Chapter 3: Striking First
"Have her wait in the side hall."
Yu Lingzhao glanced at Yu Xunyang, who instinctively shuddered. He felt as though a murderous aura was condensing in his sister's eyes.
"Third Brother, sit."
Those two short words confirmed for Yu Xunyang that the murderous intent he just saw was no hallucination.
Feeling suddenly guilty, he sat in the chair next to Yu Lingzhao, only daring to rest half his weight on it.
Yu Lingzhao looked at Yu Xunyang. He was indeed as the author had described: sword-like eyebrows, starry eyes, and a handsome face.
Thanks to the meticulous upbringing by the Prince and Consort of Zhennan, the children of the Yu family all possessed a vein of vibrant vitality.
This vitality was most evident in Yu Xunyang; he was as radiant and warm as a little sun.
Most of the noble young masters in the capital prided themselves on being refined, following the elegant gentleman archetype.
Compared to them, Yu Xunyang truly left them in the dust.
Perhaps the author simply enjoyed destroying such beauty.
Yu Xunyang, as perfect as a little sun, ultimately ended up with a crippled leg and his eyes gouged out.
Burdened by unredressed grievances, he was eventually drowned alive in a bucket of swill in a dark alleyway.
Thinking of this ending made Yu Lingzhao’s heart go numb.
The ones who deserved to die were others!
This Chu Yulan had approached her third brother under the guise of being the daughter of a fellow border general.
She spoke of how terrified and uneasy she was upon arriving in the capital and how the noble ladies here bullied others, implying intentionally or otherwise that even Yu Lingzhao, despite being a County Princess, could not escape such a fate.
With Chu Yulan’s deliberate guidance, Yu Xunyang naturally began to worry whether his sister was also being bullied in the capital.
Knowing her third brother was impulsive, the original host always claimed she was fine whenever minor verbal spats occurred.
The moment the original host said she was fine, Chu Yulan would immediately follow up by adding fuel to the fire for Yu Xunyang.
After half a month of this, Yu Xunyang grew to loathe the capital more and more. He hardly interacted with anyone else in the city, leaving him with no way to verify whether Chu Yulan's words were true or false.
This time, Chu Yulan had come to report that Yu Lingzhao had been injured by the daughter of a minor official at the Princess's Mansion.
Yu Xunyang was naturally beyond furious and, in his impulsiveness, couldn't resist trying to seek justice for his sister.
In reality, Chu Yulan was an informant for the original male lead.
Her purpose was to help him gain the support of the Zhennan Prince's Mansion by using the trope: "The whole world hates you, but I alone am deeply in love with you."
The plan was to wait until the two siblings were isolated and helpless in the capital, at which point the male lead would step in to protect them.
Over time, given Yu Xunyang's personality, it would be difficult for him not to be moved by that scumbag male lead.
After all, out of the five members of the Zhennan Prince's Mansion, he was the easiest to fool.
Thinking of the scumbag male lead, a burst of uncontrollable ferocity flared in Yu Lingzhao's eyes.
He deserved to die!
"Feiwu, from today onward, keep the gates of the Prince's Mansion tightly shut. Except for a personal Imperial Envoy from the Emperor, do not let anyone in," Yu Lingzhao ordered once more.
Regarding the fact that she had her head split open at the Princess's Mansion, Xiao Ning'an, the scumbag male lead, would certainly make a big fuss about it.
If nothing went wrong, he would likely come knocking in a while, feigning concern for her to seize the opportunity to gain favor.
What a pity.
With her here, he shouldn't even dream of it!
"Caiji, go to the side hall in an hour and tell Chu Yulan that I have suddenly fallen unconscious with a persistent high fever and that my life is hanging by a thread. Tell her Third Brother is worried about me and has no time to see her."
Yu Lingzhao looked toward Yu Xunyang.
"Third Brother, I’m about to die. What should you be doing right now?"
Yu Xunyang blinked, catching his sister's meaning.
He said tentatively, "I should be... looking for physicians for you everywhere?"
Yu Lingzhao smiled with great satisfaction.
"Before you go, shouldn't you first express just how anxious you are?"
After speaking, her eyes flicked toward the side hall.
Yu Xunyang took the hint. He shuffled over to Guan Xiao, raised his bound hands, and winked. "Untie them."
Guan Xiao looked at Yu Lingzhao; she nodded, and Guan Xiao undid the rope.
Who would have thought that in the next instant,
Yu Xunyang would grab Guan Xiao's hand, place it on his own waist, and begin a furious roar:
"This is simply pushing people too far! I am absolutely livid! Guan Xiao! Let go of me! This Young Master is going to go settle the score with her!"
Guan Xiao, startled by Yu Xunyang’s shout, reacted quickly.
Cooperating, he grabbed the man around the waist and barked, "What are you standing there for! Hurry up and help stop the Third Young Master!"
The guards rushed forward in a scramble to hold back the raving Yu Xunyang. Naturally, Yu Xunyang refused to cooperate.
After a bout of scuffling and shouting, Yu Lingzhao made sure the commotion was loud enough to reach the side hall.
She stood up, walked to Yu Xunyang’s side, grabbed his arm, and softly called out, "Third Brother."
Then, in front of everyone, she limply collapsed.
Yu Xunyang was startled. He violently shook off the hands of Guan Xiao and the others and caught his sister in his arms.
Scared out of his wits, his voice trembled: "Zhaozhao? Don't scare Third Brother..."
Yu Lingzhao blinked rapidly once. Yu Xunyang was stunned for a moment, was this... was this faked?
The corners of Yu Lingzhao's mouth quirked up. Yu Xunyang understood; he squeezed her arm for a moment in response.
Seeing this, Yu Lingzhao confidently found a comfortable position in his arms, tilted her head, and "fainted."
Yu Xunyang did not disappoint her. Holding her, he bolted toward the inner courtyard, shouting all the way to hurry and fetch the mansion's physician.
The momentum was massive, setting the entire Prince's Mansion in motion. It was a true scene of chaotic turmoil for a while.
Staying in the side hall, Chu Yulan heard the commotion outside. Sure enough, unable to suppress her curiosity, she signaled her maid to go gather news.
The maid was gone for nearly half an hour before returning, whispering a few words into Chu Yulan's ear.
Chu Yulan frowned slightly. "The County Princess has truly fainted?"
The maid nodded. "It is absolutely certain. The Prince’s Mansion is in complete chaos. Just now, the Third Young Master threw a massive tantrum in the front hall. Had the guards not held him back and had the County Princess not collapsed, he likely would have already stormed the Princess’s Mansion."
"Go find out where the Third Young Master is now."
Chu Yulan wanted to try again. Yu Xunyang was in a fit of rage; if she guided him with a few more words, given his temperament, making a scene at the Princess’s Mansion might still be possible.
Chu Yulan would not give up easily, and Yu Lingzhao had naturally anticipated this.
Therefore, the next step was to have Feiwu ask her to leave, making sure to play this scene convincingly enough.
Feiwu appeared before Chu Yulan right on cue. As the most capable maid by Yu Lingzhao’s side, she naturally represented Yu Lingzhao’s will.
She did not speak to Chu Yulan with any humility, stating directly: "The Mansion is currently occupied and unable to host Miss Chu. We ask for Miss Chu’s understanding."
Upon hearing this, Chu Yulan immediately stood up and said anxiously, "The County Princess is currently unconscious, and Yulan is burning with anxiety. It is truly because those people pushed her too far! Yulan has always admired the County Princess's heroic spirit; why not let Yulan look after her to help ease the Third Young Master's burden?"
Feiwu thought to herself that the County Princess was truly formidable, she had predicted exactly what Chu Yulan would say.
Following the County Princess’s instructions, she directly rejected Chu Yulan.
"We thank Miss Chu for her kindness, but looking after the County Princess is a task for us servants. I shall see you out."
Feiwu’s tone was gentle but her attitude was firm, extending her hand to request her departure.
Chu Yulan wanted to say more, but Feiwu had not come alone; behind her stood two fierce-looking, hulking guards.
It was as if they had come specifically to maintain order in case she failed to cooperate, leaving no room for Chu Yulan to argue further.
With no other options, Chu Yulan could only allow Feiwu to escort her out of the Zhennan Prince’s Mansion.
Just as Chu Yulan left the Mansion, someone in the shadows began to tail her.
When Feiwu returned to report to Yu Lingzhao, she brought news from Guan Xiao: people in the capital were already discussing the matter.
In her speech, she was full of admiration for Yu Lingzhao, marveling at the brilliance of this move.
Yu Lingzhao ate her snacks leisurely, neither confirming nor denying Feiwu’s praise. The game of public opinion was all about seizing the preemptive strike.
County Princess Mingzhu’s head had been split open at the Princess’s Mansion, and the Third Young Master was scouring the entire capital for physicians to save his sister's life, this topic was enough to explode into the center of the capital's attention.
Who was County Princess Mingzhu?
She was the daughter of the highly decorated Prince of Zhennan.
The daughter of a great hero's family, in the capital for less than a month, had actually had her head split open at the Princess’s Mansion?
And the Third Young Master had to personally search the city for physicians?
How explosive.
Those with hidden agendas would speculate whether this was an intimidation tactic authorized by the Emperor or something else.
If the precious pearl of the illustrious Zhennan Prince’s Mansion was treated this way, would there be a place for any meritorious officials in the future?
Inevitably, people's hearts would begin to waver.
Yu Lingzhao smiled; this was only the beginning.
She would not let off a single person who wanted to climb to power by stepping over the flesh and blood of the Zhennan Prince’s Mansion.
Jade wishes everyone a prosperous New Year! Happy 2026🥳
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