Chapter Fourteen: Death by Cane

Su Lilu watched as the maid led her further and further away, the surroundings growing ever more desolate. A cold unease stirred in her heart. “Where are you taking me?” she asked. “Didn’t you say we were changing clothes? Why are we heading somewhere so remote?”

“Miss, we’re almost there,” the maid replied. “I’m taking you to the back courtyard. It’s a bit far from where you were before. Look, that courtyard ahead is the place.” Su Lilu followed the maid’s pointing finger and indeed saw a courtyard, which eased her worries somewhat. Yet the maid’s behavior was strange, and Su Lilu felt a rising sense of caution.

“Miss, what’s that?” The maid spoke, and Su Lilu turned her head, only to sense something behind her. Instinctively, she crouched down, narrowly avoiding a blow.

Seeing her attempt fail, the maid, fearing punishment, pressed the attack. Su Lilu quickly moved behind her and struck with the edge of her hand, causing the maid to collapse in a faint.

Su Lilu did not know who was scheming against her, but the courtyard the maid had pointed out was certainly suspicious. She approached the house cautiously.

Just as she was about to push open the door, a hand covered her mouth. Her vision blurred, and when she opened her eyes again, darkness surrounded her.

It was a long while before she adjusted to her surroundings. Her back was pressed against a hard stone, someone’s arms encircling her, with breath warm above her head—they were very close. She barely moved before a man’s voice spoke, warning her, “If you move again, I can’t guarantee what I might do.”

“Prince Yi? Why have you brought me here?” Su Lilu recognized Yun Yan Yi and struggled harder to free herself, but her efforts only brought her closer to him. The man’s deep presence enveloped her, making her feel uneasy.

“You nearly fell into someone’s trap. If I hadn’t arrived in time, you wouldn’t be standing here so easily, talking to me,” Yun Yan Yi said, his body still weak from the drug he’d inhaled earlier, leaning against Su Lilu for support.

“Then why are you here?” Su Lilu’s breathing grew heavy—Yun Yan Yi was heavy indeed. Did he not realize she was but a frail woman?

“Someone wants to tie us together. If you entered that courtyard, escaping unscathed would be nothing but a dream,” Yun Yan Yi did not want Su Lilu to know he’d been lured here, and that the reason for the trap was connected to her. For him, it was an intolerable humiliation.

“Could you not lean on me? My shoulders are sore.” Su Lilu wanted to move, but with Yun Yan Yi pressing against her, her body grew numb. Yet the man refused to accommodate her.

“Keep still. Do you want people to discover us hiding in this rockery?” Only then did Su Lilu realize where they were. After Yun Yan Yi’s warning, she remembered the gravity of their situation and fell silent, no longer asking him to move away.

After a while, Yun Yan Yi felt much better and released Su Lilu, straightening his clothes. Su Lilu carefully shifted herself, only recovering after some time.

Before she could ask the questions burning in her mind, she heard rustling outside, followed by a cold man’s voice, “Your Highness, how should we deal with the maid?”

“If they want a spectacle, throw her into that courtyard.”

“As you command.” The outside fell silent. Su Lilu looked at Yun Yan Yi. “Since you have guards, how were you tricked here? Were you drugged just now?”

Yun Yan Yi said nothing. Su Lilu pursed her lips. “If you don’t want to talk, then forget it—I don’t care to hear. Can we leave now?”

“Of course. The audience should have arrived.” Yun Yan Yi exited the rockery first, Su Lilu following behind him. The sudden sunlight made her squint, shielding her eyes with a hand.

A crowd marched toward the house where the maid had tried to lure Su Lilu. Yun Yan Yi and Su Lilu hid in the shadows, watching. At the front were Yun Feng Xiao and the Princess Royal, followed by the ladies and gentlemen invited to the banquet.

Murmurs ran through the crowd. “Look at the Crown Prince’s dark face—could Su Lilu really be inside?”

“No one can say for sure without seeing her. But judging by the Crown Prince’s expression, it’s likely her. She’s bold indeed, daring to steal someone away in the Princess Royal’s mansion.”

Some were eager for Su Lilu’s embarrassment, others jealous, but all shared the same purpose—to see Su Lilu disgraced.

After some polite exchanges, Yun Feng Xiao took the lead. He approached the courtyard, ordering the guards to open the door. Standing at the threshold, he could faintly hear the sounds of a woman and a man inside.

Drawing closer to the house, the noises grew clearer. “Ah… faster…” came the woman’s voice.

The man’s muffled groans followed. The ladies in the crowd guessed what was happening inside, their cheeks flushing red. The Princess Royal coughed twice, while Yun Feng Xiao’s face darkened. “Open the door. I want to see who dares commit such indecency in the Princess Royal’s mansion.”

Two guards pushed open the door and withdrew. Yun Feng Xiao strode inside, seeing the two figures on the bed clearly. When he recognized the woman, his face grew even darker—it was not Su Lilu.

The woman screamed, while the man hurriedly dressed. Upon seeing Yun Feng Xiao, he knelt and begged, “Your Highness, spare me! I know nothing—it was her, this little vixen seduced me!” The young man pointed at the maid who had tried to lead Su Lilu away. The maid, now fully conscious, incessantly knocked her head on the floor, pleading for mercy.

Yun Feng Xiao’s careful plan had been ruined by two servants—he would not forgive them. “Come, drag them out and beat them to death.” He gritted his teeth, then turned to the Princess Royal and apologized, “I hope you won’t blame me for punishing servants in your mansion.”

“What are you saying? Those two deserve to die. I should be thanking you, not apologizing.” The Princess Royal’s words soothed Yun Feng Xiao’s mood.

The two servants were escorted out to the courtyard. The gentlemen and ladies watched as the guards brought two benches, forcing the servants to lie across them. Each guard held a thick club in hand. “Beat them hard, so no one dares commit such acts in the Princess Royal’s mansion again,” Yun Feng Xiao commanded.

At his order, the courtyard filled with the servants' cries for mercy. The crowd’s attention was wholly fixed on the punishment; no one noticed Yun Yan Yi and Su Lilu quietly slipping among them. After the incense burned halfway, the servants’ voices grew weaker, and some ladies could no longer bear to watch, turning away.

“It seems the Princess Royal’s mansion needs stricter management. If this happens again, it will disgrace the Princess herself,” Yun Yan Yi spoke suddenly. Yun Feng Xiao saw him standing in the crowd, his eyes darkening with gloom.