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Chapter 20: Before Departure

So, she definitely wouldn’t, and couldn’t, lose…

“Yun Chu?” Li Yunli called out to him from behind.

“Hmm?” He responded lightly.

“Do you dislike flowers and plants?”

Was he completely indifferent to how his residence was decorated?

“No.”

“Then…” It must be for some other reason. Li Yunli thought for a moment. “Do you despise concepts like fate and divination?”

“Your Highness.” Yun Chu sounded a little helpless and had to turn around to look at her. “I thought Your Highness would be the one who hates talk of ghosts and gods the most.”

Li Yunli paused for a moment.

He wasn’t wrong.

If not for the belief in ghosts and gods, the original Li Yunli would have been the most revered princess, raised in the Central Palace.

The state of Chu was not a country that strictly favored men over women. With her noble birth, she could have even become the Crown Princess.

But now, she was caught in a chaotic political struggle, playing a farcical role, and preparing to leave for Yongzhou.

“You’re right. I don’t like it,” Li Yunli admitted. “However, for a long time, belief in ghosts and gods will remain part of the people’s faith. Whether it’s Buddhism or Daoism, as a form of spiritual solace, it’s not inherently detestable. What is detestable are those who manipulate these beliefs for personal gain.”

Yun Chu looked at her.

How curious. This was supposed to be her greatest sore point, yet today, she brought it up herself and seemed to have such a clear perspective on it.

She had changed so much. At what point in time did she return to this life?

Yun Chu sighed.

“Then what would Your Highness do to those who seek personal gain?”

“Seeking personal gain is not inherently wrong.”

Li Yunli glanced at him and continued,

“First, there must be a standpoint before right and wrong can be determined. Since everyone stands on different sides, then pursuing self-interest is simply seeking benefits—no different in essence from merchants chasing profits. The strong prevail, and in the arena of interests, the winner takes all.”

The law of the jungle—this had been the principle mankind followed for thousands of years.

Yun Chu thought, in their past life, this was also how they had survived.

In the last life, he had been the winner. But this time, the game board had been reset.

Would the one who remained standing at the end be a king or just a lonely soul?

The winner takes all… but does it truly bring satisfaction?

If so, then why, after losing Li Yunli, did he suffer sleepless nights, his heart aching as if it had been torn apart, until he nearly lost his mind?

“In truth,” Yun Chu spoke slowly, “the winner may not always take everything.”

“But,” Li Yunli’s voice slowed down, “the loser will definitely be devoured.”

So, she definitely wouldn’t, and couldn’t, lose.

Yun Chu said nothing more.

The September wind had indeed turned cold. After Li Yunli finished speaking, she walked him to the door. “Go inside first. If it’s cold, ask Yaxiang to light a brazier for you. It’s also time to start preparing winter clothes.”

“And Your Highness…”

“I still have matters to handle. I’ll return later.”

The two parted at the doorway, and Li Yunli turned away, leaving Hanmei Residence.

The imperial edict had already been issued, and she could depart at any time, but there were still many things she needed to do first.

Before she reached the study, Shi Qi caught up with her.

“Any news from Luxhui Academy?”

“Your Highness, no… no news.”

Li Yunli turned back to him in surprise. “So many days have passed, and still no news?”

“Your Highness, previously, a few students were frequently visiting Yongcheng Marquis’s taverns and other establishments. My men kept watch for several days, but they haven’t returned in the past few days.”

“When did they stop going?”

“Around the time… Yun Chu visited the academy,” Shi Qi recalled.

“Yun Chu?”

Li Yunli hesitated.

Could this have anything to do with him?

Although her memory of the original novel was vague, she clearly remembered that the student protests at the academy had been instigated by the Yongcheng Marquis’s people and had nothing to do with Yun Chu.

Why, then, did the entire situation change after Yun Chu visited the academy?

Could it be the butterfly effect?

“What do the students at the academy think of me now?”

Shi Qi cupped his hands. “Your Highness, I did not intentionally investigate, but my men have heard that the students are saying that Your Highness voluntarily left the capital to support the royal family, and that this departure is an act of great virtue.”

Li Yunli sneered.

The young emperor was still inexperienced, while she, as the eldest princess, held significant power.

Therefore, as long as she remained in the capital, she was a threat to imperial authority. If she left voluntarily, then she was considered perceptive and righteous?

But when news of the disaster in Yongzhou reached the capital, what would they say then?

These young scholars, still untested in the real world, were far too naive.

“Withdraw the men watching the academy. There’s no need to keep monitoring them.”

“Understood.”

Shi Qi accepted the order and quickly departed.

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The next morning.

A man covered in mud pounded on the drum outside the Jingzhao Office.

When the bailiffs came to take him away, the man claimed to be an assassin who had escaped from the attempt on the Eldest Princess’s life, shocking the magistrate into immediately holding court.

The man spoke with a Yongzhou accent. He claimed he had fled from a flood, was saved by someone, and was promised a hundred taels of gold if he completed a task that would secure his future.

He insisted that he initially had no idea he was being asked to commit murder. It was only later that his benefactor revealed the target was the Governor of Yongzhou. He was told that the disaster relief was withheld due to the princess’s corruption, which spurred him to attempt the assassination.

This testimony was so shocking that the magistrate broke out in a cold sweat. “Who saved you? Who ordered you to kill the Eldest Princess?”

“My lord! I truly don’t know my benefactor’s name! I only know that I was rescued after fleeing the flood!”

“Ridiculous! Then why turn yourself in if you had already escaped?”

“My lord!” The man looked desperate. “We failed in our attempt! The capital is on high alert! Without travel permits, we can’t escape! So I figured I might as well surrender!”

The magistrate was filled with suspicion. “The princess’s office reported that all assassins had been executed. How did you escape?”

But before anyone could react, the man suddenly shouted, “I fled from Yongzhou! I was saved by my benefactor! I failed to kill the princess! Today, I offer my life as atonement!”

With that, he lunged forward, seemingly toward the magistrate, but at the last second, he turned and impaled himself on a soldier’s drawn sword, blood splattering everywhere.

The gathered crowd gasped in shock.

Among them, a blue-clad youth adjusted his hood, watched the scene coldly, then turned and left.

The magistrate, drenched in sweat, realized he had fallen into a trap.

This case had to be reported immediately.

But with the assassin dead, and no leads on the mastermind, the only thing left was the alleged disaster in Yongzhou…

Two days later, reports of floods in Yongzhou reached the capital, verified as legitimate, and the matter was brought before the inner council.

Thus, Li Yunli’s departure for Yongzhou was moved up by two months.

And before she left, the capital saw its first snowfall of the year.

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