Chapter 181: Trouble Flares Up Again

The next day, Lianyue woke up early and thought of rushing over to the Myriad Phenomena Tower to hide from those three heavy burdens. But before she could even step out of the courtyard gate, Yaoyao blocked her path.

"Step aside quickly. If it gets any later, I won't be able to leave." The anxiety on Lianyue's face was far from feigned. Based on her summary over the past few days, heading out at this exact hour drastically reduced the odds of running into those three individuals.

Instead of yielding, Yaoyao pushed Lianyue back toward the interior of the courtyard. "Elder Sister Yue'er, you don't need to worry. Elder Sister Yu'er has already issued a strict command: the Prince's Estate will not be receiving guests for the next two days, and that Zhou Ziwen won't be bothering you either."

"Really?" A look of pleasant surprise washed over Lianyue. She smoothed down her breath, and without needing Yaoyao's push, she walked back into the courtyard on her own while curiously asking, "Did something happen in the Prince's Estate? Why would Eldest Sister suddenly make such a decision?"

Naturally, in her excitement, she missed the flicker of evasion and deep worry in Yaoyao's eyes. Remembering the instructions First Senior Brother had given her early that morning, Yaoyao hurriedly wiped any suspicious expressions from her face.

"Elder Sister Yu'er did it because you're always running outside, making the Prince's Estate look like some sort of man-eating beast. You're nowhere to be seen all day long, and sometimes you don't even return for the entire night. To see you, Elder Sister Yu'er had no other choice."

There was a heavy tone of grievance in Yaoyao's voice, and it was certainly not fake. Ever since Elder Sister Yue'er had sworn sisterhood with Chai Mengqing from the Mist and Rain Pavilion, she no longer kept Yaoyao by her side every day. Yaoyao had been intentionally distanced, and she truly felt disgruntled about it.

Lianyue felt rather embarrassed by this. To cover up her guilty conscience, she mercilessly retorted, "You have Second Brother now, so how could I drag you around with me every day? Of course I need to let Second Sister-in-law properly accompany Second Brother. Instead of complaining, you should be praising how considerate I, your sister-in-law, am. Or could it be that you don't want to spend time with Second Brother? If that's truly the case, I'll go tell Second Brother that I must bring you along the next time I go out."

This time, it was Yaoyao's turn to be embarrassed. Especially when she recalled what First Senior Brother had done to her over the past few days, her face grew even redder, yet it was also suffused with profound sweetness.

Looking at Yaoyao's shy and delicate countenance, Lianyue was genuinely happy for her, while simultaneously feeling a deep sense of envy. Being able to spend every single day with the person she loved was something Lianyue had always yearned for.

Fortunately, another day had passed, bringing her one day closer to the time of their reunion.

The yearning in Lianyue's eyes naturally did not escape Yaoyao's notice, causing a pang of heartache in her chest. Elder Sister Yue'er was simply too pitiful; if she were to learn that news, she would undoubtedly be heartbroken.

Meanwhile, apart from Lianyue's courtyard, the entire Prince's Estate was enveloped in an atmosphere of tension. In Lianyue's room, Meng Chuchen and Yue Lingjun both wore expressions of unmasked anxiety.

"Eldest Sister, isn't doing this a bit inappropriate?" Yue Lingjun watched Lanshui's retreating figure vanish from sight, then thought of the intelligence received today, his expression turning increasingly grim.

"It is inappropriate, but right now this is all we can do. If we tell Yue'er right now, she won't believe it, and there's no telling what reckless things she might do."

A few days ago, she had already sought out Lianyue for a heart-to-heart talk, and Yue'er had opened her heart to her without reservation. Having walked that path herself, Lianyue knew just how impulsive a woman deeply in love could be.

Meng Chuchen, who understood Lianyue's inner feelings best, furrowed his brows tightly. The moment the shadow guards delivered the report early this morning, he had explained to Yaoyao what this matter meant for Lianyue, instructing her to keep Lianyue confined to the courtyard at all costs and absolutely forbid her from stepping outside.

At the same time, he felt profound regret over the bad news concerning An Ming. Although that An Ming was an assassin, his devotion and protectiveness toward Yue'er were beyond reproach.

Given their mother's dying wish, the person Xiaomei was to marry in this lifetime had to be someone she truly loved and who genuinely cherished her in return. That person had clearly already appeared, and it was An Ming.

Furthermore, there was a glimmer of fortune in his heart: fortunately, the bond between Xiaomei and An Ming was not yet deeply entrenched. Even if she found out a bit later, her reaction hopefully wouldn't be too excessive.

Yue Lianyue and Yue Lingjun both gazed at the silent Meng Chuchen, each harboring their own deliberations. In the end, Lianyue tentatively asked, "Second Brother, make sure not to give anything away when you're with Yue'er these next two days. Also, keep a close eye on her emotional fluctuations. If there's any abnormality, report it to us immediately."

Meng Chuchen nodded solemnly. He didn't need Eldest Sister to spell it out; he knew how to handle this. Having grown accustomed to it over the years, Meng Chuchen was far better at concealing his emotions than Lianyue. After all, everyone had secrets they preferred others not to know.

"I'll go keep Yue'er company now as well. The two of you brothers can handle the specific details yourselves. If there's anything requiring cooperation from the Prince's Estate, just go directly to your brother-in-law."

Even with Lanshui sent over, Lianyue still felt somewhat uneasy. Only by guarding by her side personally would her mind find some measure of peace.

The two men accompanied Lianyue out of the courtyard, watching her walk toward Lianyue's quarters before turning away in tacit agreement to head in another direction.

The news of An Ming's demise carried an air of bizarreness. If not for the fact that this was intelligence sent back by the shadow guards, Meng Chuchen might not have believed it at all.

Word had already been sent via Qingfeng to the Myriad Phenomena Tower. Back when Lianyue was interacting with Chai Mengqing, Yue Lingjun had already ordered the dark division to thoroughly investigate Chai Mengqing's background. To be able to represent the Mist and Rain Pavilion at the assembly of the Eight Great Powers, her status within the pavilion was naturally high—that much was unquestionable.

Generally speaking, Chai Mengqing was a very sincere person, which was why they felt at ease allowing Lianyue to associate with her; they hadn't even stopped Lianyue from taking her as a sworn sister.

The Mist and Rain Pavilion was a unique existence among the Eight Great Powers. Though seemingly obscure, it was never underestimated. Naturally, all of this was tied to that legendary woman.

Yet, as so many years passed, the Mist and Rain Pavilion remained safe and sound, which in itself proved its extraordinary nature.

As for Uncle Zhou, Yue Lingjun had gone there in person. The purpose, naturally, was to ensure Zhou Ziwen stopped following Yue'er around. Anyone with eyes could see that Zhou Ziwen had no improper intentions toward Yue'er whatsoever; the only reason he trailed her was entirely due to Uncle Zhou's overbearing and violent disposition.

Naturally, to pacify that loud-mouthed Uncle Zhou, Prince Nanping Qiao Bin inevitably had to make a small sacrifice.

As they walked, the two men bumped into Qingluan and Qingqiu, who were returning from delivering messages to Qiao Zhi and Yuwen Lingxi on Yue Lingjun's orders.

"After the Prince Regent was summoned into the palace by the Retired Emperor last night, he has not returned to his estate. We've already left people stationed at the palace gates; the moment the Prince Regent exits the palace, the situation will be reported to him immediately."

Once Qingluan finished, Qingqiu stepped forward. On the third day following the imperial banquet, Yuwen Lingxi had taken his leave from the Prince's Estate and moved into the Changyue Tower. "According to Mushan, who serves the Young Master Yuwen, the Young Master is currently formulating a new medicine and is inconvenient to receive guests today."

The replies of the two subordinates caused Yue Lingjun's brows to knit together. Just yesterday, these two individuals had been clinging to Yue'er's side without a single step of separation, yet today both had vanished completely. This was indeed rather anomalous.

A thought even crossed Yue Lingjun's mind: could An Ming's accident be related to these two? Yet even if there were a connection, Yue Lingjun would pretend to be oblivious. After all, An Ming was already a dead man, while the Yuwen family, the imperial court, and the Yue family all shared indelible and intricate ties.

Deep down, Yue Lingjun had never truly approved of his younger sister favoring the leader of a band of assassins. Such a person harbored too many enemies and held things far more important than romance in his heart. After all, none of the previous generations of Rakshasa Palace Lords had ever been known for steadfast devotion.

In Yue Lingjun's eyes, such a man was unworthy of being his brother-in-law, especially given how innocent his younger sister was—Yue Lingjun wished even less for her to become tainted by anything stained with blood.

Earlier, even when Yue Lingjun discovered Lianyue's intentions, he hadn't voiced any explicit opposition. That was because Yue Lingjun also had a woman he loved and understood the agonizing, irresistible nature of such feelings. Above all, he knew that if Yue'er truly fell in love, his opposition would only bring her pain. Therefore, despite knowing An Ming's identity, Yue Lingjun had gradually tried to talk himself into accepting it: if his younger sister genuinely experienced mutual affection with the man, he would simply put more pressure on this brother-in-law to behave.

Yet he never expected that An Ming's life would be so short-lived.