Chapter 24: An Assassin's Intuition
Yu Lingzhao began to manually 'clap, clap, clap' for Yu Xunyang; she was clearly very pleased that he had gained this awareness.
In truth, given his background in the Prince of Zhennan’s Mansion, it was impossible for Yu Xunyang to be truly ignorant of everything.
It was just that in the past, his Father, Mother, and two elder brothers had always done the thinking for him, even she, as his younger sister, would inadvertently think for him as well.
As a result, his brain had been left idle.
Yu Lingzhao was confident: a new brain, never used, it should work quite well.
And look, hadn't he already started to learn how to look through the surface to see the essence?
This was worth celebrating.
Yu Xunyang’s expression was somewhat unsightly; he didn't understand why Zhaozhao was still so happy.
There were no secrets between the siblings; whatever Yu Xunyang was thinking, he simply asked it out loud.
Yu Lingzhao said frankly, "Naturally, I am happy. At the very least, I know how he is thinking, rather than genuinely believing in the vastness of Imperial grace or that our Prince’s Mansion possesses the Emperor's absolute trust."
Yu Lingzhao’s words were like a heavy punch landing squarely on Yu Xunyang’s heart; for a moment, his face turned deathly pale.
Yu Lingzhao took a bite of a pastry, feeling quite satisfied. Seeing her third brother’s handsome face so pale, she couldn't quite bear it.
"Third Brother, you needn't worry. As I said just now, our Emperor is a benevolent monarch, what he cares about is not just the rivers and mountains of Great Ye, but also his reputation."
Yu Lingzhao spoke with a bright smile, clearly not taking the essence she just mentioned to heart.
Her words left Yu Xunyang confused once more. "Zhaozhao, are you... doing something very big?"
Yu Lingzhao nodded very directly. Yu Xunyang immediately became tense, even starting to grow restless in his seat.
Yu Lingzhao frowned at her brother’s look, which resembled someone who urgently needed to use the restroom.
She was about to tell him to go take care of it if he was in such a hurry, when he leaned in mysteriously and whispered very softly in her ear,
"Are we rebelling, Zhaozhao?"
"Pfft—"
Yu Lingzhao nearly sprayed her tea everywhere.
She looked at Yu Xunyang in shock and murmured, "Third Brother, truly, appearances are deceiving! I never expected you to have such a grand ambition?"
"Zhaozhao!"
Yu Xunyang was as anxious as if his eyebrows were on fire. He had been forced to utter those two treasonous words, yet his sister was still teasing him.
Between tears and laughter, Yu Lingzhao patted her brother’s shoulder and motioned for him to sit down and talk.
"While there is a 'but,' this matter is not developing in that direction." Yu Lingzhao soothed her brother: "At least for now, the situation is quite good."
The first half of the sentence successfully calmed Yu Xunyang’s anxious heart, but the second half made his heart hang in mid-air again.
It's quite good for now?
Does that mean it's a possibility in the future?
Yu Lingzhao had no idea what her brother was imagining, but seeing his expression shift back and forth gave her a bit of a headache.
Perhaps the new brain was a bit hyperactive now that it was finally being used.
"Third Brother! Stop!"
Yu Lingzhao barked, "Don't let your thoughts run wild."
This shout halted Yu Xunyang’s messy, flying thoughts, and he calmed down miraculously.
Once he had calmed down and looked at Yu Lingzhao again, he felt more and more that Zhaozhao was becoming increasingly similar to their Second Brother.
Yu Lingzhao raised an eyebrow, her smile showing her pleasure: "Is that so? You also think I'm becoming more like Second Brother?"
Hearing her words, Yu Xunyang realized he had blurted out his inner thoughts again.
He was about to say something when he saw a shadow flash past the window. His intuition screamed danger; he rose to give chase but was held down by Yu Lingzhao.
Yu Xunyang looked at his sister in an anxious and puzzled manner: "Zhaozhao?"
Yu Lingzhao gave him a calm look. "Relax. Guan Xiao is out there."
From the day she subdued Guan Xiao, there would be no more 'filthy things' allowed in the Prince of Zhennan’s Mansion.
As the Captain Guard of County Princess Mingzhu, his duty was to ensure that his master was absolutely safe within the Prince's Mansion.
Yu Xunyang sat down skeptically. Yu Lingzhao pushed another cup of tea toward him. "Have some tea to calm your nerves."
Yu Xunyang looked at the tea before him with a troubled expression. "...I can't drink any more."
"Pfft."
Yu Lingzhao couldn't help herself again, drawing a furious glare from Yu Xunyang.
Their third brother was simply too adorable.
Yu Xunyang’s worry didn't last long. Guan Xiao soon arrived at the door of the outer study to report that the person had been caught.
Yu Lingzhao thought for a moment and asked, "Third Brother, do you want to see how I interrogate a prisoner?"
Yu Xunyang was stunned for a moment and hesitated, "Take a look?"
Yu Lingzhao nodded. "Alright then. Tell Guan Xiao to bring the person to the courtyard."
The outer study was very large, divided into inner and outer sections.
The place where Yu Lingzhao and Yu Xunyang discussed business was naturally in the inner chamber; such a place was not for just anyone to enter.
Yu Xunyang walked out with his sister. It must be said that being raised in a family of military generals gave the siblings some insight into the prowess of assassins.
Take the Prince of Zhennan himself: a veteran of the battlefield, possessing a natural majesty and a murderous aura no less than that of Yama; he was like a lethal weapon that inspired awe and fear.
*The king of hell.
And the eldest brother, Yu Xiaoyan—though young, he was a brave and fierce young general who had shed blood on the battlefield, resembling a sharp precious sword with its edge fully exposed.
Next were the guards like Guan Xiao: swift and precise, drawing blood whenever they unsheathed their blades, similarly, they were highly reliable longswords.
As for the assassin caught by Guan Xiao, if Yu Lingzhao hadn't been paying close attention, this person's presence would have been easily overlooked.
When Yu Lingzhao had been instructing the Zhiyu Guards earlier, Guan Xiao had secretly picked up a few techniques.
If he hadn't promptly dislocated the assassin's jaw and limb joints, the man would likely be a corpse by now.
Yu Lingzhao approached the tightly bound assassin without any hesitation. She squatted slightly at a safe distance to look at him and said, "Let's start with the simplest and easiest question to answer: who is your master?"
The moment the words left Yu Lingzhao's mouth, Guan Xiao pressed hard against the assassin's shoulder blade, suddenly applying force.
Yu Lingzhao could even hear the sound of bone fracturing.
The assassin’s face turned pale with pain, yet he remained silent.
Yu Lingzhao wasn't surprised. Usually, such people were death-sworn soldiers; it was normal for them to refuse to speak.
How could the mere pain of a bone fracture make them talk?
Seeing that he wouldn't speak, Guan Xiao applied more pressure. Instead of breaking, the assassin gave a hideously twisted laugh: "Is this all the skill you have? Hehehehe..."
Yu Lingzhao was surprised, this person had quite a temper. She looked at Guan Xiao and said, "He says you only have this much skill."
Guan Xiao’s face instantly darkened, and he increased the force in his hands until the assassin was almost suffocating.
Seeing the man on the verge of death, Yu Lingzhao quickly stopped Guan Xiao. "Lighter, lighter. Don't kill him."
Guan Xiao’s hand paused, and the assassin began to gasp for air.
Seeing this, Yu Lingzhao suddenly laughed and said, "Look at that. You still quite want to live, don't you?"
The assassin's entire body stiffened. His assassin's intuition told him that the little County Princess of the Prince of Zhennan’s Mansion before him—breathtakingly beautiful yet smiling with rampant coldness—was terrifying.
—
Author's Note -
Zhaozhao: Emperor Jianyuan wants me to be a hostage, so I’m planning to do something about it.
Third Brother: Just start a rebellion!
Zhaozhao: (qдq) Wow, Third Brother, you’re so edgy 0.0
*In MTL it was cancer— you're so cancer. But the word 'ai' is also among the three word for male chauvinism. Literally straight guy tastes; I translated as edgy as it suits more.
Jade: Dropping tomorrow's 2 chapters today, my schedule for tomorrow is packed, in case I couldn't update~
Thanks! Ohhh an assassin huh!
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