Chapter 1096: Evidence

In the ice cavern, both of them instantly changed color. Yu Yanluo quickly said, "It seems to be people from Cloudcentral Commandery." Zu An nodded, "And people from the imperial envoy delegation." He had already heard some familiar voices.

"What should we do next? Should we meet them as you, or as the Duke?" Yu Yanluo asked him while tidying up some things in the cavern. Zu An thought for a moment and replied, "Let's use the identity of the Duke. Otherwise, it will be hard to explain why I'm with you and where the Duke went." Yu Yanluo was also a little worried, "But then we can't explain the imperial decree that just appeared; everyone knows that's something only you possess." "It's fine, I have my ways," Zu An said, beginning to transform into Jian Yanyou. Although it wasn't the first time she had witnessed it, Yu Yanluo was still astonished by the entire process. Almost immediately after he finished transforming, footsteps echoed from the passageway.

Soon, a group of people appeared at the entrance of the ice cavern. Leading them were Sang Hong, Xu Yu, and Pei Shao, all prominent figures in Cloudcentral Commandery's officialdom. Clearly, the recent battle had caused such a commotion that it drew them all to investigate. "Duke, Lady Yu!" Upon seeing the two, Sang Hong breathed a sigh of relief, his face showing pleasant surprise. However, the expressions of the other Cloudcentral Commandery officials were peculiar; it was hard to tell whether they were happy or sad.

Yu Yanluo's heart skipped a beat. She knew that for Zu An's voice to sound like the Duke's, he first had to imitate a woman's voice to deceive people. But how could he pretend now, in plain sight? Her reaction was swift; before Zu An could speak, she quickly bowed in return, "Greetings, sirs." "What are you two doing here? Why are you in this place?" Sang Hong asked curiously. Yu Yanluo glanced at Zu An and quickly replied, "The Duke was injured, his vital energy surging, which damaged his throat. He temporarily cannot speak and needs to preserve his vital essence, so I will answer for him." Zu An secretly nodded; this woman was indeed intelligent and saved him a lot of trouble. Everyone was startled upon hearing this, "How could the Duke be so seriously injured?" Sang Hong, meanwhile, was looking around, trying to find Zu An, but after a quick survey, he couldn't find him anywhere.

After sensing the burst of imperial decree energy in the city, Sang Hong was greatly alarmed and rushed to Zu An's room to find him. Although Zu An had previously said not to disturb him, the matter was too important for Sang Hong to care. Unfortunately, he called out for a long time without any response, and breaking down the door, he still found no trace of him, so he worried that something had happened to him.

At this moment, Yu Yanluo sighed softly, "It's a misfortune for our family." She was already incredibly beautiful, and her sorrowful sigh at that moment truly evoked pity in everyone. Many immediately felt a protective urge, "Lady, please speak freely; we will certainly help you seek justice!" Of course, there were also shrewd individuals who secretly wondered if "misfortune for our family" referred to Jian Taiding.

Yu Yanluo then began, "Because the Duke suddenly returned, some people who had done wrong felt guilty and came to the original crime scene to check. Yanyou and I secretly followed them..." She then slowly recounted her prepared story: Uncle Ming had manipulated and deceived Jian Taiding, together plotting to murder Jian Yanyou here. However, to their surprise, Jian Yanyou had practiced the Golden Silkworm Divine Art and, being extraordinarily lucky, survived. Startled, the two returned to investigate, only to be discovered. A fierce battle ensued between them. Jian Taiding, realizing he had been tricked, turned against Uncle Ming to help his elder brother. But Uncle Ming, who was a transformed Dark-Eyed Striped Bee, possessed extremely high cultivation. Coupled with Jian Taiding's own severe injuries, he was cruelly murdered by the enraged Uncle Ming...

Following the direction of her finger, everyone noticed Jian Taiding's headless body in a corner, and their expressions changed dramatically. Some, who had served alongside Jian Taiding for many years, couldn't help but feel sympathy upon seeing his tragic demise. Others pondered how Jian Taiding's death would shift the power dynamics in Cloudcentral Commandery. Still others eyed the couple suspiciously, wondering if they had set a trap to lure Uncle Ming and Jian Taiding here and then kill them.

Each person had their own thoughts, so apart from the few officials who were already close to Yu Yanluo and Jian Yanyou, the others remained silent. Finally, Pei Shao spoke, "Lady Yu, since you say that Dark-Eyed Striped Bee was so powerful, how did you two survive?" Sang Hong echoed, "Precisely. I sensed the Emperor's aura just now; if I'm not mistaken, someone was invoking an imperial decree. Where is that person?" His greatest concern at the moment was Zu An. As soon as he detected the imperial decree's energy, he rushed over without delay, knowing that Zu An, with his cultivation, would never use an imperial decree unless he encountered an insurmountable enemy. Now that he had arrived but couldn't even find a trace of Zu An, he had reason to suspect that Zu An had been set up by this couple. And Jian Yanyou, who was now too gravely injured to speak, might he have been wounded by Zu An's final counterattack? The thought of Zu An's uncertain fate made his gaze turn somewhat hostile.

Yu Yanluo's heart jumped. This was exactly what she had worried about, though Zu An had assured her he had a solution. But now he couldn't speak, and she had no idea what his solution was. Just then, her ear twitched as she heard a familiar voice. She remained calm, resisting the urge to turn and look at him, knowing it was a vital energy transmission. "Lady?" Seeing her unresponsiveness, Sang Hong grew anxious. Yu Yanluo then replied, "Because I don't know how to explain it. At our moment of life and death, a mysterious figure suddenly appeared and killed Uncle Ming." "What kind of mysterious person could be so powerful?" Pei Shao naturally didn't believe her.

Yu Yanluo gestured with her hands, "He wore a mask and an embroidered robe. He should be an Embroidered Uniform Emissary from the imperial court, and the cloud patterns on his clothes were embroidered with gold thread." "Golden Plaque Embroidered Uniform?" Pei Shao and the others were startled. "Golden Plaque Eleven!" Sang Hong immediately thought of who it was. Golden Plaque Eleven, who had accompanied them, was usually elusive, appearing and disappearing like a phantom, so it was unexpected for him to suddenly show up here. As the Emperor's trusted confidant, it was normal for him to carry an imperial decree. Sang Hong quickly pressed, "Then, Lady, did you happen to see Lord Zu An?" "No, is he also nearby?" Yu Yanluo showed no hint of a flaw. At the same time, she found it strange; everyone said Sang Hong was ruthless and cold-hearted, always portraying himself as a lone loyal official who didn't get along with anyone. Yet, his concern for Zu An seemed genuine. Was that fellow's charm so great that he could even win over someone with such a stubborn personality?

Hearing that Zu An hadn't come this way, Sang Hong secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The others, upon hearing that Golden Plaque Eleven had intervened and seeing the pile of ashes on the ground, all marveled at the Emperor's unparalleled divine power. However, not everyone was convinced. Pei Shao raised his doubts, "Lady Yu, everything you've said is your side of the story. Do you have any evidence to prove it?" At this, other officials who had always been on good terms with the Yu family stepped forward to refute him, "The Duke and Lady Yu are both here, and there's even a Golden Plaque Embroidered Uniform as a witness. Could any of this be false?"

Sang Hong frowned. Previously, Jian Taiding had been his biggest headache, but now that he was dead, the situation in Cloudcentral Commandery would visibly stabilize. On the other hand, the Emperor's mission for him — to weaken the Yu family — remained unfinished. Perhaps this was an opportune moment? For some reason, Xu Yu also remained silent. Seeing the tacit approval of these two important figures, Pei Shao became even more confident, "Lady Yu, why aren't you speaking?"

At this moment, Zu An coughed violently several times, then made himself appear on the verge of collapse. Yu Yanluo quickly supported him, instinctively playing along, "You want evidence? Of course, I have it. However, the Duke is severely injured after the recent battle and urgently needs healing. Let's get him back first, and then we can talk." The footage she had recorded with the shadow-sound mirror was indeed irrefutable evidence, but many parts of it were not suitable for public viewing, so she needed time to process it. Fortunately, Zu An was quick-witted; otherwise, she truly wouldn't have known what to do.

Sang Hong and others offered to take his pulse and treat his injuries, but Yu Yanluo decisively refused. The others didn't find this suspicious. The imperial court and Cloudcentral Commandery were already at odds, and if they were in her shoes, they wouldn't trust others with the Duke's vital points either. Jian Yanyou was, after all, the Duke, and with his severe injuries, the immediate priority was naturally to save him. With this justification, no one could really object, so a large group escorted Zu An back to the ducal estate.

The entire ducal estate was instantly abuzz; some sought doctors, others prepared medicine. Zhang Ji and others tearfully wanted to visit, and seeing all those women, Zu An felt his scalp tingle. After all, he had just seen Jian Yanyou, and a sense of guilt was inevitable. Fortunately, Yu Yanluo kept them all away, insisting on guarding him personally. Given her status as the legal wife, no one dared to object, so they could only wait outside. After closing the door, Yu Yanluo quickly retrieved the shadow-sound mirror from before, then pulled out several other shadow-sound stones, drew some magical formations with a brush, and began to work busily. Watching the images flicker, Zu An was dumbfounded. Could video editing exist in this world too? However, his thoughts quickly returned to the Purple Frost Divine Milk. He was about to summon Mi Li but worried it might be inappropriate with Yu Yanluo present. So he got up and said, "Lady, there's nothing for me to do here for now. I'll step out for a bit." Yu Yanluo furrowed her delicate brows, "No, you cannot go out right now!"