Chapter 4: Chapter 177: Kill Duan Zirou

Chapter 177: Kill Duan Zirou

"Very well. Now that the Emperor is completely infatuated with that slut Yao Mowan, things are truly hard to predict in the future. However, Prince Jing is a cunning and treacherous man; are you certain that when his great cause is achieved, he won't 'slaughter the donkey once the grinding is done'?" Yao Zhenting looked at Yao Su luan with suspicion. Had Ye Hongyi not punished him without even listening to a defense, Yao Zhenting would never have so hastily agreed to Yao Su luan's suggestion. Unfortunately, the arrow had already been shot and could not be recalled; even if he regretted it now, it was too late.

"No one can say for sure what the future holds. I can only take a gamble now, and success depends on human effort. As long as we handle things well, Ye Zixiao has no reason to kill us. Actually, Father, your arrival is quite timely. I have a headache of a matter and hope Father can help ease my worries." Seeing that Yao Zhenting had agreed, Yao Su luan felt a secret joy in her heart and immediately spoke to test him.

"What matter?" Yao Zhenting never imagined that this trip to Huaqing Palace would result in him inexplicably becoming a rebel. Fate was playing tricks on him; he didn't even understand how he had reached this stage.

"I hope Father can find an assassin to deal with the Princess of Jing, Duan Zirou!" Her voice dropped low, and a cold light flashed in Yao Su luan's sinister eyes.

"You just said you would help Prince Jing rebel, and now you turn around and want to kill the Princess of Jing?" Yao Zhenting looked at Yao Su luan in disbelief.

"Precisely because I am helping Prince Jing, Duan Zirou must die. When Ye Zixiao ascends the throne in the future, I will make it my mission to secure the position of Empress!" A smile played on Yao Su luan's lips. As long as Duan Zirou was dead, she would have a way to capture Ye Zixiao's heart.

"Are you certain that after killing the Princess of Jing, Ye Zixiao won't turn against you? I have heard that the affection between that husband and wife is quite profound." Yao Zhenting felt that Yao Su luan's decision was far too immature.

"Father just needs to do it. I will make my own arrangements for the rest." Yao Su luan wasn't entirely sure if Ye Zixiao would turn against her, but if Duan Zirou were allowed to live, wouldn't everything she had done be merely "making a wedding dress for someone else"? Therefore, regardless of whether they broke ties, killing Duan Zirou was a necessity.

Whether to help Prince Jing seize the throne or to expose Prince Jing's treasonous rebellion—regarding this matter, Yao Zhenting thought for a long time after returning to his manor without making a decision, so the assassination of Duan Zirou had been delayed.

Inside Guanju Palace, Yao Mowan held Xuzi in her arms, her slender jade-like fingers stroking Xuzi's soft body. Beside them, little You was dutifully licking the stray hairs on Xuzi's head, which moved Yao Mowan to unexpected emotion. The phrase "deep parental love" clearly did not apply to Ye Hongyi and Yao Zhenting, Yao Mowan thought.

"Master, Yao Zhenting has not made any moves these past few days. Could it be that he has already abandoned Yao Su luan's suggestion?" Yin Xue had been hiding in the Prime Minister's manor for several days and had seen no action from Yao Zhenting.

"If he had abandoned it, would Huaqing Palace and the Prince of Jing's manor be this quiet? He is struggling. Based on my understanding of him, this step will be difficult for him to take. Currently, as the Prime Minister, he is below one person and above ten thousand; there is truly no necessity for him to rebel. If Mowan hadn't given him a small provocation earlier, he wouldn't even have remembered he had a daughter like Yao Su luan, let alone stepped foot in Huaqing Palace." Yao Mowan spoke with casual indifference. To her side, Yin Xue remained unconvinced; a "small provocation" had nearly cost Yao Zhenting his old life—if it were a large provocation...

"Then what does Master plan to do?" Yin Xue asked suspiciously.

"Since Yao Zhenting is reluctant to take this step, I might as well give him another push." Yao Mowan chuckled darkly. The reason she chose that specific day to reveal the truth to Yao Zhenting was twofold: first, to use the matter of Li Qingqing to deal a heavy blow to him; second, it coincided with Yao Su luan lacking manpower. As long as Yao Zhenting was willing to seek her out, he would surely be dragged down into the water with her!

Yao Mowan knew well that Yao Zhenting only cared about two things in his life: offspring, and fame and fortune. Now that she had shattered his dream of a son, next, she would make Yao Zhenting truly lose everything.

Inside the Soul Sand Garden, Yao Mowan leaned listlessly in Ye Hongyi's embrace, her face somewhat pale.

"Wan'er, what are you thinking about?" Ye Hongyi asked worriedly, caressing Yao Mowan's cheek with heartache.

"Your Majesty... Wan'er heard that you punished Father?" Yao Mowan looked at Ye Hongyi timidly, her eyes shimmering with moisture.

"You silly girl! If Junqing hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known you suffered such great grievances in the Prime Minister's manor!" Just thinking about how his beloved woman had almost been struck by a whip made Ye Hongyi feel a deep, internal rage.

"It was wrong of Wan'er not to let the legal mother go, but Wan'er really didn't want her family to be beaten to death. The legal mother still has a younger brother to care for..." Yao Mowan's tears fell like bean petals.

"Not only is my Wan'er not in the wrong, but even if she were, it wouldn't be Yao Zhenting's place to lecture her. Now you are the Noble Consort, his superior; he actually dared to beat and scold you without restraint. It wouldn't be excessive for me to kill him!" Ye Hongyi scolded harshly.

"Your Majesty... please don't be angry with Father, alright?" Yao Mowan gently pulled at Ye Hongyi, pleading.

"Fine, I will listen to whatever Wan'er says!" Ye Hongyi pulled Yao Mowan into a doting embrace and walked toward the Soul Sand tree that represented him.

To Ye Hongyi's shock, the Soul Sand tree that had always been lush appeared to be withering. As the wind rose, pink petals fell with the breeze; every withered petal caused Ye Hongyi immeasurable heartache.

"What is happening?" Yao Mowan moved out of Ye Hongyi's embrace and looked at the Soul Sand tree suspiciously.

"I only came to see it yesterday, and it didn't seem to be withering this severely?" Ye Hongyi's expression was solemn, a dark light flickering in his eyes.

"Wan'er remembers Eldest Sister saying that the Soul Sand trees in this garden follow a pattern of ebb and flow. If one withers, another must flourish. Let me take a good look... Your Majesty! Look, that tree over there seems much more lush than before!" Yao Mowan scanned the surroundings, finally settling her gaze on a Soul Sand tree in the southeast corner.

Ye Hongyi followed Yao Mowan's gaze, his eyes as dark as ink. Could it be that someone else in the imperial court harbored rebellious intentions?

"If Wan'er remembers correctly, the star constellation corresponding to that tree is the Xiang Star. Only when the Xiang Star encircles the sun does it shine with magnificent light." Yao Mowan spoke earnestly, her eyes as clear as water.

Yao Zhenting? Ye Hongyi's long, narrow eyes narrowed slightly. He should have realized it was that old rogue sooner. Lately, he had become increasingly arrogant—not only failing to attend morning court without reason, but even holding a whip to strike his woman! Now, he must be harboring resentment over the previous punishment. Unfortunately, Yao Zhenting, you could never have imagined that I would use the things left behind by your daughter to see through your schemes. Since you were unprincipled, do not blame me for being ruthless.

To the side, Yao Mowan noticed Ye Hongyi falling into deep thought and knew her move had worked. She breathed a slow sigh of relief, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.

Sure enough, on the second day after leaving the Soul Sand Garden, Ye Hongyi used a baseless reason to hand over several important matters that should have been handled by Yao Zhenting to Huan Heng. This decision by Ye Hongyi caused the once-hesitant Yao Zhenting to completely abandon his struggle, deciding to secretly assist Prince Jing, Ye Zixiao, along with Yao Su luan.

Inside Guanju Palace, Yin Xue stood respectfully beside Yao Mowan.

"Reporting to Master, your subordinate has investigated and found that Yao Zhenting has already hired twenty assassins, intending to ambush and kill Duan Zirou on her way to the Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas to pray for blessings."

"Mm, once he takes this step, he is walking onto a path of no return. Yin Xue, come here." Yao Mowan called Yin Xue over and whispered instructions in her ear for a long while before letting her withdraw.

After Yin Xue left, Yao Mowan intended to return to her inner chamber to rest, but she saw Ye Junqing walking in with a look of anger on his face.

"It's early in the morning; who has upset the Prince again?" Yao Mowan stopped her footsteps and sat back down by the lounge chair.