Ziqing, already troubled and unsettled, grew even more agitated seeing Jun Buli walk toward her, turning her head away with a furrowed brow, unwilling to look at him.
Though she knew she couldn’t really blame her son—these past ten years hadn’t been easy for him, and forgetting a childhood friend was, after all, nothing unusual.
But Ziqing simply couldn’t help feeling at least a small measure of blame toward him. Of course, she blamed herself even more—if she hadn’t been so single-mindedly focused on Shangli back then, perhaps she would have thought of Baili Xiaosheng, would have pushed Baili Weisheng to go find her sooner.
Seeing his mother’s cool demeanor, Jun Buli offered a respectful bow, then settled himself across from his father, personally pouring tea.
Seeing him so composed and unruffled only made Ziqing angrier still. She desperately wanted to ask him what exactly he’d been doing the night before, yet forced herself to hold her tongue—after all, shouldn’t her son at least offer some explanation on his own?
As for asking after Consort Li’s condition out of concern—that was simply out of the question.
Yet to her surprise, Jun Buli cleverly avoided mentioning Consort Li at all, acting as though nothing whatsoever had happened, asking instead with a smile, “Mother, didn’t sleep well last night?”
“You weren’t at the estate—your mother couldn’t rest easy,” Ziqing answered, her voice particularly weak and weary. She’d expected her son to offer some explanation, to bring up Consort Li himself—yet instead, Jun Buli simply smiled and said, “I was reviewing memorials in the study last night, lost track of time and fell asleep there, only waking when it was time for court.”
“I thought you were planning to move into the palace?” Ziqing asked, feigning ignorance, though what she really meant was Consort Li.
Jun Buli was far too clever not to catch her meaning—yet he deliberately played dumb. “If Mother can’t bear to part with me, I’ll stay at the estate. As long as Father doesn’t mind me always clinging to you.”
As he spoke, he glanced over at Jun Beiyue, his devastatingly handsome features breaking into a smile, bright eyes and gleaming teeth, particularly striking and handsome.
No matter how the conversation turned, he kept steering it back to himself, never once mentioning Consort Li.
Even though Jun Beiyue kept signaling for Ziqing to stay calm, she simply couldn’t hold back any longer, blurting out, “And what about Consort Li?”
Hearing that name, Jun Beiyue pursed his lips, sighing faintly to himself, while Jun Buli, remaining perfectly composed and unruffled, simply interpreted Ziqing’s question as genuine concern for Consort Li, saying flatly, “Mother, don’t worry—the injury on Consort Li’s face isn’t serious. It’ll heal just fine.”
The moment these words left his mouth, the entire room fell into an oddly heavy silence. After a long moment, Ziqing let out a sigh, her delicate brows furrowing tighter, her expression heavy with worry as she said weakly, “Well, that’s good, if it can heal.”
A flash of surprise clearly crossed Jun Buli’s eyes, though he quickly regained his composure. “This son thanks Mother, on Consort Li’s behalf.”
“After all, it was my carelessness that injured her. I was just telling your father a moment ago that I ought to visit the palace to check on her,” Ziqing added, finally managing to strike a proper motherly tone.
“She’s merely a consort, Mother—please don’t trouble yourself over it. As for what happened in the bamboo grove last time, I do ask for Mother’s understanding,” Jun Buli said quickly.
At this, Ziqing shot him a pointed look and sighed. “Well, ignorance isn’t a crime—I’ve long since stopped holding it against her.”
“I knew Mother was the best,” Jun Buli said, unconsciously slipping into a coaxing, childlike tone. This mother of his—she left him utterly unable to read her, and it frightened him.
Ziqing said nothing more, simply sitting there with her head drooping, letting out the occasional sigh, the occasional soft “ai.”
Jun Buli knew perfectly well this was a trap—he hadn’t meant to ask at all—but he simply couldn’t bear his mother’s continued sighing, and finally, out of concern, he asked, “Mother, what’s troubling you? Is something weighing on your mind?”
Ziqing glanced up at him, then let out another long sigh. “I’m worried sick.”
With that, she casually handed over Baili Weisheng’s urgent dispatch resting on the table to Jun Buli. “Take a look—this just arrived. Your sworn sister is in grave trouble. If anything terrible happens to her, your father and I will never rest easy for the rest of our lives!”
Ziqing spoke these words with genuine seriousness.
Jun Buli skimmed through the dispatch quickly, his once-clear eyes growing complicated—the situation in Nanzhao was even more dire than he’d realized.
These past years, his focus had remained entirely on the northern frontier and the court, with little attention spared for Nanzhao. In his mind, he’d always considered Nanzhao his father’s responsibility, waiting for him to return and handle it himself.
Yet he’d never imagined so much had happened there!
“Could it be that poison corpse Uncle Weisheng once mentioned… has fallen into the Xiao clan’s hands?” Jun Buli asked seriously.
“More precisely, it’s Baili Xiaosheng who’s fallen into the Xiao clan’s hands. Only Baili Xiaosheng can command Shiliang,” Ziqing explained.
A poison corpse was similar to a human gu, except that a poison corpse couldn’t turn against its master—whoever cultivated the poison always retained the means to destroy the corpse if needed. Of course, someone with the constitution to be cultivated into a poison corpse, like Shiliang, was already extraordinarily rare. Jun Buli’s expression grew increasingly complicated. “Could Baili Xiaosheng have colluded with the Xiao clan?”
Slap!
Ziqing suddenly slammed her palm hard against the table, her earlier melancholy replaced by sharp anger. “What kind of nonsense is that? That girl went missing over a decade ago—she must have been imprisoned by the Xiao clan! They must have done something terrible to her—otherwise, given her temperament, how could she possibly submit to them?”
Jun Buli looked somewhat lost, slowly turning to look at Ziqing—he had to admit that after ten years, he genuinely retained very little memory of that girl who used to disguise herself as a boy.
Seeing his confusion, Ziqing felt both angry and at a loss for what to do with him. Taking several deep breaths, she finally said, “Son, your mommy has one request to ask of you—please, promise me you’ll agree, alright?”
Jun Buli glanced instinctively at Jun Beiyue, then quickly looked away. “Mother, whatever it is, just say it. If it’s within my power, I’ll certainly do it.”
“Son, as for the matter with Consort Li, I won’t hold it against you anymore. As long as you help me bring Baili Xiaosheng back safely, from now on, whatever you choose to do, I won’t interfere—it’s entirely up to you!” Ziqing said, her voice pitiful and pleading.
Hearing this, Jun Buli’s eyes grew even more complicated, yet his understanding of the situation remained clear as ever. His smile remained warm and gentle, carrying that same reassuring, calming quality. “Very well. Mother’s command—through fire and sword, this son will go.”
“Leave today, then—there’s no time to waste. Your Uncle Weisheng is already waiting for you near the Xiao clan’s estate,” Ziqing said, delighted. Beside her, Jun Beiyue’s mouth twitched several times—Baili Weisheng had never actually said he needed reinforcements, nor had he said he was waiting for anyone!
Yet Jun Buli truly proved obedient, rising immediately to his feet. “This son will arrange court affairs and depart at once. Please, Mother, set your mind at ease and take care of your health.”
“Good, good, good! I knew my son was the best. Do be careful on the road, and send word whenever you can, understand?” Ziqing said, full of concern.
Jun Buli nodded, glanced once at Jun Beiyue, and without further delay, turned and left.
Jun Beiyue suddenly felt as though he understood this mother and son far less than he’d thought!
“Qing’er, hasn’t Baili Weisheng—”
Before Jun Beiyue could finish, Ziqing had already turned to Guxi. “Send an urgent message at top speed, just one line for Baili Weisheng: whether Baili Xiaosheng can become my daughter-in-law depends entirely on him now!”
Guxi, only half understanding, didn’t dare ask further and hurried off to carry out the order.
“Qing’er, don’t you think this whole matter—” Jun Beiyue tried again, but Ziqing had already risen and was striding toward the door, instructing Hongyi as she went, “Fetch my father—we’re going to the palace to visit Consort Li! Quickly!”