Grand Commander Luo nearly jumped up, and even the okra baked eggs he’d just eaten no longer seemed fragrant.

“Sheng’er, the Crown Prince’s selected attendant is quite different from the concubines in our household.” Grand Commander Luo’s tiger-like eyes brimmed with tears as he spoke earnestly.

Though Sheng’er acting this way gave him a strange sense of familiarity, he still felt it would be better if his daughter were more sensible.

Beating up prime minister’s daughters was one thing, but they couldn’t beat the Emperor’s or Crown Prince’s women!

“Isn’t a Crown Prince’s selected attendant just a concubine?” Luo Sheng looked completely dismissive.

That utterly fearless manner made Grand Commander Luo feel even more familiar.

“Ahem, ahem, ahem.” Grand Commander Luo began coughing violently.

Luo Sheng reached out and patted his back, “What’s wrong, Father?”

Grand Commander Luo coughed until his face turned bright red, yet still didn’t give up trying to counsel his daughter, “Sheng’er, though the Crown Prince’s selected attendant is merely a concubine, she’s the Crown Prince’s concubine. If you cause trouble for her, you’d be embarrassing the Crown Prince. Never mind that Selected Attendant Yu is the Crown Prince’s favored concubine—even if she were just an ordinary selected attendant, the Crown Prince wouldn’t be pleased.”

Luo Sheng blinked, asking righteously, “If the Crown Prince is displeased, what can he actually do to Father?”

Grand Commander Luo froze.

He’d always known his daughter was lawless, but he hadn’t expected her to be this lawless.

If this continued, it wouldn’t do at all!

“Sheng’er, though the Crown Prince may not do anything to me now, what about the future?”

After the Crown Prince ascended the throne as Emperor, their entire family would face retribution.

Luo Sheng frowned, “But when I had free time to browse through books, I discovered that successive Jinlin Guard commanders haven’t served two emperors—generally when a new emperor takes the throne, they’re all killed.”

Grand Commander Luo’s expression changed slightly.

This issue, he’d naturally considered long ago.

Titles like Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor were all hollow—the real power lay in being Jinlin Guard Commander, and this position depended on the emperor’s trust.

But therein lay the problem.

When a new emperor ascended, how could he possibly trust the left and right arms left behind by the previous emperor?

In his position, his only hope was for His Majesty to live long—ideally, longer than him.

And during this time, he needed to work hard to maintain His Majesty’s absolute trust in him.

“Looking at it this way, I feel it makes no difference whether I offend them or not.”

Grand Commander Luo could bear it no longer and ruffled Luo Sheng’s hair with his fan-like hand, “Sheng’er, these aren’t matters for you to worry about. I’ll arrange things for the future, but right now we can’t just give up on ourselves. Remember that, understood?”

“Mm.” Luo Sheng reluctantly acknowledged, though she didn’t say whether she’d remember or not. She picked up the food box, “Father, I’ll head back now.”

After Luo Sheng left, Grand Commander Luo grew increasingly uneasy the more he thought about it.

He understood his daughter’s temperament—when she found someone disagreeable, she’d seize every opportunity to teach them a lesson before she’d feel satisfied.

No, he needed to keep watch over Selected Attendant Yu’s side to prevent Sheng’er from causing trouble.

Grand Commander Luo quickly summoned his subordinates and gave quiet instructions.

As the Crown Prince’s favored concubine and the only female companion the Crown Prince had brought on this autumn hunt, Zhaohua’s death couldn’t be completely concealed.

Wei Qiang still had to steel himself to appear before Emperor Yong’an and report the matter.

“I never expected Selected Attendant Yu would attempt to assassinate me in the middle of the night. In my panic to evade, I accidentally injured her…”

After listening, Emperor Yong’an was silent for a moment, then said lightly, “Go back and handle it properly. Don’t cause too much discussion.”

“Yes.” Wei Qiang bowed and withdrew respectfully.

Emperor Yong’an walked to the window with hands clasped behind his back, watched the falling rain for a while, then headed to Noble Consort Xiao’s quarters.

This rain fell intermittently for an entire day, only stopping at nightfall.

The next day dawned clear, with high skies and light clouds, cool and pleasant.

But when Grand Commander Luo received the message from his subordinates, his mood wasn’t quite so wonderful.

Selected Attendant Yu was actually dead!

Just yesterday Sheng’er had mentioned wanting to cause trouble for Selected Attendant Yu, and today he heard Selected Attendant Yu was dead. If he hadn’t sent people to keep watch, he might have thought his daughter had done it!

No, he had to tell Sheng’er immediately.

Just thinking about his daughter running over to the Crown Prince’s place to cause trouble without knowing what had happened made Grand Commander Luo feel he couldn’t delay.

Luo Sheng had just finished washing up when Hong Dou rushed in to relay a message, “Miss, someone from the Grand Commander has come to request your presence.”

Because she’d been worried about Zhaohua, Luo Sheng hadn’t slept well all night. Fortunately, being young, there were no dark circles under her eyes.

Hearing Hong Dou’s report, Luo Sheng hurried to Grand Commander Luo’s quarters. By the time she passed through the moon gate, she’d slowed her steps and appeared calm and composed.

Grand Commander Luo stood in the courtyard wearing crisp riding attire, looking as if he planned to participate in today’s hunt.

Dawn light enveloped the small courtyard. The plants and trees, cleansed by rain, appeared especially vigorous, while the flowers that had bloomed yesterday had nearly all fallen, becoming fragrant mud.

Luo Sheng stepped forward and curtsied slightly, “I wonder what matter Father has, calling me here so early?”

Grand Commander Luo felt this news wouldn’t count as tragic for his daughter, so without much preamble, he got straight to the point, “Sheng’er, don’t be angry with Selected Attendant Yu anymore. I heard she’s had an accident.”

“What accident?” Luo Sheng’s heart plummeted straight down, yet her tone was frighteningly calm.

“Supposedly she contracted an acute illness and passed away yesterday—”

Luo Sheng’s mind rang with a buzzing sound. The string that had been taut since yesterday suddenly snapped.

“Father, what do you mean by ‘passed away’?” she asked softly.

Her voice remained calm, appearing utterly unaffected.

Grand Commander Luo, not detecting anything amiss, sighed, “You silly girl still hasn’t grasped it. ‘Passed away’ means the person is gone, so in the future don’t think about causing trouble for Selected Attendant Yu…”

Luo Sheng’s eyelashes trembled slightly, her tone showing no fluctuation, “I truly haven’t grasped it…”

The day before yesterday Zhaohua had been perfectly fine. Yesterday she hadn’t seen her, and today she was told the person was gone.

How could she possibly grasp it?

Gone…

No longer here…

Luo Sheng bit her lip, staring fixedly at Grand Commander Luo, “Was it truly an acute illness? Selected Attendant Yu had visited just the day before yesterday.”

Seeing his daughter seemed frightened, Grand Commander Luo affectionately ruffled her hair, “That’s precisely why it’s called an acute illness.”

“I don’t believe it.” Luo Sheng pressed her lips tight, her nails digging hard into her palm.

“You child.” Grand Commander Luo lowered his voice somewhat, “Sheng’er, remember this—regarding matters of the imperial family, whatever explanation is given, we can only believe it, no matter what the truth might be.”

If the Crown Prince said his concubine died of acute illness, then she died of acute illness. Even if there were hidden circumstances, as long as His Majesty didn’t speak, could subjects make a fuss demanding an investigation?

Even if it were the Crown Princess, it would likely be swept under the rug, let alone a mere minor concubine.

“Sheng’er, the imperial family is unlike ordinary people. In the future, it’s best to keep your distance.”

Luo Sheng lowered her eyes and nodded slightly, “I understand.”

“Then go back and prepare. We’ll be departing for the hunt shortly.”

“Alright.” Luo Sheng curtsied slightly and left Grand Commander Luo’s quarters step by step.

Returning to the courtyard she’d only grown familiar with over the past few days, Luo Sheng stopped and leaned against the cold surrounding wall.