Chapter 55

  Qian Yan followed behind him, thinking that the Qian family had been peaceful for a hundred years, and now it was likely to be stormy. Unfortunately, it wasn't something he could control, so he just hoped that the Qian family wouldn't be ruined in his hands, otherwise he would owe an apology to the ancestors of the Qian family.

  Ye Tian glanced at Qian Yan, then swept a glance at the exit, and followed Master Ling Yin to the North Mountain Villa. With his keen senses, he always felt that Qian Yan's expression was not right, as if he was hiding something. He wanted to see what Qian Yan was hiding.

  At this time, Yun Muhan and Xiang Ge were holding Yun Shangyue and Rong Jing respectively, and had already returned to the North Mountain Villa.

  Before she even reached the entrance, Yun Shangyue heard several excited shouts. She lifted her head from Yun Wuhans arms to look over.

  There were more than 20 people standing at the door. Among them were her father, Wang Ye, Yun Meng, Cai Lian, Ting Xue, Ting Yu, and Rong Wang Fu's second miss, Rong Linglan, six of whom she knew, and a dozen or so others she didn't know. There were three middle-aged couples, all dressed in bright clothes, standing alongside the Cloud King, clearly not low-ranking. There was also an old man about the same age as Yun Meng, wearing similar servant attire, and several young men around the same age as Rong Jing and Yun Wuhan, all of whom looked exceptional.

  Yun Shang Yue thought that the unfamiliar person was probably a member of Rong Jing's family. Indeed, there were many. Her gaze flickered towards Xuan Ge's arms, where Rong Jing lay with his eyes closed, not even lifting an eyebrow. She withdrew her line of sight and looked forward again, only to see Cai Lian, Ting Xue, and Ting Yu standing at the edge of the crowd, gazing at her with tears of joy in their eyes, all three pairs red and swollen from crying, their hair disheveled, their small faces dirty and stained with tear marks, still wearing the same clothes they had on when she fell into the underground Buddhist hall that day, wrinkled and unkempt, clearly unwashed. Her heart felt a warmth, they were truly worried about her.

  She looked away and carefully observed the others. Yun Wangye and Yun Meng's faces were filled with unbridled joy, while the expressions on the other people's faces were even more colorful. Only Rong Linglan and that old man who was about the same age as Yun Meng had genuine smiles on their faces. On the other hand, the three middle-aged couples who were dressed up seemed to be forcing a joyful expression, while the young men had various expressions: some were indifferent, some disappointed, some fake-smiling, some resentful, and some unaffected, as if they had expected this all along... It was truly a diverse array of expressions, a kaleidoscope of emotions.

  Yun Shallow Moon originally thought that Rong Jing had money and status, eating the best food and riding in a sedan chair made of fragrant wood, making her jealous to death. Now looking at those people, she suddenly didn't feel jealous anymore. She felt that compared to him, she was still relatively satisfied with her current situation.

  Rong Jing seemed to know what Yun Shangyue was thinking, and opened a slit in his closed eyes to glance at Yun Shangyue before slowly closing them again. He spoke in a low voice to Xuan Ge: "Tell her that the current residents of the Yun Wangfu are all direct descendants, while her family's side branch is like a fleeting guest. It's said that they will soon be moving into the Yun Wangfu as well. Since she wants to take charge, there will be plenty of people for her to deal with. She'll surely be delighted."

  Xian Ge's mouth twitched, "Young Master, what time is it now? You're still bickering with Shallow Moon Miss..."

  "Speak if you have something to say!" ordered Rong Jing.

  "Yes!" Xiang Ge couldn't help but glance at Yun Shu's Cloud Qian Yue, who was indeed smiling smugly, seemingly taking pleasure in others' misfortune. No wonder the young master of their household wanted to teach her a lesson - her expression was practically begging to be taught a lesson, making him also want to teach her one. He immediately used a secret transmission to whisper to Cloud Qian Yue: "Miss Qian Yue, my young master told you that currently, everyone living in the Yun Wang Fu is from the direct line of descent, so relatively speaking, there are fewer people compared to the Rong Wang Fu. However, the Yun Wang Fu has many side branches, like the Jiang family, and it's said that they will all be moving into the Yun Wang Fu soon. Since you want to take charge of the Yun Wang Fu household, you'll have plenty of people to keep busy later on. You'll surely be delighted."

  A clear and crisp voice entered Yun Qianyue's ears. Yun Qianyue suddenly stopped her humming and turned her head to glare at Rong Jing, scolding: "Black-hearted, black-livered, black-lunged, black-bowelled, black-bellied, every part of you is black, not a single good spot on your entire body! Rotten person!"

  "Thanks for the compliment!" Rong Jing said with his eyes closed, spitting out a few words.

  The shallow clouds and moonlight rose with blood, thinking about how she had painstakingly treated his stubborn illness back then. How despicable! Just as he was about to scold again.

  "Stop it, we've arrived!" Yun Muhan said in a low voice.

  Yun Shallow Moon could only swallow her words, but she was not willing to give up. She glared at Rong Jing fiercely before turning her head back, thinking that if what he said was true, then she was no better than him! How big was the Yun Wang Fu's side branch anyway? Suddenly, she got a headache.

  "Miss!"

  "Shallow Moon!"

  "Your Highness!" "Brother!"

  “……”

  Yun Muhan and Xiang Ge had just steadied themselves when a loud shout erupted from the entrance of the other courtyard, and in an instant, a crowd surged forward, surrounding them on all sides.

  "Shallow Moon, how are you?" The Cloud King took a quick step forward and looked at Cloud Shallow Moon in Cloud Muhou's arms.

  Although Yun Shang Yue felt nothing for this father, she couldn't bring herself to respond coldly to the concern and warmth he was extending towards her. She replied softly: "I'm fine! I'm just very hungry!"

  "Quickly prepare dinner!" Yun Wang Fu was overjoyed and hastily gestured to Cai Lian and the others.

  "Yes, I'll go right away!" Cai Lian immediately ran towards the inner courtyard. Ting Xue and Ting Yu closely followed behind her, the three of them running extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye they were out of sight.

  "Miss Shallow Moon returns safely, and Old Master Wang can rest assured. I'll go deliver the message to Old Master Wang immediately." Yun Meng said.

  "Grandpa will worry, and Uncle Meng will be troubled." Yun Qianyue nodded at Yun Meng.

  Yun Mu Han's footsteps didn't stop as she walked quickly towards the East Wing with Cloud Shallow Moon in her arms.

  Yun Lao Wangye took a step back and turned his head to look at Rong Ge's embrace of Yong Jing, "Is the young master doing well?"

  "Thank you for your concern, Uncle Wangyun, I'm fine." Jing opened his eyes and nodded at King Wangyun.

  "I'll go see Shallow Moon first, and then I'll come see you." Yun Wangye tossed out a sentence and quickly entered the eastern wing of the courtyard.

  Rong Jing looked at the people surrounding him, his pale face calm and serene, unable to discern any emotions.

  Rong Linglan stepped forward first, looking at Rong Jing with joy, "Brother, you're finally rescued."

  "The young master, the old king has been worried about you. He originally wanted to come over in person, but as soon as he heard that you had gone missing and fallen ill, he sent the second master, the second madam, the third master, the third madam, and the old slave to come together." The steward of the Rong Wang Fu also said with joy.

  "It's good that you're back!" The Second Master looked relieved.

  "Not bad, I said it's a good omen for a good person." The Third Master was also very pleased.

  "This time Father King is at ease, we can all be at ease." The Fourth Master was also very relieved.

  "Yes, when we received the news at that time, it scared us all. Especially your grandfather, he fainted on the spot. Now that you're back, everyone can finally rest assured? If something happened to you and your grandfather had another episode, this Rong Wang Fu would probably collapse." The second madam also spoke up, her expression filled with delight and relief.

  "That's right! I heard you were trapped in the Buddhist temple's secret chamber for three days and nights to save Yunwangfu's Shallow Moon Miss. How could you not know your own identity is precious? You're so reckless, what if something happens to you? What about Rong Wang Fu?" The third madam's relieved expression was tinged with reproach.

  "It's not worth it. You're going to sacrifice yourself for that shallow and ungrateful Shallow Moon Miss from the Yun Wang Fu, aren't you? Our Rong Wang Fu only has one direct heir like you, don't you know how to take care of yourself?" Fourth Madame took over Third Madame's words, also with a tone of blame.

  "It's like that, even if you don't care about yourself, Crown Prince, you should take care of yourself for our sake." A young man also chimed in.

  "It wasn't, when we heard you were in trouble, everyone was in an uproar, Grandfather even fainted... such things, Young Master's younger brother should do less of them in the future..." said another slightly older young man.

  "Just stop talking, it's fine once the young master returns." One of the teenage boys immediately retorted.

  "Just shut up!" Rong Linglan was also annoyed.

  Rong Jing quietly listened to everyone's conversation in Xiang Ge's arms, without interrupting or speaking a word.

  The little boy and Rong Ling's voice fell, and the person who was about to speak suddenly stopped talking. Everyone looked at Rong Jing, only then did they suddenly remember that the person in front of them was Rong Jing, not their teaching object. Even if he did something wrong, it shouldn't be them who came out to teach him a lesson. Although they were elders, Rong Jing's status was higher than theirs by more than a little bit, even the emperor had to show respect to him three times, and this time they were being presumptuous towards him. The three madams immediately lowered their heads, those young men took a step back, and the entrance of the other courtyard suddenly fell into a dead silence.

  "Let's just say one less sentence! As long as Jing'er returns safely, that's all that matters." The second master glanced at everyone and turned back to Rong Jing: "Your three aunts and brothers are only concerned about you. Don't take what was just said to heart, Jing'er!"

  "I won't!" Rong Jing's words were as valuable as gold, his face pale and calm, without any signs of discomfort. He told the crowd, "Now that I'm fine, you all can go back! Leave Xuan Ge here to take care of me, that's enough. You going back will also put Grandfather at ease." After finishing speaking, he no longer looked at the crowd, closed his eyes, and instructed Xuan Ge, "I need to cultivate, except for Master Ling Yin, no one is allowed to enter this courtyard."

  "Yes, Young Master!" Xuan Ge strode past the crowd and into the courtyard.

  As soon as Xuan Ge entered the courtyard, ten hidden guards suddenly appeared around him, blocking everyone outside the gate.

  The two old men and others exchanged a glance, each with an unchanged expression, as if they were accustomed to Rong Jing's behavior.

  "Prince brother, I want to stay here with you." The ten-year-old boy who had just spoken up loudly. His voice was still in the midst of changing and had a childish tone. He was the youngest son of the Third Old Master's household.

  "Alright, then you stay!" Rong Jing agreed.

  "Brother, I'll stay too. We can go back together later." Rong Linglan knew that Ye Tianqing hadn't left, so she wouldn't leave either. Now that Qingyu Gongzhu had already been taken back to the palace by the Emperor, Qin Yuyin had also been picked up by the Prime Minister's residence. Leng Shuli had set off on the same day to return to the Xiaojing Wangfu, while Rong Linglan stayed behind using her brother's disappearance as an excuse, but she was indeed worried about Rong Jing. Now that Yun Shuoyue wasn't around, and she was the only woman left, she naturally wanted to seize the opportunity to spend time with Ye Tianqing. Besides, it was said that the Southern Liang Crown Prince still hadn't sobered up from his drunken state, her heart was wavering, so she didn't want to leave.

  "Alright, you stay too! Everyone else can go back!" Rong Jing agreed and blocked others from speaking up.

  "The crown prince is so great!" The little boy shouted with joy and immediately ran into the yard through the hidden guard.

  "Quickly!" Third Madame immediately reached out and grabbed Rong Yu, "Don't stay here, follow me down the mountain back to the manor."

  "Mother, Brother Shizi has agreed. I don't want to go back to the mansion." Rong Xi shook off Third Madame and quickly ran into the courtyard.

  Third Madame was about to chase after her when she was blocked by the hidden guards at the door. A cold and stern voice rang out, "Third Madame, halt!"

  The third madam could only get annoyed, watching as Rong Xi's small figure followed Xuan Ge into Rong Jing's room. The third old master came over and said to her in a soft voice: "With Jing'er by his side, Xi'er won't come to any harm, so just let him stay here for a few days! It's rare for him to be close with his older brother, the young master, it's also good for fostering brotherly affection."

  The three madams heard this and immediately felt relieved. Now that Rong Jing is back alive, the Rong Wang Fu still belongs to him. If Xi'er gets along well with him, she will naturally not suffer any losses. She suddenly smiled and glanced at the second and third madams with a pleased expression, saying: "Yes, it's just me being muddled. Our Xi'er hasn't seen her brother, the young master, since birth, and in these ten years, who knows how many times she has wandered around the outer courtyard of the young master's residence without seeing anyone. Now that we've finally waited for the young master to come out of the mansion, he is naturally delighted. Let him stay here for a few days then! It's also good for fostering brotherly love."

  The two madams and four madams suddenly sank their faces, looking at their sons with a glance, as if angry that they did not fight back.

  "I'll go take a look at brother too!" Rong Linglan didn't expect Rong Jingchen to agree, and happily walked inside.

  Rong Linglan is the daughter of the second madam, and the second madam smiled immediately. Her son is not making progress, but she also has a daughter, right? Not only does her daughter get along well with Qingyu Princess, but also with the young princess of Rong Wangfu, and now it seems that she gets along well with the crown prince's siblings too. She didn't stop him, but smiled and instructed: "Since your brother let you stay, you should take good care of her here, don't make him angry. And don't be naughty."

  She didn't even mention the two words "Shi Zi", directly calling Rong Linglan's older brother, as if Rong Jing was his family.

  "Don't worry, Mother! I understand." Rong Linglan replied readily.

  The second lady nodded with relief. Rong Linglan passed through the hidden guard and entered the courtyard.

  The two old masters' faces also eased a bit, only the fourth master and the fourth madam's faces were somewhat gloomy, but there was nothing they could do. The crowd staying here any longer would be pointless, so the group headed towards the mountain gate of Lingtai Temple.

  Xuan Ge helped Rong Jing back to his room and laid him down on the bed. Rong Xi and Rong Linglan also came in one after another.

  Rong Jing glanced at the two of them and said to Xuan Ge, "Let Rong Xi'an stay in this courtyard for now! The second miss will still live in her original courtyard." After speaking, he turned to Rong Xi and Rong Linglan and said, "I'm very tired now, you all go first! Come back later!"

  "Alright, brother is resting! I'll come back later!" Rong Linglan was quite tactful. After all, as the eldest son of the Marquis, he was a high and mighty existence not only in the Tian Sheng Dynasty but also in the Rong Wang Fu. He didn't even bother to be polite to his grandfather, let alone others? She felt honored just to have been allowed to stay. With a bow, she turned around and walked out quickly.

  "I'll come in again after Brother Shizi has rested." Although Rong Xi didn't want to leave, seeing Rong Jing's poor complexion, he obediently nodded and retreated. But he was still very excited.

  Xuan Ge followed Rong Xi out, gave an order in the courtyard, and someone immediately took Rong Xi to his residence.

  Xuan Ge turned around and walked back, closing the door behind him. He rushed to Rong Jing's side, lowering his voice anxiously and asked: "Young Master, how did you lose all your martial arts skills? This is a big deal! How can you not have any martial arts skills? Did you lose all your powers to save Shallow Moon Miss?"

  "You just see the disadvantages of me losing my martial arts skills, but haven't discovered other benefits?" Rong Jing retorted.

  Xuan Ge was taken aback, and hastily reached out to take Wang Jing's pulse. Over the years, due to Wang Jing's serious illness, he had also developed a set of medical skills. From initial concern to final astonishment, his eyes widened in shock, his mouth agape, as he stared at Wang Jing in disbelief, "Young Master, you... how is it possible..."

  "Do you think it's better for me to have lost all my martial arts skills in exchange for a good body? Or is it better for me to still have good martial arts skills but not live for many more years?" Rong Jing raised an eyebrow.

  "It's better to have a good body naturally!" Xuan Ge couldn't believe it and was shocked, staring straight at Rong Jing, his body trembling violently, clearly very excited. "Young Master, how did you do it? How could you possibly drive out the cold poison and stubborn illness? I really don't dare to believe it... even Ling Yin's master helped you twice but couldn't succeed, and you also tried every means for ten years without succeeding. This is simply unbelievable..."

  "I couldn't believe it either!" Rong Jing suddenly smiled warmly, "But it really did happen, something that was truly impossible."

  "Your Highness, please tell me quickly! Is it true that you and Miss Shallow Moon encountered a superior being? Did you have an extraordinary encounter?" Xuan Ge had followed Rong Jing since childhood, usually calm and composed, but now he was excited for the first time. It's no wonder he was excited, as he had never left Rong Jing's side all these years, watching him suffer firsthand. Originally thinking there was no hope, now that his stubborn illness has been completely eliminated, how could he not be shocked and amazed?

  "It's really a strange encounter, after all, I met a master...” Rong Jing smiled and shook his head, sighing, “She can also be considered a master! More stubborn than me, I thought that no one in the world had my endurance and perseverance, enduring for ten years, persisting for ten years as well. She is even more enduring and persistent than me. If it weren't for her persistence, you probably wouldn't see me now, and even if you did, I would still be the old me."

  Xuan Ge was taken aback, looking at Rong Jing in confusion.

  "It's the woman who is currently eating and drinking in the east wing of the house!" Rong Jing smiled and explained to Xuan Ge.

  "Ah?" Xuan Ge was completely stunned, her eyes opened even wider this time, looking at Rong Jing, "Young Master, you said the person who helped you get rid of the cold poison and stubborn illness is Shallow Moon Miss?"

  "Nowadays in the East Wing Courtyard, apart from her who else can indulge in food and drink?" Rong Jingdao said.

  "She...she...how is that possible?" Xuan Ge couldn't believe it. Indeed! The delicious smell of food from the east wing's courtyard wafted over, separated by walls. Who else could be eating and drinking heavily besides Shallow Moon Miss?

  "At that time, when she said she wanted to help me, I also thought it was impossible. Even I myself had given up, but she insisted that nothing is impossible. Right, she also said that she didn't believe in fate, but believed in 'Where there's a will, there's a way; with determination and perseverance, one can achieve great things.' She quoted some phrases like 'Breaking the cauldron and sinking the boat, the Qin state will eventually belong to Chu; those who work hard will be rewarded by heaven, and their efforts will not be in vain.' Although I didn't know what these phrases meant at that time, hearing her say them made me feel more determined. Do you know how shocked I was? Of course, I had to try 'breaking the cauldron and sinking the boat' too. I didn't expect that she would really succeed." Rong Jing said slowly, seemingly recalling the times when he wanted to give up but she persisted. Perhaps in that moment, he would never forget this for his entire life.

  "...How did Asa Shallow do it?" Xuan Ge still couldn't believe it.

  "At that time, she was affected by the aphrodisiac and fell into the secret passage. I followed her in but couldn't stop her. Later, we fell into a sealed underground Buddhist hall beneath the Dahmo Temple. I used my skills to help her merge the two true energies within her body, assisting her in expelling the poison of the aphrodisiac..." Rong Jing slowly began to speak.

  "The Crown Prince, do you know that what you're doing is very dangerous? Your powers are meant to suppress the cold energy within your body. How can you use it so easily? And yet, you exhaust all your strength to help?" Xuan Ge looked at Rong Jing disapprovingly and muttered: "I knew it, as soon as you met Miss Shallow Moon, you became generous!"

  Rong Jing smiled and continued, ignoring Xuan Ge's complaints: "I didn't expect her to be so determined. With my help, she broke through the aphrodisiac poison, and when it was time to withdraw, she actually discovered the cold poison and stubborn disease in my body. So she insisted on helping me unblock the seal, remove the cold poison, and cure the stubborn disease."

  "Lingyin Master's high cultivation couldn't achieve it, and Shallow Moon Miss is also too arrogant. If I were in... " Xuan Ge stopped mid-sentence, suddenly remembering Rong Jing's current illness, and immediately shut her mouth.

  "At that time, I thought the same as you. Not a single hope was reported. But she was determined, and I thought it was just a useless body, so let her be! Her internal strength and mine came from the same origin, I thought maybe there's a chance, who knows? So under her strong insistence, I agreed. Didn't expect that she really broke the seal of Master Ling Yin, using her true energy to melt the poison of the cold toxin pill in my body, my true energy only assisted hers from the outside..."

  "What's next?" Xuan Ge listened with bated breath, and didn't even dare to breathe.

  "She broke the seal of Lingyin Master and knew she had underestimated herself, but instead of retreating, she firmly used her true energy to melt the ice in my heart. When only one-tenth was left, her true energy was exhausted, and mine was almost gone too..." Rong Jing paused, his breathing stopped, he smiled and continued: "I told her to leave, I would die, but she could live. But she disagreed, at a time when I thought we were doomed, she used her mind to activate the hidden Phoenix True Classic inner power source in her body, so we were saved. Not only did it drive out the accumulated cold poison pill from my body, but also healed the wound caused by the Flame Palm, and repaired my heart pulse. However, our internal energy is now completely exhausted."

  "Are you saying that Miss Shallow Moon has also lost all her inner strength?" Xuan Ge asked in a low voice.

  "Hmm!" Rong Jing nodded.

  Xiang Ge turned around and walked out, "I'll go to the east wing now to kneel down and thank Miss Shallow Moon for her great kindness!"

  "Come back!" Rong Jing shouted to Xuan Ge, smiling and saying: "You'll have plenty of chances to thank her later, but not now. This matter must not be spread. She won't say anything, I won't say anything, and it's best if you don't say anything either."

  Xuan Ge stopped in his tracks, momentarily excited and forgetting that this matter couldn't be spread out. Some people were still hoping for the Crown Prince's death! Now that the Crown Prince was better, it was best if fewer people knew about it for the time being. Especially since the Crown Prince had lost all his martial arts skills at present, he would have to stay by his side even more closely from now on. He walked back and asked, "Crown Prince, can your and Shallow Moon Miss's martial arts be restored? When will they recover? Won't they just become useless like this?"

  "It shouldn't be scrapped, but it probably won't recover in a short period of time." Rong Jing didn't seem to care.

  "That's settled then." Xuan Ge let out a sigh of relief, her eyebrows and eyes barely concealing her joy. "The young master must be hungry too? I've already instructed someone to cook some medicinal congee, I'll have it served to the young master right away."

  "Hmm!" Rong Jing nodded.

  Xuan Ge quickly walked away and soon returned with a tray of medicine, setting it down on the table.

  Rong Jing suddenly remembered something and whispered to Xuan Ge: "You go find Qian Yan, tell him that no matter what he discovers or infers, it's best to forget as soon as possible, for his whole life. I guarantee that he and the Qian family will be safe from harm. If he says anything he shouldn't say, or leaks any information, he and the Qian family will disappear from this world forever."

  Xuan Ge was taken aback, looking at Rong Jing, "The Crown Prince?"

  "You go tell him, don't let anyone find out you've been looking for him. He should be in the Night Sky Pavilion now." After a pause, Rong Jing added, "The woman in the East Wing Pavilion has activated the mechanism and hidden twelve golden Buddha statues. Some clues were left behind, enough to deceive people like Ye Tianqing, but not enough to fool Qian Yan."

  "Yes, I'll go now!" Xuan Ge suddenly enlightened, nodded and turned around to leave. It wasn't until he had walked a great distance away from the North Mountain Villa that he remembered what Shizi said about Qian Yue Miss triggering the mechanism?

  Rong Jing got out of bed after the music stopped, his footsteps soft as he walked to the desk. Only when he sat down did he realize that the fragrance of the medicine in the room couldn't overpower the aroma of food coming from the east wing. He thought about how that woman was probably gobbling down her food at this moment and couldn't help but smile.

  At this time, in the main house of the East Wing Courtyard, Yun Shangyue was indeed wolfing down her food. Not only was she wolfing it down, but her eating manner was also unbearable to watch. Yun Wangye kept telling her to slow down, but Yun Shangyue seemed not to hear him. Meanwhile, Yun Mochan sat beside her with a cup of water and handed it to her when she choked. Cai Lian, Ting Xue, and Ting Yu lowered their heads and wept, thinking that Miss had really suffered for the past three days and nights, and even though she hadn't been elegant while eating in the past, it was never like this before.

  She ate until she was half full, and Yun Shang Yue very consciously put down her chopsticks. In order to let her stomach, which had been hungry for three days, be able to bear it, she should still take it easy. If she burst from eating too much, it wouldn't be worth it.

  "Finished eating?" Yun Mochan asked.

  "I'm full!" Yun Qian Yue shook her head and took over the water from Yun Wu Han's hand, taking a sip.

  "If you don't eat, then don't eat! If you go hungry for three days and eat too much, your body won't be able to take it." King Yun looked at Cloud Shallow Moon, seeing her expressionless face, neither hot nor cold towards him. He knew that he had hurt this daughter's heart over the years. He was blinded by his own biases, and because she didn't listen to his teachings, he ignored her. A look of regret and shame appeared on his face as he blamed himself: "It's all my fault for not taking good care of you."

  "It's none of your business, someone is framing me." Yun Qian Yue waved her hand. The person Cloud King owed an apology to was not her, but the real Yun Qian Yue, the original owner of this body. So, she wouldn't feel paternal love for him, nor would she give him a cold shoulder. Let him feel guilty then! Hopefully, the true owner of this body can hear these words and find some comfort in the underworld. As soon as she finished speaking, without waiting for Cloud King to respond, she shouted out loud, "Is Mo Li Ke here?"

  "In!" Mo Li echoed from outside.

  "Since you are my personal bodyguard, where were you on the day I got into trouble?" Yun Shangyue asked.

  "Miss, I have been hiding in the shadows to protect you. When you fell into that trap, I was about to come out and rescue you, but then I saw Young Master Jing go save you, so I didn't make a move. I thought with Young Master Jing there, you would be safe, but now that you've been locked up for three days, I will take the blame myself and let Old Master Wang dismiss me. Punish me for failing to protect my master." Mo Li knelt down on the ground.

  "Hmm, this isn't your fault after all. No one expected it. You don't have to take the blame. Just be more careful in the future and follow me!" Yún Shuǎng Yuè thought that as long as Mò Lí didn't have a second heart, everything would be fine. Now she had to thoroughly investigate who was harming her, first ruling out internal suspects, then finding the external culprit.

  "Thank you, miss!" Mo Li stood up.

  "Guard my courtyard well, from now on, without my order, no one is allowed to enter." Yun Shangyue ordered Mo Li again.

  "Yes!" Mo Li responded loudly.

  "What's going on, Shallow Moon? Who wants to harm you?" Cloud King looked at Cloud Shallow Moon, and just now this daughter was wolfing down food without any feminine image, he felt a sigh of regret for neglecting her and not teaching her. Most women would still be mindful even if they were hungry. Now looking at her serious and calm demeanor, treating people with kindness, and comparing it to her big appetite earlier, he thought that maybe he had underestimated this daughter, maybe she wasn't as useless as she seemed on the surface. Just like the case of Concubine Feng's downfall.

  "After all, who harmed me will be thoroughly investigated." Yun Shangyue looked at Cai Lian, Ting Xue and Ting Yu, and slowly said: "I have always trusted you three. You three say, how could I have taken the aphrodisiac?"

  "What? You've been poisoned by an aphrodisiac?" Yun Wangye suddenly stood up.

  "Hmm, I was poisoned with an aphrodisiac that day." Yun Shangyue kept staring at Cai Lian, Ting Xue and Ting Yu.

  "Miss, what is 'Cui Qing Yin'?" Cai Lian asked Yun Shangyue cautiously, the name itself didn't sound like anything good.

  "Qingyin is a kind of aphrodisiac. It's a drug that can make people infatuated, and if there's no man to satisfy the craving, it will be fatal." Yun Shang Yue explained to the three of them.

  "Ah......" The three of them stared at Yun Shangyue in shock, their expressions identical.

  Cai Lian stared at Yun Shang's calm face, "M...Miss...how could I possibly give you something that would harm you..."

  "I won't either! Miss is so kind, I'm still busy taking care of her!" Xue said with a pale face.

  "I'm also a slave!" Ting Yu said with a pale face.

  "Hmm! I believe you!" Yun Qianyue nodded. She thought she was good at judging people and shouldn't be mistaken about them. The three of them didn't seem to be pretending now. It seemed it wasn't her problem anymore. Mo Li had been secretly protecting her, if an outsider wanted to sneak in and poison her without being discovered by Mo Li would be difficult. The three people inside the house, Cai Lian, Ting Xue, and Ting Yu, wouldn't harm her. So that only left Yun Wuheng and Qing Wan Gongzhu's pastries.

  "Shallow Moon, are you... have you already..." Yun Wangye's body almost couldn't stand upright, his whole body trembling, and he looked at Yun Shangyue with a pale face in shock. The words behind him were not spoken, but the meaning was self-evident. He knew that since Yun Shangyue had returned alive, did it mean she was no longer pure?

  Yun Qian Yue ignored Yun Wang Ye and turned to Yun Wu Han, seeing that Yun Wu Han's face had also turned pale. She said seriously: "Brother, I heard that the poison from the aphrodisiac needs half an hour to take effect after taking the catalyst, or else any pollen would cause poisoning. That day when I returned from Rong Jing's house, I drank a cup of tea and ate half a box of pastries that were placed on my desk. Later, I went with Cai Lian and three others to pray at the Wishing Tree. The time between then and when the poison took effect was around half an hour. I want to ask, is this related to you? Because you were also in my room that day, don't blame me for suspecting you."

  "It wasn't me!" Yun Wuhan shook his head.

  "Hmm!" Yun Shangyue nodded and continued, "I know you were also affected by the aphrodisiac that day. I want to know why you would fall for that kind of trick too? I think you should have investigated this in the past three days."

  "What? Han'er also...also took the aphrodisiac?" Yun Wangye turned his head in shock, staring at Yun Muhou.

  Cai Lian, Ting Xue and Ting Yu all stared at Yun Wu Han with wide, red-rimmed eyes and a look of shock on their faces.

  Yun Muhan didn't look at Wang Ye, his face was extremely unpleasant. He slowly opened his mouth: "I haven't had time to investigate yet. That day... after I came out of the princess's place, I learned that you and Jing Shizi fell into a trap in the secret passage, so I sent people to search for you with all their might, but even Master Ling Yin couldn't decipher the mechanism of that place. So I quickly went to Qianmen 500 miles away to invite Qian Yan. Until now when you came out, there was no time to thoroughly investigate this matter. As long as you're fine, it's good."

  Yun Qian's face relaxed slightly as she smiled at Yun Wuhan, "So, Qian Yan was invited by brother."

  "Hmm!" Yun Wuhan nodded.

  "You didn't investigate, no problem, let's investigate together! Let's see how you unknowingly took that bait. It's impossible for me to have taken that bait at Rong Jing's place, so the only possibilities are the cup of tea on the table and the box of pastries Qing Wan Gong Zhu gave me." Yun Shang Yue said.

  "Hmm!" Yun Wuhan nodded, seemingly lowering his head to carefully recall that day's events, his face alternating between light and dark.

  Yun Qianyue turned to Cai Lian and said, "Tell me about what happened after I fell down that day. Is the half box of pastries that Qingwen Princess sent over for me to eat still there?"

  Cai Lian shook her head, "That half box of pastries seems to be gone."

  "Where did it go?" Yun Shallow Moon narrowed her eyes.

  "I don't know either." Cai Lian shook her head again, looking pale. "That day when Miss came down from the prayer tree, I felt that something was wrong with Miss. I thought Miss really couldn't stand the fragrance of the incense on the tree and didn't expect a hole to suddenly open underground. I was so scared that I grabbed Miss and we both fell in together. Later, I was pulled out by Prince Gong, and after hitting the ground, I saw a black shadow going down, then a white shadow fell first. Not long after, Prince Gong and Princess Qingyan were both pulled up, and the hole underground suddenly closed. Prince Gong angrily ordered someone to check immediately, but no one could open it. Later, Master Lingyin and Shizong came, but Master Lingyin couldn't open it either. Shizong went to invite Qianmenzhai, the master of the world's number one mechanism and hidden weapons, and Prince Gong sealed off Lingtai Temple. I, Tingxue, and Tingyu were guarding Miss there and didn't return to the mansion. We hoped that Shizong would rescue Miss until this morning when Shizong brought Qianmenzhai back. As a low-ranking servant, we couldn't follow them in to rescue Miss, so we could only come back and wait. After coming back, not long after, Wangye and Dazongguan arrived. I was worried about Miss and didn't notice that box of pastries at all! If it weren't for Miss asking, I wouldn't have remembered it either! Now that Miss mentions it, I seem to have not seen that box of pastries since we came back."

  Yun Qian looked at Ting Xue and Ting Yu, "Have you two noticed that box of pastries?"

  "The two servants were with Cai Lian sister all the time, and when they came back, they were thinking about Baoyou Miss coming out safely. Who would have thought of the pastry? However, the servant was really thirsty and drank a pot of cool tea as soon as she entered the house. When drinking tea, it seemed that there was no box of pastries on the table except for the teapot." Xue immediately said.

  "Yes, I knew that Ting Xue sister was drinking tea. I was also very thirsty and drank the leftover tea from Ting Xue sister. The tea water was the leftover from three days ago when it was served to the young master. Miss probably drank the same tea too! At that time, there really wasn't a box of pastries on the table." Ting Yu immediately said.

  Yun Qian Yue nodded and asked: "How long has it been since you drank that bottle of wine, and what kind of fragrance can you smell?"

  "When I came back this morning, it was already half a day. " Ling Xue immediately said: "Of course there is the fragrance of flowers, didn't you smell it, miss? There are tea flowers and several orchids in this courtyard."

  "It's not a matter of tea water anymore. It's about that pastry box." Yun Qianyue nodded affirmatively, asking Cai Lian, "Has anyone entered this courtyard?"

  "We don't know!" The three of them shook their heads in unison.

  "Mo Li, has anyone come to this yard in the past three days?" Yun Qianyue asked, looking outside.

  "Miss, I know you've fallen into the trap and I brought people to check, but no one was left in the courtyard. The courtyard of Jing Shizi also had no one left. Everyone is panicked." Mo Li said.

  "It seems that someone has taken the opportunity to take away half of the cake. Yun Shallow Moon said to Yun Mocheng: "Brother, it seems I can only go and ask Qingyuan Princess for an explanation. Do you think you understand where you went wrong and got caught up in the aphrodisiac?"

  Yun Mu Han raised his head, glanced at Yun Qian Yue and his face turned extremely ugly. "I had dinner with Princess Qing Wan and then came to find you, I waited for you here for half an hour, afterwards when I went back to Princess Qing Wan's place, the seizure happened."

  "Hmph, it seems this princess is quite formidable!" Yun Shangyue sneered.

  "She was also poisoned with aphrodisiac. When a woman takes this kind of thing, it's extremely harmful to her body, and if she's not careful, she might become infertile for life. She... she might also be a victim." Yun Mochan said.

  "Can't she just be allowed to make such a crazy move in order to marry you?" Yun Shang Yue raised an eyebrow.

  "This might be acceptable, but what reason does she have to harm you? She has no benefit in harming you." Yun Wuhan said.

  "It all depends on who is behind Princess Qingyan now. Where is Princess Qingyan now?" After Yun Shangyue made up her mind to investigate the matter thoroughly, she didn't believe that He Ye Tianqing was unrelated to it.

  "On the evening of the incident, the Emperor received news and brought the princess back. At the same time, Miss Qin from the Chancellor's residence and the young lady from the Duke of Xiaojin's residence also returned. Although Qingyuan Princess had taken the Tianshan Xuelian pill given by Jing Shizi, she was still injured due to being forced into a romantic situation, and it is said that she has not woken up until now." Yun Wuhans looked at Yun Shangyue, slowly saying: "This matter is not simple, we can't rush. We will investigate slowly. We must not let the person who secretly plotted against us get away with it."

  Yun Shallow Moon nodded, "Good!"

  The two fell silent, and the room was plunged into a brief stillness.

  Yun Wangye regained his composure from the shock, looking at Yun Shangyue and Yun Mohan with a pale face. "Shangyue, Mohan, how did you two dispel that aphrodisiac poison? Wasn't it...Jing Shizi and the princess who helped you?"

  Yun Shallow Moon rolled her eyes and didn't respond.

  Yun Muhan glanced at Yun Qianyue, pursed her lips and said indifferently: "Both the princess and I were poisoned with aphrodisiacs. It was when I went to Jing Shizi's courtyard that he might have discovered something wrong with me, followed me to the princess's place, and gave us Tianshan Xuelian pills to resist the poison, so nothing happened between the princess and me."

  Yun Wangye was overjoyed at once, "And what about Shallow Moon? Did you also take Jing Shizi's Tian Shan Snow Lotus Pill?"

  Yun Qian Yue was about to say no, but thinking of Rong Jing and her having gone through twists and turns, exhausting their martial arts to resolve the aphrodisiac poison and the stubborn cold toxin in his body, it's better not to reveal this to outsiders. She nodded slightly, "Mm!"

  "It's really heaven's blessing! As long as you're all fine, that's all that matters!" Yun Wangye exclaimed excitedly, gazing at Yun Shangyue with great joy.

  Yun Shallow Moon no longer speaks.

  "That... are you feeling unwell? Your brother knows medicine, let him hurry up and take your pulse!" The Cloud King was excited and remembered what Yun Wuhan said about being injured and possibly not being able to get pregnant again, so he quickly put away his joyful expression.

  "No!" Yun Qian Yue shook her head, and just as she finished speaking, Yun Wu Han had already placed his hand on her wrist. She looked at Yun Wu Han, but didn't say anything else, nor did she push him away. Anyway, he would eventually find out about her loss of martial arts skills sooner or later.

  Yun Mu Han's hand had just pressed onto Yun Qian Yue's wrist, his face changing slightly.

  Digression

  I'm preparing a 20,000-word update for tomorrow. And to those who still have tickets, aren't you going to use them up? If anyone doesn't, be careful or I'll sneak out of my house at midnight and go knock on their door (~_~)~o (n_n)o~

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