Ren Yong'an sat down on a stool and shook his head helplessly: "Zhu Yu is acting strangely today. I feel like he knows something, but he won't reveal a single word."

Ren Yushan turned his head to look at his daughter: "Strange? How so?"

Ren Yong'an shook his head: "I can't quite put my finger on it. It's like he's deliberately avoiding talking to me about the Northern Army."

What did you say?

“I asked him when he would return to the Northwest, what the Emperor’s arrangements were, and whether he intended to replace the Xishan Military Camp with the Northern Army. He did not give a direct answer, only saying that the Emperor would make the arrangements.”

Ren Yushan snorted coldly: "Have you seen how badly he's injured?"

"He seems to be alright now. When he pulled me into his arms today, I deliberately pressed harder on the spot where he was injured in the chest, but he didn't seem to feel any pain. Father, is it true that he was shot in the heart and was about to die? Is Zhu Yu plotting something in secret?"

Instead of answering, Ren Yushan asked, "What about the Crown Prince? Did you tell him about this?"

Ren Yong'an tightened her grip on the handkerchief. She knew that her father sided with the Third Prince, which was why he had told her father half-truths about his conversation with Zhu Yu in the carriage.

Although they are father and daughter, she wants the position of Crown Princess, while her father favors the Third Prince.

She said, "No."

Ren Yushan stood up: "I don't care what you and the Crown Prince do in private, but you should think carefully about the lives of hundreds of people in the Ren family."

After saying that, Ren Yushan strode away. He had to tell the Third Prince about this matter as soon as possible. Zhu Yu's wedding had been assassinated, and he and the Third Prince couldn't figure out who was behind it.

Ren Yong'an watched his father walk away and then returned to his own room.

At the Prince An's residence, Lu Xiaoyun first went back to the main courtyard to wash her hands. She rubbed her fingers until they were almost red before taking a handkerchief from Jiang Chuan and wiping each of her long, well-defined fingers clean.

After changing his clothes, he headed towards Yunmei Garden.

Jiang Chuan felt that his prince's dislike for Ren Yong'an was already quite obvious, and Ren Yong'an should really be shown this, so that he wouldn't be so self-important and annoy people everywhere.

When Lu Xiaoyun arrived at Yunmei Garden, she saw Consort Duan wearing a red fox fur cloak, standing under a red plum tree, picking a red plum and playing with it in her hand, while Zhang Mama stood behind her.

Upon seeing "Prince An" approaching, Granny Zhang quickly stepped aside and stood properly.

Lu Xiaoyun glanced at Zhang Mama indifferently, walked up to Consort Duan, and said in a cold voice, "Your son greets Consort Duan."

Consort Duan tossed aside the red plum blossom in her hand, glanced at Lu Xiaoyun, nodded, and said, "Why wasn't Yong'an sent back to the Left Prime Minister's residence?"

Lu Xiaoyun rolled her eyes inwardly. Didn't you ask Yuan Xiu to call me back? Now you're asking her again, what's the meaning of this?

"Yong'an is safe and sound, Mother Consort, please rest assured."

Consort Duan nodded and walked towards the side hall, and Lu Xiaoyun had no choice but to follow her into the side hall.

Once inside, Consort Duan sat down in the main seat, picked up a cup of tea and took a slow sip before asking in a deep voice, "Did you order someone to send that little wretch back to Feixue Garden?"

Lu Xiaoyun frowned upon hearing this. No matter what, Consort Duan was one of the emperor's concubines. How could she be called a "little slut" like that? Thinking of the relationship between Zhu Yu and Consort Duan, she also said coldly, "Yes."

Consort Duan looked displeased: "Don't you know how she slandered me in front of everyone? Why send her back to Feixue Garden? I heard that you also had the Prince's kitchen send your three meals a day to Feixue Garden, so you want to dine with her?"

Lu Xiaoyun glanced at Zhang Mama, who was standing next to Consort Duan.

Unable to withstand that sharp gaze, Zhang Mama almost knelt down, her face drained of all color.

Lu Xiaoyun gave a faint "hmm".

Consort Duan gripped her teacup tightly. If she hadn't been trying so hard to restrain herself, she would have loved to throw the cup to the ground. Even so, her face remained cold: "Why? Could it be that, Yu'er, you've taken a fancy to this little slut?"

Lu Xiaoyun met Consort Duan's exquisitely made-up but somewhat distorted face: "No matter what, he is the eldest daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. Even if Mother Consort dislikes him, she shouldn't punish him so severely. He is already seriously injured. If he is made to kneel in the freezing cold for another five hours, we can just collect his corpse."

"Ha." Consort Duan sneered, "That's her own fault! If she dies, my Prince An's Mansion will just give her a tattered straw mat and throw her into a mass grave. You are the dignified Fourth Prince of the Great Zhou, the Prince An with a title, do you think you're afraid of a mere Duke of Zhenguo!"

Lu Xiaoyun sat there with a cold face, not saying a word.

Consort Duan took a deep breath and looked at Lu Xiaoyun, saying, "Yu'er, don't forget, if it weren't for that little bitch Lu Xiaoyun, you could have married Yong'an after the New Year. And don't forget how she made you look bad at the palace banquet."

"Yong'an is almost seventeen now, waiting for you, and she is still not engaged. You must not let her love for you go to waste. You are twenty-three now. It is the right thing to do to marry Yong'an and start a family as soon as possible. Don't waste your energy on irrelevant people. Your mother has told you that I will take care of that little slut Lu Xiaoyun for you."

Lu Xiaoyun didn't want to hear any more of this. It's no wonder that Zhu Yu and Consort Duan barely exchanged a few words. If it weren't Lu Xiaoyun standing in front of her today, but the real Zhu Yu, she might not be willing to listen to Consort Duan say this either.

She stood up and said coldly, "I know, Mother, please rest if you have nothing else to do. I have official business to attend to, so I'll be leaving now."

After saying that, without waiting for Consort Duan to speak, he strode out.

Consort Duan was furious at Lu Xiaoyun's words. She swept the teacup on the table to the ground: "What does he mean! Now that he's grown up, does he think he can disregard his mother, me? This is outrageous! What kind of bewitching potion did that woman give him? How dare he defy me like this for her sake!"

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