Chapter 23: The Harmless Princess of Beiyang vs. The Fratricidal Prince of Beiyang 23

"Madam Wen... please, stop..."

Wen Yurou, struggling against the drowsiness, sat up and rubbed her heavy eyes, calling out in annoyance, "Chunmei, what is going on?"

Hearing her call, Chunmei hurried inside to attend to her. The room fell into a relative quiet, but the voice of Madam Wen grew louder in the courtyard.

"Step aside..."

"Mother, it’s barely dawn. What are you making such a racket for?!"

A clear, sharp voice rang through the courtyard. Everyone looked toward the source of the sound, stunned. Wen Yurou strolled slowly out of the room, her face wearing an expression of languid indifference.

She walked over to Madam Wen and draped an arm around her mother's shoulders. "Mother, regarding my sister, the Prince is handling the matter impartially; it is not his place to interfere. Rest assured, if my sister is innocent, she will naturally come to no harm."

Having gathered the gist of the situation from Chunmei earlier, she understood perfectly well what Madam Wen had come for. Upon hearing these words, Madam Wen’s heart skipped a beat; she had not expected such a response.

"You..."

Madam Wen suddenly shoved her hand away and shouted, "She is your sister! She has been pampered and spoiled since she was a child. Now that she’s locked up in a place like that, how can you expect me to sit still?"

Wen Yurou stepped back, raising an eyebrow at her. "Then what would you have me do, Mother? Beg the Prince to set her free?"

"..."

Madam Wen’s face stiffened, and she remained silent.

"Mother, you should be well aware that the Prince is currently investigating a serious case. My sister is a prime suspect. If we were to intervene now, wouldn't that lead others to believe we have something to hide?" Seeing the sour look on the older woman's face, Wen Yurou continued, "Mother, don't worry. Once the investigation is over, my sister will naturally be able to return home."

Madam Wen felt a surge of frustration, yet she was helpless. If there were truly nothing to hide, she would have already begged for leniency; there would be no need to come to Wen Yurou.

"Are you truly so heartless as to let your sister suffer alone?" Madam Wen asked, her face contorting with grief.

Wen Yurou sneered inwardly. *There it is again—the performance of misery.* Truly, they were two of a kind. The original owner of this body must have been born into the wrong family. However, with 027 by her side, she wasn't worried about their schemes; she would know them in advance.

"Mother, about my sister..."

Before she could finish, Madam Wen let out a heavy sigh, sounding defeated. "Forget it. I shouldn't have come to you. You’ve never been able to stand her success since you were children. I suppose you’re secretly rejoicing now, wishing she would just die in the Inspection Bureau!"

Wen Yurou was speechless and chose not to respond.

"You are just like that person—malicious and unable to bear seeing others do well. It is a pity that she died at my hands long ago. Do not follow in her footsteps!"

What did Madam Wen mean by that?

She didn't fully grasp the meaning. Who was this "person" she referred to?

Madam Wen did not linger, flicking her sleeves in a huff and turning to leave. As she watched her mother depart, Wen Yurou returned to her room. Chunmei entered carrying a basin, neatly folding a towel and placing it on top.

"Your Highness, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Is the Second Young Master truly dead?"

Chunmei nodded. "Yes, and it happened on his wedding night. The Marquis’s manor is currently busy handling the funeral arrangements."

Wen Yurou furrowed her brows. "Why would Wen Ruowei kill him? She had already married him."

"Who can say?" Chunmei replied.

Dead on the wedding night? It did sound like something Wen Ruowei would do, given how desperately she had resisted marrying Liu Wenyu.

In her mind, 027 suddenly spoke up: "Host, when Madam Wen was here, did you notice anything strange?"

"I..." She frowned, straining to recall. "Who was that person she mentioned?"

"There is no record of it in the files. You will need to investigate it yourself, Host. This matter seems connected to Xiao Zexuan's revenge."

"I have to investigate it myself?" Wen Yurou was incredulous. She waited a long time for 027 to respond, but it said nothing more. *Unbelievable,* she thought. It gives a hint and then goes offline without providing any leads.

"Your Highness?"

Chunmei called out softly from the side, holding a golden hair ornament that looked rather aged. "How about wearing this today?"

"How is the breakfast coming along? Go prepare the meal; I can put this on myself."

Wen Yurou reached out and took the ornament. Chunmei acknowledged the command and withdrew. Wen Yurou looked down at the piece in her hand. The tail of the ornament featured two small white plum blossoms with a few green leaves; at first glance, it looked like plum blossoms, but it could also pass for peach blossoms.

By modern standards, such jewelry would be considered vintage, but in the context of the original owner's life, it was quite a precious item. It was a possession of the original owner, and holding it, she felt a strange sense of familiarity.

A flood of memories rushed into her mind, and Wen Yurou’s breathing grew shallow. This was known as the Red Plum Pin. It was a dowry gift given by an old man to a woman when she was married off. Someone had spent a long time searching for this item but never found it, which was how it ended up in the original owner's possession.

Someone had been looking for this? Who? Was it... Wen Ruowei? And why would she be looking for it?

Suddenly struck by a thought, Wen Yurou walked to the wardrobe, opened the door, and rummaged through to find a small box. She carefully placed the Red Plum Pin inside. She had to keep it safe; losing it felt like a terrible mistake. The item gave her an impression of great importance.

"Your Highness..."

She looked up; Chunmei's voice came from outside.

"What is it?"

"Your Highness, breakfast is ready."

Wen Yurou nodded. "I understand."

When she arrived in the main hall, she found that Xiao Zexuan had already returned and was seated, eating.

"Yurou..."

Seeing her enter, Xiao Zexuan immediately stood up, pulled back the chair beside him, and signaled for her to sit. Wen Yurou did not refuse and walked over. Xiao Zexuan looked exhausted; he reached out and took her hand as she sat down. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"It was fine..." Wen Yurou replied perfunctorily. She wanted him to let go, but he held her hand tightly, refusing to release it. The others in the room, seeing this, lowered their heads and silently retreated.

Wen Yurou felt a sense of helplessness. Why was he acting like a child? Ever since that day, he would never let her go until well past midnight, and sometimes even...

Xiao Zexuan reached out, picked up a bowl of porridge, and placed it in front of her. "Your mother came by. Did she give you a hard time?"

Wen Yurou took the bowl and nodded. "She’s gone now."

"Your sister..." He paused, then added, "If they come looking for you again over the next few days, it would be best if you did not see them..."

"Why..." Wen Yurou began, then stopped herself. "Very well."

Xiao Zexuan watched her for a few seconds. Seeing that she was focused on her porridge and did not look up, he said nothing more and picked up his spoon to eat.