Yu Wen Xin quickly strode out of the room, walking more than ten steps until he could no longer hear Ren Fu’s voice inside, which suddenly made him feel much more peaceful. After taking a long breath, Yu Wen Xin hurriedly went to explain Ren Fu and the Fourth Princess’s intentions to the Third Prince’s wife, Shu Lan. Shu Lan rushed to “put out the fire” in Luo Zhan’s room, while Yu Wen Xin went to find the imperial physician who was confined in the mansion, instructing him on what to say to bring him to Luo Zhan’s room.
The imperial physician entered to examine, and after a while, he raised his head and said to everyone in the room according to Yu Wen Xin’s previous instructions: “Third Highness urgently needs rest and cannot withstand loud noises, otherwise the condition will worsen…”
Shu Lan said to Princess Ren Fu and the Fourth Princess: “Ren Fu, Tong Rui, put yourself in each other’s shoes. I know you’re worried about Fourth Highness’s safety. Shu Lan is equally worried about Third Highness. Third Highness is now suffering because of Fourth Highness.”
Think about it with your conscience – how can you bear to keep disturbing him?”
The Fourth Princess Tong Rui lowered her head silently, while Ren Fu pouted: “But if Fourth Brother is found guilty, he’ll be locked up in the Grand Ancestral Court for at least ten years, and if the punishment is severe…” Her voice gradually became softer.
Shu Lan sighed: “Look at Third Highness now – how could he possibly go out? Do you really want to take his life? There’s nowhere in the world where the victim is forced to plead for the person who harmed them!” Towards the end, her anger grew, and her tone became increasingly harsh.
Tong Rui and Ren Fu knew they were in the wrong. One harbored a slight hope, while the other was naturally rash and just wanted to cause a scene. Now, seeing it was impossible to make Luo Zhan plead for Luo Sui at the Grand Ancestral Court, they could only leave dejectedly.
When she closed her eyes, she looked much better than when her eyes were open, but Luo Yeping had seen many beautiful women of various types, and he simply couldn’t muster any interest in the plain-looking Yi Yao.
According to the traveling physician’s words, she would likely remain unconscious for about two hours. Luo Yeping thought for a moment and instructed the two elderly women outside to enter and bathe her to examine her body.
The women came in, removed the bracelet from Yu Yi’s wrist, and began to undress her. After removing her outer and middle garments, they discovered that her innermost layer was not traditional undergarments, but a tight black garment that completely covered her body – her bulletproof system.
Since it was called a bulletproof system, it was naturally more than a simple bulletproof vest. Powered by a high-energy battery, it formed a sensing force field around the body, providing full-body defense, even covering areas not protected by a traditional bulletproof vest, such as the head and limbs. Although they had come to ancient times where there were no guns, there were still hidden weapons and swords, so Yu Yi and Meng Qing always wore their bulletproof systems.
For the elderly women, this garment was incredibly strange – it had no sleeves or pant legs, and the top was connected to the bottom with no visible fasteners. The two women searched from every angle, unable to determine how to remove the garment.
Luo Yeping walked over, interested. Noticing the large neckline and narrow shoulder area, he suggested the women try removing it from the shoulders. When one woman pulled, she was surprised to find the fabric was extremely elastic, stretching easily from her shoulders with a surprised “Oh!”
Luo Yeping’s intuition told him this garment was extraordinary, possibly a treasure. He cautiously instructed, “Remove it carefully. Don’t damage it.”
The women carefully pulled the bulletproof system down her body. After removing half of it from her arms, they discovered an even more peculiar undergarment beneath, causing them to groan inwardly. They carefully removed the bulletproof system from her legs and then pondered how to remove the remaining two garments.
Luo Yeping was more interested in the strange black garment than the half-naked woman on the bed. He held it up to the light, noticing the extremely thin fabric that allowed light to pass through, unlike woven silk with visible weave lines. It seemed like a single thin membrane. Even more remarkably, there were no visible seams or joining points anywhere on the garment.
Luo Yeping became excited. This was the true meaning of “seamless as heaven,” he thought. Clearly, this was a treasure, though he wondered about its magical properties. Based on his intuition, since Yi Yao wore it so close to her body, it was likely an invincible armor.
Before going to the Taishi Mansion, Luo Ye put on a bulletproof vest.
This bulletproof vest was a women’s medium size. Even though the fabric was highly elastic and worn close to the body, Luo Ye found it too tight, especially around the waist, making it difficult for him to breathe. However, this was still a precious garment that could protect against knives and guns! It could save his life at a critical moment, so Luo Ye still wore the vest and boarded the carriage.
At the Luo Zhan Mansion, Meng Qing heard the silence from Yu Yi’s end. He was about to find an excuse to avoid Yumen Xin and contact Yu Yi when a servant reported that Taishi Bo had passed away.
Without further words, Yumen Xin and Meng Qing exchanged a glance and hurriedly prepared to leave the mansion to pay their condolences at the Taishi Mansion.
Meng Qing turned on the listening device installed in the Taishi Mansion, but since he had only spoken with the Taishi in the study, the device was only active there. After listening for a while, he heard nothing useful.
The Luo Zhan Mansion was quite close to the Taishi Mansion. Upon arrival, Meng Qing found that the mourning hall was not yet fully prepared. A servant guided him to a courtyard next to the hall to rest and wait.
He noticed he was not the earliest arrival; Fifth Prince Luo Ding was already there, quietly conversing with the Taishi’s eldest son.
After Meng Qing entered, Luo Ding and the Taishi’s eldest son came forward to greet him. Meng Qing expressed his condolences for the Taishi’s passing.
After a brief conversation, other court officials began to arrive. The courtyard became increasingly crowded, a testament to Bo Taishi’s status as a veteran minister. While condolence periods typically last seven days, many had come to pay their respects, including those with genuine grief.
Meng Qing had no intention of winning people’s hearts for Luo Zhan. He was merely observing the situation. With the Taishi’s death, the balance of power in the court would be disrupted, and observing everyone’s behavior could help predict future developments.
Soon, Luo Ye also arrived. Meng Qing and Luo Ding greeted him. Luo Ye returned the greeting and said, “Third and Fifth Brothers, you’ve arrived quite quickly.”
Meng Qing replied, “Zhan’s mansion is closest to the Taishi Mansion. Upon hearing the sad news, we hurried here. We didn’t expect Fifth Brother to arrive even earlier.”
However, Luo Ding’s mansion was actually farther from Luo Ye’s, so his early arrival suggested he had learned of the Taishi’s death before others.
Luo Ding’s face showed grief as he said, “I happened to be passing by the Taishi Mansion and saw the white mourning banner at the gate. When I inquired with the servants, I learned of the unfortunate news of the Taishi’s passing. Alas…”
Luo Ye and Meng Qing exchanged a glance, both thinking that Luo Ding had likely planted informants in the Taishi Mansion to receive timely information. Noticing their exchanged look, Luo Ding found an excuse to leave.
