The siblings looked at each other in silence for a moment.
The carriage sped back towards the Pingyang Prince's manor.
Today's mission had been a failure.
By doing what they did today, they had likely alerted their quarry.
If they were to set another trap, Ning Ruan would surely become suspicious.
The brother and sister were silent because they knew this.
One failed attempt meant there would be no second chance.
Zhen Lin knew he was going to lose Ning Ruan.
The siblings remained silent for a long time. Finally, Princess Ningde spoke, "Brother, why don't you just confess your feelings to her? Once she leaves the Pingyang Prince's manor, it will be very difficult for us to see her again."
They both knew that Ning Ruan was a person of the martial world. She could leave at any moment after leaving the Pingyang Prince's manor.
With the vastness of the world, Zhen Lin might never see Ning Ruan again in his lifetime.
The thought alone felt like a heavy tug on Zhen Lin's heart.
But Zhen Lin, being wise, shook his head. "She didn't suspect you or me today. If I were to confess my feelings now, it might scare her away, and we wouldn't even be able to be friends later on."
Princess Ningde sighed in resignation and said no more.
They had done what they could.
Furthermore, this was the limit of what her brother could do, after finally making up his mind. Anything more would not be in line with his character.
As they neared the Pingyang Prince's manor, Princess Ningde comforted him, "Brother, now that you've recovered, any woman in the capital can like you. You and Ning Ruan haven't known each other for long, and there's still a possibility of you liking someone else in the future."
Zhen Lin didn't want to worry Princess Ningde, so he grunted in acknowledgment.
Several carriages stopped in front of the Pingyang Prince's manor.
Yun Shu and Qin Yiqing alighted from their carriage and approached the manor gates. Zhen Lin and Princess Ningde also arrived.
The sky was still bright, as they had returned more than an hour earlier due to the assassination attempt.
"Let's go in," Zhen Lin said, looking deeply at Yun Shu, then speaking in a low voice.
The group returned to the Pingyang Prince's manor.
However, as soon as they walked in, they were stopped.
"Young Master, Princess, the Prince and Madam have returned and said to see them immediately upon the arrival of the Young Master and Princess."
Upon hearing this, Zhen Lin and Princess Ningde's already somber expressions darkened further.
They returned so soon?
Did they know that Zhen Xu had been disfigured and injured, and rushed back in their eagerness?
The siblings were utterly disappointed in their father. What father-son affection could there be? They nodded with great indifference.
Zhen Lin then looked at Yun Shu, "Miss Ning, it's getting late. You should go back and rest. If you want anything for dinner, just tell the servants."
"Okay," Yun Shu nodded.
However, a servant looked at Yun Shu, "Young Master, Princess, the Prince also wishes to see Miss Ning."
Yun Shu raised an eyebrow imperceptibly. See her?
Zhen Lin and Princess Ningde's faces immediately turned cold.
Princess Ningde asked, "Did Father say why he wants to see Miss Ning?"
The servant shook his head, "This servant does not know."
Princess Ningde and Zhen Lin exchanged a glance. They knew that their father, who only had eyes for Princess Dai and Zhen Xu, certainly harbored no good intentions in wanting to see them and Ning Ruan!
The thought of implicating Ning Ruan made them feel truly ashamed of Yun Shu.
Yun Shu looked at the troubled siblings and said, "Ning Ruan will accompany the Young Master and Princess to see Prince Pingyang."
Then, she turned to Qin Yiqing, who looked somewhat bewildered, and said, "You go back and rest."
Qin Yiqing nodded dumbly, "Ah, okay."
Then, they followed the servant to see Prince Pingyang.
They soon arrived before Prince Pingyang.
However, as the three of them entered the room, before their feet had even landed, and before Zhen Lin and Princess Ningde could utter a word, they were stopped by a stern reprimand, "Zhen Lin, Ningde, you have quite the nerve!"
Yun Shu's gaze flickered, and she glanced around the room. A middle-aged man and woman sat there, with Zhen Xu and Yun Yueyin beside them. Such a grand display, were they planning to interrogate them?
The siblings' faces were already cold, and now they were coated with a layer of ice. They were not at all surprised that Prince Pingyang's first words upon meeting them were a scolding.
However, did he think they were still children?
As children, they would have looked forward to their father's love, felt hurt and sad. But now...
They had long since treated this father as a stranger.
"I don't know what Father means by that," Princess Ningde raised her beautiful eyes, looking at Prince Pingyang without emotion.
Her brother might not understand some things, but she, their father, knew a little. Did he really think a reprimand would scare her? She was only afraid of her brother being hurt.
Prince Pingyang saw his unfathomable daughter looking at him fearlessly, and a flicker of anger flashed in his eyes. But thinking of the Emperor's previous instructions, he could only suppress his anger, yet he still reprimanded them sternly, "You don't know? Ningde, you injured your second brother's face! You beat him severely, and even slandered him in front of the Emperor and everyone else."
Then he looked at Zhen Lin, "In front of everyone, you didn't defend your brother, but instead helped an outsider bully him. Do you still have this brother in your eyes, or me, your father?"
Upon hearing this, Princess Ningde spoke coldly, "Ningde does not understand what Father means. What does my father's face have to do with me?"
"The truth of this matter has already been revealed before the Emperor. Who is Father listening to for slander?" Zhen Lin retorted.
The siblings' attitudes were resolute.
Yun Shu sighed inwardly. She had been dragged into another family drama for no reason. However, Prince Pingyang seemed unaware that he had lost much of his standing in the eyes of his children.
"Wuwuwu... Xu'er is so severely injured," Princess Dai cried softly.
Even at forty, she was well-maintained and looked no older than thirty. Her curvaceous figure, combined with her tearful, delicate cries, made Prince Pingyang's heart ache.
Zhen Xu also sighed at the opportune moment, "You don't tell the truth in front of Father. Clearly, Ningde, you whipped me with a horsewhip. You intended to kill me!"
"Princess, Young Master, how can you not tolerate me and Xu'er? Are you truly trying to drive this mother and son to death?" Princess Dai began to add fuel to the fire again.
The siblings looked at the mother and son's usual tactics, remaining as steadfast as a mountain.
Yun Yueyin inwardly hated Zhen Lin and Ningde to the bone. However, she knew it was impossible to get rid of them. But there was one person whom she could crush like an ant.
Her gaze fixed maliciously on Yun Shu, she accused them, "It's her! Father, Mother, it's her! She wanted to seduce my husband, and then twisted the truth, causing the Princess to attack my husband so viciously! Actually, the main culprit is her! I don't know what her intentions were in coming to our Pingyang Prince's manor!"