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nTranslator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

nAs Su Yufeng spoke, her tears flowed like pearls from a broken necklace.

nAlthough she was over thirty, she had taken good care of her skin. With her tears, she pulled at Ye Yuxuan’s heartstrings with the unique charm of a young married woman. It pained him to see her unhappy. He immediately consoled her, “We can just talk properly if there is something you want to say. Why are you crying?”

n“If you love me and my daughter dearly, then I do not need to cry.” Su Yufeng was choked with emotions that were laced with a small amount of hurt.

nImmediately, Ye Yuxuan softened, patted Su Yufeng’s small hand, and said, “I know that you and our daughter have suffered. But you are also fully aware that there is gossip everywhere, so it is inappropriate to punish that terrible girl, Ye Jiuge, right now.”

n“My daughter and I are not afraid that she is deliberately making things hard for us. It is just that this child, Ye Jiuge, has undergone such a sudden, huge personality change that she even dared to offend the Crown Prince. I am afraid that she will stir up greater troubles in the future and eventually implicate the Ye Clan.” Su Yufeng wiped her tears away and spoke with deep worry.

nYe Yuxuan also wanted to put that terrible, rebellious, and unfilial daughter of his, Ye Jiuge, in her place. Then, he would snatch away the treasures in her hands. But right now, everyone was so interested in the Ye Clan that he did not dare act!

n“Old Master, I have some words to say. However, I do not know if I should say them.” Su Yufeng hesitated.

n“What are the thoughts that you won’t express?” Ye Yuxuan’s interest was piqued. He lowered his voice and asked, “Do you have a way to deal with Jiuge?”

nHe had always known that his wife was not someone easily trifled with. Otherwise, he would not have married her.

n“I did have a way, truly. However, I am afraid that after I tell you, you will reproach me for it.” Su Yufeng knitted her eyebrows, as if she were very troubled.

n“We are husband and wife, so regardless of what you say, I will not blame you.” Ye Yuxuan encouraged her.

n“Old Master, just listen with a grain of salt and determine for yourself if it is suitable or not …” Su Yufeng drew closer to Ye Yuxuan’s ear and murmured.

nYe Yuxuan’s eyebrows slowly creased. Then, he expressed his discontent, “Do we really need to use them as bait?”

n“They are the only people who have a relationship with the Eldest Miss. If you feel that what I have suggested is wrong, then just pretend that I never uttered those words!” Su Yufeng said with fear and trepidation. She bowed her body in an attempt to kneel down and ask for forgiveness.

nYe Yuxuan pulled her up immediately. “What are you doing?”

n“Old Master!” Su Yufeng lifted her head in slight distress. There was a hint of unease on her delicate and pretty face.

nYe Yuxuan was silent for a moment. In the end, he nodded as he agreed, “Alright, do it your way.”

nThen, he took a small jade bottle, five centimeters long, out from a secret compartment in the study and passed it to Su Yufeng.

n“Thank you, Old Master, for trusting me. Don’t worry, Old Master. I will definitely help you accomplish it.” Su Yufeng gave him a gentle and considerate smile and accepted the jade bottle from him before leaving with Ye Shanshan.

nAt her mother’s side, Ye Shanshan remained silent throughout the exchange. After they left the main residence, she took her mother’s hand and asked softly, “Mother, did you speak the truth earlier? Did father really entrust you with False Dream?”

n“Foolish girl, didn’t you see it with your own eyes just now?” Su Yufeng swayed the jade bottle in front of Ye Shanshan then stowed it away.

n“Did father really agree to it?” Ye Shanshan still wore an expression of complete disbelief.

nIt was a terrifying idea. If it had been her, she would not have even dared to speak of it. But, not only was her mother bold enough to tell her father their scheme, she had even made him participate in it.

n“I am doing this for his sake, so why would he not agree?” Su Yufeng smiled coldly.

nThey would only be in the same boat if Ye Yuxuan was involved. That way, when she acted, she would not have any reason to fear consequences in the future.

n“Mother, your method of killing two birds with one stone is too impressive!” Ye Shanshan looked at her mother with admiration. She had learned for the first time that a person could be so bold and confident about harming someone, so long as they knew that the scales of justice were tipped in their favor.

n“Foolish girl, you still have more to learn.” Su Yufeng smiled and patted her daughter’s head.

nShe would never wish for her daughter to hear about such underhanded methods unless it helped her wise up.

n“Mother, I will learn properly from you.” Ye Shanshan tugged at her mother’s hand excitedly. Only now did she realize that schemes she had used in the past had been too simple.

n“Okay.” Su Yufeng smiled and patted her daughter’s hand. Her gaze turned to the Zhilin Residence, where Ye Jiuge resided. She smiled coldly. “Now, my daughter, I want to teach you the first move: how to kill someone without leaving a trace!”

nSu Yufeng and her daughter thought that their plan was flawless, but they had no idea that Ye Jiuge was observing their every move.

n“Your father is truly a pr*ck.” Zi Shang clicked his tongue in fascination. Humankind’s nature was truly wonderful. Every time he had the opportunity to witness it in action, it never ceased to amaze him.

nYe Jiuge’s eyes darkened.

nShe knew that Ye Yuxuan had treated her badly, but she had never thought that he would mistreat her to this extent. Because he wanted to deal with her, he went as far as agreeing to Su Yufeng’s malicious scheme.

n“That reminds me, how does that bottle of False Dream relate to you?” Zi Shang asked.

nYe Jiuge was quiet for a while. Then, she replied calmly, “It was an elixir that was personally crafted by my mother, Yun Qiaoqiao, for Ye Yuxuan.”

nDuring that year, a tumor was growing on Ye Yuxuan’s back which he needed to remove with a knife. Yun Qiaoqiao could not bear to see her husband suffer, so she had created False Dream. After a person consumed it, they immediately fell into a deep sleep. Even if their body was being cut with a knife, they would not feel a thing. After seven days without an antidote, the person passed away in their sleep.

nYun Qiaoqiao worried that someone might use False Dream to perform evil deeds against the Ye Clan, so Ye Yuxuan was the only one who had this elixir. Ye Jiuge did not have it. However, as Yun Qiaoqiao’s biological daughter, if she claimed to not have it, she was afraid that no one would believe her. This was why Su Yufeng had requested this specific elixir from Ye Yuxuan.

n“So, what are you planning to do about it?” Zi Shang raised his eyebrow. When Su Yufeng and Ye Yuxuan used the elixir crafted by Ye Yuxuan’s previous wife to frame her daughter, they had shown just how cruel they really were.

n“I will certainly give them a taste of their own medicine.” Ye Jiuge’s beautiful red lips curved into a sneer.

nTruth be told, Su Yufeng’s scheme was actually perfect. She did not plan to use False Dream directly against Ye Jiuge’s body; she wanted to exploit the Fifth Concubine and her daughter to deal with Ye Jiuge indirectly.

nThe Fifth Concubine, Gu Jingyi, was originally a second-rank maid in the residence. One night, when Ye Yuxuan was drunk, he raped her. Her body had not disappointed, and she became pregnant.

nIt was a happy occasion in the residence when it was discovered that another child was to be born. Based on the pointed curve of her stomach, everyone said that she had conceived a boy. In a moment of happiness, Ye Yuxuan had made an exception and promoted her to Fifth Concubine.

nUnexpectedly, she gave birth to a frail and sickly girl named Ye Ruyi.

nAs high as she had climbed up the ranks in the past, the harder she later fell. All of a sudden, Gu Jingyi lost Ye Yuxuan’s affection and was sent away to an isolated residence. She was in a worse situation than Ye Shanshan’s maid, who had gained her favor.

nWhen she was a maid, Ye Jiuge’s mother had treated her kindly, so she had secretly taken care of Ye Jiuge. Theirs was a decent relationship. Ye Jiuge also loved the six-year-old, Little Ruyi, dearly.

nSu Yufeng wanted to use Little Ruyi to blackmail the Fifth Concubine into helping her when she dealt with Ye Jiuge. The Fifth Concubine loved her daughter fervently. If her part in the scheme was for the sake of protecting her daughter, she would definitely agree.

nSu Yufeng had even thought of why Ye Jiuge would want to harm Ye Ruyi. She would say that it was because Ye Ruyi had accidentally seen Ye Jiuge having an affair with another man, and so, wanted to poison her to death. When the time came, with the Fifth Concubine as a witness and the special poison, False Dream, as evidence, Ye Jiuge would not be able to prove her innocence. Then, Ye Yuxuan would step in and pressure her. He would make her hand over the Purple Lightning Wood and the other treasures from WanZhang Depths to clear her name.

nThese plans were intertwined. If Ye Jiuge had not trailed after Su Yufeng and her daughter in the shadows, she feared that she would have certainly fallen into their trap.

nBut now that she knew of these schemes, she was definitely going to help Su Yufeng make them more interesting.

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