Su Jinyang was clearly aware of this as well, and his vigilance towards Prince Li increased considerably.
"When do you plan to leave the Marquis's mansion?" He suddenly thought of the entanglement between the Marquis of Chengen's mansion and the Prince of Li's mansion, and couldn't help but ask.
If Prince Li truly harbors ambitions to usurp the throne, and the Marquis of Chengen's household is in the same boat as him, they certainly cannot remain uninvolved.
Every day Yu'er remains in the Marquis's mansion, her danger increases.
He only has one younger sister, so naturally he's worried about her.
"It'll be soon." Song Zhiyu understood Su Jinyang's worries and gave him a reassuring smile.
Once all the truth is revealed, and once she has completely torn off the false masks of that father and daughter, she will completely sever ties with the Marquis's mansion and never have anything to do with it again.
Despite saying that, Su Jinyang's slightly furrowed brows remained furrowed; he knew that Song Zhiyu had other plans in mind.
With the King of Li eyeing them covetously and the people of the Northern Kingdom stirring up trouble, the internal and external situations are unstable. If war breaks out, he might not be able to protect Yu'er's safety if he goes to the front lines.
Thinking of this, Su Jinyang couldn't help but want to say a few more words of advice, "Yu'er, listen to me..."
"General, His Majesty has issued an imperial edict summoning you to the palace for an audience immediately."
Before Su Jinyang could finish speaking, his trusted confidant outside the door began knocking on the door with his fingers bent, three times and one lightly—that was their pre-arranged code.
Su Jinyang pursed his lips. His Majesty's summons to the palace at this time clearly indicated that something important had happened.
"Yu'er, I'm going to the palace now. Remember to send a message to the Marquis of Zhenbei's residence if you need anything." Su Jinyang suddenly stood up, not forgetting to give Song Zhiyu a few more instructions before leaving.
As Su Jinyang's figure gradually disappeared into the distance, Song Zhiyu slowly raised the teacup in her hand, thoughtfully stroking the smooth cup.
She and Su Jinyang had the same idea: such a hasty summons must mean that something had happened again in the northern border region.
Considering the recent unruly behavior of the northerners, Song Zhiyu's guess was pretty much right.
*
The Marquis of Chengen's Residence.
As soon as Song Zhiyu stepped into the Marquis's residence, he was stopped by a group of people.
Upon seeing the rather aggressive group of people in front of her, Song Zhiyu raised an eyebrow with interest and stopped in her tracks with a leisurely air. "What's going on this time?"
Song Zhiyu noticed Shen's mother standing quietly to the side, and then looked at Ye Rou and Shen Jinshu at the head of the group, and couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips.
Her biological mother is truly magnanimous; she actually allowed a concubine to climb over her.
Shen Jinshu didn't notice Song Zhiyu's gaze. She just looked at her with a complicated expression, her gentle tone seemingly carrying thorns, "Zhiyu, Fourth Brother has disappeared. I know you have had conflicts with him in the past, but this is a matter of life and death, and I still hope you can tell the truth."
Ye Rou echoed, "Second Miss, you and Fourth Young Master are siblings, blood is thicker than water, so please don't make such jokes. Let Fourth Young Master go back to the manor."
Song Zhiyu understood everything at this point; it turned out that these people were pinning the blame for Shen Yanxi's disappearance on her.
She couldn't help but chuckle, staring at the two people questioning her with a half-smile. Her red lips parted slightly, "If I'm not mistaken, Aunt Ye, you seem to be Father's concubine, right? And you married into the Marquis's mansion through such dishonorable means, everyone in the capital knows that."
"What, Father, are you now planning to favor your concubine and neglect your wife? With the mistress still alive, what right do you, a mere concubine, have to speak?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Rou's smile froze instantly. She frantically tore at the handkerchief in her hand, her heart bleeding with hatred.
Song Zhiyu actually dared to bring up that matter. If it weren't for her, how could I have been willing to be a concubine?
But she had no way to refute Song Zhiyu's words.
As a concubine, she was already inferior to them, and with that unspeakable matter added to her shame, she could no longer hold her head high.
She's been living too well at the Marquis's mansion these days; she's completely taken for granted that she's the mistress of the mansion and has long forgotten her true identity.
Now, after being humiliated by Song Zhiyu, she almost lost face.
"It was I who overstepped my bounds. I was just worried that the Fourth Young Master's affairs would affect Madam. I hope Second Miss will not hold it against me." Ye Rou was both flexible and resilient. She gritted her teeth and took Madam Shen's arm, speaking with sincerity.
Mother Shen froze for a moment. After Ye Rou's change of identity, she found it really difficult to get close to Ye Rou.
But then she thought about it again and felt it was understandable. Ye Rou meant well and was worried about Yan Xi's safety, which is why she lost her temper. She didn't deserve to be humiliated like this.
“Zhiyu, Aunt Ye is, after all, your elder…” Madam Shen moved her lips, but couldn’t bring herself to say the rest under Song Zhiyu’s cold gaze.
Shen Jinshu quieted down considerably, and as he watched his mother and Song Zhiyu confront each other, he couldn't help but feel a bit contemptuous.
Shen's mother was a good person, and Shen Jinshu did not deny that she was a good mother, but unfortunately she was too stupid, so stupid that she might be selling someone out while still counting the money for the other party.
Song Zhiyu had made her point so clearly, yet she was the only one who couldn't see it.
If word gets out that he favored his concubine over his wife, his father will surely reprimand him, and in serious cases, it might even affect his career.
However, if Shen's mother doesn't take it to heart and denies the matter, then no matter how much Song Zhiyu talks, it will be useless.
As Shen Jinshu's thoughts raced, she had already devised a plan, and without hesitation, she pushed her mother out.
“Shu’er is right. Yan Xi is still your own brother, and this relationship cannot be severed. You should let him go back to the manor.” Madam Shen glanced at Song Zhiyu cautiously, her words carrying a hint of consolation.
For some reason, she felt somewhat intimidated by her daughter's gaze and found it difficult to adopt the demeanor of a mother.
Hearing these words, Song Zhiyu found it amusing and couldn't help but laugh out loud. Her bright and cheerful expression, with her eyebrows curving upwards, was so captivating that it was impossible not to be immersed in her smile.
But the next moment, a voice as cold as ice entered my ears, "Shen Yanxi's disappearance has nothing to do with me, you've got the wrong person."
Although she was probably involved in the matter, she wasn't the one who arrested the person, so Song Zhiyu naturally wouldn't admit it.
"Second sister, Fourth Brother's personal servant said that he saw you once when Fourth Brother disappeared on Qinghe Road..." Shen Jinshu hesitated, leaving people with endless imagination.
Song Zhiyu continued what Shen Jinshu hadn't finished saying, looking at her as if she were an idiot, "You mean I'm the one who kidnapped the person? Fine, go report me to the authorities and have me arrested."
Shen Jinshu choked, not expecting Song Zhiyu to be so direct. His nonchalant attitude made people grit their teeth.
At this moment, shouldn't Song Zhiyu have rushed to deny it? Her carefully prepared statement was instantly rendered useless.
"Second sister, I didn't mean that. It's just that Fourth brother has been missing for a day, and I was so worried about him that I lost my mind for a moment." Shen Jinshu forced a smile and brushed aside her suspicions with a few words.
Song Zhiyu smiled without saying a word, but her eyes conveyed everything, a mocking smile mixed with a hint of anticipation as she silently calculated the time in her mind.
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