Chapter 464: The Eccentricity Under Dan Liang Royal City (24)

Chapter 464: The Recklessness Under the Dan Liang Royal Capital (24)

Mid-afternoon was when the sun shone its brightest.

Though it was spring, the midday sunlight was already at its most dazzling.

Yet now, the streets were eerily quiet, as if a storm were brewing—a silence pierced by a sudden chill, as though the heavens were forewarning of an imminent change.

With the death of the Imperial Guard Commander, the imperial guards were left leaderless. Though the Capital Prefecture Office still had its guards, the looming threat of death made them hesitate to take the lead or act again.

Moreover, Han Mochen’s outright slaughter of those alleged "subordinates" of Su Rao had disrupted the Dan Liang royals’ carefully laid plans. How could they act now—and on what pretext? One wrong move could implicate the Emperor.

For a moment, all eyes turned to Pei Liang, who was being shielded by two of his men.

Vice Minister Pei, what should we do now?

Though Pei Liang hadn’t been part of this scheme, his sharp mind allowed him to grasp the situation clearly, especially after Su Rao’s calculated words. Her layered scheme was impossible to miss.

Pei Liang frowned again, hesitating before speaking. His gaze settled on Su Rao as he quickly deliberated on how to handle this.

In the current predicament, if mishandled, he knew Honorable Princess Ronghua wouldn’t back down—she might even seize this opportunity.

And then there was that man—just who was he?

"Honorable Princess Ronghua personally dealt with this assassin—whether it was to silence a witness or a deliberate frame-up, this official can’t yet say. However, the fact that your guard killed the Imperial Guard Commander of Dan Liang requires an explanation. Otherwise, rumors will be hard to quell, and this official will have no way to answer to the Emperor."

His thoughts lasted only a moment before Pei Liang stepped forward. As the highest-ranking official present, he had no choice but to take charge.

After a brief glance at the young man slain by Su Rao, Pei Liang straightened his sleeves. In that fleeting motion, he shot another glance at Han Mochen beside Su Rao. That look reignited the same vague unease he had felt before.

Just who was this man?

This time, Han Mochen did not return Pei Liang’s gaze as he had during their first encounter. His eyes, now clear, remained fixed solely on Su Rao, as if trying to vanish into the shadows once more.

"Vice Minister Pei, are you mocking this princess?"

Han Mochen remained still as Su Rao took a step forward, blocking Pei Liang’s line of sight to him.

This time, Yun Ji had not fainted—the two minds had switched seamlessly, likely due to Rong Xiao’s influence. With Yun Ji’s memories no longer blocked, there was no need for unconsciousness to facilitate the transition.

She knew that with Pei Liang’s shrewdness, he’d surely noticed Han Mochen’s sudden appearance and the sudden shift in demeanor.

"This princess has yet to demand an explanation from Vice Minister Pei, and yet you’re already expecting me to surrender meekly and wait for your judgment?

Today, it was your Emperor who sent the imperial guards to escort this princess into the palace. Yet when I was attacked on the street, the Imperial Guard Commander did not pursue the assassin—instead, he turned on me. What kind of sense does that make?"

Her words were razor-sharp.

Su Rao moved again, planting her foot on the corpse of the young man.

Her foot came down with deliberate force.

"Moreover, this man kept insisting that I was some princess. What kind of lackey would be so eager to betray their master? Does Vice Minister Pei believe this princess is lax in discipline, or was the Imperial Guard Commander simply too foolish—so much so that such an idiot could hold such a high position?"

Her defiance never wavered. Even surrounded, she showed no fear, her defiant nature undiminished. The jagged scar on her forehead only sharpened her intensity.

The implication was clear.

The young man had repeatedly declared her the princess of the former dynasty, yet the Imperial Guard Commander, a trusted guard of the Dan Liang royal family, held a position earned through rigorous vetting.

No fool could rise to such a position. If he wasn’t foolish, how could he fail to see that this was obviously a setup?

Yet he still attacked her. Why? There was only one answer—the Imperial Guard Commander and the young assassin were accomplices.

The assassination attempt against her, including the subsequent siege, was nothing more than a staged performance.

“Is Dan Liang trying to push around the Honorable Princess because she has no allies by her side? Or is it because Yun Lang is too kind, that a mere Imperial Guard Commander dares to lay hands on me and even colludes with the Capital Prefecture Office to set up such a grand scheme of framing? If there’s no one else behind this, I’ll eat my words.”

She might as well have said outright that the mastermind behind this was the Dan Liang royal family.

Though both the Imperial Guard Commander and the young assassin had been killed by her side, leaving no one to testify, this did not hinder Su Rao from speaking the truth.

“Honorable Princess Ronghua is quite adept at conjecture. Both the Imperial Guard Commander and this assassin were slain by your guards. Now, you can say whatever you please.”

Su Rao's tone grew sharper with each sentence, leaving even the eloquent Vice Minister Pei temporarily speechless.

In the past, Pei Liang wouldn't have bothered arguing. Since the Emperor had already made his move, he should have taken the chance to order her arrest.

Indeed, with the assassins dead, he could spin the story however he liked. If Su Rao dared to resist or if her allies emerged to rescue her, it would only help his case.

But now, Pei Liang hesitated—because of those two words Yun Ji had whispered to him.

Thus, he could not act recklessly.

For a moment, both sides seemed at an impasse.

“Honorable Princess Ronghua remains as formidable as ever. Whether this is a scheme against you to sabotage the alliance between Yun Lang and Dan Liang, or whether you are sacrificing pawns to save the queen—Vice Minister Pei is no judge and cannot give you an answer.”

With these words, a newcomer arrived, his tone suggesting they'd met before.

“Honorable Princess Ronghua repeatedly accuses the Imperial Guard Commander of wrongdoing, but in my opinion, any person, upon hearing that the assassins were connected to you—your subordinates—would first seek to restrain you. I see no fault in the Imperial Guard Commander’s actions.”

“Moreover, many of our Capital Prefecture Office guards were killed by these assassins, yet you claim this was our own staged farce to frame you. Such brilliant deduction, Honorable Princess—should I be impressed?”

“Who are you?”

Su Rao turned her gaze to the newcomer—a man in the robes of a minister, with a stern, distinctive face she did not recognize.

Yet, though unfamiliar, his sudden appearance made her peach blossom eyes darken.

From his words, he must have been observing from the shadows all along.

“In Yun Lang, Honorable Princess Ronghua has never given even the princes and princesses the time of day, nor our Crown Prince. This humble official is but a mere minister of the Capital Prefecture Office. Though I once served as an envoy for Dan Liang, no wonder you don't remember me.”

“A Dan Liang envoy?”

Su Rao studied him briefly before it clicked.

“So it’s you.”

This minister was one of the envoys who had accompanied Rong Feng to Yun Lang years ago. During the Three Kingdoms exchange, when Yun Ji participated in the literary competition, this man had cried foul.

If he was now the minister of the Capital Prefecture Office, his delayed appearance…

The imperial capital was the heart of the nation, let alone the inner city where the palace stood. Yet, when a fire broke out in the inner city, the Capital Prefecture Office sent a mere subordinate officer to lead the rescue—an irregularity suspicious from the get-go. Now, with this man’s arrival, the pieces fell into place. Had he been lurking in the shadows all this time, holding his trump card until now?