Zhen Xu was beaten into submission. He stared at Princess Ning De in terror, "Are you crazy? What has gotten into you? If Father finds out you came to me because of a female swindler, he absolutely won't punish you!"
Princess Ning De pursed her lips and sneered, "Punish me?"
Although her father was not entirely lucid, he understood one thing: she was no longer a daughter he could simply punish at will!
Yun Shu suppressed her surprise and looked at Princess Ning De’s irrational state. She knew she couldn't let this continue and spoke softly, "Your Highness."
Hearing Yun Shu address her as "Your Highness" from behind, Princess Ning De’s sanity returned, and she finally calmed down.
She slowly retracted the icy glare from her eyes as she looked at Zhen Xu, who was already covered in bruises from her beating.
However, the inexplicable anger in her heart still burned.
She looked down at Zhen Xu from above.
Zhen Xu grimaced, his mouth muttering incessantly, "You're insane, you're truly, damnably insane! You dare to hit me! I'm going to appeal to the emperor, as your sister, how dare you hit your second brother!"
"Who saw me hit you?" Princess Ning De retorted coldly.
Then, she turned to Yun Shu, "Miss Ning, did you see anything?"
Yun Shu's red lips curved into a sincere smile, and she shook her head.
Zhen Xu’s eyes widened, "You!"
"Zhen Xu, remember my words today. If you ever have any other intentions in the future, I will absolutely make you regret it. And your wife, you're the only one who treats her like a treasure," Princess Ning De said coldly.
She had made up her mind. Since someone was restless and couldn't be a compliant pawn, they would be dealt with.
Nothing could compare to her elder brother!
Yun Shu’s beautiful eyes flickered slightly when she heard Princess Ning De’s final remark.
"Insolent, insolent! Ning De, who do you think you are? In Father's eyes, I am the most important. Father doesn't like you and your princely elder brother at all! If I were you, I would have packed my bags and left long ago! Hiss..."
Before Zhen Xu could finish his tirade, he began to grimace, his body in too much pain!
The pain was so intense that even moving felt like his limbs were being torn apart!
All because of these two damned women in front of him!
Princess Ning De raised her horsewhip, about to strike again, "Believe it or not, I can kill you right now?"
Yun Shu lowered her long lashes, concealing the glint in her eyes.
"You! You dare!" Zhen Xu shouted, but he scrambled to his horse, biting back the pain, and managed to mount it.
As he was about to slink away, he issued a parting threat, "Ning De, wait until Father returns, and you'll be crying! I won't forgive you even if you kneel and apologize!"
Crack!
Before Zhen Xu could even spur his horse on, the long whip sliced through the air and landed on his face.
Instantly, his flesh was torn open, and blood streamed down his face.
Yun Shu glanced over casually, "How tragic."
Zhen Xu’s mind reeled from the blow. He ignored the searing pain and touched his face, his palm coming away covered in a frightening amount of bright red blood!
A large amount!
It instantly soaked his clothes!
His eyes widened in horror as he looked at Princess Ning De, "You! You hit my face?!"
Princess Ning De hadn't expected to hit Zhen Xu's face. Her emotions were unstable today, with murderous thoughts constantly surfacing. If not for the last shred of her reason holding her back, she truly would have killed Zhen Xu today!
"Leave now, or I'll disfigure the other half of your face," Princess Ning De said in a deep voice.
There would be some trouble ahead.
However, it would only be minor trouble.
She looked back at Ning Ruan, seeing that Ning Ruan's expression was calm and unfazed by her actions. This surprised her slightly, but she quickly thought of a reason.
Ning Ruan had traveled extensively and seen much.
Moreover, she was not a weak woman to have made Zhen Xu suffer and fall from his horse. And Ning Ruan possessed medical skills, requiring absolute composure when diagnosing patients.
Yun Shu met Ning Ruan's scrutinizing gaze and said softly, "If Your Highness hadn't come, he probably would have killed me."
"We didn't encounter him just now. Zhen Xu's face was scratched by branches, and it has nothing to do with us. Isn't that right, Miss Ning?" Princess Ning De now considered Ning Ruan her sister-in-law, someone calm, intelligent, and with incredible medical skills, worthy of being her sister-in-law.
Yun Shu’s lips curved slightly, and her tone carried a natural chill, "Indeed."
The two looked at each other and smiled.
"We can't return together. Do you remember the way back?" Princess Ning De glanced around, knowing no one was nearby. Although there had been some noise earlier, her voice had been restrained, and no one would have noticed.
However, she and Ning Ruan absolutely could not leave the mountain forest together.
She needed to find her brother now and help him hunt more game. There was still an hour left until the end.
Ning Ruan nodded lightly, "I remember. Your Highness can go with confidence."
"Good. If anything happens, pull this!" Princess Ning De, still somewhat uneasy, threw a flare to Yun Shu from a distance.
If pulled, smoke and fireworks would erupt in the sky.
Yun Shu caught the flare and thanked her with a smile, "Thank you."
Princess Ning De departed with peace of mind.
After Princess Ning De left, Yun Shu glanced at the sky and leisurely rode her horse outwards.
Meanwhile, Yun Yueyin, who had already drunk several cups of tea, felt a tightening in her chest and a sense of unease, a premonition lingering in her heart.
She should trust Zhen Xu. With Zhen Xu's abilities, eliminating a fragile woman should have been effortless. However, she still hoped Zhen Xu would win first place today and be the most outstanding.
"Madam is worried about the young master?" Hong Ling asked softly.
Yun Yueyin glanced around. Everyone seemed to be watching the opera troupe's performance. The troupe had many people, and they had been performing for a long time. She nodded slightly, "I am indeed a little worried."
"The young master is most skilled in archery. He will surely win first place today, Madam, please do not worry." Hong Ling quickly reassured her.
Yun Yueyin forced a smile and then looked at the dense mountain forest.
There was no sound from the mountain forest.
She suddenly thought of Zhen Lin. Could Zhen Lin really do something remarkable today?
At the same time.
As Yun Shu was about to exit the mountain forest, someone walked out from the side, nearly colliding with her.
The opponent’s horse looked somewhat tired.
And the person riding it looked even more disheveled.
Upon seeing the person on the horse clearly, Yun Shu raised an eyebrow. It was Qin Linglong.
Qin Linglong hadn't expected to run into anyone. When she saw who she had bumped into, she was stunned. She had no impression of her, so she must not be a young lady from any noble family. Was she a servant who had entered with her master?
"You are..."
"I am the physician by the side of the Heir Apparent Zhen." Yun Shu replied.
Qin Linglong was taken aback. Someone by the Heir Apparent Zhen's side? That would mean she was also someone by Princess Ning De's side.