Chapter 312: "Those that Faint and those that Go Mad"
"Lan Ling Yue, don't get too cheeky, this is far from over." A flood of red looms out of the man's body, giving him a fierce aura that frightens any who draws too close.
For the first time in Hong Fang's life, this would be his one and only great loss. What's more, it's at the hands of a girl no older than his own daughter. This fact made him especially unhappy here.
But before anything drastic or dangerous could occur in this exchange, Lan Ying Wu (General Lan) had also walked out from the estate, forcing Hong Fang to depart first less he want to start something.
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"Ling Yue, what is this all about? How did you discover this villa, and where did that phoenix go?" In one breath, the general gave his goddaughter no chance to reply with his long string of questioning.
"General Lan, we will have to go back to the start if you want to talk about it." Coming out of hiding, Prince Hou Qi (sixth prince) hollers a laugh before explaining everything to the general.
Along with him was Yanche and Little Crow currently pursed on the man's shoulder.
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Turns out Ling Yue and her friends here had been planning this whole thing for quite some time now. Unfortunately for them, due to the careful management by the crown prince regarding his sickening deeds, there were no openings to go by. Then came this incident where Hong Fang and Consort Luo colluded together.
Able to guess what the pair was likely trying to do, Ling Yue figured she might as well take advantage of this opportunity and counter their plot with a plot of her own. That's how this whole thing came about and it worked flawlessly!
"As you can see General Lan, everything was as you saw from that point forward. That crown prince won't be able to escape this time and its all thanks to Sect Leader's amazing foresight." Yanche showed a sincere admiration for Ling Yue and her ability. Never in his life did he meet someone so capable and righteous when it's needed.
Agreeing with her subordinate's bright outlook, Ling Yue gently stroked the little boy's head to give the child some comfort. In her view, people like Xia Hou Hong (crown prince) deserves everything that's to come.
"Yanche, send those children back to their homes. For those that don't have any parents or cannot be located, adopt them into the "Ghost Sect." As she says this, Ling Yue appears to have remembered something on her mind, "I'll be leaving first, there's something I need to do in the palace."
Meanwhile back at the palace, Consort Luo was feeling jubilant after waking up from her slumber this morning.
"Mistress, your complexion is looking divine today," one of the serving maid flatters.
"Well of course, just thinking about how that little wrench from the Lan House is about to burn alive on the stake is enough to warm my heart." The sinister woman cannot even hide that glee from her face. Lan Ling Yue, you poisoned my child. Now I will have you and the Lan House perish as compensation.
"Your Grace, Consort!" In his rush to report, Alchemist Chou forgot to look in front and ends up tumbling face first into the floor after tripping on the door ledge.
"How is it, is that Lan Ling Yue burnt to death yet?" Seeing it's her dog, Consort Luo hurriedly asked in anticipation.
Since early this morning, she had ordered this old alchemist to keep an eye out on the Lan House. The reasoning, she wants to look her best when the wretched girl gets burned alive.
"Your Grace, the one in trouble isn't Lan Ling Yue, it's your son the crown prince! He's been abolished by the king and is currently imprisoned inside the jail."
Like the woman, Alchemist Chou was also excited when he went to carry out his task of spying. But as soon as he arrived at the scene, the old master only saw a strange object dropping out of the sky. Then when he finally got a good look at who or what it was, the elder was shocked to learn its Lady Yao! This of course nearly frightened him to death at the sight.
Poor Alchemist Chou, he had literally placed everything on the line for this bet. If the boy truly becomes deposed, he too will forever be ruined with no hope of ever climbing back up. That's why he was in such a rush to come find Consort Luo, it's the only possible way to save the prince and his future.
"My son has been abolished, then what about Royal Tutor Hong Fang?" A glimmer of hope still remains in the woman's eye.
"His lordship had also been stripped of his title. I heard the king is fining him half a year of salary as punishment," the elder's voice only grew weaker and weaker as he spoke
"Your Grace, you must think of a way to save the prince. Only you can do this.... Your Grace, YOUR GRACE! Someone come, Consort Luo has fainted!" Before the old master could even finish his plea, the woman in front of him had already lost consciousness, sending the entire place into chaos as a result.
Meanwhile on the other end, Hong Fang had just returned to his home with a stomach full of steam.
"Father, did that bitch get taken away yet?" Hong Yu Ying had heard from her mother this morning that the plan will be carried out today, that's why she came so quickly to inquire from her father.
"Go call your brother over," ignoring the girl, Hong Fang waves her away to call his son.
At this hour, Hong Yu Long didn't even wake up yet from his slumber yet. To be pulled out of bed so suddenly, his eyes were still drowsy with fatigue.
"Father, did you call for me...." Before the boy could finish his words, Hong Fang had sent a loud smacking slap across his face.
Due to how intense the impact was, the sound kept reverberating across the entire reception hall, shocking everyone present.
"Husband, have you gone crazy! Why would you hit our son out of the blue?" In her panic, Zhu Ge Rou rushes over to cover the boy from further punishment.
"Father, you hit me?" Hong Yu Long was also dumbfounded here. Never in his entire life had his father beaten him.
Meanwhile on the other side, Hong Yu Ying was scared out of her wits just like her mother and brother. Together, the trio looks on in fear at the terrifying man glaring fire at the boy.
"I'm asking you, did you know about the crown prince's fetish of chaining up young boys for pleasure and molesting them?" Hong Fang had always been boastful about his own ability, therefore it came as quite the insult to learn of the villa and everything that's been done behind his back.
The crown prince molesting young boys? Zhu Ge Rou and Hong Yu Ying exchanged a look with each other.
"Yu Long, hurry and tell us, does that boy really have such a fetish?" Just thinking of how close she came to betrothing her own daughter to that animal would send this mother's heart jumping with fright.
Like her mother, Hong Yu Ying was also nauseated by the shocking news. As siblings, she was very unhappy and angry with her brother's doing of hiding the truth from her, especially regarding such an important matter.
Knowing it's impossible to keep the secret hidden at this stage, the boy finally confesses to everything that he's done over the years. Of how he plundered different families for their child, and of how he cleaned up after the mess whenever a kid died from the tortures.
"Oh how foolish, Yu Long, you are too foolish. Tell me the truth, did you also do the same thing as he did...." Hong Fang was really afraid here, truly down to his heart afraid when asking this question. Because if the boy says yes, it would mean his own son was into that sort of sickening fetish!
"NO! NO FATHER, I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! I was only responsible for taking the children from their families and the cleanup. Anything else afterwards is unrelated to me!" In order to deny what everyone was thinking, Hong Yu Long practically screamed this out in his panic.
Relieved by the boy's reaction, Hong Fang was glad his son hadn't fallen to that sort of state.
"Husband, what should we do? Now that the crown prince is abolished and your title stripped, wouldn't that mean all our years of effort is in vain?" Zhu Ge Rou never expected things would turn out like this overnight. Therefore, she too was a little anxious in her demeanor.