Chapter 678 - 456: Killing to Silence

Chapter 678: Chapter 456: Killing to Silence

"Capture them," Song Yunzhao said. "Don’t alert anyone else. Just make sure Qin Wan Yi knows."

Hong Xiu acknowledged the order and hurried off to relay the message.

Song Yunzhao was a little curious. ’What will Qin Wan Yi do this time?’

She wouldn’t go so far as to call her trap inescapable, but the walls were certainly closing in. It wouldn’t be easy for Qin Wan Yi to break free, not to mention Xu Ji was also waiting for her.

After Consort Shu captured the person, she would have to be interrogated in secret. Of course, before the interrogation, the bait had to be set. Song Yunzhao mused that this time, Qin Xiyue would not be able to pretend that nothing was wrong.

The people Grand Tutor Qin had left for her would only dwindle with use. If all of them were lost this time, it would be even more difficult for her to accomplish anything in the future. Therefore, she was bound to make a move.

Besides, there was also An Shutong.

Song Yunzhao, afraid that her own involvement would arouse Qin Xiyue’s suspicions, became even more of a recluse.

Meanwhile, Feng Yi had no time to worry about matters in Jincui Garden. He was sitting behind the Imperial Desk when Wang Ke, the Shadow Guard Leader, entered and presented a secret letter. The letter was sealed with wax, and a crease on the envelope indicated that the messenger must have folded it and kept it close to their body on the journey back.

Feng Yi took out a small silver knife with a keenly sharpened blade. He gently sliced open the wax seal, and a thin sheet of paper fell out.

After reading the letter, Feng Yi’s expression darkened, and his brows furrowed tightly.

Seeing this, Wang Ke didn’t dare to speak, standing by with his eyes lowered.

Ever since Feng Yi had proposed a new survey of all the land, the court had been in turmoil. The various factions—old guards and new favorites alike—were at each other’s throats, and to this day, the court was still in an uproar over the matter.

The old guard of courtiers clung to tradition, fearing that the new policy would bring instability, cause unrest, and harm their own interests, so they tried to block it. In contrast, the younger courtiers were reform-minded, believing that one must break the old to build the new. They insisted on the urgent need to eradicate the problem of corrupt officials and powerful clans hiding land from the registry. Any additional land discovered by the new survey, they argued, must be returned to the court.

Caught between the two factions, Feng Yi had seen the disputes in court grow increasingly intense lately.

However, he had never imagined things were even more serious than he had anticipated. Powerful gentry and great clans from all over the country were actually coming to the capital to offer huge bribes to courtiers, attempting to stop the survey.

Feng Yi’s long fingers tightened around the secret letter as he glanced at Wang Ke.

Wang Ke immediately stepped forward and lit a flint. Feng Yi held the letter to the flame, which instantly leaped up and devoured the paper in a flash, leaving only a pile of ash.

Wang Ke silently cleaned up the ashes. When he inadvertently looked up, he saw that the usual gentle warmth in His Majesty’s eyes had vanished, revealing their true nature.

"Your Majesty, Princess Fuke has always been cautious and prudent. Even if those people deliver silver right to her door, I’m afraid they will return empty-handed," Wang Ke couldn’t help but say.

Feng Yi leaned back in his chair, an aura of cold, careless ease surrounding him. He looked at Wang Ke. "Keep a close watch on the Princess Mansion."

"Yes," Wang Ke replied, bowing his head.

Feng Yi let out a cold laugh. His bond with his sister, Princess Fuke, was indeed deeper than with his other siblings. However, faced with the temptation of immense profit, even he couldn’t be sure what choice she would make.

If Princess Fuke truly got involved in this, then she couldn’t blame him for disregarding their bond as brother and sister.

In that instant, Feng Yi recalled the look on Yun Zhao’s face when she spoke of her own sister and felt a sense of kinship.

At certain moments, relationships could be complicated by so many other things besides affection, trapping a person completely.

Feng Yi worked until midnight before he began to feel tired. It was only when he stood up that he remembered he hadn’t eaten dinner.

Meng Jiuchang had been waiting for a while. Hearing movement, he hurried into the hall. "Your Majesty, you should eat something first."

Feng Yi was indeed a bit hungry, but strangely, he had no appetite. Still, for the sake of his health, he went to eat something.

As he ate, he remembered how Yun Zhao always reminded him that nothing was more important than eating. The thought brought a smile to his lips, and the coldness in his eyes slowly dissipated.

Song Yunzhao didn’t sleep well that night either. She dreamed all night of a dog chasing her, and she had to run the entire time. Who would be in a good mood after that?

Early in the morning, Song Yunzhao looked terrible. After being chased by a dog all night, her eyes were heavy and her complexion was poor. She wished she could just fall back into bed and sleep.

But she couldn’t.

Feng Yunjin had sent word that she was coming over. Song Yunzhao forced herself to perk up, had her breakfast, washed up, and got ready. By then, Feng Yunjin had already arrived.

When Song Yunzhao looked up and saw Feng Yunjin, she couldn’t help but chuckle. "What’s wrong? Did you not sleep well last night either?"

Hearing this, Feng Yunjin glanced at Yun Zhao’s face and said, "Your Ladyship, you didn’t sleep well last night?"

"Don’t even ask," Song Yunzhao said with a wave of her hand. She had no desire to talk about the dog that had chased her all night. "What brings you here so early?"

Feng Yunjin immediately got back to business. "Lady Shufei asked me to come pass on a message. As expected, there’s been some movement from Qin Wan Yi’s side."

At this, Song Yunzhao was suddenly wide awake. "What did she do?"

"Arsenic was found in the prisoner’s dinner last night. It was clearly an attempt to silence her."

"Silence her?" Yun Zhao’s voice jumped three octaves. She had thought Qin Xiyue would try to rescue the person, not kill them.

"Yes. Fortunately, Lady Shufei was prepared. The food is always tested before it’s served. Otherwise, if the prisoner died, there would be no witness, and we wouldn’t be able to question her about anything," Feng Yunjin said with a sigh.

"Is An Xiaoyi there?" Song Yunzhao asked.

"An Xiaoyi has been with Lady Shufei the whole time. That’s why Lady Shufei couldn’t come to tell you this herself and had me make the trip instead," Feng Yunjin explained.

Song Yunzhao nodded. "What does An Xiaoyi think about this?"

"An Xiaoyi said that attempting to silence someone is truly vicious, and that the poisoner must be caught. They’ve already begun investigating everyone who could have accessed the dinner last night."

"What else has An Xiaoyi done?"

"An Xiaoyi gave Lady Shufei a personnel register and circled many names in it. Upon closer investigation, several of them have some connection to the Qin Family."

Song Yunzhao let out a long breath. ’An Shutong truly is the high-IQ supporting villainess. The one who almost took down the female lead in the book.’

"Are all the people she circled being held together?"

"No, they’re being held separately. The person who was almost poisoned last night was the one imprisoned in the most remote room."

"I see." A faint smile played on Song Yunzhao’s lips. "Has there been any movement from Xu Ji?"

"Yes. Xu Ji sent a letter last time, but Qin Wan Yi didn’t respond. She’s sent another one this time. Would Your Ladyship like to see it?" As Feng Yunjin spoke, she took a letter from her sleeve and handed it over.

Song Yunzhao was actually quite curious. She took the letter, unfolded it, and laughed out loud as she read.

"Xu Ji is asking Qin Wan Yi to maneuver things to get her back into Jincui Garden. She certainly has some nerve." Song Yunzhao sneered. ’I can’t tell if she’s brainless or just overconfident.’