Caiyu covered her chest to suppress her gasping and watched as Nanny Yu, on the verge of death, was dragged away.
She felt her face hot and flushed. Even the cold wind of the late winter couldn't dispel her excitement.
It wasn't until the study fell silent again that she exhaled forcefully. She felt weak all over and turned around to leave.
Suddenly, a tall and slender figure emerged like a ghost in front of her!
Song Yinghuai's cold and frosty face appeared before her!
Caiyu halted in her steps. Her blood rushed to her head, and she almost screamed out of control!
However, before she could scream, Song Yinghuai pushed her against the rockery wall!
Her back hit the cold and hard wall heavily. The sharp pain made Caiyu grunt. Meeting Song Yinghuai's sinister and unfathomable eyes, she forgot the pain on her back and only let out a timid cry:
"Your Highness!"
Song Yinghuai placed one hand on the back of her head and the other on her shoulder. He asked coldly,
"Why are you here? What did you see just now?"
Caiyu's heart skipped a beat. For a moment, she was stunned.
She thought the trap tonight was set for her, but what did his question mean?
It sounded like this trap was set to catch an unknown spy.
Looking at Song Yinghuai's cold and solemn face, after much thought, Caiyu finally decided to play dumb.
Regardless of whether the trap was set for her or not, since Song Yinghuai didn't intend to expose her, she had to play along.
"Your Highness, there was no one in the bedroom tonight. This servant was a bit scared, so I couldn't sleep soundly. Then I heard some noise from the study in the middle of the night, so I came to check..."
Caiyu bit her lip and tried to look weak, pitiful, and helpless, hoping that Song Yinghuai would take pity on her and divert his attention.
Song Yinghuai's lips curled slightly, and his eyes were cold.
Scared because there was no one in the bedroom?
"What are you afraid of?" Song Yinghuai let go of her shoulder. His slender fingers slowly caressed her face. His eyes were full of meaning. "You're also afraid?"
"This servant is afraid of ghosts!" Caiyu blurted out pitifully.
Hearing this, Song Yinghuai's finger stopped on her lips for a moment. He found it even more amusing:
"Humph!"
"I remember you pretending to be a ghost to scare Bailu in the outhouse. You weren't afraid at all."
Caiyu:...
He really knew everything!
Caiyu felt embarrassed for a moment. Then she flattered Song Yinghuai obsequiously again:
"Your Highness, have you ever heard that a woman can be as strong as steel, but when she has someone she loves, she becomes as soft as water. This servant was alone that day, so I had to fight with Bailu and the others. But now this servant's heart is full of Your Highness..."
"Your Highness left, and this servant felt panicked..."
Caiyu bit her red lips and looked at Song Yinghuai with her watery eyes.
Her eyebrows were full of temptation, and her eyes were full of pity. There was a layer of mist in her eyes, which was very charming.
Song Yinghuai's Adam's apple rolled twice. The frost in his eyes gradually dissipated, and his eyebrows twitched.
He probably couldn't resist this little seductress's charm.
His breathing was hot. He pinched Caiyu's cheek and pulled her closer. He bit her lips hard. His hot breath sprayed on her face, and his voice was deep and hoarse:
"I'll be back soon."
Song Yinghuai disappeared into the night. A cold wind blew, cooling the sweat on Caiyu's forehead.
Only then did Caiyu realize that she was trembling all over.
Did she... get through it?
She swallowed hard and rushed back to the side hall. She was tired and scared. She tossed and turned in bed.
The blood left by Nanny Yu outside the study was imprinted in her mind.
Nanny Yu...
Caiyu closed her eyes. Her mind was heavy.
Nanny Yu wasn't dead. Song Yinghuai would surely torture her to find out the identities of her accomplices and master.
If Nanny Yu couldn't bear the torture and confessed her...
No!
Caiyu suddenly opened her eyes and stared straight at the bed curtain.
She absolutely couldn't let Nanny Yu talk!
...
After the snow, the winter sky was as blue and clear as if it had been washed.
The first rays of sunlight after the snow melted the cold in Yanjing.
Song Yinghuai left with Han Fen and Zhu Xiao. The Lotus Sound Pavilion seemed to be left unattended. Everyone was idle and carefree.
Caiyu asked Xiangye to take out the chrysanthemum wine from autumn. She made crispy pastries, Guanghan cakes, imperial concubine cakes, rice flower candies...
All kinds of snacks were paired with the clear chrysanthemum wine, which made Liu Huashan and the others slightly drunk.
"Miss Caiyu... I'm not going to lie to you." Liu Huashan's tongue was thick from drinking. He stammered, "This chrysanthemum wine has a strong aftertaste..."
"I slept for a long time after drinking it last time..." Liu Huashan stood unsteadily and waved his hands. "I found myself sleeping under that... that... plum tree... Haha..."
Caiyu followed his finger and saw the plum tree he was pointing at.
The scene of her kissing Song Yinghuai under the plum tree suddenly appeared in her mind. Her cheeks flushed instantly.
But she still had something important on her mind. Seeing that Liu Huashan and the others were almost drunk, she began to smile and said:
"Brother Liu really sleeps soundly. A thief broke into our Lotus Sound Pavilion last night. Fortunately, His Highness's secret guards caught him. Otherwise, when His Highness comes back, you, the head of the guards, will be punished."
Hearing this, Liu Huashan stared. "Hey! I'm really angry when I think about it. Nanny Yu has been in the mansion for several years. I didn't expect her to be a spy sent by the enemy!"
"Exactly." Caiyu said with lingering fear. "I was brought into the mansion by her back then. I really have a complicated relationship with her... I don't know who her master is."
"I don't know either. That old woman has a tight mouth. I heard from the secret guards in the mansion that they tortured her all night last night, but she didn't say a single word."
Caiyu felt relieved. She poured another bowl of wine for Liu Huashan and watched him drink it. She probed,
"Where is Nanny Yu locked up now? Is it well-guarded?"
"Don't worry! It's very well-guarded..." Liu Huashan was so drunk that he didn't know what he was saying.
With the other drunk guards chatting one after another, they were interested in Caiyu's topic.
Without Caiyu asking further, they told her everything about the dungeon and Nanny Yu.
From their conversation, Caiyu remembered the situation of the dungeon and the guarding rules clearly.
That night.
The cold wind howled through the winter night, bringing a trace of sharpness. It blew the leaves off the dead branches, and they scattered in the silent night.
The air in the dungeon seemed to be filled with steam. It was dark and empty, filled with the smell of decay and corpses. A pale moonlight shone through the narrow skylight. In the distance, the cries of night crows could be faintly heard, like the unwilling roars of wronged souls.
Caiyu wore a black cloak and a black wind hat. She almost blended in with the night and the dungeon. She rushed through the dungeon in a hurry.
Thanks to Liu Huashan, she knew the patrol intervals and sneaked in.
The patrol had just changed shifts to check the outside of the dungeon. From now on, there would be a moment when there would be no one in the dungeon.
The smell of blood in the air made her stomach churn. She quickly found the place where Nanny Yu was locked up according to the information she got.
In just one night, Nanny Yu seemed to have changed into a different person.
Her sunken eyes were empty and lifeless. Her toothless mouth mumbled. She groaned in a trembling voice, and her words were unclear and hard to distinguish. Her thin hands with bulging veins were like eagle claws, and her hands were covered with dark brown age spots.
Caiyu stood in front of Nanny Yu and said softly, "Nanny Yu."
The old woman, who seemed to be in a coma, suddenly woke up when she heard someone calling her. She suddenly opened her eyes and looked at the graceful figure in the dim light.
The figure was blurred in her bloodstained vision. Nanny Yu's voice was hoarse, and she said with a hint of surprise,
"Miss Caiyu... Are you here to save me?"
Caiyu smiled and took off her wind hat. "No, I'm here to send you to your end."