Chapter 80 The Sound of Shattered Jade: Jiang Yunjin, do not allow them to push their luck. ...

It was a letter from the guards that Cui Yiluo had bribed.

Nearly two months ago, the guards of the Jiang family escorted Cui Qi and his party of three to Ningzhou. Since the last time he was frightened, Cui Qi had been mentally impaired and would not be able to hold an official position after this trip.

Yao and Cui Jun, unwilling to be implicated by Cui Qi, caused quite a few disturbances along the way, either verbally abusing Cui Yiluo or clamoring to see Jiang Yunjin and Old Madam Jiang, all of which were suppressed by the guards.

Cui Qi and Yao Shi, along with Cui Jun's entire family of three, all perished, killed with a single blow, their deaths swift and decisive.

After hearing this, Cui Yilu remained silent for a long time.

Now, nineteen, she left the Cui family for Shengjing at the age of eighteen, having just celebrated her birthday at the beginning of the year. The first eighteen years of her life were spent under Cui Qi's indifference, Yao's mistreatment, and Cui Jun's bullying. And yet, they all suddenly died.

Cui Yiluo had considered killing them. But after they were sent away, she couldn't be bothered with it. Upon suddenly hearing the news of their deaths, she was stunned for a long time. She even confirmed it with Lilan again.

"Order your men to go to Ningzhou to arrange the funeral."

That being said, the Cui family members passed away suddenly. She could send someone to handle the funeral arrangements, but there were some things she had to deal with personally. In a few days, she would have to go back to Ningzhou.

Lilan was also present on the day Cheng Yi caused trouble. She asked, "Miss, was it the eldest young master who did it?"

Cui Yilu shook her head. "It wasn't him."

The guards outside did not hear any fighting sounds, which shows how skilled the people sent by the other side were, killing people without them even realizing it.

And there is only one person in the whole world who can do this.

Cui Yiluo lowered her eyes to look at the small characters on the book, but her gaze was not focused on any one thing. She whispered, "It's the Emperor."

However, she had reached an agreement with Consort Qiong, who would pretend to have amnesia in front of the emperor and would not tell him about this. So why did the emperor send people to kill the Cui family? Moreover, the Cui family had already returned to Ningzhou. The emperor neither chose to take action on the way nor when they had just arrived in Ningzhou.

Coincidentally, just over twenty days ago, she went to see Consort Qiong and made it clear that she would not reveal her relationship with her. If the person was sent out at that time, from Shengjing to Ningzhou, and then killed, the time interval would be exactly right.

Cui Qi was the only witness to prove Consort Qiong's identity, which is why Jiang Yunjin sent so many people to escort her, but now she was easily killed by the emperor's men.

-

After Jiang Yunjin returned to the manor on time, he asked the servants where the lady was as usual. After learning that Cui Yiluo was still in her room and had not gone to the dining hall, he strode towards the room.

As the door opened and closed, he lifted the embroidered curtain, only to find Cui Yiluo not sitting by the window reading a book or looking at account books as usual, but instead bumping into someone face to face.

Cui Yiluo stood behind the embroidered curtain, expressionless, revealing nothing of her thoughts. Yet, even so, when her beautiful, watery eyes turned to look at him, they were still captivating.

He restrained himself from getting intimate with her. These days, Cui Yiluo had told him to follow his rules: except on the bed, there should be no intimate gestures, not even touching hands.

"Waiting for me?"

Cui Yiluo saw the slight smile in his eyes because she had been waiting for him, and couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. But she had serious business to discuss, so she straightened her expression and said, "Do you know about the Cui family's affairs?"

In fact, she had already received the letter, and Jiang Yunjin must have received it long ago as well.

Jiang Yunjin hummed in agreement, the smile in his eyes vanished, and he straightened his expression, saying, "I'll go back with you in a few days."

There was not a trace of guilt on his face.

Cui Yiluo nodded, ending the topic, straightened her shawl, and prepared to leave, saying, "Let's go have dinner."

Jiang Yunjin was visibly taken aback for a moment. He had been prepared to answer her, but she didn't even ask.

There was even a hint of nervousness in his expression, as if he couldn't quite figure out her attitude.

Cui Yiluo naturally knew why he reacted this way, but she pretended not to know. After all, she had never regarded Cui Qi as her father for a long time, and she believed that Jiang Yunjin would never hurt her.

She took his hand and asked, "Aren't you coming?"

He clearly hadn't expected this, and his fingers stiffened for a moment, but he quickly reacted, as if afraid of being too late, and swiftly wrapped his hand around hers, inserting his fingers between hers, their fingers intertwined tightly.

After completing a series of smooth movements, Jiang Yunjin coughed softly, his deep eyes fixed on her, "Didn't you say you were going to follow the rules?"

He hadn't held her hand in a long time.

Cui Yiluo chuckled softly, "My husband is right, it's best for Aluo to follow some rules."

She tried to shake off his hand, but the man held it firmly, preventing her from moving an inch.

Jiang Yunjin said sternly and firmly, "It's my fault for breaking your rules."

These words sounded very familiar; they were clearly words she used to say. But now they were coming from the mouth of that person who used to be so strict with the rules. Cui Yilu couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile. With her other hand, she boldly traced the tip of her index finger across his Adam's apple, then circled it down to his chest, causing a tingling sensation.

Jiang Yunjin's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, his eyes instantly darkened, and he unconsciously tightened his grip on her hand.

"I am truly flattered by what you say, my husband."

Cui Yiluo's eyes, brimming with autumn water, seemed to hold a hook, aggressively catching his heart and making him want to smash that misty haze away.

The man's eyes darkened further, and he took a step forward, his handsome face about to fall over him.

Cui Yiluo exclaimed "Eh!" and immediately opened her hand, which had been circling his chest, and placed it on his chest.

She put on a stern face and said seriously, "Jiang Yunjin, you are not allowed to push your luck."

The dagger at his waist was already pressed against her lower abdomen, and it twitched noticeably.

Jiang Yun stared at her intently for a few moments, like a predator eyeing its prey and never letting go. Just when Cui Yilu thought he was about to break the facade of propriety he had maintained for so long, he withdrew his body.

He took a deep breath and tried to remove the dagger, while Cui Yiluo stood by, watching him with great interest.

Only after the blood had reduced by half and was no longer noticeable did he take her hand and lead her outside.

Let's go.

-

To outsiders, the deaths of the Cui family members were an accident. Thieves broke into the house late at night to steal, but were discovered by the three members of the Cui family, who then killed them to cover their tracks. The magistrate of Ningzhou County has already arrested the group of thieves.

The Cui family only had one daughter who had married out to Shengjing. However, the Cui family girl was devastated when she heard the news of her parents' death and fell ill in bed. Being far away in Shengjing, she could not rush back. She could only send people to arrange the funeral first and give her parents and younger brother a proper burial.

The sudden disappearance of the Cui family left the local people of Ningzhou deeply saddened.

The matter seemed to be resolved. But when a pebble is thrown into the lake, although it may not seem to create ripples, there are turbulent undercurrents beneath the surface.

A few days later, late at night, Cui Yiluo was reading a book in her room. The candlelight flickered slightly from time to time, making her heart race and unable to find peace.

The snow outside the window has melted, a time of renewal for all things, but the night is still chilly.

Behind the screen wall depicting a hundred birds playing among flowers, a figure in a snow-white brocade robe suddenly emerged, hurrying towards the bedroom.

Cui Yiluo's hand suddenly trembled, and the book fell onto the couch. She ignored it and stood up to greet it.

Seeing the man's dark, unyielding features, Cui Yiluo's heart skipped a beat. She knew that after the beginning of spring, the usually healthy emperor had inexplicably caught a cold and had been bedridden for some time, sometimes even skipping court and having to discuss politics with his ministers in his bedchamber through a screen.

After the deaths of Cui Qi and others, Xiao Zheng seemed to have no more scruples and acted more and more eccentrically. The matter of discussing the heir apparent was frequently brought up again until the emperor lost his temper, which calmed things down for a while, but it was still difficult to hide the turmoil in the court.

Tonight, Jiang Yunjin is in a hurry...

The next moment, Jiang Yunjin said, "Something has happened in the palace, and I need to go there."

After he finished speaking, he went to the cabinet, took out a set of black robes, and changed behind the screen.

Before leaving, he couldn't help but pull her into his arms and bury his face in her soft neck, as if with affection and worry: "A'Luo, I've left the guards behind. Take good care of yourself."

Cui Yiluo immediately said, "What business could I possibly have in the manor? Have your guards follow you."

Jiang Yunjin gave her a light kiss on the lips without saying a word, clearly showing his resolute attitude, and then turned to leave.

Before he stepped out of the room, Cui Yiluo suddenly spoke up: "Husband, I made your favorite lotus seed porridge for breakfast tomorrow. I'll be waiting for you to come home for dinner."

Jiang Yunjin paused, and for a moment seemed about to turn around and walk back, but he restrained himself.

He responded softly, "Okay."

Cui Yilu watched his figure disappear into the courtyard before lighting the glass lamp in front of the bed.

She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

Jiang Yunjin rarely wore black clothes; he only wore them when he went to Ningzhou. This was because black was the hardest color to see after blood was spilled.

As night fell, Cui Yiluo sat in her room all night without reading a book. She just stared at the glass lamp until her eyes ached. Then she looked away to rest for a while, gently fiddling with the glass tassels.

As night deepened, the sunrise slowly and laboriously arrived. At the first light of dawn, sounds returned to the courtyard.

Cui Yiluo practically crashed into the man's arms. Jiang Yunjin was even jolted by the impact, but quickly pushed her away after regaining his senses.

Cui Yiluo was overwhelmed by the stench of blood and felt the still-wet blood on his clothes staining hers, but she ignored his attempts to stop her and, with a sudden burst of strength, clung to him tightly.

Her eyes stung, and tears welled up in her eyes as she felt for his wounds. "You're injured," she said.

"No, it's all someone else's blood."

Upon hearing this, Cui Yiluo finally stopped crying, but her voice was still nasal and muffled: "I don't believe you, take off your clothes."

A very soft chuckle came from above the head. "Alright."

As if seeing that she was really worried, he was no longer as uncomfortable as before when taking off his clothes. After returning to the room, he quickly took off his clothes, revealing the still taut muscles underneath.

Jiang Yunjin practiced martial arts, so he naturally had some old injuries. Cui Yilu examined him carefully from head to toe to make sure he was not injured. His skin was pale and cold, so any injuries would be very noticeable. The scratches she had left on him before were just like that.

The blood on his clothes was indeed someone else's. The strong smell of blood was enough to show how intense the situation was last night.

It was from Jiang Yunjin's words that Cui Yiluo roughly understood the whole story of what happened last night.

Xiao Zheng claimed that the emperor's illness was caused by Xiao Jing secretly poisoning him, colluding with Consort Qiong to launch a palace coup under the guise of "purging the court of corrupt officials." Jiang Yunjin, no longer serving Xiao Jing, was still a high-ranking official, and protecting the emperor was his duty. The palace descended into chaos, only returning to calm just before dawn.

Both sides wanted to seize the opportunity to kill the emperor and take the throne. But unexpectedly, it was the usually low-key and unassuming third prince who led the men to rescue the emperor.

The victor takes all, the loser is forgotten; the tide has turned. The other princes are either too young or too weak to challenge the emperor's will, so it seems the emperor has no choice but to pass the throne to the third prince.

"So, His Majesty's illness..."

Jiang Yunjin replied, "It was Consort Qiong who poisoned him. However, Xiao Jing also knows about this."

The emperor's most trusted confidante was Consort Qiong, and only she could poison him. Xiao Jing's silence was simply a prelude to waiting for the emperor's health to decline before seizing power.

Xiao Zheng and Xiao Jing have been imprisoned and will likely face execution or exile. Only Consort Qiong is confined to her palace, heavily guarded and watched over, with some even suggesting she might be spared. For a moment, no one could guess how the Emperor would deal with this favored concubine who had been his favorite for nearly twenty years but had poisoned him.

Cui Yiluo's heart sank.

Jiang Yunjin pursed his lips. He didn't want to reveal the matter, but he respected her opinion after all: "Consort Qiong said she wants to see you."

Author's Note: This chapter is mainly a transition in the plot. The next chapter will be all about the sweet moments between the characters [heart emoji]. The plot is progressing quickly because this book mainly focuses on the characters falling in love, so the palace intrigue won't be described in detail.