Chapter 470: The Eccentricity Under Dan Liang Royal City (30)

Chapter 470: Defiance Beneath Dan Liang's Royal City (30)

The Emperor of Dan Liang invited His Majesty’s father-in-law, the old Cloud King, through the palace gates.

Despite his father-in-law traveling thousands of miles to visit, he had not received any prior notice and was unaware of the old Cloud King’s arrival, resulting in the latter stumbling upon such disorder.

He admitted this was his negligence as a son-in-law and assured that he would order the Minister of Justice to swiftly investigate the matter to uncover the truth.

He then inquired whether the old Cloud King had come for the royal wedding. Seeing the old Cloud King nod, Su Rao clearly noticed a fleeting change in the Emperor’s expression—a sense of relief as his speculation was confirmed, easing his previously unsettled heart.

The old Cloud King’s visit to Dan Liang was solely for Rong Feng’s wedding, his beloved grandson.

She smirked coldly inwardly, her eyes chilling for a moment.

Truly, the guilty are always paranoid—so terrified that his deeds might be exposed, tarnishing his imperial reputation.

She squeezed Han Mochen’s hand once more. Despite her fears, Han Mochen showed no signs of being overwhelmed by darkness upon seeing the Emperor.

For now, Han Mochen stayed silent, allowing Su Rao to lead him without any unusual reactions.

But Su Rao sensed his unease, though she couldn’t press further at the moment, only keeping a vigilant watch.

Throughout their journey, the Emperor had barely glanced at Su Rao and Han Mochen once at the palace gates, paying them no further attention.

As mere youths before him, and with the old Cloud King as their elder, it was not his place to engage with them directly. Even if Su Rao was involved in the street incident, she need not address it herself.

"Your Majesty, this king’s visit was also to see my daughter, hence no prior notice was sent. Yet unexpectedly, I witnessed Su Rao being publicly assassinated and embroiled in a misunderstanding with the Capital Prefecture Office."

"Having watched Su Rao grow up, I know her as mischievous but not one to stir trouble without cause. I urge Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate who seeks to sow discord between Dan Liang and Yun Lang."

Before they’d even reached the Hall of Diligent Governance, the old Cloud King had already made these two points clear, addressing the street incident.

First, he explained why his arrival had gone unnoticed—he had deliberately withheld notice.

After burying their grandson, he and the old Cloud Queen, now gray with grief, had only their daughter left in stable condition. Yet she was frail, needing serenity to avoid drastic fluctuations, hence he had refrained from sending advance notice.

After years of separation, he wished to take his daughter back to Yun Lang after the wedding to see her mother, hoping to ease the old queen’s grief over their grandson’s death.

Moreover, his daughter had long been bedridden, unable to visit them. The elderly couple feared her condition might have worsened. Should they lose her as well, how could they bear another tragedy of outliving their child?

Second, he emphasized that Su Rao had been targeted by assassins, leading to a misunderstanding with the Capital Prefecture Office. Though whispers suggested the assassins were remnants of the former dynasty, Su Rao was someone he had watched grow up. Thus, the Minister must not slander her or falsely accuse her.

Given the old Cloud King had overseen Su Rao’s upbringing, how could he possibly shield a princess of the former dynasty or misjudge the Su family’s girl?

Thus, no matter what the Emperor investigated or uncovered, Su Rao would remain entirely uninvolved—and could not be involved.

Even if the killers truly were remnants of the former dynasty, the incident would only be their attempt to drive a wedge between Yun Lang and Dan Liang.

Unless the Emperor wanted to burn bridges with Yun Lang—which he could not afford at this stage, given his grand plans remained unfulfilled—he must not force the label of "former dynasty" onto Su Rao.

Having made his case, the old Cloud King requested the Emperor to first take him to see the Cloud Queen. The street incident could not be resolved immediately, and he wished to reunite with his daughter.

Yet his daughter’s health had worsened over the years. Despite his arrival at the palace, she had not appeared, fueling his worry.

The old Cloud King’s inquiry about the Cloud Queen left the Emperor with no time to scheme over the street incident or plot against Su Rao further. He explained that he had withheld the news of the old Cloud King’s arrival to prevent the Cloud Queen from becoming overly excited, which could harm her fragile health.

"Father, Jun’er is frail. If she were to learn of your sudden arrival, I fear the shock might overwhelm her. Why not accompany me to the Hall of Diligent Governance first? I’ll have your chambers prepared so you may rest from your journey. Later, I will bring Jun’er to see you."

These words were both heartfelt and reasonable, and with the matter between Su Rao and the Capital Prefecture Office, it was necessary to summon the Minister of Justice to investigate swiftly. This incident concerned the stability between Yun Lang and the Emperor of Dan Liang, and state affairs were of utmost importance.

"This old king shall wait a while longer before seeing Jun'er, so as not to startle her. Let her take care and pay close attention to her health."

Though old Cloud King was eager to see his beloved daughter, upon hearing concerns about her health, he no longer pressed urgently. Nor did he need the Emperor of Dan Liang to prepare a guest palace for him within the palace, as he had Su Rao by his side—he would stay at the Hosting Bureau, the residence for external emissaries.

The Emperor of Dan Liang initially intended to say more, but under old Cloud King's insistence that no special arrangements were needed, the words of persuasion at the tip of his tongue had to be swallowed. He had no choice but to order Pei Liang to quickly prepare accommodations for the Elder Prince.

The Emperor of Dan Liang first led old Cloud King to the Hall of Diligent Governance. Once the guest palace was ready, he would escort the Elder Prince to rest.

Word of old Cloud King’s arrival in Dan Liang soon reached Rong Feng, the Crown Prince, in the Eastern Palace.

Immediately, Rong Feng came to the Hall of Diligent Governance to meet his maternal grandfather.

Rong Feng's arrival showed no abnormalities—he remained the same refined and noble gentleman, radiating warmth like sunlight.

Su Rao could detect no hint of anything unusual about him. After the distress from last night, not only had he returned to normal today, but he seemed unnaturally composed. This left Su Rao momentarily unable to discern the changes in Rong Feng.

Had Rong Feng not yet found the mute granny? Or had he found her, only for the outcome to differ from Yun Ji's expectations—perhaps the mute woman had not revealed the truth to Rong Feng?

As Su Rao pondered this, Rong Feng had already exchanged greetings with old Cloud King. It was only then that Rong Feng learned of the bloodshed that had broken out in the streets earlier, as he had been handling state affairs in the Eastern Palace and had not been promptly informed.

At once, Rong Feng showed remorse. As the Crown Prince of Dan Liang, he had missed the unrest in the city, allowing assassins to appear within the imperial capital. He sought to take full responsibility for the investigation, but the Emperor of Dan Liang refused.

Since old Cloud King had come to Dan Liang, Rong Feng, as his grandson, would accompany him to the Hosting Bureau. The matter of Su Rao's assassination attempt would be personally overseen by the Emperor of Dan Liang.

He was determined to uncover just what bold villain dared to carry out such a brazen assassination in broad daylight, threatening the safety of Dan Liang’s imperial capital.