Chapter 55: Blood Jade

Yu Lingxi couldn’t help but feel instinctively tense as she approached Ning Yin’s couch, after all, the two instances of detoxification on the couch were deeply memorable. However, upon second thought: in the past two years of her previous life, what position had she not tried?

Those trembling memories had long been smoothed away one by one, leaving only a sense of tranquility and occasional ripples that surfaced like bubbles.

After leaning for a while, she became tired, and her stiff waist softened.

Yu Lingxi had no idea when she fell asleep. When she woke up, the bright sunlight outside the window had turned into a golden red, casting slanting long shadows on the window sill.

Ning Yin sat with crossed legs on the edge of the couch, one hand supporting the edge, leaning in very close, as if savoring a beautiful painting with his gaze.

When Yu Lingxi met his ink-colored eyes, she blinked and came to her senses.

“How long have I been asleep?”

She sat up, gently rubbing her sore neck, and the painting seemed to come alive, lighting up the dusk’s darkness.

“Two quarters of an hour.”

Ning Yin’s index finger casually pointed at the edge of the couch, then lifted, pinching her neck, “Miss is quite relaxed.”

Cool fingers touched the back of her neck, and Yu Lingxi subconsciously shrank.

But soon, she relaxed her body. The Ning Yin of this lifetime had a very good temper; he would definitely not threaten her by pinching her neck again. After recovering from that tingling sensation, she tilted her toes and landed on the ground, saying, “Have you finished the rough sketch?”

Ning Yin absentmindedly said, “Hmm,” and that hand mischievously twisted behind her ear before reluctantly leaving.

Yu Lingxi was really curious about what he was going to carve, so she asked, “Can I take a look now?”

“Not now.”

Ning Yin glanced at the lowest layer of the short cabinet by the bedside, his voice low and slow, “That thing is both beautiful and practical. I’ll show it to Miss when it’s carved.”

A jade body lying horizontally before him – it wasn’t something she could see now.

“Playing mysterious!” Yu Lingxi accused him.

Ning Yin chuckled, then glanced at her clean hair, stood up, straightened his lower garment, and said, “Miss’s ink-black hair, tied up with a hairpin, revealing a delicate and fragile neck, must be extremely beautiful.”

Yu Lingxi was stunned, recalling her past life. Indeed, Ning Yin liked to tie her long hair into a soft and shiny bun, and he always liked to pinch her neck to scare her.

So, the little lunatic liked her neck so much?

Yu Lingxi touched her temple, thinking of checking later if there was a suitable hairpin in the dressing box.

Even she was surprised at her current compromise. Pausing for a moment, she softly said, “It’s getting late; I need to go back to my room.”

Faint sounds came from the courtyard, and the cat seemed to smell the familiar scent, meowing softly. Ning Yin squinted his eyes, looking towards the courtyard outside the window and then retracting his gaze.

“Miss.”

He called her, and Yu Lingxi stood outside the door, turning around to look at him in confusion.

Ning Yin walked towards Yu Lingxi, standing in front of her, getting close. He raised his hand and gently stroked Yu Lingxi’s face, causing her eyelashes to tremble involuntarily.

Ning Yin was so close that when he tilted his head and bent over, the tip of his nose almost touched her cheek. At such a close distance, Yu Lingxi could even see the shadows cast by his lowered eyelashes, each one distinct.

She subconsciously held her breath, but saw Ning Yin raise his hand to tidy up her loosely scattered hair and said in a low voice, “Your hair is messy.”

His gesture of arranging her hair was intimate and slow. In the light of the setting sun, two shadows gently overlapped, resembling intertwined mandarin ducks.

“Cough, cough!” Two abrupt low coughs sounded in the courtyard.

Yu Lingxi, startled, suddenly turned her head.

She saw her resolute and tall father standing under the magnolia tree, and her older brother and sister standing on either side, their expressions complicated.

Naturally, they had also witnessed the intimate and suggestive scene just now.

“Father.”

Yu Lingxi was only flustered for a moment, then calmed herself, stepping forward to block Ning Yin behind her. She asked, “Why are you here?”

All the servants in the courtyard were dismissed, creating a deep silence. The sunset was so intense that it turned red. Yu Yuan’s face, never before so serious, swept across his beautiful and obedient youngest daughter and then landed on Ning Yin.

Yu Xinyi frowned and gave her sister a meaningful look, using her mouth to signal, “Sui Sui, come over!”

Yu Lingxi had a premonition in her heart, gently shaking her head and still maintaining her slender figure to shield Ning Yin.

Yu Xinyi was anxious, wanting to step forward to pull her sister over, but was stopped by Yu Huanchen’s outstretched hand.

Yu Yuan stared at Ning Yin for a long time, his cheekbones tightened, then he slowly and solemnly bent down, bowing to Ning Yin with clasped hands.

Behind him, a young man and a young woman, two military commanders.

Also, one after another, they bowed with clasped hands. As the three of them finished their salute, Yu Lingxi cleared her throat, knowing that the day when Wei Qi returned to being Ning Yin had finally come.

Just as she was thinking, a fair, large hand fell on her shoulder, gently patting her with affection.

“Don’t be afraid, Miss,” Ning Yin walked out from behind her.

Even in such a tense moment, he remained unchanged, and even a hint of playful smile appeared, “It seems that General Yu wants to have a talk with me.”

“Ning Yin.” Yu Lingxi hurriedly called him.

She hoped that Ning Yin would present his best side to her father, so she looked at him seriously and whispered, “You must have a good talk.”

Upon hearing this, both Yu Huanchen and Yu Xinyi raised their heads. Sui Sui… what did Seventh Prince mean?

…

By the end of the night to almost till dawn, the sky was filled with the interweaving dusk and night, and a round moon gently hung at the treetops.

The study’s door had been tightly closed for half an hour.

“Worried about him like this?” Yu Huanchen glanced at his thoughtful younger sister.

There was a bowl of cooled tea by Yu Lingxi’s hand, and she hadn’t even touched the pepper powder she usually used to refresh herself.

Yu Lingxi was indeed worried. Although Ning Yin’s madness and obsession had toned down a lot, making a world of difference from the past life, she still couldn’t grasp her father’s thoughts. After all, the matter of court officials taking sides was like a high-stakes gamble, not child’s play.

“Will father make it difficult for him?” Yu Lingxi asked.

“If he is truly the Seventh Prince, after confirming his identity, only then will he have the right to make things difficult for Father.”

On the side, Yu Xinyi couldn’t help but laugh, reaching out to pinch her sister’s soft cheek, “If it weren’t for the discussion today between Father and me, I wouldn’t have known that Sui Sui had hidden such a big Buddha in the mansion. Wings are hardening indeed!”

Yu Huanchen’s face was unusually serious.

After observing for these days, he found that the Seventh Prince was indeed a smart and adept strategist. A clever tactician, playing with people’s minds, was only a thin line away from a madman. He even suspected that if Ning Yin hadn’t taken the initiative to reveal traces to lure them in, the Yu family might not have been able to find his whereabouts.

Earlier, Yu Huanchen couldn’t understand why the Seventh Prince would risk revealing his identity to the Yu family. Now he understood; he was forcing the Yu family to make a choice.

The decision of the Yu family was extremely difficult.

After Father returned from court, struggling for half a day, he decided to personally face this exiled imperial heir.

Thinking for a moment, Yu Huanchen asked, “Today, His Majesty privately summoned Father. Does Sui Sui know what it was about?”

Yu Lingxi shook her head. Her father and brothers protected her very well, rarely discussing the political intrigues of the court with her.

Yu Huanchen continued, “In addition to Father, His Majesty also summoned Prime Minister Xue and the Chief Eunuch Cui An. The intention is to divide the military power of the Yu family, creating a situation where civil officials, palace eunuchs, and military commanders stand in a delicate balance, mutually restraining each other. His Majesty has already begun to suspect and suppress the Yu family. The only reason he can act against us, Sui Sui should be able to guess.”

Yu Lingxi naturally could guess.

The emperor had heard some rumors and used this opportunity to warn the Yu family: While the monarch still reigns, do not stand on the wrong side.

Yu Lingxi curled her fingers, lifting her eyes and said, “When suspicion arises, it’s like a crack that’s hard to eliminate. In that case, we have no other way out.”

“It’s not that simple, Sui Sui.”

Yu Huanchen walked to the door, looked around to confirm no one was there, and then closed the door. He said, “Even if the Seventh Prince is truly worth supporting, he must never be verified in the Yu mansion, and he must not step into the court from the Yu mansion.”

Yu Lingxi understood.

She clenched her fingers, whispered, “Because once that happens, it will confirm his charge of forming a faction, and from the moment he returns to the palace, he will be plotted against and suppressed, with no chance to rise again.”

“Exactly.”

Yu Huanchen said solemnly, “The current plan is to retreat in order to advance and seize a slim chance of survival.”

As they were discussing, the study door creaked open. Yu Lingxi immediately stood up, pushing open the door to the flower hall to greet them. The hall was brightly lit, and Ning Yin and Yu Yuan walked out one after another.

“Father.”

Yu Lingxi first looked at her father with concern, then shifted her gaze to Ning Yin.

Ning Yin still had a calm and smiling demeanor, not much different from before entering the study. However, Yu Yuan’s expression had become more stern.

General Yu sighed, his voice softened, “Good girl, go and accompany your mother for the meal.”

Yu Lingxi responded, glanced at Ning Yin once more, then softly said, “Oh,” and turned to the side hall.

Yu Yuan nodded to Ning Yin and then looked at his eldest son and daughter, instructing solemnly, “Both of you, follow me inside.”

The study door closed again, and Ning Yin looked up at the remaining stars in the sky for a moment before hooking his lips, taking a step down the stone steps with his hands behind his back.

Passing through the courtyard, through the moon gate, he suddenly stopped and, without looking sideways, reached out and pulled Yu Lingxi hidden in the shadow behind the artificial mountain.

“If Miss is lurking here for an assassination, she’s probably dead by now.”

Ning Yin gently pinched Yu Lingxi’s earlobe and teased her.

“Who wants to assassinate you?”

Yu Lingxi spat away the ill fortune, then straightened out the wrinkled collar he had caused, asking in a low voice, “What did Father say to you?”

Ning Yin’s eyes were black and deep, like black mist containing unfathomable mysteries, as he looked at her and asked, “What does Miss hope he said?”

Yu Lingxi looked back at him and said, “No matter how difficult the future may be, I naturally hope that you and Father can work together and be safe.”

A smile softened Ning Yin’s features, dissipating the tension in the air.

“Remember,” he began, “When Miss allowed me to choose something from the Yu Mansion? That offer should still stand, wouldn’t you agree?”

Yu Lingxi was not a person who did not keep her promises, nodded, and asked, “Why bring this up suddenly?”

She unexpectedly harbored a subtle contradictory thought, both hoping that he could reclaim everything that belonged to him as soon as possible, yet fearing that he might leave tomorrow.

Ning Yin did not answer directly. Instead, he raised his hand and flicked a strand of hair that the night wind had disheveled on her, saying meaningfully, “Miss, remember this sentence, and it will be enough.”

In the study.

“He indeed has a unique token of the royal family on him, which cannot be faked.”

Yu Yuan sat in his chair, speaking in a deep voice, “So young, yet he can control the entire negotiation process, with a perfect balance between advance and retreat… Sui Sui is right; this young man is not an ordinary person.”

In fact, he is even more profound and powerful than they had imagined.

Yu Huanchen looked at his father with a serious expression and asked, “What conditions did the Seventh Prince discuss with you?”

Recalling the conversation in the study just now, Yu Yuan’s expression became even more serious.

…

Summer thunderstorms always come unexpectedly.

In the Hall of Golden Palace, the emperor opened a memorial and frowned, then opened another one. He flipped through several memorials consecutively, all sent by the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Censorate, verifying the rumors about the Seventh Prince’s survival. They pleaded with the emperor to confirm his identity, bring back the lost son, and continue the imperial lineage.

The emperor tossed the memorials aside, tiredly massaging his forehead. The beautiful Li Consort was indeed a rare beauty in the world. He had gone to great lengths to win her, enduring her cold and stubborn temperament. However, when the initial passion faded, and the beauty mark turned into a mosquito bite, the existence of this child became a significant stain on his clear path.

He even wished that Li Consort and the Seventh Prince would disappear, erasing the stain of killing his brother and taking his sister-in-law. Only then would he silently agree…

Well, why think about these old matters? 

The old eunuch on the side sensed the emperor’s distress and hurriedly knelt forward to give him a shoulder massage. After observing for a long time, he dared to speak softly, “If Your Majesty lets this matter go unattended, the rumors will surely become more turbulent. In my opinion, it’s better to go with the flow. It will show that Your Majesty loves his son dearly, fulfilling Your Majesty’s reputation for benevolence and generosity. Moreover, General Yu has already submitted a letter agreeing to transfer power, and the matter of bestowing marriage is also on the agenda. The concerns Your Majesty has are already resolved, so you can rest assured.”

“Bringing him back is not a big deal. It’s better to have him under my nose than let him cause trouble outside.”

The emperor pondered, “It’s just that the Seventh Prince has no right to inherit the throne. Being too clever is not good; we need to pull out his claws and make him behave.”

…

On a rainy day, there were few customers in the brothel. Only a few pipa strings sounded in the distance, adding a bit of cheerfulness to the oppressive weather.

In the tea room on the second floor, Zhaji lowered his head and said, “Your Highness, everything is arranged properly, only waiting for the final move.”

“The final move?”

Ning Yin leaned against the carved window, his slender fingers playing with a short blade. “I’ll decide when to close the net, not some final move.”

“I spoke out of turn!” Zhaji knelt down with a heavy sword on his back, asking for forgiveness.

Ning Yin, who understood the emperor very well, knew that the matter of killing his brother and taking his sister-in-law was his weakness. He would never allow this stain to be exposed and would undoubtedly choose to settle the matter quietly, maintaining his image as a kind and wise ruler.

He sneered and glanced at Zhaji. “And what about that maid from the Zhao Mansion?”

Zhaji said, “Following Your Highness’s orders, she has been settled in the firewood room here.”

“Very well.”

Ning Yin looked at the silver basin quietly placed on the table, reflecting his cold and dark eyes in the light brown ripples. In the basin lay a six-inch-long top-grade white jade, soaked in medicinal water for two days and nights, making it easily stained.

He fished out the soaked white jade, carefully wiped it clean with a cotton cloth, then rotated the blade, cutting his finger in front of Zhaji’s surprised eyes.

First, a thin line of blood appeared, followed by large blood droplets, flowing down and connecting into a line. Ning Yin half-closed his eyes, casually raising his hand, letting the crimson blood drip onto the jade until it was dyed with a beautiful touch of red like mist.

How could those ordinary jade hairpins compare to Yu Lingxi?

He lifted his lip line, and the ink-black eyes unfolded into a charming and pleasant smile.

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