AUBTN -Chapter 335 What an Act!

The four of them immediately changed direction and hurried toward the mourning hall.

Late at night, the Southern King’s Manor should have been deathly silent.

Yet before they even stepped into the courtyard where the mourning hall was located, they heard an earth-shaking roar from afar.

“Trash! A bunch of useless fools!”

With a loud crash, it sounded as though a heavy bronze brazier had been kicked over. Sparks and burnt paper ash scattered through the darkness.

Shen Jue paused mid-step, snapping his folding fan shut as he raised a hand to stop Lu Yan, who was about to move forward.

A cold smile curled on his lips.

“Brother Lu, hold on. Since the dogs are already biting each other, we might as well enjoy the show before interfering.”

Lu Yan frowned slightly, but still stopped walking.

Using the cover of the night, the four silently concealed themselves within the shadow of a cypress tree outside the mourning hall, taking in everything happening inside.

The atmosphere in the hall had already become explosively tense.

Lin Wei stood before the golden nanmu coffin of the Southern King, his trembling finger pointed at the three Xiao brothers kneeling below him as he cursed furiously.

“The prince was a hero all his life—how did he end up raising three pieces of trash like you?! Over a hundred personal guards were stationed outside! You were all inside the manor! And yet the prince had his throat slit in his own study, and none of you heard a single thing?!”

“G-General Lin, please calm your anger!” the Xiao family’s eldest son stammered, pale with fright.

“The study was sealed shut! It was practically a locked room! What could we possibly do? Besides, His Majesty has already sent the Imperial Guards and Eastern Depot to investigate—”

“Investigate my ass!”

Lin Wei cut him off brutally, grabbing Xiao Kuang by the collar and lifting him like a chick.

“The Eastern Depot and Imperial Guards are nothing but bloodthirsty hounds! All they care about is the whereabouts of the military tally! Who among them truly gives a damn about the prince’s cause of death?! And you useless descendants are actually counting on the imperial court to seek justice for you?!”

“W-We…”

The second and third Xiao brothers were even worse—shrinking their necks, too terrified to utter a word, clueless no matter what they were asked.

Looking at the three hopeless fools before him, the fury in Lin Wei’s eyes gradually faded, replaced by deep despair.

He released his grip and staggered back two steps.

“Forget it… forget it!”

Lin Wei threw his head back and laughed bitterly.

“The prince was unmatched in life, yet after death, he didn’t even leave behind a descendant capable of holding up the family name. Since you can’t be relied upon, then I, Lin Wei—even if I have to flatten this entire capital—will find the real murderer and skin them alive to honor the prince’s spirit!”

With that, Lin Wei abruptly turned and strode toward the exit of the mourning hall.

However, just as he was about to cross the threshold—

“General Lin, please wait.”

An extremely abrupt voice rang out through the empty hall.

Hidden in the shadows, Su Hewan’s pupils contracted slightly.

The frail figure who had been kneeling beside the brazier in mourning clothes all this time—looking as though she might faint at any moment—slowly stood up.

Under the flickering candlelight filling the hall, Xiao Yuyao raised a pale white handkerchief and leisurely wiped away the remaining tears on her cheeks.

【Holy shit! Holy shit! HOLY SHIT!!!】

Yu Qing screamed inwardly so hard she nearly yanked Lu Yan’s cloak off in excitement.

【What kind of god-tier face-changing technique is this?! She deserves an Oscar! Wasn’t she supposed to be a delicate little white flower who couldn’t even take care of herself? That look in her eyes, that aura—this is totally the script of a black-lotus female lead awakening!】

The four of them stared intently at Xiao Yuyao inside the mourning hall!

“Fourth Miss?” Lin Wei stopped in his tracks and turned back to look at the usually timid concubine-born daughter who hardly ever dared to raise her voice.

Xiao Yuyao stepped forward two paces.

“General Lin, my father told me more than once while he was alive that among the hundred thousand troops stationed in the Southern Frontier, you were the right-hand man he trusted most—the pillar that steadied the Xiao Army.”

“Now that my father has died a tragic death and his body is not yet cold, my brothers are incapable of taking charge of the situation. If General, in your grief and rage, were to lead the army back to the Southern Frontier or cause unrest in the capital, do you know what the consequences would be?”

Lin Wei frowned tightly. “What do you mean by that, Fourth Miss?”

“It would mean you’ve fallen straight into the murderer’s trap!”

Xiao Yuyao’s voice suddenly rose sharply.

“The killer murdered my father and stole the tiger tally—do you think it was merely to vent personal hatred? No. Their goal is to throw the Southern Frontier into chaos! If General loses his composure now, the Xiao Army will inevitably fall apart. By then, my father truly will not be able to rest in peace!”

The enormous mourning hall fell deathly silent.

The three Xiao brothers were already staring dumbfounded, as though they were meeting this sister for the very first time.

Lin Wei, too, looked blankly at the slender young woman before him.

“So I ask General, for the sake of my father’s spirit in heaven, to endure this pain for now!”

Xiao Yuyao suddenly folded her hands and gave Lin Wei a deep bow.

“Please return to the garrison immediately and stabilize the morale of the troops! As for uncovering the truth… since the imperial court has given a seven-day deadline, then we shall wait seven days. Seven days from now, if the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot still cannot produce the real culprit—”

Xiao Yuyao slowly raised her head.

“I, Yuyao, am willing to cast off these mourning robes and personally beat the drum to cry for justice. I will never disgrace the Xiao family name!”

Lin Wei drew a deep breath. Suddenly, he dropped to one knee and cupped his fists solemnly.

“This subordinate shall obey Fourth Miss’s command! I will guard the Southern Frontier to the death and quietly await the truth!”

From the shadows—

Lu Yan and Shen Jue were already wearing expressions of utter shock.

Su Hewan’s gaze remained fixed on Xiao Yuyao’s calm, unreadable face.

“With just a few words, she not only soothed Lin Wei instantly, but also pinned the pressure of solving the case directly onto the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.”

“How could someone with such sharp political instincts and such composure under pressure possibly be a delicate noble girl raised in the inner chambers, crying all day long?”

Hearing Su Hewan’s analysis, Shen Jue tilted his head slightly and exchanged a meaningful look with Lu Yan, whose eyes had also darkened thoughtfully.

Late at night, in the study at Yuyuan.

Crack—

The crisp sound of chewing was especially jarring in the silent study.

Yu Qing sprawled inelegantly across the grand chair, holding a half-eaten apple in her hand, cheeks puffed out as she ranted nonstop.

“I’m telling you, this little girl is definitely putting on an act! She’s basically the ultimate green tea queen!”

While chewing, Yu Qing waved the apple around indignantly.

“You didn’t see the way she cried before—she completely fooled everyone!”

“Now I finally get it. She’s been performing her own version of The Legend of Zhen Huan for us this whole time!”

Lu Yan stood beside her, listening to the incomprehensible phrases coming out of her mouth, his face filled with helplessness.

Lowering his eyes, he noticed a tiny bit of apple stuck at the corner of Yu Qing’s lips.

Naturally, he pulled out a silk handkerchief from his sleeve, bent slightly, and gently wiped it away.

“Eat slowly. No one’s going to steal it from you,” Lu Yan said in a low voice, a trace of indulgent affection flashing through his deep eyes.