Chapter 070
Chapter 70: The Last Day of the Month – Vote for Me!
“These next few days, just focus on recovering. I’ll have someone bring you meals.”
Gurgle—
Su Qian Yue hadn’t felt anything before, but the moment she heard those words, her stomach betrayed her with a loud growl. A wave of hunger surged through her, and her face flushed crimson in an instant. Embarrassed, she buried her head into the pillow, her muffled voice squeezing out two words: “Thank you…”
“No need,” Yun Wan Chen replied coolly, setting the medicine bottle down on the table beside her before turning to leave.
His footsteps grew fainter and fainter. Su Qian Yue lifted her head from the pillow and looked toward the door, only to have her view blocked by a folding screen. She couldn’t see anything at all.
Biting her lip, unease filled her heart. Once her stepmother found out she was missing, who knew what chaos might erupt? She only hoped it wouldn’t affect the heir apparent.
Just as her thoughts began to spiral, the white-clad man returned, his presence like fresh-fallen snow. In his hands, he carried a long tray of deep red sandalwood.
He walked to the bedside and, after a brief pause, said in a soft voice, “Move the pillow.”
“Oh,” she replied, confused but obedient. She pushed the pillow aside—then watched, stunned, as he bent slightly and placed the tray down on the bed.
Where the pillow had once been now sat a meal of plain porridge and side dishes.
Su Qian Yue stared in shock.
“Just eat like this. Don’t worry if you spill on the bedding,” Yun Wan Chen said, straightening up as he gazed down at her from above.
Su Qian Yue: “…”
[What… exactly was I expecting, again?]
“Alright. Thank you, heir apparent.”
She nodded and propped herself up with one arm, using the other to pick up the porcelain spoon. The posture was a little awkward, but at least she could manage to feed herself.
Seeing her able to eat on her own, Yun Wan Chen finally relaxed a little. He stepped back to the nearby table, picked up a book, and quietly began to read.
When she finished, he returned and took the tray away. A quick glance at the bedding showed it was perfectly clean—not a single grain of rice or drop of soup had fallen.
He placed the tray aside, then picked up the medicine bottle and looked at her with a calm expression. “It’s time to apply the medicine. Will you do it yourself, or shall I help you?”
Su Qian Yue’s face immediately turned scarlet. Only now did she realize that the pain in her wounds had eased far more than before she lost consciousness—meaning someone had already applied medicine to her.
That someone… could it have been him?
Lowering her head, she gathered her courage and murmured, “Has heir apparent… seen my body? Then… you must take responsibility.”
At those words, Yun Wan Chen blinked, slightly surprised. Then his lips parted, and he replied slowly, “Very well.”
What???
Su Qian Yue’s head shot up, her eyes wide in disbelief. [Did I hear that right? He actually agreed?!]
“Now then,” he said mildly, “are you going to apply the medicine yourself, or do you want me to do it?”
“Why? Heir apparent… why did you take me away from the Su family? Why did you agree… to take responsibility?”
And over these past days, he’d sent her food again and again…
Su Qian Yue clenched her fists, completely ignoring his question, her voice low and uncertain.
“This happened because I failed to think it through,” he replied calmly. “I gave Madam Su an excuse to hurt you. Naturally, I should take responsibility.”
Back then, she had looked so frail—like a reed that might break with a breeze. It stirred a moment of pity in him. Combined with his younger sister’s whispered thoughts, he’d made the decision to have her sent food.
But he hadn’t expected that such a simple act would lead to disaster.
“No, it’s not heir apparent’s fault. I should be the one thanking you for keeping me from going hungry,” she said quietly, eyes turning aside.
His answer was logical, expected—and somehow still disappointing. She couldn’t say exactly what she had hoped for. But now, even though he had promised to take responsibility, even though she’d get to see him every day… she couldn’t seem to feel happy about it.
This time, as before, Yun Wan Chen applied the medicine.
There were many places on her back she couldn’t reach. His earlier question had simply been a courtesy—he had no intention of letting her struggle through it herself.
In the blink of an eye, two more days passed.
And in those two days, the capital of Haojing had fallen into chaos.
Officials belonging to the chancellor’s faction, including Chancellor Han himself, were ambushed by assassins on their way home from court. Fortunately, the imperial city guards arrived just in time. Though none of the officials suffered physical injuries, they were deeply shaken by the attack.
At the scene, several guards found incriminating evidence pointing directly to the Grand Commandant’s manor.
Considering the fierce argument in court that very morning between the Grand Commandant’s supporters and the chancellor’s faction, the officials were quick to believe the worst. They were convinced Su Jian had lashed out in anger and sought to silence them with force.
So, the very next day, the chancellor’s faction appeared at court in full force, submitting formal accusations against Grand Commandant Su, accusing him of attempting to assassinate fellow officials.
Several men even produced “evidence”—a broken blade inscribed with the character “Su,” and a few tokens unique to the guards of the Su family.
This time, the accusations were backed by what seemed like solid proof. Su Jian was speechless in his own defense, and his face darkened with fury as he hurled his sleeve with a loud crack and shouted at the top of his lungs:
“Such an obvious frame job, and none of you can see it? Are you all fools?”
“If I truly wanted to assassinate you, would I send men carrying Su family tokens? If you were to attempt an assassination, would you carry your own household’s keepsakes?”
“In my view, this so-called ambush was staged entirely by you—to frame me!”
At that, his allies rose to defend him.
“Exactly! This is clearly a petty scheme you cooked up to slander the Grand Commandant. He’s a pillar of the state, renowned for his honor and integrity. Would he ever do something as vile as this?”
“Right! You accuse him of attempted murder, but where are your witnesses? A few trinkets and a broken blade, and you dare to slander the Grand Commandant? Do you even know the punishment for falsely accusing a fellow official?”
“…”
The members of the chancellor’s faction nearly fainted with rage.
The two factions had always been at odds, but this incident pushed their conflict to the breaking point.
The chancellor’s faction fired back in fury:
“Slander? You actually believe that yourself? Look at all of Great Wu—who else has the power and the guts to target so many of us at once, other than Grand Commandant Su?”
“Why would the assassins plant evidence against him and no one else? Clearly, it was because he was already guilty!”
“And you say we made this up? Then bring General Lin here! If not for him and his patrol, we’d be corpses right now!”
“Yes! Summon General Lin! He fought the assassins himself and will surely recognize where they came from. With him to testify, you won’t be able to dismiss it for lack of witnesses!”
“…”
Inside the imperial court, the two factions quarreled endlessly.
In the midst of it all, Yun Zheng and Yun Zhan—the two brothers who led the neutral faction—sat back and enjoyed the drama, especially Yun Zheng, who wore an amused, unreadable smile.
And above them all, seated high on the throne, the young emperor casually flipped through memorials, his face calm behind the veil of his jade crown, occasionally glancing down at the crowd of bickering ministers without a flicker of emotion.
“Your Majesty, we beg you to uphold justice for your loyal subjects.”
Suddenly, the entire faction of Chancellor Han dropped to their knees, voices ringing with fervor.
Since he had been named, Mo Yuan Lin could no longer remain silent. He set down the memorial in his hand and lowered his gaze to the man standing at the front of the court—Yun Zheng.
“Duke Ning, what is your opinion on this matter?”
Yun Zheng stepped forward, calm and composed, his voice clear as he spoke without the slightest hesitation: “Your Majesty, I believe the assassinations targeting several esteemed officials were indeed real. It is not some self-directed performance.”
The moment these words left his lips, a wave of agreement surged from the chancellor’s faction. Those who had just been on their knees nodded fervently, gratitude blooming in their hearts toward Yun Zheng.
Yet on the other side, the grand commandant’s faction boiled with fury. One official strode forth, pointing an accusing finger.
“Duke Ning, you were not present. You know nothing of the details. How can you speak with such certainty? Are you taking sides?”
“Indeed!”
The entire grand commandant’s faction erupted into chaos, voices clashing as they turned their ire toward Yun Zheng. The imperial court echoed with noise, like a bustling marketplace.
Mo Yuan Lin narrowed his eyes. His voice was mild, yet sharp as frost: “Silence. Let Duke Ning finish.”
The room fell deathly quiet in an instant, as if even a falling needle could be heard.
Yun Zheng glanced at Su Jian, a faint smile on his lips. “But the grand commandant, Your Lordship, was just as firm in his denial. Now both sides hold firm to their claims, each with their own reasoning.”
“Therefore, I propose this: let the grand commandant, Your Lordship, take charge of the investigation himself.”
“If he truly was framed, and he can find the evidence to clear his name, then we shall know this matter has nothing to do with him. But if he fails to prove his innocence, then it means this scheme indeed originated from him.”
As soon as Yun Zheng’s words fell, Su Jian nearly lost his breath on the spot. He clenched his teeth, rage surging through him as he glared at Yun Zheng, fury crackling in his gaze like fire.
[Damn it. This has nothing to do with me! I’m being framed, so why must I prove anything? That bastard is clearly digging a pit and baiting me to jump in!]
A sudden flash of realization crossed Su Jian’s mind.
[Could it be… the one who orchestrated the assassination and pinned it on me… is him? Could it be he already knows about the princess and me? But how is that possible? I never made a move…]
“This is a fine plan,” Chancellor Han said coldly, his eyes locked on Su Jian as he enunciated each word. “Your Majesty, I support Duke Ning’s proposal. Since the grand commandant insists he was framed, then he should naturally seek out the truth to clear his name.”
With the chancellor’s statement, all his supporters quickly chimed in, urging Mo Yuan Lin to grant the decision.
“Your Majesty, this must not be!” Su Jian finally stepped forward, his face contorted. “I was clearly framed! Whoever set me up would never leave behind evidence for me to find. If Duke Ning truly orchestrated all this, I have no chance of uncovering anything!”
[If it really was Yun Zheng, then everything must already be cleaned up. He’d never leave any trail behind. How am I supposed to prove my innocence then?]
But Mo Yuan Lin cut off his protest.
The emperor’s tone was calm, but the pressure in his voice bore down like a mountain: “Lord Su, many officials have been attacked, and the evidence all points to you. You owe them an explanation.”
“This matter shall proceed as Duke Ning proposed. You are to suspend all court duties and devote yourself to investigating the truth. Find the evidence to clear your name.”
The emperor had spoken.
There would be no changing the decision now.
Even if Su Jian raged against the heavens, he had no other choice. He clenched his fists and teeth alike, eyes burning with venom as he stared at Yun Zheng.
Yun Zheng lazily rubbed his chin and offered a pleasant smile in return.
That smile nearly caused Su Jian to cough blood from sheer anger.
He quickly averted his gaze and bowed deeply, face ashen: “Your servant obeys.”
At long last, the court session ended.
Su Jian stormed out of the grand hall, his expression dark as thunder. He was determined to find Yun Zheng and demand an explanation. But before he could take two steps, he was blocked.
A wall of officials from Chancellor Han’s faction surged forward, cutting off his path and surrounding him tightly. Their furious voices exploded like thunder, cursing him without restraint.
Su Jian’s hands twitched, aching to strike someone.
But the crowd was worked into a frenzy, and their numbers far outweighed his own supporters, who had been trapped outside and couldn’t reach him. If he fought back now, he might end up completely isolated.
Realizing the danger, Su Jian swallowed his fury and silently endured their attacks.
And when the crowd finally tired of shouting and scattered on their own, Yun Zheng was already nowhere to be seen. Su Jian could only give up on confronting him—for now.
Yet the uproar in court sent shockwaves into the noble families as well.
In recent days, nearly every powerful clan led by the Xie family had encountered serious troubles. Some saw their merchant ships sabotaged. Others suffered scandals that blackened their names. Still others faced assassins targeting their young heirs.
All signs, after quiet investigation, pointed toward one family—the Wang clan.
Among all the noble families, only the Wang clan remained untouched, quiet as the eye of a storm. Who would believe they weren’t behind it?
Without waiting for a confession, the other noble houses joined forces to strike.
The Wang clan, caught off guard, was dragged into the chaos and soon faced a crushing siege. Their businesses suffered heavy losses.
Worse still, every single member of the Wang clan, from master to servant, was being watched by countless eyes. None dared to act recklessly. Even their death assassins had gone to ground, buried deep in hiding.
But no matter how deep they burrowed, how cleanly they erased their tracks—under so many eyes digging at once, how long could they stay hidden?
Patriarch Wang was so anxious that he broke out in a rash, terrified their secret assassins might be exposed at any moment.
…
Peace-Keeping Courtyard.
Yun Zheng returned from court in high spirits and headed straight to Madam Yun’s chambers.
Inside the room, Madam Yun was nursing Yun Wan Ning, while Yun Wan Yao sat nearby, gently holding her little sister’s chubby hand.
“Father.”
Yun Wan Yao stood up quickly when she saw him.
“Mm.” Yun Zheng responded and walked over, brushing his hand across Yun Wan Ning’s soft cheek. “Little Fourth, your father has returned.”
Yun Wan Ning lazily lifted her eyes to look at him—then suddenly perked up with alertness.
[Oh? Father’s in a good mood today? Something must have gone well in court.]
[But what could possibly lift his spirits when he was just framed not long ago?]
[Wait… could it be? Did the matter of him being framed finally get resolved?]