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

When Qin Senyao met his gaze, he immediately glared back fiercely, his eyes full of threat and warning.

Wang Jun was terrified by his glare.

Speaking out means death, remaining silent also means death...

Just as he was in despair, Chen Sha drew his long sword, which gleamed coldly, from his waist with a "whoosh".

The sword reflected a chilling light in the candlelight.

Chen Sha raised his sword and brought it down with lightning speed.

Wang Jun's right hand was severed at the wrist and fell to the ground, dripping with blood.

"what!"

A piercing scream ripped from his throat.

Wang Jun was in so much pain that his whole body convulsed. He clutched his severed wrist, which was gushing blood, and rolled around on the ground in agony.

"what!"

Qin Jiaxue had never seen such a bloody and terrifying scene before, and she screamed in fright.

Qin Senyao was also pale-faced, slumped on the ground, his legs weak.

Only Qin Jiuchen sat steadily in the armchair, one hand casually resting on the armrest, his fingers tapping the smooth handle absently.

His handsome face was expressionless, his eyes coldly watching Wang Jun writhing on the ground in pain, as if what he was seeing was not a bloody punishment, but an insignificant silent play.

The tip of the sword Chen Sha was holding was still dripping blood. He stepped forward, pinning down the struggling Wang Jun. "Talk, or not?"

The excruciating pain and fear completely shattered Wang Jun's psychological defenses.

Tears streamed down his face as he screamed, "I'll talk! I'll talk! It's...it's..."

"Well!"

Before he could finish speaking, his eyes suddenly bulged out, filled with bloodshot veins, and his face instantly contorted with an expression of extreme pain and terror.

His whole body convulsed violently twice, then with a "thud," he fell straight to the ground and remained silent.

Chen Sha frowned slightly, squatted down, reached out and touched Wang Jun's neck, then stood up and cupped his hands to Qin Jiuchen.

"Reporting to Master, this person suddenly suffered a heart attack and died."

Qin Senyao was first taken aback, then felt a sense of relief, and a feeling of exhaustion from surviving a disaster washed over him.

He forced himself to his feet and said urgently, "Father, this thief must have known his sins were grave and couldn't withstand the torture, so he was scared to death. I will order someone to drag this filthy thing out and dispose of it, so as not to defile Father's place."

As he spoke, without waiting for Qin Jiuchen's response, he called out towards the door.

Two of his trusted guards immediately entered with their heads bowed and quickly carried the body away.

At this moment, Qin Senyao dared not mention finding Yun Nian.

The most urgent thing is to leave as soon as possible and prevent my father from finding out anything further.

He bowed to Qin Jiuchen and said, "Father, the thief is dead. I have disturbed you tonight because of my poor patrol. Please punish me. It is late, please rest early. I will take my leave now."

As he spoke, he tugged at Qin Jiaxue, who was still frozen in place, her face pale.

Qin Jiaxue was pulled by him and suddenly came back to her senses.

She still harbored a sliver of resentment and doubt: was there really someone in the bedchamber?

Is Yun Nian really inside?

But in the current situation, Wang Jun suddenly died, his elder brother was clearly panicked, and his father's attitude was unfathomable...

Even if she were stupid, she would know she couldn't stay any longer.

She quickly lowered her head and followed suit, saying, "Xue'er will also take her leave. Father, may you rest in peace."

Qin Jiuchen's gaze slowly swept over the two of them. His gaze was calm, but for some reason, it made Qin Senyao and Qin Jiaxue feel as if they were being pricked by needles, and cold sweat poured down their backs.

Just as they were about to leave the room, Qin Jiuchen's deep, cold voice rang out again.

"Qin Senyao has failed in his duties and has disturbed the inner palace."

His voice was chilling. "Go to the Feathered Unicorn Army and receive another twenty strokes of the cane."

Adding to the previous twenty, this makes a total of forty strokes of the cane.

The military law of the Feathered Lin Army is severe. Forty strokes of the cane would leave one half-dead, even if one didn't die.

Qin Senyao's face was ashen, but he knew he had no room for negotiation. He was already lucky to have survived today; if his father were to investigate further...

He dared not imagine the consequences.

He lowered his head, his voice hoarse: "Yes... Father."

After dealing with Qin Senyao, Qin Jiuchen turned his gaze to Qin Jiaxue.

"His words are boastful and his actions are inappropriate."

His tone remained flat, "A month of confinement to reflect on my mistakes."

Qin Jiaxue's body went limp, and she choked out, "Yes, Father."

Finally, Qin Jiuchen added, "You two should know what you should and shouldn't do."

He paused, lightly tapping the armrest with his fingertip. "I don't want to repeat myself."

Qin Senyao froze, his inner shirt instantly soaked with cold sweat.

He dared not think too deeply and could only bury his head even lower, saying, "Yes, Your Majesty, I will follow your teachings."

Qin Jiaxue quickly replied, "Xue'er understands! I will always keep Father's teachings in mind."

Qin Jiuchen closed his eyes, unwilling to look at them any longer.

Qin Senyao and Qin Jiaxue hurriedly left the meditation room.

The room fell completely silent.

Yun Nian waited a moment before gently lifting the heavy bed curtains and stepping barefoot onto the cool floor.

She walked around the screen, then suddenly stopped in her tracks; Qin Jiuchen was still there.

He sat motionless in the armchair, his unfathomable eyes fixed on her, calm yet seemingly able to penetrate every hidden corner of her heart.

Yun Nian's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.

After a long while, Qin Jiuchen slowly stood up.

He walked straight to the door, his steps steady.

He paused slightly at the threshold, turned his head, and said in a low voice, "Go back by yourself."

Then, his figure disappeared into the night.

Yun Nian stood still and let out a soft breath.

The flickering candlelight swept across her face, illuminating a fleeting glimmer in her eyes, sharp and clear.

She quietly pushed open the door and disappeared into the direction of her courtyard.

Yun Nian returned to the meditation room.

Qiluo then came forward to greet her.

She pulled Yun Nian up and down, looking her over anxiously, and asked, "Miss, you're finally back. How did things go?"

Yun Nian did not answer immediately.

She walked to the table and sat down, feeling utterly exhausted.

He picked up the rough pottery teapot on the table, poured a large cup of tea, and tilted his head back to gulp it down.

The cool liquid slid down her throat, and she finally let out a long sigh of relief.

"It went fairly smoothly..."

She paused slightly, her brows furrowed, and the image of Qin Jiuchen's phoenix eyes, which seemed to see through everything, flashed through her mind, sending a chill down her spine.

"But... I underestimated my opponent after all."

Qin Jiuchen was even more troublesome than she had imagined; he truly lived up to his reputation as a powerful non-royal prince at the pinnacle of power in the Great Jin Dynasty.

The emperor's maternal uncle was granted the title of king by special privilege and wielded great power. How could he be someone to be trifled with?

"I could clearly see the scrutiny and suspicion in the way he looked at me just now."

Yun Nian analyzed the situation calmly.

She took a risky step today and wrote two notes.

A document imitating Qin Senyao's handwriting was deliberately placed in a conspicuous spot on the bedside table so that the rogue who had sneaked in would see it, leading him to Qin Jiuchen's room, and he was strictly ordered to burn it after reading it.

She deliberately stepped into the mud, leaving clear footprints, leading Qin Senyao, who was anxious to find something to use against her, to Qin Jiuchen's residence to "catch her in the act."

This allowed Qin Jiuchen to witness firsthand Qin Senyao's foolishness and his despicable desire to frame her.

This two-birds-with-one-stone strategy can be described as ingenious.

"But I underestimated him."

Yun Nian tapped her fingertips lightly on the table. "He must have already guessed that the scoundrel is inextricably linked to Qin Senyao and Qin Jiaxue."

These forty strokes of the cane are not only a punishment for Qin Senyao's recklessness and foolishness tonight, but also likely a punishment for his secret instigation of scoundrels and framing of others.

So, how much does Qin Jiuchen actually know about her, this seemingly innocent "victim" caught in the eye of the storm?