strategy, he had underestimated Sheng Huaijin, a mere youth, and had personally delivered his son to his death.
At this point, there was no turning back.
“Young Sheng brat! Do you truly think I fear you, or fear your father?” Xu Chengkang’s fury peaked as he swept all cups, bowls, and plates from the table onto the floor.
Porcelain shattered into pieces with a cacophony of crashes.
“Sheng Huaijin! This Marquis demands you pay with your life for my son!” Liyanghou roared. “Men!”
Liyanghou’s furious roar echoed through the high tower.
The hidden Houfu Fubing sprang into action at the sound, immediately rushing to the fifth floor and surrounding the entire banquet, their blades drawn and pointed at everyone outside the Houfu.
The atmosphere at the banquet instantly became tense as drawn swords.
Not only was the tower filled with Houfu personnel, but the Fubing stationed on the other two streets also rushed over upon hearing the commotion, encircling the entire Qianzhen Lou in layer upon layer, sealing it tight as a drum.
The commoners on the streets, sensing the dangerous turn of events, quickly dispersed and retreated to their homes to hide.
In an instant, the streets were cleared of idle onlookers, left empty and desolate.
The night was deep and still, with only the sound of wind passing through the streets, carrying a few fallen leaves and petals.
“Elder… Elder Sister…” Yu Xiuzhu called out softly, his voice trembling slightly.
Yu Sheng raised her eyes to look at Sheng Huaijin.
At that very moment, his gaze also fell upon her.
This young prodigy remained unflinching even as a thousand swords were pointed at him. Instead, his tone lifted slightly as he called out, “Yu Sheng.”
He asked her, “Are you afraid?”