"Momo, Momo!" Consort Liang frantically pried Su Yunmo's hands apart. Upon seeing the child's scraped palm, she held her tightly.
She seemed to recall a terrifying event, her body trembling. "Mother Consort will protect you, Mother Consort will protect you. Don't be afraid, Momo, don't be afraid."
Luo Yun'e, enraged, snapped, "Useless! Can't even hold onto a little girl? Hurry and separate them!"
The palace maids stepped forward to seize them.
Consort Liang then let out a howl like a lone wolf at them.
She lunged at them like a madwoman, using her hands and feet to strike them.
One of them had blood gushing from her head, falling to the ground and screaming.
"Your Highness!" Su Yunmo rushed forward to intervene.
But the frenzied person's strength was immense. In her madness, she accidentally struck Su Yunmo.
Su Yunmo staggered back a couple of steps, right towards the well.
"Momo!" Consort Liang, seeing her about to fall, dashed desperately towards the well and shoved her aside. However, her robes tripped her, and she fell into the well herself.
Su Yunmo's heart leaped in alarm. It was too late to grab her now!
"Your Highness!"
Su Yunmo's heart was in her throat.
A flash of blue brocade streaked across her vision, leaving afterimages.
The next moment, Consort Liang was pulled up from the well.
Ye Jingyu placed her on the ground, a dark glint surging in his eyes, his killing intent almost drowning the palace.
"Ye Jingyu," Su Yunmo called out to him. As her tense posture relaxed, her legs felt weak, and she sank to the ground.
Consort Liang, having just recovered from the shock, quickly went to embrace Su Yunmo and gently blew on her open palm.
"There, there, don't cry, don't cry. Mother Consort is here. The pain will fly away~"
Luo Yun'e, not expecting him to arrive so coincidentally, clenched her fists in unwillingness.
"Ye Jingyu! Is my sleeping quarters a place you can just barge into? You've become too lawless!"
Ye Jingyu's gaze swept over the two embracing figures, pausing on Su Yunmo's palm before shifting to Luo Yun'e.
"It seems the Empress did not take my words from last time to heart!"
Words from last time?
Luo Yun'e's expression changed slightly. "Don't tell me you actually dare to kill someone in this palace!"
Ye Jingyu sneered and walked towards her. "Since the Empress is not afraid of blood staining the palace walls, why should I care?"
His eyes were devoid of any emotion, cruel and bloody, like a Rakshasa returned from the underworld, his entire being stained with gore.
Such a gaze startled Luo Yun'e. She stood up and retreated, shouting, "Guards, seize the Prince Yu, seize him quickly!"
The group that had surrounded Su Yunmo now surged towards Ye Jingyu.
Ye Jingyu's eyes sharpened, a turbulent undercurrent within them. He leaped forward, drawing the broken arrow into his hand, and with a flick of his wrist, pierced the center of one man's brow.
Screams echoed through Fengqi Palace.
Ye Jingyu moved with the speed of a storm, weaving through the crowd with sharp, swift movements, as if passing through empty space.
Afterimages trailed behind him. In moments, he was in front of Luo Yun'e.
Behind him lay a ground covered in bodies.
Luo Yun'e's eyes widened in disbelief as she stumbled backward. "No... this is impossible!"
Although she hadn't paid particular attention to him during his two years at the academy, his age was still a factor.
He was only ten years old. How could a ten-year-old possess such martial prowess!
Where had everything gone wrong!
Ye Jingyu's lips curved into a bloodthirsty arc. "I think the scent of blood in Fengqi Palace today is not heavy enough!"
He grabbed Luo Yun'e by the neck and lifted her high.
Luo Yun'e let out a muffled groan, struggling desperately.
"Your Highness!" The palace maids stepped forward, attempting to rescue her.
Ye Jingyu flicked his hand, throwing the broken arrow, which struck the palace maid directly between the brows!
The palace maid collapsed with a thud.
Su Yunmo looked up and saw the Empress's face turning pale from suffocation, her eyes rolling back.
Su Yunmo's heart lurched, and she cried out sternly, "Ye Jingyu, stop! Have you gone mad!"
No matter how angry he was, he couldn't actually kill the Empress!
Ye Jingyu's clenched fist paused.
He glanced back at Su Yunmo, seeing the lack of admiration in her eyes. He frowned deeply and closed his eyes.
After a moment, he calmed himself and threw her down.
The palace maids quickly rushed forward to help Luo Yun'e up.
However, Luo Yun'e, sprawled on the ground, could not stand.
She stared at Ye Jingyu's retreating back, completely consumed by terror.
Although she had known for months that he was beyond her control, she had never felt it so acutely as she did today.
The Prince Yu of today was truly no longer the child she could mold as she pleased.
"Mother Consort, let's go back." Ye Jingyu walked over to the two, pulled Consort Liang up from the ground, and held her hand tightly.
Consort Liang stared blankly at their clasped hands, her gaze slowly moving to Ye Jingyu's face, then focusing.
"Yu'er... is it Yu'er?"
Ye Jingyu's body stiffened, his voice choked. "Mother Consort, it is your son. Do you recognize me?"
Su Yunmo pursed her lips and said with complexity, "She mistook me for you just now."
Or perhaps, Consort Liang had been so kind to her during this time because she had mistaken her for Ye Jingyu.
After all, Ye Jingyu was only six years old when he was separated from her, about her current age.
The child in the Consort's memory was still stuck at that stage.
Su Yunmo: "This is not the place to talk. Let's go back first."
Ye Jingyu nodded and helped Consort Liang walk out.
Consort Liang's other hand remained tightly clasped around Su Yunmo's.
The surviving maids and servants of Fengqi Palace cleared a path, letting them leave.
The three returned to the Cold Palace. Ye Jingyu saw Consort Liang to her bed, tucked her in, and then went out to give instructions.
When he returned, Su Yunmo was sitting opposite Consort Liang, holding a bottle of medicine.
Consort Liang carefully applied the medicine to Su Yunmo's hand, blowing on it occasionally and coaxing her like a child, "Momo, be good, it doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt~"
Su Yunmo turned to look at Ye Jingyu. "There are bodies all over Fengqi Palace. This matter is too big to be kept quiet. How do you plan to handle it?"
As a prince, killing someone in the Empress's palace was no small matter, regardless of the reason.
"I didn't intend to keep it a secret anyway." Ye Jingyu stepped forward and knelt on one knee by Consort Liang's bed. "Mother Consort just called me by name. Could you call me again?"
Su Yunmo frowned.
Not keeping it a secret would only cause more trouble.
Did this person have any sense of propriety?
Consort Liang tilted her head to look at Ye Jingyu, her tone clearly tinged with disdain. "Don't bother me, Momo is applying medicine."
Ye Jingyu was amused and exasperated. "Didn't you say you mistook her? I don't think she looks that much like me, yet Mother Consort favors you."
Su Yunmo saw that he didn't want to discuss Fengqi Palace anymore, so she lazily stopped asking and followed his lead. "I cured the Consort's illness, so she must like me more than you."
Ye Jingyu chuckled lightly. "I hope your interactions in the future will be just as harmonious."
"That's for sure," Su Yunmo patted her chest in assurance.
Ye Jingyu knew she didn't understand his meaning and didn't expect her to understand now.
After all... she was still too young and needed more nurturing.
A figure flashed at the doorway.
Su Yunmo's eyes flickered, and she jumped off the bed, running out. "You stay with Mother Consort. I'll be right back."
Ye Jingyu watched her leave without looking back, his brows furrowing in displeasure.
Did she have too many people around her now?
"Mother Consort, do you think I should trim down the number of people around her?"