She is dead.

Yu Yadan has been under house arrest for two days.

She was restless in her room. Just as she pushed open the door to go out, two burly figures blocked her way. "Miss, the master has ordered that you are not allowed to go out. Please don't make things difficult for us." After saying that, the servant quickly lowered his head.

Yu Haoying's "confinement" meant that she had to stay in her room and reflect on her mistakes, so she could only stay in her room and couldn't even go out into the yard.

Yu Yadan frowned and glared at him fiercely. The servant trembled slightly, but in the end, he still chose to block the doorway and refused to budge an inch.

After being rejected again, she angrily slammed the door shut and paced back and forth in the room, almost crumpling the handkerchief in her hand. Xiao Die, who was serving her, offered her a cup of tea and advised, "Miss, please bear with it a little longer. You will be released from confinement in a few days. Please don't make the master angry."

"How can I stand it? I'm suffocating!"

"Miss, the master is in a bad mood right now. Why don't you go and talk to the madam on his behalf?" Looking at Yu Yadan's worried face, Xiaodie offered a suggestion. When the master makes a mistake, the servants suffer. If the young lady continues to act out, she, as the maid, will probably be punished as well.

After Xiaodie finished speaking, she stepped aside.

Upon hearing this, Yu Yadan felt that Xiaodie's words made some sense. Just as she was about to send someone to deliver a message to Guo Sulan, "whoosh," a sharp arrow pierced through her cheek and embedded itself in the cabinet behind her.

Yu Yadan was startled and stood frozen in place, too afraid to move. Xiao Die next to her also looked flustered and her lips trembled: "Miss, there is a message on the arrow."

Xiao Die stepped forward shakily, grasped the arrow with both hands, and used all her strength to pull out the short arrow. She then took the envelope and handed it to Yu Yadan.

Yu Yadan opened the letter with a puzzled look, and her face suddenly turned pale.

The letter contained only one sentence: "To find out the whereabouts of Sun Chi, please come to Mingyang Residence at noon tomorrow."

Mingyangju is a famous teahouse in Beijing.

This unexpected letter kept Yu Yadan up all night. Ignoring her current confinement, she changed into a maid's outfit and sneaked out of the mansion under Xiao Die's cover.

In the elegant room of Mingyang Residence, Yu Yadan saw a figure from behind as soon as she pushed open the door.

"Your Highness?" she exclaimed in surprise.

Xie Zhuo turned around. "Miss Yu, please sit down."

Yu Yadan never expected to run into Xie Zhuo here. She nervously rubbed the hem of her dress, took a few stiff steps, and even forgot to bow.

Xie Zhuo spoke first: "I presume Miss Yu has already heard the rumors circulating in the capital."

Yu Yadan came to her senses: "Brother Zhuo, don't say that. Her Highness the Princess said your health can be cured. I will stay with you."

"Thank you for your concern. I'm fine now. Please just call me by my name, Miss Yu."

Xie Zhuo's attitude was very distant, and Yu Yadan's eyes darkened instantly. She slowly closed her eyes to hide the bitterness in them and replied with an "okay".

Xie Zhuo gestured for her to look at the table. Yu Yadan opened the box on the table with a puzzled look, her pupils suddenly dilated, and she subconsciously took a step back.

The box contained Sun Chi's travel permit.

No wonder the wet nurse said that Sun Chi had never written her a letter to let her know he was safe; it turns out that Sun Chi had fallen into the hands of the Crown Prince.

Yu Yadan's fingertips trembled slightly. The small box felt incredibly heavy, almost unbearable for her.

"Does Miss Yu have anything to say?"

Yu Yadan was dazed for a few seconds, thinking she was dreaming. After hearing Xie Zhuo's question, she came back to her senses, calmed herself down, and asked with feigned confusion, "Why did the young master show me this travel permit?"

Xie Zhuo: "Does Miss Yu know the owner of this travel permit?"

Yu Yadan shook her head.

Xie Zhuo then asked, "Does Miss Yu really not know him? In that case, I have no choice but to hand him over to the authorities."

"Wait, I remember now." Yu Yadan felt extremely guilty under his gaze. Her mind raced. If Sun Chi was exposed, her plan to hire someone to kill him would be impossible to resolve.

"He was a servant in my household, but he recently took leave to return to his hometown. How could the young master have his travel permit?"

"Miss Yu should know very well how I obtained his travel permit."

Xie Zhuo's eyes were piercing, and Yu Yadan's voice trembled slightly, "I don't know, I don't know what the young master is talking about."

"Sun Chi, the Gate of Death."

As soon as she finished speaking, the flame in Yu Yadan's eyes was completely extinguished.

He knew! He knew everything!

Xie Zhuo remained silent. Yu Yadan understood what he meant. She rushed up and grabbed Xie Zhuo's sleeve: "Brother Zhuo, I know I was wrong. Please give me another chance, okay? I really know I was wrong!"

Yu Yadan's tears fell one after another, her tearful appearance was particularly pitiful, but Xie Zhuo was not buying it. He pried her hands open, his gaze deep and unfathomable, as if he knew everything: "Everyone must be responsible for their own actions."

Take responsibility? Take responsibility for what? Because I killed her, you're going to kill me?

Xie Zhuo's gaze was stern, and his face showed no sign of softening.

Yu Yadan swayed precariously, as if she would collapse and faint at any moment.

"You want to kill me? You want to kill me for that lowly woman?" Yu Yadan raised her voice, her tone laced with mockery. "I am your betrothed wife, yet you want to kill me for another woman?"

Xie Zhuo did not answer her question.

The light in Yu Yadan's eyes dimmed, and her eyes, which had once been full of admiration, were now filled with pain: "Is my love a burden to you? What about her? Do you love her that much?"

"This is my business, no need for you to worry about it, young lady."

Yu Yadan looked at the man with a cold expression. It seemed that his expression would only soften when Fu Zhi Qiao was mentioned.

And what about her? What exactly is she?

Yu Yadan nearly broke down, "What does she have that I don't? I'm the one you're supposed to marry!"

She once thought she was incredibly lucky to marry the man she loved, but in the end, she found that it was just wishful thinking on her part.

She thought she had found a good man, but in reality, she had given her heart to the wrong person.

Yu Yadan was surrounded by an aura of despair and sorrow. She closed her eyes, and a cold smile curled her lips. "What a pity! The person you wanted is dead. You can never be together."

Suddenly, she laughed. "You don't know, do you? She suffered terribly before she died. She was stabbed multiple times and then fell off a cliff, leaving no trace of her body. Oh, no, her mangled body was devoured by wild beasts until not a single inch remained. That's what you call truly leaving no trace of her body. Oh dear, how pitiful!"

Even though he knew Fu Zhiqiao was alive, Xie Zhuo still couldn't contain his anger: "Yu Yadan, how dare you!"

Xie Zhuo was disgusted by the malice in Yu Yadan's tone. He gripped her slender fingers tightly until they turned white. "If you have any grievances, you can take them out on me. Why do you have to hurt innocent people?"

Yu Yadan's expression twisted with rage: "Innocent? The young master thinks she's innocent, but what about me? Am I not innocent? She was the one who ruined my relationship first! We had such a good relationship when we were little. You would protect me when others bullied me, and you even helped me pick peach blossoms... Have you forgotten all of that?"

Images from her childhood kept flashing through her mind, and Yu Yadan was filled with resentment.

Because Zuo Murui and Guo Sulan were close friends, she and Xie Zhuo had known each other since childhood and often played together. In Yu Yadan's view, she and Xie Zhuo were childhood sweethearts and a perfect match; he should have been her husband, but Fu Zhiqiao, the newcomer, stole him away.

Xie Zhuo had no recollection of what Yu Yadan had said, except for one thing he was certain of: "I knew her first, and then I got engaged to you."

The implication is that Fu Zhiqiao was not a later arrival.

Yu Yadan trembled all over: "If that's the case, why did you agree to marry me in the first place?"

When the topic of their marriage came up, Xie Zhuo's face visibly darkened: "Miss Yu, our marriage is the decision of our elders. I've said it before, you'll get nothing but a title if you marry me."

This sentence directly hit Yu Yadan's Achilles' heel.

Her eardrums were ringing, and she felt as if her soul had been ripped out, leaving only an empty shell.

Xie Zhuo's every word was in defense of Fu Zhiqiao, which was more painful for Yu Yadan than being cut by a knife.

She laughed self-deprecatingly. Yu Yadan, oh Yu Yadan, how pathetic you are. What good is it to eliminate someone with all your efforts? The person in his heart is never you!

Meeting Xie Zhuo's calm and unwavering gaze, she suddenly understood.

"Fu Zhi Qiao didn't die, right?"

"Fu Zhi Qiao didn't die, you saved her!"

*

Yu Yadan returned to the Yu residence, dejected and distraught.

Guo Sulan was already waiting for her in the room. When she saw Yu Yadan wearing a maid's uniform, she scolded, "You little brat, how dare you run out during your confinement?"

Upon closer inspection, it became apparent that Yu Yadan's eyes were red-rimmed, with tear stains still clinging to the corners.

"What's wrong?"

Yu Yadan's eyes were vacant, and she murmured, "He knows, he knows..."

"Who knows?" Looking at the absent-minded Yu Yadan, Guo Sulan frowned, sensing something was wrong. "Yadan, Yadan! Look at your mother and tell her what happened?"

Yu Yadan slowly turned her head to look at Guo Sulan, as if she had just come to her senses: "Mother, he knows, he knows everything."

Who knows?

"The young master knows..."

Guo Sulan was very anxious about Yu Yadan's absent-minded appearance. "What happened? Yadan, tell me slowly, tell your mother."

Yu Yadan wept silently, her tears falling like beads from a broken string.

Guo Sulan's heart skipped a beat; she had a bad feeling.

"I...I killed someone."

Guo Sulan stood there, stunned, unable to believe her ears. "What did you say?"

"Mother, the Crown Prince has found out that I sent someone to assassinate Fu Zhi Qiao."

"Who? Who did you kill?" Guo Sulan realized the seriousness of the matter, and her voice became stern involuntarily.

Yu Yadan sobbed uncontrollably, "I...I..."

After a short while, Guo Sulan learned the whole story: "You really sent someone to kill her?"

Yu Yadan closed her eyes and nodded heavily.

"Did she die?"

"I don't know, she might be dead, or she might not be." She didn't know whether Fu Zhi Qiao was dead or not. Faced with her question, Xie Zhuo did not answer, only leaving her with the words "take care of yourself" before leaving.

Guo Sulan sensed something was wrong. If the person were dead, it would be fine, as there would be no way to verify the story. But the person wasn't dead, and Yadan had given someone leverage over her.

"Have you lost your mind?" She slammed her hand on the table and pointed at Yu Yadan's nose, yelling, "Is this how I've always taught you?"

"How can your vision be so short-sighted? Your goal is to become the Crown Prince's wife and then the Queen. At that time, your status will be far beyond what that vixen who uses her beauty to please men can compare to."

Guo Sulan was exasperated: "Her background is destined to be no obstacle to you. So what if the prince takes her into his household? Can she surpass you? Once you have a son or daughter, with your talent, will you still have trouble winning a man's heart?"

"Yadan, you have disappointed me greatly."

Yu Yadan clenched her fingers tightly on both sides of her dress, her whole body trembling uncontrollably, and a feeling of regret welled up in her heart.

Seeing that Yu Yadan was silent with her head down, Guo Sulan tugged at her handkerchief, took a deep breath and said, "Forget it, there's no use saying this now. Your father has to know about this."

Yu Yadan was shocked upon hearing this: "No way!"

If her father finds out, he'll definitely beat her to death!

Guo Sulan poked her head hard: "Then what do you suggest we do? Do you think we can keep this from him?"

“Mother…” Yu Yadan threw herself into her arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

When Guo Sulan saw her tears, her heart softened immediately. She reached out and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. "Since things have come to this, this marriage can only be called off."

"Mother, I don't want to break off the engagement." She looked at Guo Sulan with pleading eyes: "Fu Zhi Qiao is not dead, I didn't kill anyone, please give me another chance, Mother, I know I was wrong, please go and beg the Princess Consort for mercy, please give me another chance!"

Guo Sulan remained silent for a long time before asking softly, "Do you think the Crown Prince will still welcome you into the family?"

Yu Yadan's face was ashen.