Nine out of ten gamblers lose; I've run into a jerk!

Chapter 61 The fickleness of human relationships and the coldness of human nature

"bang bang bang-"

Fang Fan pounded on the door, shouting, "Open the door and let me out!"

Outside the door, Madam Zheng earnestly advised, "The Duke of Yu is still at the border. The war situation is unclear, and His Majesty cannot punish those who change generals on the spot. However, he sent the Duke of Liang, who has always been at odds with the Duke of Yu, to provide assistance... The Yu family is likely to face great disaster. It would be best if we avoided suspicion."

"My cousin and I are getting married, everyone knows about it. How can I avoid any appearance of impropriety?"

“If Yu can overcome this calamity, your mother will personally take you to apologize. If not…” Madam Zheng gritted her teeth and made a firm decision, “then we will have no choice but to annul this marriage!”

Fang Fan was shocked and immediately lost all strength. He leaned against the door and did not argue with Zheng about their treacherous behavior.

Even if he was completely ignorant of worldly affairs, he knew that aristocratic families were driven by self-interest and would abandon even their own family members if absolutely necessary. What did breaking off an engagement matter?

My cousin must be terrified right now. No, he has to find a way to get out of here, otherwise she'll be so upset.

Fang Fan roused himself and paced back and forth in the room, thinking about how to get out.

Meanwhile, in a private room of the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment district), the courtesan was whimpering. Behind the screen, the guard Yun Hou Ning Cuo sat upright, dressed impeccably, watching the young man opposite him with a leisurely air.

"What is the purpose of this whole charade, Prince Liang?"

This person was none other than Liang Yan, the heir apparent of the Duke of Liang.

"Let's not beat around the bush. We hope that Marquis Wei Yun will remain on the sidelines this time."

Ning Cuo toyed with his wine glass. "You know, I am only loyal to His Majesty."

The Crown Prince and the Second Prince were engaged in a power struggle, with the Duke of Yu being the leader of the Crown Prince's faction, the Duke of Liang being a key figure in the Second Prince's faction, and the Marquis of Weiyun being a staunch supporter of the imperial guard, remaining neutral on both sides.

“Of course,” Liang Yan said with a smile. “Your Excellency can do as always. This time, you only need to observe from the sidelines, just like the Duke of Yu back then.”

"Snap—" The blanket shattered.

Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Liang Yan curled up the corners of his mouth and continued, "Back then, Duke Yu delayed reinforcements to preserve his troops, which led to your father's death from exhaustion on the battlefield. Duke Yu even reaped the fruits of your father's victory and promoted him, causing the Marquis to almost lose his hereditary title."

Ning Cuo's expression was gloomy, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

"Young Master Liang, please go back. I will pretend I heard nothing today."

“Of course,” a wise man doesn’t need to spell it out, “I just happened to run into you, Lord Marquis, today while I was out having fun.”

Knowing that the matter was settled, Liang Yan got up to take his leave.

Ning Cuo stared at the shattered wine glass, his eyes darkening, thinking of his father.

From a young age, Madam Qiao was very cold to him, almost ignoring him completely. His father, on the other hand, loved him dearly, but unfortunately, he was away from home for many years. When Ning Cuo was young, he longed for his father to come home. When his father returned, he would take him horseback riding and teach him swordsmanship. The short reunion each year was one of the few warm moments he had.

At the age of fifteen, he received the devastating news of his father's death in battle. The person who loved him most in the world was gone. His deputy told him that Duke Yu had deliberately used the Ning family army to wear down the enemy, causing his father's death. However, Duke Yu was at the height of his power in pacifying the southern border and had done things cleanly. In addition, the battlefield was ever-changing, and even Uncle Nie was unable to seek justice for his father.

If Yushan hadn't been so petty and caused his father's death, his situation back then wouldn't have been so difficult. If his father had lived, many of the tragedies that followed wouldn't have happened.

Those who commit many evil deeds will surely perish. Yushan, you deserve your punishment!

South City —

The military report arrived yesterday, but no one sent a message to Yu Jue. She was distributing porridge in the bamboo shed as usual, but she felt inexplicably flustered and kept looking around, wondering why Yu An hadn't come yet.

In the afternoon, on her way back, she was stopped by a car.

The newcomer, wearing a bamboo hat and acting suspiciously, prompted Yu Jue to frown. "Who are you?"

"Lady Jue, it's me."

"Mo Shu?" Yu Jue recognized the voice of Fang Fan's servant and immediately had a bad feeling. He asked, "Why are you dressed like this? Where is Yu An?"

Mo Shu leaned closer to the car window and said in a low voice, "My lord has been locked up, and I only managed to sneak out with great difficulty."

Mo Shu told Yu Jue the news that Fang Xiangguo had brought back, and finally said, "My lord told you to make plans as soon as possible, and asked you to trust him. He said he would never betray you in this life."

Yu Jue remained silent for a long time before saying, "I already know. Go back and tell Yu An... Never mind, we'll talk about it another day."

Mo Shu could guess what was left unsaid, sighed inwardly, bowed respectfully to Yu Jue, and hurried back to the Fang residence.

The carriage moved slowly, and Yu Jue sat in the carriage, her knuckles clenched so tightly they turned white.

Such a big thing happened, yet she didn't receive a single piece of news; not a single official who was on good terms with Yu Guo reported it.

"Heh~"

Yu Jue gave a bitter smile. Even her uncle was eager to sever ties with her, so how could she expect anything from casual acquaintances? The world is so cold and heartless.

Yu Jue tried her best to calm herself down. Even her uncle, the prime minister, dared not provoke her, which showed how serious the matter was.

Since the palace had not made any announcement and the decree of punishment had not yet been issued, she pretended not to know anything about it and continued to act as before. She would go to the South City to distribute porridge as usual the next day, but there were some things that needed to be planned in advance.

Back at Green Jade Courtyard, Yu Jue summoned Granny Yan for a private talk. Granny Yan was Fang Wan's dowry maid and had watched Yu Jue and his sister grow up since they were little, treating them like her own grandchildren.

The Yan family had long been freed from slavery and were doing small business in the city. They should have been enjoying their retirement at home with maids to serve them, but because they were worried about Yu Jue and his sister, they continued to stay at the Duke's mansion with them.

Yu Jue trusted Granny Yan's family very much, and handed them a box of silver coins.

"Granny, could you please ask Uncle Lin to buy a house in the city, and put the deed in your name?"

Granny Yan took it, her brows furrowed with worry: "Young lady, has things really come to this?"

Yu Jue sighed, "His Majesty is by nature suspicious, harsh, and ungrateful. If the Yu family is no longer useful, they will only become pawns in the game. Let's prepare for the worst."

Granny Yan sighed inwardly and asked, "Does the young lady have any requirements for the house?"

Yu Jue pondered for a moment and said, "It should be a bit old and worn, but it needs to be safe, preferably close to the Imperial City Guard."

Granny Yan nodded, asked no more questions, and immediately set about handling the matter.

"I hope it's unnecessary," Yu Jue murmured, looking out the window.

Yudu Post Station

Shen Qing sighed softly. He had originally planned to go to Nancheng today to help Yu Jue do a good deed, but Shen Che stopped him. He understood the principle of self-preservation, but he felt uneasy. Yesterday he was still calling her "cousin" all the time, but today he was drawing a line. It was really too heartless.

Shen Che was also very worried. After Shen Yun's explanation, everyone knew that the Second Prince's intentions were obvious. He was afraid that the Second Prince would skip the steps of becoming the Crown Prince and launch a coup directly, just like Emperor Yu.

There's no need to specifically target them; once the chaos erupts, they'll inevitably suffer collateral damage.

After listening to Shen Che's analysis, he realized that the twin swords in Shen Qing's hands could no longer give him enough sense of security.

"If only I had soldiers," Shen Qingru thought.