A dozen minutes later, Leng Ruo Li brought the Commander of the Imperial Guards, Jian Feng, to the dungeon. The iron gate had been opened, but Jun Mo Han was nowhere to be seen. There were signs of a fierce fight in the underground chamber. The injured woman still lay on the ground, and the bound women remained tied.
When Leng Ruo Li had left the dungeon to find the Commander of the Imperial Guards, Jian Feng, she had cleverly sealed the entrance to the dungeon with heavy objects to prevent the black-robed man from escaping.
When she entered the dungeon with Jian Feng, the entrance had not been opened, so she couldn't understand how Jun Mo Han had disappeared. Could this underground chamber have other exits?
Alas, she couldn't dwell on that now; saving people was the priority.
Leng Ruo Li rushed in to examine the woman lying on the ground. Finding that she still had a pulse, she quickly began to administer first aid. Jian Feng hurried to untie the other four women.
After they were untied, the four women looked at him with fear in their eyes.
"Don't be afraid, we're here to save you," Jian Feng comforted them. "But can you tell me what happened here just now?"
Even after he spoke, the four women still looked at him defensively, their eyes filled with terror. They had clearly endured something terrible here.
Jian Feng was a man of few words, having experienced battle and still carrying an aura of ferocity. The women were frightened by his presence, and he had no idea how to communicate with them. He glanced at Leng Ruo Li, who was still busy saving the injured woman, and felt a headache coming on.
"Don't be afraid, we're here to save you. If you tell us where the kidnapper went, you can leave immediately," Jian Feng reassured them again, but the women remained silent.
At that moment, the Emperor strode in. Upon seeing the women in the underground chamber, along with the complete set of daily necessities and a large bed, his expression turned grim, and veins bulged on his face and hands in anger.
A disgusting smell of male and female intimacy still lingered in the underground chamber.
"Who dared to be so audacious as to commit such an act right under my nose?"
The Emperor glared coldly at his surroundings, speaking with fury.
Leng Ruo Li, engrossed in saving the woman, did not respond to the Emperor's words or offer a greeting, but the Emperor did not reprimand her.
Jian Feng, upon seeing the Emperor enter, quickly approached him and bowed, "Jian Feng pays his respects to His Majesty!"
"What is the situation?" the Emperor asked in a cold tone.
"When Your Highness and the Consort of Cold King entered, there were no signs of a struggle on the passage, only traces of one. We did not see His Highness of Cold King or the villain," Jian Feng reported truthfully.
"How are those four women?" the Emperor asked with imposing authority.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, they are unharmed but have been traumatized and are unwilling to speak," Jian Feng replied.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor's brows furrowed. He had heard that this villain (the black-robed man) was skilled and had mastered evil arts. He was worried that Han'er would be no match for him and might resort to using his internal energy to fight the villain, resulting in a significant depletion of his power. If his wolf poison couldn't be controlled then, it would be troublesome.
While he was pondering this dilemma—
"Father, this woman has been saved by your daughter-in-law. Please have Jian Feng escort her out and instruct the imperial physicians to care for her. Your daughter-in-law will speak to those women," Leng Ruo Li said calmly.
"Good, you try! Jian Feng will take care of the injured person."
The Emperor's eyes lit up. Since Leng Ruo Li had a more approachable demeanor than them, she was likely to get them to talk.
Leng Ruo Li nodded gently and turned towards the four women.
"Young ladies, please don't be afraid. My name is Leng Ruo Li, and I am here to save you," Leng Ruo Li said in a gentle tone.
The four women looked at her but remained silent, still terrified. She wondered what the black-robed man had done to them.
"Are you very hungry?" Leng Ruo Li changed the subject, asking them.
As she spoke, she took out four loaves of bread and four bottles of milk from her sleeve, helped them unwrap the bread, inserted the straws, and handed them over.
"Eat, they are very delicious," Leng Ruo Li said with a smile.
Although she was anxious about Jun Mo Han's safety, she didn't know where he was, so being anxious was useless.
The four women saw the food in Leng Ruo Li's hands and swallowed twice. They reached out and took the bread she offered, eating it ravenously.
"Eat slowly, be careful not to choke! I have water here too."
Leng Ruo Li reminded them, also handing them the milk.
After the four finished eating, their expressions were less tense. One thin woman bravely spoke up, "Miss, we are all solitary women from villages near the south of the city whose parents have passed away. A few nights ago, several masked men in black broke into our homes, knocked us unconscious, and brought us to this place to give to a man called Black Robe... The woman who was injured and lying on the ground just now, she was violated by the black-robed man."
Upon hearing this, Leng Ruo Li, the Emperor, and Jian Feng were all enraged.
This was truly lawless!
"Did you see where that black-robed man and the man in Xuan robes went just now?" Leng Ruo Li asked again.
The thin woman trembling replied, "After the black-robed man finished with that woman, he went out for a while. When he returned, he found someone outside the iron gate. He kicked the door open and fought with the man outside. Later, the black-robed man couldn't win, so he pressed the snake head by the bed. A large hole immediately appeared on the bed, and he jumped into it. The other man also followed him. Afterward, the bed returned to its original state."
"Damn it!"
Leng Ruo Li cursed softly after hearing this.
"Jian Feng, you are responsible for the Emperor's safety here. Take these people away," Leng Ruo Li instructed.
"Yes, Consort of Cold King, your subordinate obeys!" Jian Feng replied with a bow.
"Oh, you'd better investigate whose palace is above this dungeon. I suspect there are other exits," Leng Ruo Li reminded Jian Feng.
At this moment, the Emperor narrowed his eyes, his gaze turning sinister as he looked at the bed. He said in a cold voice, "No need to investigate. The Empress's Feng Qi Palace is above this dungeon."
After speaking, the Emperor walked to the large bed, bent down, and picked up the sapphire chain ring lying on the ground. This chain ring was the Empress's favorite piece of jewelry; she rarely took it off except when bathing or sleeping.
The Emperor turned to the women and asked, "I ask you, has a woman wearing red frequently visited this underground chamber?"
Upon hearing this, the four women all nodded.
One bold woman pointed to a spot on the wall of the underground chamber and said, "There is another entrance there. That woman came in from there."
Everyone: "..."