Qi Yuan didn’t look pleased.
She knew Duchess Chu had just injured her head and should absolutely avoid anger and emotional agitation.
But she hadn’t expected Duchess Chu to be this fragile.
Before Qi Yuan even had the chance to make a move, Duchess Chu had literally died of anger on her own.
Such a scheming, deep-hearted woman couldn’t even handle a fit of rage. It seemed she had simply lived too comfortably for too long.
Qi Yuan looked at her with a complicated expression for a moment, then didn’t linger. She turned and climbed out the back window, circling around to the front gate of Duke Chu’s residence.
Just as she turned the corner, someone suddenly grabbed her arm and yanked her hard to the side. Instinctively, she elbowed backward, while her other hand quickly pulled out her hairpin, ready to stab.
But the person seemed to have anticipated this. He pressed down her other hand and gripped her hairpin, lowering his voice, “It’s me.”
Hearing Xiao Yunting’s voice, Qi Yuan stopped her movements, shook him off, and calmly put her hairpin back in place. She asked coldly, “Your Highness, why are you here?”
Xiao Yunting glanced out. “With such a big commotion, do you think I can pretend not to know?”
Qi Yuan raised an eyebrow and briefly explained what had happened earlier, then asked, “Was everything smooth on Princess Consort Lu’s side?”
Previously, after Xiao Yunting had someone find Hu Yichuan, he had gone to contact Xing Min to push forward the whole plan of Hu Yichuan stirring up trouble.
After that, Xiao Yunting had worried that something might go wrong with Princess Consort Lu, so he personally rushed over.
Qi Yuan glanced at him.
Xiao Yunting nodded. “When Princess Consort Lu arrived with Ma Xuan, Lu Minghui had nearly torn apart the entire manor. Fortunately, they got there in time.”
It was no wonder Lu Minghui had risen to Grand Commandant—his heart was truly ruthless.
When he couldn’t find Xiao Mo or Princess Consort Lu, he had actually planned to set the manor on fire and massacre the surrounding villagers.
Fortunately, Princess Consort Lu had arrived just in time.
When enemies meet, their eyes burn with hatred. Lu Minghui wanted to play the victim, but Princess Consort Lu was no longer the soft-hearted man he used to be.
The plan had gone smoothly, so Xiao Yunting left Princess Consort Lu there to wait for Zhou Wang, while he hurried back.
Who would have thought he’d return just in time to see such a spectacle?
He let out a breath and asked Qi Yuan, “When you came out of Duke Chu’s rear courtyard just now, what were you doing?”
Qi Yuan’s face remained expressionless, but there was still some lingering frustration as she answered, “Originally, I wanted to kill Duchess Chu, but I didn’t expect her to be so weak—she actually died of anger on her own.”
…
Xiao Yunting doubted whether this was entirely true.
After all, Qi Yuan was extremely skilled at making people angry.
Duchess Chu probably didn’t die from her own anger but was likely driven to death by Qi Yuan—though Qi Yuan herself might not even realize it.
He coughed lightly. “You wanted to escalate things?”
“Of course,” Qi Yuan looked at him matter-of-factly. “We’ve already come this far; there’s no turning back. Of course we should seize the chance to settle old grudges.”
Dragging things out would only make them messier.
Better to end everything all at once.
Xiao Yunting understood her intention.
Everything unfolded naturally after that. After the commotion, the Shuntian Prefecture officials quickly arrived and took away Hu Yichuan, the corpses of the assassins, and the two surviving killers.
Censor Tie, still seething with anger, pointed at Duke Chu and said, “Duke Chu, if it is found that you ordered assassins to attack commoners and silence witnesses, I will impeach you for abuse of power and harboring malicious intent!”
Duke Chu was so furious he nearly wanted to kill this stubborn fool on the spot!
After finally driving away these disasters, he turned and headed back inside, only to see his daughter-in-law, Madam Liu, running toward him in panic, on the verge of tears: “Father-in-law! Mother-in-law, she—she has passed away!”
A thunderclap seemed to explode in his mind. Duke Chu pushed aside the steward who tried to support him and staggered toward Old Madam Liu’s courtyard.
When he reached the back courtyard, he saw that the northwest side had been partially burned, the back shed’s door half gone, and the smell of smoke still lingering.
But he couldn’t spare a thought for why the fire had broken out. He hurried into Duchess Chu’s room in a panic.
Then he saw Duchess Chu lying on the ground.
Madam Liu rushed in behind him and, choking with sobs, said, “Father-in-law, earlier when we heard there was trouble at the front gate again, Mother insisted I go check what was going on. Who would’ve thought that when I came back…”
Her voice broke into a quiet sob.
Duke Chu’s mind was completely blank.
He had already lost both his legitimate and illegitimate sons one after another, and now he had lost his wife. If it were anyone else, they would have already gone mad.
Although he hadn’t gone mad, he also couldn’t stay calm.
Staring at his wife lying on the ground, he fell into a strange, eerie silence, not wanting to say a single extra word.
Madam Liu stood nearby, trembling in fear. “Father-in-law, should—should we send for someone to prepare her for burial…”
Duke Chu was just about to speak when the steward rushed in, flustered. “My Lord, someone from the Jiang family—Master Jiang has arrived.”
Jiang Yanzhen!
Just the thought of him filled Duke Chu with rage.
That useless fool couldn’t even handle the trivial task of killing Hu Yichuan!
If he hadn’t failed to kill someone and instead stirred up a city-wide scandal, giving Hu Yichuan the chance to incite those foolish commoners, would any of this have happened today?
Would his wife have died?
Duke Chu clenched his fists tightly and barked without turning his head, “Tell him to get out!”
The steward didn’t dare say another word and quickly obeyed.
Jiang Yanzhen was like an ant on a hot pan. The people he had sent out never returned, and when he inquired, he found out not only had they failed to kill their target, but his men had also been captured.
And now they had been taken to Shuntian Prefecture.
Who knew whether those men would keep their mouths shut!
In a panic, he rushed over to Duke Chu’s residence, hoping to discuss how to handle the situation.
But what he got in response was just one word: “Get out.”
He was stunned. “What did His Lordship say?”
Who was he telling to get out?
The steward was already furious.
One disaster after another had struck the household, and here this Master Jiang had the nerve to show up at such a critical moment.
The steward snapped, “His Lordship said he will not see you. You should go back now!”
Go back now?!
Jiang Yanzhen sneered inwardly.
He immediately realized Duke Chu was trying to cut ties.
This was exactly Duke Chu’s usual style.
When things got out of hand, he didn’t want to be involved anymore, right?!
Jiang Yanzhen forced down his anger. “No, I must see him! This is urgent!”
But the steward, terrified of how furious Duke Chu must be right now, didn’t dare report back and refused immediately without hesitation: “His Lordship already said—he will not see you! Please leave on your own.”
With that, he brushed his sleeves and walked away.
Jiang Yanzhen was so angry he almost passed out.
What, just because he’d messed up, now Duke Chu wanted to turn against him and pretend they didn’t know each other?!
Did he think he was just a rag to be used and thrown away?!
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