Zhan Liyue saw Yu Jingfeng hesitating on the verge of speaking, and her brow immediately creased.

But she herself had brought this person here, and now she was about to have him taken away — Wuya would grow even more suspicious.

Before Zhan Liyue could react, Di Wuya’s low, heavy voice rang out through the tent. “What do those words mean?”

“What kind of Crown Prince? Jiu’er gave everything for you, and yet you had someone kill her to silence her?” Yanu’s gaze grew darker and darker.

“What are you saying? His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince would never do such a thing to Young Miss Jiu’er…” Yu Jingfeng glared at Yanu, making urgent, desperate gestures with his eyes.

Unfortunately, Yanu did not so much as glance at him.

Zhan Liyue, Emperor Ji, and Ye Luosha each showed a fleeting change of expression, which just as quickly returned to normal.

Leng Yue, however, cried out loudly, “Feng Jiu’er was killed on the orders of Emperor Qiwen — what nonsense are you spouting here?”

As long as she had not seen Feng Jiu’er’s body with her own eyes, whenever Leng Yue heard her name spoken, she could not maintain her composure.

She had had no part in the killing of Feng Jiu’er, nor did she know whose hand had sent Feng Jiu’er over the cliff. It was simply that hearing her name made her immediately lose her calm.

“Are you one of Feng Jiu’er’s people?” Ye Luosha fixed her gaze on Yanu and asked in a low voice.

Yanu had suddenly appeared to kill Zhan Liyue, and now here he was saying these incomprehensible things. Ye Luosha could not help but be concerned.

Yet, like Zhan Liyue, no matter how worried she was, she could not silence Yanu immediately.

Ye Luosha was well aware that with Wuya’s sharp mind, a single wrong word from her would be enough for him to detect something amiss.

“He is.” Yu Jingfeng swallowed hard and gave a nod.

He looked at Yanu and said in a low voice, “I believe you have genuinely misunderstood. His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince could not possibly have killed Young Miss Jiu’er.”

“He did not kill Jiu’er with his own hands — the ones who killed Jiu’er were her, her, and him!” Yanu’s gaze shifted, and he pointed in turn at Zhan Liyue, Ye Luosha, and Emperor Ji.

Finally, his gaze — heavy with killing intent — locked onto Zhan Liyue.

“It was her. I saw with my own eyes as she pushed Jiu’er off the cliff. I could not have been mistaken. It was her!”

Yanu drew a deep breath, gathered his inner energy in his palms, and strode toward Zhan Liyue.

His fury was immense, his killing intent dense and potent. Knowing full well he was walking into a dead end, he was still willing to fight.

“Do not harm him!” Zhan Liyue shouted out.

Her words made Ye Luosha and Emperor Ji pause — and even Yanu was thrown into half a moment’s hesitation.

In that split second of hesitation, Di Wuya’s palm strike had already reached him.

Yanu took Di Wuya’s strike full on and staggered several steps to the side, dropping to one knee on the ground.

“Is what he said — does any of it have truth to it?” Di Wuya did not look at Yanu; instead, his gaze was fixed unwaveringly on Zhan Liyue beside him.

Not only him — Di Feimu, too, was looking at Zhan Liyue, his expression grave and heavy. “Mother, is what he said true?”

Ye Luosha confirmed that Yanu was in no condition to fight back for the time being. She looked at the two brothers who had spoken and said firmly, “Do not listen to his nonsense!”

“The matter is…”

“Mother, you speak!” Di Wuya’s face, at last, showed the faintest trace of change.

But this was certainly not a pleasant expression.

His brow furrowed ever so slightly, and the temperature throughout the entire tent dropped noticeably.

“Stop putting on this act in front of me, all of you. This is not the first time you have tried to kill Jiu’er — and now you want to deny it?”

“Zhan Qingcheng, I do not care who you are. He could not protect Jiu’er properly — so why did he keep her locked to his side?”

“Do you know how much suffering and hardship she endured for your sake? If Jiu’er is truly not yet dead, then I hope you never obtain her — not for the rest of your life!”

Yanu’s brow was deeply furrowed as he rose to his feet, his gaze falling back on Zhan Liyue.

“You did not kill me today — and I will still come for you tomorrow. Do not think that a moment of your pity will earn any gratitude from me!”

“Someone like you — who commits every wicked act to achieve your ends — cannot possibly come to a good end!”

“Take him away.” Di Wuya gave the command in a low voice.

“Yes.” Yu Jingfeng gave a cupped-fist salute and issued the order.

Yanu was led away by Yu Jingfeng, and the tent fell into silence.

Zhan Liyue looked up at her two sons and asked in a quiet voice, “What do those looks in your eyes mean?”

“I only want to know — yes, or no?” Di Wuya’s voice remained heavy and low.

“No.” Zhan Liyue dropped a single word, rose to her feet, and walked away without looking back.

Ye Luosha glanced back at Di Wuya and Di Feimu and let out a quiet sigh.

“The Empress has done so much for both of you, and yet you doubt her — that is entirely wrong of you.”

Ye Luosha let those words hang in the air, shook her head, and turned to follow in Zhan Liyue’s footsteps.

Zhan Liyue left the tent and looked at the soldier nearby.

“Where did General Yu take the person?”

“Your Imperial Majesty the Empress.” The soldier gave a cupped-fist salute and pointed in a direction. “General Yu just brought him that way.”

Zhan Liyue said not a single word and set off in the direction the soldier had indicated.

Yu Jingfeng had bound Yanu’s legs and hands, and even sealed several of the vital acupoints on his body, before stepping out of a small tent.

Eight soldiers stood guard around the tent on all sides.

The soldier standing by the tent’s curtained entrance looked up as Yu Jingfeng emerged and gave a cupped-fist salute. “General Yu.”

“Send more men over to guard him. Do not let him escape.”

“Yes.” The soldier nodded and acknowledged the order.

Yanu had sustained injuries in his earlier clash with Zhan Liyue, and had just now had his meridians injured by Di Wuya as well.

Moreover, this was Di Wuya’s camp — his people were everywhere. Yanu had no choice but to submit.

Yu Jingfeng waved his hand and turned to leave. As he did, he caught sight of Zhan Liyue approaching from not far away and hurried forward to meet her.

“Your Imperial Majesty the Empress, what are your orders?”

“Yu Jingfeng, what is his name?” Zhan Liyue glanced at the tent and asked in a quiet voice.

“Yanu.” Yu Jingfeng frowned slightly. “He was Young Miss Jiu’er’s servant when she lived at Feng Manor. I heard Young Miss Jiu’er call him Yanu.”

“He was mute at first, and his face had also been disfigured. Whether it was later that Young Miss Jiu’er healed his voice and restored his face, I genuinely do not know.”

“A servant of Feng Manor?” Zhan Liyue frowned slightly.

“Mm.” Yu Jingfeng gave a nod. “I do not know a great deal either. Why is Your Imperial Majesty the Empress so interested in someone who tried to kill you?”

Yu Jingfeng had learned how Yanu came to be captured on the road here when he questioned the soldiers.

He had not spent much time thinking about whether it was truly the Empress who had pushed Young Miss Jiu’er off the cliff — after all, that was not something for him to be speculating about.

Even so, Yu Jingfeng knew full well that His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince would absolutely not let this matter rest.

Receiving no response from Zhan Liyue, Yu Jingfeng gave her a cupped-fist salute. “Your Imperial Majesty the Empress, I will take my leave.”

“He bears a striking resemblance to someone I once knew.” Zhan Liyue glanced at Yu Jingfeng once more and waved her hand in dismissal.

Yu Jingfeng frowned slightly, took two steps forward, and drew close to stand beside Zhan Liyue.

“Have Mo Bai go see to him. He has sustained internal injuries. Put a sleep-inducing medicine in his medicine — is that understood?”

“Yes.” Yu Jingfeng nodded in acknowledgment.

“I want you personally to watch him drink the medicine.” Zhan Liyue’s voice, barely audible, sounded once more.

Yu Jingfeng nodded again in reply. “Yes, this subordinate will obey!”

Zhan Liyue waved her hand in dismissal. Yu Jingfeng turned and departed.