"Didn't want to kill you?"
Chu Ruoyan's gaze sharpened as she walked over to the black-clad man. Yingzi had already pulled off his mask, revealing an utterly ordinary face.
"Do you recognize him?"
Chu Ruoyin examined him carefully: "No, I don't..."
She didn't know him, yet he had shown her mercy. Unless it was...
A suspicion formed in Chu Ruoyan's mind. Suddenly, Yulu cried out, "Miss, look over here!"
Following her pointing finger, they saw a grey eagle tattoo behind the black-clad man's ear—the mark of the Hundred Knowledge Pavilion!!
Yingzi raised his sword to destroy the tattoo, but Chu Ruoyan stopped him: "It's useless. The shout he let out before he died was heard by many. Destroying it now would only be a futile attempt to cover up."
She pondered for a moment, then said to Chu Ruoyan, "Second Sister, the authorities will be here soon. Answer their questions truthfully. However, be sure to elaborate in detail on how this man showed no intent to kill you. Do you understand?"
Chu Ruoyin nodded. Chu Ruoyan left with Yingzi and Yulu.
Outside, they encountered a flustered Jiang Yi. With only a slight nod of acknowledgment, Chu Ruoyan headed straight for the Yan family's second branch residence.
Meanwhile, in Feng Ying's courtyard.
Crash!
She smashed a teacup: "That old hag, Lady Xue! Her own household is in such massive debt, yet she has the gall to ask me for my dowry! Has she no shame?"
The matron who had accompanied her as part of her dowry tried to soothe her: "But the lady of the house is in charge now, and she is your mother-in-law. If you truly give nothing and this escalates, I fear it will reflect poorly on you..."
Feng Ying clenched her handkerchief tightly!
How could she not understand the matron's meaning? This Lady Xue was a mean, stingy old shrew who had opposed her marriage into the family from the start!
If she seized on this pretext to drive her out now, given Yan Chengwu's spineless, mother-fearing nature, he might very well send her back to her maternal home first...
But the problem was, what family did she have left to return to now?
"It's all that bitch Chu Ruoyin's fault! If it weren't for her, how could I have missed becoming the Qin Princess Consort? I wonder if Uncle Feng succeeded or not..."
Just as she spoke, a maid stumbled in, breathless.
Feng Ying rose eagerly: "Did he succeed?"
The maid shook her head in terror. A cold voice came from outside the room: "So it was you, Feng Ying."
Chu Ruoyan strode in. All the household guards and servants had been subdued by Yingzi.
Feng Ying was furious: "How dare you! You dare trespass in an official's residence?!"
Chu Ruoyan raised an eyebrow: "Feng Ying, have you forgotten? This is the Yan family's second branch. I, the County Mistress, am the lawfully wedded Third Young Madam of the Yan family. Is there anything improper about paying a visit to my husband's relatives?"
Feng Ying was speechless. She tried to bolt for the door but was caught by the wrist by Yulu.
"Come! You're coming with our Miss to see the authorities!"
Feng Ying struggled desperately: "No! No! I won't go! I know nothing about this!"
The commotion grew too loud. Lady Xue and Yan Lin, who was home on leave today, hurried over. Seeing the scene, they were stunned: "County Mistress Changle, what is the meaning of this?"
Chu Ruoyan said calmly, "Second Uncle, Second Aunt, your good daughter-in-law colluded with her maternal family to assassinate the Prince of Qin. Coincidentally, my Second Sister and I were also present. What do you think should be done?"
It was like a bolt from the blue.
Lady Xue immediately berated Feng Ying: "Explain yourself! What is going on?"
Feng Ying hadn't expected Chu Ruoyan to know, nor that she would confront her so quickly. After stammering for a moment, she spoke in a small voice: "Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, I truly knew nothing. It was just that Uncle Feng came to see me a couple of days ago, saying he wanted to avenge Grandfather and the others... I even advised him not to act recklessly, but he wouldn't listen. What could I do?"
Yan Lin's face turned ashen. Withholding information was just as punishable!
And the ones attempting to assassinate the Prince of Qin were her Feng family relatives!
Why had they been so blind, bringing such a calamity into their home?
But since she was already married in, he could only brace himself and say, "County Mistress Changle, you see Feng Ying truly wasn't involved. Could you, for the sake of your Second Uncle's old face, spare her this once?"
The corner of Chu Ruoyan's mouth lifted slightly: "Second Uncle, it's not that Changle is unwilling to be accommodating. But you know what kind of person the Prince of Qin is—a hero who just pacified the northern frontier, His Majesty's own ninth brother. Assassinated in broad daylight. Do you think His Majesty won't investigate thoroughly?"
Hearing this, Yan Lin panicked. Lady Xue, furious, pointed at Feng Ying and scolded: "You jinx! All you do is bring disaster upon this family! Had I known, I would have died rather than let Chengwu marry you... You're going to be the death of us all!"
Feng Ying hung her head, not daring to make a sound.
After calming her rage, Lady Xue forced a smile again. She eagerly grasped Chu Ruoyan's hands: "County Mistress Changle, dear niece-in-law, even if not for your Second Uncle's sake, consider the Chief Minister's prestige? We are all Yans. Our fortunes rise and fall together. We beg you, please, give us a way out?"
This was exactly what Chu Ruoyan wanted to hear. Feigning hesitation, she said, "Very well. For my husband's sake, I, the County Mistress, will point you a clear path. While the authorities haven't uncovered the truth yet, Second Uncle, Second Aunt, take Feng Ying to the authorities yourselves..."
"What? Wouldn't that be walking right into a trap?" Feng Ying's eyes widened.
Lady Xue snapped: "Be quiet! Let the County Mistress finish!"
Chu Ruoyan continued: "Take her to the authorities to testify. Say you received word that the Feng family intended harm against the Prince of Qin, but unfortunately, you were a step too late. Pin everything on the dead man. Only then can you avoid implication."
Yan Lin hurriedly agreed: "Yes, yes, yes! We'll go right away!"
Feng Ying still wanted to protest, but Lady Xue shot her a fierce look: "If you don't do exactly as the County Mistress says, I'll throw you out on the street this instant!"
This struck Feng Ying's fatal weakness. Shooting a resentful glare at Chu Ruoyan, she had no choice but to comply.
Once outside the second branch residence, Chu Ruoyan let out a long sigh of relief.
As long as Feng Ying came forward to testify, even if the assassin tried to frame the Hundred Knowledge Pavilion, she believed the Dali Temple investigation would uncover the truth...
She was about to speak when a sudden wave of dizziness washed over her. Her legs gave way, and she stumbled backward.
"Miss!!"
Yulu quickly caught her. "What's wrong? Should we fetch a physician?"
Chu Ruoyan closed her eyes for a good while until the dizziness subsided. She said, "It's nothing. Probably just exhaustion from these past few days. I'll be fine after some rest."
But Yingzi blocked her path, refusing to let her leave. Yulu also insisted: "Miss, you are now carrying two... no, three people! You mustn't be careless! If anything were to happen, how could we ever explain it to the Chief Minister?"
Mentioning Yan Zheng, Chu Ruoyan had to relent.
Back at Bodhi Courtyard, she allowed the residence physician to take her pulse. To her surprise, his expression turned grave: "County Mistress Changle, may I ask if you have been running about, traveling extensively these days? Or perhaps even kneeling for a long time in a cold place?"
Chu Ruoyan was taken aback. Yulu exclaimed: "Yes! Our Miss has had no peace lately, and not long ago, she knelt for a long time in the palace!"
The physician stroked his beard: "That explains it. This pregnancy was already not firmly settled to begin with. With such exertion and exposure to cold, there are now signs of instability... Let me prescribe a dose of miscarriage-preventing medicine for you. Take it for a while. But County Mistress, you must remember, you absolutely cannot continue to toil like this. Otherwise, I'm afraid this child cannot be preserved!"
