Su Cuirong sat upright on the carved wooden chair, turning the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand, as if trying to crush all her pent-up frustration into those beads.
A man sat at the lower end of the table, leisurely sipping tea. This man was none other than Su Cuirong's distant cousin, who was also the physician of the General Weiyuan's mansion.
"The younger generation is disobedient, and with the master and mistress not around, it's only natural for the old lady to discipline them," the physician said with a fawning smile, taking a sip of tea.
Su Cuirong tightened her grip, the prayer beads rattling slightly, her tone cold and barbed: "Jiang Luoluo has been spoiled by her parents since she was little."
I told my eldest son long ago that children shouldn't be allowed to act on their whims, or they'll cause trouble when they grow up. He wouldn't listen, and now look what's happened—he's created this mess, truly disgracing the General Weiyuan's mansion!
The physician nodded repeatedly in agreement: "The old lady is right. Since the old lady has given the order, I will not go to see Miss Jiang again in the next few days."
A dark glint flashed in Su Cuirong's eyes, and she spun the prayer beads in her hand even faster, as if the wooden beads had become Jiang Luoluo. She wished she could crush and roll them to relieve her hatred.
She sneered, "How impressive she was at the banquet during the day! How come she fell ill as soon as she got home?"
The more she talked, the angrier she became. The image of her own daughter being sent to the Dali Temple because of Jiang Luoluo flashed through Su Cuirong's mind, and she felt as if her heart had been stabbed by a sharp knife.
She slammed her hand on the armrest, stood up abruptly, and said in a voice full of anger, "Let's go! I want to see what tricks this unfilial descendant is up to now!"
Several old women and the family physician quickly responded and hurriedly followed behind her. The group marched in a grand procession through the covered corridor and headed straight for Jiang Luoluo's courtyard.
Just as they rounded the corner tower, a figure in black came into view.
When Su Cuirong saw Xie Yizhi's figure, her heart skipped a beat, her legs went weak, and she was about to fall to the ground, but fortunately the old woman next to her caught her in time.
"Ouch..." Su Cuirong pressed her hand to her forehead, her voice low and flustered, "I don't know why, but my head suddenly hurts terribly..."
She hurriedly whispered, "Quick, quick, quick, help me back."
The group that had just emerged around the corner immediately stopped and dared not take another step forward.
Not to mention greeting Xie Yizhi, they could only slink back in dejectedly.
Xie Yizhi stood not far away, his gaze as cold as frost, and stared intently at the corner.
A complex emotion welled up within him—he couldn't understand how a grandmother could dislike her granddaughter, just as he couldn't understand why his own mother disliked him.
Jiang Luoluo must have felt the same deep-seated pain of familial love as I have.
The moonlight, like water, flowed quietly over the eaves of Prince Yi's mansion, its gentle glow making the entire courtyard appear as if draped in silver gauze, giving it an exceptionally serene and tranquil atmosphere.
Inside the study, the candlelight flickered, illuminating Xie Yizhi's cold and stern face.
Mo Feng presented a slip of paper and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, this is a letter from Lord Xiao."
Xie Yizhi's gaze sharpened as he unfolded the slip of paper and quickly skimmed over the words on it.
Immediately, he flicked his finger, and the note was swallowed by the candlelight, turning into a wisp of smoke and disappearing.
His gaze was deep and unfathomable as he stared at the dying embers, as if he could see something deeper through them.
Judge Hu's voice seemed to echo in my ears:
Can it be protected?
Xie Yizhi slowly shifted his gaze to the painting of Zixia Fairy on the desk. His fingertips lightly traced the paper, his movements extremely gentle, yet concealing a resolute determination.
After a long while, he finally raised his head, his eyes resolute as a knife, as if he were making a promise to himself.
"We can protect them! We definitely can protect them!"
Yao Shiyu returned to General Weiyuan's mansion under the moonlight. The night breeze brushed her face, but it could not dispel the anger and regret in her heart.
The cold outside was biting, but her heart was as restless and anxious as a burning furnace.
Looking back on the day's events, it was clearly a game she had the upper hand in, but Jiang Luoluo turned the tables at the last moment.
She pondered carefully, and it seemed that the turning point began that night when Jiang Luoluo kicked her, and everything seemed to be pushed in a different direction by an invisible hand.
What alarmed her even more was Xie Yizhi's actions; he had repeatedly appeared to help Jiang Luoluo in times of danger.
The speculation she had previously been unwilling to delve into resurfaced in her mind—Xie Yizhi had been reborn.
His help to Jiang Luoluo might just be for the sake of military power in the Flying Feather Army!
Yao Shiyu clenched her fists, her eyes flashing with ruthlessness. She knew that she had been careless and underestimated her opponents this time, and had been outmaneuvered by Jiang Luoluo and Xie Yizhi, but that didn't mean she had no chance to turn the tables.
She must marry Gu Boyuan as soon as possible!
Only by solidifying her relationship with Gu Boyuan could she leverage that connection to secure cooperation with Xie Yizhi's greatest enemy.
Only in that way could she have the power to contend with Xie Yizhi and kill Jiang Luoluo.
The information she revealed to the Empress Dowager tonight was merely a test and a bargaining chip.
For the sake of ultimate victory, Yao Shiyu must not allow herself to make any more mistakes!
Yao Shiyu returned to her courtyard and ordered someone to prepare a hot bath with flower petals to relieve her exhaustion.
After bathing, she changed into a delicately tailored smoky purple gauze dress that accentuated her slender figure, applied a touch of makeup, and her brows were tinged with a hint of sorrow.
Just as I was about to quietly leave through the back door, I unexpectedly bumped into a broad, warm chest in my haste.
She looked up, her eyes brimming with tears, filled with surprise and grievance, and whispered, "Brother Boyuan, you're finally here! I was so scared, they... they took my mother away."
Seeing Yao Shiyu before him, so pitiful, like a flower swaying in the wind and rain, Gu Boyuan felt a pang of sorrow and pity.
He sighed softly and pulled the person into his arms. "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
The two returned to the house, and Yao Shiyu leaned on Gu Boyuan's shoulder, sobbing as she recounted everything that had happened that day.
Tears streamed down her face, her voice broken and hesitant, as if all the world's grievances were weighing on her alone.
Gu Boyuan tried to comfort her patiently, but her tears flowed like pearls from a broken string, unstoppable.
Left with no other choice, he could only pull her into his arms and soothe her emotions in the most direct way.
Only when the clouds dispersed, the rain stopped, and the candlelight dimly went out did Yao Shiyu finally calm down.
However, Gu Boyuan's heart could not find peace.
The news about Jiang Yuelan was spreading like wildfire in the capital. He knew that Jiang Yuelan had always doted on her niece and would not have attacked her without a reason.
This incident was most likely Jiang Luoluo's way of getting revenge on Shi Yu; she was so ruthless.
Gu Boyuan narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing in them. He knew that in this turbulent time, he could not back down and had to stand by Yao Shiyu's side, otherwise she would be left alone and helpless.
The next morning, outside the gates of General Weiyuan's mansion, gongs and drums resounded and firecrackers crackled.
Gu Boyuan personally led the team, with his servants carrying more than ten boxes of heavy gifts. The boxes were covered with red silk, and the appearance alone made them look very grand.
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