Chapter 73: I Didn’t Kill Him
“Mother…”
Yue Huan turned around tremblingly, teeth chattering.
Chu Yan still gazed at him: “What are you afraid of?”
“He fears me.”
The voice came from behind the spirit altar specially set up for the anniversary of death.
Yue Huan’s face turned pale, eyes widening.
Chu Yan looked toward the voice, and the speaker emerged from behind the spirit altar.
“Sister-in-law,” Yue Tang stopped beside the spirit altar, gaze cold as ice: “I hope you’ve been well?”
Chu Yan’s figure suddenly stiffened: “It’s you! … You really didn’t die!”
“Shouldn’t you know that best? After all, back then Wei Zhang and the others used A Xiu’s corpse to replace me, just to buy time to rescue me from the Capital City. They didn’t expect it to fool anyone for long.
“I have to thank you for helping me hide it for so many years.
“Otherwise, in the past three years, the people sent from the Capital City to silence me would have kept me endlessly busy.
“So you must have known long ago that sooner or later I’d come for you.” Yue Tang tugged at the corner of her lip, tossing the beaded bracelet from her hand to her feet. “This is yours, right? I found it in the Du Family study.
“Since the person behind him is the Chu Family, I figured this must be yours.”
Chu Yan’s chest heaved rapidly, and the moment she glared at the beaded bracelet, her eyes turned bloodshot.
“Killed everyone in Prince Duan’s Mansion, then took sole possession of the entire prince’s mansion—is that life enjoyable?”
Yue Tang gazed at Prince Duan’s memorial tablet directly above, picked up three incense sticks, lit them, and inserted them straight and proper.
Incense smoke curled, candlelight flickered, and everything before her eyes seemed somewhat dreamlike.
Chu Yan steadied her hands on Yue Huan’s shoulders as he stood up: “It seems the He Family people were indeed killed by you, and Zhang Shaode died by your hand too!”
“Of course. But they were just the beginning.”
Yue Tang used her sword to lift the child’s heir robes. “By order, it should have been the Du Family’s turn next, but after discovering the Chu Family behind them, the Du Family suddenly didn’t seem worth as much.”
Her gaze shifted to Chu Yan’s face: “Did you think that even if I was still alive, I wouldn’t know you’d harmed me? That I’d come back and be all warm and affectionate with you?”
Chu Yan’s face twisted, finger pointing toward the Chu Family: “It was the Chu Family’s conspiracy—the person behind the Du Family is Chu Xin!
“If you’re going to kill, go kill them. Hurry up!
“I’d love for you to kill them all one by one!”
Yue Tang gripped her sword and approached her, pointing it at her neck: “Whether I kill them or not is another matter. First, let’s settle things between you and me.
“Should I call you a traitor or a spy?”
Yue Huan finally cried.
Chu Yan’s ten fingers dug into his shoulders: “Traitor? What right do you have to call me that?”
“I’m Prince Duan’s daughter, Yue Rong’s sister. If I don’t have the right, do you—bearing your family’s orders from childhood, going to the prince’s mansion to seduce my brother, seizing Prince Duan’s Mansion secrets at every opportunity, enduring humiliation for over ten years, and at the critical moment betraying me and Father King without a word—have it?”
Yue Tang thrust her sword forward, pressing it into her shoulder blade: “You leaked my return route to Liu Shi’s cousin, who passed it to He Jianzhong through Liu Shi.
“Many in the prince’s mansion knew my whereabouts, but for so many to set up an ambush in advance, they needed an exact time.
“So even the person sent to Bie Ye to relay the message to me was arranged by you. Right?”
Chu Yan bit her lower lip until it bled, but she didn’t retreat further.
Yue Tang’s gaze turned utterly cold: “That night, Father King never summoned me back to the city at all. It was all your idea.
“You conspired with the Chu Family to lure me into a trap!
“You, who from childhood deceived me with false affection to gain my complete trust, acted with me for over a dozen years, and at the final moment lightly pushed me and my child onto the path of death!”
Chu Yan gritted her teeth: “How did you know the messenger was fake too?
“If you’d known all along, the first person you’d kill wouldn’t have been He Xu—it would have been me!”
“Just now.”
Yue Tang lowered her sword and answered her: “I just thought of it. Since you set up such a big conspiracy to kill me, Father King’s death must be part of your conspiracy too.
“Father King loved me so much—how could he call me back into danger when he himself was in crisis?
“But the one who came to relay the message was from the prince’s mansion, even someone Father King had dispatched before. Who else but you could command him?
“So Chu Yan, how do you have the face to come to our prince’s mansion family temple, set up this spirit altar here, and hypocritically worship my brother?
“You killed his sister, killed Father King’s daughter—don’t you find it chilling to face these memorial tablets day after day?”
She turned around and stared fixedly at her: “What were you thinking when you asked Brother to pick flowers for you as a child?
“Brother would pester Mother to invite your mother over for tea just to cheer you up, finding every way to keep you staying at the prince’s mansion so you wouldn’t have to endure the Chu Family’s harsh rules—what were you thinking then?
“Later, when you married Brother and told me it was the greatest fortune of your life—what were you thinking?
“Facing Yue Rong who loved you wholeheartedly, you were plotting how to dismantle his home with your own hands after his death! To kill his father and sister one by one!”
“Shut up!”
Chu Yan shouted sharply.
“How interesting!” Yue Tang closed in on her and grabbed her hand: “Your hands are stained with my blood! With my son’s blood! With my father’s blood! And you won’t let me mention him?
“Are you scared?
“Does this hand also have Yue Rong’s blood on it?”
At this, Chu Yan suddenly stopped breathing heavily: “A Rong wasn’t killed by me!”
“You killed even our father and daughter—surely he wouldn’t be missing from your list. Saying you killed him isn’t strange at all!”
Chu Yan let out a scoffing laugh that she couldn’t stop. The entire hall filled with her sharp, mocking laughter.
Yue Tang frowned.
Yan Bei outside the window grew suspicious too.
This wasn’t the reaction of someone whose conspiracy had been exposed.
Yue Tang turned to look at Yue Rong’s name on the memorial tablet, then suddenly grabbed the child’s arm and pushed him under the tablet.
Then she raised her sword and, without a word, thrust it toward the child.
Chu Yan took two steps forward.
When the sword was three inches from the child’s chest, it suddenly veered toward Yue Rong’s memorial tablet!
Chu Yan cried out in alarm and lunged forward without hesitation!
The sword tip never touched the memorial tablet—it slashed the back of the one who threw herself under the blade.
September wasn’t very cold yet, just the thickness of lined clothing.
But Yue Tang’s sword was swift; under the torn clothes, bright red blood quickly seeped out.
Yan Bei outside the window grew even more astonished and suspicious.
Chu Yan conspired with the Chu Family to harm her young sister-in-law, ultimately seizing sole control of the prince’s mansion—her attitude toward her husband’s family was clear.
The child she raised was Chu Yan’s entire hope for upholding the prince’s mansion lineage in the future; she should have protected him at all costs, but facing Yue Tang’s attack, her anxiety was only moderate.
Yet when Yue Tang targeted Yue Rong’s memorial tablet, she was willing to abandon him and protect it with her life—why?
Even if she was utterly hypocritical, at this point, was there still need to act so desperately?
Chu Yan turned her head in shock to gaze at Yue Tang.
“It seems Yue Rong really wasn’t killed by you,” Yue Tang quietly gazed at her back as she clutched Yue Rong’s memorial tablet. “Was it the Shen Family? Or the Chu Family?”
Chu Yan froze for a moment, then turned back with hatred in her bloodshot eyes.
“Since you’re going to kill me anyway, why ask so much? Whether I killed him or not, I harmed you—so you’ll kill me regardless, right?”
Yue Tang plunged her sword into the ground and said with furrowed brows: “I’ll definitely kill you. But you have to say what needs to be said.
“Ever since Brother died, the Shen Family would suffer inexplicable accidents around his anniversary of death—after thinking it over, that must have been your doing, right?
“Though the prince’s mansion isn’t what it was, Father King left many confidants in the Capital City. Plus, the prince’s mansion itself has plenty of guards.
“For you to pull strings from behind the scenes would be easy.
“As for why the Shen Family didn’t conduct a thorough investigation, they probably knew what was going on—but as long as you didn’t go too far and weren’t foolish enough to leave evidence in their hands, they naturally wouldn’t act rashly, to avoid provoking the Chu Family and dragging their own guilty secrets into the open.
“This shows you later uncovered some things.
“What did you find out?”
Chu Yan bit her lower lip and said nothing.
Yue Tang pointed her sword at her neck again.
Chu Yan said hatefully: “The Shen Family killed him, and it was because of you!”
Yue Tang froze.
Chu Yan glared fiercely at her: “You’re the one who got him killed—he died because of you!”
Yue Tang furrowed her brows: “Explain clearly!”
Chu Yan laughed. “That’s right—it was me who sent someone to falsely relay Father King’s orders and trick you back.
“It was also me who deliberately leaked your return time and route to He Jianzhong through Liu Shi.
“You should know Bie Ye where you lived had defenses even stricter than Prince Duan’s Mansion—if I hadn’t come up with this plan, they never could have reached you!
“But Yue Tang, did you know you’re a jinx! Your existence killed your brother—you made me a widow!
“How could I not hate you?
“I was childhood sweethearts with him, perfectly matched—he was all my hope in this life!
“But he died because of you!
“I did harm you, but you deserved it!
“You should have died!”
Yue Tang stared fixedly at her, then suddenly seized her neck: “Tell me the whole story!
“Dare to hide a single word from me, and I’ll chop you into minced meat right now!”
Chu Yan bit her lower lip until it bled: “From childhood you were pampered by all—from the Former Emperor and Empress Mu treating you like a treasure, personally selecting famous teachers for you, choosing guards for you, granting you a title—did you never wonder why?”
Yue Tang held her breath, staring motionless at her.
Yan Bei outside the window was so shocked he unconsciously loosened his crossed arms.
“Your Highness, Chu Xin is heading to the prince’s mansion!”
At that moment, the shadow guard in hiding quickly approached to report. “He’s already at the mansion gate!”
Yan Bei placed his hand on his sword hilt: “What is he doing here?”
“Unknown—he brought many attendants.”
Yan Bei ordered: “Find a way to stop him—don’t let him in!”
“Yes!”
The shadow guard swiftly departed.
Inside the room, the air remained tense.
Yue Tang held her breath as she gazed at Chu Yan: “Why bring these up?”
“You and the Second Prince were born on the same day, both bringing calamity!” Chu Yan gazed at her coldly and laughed. “The Former Emperor and Empress Mu treated you well because even after you both turned sixteen, only one of you could live!
“So they planned long ago: once you turned sixteen and the calamity passed, they’d let you die!
“Do you remember your fourteenth birthday?
“Father King specially took me and your brother to Bie Ye to celebrate with you, but we arrived late because we encountered assassins on the way!
“Your brother discovered them!
“Your brother tracked them and found clues.
“At first I thought it was just an accident.
“But nearly two years after his death, I learned those were people sent by the Shen Family—they had their eyes on you!
“Your brother saw through them!
“Later they bribed the imperial physician to put a heavy dose of ephedra in his daily tonic!
“Your brother already had a mild heart palpitation condition, and after days of the medicine, he was clearly off!
“But ephedra isn’t poison—it couldn’t be detected!
“So none of us knew at the time!”
Yue Tang released her hand and clutched Yue Huan’s household registration file under her other sleeve, brows furrowing even tighter.
The Emperor and Empress treated her well in order to kill her?
Father King and Brother knew everything, just keeping her confined? Yet protecting her with their lives?
“What evidence do you have?” she asked.
“What evidence is needed?” Chu Yan looked at her and sneered again: “Can’t you remember? After your brother died, the guards in your Bie Ye doubled, and all your servants were carefully selected.
“You’re just a princess—your entourage rivaled a true princess’s. Why?
“Because you’re Prince Duan’s Mansion’s jinx!
“Because of all the misfortunes you brought to Prince Duan’s Mansion!
“Shouldn’t I hate you?
“The key is, even if I hadn’t helped the Chu Family kill you, you’d still die! Someone would always kill you!”
Her hands gripped Yue Huan’s shoulders tightly—whether from extreme agitation or excessive force, her ten fingers and his shoulders trembled together.
Yue Tang’s eyes swept over them, saying leisurely: “You seem pretty confident.”
After speaking, she fell into contemplation too.
Yue Rong had indeed died of chest congestion and had a pre-existing heart palpitation condition. She had studied medicine with Hua Lin for three years and knew ephedra could trigger heart ailments.
But the Shen Family acted because of her?
