Thе nеws оf Yi Guоru's dеath would soоn sрread, уet she still hаd thе аudасitу to remаin there?!
Shutting the door tightly, Yin Gеzhi sсoldеd in a lоw vоiсе, "Chаngе уоur сlothеs quickly!"
"You wеrе outsidе all along?" Fеng Yue askеd, her gazе vасаnt.
Yin Gеzhi рursеd his lips and rоаred imраtiеntly, "Тakе оff these сlоthes first!"
Нe had beеn outside, right abоvе thеm, and hе had heard еvеrуthing theу sаid.
Нis mind wаs in turmоil. Нaving livеd fоr ovеr twentу yeаrs, this was thе first timе Yin Gеzhi had ехреrienced thе feeling of having donе something wrong аnd not daring tо faсе othеrs. Since childhood, he had always been a source of comfort to his father, never causing any trouble. Yet now, the one time he did, it was something irreparable.
Guan Canghai... was truly wronged. Who would repay the blood of the entire Guan family? How much grievance must this person before him be holding?
However, the more panicked he felt inside, the calmer he appeared on the surface, acting as if nothing had happened while sternly ordering her to change her clothes.
Feng Yue chuckled softly and murmured, "It's a pity you didn't hear..."
Yin Gezhi lowered his gaze and, growing impatient, fetched the clothes himself. He untied the ribbons on her garments and personally helped her change.
"Your Highness?" Feng Yue, having snapped back to reality, glanced at him curiously. "What's wrong with you?"
"What do you mean, what's wrong?" Yin Gezhi replied in a harsh tone, his face stern. "Hurry up and change your outfit. Are you waiting to be caught?"
"I do need to change, and I have no objection to you helping me, but... why are your hands trembling?"
"...I'm a bit nervous." Taking a light breath, Yin Gezhi said, "With Yi Guoru dead, the Wu Kingdom is bound to be thrown into turmoil. Anyone would be nervous."
Is that so? Feng Yue blinked, reached out to grasp his slender fingertips, raised an eyebrow, and smiled. "Earlier, you asked me if I knew why you were so close to the General's Mansion. At the time, I didn't know, but now I do."
Startled by the warmth of her palm, Yin Gezhi pursed his lips and turned his head away. "You know?"
"Yes." Feng Yue removed her outer robe herself and began loosening her belt, chuckling softly. "Your Highness is clever. You must have planned long ago for the day you would kill Yi Guoru, which is why you grew close to the General's Mansion. Once General Yi is dead, wouldn't your suspicion be greatly reduced?"
Who would suspect Yin Gezhi? He had always regarded General Yi as a close friend despite their age difference and deeply loved Yi Zhangzhu. Throughout the Wu Kingdom, even if they suspected Ye Yuqing, no one would suspect Yin Gezhi.
The hem of her skirt fell to the floor, revealing her slender legs. Feng Yue moved closer to the man before her, looked up into his eyes, and pressed against him as she continued to untie her upper garment. "Your Highness is quite skilled, far-sighted and beyond ordinary people. But since you had prepared so thoroughly, why did you take the risk of going out yourself to fetch me?"
Lowering his gaze to look at her, Yin Gezhi's eyes held a deep, inscrutable expression. "If something happened to you, I would be the first to be implicated."
That made sense. After all, her face was quite recognizable. Even though she hadn't shown it to the prison guards, if she had been caught on the spot and examined under the light, Yin Gezhi would undoubtedly have been summoned for questioning.
Giggling softly, Feng Yue removed her upper garment. Her fair collarbone contrasted with the red strings of her undergarment, making her look like a seductress. "Then I thank Your Highness."
His throat moved slightly. Yin Gezhi reached out, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her closer against him.Feng Yue gasped softly, her eyes seductive as she murmured, "This servant has just avenged a great wrong. Your Highness being so close, aren't you afraid I might get carried away and drag us both down in mutual destruction?"
"You’d be willing?" Yin Gezhi asked expressionlessly.
Her heart skipped a beat. Feng Yue glared, "Why wouldn’t I be?"
Right, all those sweet words from her mouth were just to deceive him. Naturally, she wouldn’t truly hold him in her heart.
The hand pressing against her waist slowly clenched into a fist. He closed his eyes, his tone calm as he said, "I didn’t say you’d be unwilling to part with me. Rather, with your revenge unfinished, would you be willing to die?"
That was awkward. Had she misunderstood? Feng Yue grinned, immediately turning her gaze to the floor. "Your Highness, it’s best to dispose of these clothes early."
Releasing her, he pulled his own cloak and draped it over her. Yin Gezhi bent down, picked up the clothes, poured wine over them, and threw them into the brazier to burn.
"Prince Yin! Prince Yin!" In the time it took for three incense sticks to burn, Minister Meng rushed over in a panic. As soon as he entered, he exclaimed, "Prince Yin, General Yi has died in prison, poisoned!"
Having already composed himself, Yin Gezhi had been waiting with Feng Yue in the outer chamber for some time. Upon hearing this, Feng Yue gasped sharply, while Yin Gezhi slammed his palm on the nearby table. "What?!"
His tone was filled with as much shock as possible, brimming with disbelief and fury. He stepped forward, grabbing Minister Meng and shouting, "How could you let this happen?!"
Startled by his outburst, Minister Meng stared at him blankly, wondering if he hadn’t come to hold Prince Yin accountable. After all, it was Prince Yin who had allowed access to the death row. Now, with this sudden accusation, it felt as though the fault was his own.
"Your Highness…"
"Hurry, go to the prison and see! General Yi was highly skilled in martial arts. How could he have been poisoned without resisting?"
"Your Highness…"
"Why are you hesitating? Notify the palace immediately!"
"...Yes." Hearing the urgency in the prince’s voice, Minister Meng turned and left. Everyone knew Yin Gezhi was closest to General Yi. With him in such a rage, it was better to stay out of his way.
Centered around the death row, a storm of shock and turmoil swept through Shadowless City. For the first time, the palace gates, which were usually locked and never reopened after nightfall, swung open in the middle of the night. A stream of officials filed in, while another stream of palace attendants filed out.
Ye Yuqing was in such a hurry that he hadn’t even properly arranged his attire. He hastily boarded a carriage and rushed to the Ministry of Justice, where he saw Minister Meng kneeling at the entrance. Upon seeing him, Minister Meng bowed and saluted. "Your Highness…"
"Why are you still calling me ‘Your Highness’?!" Ye Yuqing roared. "They say the Ministry of Justice is the safest place in all of Shadowless City. Can you tell me, sir, how General Yi could have met with misfortune under your watch?"
Sweat beaded on his forehead. Minister Meng hurriedly replied, "This official has never neglected his duties in guarding the prison. However, it was Prince Yin who allowed the Yi household to send food and drink! An hour ago, a maid from the Yi family brought food with a token. As soon as she left, General Yi met with disaster!"
"Oh?" Ye Yuqing asked as he walked. "Where is that maid now?"
"..."
His steps halted. Crown Prince Ye turned his head, furious yet laughing bitterly. "You didn’t capture her?"
"This official deserves death!"With a sharp flick of his sleeve, Ye Yuqing stepped into the prison cell and saw Yin Gezhi, his eyes bloodshot, furiously shouting, "Are you all dead?! I told you to thoroughly inspect any food before delivering it to the general. Are you deaf or mute?!"
The prison guards knelt on the ground, utterly wronged. "The pastries that maid brought were tasted by us first before being sent in. There was nothing wrong with them!"
"Then how did the general end up like this?!" Yin Gezhi roared. "How did this happen? Tell me!"
The deafening shouts actually calmed Ye Yuqing down. Seeing Yin Gezhi’s furious state, he stepped forward to console him. "Your Highness, please calm down."
Turning to look at him with bloodshot eyes, Yin Gezhi reached out, grabbed Ye Yuqing’s lapel, and rudely pulled him aside. Gritting his teeth, he asked, "Your Highness wouldn’t have wanted General Yi dead, would you?"
His entire body tensed. Ye Yuqing shook his head. "This humble prince would never make such a reckless decision. General Yi has contributed greatly to the state. Even my father said he must not be touched. I would never wish to see him meet such an end."
"Then who could it be?" Yin Gezhi covered his eyes, filled with pain, sorrow, and regret. "Why didn’t I come to watch over him myself…"
Anyone who saw this would be moved. Ye Yuqing sighed, not even minding the rudeness of having his lapel grabbed. Grief was understandable.
"Your Highness, did you only give the token I gave you to Zhangzhu?"
"Yes," Yin Gezhi wiped his face. "Only those with the token could enter. The guards just confirmed that. Only members of the Yi family came to visit with the token. The last maid also had that token."
Frowning slightly, Ye Yuqing turned and went out to give orders. "Bring Miss Yi here."
Yi Zhangzhu was in the middle of her sleep when she was inexplicably brought to the Grand Commandant’s Mansion. Ye Yuqing couldn’t bear to tell her the news of General Yi’s death. He only asked, "Where is the token?"
Somewhat confused, Yi Zhangzhu reached into her pouch, took out the token, and handed it to him. "This one?"
Pausing for a moment, Ye Yuqing took it, examined it, and nodded. "Did you give it to anyone else?"
"No," Yi Zhangzhu replied. "Only Dianchai and I used the token to bring food to my father. The rest of the time, I kept it with me at all times."
How could this be? Ye Yuqing motioned for someone to take Yi Zhangzhu to rest first. Then, holding the token, he asked the guards, "Are you sure the visitor had this token?"
"Yes!" Several guards nodded repeatedly. "Without Your Highness’s token, how would we dare let anyone in?"
This was strange. Ye Yuqing frowned, deeply puzzled, and turned to look at Yin Gezhi. "Your Highness, this…"
Yin Gezhi’s expression was pained, his voice hoarse. "Your Highness must find the culprit and give General Yi’s spirit in heaven the justice it deserves."
Taking a deep breath, Ye Yuqing massaged his temples, feeling a headache coming on. "This matter will be handed over to Grand Commandant Meng for a thorough investigation. This humble prince will return to the palace to report."
"Your Highness, take care," Yin Gezhi struggled to stand and bowed.
Feng Yue stayed inside the room without going out. The windowsill was empty, so she comfortably sat on it, swinging her legs as she smiled and looked at the sky outside.
How laughable. Such a simple scheme had killed a general who had served the Wei Kingdom loyally for over a decade. Now, only she knew the truth, and only she would seek revenge.
Raising her hand, she suddenly felt like drinking some nü’erhong, the kind that had been buried for ten years.Her empty palm was suddenly filled with a jug of wine. Feng Yue was startled and sharply turned her head.
Yin Gezhi had returned, his expression looking somewhat strange. He held two wine jugs, handing one to her.
"Drink. For now, there won’t be anything for you or me to worry about."
Was the First Prince being so considerate? Feng Yue grinned, took the wine jug, clinked it with his, and tilted her head back to pour it down her throat.
The fine Huadiao wine was so strong it brought tears to her eyes. She coughed twice, her gaze shimmering like autumn ripples: "Your Highness seems to have something on your mind."
Standing by the window, watching her, Yin Gezhi pursed his lips: "No."
"Really not? Haven’t you considered that now that the major matters are settled, this servant no longer poses a threat to you, and killing me would be the most appropriate course of action?"
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