Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 9 A dog that bites doesn’t bark

After entering the courtyard, Jiu Que did not ask any questions directly, but looked around at the layout of the courtyard.

Although the courtyard was small, it was arranged quite cleanly and exquisitely. Near the sycamore tree, there was a clean bluestone table with a set of white porcelain tea set on it. The two small teacups on the table were still filled with a faint aroma of tea.

Jiu Que narrowed his eyes slightly and sat down without any hesitation.

"Yunniang, what is your relationship with Yu Lang, the top scholar? I heard that although he is not married, he dotes on a concubine. Are you that concubine?"

Chunyu Shuang raised an eyebrow and readily sat down. Xie Mingchen, on the other hand, was a little awkward and didn't dare to sit next to the women. He could only stand awkwardly to the side, pretending to study the few blades of grass under the tall sycamore tree.

However, Yunniang was clearly no ordinary person. After a brief moment of shock, she quickly recovered and sat quietly in her chair, rubbing her fingers.

"I don't know if I am the favored concubine that you speak of. After all, Yu Lang has many people he favors, and I am just one of the least noticeable ones. What information do you three want from me? As long as I know it, I will tell you everything without reservation."

Judging from Yunniang's words, she was clearly educated. Jiuque didn't mince words and simply recounted the events of the day.

When Yunniang heard the news of Yu Lang's death, her pupils suddenly contracted, and she looked extremely shocked.

"Dead? How could he be dead? He was perfectly fine when he left this morning. He was even very happy, saying that he had finally brought honor to his ancestors. This is impossible..."

After she finally managed to process what she had just learned, she saw the thoughtful expressions on the faces of the three people opposite her, and she immediately became a little nervous.

"I don't understand why you all came to me after Yu Lang died in the palace. I know nothing about it."

When it came to interrogation cases involving torture, Jiu Que was not as professional as Chunyu Shuang, so he glanced at her. Surprisingly, despite it being their first meeting, the two had an unusual tacit understanding. Without Jiu Que even having to say anything, Chunyu Shuang had already begun the process with practiced ease.

"Did Scholar Yu stay here last night? I wonder if he acted strangely when he left home this morning. Miss Yunniang, please try to recall what he did, said, and met with since he got up this morning?"

"...He was very nervous last night, and got up at dawn this morning. He ate a bowl of wontons and a sesame seed cake, then got dressed and waited to go to the palace. I didn't dare to say anything at this time to upset him, so he set off in about half an hour. I originally wanted to see him off, but..."

At this point, Yunniang looked somewhat disappointed.

“He said my status made it inappropriate for me to meet people at this time, so I didn’t go out again. The next time I heard from him was when you arrived.”

Wait a minute. This doesn't make sense. Yu Lang set off around 3 AM, but His Majesty's birthday banquet starts at 9 AM, and the palace gates don't open until the end of 9 AM. Even if Yu Lang walked on his own two feet, he shouldn't have gotten up so early.

unless……

Unless he didn't go directly to the palace, but went somewhere else instead!

Wow, this seems to be getting interesting.

Jiu Que stroked her chin and exchanged a knowing glance with Chunyu Shuang. Remembering the only man, she turned around and found Xie Mingchen staring intently at the few weeds.

...It seems we can't count on them.

“Yunniang, from what you just said, perhaps you also know that Yu Lang has someone else outside? Or can you guess where he went before attending the birthday banquet?” Yunniang was silent for a moment, then made a request.

"I want to know why that third-place scholar knows me? I've never seen him before."

"Because the third-ranked scholar was born to a girl whom Yu Lang had deceived. That girl waited for him for almost twenty years, thinking he had died on the way, but unexpectedly he was living a comfortable life and even became the top scholar in the imperial examination. However, what goes around comes around. The third-ranked scholar met him during the provincial examination and finally couldn't stand it anymore, so he stabbed him today. Unfortunately, the knife was too short and didn't hit a vital spot. Some people suspect that the third-ranked scholar killed Yu Lang, but the imperial physician examined him and found that Yu Lang did not die from external injuries, but from poisoning."

"Poisoning..."

Yunniang remained silent for a moment before speaking with difficulty.

"I... I never imagined it. I didn't know he had a son, nor did I know he had a sister who had been deceived by him. I only became his mistress to earn a living..."

A silence fell over everyone. If it weren't for the deep-seated hatred, Xin Tanhua probably wouldn't have gone to such lengths. Everyone knew how difficult the imperial examinations were. Xin Tanhua had climbed step by step, finally reaching the highest official position in the land, only to destroy his own future with his own hands. This was a tragedy even outsiders like Ying Jiuque found regrettable.

However, the regret was only temporary, as Yunniang quickly provided a clue. It turned out that Yu Lang did indeed keep several mistresses, and one of them even lived not far from here. The two of them would even see each other when they went out for walks.

Ying Jiuque was somewhat speechless.

"Scholar Yu is even trying to save this little bit of money?"

This is truly embarrassing. I can't even imagine how awkward Yunniang will feel when she meets that mistress. But even if Yu Lang is stupid, he wouldn't make such a basic mistake.

"Since he doesn't want me to know, I can only pretend I don't know. After all, I'm just a mistress he keeps, not his lawfully wedded wife. What right do I have to control him? I just need to do my job well, and as for the rest, I'll just pretend I'm blind."

It turned out to be the case.

Ying Jiuque sighed. After obtaining the exact location, he prepared to leave, but before leaving, he suddenly said something that made Yunniang's expression change drastically.

"Were you really there voluntarily back then?"

"Squeak-"

The wooden door swayed precariously, but ultimately kept out the prying eyes from outside. Yunniang raised her hand, picked up the teacup, and drank the remaining cold tea in one gulp!

"Whether it was voluntary or not, what's the point of investigating now? Nobody cares about the thoughts of people like us..."

Jiu Que walked swiftly ahead, her pale face flushed with a faint peach-pink hue from the movement, giving her a touch of life.

At this moment, time is everything. If the other mistress is really involved in this matter, we must stop her as soon as possible. Of course, Yunniang is also being secretly monitored by the Golden Armor Guards.

Perhaps they were just having a run of bad luck. They had barely reached the door and hadn't even had a chance to knock when someone yanked it open. Immediately afterward, a dog about half a person's height jumped out and viciously bit at Ying Jiuque and the other two!
The big black dog was fat and strong, and its sharp fangs in its open mouth were terrifying to look at. Without making a sound, it pounced on the dog!

For a split second, Ying Jiuque didn't even have time to react before the big black dog pounced on him!

(End of this chapter)