usatvline Chapter 63, Clue 063
Chapter 63, Clue 063
Chapter 63 063 Clues
After leaving Yinlu Garden, Ye Yingrou and Ye Yanxun took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention and hid behind a secluded artificial hill.
After confirming that no one was around, Ye Yingrou finally couldn't help but grab Ye Yanxun's sleeve, her face full of resentment, and said, "Why is she always able to avoid the traps I set again and again! Brother, I'm really not reconciled! Is she really that lucky?"
"Rou'er, don't worry, tomorrow hasn't come yet, it's too early to draw conclusions!" Ye Yanxun patted her hand gently to comfort her.
"That's right!" Ye Yingrou's eyes lit up, and her annoyance vanished instantly. How ridiculous! People would die from her poison, let alone a chrysanthemum! That "Golden-Topped Ink Lotus" must be completely dead by now; how could it possibly come back to life?
Moreover, she was certain that no one in the world could cure the poison she had administered. It was concocted by her body's "poison-making system," and both the formula and the ingredients were unique. She didn't believe Ye Pianran could possibly find a way to cure it in just one night. If she couldn't save Jin Ding Mohe, only death awaited Ye Pianran!
With a gentle smile, Ye Yingrou said, "Since she's so presumptuous in making such a boast, let's wait and see her make a fool of herself tomorrow morning! Once she's dead, Gongsun Yuan will be devastated. At that time, will we still have a chance to strike?"
“That’s right,” Ye Yanxun said. “By the way, now the investigation into the Golden Lotus Inkstone has become the Northern Martial King and Lord Shu of the Ministry of Justice. One is highly skilled in martial arts, and the other is extremely perceptive. If they join forces, they might find their way to you. Have you thought of a way to deal with it?”
Ye Yingrou gritted her teeth in resentment and said, "The only option now is to sacrifice eleven."
"It's good that you know what's going on. To avoid arousing their suspicion, from now until we leave Qionglin Garden tomorrow, we can't meet again," Ye Yanxun said in a deep voice. "Then you have to be extra careful."
"Brother, you too."
After discussing their strategy, the two of them left the artificial hill and quietly returned to their respective groups.
On the other side, Prime Minister Gongsun blocked Marquis Anshi's path, staring at him with a gloomy face without saying a word. Marquis Anshi felt uneasy under his gaze, and bowed respectfully, saying, "Father-in-law..."
"Hmph, you still remember you're the son-in-law of the Gongsun family? I thought you'd already started calling others 'father-in-law' by now," Prime Minister Gongsun sneered sarcastically.
Prime Minister Gongsun was not entirely satisfied with the marriage arranged by the Marquis of Anshi's family back then, but since it was personally arranged by the Emperor, he couldn't say anything. Later, the Marquis of Anshi's family brought Ye Yanxun back from Xu Pingyue's side to be recognized as a member of the family and placed him under the care of Gongsun Yuan. Prime Minister Gongsun was even more dissatisfied, but considering that Xu Pingyue had never entered the Marquis's household for so many years and that Ye Yanxun was very filial to Gongsun Yuan, he did not make things difficult for him.
Over the years, he had assumed that Marquis Anshi would treat Gongsun Yuan and her two children well, until Ye Pianran sent a maid to the Prime Minister's residence to fetch a doctor, at which point he began to suspect something was amiss. At the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, witnessing firsthand Marquis Anshi's protection of Xu Pingyue's siblings and his indifference towards Ye Pianran, he became even more certain that Xu Pingyue and her two children held a place in Marquis Anshi's heart that likely surpassed that of Gongsun Yuan and Ye Pianran!
If things continue to develop unchecked, the outcome might be something he doesn't want to see. Although he had already warned his granddaughter to be careful, Marquis Anshi also needed to give her a warning, otherwise this scoundrel would completely forget who he really was!
Marquis Anshi looked extremely embarrassed and quickly said, "How could that be? You are my only father-in-law."
"Is that so?" Prime Minister Gongsun said coldly, "Lanzhi has been married into your Marquis Anshi's household for fifteen years and has given birth to two children for you. I thought you must love and respect her in your heart, and be extremely protective of Ran'er. But your behavior today has really disappointed me!"
"Father-in-law, your son-in-law..." Marquis Anshi wanted to say a few words in his defense, but was stopped by Prime Minister Gongsun.
"Ye Xingguan!" Prime Minister Gongsun's expression was stern. "I hope you remember that although Lanzhi has married into your Marquis's mansion, she will always be my precious daughter, the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's mansion! Ran'er and Kang'er will always be my most beloved grandsons! As long as I live, I will do everything in my power to protect them! If I ever learn that they, mother and sons, have been wronged again, the Prime Minister's mansion will never let you off the hook!"
Marquis Anshi bowed his head and kept saying "yes," his face full of sincerity and remorse: "I have been busy with political affairs recently and have indeed neglected Ran'er, which has caused her a lot of grievances. I feel very guilty. Please rest assured, Father-in-law, I will take good care of Lanzhi, Ran'er and Kang'er in the future and will not let them suffer any more mishaps."
"Hmph, I hope you remember what you said today!" Prime Minister Gongsun gave Marquis Anshi another stern warning before feeling a little better. He snorted coldly, turned around, and left.
As Prime Minister Gongsun walked away, he did not see that after he left, Marquis Anshi's respectful yet somewhat fearful demeanor vanished, replaced by a terrifyingly gloomy expression.
So what if the Prime Minister is second only to the Emperor? Sooner or later, he will drag Gongsun Zhan down from that position!
——※※※——
Inside the Dew-Drinking Garden, two gardeners who had narrowly escaped death led Chunyu Yang and the others to a patch of marigolds. Pointing, the gardeners said tremblingly, "The two sounds we heard came from here and from the Green Peony Pavilion to the north."
Upon hearing this, Minister of Justice Shu Wenda's expression became extremely solemn: "There is still some distance between here and the Green Peony Pavilion. Even if you walk, it would take more than a quarter of an hour. Yet you just said that the time between hearing the first cracking sound and the second cracking sound was less than a quarter of an hour?"
“That’s right. It was precisely because the time interval was so short that we didn’t suspect the sound was man-made. We thought it was a rat, which led to this terrible mistake.” The gardener said with a mournful face, “Lord Shu, you must find out who killed Jin Ding Mo He!”
"Tsk tsk, that feint attack was truly ingenious and cunning," Chunyu Shan exclaimed, fanning himself.
Just as Shu Wenda was about to say something, he saw Chunyu Yang looking thoughtful, so he smiled and asked, "Does the Third Prince already have an answer in his heart?"
Chunyu Yang said, "Yinlu Garden has only one exit. To be able to make sounds in two different directions in such a short time without being discovered by the two of them, this person must have extraordinary lightness skills. Tonight, those who are attending the banquet in Qionglin Garden are all children of princes and ministers, and none of them have such amazing abilities. I guess this person is not among the banquet attendees."
"Could it be that an assassin has really infiltrated Qionglin Garden?" Commander Meng's expression changed drastically. "No, I will immediately send men to escort the Emperor and Empress back to the palace!"
"Commander Meng, don't panic, it shouldn't be an assassin," Shu Wenda quickly said.
"If they're not assassins, then what are they?" Commander Meng looked at them with a puzzled expression.