Chapter 708 - 710: No Mercy, Kill without Pardon
Upon seeing their return, people in the yard started bombarding them with inquiries, all filled with concern. After a while, when the person who was supposed to check on the poison came, the crowd dispersed a bit.
The man meticulously examined Little Dengdeng, then confirmed with delight, "Young master, Little Dengdeng’s poisonous insect poison has been removed and there is no visible damage to his body. It is indeed a good work of Elder Shougu."
Jiang Yichun and Bai Ruozhu shared a glance, neither refuting the statement nor mentioning it was Furball who deserved the credit. They knew that if Furball was really that powerful, others would definitely covet it.
The Bai family members were thrilled to hear the news, Lin Ping’er, with red eyes, said, "It’s good that the child is fine, really good."
Everyone gathered and chatted for a while before Bai Ruozhu took the child to rest. It was indeed a draining journey.
Jiang Yichun greeted Bai Yihong and his wife before he left.
After Bai Ruozhu and Dengdeng had a nap, she began to plan her moves against Wu Wanqing. She believed that Wu Yunfeng would definitely plead for Wanqing, fearing that it would put Jiang Yichun in an awkward position, she decided to take action early.
She summoned her dark guards, assigned them the assassination task of Wu Wanqing, and then looked at Jianqi, asking, "Jianqi, aren’t you afraid to kill the daughter of Left Premier?"
Jianqi, a squad captain serving among the 10 dark guards, was ranked by code names related to swords and knives in the Commerce Association. After Bai Ruozhu learned his true name, she couldn’t help but think of him as "Cheap Seven", always making her chuckle a little when she called him.
"No matter who it is, if they dare to harm our master’s child, they should die!" Jianqi replied simply. His voice was not as gruff as before, but his aura was undiminished.
Bai Ruozhu nodded in satisfaction, saying, "Off you go. But remember not to reveal your identity."
"Understood, ma’am." After Jianqi departed with six other dark guards, only three guards remained to protect Bai Ruozhu.
Bai Ruozhu’s eyes narrowed, this time, she must claim the life of Wu Wanqing. Even if Jiang Yichun begs for her, it’ll be to no avail. By plotting against her son, Wanqing had crossed Ruozhu’s line. There would be no tolerance for such an act.
After a while, Xiaosi returned from school and happily threw himself at Bai Ruozhu. However, he stopped before he could reach her. He had been learning manners and etiquette and thought that he shouldn’t just jump into his sister’s arms. Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but laugh, reaching out to scoop him into her arms, and teasingly asked, "How was school, Xiaosi? Did you slack off?"
Blushing, Xiaosi replied, "I didn’t slack off. I complete my assignments every day diligently, and I’ve earnestly practiced martial arts and basic skills."
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but smile, ruffling his hair and saying, "Our little Xiaosi is acting like a grown-up. But do remember to set aside some time to play. Once you grow up, there won’t be as much time for it."
Taking her words to heart, Xiaosi dutifully nodded and said, "I’ll remember, sister. Now I should go do my homework first."
"..."
The one who she told to ease up on the studying and have some fun, Bai Ruozhu felt helpless. This child is too hardworking, she really doesn’t need to worry about him at all.
After a while, her second brother came home from school. He looked a bit somber, but his mood lightened when he saw Bai Ruozhu holding Dengdeng.
He rushed over, asking, "How’s Dengdeng? Is he alright now?"
Bai Ruozhu noticed that her second brother seemed to have lost more weight, and felt a bit upset. She quickly hid her feelings and smiled, saying, "He’s better now, the poison has been removed."
Dengdeng was excited to see his uncle and started waving his tiny arms. Bai Zepei hurriedly took Dengdeng in his arms and frowned, "The child has lost weight."
Bai Ruozhu glanced at Dengdeng, not noticing any weight loss at all.
By supper time, Jiang Yichun hadn’t returned, but Jianqi was back. Bai Ruozhu put down her chopsticks to go to the backyard and listen to his report.
An icy chill radiated from Jianqi as he bent and said, "I’m sorry. The target disappeared."
"When did this happen?" Bai Ruozhu asked hurriedly, feeling anger flare up in her heart.
"She was arrested a few days ago for attempting to kidnap another’s child. The judge sentenced her to twenty hits with a large plank, followed by banishment to the frontier. Today was the day of her banishment. Our men followed her, but found her already kidnapped by someone else. Her whereabouts are now unknown," Jianqi explained, "We are unsure whether Wu Yunfeng orchestrated this to save her."
Bai Ruozhu stayed silent, then dismissed him with a wave, "You’re tired. Go rest. It’s not your fault. I was late in giving the orders."
She should have ordered Wu Wanqing’s assassination while on the road, but with only 10 dark guards, she can’t assign them all that task. Leaving their family defenceless was a risk Bai Ruozhu was not willing to take.
Jianqi was relieved when she did not lash out at them and left to get some rest.
Only when it was utterly dark did Jiang Yichun return. Bai Ruozhu did not inquire much and asked, "Have you already eaten?"
Jiang Yichun flashed a bright smile, his white teeth glinting in the moonlight, "I haven’t yet."
She gave him an annoyed look, saying, "If you don’t eat on time, you’ll get stomach problems."
"I can’t help it, I had some urgent matters to attend to," Jiang Yichun explained.
Bai Ruozhu felt helpless. She gave Dengdeng to Yichun to hold, rolled up her sleeves, and headed to the kitchen to cook for him. The maid offered to help, but Bai Ruozhu declined, saying, "You go rest. I can handle it."
There was some leftover rice at home, so she quickly washed and chopped some vegetables, stir-fried a couple of his favorite dishes, and then stood beside him as he ate in the kitchen.
"Guess what I did today?" Jiang Yichun teased while eating, raising an eyebrow at Bai Ruozhu with a triumphant look on his face.
An idea popped into Bai Ruozhu’s mind, and without thinking, she blurted out, "Murder?"
Jiang Yichun couldn’t help but laugh at her guess, but ended up choking on a piece of rice, coughing violently. Bai Ruozhu rushed over to pat his back while Little Dengdeng, unable to understand the situation, thought it was exciting and wanted to pat his father’s back as well.
After a while, Jiang Yichun finally recovered, managing a flushed smile, "You guessed right."
Bai Ruozhu lowered her voice and asked, "You killed her?"
Jiang Yichun’s eyes flashed with a cold light, "I took her to a secret place..." he motioned across his neck, indicating death.
"I-I was worried that you might show mercy because of your mentor. I was afraid you might let her go again," Bai Ruozhu murmured.
Jiang Yichun smiled, pinching her nose gently, "She hurt me, and I let that slide since I felt I owed my mentor. But she shouldn’t have hurt you or Dengdeng. Combining these two things, how could I possibly show mercy?"
"So, you really were able to do it? Despite growing up together?" Bai Ruozhu asked, blinking her eyes.
Jiang Yichun rubbed his nose sheepishly, "I had my men do it. She was ruthless, too. When she found out I was going to kill her, she admitted wrongdoing for harming Dengdeng and offered to cut off one hand as penance. She then grabbed a knife and chopped off her left hand by herself..."
Bai Ruozhu shuddered uncontrollably. She knew she could never take such a step. Wu Wanqing was indeed ruthless, even to herself.