What were they deceived about?
Could it be about their father and Princess Dai?
Seeing Zhen Lin's cluelessness about everything, Princess Ning De knew the words she was about to speak would be cruel.
But she couldn't let her brother continue to be lost!
"Brother, I'm talking about Ning Ruan. She deceived us. She's not Ning Ruan. She entered the Prince's mansion with a certain purpose. Her name is Yun Shu," Princess Ning De said through gritted teeth.
Zhen Lin's face suddenly changed drastically. "What did you say?!"
"There's a lot I can't say about Yun Shu, but the only thing I can tell you, brother, is that Yun Shu definitely has a purpose for coming to our Pingyang Prince's mansion. She deliberately approached you!" Princess Ning De was extremely angry at this moment. She had been deceived by Yun Shu!
Looking back at the things she had done during this period, one by one, it was like a joke!
Yun Shu might even be laughing at her.
The thought alone made her want to capture Yun Shu right now and question her properly!
...
Qiu Lu returned from outside.
The moment he entered, he went to see Yun Shu.
"Miss, we just confirmed that Yun Yue Yin went to Yue Ran Teahouse to meet Li De."
Yun Shu's eyes flickered. "While my husband was seriously injured and my in-laws were spitting blood from anger, she went to see Li De? If it weren't something important, she definitely wouldn't risk it."
"We can't find out exactly what she said to Li De yet, but given the current situation, it's definitely not good. Miss, you still have to go to the Pingyang Prince's mansion tomorrow. Be extremely careful, or you can choose not to go," Qiu Lu reminded her.
Ever since the Prince spoke to him when he left this morning, he felt a surge of strength coursing through him.
For some reason, his mind had become much clearer!
"Since they've paid us a high price, we naturally have to finish the job," Yun Shu said, tapping her fingers lightly on the table, lost in thought.
Qiu Lu was a little uneasy. "I'll accompany you this time, Miss."
"Alright."
...
Under the inky night sky.
People in thousands of households were fast asleep.
Only a few people in the Pingyang Prince's mansion could not sleep.
Yun Yue Yin lay on her bed, her eyes shining with a bright light.
It was an extreme joy.
This was the capital of Xixia, and Yun Shu, no matter how resourceful, would absolutely not escape!
Look at how much Princess Ning De liked the Night Prince. She would definitely not tolerate Yun Shu's existence.
It didn't matter if Yun Shu saved Young Master Zhen; they would still catch her in the end.
After so much circling around, she was the one who would ultimately win!
It was a pity that Zhen Xu, lying beside her, whom she had once pinned so much hope on, would only be a cripple from now on. No one could change his fate.
She hadn't felt much about it before, thinking that with her intelligence and General Li De behind her, she would definitely be able to help Zhen Xu go further. But who could have imagined that Zhen Xu's life meant nothing to Princess Ning De? She could get rid of him whenever she wanted.
As for herself, she was merely a pawn in Princess Ning De's hands. She was simply unable to move Princess Ning De.
Although unwilling, she knew better than anyone that she had no other choice right now.
At this moment, she couldn't sleep, and she believed Princess Ning De must also be unable to sleep, likely angered by Yun Shu's deception.
Perhaps she was even worried that the Night Prince would be snatched away by Yun Shu?
However, how could the Night Prince not remember what happened before?
Yun Yue Yin tossed and turned sleeplessly all night.
Indeed, as she had predicted, Princess Ning De did not close her eyes all night and was lost in thought.
Zhen Lin was the same.
The news Princess Ning De had told him was like a bolt from the blue, unbelievable.
The woman he had liked so much for the first time had another identity, and that identity was engaged to the Night Prince of Dongning. She had even gotten pregnant before marriage and had three children with him.
This was something he could never have imagined!
Shocked!
Helpless!
Disbelieving, unwilling to believe, not wanting to believe.
All night, Zhen Lin's heart felt as if it were being roasted in a fierce fire. He carefully recalled his interactions with Yun Shu. There were no signs of deliberate seduction on her part. If she had truly tried to seduce him, why would she have left the Pingyang Prince's mansion?
With just a little scheming, she could have ruined him, and from then on, he would only have eyes for her.
Yet, when she faced him, all she cared about was his illness, and she hardly discussed anything else.
He knew that Princess Ning De had found it hard to accept that Prince Jin had protected Yun Shu twice instead of her. Her thoughts about Yun Shu being biased were understandable.
But, was Yun Shu truly treating him with a hidden agenda?
He was the one who had initially sought her out.
Also, when did Prince Jin get to know Yun Shu?
Didn't Yun Shu have a fiancé, the Night Prince of Dongning?
Although Ning De hadn't revealed too much about Prince Jin and Yun Shu, he had a feeling that things between Yun Shu and Prince Jin were definitely not that simple.
There must be other hidden circumstances.
Regarding Yun Shu and the Night Prince in Dongning, they in Xixia could not possibly know everything.
Therefore, when he saw Yun Shu tomorrow, perhaps all his doubts would be resolved.
Perhaps...
There was no perhaps. He should put away those inappropriate thoughts. Regardless of whether Ning Ruan was Yun Shu or not, these thoughts should be kept in check.
...
In the imperial palace.
Li De entered the palace before dawn and met the Emperor before the morning court.
The Emperor had a multitude of state affairs to attend to daily. He had been awake for an hour before dawn. After hearing Li De's report, a sharp glint appeared in the Emperor's shrewd eyes.
"So, you can catch the person today?" the Emperor's voice was unreadable.
However, he sneered inwardly. No wonder he had felt that ordinary woman from the hunting day was a bit strange. It turned out she was indeed strange.
Li De nodded. "Yes, we can catch the person today. Your Majesty, how should they be dealt with after they are caught?"
"You say that Prince Jin wasn't protecting Princess Ning De these past two times, but her?" The Emperor didn't answer Li De but posed a question.
Li De nodded. "Indeed."
"Wasn't it said that everything from the past would never be remembered? Why does Prince Jin still remember her?" the Emperor asked sternly.
Li De was also puzzled. He had asked himself this question many times, so he could only reply, "His Highness Prince Jin is no ordinary person. Although some memories are gone, some traces might remain. In Dongning, Yun Shu was someone he was rarely moved by, and she even bore him children. It is normal for him to have a protective and close feeling towards her. We must not give them any more opportunities to meet."
A fierce look flashed in the Emperor's eyes. "Since she disguised herself as Ning Ruan, then let her be buried with the identity of Ning Ruan. Since she is also in the capital, then those three children cannot be spared either."
Li De agreed. "If the grass is not removed, the roots will remain, and it will grow again with the spring breeze." At first, he was worried that the Emperor might be soft-hearted and spare the three children, after all, they were also the Emperor's grandchildren. To his surprise, the Emperor did not care at all.