"Useless—all of you!!"
The mysterious man roared like a thunder and his voiced echoed in the four corner of the dark room.
He wore a black hooded cape and sat down in the darkness, the light in the room was dim and barely visible.
His men jerked and startled, nervous whispered were exchanged amongst them.
"All of you can't even killed one rat—"
He yelled at them.
"What a bunch of useless!"
"We should not underestimate him Master—he had some tricks up in his sleeves!"
"Tricks? Then, what about you— aren't you all afraid that I'm going to kill all of you, instead?!"
The mysterious man bang his fist in the chair out of his anger.
"But we—"
One of his men stuttered.
"What— I don't have patience to listened to whatever nonsense you're all going to say, you better speak it clearly!"
He warned them.
"We managed to—to scratched him!"
One of his men said with uncertainty in his voice.
"I don't think he'll survived with it!"
"Good!"
The mysterious man stood up from the chair.
"If he's still alive, all of you will never see the sun again!"
All of his men were astonished. He leaves them behind as he might going to kill all of them out of his anger.
"Useless—useless!!"
When the mysterious man arrived at the palace, he immediately changed his clothings and went somewhere to meet someone.
"You're late!"
There was a trace of annoyance in the woman's voice.
"I was hold up with something!"
She snort. "Hold up with something?"
Her voice was rather sardonic.
"I'm not in the mood to argue with you—"
"Not in the mood?"
she asked imperiously.
"How dare you mess up with my plan?"
"You're the one who mess up my plan, Lady Yue!"
He yelled back.
"Don't forget that I warned you not to touched her!"
She chuckled. "Not to touched her? should I supposed to remind you Prince Zhang—about our deal?"
"Disposing her won't be too late if—"
"Fine—whatever happened to your damn plan, don't ever forgets that I reminded you!!"
She said furiously.
"What are we going to do now?"
He asked her after a long silence that comes between them.
"Why you're asking me? I thought you had some great plans?"
she asked sarcastically.
"I'm out in the corner—"
he said softly while hugging her.
"I miss you!"
She smirked. What a liar! Lady Yue almost yelled at him but controlled herself instead.
She clenched her hands tightly and curse him in her head over and over again. No matter how useless he is, she still need him for her plan. She suddenly change her expression and smiled at him.
"What is the situation, then?"
"My men informed me that my stupid brother was badly injured!"
"Who else knew that the Crown Prince sneaked outside to play?"
"Only His Majesty!"
She snorts.
"Then why don't you steer some troubles and use those useless old geezers?"
She rolled her eyes.
"Tomorrow is the best time for you to do that. Calculating the time, he won't arrived tonight. Unless all your men were all liars!"
Like you! Again she almost muttered.
"They said he was badly injured. Even if he grew wings overnight—"
"Demand the Crown Prince's presence tomorrow in the court!"
She said ignoring him.
"Just don't make it obvious. Put his Majesty into dilemma, I'm sure he could not keep this as a secret forever."
"Then?"
"If the Crown Prince will not show himself tomorrow then, those old geezers that always goes against him will going to question his credibility!"
"Good! they'll going to blame His Majesty for choosing an incompetent heir apparent!"
Prince Zhang laughed wickedly but he doesn't knew that his plan will about to be doomed.
Lady Yue turn her back and smirked.
"I'm going to hold you in the gasp of my hand, and I will personally disposed you when time comes!"
she said to herself and laughed silently.
Later that night, after her secret meeting with Prince Zhang, Lady Yue went directly to meet her father.
"Greetings, Father!"
She bent a little and give her father a proper courtesy.
"Its late—why you're here?"
Her father furrowed his brows as soon as he saw her.
"I haven't seen you for a while, you've been so busy lately!"
His expression soften when he realized that his daughter seems to be reprimanding him.
"I been hold up with something lately in the palace!"
There was a trace of apology in his voice.
"Is it about the Crown Prince—"
His father suddenly glared at her.
"We're not supposed to discussed something like that—"
He look at her suspiciously.
"If you want to tell me something— tell it straight!"
"Fine! I went into the palace today and I heard that the Crown Prince went outside and happened to be injured—"
"That's absurb!"
Duke Yan shut his daughter with an imperious look.
"Go back to your room. I will let this things off this time and I'll pretend you never say those—"
"Fine! then I will tell my little sister—she has a right to know!"
"Don't be ridiculous!"
This time duke Yan was already yelling at her.
"You're sister is in the palace, the Crown Prince had summoned her since yesterday!"
Lady Yue was flushed. That is why her father was not surprised at all, she'd been tricked by that stupid Prince!!
Since yesterday? How it happened? Why no one, told her about it?
She clenched her hands tightly.
"What a bunch of useless, that— that idiotic prince!!"
She thought angrily. She just realized how Prince Zhang made her stupid!
As soon as his eldest daughter left his study room. Duke Yan was astonished as of how on earth did she managed to know something as confidential like that?
He wrote something in the piece of paper.
She had probably some connection in the palace! But who?
Duke Yan thought and sighed. He'd been away almost everyday and neglect his duty as a patriarch.
He lied to her about the whereabout of his younger daughter. She wasn't actually summoned by his highness.
Ye'er sneaked outside and later it had known to him that she went to find the Crown Prince together with Prince Yu, As the latter was badly injured.
As of how his eldest daughter knows that secret, is giving him quite a headache.
"Master!"
Someone suddenly appeared behind him. He wore a black hooded cape and a masked. No one had ever seen the face of that man except Duke Yan.
"I think you heard everything!"
He asked though he already knew the answered.
"From now on send someone to keep an eye to my eldest daughter— everything she had done whom did she meet, where and when!!"
"Yes!"
He rolled the tiny piece of paper and give it to the man.
"Send it, as soon as possible!"
"Also—from now on, secretly followed Ye'er, I had a feelings that she's always in danger!"
The mysterious man, did not answered.
"Don't worry about me— I'm maybe old but I can still protect myself.!"
"Yes!"
When the mysterious man disappeared thats the only time he felt at ease.
While Lady Yue was rampaging in her quarter. All her maids were kneeling on the floor and shivering in fear.
"How dare that stupid prince dared to trick me?"
She raised her whip and whipped randomly. She doesn't care who she'd hurt, she was too angry and need someone to pissed on.
"What happened to you?"
Her mother suddenly appeared and shout at her angrily.
"How would a high born Lady act in such manner?!"
"Mother!" Her whip stop in mid air.
Concubine Xian wave all the maids, out.
"Acting like this will make your father suspect you!!"
she said irritatedly.
"Where did your brain goes? Don't waste all our efforts just because of this irrelivant things!"
She felt into silence.
"We been planning this for a long time— you better get back on your senses, don't ruin our plans!"
Concubine Xian give her daughter a final glare before leaving her, stunned. When Lady Yue was left alone, she cried all her anger and frustration out, silently!
She blame everything that happened in her life, to Ye'er and she hated her even more!
After she calm down she realized that something is off with what her father had said earlier.