Zhao Ya certainly wouldn’t foolishly stay here to keep vigil with Yun Yuan.
At this moment, he was wandering around the Yun Family estate.
Zhao Ya has always believed in one thing: when possible, taking the initiative is always better than passive defense.
So after leaving Yun Yuan, Zhao Ya began to search for clues within the Yun Family under the cover of night.
As a top-level noble family, even though the Yun Family’s power has waned, the guards are still remarkably strict.
But to Zhao Ya, these seemingly stringent guards were no different from being undefended.
He flew over the various courtyards with the ease of walking through an unguarded realm, without arousing anyone’s attention.
During this process, Zhao Ya also discovered some unknown secrets.
However, these could mostly be categorized as the dirty everyday life beneath the glamorous facade of noble families, nothing special.
Zhao Ya couldn’t be bothered to deal with it.
He was searching for the whereabouts of Yun Yuan’s half-brother, Yun Hao.
Earlier, he had visited the courtyard where Yun Yuan’s father had lived, seen Yun Yuan’s stepmother Mrs. Yun, confirmed that she was sleeping peacefully in her room without any abnormalities, and then went to Yun Hao’s residence.
He found that Yun Hao was not in his room, which piqued Zhao Ya’s interest, prompting him to start searching.
Soon, Zhao Ya found Yun Hao in a secluded courtyard.
At this moment, Yun Hao had already taken off his mourning clothes and was joyfully drinking with several people.
Two women, clearly from the pleasure quarters, sat beside him, laughing and pouring wine for him.
From time to time, Yun Hao would pull one of the women over, letting her pour wine into his mouth, clearly having a great time.
Seeing this, Zhao Ya couldn’t help but sneer internally.
The body of Yun Hao’s father was still in the spirit tent, not yet buried, yet here he was, indulging in revelry.
In contrast to Yun Yuan, who stayed by the spirit tent, the difference was stark.
But these were not matters for Zhao Ya to meddle in. Since Yun Yuan insisted that no killings should occur, he could only wait for an opportunity.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, a drifting conversation caught Zhao Ya’s attention.
"Just wait and see, my mom will make sure Yun Yuan’s disgrace happens within these few days."
Zhao Ya immediately stopped and inclined his ear to listen.
Sure enough, after hearing this about Yun Yuan, the people drinking with Yun Hao became curious,
"Second Young Master, does your mother have some clever plan?"
"Haha, of course, we have a plan, and my uncle is also helping me strategize, so the inheritance position is definitely mine, just wait and see," Yun Hao said proudly.
But no matter how much those people asked afterward, Yun Hao wouldn’t disclose any more details.
Although he had drunk a lot, his mind was still clear.
Bragging was one thing, but sharing the actual plan was absolutely forbidden.
Soon, the topic of their conversation shifted.
In the corner, Zhao Ya was left deep in thought.
What exactly could Yun Hao be so confident about succeeding?
Although he wanted to press further, Zhao Ya ultimately held back, listened for a while longer, and then left.
The first night passed without incident.
The next day during the day, Zhao Ya continued to visit the Golden Saber Institute to study their archives, then returned at night to secretly observe the Yun Family.
However, this night was also fruitless.
And so it continued until the fourth day, which was the day before Yun Yuan’s father’s funeral. Yet, there was still no sign of any action from Mrs. Yun.
Given that tomorrow was the day of Yun Anbang’s funeral, tonight was noticeably bustling.
People came and went, continuing until late into the night.
Even Yun Hao, who usually retired early feigning illness, persistently stayed up late tonight.
However, once everyone had left, he still found an excuse to slip away.
Soon, quiet returned to the spirit tent, leaving Yun Yuan alone.
Even the servants meant to stand watch outside were nowhere to be seen.
The entire courtyard was deserted.
Left alone in the spirit tent, Yun Yuan was filled with mixed emotions.
If he could make it through tonight, it would be as if the fog cleared revealing the bright moon.
Even though he knew that tonight wouldn’t be so peacefully spent, Yun Yuan felt calm at heart.
Because he knew that at this time, Zhao Ya must be hidden in the shadows, silently protecting him.
And indeed, he guessed correctly.
Moreover, Zhao Ya had arrived even earlier than on the previous two nights.
Because he knew that if Mrs. Yun truly intended to do something, tonight would be her last chance.
After arriving, Zhao Ya inspected the spirit tent as usual and found nothing unusual, then moved to the courtyard where Mrs. Yun resided.
Initially, everything seemed normal; Mrs. Yun even turned off the lights early, as if she had gone to bed.
But just after more than half an hour, a shadow suddenly flew from the night sky and landed lightly in the courtyard.
Hiding in the dark, Zhao Ya’s spirits lifted, knowing his chance had arrived.
The shadow gently tapped the window, and then the door creaked open with a sound.
Once the shadow entered, Zhao Ya swiftly moved under the eaves, hooked lightly onto a beam, and listened attentively to the conversation inside.
He heard Mrs. Yun anxiously say, "Brother, why did you take so long? I’m so worried."
"Don’t worry, I’m here now!"
"How can I not be worried? Tomorrow is Yun Anbang’s funeral. Once he’s buried, it will become a done deal, and Hao’Er and I will just have to stand by and watch."