Chapter 281 Lin Yingyu Reappears
As Yunxiu was coldly enjoying the miserable state of Abao in the cage, a maid quietly entered and whispered a few words in her ear.
Yunxiu's brows furrowed immediately, a hint of undisguised annoyance and displeasure flashing across her face: "Her? What is she doing here?"
She hesitated for a moment, though she was extremely reluctant, but seemed to have some reservations, and could only wave her hand and say, "Alright, please let her in."
The maidservant acknowledged the order and withdrew, quickly heading towards the courtyard gate.
Before long, a flicker of light appeared at the courtyard gate, and a petite and agile figure stepped in, her steps light and swift, carrying an untamed spirit that seemed to defy convention.
Her honey-brown skin glowed with a healthy sheen in the courtyard sunlight. Her cat-like eyes scanned the entire area with lively interest. The fishbone hairpin in her hair was casually askew, and the seashell bells on her ankles made a delicate, crisp sound with each step. It was as if the sweet, briny scent of the sea still lingered around her.
Yunxiu gave a wink, and the idlers standing in the courtyard, waiting for orders, withdrew, leaving only her trusted confidante Shiliu standing by her side with her hands at her sides, and the cold iron cage in the courtyard.
Inside the cage, Ah Bao was in excruciating pain and his consciousness was blurred. He was startled by the unique sound of the bell and barely managed to open his heavy eyelids.
Through the blurry vision, it could vaguely make out a familiar figure.
This person.
It was Lin Yingyu!
Ah Bao didn't understand why this concubine was in the capital, and why she knew Lady Yunxiu.
Lin Yingyu stepped forward and casually curtsied to Yunxiu on the soft couch as a form of greeting.
Although it performed the proper etiquette, there was not a trace of respect in its slightly raised chin and cat-like eyes; instead, it carried a somewhat indifferent scrutiny.
Seeing her attitude, Yunxiu was even more displeased and asked coldly, "Why aren't you staying in your Yingxiang Pavilion? What are you doing here at my residence? Didn't I tell you before that we shouldn't have any more contact?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Yingyu was not afraid at all. Instead, she smiled and said, "Please don't be offended, Your Highness. It is precisely because Yingxiang Pavilion was able to open that it was all thanks to Your Highness's great help in the past. I have always kept this kindness in my heart. I have come here today to thank you in person."
Before she finished speaking, her gaze had already casually swept over the cold iron cage in the corner of the corridor, and the pale, dying figure inside.
She recognized him at a glance...
This was none other than Abao, the extremely intelligent cat that accompanied Lu Zhaoruo.
Her gaze lingered for a moment on A Bao's bloodied claws and wet, disheveled fur, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes as she sneered inwardly, "This Yun Xiu, her methods are becoming increasingly ruthless; she can even be so cruel to a beast."
A hint of impatience flashed across Yunxiu's face as she angrily retorted, "Who cares about your thanks!"
She leaned forward slightly, her sharp gaze fixed on Lin Yingyu, and pressed in a low voice, "Stop beating around the bush. What brings you here today? Did anyone see you on your way here?"
Lin Yingyu was unfazed by her anger, and instead smiled gently, a smile that carried a wild and unpredictable quality like the sea breeze: "Your Highness, rest assured, I know my limits and no one will notice."
She changed the subject, her cat-like eyes narrowing slightly as she looked at Yunxiu: "As for the matter... I've heard that the Princess and that Lady Lu from Yunshang Pavilion seem to have some kind of 'grudge' lately?"
Yunxiu's eyes sharpened, her guard rising sharply: "So what if it is?"
Lin Yingyu met her scrutinizing gaze, her smile deepening, yet revealing a chill: "Has Your Highness forgotten... that I am also an old acquaintance of Lu Zhaoruo, and our enmity... is no less than yours."
Upon hearing this, Yunxiu was taken aback at first, then suddenly remembered!
That's right, isn't Lin Yingyu the mistress who was imprisoned and convicted along with Lu Zhaoruo in the case of suing her husband Shen Rong a year ago?
It was Lin Yingyu who delivered the hairpin she had given to the prefect of Jizhou, who then sent someone to the capital overnight to present it directly to him…
Because this woman held a fatal weakness in his hands, he had no choice but to use his connections to get her out of prison.
Thinking of this, Yunxiu's eyes sharpened, and she retorted, "So what if it is?"
Lin Yingyu's cat-like gaze swept across the courtyard. Seeing that there were only Yunxiu, Shiliu, and the caged cat around, she lowered her voice and curled her lips: "Your Highness, don't you... want to get rid of Lu Zhaoruo completely? That way you can vent your hatred, and then General Xiao... won't he become yours?"
Princess Yunxiu naturally wanted to kill Lu Zhaoruo. She even tried to do so several times, but was stopped each time by her mother, Grand Princess Linglang.
She recalled the past few days.
He had his mother kill Lu Zhaoruo.
"Nonsense!"
With a sharp, imposing look in her phoenix eyes, she said, "You must not touch the Lu family. She is no ordinary woman; she is a royal merchant serving the palace!"
"So what?"
Yunxiu retorted, "Back then, when a concubine of the late emperor offended my mother, didn't you beat her to death on the spot? Why can't a mere imperial merchant be killed?"
"Foolish!"
Shu Linglang rebuked, her tone as cold as iron, "You only know one side of the story! She has powerful backers! The Duke of Di's mansion, the Empress, not to mention Xiao Yeming, who is a newly risen military leader with real power and merits, and has a close relationship with the Lu family. If the Lu family dies unjustly, do you think he will let it go in his rage? Do you think it's a child's play if a general with military power and the Emperor's favor takes revenge without regard for anything else?"
"Even if you don't care about Duke Di and the Empress, what about Princess Yongfu? You know very well how the Empress Dowager and the Emperor treat her! To touch Lu Zhaoruo is to directly offend Yongfu!"
"Mother!" Yunxiu was still unwilling. "You are the Grand Princess, and you have made contributions to both dynasties. With your power, can't you even kill a woman from a merchant family?"
"You can kill them!"
Linglang said resolutely, her gaze sharp as a knife, "Of course I can kill her! But what happens after that? It means that I will have to face the wrath of the Duke of Di's faction, the Empress's accusations, and Xiao Yeming's mad revenge at the same time, and I will have to completely break ties with Yongfu! How will your father face the court? Will I still have any reputation left? At that time, in order to quell public anger, the first person the Emperor will severely punish will be you!"
Yunxiu then asked, "Then... then can't we find a pretext to frame her?"
"If she were truly a dull-witted person, why would I, as her mother, need to stop you?"
Linglang's tone carried a hint of sarcasm and helplessness, "This woman is meticulous and acts with great method. Your tricks may not be able to fool her. In the end, you'll end up losing more than you gain!"
That's why Yunxiu knew in her heart that Lu Zhaoruo was a thorn in her side, someone she hated to the core but couldn't touch or kill.
She snapped out of her reverie, her face hardening with frost, and said coldly, "Do you think I, the Lady of the County, don't want to take her life? It's just that she has powerful backers, and if I do anything to her, it will have far-reaching consequences. I can't force her."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yingyu felt reassured.
Yunxiu's murderous intent has been aroused, making this matter easier to handle.
She stepped forward quietly, her voice low: "My lady, open warfare will eventually leave its mark, but if there were a way to make that person absorb enough of the medicine within five days, like being afflicted with tuberculosis, coughing and wheezing worsening day by day, and dying from lung exhaustion within two months, and all the famous doctors in the world could not find the cause of the disease... Would you be willing to try it?"
Yunxiu's pupils suddenly contracted, and her body involuntarily leaned forward slightly: "Five days? Such a miraculous method actually exists in this world?"
Lin Yingyu's lips curled up: "I am not very talented, but I happened to obtain a strange mineral deep in the overseas island of Guiyu. It is as white as silk and cold to the touch, and it is exactly what I need. You only need to prepare a quiet room, burn this substance for five consecutive days, and let her inhale enough of it, and you can... eliminate the problem at its root and prevent future troubles forever."
After speaking, she took out a delicate, white porcelain bottle with a slender neck, as smooth as solidified cream, from her bosom and handed it over.
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