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Inside the Fourth Prince\'s residence.

"Alright." Yu Fangzhu sigh. "I got it. You may return to your post." He told the man kneeling before him.

The man nodded his head and stood up.. He turned around and walked out of the door silently. He could tell that the prince was tired because of the events that have been going around the empire.

The failed assassination last night also seemed to bother the prince and got him so annoyed that he smashed the teacup in his hand.

Without adding so much thought on what his next mission will be, the man decided to go to the kitchen and asked for some food to snack on before returning to his post.

Inside the library, Yu Fangzhu watched the man leave and plopped himself into the seat behind him.

A sigh continued to leave his lips as he messed up his hair. Last night\'s assassination was only a test. A test he conducted to know how much the fearsome young Duke cared for his bride.

The news that the Duke of Xin took his soon-to-be wife to his home even before the wedding has already crept like snow across the capital. However, the name of the young lady remained undisclosed to many others but the few people who investigated the details of this arrangement.

Apparently, Duke Qu Xing Xu not only did he took a personal visit to the Lin residence. He also asked for the hand of this Lin young miss.

At first, Yu Fangzhu thought that the duke chose one among the three outstanding misses from the Lin family. But he far exceeded his expectations. Duke Qu Xing Xu picked the young lady who became the joke in the empire three years ago.

He heard that this Lin Xiaofei locked herself up for three years and decided to appear only until recently. Now thinking about, he saw her at the banquet. She was the one wearing the black dress that looked like a thorn placed in a bed of daffodils. She stuck like an eyesore in a sea inside a beautiful painting.

And yet, he also couldn\'t deny her unworldly beauty. Perhaps, it was because of her face that made his father, Emperor Yun, spared her from punishment for wearing a black dress in a pleasant banquet.

Seeing her beautiful face flashing through his vision, Yu Fangzhu couldn\'t help but remember a certain concubine who also possessed an unworldly beauty.

It was Xiaofei. Qu Xing Xu\'s bride even had the same name as her. That concubine who died a few months ago also possessed an unparalleled beauty and intelligence that even he couldn\'t resist being charmed by her. He almost fell for her if not for the fact that she was a vicious woman and a thorn in his side.

She always helped him in his path to greatness but maybe because of that, his admiration for her turned to hatred.

They were never meant to be together. He tortured her for answers but he also enjoyed hearing her screams. In the end, her corpse was now rotting in the unmarked grave.

Sighing again, Yu Fangzhu pulled out a handkerchief from the inside of his robe. He wiped away the blood that dripped down from his hand to the desk before him.

The stress of handling the matters of the recent explosion that cost him the Tianli cave and meeting the Chu empire\'s envoy seemed to take a toll on him. He looked haggard and pale.

Trouble seemed to pile up before him. He lost the cave. Faded his father\'s rath and embarrassed himself before the Chu empire\'s envoy. The child he was looking for was also nowhere to be found.

And now, Qu Xing Xu\'s upcoming wedding seemed to annoyed him so much. He hated the duke ever since he was young. He envied him for being so successful both at the inner court and outside the borders.

His envy and wish for the duke to never acquire happiness were also one of the reasons why he tried to assassinate Lin Xiaofei. A foolish move he did to spite the duke. Qu Xing Xu might have already found out that he did it and might be thinking of a way to make him pay.

But maybe it was worth the risk. Yu Fangzhu finally found a potential weakness from the duke\'s impenetrable walls. If he did it right once more, he might bring down the arrogant duke by using Lin Xiaofei.

A wicked smile graced his lips before he flinched from the grip he had put on his bleeding hand.

"Your highness, may I come in?" The voice of his attendant entered his ears.

"Come in, Tan Feng." Yu Fangzhu said.

The door to his library opened and an elderly man entered. He was wearing a brown uniform and sporting a beard around his chin.

He was the attendant looking after the inner courtyard where his numerous concubines lived. Tan Feng sees through the needs of the concubines and also the guests who had come for a visit to the residence.

Tan Feng walked inside and bowed, "I apologize for the sudden visit, Your Highness. I\'m here to give you this." He saw the man who had just left the library and knew that Yu Fangzhu was busy but the parchment in his hand also looked like it was extremely important and that\'s why he dared to come there.

"Who sent it?" Yu Fangzhu lazily threw the handkerchief to the ground in his side and looked at the parchment.

"I heard from the guard at the front gate that it was from the Duke of Xin\'s residence." Tan Feng said and stared at the prince before he continued, "I didn\'t read it so your highness could do it instead."

Yu Fangzhu nodded his head. He was satisfied at the attendant\'s action and reached for the parchment. He untied and unrolled it. His eyes read the words written in it before his hands paused.

"Your highness?" Tan Feng called out as he saw the anxious expression that Yu Fangzhu was having on his face.

Blinking his eyes, Yu Fangzhu read the words written in the parchment once again and cleared his throat.

"Make preparations for tomorrow! The Duke\'s bride plans to visit the residence." Yu Fangzhu told the attendant before tightening his mouth.

He wasn\'t sure whether this was Qu Xing Xu\'s ploy to get him but refusing the visit would make people feel suspicious of him. He also didn\'t want to appear afraid of Qu Xing Xu just because he was sending his bride to him for a visit.

And another thing…

Was Qu Xing Xu courting death for his bride? Sending her to the person who sent the assassins in her way. Doesn\'t this look too dangerous and doubtful of his intentions?

Sadly, the answer to his questions remained unanswered as his query was also aimed at the wrong person.