"Mother..." Yun Wei Shu's eyes immediately fell upon the disheveled woman with messy hair, recognizing her as the Duchess of Yun, her mother.
She hurried forward, taking off her outer robe to cover her mother's disarrayed body. Her mother clutched her tightly, trembling with a fear Yun Wei Shu had never witnessed before.
"Mother, what's wrong? Mother..." Yun Wei Shu softly called out to the Duchess of Yun.
The Duchess of Yun shivered, lifting her head. Her expression was one of sheer terror, and the fear in her eyes caused Yun Wei Shu immense pain. What had her mother endured to be so terrified?
"Don't... don't touch me, don't touch me..." The Duchess of Yun suddenly pushed Yun Wei Shu away and tried to stand, but her haste caused her to fall back to the ground.
Disregarding the sharp pain of the stones scraping her skin, Yun Wei Shu rushed to help her mother, saying, "Mother, it's Shu'er, look at me, it's Shu'er."
"Shu... Shu'er?" The Duchess of Yun finally regained some sense and looked at Yun Wei Shu.
Yun Wei Shu nodded, "It's me, Mother, it's your Shu'er."
The Duchess of Yun suddenly burst into tears. Yun Wei Shu, startled, held her tighter. "Mother, what's wrong? Tell Shu'er."
At this moment, the Duke of Yun arrived before Yun Wei Shu and the Duchess of Yun. "My Lady, what is wrong?"
"Don't touch me, take your hand away..." The Duchess of Yun slapped away the Duke of Yun's hand from her arm, her voice filled with terror.
The Duke of Yun froze. "My Lady, you..."
Yun Wei Shu gritted her teeth and said to her father, "Father, don't you understand yet? Someone, someone has humiliated Mother."
The Duke of Yun trembled, swaying, and turned to look at the imperial guards who had followed. Suddenly, he lunged forward and punched the leading guard in the nose, drawing blood.
The guard stared blankly, only reacting after a moment as he fell to the ground.
"Duke of Yun, what is the meaning of this? How dare you strike my man?" Commander Lin, who had just arrived, was furious.
"I will kill you..." The Duke of Yun stepped forward and landed a punch on Commander Lin, forcing him to retreat several steps.
"Duke of Yun, are you mad? The King is here!" Commander Lin shouted, clutching his bleeding nose.
"Today, no matter who is here, I will kill you..." With that, the Duke of Yun leaped forward, launching himself at Commander Lin in a furious assault.
Commander Lin was forced to retreat repeatedly, only now realizing that the Duke of Yun had not used much of his internal energy before.
This was the true display of the Duke of Yun's strength.
"Duke of Yun, that's enough," Prince An said coldly.
The Duke of Yun clenched his fists tightly, finally lowering them after a long moment.
Commander Lin gnashed his teeth, "Duke of Yun, this is not over between us."
He then went to Prince An and knelt down with a thud. "Your Majesty, the Duke of Yun has assaulted me without cause. I implore you to grant me justice!"
Prince An's expression turned cold. He suddenly kicked Commander Lin in the chest.
Commander Lin was stunned. "Your Majesty, you..."
"I ordered you to search the Duke of Yun's estate, not to sow chaos. Commander Lin, you cannot control your men. Your tenure as commander ends here. Drag him away and investigate!" Prince An said coldly.
Commander Lin was frozen, only coming to his senses when the imperial guards approached to drag him away. "Your... Your Majesty, what wrong have I done? I beg Your Majesty to give me a clear explanation."
"The imperial guards humiliated the Duchess of Yun, is that not your fault?"
"Your Majesty, I never ordered the imperial guards to touch anyone in the Duke of Yun's household. Wasn't the Duchess of Yun in the ancestral hall? I didn't send anyone to disturb her!"
He saw no reason to deal with a mere woman.
His sole focus had been on the Duke of Yun and capturing Yun Duan Hai.
Prince An's gaze turned cold as he looked at the Duchess of Yun in Yun Wei Shu's arms. He said sternly, "Duchess of Yun, falsely accusing an official of the court, even as the Duchess, is not permissible. The nation has its laws, and the household has its rules!"
Yun Wei Shu blinked, feeling her mother's body tremble even more violently. "Mother..."
The Duchess of Yun suddenly raised her head. The fear Yun Wei Shu had seen earlier was gone, replaced by a desperate resolve. A sudden sense of dread washed over Yun Wei Shu. She called out again, "Mother..."
The Duchess of Yun suddenly grasped her hand, whispering word by word, "Shu'er, Mother neglected you greatly in the past. Please don't blame me..."
Yun Wei Shu shook her head, her voice choked with sobs. "Mother, I have never blamed you..."
The Duchess of Yun smiled. "Shu'er, your precious youth cannot be wasted in the palace, like your aunt. In the end, not even someone to collect your body was allowed. Shu'er, the deep palace is no laughing matter. Mother doesn't know how to prevent you from entering it."
Yun Wei Shu wept. "Mother, you don't need to do anything for Shu'er. As long as the Duke of Yun's estate stands, as long as you and Father are here, and as long as my brother is safe, Shu'er's location is unimportant."
The Duchess of Yun shook her head, her gaze more resolute than ever. "The Duke of Yun's estate must be safe, and you must not enter the palace. This is all Mother can do. Shu'er, you must walk your path well. Tell your brother, he should do whatever he wishes!"
With that, Yun Wei Shu felt her mother push her away forcefully. Then, she stood up and berated Commander Lin, "The people of my Duke of Yun's household are never to be bullied. My Lord, I am tainted. I can only preserve my purity through death."
Saying this, the Duchess of Yun suddenly threw herself against a tree in the courtyard. A single sound echoed, and the Duchess of Yun slowly collapsed, her head a bloody mess.
"Mother, Mother..."
Yun Wei Shu rushed forward like a madwoman, crying out in despair.
The Duke of Yun slowly closed his eyes and knelt down with a thud. "Your Majesty, I implore Your Majesty to depart, for I must arrange funeral rites."
Prince An sighed. "Duke of Yun, please bear your grief!"
"Your Majesty, I have one more request," the Duke of Yun suddenly said.
"Duke of Yun, speak," Prince An replied.
"My wicked son is missing. Only Shu'er can observe mourning rites at home. I beg Your Majesty to grant permission for Shu'er to observe mourning for three years." The Duke of Yun said.
Prince An was taken aback. He wanted to refuse, but wouldn't that make him appear heartless?
Three years?
"Very well, as you wish, Duke of Yun." Prince An waved and left.
The Duke of Yun bowed his head to the ground, tears streaming down his face. He knew his wife had used her life to secure a path for the Duke of Yun's estate and for Shu'er.
"Your Majesty, I am innocent, I am innocent..." Commander Lin screamed until his voice was hoarse, but no one pleaded for him anymore.
Yun Wei Shu wept bitterly, holding the Duchess of Yun. How could she not understand her mother's intentions?
Her mother had sacrificed her life to resolve the issue of her entering the palace, giving her a way to live.