Zhao Yunyi gave a signal after he emerged. All the maids and servants kneeling in the courtyard were dragged away and dealt with silently.
The bodies could not be transported out, so they had to be buried within the manor. Afterwards, dark guards disguised themselves to impersonate them.
The palace gates were already locked, and the news would certainly not reach the palace until tomorrow. He needed to make thorough preparations in advance.
Bai Rantang felt a severe pain in her stomach, as if something was pulling and kneading her internal organs. She couldn't bear it and clawed at her belly repeatedly.
Her stomach swelled and hardened, occasionally twitching. It nearly scared the life out of her. What kind of monster was she carrying?
"Qiuju, you must save me. If anything happens to me, you won't survive either."
"This servant will certainly use all her skills to protect Madam and the young master. Please relax and do not be too anxious."
"It's not you who is suffering in bed, how can I not be anxious? Where is Zhao Yunyi? Where is Zhao Yunyi? Why isn't he coming to see me? I'm carrying his eldest legitimate son."
"Madam, please do not be agitated. Master came to see you just now. You were unconscious then, and Master was very worried about you."
Not long after, Bai Rantang fainted from the pain again, and the thing in her belly also quieted down, no longer moving. Qiuju was helpless and could only force-feed Bai Rantang some potent life-sustaining medicinal soup.
Zhao Yunyi's dark guards moved Bai Rantang to a secret chamber and placed a human skin mask on the concubine. She was then brought to Bai Rantang's courtyard, and everyone acted as if nothing had happened today.
Zhao Yunyi held the antidote for their next month in his hand. Anyone who dared to betray him would face death. From now on, the concubine would impersonate Bai Rantang and give birth to the eldest legitimate son for Zhao Yunyi.
The next morning, the imperial physician sent by the Emperor indeed arrived at the manor. Qiuju had previously given the concubine a bowl of medicine that would not harm the child. The old imperial physician examined her for a long time and only said that the fetus had been harmed but it was not serious, and she would be fine with good rest.
As soon as Bai Rantang opened her eyes, she wanted to get angry and call for someone. After a moment of daze, she realized something was wrong. The place where she was staying had no light, and the air was extremely cold, making her feel a bit breathless.
Before she could think further, her stomach began to ache violently again. Not only did it hurt, but she also felt an unbearable itch all over her body, as if tens of thousands of ants were crawling under her skin.
Piercing screams echoed through the room. The two dark guards standing outside the door felt their legs go weak upon hearing the sounds.
"Save me, save me~ Hurry and call for someone to save me, I want to see Zhao Yunyi. I know many things, Zhao Yunyi, if you don't come to see me, you will regret it."
Bai Rantang felt something was about to burst her stomach. She held her progressively swelling belly with her hands, completely still.
The two dark guards outside remained unmoved. Bai Rantang grew anxious as no one came for a long time, and vulgar curses poured out of her mouth.
As she cursed, she fainted. The moment she fainted, Zhao Yunyi opened the iron door and walked in. He had intended to let Bai Rantang perish here, but he did not expect her to still hold leverage.
He approached the cold stone bed and saw a shadow he would never forget in his life.
A three-fingered monstrous hand, covered in green viscous fluid, emerged from Bai Rantang's belly. The opening then widened.
Bai Rantang gradually stopped struggling, and bright red blood continuously seeped from her body. Zhao Yunyi was so terrified that he stood frozen, unable to move.
Immediately, a spherical monster with an eyeball in the center lunged at Zhao Yunyi at extreme speed. It stuck to him tightly, its eyeball constantly rolling around.
Zhao Yunyi fainted on the spot. The two dark guards outside rushed in. Upon seeing the scene, they could only steel themselves and charge forward.
In just a few moves, they were dealt with by the monster. Before dying, they fired a rescue signal. All the dark guards in the manor rushed over, and a fierce battle ensued between the two sides.
The dark guards threw oil and lit fires on the monster, but the monster seemed unaffected by the flames. It grabbed anyone it saw, its claws extremely sharp.
Some were directly killed with a scratch to the neck, their blood splashing three feet. The dark guards managed to grab Zhao Yunyi's body and withdrew with him, firmly locking the dungeon door.
In a short while, the monster broke through the siege and slaughtered these bothersome humans one by one. The lanterns on the roadside were knocked over, and the lanterns fell.
The clothes of the corpses lying on the ground were instantly ignited, and the entire manor was soon engulfed in flames. The monster carried Zhao Yunyi to the lake by the rockery and shielded him underneath. Zhao Yunyi felt suffocated by the pressure.
When he woke up to see the scene, he wished he could faint again. The soldiers sent by the Emperor to guard him had entered the manor to check when the commotion began, and sent one person to fetch reinforcements. However, they never discovered the secret chamber.
Now that the great fire had broken out, everyone was desperately fighting the flames. Zhao Yunyi realized that the monster seemed intelligent and cared about him.
After wrestling with the monster for a while, he told it to hide in the water and not show itself. This monster might be able to help him in his bid for the throne. It was a beast that was fond of him, and it would be a good weapon to use.
After ensuring there were no obvious problems, he washed off the viscous fluid on himself with water. Covered in mud, he stumbled out.
"What on earth happened?"
"It's great that you are alright. The most important thing now is to put out the fire."
After a night of frantic effort, the entire manor was burned to ashes, and the pregnant concubine did not escape. Bai Rantang had also stopped breathing when the monster burst out of her abdomen.
Zhao Yunyi feigned extreme grief and sought the Emperor's intervention. However, he couldn't even get an audience, which made Zhao Yunyi hate the old emperor even more.
The cause of the fire could not be determined. Such a large fire in this cold weather made everyone shake their heads and sigh about the unlucky prince.
Finally, the Emperor arranged a small manor for him under house arrest, not far from the ruined mansion. To avoid any complications, the second prince had the monster moved to the new manor very early.
He also completely destroyed the previous secret chamber. He secretly sent pigeons to contact his subordinates in Xingcheng.
After the pigeon flew away, Jun Jiuli caught it and had the little puppet boil water, pluck its feathers, scald its skin, and stew it for soup.
He forged Zhao Yunyi's handwriting and wrote a new letter. He cast a transformation spell on the paper crane and sent the letter to Zhao Yunyi's loyal subordinates.