Chapter 992: Chapter 834, Conditions

The door to the ancestral hall was opened, and the sight of Luo Honghao standing outside left the old Duke, the Duke, and the Duchess all with embarrassed and disheveled expressions, their eyes darting about, not daring to meet Luo Honghao’s gaze.

Luo Honghao walked into the ancestral hall with a solemn face, helped up the Duchess who had been knocked to the ground by the Duke, and then turned his serious attention towards the old Duke and the Duke.

“Xiao Yechi… the son of the Eight Princes?”

The old Duke and the Duke both stayed silent, understanding in their hearts that their recent conversation had been overheard by their grandson, the legitimate heir.

Luo Honghao spoke again, “Are we a part of the Eight Princes Party?”

The old Duke and the Duke still did not speak.

Seeing their tacit acknowledgment, Luo Honghao clenched his fists in pain, then turned his gaze to the Duchess, “Is the child in my younger sister’s womb Xiao Yechi’s?”

The Duchess also didn’t dare meet her eldest son’s eyes and remained silent, looking down.

Luo Honghao’s chest heaved more and more violently, and he spoke again with difficulty, “Did Mother ask Father to bring little sister back because Xiao Yechen found out about this?”

The Duchess gave a slight nod of her head.

Upon seeing this, Luo Honghao’s eyelids twitched violently, “Mother, Princess Consort Ma’s death… does it have anything to do with little sister and Xiao Yechi?”

At this, the old Duke and the Duke both looked towards the Duchess.

Under the gaze of the three men, the Duchess nodded again.

At this, the three most powerful men in the Luo Family all changed their expressions.

After the admission, the Duchess quickly grabbed Luo Honghao’s hand, “Honghao, save Qiongqiong, otherwise, Xiao Yechen will kill her.”

Luo Honghao looked at the Duchess, “Mother, how do you plan to save little sister?”

The Duchess glanced at the three Luo men, “The old matron who came to deliver the message said that Xiao Yechen hasn’t made Qiongqiong’s affair public; we still have a chance to save her.”

“If… if the Duke’s Residence can’t intervene directly, we could also inform Xiao Yechi; Qiongqiong is still carrying his child, and he will find a way to save her.”

Upon hearing this, the Duke immediately pointed angrily at the Duchess, “Xiao Yechen already knows about Qiongqiong’s infidelity, how could he possibly let her off?”

“You even want to tell Xiao Yechi; if he gets discovered, our entire Duke Residence will have to join him in death.”

“How did I marry such an ill-fated woman? In your youth, you burdened me, and now in your old age, you come to bring down your son and grandson as well.”

The Duke gasped heavily, “Qiongqiong herself didn’t keep to the women’s virtue; even if Xiao Yechen kills her, it’s her own fault.”

The Duchess looked at the Duke with teary eyes, “How can you be so heartless? She is your own daughter!”

The Duke spoke directly, “I have no such daughter that brings disgrace to her natal family; if she still remembered the grace of the Luo Family, she would never have gotten involved with Xiao Yechi.”

They had already agreed with Xiao Yechi that this would be the last time the Duke Residence would help him, and after this, everyone would go their separate ways.

Who could have expected that his ‘good daughter’ would end up carrying Xiao Yechi’s child?

Given this, could the Luo Family still abandon the ship of Xiao Yechi?

Luo Honghao did not intervene in his parents’ quarrel, watching the three people closest to him in the world, heart twisting with pain at the thought of everything he had overheard outside the door; his once-proud Duke Residence was, in fact, filled with such filth.

“Grandfather, Father, I came to the ancestral hall to find you two.”

The old Duke and the Duke involuntarily turned their attention to Luo Honghao.

Luo Honghao said, “I found Hidden Guards outside our residence; I had wanted to come and ask you, Grandfather and Father, if our family has recently offended anyone. No need now.”

Upon hearing this, the old Duke and Duke’s faces changed drastically.

Old Duke, “Whose Hidden Guards?”

Luo Honghao looked towards the Duchess, “Xiao Yechen may not be very capable, but there’s still Xiao Yeyang in the Prince Residence. Even though he didn’t get along with Princess Consort Ma, even just for the sake of Prince and the Prince Residence’s peace, he might still want to investigate the cause of Princess Consort Ma’s death, right?”

Then, turning back to the old Duke and the Duke, “Grandfather, Father, do you think Xiao Yeyang has noticed anything?”

Listening to his grandson’s words, the old Duke felt a wave of darkness before his eyes.

He had long experienced Xiao Yeyang’s tactics; back when the Eight Princes’ case erupted, had it not been for his deep concealment and the trust of the Emperor, the Duke Residence might have ceased to exist long ago.

After a moment, the old Duke immediately said to Luo Honghao, “Now, right away, send your son away, you must be quick.”

Saying this, he looked towards the secret door.

“The secret passage leads directly outside the East City gate, leave tonight.”

The Duchess: “Qiongqiong…”

“Shut up!”

The old Duke fiercely scolded the Duchess; if Luo Honghao were not present, he would have been unable to resist slapping her again.

“As long as Xiao Yechi is gone, our family will be able to live peacefully, but you… you and Qiongqiong get along so well. If the Emperor learns we’re part of the Eight Princes Party, the entire Duke Residence is doomed.”

The old Duke: “Enough, what time is it now? Let’s think of a way to send a few more children away first.”

The events of this night were a heavy blow to Luo Honghao, but he had no time to process them. If Xiao Yeyang really targeted the Duke Residence, then their entire family would likely be unable to escape disaster. The thought of his son, only five years old, potentially being implicated and beheaded caused him unimaginable pain.

The old Duke looked at Luo Honghao, “Even if Xiao Yeyang finds something fishy about the death of Princess Consort, he probably doesn’t know much. We still have time, let’s send the younger ones away first. If in the end nothing happens, we can bring them back.”

Luo Honghao, thinking of the fate of the Eight Princes Party, nodded and then turned to leave. However, the Duchess gripped his arm tightly.

With eyes blurred with tears, the Duchess said, “The child, Qiongqiong is after all your sister, we can’t just watch her die.”

Luo Honghao reached out to wipe the tears from the Duchess’s face, “We won’t, we will die with her.” After saying that, he pried off the Duchess’s hand and walked away with large strides.

At this moment, Luo Honghao did not want to blame anyone. His only thought was not to allow innocent children to lose their lives at such a young age.

His son, he had to be sent away.

…

Late into the night, Luo Honghao personally led several children of the Duke Residence through the secret passage and out of East City’s gates.

However, as soon as the secret door opened, he stood there in despair.

Outside the secret door, the Jinling Guard were holding torches high, forming a fan shape to block the path.

Xiao Yeyang stepped out, looking at Luo Honghao, “Late at night like this, you should take the children home to sleep.”

Luo Honghao looked straight at Xiao Yeyang, “Spare the children, they are innocent.”

Xiao Yeyang: “Whether they are innocent or not, it’s not up to me to decide; everything must be judged by the Emperor.”

…

After sending away Luo Honghao and the others, the old Duke and the Duke both knelt silently in the Luo family ancestral shrine, looking at the ancestral tablets and continuously praying in their hearts that the Luo family would be able to weather this crisis.

But soon, the secret door opened again.

Seeing Luo Honghao with a defeatist expression bringing the children back, the old Duke and the Duke had a bad premonition. When they saw Xiao Yeyang emerge from beyond, their lips involuntarily began to tremble.

“It’s late, let the children go rest,” Xiao Yeyang said to Luo Honghao with a smile.

Luo Honghao looked at the old Duke and the Duke, and the old Duke nodded.

Once everyone had left, the old Duke looked at Xiao Yeyang and confidently said, “You want to capture Xiao Yechi, but unfortunately, Xiao Yechi is very cautious. You probably still have no news of him, do you?”

Xiao Yeyang looked at the old Duke, silent, signaling him to continue speaking.

The old Duke: “… I can help you lure Xiao Yechi out, but only if you release all males under ten years old from the Duke Residence.”

Hearing this, Xiao Yeyang laughed, “Old Duke, do you think the Luo family is in a position to negotiate terms now?”

The old Duke: “As long as you haven’t caught Xiao Yechi, the Luo family still has the right to negotiate.” He laughed and added, “If Xiao Yechi were that easy to catch, you wouldn’t be sitting here listening to me ramble, right?”

Xiao Yeyang looked at the old Duke in silence for a while and then stood up, “I will convey your words to the Emperor. I hope the Duke Residence stays in line during this time. If you startle Xiao Yechi and he escapes, you know what happened to the An Guo Duke Residence.”

After that, he turned and left.

As soon as Xiao Yeyang left, the old Duke and the Duke collapsed in despair onto the ground.

The Duke gritted his teeth and looked at the old Duke, “Father, back when you took the Du woman, that despicable thing, you should have killed her.”

The old Duke closed his eyes in agony; the thing he regretted most in his life, the most shameful act, was lusting after his daughter-in-law from the Du family and not being able to resist his desires, forcing himself on her.