Chapter 393: She Has No Proof
Although Chi Jinchen’s background remained mysterious, the skills displayed by his hidden subordinates along the way made it clear that he was no ordinary person. This realization put Ye Jiamei at ease.
“This time, we truly owe Young Master Chi a great debt. Words alone cannot express my gratitude.”
For once, Ye Jiamei spoke with sincerity. She had no idea how to properly thank Chi Jinchen for escorting them so safely.
Meanwhile, over in the capital, Yu Qiuyun was fuming with rage.
Not only had she failed to kill Ye Jiamei despite multiple assassination attempts, but she also had to endure the humiliation of being shot by Yu Luo—an act that had nearly cost her life.
Yet she didn’t dare complain to the Crown Prince, fearing that he would question why she had clashed with Yu Luo in the first place. As a result, she could only suppress her fury in secret, bottling up her resentment while secretly hatching more sinister plans.
When news arrived that another group of assassins had failed, Yu Qiuyun erupted in anger. Her chest heaved violently, the motion aggravating her arrow wound and sending fresh waves of pain through her body.
“Your Highness, you mustn’t let this anger ruin your health. The Crown Princess has just announced her pregnancy, which means the side consorts will soon have their turn to conceive. You’ve waited for years—now is the time to focus on nurturing your health and ensuring His Highness favors you first.”
“Exactly. But we don’t know whether the Crown Princess will bear a son. If her firstborn is a boy, then in the future…”
“Your Highness need not worry. The Marquis has just helped the Crown Prince with a major matter. His Highness will surely be in a good mood, and when the time comes, you will be the first to receive his favor. If Your Highness conceives before the others, it will only be a matter of time before you secure your position.”
With the maids’ soothing words, Yu Qiuyun’s anger gradually subsided.
She realized that they were right. She had been too focused on those two wretched women. But just because they had fled to the wilderness didn’t mean they were safe.
Did they truly believe they could hide forever?
She curled her lips into a sneer.
“They think they can run to the frontier and live happily ever after? Hah! I will make sure they die there and never return.”
With that, she turned to one of her maids and instructed coldly, “Take some silver and send word to Feng City. I want them to take action. Those three—mother, father, and daughter—I want none of them left alive.”
“Yes, Your Highness, I will see it done immediately.”
After the maid departed, the other, Xiaowei, let out a relieved breath and spoke up.
“Your Highness, this is the right decision. If you had targeted them too openly, the Crown Prince might have grown suspicious. No matter what, Ye Jiamei really did help His Highness. And they are still technically part of the Yu family.
If I may offer a suggestion—Your Highness should use this opportunity to speak favorably of the Marquis. If the Yu family is reinstated in the capital, the Marquis could regain his official position. That would be beneficial to the Crown Prince. And with your family backing you, none of the other consorts would dare bully you anymore.”
Xiaowei’s words struck a chord.
Yu Qiuyun had been neglected ever since the Yu family fell from grace. If not for the Crown Prince’s leniency, she might have been demoted to a mere concubine.
She had hesitated to bring up the Yu family’s return, but now that Ye Jiamei had done the Crown Prince a great favor, it was the perfect opportunity. She could tie the Yu family’s fate to the Crown Prince’s success—he wouldn’t be able to reject the idea so easily.
Yes, this was her chance.
Meanwhile, in the imperial palace, the Empress was in a similarly foul mood.
Like Yu Qiuyun, she had also been trying to eliminate Ye Jiamei.
However, the difference was that she couldn’t even locate her—her spies had completely lost track of Ye Jiamei’s whereabouts.
No matter how furious she was, there was no one to take it out on.
“Your Majesty, if we cannot find her, perhaps we should turn to the underworld. Mercenaries and assassins from the martial world would have an easier time tracking her down. After all, Ye Jiamei is just a commoner. If we offer a high enough price, it is only a matter of time before she is found.”
The Empress’s expression darkened before she nodded.
“You are right. I was so enraged that I overlooked such an obvious solution. Draw up a portrait of her. I want every bounty hunter in the land looking for that wretched woman. She must die.”
“Yes, Your Majesty, leave it to me.”
The Empress leaned back with a cold smile.
“I am not one to hold petty grudges. But that country wench has ruined my plans one too many times. She has humiliated me and acted as if she can ignore me altogether. I refuse to swallow this insult.”
Her tone was chilling.
“More importantly, I need to regain control. I lost this round, but I will find a way to turn the tide. Unfortunately, the Emperor has grown wary of me…”
“Your Majesty, why not invite the Prime Minister’s wife to the palace? You two are aunt and niece—it has been some time since you last saw each other.”
The Empress’s brow unfurrowed slightly at the suggestion.
“Yes… with His Majesty still recovering, he won’t be holding any banquets. But the Prime Minister’s wife’s birthday is coming up. I will invite her to the palace. It is time we had a talk.”
*
Meanwhile…
After half a month of travel, Yu Luo and Ye Jiamei finally reached Pingyang City.
Yu Luo, however, shuddered as she remembered their journey through the underground water tunnels to avoid detection.
She had taken that dangerous route alone, but now her mother was pregnant. She couldn’t risk making her go through something like that.
And what if they ran into another giant python?
“Tonight, we’ll rest in Pingyang City,” Chi Jinchen said. “Tomorrow, we’ll cross the mountains. There will be a carriage waiting on the other side of Nine Peaks Mountain. Otherwise, we’ll have to detour through Dongfeng Nation, which adds an extra two thousand miles to the journey. That would be a waste of time. Madam Yu, do you find this acceptable?”
“I have no objections. With Young Master Chi’s men escorting us, crossing Jiuzhong Mountain shouldn’t be a problem. And with the bandit clans wiped out after the court cracked down on illegal mines, I doubt we’ll run into trouble.”
However, Yu Luo suddenly frowned.
“Aren’t we going to get stopped by border patrols? Chi Jinchen, have you forgotten our identities?”
She had assumed they would sneak through the water tunnels again. Now he wanted to cross the mountain out in the open?
Had he forgotten that she and her mother were exiles?!
“Xiao Luo, I already had our travel permits prepared ahead of time. They should arrive tonight. When traveling, one must be flexible—identities can always be arranged.”
Yu Luo: “…?”
If he had the ability to forge official documents, then why hadn’t he done so when she first left the frontier?!
Instead, he had dragged her through a life-threatening water tunnel!
Yu Luo narrowed her eyes.
She suddenly had the distinct feeling that Chi Jinchen had played her.
But she had no proof.
