Chapter 56: Unjustly Made a Scapegoat

Chapter 56: Unjustly Made a Scapegoat

"Brother, did you enjoy the show? You were the most enthusiastic one watching just now. Are you so eager to see a legendary battle between this Prince and Su Yumuo, or do you want to catch a glimpse of this Prince in women's clothing?"

The voice in her ear was sultry, laced with anger.

A dangerous aura.

Su RAO didn't need to turn around to know who was behind her.

Was her gaze that intense? Intense enough to be noticed in this sea of people, or was Yun Mujing just too perceptive?

As a member of the royal family, it had to be the latter.

Gently squeezing her folding fan, Su RAO turned around, wearing a standard smile of a weak scholar, bashful. She raised her arm and bowed, "This humble one greets Seventh Prince. Your words truly make me fearful."

"Fearful?" Yun Mujing snorted, "I don't see any fear in you. You seemed quite entertained just now!"

In her heart, Su RAO sighed. She hadn't been targeted by her second brother, but she had become Yun Mujing's scapegoat instead.

Yun... Family...

"This humble one is truly fearful, very fearful."

Su RAO bent lower, but she didn't kneel. A man's knees were worth their weight in gold, especially for a scholar like her.

Princes would be amiable to the common folk outside the palace, and they wouldn't make talented scholars kneel, as it would diminish their dignity.

Moreover, Su RAO would only kneel to heaven, earth, and her parents. She would never kneel to the Yun family.

"Your Highness, it seems that the enmity between Seventh Prince Yun Lang and Second Master Su isn't fake. The two of them will always clash violently whenever they meet, like fire and water."

On the other side of the Free and Easy Residence, the unremarkable black sandalwood carriage parked there didn't attract much attention. Inside, Prince Yi's eyes were fixed on the pleasure boat of the Free and Easy Residence since he saw the Seventh Prince.

Mo Ying drove the carriage, his face hidden under a black veil.

His gaze also fell on Yun Mujing, and he said,

"That young scholar is in trouble. He's being blamed by the Seventh Prince..."

"The Su family is rather interesting."

Prince Yi's words were cold and ambiguous. One-third of his eyeball was covered by his upper eyelid, making his gaze appear dark and mysterious, yet strangely charming.

A plain daughter of the Su family fell in love with Xiao Gongzi, obsessed with him. A second master of the Su family, a man of few words, who was eerily similar to him, actually fell in love with another man, Seventh Prince Yun Lang. This trip to Yun Lang wasn't in vain.

After a moment, he retracted his gaze and put down the carriage curtain, hiding the layers of darkness in his phoenix eyes. His cold eyes lowered, and he continued sipping tea.

"Let's go!"

Mo Ying flicked the reins, and the carriage left.

Yun Mujing suddenly looked over, but the black sandalwood carriage had already turned into an alley.

With just one glance, his right hand suddenly grabbed Su RAO's shoulder, applying great force.

Su RAO frowned in pain.

Yun... Mujing...

"Young Brother, eyes are on your face for a reason. If you don't know how to use them, you might lose them accidentally."

Yun Mujing patted Su RAO's shoulder hard twice and made a gesture of gouging out her eyes, directly aiming at Su RAO's eyes.

Then, he took large strides and left.

Layers of depth suddenly appeared in Su RAO's eyes, but she acted as if her legs had gone limp from fright. She leaned against the red lacquer pillar, unable to hold onto her folding fan, which fell to the ground.

It was because when the Seventh Prince blocked her path, countless eyes turned to look.

"Oh my, let me take a look. Don't tell me this young master is scared stiff."

Huan Niang swayed her hips and walked over with charm. She picked up Su RAO's fallen folding fan, took Su RAO's hand, and placed it in hers, squeezing it hard.

"I can see that you're really frightened, young master. Go back and calm yourself!"

Su RAO seemed to come to her senses, forgetting even the basic etiquette of a scholar. She hurried away in a panic, as if she had truly been frightened. Only after Huan Niang reminded her did she regain her senses.

After leaving Beiyang Street, she slowed down her pace and pressed her left shoulder.

She felt her bones screaming in pain.

Layers of depth returned to her eyes.

"Yun Mujing, wait. Sooner or later, I'll return the favor with interest."

Back at the Su residence.

"Miss, what happened to you?"

Seeing Su RAO rubbing her left shoulder, Yi Su quickly rushed over.

Qin Niang also came over.

Su RAO's expression suddenly turned grim, and she explained the situation in a few sentences.

Yi Su's brows furrowed tightly, and Qin Niang's face also showed a hint of worry.

"Miss..."

"Qin'niang, I'm fine."

Su Rao knew that Qin'niang was worried she wouldn't be able to hold back in front of the Yun family, but she wouldn't make that mistake again. She wouldn't lose control like she did at Wanglu Temple. She could endure it. She had said she would regard herself as Su Rao and lock all her hatred away.

Deep in her heart.

Yisu fetched the medicine box and undressed Su Rao. In an instant, a bruise appeared on her left shoulder, especially where the five fingers had dug in, leaving a particularly noticeable mark.

The grip hadn't been gentle.

Su Rao glanced at it, adding another tally against Yun Mujing in her heart.

She had gone out on a trip, failed to accomplish anything, and instead became a punching bag, suffering for her shoulders.

...

In the Imperial Study.

"Jing'er..."

Emperor Yu looked at his seventh prince, who was leaning against the imperial desk as if he had no bones in his body. He was filled with anger, but seeing the tenderness in his son's expression, his rage suddenly dissipated, and he weakly rubbed his temples.

"Why did you go and do that again when everything was fine? You know full well that the second Miss Su can't bear it when you dress up as a woman. Why did you go to Xiaoyaoju again? Haven't the events from three years ago passed yet? How... how am I supposed to scold you for such disregard for the dignity of the royal family?"

In the end, his anger led him to poke the seventh prince's forehead with his finger.

Yun Mujing straightened up slightly, but still had the appearance of someone who hadn't woken up properly, exuding a delicate charm.

"Father, how can you blame me for that! I had calculated that I wouldn't lose. Who knew that Rong Feng would suddenly appear and catch me off guard. That wasn't something I could control. Besides, do you think I'm afraid of Su Yumuo?"

His words showed no hint of acknowledging any wrongdoing.

"You, you're getting more and more unruly the older you get. If I don't rein you in, I fear you'll reach the heavens, forgetting your identity as a prince."

Emperor Yu pointed his finger again. What kind of person was the second Miss Su? With her aloof nature, if Jing'er hadn't provoked her, she wouldn't have reacted so strongly.

"Yun Fukui, take the seventh prince to Yun王府. Let Jiyue manage him properly."

For his most beloved son, Emperor Yu couldn't bear to impose a severe punishment.

"Father, aren't you afraid that His Highness the Crown Prince won't let me into Qingfengju? I went there yesterday, and today, His Highness definitely won't let me enter again. Your words will likely fall on deaf ears."

Yun Mujing shrugged indifferently and walked away.

Grand Steward Yun hurried after him.

Emperor Yu rubbed his temples again.

He knew very well that among his sons, only Jing'er could make Jiyue treat him kindly and be willing to get close to him.

As soon as news of the incident at the Inner City Lake spread, Emperor Yu sent the seventh prince to Yun王府 to be instructed by Crown Prince Jiyue.

This matter reached the ears of those with ulterior motives in just a breath.

"Our seventh brother, Father truly spoils him! Despite such disregard for the dignity of the royal family, he was merely sent to Yun王府.

Everyone knows that Crown Prince Jiyue certainly won't let Seventh step into Qingfengju. Father is treating us all like fools, sending Seventh off to Yunfeng Mansion in this manner, silencing everyone's mouths."

The sixth prince spoke with a hint of jealousy.

"Third Brother, if what happened today had happened to us, we would likely be facing Father's wrath and confinement right now."

The crown prince flipped through the memorial scrolls without showing any signs of jealousy.

"It's a clear and understood matter. Why must Sixth Brother get so angry about it? Seventh Brother wants to cause trouble, so let him stir things up properly. He and the second Miss Su are already like fire and water; it can't get much worse than this."

His words carried a deeper meaning.

The sixth prince instantly understood.

Among the adult princes, they were the only ones who hadn't incurred the enmity of the Su family.

The aura of dominance reappeared between his brows.

The anger on his face vanished.

At that moment, in the fourth prince's mansion, Yun Muyi snapped his writing brush again, ink staining his hands and ruining the painting on the table.

Xuan Ti knelt on both knees, not daring to breathe heavily.