The Song of Capturing a Rebellious Master: The True Conspiracy (9)

"Miss Yun Yao, I don't understand what you meant by saying she replaced Xiao Cui's position."

Yun Yao smiled faintly and asked in return, "Lady Zhao, why didn't you have Xiao Cui accompany you to Eastern Continent? Why did you bring her instead?"

"Ah, this..." Zhao Wanqing recalled it, then said thoughtfully, "Qing Ya had only just returned then. My mother and I had been brought to Dingyang by people from the Dynasty, but in truth, we weren't especially familiar with Dingyang."

"And Qing Ya had studied in Dingyang for some time, so after she recommended herself, we..."

As she spoke, she suddenly covered her mouth, as though she had realized something was wrong.

"Yes, Lady Zhao. Don't you think this was rather deliberate and coincidental?" Yun Yao crossed her arms and looked at Qing Ya, whose body was trembling slightly. "I specifically checked the Academy's study period. Under normal circumstances, if one passed the assessments smoothly, it should have ended after three years and two months, which would have been mid-February of Tianqi 259."

"And she did indeed return to Swallow Cloud City in late December of Tianqi 258, but that was more than three months earlier than the normal completion period. Her purpose was to return to your side before the year's end."

"Following that trail, as expected, we found someone else. Since every Academy disciple's name was recorded, someone must have covered for her. That person was Lord Cao of our Cao Family."

"This Lord Cao once served in the Rites Registry and happened to be responsible for managing the Academy's immortal residences. Though he later returned home in disgrace, many people in the Rites Registry were still his students."

"And the person who covered for you was called Cao Yun, wasn't he?" Yun Yao raised her