Chapter Thirty: Layers of Mist

This matter originally had absolutely nothing to do with Du Runsheng. Luo Yunyao could not agree with the attempt to drag him into it.

Furthermore, Luo Yunyao had already slowly approached Yue Liuxi. She tilted her head, feigning confusion: "If this official recalls correctly, the Princess has not yet been betrothed to General Qin with a formal exchange of gifts, correct? To refer to oneself as 'our General's Manor' and act as its mistress..." She met Yue Liuxi’s gaze with a tilted head and slowly continued, "This official is unrefined and does not know if this conforms to the etiquette of our Western Qin, or perhaps, the etiquette of the Imperial family." Her gaze drifted toward Xiao Limo, carrying just the right amount of bewilderment, before she bowed in salutation.

It was laughable. Only minutes ago, Luo Yunyao had considered using the identity of a mistress to threaten Qin Jinghao into giving her a tour of the General’s Manor. Now, this woman, as bright and clear as an autumn moon, stood in the same place, similarly claiming the status of someone's wife.

Luo Yunyao mocked Yue Liuxi for lacking the formal betrothal gifts, yet she herself had none either. They were both engaging in behavior that lacked decorum and restraint.

Xiao Limo’s brooding gaze met Luo Yunyao’s. He stared at her intently, a flash of darkness leaking through his expression. In that moment, Xiao Limo said, "Minister Luo’s eloquence has been praised by the Emperor. In the current situation, even if Minister Luo wishes to use her silver tongue to sway us, I fear she should provide some sincerity. Otherwise, if you cannot even convince me, how can you convince everyone present?"

Luo Yunyao had been startled by the intensity of Xiao Limo’s gaze. In her memory, Xiao Limo was terrifying, but it was a deep, bone-chilling kind of dread; on the surface, he remained the aloof, polite Crown Prince, skilled at setting traps without a ripple in his expression. Always one face for the public, another for the shadows. That was the essence of the Imperial style—the style of a future emperor.

Yet today, this person wore his emotions on his sleeve. What could have happened? Could he truly believe she was behind this? Even if she were, the person who should be angriest was not the Crown Prince. This incident pointed directly to a conflict between the Minister of War and the General; the person most angry and disappointed should be Qin Jinghao.

Thinking this, Luo Yunyao lacked the courage to look at Qin Jinghao. She forced herself to gather her wits and return to the matter at hand.

Both the Minister of War and General Qin belonged to the neutral faction. After the fall of the Marquis, in a sense, they were both opponents of the faction led by Crown Prince Xiao Limo and Prime Minister Lu. Now that trouble had befallen them, Xiao Limo should, by all accounts, be the one reaping the benefits.

So why did the Crown Prince look at her with such darkness? Luo Yunyao pondered, finding no clues, and could only look at Xiao Limo with confusion. "This official was impolite. My focus seems to have been slightly misplaced." Luo Yunyao bowed and retreated a few steps. "I was merely answering the Princess. As for an explanation, this official believes I have done nothing; the innocent remain innocent, and the corrupt remain corrupt. However, I do not have much faith in my own eloquence, and the Emperor’s previous praise was merely a mistake. Therefore, whether I can convince His Highness, the Princess, and..." Luo Yunyao adjusted her tone and expression before slowly uttering the title, "...General Qin."

Xiao Limo received Luo Yunyao’s confused gaze, and his heart finally softened. His expression returned to normal, and he said to her in a gentle tone, "Just explain yourself properly."

In truth, Luo Yunyao’s earlier explanation had truly offended Xiao Limo.

Xiao Limo’s focus was not on political matters at all; thus, Luo Yunyao’s reasonable conjectures had not factored into his thoughts. Everything centered on personal matters—or rather, on Luo Yunyao herself. Of course, the Crown Prince was not consciously aware of this, or he would have understood why his uncle wanted to eliminate Luo Yunyao. Or perhaps, he would have done the exact same thing as Prime Minister Lu.

Xiao Limo was jealous. Of course, that word did not fully capture the state of the Crown Prince. His jealousy carried the weight of Imperial authority and the potential for destruction.

Luo Yunyao bowed, stopped overthinking, cleared her thoughts, and began: "The Crown Prince and the Princess are both aware that General Qin previously served as the acting Minister of War. To repeat what is common knowledge, I snatched the position of Minister of War from the General." As she said this, Luo Yunyao did not spare even a glance for Qin Jinghao.

Qin Jinghao, meanwhile, had kept his gaze calmly fixed on the lush banana trees in his courtyard. He stood there with an air of indifference, without a single word or change in expression. It was as if this matter had nothing to do with him, as if this were not a murder case within his own estate, and as if he were not the victim of the conspiracy they discussed.

Qin Jinghao appeared like a visitor who had merely stumbled upon a domestic dispute between hosts, unable to withdraw but unsuitable to overhear. He kept his eyes lowered, pretending to see and hear nothing. He remained as light as a breeze, a jade-like noble. Perhaps this was his attitude toward everyone other than Luo Yunyao—just like that, nothing more.

When Luo Yunyao finally began her explanation, Qin Jinghao glanced at her inadvertently, but it lasted only a heartbeat—a mere gesture of courtesy.

He remained indifferent to the incident in his own home and showed no intention of handling it. Of course, this was also because a murder scene should not be disturbed, which was why he had not summoned anyone.

Luo Yunyao looked at Qin Jinghao out of politeness, but felt as if she had been electrocuted; she hurriedly looked away and self-deprecatingly remarked, "Luo must be at odds with General Qin. As soon as I arrived at court, I took the General’s job. Now that I have finally managed to visit the General’s Manor, I find... well, a murder has occurred. I truly have no face left to see the General." This remark served as a plausible explanation for her attitude and her inability to meet his eyes.

Qin Jinghao did not look back at her, his voice faint: "It is of no matter. With Minister Luo, I have been able to relax. As for this murder... I await Minister Luo’s explanation."

Luo Yunyao nodded gratefully at Qin Jinghao, stepped back, and continued: "I was injured due to the affair of the Marquis, and all the troublesome cases were previously handled by the General. In terms of both sentiment and duty, I should have come to visit and thank him, but I was too busy with work after my recovery, so it was delayed until now. Regarding this, the General has accepted my apology." She then turned her gaze toward Yue Liuxi, her eyes filled with undisguised playfulness: "However, the Princess seems unable to accept my impoliteness. Everyone in the capital, from the Emperor and the Crown Prince down to the common peddlers, knows of the Princess’s deep affection for the General. I offer my apologies to Princess Yue Liuxi here." She bowed again—a formal, proper, and deep bow.

In such a tense atmosphere, Yue Liuxi could not back down, but as she was still that innocent, arrogant Princess, she simply lifted her chin and turned away, which served as her response to Luo Yunyao.

This caused Luo Yunyao’s objective of putting Yue Liuxi on the spot to be greatly diminished.

Luo Yunyao watched Yue Liuxi, secretly sighing at her skill; she had performed a bow for nothing while the other party remained unscathed. She reminded herself not to underestimate Yue Liuxi.

"Luo was just discussing matters with the General when we heard the Princess had arrived." Luo Yunyao’s expression was solemn, yet she could not hide a hint of teasing: "Of course, in such times, everyone in the capital who knows the ropes understands that one should withdraw, but the matters the General and I were discussing were not yet finished. So, I decisively asked the General to go and welcome the Princess, while I waited for him." Luo Yunyao met Xiao Limo’s gaze, with an expression that said, "The Crown Prince understands my actions, right?" She then continued, holding his gaze: "I was waiting in the back for the General and the Princess to... finish. Suddenly, a maidservant came to say that the Crown Prince had also arrived, and the General asked me to come and pay my respects. As soon as I heard the Crown Prince was here, I hurried over with the maid."

Xiao Limo looked into Luo Yunyao’s clear, beautiful eyes and listened to her solemn reply. His anger subsided, and he nodded, saying to her: "That is true. As I was traveling incognito with Liuxi, my true identity was not reported at the time."

It was as Luo Yunyao had expected. She gave Xiao Limo a look of "understanding" and continued: "Who would have thought that the maid leading me here would behave in such a way, even going so far as to dash her head against the wall and die? As for the slanderous words she spoke, I am completely at a loss."

This was the most truthful part of Luo Yunyao’s explanation so far.

Yue Liuxi, who had been listening quietly, finally found her chance to speak. She pointed at Luo Yunyao indignantly: "Even if what you say is true, you have pushed away all the key points! Why would this maid, for no reason, slander you? And why would she have to throw away her own life to do it? What kind of shameful business did you and Du Runsheng engage in? And you still want to drag my General Qin into it?"

Luo Yunyao listened in silence. Yue Liuxi’s words hit the nail on the head—the very center of the matter. Yet, Luo Yunyao had no way to explain. She could only counter: "As the Princess says, this matter is full of mysteries, and the only person who could explain it was this maid, yet she is already dead."

Luo Yunyao looked into Yue Liuxi’s eyes, her expression serious: "Perhaps, only with the maid’s death can there be no evidence. After all, framing me could not have been planned by a maid alone. The one who wanted to slander me was not her, but the person behind her. And as for why this whole matter had to involve Du Runsheng and General Qin..."