Mrs. Zhang had just walked over when Yongping suddenly lunged forward, but fortunately, Xu Yin was vigilant and quickly restrained her.
"What are you doing?!" Xu Yin scolded in a low voice.
Yongping glared at him and suddenly slapped him.
The crisp sound attracted the attention of most people in the memorial hall.
Mrs. Zhang turned back, walked to them, and looked at them coldly, saying, "General Pingxi was ordered to lead troops to reinforce the defense in the Prince Manor. Every move in the manor can be reported to the palace through him.
"Although you are no longer a Commandery Princess of the Prince Manor, you are still a Yang by surname, the grandmother married out from our Prince Manor. I advise you to remember your status and stop causing trouble for everyone!"
Yongping pointed at her and accused sternly, "Mrs. Zhang, were you involved in my Consort’s death? Did you let the wolf into the house to kill my Consort?"
Mrs. Zhang’s face darkened, and she glanced at Xu Yin: "Vice Minister Xu should know what to do, right?"
Xu Yin took a deep breath, "You can rest assured, Princess Consort."
Xu Yin turned to look at Yongping, grabbed her wrist, and dragged her to a place outside where no one was around.
"I’m warning you, stop acting foolishly! If you continue , I will report to the Emperor and have you locked up forever!"
Yongping gritted her teeth and raised her hand to slap him again!
But this time she did not succeed, as Xu Yin caught her hand: "Can you do anything other than being a shrew?!"
Yongping bit her teeth and said, "You killed my Consort! She died because she was looking for that fan for you, didn’t she?!"
Her burning eyes fixed straight on Xu Yin’s face, full of hatred!
Xu Yin lowered his hand: "Yes."
Before Yongping could react, he continued, "If you don’t want to die, you should start being smart about what you should know and what you shouldn’t know."
Yongping shuddered suddenly and stepped back half a step.
"You are a devil, you are a devil!"
She crouched down holding her head and let out a heart-wrenching howl.
Xu Yin’s eyes were deep: "You should have stayed away from me from the start. Entering the demon’s den is your fate."
After saying this, he turned to look at Lian Rong in the corner ahead: "Take the madam down. She is overwhelmed with grief. Let her rest well."
When Lian Rong arrived, he turned and left the place.
As he crossed Baopning Sect, he bumped into a house servant head-on. Before the servant had time to apologize, his face had already received a loud slap!
"Watch where you’re going!"
No one had ever seen the gentle and jade-like Vice Minister Xu showing such a ferocious side, and the servant was so frightened that he quickly knelt down!
Xu Yin’s expression showed no restraint as he trod the colonnade sternly.
Wherever Yongping was, there was never a moment of peace for him!
The news that the Emperor had dispatched the five Great Generals’ Mansions to guard the city’s four gates had reached his ears, and while he prided himself on being wise, he couldn’t fathom the Emperor’s intentions.
But what he found even more difficult to grasp was that the Emperor had also ordered Pei Zhan to lead troops into Prince Rong’s Mansion!
At first glance, this appeared to be a favor to Prince Rong, but if the one who took the fan while lurking in the ancestral hall was Pei Zhan, does the Emperor’s action indicate that Pei Zhan has handed the fan to the Emperor?
If so, was Pei Zhan lurking in the ancestral hall with the Emperor’s instruction?
Xu Yin’s back broke out in a cold sweat.
"Master," Lian Rong caught up from behind and said, "I gave madam the sleeping pills and have arranged for her to rest."
Xu Yin asked him, "Is there still no word from the Pei family?"
"The Pei family is always tight-lipped. It might take some more time."
"Put more effort into it!"
Xu Yin said in a deep voice.
With Pei Zhan’s deployment, this suspicion must be resolved quickly.
Just as he finished speaking, someone hurriedly approached from the end of the colonnade: "The Prince is in the pavilion and requests Vice Minister Xu to come for a conversation immediately!"
Xu Yin turned his head, and after a moment paused his gaze before responding, "Understood."
The mourning in the Prince Manor was originally set near the ancestral temple at Guiyuan Building, and coincidentally, Princess Rong also passed away there, so standing atop Guiyuan Building allowed one to see the situation below, including the entire area around the ancestral temple.
After Pei Zhan brought his troops in, he immediately had the steward bring the layout of the northwest corner of the Prince Manor and deployed a hundred cavalry throughout strategic points as sentry posts.
Once settled, Yang Zhan accompanied Pei Zhan elsewhere for tea and rest.