FID – Chapter 774

Chapter 774 – Faking an Accident?

The princes who had died at the hands of the Beicang Emperor—his own sons—were hardly few in number.

To him, the rest of his sons were nothing more than chess pieces.

Once a piece was broken, it was simply discarded. The one playing the game never felt any regret.

“Then you just sit tight,” Feng Qingbai said.

Duan Ting nodded. “I’ll listen to you.”

This man was a monster. Any advice that came out of his mouth was guaranteed to be right.

Besides, that had always been Duan Ting’s plan.

If he dared show even a crack in such turbulent and dangerous times, he’d instantly become a target.

“Why didn’t Miss Li come with you today?” Liu Yusheng shifted the topic.

Even though there were only the three of them at this table, there were still ears everywhere. In a room full of clinking wine cups and conversation, who could guarantee someone wasn’t eavesdropping on them?

“She doesn’t have the status,” Duan Ting said plainly.

In the hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, merchants ranked last. In noble circles, merchants had no place.

Even if she were allowed in, all she would get would be scorn and disdain.

“When we returned before, it seemed like the Lu family was making some moves. They didn’t cause the Li family any trouble, did they?”

In the beginning, their Merchant Guild had first contacted the Lu family, but later switched to working with the Li family. Given the Lu family’s temperament, they probably didn’t take that betrayal well.

As soon as Liu Yusheng mentioned the Lu family, Duan Ting chuckled. “What trouble could they possibly cause? The Lu family can’t even take care of themselves right now. Back then, everyone assumed they had someone powerful backing them. But after the Eighth Prince died, everything fell apart. I suspect the person they were relying on all along was the Eighth Prince. With their pillar of support suddenly gone, their priority is to find another backer. They have no time to worry about stealing someone else’s pie.”

The corner of Liu Yusheng’s mouth twitched.

So in a way, Heilian’s assassination attempt indirectly helped the Li family succeed.

What a true twist of fate.

After several rounds of wine, Duan Ting glanced around, leaned in a little, and said with a touch of mystery, “You two have been busy with the wedding, so I bet you haven’t heard about the big news from Dongyue, have you?”

“Prince Ting, you look exactly like my friend Qian Wanjin right now.”

“Qian Wanjin? Don’t know him.” Duan Ting carried on gossiping. “Over in Dongyue, the old emperor has passed away. Before his death, he had intended to name the Second Prince as crown prince. That prince’s entire faction was waiting eagerly for the emperor’s death so they could receive the edict and immediately ascend the throne. But just when they thought everything was set, there was a huge twist. The old emperor did die—but the edict he left behind directly named the Seventh Prince as his successor. The Second Prince’s faction was left completely empty-handed. The royal court descended into chaos, with blood flowing like rivers.”

“How bad was the chaos?” Liu Yusheng asked, clearly intrigued.

“After the old emperor passed away, the eunuch who was reading the imperial edict had just finished when the Second Prince cut off his head with a single sword, outright claiming the edict was fake. Just as he was about to declare himself emperor, he realized that the Imperial Jade Seal was missing. That’s when they discovered the Seventh Prince had taken it and fled. After that, Dongyue descended into chaos. The borders became unstable, the people were in panic, and now it all depends on who wins between the Second and Seventh Princes.”

Another scandalous royal secret.

Liu Yusheng fell silent and unconsciously looked at Feng Qingbai.

The royal power struggle was full of dark twists and turns. The hardship Feng Qingbai had endured to reach his position was unimaginable to ordinary people. At that time, every step he took must have been like walking on thin ice.

“No need to look at him—he’s a monster,” Duan Ting said, raising his cup toward Feng Qingbai. “No matter how bad the circumstances or how strong the enemies, the one left standing will always be him.”

One thing was for sure. He would never become Feng Qingbai’s enemy in this lifetime.

That would be courting death.

He was indeed not as capable as Feng Qingbai, and he had no problem admitting it.

After the banquet ended, the foreign envoys did not linger. The next day, they all left Nanling and returned to their respective countries.

On the seventh day after their wedding, Feng Qingbai resumed his routine of attending court and handling state affairs.

It was already rare and precious that he had managed to spend seven full days solely with her.

Liu Yusheng didn’t find anything wrong with it. Feng Qingbai had his own responsibilities, and she had hers as well.

Even though they were now married, it didn’t mean they had to cling to each other every single day.

A calm and steady rhythm—that was real life.

That day, after refining some improved wound-healing medicine and seeing that there was still a good stretch of time before Feng Qingbai would return, Liu Yusheng decided to go out for a walk.

She planned to check on a few wellness shops in the city and browse some pharmacies in hopes of finding any rare or unusual herbs or seeds.

With a single maid accompanying her, she left the house plainly dressed and without makeup.

The capital’s streets were as bustling as ever.

The shops along the road still had red silk and lanterns hanging from the day of her wedding, and the lingering grandeur of that day could still faintly be felt.

The wellness shops were as lively as usual. Even in the lingering chill of late February, people’s enthusiasm for health preservation hadn’t waned.

The Qian family’s restaurants and tea houses were packed with customers as well.

Even the various tea houses across the city, after partnering with the wellness tea shop, were now so packed that seats were never enough.

One group of customers hadn’t even left before another arrived outside.

It was like a constant rush.

The shopkeepers and attendants were so busy they barely touched the ground, while the owners behind the counters grinned from ear to ear.

“Princess Consort, there’s still half an hour before the Prince returns,” the maid accompanying her gently reminded.

Liu Yusheng nodded. “Let’s browse one more pharmacy, then we’ll head back.”

She looked forward to having dinner with her husband, chatting idly—living the simple, steady life of an old married couple, like her grandparents and parents.

Just thinking of that person about to return warmed Liu Yusheng’s heart.

There weren’t many rare finds in the pharmacy, and nothing particularly unusual caught her eye. In the end, she gathered a bundle of common herbs and prepared to head home.

Her space warehouse was filled with countless rare medicinal plants. In contrast, these common herbs were ones she seldom grew anymore, as they were easily found anywhere.

As she walked out of the pharmacy and handed the herb bundle to the maid reaching for it, she suddenly bumped straight into someone head-on—so fast that the maid didn’t even have time to warn her.

Thud. The person opposite fell to the ground and didn’t get up, seemingly unconscious.

Liu Yusheng: “…” Is this a scam?

She was the one who got bumped into, yet the one who fell was the one who ran into her.

It couldn’t have been more ridiculous.

Before she even had time to get a good look at the person on the ground, the crowd that had paused to watch was suddenly pushed aside. Someone rushed over, scooped up the unconscious man, and tried to flee.

Liu Yusheng: “…” What on earth is going on?

“Stop right there, you bastard! You stole something and still wanna run? I’ll beat you to death!”

“Block them! Those two are thieves. Don’t let them escape!”

Several more people pushed through the scattered crowd, quickly surrounding the thief and Liu Yusheng and her maid.

The first to arrive was a fierce-looking middle-aged man, who angrily pointed at the thief and cursed, “Run? Let’s see where you run now! Hand over what you stole!”

Only now did Liu Yusheng finally get a chance to look closely at the people caught in the middle with her.

The unconscious one was a thin, middle-aged man with high, protruding cheekbones, sunken eyes, and a grayish, unhealthy complexion. Half-carrying, half-dragging him was a boy of about fifteen or sixteen—around the same age as Feng Mohan.