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His voice turned icy in an instant. "Since you wish to pretend you know nothing, I shall give you an opportunity." He turned and walked toward the window, the moonlight stretching his silhouette tall and slender. "The Empress Dowager has already uncovered some clues. At tomorrow's autumn hunt, she will surely target Consort Duan."
"I will feign cooperation to draw her out."
"When the time comes..." He turned his head, his eyes colder than ever. "Will you stand by my side, or will you continue your revenge?"
A jolt ran through my heart. What did he mean by that?
"If you choose to stand by my side," he said slowly, "you must fully obey my arrangements and not act on your own."
"If you wish to pursue your revenge..." His voice grew even colder. "Then do not blame me for being ruthless for the greater good."
" Consort Duan!" I exclaimed anxiously. "What do you mean by this?"
He ignored me, staring intently at me. "A Yu, this is the last time I will call you that."
"Have you thought this through?"
I clenched my teeth. He was offering me a choice, but it felt like a threat.
"Your Highness is joking," I forced out through the pain in my heart, managing a mocking smile. "Subject Daughter has her own plans and does not need Your Highness to worry."
"Very well," he said, turning sharply toward the door. "If that's the case, then we shall go our separate ways."
"Remember, at tomorrow's autumn hunt, if anyone dares to disrupt my plans, do not blame me for being merciless!"
Before the words had left her lips, he had vanished into the night. Only a room filled with moonlight remained, chilling the heart.
Consort Duan sighed, "Child, why must you be so stubborn..."
I leaned against the table, my hands trembling slightly. "Mother, please don't say any more."
"He is the Crown Prince; he should prioritize the greater good."
"And I..." I raised my gaze to the moonlight outside, tears finally spilling from my eyes. "I can't let him sacrifice his future for me."
The night was deep and heavy with dew. I stood in the corridor outside Huaqing Pavilion, watching Crimson Purple's figure disappear into the darkness, my heart aching like a knife wound.
"Miss..." Xiao Yu appeared quietly behind me, hesitating to speak.
"Go on," I said, pulling my gaze away. My voice had regained its calm. "What did you find out?"
"I just went to investigate the terrain," Xiao Yu lowered her voice. "I discovered something suspicious about the autumn hunting grounds."
My eyes darkened. "What do you mean?"
"The Empress Dowager has somehow found a beast tamer from the Western Regions and set many traps around the hunting grounds."
"And..." Her expression grew increasingly serious. "Zhenbei Wang's men have found signs of Tianji Pavilion on the official road."
My heart tightened.
Tianji Pavilion... Looking back now, those who pretended to assassinate me were perhaps all arranged by my mother, aiming to force me back under her protection. But now, she herself was in danger.
"Miss," Xiao Yu hesitated for a moment before speaking, "I think the Crown Prince is right. We should listen to him this time..."
"No!" I shook my head firmly. "Did you not see his expression just now?"
"He clearly intends to take risks himself..." As she spoke, her voice choked with emotion. "That fool, knowing the Empress Dowager already suspects him, still wants to draw the snake out of its hole during the Autumn Hunt..."
"So what do you plan to do, Miss?"
I gritted my teeth. "During the Autumn Hunt, you will secretly protect Mother while I go find that Western Beast Tamer."
"We must first eliminate the Empress Dowager's backup..."
"But the Crown Prince said..."
"I know," I forced a bitter smile. "He said if I dared to ruin his plans, he wouldn't be polite with me..."
"But compared to his anger, I'm more afraid of him getting into trouble."
As soon as I finished speaking, a cold wind swept through, extinguishing the lanterns along the corridor.
By the moonlight, I noticed an additional shadow on the ground.
Looking up, I saw a figure standing on the roof—clad in dark clothing and veiled in black fabric.
"Who?!"
I drew my sword simultaneously with Xiao Yu.
The person before us chuckled lightly and said, "Miss Luo, you have quite the courage."
"No wonder the Crown Prince protects you so fiercely."
That voice sent a jolt through my heart. "You are...?"
"I am the leader of the covert guards from the Crown Prince's Residence," the figure leaped down and removed her veil, revealing a slender face. "My father was the Shadow Guard Leader who followed the Former King."
I felt a stir in my heart. "You are Ying Qiye's daughter?"
"Indeed."
She bowed to me and continued, "Before my father passed away, he entrusted me with an item, instructing me to deliver it to you if I encountered the young lady of Luo Mansion."
As she spoke, she took out a jade pendant from her bosom. "This is our Shadow Guard's token, engraved with a secret message left by the Former King."
I took the pendant and examined it closely under the moonlight.
On its surface, I could faintly make out a few small characters: " The Moon Wanes, Flowers Scatter, Intricate Mechanisms, only by Moon Reflected in the Mirror can one see its true form."
At that moment, distant sounds reached us.
It was the changing of the guards!
Ying Qinu urged, "Miss Luo, there are other arrangements for tomorrow's autumn hunt made by the Crown Prince."
"He asked me to convey to you..." Her voice grew softer. "He said he cannot bear to see you take such risks, which is why he spoke so harshly..."
"He also said..." She paused for a moment. "If you insist on going, remember this token."
"When the time comes, someone will come to assist you."
With that, she leaped into the night and vanished. I stared blankly at the jade pendant in my hand, tears once again blurring my vision. It turned out he had anticipated that I would meddle in his affairs. Those harsh words he spoke were merely to push me back. What a fool! Since he knew he couldn't stop me, why didn't he just tell me directly? Why protect me in this way?
"Miss..." Xiao Yu said softly, "What does the Crown Prince mean by this?"
I wiped away my tears. "He is giving us a helping hand."
"Tomorrow's autumn hunt... there must be a bigger scheme waiting for us."
Just as I spoke, hurried footsteps approached. It was the steward from the Zhenbei Wangfu. "Mr. Luo, the prince requests your presence at the manor immediately."
Why was Zhenbei Wang looking for me at this hour?
"The prince said," the steward lowered his voice, "it concerns the things left behind by Your Excellency from years ago..."
My heart skipped a beat. What had Father left behind?!
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