People gradually left the capital, and Lu Ziyuan and his group also set off. Due to the difficult roads caused by the snow, it took them many days to reach Lingqing City.
Looking at the three characters "Lingqing City", Yin Ruixin sighed softly.
Her time of freedom passed in the blink of an eye, and she was going back to jail.
The maid, Okra, noticed her melancholy and comforted her, "Miss, don't worry. We will definitely overcome the difficulties here. Please be patient for now."
"Yes, we have to endure it, but what can we do even if we don't?"
Yin Ruixin lowered the carriage curtain. Now she had no other way out. As a member of the Empress's maternal family and clinging tightly to the Crown Prince, she had no way out.
When everyone returned to the Prince's Mansion, Zaochun and Chengfeng were already waiting for them. The group was all very happy and harmonious, truly a family with deep affection between master and servant, which was enviable.
Among them, Yin Ruixin seemed to be invisible; no one greeted her or cared about her.
Yin Ruixin wasn't angry. She concealed her feelings and waited for the right moment to say, "Your Highness, Your Highness, I feel cold, so I'll go back to rest first."
Lu Ziyuan said, "I will send someone to escort you back."
He assigned two guards to escort Yin Ruixin back to Tingfeng Hall. Yin Ruixin sneered inwardly. He was truly vigilant and always on guard against her. But the more he did this, the more she felt that there was a secret in this palace, and she was determined to find it.
They walked back to Tingfeng Hall via the most secluded route, where the servants were already waiting, their faces expressionless, like wooden puppets awaiting orders.
Night falls, inside the bedroom.
Yin Ruixin tossed and turned, unable to sleep, which disturbed Qiu Kui, who was guarding outside.
"Miss, are you too cold to sleep? I'll go and add some charcoal right away."
"No need, Okra, come and sit down."
Yin Ruixin lifted the bed curtain, gesturing for Qiu Kui to come over.
Okra looked puzzled. She wanted to light the lamp, but was stopped and had no choice but to sit on the outside of the bed in the dark.
The snow stopped and the sky cleared. There was only a faint light in the room. Although Qiu Kui couldn't see Yin Ruixin's expression clearly, she could sense the solemn aura emanating from her.
After a moment of silence, Yin Ruixin asked, "Qiu Kui, have you remembered everything about us, our plans?"
Okra nodded: "This servant has always remembered."
"Alright, we have an opportunity now. His Highness the Crown Prince has already taken action. If we want to escape this cage, we can't just sit here and wait to die."
“Okra and Miss are one; whatever Miss wants to do, Okra will do.”
Yin Ruixin nodded, and the two discussed the initial plan.
Now, we're just waiting for news from the capital.
...
As soon as the heavy snow fell, everyone knew that the end of the year was approaching, and many things began to be prepared. Zhong Muyu also made plans for the new year, but before she could ask Uncle Qiu to make arrangements, Chengfeng came in a hurry: "Your Highness, something bad has happened!"
Upon receiving the news, Zhong Muyu rushed to Xiuyu House. As soon as she entered, she saw Lu Ziyuan clutching a letter, looking sad and apologetic.
"Your Highness, this..."
Zhong Muyu took the letter, which contained only a few words, announcing the Emperor's death due to a serious illness.
Lu Ziyuan gently closed his eyes: "It's all my fault, Father Emperor..."
"No, this isn't your fault! But this shouldn't be happening!"
Zhong Muyu also looked incredulous. She read the letter over and over again, but no matter how many times she read it, it remained the same.
Lu Ziyuan was in great pain. His father, whom he had painstakingly saved, had passed away so suddenly; he must be heartbroken. Although Zhong Muyu didn't have much interaction with the Emperor, she was also quite upset. She didn't disturb Lu Ziyuan any further and left the study with Chengfeng and Zhiyu.
As soon as he left, Zhong Muyu instructed Chengfeng: "Let's put aside those plans we talked about before. Return all the fancy New Year's items that Uncle Qiu ordered. It's better to keep things simple this year."
Chengfeng withdrew in response. Zhong Muyu then instructed Zhiyu to inform the entire Wangfu and Lingqing City that such a major event had occurred, and everyone must receive the news and know what to do.
Overnight, all the colorful decorations prepared to welcome the New Year were put away, and the entire Yuanqi was shrouded in a depressing gray and white.
The palace is busy preparing for the funeral, which all members of the royal family and court officials will attend.
Amidst the somber yet busy atmosphere, some people are secretly enjoying themselves.
Yin Ruixin could hardly contain her excitement. The Emperor's death meant that the Crown Prince would ascend the throne. At this time, if she didn't produce some achievements, she would only be waiting to die along with the Prince of Ling's family.
"Okra! Okra!"
Yin Ruixin quickly called Qiu Kui over.
Okra rushed in: "Miss, do you have any instructions?"
"Have you taken care of the task I assigned you?"
Okra nodded: "No problem. That girl named Xiaomian agreed to help us."
"Let's make sure nothing goes wrong."
"Don't worry, Miss. You made her such a promise, and she accepted so many benefits from us. If she exposes us, she won't have a good ending either."
Yin Ruixin nodded. Xiao Mian was a lowly maid who ran errands for Tingfeng Hall. Given her status, she couldn't get any extra money. Although the servants didn't say anything, Yin Ruixin knew they were unhappy about it.
She and Okra then picked out the one with the worst mentality from among these people and successfully sowed discord between them.
From Xiao Mian, Yin Ruixin learned a lot about the strange things about the Prince's mansion. So that evening, she had Xiao Mian impersonate her, while she changed into servant's clothes, put on makeup similar to Xiao Mian's, and successfully left Tingfeng Hall under the pretext of cleaning up the garbage in the courtyard.
According to Xiaomian, Zhong Muyu had installed a surveillance device in the Prince's mansion that could see what everyone was doing. Hearing her say it so seriously, Yin Ruixin didn't dare to be careless. So she only walked in places with fewer people, observing her surroundings as she went.
The winter night was bitterly cold. Yin Ruixin rubbed her hands together, but unfortunately, the wind blew out the lantern.
She looked around in frustration; in a place like this, who would help her?
Left with no other choice, she could only follow the faint moonlight and walk back along the road, but as she walked, she realized that she had gone the wrong way.
It's no wonder she couldn't see at night, and she wasn't familiar with the Prince's mansion. She had to hide, so it would be strange if she could get back smoothly.
Just then, a burst of laughter came from her direction. Yin Ruixin panicked instantly, looked around, and hid behind a bush not far away.
The thick snow concealed her figure. Just as she hid herself, she saw a pair of guards from the manor walking towards her.
"I'm having a lucky day, hitting the bullseye every time!"
"You're getting more and more skilled with this gun, but I'm not. No matter how much I practice, I don't make any progress."
"Didn't the princess say that this also depends on talent? Perhaps I am the sharpshooter the princess was talking about!"
After saying that, the happy guard took out his gun and made a gesture.
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