“`

“At the moment when Qi was restricted, the Bureau of the Lamp’s ability to conceal their bodies was rendered useless. If there had been any people from the Bureau of the Lamp in the Central Loft just now, they should have been spotted already,”

“Could it be that someone anticipated the black-robed person’s move and warned the Bureau of the Lamp in advance?”

“Who could it be…”

The crowd murmured to themselves, confused for a moment.

At the same time, they did not see the figures of the heads of the two major Martial Academies in the projected images.

With Qi restrained at the moment, the heads of the two major Martial Academies, although not much stronger than ordinary martial artists, could at least have a stabilizing effect on one’s mind.

Even if the black-robed person were able to manipulate Qi and had great strength, they could only face nearly a hundred people at most.

Yet there were nearly two to three thousand students and officials from the Martial Academy combined.

Even if it meant using corpses to fill the gaps, they could bury all of these black-robed people right here.

But…

In such a situation, neither Qiu Zhiman nor Li Qingye revealed themselves.

Where were they?

Many officials, puzzled for the moment, could only brace themselves, forcibly calming down to continue watching the projected images with patience.

Soon, silence returned to the great hall.

Everyone knew that the black-robed people would not rest until they were finished.

After sweeping the Central Loft clean, they would definitely spread out and seek the remaining students on Crane-Crying Island.

With the black-robed people’s absolute advantage in using Qi, no one could face them alone and kill them.

A group beating might work.

But…

If any students or officials from the Martial Academy were killed to the point of terror, they might be too frightened to resist, or perhaps too powerless to fight back.

At this moment…

It was not only the great hall of the Great Zhou Imperial Palace that was silent.

All those paying attention to the martial contest between Great Zhou and Great Wei had their hearts lifted with anxiety.

And within Duke Zhen’s Mansion…

Yuemei of the Wu Family was still in the courtyard, holding a needle and thread, gracefully embroidering a brocade handkerchief with a few delicate lines of script.

“A gift for my future daughter-in-law, Yanqiu.”

Wu Yuemei was embroidering a brocade handkerchief for Qin Yanqiu who was betrothed but not yet married into the family, as the first gift from a future mother-in-law.

More valuable gifts had been given before.

But Yanqiu, the girl, had returned them all.

Even common household items were met with repeated refusals.

The child seemed to prefer swords and spears.

The exotic beast and weapons Wu Yuemei had given her, however, were much appreciated.

Wu Yuemei was afraid that after Qin Yanqiu married into the family, she might continue to favor the cold steel of weapons and neglect her own Guanger, so she wanted to instill some feminine qualities in Qin Yanqiu.

That’s why she decided to prepare this brocade handkerchief for her.

So she was carefully stitching, one needle, one thread at a time.

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside the door.

“Madam, it’s terrible, something terrible has happened.”

As the voice fell,

a figure rushed in, frantic and staggering, shattering the peace of the small courtyard.

Few petals fell from the cold plum and willow trees.

Wu Yuemei’s eyebrows slightly furrowed as she looked up at the newcomer.

The person was none other than her personal maid, Mrs. Xue.

“What’s wrong, don’t panic, take your time and explain,”

Wu Yuemei said, seeing the panic-stricken Mrs. Xue and shaking her head with a smile. She picked up a cup of tea from the table nearby and handed it to her.

“Here, have some tea.”

But Mrs. Xue had no desire to drink tea at the moment and gently pushed away the tea that Wu Yuemei offered.

Mrs. Xue had grown up with Wu Yuemei.

In name a servant,

but in reality, as close as sisters.

They had a very good relationship and didn’t need to mind such details.

Mrs. Xue’s expression was torn, unsure whether she should tell Wu Yuemei about the Princely Heir’s accident.

The moment she learned of the incident on Crane-Crying Island, without much thought, she had rushed back to inform Wu Yuemei.

But now, with the words on her lips,

she was almost unable to speak because she knew that Madam cherished the Princely Heir the most.

Even a simple cold that the Princely Heir caught would keep Madam worried all night, and she would get up to check on him, caressing his forehead to see how he was doing.

If Madam learned that not only had the Princely Heir been in an accident this time, but there was also a possibility that it was life-threatening, to the point that he might not be able to come back at all,

Mrs. Xue found it hard to speak.

“Madam, I… better not say it,”

Mrs. Xue said, biting her lip, her face filled with reluctance.

However, at this point, Wu Yuemei was not going to let Mrs. Xue leave so easily.

Mrs. Xue’s words had already caught Wu Yuemei’s attention.

How could she be satisfied with half a story?

She had to hear the rest.

Wu Yuemei grabbed Mrs. Xue’s hand, her beautiful eyes slightly widened, and her mouth puffed up slightly.

That was the expression Wu Yuemei and Mrs. Xue used to make when they had disagreements as children.

It was only in intimate moments with her or when they were close that Wu Yuemei would reveal such a girlish demeanor.

“Say it quickly.”

Wu Yuemei urged.

She did not believe anything major could have happened.

Mrs. Xue occasionally overreacted like this.

Mrs. Xue took a deep breath, knowing she wouldn’t be let go without speaking, and her eyes clenched tightly as she spilled everything she knew.

In fact…

From the moment Mrs. Xue uttered the words, “The Princely Heir is in trouble!”

Wu Yuemei was already stunned.

Her mind went blank.

Her expression became slightly dazed.

Her beautiful face lost all its color.

Mrs. Xue said a lot after that, but Wu Yuemei was no longer listening.