The night was silent and still. Xiuxiu dozed, leaning against a low stool. She was exhausted from accompanying her mistress all day.
The eunuchs and servants guarding outside the door were also weary.
At this moment, several figures lightly darted into Cloud Prince’s Estate from the rear, carefully avoiding the estate’s guards. It was clear they were extremely familiar with Cloud Prince’s Estate. Upon entering, they headed straight for Yu Xuan.
Their movements were somewhat clumsy, indicating they were ordinary individuals. As they approached Yu Xuan,
Yun Xiao, lying on the bed, awoke.
With bloodthirsty, sharp eyes, she stared coldly at the window. The dim candlelight penetrated, faintly revealing figures moving about. These people surveyed the surroundings and spoke in hushed tones.
"Do we strike now?"
"Yes, this fool dared to hit my sister. Today, I won't let her off. I must kill her."
A fierce voice rang out.
A gentle breeze carried the sound into the room. Yun Xiao’s lips curled into a cold smile, her disdain evident in her eyes. How foolish. It seemed the Li family was truly without decent people.
The leader was evidently Li Ruoyun’s brother, who must have brought people to settle the score after his sister was wronged.
However, he should have found some formidable individuals. What kind of people had he found? Slow-moving, breathing heavily, merely common henchmen. And they dared to cause trouble in Cloud Prince’s Estate.
Good, very good.
As Yun Xiao’s thought concluded, someone leaped through the window, followed by several more figures.
Because the window was open and the room was ventilated, any sleeping incense or the like they had prepared was rendered useless.
However, they had little to fear. The eunuchs and servants guarding outside were asleep, and inside the room, there was only a fool and a maid. One person each would suffice to finish them off.
This was what several of them thought. They closed in, stopping beside the bed curtains. The leader’s brows twitched, and with a ferocious wave of his hand, one of his subordinates reached out to choke Xiuxiu’s neck, while another abruptly lifted the curtain and lunged at the bed.
Yun Xiao let out a cold snort, turned, and dodged, causing the assailant to miss. With agile grace, she leaped from the large bed.
Her dark hair cascaded like clouds over her shoulders. Her white inner wear made her face resemble a hibiscus, her pure and sweet smile captivating all eyes. Silently, she seemed like a phantom under the dark night, exuding a chilling aura that struck fear into the heart.
The commotion in the room had startled Xiuxiu. She opened her eyes to see someone about to choke her, and she reflexively kicked out. The unprepared man took the blow and cried out in pain.
Xiuxiu screamed, “Help! Assassins! Assassins!”
The sound alerted the night guards, the estate servants, and the guards outside. Many rushed over…
Li Ruochen, Li Ruoyun’s brother, never expected things to be exposed so quickly. His face contorted with ferocity, and he lunged at Yun Xiao.
Yun Xiao let out a cold laugh and raised a leg to meet him. Li Ruochen saw her vicious kick coming, dodged, but unexpectedly, Yun Xiao spun around.
Her other foot followed closely, kicking with a gust of wind, aimed directly at Li Ruochen’s chest.
Li Ruochen, merely an arrogant brother with no true martial skill, could not withstand her kick. With a thud, he was sent flying, landing on the zither stand by the window, knocking it over with a loud clang.
A group of people outside the room rushed in. Leading them were the eunuchs Xiao Yuan and Xiao Zhao. Everyone stared at the scene in the room in astonishment.
Yun Xiao had not stopped. With a leap, she landed beside Li Ruochen and kicked him again. The blow left Li Ruochen’s chest feeling tight and uncomfortable. He coughed up a mouthful of blood and fainted.
What was happening before their eyes was too fast. The subordinates who had accompanied Li Ruochen were already terrified. They fell to their knees, begging for mercy.
“Spare us! Spare us! It’s none of our business.”
Yun Xiao retracted her leg, elegantly flicked her inner wear, and with a graceful sweep of her long hair, turned and walked behind the screen. The rest would be handled by others.
The guards and servants of Cloud Prince’s Estate immediately swarmed forward, dragging the culprits away, and carrying Li Ruochen with them.
The events here had alarmed everyone in Cloud Prince’s Estate.
In the main hall, Yun Mo, with a somber expression, stared at the assassins in the center of the hall, remaining silent.
Below him, Yun Zhen and Cloud Princess Consort Li Jinglan were seated. Initially, Li Jinglan did not want to bother with the assassins trespassing in the estate, and even harbored a small selfish hope that the assassins might succeed, killing Yun Xiao, that fool, so that Yun would return to accompany her.
However, when the assassins were brought in, she was startled. Seeing the unconscious Li Ruochen, she rushed forward with heartache, hugged her nephew, and yelled at the estate guards, “Who is it? Who beat Ruochen like this?”
The guards exchanged glances, none speaking. A deathly silence filled the hall. Finally, they all looked to the Prince, awaiting his command.
“What is going on?”
The leading guard respectfully replied, “Reporting to the Prince, these people trespassed into the estate at night, attempting to assassinate the Empress, and were severely injured by the Empress.”
As soon as the guard finished speaking, Cloud Princess Consort Li Jinglan’s eyes widened. She glared at the guard and roared, “What did you say? That fool severely injured Ruochen? It’s her again! I’ll fight her today!”
Cloud Princess Consort abruptly released Li Ruochen, stood up, and moved to leave.
Yun Mo, seated on the high seat above, darkened. His black eyes contracted sharply, and his chilling words resounded.
“Stop.”
The hall fell silent. Cloud Princess Consort stopped and looked back. In the lamplight, Yun Mo’s resolute face flashed with indifference. His tranquil eyes, filled with disappointment, gazed fixedly at her, and he spoke word by word, “Li Jinglan, you disappoint this King too much.”
“Your Highness, I?”
Cloud Princess Consort’s heart trembled. She had never seen Yun Mo like this, so indifferent, so devoid of emotion.
Previously, his eyes always held a trace of guilt, which made her feel secure, as if he owed her many things.
Yet, she had never considered that this guilt would eventually wear away, and what would she have left?
Li Jinglan felt a surge of panic. Her body trembled lightly. She was frightened and uneasy, like a person drowning, looking helplessly at the man on the high seat.
“Your Highness, I was wrong.”
Yun Mo coldly raised his head, no longer looking at her. His black eyes were as deep as a dry well, no longer showing any ripple of emotion.
“Guards, escort the Princess Consort and these individuals back to the Li residence.”
Upon hearing this, a chilling breeze swept through the hall. Everyone felt a tightness in their chest, difficulty breathing. Cloud Princess Consort’s body softened, and she slowly slid to the ground, tears falling one by one.
Yun Zhen, who had been sitting and speaking, was suddenly shocked. He thought his father would be angry, which was understandable, as it was clear the Li family had acted improperly. The entire matter was not Xiao’er’s fault at all. How could they have plotted against Xiao’er?