Touya Yaoyao

General Yu boasted that he had been navigating the officialdom for many years, and that he could still manipulate a little kid like Yu Yaoyao who hadn't even grown up yet.

However, when he saw Yu Yaoyao's extremely indifferent expression, his certainty became less certain.

Could this girl possibly know something about officialdom? Well, she's an adopted daughter of the Ye family, and there are people in the Ye family who work in officialdom. It's not impossible for her to offer some guidance.

So, he stopped being coy and instead spoke directly:

"Her Majesty only told you that her son disappeared at the age of nine. Did she say what happened to the others after the prince's disappearance?"

Yu Yaoyao ignored him and didn't respond. Instead, she closed her eyes, acting as if nothing concerned her.

Seeing her like this, General Yu wanted to lose his temper, but in the end he held back and raised his voice to warn her:

"After the prince went missing, the entire northern part of the capital was thrown into chaos. Whether it was my soldiers or police officers, everyone was sent out to search for him."

At this point, he stared blankly at everything before him, as if transported back to those years that had filled him with fear and unease, muttering to himself:

"Those two weeks in northern Beijing were like purgatory. As the commander-in-chief of the three armies, Bai Juncheng personally led troops to search and interrogate people one by one. All the powerful and influential people in northern Beijing were arrested and severely tortured. Even some members of the Elder Council were imprisoned by His Majesty and personally interrogated."

As he spoke, he silently clenched his fists, muttering as if he were a soulless being:

"Back then, all you could see when you opened your eyes were prisoners being tortured, and all you could hear were their groans and cries. The guards who protected the palace not only suffered the most severe punishments, but their descendants were also forever barred from holding official positions and enjoying social welfare benefits. This meant that their descendants had no other way out but to become slaves or servants."

After saying this, General Yu looked at Yu Yaoyao, who was still resting with her eyes closed, and couldn't help but question her:

"Do you really think His Majesty is a good person?! Could such a His Majesty be…?"

But before he could finish speaking, Yu Yaoyao calmly interrupted him, saying indifferently:

"General, you seem to have forgotten one thing: Her Majesty's fury stems from the fact that her son, her relative, her only heir, was abducted and kidnapped on her territory, his fate unknown. If this hadn't happened, do you think this scene would have even occurred?!"

General Yu clearly found Yu Yaoyao's composure difficult to accept, and therefore, he couldn't help but question her:

"Could it be that the guards protecting the palace..."

But Yu Yaoyao was too lazy to argue with him, and instead questioned him:

"If the guards protecting the palace can't even protect their own masters, what use are they? It's like a general guarding a city letting the enemy steal his troop deployment tally—should we reward this general?!"

General Yu remained unconvinced and couldn't help but complain:

"But the prince is fine, isn't he?!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Yaoyao couldn't help but open her tightly closed eyes, staring intently at General Yu, and couldn't help but question him:

"What if something goes wrong?! The only bloodline of His Majesty is kidnapped and killed right under her nose. Do you expect her to reward those criminals who indirectly caused her son's death?! As subjects, it is our duty to share the burdens of our lord, but what about you?! One minute you're saying that we can't interfere in the royal infighting, the next you're saying that it's a royal family matter and subjects shouldn't speak out."

At this point, Yu Yaoyao looked coldly at General Yu, her eyes full of mockery and ridicule, and said sarcastically:

"A nine-year-old child was kidnapped and abducted in front of so many officials. Don't you think it's because of your lax security and dereliction of duty? Instead, you blame His Majesty. Are you suggesting that one day, when your own child is kidnapped, abducted, and murdered, you'll send a banner to thank the murderer?"

These words left General Yu speechless. He stared at Yu Yaoyao in astonishment, unable to utter a word for a long time.

Finally, seemingly feeling ashamed, he couldn't help but argue:

"But wasn't the prince found?! Didn't he return safe and sound?!"

Yu Yaoyao looked coldly at General Yu and couldn't help but sneer:

"Did you find it?! Or did one of your officials find it?! Or did the prince himself deliver himself to you for you to find?! He saved himself, right?!"

The more Yu Yaoyao spoke, the more she felt the command. She stared intently at General Yu, her expression cold, her words sharp as knives, each one a question:

"His Majesty has held a grudge over this matter for so many years, yet he has never spoken to you about it because he doesn't trust you and considers you untrustworthy. But you think it's not a big deal. Don't you feel ashamed?! So many officials, so many adults, and you can't even protect a child. What use are you to His Majesty?! Just decorations?"

The last question struck at the heart of the matter, leaving General Yu speechless. He looked at Yu Yaoyao before him, silent, then slumped down like a defeated rooster, dejectedly saying helplessly:

"What can we do?! The palace is a forbidden area; who can enter except for members of the royal family?! We are naturally anxious about the prince's loss, but what can we do?! The royal family's relationships are complicated, and the Elder Council is deliberately protecting him. Even His Majesty cannot fight against the Elder Council, so what can we do?"

Ultimately, it all boils down to their limited power and the overwhelming strength of the other side, leaving them with no choice.

At this point, General Yu glanced at Yu Yaoyao and couldn't help but sigh:

“Since that year, His Majesty has allowed the prince to live under a different identity. The prince is young and has suffered so much. We, as his subjects, naturally feel sorry for him. We would not only grant his every request, but also give him whatever he asks for. However, this can never make up for what happened back then.”

Yu Yaoyao remained silent, for she knew that some matters were indeed beyond the control of a subject. So, she closed her eyes again. Seeing this, General Yu silently walked over, patted her shoulder, and spoke with a mixture of relief and pride:

“You are better than us. His Majesty trusts you and has entrusted you with investigating the prince’s disappearance. But this matter is also related to the royal family’s reputation. No matter what you find out, you must pretend you don’t know anything to avoid getting into trouble, understand?”

Upon hearing this, Yu Yaoyao slightly opened her previously closed eyes, sighed, and said self-deprecatingly:

"So many years have passed, even if there was evidence, it's all gone now. What... what can I possibly find out!"

General Yu didn't speak, but patted her shoulder with a complicated expression, looking solemn and helpless. Yu Yaoyao stared at the floor in front of her, her thoughts churning.

As expected, it's not so easy to take advantage of His Majesty, but it's not bad either. At least I can give it a try and see if my drone is really useful. After all, Wang Yao even said he added some new features!

Actually, the main reason General Yu sent Yu Yaoyao here today was to remind her to be careful when investigating the case, and not to be targeted by the Elders' Council, or offend them and be targeted by them.

It's important to understand that the members of the Elder Council are mostly the most senior, oldest, and most powerful members of the royal family. Therefore, in the capital, it's uncertain whether the emperor's words carry weight, but the words of the Elder Council certainly do.

Therefore, for Yu Yaoyao's safety and for her life, he specially asked her to come over to analyze the situation for her. However, this girl had been too fooled by His Majesty's promises and was in a bad mood, so she gave him a good scolding.

Being young and impetuous, they were fearless and unafraid of difficulties.

Unlike them, who are scheming and living a life of suffering on both sides, trying to balance the Elders' Council and appease His Majesty, making them caught in the middle.

However, their loyalty to the Zhao Kingdom is as clear as day. Otherwise, why would His Majesty have kept him in this position for so many years, and why would he be so reluctant to let them retire? Perhaps he is afraid that if they retire, the people in the Elder Council will replace them with others.

Thinking of this, he looked at Yu Yaoyao, recalled His Majesty's words, and couldn't help but shake his head with a bitter smile.

Your Majesty, how can I bring this up? She's a child I've watched grow up. How could I so easily let her become your person?! She's also the child I've admired most all these years!