Su Yunmo frowned.
Ye Ningyuan raised her hands. "You promised me you'd believe me just now."
Su Yunmo glanced at her. "Continue."
Ye Ningyuan went on, "It's said that your blood isn't quite right, or rather, it's the blood of the owner of the Glazed Lock. Not much is needed, just a little."
"Perhaps you don't know, but the treasure in the so-called treasure map does exist, though not in the way people understand treasure. It's holy water."
Su Yunmo blinked in surprise. "Holy water?"
This was the first time she had heard of such a thing.
"You already know Linlang's origin, and you know about the extinction of the clan's flowers. But I think you don't know the real reason for their extinction, do you?"
Su Yunmo hadn't known before, but she could now guess. "Is it because of the holy water you mentioned?"
Ye Ningyuan nodded. "That's right. That holy water is what the people of Nanjiang rely on for survival, and it's also the reason for their supernatural abilities. The holy water and the Glazed Lock are one and the same."
"The Glazed Lock was born from the holy water. This is why the Nanjiang King revered the Glazed Lock as a treasure in his era; only the Glazed Lock can open the door to the holy water spring."
Su Yunmo narrowed her eyes. "But my mother left Nanjiang with the Glazed Lock, so the holy water began to dry up from then on?"
Ye Ningyuan snapped her fingers. "You're so smart. The depletion of the holy water not only affected the plants but also had a great impact on people. Nanjiang can no longer give birth now."
Su Yunmo narrowed her eyes.
No wonder Leng Lingyun had left Nanjiang in good health. It turned out that the lives of the Nanjiang people had been disrupted, and she had to personally come out to find the Glazed Lock.
Her earlier release of the treasure map and the bead was just to lure the snakes out of their holes, waiting for her to gather these items before seizing her in one fell swoop.
This way, she could acquire everything much faster than gathering the items herself.
"What about you? What do you want?" Su Yunmo looked at Ye Ningyuan.
Ye Ningyuan pursed her lips and smiled complexly. "I want to go back to Nanjiang."
She didn't want revenge; she just wanted to see what the place her mother had yearned for before her death was like.
She looked at Su Yunmo and repeated a phrase she had said before: "Fallen leaves must return to their roots."
Su Yunmo pondered for a moment. "I can help you with this, but you must also help me with something."
Ye Ningyuan's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't expected such a quick agreement. "What are the conditions?"
A murderous glint flashed in Su Yunmo's eyes. "Before you leave, help me deal with Luo Yin Feng!"
She had also figured it out. As long as Ye Jingkun's backing was removed, he wouldn't be able to cause much trouble on his own in a short period.
As long as she was given enough time to grow, Ye Jingkun would no longer be a problem.
Ye Ningyuan clenched her fists and thought for a moment. "Deal!"
After they made their agreement, Su Yunmo went to the Prince Yu's mansion to care for the sick Ye Jingyu.
Meanwhile, Ye Ningyuan returned to Prince Yunyi's mansion.
Prince Yunyi was still in his study, not yet asleep.
Ye Ningyuan entered without announcing herself. "Father."
Prince Yunyi, who was working, suddenly heard the address, and the hand holding the brush tightened abruptly.
He looked up at the daughter he had raised for many years, his expression complex and tinged with reluctance. "Have you made up your mind?"
Ye Ningyuan pursed her lips, a hint of guilt in her expression, but she still nodded. "Mo Mo has agreed to help me."
"I'll be able to return to Nanjiang to live soon, but Mo Mo said that before I leave, I must help her eliminate Luo Yin Feng."
In fact, even if Mo Mo hadn't said it, she would have planned to do so. Luo Yin Feng was a major adversary to her.
Although Mo Mo no longer cared about past events, to her, she was her only relative in this world.
After all, their mothers were cousins.
Prince Yunyi sighed deeply. "Your father understands. Your father will help you."
Ye Ningyuan suddenly knelt down, her tone no longer the usual spoiled and playful one, but tinged with respect and distance. "Thank you, Uncle!"
Prince Yunyi's fingers stiffened, his expression becoming even more complex. "I still prefer it when you call me Father."
Uncle, this word was too unfamiliar for both him and her.
Back then, her mother was sent to the capital by the Nanjiang King to find the Glazed Lock. Because she was unfamiliar with this place, she was almost sold into that kind of establishment. He happened to see her and saved her.
Although they had feelings for each other at the time, her mother still left him to marry Prince Yun Zun due to her mission.
The woman had claimed that Prince Yun Zun's power was immense and that he could contend with the former Crown Prince, thus better helping her find the Glazed Lock.
In reality, he knew she didn't want to implicate him. At that time, relations between Nanjiang and this side were tense. If it were known that he had harbored a Nanjiang royal woman, it would likely cause further trouble.
Later, she got married, and he left the capital for the border. It wasn't until Prince Yun Zun lost power and was imprisoned that he learned she had a child.
When Yuan'er was brought to him, she was still young. She suffered a lot in the mansion and never received affection from her biological father, living worse than a servant.
Fortunately, she had grown into this spirited and quirky appearance. He felt he had lived up to the woman he had once loved.
"Father, Yuan'er will come back to stay these two days." Ye Ningyuan gritted her teeth, tears welling up in her eyes.
She felt guilty towards this man who had adopted her and doted on her as his own daughter.
A doting look flashed in Prince Yunyi's eyes, and he beckoned her over.
Ye Ningyuan stood up from the ground, walked behind the desk, and buried her head in the man's embrace.
Neither father nor daughter spoke. They both knew that such moments were becoming scarce.
There was no need for further words; they just needed to quietly savor this limited time.
The sky grew darker.
As dawn approached, everyone went to court.
Prince Yunyi suddenly proposed in court that there was a greater mastermind behind the case of Duke Ying.
The officials were all shocked and disbelieving.
Prince Yunyi produced correspondence from years ago with Duke Ying, stating that he had accidentally found it while casually flipping through old family letters the previous night.
When Prince Yunyi first joined the army years ago, Duke Ying had personally mentored him, and their relationship was close, akin to master and disciple.
It was not surprising that Prince Yunyi had Duke Ying's letters from that year.
Moreover, these letters were hidden in a secret compartment and had not been discovered for years. It was also not surprising that they were found today.
What was strange was that these hidden letters stated that Duke Ying had long anticipated his own death because he had inadvertently stumbled upon a secret.
After Prince Yun Zun was imprisoned for rebellion, someone still contacted him and even secretly stockpiled weapons, intending to help him rebel again.
This revelation shocked the court.
Emperor Ye Yao ordered a thorough investigation and entrusted the matter entirely to Prince Yunyi.
Within two days, Prince Yunyi had indeed found the location where weapons had been hidden.
Furthermore, this location was not far from where Lin Ze Qu was apprehended for stockpiling weapons a few months prior.