He was truly impatient.
He truly didn't care about other people's lives.
It didn't matter to him who the person in front of him was.
It had nothing to do with him.
Anyone who opposed his master deserved to die in his fanatical view.
Qiu Lu was dumbfounded. It was that easy to get information?
He looked at Jing Heng's calm, devilish demeanor and made a mental note to interrogate people like Jing Heng in the future.
A moment later.
After obtaining the desired information from Qian Le'er, Jing Heng and Qiu Lu left quickly.
Qian Le'er, however, slumped down as if her soul had been ripped away.
At the same time.
Qiu Lu and Jing Heng, who had just reached the main gate, bumped into Yi Zixing.
Yi Zixing seemed quite surprised to see them. "What are you two doing here?"
"Young Master Yi, Le'er is my cousin," Qiu Lu said in a low voice.
Yi Zixing paused for a moment, then nodded. "Le'er told me. I'm aware of what happened last night. How is King Ye doing? Please convey my condolences to King Ye. He must take care of himself."
He had heard about what happened last night and knew it was not ordinary.
He had also anticipated that the capital would not be peaceful.
Qiu Lu nodded. "Okay."
Yi Zixing stood where he was, watching Qiu Lu and Jing Heng leave.
It took him a moment to snap back to reality.
Then, he headed towards Le'er's room.
The door was not closed; it was wide open.
The servants were standing by, terrified. Seeing Yi Zixing, they were about to speak when he stopped them.
He then walked in and saw Qian Le'er, her face pale, with clear finger marks on her neck.
"What happened?" Yi Zixing hurried to Qian Le'er, pointing at the prominent finger marks on her neck.
Qian Le'er was overcome with fear, still unable to forget the dread of being on the brink of death. She immediately hugged Yi Zixing and burst into tears. "Young Master! Young Master, I was so scared! I feared I would never see you again! I was so afraid he would really break my neck."
Yi Zixing frowned deeply, utterly perplexed. "What exactly happened? Who tried to strangle you? Your cousin and Jing Heng were just here. With them around, who would dare to hurt you?"
"It... it was Jing Heng, him!" Qian Le'er's eyes darted about, and with a gritted teeth, she spoke Jing Heng's name.
She couldn't let this go!
Even if she revealed some information, she didn't believe they would find that person so quickly.
She wanted to use this opportunity to create a complete rift between Yi Zixing and Yun Shu!
Ideally, from then on, Yi Zixing would feel disgusted whenever he saw Yun Shu and want nothing to do with her!
And Yun Shu would no longer appear before Yi Zixing!
Yi Zixing's brow furrowed. "It was Jing Heng? Wait for me here. I'll go ask Yun Shu now."
Qian Le'er pretended to look distressed, her eyes red, and shook her head. "Perhaps you shouldn't go. They... they might accuse me of something else. I'm afraid, I'm afraid you'll leave me, Young Master. Besides, they have King Ye protecting them. It's not worth it for you to offend King Ye for me."
"He tried to kill you. If he had exerted more force, your neck would have been broken. You stay home and rest. I'll be back soon." Yi Zixing's decision was made; no one could stop him.
Qian Le'er put on a look of great reluctance, bit her lip, and said, "Alright, fine."
...
The wind and clouds shifted.
The rain that fell all night grew heavier then lighter, lighter then heavier, intermittently throughout the night.
By the time dawn broke the next day, the sky outside was still gray, shrouded in mist.
Old Master Qin had been sent back to the Qin Manor, and arrangements for his burial were underway.
Zhan Tianye had accompanied Old Master Qin back to the Qin Manor.
Yun Shu did not go with them, but stayed at the General's Manor.
The three little ones were too sad. They had been crying since they woke up that morning. Yun Shu had intentionally let them accompany Zhan Tianye, believing that having someone by his side during such times would keep his heart from growing cold.
Yun Changfeng seemed to have uncovered some information.
She was also waiting for Jing Heng to return.
"Father suspects it has something to do with Prince Ning?" Yun Shu asked, after listening to Yun Changfeng's speculation based on various clues.
Yun Changfeng nodded. "I do suspect Prince Ning. If Prince Ning hadn't returned to the capital, I might not have suspected him, nor would I have even thought of him. But now that Prince Ning has returned, many things have happened. Prince Ning, who was previously thought to be indifferent to power, is now determined to stay in the capital against the late emperor's decree. The fact that the Emperor has taken no action regarding his return is enough to show that Prince Ning had been preparing for his return to the capital long ago."
"Father's suspicion is indeed reasonable," Yun Shu nodded, finding it quite logical.
After calming down last night, she had contemplated the matter and had indeed begun to suspect Prince Ning.
He was certainly suspicious.
"I've ordered people to continue investigating. Oh, and you mentioned before that Bai Chun claimed the person who instructed him wore a mask and that even he didn't know their identity. This person might be Prince Ning," Yun Changfeng added.
Yun Shu's brow furrowed in deep thought.
"It's been confirmed that the Regent has nothing to do with this. The Regent is currently in a precarious position himself, preoccupied with how to cure his illness. He doesn't have the capacity to plan such a meticulous assassination." Yun Changfeng said.
"He truly doesn't have the energy to stir up trouble in these matters."
"But we must still be wary."
"Father is right."
After chatting for a while longer, Jing Heng returned.
"Master, Qian Le'er has confessed."
Yun Shu immediately looked up. "Who?"
Jing Heng's face was grim. "She doesn't know who it was either. The person wore a mask and was a woman. She only saw them once. After that, others taught her etiquette and rules, and told her how to appear before the Marquis of Zhongyong's heir."
"A woman?" Yun Shu raised an eyebrow.
So, it wasn't the same person who instructed Bai Chun?
Suddenly, the fog surrounding the situation thickened.
"Yes, she's likely not lying," Jing Heng replied.
Yun Shu hummed. "Let me think about it carefully."
Jing Heng immediately stood by, waiting.
At this moment, A'cha, concerned about Yun Shu's health, brought some soup. Jing Heng shook his head at A'cha.
A'cha immediately stood still, not moving.
Yun Shu was deep in thought, and time passed unconsciously.
A'cha saw the bloodstains on Yun Shu's clothes. Her mistress hadn't slept since last night, nor had she changed her clothes. Now she was so worried and exhausted; A'cha wondered if her body could endure it. She was very concerned.
Fortunately, her mistress looked up.
"A'cha, what are you holding?" Yun Shu asked, her eyes falling on the quietly standing A'cha.
A'cha immediately brought the soup towards Yun Shu. "It's a medicinal soup the kitchen brewed this morning, using a recipe you gave them. It's very delicious and light. Please have a bowl to warm yourself up, Mistress."
"Give it to Jing Heng. I'm not hungry," Yun Shu said, shaking her head, having no appetite at the moment.
"To me?" Jing Heng was stunned.