With her delicate face and slender waist, the royal uncle lost control.

"You can stay."

Yun Nian's steps froze again.

Qin Jiuchen said slowly, "How can we allow others to bully the people of the Ningxiang Prince's Mansion?"

Yun Nian turned around and looked at Qin Jiuchen in disbelief, "Your Highness..."

Qin Jiuchen turned and walked back to the window, his gaze fixed on the deep night outside. "Heal your injuries. With your injuries like this, what are you trying to prove?"

Yun Nian's tears welled up again, and she stammered, "But, Nian'er is afraid of causing trouble for the Prince, and afraid that rumors will affect the Ningxiang Prince's Mansion..."

Upon hearing this, Qin Jiuchen turned his head slightly, the moonlight outlining the cold and handsome profile of his face.

He scoffed, "Who dares to utter a single word against the people I choose to keep?"

So confident, so assertive, as if all the rules and etiquette of the world were worthless in front of him.

He paused, then called to Chen Sha, who was hidden in the shadows: "Chen Sha, prepare Tingyuxuan and send two reliable maids over to serve you."

"Have Physician Chen come to the residence daily to treat her, and make sure she recovers as soon as possible. Whatever medicine she needs, just go to the treasury and get it; don't be stingy."

"Also, this matter must not be spread outside. Tell the Prime Minister's residence that if I hear anything I shouldn't hear, don't blame me for being impolite."

"Yes, Your Highness," Chen Sha quickly bowed and replied.

After arranging everything, Qin Jiuchen turned his attention back to Yun Nian.

"Tingyu Pavilion is quiet and suitable for recuperating. Chensha will take you there."

His voice was a little softer than before. "Get some rest."

Yun Nian opened her mouth, then choked back tears, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Qin Jiuchen said no more, and simply waved his hand.

Qi Luo quickly stepped forward to help Yun Nian up.

Yun Nian bowed in the direction of Qin Jiuchen.

Qin Jiuchen nodded slightly and then stopped looking at her.

Chen Sha stepped forward and said respectfully, "Miss Yun, please follow me."

Having said that, he led the way.

Yun Nian followed Chen Sha to Tingyu Pavilion.

The courtyard was small, but exceptionally quiet.

The main house has three rooms, simply yet elegantly furnished, with all the necessary utensils of the highest quality.

Qi Luo helped Yun Nian to sit down on the bed in the inner room, then let out a long sigh of relief, her face beaming with undisguised excitement: "Miss, my heart was pounding in my throat. I was so afraid that the Prince would just let you go like that."

Yun Nian leaned against the headboard, a faint smile appearing on her pale face.

"Silly girl, if I dare to leave, I'm confident I can stay."

Qiluo looked at her young mistress with sparkling eyes, full of admiration: "Miss, please tell me, how were you so sure that the prince would eventually ask you to stay?"

Yun Nian closed her eyes slightly and said softly, "Initially, I had you deliberately appear before Chen Sha. On the surface, it was to use his guilt to get his attention. However, what kind of person is Prince Ningxiang?"

"He holds a high position of power, is decisive in killing, and acts solely on his own conscience. He has never cared about the opinions of others, let alone easily felt 'guilt,' an emotion that is of no benefit to him."

Qi Luo seemed to understand but not quite: "Then why did you still send me to tell them, Miss?"

"Because he may not feel guilty, but he definitely feels suspicious."

Yun Nian's lips curled into a smile. "The things I made you say, on the surface, were complaints, implying that you were 'suffering because of him.' But given Qin Jiuchen's suspicious nature, his first reaction upon hearing them wouldn't be pity or guilt. Instead, he would wonder what Yun Nian and the person behind her were up to by deliberately letting him know these things."

"I want to make him suspect that I have ulterior motives."

Yun Nian smiled. "Qi Luo, do you know what the world's most skilled hunter fears most?"

Qiluo shook her head blankly.

"What he fears most is not how well the prey hides, but that the prey gets out of control."

Yun Nian's eyes deepened. "What could be more intriguing to a highly controlling hunter than a prey that seems to have ulterior motives yet appears vulnerable and pitiful?"

"The more suspicious he became, the more he wanted to find out what I was up to, and the more he wanted to keep me in a place where he could see and control me, to observe me closely."

Qi Luo suddenly realized, "So, Miss, when you said you didn't want to stay and cried, you were actually just trying to increase his interest and desire for control? Making him feel that you are a prey with ulterior motives, but also seemingly truly desperate?"

"That's one way to understand it."

Yun Nian nodded, her face showing no smugness, only deep thought. "Truth and falsehood, reality and illusion. Make him feel like he sees through part of me, yet there seems to be another part he can't quite grasp. That's the best way to stir his emotions."

Qiluo was filled with admiration, but then a crucial question occurred to her, and she asked with lingering fear, "But Miss, what if the Prince doesn't ask you to stay?"

Upon hearing this, Yun Nian blinked, a cunning glint flashing in her watery eyes.

She chuckled. "Isn't that simple?"

"If he really doesn't stay, I'll take two more steps outside. Then, I'll faint."

"Moreover, it was the kind of fainting that you couldn't wake up no matter how you called it."

Qi Luo was taken aback at first, then covered her mouth and laughed along with Yun Nian.

-

The Prime Minister's residence, study.

Yun Chengming's face turned ashen. He slammed his hand on the table, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Qin Jiuchen! What does he mean?!"

A chilling glint in his eyes escaped between his teeth. "How dare they be so blatant as to kill Xu Ling outright?"

Xu Ling was an assistant director in the Personnel Department.

A seemingly insignificant position that actually controls a key aspect of officials' performance evaluation and promotion.

This person had already been secretly subdued by Yun Chengming and was an important pawn he had placed in the Ministry of Personnel.

Yun Chengming was planning to use Xu Lingzhi to remove several officials who disagreed with him during the upcoming imperial examination, while simultaneously installing his own people in their place.

This matter was being handled discreetly, and it was just one step away from completion.

However, just yesterday, Xu Ling was taken directly from the government office by Qin Jiuchen on charges of "corruption, bribery, and misleading performance evaluations." Without a joint trial by the three judicial departments, he was beheaded and displayed to the public outside the Meridian Gate.

The charges were irrefutable, with witnesses and physical evidence readily available. The speed and ruthlessness of the operation left no chance for anyone to react or attempt a rescue.

This is hardly just killing Xu Ling.

This was clearly Qin Jiuchen's blatant warning and provocation to him.

"Father, please calm down."

Standing at the lower end was Yun Chengming's eldest son, Yun Duantao, who had just returned from overseeing the canal transport affairs in Jiangnan.

He was about twenty years old, and his face resembled Yun Chengming's somewhat, but he appeared more gloomy and shrewd.

He said in a low voice, "Xu Ling's matter is a done deal. The most important thing now is to find out exactly how much Qin Jiuchen knows and what his next move is."

"For this routine promotion and evaluation of officials in the Six Ministries and local areas, His Majesty personally appointed Prince Ningxiang to be in charge."

Yun Duantao's tone became more serious, "Think about it, given Qin Jiuchen's personality, would he just look at the superficial documents sent by the Ministry of Personnel? He must have another list in his hands. If we can get our hands on that list, we might be able to turn the tables on him. Even if we can't directly bring down Qin Jiuchen, we can still make him look bad and lose the Emperor's favor. In the upcoming power struggles in the court, we can then reverse our passive position and even take the initiative."

Upon hearing this, Yun Chengming's anger subsided slightly, and he fell into deep thought.

If we could get our hands on the list, it would indeed be a powerful tool.

However, Qin Jiuchen is extremely vigilant, so how could he have access to such core secrets?

Just as the father and son were having a private discussion, a soft knock came from outside the study. It was Yang Ping, Yun Chengming's personal butler.

"Come in," Yun Chengming said in a deep voice.

Yang Ping pushed open the door and entered, his expression somewhat strange, and bowed to report.