Chapter 29: Why Is This?

Chapter 29: But Why?

"Don't listen to what outsiders say. Your brother and the Prince of Nanxun are good brothers. His identity is special—if an assassin were to kill him by accident, then your big brother here would be in deep trouble."

"Is the eldest young master wishing me dead?"

A cool, mocking voice came from the courtyard entrance, like treading on crushed ice—cool and crisp.

Li Zhiming and Li Ruoyao turned their heads at the same time.

Sang Yu wore a deep blue robe, a small jade pendant at his waist, and high boots. As he walked, the jade at his waist clinked melodiously, its sound lingering in the air.

Long legs, a slender waist.

Behind him followed a eunuch-like figure, holding a bolt of imperial yellow silk in his hands.

Li Zhiming glanced over and didn't think much of it, because he realized—that jade pendant on Sang Yu's waist was the one he'd bought!!

He'd originally planned to give one to Sang Yu and keep the other for himself.

But he'd run into Cui Liuer, so he'd given the pendant to her, and decided to keep the other for himself, without planning to tell Sang Yu.

But how did this pendant end up on his waist?

Li Zhiming stared at the pendant, missing the fake smile and indifference on Sang Yu's face, nor Li Ruoyao's odd expression and mood.

This eunuch had come bearing a secret decree.

The Crown Prince and the Prime Minister's second son had gone missing one after the other. The Emperor suspected someone was deliberately setting this up, so he'd ordered Li Zhiming to go find them. No reason was given—only that he was the right fit.

Li Zhiming suspected the Emperor was afraid to risk his own sons, so he'd shoved him out instead.

Son of a bitch.

After the decree-bearing eunuch left, the three of them sat there, each lost in their own thoughts.

Li Zhiming had lost all desire to joke around. He asked Sang Yu, "What did the Emperor want you for? Was it about this? Did he give any clues or anything? How am I supposed to find them?"

Sang Yu calmly sipped his tea, then spoke unhurriedly: "It was about that."

"Then—then what did he say? Tell me now."

"When the eldest young master gets there, focus your search on the red-light district—that's where your expertise lies." He gave him a light, dismissive glance.

Li Zhiming was now all panic, too flustered to catch the sarcasm in his words. His brows never relaxed.

Oh, right.

He grabbed hold of Sang Yu: "Come with me. You're smart—you'll definitely be useful."

"..."

Sang Yu brushed his hand away without pity: "Sang Yu is a prisoner, not allowed to leave the capital. I'm afraid I can't help the eldest young master."

"What?!"

Li Zhiming let out a startled yelp, scratching his head frantically.

How the hell was he supposed to investigate a case? He'd never even played a detective game or acted in anything like this. If something really went down, wouldn't going there be walking straight to his death?

Li Ruoyao, who'd been silent the whole time, finally spoke.

"Brother, why not go pay Magistrate Cui a visit? He's really good at solving cases, and he used to be the magistrate of Liangzhou—maybe he knows something about the area."

Magistrate Cui?

Li Zhiming's eyes lit up: "Right, you're right. This is urgent—I'll go visit him now."

He called for Feng Yin and bolted faster than a rabbit.

Why's he so worked up?

Sang Yu's eyes darkened. He lowered his gaze, fingering the jade pendant at his waist, recalling the image of Li Zhiming offering the pendant to Cui Liuer.

So deeply in love, huh.

For some reason, his chest felt stifled, and a nameless rage surged up within him. It seemed only the sight of blood could calm him down.

"You... are Young Master Yu?"

Li Ruoyao's timid inquiry pulled Sang Yu, who was on the verge of losing control, back from the darkness.

He looked up, expressionless at the young girl before him: "Third Miss, please return if there's nothing else. Sang Yu needs to rest."

"Oh? You're chasing me away? This is my home—I can stay here if I want."

Sang Yu rose and gave a slight bow: "Third Miss, as you wish. Sang Yu takes his leave."

"Wait!"

Li Ruoyao grabbed his sleeve, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him, filled with curiosity and a maiden's shyness: "Don't rush off, little prince. Do you like my brother?"

"?"

Sang Yu's face finally showed a hint of expression.

Li Ruoyao blinked: "You were snatched back by my brother. My brother likes you—so what about you? Do you like him too?"

Does he like me?

Then why did he buy a jade pendant and not give it to me, but give it to someone else instead?

Why did he trick me into going shopping, only to secretly meet another woman, leaving me abandoned on the side?

And now, rushing out so urgently—is it really to see the magistrate, or to see that graceful daughter of the magistrate?

Why?

Sang Yu's chest heaved violently. Suddenly enraged, he violently shook off her hand: "Get lost."

Li Ruoyao seemed frightened by him, stumbling back several steps from the force.

Bang.

Sang Yu entered the room and slammed the door shut.

Li Ruoyao had never suffered such humiliation and disrespect. Tears welled up in her eyes, she glared fiercely at the door, muttered something under her breath, and finally left.

Sang Yu leaned against the door, breathing heavily.

Something seemed to be growing wildly inside him, almost bursting through his chest, about to break free.

Suddenly, the familiar pain swept over him.

Sang Yu clutched his throbbing chest, his legs trembling. The wounds and ailments of years past ravaged his body like a storm, leaving his face pale and drenched in cold sweat.

The medicine was on him, tucked in his robe, but he didn't want to take it.

"Mm..."

He let out a muffled groan, his legs giving out as he dropped to his knees, one hand bracing against the ground, as if he might collapse at any second.

The jade pendant at his waist swayed with the movement, its tinkling sound like an eerie, bewitching chime.

It grated on him—harsh and hateful.

Ignoring the pain, Sang Yu yanked the pendant off, his eyes bloodshot, staring at it for a long moment before slamming it to the ground in a burst of fury.

The fine jade shattered into pieces.

It seemed to have taken the last of his strength. His lips parted, gasping for air, the sweat on his face beading thicker, until he finally pitched forward onto the ground.

"Master."

A man in black jumped in through the window, quickly fumbling a pill from his robes and forcing it into Sang Yu's mouth.

After taking the medicine, Sang Yu's dazed mind gradually came back to him.

The man in black knelt to the side, head bowed: "Master, why didn't you take your medicine? If something had happened to you..."

Sang Yu sat silently on the ground, feeling the aftershock of nearly dying, gazing vacantly at the shattered jade pieces strewn across the floor, a suffocating wave crashing over him.

His body was riddled with ailments—some visible, but many more hidden.

The medicine was what kept him alive.

The man in black, hearing no response for a long time, hesitantly lifted his head: "Master? Are you alright?"

Sang Yu's voice was hoarse: "Follow Li Zhiming. Report back to me every word of every meeting he has with anyone."

"Yes, Master."

The man in black leaped out the window and was gone.

Sang Yu remained slumped on the floor, leaning against the doorframe with his eyes closed, quietly reflecting on the recent days and nights.

After a while, he slowly crawled back up, picking up the broken jade pieces one by one, wrapping them in a handkerchief, and locking them away in a drawer.