Chapter 10: Attempting to Harm Yan Luo but Being Countered

As soon as these words were spoken, Yan Luo froze.

How could that be?

In her past life, the Seventh Prince was about to ascend the throne!

By the time she died, the Seventh Prince had already fought off the Crown Prince and become the new heir.

Suddenly, a low voice sounded in Yan Luo's ear—

"Junior Sister, the Seventh Prince died so suddenly. Can you guess why?"

Yan Luo turned her head; Chu Yue was standing beside her at some unknown moment.

The dark pupils in the little girl's eyes flickered.

Chu Yue's expression was very intriguing.

Yan Luo said nothing, so Chu Yue continued in a low voice, "Even though you ruined my plans and nearly caused my father to become a cripple, you probably couldn't have guessed that I have plenty of ways to please my mother."

"Go ahead and keep sabotaging me. I will let you know that you simply cannot compete with Koi Luck. Once my great fortune is activated, I can even reverse the Seventh Prince's fate."

Her gaze was full of testing, and her smile was laden with malice.

Yan Luo pretended not to understand. She covered her mouth with her small hand and asked loudly, "Senior Sister, are you saying that the Seventh Prince's death is related to your Koi Luck?"

The Duke of Zhong frowned: "Chu Yue, is what Yan Luo said true?"

Chu Yue's face turned pale. Meeting the First Madam's piercing, hateful gaze, she fell to her knees with a thud.

"To Grandfather, I was just playing with Junior Sister, she is talking nonsense... The Seventh Prince died of sudden death, how could it have anything to do with me?"

Even so, once the seed of doubt was planted, it was difficult for the Duke of Zhong not to be suspicious.

It was also Yan Luo's words just now that made him suddenly realize that his eldest daughter-in-law's maternal family belonged to the Crown Prince's faction.

The current Crown Prince was born to Consort Shu, while the Seventh Prince was born to the Empress.

The Emperor choosing the older, concubine-born Crown Prince over the legitimate Seventh Prince was already setting a precedent.

However, no matter how much the Emperor favored Consort Shu, the Empress's maternal family was not to be trifled with.

Ever since Consort Shu's son was established as the Crown Prince, the entire imperial court had not seen a single day without turmoil.

Most court officials suggested that the Emperor choose a legitimate heir when selecting a successor, arguing there was no logic in choosing seniority over legitimacy, as it would be mocked by future generations.

The Emperor had wavered several times, which made Consort Shu feel a sense of crisis.

The Crown Prince's faction desperately needed to win over the veteran officials in court to strengthen their power so they could contend against the powerful Empress and the Seventh Prince.

They thought this factional struggle would last a long time, but they never expected the Seventh Prince to suddenly die!

Having experienced the officialdom for many years, the Duke of Zhong could keenly perceive that the Seventh Prince's death was a result of the Empress's failed struggle, which allowed Consort Shu to find an opportunity.

There was nothing to criticize about it; winners take all, whether in the inner palace or the imperial court.

The Duke of Zhong was originally part of the neutral faction; he only supported imperial power, and he would be loyal to whoever was the Emperor.

But if the Seventh Prince's death was connected to his own family, it would violate his taboo!

Thus, the look in his eyes toward Chu Yue became increasingly severe.

"Chu Yue, speak clearly. What exactly do you know about the Seventh Prince's death?"

The butler had long since withdrawn, and all the doors and windows of the main courtyard were tightly shut.

If word got out, it would be a catastrophe!

Chu Yue was already panicking.

She truly did not expect Yan Luo to dare to say it out loud.

"Grandfather! I truly know nothing. Koi Luck can only bring good fortune, how could it possibly harm someone?"

"That's right, Father," the First Madam interjected to smooth things over, "Since the matter has already happened, we should first discuss what kind of funeral to send."

The Seventh Prince was, after all, the Emperor's legitimate son; the Duke of Zhong's manor had to show its respect.

But before the Duke of Zhong could speak, Yan Luo asked again, "Senior Sister, what happened to your fingers?"

Everyone's gaze turned toward Chu Yue.

Originally, when Chu Yue was standing, her hands were hidden in her sleeves, so others couldn't see anything unusual.

But now that she was kneeling on the ground with her palms supporting her, her red and swollen fingers were naturally visible.

It was the First Madam's turn to freeze, her gaze toward Yan Luo becoming venomous.

Chu Yue grew anxious: "I... I wanted to learn embroidery and injured myself. It's not a serious injury."

She hid her hands away.

Yan Luo blinked her large eyes and nodded with a soft, sweet voice.

"It's a good thing it was just a needle prick. Master said before that to activate Koi Luck, one must offer their own blood. Senior Sister, I hope you didn't hurt yourself for that reason."

"Yan Luo!! Have you had enough?" Chu Yue barked at her in a rage.

She had accurately said the words "needle prick"; those with a guilty conscience would naturally be afraid.

The First Madam slammed the table and scolded Yan Luo, "When adults are speaking, you keep interrupting. Do you have no manners?"

Tong Qingyu shielded Yan Luo behind her.

"Sister-in-law, Yan Luo is also a Spirit Girl. She isn't a servant; why shouldn't she be allowed to speak?"

The Second Madam added sarcastically, "Exactly, Sister-in-law. It can't be that only you and Chu Yue are allowed to speak while we don't even have the right to open our mouths? If that's the case, why did you even call us here to discuss? Just decide everything yourself!"

The First Madam felt a pain in her chest from anger.

In her eyes, the Second Madam was shrewd, difficult, and vindictive, but the Third Madam, Tong Qingyu, was a complete pushover who never resisted no matter how much she was bullied.

Today, she actually dared to challenge her for Yan Luo's sake.

"You are all being so unreasonable. We haven't even finished the official business and you're already causing trouble. Fine, fine, I am truly exhausted by this family!" The First Madam held her forehead, looking very distressed.

The Second Madam took the opportunity to smile: "Oh my, Sister-in-law is already tired? I thought you were enjoying it. If you're tired, it's easy to fix—just hand over the authority of the housekeeper, and I'll help you."

Regarding the matter of seizing the Spirit Girl last time, the Second Madam had completely held a grudge against the First House.

She would bite down hard whenever there was an opportunity.

The First Madam's face was pale now, her lips pressed tightly together in silence.

The Duke of Zhong said, "Enough. Regarding the Seventh Prince's funeral, First Daughter-in-law, you should not participate for now."

The First Madam looked bewildered: "Father?"

She had managed the household for many years, and this was the first time she had heard the Duke of Zhong tell her to avoid suspicion.

It was mainly because Yan Luo's words just now had sounded an alarm for the Duke of Zhong.

In case the First House truly had a hand in the Seventh Prince's death, the members of the First House absolutely could not represent the Duke of Zhong's manor during the Seventh Prince's funeral arrangements.

He feared that Consort Shu might collaborate with the First House, using the Duke of Zhong's manor to pressure the Emperor into deposing the Empress, which would make the Crown Prince's position more stable.

The Duke of Zhong: "Qingyu, you tell us, what kind of funeral rites would be appropriate?"

Tong Qingyu was stunned by the sudden summons.

She instinctively looked toward the Third Master, Lin Li.

"I have no experience in this matter, let's listen to Third Master."

"For our Third House, let's send five hundred taels, along with some funerary candles and precious sutras," Lin Li spoke calmly, his attitude cold.

What he suggested were all standard items that every civil and military official's family would send; there would be no fault to find.

However, Yan Luo said, "Grandfather, let my Third Uncle write a funeral oration! My Third Uncle's literary talent is excellent!"

Lin Li's cold expression instantly shattered.

"Yan Luo!" he barked irritably, "Don't go causing trouble for me!"

The Second Madam clicked her tongue twice: "How can that be called causing trouble? Third Brother, this is a good thing. In our entire manor, you are the only one with brilliant literary talent; you were even a top scholar in both civil and military exams."

"If you ask me, you should be the one to write this oration. Let the Emperor know our family's attitude, and let Her Majesty the Empress know that although our family has close ties with Sister-in-law and Consort Shu, we actually place great importance on the Seventh Prince as well."

The more she spoke, the worse the First Madam's expression became.

The Second Madam grew even more enthusiastic, even going so far as to persuade the Duke of Zhong: "Father, I think Yan Luo's suggestion is excellent. It can avoid suspicion and also demonstrate our family's stance."

The Duke of Zhong fell into deep thought.

It was a good point. Now that the Seventh Prince was dead, the Empress and her maternal family would surely go mad and launch a hysterical political struggle.

When the accusations and tearing began, they might even end up hating the Lin family because of Consort Shu.

It would be better to state their position now.

"Then it is settled."

The First Madam said anxiously, "Father, but..."

(End of Chapter)