Chapter 5
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Upon hearing that Wu Ciyun had been ordered detained by Chu Mingyi, an aide to Prince Rui hurried over. The deputy general of the Liang army didn’t bother with pleasantries and directly dragged Wu Ciyun over for a confrontation.
The aide was completely unaware of the situation and was nearly terrified when he saw Chu Mingyi gripping Wu Ciyun’s neck. He quickly rushed forward, attempting to rescue her.
“General Chu, please show restraint!”
Chu Mingyi withdrew his hand with a look of disgust. He glanced at Wu Ciyun, who was coughing violently on the ground, and coldly questioned, “Are you sure this plague is only in Pingsu?”
The aide to Prince Rui looked confused and instinctively turned to look at Wu Ciyun, whom he was protecting.
Wu Ciyun’s face was pale, and she was so weak she could barely stand. The aide hurried forward to help her up, but before he could clarify the situation, a cold sword was pressed against his neck.
His body stiffened instantly. He sluggishly raised his head and met Chu Mingyi’s cold gaze, stammering, “General Chu, what... what do you mean by this?”
Chu Mingyi looked down on him from above and bluntly asked, “The plague in Pingsu, Ningzhou, broke out three days ago. Doesn’t Prince Rui know this?”
The aide was stunned. He glanced sideways at Wu Ciyun and forced himself to say, “I... I really had no knowledge of this. There must be some misunderstanding.”
Although the main force of Prince Rui’s army was currently in Ningzhou, Prince Rui himself was leading troops from Yingzhou directly to the capital, preparing to form a pincer movement with the southern forces.
As an aide accompanying the army, he was only ordered to escort Wu Ciyun back to the capital after entering Ningzhou; how could he have known about these matters?
“Of course Prince Rui wouldn’t know, because this matter...”
Wu Ciyun barely lifted her head to look at Chu Mingyi. Her body was too weak, and even her voice was growing faint.
Chu Mingyi furrowed his brows tightly. Seeing that she was utterly exhausted, he leaned closer, trying to hear her words more clearly.
Wu Ciyun gave a faint laugh, whispered slowly into Chu Mingyi’s ear, “Fool, I lied to you.”
“...”
Chu Mingyi was furious and laughed bitterly.
Seeing he was about to draw his sword again, the aide immediately shielded Wu Ciyun and pleaded, “General Chu, Lady Wu is still ill. You can’t take her ramblings seriously!”
Ramblings?
Even when delirious she’s scheming—what would she be like when she’s lucid?!
Chu Mingyi was enraged by Wu Ciyun but couldn’t just watch her die here. He said coldly, “Call a physician to examine her.”
Whether Wu Ciyun’s words were true or not, the secret letters found in the Pingnan Prince’s mansion were undeniable evidence.
If she really died now, it could bring even greater trouble.
Wu Ciyun was about to lose consciousness but heard the word “physician” and forced her eyes open, gritting her teeth, “Send me back to the mansion first.”
“My lady, it’s better to have the physician check first...”
The aide tried to persuade her, but Wu Ciyun stubbornly insisted. She looked at Chu Mingyi coldly, “If you don’t want Ningzhou to be in trouble, send me back to the mansion!”
“...Fine, you’re really bold.”
Chu Mingyi, threatened repeatedly, wore a dark expression as if he wanted to tear her apart on the spot. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Wu Ciyun, you better hold on and not die.”
The aide dared not gamble with Wu Ciyun’s life and sent someone to summon the city’s renowned physicians to wait at Wu’s mansion. He then helped Wu Ciyun into a carriage.
The Liang Kingdom’s physician summoned by Chu Mingyi accompanied them to Wu’s mansion to monitor her condition at any time.
When Rong Tan returned from the prison to the mansion, he saw troops from Prince Rui’s army and the Liang army guarding around the gate, their stances subtly confrontational.
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Servants delivering medicine and physicians hurried in and out of the mansion, making Rong Tan feel uneasy. Upon learning Wu Ciyun had fallen gravely ill, he didn’t dare linger and quickly made his way to the main hall.
Wu Mingzhu and Wu Liangyu stood anxiously outside Wu Ciyun’s room, clinging to each other and crying like two small tearful dolls. No matter how the maids and servants coaxed them, they wouldn’t stop.
“Little Young Master, Little Young Miss, the physicians have said Lady Wu only has a cold; she’s really going to be fine...”
“You’re lying! How could a cold be this serious!”
Wu Liangyu wiped his sister’s tears with his left hand while wiping his own with his right. Their once neat sleeves were crumpled and stained, making them look utterly pitiful.
“Housekeeper Rong...”
Seeing Rong Tan hurrying over, Wu Mingzhu collapsed into his arms, sobbing, “Brother, something’s happened to him. So many doctors have come to the mansion, but they won’t let me or Second Brother in.”
Though young, the two children were very perceptive about the situation.
Wu Ciyun’s health was always fragile, with frequent minor ailments and regular medication, but never had so many physicians come all at once like today.
Everything was fine when she left this morning—why would things deteriorate so badly in just a few hours?
Wu Mingzhu and Wu Liangyu cried so bitterly that Rong Tan had to speak quickly to comfort them, repeatedly assuring them Wu Ciyun was alright.
Though half-doubting, they chose to trust Rong Tan and, casting frequent glances back, were led away by the maids to wash and change.
Rong Tan pushed open the door. Xu, the physician who usually treated Wu Ciyun, had just finished taking her pulse. Another physician dressed in Liang dynasty attire quietly approached the bedside and placed his hand on Wu Ciyun’s wrist.
Unlike the city physicians of Ningzhou, this man was sent specifically by Chu Mingyi to prevent Wu Ciyun from faking illness or plotting any schemes.
Wu Ciyun closed her eyes lightly, resting on a soft pillow. Her face was extremely pale; she had barely mustered strength after taking two pills in the carriage.
The Liang physician took her pulse for a long moment without speaking. Growing impatient, she frowned and asked, “What is it?”
The Liang physician, caught off guard by her gaze, quickly lowered his head and respectfully gave the same diagnosis as the previous two physicians.
“Lady, it is only a cold. With two courses of medicine and some rest, you will recover.”
“If that’s the case, all of you may leave.”
Surrounded by so many people, Wu Ciyun felt even more dizzy and had to order them out, leaving only Rong Tan to attend her.
Her body temperature slightly decreased, but she still felt cold. Buried under the covers, she murmured, “I think I heard Mingzhu and Liangyu crying just now...”
“They’re worried about you. I had the maids take them away to wash and change.”
Rong Tan carefully tucked the covers and softly asked, “Would you like them to come back?”
“No.”
Wu Ciyun shook her head, “Don’t let them catch this illness.”
Rong Tan nodded. Seeing her so bedraggled today, he knew there was no avoiding involvement with Chu Mingyi. He wanted to find out the truth but didn’t know how to broach the subject and resolved to find another way to probe subtly.
Several renowned physicians carefully prepared the medicine. Fortunately, the mansion had a complete stock of herbs. The maids handed the decoction to Rong Tan and hurried away to avoid disturbing Wu Ciyun’s rest.
After drinking a bowl of bitter black medicinal soup, Wu Ciyun’s consciousness grew hazier. Rong Tan wanted to help her lie down again, but she frowned and said displeased, “You smell strongly of blood.”
Rong Tan was slightly startled. He instinctively looked at his freshly changed clothes and confirmed there was no bloodstain before calming himself and apologizing, “Perhaps it was from the prison. I’ll change right away...”
“No need.”
Wu Ciyun stopped him and asked softly, “Has Xiao Boming been dealt with?”
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“...He has been dealt with.”
Rong Tan’s tone faltered slightly when mentioning Xiao Boming but remained gentle. “I used the poison you gave me. He passed quickly and didn’t suffer much. I have already arranged for his burial.”
“Thank you for your efforts.”
Hearing this, Wu Ciyun suddenly gave a strange smile. The suddenness of it made Rong Tan tense.
He opened his mouth to say more, but Wu Ciyun closed her eyes and would not continue the conversation.
Her body had always been weaker than most, and this illness would take time to fully heal.
The system, watching her linger on the sickbed, was frustrated: [You didn’t have to be so reckless today. You could have explained the Pingsu matter properly...]
Wu Ciyun was undoubtedly an ambitious woman. She understood the need to conserve strength and avoid confrontation. In the four years since her demotion, she had learned to lower herself step by step.
In the past, she had scorned the likes of Xiao Boming, a depraved playboy, but now she could feign sincerity and play along to achieve her goals.
The Pingsu plague was a fabrication by the Pingnan Prince to extort disaster relief funds. Had Wu Ciyun politely revealed the truth, Chu Mingyi might not have threatened her so harshly.
The system could not understand why she acted this way. From its godlike perspective, knowing all subsequent events, it believed that if Wu Ciyun followed its advice, everything would go smoothly.
[Trust you...]
Wu Ciyun scoffed at this.
The Liang Kingdom, Prince Rui, the system, even Rong Tan before her—she trusted none of them.
She trusted only herself.
[System, since you want me to trust you, tell me: how exactly did Xiao Boming die?]
The system hesitated slightly but insisted, [He drank the poison you prepared for him and died instantly from poisoning.]
[Did he say anything before he died?]
[...No, he said nothing.]
Wu Ciyun said no more. The system recalled everything that happened in the prison and felt a little guilty.
Xiao Boming was remarkably foolish. At his wits’ end, he still did not realize Wu Ciyun was the cause of his downfall. He truly believed his beloved Yunlang had been delayed by snow and would come for him once it stopped.
So he repeatedly asked the jailers, “When will the snow stop?”
But when the snow ceased, the one who came was not Wu Ciyun but Rong Tan, who looked at him as if eager to dispose of him.
Rong Tan said he would make him a “clear ghost” and gently revealed all the truth.
Xiao Boming was heartbroken and desperate. He took out the dagger Wu Ciyun had given him—a treasure he had begged from his beloved and always carried with great care—and, unwillingly, used it to end his life.
Blood splattered across the prison floor, and his last words were:
“Yunlang has betrayed me.”