Even women who travel through time can become prime ministers and nobles.

Chapter 297 Shen Yanchu's Ambition

After a long while, Shen Yanchu finally suppressed his anger and slowly turned around.

His gaze was icy cold, and when he swept over Mu Yin, it seemed to carry a tangible chill, causing Mu Yin to shiver involuntarily.

"Get up."

Shen Yanchu spoke coldly, his voice low and suppressed, as if squeezed out from between his teeth, "Things have come to this point, punishing you will be of no use."

Mu Yin felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She carefully stood up, her head still lowered, not daring to look Shen Yanchu in the eye.

Shen Yanchu paced slowly in the hall, each step heavy, as if measuring the distance between his fate and this conspiracy.

"Give the order to keep everyone's mouths shut."

He suddenly stopped, his gaze sharp as he swept over everyone in the hall. "If word gets out, I will not spare you!"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling, intimidating power, as if declaring that any betrayal would be met with the cruelest punishment.

Everyone in the hall lowered their heads and responded in unison, their voices trembling slightly.

After everyone had left, Shen Yanchu sat alone in the hall, lost in thought.

He recalled his plans over the years, thinking that everything was under control, but unexpectedly things went wrong with the Choi Ji-ho incident.

"Choi Ji-ho is just a down-on-his-luck young master who has left his family. How could he be so troublesome?" he wondered to himself. "Could it be that someone is deliberately sabotaging things?"

His thoughts involuntarily drifted to the current emperor, Shen Yuxi. This young emperor, since ascending the throne, had displayed extraordinary political acumen and ambition.

He vigorously suppressed the power of aristocratic families and promoted reforms, attempting to firmly grasp power in his own hands. Meanwhile, Shen Yanchu, as the Prince of Xiang, had always coveted the throne, secretly cultivating his own power and engaging in open and covert struggles with Shen Yuxi.

"How much does His Majesty know about this assassination attempt on Choi Ji-ho? How will he respond?"

Shen Yanchu frowned, a vague sense of unease creeping into his heart.

He knew that Shen Yuxi would not easily let go of this opportunity to investigate the mastermind, and that he himself might have been drawn into an even greater crisis.

Meanwhile, in the imperial study of the palace, Shen Yuxi sat on the dragon throne, reviewing the secret reports about the assassination attempt. His eyes were focused and sharp, not missing a single detail.

"Prince Xiang, do you think your little tricks can escape my eyes?"

A slight smirk appeared on his lips. "Let's see how you try to argue this time."

Shen Yuxi knew that Prince Xiang had always coveted his throne, and that the assassination attempt on Cui Zhihao was likely orchestrated by Prince Xiang.

As for Choi Ji-ho, the second son of the Cheongha Choi family, although he had left the family, his identity remained sensitive.

Assassinating him would undoubtedly be a demonstration against the Cui family of Qinghe and the entire imperial court.

"Since you dare to stir up trouble, I'll play along with you."

Shen Yuxi secretly made up his mind, "I want to see just how many trump cards you, Prince Xiang, still have up your sleeve."

Shen Yuxi put down the secret report, picked up a brush, and wrote down several imperial edicts on the paper.

He instructed Yu Heng to intensify the investigation into the assassination attempt, ensuring that the mastermind behind it was brought to justice. Simultaneously, he ordered men to closely monitor the Xiang Prince's residence, leaving him no further opportunity to exploit the situation.

Meanwhile, inside the Prince Xiang's residence, Shen Yanchu was also nervously planning his next move.

He knew he had aroused Shen Yuxi's suspicion and needed to come up with a solution as soon as possible. "I can't just sit here and wait to die."

He thought to himself, "We must take the initiative and disrupt His Majesty's plans."

So Shen Yanchu summoned his trusted advisors to discuss countermeasures. They sat around a large round table, the atmosphere heavy.

"Your Highness, His Majesty has begun investigating this matter. How should we respond?" an advisor asked anxiously.

Shen Yanchu pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "We need to find a way to divert His Majesty's attention and stop him from suspecting us. At the same time, we need to find a scapegoat as soon as possible to shift the blame for this matter to someone else."

"But, Your Highness, who would be willing to be the scapegoat?" another advisor asked.

A ruthless glint flashed in Shen Yanchu's eyes: "There will always be someone. As long as we use the right methods, we won't have to worry about not finding a suitable candidate."

While everyone in the Prince of Xiang's mansion was plotting, an investigation was also being carried out intensively in the palace.

Shi Wanxia was unaware of what had happened. Having just finished her work, she took the unfinished manuscript home to continue working on it.

She wore a moon-white silk dress with pale pink roses embroidered on the hem. Her hair was loosely tied up, with a few strands falling over her fair neck, exuding both gentleness and resilience.

Inside the Shi residence, Cui Zhihao had just sat down when Shuyun brought him tea.

Shuyun has a delicate and pretty face, and her bright eyes reveal her intelligence.

She was terrified by the injuries sustained by Young Master Cui and his companions. Who were these people, so audacious as to commit such a heinous act in broad daylight?

Choi Ji-ho smiled gently and comforted her in a low voice.

"Miss Shuyun, don't worry, I'm fine. It's best not to let Miss Shi know about this; I don't want her to worry!"

He wore a black brocade robe, stood tall and straight, and his sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes revealed a gentle and refined demeanor, yet also a hint of江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world) spirit. In reality, he came from a respectable family.

Shuyun had no choice but to agree. She didn't want her sister Shi to worry; her sister Shi had important matters to attend to, and she could handle things at home.

She thought to herself, "I'm not made of clay. Since they dared to lay a hand on Young Master Cui, I can find out who they are."

By the time Shi Wanxia arrived home, it was already getting dark.

The sunset glowed like fire, casting a warm light on the courtyard and bathing the entire Shi residence in its glow. Shuyun quickly stepped forward to take the books from her hands, placed them on the table, helped her sit down, and gave her some stretching.

"Sister Shi, I've seen how busy you've been these past few days, and you haven't been eating properly. Today I cooked for you myself and made your favorite sliced ​​meat soup. Eat more of it later!" Shuyun said, her face beaming with concern.

"By the way, Young Master Cui is back too. Tomorrow, Young Master Cui and I will go to the shop to check on things. Don't worry, we'll take care of things at home."

Shi Wanxia smiled slightly, "With you all here, I'm at ease. But you've all worked hard these past few days. We'll have to rely on Young Master Cui's help with the shop." She looked at Shuyun, her eyes full of trust and reliance.

At dinner time, everyone sat around the table. Besides the sliced ​​meat soup that Shuyun had made, there were also several delicate side dishes on the table.

Shi Wanxia took a sip of the soup and praised, "Shuyun's cooking skills are getting better and better. This soup warms my heart."

Cui Zhihao nodded with a smile, "Indeed, Miss Shuyun put her heart into it."

Shuyun blushed slightly, "I'm glad you like it."

After dinner, Shi Wanxia returned to her room to continue working on her manuscript. The candlelight flickered as she held a brush, writing with fluid strokes on the rice paper, sometimes frowning in thought, sometimes writing furiously.

Shuyun quietly brought over a cup of hot tea and gently placed it on the table. "Sister Shi, don't work too hard. Have some tea and rest." Shi Wanxia looked up and said gently, "Thank you, Shuyun. With you here, I feel at ease."

Although his wounds were throbbing slightly in his room, Choi Ji-ho was preoccupied with the family business.

He knew full well that this attack was no accident. Could it be that he had blocked someone's path, or was it the Emperor's doing, because he had refused the marriage decree?

He secretly resolved to find out who was behind it all and protect his family.

In the dead of night, all was quiet. Shuyun lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. She thought about Cui Zhihao's injuries from the day before, her heart filled with worry and anger.

She decided to go to her friends in the martial arts world first thing tomorrow morning to inquire about this matter.