The Zhu family has a daughter named 023 who is injured by her own kind.
On the second day, Yuan Yi was on his way to welcome back Yuan Rong when he met a little maid who had just cut her hair. She bumped into him and afterwards there was an extra purse in her hand.
Back in the courtyard, he waved away the attending servants and opened his package to find a piece of paper inside with the words "Name List" written on it, signed by Zi Ye. Yuan Yi crumpled up the paper into a ball and threw it into the brazier, watching as the transparent ashes floated inside, his eyes calm and unruffled.
It was another quiet night, Yuan Yi stood alone in the courtyard, took out the signal tube that Xiao Heng gave her, fixed her eyes, pulled out the plug, and a bright light burst into the dark sky.
After a while, there was a slight movement in the corner of the wall, and a black figure climbed down from the high red wall along the iron chain. Yuanyi's eyes narrowed slightly, and Xiao Heng's annoying peach blossom eyes appeared before her.
"How many days have you been sneaking a peek?" A faint voice slowly rose up.
"There's not much..." Xiao Heng seemed to be in a good mood, without any vigilance, and continued to speak smoothly, only to react afterwards, his voice stopping abruptly, covering his face with a fan, looking at Yuan Yi in embarrassment.
The complexion of the original intention did not see anger, but instead calmly said: "Gentleman on the beam, if it were you, I wouldn't feel surprised at all." She took out a name list from her sleeve and threw it into his arms, "The name list is yours, you can go."
Xiao Heng fiddled with the roster in his hand, looking at Yuan Yi's cold and quiet expression with a complex gaze. He hesitated for a moment before speaking: "About your second sister..."
His words had not finished, Yuan Yi's deep black eyes stared at him unblinkingly, saying word by word: "Continue."
"It was a joint effort by Zhang Zhongxu and Qin's family, with the aim of extricating themselves from the Crown Prince Party."
Yuanyi thought of Qin Rujing standing beside her that day, a flash of cold light in his eyes. "This play, you all expected it early on, didn't you? Was the show to your liking?"
Xiao Heng's face stiffened and he turned his head away, not daring to look at her.
"Get out!" Before he could think of an explanation, a low, angry growl was heard. Xiao Heng suddenly turned his head and saw Yuan Yi's eyes with bloodshot, filled with disgust, hatred, and contempt. "Don't let me see you again."
Xiao Heng's thin lips moved slightly, and in the end, he could only leave behind a sentence, "Take care of yourself." His tall figure then disappeared into the endless black night.
When she left, the tears that Yuan Yi had been holding back for a long time finally fell like broken pearls from her eyes. In this life and the last, what she hated most was being manipulated by others, and what she found most tragic was not being in control of her own fate.
The days passed like flowing water, and Yu Rou's illness gradually improved day by day. However, she seemed to have lost all her vitality, looking dull and lifeless, spending her days following her aunt, Chu Shi, eating vegetarian food and reciting Buddhist scriptures, with an air of detachment from worldly affairs. As for the explanation promised by Rui Wang after learning the truth about Yu Rou being pushed out as a scapegoat, she merely gave a cold laugh three times. She was even more disgusted with the twists and turns of these powerful people's schemes.
Not long after, the embankment collapse of Licheng River shocked the court and the country. Emperor Ming Qi was furious and immediately ordered a thorough investigation. The name list presented by Rui Wang at this time became crucial evidence. For a while, the capital was full of rumors and panic, with everyone on high alert.
After the bloody struggle for power, both the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Works were executed and their families confiscated. Many minor officials under them were also implicated, and it was not until a month later that the dust had settled. Qin Jiabu, the Vice-Minister of Works, replaced the Minister of Works, while the new Minister of Revenue came from the family of Yun, the Empress Rui's natal family.
This game, both King Ding and King Rui are winners, while the crown prince who was cut off his left and right arms is a heavy loser. It is said that in recent days, the crown prince's temper has become more and more violent and irritable, and the East Palace often hears news of servants being beaten to death for not serving with their whole heart.
Yuanyi knew all this was due to Lanmei's gossip, at that time, she was sitting under the plum tree playing chess, a black piece fell, and the white pieces were all defeated.
