Wang Guihua angrily rolled up her sleeves, ready to confront Nanny Fang, but Song Yue said, “Nanny Fang is a trusted nanny by the masters of the Duke’s Mansion. You’re just a minor overseer in the villa. What can you possibly use to fight her?”
Hearing this, Wang Guihua immediately stopped in her tracks and turned back, looking at her suspiciously.
“Nanny Fang is also my enemy. How about we join forces?” Song Yue grinned at Wang Guihua, revealing neat, white teeth.
For some reason, Wang Guihua felt a chill run down her spine.
“What… what do you plan to do?” she asked.
Song Yue beckoned Wang Guihua closer.
After hearing Song Yue’s idea, Wang Guihua hesitated. Song Yue said, “The title of Wet Nurse of the Legitimate Daughter isn’t something money can measure. Your children can also benefit from it.”
Wang Guihua gritted her teeth and decided to take a gamble, determined to teach that shameless Nanny Fang a harsh lesson.
Half an hour later
Wang Guihua lured Nanny Fang into the small courtyard.
Because the matter was shady and Wang Guihua acted completely calm, Nanny Fang didn’t suspect a thing.
“Did it really work?”
“Don’t you trust me? It’s just that the young lady is still young. If she’s discovered when she returns to the Duke’s Mansion in the future, how will she live?”
“You don’t need to worry about that,” Nanny Fang sneered coldly.
Wang Guihua suppressed her anger and forced herself to say flattering words: “Yes, yes, I’ll have to rely on you a lot in the future.”
Nanny Fang snorted, lifted her foot, and stepped into the dark, cramped room. She looked around but didn’t see a single shadow. “Wang Guihua, where is she?”
Wang Guihua was stunned. She searched the room back and forth, but not only was Song Yue nowhere to be seen, even Zhang Dazhu had disappeared.
“She was just here a moment ago?”
“Wang Guihua, are you playing tricks again? You even dared to lie to me that the little fool isn’t foolish anymore. I think you’re just trying to swindle me, aren’t you?”
Nanny Fang looked at her with disdain.
Wang Guihua stomped her feet anxiously. Before she could speak, the door suddenly slammed shut with great force.
Whoosh!
A flame was thrown into the room.
Swoosh—the flame licked and spread rapidly, the fire growing fiercer and fiercer.
Nanny Fang and Wang Guihua stared at each other in panic, scrambling toward the door, but the fire there was clearly even more intense.
“Help!”
“Help!”
The two of them screamed at the top of their lungs.
Not far away, a dark figure watched the scene unfold.
A cold smile curled at the corner of her lips.
Originally, she hadn’t intended to kill Wang Guihua so soon.
Having grown up in the villa since childhood, she was already familiar with the layout. She took a shortcut along a small path to the backyard and happened to overhear Wang Guihua and Nanny Fang’s secret plot.
Wang Guihua recounted everything that had just happened to Nanny Fang word for word.
The two of them hit it off immediately and decided to turn the tables.
They planned to subdue Song Yue again and personally ruin her innocence.
Since they were seeking death, how could she not oblige?
She slipped back like a cat, moved Zhang Dazhu’s corpse out of the courtyard and hid it, placed highly flammable gauze in every corner, and even went to Zhang Dazhu’s courtyard to find the knockout drugs he had hidden, placing them on the gauze as well.
After finishing all this, she climbed onto the door beam and waited for her prey.
As the two screamed in the room, they would also inhale the knockout drugs. In less than half an incense stick’s time, they would lose their strength.
By the time others discovered the fire, the flames had already engulfed the entire courtyard. It was past midnight by the time they managed to fetch water, extinguish the fire, and put it out.
Song Yue clasped her hands together, feeling no satisfaction even after easily killing three people.
But she could not afford to linger any longer.
The master of the Duke of Jing’s Mansion would not let her return unscathed so easily.
Like a cat, Song Yue flipped down from the tree, gathered her provisions and water flask, and began making her way toward Tianshan Temple dozens of miles away before dawn broke.
Her footsteps were exceptionally light.
The chirping of insects filled her ears, occasionally accompanied by the fluttering of wings. As the sky brightened, she walked steadily along the deserted path.
Having faced life and death, she no longer feared such intangible things.
After walking for a full two hours, she finally arrived at Tianshan Temple around noon. Many carriages were already parked at the foot of the mountain.
She ascended the steps.
Reaching the main hall, she saw incense smoke rising thickly as devotees bowed devoutly before the Buddha statue.
Song Yue knelt on the prayer cushion, pressed her palms together, and bowed.
That home in the Duke of Jing’s Mansion—perhaps it was better not to return.
She had more important matters to attend to.
Go to Nanjiang, and save her mother!
Rising from the prayer cushion, she headed straight toward the rear temple. Before her mother left all those years ago, she had visited Tianshan Temple and entrusted something very important to the abbot.
Today, she had come to retrieve it.
Keeping her head down to avoid attracting attention, she glanced up briefly and suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure.
Her husband from her previous life, Pei Zhao, the Prince of Zhennan’s Son.
Pei Zhao had accompanied Madam Zhennan Wang, and the two walked ahead, both wearing troubled expressions. It seemed they had just finished offering incense.
“I should never have agreed to Princess Jiahua’s proposal to arrange a childhood betrothal for you. Who would have thought it would still be brought up after all these years,” Madam Zhennan Wang said with regret.
Pei Zhao comforted her gently.
“The world is unpredictable. Who could have imagined he would be so bold as to usurp—”
“Mother!” Pei Zhao quickly interrupted Madam Zhennan Wang.
Indeed, who could have foreseen that the Fifth Prince, whom no one favored, would successfully seize the throne?
And yet, her mother, Zhao Jiahua, was the only one who had supported the Fifth Prince.
One might ask, with such a person becoming emperor, would he not stand up for her mother?
After ascending the throne, the Emperor of Beichu devoted himself to governance, worked tirelessly to strengthen the nation, emphasized martial arts, and continuously recruited soldiers, all in preparation for one day attacking Nanjiang to rescue her mother.
But she had to save her mother before that happened.
Madam Zhennan Wang gently patted Pei Zhao’s hand and said meaningfully, “Don’t worry. Even if that fool returns, she may not even make it through the gates of Zhennanwangfu.”
Hearing these words abruptly, Song Yue halted her steps and narrowed her eyes.
“The only daughter-in-law I approve of is Yao’er. You two grew up together, innocent and inseparable. That fool is unworthy!”
“Mother, why do you say that?”
“Be patient. You’ll understand when the time comes.”
Mother and son gradually walked farther away.
Song Yue lowered her gaze, then slowly raised her head, squinting as she watched their retreating figures.
So, Madam Zhennan Wang was also involved in the plot to ruin her chastity.
She curled her lips—she would remember this debt.
Making her way to the rear courtyard, she slipped into a small garden. On the wall was written a large character for “Zen,” and the surroundings were utterly silent. Song Yue hesitated for a moment.
With a creak, the door opened.
An elderly monk holding prayer beads walked out. He looked at Song Yue, his wise eyes seeming to see right through her.
From the newcomer, she sensed an aura of peace and tranquility.
“Alike, truly alike,” the old monk observed for a moment before saying, “You are the daughter of Princess Jiahua, aren’t you?”
Song Yue nodded. “Exactly.”
The old monk said to wait a moment, then went inside and brought out a palm-sized brocade box, handing it to her. “I suppose you’ve come for this as well?”
Seeing through her intentions, Song Yue made no attempt to hide it and accepted the box with both hands.
“Young people shouldn’t harbor too much hostility—it harms both others and yourself,” the old monk said.
Song Yue stiffened for a moment, then bowed and retreated.
Opening the brocade box revealed a dragon-and-phoenix jade pendant inside, with a letter tucked beneath it. She picked up the letter and unfolded it. It recorded her longing and remorse for her two children, and at the end of the letter was an address. With the jade pendant, she could mobilize the renowned Shadow Guard Unit, the Xuan Ying Team.
It was said that each member was a master, capable of taking on a hundred foes alone.
Clutching the jade pendant, she hurried down the mountain.
She found the address from the letter as quickly as possible—an unremarkable rouge shop. After lingering outside the courtyard for a while to observe, she finally entered.
“Miss, what can I get for you?” the shop assistant asked.
Song Yue replied, “I need to see the shopkeeper.”
The shop assistant stared at Song Yue, noting her plain clothing but imposing presence. After a moment’s thought, he led her to the backyard.
The shopkeeper stared at Song Yue’s face, momentarily stunned.
Certain that this was the person she was looking for, Song Yue produced the jade pendant. “Where is the Xuan Ying Team?”