"Princess Ningde!"
The mother and daughter exclaimed almost simultaneously.
They couldn't believe what they were seeing.
The Palace Mistress was Princess Ningde!
They had just seen her at the General's residence!
Instantly, cold sweat broke out on their backs.
Had they discovered a world-shattering secret?
Knowing this tremendous secret, could they still live? Would they survive?
No matter how confused, how dull-witted, or how slow to react the mother and daughter were, they understood one thing at this moment: today might be their day of death!
"What you know is not as important as what you know at this moment. I kept you two alive thinking you might be useful, but it seems keeping you alive is completely useless." Princess Ningde's eyes were icy as she looked at Aunt Xiao and Yun Ying.
She looked down at them from above.
It was as if she were looking at ants trampled beneath her feet.
So lofty, so contemptuous of all living beings.
As the Palace Mistress of the Killing Palace, Princess Ningde indeed had the capital to look down on everything before her.
Including this mother and daughter.
They were merely two useless pawns.
Aunt Xiao and Yun Ying were deeply terrified.
Tears and snot streamed uncontrollably as they cried, "Palace Mistress, Palace Mistress, no, Princess Ningde, I beg you, please spare us. We haven't revealed anything about the Killing Palace! We... we will truly keep our mouths shut!"
"Yes, yes, Princess Ningde, you are so kind-hearted, you couldn't bear to see beggars suffer and helped so many people. You can surely forgive us, can't you? My mother and I can guarantee that we will leave the capital immediately and never appear in the Western Xia Kingdom again! We will forget everything that happened in the Western Xia Kingdom!"
The two wept profusely, begging relentlessly.
The Princess Ningde before them seemed so benevolent.
Before, when they saw Princess Ningde showing concern for the beggars, they had scoffed, thinking Princess Ningde was being pretentious.
Where in the world could such a kind person exist? Born into a noble family, yet caring for beggars? It was utterly laughable.
But now, they wished it were true!
They hoped Princess Ningde was truly that kind of person!
Not the cruel and heartless Palace Mistress of the Killing Palace they saw her as.
Princess Ningde sneered, "Only the dead can truly keep their mouths shut."
"Ah! Palace Mistress, Princess Ningde, don't! Don't kill us! We... we are family of the Night Princess Consort. She and the Night Prince will not just watch us be killed! If Your Highness kills us, it would be making an enemy of them!" Yun Ying, thinking herself clever, mentioned Yun Shu.
Aunt Xiao also seized upon this, their only straw of hope, "Yes, yes, the Night Princess Consort calls me aunt. She won't just watch us die."
The two had completely forgotten how many secrets about Yun Shu they had revealed, and how they had participated in the plan to capture Yun Shu, all to convince Princess Ningde earlier to trust them and promote them. Their current firm denial made Princess Ningde unable to help but smile.
However, she had heard enough nonsense.
Princess Ningde gave an order to someone nearby, "Take them away and eliminate all traces."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Xiao and Yun Ying wanted to beg again, but just as they opened their mouths, the people beside them gagged them.
They were dragged away directly.
Princess Ningde's gaze fell on a wet trail left on the ground as the two were dragged away, and she frowned in disgust.
The cold hatred and glint in her eyes were undisguised.
The name Yun Shu, at some point, had become a thorn in her heart.
A thorn she wanted to remove, yet one that remained lodged in her chest.
Someone nearby sensed Princess Ningde's change in mood and shrewdly guessed the reason, "Palace Mistress, she is merely a princess consort from Dongning Kingdom, now in Western Xia, right under our noses. It would be effortless to eliminate her without a trace. It's too detrimental to let such a person affect your mood."
"Yes, Palace Mistress. As long as she is not at the General's residence, your subordinates will ensure she never returns."
Listening to her subordinates express their thoughts one by one, Princess Ningde narrowed her eyes.
She seemed to be contemplating something.
After a long while, she said in a deep voice, "Yun Shu cannot be touched. She is unusual. Find a way to eliminate the children around her."
The Emperor's attitude towards Yun Shu's three children was somewhat unfavorable.
This was not what she wanted to see.
Also, she needed to find an opportunity to fulfill her brother's wish. What one cannot obtain, they will always covet.
"Although Yun Shu cannot be eliminated, if you can seize an opportunity and make her ingest the Killing Palace's unique secret medicine, then the one who succeeds will be a meritorious official of the Killing Palace. I will reward the one who successfully administers the medicine," Princess Ningde told several of her capable subordinates.
As soon as she said this, several subordinates looked at each other, their eyes flashing with bright anticipation.
Each one was eager to try.
These past two days, listening to various rumors about the Night Princess Consort of Dongning Kingdom had made them all very frustrated. After all, they had searched in secret for so long, but to no avail.
Yet the person was right beside the Palace Mistress, openly entering and leaving the palace, and residing at the General's residence. It was too arrogant! It was as if they didn't respect their esteemed Palace Mistress at all. How could this be tolerated?
It absolutely could not be tolerated!
Therefore, they would achieve redemption!
"Please rest assured, Palace Mistress, we will surely complete the mission!"
Watching her subordinates brimming with confidence, Princess Ningde cautioned, "Never underestimate her, or you risk failure. She is more terrifying and difficult to deal with than any opponent you have faced before. Do not act rashly. If you fail once, it means you will never have another chance to deal with her."
"Yes!"
...
At the General's residence.
Yun Shu looked at the letter sent by Ruan Xi.
Upon reading the contents of the letter, she let out a soft chuckle.
Xie Jin, who was drinking tea beside her, felt goosebumps rise all over his body and a chilling sensation when he heard Yun Shu's laugh. He immediately swallowed his tea and put down his teacup.
"That laugh is too scary! What is this letter?"
Earlier, he hadn't paid much attention, thinking it was just some minor news from a spy.
He also had many spies in the Western Xia Kingdom and received news daily, so he had not paid much heed.
But Yun Shu's laugh had genuinely startled him, someone who was experienced and good at smiling himself.
"Take a look," Yun Shu handed the letter to Xie Jin.
Xie Jin quickly took it and read.
As he saw the contents of the letter, his eyes widened further.
"Who found this out?" he asked in shock. He had so many spies, and yet he hadn't uncovered much, and someone had found it out first!
"Ruan Xi," Yun Shu replied.
Xie Jin immediately conceded, "It was him, no wonder he found it out. I really didn't expect it. It seems I was too short-sighted before."