"Hmph."
He was still the same, treating human lives like dust.
Ye Jingcheng heard the cold snort, paused, and looked up to see Su Yunmo.
His eyes shifted slightly. He waved his hand, dismissing his attendants, and walked forward. "I didn't expect us to meet so soon."
The guards kept their distance, unable to hear their conversation.
Su Yunmo's gaze was cold. "You'd better pray we don't meet again, because each meeting is one less."
"Still so sharp-tongued," Ye Jingcheng chuckled, leaning down to look at her. He sighed with a hint of helplessness, "You seem to hate this King?"
He sighed again, as if puzzled. "Why? Was this King not gentle enough with you? You were completely unaware when the fire started."
A fiery red hue almost uncontrollably rose in Su Yunmo's eyes. She raised her hand and slapped him fiercely.
Ye Jingcheng took half a step back and caught her hand. He realized with a delayed understanding, "Why so agitated? Could it be... that cup of wine didn't make you completely pass out?"
The hatred in Su Yunmo's eyes intensified.
Lin Chenxi's medicine was intended to make her faint. However, he didn't know that she had been developing an antidote for all poisons at that time.
Because the first pill wasn't potent enough, she hadn't fainted after drinking the knockout drug, nor had she fully regained consciousness.
She could still recall the pain of the bed curtains catching fire and falling onto her.
The searing, bone-chilling pain of flesh tearing, the helplessness of being unable to scream, and the crackling sound of flames burning in her ears.
She vividly remembered the pain of the roof beam crashing down and breaking her leg!
She also remembered the agonizing pain of the vase shattering, its shards piercing her eyes!
And the terror of the bedpost toppling over and piercing her abdomen!
Her entire body felt as if it had been doused in hot oil.
Her vision was a blur of red, unsure if it was fire or blood.
The boundless terror of facing death was something she would never forget!
"Then it's truly a pity for this King's good intentions," he said, staring into her eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips as if savoring the memory. "How pitiful, it must have hurt terribly."
Su Yunmo's heart surged with hatred, her killing intent overflowing!
She desperately wanted to gouge out his eyes and stomp on them, but she couldn't.
As Ye Jingyu had said, letting such people die directly was too easy for them.
"But that's all in the past, it's not important. Since you're alive now, don't dwell on such trivial matters."
Ye Jingcheng was nonchalant. "I didn't finish what I was saying last time. How about you make a deal with this King?"
"You are now the legitimate daughter of the General's Mansion. After growing up with this identity, no matter who you marry, you'll inevitably be used. If that's the case, why not find someone familiar from the start?"
"You continue to help this King, and this time, I promise not to get rid of you so easily. How about it?"
Su Yunmo's eyes turned crimson. "If I could, I'd rather grind your bones to dust, piece by piece!"
Ye Jingcheng narrowed his eyes. "Are you refusing? If you don't want to help this King, who do you want to help? Ye Jingyu?"
Su Yunmo flung his hand away. "It's none of your business!"
Ye Jingyu let out a cold laugh, a look of determination flashing in his eyes.
"This King advises you to abandon that thought now, because my third brother will no longer dare to approach you."
The Empress's whip was not to be trifled with.
Su Yunmo knitted her brows fiercely.
No wonder Zi Yuan had hesitated to speak yesterday. So, the main reason they had acted against Ye Jingyu was because of her!
Her eyes glinted with sharpness, her killing aura permeating the air. "Whether Ye Jingyu dares to approach me is another matter. But I know that after today, the Empress will no longer dare to approach him!"
Ye Jingcheng furrowed his brows in confusion.
A young eunuch ran over from a distance, shouting, "Your Highness, it's bad! The Empress has fainted!"
Ye Jingcheng's expression turned stern. He gave Su Yunmo a deep look and then hurried towards Fengqi Palace.
Su Yunmo watched his hurried retreating figure, then twirled her finger.
"This is just an appetizer before the main course. In the future, I will make you taste the agony of collapse!"
As Su Yunmo left the palace, news soon spread from Fengqi Palace.
It was said that Jin Mama, the Empress's trusted wet nurse, had died inexplicably.
Jin Mama was the Empress's most cherished wet nurse. Her death was equivalent to taking half of the Empress's life.
Su Yunmo found it ironic.
An old servant could take half of the Empress's life; this Empress was truly precious!
Outside the palace gates, Zi Yuan was waiting with a carriage.
Su Yunmo got into the carriage. "Go and investigate what Ye Jingcheng has been up to recently. It seems something is preventing him from leaving the capital."
Zi Yuan lifted the carriage curtain and carefully observed Su Yunmo's expression.
"There's no need to investigate. Your subordinate already knows. His Majesty has just issued a decree to betroth the Marquis of Jiang's daughter to the young master of the Hou Mansion. The wedding is next month."
Su Yunmo recalled that Marquis Jiang had no significant achievements. The reason he was enfeoffed as a marquis was merely due to the Emperor's favor towards the Empress.
That County Princess was the Empress's niece.
It seemed Ye Jingcheng was determined to bring the Lin family under his control.
"Let's return to the mansion first."
However, he shouldn't be too happy too soon. Whether this marriage would proceed depended on her mood.
Zi Yuan acknowledged with a "Yes" and drove the horse carriage back to the mansion.
The journey from the Imperial Palace to the General's Mansion passed through Luocheng Street.
This area was where high officials and the powerful resided.
The roads were wide but sparsely populated, with no vendors venturing here, making it exceptionally bright and clean.
Su Yunmo sat in the carriage, fiddling with her whip and contemplating whether to add something more to it.
Perhaps poison.
Suddenly, the carriage jolted to a halt, causing Su Yunmo to stumble and nearly fall from the soft seat.
"What's wrong?"
Zi Yuan's startled cry came from outside. "Mistress, it's Miss Youqing from the eldest master's family."
Su Yunmo lifted the carriage curtain. Su Youqing stood there, sword in hand, one hand resting on the carriage, panting.
There was blood on her clothes and face.
"What happened? Get in the carriage first."
Upon seeing Su Yunmo, Su Youqing lowered her guard, then frowned and said unsteadily, "It's too late."
"Stop!" A sharp shout came, and a group of people rushed out from the alley.
Su Youqing gritted her teeth in hatred, wiped the blood from her face, and raised her sword. "You bastards from the Marquis of Jiang's mansion, this auntie is going to fight you to the death!"
The Marquis of Jiang's mansion?
"When will this fighting ever end?" Su Yunmo called out to Zi Yuan.
Zi Yuan understood her mistress's intention. She grabbed Su Youqing by the waist, pulled her into the carriage, and then sat down herself, cracking a whip on the horse's back.
The carriage sped away, leaving the servants of the Marquis of Jiang's mansion to chase behind.
Su Yunmo handed her a handkerchief to wipe the blood from her face. "How did you offend them?"
"It wasn't me," Su Youqing said, casually wiping her face and then throwing the handkerchief to the ground in disgust.
"The heir of the Marquis's mansion bullies men and霸女 (bullies men and women). I ran into him once and beat him up. He shamelessly wanted to take me as a concubine. I dodged them several times before, but this time they resorted to dirty tricks!"
Su Yunmo was taken aback for a moment, then glanced at the blood on her.
"It's not my blood. I chopped off that scoundrel's balls!" Su Youqing said, pulling at her clothes in disgust as she spoke.
Su Yunmo's eyes flickered. She thought to herself that this woman was indeed a heroine.
Su Youqing asked, "What should we do now?"
Su Yunmo knitted her brows and said to Zi Yuan, "Go to Prince Yu's mansion."