His initial goal was to use Jiang Rumin to stir up conflict between Song Yun Chu and Jun Tianyi. As long as these two were at odds, it would only benefit him.
Now his objective had been achieved. Someone as concerned with face as Jun Tianyi, having lost his beloved to Song Yun Chu and been injured before being sent back to his manor, must be seething with murderous intent.
Given Jun Tianyi’s current capabilities, he couldn’t kill Song Yun Chu.
But according to Song Yun Chu’s prophecy, Jun Tianyi’s power would continue to grow. One day he would master peerless martial arts, and that would mark the approach of Song Yun Chu’s death.
Though the bond between him and Song Yun Chu was merely superficial, it was still mutually beneficial. Therefore—he couldn’t allow Jun Tianyi to surpass Song Yun Chu.
He was waiting for an opportunity. He must seize that martial arts manual Jun Tianyi was destined to obtain. Only with that manual in his hands could he rest easy.
“Continue your investigation,” Jun Li Luo glanced at the shadow guard before the imperial desk. “See what tricks Minister Song might employ.”
Meanwhile, at the Prime Minister’s Residence—
“Sir, that dense crowd outside the gate is still there. In my opinion, they intend to stand there until dawn. You have court attendance tomorrow morning—the moment the main gate opens, they will surely block your path and force you to apologize at Yi Wang Manor.”
“Rumors unfavorable to you are spreading everywhere. Those officials at court who bear you ill will have seized this opportunity and will undoubtedly submit numerous memorials against you.”
Reclining lazily on a rattan chair, Song Yun Chu watched her subordinates’ distressed expressions while leisurely nibbling on melon seeds. “After all, your lord has always had a poor reputation. The outside world long ago branded me as someone who bullies men and women alike—a treacherous villain. Should I fear my name being further tarnished?”
“But now they’ve begun spreading rumors that you scorn the royal family. That’s far too serious an accusation.”
The woman in red at Song Yun Chu’s left frowned deeply. “Although it was Yi Taifei, Prince Yi’s mother, who sent people to block our gates, if Prince Yi had any sense of honor and strongly advised the Imperial Concubine against coming, wouldn’t she have listened?”He probably didn’t discourage me at all, letting the Imperial Concubine deal with me.” After all, this matter doesn’t require his personal involvement. Yi Taifei only needs to claim it was her own decision—a loving mother seeking justice from the one who injured her son. Outsiders have no grounds to criticize Prince Yi. Moreover, Yi Taifei has an excellent reputation, so public opinion naturally leans in her favor.”
The moment she agreed to the sparring match, Song Yun Chu had already foreseen how things would unfold. She had considered Prince Yi’s status and known the match must end appropriately. But when actual combat began, she realized her lack of practical experience—a single misstep… and she had inflicted internal injuries on her opponent.
This body belonged to a martial arts master, its speed and strength truly astonishing. Every time she moved, muscle memory allowed her to break through enemy defenses effortlessly—the most valuable legacy the original owner had bestowed upon her.
Yet precisely because these skills were so profound, a single careless move could prove fatal. Therefore, she had to control her strength carefully during combat. However, when put into practice, she discovered this was no easy task.
From the very beginning, she had only used seventy to eighty percent of her strength, whereas Jun Tianyi showed no mercy at all, clearly intent on beating her severely. After dozens of exchanges, Jun Tianyi evidently lost patience and threw a fierce punch directly at her chest.
Since weapons are blind to consequences, neither she nor Jun Tianyi used any, opting instead for hand-to-hand combat. Having been in this world for so many days, this was the first time she experienced such a bone-jarring brawl—it was quite thrilling and amusing.
However, such close combat inevitably involved considerable physical contact. So when Jun Tianyi aimed for her chest, her instinct to defend against such an intrusion kicked in. With a swift pivot of her foot, she dodged the attack and countered with a spinning kick—
Sending Jun Tianyi flying.
Jun Tianyi was injured, and the Jiang family hastily called for a physician. After taking his pulse, the physician diagnosed him with surging qi and blood, disrupted internal energy, and so on, ultimately concluding that he had sustained significant internal injuries requiring several days of rest. It was best for him to remain bedridden for a few days and refrain from using martial force during this period.
“Ah,” Song Yun Chu sighed leisurely. “Reality often fails to meet expectations.”
Earlier, when fighting the assassins targeting Jiang Rumin on the streets, even if she kicked them until they vomited blood, she bore no responsibility—after all, they were villains, and there was no need for restraint. If she had known she would be fighting Jun Tianyi today, she should have used those assassins to warm up first.
“My lady, should we seek His Majesty’s assistance?”
A voice came from her left—it was the red-clad maid. “The guards from Yi Wang Manor outside the gate have been blocking us for who knows how long. We can’t afford to confront them again, or we’ll lose the moral high ground.”
“Seek His Majesty’s assistance?” Song Yun Chu raised an eyebrow slightly. “Hong Lian, how long has it been since Prince Yi was injured?”
“Approximately two hours.”
“Exactly, two whole hours. If news of Minister Song injuring Prince Yi so severely that he’s confined to bed hasn’t reached His Majesty in two hours… do you believe that?”
Hong Lian’s face showed surprise. “You mean His Majesty knows everything but has chosen not to intervene? He has no intention of helping you?”
“Our esteemed His Majesty is profound and enjoys watching others fight from a safe distance,” Song Yun Chu remarked. “Expecting him to help me is highly unlikely.”
The Dog Emperor probably relishes such a situation.
It was his misguided matchmaking that brought her the trouble of Jun Tianyi in the first place. She suspected he was either asleep at this moment or eagerly speculating about how events would unfold—completely in a spectator’s mindset.
Would he even consider coming to her rescue? Only if the sun rose from the west.
“If the people from Yi Wang Manor enjoy blocking the gate, let them. At worst, this Prime Minister won’t attend court tomorrow morning.”
With that, Song Yun Chu turned to the white-clad man beside her and instructed, “Bai Zhu, select a few with excellent lightness skills to scale the wall from the backyard. Take enough silver and go to teahouses, taverns, Qínlóuchǔguǎn, and other places where crowds gather. There are plenty of people in such spots who, for a fee, will spread rumors. Since Yi Wang Manor claims this Prime Minister scorns the royal family and intentionally caused harm, I too have a story to share with everyone.”
Bai Zhu, hearing this, straightened up and replied solemnly, “Prime Minister, your orders?”
“If you don’t want to be condemned by others, you must create an even more outrageous incident to divert attention—that is, to suppress rumors with rumors. Since Yi Wang Manor portrayed me as an arrogant and domineering villain, I’ll make their prince the despicable heartbreaker.”
…
The next day, the sun shone brightly, and the streets of the imperial city were as bustling as ever.
The incident of Prince Yi and Minister Song fighting over a romantic rivalry became the hot topic in teahouses and taverns.
“This Minister Song is truly outrageously arrogant! I’d heard before that he bullied officials, but now he even dares to attack the Royal Uncle.”
“Hasn’t Minister Song committed enough misdeeds? He has no regard for laws and etiquette. Previously, Your Majesty was deceived by him, allowing him to enjoy temporary success. But this time he’s made such a huge mess—severely injuring Your Majesty’s own uncle—so perhaps Your Majesty will impose severe punishment.”
“Severe punishment would be well deserved!”
While this table was discussing Minister Song’s faults, the conversation at another table was completely different.
“Everyone says Minister Song arrogantly attacked someone, but I wonder where they heard that. Wasn’t the prince at fault first in this incident? My cousin’s aunt’s neighbor’s daughter works as a maid in the Guogong Residence, and my cousin has found out the truth of what actually happened.”