Lan Guifei produced a jade-colored bottle, her phoenix eyes narrowing as she fixed her gaze on him. “So you act this brazenly? What makes you so certain I’ll help you?”
“It’s simple,” Shen Zaiye replied, lowering his eyes. “I still have your family in my grasp.”
Lan Guifei’s face froze, her eyes instantly filling with hatred. “Shen Zaiye, if I had a knife in my hand right now, I would unhesitatingly plunge it into your heart to see what color your blood truly is!”
How could someone be so ruthless? Trampling all of another’s feelings underfoot, cold to the point where only profit and exploitation remained. For what purpose did such a person live?
Shen Zaiye smiled faintly and nodded. “Weapons are forbidden in the palace. Otherwise, this official would gladly place one in Your Majesty’s hands.”
“You!” Enraged, Lan Guifei raised her hand and slapped him across the face.
The crisp sound echoed through the palace hall. Shen Zaiye turned his head, his expression as calm as if nothing had happened. He leisurely took out a handkerchief and elegantly wiped his face.
“His Majesty is returning. Your Majesty should calm down,” he said in a deep, emotionless voice. “Please remember, one must look forward. Dwelling on past mistakes is unwise.”
How nonchalant he sounded.
Lan Guifei laughed bitterly, the light suddenly fading from her eyes. She stared at him blankly. “You weren’t the one who invested yourself. You weren’t the one who got hurt. As much as I once liked you, I now hate you just as intensely! What you think can be forgotten, I will not forget. The mistakes I’ve made, I’ll remember for a lifetime, and I will never forgive you!”
The corner of his mouth stung slightly, likely scratched by her fingernail ornament. Shen Zaiye frowned slightly and finally looked up at her, softly uttering three words:
“Why bother?”
If she truly hated him to the bone, she could forget everything and treat him as a stranger. Why cling to a hatred more intense than love, locked in a struggle to the death? This approach hardly benefited her.
The palace water clock sounded once. Lan Guifei paused, quickly dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. A coquettish smile returned to her face as she said softly, “The days ahead are long, Prime Minister Shen.”
With that, she lifted her skirts and returned to the outer chamber, instructing her maids to prepare fresh tea.
She would do as he asked. But one day, she would reclaim everything from him!
Shen Zaiye lowered his gaze, his mood visibly dampened. He slowly walked outside, watching as the maid served new tea and Lan Guifei silently added something to the cup.
“Finished talking?” Emperor Mingde returned, still smiling as he sat down and casually picked up the teacup, taking a sip.
Lan Guifei smiled at him and said softly, “Though I appreciate Your Majesty’s thoughtfulness, this concubine truly has nothing to discuss with the Prime Minister. If Your Majesty has more to say to him, this concubine shall take her leave.”
“Very well,” Emperor Mingde nodded, watching Lan Guifei rise, bow, and enter the inner chamber before turning to Shen Zaiye. “It’s starting to rain outside. Why don’t we talk here? There’s no one else around anyway.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Even an emperor wise for half a lifetime could let down his guard completely once his heart was truly moved. Shen Zaiye sat down, watching him slowly finish the tea in his cup. His eyes grew as dark as the moonless night outside.
At Zhengchun Pavilion, Taohua had just finished a comfortable bath and was about to sleep wrapped in her blanket when she heard movement in the room.
Surely not? Her mouth twitched as she opened her eyes to see Qingtai rushing towards the window. However, in just a few moves, without much commotion, Qingtai was thoroughly bound and tossed aside by Xu Yangui.
“I told you you’re no match for me. Why insist on trying?” Xu Yangui smiled slightly, sitting roguishly by Taohua’s bedside. He stroked his chin and looked at her. “Little beauty, did you miss me?”
“I did,” Taohua nodded obediently.
This response was beyond Xu Yangui’s expectations. For some reason, seeing her innocent smile made his back go cold. He quickly composed himself, his eyes full of wariness. “Don’t try anything. I came here for a reason!”
Taohua chuckled lightly. “The one sneaking into my Zhengchun Pavilion in the middle of the night is you, sir. How did it become me who shouldn’t try anything?”
Does this even need an explanation? He had entertained a few crooked thoughts, but none ended well. The worst was that she had forced the name “Xu Yangui” to become that of a dead man, leaving him to live only in the shadows.
Pursing his lips, Xu Yangui honestly took out an object. “This is from the Prime Minister for you. I’ve already investigated. Liu Shiyi was murdered, the killer unknown. Not only did Qin Tingwei spend money to interfere, but someone else also bribed the coroner to make it appear Liu Shiyi committed suicide. However, I haven’t yet uncovered the identity of this person.”
Taohua was stunned. She took what he handed her and carefully examined it in the candlelight by the bed.
Incredible. He had uncovered these secrets and complex relationships so quickly.
“Who exactly are you?” she finally asked.
At last, she asked this question! Xu Yangui smiled, stood up, brushed off his clothes, and said with his hands behind his back, “I am Xu Yangui, the leader of the Yangui Sect, ranked first in lightness skill in the martial arts world. Has the lady heard of me?”
“Oh!” Taohua’s face lit up with sudden realization, then turned utterly blank. “Never heard of you.”
Xu Yangui: “…”
How could she not have heard of him? The Yangui Sect was famous in the martial arts world, and he was its formidable leader!
Gritting his teeth, Xu Yangui looked at her resentfully. “You don’t even know this? Are you really from Great Wei?”
“I’m not,” Taohua shook her head, her eyes full of disdain. “Are you stupid? I’m from Zhao!”
Xu Yangui: “…”
Right, she was a princess from Zhao who came for a political marriage. No wonder she didn’t know. Softening his attitude, Xu Yangui sat back down by her bed and said quietly, “The Yangui Sect specializes in assassination and gathering information. With the Prime Minister’s assistance, uncovering these things is child’s play for us. Just use them as the Prime Minister instructed, my lady.”
Putting it that way, she wasn’t surprised this man had appeared again. So he truly was someone secretly helping Shen Zaiye.
Pursing her lips, Taohua said, “I understand. Thank you, but could you untie my maid first? Also, you don’t need to keep coming to my room, do you? This is the inner court, after all. We should avoid suspicion.”
“Avoid suspicion?” Xu Yangui laughed. This was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. “I’ve lived in this inner court longer than you’ve been married here. You’re telling me to avoid suspicion?”
Slightly taken aback, Taohua raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by that?”
How could a man from outside the family live in the inner court, which was reserved for women?
“I can’t tell you what it means,” Xu Yangui smiled. “But you can rest assured, as long as I don’t want to be found, no one will discover I’ve been here. I’m just doing what I need to do.”
It seems there’s some secret here. Taohua narrowed her eyes and suddenly leaned closer to him.
“…What are you doing?” Xu Yangui was startled, instinctively leaning back and covering his mouth. “No matter what sorcery you use, I absolutely won’t say anything I shouldn’t!”
“Don’t be nervous, sir,” Jiang Taohua smiled gently. “I’m not a monster, just a powerless woman.”
Xu Yangui shook his head solemnly. “You’re flattering monsters. Even they aren’t as frightening as you. Anyway, I’ve delivered the item, so I’ll be going now. Farewell.”
With that, he vanished like a gust of wind.
Snorting with laughter, Taohua got out of bed to untie Qingtai. She asked softly, “How skilled is that man?”
Qingtai was utterly dejected, kneeling on the ground. “This servant is not even one-tenth his equal.”
No wonder she could never prevent his entry. Fortunately, he wasn’t an assassin or a lecher, or she would truly be unable to atone even with her death.
“So formidable?” Taohua clicked her tongue, looking again at the items in her hand. She couldn’t help but marvel once more that Shen Zaiye’s rapid rise to Prime Minister was not without reason.
Shen Zaiye needed evidence of Qin Tingwei’s bribery. All she needed to know was the identity of the other person trying to conceal the truth. This person likely had some connection to the killer.
For the sake of peace following the death in the household, Taohua invited a Taoist priest to perform rituals at Qiujing Pavilion the next day.
All the ladies and attendants were present. Qin Huaiyu looked particularly unwell, clearly having not slept well. Duan Yunxin stood beside her, supporting her concernedly and saying softly, “My lady, don’t be too nervous. Ghosts don’t necessarily exist in this world.”
She spoke rather loudly, immediately displeasing the Taoist priest performing the ritual. He turned to look at her, saying, “What nonsense is the madam speaking? If there are no ghosts, what am I catching?”
Qin Huaiyu was startled and quickly asked, “You’ve caught a ghost?”
“Only two hun and three po souls,” the priest frowned. “The remaining hun soul and four po souls have too much resentment and are hiding, unwilling to leave.”
Qin Huaiyu’s legs went weak, and she nearly collapsed. Fortunately, Gu Huairou beside her caught her.
“This is truly mysterious,” Gu Huairou frowned. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“That’s because madam doesn’t understand. This poor Taoist has practiced ghost-catching techniques since childhood and wouldn’t speak nonsense,” the priest swept his whisk and turned to look at Duan Yunxin. “However, it’s strange. This madam seems to have something clinging to her. Did you have any grudges with the deceased?”
Duan Yunxin was startled, then frowned. “No grudges. The deceased and I were on good terms when she was alive. She often sought me out for heart-to-heart talks.”
Her gaze was frank, her expression natural. Watching from the side, Taohua wondered if she had guessed wrong. But if Duan Yunxin was innocent, why had she been so nervous earlier?
“I see,” the priest nodded. “In that case, let’s go to madam’s quarters and take a look. Perhaps the remaining souls are hiding there.”
It all sounded so eerie. Qin Huaiyu clutched Gu Huairou tightly, her face pale as she said, “You all go ahead. I won’t be joining you.”
(End of Chapter)