Chapter 92: The Hegemon Finally Makes His Move This chapter is a bonus release in appreciation of everyone’s contributions reaching one thousand coins. Thank you all for your support.

Ye Lishang had originally been looking forward to Linglong offering him some comfort, but instead...

Enraged, he flipped the table on the spot. "Feng Linglong, you... damn it! From this moment on, you and I are enemies!"

"Feng Linglong, you're not even human!" Ai Fei accused her.

Ye Lishang looked at Ai Fei as if he had found a kindred spirit. He put his hands on his hips and roared, "Exactly! Feng Linglong is not human!"

"You're asking Ye Lishang to become a eunuch; are you even a friend?" Ai Fei continued to lecture Linglong coldly. Linglong pointed at her own nose, looking innocent.

Ye Lishang seized the opportunity and echoed Ai Fei, "Exactly! Do you even count as a friend? How could you suggest I become a eunuch for Cheng Jie? What are your true intentions?"

"That’s right. Once Ye Lishang castrates himself, he can naturally dress in women's clothing and serve as a concubine!" Ai Fei said with a completely straight face.

Ye Lishang was so excited he put his hands on his hips again. "Exactly! Once I castrate myself, I will obviously go and be a concubine!"

Oh my!

Linglong slapped her thigh, laughing until she wheezed. "Ai Fei, are you trying to laugh me to death?"

Ai Fei remained expressionless, the very personification of saying absurd things with absolute seriousness.

Ye Lishang glared. "Who the hell said I would dress up as a woman?"

"You said it yourself. Are you blaming me?" Ai Fei gave him a sidelong glance, and Ye Lishang instantly shrank back.

He stood up furiously and said, "I am going to invent a colorless, odorless poison, make you mute, paralyze you, and then feed you three hundred types of aphrodisiacs just so you can parade yourself in front of Jifeng!"

With that, Ye Lishang stormed off. He hadn't received a shred of comfort here—not even a little bit.

Linglong finally laughed to her heart's content. She stroked Ai Fei’s cheek and said flippantly, "Feifei, you really are a heartless woman!"

"Qin Daofei was absolutely right—you really are a frivolous woman!" After saying this, Ai Fei pushed Linglong away and went up to the rafters to rest.

Hua'er entered from outside, carrying Feng Yixiao, and asked curiously, "Miss, why does Dr. Ghost seem so angry?"

"Oh, he was teased by your sister Ai Fei, so he's in a bad mood!" Linglong, however, was in high spirits. She took Feng Yixiao and pinched the baby's chubby cheeks. "Where did Feng Yixiao go to play?"

"By the way, Miss, I just vaguely saw someone scurrying about outside. I was holding Yixiao, so I didn't dare go out to look closely. Do you think it might be Prince Xiang coming back to court death?" Hua'er told Linglong her suspicions.

Linglong and Ai Fei exchanged looks. Ai Fei said, "I'll go check."

After Ai Fei left, Linglong told Hua'er, "Stay in the room tonight and don't come out no matter what you hear. Just keep Feng Yixiao quiet!"

"Understood!" Hua'er nodded and took the baby back to their room to rest.

Worried that she and Ai Fei wouldn't be able to look after Hua'er and Feng Yixiao, Linglong closed her eyes to sense her surroundings, then said calmly, "People from Xiaoyao Manor, come out!"

Wuying emerged from the shadows and bowed respectfully. "Does the Eldest Madam have orders for me?"

"Did you see them?" Linglong asked.

Wuying replied, "I have seen them and have already sent word to the Manor Master. He is handling it. Please rest easy tonight, Eldest Madam; we will take care of everything else."

"Make sure you keep an eye on Hua'er and Feng Yixiao," Linglong instructed.

Wuying hesitated for a moment. "I am responsible for your safety, but I can tell Tang Li to come and protect Miss Hua'er."

"I can protect myself. Tang Li must have plenty to busy himself with. I want you to protect my Hua'er and Yixiao!" Linglong said stubbornly.

At that moment, a powerful aura appeared and vanished just as quickly. Soon after, a chilling voice echoed from the shadows: "I shall protect Miss Hua'er and the young mistress!"

"What a powerful presence!" Linglong exclaimed.

Wuying rubbed his nose. "That is the strongest shadow guard in our manor. I’ve never even seen his face!"

"Then I can rest easy," Linglong said. Just then, Ai Fei returned.

She was holding a dark object wrapped in oil paper, her expression grim.

"What’s going on?" Linglong asked.

Ai Fei threw the object onto the table. Wuying picked it up, sniffed it, and said coldly, "Whale oil?"

"There's a surprise inside," Ai Fei added.

Wuying unwrapped the oil paper, and a pungent medicinal odor filled the air. Linglong nearly vomited, covering her nose as she asked, "Is this poison?"

"Explosives mixed with poison. It seems Prince Xiang is determined to kill you," Ai Fei said with a sarcastic laugh.

Linglong rolled her eyes. "I want him dead, and he wants me dead. That’s only natural."

"Are there many buried around here?" Linglong asked.

Ai Fei shrugged. "I don't know how many, but I suspect it's not a small amount. Given the quantity, if they were to explode, the surrounding villages would be affected. The death toll would be significant."

"I'll go tell the Second Prince," Jifeng said. He glanced at Linglong, who replied, "Go ahead. With Ai Fei here, there aren't many who can touch me."

Wuying went to the Second Prince's residence, where Ye Lishang was busy smashing things in the study. The Second Prince stood outside, rubbing his nose in resignation.

Seeing Wuying, he glanced around calmly without speaking.

Wuying approached and whispered the situation into the Second Prince's ear. The Second Prince frowned. "Is he truly that bold?"

"My greatest worry is that he has planted explosives at Xiaoyao Manor and the Qingyun Charity Hall as well. If that’s true, more than half of the capital will be affected."

The Second Prince was silent for a while before saying, "Go back and protect Miss Linglong. I will handle things here."

After Wuying left, the Second Prince entered the study. He was greeted by a vase thrown at his head, but he didn't even blink. He said calmly to Ye Lishang, "Cheng Xiang has laced the explosives with poison. Go to the Qingyun Charity Hall and see if there is an antidote. I need to check other parts of the city to see if he has planted more."

"I'm angry! I’m not going!" Ye Lishang’s temper hadn't subsided.

The Second Prince chuckled, gently touched Ye Lishang's ear, and said softly, "After this is over, I'll help you get back at her!"

"You promise?" Ye Lishang asked, disbelieving.

"I promise. I will help you get your revenge."

"Fine, then I'll help you out, just so you don't say I didn't give you face!"

After Ye Lishang left, the Second Prince sighed. "Easily coaxed like a child. If I had plotted against Qin Daofei's woman, Qin Daofei wouldn't just kill me—he'd kill you too, you fool!"

Unaware of this, Ye Lishang obediently headed for the Qingyun Charity Hall.

Upon seeing his dark, stormy face, Linglong quickly stepped forward and bowed. "Master Ye, you are the best and the most handsome!"

Hmph!

Ye Lishang ignored her, grabbed a pinch of the explosive-poison mixture, and sniffed it. "This is a sleeping potion. It isn't fatal!"

"Why would he use so much sleeping potion?" Linglong was puzzled.

Ai Fei chimed in, "If he has enough of this potion and detonates it across the capital simultaneously, wouldn't everyone in the city fall into a deep sleep?"

"And if everyone is asleep, wouldn't he be able to kill anyone he wants?" Linglong felt her blood run cold. At first, everyone thought Prince Xiang was just seeking revenge on her, but in reality, it wasn't just revenge, was it?

Ye Lishang looked at Linglong and said grimly, "You mean to say that Prince Xiang intends to drug everyone and then slaughter everyone he wants to eliminate?"

"Do you think my theory holds water?" Linglong asked, her face pale.

Ye Lishang slapped his thigh and shouted, "Quick! Stop Qin Daofei! Prince Xiang is planning a coup today!"

Before his voice had even faded, figures had already darted out.

Everyone looked at one another, filled with dread. To avert the crisis in the capital without alerting Prince Xiang, the Second Prince made a special trip to the Ministry of Justice. Shortly after his return, word broke out that a master thief skilled in tunneling had escaped from the prison. Citing the safety of the citizens, the Second Prince ordered a city-wide search, vowing to "dig three feet deep" until the man was captured.

The Second Prince personally led patrols to inspect potential sites for the explosives, but from the commoners to the city guards, no one found anything unusual.

It seemed that, apart from the Qingyun Charity Hall, other places were not Prince Xiang’s targets.

However, Linglong knew Prince Xiang’s character. If he only wanted to destroy the Charity Hall, he wouldn't have bothered to add a sleeping potion to the explosives—the blast alone would have been enough to level the place.

"No, we must keep looking. Prince Xiang must have prepared explosives with sleeping potion elsewhere. I'll go find them!" Linglong said, preparing to rush out.

Ai Fei said calmly, "You can't go out. Prince Xiang has already surrounded us!"

Hearing this, everyone stepped outside. Indeed, the entire Qingyun Charity Hall was encircled by Prince Xiang’s men. Prince Xiang sat on a warhorse, looking down at them coldly.

"Cheng Xiang, what exactly are you trying to do?" Linglong asked coldly.

Prince Xiang pointed his riding crop at Linglong and smiled. "Linglong, I'll give you one chance. Come to me willingly, and I will allow you to bring that child. If you insist on dying with them, then I have no choice but to grant your wish."

"I won't go with you. If you want to kill me, do it, but why did you put sleeping potion in these explosives?" Linglong demanded.

Prince Xiang laughed softly. "Linglong, you're near death—why are you still trying to trick me into talking? I won't tell you why. This is your last chance: are you coming out, or are you dying with them?"

"Are you planning to kill everyone and then crown yourself Emperor?" Linglong probed, watching his face intently.

Prince Xiang sneered. "Linglong, you really are... I thought I was a villain, but compared to you, I'm nothing."