Chapter 44: Urgent News from the Border: The Prince Leaves the Mansion

At daybreak, a faint light filtered through the window paper in the side courtyard. Yun Zhi hadn't slept all night, clutching the metal box she'd found in the darkroom of the study. Her fingertips repeatedly stroked the Yun family crest on the box—the box held a secret letter from her father, the injustices of the Yun family, and her only hope for revenge.

"Miss, are you awake?" Qingzhu walked in with a basin of water and saw Yunzhi sitting beside the bed. Although her face was still pale, her eyes were no longer as dead as before, but more alert. "I just heard some noise in the front yard. It seemed like the secret guards were running back and forth. I wonder what happened."

Yun Zhi's heart sank. The frequent activity of the secret guards meant something serious had probably happened. Just as she was about to ask Qing Zhu to find out, she heard hurried footsteps outside the courtyard and the captain of the guards shouting, "The prince has ordered us to prepare our horses! Urgent news from the border; we must depart immediately!"

Urgent news from the border? Yun Zhi clutched the box in her arms, her brow furrowed. Xiao Jin was leaving the capital? This was both a crisis and an opportunity for her—his absence from the palace would surely trigger trouble with the princess and concubines, but at the same time, she would be freer to search for "Uncle Liu" and the evidence mentioned in the secret letter.

Not long after, the door to the side courtyard was pushed open. Xiao Jin was dressed in a dark suit, a long sword at his waist, his hair neatly tied up. His face had lost its usual sinister look, and now had a more military edge. He didn't look at Qingzhu, but walked straight to Yunzhi. His gaze fell on her pale face, lingering for a moment, and he said in a cold, hard tone, "I am going to the border. You must behave yourself in the mansion and don't cause any trouble for me."

Yun Zhi lowered her head, said nothing, and didn't look at him - she was afraid that the hatred in her eyes would be exposed, and even more afraid of seeing his face that made her hate him and feel complicated.

Seeing her lack of response, Xiao Jin felt a strange surge of irritation. He'd originally wanted to tell her to heal her wounds well and not let the princess bully her, but the words morphed into a cold warning. He stared at her tightly pursed lips, at her hand hidden in her sleeve, and suddenly remembered the subtle noise in the dark room of the study last night—he'd actually noticed someone sneaking into the study, but he'd deliberately let them go. He hadn't expected it to be her.

Why did she sneak into the study? Was it to find Xie Heng's letter, or for something else? Xiao Jin wanted to ask, but seeing her aloof expression, he swallowed the words back.

"Keep an eye on her," he turned and ordered Qingzhu. His tone was still cold, but with a subtle hint of seriousness. "Don't let her die, and don't let her be bullied."

Qingzhu was stunned for a moment, then nodded quickly: "Yes, I obey your command."

Xiao Jin didn't pause, striding out. When he reached the courtyard gate, he subconsciously turned back to look at Yun Zhi, who was sitting beside the bed. She still had her head bowed, the morning light falling on her thin shoulders like a fragile veil. His heart inexplicably tightened, and he wanted to say something, but in the end, he just gritted his teeth, turned around, and disappeared around the corner.

The horses were already ready in the front yard, and the secret guards and imperial guards stood neatly on either side, all with solemn expressions. Xiao Jin climbed onto his horse and took the reins from the guard. His gaze swept across the palace's vermilion walls, finally settling on the side courtyard. A complex emotion flashed in his eyes—concern, doubt, and a hint of reluctance that he himself was unaware of.

"Let's go!" He whipped his whip, and the horse neighed and galloped towards the city gate. The secret guards and guards followed closely behind, raising a cloud of dust and quickly disappeared at the end of the street.

The news of Xiao Jin's departure from the mansion quickly spread to the ears of Princess Lin Wanru and Concubine Su Yurou as if it had wings.

In the pavilion of the main courtyard, Lin Wanru clutched a string of Buddhist beads in her hand, a smug smile on her lips. "Xiao Jin will be gone for at least two weeks. As for Yun Zhi, without his 'protection', let's see how she can get away with it!"

Su Yurou sat aside, holding a teacup in her hand, her eyes full of viciousness: "Sister is right. Before, when the prince was here, it was difficult for us to take action. Now that the prince is gone, it's a good opportunity to get rid of her."

"Get rid of her?" Lin Wanru sneered, twirling her Buddhist beads. "It's not that easy. Xiao Jin must have ordered someone to watch her before he left. If we kill her directly, Xiao Jin will definitely become suspicious when he returns."

"So what sister means is..." Su Yurou put down the teacup and moved closer.

Lin Wanru lowered her voice, a vicious look flashing in her eyes: "We won't kill her, but we can destroy her. Doesn't she care about her innocence the most? We will set up a trap to ruin her reputation. When Xiao Jin returns, even if he wants to protect her, he won't have the face to do so!"

Su Yurou's eyes lit up: "Sister, are you trying to... create the illusion that she's having an affair?"

"That's right," Lin Wanru nodded, pulling out a small porcelain bottle from her sleeve. The bottle was engraved with intricate patterns. "It contains an aphrodisiac from the Western Regions. It's colorless and odorless. Just let her drink it, and then find a male servant to take it to her room. Then we'll catch her red-handed. Even if she has a hundred mouths, she won't be able to explain herself!"

Su Yurou took the porcelain bottle, opened it and sniffed it. As expected, there was no smell at all. An excited smile appeared on her face. "Sister is really thoughtful! As long as she loses her innocence, the prince will definitely dislike her. Then we can find any excuse to drive her out of the palace, or even... let her die outside!"

"Kicking her out of the palace would be too easy for her," Lin Wanru's eyes grew even colder. "I'm going to make her life more miserable than death. Once she's ruined, I'll send her to the most despicable brothel and let her be abused for the rest of her life. I'll let her know what happens if she competes with me for the prince!"

The two exchanged a smile, their eyes filled with the venom of a venomous snake, chilling people to the bone. The pomegranate tree outside the pavilion was in full bloom, its petals falling onto the stone table, tinged with the scent of blood from their conversation.

Meanwhile, Yun Zhi, in the side courtyard, was unaware of the conspiracy brewing against her. Only after she heard the clatter of Xiao Jin's horse's hooves recede from the mansion did she dare to pull the metal box from her bosom, carefully opening it and once again reading her father's secret letter.

The secret letter mentioned that when my father discovered Prime Minister Shen's liaisons with the enemy, he gave more detailed evidence to his most trusted general, Uncle Liu, and asked him to hide it under a Buddha statue in a dilapidated temple in the western suburbs as a precaution. Later, when the Yun family was raided and Uncle Liu disappeared, that evidence became the key to his whereabouts.

"Uncle Liu, the ruined temple in the western suburbs..." Yun Zhi repeated in a low voice, her eyes gradually becoming determined, "No matter where you are, no matter whether the evidence is still there or not, I must find it!"

She put the secret letter back into the box and hid it in the secret compartment under the bed. Then she said to Qingzhu, "Qingzhu, please keep an eye on the princess and the concubines for me. They will definitely not miss this opportunity. Also, find out for me what the situation is like in the ruined temple in the western suburbs, and whether there is anyone named Liu active nearby."

"Don't worry, young lady. I will!" Qingzhu nodded heavily, his eyes full of determination. "I will definitely protect you, help you find evidence, and avenge the Yun family!"

Yun Zhi looked at Qingzhu and felt a warmth in her heart - in this cold palace, in this capital city full of conspiracies, Qingzhu was her only support.

But she didn't know that the princess and the concubine were quicker than she thought. At noon that day, the maid responsible for delivering food to the side courtyard was replaced. The new maid quietly mixed the colorless and odorless aphrodisiac into the chicken soup.

Qingzhu took the food and felt something was wrong. Just when she wanted to ask the maid to stay and taste it together, she was refused by the maid on the grounds that "the princess has ordered that you must go back and report immediately after delivering the food."

"Miss, this food..." Qingzhu was holding the chicken soup, feeling uneasy.

Yun Zhi watched the oil droplets floating on the surface of the chicken soup, a faint aroma lingering around her nose, yet it felt strangely pungent. She remembered her mother's words, "Don't have the intention to harm others, but be on guard against them." Then, thinking about how the princess had changed the maid who delivered the food just after Xiao Jin left the mansion, alarm bells suddenly went off.

"Don't drink it!" Yun Zhi held Qing Zhu's hand and lowered her voice, "There's something wrong with this chicken soup!"

She picked up a silver hairpin and dipped it into the chicken soup - after a moment, the tip of the hairpin turned slightly black!

"It's poisonous indeed!" Qingzhu turned pale with fear and quickly poured the chicken soup on the ground. "The princess is so cruel! She actually wanted to poison the girl!"

"It's not poison, it's an aphrodisiac." Yun Zhi looked at the blackened silver hairpin, her eyes turning cold. "She wants to destroy my innocence and ruin my reputation."

At this moment, Yun Zhi suddenly felt hot all over, her limbs began to weaken, and she felt a little dizzy - when she smelled the chicken soup just now, she had inhaled a small amount of the medicinal properties!

"Girl! What's wrong with you?" Qingzhu saw her face flushed and her body shaking, so he hurriedly supported her.

"Hurry... help me walk..." Yun Zhi gritted her teeth, trying to stay conscious. "We can't stay here. They will definitely send someone to catch us in the act..."

Qingzhu hurriedly supported Yunzhi and stumbled out of the courtyard. However, the effects of the drug were taking effect faster and faster, Yunzhi's steps became heavier and heavier, and her consciousness began to blur. She could only rely on Qingzhu to half support and half drag her forward.

In the pavilion of the main courtyard, Lin Wanru watched the maid return to report, a smug smile on her lips. "Very good, the medicine should be taking effect soon. Go and call the servant Zhang over now. Have him 'accidentally' stray into the side courtyard. Remember, make sure someone 'happens' to see it."

"Yes, Princess." The maid responded and left quickly.

Su Yurou picked up the teacup and took a sip, her eyes full of anticipation: "Sister, this time we will definitely make sure Yun Zhi never gets a chance to turn things around!"

Lin Wanru sneered and looked towards the side courtyard, as if she had already seen Yun Zhi's miserable state of disgrace. "Of course. She dared to snatch the prince from me, so this is what she deserves!"

On the path outside the courtyard, Yun Zhi leaned against Qing Zhu's arms, her consciousness becoming increasingly hazy. The heat all over her body almost made her lose her mind. She knew that they had to leave here as soon as possible, otherwise if they were "caught in an affair", she would be finished.

But he could already hear footsteps behind him, and a maidservant called out, "Servant Zhang, why are you running so fast? Can you just walk into the side yard?"

"It's over, they're coming!" Qingzhu was so anxious that tears were about to fall. She supported Yunzhi and quickened her pace. "Miss, hold on a little longer, we're almost out of the palace!"

Yun Zhi gritted her teeth, mustering her last bit of strength as she ran after Qing Zhu. But the effects of the drug grew stronger, and her legs felt like they were filled with lead, making each step incredibly difficult. She could hear footsteps approaching behind her, and the maids' deliberately raised cries. Only one thought remained in her mind—she must not be caught. She must not let them destroy her!