Chapter Ninety-Two
Xia Jingshi's gaze lingered on Feng Xiyang's face, studying her as if carefully verifying her words. Under his scrutiny, Feng Xiyang was so tense she could barely breathe, yet she continued to recount everything she had heard from the Holy Emperor. All the while, she kept her eyes locked on his, afraid to detect even a hint of mockery, disdain, or contempt. But Xia Jingshi's eyes held only deep contemplation.
After listening, Xia Jingshi pondered for a moment before nodding. "This Prince will dispatch someone to verify these matters as soon as possible. But until everything is clarified, do not speak of this to another soul."
Feng Xiyang nodded vigorously.
Four Imperial Guards of Brocade were roughly shaken awake from their slumber, bound tightly, and dragged into Feng Suige's tent. The moment they entered, they were kicked to the ground.
Feng Suige's sharp gaze locked coldly onto the leading officer. Unlike the other three, whose eyes darted about in panic, the officer seemed to sense something and met Feng Suige's stare with calm composure.
"Apologies for disturbing your pleasant dreams. It's nothing major—just that I happened upon something and wished to ask you four for clarification." Feng Suige smirked as he tossed a thin scroll onto the ground. "Who wants to take a look first?" The officer merely glanced down briefly before shaking his head. "I don't know what that is."
"Clearly a paper scroll, yet you claim not to know what it is. Brocade's soldiers are truly extraordinary," Feng Suige raised an eyebrow. "Honestly, if you cooperate, this can end happily for everyone. It's still early—you might even get some more sleep. But if you insist on hiding the truth, don't blame me for being ruthless."
"I demand to see the Princess!" Sensing danger, the officer stiffened his neck and shouted. "You may be the Acting Imperial Son, but even if you were the Lord of the Nation of Su Sha, you have no right to privately interrogate Brocade's soldiers—"
"Quiet! Must you howl in the dead of night?" Feng Suige cut him off with a cold laugh. "Do you truly wish to see her? In fact, I'd love to witness the rarest interrogation methods of the Embroidered Army again. How about this—if any of you can endure three rounds of her torture, I'll let you go. And since we're out in the wilderness, poisonous insects and vermin shouldn't be hard to find..."
The faces of all four men paled. The officer's jaw twitched, as if he were chewing on the most venomous words to spit at Feng Suige. After a tense silence, Feng Suige grew impatient. He drew the long blade at his side and tossed it to a nearby guard. "Stab it into the bonfire," he ordered. The guard acknowledged and deftly carried the blade away.
After leisurely finishing a cup of tea, Feng Suige stood and stretched lazily before stepping in front of the four men. In a whisper-soft voice, he said, "I understand—you're all acting under orders. If you're willing to explain everything, I promise not to harm a single hair on your heads."
One of the men's expressions flickered with hesitation. He opened his mouth to speak, but the officer turned and glared at him fiercely, silencing him instantly. Feng Suige caught the exchange and smiled faintly."Did you know, in Su Sha's ancient records, there was a punishment called the 'eggplant scoop'?" Feng Suige made eye contact with each of the four men before continuing, "The long blade in the bonfire right now was prepared specifically for this." He picked up the empty scabbard, tenderly tracing the engraved patterns, "This was originally my most treasured battle sword. But today, to protect my beloved consort, I have no choice but to let it serve as an instrument of punishment."
His expression turning serious, Feng Suige commanded in a low voice, "Retrieve the blade." A guard immediately rushed out and returned moments later carrying the now red-hot long blade, its hilt wrapped in thick coarse cloth. Feng Suige lazily ordered, "Strip the pants off that guy who was making faces earlier and hold him up."
The military officer struggled briefly before being forcibly stripped bare from the waist down. Flushed with humiliation and terror, he shouted at Feng Suige, "What are you doing?! If you want to kill me, just get it over with! Don't resort to these despicable torture methods—"
"This is a historically documented punishment—hardly despicable," Feng Suige replied as he took the glowing blade and slowly circled behind the man. "Tell me, if I were to thrust this hot blade into you from behind, would you die from the burns first? Or would you suffer for days before bleeding out?"
"You monster... just kill me!" the officer wailed, thrashing wildly. But whether he was merely a low-ranking officer or a martial arts master, he was no match for six burly men pinning him down. Forced onto his knees with his face pressed into the dirt and rear end raised high, he could only watch in horror as the searing blade inched closer.
When the scorching heat of the metal became unbearable against his skin, sweat pouring down his face, the officer finally broke. "I'll talk! I'll talk! Get that thing away from me!!!"
"No. I'll count to ten. If your answer doesn't satisfy me—" Feng Suige drew out his words, clearly enjoying himself as he began counting. "One." "I really don't know anything!" the officer cried. "The Holy Emperor ordered us to go to Su Sha and spread rumors in the streets about the deaths of the King Who Pacifies the South and Xiao Canjun! That's all he told us!"
"...Five." Feng Suige paused before asking, "Were Xia Jingshi and Xiao Weiran actually injured?" "The King Who Pacifies the South wasn't seriously hurt. Though Xiao Canjun's injuries were severe, I heard his life isn't in danger."
Struggling weakly again, the officer let out a hoarse scream when Feng Suige reached nine. "I've told you everything I know! That's all—"
With a metallic clang, the blade was sheathed. The guards loosened their grip and hauled the man up, his face flushed crimson, veins bulging on his forehead, half his face smeared with dirt, eyes filled with equal parts terror and hatred.
Feng Suige shook his head, looking almost disappointed at being denied the chance to test the punishment. After the guards led the four men away, he sat back down, deep in thought.
"So it seems the Holy Emperor is indeed targeting His Highness," Yixiao said angrily, shaking his fist. "Once the court stabilizes, he starts slaughtering those who served him—how is he any different from the tyrants of old?" "Either you continue forward, or I'll return to Lucheng to gather reinforcements..." Xueying muttered absently, chin resting on her hand, her eyes vacant.Yixiao glared at her. "This could be labeled as treason!" "I don't care," Xueying retorted stubbornly. "As long as we rescue them, we'll flee far away. I don't care if it's rebellion or not!"
Feng Suige, who had been silent all this while, suddenly clapped his hands and laughed. "Xueying is right." Yixiao fumed, "Instead of helping us think of a solution, you're just egging her on." "Who says I'm just egging her on?" Feng Suige raised an eyebrow. "What if we raise an army? If we lose, we'll be branded as traitors. But if we win, it'll be called a new emperor's ascension—with Xia Jingshi's capabilities, do you think he'd lose or win?"
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