Chapter Four: Ziyuan, the Cold and Aloof Maid

Stepping out of the room and crossing the long, covered corridor, Ziyuan, dressed in a simple cyan gown, entered the grand hall. Her exquisite, refined face was devoid of expression, carrying a faint chill as she stared at the figures kneeling before her.

"How goes the investigation?"

Kneeling in the front row was a general clad in armor, his expression etched with fatigue. He was Lin Kong, commander of the Prince of Lin’s personal guard. He knelt on one knee, his voice low: "I am incompetent..."

As soon as these words were spoken, the temperature in the hall seemed to drop. Lin Kong’s body shuddered; he kept his head bowed, his face turning slightly pale. As the commander of the Prince of Lin’s personal guard, he was trembling before a mere maid. It was not just the aura of pressure she exuded, but the fact that this maid held a position of significant weight within the Prince of Lin’s estate. Even the Prince’s son, known for fearing nothing under the sun, had to show her a degree of deference.

"You found nothing?" Ziyuan’s cold eyes fell upon him like blades. "His Highness was ambushed three days ago. In three days, you have not found a single clue?"

Lin Kong trembled slightly and hurried to explain: "His Highness was protected by masters of the Dao-Seeking Realm during this trip, and accompanied by many guards; logically, it should have been foolproof. But the perpetrators clearly had a premeditated plan, lying in ambush along the route... Moreover, I examined the crime scene, and I fear they deployed masters of the Heavenly Profound Realm..."

At this, a sharp, icy glint flashed in Ziyuan’s eyes. A Heavenly Profound master?!

"Therefore, I suspect someone leaked His Highness’s itinerary. Following that lead, I have sent men to investigate everyone who came into contact with His Highness before his departure... I believe there will be results soon!"

After finishing, Lin Kong kept his head low, not daring to draw a full breath. The assassination attempt on the Prince’s son had shocked all of Linzhou! Who could have imagined that those people would dare to deploy a Heavenly Profound master to assassinate the Heir Apparent right under their noses? It was fortunate that the Heir was unharmed, otherwise... the Great Ning Dynasty would surely fall into chaos.

The Princess of Lin had passed away early, leaving the Prince with this single heir. If any harm had befallen him, given the Prince’s protective nature, it was impossible to imagine what he might do. Even though the Heir had returned safely, this incident was destined not to end quietly.

Since the moment three days ago when Lin Kong rescued the surviving Heir from a dilapidated temple outside Linjiang City, the Prince of Lin’s estate had known no peace. The estate’s elite masters had been dispatched en masse to hunt down those involved; the entire city of Linjiang had been turned upside down, leaving the common folk in a state of panic.

Ziyuan remained standing where she was. The cyan gown could not conceal her graceful figure; her slim waist was delicate, highlighting the perfect curves of a young woman. With her hands behind her back, her cold, beautiful face remained expressionless, her eyes filled with chilling frost. The ambush on the Heir had been beyond everyone’s expectations. They had assumed it was a simple excursion, never imagining it harbored such murderous intent!

A second-grade Heavenly Profound master? Ziyuan’s eyes grew cold; she had already reached a conclusion. In this world, there were few who could evade the eyes of the Prince of Lin’s estate to deploy such a master. Those with such capability were either the powers in the north of the Great Ning Dynasty, or those few within the imperial court in the capital. Naturally, one could not rule out the descendants of fallen kingdoms hiding in the shadows of the martial world.

Over the last decade, the Prince had made countless enemies. The list of those wanting him dead was endless, and plots against the Heir were equally frequent. But this time, it was more rampant than ever! And this time, it had touched the reverse scale of the Prince of Lin’s estate.

Ziyuan’s expression remained blank as she withdrew her icy gaze. Suddenly, as if recalling something, a flicker of strangeness appeared on her cold face. She cast a cold glance at Lin Kong and asked, "When you rescued His Highness, was there anything unusual about him?"

"Unusual?" Lin Kong, equally puzzled, said in a low voice: "I arrived at the temple a step too late. The guards surrounding His Highness had all been wiped out. Fortunately, I found His Highness hiding in a corner of the temple, having survived by luck, but he was already unconscious..."

Lin Kong recounted the circumstances of the rescue in full detail. After listening, Ziyuan was lost in thought for a moment before saying coldly, "I see. You may leave."

"Yes."

Once Lin Kong had departed, Ziyuan remained standing, hands behind her back, muttering to herself: "Unconscious? Everyone else dead?" She furrowed her brows slightly. The Heir she had seen in the room earlier had given her a strange feeling! But she couldn't put her finger on it. Her face was clouded with doubt. After a long period of contemplation, she arrived at no conclusion. Perhaps she was just overthinking. It was not surprising that the Heir, having narrowly escaped death and suffered such a trauma, would behave differently.

However, Ziyuan suddenly thought of something... The Heir had never addressed her by her name before, had he?

After a long pause, Ziyuan spoke: "Xiaozhu."

"I am here, mistress."

Inside the dimly lit room, Lin Jiangnian sat on the edge of the bed, his heart still racing. He stared at the closed door, his mind replaying the reaction of the maid called Ziyuan before she left. Had she sensed something?

Lin Jiangnian could not help but be sensitive; as an impostor, he was currently inside the Prince of Lin’s estate. Every step he took had to be careful. If he revealed any flaw and his identity was exposed, the consequences would be dire. He had sharply noticed Ziyuan’s hesitation.

Something wasn't right! Had she discovered something? But as Lin Jiangnian thought carefully, he couldn't recall any slip-ups in his behavior or words. Could it be... that this maid named Ziyuan was so familiar with the original Heir that a mere glance was enough for her to recognize he was a fake?

At this thought, Lin Jiangnian’s heart skipped a beat. It made sense; if the woman in red at the temple could quickly tell he was different from the true Heir, how could the maids in the Prince’s estate not notice? If that were the case, he was in extreme danger. If just a few glances and a simple conversation had made her suspicious, wouldn't more contact lead to his total exposure?

He had to find a way to escape!

He immediately rose from the bed, but halfway through, he stopped, sat back down, and sighed. He couldn't get away. Setting aside the fact that the estate was heavily guarded, he remembered that he had been poisoned. The woman in red at the temple had force-fed him a pill. He didn't know what it was, but he couldn't afford to gamble. Even if he escaped, he would die without the antidote.

This meant he had to stay and continue impersonating the Heir. Not only did he have to risk exposure at every turn, but he also lived with the constant fear that the poison might take his life at any moment.

Lin Jiangnian took a deep breath. This was truly a high-stakes game.