Ye Cunjin turned and left without saying a word.
However, Ye Qingxue noticed the curve of his lips, an expression of determination, which suggested that he might have some wicked scheme in mind.
She called Qiu Shen over and whispered in her ear, "Follow Ye Cunjin and see where he goes and what he's up to. Come and tell me as soon as you have any news."
As autumn deepens, it should swiftly follow Ye Cunjin away.
Ye Qingxue went straight back to Guanju Courtyard. When she brought Ye Cunsi back earlier, she went to find Yun Zhuo immediately, but Yun Zhuo was not there, and even his gray wolf was not there.
Then she learned that the Princess Consort of Yu had come to visit. Fearing that the old lady and Ye Cunjin had ill intentions, she went to the front hall first.
She wondered if Xiao Bao had found Yun Zhuo after taking Bai Qi out; she was anxious to go back and find out what was going on.
She had gone to great lengths to save Yun Zhuo, who would be her weapon against Prince Ding in the future. She couldn't let him cause trouble at this time and lose his life.
Wouldn't she have ended up with nothing?
Back at Guanju Courtyard, Ye Qingxue saw Chunqian busy at work and called out to her, "Has Xiaobao returned?"
Chunqian shook her head: "Miss, no one has returned yet."
In other words, not only did Xiaobao not return, but there was also no news of Yunzhuo.
Ye Qingxue frowned in thought when she heard a noise outside.
Looking over, I saw that Dongbai had returned.
She told Chunqian to go about her business and talked with Dongbai in the courtyard.
Seeing Dong Bai's tense expression, Ye Qingxue knew that her memories of her past life were correct. Something must have happened outside, and it was related to Yun Zhuo, which was very dangerous.
"The deposed crown prince previously had a trusted subordinate named Luo Jing. When the deposed crown prince was in trouble, he protected him and fought his way out, carving a bloody path to save the deposed crown prince. However, he died that night. It is said that when he died, he had been slashed more than a dozen times and was covered in blood and gore."
"The imperial court had been searching for the whereabouts of the deposed crown prince without success. The Empress gave Lord Ning, who was in charge of the matter, a suggestion: to arrest all of Luo Jing's family members and prepare to burn them alive. The intention was to warn the world that anyone who dared to harbor the deposed crown prince would suffer the same fate as the Luo family and die a terrible death."
Dong Bai took a deep breath and continued, "Luo Jing has an older brother who has been married for only two years and has a one-year-old niece who has also been arrested."
Ye Qingxue asked, "Has the news that Luo Jing's entire family is going to be burned to death spread throughout the city?"
Dongbai nodded: "That's right, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to find out the news so quickly. Although the Empress's actions were extremely cruel, the deposed Crown Prince has a bad reputation, and the people are always worried that if he is not arrested, their families may be harmed by him."
"Therefore, no one said that the Empress's plan was particularly vicious. Instead, they believed that the Empress was thinking about the safety of the people and the stability of the Great Zhou Dynasty. In this extraordinary time, extraordinary measures had to be taken."
Ye Qingxue pondered. Before the Empress made such a ruthless move, she must have prepared to guide public opinion, which is why she did not cause shock and resentment among the people.
The people now surely believe that sacrificing Luo Jing's family can bring peace to millions of families, so why should they oppose it?
Moreover, in their view, Luo Jing's act of protecting the deposed crown prince during his escape was wrong and treasonous. His family was implicated because of him, so no one else was to blame.
Dongbai: "This servant also learned that the deposed crown prince has already fled to the border and is no longer in the capital. The Empress Dowager's plan to burn Luo Jing's entire family to force the deposed crown prince to show himself is probably not going to work."
Ye Qingxue frowned slightly and asked Dong Bai, "Did the deposed crown prince really flee to the border? Is he really no longer in the capital?"
Dong Bai looked puzzled. Wasn't the deposed crown prince always in their courtyard? When did he go to the border?
Ye Qingxue wasn't really asking her a question, but simply stating a fact. So, without waiting for Dong Bai's reply, she slowly walked to the side, lost in thought.
She knew perfectly well that the deposed Crown Prince Yun Zhuo had been living right under her nose and had never gone to the border.
This news must have been released by Yun Zhuo. But what was his purpose in releasing this news?
He was probably planning to send more men to the border to capture him, using a diversionary tactic. He also wanted to lower his guard against Luo Jing's family so he could rescue them.
not good!
Yun Zhuo's situation is critical!
Not only can he not save Luo Jing's family, he might even get himself into trouble!
Even someone like her, who only lived three more years in her previous life, could figure out that he was using a feint to lull the Empress into a false sense of security.
And since she climbed step by step from a concubine to the position of empress, her methods and temperament were beyond those of ordinary people, so how could she not have thought of this?
However, Yun Zhuo was not a stupid person.
Moreover, he had only recently suffered a great calamity and should not have forgotten the Empress's ruthlessness or the lessons of bloodshed. He would not easily assume that spreading rumors would make the Empress believe them!
But why would he do that?
Ye Qingxue closed her eyes, her mind involuntarily conjuring up images of that night when the imperial city was stained with blood.
If she were Yun Zhuo, if Luo Jing were any one of the four seasons, she would protect her escape, while she could only watch helplessly as they were hacked to pieces, falling into pools of blood, their eyes wide open in death, their bodies trampled into mud by the enemy...
Afterwards, their loved ones were captured and were about to be burned alive. Even knowing that going to save them would cost her her own life, she would still do it without hesitation.
Some close relatives, though bound by blood, are like enemies, like her and Madam Zhou.
Some strangers, like her and the seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter, are not related by blood, yet they are as close as sisters.
Ye Qingxue stopped in her tracks.
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