Chapter 29: A Piece of Good News (Part Two)

Chapter 29: A Piece of Good News (Part Two)

Under the shimmering moonlight, the galaxy sparkles with vibrant colors, and Ying Ying returns to Ruo Xiang Pavilion.

"Miss, it is true that Yun Luoling killed a peasant girl. She was beaten to death and discarded in a mass grave. The Fourth Prince suppressed the news secretly, and the girl's family was silenced."

Given today's incident, with Su San and Su Rao's intervention, Su Wu understood that Su Rao wouldn't take any action. She wouldn't stoop to kicking someone when they're down. Though it was somewhat regrettable, if news of Yun Luoling's involvement in murder were to surface, she might even lose her position as County Princess.

A royal daughter, audacious and wayward, has taken the life of an innocent civilian. Such an act cannot be condoned by law. No matter how much Emperor Yu or the Zhao family might wish to shield Yun Luoling, they cannot do so without inciting public outrage.

"What about the Eighth Prince? Since Yun Muyi covered his tracks so thoroughly, how did he learn about it and casually inform Fifth Brother?"

Su Rao's gaze was somber as she held the information Ying Ying had uncovered.

Ever since Yun Luoling was demoted to a county princess, she had not resided in the palace. Empress Shu had arranged a residence for her outside the imperial grounds.

After being beaten by Su Rao, every muscle in Yun Luoling's body throbbed with pain. However, the imperial physicians found nothing wrong with the Seventh Princess; they could only prescribe some pain-relieving and blood-circulating medicine for her recovery.

For the past month, she had been relatively well-behaved. But once she had nearly recovered, she grew restless again. Yesterday, she insisted on having the Fourth Prince take her on an outing to the outskirts of the city.

As they passed through a field of wildflowers, an unsuspecting peasant girl stumbled, colliding with Yun Luoling.

Having been so cunningly plotted against by Su Rao, Yun Luoling had been simmering with rage for a month. Now, with this ignorant commoner daring to offend her, her arrogance and tyranny flared up, causing her to beat the peasant girl to death on the spot.

Yun Muyi was powerless to stop her.

It was Yun Muyi's encouragement that had prompted Yun Luoling to barge into the General's mansion, seriously injuring Su Rao.

Unaware of these facts, Yun Luoling only knew that she had begged Yun Muyi to take her out of the palace. With her haughty nature and capricious temperament, even if it was her request, she would never attribute the problem to herself. Thus, she naturally vented her anger on Yun Muyi, let alone listen to his advice.

Upon realizing what she had done as the peasant girl drew her last breath, Yun Luoling panicked, dropping her whip in a flurry before grabbing Yun Muyi, her Fourth Imperial Brother, and asking, "What do we do? I've killed someone!"

Although numerous palace servants had fallen victim to Yun Luoling's whip in the past, killing a commoner was different. Unlike these servants, who had no rights and could be treated however their masters pleased, harming a commoner carried legal consequences.

With Yun Luoling having taken a life, there was little else they could do. Fortunately, no one had witnessed the incident. Yun Muyi promptly instructed his personal bodyguard, Xuantí, to deal with the situation and hurriedly led Yun Luoling away from the scene.

"Miss, the Eighth Prince found out because he heard about Yun Luoling falling ill again this morning. He went to visit her, and out of fear, she confided in him. As for the Eighth Prince revealing this to Fifth Young Master, it was a slip of the tongue after drinking too much wine. During a cricket fight between the Eighth Prince and Fifth Young Master at noon, the Eighth Prince got drunk."

Ying Ying's response echoed the one Su Wu had given earlier that afternoon.

Su Rao asked Ying Ying to investigate again to confirm whether it was indeed the Eighth Prince speaking inebriated or if he had deliberately used Su Wu's words to convey a message to her, assuming she would intervene.

Now that she knew it was truly the Eighth Prince's drunken rambling, Su Rao felt relieved.

Su Wu was the Eighth Prince's companion and they had practically grown up inseparable; the Eighth Prince was also Su Wu's closest friend. If the Eighth Prince dared to exploit Su Wu, Su Rao would not let him off lightly.

"Miss, regarding Yun Luoling's matter, I suspect there might be something amiss. According to Huan Niang, at that time, there was only that peasant girl picking wildflowers in that field, with no one else around."

Ying Ying added another piece of information.

Su Rao's eyebrows twitched once more.

No one else?

Her eyes showed contemplation.

Could it be...

A month ago, the incident involving Yun Luoling resulted in her demotion to County Princess and the Fourth Prince's punishment of confinement with caning. On the surface, it seemed to have been put to rest, but in the hearts of the princes, the matter lingered.

Each of them remained obediently in their place.

Especially the Fourth Prince, who, after his restrictions were lifted, had been diligently fulfilling his duties for half a month. His routine was linear: from the palace to his residence, then to the Supreme Court where he attended to official matters. However, it now appeared that Yun Muyi's compliance was merely superficial.

Of Emperor Yu's five adult sons, aside from the Eighth Prince, who spent all day with Su Wu engrossed in cricket fights for amusement, and the Seventh Prince, who showed no interest in politics and preferred idleness, the remaining three princes had already entered the court.

Though they were in the court, they wielded little actual power.

The Fourth Prince, Yun Muyi, served as a Junior Grand Censor at the Supreme Court, assisting the Chief Censor in resolving sudden criminal cases. The Crown Prince, Yun Murui, helped Emperor Yu with trivial state affairs. As for the Sixth Prince, Yun Muxiao, he was merely an Officer of the Vanguard under Su Er's command.

Su Er was known for his strict military discipline; he never treated the Sixth Prince as royalty, but as an ordinary vanguard officer, equal in treatment to other officers and soldiers.

Thus, Emperor Yu had no concerns about the Sixth Prince fostering his own faction within the military, as Su Er held a supervisory position over him. Placing an imperial prince in the army was also Emperor Yu's reminder to the Su family to always remember the principle of 'loyalty to the throne,' not to betray the royal trust.

Such was the mind game of an emperor.

"Ying Ying, by your account, Yun Muyi is anything but docile. Just half a month after his confinement was lifted, he presented Yun Luoling with such a grand gesture.

With her haughty and overbearing nature, Yun Luoling will now be at Yun Muyi's mercy. Indeed, it seems that the wicked have their own nemesis to contend with," Su Rao said, a hint of amusement blossoming on her rosy cheeks.

How could it be a coincidence that the peasant girl appeared in the wildflower field alone? This likely was a premeditated move by Yun Muyi, a trap set specifically for Yun Luoling, perhaps to restrain Concubine Shu and the House of Zhao.

A month ago, Yun Muyi's clumsy scheme revealed him as clever only in his own eyes, a fool who thought himself cunning. Duke Zhao, with his astuteness, would not have been fooled.

Yun Muyi isn't Concubine Shu's biological son; naturally, he'd be planning for his own future, making sure he has a backup plan. If he was indeed behind this, then perhaps he's not as foolish as he seemed.

"At least for now," Su Rao chuckled, rising from her seat and stretching before heading to the inner chamber. "Ying Ying, investigate this matter thoroughly. If Yun Muyi was behind it, there might be a use for this information in the future!"

Understanding her instructions, Ying Ying nodded.

Two leaps took her away from Rouran Pavilion.

Candles flickered as Yi Su followed Su Rao inside.

"Miss, Second Brother paid another visit to the Yun Mansion today."

"Second Brother..."

Su Rao's deft hands untying her sash paused, then weakly massaged her temples.

For a month now, Su Er had been visiting the Yun Mansion intermittently. Even in the military camp, he didn't forget.

It seemed he was determined to push her together with Yun Ji.

"I wonder, Yi Su, if I could somehow obtain an empty imperial edict for my marriage, or even just a verbal command, to choose my own husband, would Second Brother stop trying to match me with Yun Ji? I genuinely don't wish to involve Jiyue Prince, that man of brilliant moonlight, in my life. He is Second Brother's closest friend and the only Yun family member I neither hate nor have the right to hate."

She resumed unfastening her garment.

"Miss..."

Yi Su gently pursed her lips, a hint of pity gleaming in her eyes.

"Though we've never met Prince Jì Yuè, if Second Young Master holds him in such high esteem and is so eager for you to marry him, he must possess the noble demeanor of a true gentleman. Yi Su believes that perhaps Miss might consider..."

"No..."

Su Rao knew what Yi Su was about to say. If she had to marry into the Yun family, Prince Jì Yuè would indeed be her best choice, and she didn't hate him. But she couldn't, absolutely not. Until she was utterly desperate and without options, she would never wed anyone from the Yun family.

"Yi Su, this time I'm going to defy fate. I won't let others control my life, and I won't be powerless. I'm no longer that six-year-old child who could only watch helplessly. I've grown up since then."

Her jade-like fingers clenched again, turning white with the effort.