Chapter 57 She looks delicate and easy to manipulate, but is actually like a ball of cotton.

"She's going against her sister, so she's doomed."

Ah Wu's meaning is very simple and clear.

If Lin Shuyan doesn't become Yun Si's enemy, A Wu will help her if she encounters danger.

Conversely, it won't.

There's no logic to it.

"Awu and her sister are the best in the world."

Ah Wu was absolutely certain of this.

The answer was as expected.

In fact, Yun Si also felt that A Wu and she were friends who had known each other for a long time, partners, and had a special affection for each other, a relationship that was always trustworthy.

It's really bizarre.

“A-Wu”.

She stood up and looked out the window.

The vines there are climbing up the base of the wall, much like some restless thoughts that refuse to lie dormant.

"Lin Shuyan cannot be allowed to live. I might kill her."

"Then I..."

"As long as you don't protect her, I'll take care of it."

After all, Lin Shuyan had brought food to Awu, and Yun Si didn't want Awu to be burdened with the shackles of repaying kindness with enmity.

Although Lin Shuyan gave Awu the food because she wanted to get something out of her, Awu might have starved to death without it, and wouldn't have lived to see the day Yun Si found her.

Lin Shuyan has been reborn. She is ambitious and knows a lot about what happened in her previous life. Right now, she is determined to marry Qin Ye and will not do anything to harm him for the time being.

But if she continues to be unable to achieve her wish over time, she may inevitably harbor resentment and change her mind, choosing to collude with others and turn against Qin Ye.

At that point, she will become a huge problem.

However, Yun Si couldn't explain this matter to others, so she could only secretly look for an opportunity to resolve this potential problem as soon as possible.

"elder sister."

A struggle flashed in Awu's eyes, but in the end, she still preferred to overcome everything.

"I can kill."

Perhaps only Ah Wu would do what Yun Si wants to do without asking why, regardless of right or wrong.

"Let's talk about it after we find her."

Yun Si thought that when Feng Ye came again, she would mention Lin Shuyan's matter to Qin Ye.

However, instead of seeing maple leaves, they received bad news.

the next day.

Suddenly, someone from the palace arrived, carrying an imperial edict from the Empress, summoning Princess Xiao to the palace for a talk.

The Empress wants to see her?

Yun Si had a gut feeling that this was not a good thing.

She had been married to Qin Ye for over a year, but she hadn't been to the palace to see the Empress more than a few times.

It was because everyone knew she was physically weak, and if she forced herself to go out, she might faint on the way, thus sparing her from many rules and etiquette.

He suddenly wants to see her for no reason; I'm afraid he's up to something bad.

Knowing it might not be a good thing, Yun Si had no way to refuse.

The people in this palace are all very shrewd.

She was told to feign illness to avoid going, or that she was genuinely ill and unable to leave the house. The Empress also arranged for a royal physician to prevent her from leaving.

What is meant to be will be; what is meant to be will be.

When Yun Si stepped into Yong'an Palace, the scent of agarwood filled the air.

Empress Jiang Xinyu was leaning against a sandalwood couch, her fingertips twirling a string of Buddhist prayer beads. When she saw her enter, she beckoned her with affection: "Princess Xiao, good child, come and sit down."

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects."

Yun Si bowed respectfully, lowering her eyes to conceal the wariness within.

"You child, you don't come to the palace often, how come you've forgotten even the basic rules?"

Jiang Xinyu rebuked him gently, then chuckled softly, "As the Empress Dowager, all the princes must address me as Mother Empress. You are Prince Xiao's principal wife, how can you call me Empress?"

"Your subject's wife knows she was wrong."

Yun Si curtsied, her voice filled with fear as she apologized, and immediately changed her address: "Your subject greets Your Majesty, and wishes Your Majesty good health and longevity."

"Very well, someone come and offer Princess Xiao a seat."

"Thank you, Mother Empress."

After they sat down, Jiang Xinyu inquired about her health with concern. After chatting for a while, they began to get down to business.

"You've been married into the Xiao Prince's household for over a year now, haven't you?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

“I have always felt sorry for Prince Xiao. He has been living among the common people since he was a child, without a mother to take care of him. He has to shoulder everything on his own.”

Jiang Xinyu looked up and his gaze, which landed on Yun Si, seemed gentle but was actually hooked.

“Your health is weak, and you may not be able to manage the affairs of the manor. I was thinking that it would be better to add a concubine for Prince Xiao to help you share some of the burden.”

Sure enough, she was waiting for him here.

Yun Si was not surprised.

Since their plan at the Hundred Flowers Banquet failed, they've set their sights on her!

Yun Si was truly filled with regret at this moment. If she hadn't just found any man for Jiang Wanning and ruined her reputation, she wouldn't be in this mess today.

I blame myself; I wasn't ruthless enough.

Seeing that Yun Si did not speak, Jiang Xinyu smiled and said, "I have a niece from my maternal family. You should have met her. She is gentle and has a very beautiful appearance. It would not be a disservice to Prince Xiao to have her as a concubine."

After saying that, she leaned forward slightly, her prayer beads resting on her fingers: "You are the principal wife of Prince Xiao, and I think I should ask for your opinion on this matter."

These words sounded like a consultation, but the firmness in his eyes clearly left Yun Si with no choice but to agree.

"Mother."

Yun Si's voice was as light as a feather, but her tone was calm: "I'm afraid even I, your humble servant, cannot make the decision regarding the matter of a concubine. Your Highness's consent is required."

Jiang Xinyu's smile faded slightly: "You are Prince Xiao's principal wife, how can you not make your own decisions? I am only doing this for Prince Xiao's own good. You know the power of the Jiang family in the court. With the Jiang family's support, his path will be smooth."

Her tone suddenly turned cold.

"And you, the Yun family has fallen, and you are now nothing more than the daughter of a disgraced official. What can you offer Prince Xiao? Besides, you've been married for over a year and haven't conceived at all. Are you suggesting that Prince Xiao should be left without an heir?"

Every word and phrase hits the most painful spot.

She really is as rumored—all talk and no action.

Yun Si's voice remained gentle and soft, without much emotional fluctuation.

"Your Majesty is right, but this matter requires His Highness's approval. If His Highness agrees, I would not hesitate to give up my position as the principal wife, let alone the position of concubine."

She looked weak and easy to manipulate, but in reality she was like a ball of cotton. No matter how much pressure Jiang Xinyu put on her, she could only steer the conversation toward Qin Ye.

Jiang Xinyu tried to reason with her for half an hour, but seeing that she wouldn't listen, he finally frowned and said, "You'd better think this through. I hope you can understand this matter and not jeopardize Prince Xiao's future."

When I came out of the palace, the sun was already setting.

Yun Si finally breathed a sigh of relief after getting into the carriage.

They certainly won't give up on this easily.

Especially once Qin Ye resolves the siege of Luancheng, the Empress will definitely keep a close eye on him...

I don't know what Your Majesty means.

If His Majesty is satisfied with Qin Ye's test this time, will he also consider letting him marry Jiang Wanning?

Thinking about this possibility, Yun Si couldn't help but feel a little upset.

Some things can be intervened for and prevented by human intervention, but some things...

As the emperor's decree is difficult to disobey, if the emperor grants a marriage, I fear that the trajectory of fate from the previous life will ultimately return to its original position.

Back at the Prince's Palace,

Before Yun Si could catch her breath, the darkness arrived in haste, bringing even worse news.

The secret passage for transporting grain was leaked, and the person behind Shen Qian finally realized that Qin Ye might already know about their switch of the repeating crossbows. What was originally just a suppression tactic has now turned into silencing them.

The number of assassins sent to kill Qin Ye increased several dozen times, and at the same time, they encountered bandits who robbed their grain, and all 5,500 shi of grain were stolen.

The message came from Anmang, saying that in addition to unidentified assassins, there were also many Jianghu killers among the assassins who appeared this time.

"And what about His Highness?"

Upon hearing this, Yun Si hurriedly asked, "How is Your Highness now? Are you injured?"

Dark Night lowered his eyes: "Your Highness... is missing."

"What?"

When Yun Si heard that Qin Ye had been assassinated, she was relatively calm because she was already mentally prepared. However, upon hearing the news of Qin Ye's disappearance, she felt a surge of worry.

How could they have disappeared?

An assassination attempt, assassins,江湖 killers, and bandits... all entangled together, no matter how strong Qin Ye is...

Yun Si forced herself to calm down.

In his previous life, Qin Ye survived numerous assassination attempts, and he wouldn't die so easily in this life either.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the bitterness in her throat: "Did Anmang say which direction His Highness went when he last saw him? Were there any special markings around him?"

Dark Night shook his head: "The fighting was too fierce at the time, and the scene was very chaotic. The Shadow Guards were entangled by the assassins, and only after breaking through did they realize that His Highness was not in the group. They could only vaguely see dust from the northwest, but when they chased after them, they only found half a blood-stained arrow and no other trace."

Bloodstained arrow fletching...

Yun Si's heart tightened, and she dared not think too deeply about the source of the bloodstains.

She closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, all emotion in them had been replaced by coldness.

"Is Mr. Qu aware of this matter?"

"Mr. Qu found out immediately. He has already left the city and is heading towards Luancheng to meet up with Mu Ze and the others."

Yun Si nodded.

With Mr. Qu gone, they had a pillar of support and weren't too panicked.

"How is the battle situation in Luancheng?"

"The supplies transported via the secret passage have successfully arrived in Luancheng. After receiving the supplies, King Jing led his troops in a surprise attack on the enemy camp last night. Now our soldiers' morale has greatly increased, and we believe this battle will be over soon."

An Ye's expression relaxed slightly as he finished speaking.

This is the only good news so far.

His Highness Prince Jing did not disappoint, and all the effort he put in to successfully transport the grain to Luancheng was worthwhile.

Upon hearing this news, Yun Si finally felt a little relieved.

Prince Jing will make a great contribution this time. After returning to the capital, with Qin Ye's help, he will successfully bring down Di Long and take his place.

Thus, the Jinwu Guard's forces were brought under Qin Ye's command.

Therefore, Qin Ye will not be in any trouble!

Thinking of this, Yun Si felt more at ease.

However, she couldn't just anxiously wait for news in the mansion; she had to do something.

Judging by Maple Leaf's pace, if he didn't come back last night, he should be back today at the latest. If he doesn't come back, then the situation is definitely not optimistic.

After pondering for a long time, Yun Si finally gave the order.

"Pass down the order: all Shadow Guards are to be mobilized and search in three groups. One group will follow the hoofprints northwestward, focusing on searching caves, dilapidated temples, and other places where people can hide."

"We went to investigate the bandit strongholds that have been active near Luancheng recently, especially the group that robbed grain. I suspect... there may be collusion between officials and bandits."

"There's another team to keep an eye on the situation in the capital, especially Shen Qian and Di Long, as well as the other princely residences. If there aren't enough people, we can transfer some of the secret guards from those residences."

Upon hearing this series of task assignments, An Ye instantly felt a deep respect for Yun Si.

Unexpectedly, the seemingly gentle and frail princess possesses such a resilient spirit. If it were any other woman from the inner court, hearing such news would likely have caused the sky to fall, and she would hardly be able to remain calm and composed.

Previously, An Ye only respected Yun Si because she was someone Qin Ye cared about. But now, he suddenly realized that the princess was indeed different from others.

"Your Highness, rest assured, we have enough manpower. I will take care of it right away."

An Ye accepted the order and was about to leave when Yun Si stopped him.

"etc."

Her eyes were deep, and after a moment of thought, she made another decision.