Yun Shuyu suddenly remembered there was still one matter she had not yet settled.
She had originally planned to find a chance to meet Du Heng, but who would have thought that when she woke groggily early in the morning, she would see Du Heng in the inner chamber of her own bedchamber hall.
If not for Yun Shuyu’s excellent composure, quickly suppressing her surprised little expression, she would have nearly shown weakness before Du Heng.
So how had he ended up in the palace?
“Mingzhe.”
Yun Shuyu called softly toward the outside, and the maidservant Mingzhe hurried in.
“Your Highness, please give your orders.”
Yun Shuyu asked coldly, “Why is the Lord Consort here this morning?”
Mingzhe said in surprise, “Was it not Your Highness who said last night that you wanted to see the Lord Consort?”
“This servant then went overnight to the marquis residence to invite him over.”
Only then did Mingzhe belatedly realize that Yun Shuyu’s tone was not quite right, and she hurriedly bowed in fear.
Yun Shuyu’s slender brows furrowed.
“When did this princess ever say she wanted to see the Lord Consort?”
Mingzhe was even more astonished, bowing deeply. “This servant would not dare deceive Your Highness.”
“Last night… last night, after this servant attended to Your Highness’s rest and was about to withdraw from the bedchamber hall, this servant heard Your Highness say…”
“Say what?”
Mingzhe seemed too afraid to say the details of Yun Shuyu’s command.
“To have the Lord Consort enter the palace.”
Yun Shuyu’s arched brows knitted even tighter.
Mingzhe had followed her for a long time and was loyal to the core; she truly did not have the courage to deceive her.
For a moment, she could not even remember whether she had summoned Du Heng last night.
After thinking it through, she understood what had happened. The answer was: somewhere between yes and no.
Yesterday, after returning from Qingping Mountain after the routine prayer for blessings, she had finished reviewing memorials and grown sleepy, so she had gone to bed early.
Only… only the mishap she encountered yesterday when she met Du Heng had caused her, after so long without dreaming, to dream of things she should not have dreamed about.
She seemed to have murmured in her dream, “Hurry… go and have… come to the palace.”
She could not remember the exact sleep-talking, and she did not remember what she had called Du Heng in the dream.
It was probably Mingzhe who had misheard it as her command.
Yun Shuyu rubbed her temples.
“Understood. This princess remembered it wrong.”
Fortunately, the result was not bad. What she had originally planned had been accomplished even faster, and Mingzhe’s mistake had been unintentional, so she would not pursue it.
“Thank you for Your Highness’s great grace.”
“No need. There is no need to be so nervous. What exactly did this princess instruct you yesterday…”
After Mingzhe stood up, she hesitated again, seeming too afraid to speak.
“What is it? If you want to say it, then say it. You have been by this princess’s side for so long; you know this princess dislikes hesitation.”
Yun Shuyu suddenly realized that she might have said something embarrassing.
When she tried to stop Mingzhe, Mingzhe was already looking as if she were prepared to risk everything and speak.
“Your Highness called the Young Lord… Du-lang yesterday.”
Mingzhe dropped to her knees with a thud, took a deep breath, and went on.
“What this servant is about to say is indeed overstepping. If Your Highness wishes to punish this servant, this servant will accept it without complaint, but please allow this servant one word.”
“The Young Lord is truly not up to much.”
“Your Highness already has a hard enough time alone at court. The Young Lord’s cultivation is low, and I hear that in the immortal sect, he does nothing proper.”
“If in the future he cannot help Your Highness and instead needs your protection, and if he grows arrogant and causes trouble, what then?”
Over the years, Yun Shuyu had appeared glorious at court on the surface, but beneath the surface she had no choice but to maneuver with those old foxes.
Great Luo still had several reclusive sages who had not yet taken a side.
She seemed to be in power, but if she made a single misstep, it would be an abyss of ten thousand feet.
Mingzhe felt that what the Eldest Princess had shown toward Du Heng these past two days was not merely a simple fake marriage pact shield.
When had Her Highness ever been so attentive to a man?
She was utterly loyal. Even knowing it would displease Yun Shuyu, she still had to speak.
But the person involved, the Eldest Princess Yun Shuyu, did not take it to heart at all.
Du… Du-lang?
She had completely forgotten what she had dreamed about after waking up.
But with Mingzhe’s reminder, she seemed to have some impression…
In the dream, she and Du Heng had already married, and the two of them had been perfectly matched and in harmony, so that was why she had called Du Heng that?
As Yun Shuyu recalled the scenes from her dream, a faint blush colored her little face.
Mingzhe added, “Your Highness… think it over carefully.”
She meant: do not let yourself develop real feelings.
Yun Shuyu showed displeasure, her phoenix eyes narrowing slightly.
“You are quite bold, daring to interfere with this princess?”
“This servant would not dare.”
“This princess has her own plans.”
“All right, go receive your punishment yourself. Today, I do not want to hear you say a second time that the Lord Consort is not up to the task.”
“Also, next time the Lord Consort enters the palace, do not let him stay in that place again. Put him in the side hall.”
“Your Highness… that is…” That was the room beside your bedchamber hall.
But Mingzhe still did not dare say more, and went off to receive her punishment.
Yun Shuyu was in a good mood today, and she also knew that Mingzhe was loyal.
As for Du Heng being not up to much, did she not know better?
That man simply chose not to compete.
After giving her orders, Yun Shuyu thought of something else and called Mingzhe back.
“Oh, and remember to send a squad of Phoenix Shadow Guards to stay by the Lord Consort’s side. When they go over, have them find some place with no one around and show themselves to the Lord Consort first.”
Mingzhe did not understand. “Your Highness, the Phoenix Shadow Guards are steady in their work. They would not mistake the person and hurt the Lord Consort. Why is it necessary to meet him first?”
Yun Shuyu covered her mouth and smiled lightly.
“It is not that I fear the Lord Consort will be hurt. I am afraid the Lord Consort will hurt them.”
Mingzhe was surprised in her heart, but afraid of angering Yun Shuyu, she did not show it. Could she really have been blind and failed to see the Young Lord’s true potential?
“Your Highness, which squad would be suitable to send?”
“Heavenly Qian.”
Mingzhe was even more astonished.
The Phoenix Shadow Guards were divided into the Heavenly Qian and Earth Kun squads. The Heavenly Qian squad was made up entirely of seasoned experts; they could be said to be the elite shadow guards Yun Shuyu had spent years cultivating.
…
Meanwhile, Du Heng and Mingzhu, both wearing oversized black hooded cloaks, left the residence.
The two rode in a carriage, but instead of heading straight to Qingping Mountain, they went to the Criminal Investigation Department.
As for the black-clad brute who had secretly attacked Du Heng yesterday, Du Heng remembered that he had originally been a villain wanted by the Criminal Investigation Department. Since the Eldest Princess had not made things difficult for him, he had handed the man over to Mingzhe. After that, Mingzhe should have transferred him back to the Criminal Investigation Department.
He did not know whether the Criminal Investigation Department had gotten any results from the interrogation.
If he had known Yun Shuyu was still scheming to torment him, he should have kept the man in custody first.
Du Heng arrived at the entrance of the Criminal Investigation Department and boldly tried to go in.
“Who are you?”
“This is a serious criminal affairs site. Unrelated persons are not allowed near.”
The two guards at the gate, one tall and one short, drew their swords at the same time and blocked Du Heng and Mingzhu.
Du Heng smiled. “I am not an unrelated person. I am here to file a report.”
The tall guard on the left saw that Du Heng’s cultivation was low. He exchanged a glance with the short guard on the right, and both frowned slightly. The jade pendant at Du Heng’s waist suggested he was a wealthy young master, but his Qi Condensation stage was only slightly better than that of ordinary commoners, and the way he was dressed was suspicious…
But they did not say anything disparaging.
“For ordinary matters, please go report to the yamen. Our Criminal Investigation Department handles strange and supernatural matters in the cultivation world.”
The Criminal Investigation Department specialized in matters of the cultivation world: hunting demons, catching ghosts, exorcising evil, and apprehending cultivators.
Its main duty was to handle the above kinds of villains, judge their cases, and then arrest them.
“What I am reporting is precisely a cultivation-world case.”
“Was a prisoner sent over from the palace yesterday?”
“How do you know?”
“That prisoner caused me trouble yesterday.”
The tall guard found this difficult. “Then I will go report it. Please wait here.”
Before long, he came back out and shook his head at Du Heng with a rueful expression.
“That villain was a death-row prisoner. After being sent here yesterday, according to the original sentence, he had already been beheaded at the Chen hour this morning.”
The two guards had also heard that the villain had previously escaped, only to be caught by the palace guards and sent back.
Although they did not know whether Du Heng’s claim that he had been harmed by the villain was true or false, the villain was dead, so Du Heng had no proof.
The two comforted him. “He is already dead, so he has received punishment for the trouble he caused you. Please take heart, sir.”