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Yun Kexin furrowed her brows, lost in thought, burdened with worries: if only she could participate as well.
Yun Ke noticed her dazed expression and asked what was wrong, wondering if he had said something inappropriate. Yun Kexin smiled lightly and said, "It's nothing, Cousin. I just remembered that I have a class with Jin Tong Teacher, so I need to go. Can Kexin come back to talk to you next time?"
"That's fine, let's end our chat here," Yun Ke replied with a smile as he stood up and helped Yun Kexin to her feet. "Go to class, but Seventh Sister, remember not to mention our conversation to anyone else."
"Don't worry, Cousin, Kexin can keep a secret," Yun Kexin laughed. "Kexin will take her leave now."
Yun Ke nodded with a smile.
Yun Kexin returned to the Western Courtyard Study to grab a few books and ran into Yun Ran, who still had that same demeanor—sly eyes and a mischievous grin.
Yun Kexin pretended not to see her and tried to walk around, but Yun Ran blocked her path.
"Seventh Sister, where are you off to?" Yun Ran asked with a wide grin that clashed with her underlying provocation.
"To class," Yun Kexin replied curtly, rolling her eyes.
"To class? Hmph, that sounds nice," Yun Ran scoffed, drawing in a breath through her nose mockingly. "Isn't it 'the drunkard's intention is not in the wine'?"
Yun Kexin was puzzled and retorted, "What do you mean?"
"Oh, Seventh Sister, I really didn't expect you to be this clever!" Yun Ran exclaimed with wide eyes, her lips curling in disdain. "When Brother Fu was at our Duke's Residence, you were flirting with him. Not long after he returned to Fan City, you immediately hooked up with Young Master Tong. Aren't you quite capable? Elder Sister Five must feel inferior."
"Elder Sister Five, who told you I was involved with Young Master Tong?" Yun Kexin suppressed her rising anger and asked coldly.
"Hmph, hear? Who needs to hear?" Yun Ran exclaimed sharply, raising her voice. "This news has spread throughout the entire residence; you're out there fooling around—truly shameless—"
"Slap!" Yun Kexin delivered a sharp slap that sent Yun Ran stumbling back a few steps. Holding her sore face in shock, she stammered, "Seventh Sister, you... you hit me again!"
"Hey, Elder Sister Five, if I remember correctly, this isn't the first time I've hit you!" Yun Kexin lightly clapped her hands as if Yun Ran's face was particularly dirty. She coldly smiled and said, "Last time it was for myself, this time it's for Father!"
"For Father?!" Yun Ran widened her eyes in shock and anger.
"Lord Tong is a teacher personally chosen by Father for me. My going to Tong Family to learn is also Father's instruction, yet you think it's to flirt with Young Master Tong. If this gets out, what face will Father have left? How can one live like this? Elder Sister Five, is your mouth asking for a beating?"
Yun Kexin's sudden raised voice startled Yun Ran, but in her anger, she spoke without thinking:
"Hmph, that's exactly it! I'm just afraid that Father's good intentions are being treated as nonsense by you! I heard Young Master Tong is the Crown Prince's companion and often visits the Tong Family. I'm afraid your attending classes is just a cover for flirting with the Crown Prince..."
As soon as Yun Ran finished speaking, she received another slap on her left cheek. No longer willing to endure, she stepped forward and raised her fist to strike Yun Kexin, but her wrist was swiftly caught in Yun Kexin's grip.
"Elder Sister Five, do you know what you're doing? If you don't want to bring trouble upon yourself because of these words, from now on keep that mouth of yours shut!"
Yun Kexin did not get angry or lose her temper; the calm authority she exuded made Yun Ran feel smaller and more self-deprecating. However, realizing she had mentioned the Crown Prince made her heart race. She angrily shook off Yun Kexin's hand.
"Hmph, just wait! I will never let you deceive Brother Fu," Yun Ran gasped angrily, "Don't think this can be hidden for long..."
Yun Kexin sneered and shrugged: after all this fuss, it turned out she was just defending Fu Yihang. She wondered if Fu Yihang would sneeze in Fan City!
"Elder Sister Five, I'll say this one last time," Yun Kexin had little patience left to waste on Yun Ran. "I have never deceived anyone and have nothing to hide. Going to Tong Family to learn is common knowledge; who am I hiding it from? You can do whatever you want with your cousin, but I ask you to remember 'trouble comes from the mouth.' Don't end up harming others and yourself; otherwise, Mother and Father’s punishment might not just be house arrest!"
With that, she turned and left. Yun Ran was left behind fuming but shivered at Yun Kexin's warning as she returned to her room in a huff.
Yun Kexin brought along "The Four Books for Women." Tong Ye not only explained the contents of these books but also added courses on the "I Ching" and "Book of Rites." Yun Kexin studied diligently; within a short time, she had memorized "The Four Books for Women" thoroughly and could even attempt to explain the meanings of the texts to Tong Ye, which pleased him greatly. Tong Zhichen admired her even more; she was truly a woman who did not fall behind men and was much stronger than him.
During a break between classes, when only Yun Kexin, Tong Zhichen, and Crown Prince Qin Ke remained, Yun Kexin subtly began to inquire:
“Young Master Tong, Your Highness, there is something I do not understand, and I hope you can enlighten me.”
“Don't be polite, just speak your mind,” Qin Ke replied with a calm smile.
“I would like to know if the annual palace hunting event is only for royal family members?”
“Yes, and some officials of the fifth rank and above can also participate,” Qin Ke looked at Yun Kexin, puzzled by her question. “Actually, there were no rigid rules before, but this year the first-ranked guard Feng Yinxiao suggested to Father Emperor not to bring too many female relatives along. Father listened to his advice, so this year's hunt is different from previous years; aside from the chefs from the imperial kitchen, there are almost no female relatives accompanying us.”
It’s that Feng Yinxiao again! He actually suggested that the emperor not bring female relatives to the hunt; how arrogant! But thinking about it, during the hunt, men face fierce beasts while women would only be a hindrance, so it does make sense. However, he is still too…
Yun Kexin originally wanted to ask if the Crown Prince could make an exception and let her go with Yun Yang, but now she couldn’t even voice her thoughts and instead fell into an Ice Cellar, leaving her with nothing to ask. She could only hope her brother would return safely and smoothly without any mishaps.
In the blink of an eye, it was August, the day of the Taihe Emperor’s hunt. Yun Kexin was restless at home, wondering if the calamities of her past life would repeat themselves and whether Uncle, Father, Third Uncle, and Yun Ke would be safe… As she paced back and forth, night fell. The three brothers of the Yun Family returned home looking weary and with troubled expressions. As soon as they entered, they instructed their servants and Nursemaid to close the doors tightly.
Seeing this scene, Yun Kexin felt a chill in her heart: Could it be that the events of her past life are repeating? If everything had gone well, they wouldn’t have returned home so late. But seeing that Yun Ke was unharmed, she sighed in relief. But what about the emperor and the crown prince? Yun Kexin wished she could pull her brother over and ask him directly. She only heard the three brothers of the Yun Family hurriedly say their goodbyes with “Let’s rest; we’ll talk tomorrow,” before parting ways at their respective courtyards.
Fu Lianyin and Yun Kexin were at the door waiting for Yun Yang. Seeing his pale face and silence, they knew something was wrong. It wasn’t until they entered the West Garden Main Hall that Fu Lianyin asked:
“Master, what happened? Big Brother and Second Brother look unwell.”
“Something has happened,” Yun Yang murmured as he sat down on an intricately carved rosewood chair, still in disbelief. “How could this happen? How could this happen?”
Yun Kexin already had an inkling of what was going on and comforted him: “Father, please don’t panic. What happened to make you so alarmed?”
“It’s not about panic,” Yun Yang took the cup of water offered by a maidservant and sipped some tea. “Madam, Seventh Young Lady, do you know? Just now at the hunting grounds…” He suddenly paused and lowered his voice. “Just now at the hunting grounds, His Majesty and the Crown Prince nearly… lost their lives.”
Fu Lianyin widened her eyes in shock and took a deep breath. “Lost their lives? How?”
"That damned Eight King and Ten Kings colluded with Trumpet, deliberately luring the Emperor and the Crown Prince into a desolate place, and then surrounded them with Crossbowman—"
"What happened next?" Fu Lianyin exclaimed, covering her mouth with a handkerchief in shock. "Master, you, you mean the Holy One and the Crown Prince, they…"
"No," Yun Yang said, desperately drinking hot tea. Despite it being August, his heart felt cold and trembling. "Fortunately, the first-class guard at the palace arrived just in time, shooting down over a dozen Crossbowman with arrows, then charging into the enemy ranks and stabbing a Lama to death. In the end, he fought fiercely against Eight King and subdued both Eight King and Ten Kings, allowing the Emperor and the Crown Prince to remain unharmed."
"Who was that first-class guard?"
"Feng Yinxiao!" Yun Yang paused to catch his breath, his hands no longer shaking as violently as before. "I never would have guessed that a twelve-year-old child could possess such capability. To charge into the enemy ranks alone like that is truly heroic for someone so young." Yun Yang shook his head in disbelief, suddenly feeling a chill of fear. "If it weren't for him, I really don't know what disaster might have occurred."
Yun Kexin smiled lightly: Feng Yinxiao will probably be titled Young Lord next year!
"Are those Eight King and Ten Kings insane to commit such treasonous acts?" Fu Lianyin comforted Yun Yang while giving him a shoulder massage. "But no matter what, it's all in the past now, Master; don't dwell on it."
"In the past? Your nonchalance," Yun Yang irritably swatted away Fu Lianyin's hand from his shoulder. "After returning to the palace, the Emperor was furious. In addition to issuing orders for the execution of Eight King and Ten Kings, he also demanded that our Ministry of Personnel thoroughly investigate all remaining supporters of the two kings and anyone associated with them. If even one escapes scrutiny, I might as well resign as Minister of Personnel."
Yun Kexin suddenly felt a chill run through her body: this must be what was known in her previous life as the Great Purge. Those who were imprisoned went to prison; those who died met their end. Better to wrongly kill a thousand than let one escape! The palace is truly a place that devours people!
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