Guan Ya nodded, led the two maidservants who had followed her out of the carriage, and passed straight through the inner gate into the Yang Residence.
Crossing the courtyard, she arrived at the rear garden, which bore the style of a Jiangnan garden. Leaving behind the two trusted palace maids she had brought from the palace, she knocked on the door to her father Yang Zheng's study.
Behind a broad desk sat a middle-aged man in casual black robes embroidered with gold-thread cloud patterns. His bluish beard reached his chest, and he held a scroll in his hands, reading it with rapt attention.
A trace of delight lingered between his brows. As he read, he occasionally stroked his beard. One look was enough to tell that he was in an excellent mood.
"Father, what has made you so happy?" Guan Ya asked, closing the door behind her.
Yang Zheng set down the scroll, his face beaming.
"Ce'er sent back a victory report this morning. Last night, the defending army launched a surprise raid on the enemy camp and wiped out more than fifty thousand Northern Dynasty troops. Such an achievement will surely shake the court and the realm. As long as he can hold Linxia and drive back the Northern Dynasty, our Yang Family will become the foremost clan of the Southern Dynasty."
At that, he suddenly scrutinized his eldest daughter, Yang Yun, and frowned.
"Didn't you return to the palace? Why have you come back?"
Guan Ya revealed a worried expression. "Father, the palace gates have been sealed. Your daughter cannot return. The Imperial City Directorate said that His Majesty was assassinated last night, and the assassin is still hiding in the palace. The Imperial City Directorate is doing everything it can to hunt down the assassin. Until then,