Shocking! The actress was dragged to the regent's bedchamber every night.

The man's gaze fell on her face, and he pressed his thumb against her chin, gently rubbing it.

"Didn't Manager Liu handle things quite well last time? Didn't he say he had powerful backers? Won't he use that this time?"

After Yu Chen's "lecture," she was momentarily at a loss for words.

He turned his head and glanced at Shen Yi'er.

Shen Yi'er was kneeling on the ground, her hair disheveled, her face covered in tears and ashes.

Blood beads clung to the corner of his mouth from his cut lip.

She looked so pitiful; anyone who saw her would feel that she had suffered a great injustice.

Yu Chen turned around and looked down at Shen Yi'er.

Shen Yier raised her head, her eyes moist, her lips trembling as if she wanted to say something but dared not.

Yu Chen spoke slowly, "Do you know what happened to the women who were sent to the manor in the past?"

Shen Yi'er's face turned pale instantly.

Her mouth opened, a few broken words escaped her throat, and she swallowed them back down.

He lowered his head, his forehead almost touching the ground.

The smile on Gu Mingyuan's face vanished completely.

His gaze shifted from Shen Yi'er to Yu Chen's face.

Yu Chen was also looking at him.

That gaze was faint, as faint as the thin ice on a river in winter.

But below lies unfathomable deep water.

Gu Mingyuan's Adam's apple bobbed nervously.

Just now, he thought this was a good opportunity.

She thought Yu Chen would be angry, and she thought she would see Su Wuli fall out of favor.

They thought they had finally gotten their hands on the Regent's Palace.

Unexpectedly, before Shen Yi'er could even touch the wall, her finger was broken.

"You dare present a counterfeit to me?" Yu Chen said coldly, looking at him. "Haven't I killed anyone in too long? Does that make me seem merciful?"

Yu Chen looked at the face that resembled Su Wuli with displeasure, feeling only disgust.

Anyone who dares to impersonate her must have a death wish.

The wind blows, swirling up the fallen leaves under the eaves and then letting them fall again.

Gu Mingyuan's breath seemed to stop for a moment.

His hands, hanging by his sides, slowly clenched and unclenched inside his sleeves.

After Yu Chen finished speaking, he looked away from Gu Mingyuan.

It landed on Shen Yi'er's face.

The wind under the eaves stopped, and the leaves on the trees also stopped moving.

His cold gaze was fixed on her tear-streaked face.

Shen Yi'er couldn't help but shudder.

Those eyes were like a freshly sharpened blade; their chill penetrated even before they touched the skin.

"Come here," Yu Chen said slowly.

As soon as she finished speaking, Shen Yi'er's still-tingling nerves paused, and then gradually relaxed.

The surprise came too suddenly.

Her eyes lit up immediately, and she quickly got up from the ground.

She braced herself with her hands on the ground, and her knees hit the ground with a dull thud, but she didn't care about the pain.

She quickly bent down to straighten her clothes, hiding the torn cuff under her wrist, and tucking her disheveled hair behind her ears.

She took two steps forward, then suddenly remembered that she should slow down.

Their pace slowed, and their steps became smaller.

Her waist began to twist.

She stood in front of the man and looked up at him.

She was biting her lip, looking pitiful.

Shadow Falcon stepped out from behind Yu Chen. Before Shen Yi'er could react, Shadow Falcon's hand was already on her shoulder.

With a flick of his palm against her shoulder blade, he sent her flying.

The skirt spread out in mid-air and splashed into the pool.

The pool water is not deep, but the silt is thick.

Shen Yi'er emerged from the water, with withered leaves clinging to her hair.

His face was covered in black mud, and he was spitting water out of his mouth.

Her hands were frantically grabbing at the lotus stems in the pond, but they snapped the next second.

The pool walls were slippery, and her fingernails couldn't grip them and slipped down again.

Shen Yi'er choked on water and struggled, instinctively shouting for help.

Yu Chen glanced at it and then ignored it.

He turned to look at Su Wuli, "You've learned it?"

Shen Yi'er was still splashing around in the pool, popping up in the water and then sinking back down.

Su Wuli paused for a moment, then realized what she meant and could only nod.

They clicked very quickly, as if they were afraid of being called out if they were too slow.

"I've learned it."

After he finished speaking, Yu Chen's expression softened slightly. "Very good."

Chuhe knelt on the ground, her mouth agape in astonishment.

They naturally knew that the prince was no kind person, but knowing it was one thing and seeing it with their own eyes was another.

Those women who were supposedly sent to the Prince's mansion and then disappeared—no one dared to ask about their fate.

At this moment, it all materializes into the image of Shen Yi'er splashing around in the icy pool.

Gu Mingyuan's expression was beyond just ugly.

Every splash of water that Shen Yi'er made in the pool felt like a slap across his face.

He stood there, unsure whether to advance or retreat, his previous composure completely shattered by cold sweat.

Yu Chen turned his head and looked at him. His gaze was indifferent, but the upward curve of his lips made Gu Mingyuan feel as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his feet.

"Lord Gu."

Gu Mingyuan's legs were already weak, but he had no choice but to take a step forward.

Every step toward Yu Chen was exceptionally difficult and heavy.

Gu Mingyuan finally stopped, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down several times.

He wanted to say something, but his lips trembled and he couldn't utter a single complete word.

"Go stand over there." Yu Chen gestured with his chin toward the edge of the pavilion.

Gu Mingyuan looked at the edge of the lotus pond that he was pointing to.

The pond water was murky, and withered lotus leaves and broken branches lay scattered haphazardly on the surface.

Shen Yi'er was still in the water, and her lips had turned blue from the cold water.

Gu Mingyuan closed his eyes and moved step by step toward the edge of the pavilion.

His boot toes pressed against the edge of the stone slab, and he stood there, his back stiff.

The wind blew across the pond, carrying the fishy smell of silt.

Yu Chen didn't kick him, or even glance at him.

"I have already shown mercy by letting you say too much today."

His voice was slow and deliberate, yet carried a warning: "Go down and sober up. Think about what you should say and who you should send away in the future."

Gu Mingyuan stood on the edge of the pavilion, his shoes rubbing against the edge twice.

Pebbles rolled down from my feet and fell into the water with a splash.

He closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and leaned forward, plunging into the pool.

The water splashed more than twice as high as it had just been for Shen Yi'er.

Shen Yi'er was knocked to the side by his blow, and her hand flailing wildly in the water hit his shoulder.

He groaned, then coughed up a mouthful of muddy water, his cough sounding like it was tearing his lungs out.

He was once impeccably dressed, but now he was soaked to the bone, his hair disheveled, and he looked utterly disheveled.

Yu Chen stood in the pavilion, looking down at the two people in the pond.

"Shadow Falcon." He turned his head.

Shadow Falcon stepped forward, bowed its head, and obeyed.

"Watch them, don't let them dirty the pool."

After saying that, he turned around, walked up to Su Wuli, and took her hand.

Su Wuli was still reeling from the series of unexpected events that had just transpired.

Yu Chen looked down at her hand and rubbed his fingertips against the back of her hand.

He then pulled her outside.

As she passed by the lotus pond, she couldn't help but turn her head to take a look.

Gu Mingyuan was able to barely maintain his balance while standing in the mud.

Her hair ornament was askew, and her hair fell down and clung to her face.

The hem of the court robe was soaked in water, looking like a drenched rag.

Su Wuli turned her gaze back and followed Yu Chen's steps.