Chapter Seventy-Six: Clash in the Courtyard

September’s first day—my heartfelt thanks to all the readers who have supported “The Nation’s Son-in-law” and have always stood by me. I hope you continue to recommend my novels. May you find fortune and smooth sailing in this golden autumn month. Though the words may sound commonplace, blessings are never too many—please accept them with a smile.

The sun hung high at noon, yet Yang Yaozong had not appeared in the general store, much to Jing Yijun’s surprise, who had arrived early. In the past, regardless of circumstances, Yang Yaozong would always be among the first to show up, especially now, when yesterday’s two major incidents awaited his handling. Sitting in the chair where Yang Yaozong usually worked, she frowned at the intelligence reports piling up on the desk, delivered throughout the day. An uneasy, restless feeling suddenly seized her heart.

A series of knocks echoed at the door. Jing Yijun called, “Come in.” The visitor was Qin Haizhou. Not seeing Yang Yaozong but finding Jing Yijun seated in his place, he hurriedly bowed low and knelt, declaring, “Your servant greets Your Highness, Princess.”

Jing Yijun said, “General Qin, no need for such formalities—please rise.” Qin Haizhou stood up and respectfully asked, “Your Highness, do you know where Master Yang is? Last night, Master Yang instructed me to investigate the collective uprising at the Yingtian Prefecture Prison, and I have come to report what I’ve learned.”

Jing Yijun grew even more apprehensive upon hearing this. Since Yang had tasked Qin Haizhou with this matter yesterday, he should have arrived early to handle affairs and await Qin Haizhou’s intelligence. Why had he not appeared yet? Jing Yijun glanced toward Drunken Dust across the street, wondering if Yang had gone to see Yin Ruxin. But surely, even if so, he would not be this delayed. After pondering a moment, she replied, “Master Yang hasn’t arrived yet—perhaps something has detained him. He should be here soon.”

Now it was Qin Haizhou’s turn to be startled. Knowing Yang Yaozong’s habits, and considering the gravity of yesterday’s events and Yang’s prior arrangements, he ought to have been here already, awaiting the information gathered by himself and the secret inspectors. Suddenly, Qin Haizhou recalled something, his brows knitted tight, and he looked anxiously at Jing Yijun. “Your Highness, some secret inspectors reported to me earlier that, in an alley near the Nan Gong Mansion, they found the bodies of two constables responsible for night patrol in that area. Moreover, not far from the alley entrance, there were two pools of blood on the street. The constables had their throats crushed, but the blood stains seem to be from someone wounded in a struggle. We are investigating now.”

Though Qin Haizhou did not say it outright, Jing Yijun understood his implication. Her sense of unease intensified, her eyebrows tightly furrowed and her eyes wide as she forced herself to remain calm and ordered, “Go investigate immediately. Send out all secret inspectors who are able to move freely—find out where Yang Yaozong is. You must locate him. If you do, signal with an arrow. I’ll go to the Nan Gong Mansion myself to check.”

Qin Haizhou acknowledged her command and hurried out.

Once Qin Haizhou departed, Jing Yijun also left the general store. With her skills, it took little time for her to slip into the Nan Gong Mansion. After a thorough search, she found no trace of Yang Yaozong and went to inspect the spots where Qin Haizhou had mentioned the blood stains. In the grass by the roadside, something caught her attention—a string of prayer beads she had given to Yang Yaozong. She swiftly picked it up, clutching it tightly in her hand. She knew for certain this was a signal left by Yang Yaozong. Something had happened to him.

Her heart began to race with panic. Those two pools of blood—if they belonged to Yang Yaozong, then he was either dead or gravely wounded. The thought stabbed at her heart, and a torrent of anxious, angry, and worried emotions surged within her. Who? Who wanted to kill him? Tears welled in her eyes; she tried to think positively, but the image of those bloodstains haunted her relentlessly.

Jing Yijun did not see what she looked like just then. Had she calmed herself and glimpsed her own anxious, tear-streaked expression, she would have found it unbelievable. What maiden does not harbor springtime longings? She was now a lovesick fairy fallen to earth, though she herself had yet to realize it.

Jing Yijun considered Prince Jing Min and Yin Ruxin. Yet Jing Min was gravely injured last night, and the Prince of Jin’s mansion was under even stricter surveillance—how could he dispatch anyone to kill Yang Yaozong? Besides, Yang Yaozong’s identity as chief of the secret inspectors should not have been exposed, and Jing Min had no reason to kill him. Yin Ruxin? Although she had realized last night that the highly skilled woman was not Yin Ruxin herself, her prior secret investigation revealed a connection between Yin Ruxin and that mysterious woman. Yin Ruxin’s identity was shrouded in mystery, and since the appearance of that black-clad woman, Jing Yijun understood why Yang Yaozong had arranged for her to cooperate with Qin Haizhou. Yang Yaozong must have known Yin Ruxin was aiding Prince Jing Min. Last night, she could not broach the subject with Yang Yaozong due to Qin Haizhou’s presence, but she had planned to ask him today. She wondered if he had truly been swayed by Yin Ruxin’s beauty and deliberately concealed her involvement in Jing Min’s escape. At this moment, she felt the most likely suspect in Yang Yaozong’s disappearance was Yin Ruxin.

Jing Yijun was furious—furious that Yang Yaozong had ignored her warnings. Like someone caught in a dead-end, she thought, “You refused to keep your distance from Yin Ruxin; if you die by her hand, you deserve it!” Though she was angry, her feet moved even faster, rushing toward Yin Ruxin’s courtyard.

Yin Ruxin was leisurely swinging in her small garden, anticipating Yang Yaozong’s visit. Her heart brimmed with joy, wishing time would hurry so she could see him again. Gazing through the layered ginkgo leaves up at the azure sky, she caught a glimpse of a white figure, silver gleaming, swooping swiftly from the rooftop toward her.

She halted the swing and turned to see the white figure already at her side. The glinting silver was sunlight reflected from the sword in the intruder’s hand, its blade now pressed against her throat. Though the blade did not touch her skin, a chilling cold radiated from its tip.

Yin Ruxin stared at the woman—the same white-clad figure she had glimpsed moments before. Draped in a white dress, her face veiled in fine gauze, yet her extraordinary beauty shone through. Her brows were tightly knit and her eyes icy cold, making her seem like an ethereal goddess, untouchable.

Yin Ruxin was amazed at the woman’s beauty but determined not to show it. Women are mysterious creatures. Despite sensing the murderous aura emanating from the woman, Yin Ruxin refused to let herself be intimidated, meeting her gaze calmly, chin held high, betraying not a trace of fear.

At that moment, Yin Ruyun quietly pressed her sword to Jing Yijun’s nape.

When Yin Ruyun saw the white figure appear on the rooftop, she hurried from her chamber and recognized the white-clad woman as the extraordinary princess she had dueled with the previous night. Fortunately, the princess had not harmed Yin Ruxin, or she would have arrived too late to help. Though her sword was now at the princess’s neck, the princess seemed utterly unconcerned, taking no notice of the threat.

Jing Yijun fixed a cold gaze on Yin Ruxin, openly displaying her murderous intent. Seeing Yin Ruxin remain composed in the face of death, she was even more convinced of the woman’s mysterious identity. Jing Yijun also knew that the woman threatening her from behind was the black-clad adversary she had fought the night before.

Suppressing her anxiety, Jing Yijun asked coldly, “Is Yang Yaozong here with you?”

Yin Ruxin glanced at Yin Ruyun’s anxious face, recalling her description of the princess’s extraordinary martial prowess. Yin Ruxin realized that the white-clad woman before her was a princess of Great Zhou.

Though she could not see Jing Yijun’s expression, she discerned a hint of unguarded anxiety and worry in her eyes. Yin Ruxin did not know what had happened, nor why the princess had come to find her. She knew Yang Yaozong would never reveal her involvement in aiding Prince Jing Min; otherwise, he would not have devised such elaborate plans to block the prince’s escape. But now, Yin Ruyun’s presence exposed everything Yang Yaozong had tried to conceal.

What puzzled Yin Ruxin more was why the princess sought Yang Yaozong here. From the flicker of emotion she had failed to hide, it seemed the princess cared about him. Yin Ruxin had thought to tease this lofty princess about Yang Yaozong’s visit last night, but then realized the princess must have searched the Nan Gong Mansion and all the places Yang Yaozong frequented before arriving.

Yin Ruxin’s brows gradually furrowed as she stared into Jing Yijun’s icy eyes, slowly rising from the swing. She ignored the cold blade pressing against her throat, which had already grazed her alabaster neck, a crimson line trickling down the blade. Yet she seemed immune to pain, her beautiful eyes filled with evident concern. “He’s not here! Has something happened to him?” Yin Ruxin asked urgently.

Jing Yijun narrowed her eyes, closely observing Yin Ruxin’s expression. Seeing nothing false in her demeanor, Jing Yijun did not withdraw her sword. Still cold, she asked, “If you don’t know where Yang Yaozong is, perhaps the woman behind me does?”

Yin Ruxin looked at Yin Ruyun, then at Jing Yijun, and replied seriously, “She doesn’t know either. Yang Yaozong left here last night, about the hour of the Ox. I tried to persuade him to stay, but he insisted on leaving.” Yin Ruxin was certain Yang Yaozong was in trouble; her heart was anxious to learn what had happened and did not want the princess to waste time here. “What… what exactly happened to him?” she pressed again.

Jing Yijun saw that Yin Ruxin was genuinely worried about Yang Yaozong. Her left hand tightened and loosened around the prayer beads she had given him, the image of those bloodstains haunting her mind, her sword hand trembling slightly. If he was not here, where could Yang Yaozong be? Where was he?

Her mind was a tangled mess, dizzy with anxiety. She felt as though Yang Yaozong was slowly slipping out of her life. Resisting the ache in her heart, she asked in a trembling voice, almost pleading, “Do you know who might wish him harm?”

Yin Ruxin bit her lip, thinking for a moment. “Perhaps Prince Jing Min…” She knew well that Yang Yaozong had repeatedly outshone Jing Min, and lately Yang’s reputation had soared. With Jing Min’s proud and cunning nature, how could he tolerate Yang Yaozong? Moreover, Yang Yaozong was the Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, and had recently brought much honor to both the Crown Prince and the Emperor. To Jing Min, Yang Yaozong was becoming ever more of an eyesore.

But before Yin Ruxin could finish, Jing Yijun withdrew her sword, glanced at Yin Ruxin, and said, “I’ll spare your life for now—take heed!” Without another word to Yin Ruyun, she leaped lightly into the air and vanished from Yin Ruxin’s sight.

The wound on Yin Ruxin’s neck was shallow, no longer bleeding, but the red mark stood out against her fair skin. Yin Ruyun hurried to her side, asking with concern, “Are you alright?”

Yin Ruxin shook her head, her brows tightly drawn, eyes misty, gripping Yin Ruyun’s hand as she trembled. “Sister, Yang Yaozong is definitely in trouble! You know Prince Jing Min’s mansion well—go investigate. If Yang Yaozong… if he really was harmed by Jing Min…” She could not bring herself to utter those ominous words; tears gleamed in her eyes, but suddenly her voice turned icy and fierce, “Bring me Jing Min’s head!”

Yin Ruyun wanted to advise her to consider the greater picture, but seeing Yin Ruxin’s state, she knew her words would fall on deaf ears. Yin Ruyun understood that her sister valued Yang Yaozong more than herself. Without wasting another moment, she nodded and leapt away, following Jing Yijun’s path.