69novels Chapter 285 An Irreparable Sin
Chapter 285 An Irreparable Sin
Chapter 285 An Irreparable Sin
"Young master, all the letters have been sent out."
In Dongchen's largest brothel, Tao Huiyan, dressed in purple, sat upright with secret letters between Dongchen's officials and merchants laid out on the table, and a brazier under the table.
He threw the secret letters into the brazier one by one, only breathing a sigh of relief when the last letter had burned out.
"Everyone in the building must evacuate tonight and return to Nanyue."
The guard hesitated, then asked, "What are your plans, young master?"
They were all sent by the Imperial Advisor to protect him; it was impossible for them to leave him alone in danger.
Tao Huiyan leaned back in her chair casually, gazing at the last rays of the setting sun outside the window.
"There is one thing that I, Tao, need to verify personally."
During this period, he gained a clear understanding of the situation in Dongchen and sent the network of connections among the court officials back to Nanyue and handed it over to the Grand Preceptor. In the future, they will be able to deal with Dongchen with ease.
As for him, he had no intention of returning alive from Dongchen. He couldn't rest easy until he avenged his family.
At the mountain villa, Nuannuan's hateful words kept him awake at night.
Having lived for over twenty years, he realized he couldn't bear her hatred. He was just clinging on and wouldn't leave, and perhaps his ending in Dongchen was the best possible outcome for him.
The guards sternly refused, "No, our master's order is for us to protect Young Master Tao. We will not leave until Young Master Tao is evacuated."
Tao Huiyan paused for a moment, then took out a letter and handed it to him.
"My life and fortune depend on this letter; it must be delivered to Her Highness the Crown Princess."
On his deathbed, he didn't want to implicate anyone else.
The guard took the letter, saying, "I swear to deliver this letter to Her Highness the Crown Princess, even at the cost of my life."
Around midnight, most of the people in the building had left. Tao Huiyan sat alone by the window, holding a pot of wine and a cup in her hand.
Gazing at the bright moon in the sky, I felt an overwhelming longing in my heart.
He had a happy childhood with his parents by his side. When he faced hardship and was on the verge of death, he was saved by Nuannuan. Only then did he realize that someone cared about him.
I fear I will never see her again in this lifetime.
Tao Huiyan sighed, "Since you're here, why not come in?"
A woman dressed in northern Xinjiang attire entered the room, her silver bracelet jingling.
"When did Yan'er begin to have doubts?"
Tao Huiyan turned her head to look, the last glimmer of hope in her eyes was extinguished, and she couldn't help but laugh at herself.
"Should I call you Aunt, or Willow Lady of the Northern Frontier, or the Second Prince's spy?"
After years of investigation, he never imagined that the murderer who killed his mother had been lurking right beside him all along, and that this person was the person his mother trusted most.
As he revealed his identity, Hongniang's expression remained unchanged, but a hint of guilt appeared in her eyes.
"Back then, when I was young and ambitious, I went to the northern frontier to see the vast world and tried to make a name for myself in the martial arts world. However, the people in the martial arts alliance regarded me as an omen of bad luck, and the leader of the martial arts alliance, together with other people in the martial arts world, forced me to jump off a cliff."
Recalling the past, hatred welled up in her heart, but she forced herself to suppress it and tried to calm her anger.
"Fortunately, I was saved by the Second Prince of Dongchen. He told me that he would help me take revenge, and I had to do things for him."
With his help, I disguised myself and returned to the Martial Arts Alliance. I poisoned the Alliance Leader's food, intending to kill him, but he discovered my plan and I escaped.
"Back then, I was already blinded by hatred. When I learned that the Madam of the Martial Alliance had a cousin, I infiltrated her side, pretending to be a beggar fleeing from disaster. On the first day the Madam saved me, I poisoned her with a Gu worm."
At this point, she was filled with remorse.
The second prince was only fourteen or fifteen years old at the time, but he was vicious and ruthless.
"Who would have thought that the lady would treat me like her own sister and be so kind to me. The poison of the Red Vine affected the unborn child, and the lady died not long after giving birth to the child."
Tao Huiyan's breath hitched, suppressing the pain in her heart.
"So this is the reason why I have Gu worms. And why did the Fu family and the Shan family encounter trouble back then?"
Liu Hong shook her head helplessly, "The matter has been brought to this point, and there is no need to hide it anymore. Prince Anchang of Nanyue colluded with Dongchen to try to bring the Fu family under their control. The Fu family refused to submit and were wiped out by their men. The poison that General Shan was given to the Second Prince was given by me." She had done too many wrong things, and even if she fell into the deepest hell, she could not atone for them. Her hands were stained with blood, and she was already a sinner.
Tao Huiyan laughed at herself, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Aunt, you are truly guilty of heinous crimes."
In the end, he was the one who mistook a thief for his mother and failed to judge people properly, which led to his current predicament. He deserves to die.
The relatives they had recognized for many years turned out to be villains who conspired with the instigator.
"What did my mother do to offend you so much that you hate her to the core?"
According to the elders in the household, my mother was a commoner when she married my father. She had no relatives or friends after her death and claimed to be the daughter of a merchant family who had fallen on hard times.
By then, she must have already left the world of martial arts.
Liu Hong forced back her tears, saying, "I have wronged my wife in this life. I will apologize to her in the underworld after I die."
"You do not deserve."
The swallows howled as they returned to the peach tree, their eyes bloodshot.
"Liu Hong, you are not worthy to see your mother, and you are not worthy to think of her anymore."
Even he was not worthy to see his mother, and only after years of investigation did he learn that his mother's killer was his own.
He took a deep breath and regained his composure.
"The Second Prince must have given a death order to capture me alive and take me there."
"No," Liu Hong refused sharply, strode over, grabbed his wrist, and prepared to jump out of the window.
“I have already wronged Madam, and I cannot wrong you as well. Yan’er will act as your aunt to atone for Madam’s sins.”
A round of applause came from outside the door. The Second Prince, Zhuang Wenrui, clapped his hands as he entered, followed by a group of soldiers. Looking out the window, one could see that the building below was surrounded by soldiers in layers.
"Liu Niang, you have disappointed me."
Liu Hong stood in front of Tao Huiyan and said, "I have already repaid the life-saving grace. Second Prince, can you please let Yan'er go?"
Tao Huiyan stared at her retreating figure with a disdainful expression.
"Why bother with this pretense? Even so, you won't get your mother's forgiveness."
Noticing the Second Prince's disgusted gaze, he frowned, his eyes filled with revulsion.
"Even if Tao is arrested today, Dongchen will not escape its fate of destruction."
Zhuang Wenduan sneered, "What does Dongchen have to do with me? What I want is the world. Arrest them all!"
The soldiers drew their swords and advanced, while Liu Hong protected Tao Huiyan and retreated to hold off the advancing soldiers.
"Yan'er, your aunt will protect you and help you get out."
She took out some powder from her pocket and scattered it, then pulled him down from the third floor. Using the trees below as cover, she used her lightness skill to land on the ground when Zhuang Wenduan, who was standing by the window upstairs, waved his hand. Archers fired arrows in unison, and she was hit by three or four arrows.
"aunt."
Tao Huiyan rolled to the ground, ignoring the pain in her body, and helped her up.
He stayed only to seek the truth, knowing that the Second Prince had already laid a trap, and that he could not escape no matter what.
Liu Hong's insistence on saving him was unexpected.
"Yan'er, it's...it's your aunt who has wronged you. Your aunt has harmed the madam and many other people. The sins on my body are too numerous to repay."
Liu Hong coughed up blood, her clothes stained red with blood, and struggled to stand up to grab his wrist.
"Yan'er, your aunt can't turn back now. In my youth, I was reckless and was persecuted by the Martial Alliance. I also harmed the only person who was good to me. Aunt, you deserve to die..."
Her hands went limp, her eyes slowly closed, and her breathing gradually stopped. Before she knew it, she was surrounded by blood flowing from her body.
Tao Huiyan stared at her blankly, "You don't even have your last relative anymore."