The Foolish Husband of the Landlord's Family (GL)

Chapter 71: The Woman on the Ice Bed

Jing Anrui had anticipated the foreign invasion as a diversion by Song Qingwei, meant to draw her away so he could attack the capital. If Song Qingwei managed to enter the palace, even her return might not reclaim it, especially with Xiao Yichen inside—her one vulnerability. Instead of heading to the border, Jing Anrui sent trusted generals and waited for the opportune moment to act.

As a massive army advanced, the general of the siege forces, arranged by Song Qingwei, anxiously asked, "Master Fei Fu, where is our leader now? Prince Jing's forces are overwhelming, and I'm afraid..."

"Stop spreading fear and weakening morale!" Fei Fu, Song Qingwei's appointed leader of this mission, struck the general, making him cough blood and almost lose his footing.

Fei Fu commanded with authority, "The master instructed to kill as many as come."

The general stayed silent. They had only thirty thousand men, reduced to less than twenty thousand after fighting loyalist troops. Jing Anrui's forces numbered at least eighty thousand, a daunting opposition. They had no choice but to fight on.

When Jing Anrui's army drew near, the battlefield erupted into chaos, a cacophony of clashing weapons and soldier cries. Visually striking, spears pierced skulls, swords cleaved bodies, and arrows impaled chests.

Both sides fought fiercely, but given the disparity in numbers, Song Qingwei's forces were inevitably defeated. Despite the strength on both sides and the martial prowess of Song Qingwei's black-clad warriors, Jing Anrui's side suffered heavy losses. The palace walls saw rivers of blood, with mangled bodies and scattered brains—a truly gruesome sight.

The battle ended in Song Qingwei's defeat. As Jing Anrui assumed the situation was under control, her deputy reported, "Your Highness, the captives... they..."

Impatient to stabilize the palace, she asked, "What about them?"

"They all committed suicide," the deputy said, still queasy from the horror, "all by cutting their own hearts out, dying eerily satisfied."

Jing Anrui frowned, visiting the captives' site. Corpses lay mangled, some with daggers in their chests, others holding their bloody hearts, faces bearing grotesque satisfaction.

"Why weren't their weapons confiscated?" she asked, suppressing her nausea, "Have you found Song Qingwei?"

The deputy replied, "I didn't expect such loyalty... their refusal to surrender, hiding daggers. We haven't located Song Qingwei."

Jing Anrui wasn't surprised. If Song Qingwei were easy to capture, their conflict wouldn't have lasted years. She asked, "Any black-clad prisoners?"

"They fought fiercely, none were captured alive," the deputy admitted.

Jing Anrui paused, asking, "Casualties?"

"Over... over half," the deputy stammered.

Despite their victory, the high death toll against outnumbered enemies left the battlefield in mourning. No prisoners were taken, an eerie outcome.

"Leave a team to handle the aftermath, the rest follow me to the palace," Jing Anrui ordered, fearing a trap and rushing to the palace.