Chu Ruoyan immediately crouched down in front of him.
The man's face was deathly pale, yet his gaze remained sharp as a blade. He shook his head slightly at her and said, "It's nothing. It's better to cough it up."
The clot of blood stuck in his chest was the result of inner turmoil, and expelling it was undoubtedly for the best.
But seeing Yan Zheng casually wipe away the bloodstains and immediately refocus on giving orders to his subordinates, Chu Ruoyan couldn't suppress her anger. "Do you really care so little about yourself?"
Yan Zheng froze in surprise.
Meng Yang tried to explain on behalf of his master, but Old Xu covered his mouth and dragged him out.
Now, only the two of them remained in the courtyard.
Chu Ruoyan regretted her outburst the moment the words left her lips. Given the upheaval he had endured today, it was a miracle he hadn't collapsed entirely—his resilience was remarkable. She shouldn’t have lost her temper with him…
Yet Yan Zheng murmured in a daze, "A-Yan… are you… worried about me?"
Chu Ruoyan gave an awkward nod. The next moment, a slight pain shot through her wrist as she was pulled toward him. A pair of broad, cool hands wrapped tightly around her waist…
"Don’t move."
Yan Zheng’s voice was hoarse. "Please… just for a moment…"
Chu Ruoyan stiffened. She had never been this close to a man before, yet she could feel the hands around her waist trembling faintly.
If anyone else had faced what he had today, they might have already lost their minds, wouldn’t they?
Biting her lip lightly, she tentatively placed a hand on his shoulder. "It’s alright… I’m here."
The man shuddered, his arms tightening around her as if he wanted to meld her into his very bones.
Chu Ruoyan could only soothe him with soft murmurs while silently praying he wouldn’t crush her waist.
After what felt like an eternity, Yan Zheng finally released her and stood. "My apologies. I lost control."
Chu Ruoyan could tell he had regained his composure. Gently, she said, "As long as you’re alright. Let the physician examine you first. Only when you’re well can we plan our next steps."
Yan Zheng nodded, and she instructed Meng Yang to summon the physician.
After taking his pulse, the physician diagnosed the blood as a result of emotional distress and warned him to restrain his emotions—avoiding extreme joy or sorrow.
Yan Zheng agreed, and once the physician left, the four of them gathered in the room.
Yan Zheng spoke first. "Old Xu, in your opinion, how much of Granny Sun’s testimony can be trusted?"
Old Xu stroked his beard. "It’s hard to say… We did threaten her with her son’s safety, but for such a monumental secret to spill out so quickly—doesn’t she fear the Princess’s retaliation later?"
"Exactly!" Chu Ruoyan’s almond-shaped eyes narrowed. "And she kept insisting the Princess knew nothing—doesn’t that sound just like Imperial Son-in-law Cao?"
The three men tensed. Meng Yang blurted, "You’re right! Imperial Son-in-law Cao also kept claiming the Princess was wronged. Now Granny Sun is doing the same. Everything connects back to the Princess, yet she remains untouched by it all. Isn’t that too convenient?"
Cao Dong had destroyed the Yan Family, and the Cao clan nearly collapsed, yet the Princess escaped unscathed with nothing more than a claim of grief.
Now, with Granny Sun’s baby-swapping scheme, she was once again painted as the victim—inviting pity rather than blame!
"Most importantly, Granny Sun’s story was fed to me deliberately," Chu Ruoyan pressed her lips together. "If it were any of you—believing your long-lost son had returned from the dead—would you patiently guide him to uncover the truth, or would you rush to embrace him?"
Old Xu’s eyes lit up. "Precisely! That’s human nature—no mother could resist! Either she already knew, or this is all a fabrication. And the Yan Family… Young Master, don’t you find their timing too coincidental?"
Yan Zheng’s brows furrowed. Slowly, he said, "Are you suggesting she orchestrated this to turn me against the Yan Family?"
"Very likely! Though I can’t say for certain, one thing is clear—Granny Sun’s words cannot be trusted. We must interrogate her again!"
Yan Zheng nodded, then turned his gaze to Chu Ruoyan. "A-Yan, do you remember the attendants around An Sheng?"
Chu Ruoyan paused before understanding. "You want me to impersonate someone from the Princess’s household to test Granny Sun? That could work, but I’m afraid I won’t sound convincing enough…"
Meng Yang chuckled and nudged Old Xu, who cleared his throat—and suddenly spoke in Yan Zheng’s voice: "‘A-Yan, do you remember the attendants around An Sheng?’"
The imitation was flawless.
Then, shifting tones, Old Xu mimicked Chu Ruoyan’s voice: "‘That could work, but I’m afraid I won’t sound convincing enough…’"
Chu Ruoyan gaped, stunned into silence.
Yan Zheng rarely saw her so astonished, and a faint smile tugged at his lips. "This is a secret skill from Lingnan—‘voice mimicry.’ Old Xu can replicate any voice he’s heard, indistinguishable from the original."
"That’s incredible…"
The people around Yan Zheng were truly extraordinary!
After a moment’s thought, Chu Ruoyan said, "The Princess has two personal maids—Gong Shang is composed, while Yu Hui is more lively. Let’s imitate Yu Hui. Old Xu, have you heard her voice before?"
Old Xu grinned and immediately spoke in Yu Hui’s bright tone: "Don’t worry, Young Madam. I won’t fail you."
Meanwhile, in the Princess’s residence…
An Sheng reclined on a divan, allowing a mute maidservant to massage her legs while listening to Gong Shang’s report: "...And so, the Yan Family’s second branch left with the Old Dowager. From their expressions, it seems they intend to cover for Marquis Anning."
Yu Hui pouted. "Hah! I thought that old hag from the Yan Family would fight Marquis Anning to the death. Instead, it just fizzled out? Yan Shu is utterly useless!"
"What else can you expect from a concubine who relied on her looks?" Gong Shang replied before turning to the Princess. "But Your Highness, Marquis Anning didn’t turn against the Yan Family as you hoped…"
An Sheng waved a hand, yet a glint of satisfaction flickered in her eyes. "If he obeyed my every expectation, wouldn’t he be nothing more than a puppet? To remain composed in the face of upheaval and skillfully pacify the Yan Family—such resilience proves he’s worthy of being my son!"
The moment the word "son" left her lips, the mute maidservant’s fingers pressed down too hard.
An Sheng winced, then remarked idly, "A fly has slipped into my household…"
The maidservant panicked and bolted for the door—only for a thin wire to coil around her neck.
Her head toppled to the ground in an instant.
Gong Shang scolded, "Yu Hui! Why didn’t you keep her alive?"
How were they to interrogate her now?
But Yu Hui pried open the dead woman’s mouth and dug out a poison pill hidden under her tongue. "Ugh, ‘Heartbane Herb.’ These southern barbarians’ assassins are so unoriginal—still using the same old tricks!"
Gong Shang frowned. "Your Highness, the southerners have broken faith by planting spies in your household!"
An Sheng merely smiled. "It was always a transaction of interests. Why expect honor from them? No matter. First, go to Yan Lin’s estate and release Yan Shu."
That night, in the outskirts of the capital…
Granny Sun stirred in her sleep when a muffled groan sounded outside the window—the Yan Family guards watching them had collapsed.
She shook her son awake, and the two crept toward the door…
Thud!
The doors and windows suddenly shut, casting the silhouette of a graceful figure against the paper panels, followed by a familiar cold snort.
"Granny Sun, the Princess is most displeased with you!"
Granny Sun paled in shock and immediately pulled her son down to kneel with her. "Miss Yu Hui, this old servant repeated the Princess's words exactly as instructed! Not a single deviation, and I made sure not to implicate Her Highness in the slightest!"
Outside the door, Chu Ruoyan's heart clenched—so Granny Sun was indeed An Sheng's pawn!
She glanced at Old Xu, who feigned anger and scolded, "Do you think the Princess is so easily fooled? Think carefully!"
Granny Sun furrowed her brows, wracking her brain, then suddenly exclaimed, "Ah! It must be about the matter of Marquis Anning's birth father… But the timing wasn’t right! They didn’t ask, so how could I just blurt out that Marquis Anning’s father is General Yan?!"
The two eavesdroppers outside were struck speechless!
Granny Sun wasn’t lying—which meant…
