Chapter 158

Chapter 158: Found You

Yu Zhi Yi reported to the Ministry of Justice three days ago. That means, at the earliest, she could have accessed that case file starting three days ago.

Yet the bounty only appeared today.

As soon as You Bing Yue saw the bounty, she accepted it without a moment’s delay. She even took it on temporarily without making her name public.

Unless Yu Zhi Yi had people tailing You Bing Yue the whole time, there was no way she could know that You Bing Yue had accepted the bounty, much less that someone had deliberately dug up the old file to reopen the case.

He felt a bit annoyed. [How could I doubt Yu Zhi Yi’s character over this? I already know she isn’t the kind of person who targets others on purpose.]

Yu Zhi Yi ignored him. She had already given her warning, and that was that. [Even good advice cannot save someone who insists on being a fool.]

After leaving Bright Radiance Courtyard, she did not go straight back to Windward Pavilion. Instead, she turned her steps and stopped behind an artificial rockery.

Hearing the lascivious sounds coming from behind the rocks, the corner of her mouth twitched. She suddenly felt there was nothing worth watching about such excitement; it was harsh on the ears.

Before long, sharp screams burst out from behind the rockery.

The screams drew a crowd.

Soon, everyone in the Chancellor’s Manor knew about a scandal.

Yu Pan’er, whom Yu Zhi Yi had once pinned high hopes on, had been caught exchanging secret favors with a household servant. The two of them had rolled around together right behind the rockery, not bothering to hold back at all.

It was said that when the two were discovered, Yu Pan’er’s bright red dudou embroidered with mandarin ducks hung loose at her waist. She was bent forward against the rock, both hands braced hard on the stone, while the man behind her was fat and ugly.

When this spicy scandal reached Yu Zhi Yi’s ears, she felt as if her eyes had been burned.

Two days earlier, in the middle of the night, Yu Pan’er had sneaked into Du Zi Heng’s courtyard. She felt out the layout of his room, especially where the bed was.

Today, Du Zi Heng was hosting guests. Everyone sat in the sitting hall of Bright Radiance Courtyard.

The sitting hall was some distance from Du Zi Heng’s bedroom. Unless someone went over on purpose to check, no one would notice that a young woman wearing only a dudou and underpants was lying on Du Zi Heng’s bed.

Aphrodisiac incense had been lit inside the room. According to Du Zi Heng’s habits, after entering he would not sleep right away. He would sit and read for a while first.

That time would be enough for the incense to take effect.

When his blood ran hot and he suddenly saw a half-dressed young woman with a lovely face, wouldn’t any normal man fail to resist?

Feeling smug, Yu Pan’er thought: [While I lounge on Du Zi Heng’s bed and breathe in the faint grassy scent on him, those two fools Yu Zhi Yi and You Bing Yue have no clue. They don’t even know that, in a moment, their beloved will be working up a sweat with me.]

Too bad Yu Pan’er did not know that after she slipped into Bright Radiance Courtyard the other night, Du Zi Heng sensed something wrong. He had people investigate and quickly learned of her secret entry.

The investigators also discovered she had quietly bought aphrodisiac incense in the last two days.

If he could not guess what she wanted to do after that, Du Zi Heng might as well give up.

So today, Du Zi Heng chose to turn her plot back on her. He deliberately let Yu Pan’er find a chance to hide in his room and even let her light the aphrodisiac incense. And then, nothing happened.

Yu Pan’er planned out everything, but she forgot one thing: how could she spend so long alone in a closed room with aphrodisiac incense burning and feel nothing herself?

While her mind was clouded, Du Lin tapped her sleep acupoint and carried her off to a spot behind a rockery that few people used, but that was not completely deserted.

If no one found her, she would be lucky.

If a woman found her, she would only lose some face.

But if a man found her…

In the end, the worst case happened.

Yu Zhi Yi had no special thoughts about it. Those who harm others are often harmed in return. It was only the wheel of cause and effect.

Yu Pan’er was like this, and so was Consort Yu in the palace.

Two days had passed, and the Daoist had still sent back no word. Though Consort Yu was waiting anxiously, she was also displeased: “Didn’t he say it would take just one day to get it done? It has already been two days, and there is still no news at all.”

A middle-aged man stood before her, the same one who had gone to find the demonic cultivator that day.

In truth, he was not a man. Strictly speaking, he had once been a man, but not anymore.

Hearing Consort Yu’s question, he lowered his eyes and answered respectfully: “Reporting to Your Highness, the Daoist master said it would take only a day unless something unexpected happened. Perhaps something did happen. Why not wait a little longer?”

Consort Yu cursed: “Useless! He bragged about how skilled he was, yet he cannot even handle a shameless little stray.”

She said coldly: “Go tell him this: if he cannot succeed within three days, I, the princess, will no longer use him. And all the benefits he took must be spit back out to me.”

These days she was under soft house arrest in the Crystal Palace. Those officials who used to bring her gifts turned into fair-weather friends and ignored her one by one.

The Yu Clan still had money, but because of recent rumors of corruption and because her elder brother had already been removed from office, they could no longer openly enter the palace to honor her. They would only have a chance to see her on major festivals or her birthday.

But Mid-Autumn and Double Ninth had just passed. The next holiday was New Year.

There was still more than a month to go, and Consort Yu already had little money left.

Thinking of her tight days made her even more restless. If that Daoist could make things work, fine. If not, wouldn’t her silver be wasted?

“Rest assured, Your Highness, you will not have a chance to make him return the silver…”

The eunuch’s voice suddenly turned cold. If one listened closely, it did not sound quite like the middle-aged eunuch’s voice.

Lost in her own worries, Consort Yu did not notice anything strange. She blinked in surprise: “What did you say?”

The eunuch smiled: “This servant said, Your Highness will surely get what you wish.”

Consort Yu still felt this servant was acting odd today. But he had served as her trusted aide for a long time, so she would not suspect him right away. She only waved irritably for him to withdraw.

The moment the eunuch turned, the meek look on his face vanished, leaving only malice. He ground his teeth and silently spat out two words: “Bitch.”

Then he bared his teeth in a grim smile: “Suffer this immortal’s wrath.”

Consort Yu suddenly felt cold all over, even though the palace’s floor heating was already on and the rooms were warm.

Over the next few days, Consort Yu’s belly hurt every day, yet when physicians came, they found nothing wrong.

At midnight, Yu Zhi Yi opened her eyes and looked in a certain direction: “Found you.”