Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 216
Chapter 216 - Claiming His Miserable Life
Chu Rui's voice had barely fallen.
Yun Chu heard the front door of the palace creak open, followed by the heavy footfalls of at least seven or eight people.
"Quick, leave through this door!"
Chu Rui stepped forward to lead the way, but stumbled and fell onto the ground.
He struggled to rise: "Move, I'll lead you both out."
Tingxue hurriedly went to support him.
His body was simply far too frail, and having lost so much blood just now, he was left gasping for breath after every two steps. Before they could cover much ground, the people at the palace entrance had already made their way over.
"So you've hidden over here. You few, seize her!" The leader of the group was an old nanny. She stepped forward with a swift stride to Chu Rui's side: "Why has Your Highness come to this place? Be careful not to catch a chill in the wind."
Two eunuchs stepped up to support Chu Rui.
The remaining people closed in to surround Yun Chu and her maidservant.
"Stop!" Chu Rui shouted in rage. "Not her!"
"Your Highness, her birth chart matches perfectly, and as the eldest direct daughter of the Yun family, her life is of noble standing. Her heart's blood will surely cure Your Highness's chronic illness." Having advised her master, the old nanny turned her ice-cold, stern gaze toward Yun Chu, "If Miss Yun cooperates obediently, we will grant you a quick death, otherwise..."
Yun Chu's eyes turned icy cold: "Since you know I am the eldest direct daughter of the Yun family, where do you get the nerve?"
"Does Miss Yun know what kind of place this is?" The old nanny cackled. "Any woman who enters this palace cannot possibly leave alive. Do you see the chrysanthemums growing over there? They bloom even better than the flowers at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion. Does Miss Yun know why? Because, my dear, these flowers were nourished by the corpses of countless women. How could they not look splendid?"
A chill ran through Yun Chu's chest.
The old nanny telling her so much meant she was completely certain Yun Chu would die here, harboring no fear whatsoever of dead people knowing these secrets.
"If Miss Yun's heart's blood can cure our Prince, it will be considered a grand act of merit." The old nanny changed her tone sharply: "What are you all standing around for? Seize her!"
"I'll see which of you dares!"
Chu Rui forced himself to stand straight, placing himself in front of Yun Chu.
"What does Your Highness think you are doing?" The old nanny's face showed confusion. "Her Empress Dowager is doing this not only to extend your life, but even more so for the grand scheme. Your Highness must not be willful."
Yun Chu understood in an instant.
She had been mistaken earlier—as it turned out, this plot was far more extensive.
Now that trouble had befallen the Yun family, if the eldest direct daughter of the Yun family died inside the deep palace, the Yun family would certainly not let the matter rest, and the Yun Family Army would riot as well.
So long as the Yun family's treason was firmly established, the Empress Dowager would win a temporary round against the Emperor.
Meanwhile, she would become a sacrificial pawn in the power struggle between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.
Chu Rui's face looked ghastly: "Whoever dares lay a finger on a single hair of Miss Yun's head, this Prince will claim his miserable life!"
The old nanny chuckled softly: "Just a few wretched lives—if Your Highness wants them, then take them. The wind is strong outside; come, take His Highness away."
Two eunuchs forcibly dragged Chu Rui away without giving him any say in the matter.
Frail and ill, how could Chu Rui possibly be a match for them?
Watching that group of people press closer step-by-step, Yun Chu could not help taking a step back.
Steadiness returning to her mind, she placed the long sword she had taken from Prince Zhuang into Tingxue's hand, then drew out the hidden dagger from her sleeve.
"It seems Miss Yun is determined to put up a fight." The old nanny let out a contemptuous laugh. "Hurry up, you lot, and take care not to damage Miss Yun's heart."
Several palace servants surged forward at top speed.
Gripping the long sword, Tingxue charged straight out.
She plunged the blade straight into the belly of the eunuch before her.
Tingxue gritted her teeth.
Even if she had to die, she would take one down with her to ease her young lady's burden.
Beside her, a eunuch raised a broad sword, hacking down toward the back of Tingxue's neck.
A fierce glint flashed across Yun Chu's eyes.
Lifting her leg, she delivered a sharp kick that sent the attacking eunuch flying, then pulled Tingxue back to shield her at her side.
Yet she saw a nanny nearby holding a large stone, hurling it straight toward Yun Chu's face.
Yun Chu was busy dealing with the four or five eunuchs in front of her and had no way to dodge, watching helplessly as the stone flew straight toward her head.
Suddenly!
A splash of scalding blood sprayed onto her face.
At the same time, the large stone rolled onto the ground. Right after, that nanny collapsed to the earth, her eyes wide open, already devoid of breath.
Before Yun Chu could process what had happened, she saw those few young eunuchs collapse to the ground one after another, a single bloody slit across their necks—a fatal blow in one strike.
She turned her head to see Chu Yi sprinting toward her at full speed.
"Yun Chu, where are you hurt?!"
Chu Yi's voice was trembling slightly.
Seeing her face covered in crimson blood, in his moment of desperation, he forgot all etiquette and called her directly by her full name.
Yun Chu wiped away the blood on her face that belonged to someone else, shaking her head: "I am not injured."
"P-Prince Pingxi!" The old nanny leading the group stood to the side, her eyes filled with shock. "This is a forbidden area of the palace! How can Your Highness trespass here without permission? This old servant will report this to His Majesty!"
The corners of Chu Yi's lips curved into a chilling, sinister smile: "If I kill you, who else will know that this Prince was ever here?"
The old nanny saw the killing intent in his eyes clearly, her arrogance instantly faltering: "This old servant is a veteran senior at Her Empress Dowager's side! Your Highness had better think twice before acting... Aaaahh!!"
Before she could finish her sentence, a agonizing shriek burst from her throat as her entire body collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain.
She was not dead.
However, both of her arms had been sliced off at the shoulders by Chu Yi.
Blood flowed like a river.
Yun Chu's eyes were covered by a warm, heavily calloused palm.
She heard Chu Yi speak up: "This Prince will spare your miserable life for now. Crawl back and tell the Empress Dowager that this matter is far from over."
The old nanny wailed from the depths of her throat in excruciating pain, flattening a large swath of chrysanthemums as she writhed.
Chu Yi uncovered Yun Chu's eyes, his voice raspy as he said, "I am sorry. If I had noticed earlier, you would not have had to endure this."
Yun Chu asked with a touch of curiosity: "How did Your Highness arrive so quickly?"
Although many things had transpired just now, in truth, only about a quarter-hour had passed. The Chrysanthemum Viewing Banquet likely had not officially begun yet, meaning no one should know for now that she was missing.
That this man had managed to track her down so quickly was truly beyond her expectations.
That he had slaughtered seven or eight of the Empress Dowager's trusted confidants and sliced off the arms of the Empress Dowager's most trusted nanny for her sake was equally beyond her expectations.
"If the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review needed to find me, he would never ask a eunuch from the inner palace," Chu Yi spoke up. "Furthermore, my notorious reputation precedes me; most people in the palace cannot run away fast enough when they see me, let alone initiate a conversation. Yet that eunuch leading the way talked far too much."
Speaking of which, he had been too foolish, only discovering the clue after parting ways with Yun Chu.
Yun Chu was struck by sudden realization.
It seemed her own observation was still not meticulous enough; she had only realized something was wrong when trouble was right upon her, nearly losing her small life in the process.
Feeling a deep pang of heartache over what she had just been through, Chu Yi said in a gentle voice: "I shall send you back."
"There is no need," Yun Chu shook her head. "Attending Her Majesty the Empress's Chrysanthemum Viewing Banquet as scheduled and appearing there safe and sound is the best response to the Empress Dowager. I must only trouble Your Highness to find a set of clothes for me."
Chu Yi understood her thoughts.
If she were frightened by the Empress Dowager and ran back home to hide, it would be equivalent to losing the unyielding backbone of the Yun family.
She wanted to tell the Empress Dowager that the Yun Family Army possessed an unyielding backbone, and the women of the Yun family were precisely the same.