Eternal Night - Chapter 61
He moved his legs; they felt a little weak. He checked them with his internal energy but found nothing amiss. He'd been tricked by that kid! His tone carried a hint of displeasure: "Weren't you determined to catch that assassin?"
"Something came up." After Yongye left last night, he should have rushed to Prince You's residence to wait for the assassin. For some reason, he sat by the river for a long time, which is why he was delayed.
"How is the situation?"
"I heard that Prince Duan has mobilized the six guards of the capital region. Since the city gates were closed early and no one left the city, they are currently searching house to house."
Li Tianyou got out of bed, took a few steps, and suddenly said angrily, "Where's that worm?"
"If you hate someone so much, I would have cut them into pieces long ago. Why worry about a mere worm when you should worry more about the Prince Duan's heir?"
"If they have Youli Valley backing them up, they would never dare to touch the Crown Prince. We just need to inform Prince Duan. Brother Feng, I'll have to trouble you with the tracking again."
A smile appeared in Feng Yangxi's eyes: "For the sake of the adorable young prince, I, Feng, am willing to make this trip."
After seeing Feng Yang off, Li Tianyou summoned his guards and hurriedly headed to the Prince Duan's residence.
At the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), the gates of Prince Duan's residence were wide open, and the guards all wore solemn expressions. The main hall was brightly lit. Prince Duan, dressed in a white robe with a qilin design, stood with his hands behind his back before a map of the capital, while Princess Duan sat weakly in a chair, her eyes red.
News reports came in from all over Kyoto.
"Uncle, I beg your forgiveness!" Li Tianyou hurriedly stepped forward and bowed deeply to Prince Duan.
Prince Duan acted as if he hadn't seen it, muttering to himself, "Wandering Valley..."
Seeing his expression, Li Tianyou became even more uneasy and stammered, "Tianyou originally intended to ask Yongye to come to the mansion to treat the patient. Although that person is from Youli Valley, he is also a highly skilled doctor. I heard that he is Huihun's only disciple."
“Yongye…doesn’t know martial arts.” Prince Duan said coldly, his heart aching as he recalled Yongye being taken away by the people from Youli Valley.
Li Tianyou's brow twitched slightly, and his pupils suddenly contracted. Had he suspected the wrong person? "Uncle... Tianyou has something to say, but I'm not sure if I should."
Prince Duan glanced at him and waved for the surrounding people to leave. Li Tianyou hesitated for a moment before cautiously asking, "Is the one who returned from seeking medical help in Youli Valley truly Yongye? Could he be...?"
“It’s Eternal Night, absolutely no doubt about it!” Prince Duan cut off his conjecture, eliminating any possibility of a future conflict.
"I heard that Lady Zhang's family has a child who looks just like my aunt when she was young."
The princess suddenly opened her eyes: "Would I mistake my own child?!"
Seeing her agitated, Prince Duan gently embraced her and stared at Li Tianyou, saying, "The mark on Yongye's foot is unmistakable. This matter is not to be discussed with outsiders. If it were to leak out and cause any harm to Yongye..." Prince Duan raised his head, exuding a sharp aura. He stared intently at Li Tianyou and said, word by word, "I only have one!"
Li Tianyou nodded slightly, filled with remorse. Had he really been wrong?
"Uncle, rest assured, Tianyou will go and seal off the Peony Courtyard and force them to hand over the people."
Prince Duan shook his head: "No, the time is not right." He then glanced at Li Tianyou, "This is the Emperor's intention."
Li Tianyou's mouth dropped open. His father, the Emperor, who was far away in the imperial court, had actually made preparations all along? Judging from the words of Prince Duan, it seemed that he intended to deal with Youli Valley.
Prince Duan looked at Li Tianyou and suddenly smiled: "Young people are always impulsive. Tianrui has been much quieter lately. As for Tianxiang, he has never been interested in politics. He keeps clamoring to go to the border to lead troops, and the Emperor has already granted him permission to go to General Luo of Qinhe."
Li Tianyou lowered his head, a storm raging within him. Tianrui was much quieter? What did that mean? Did it mean he'd been too ostentatious in using his guards for that black-clad assassin? Why had this usually composed man been provoked into such a blatant attempt to capture her? He recalled the figure with flowing hair in the darkness, the arrogant sound carried on the wind, as a sword fell. Why had he suspected Yongye? Did he secretly wish she were the assassin, so he could be controlled by her?
As for Tianxiang, his father actually sent him to Qinhe! The Qinhe border is a crucial stronghold against Qi. The Empress's elder brother has already become a powerful regional official in Qinhe. If Tianxiang goes there now, could it be...? After a moment, his mind calmed down, and he respectfully bowed to Prince Duan and his wife, saying, "Tianyou takes his leave. We still need Youligu's help to deal with the people from Youligu."
Moon Soul Bewitching
She spent a sleepless night. With her eyes closed, she focused intently on her surroundings. The Heavenly Meridian Inner Classic slowly circulated within her body, still resembling a small snake, but now moving more rapidly through her limbs and bones. After all these years, she finally understood the secrets of this inner classic.
It wasn't about how powerful her internal energy was, but rather that it made her senses sharper and her body recover faster than the average person.
At four quarters past the hour of Yin (3:45 AM), she heard Yi Hong and Yin'er getting up. A quarter of an hour later, the voices of two maids came over.
"Didn't the young master come back last night?"
"I was fast asleep, waiting for him."
As they spoke, footsteps approached Yongye's room.
Yongye nimbly leaped onto the roof beam. Yihong didn't know martial arts, so as long as she didn't look up or bend down to look under the bed, she wouldn't notice them.
Yi Hong pushed open the door, walked to the bedside, paused, then turned and walked out, saying as she went, "He really hasn't come back. Yin'er! Young Master hasn't returned! Is he staying overnight at Prince You's residence? Really, he didn't even send someone back to report..."
The two maids left the courtyard as they talked. Yongye breathed a sigh of relief when the footsteps disappeared and the courtyard became quiet again. Looking down, she saw Yuepo peeking out from under the bed, winking and smiling at her.
She leaped down from the roof beam, laughing and scolding, "I thought you'd changed your ways, becoming so refined and polite. What did Prince You say again? A person as otherworldly as an immortal... Oh no!"
Yongye's expression changed drastically. It was always Yihong and Yin'er who tidied her room. She was afraid Yuepo would catch a cold sleeping on the floor, so she threw the blanket under the bed to cover him, leaving the bed uncovered. With Yihong's sharp mind, she must have noticed. Otherwise, the two of them wouldn't have left the courtyard at the same time.
She grabbed Yuepo and said urgently, "Get out of here immediately."
Before he could finish speaking, voices surged into the courtyard. Yongye looked at Yuepo with a sense of helplessness, and unconsciously tightened his grip on Yuepo's hand.
"You're hopeless!" Yuepo scolded her in a low voice, then couldn't help but reach out and hug her. "Xinghun, you're so thin!"
Yongye felt his mind explode with a "buzz" as Yuepo used the Bewitching Powder!
Moon Spirit, you don't want me to have this memory, do you? You want me to be unable to see or hear anything, right? She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she was completely numb.
A large number of guards poured into the Guanyu Courtyard, surrounding it completely.
Prince Duan and his consort anxiously watched Yongye's room. The doors and windows were tightly shut, and all was quiet. They exchanged a glance, and Prince Duan nodded, tightening his grip on his consort's hand. That thief had kidnapped Yongye for a night; they couldn't let him leave this place alive, no matter what.
"Whoever you are, whatever your conditions are, you may tell me," Prince Duan said slowly.
The window of the Eternal Night Chamber creaked open.
"Young Master!" Yi Hongyin called out urgently.