Taohua nodded, “Of course I’m worried. Why has he suddenly started killing again?”
Chuckling softly, Qian Baimei said, “Perhaps he angered someone he shouldn’t have, and they’re seeking revenge. They came to my doorstep, openly declaring their intent to take my life. It wouldn’t be right for me to just stand there, would it?”
Standing still indeed wouldn’t be appropriate, but his actions were far too extreme…
Standing upwind to avoid the smell of blood, Shen Zaiye caught up with the two. He pulled Taohua behind him and addressed Qian Baimei, “Great Wei hasn’t seen such a bloody incident in many years. What do you plan to do?”
Qian Baimei raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean, what do I plan to do? If they have the ability, let them come arrest me.”
Such arrogance! Shen Zaiye snorted coldly, “You might be untouchable alone, but what if someone discovers you’re Taohua’s master and she gets implicated? What then?”
“Isn’t that why you’re here?” Qian Baimei smirked, glancing at him. “As the mighty Prime Minister, if you can’t even protect my disciple, perhaps I should take her away.”
“Repeating the same words loses its impact,” Shen Zaiye said coolly. “Running away never solves problems. I can protect her, but you can’t act without considering her.”
Seeing that the two were about to argue again, Taohua quickly jumped between them, raising both hands to block them. “Stop!”
Both men paused and looked down at her.
Taohua first turned to Shen Zaiye, speaking seriously, “My master has always been like this. No one in Great Wei can harm him, and with you here, no one can harm me either. So there’s no need to blame my master for this. After all, others came to kill him.”
Then she turned to her master and said just four words: “Be gentler next time.”
Shen Zaiye was displeased, his face cold as he said, “You truly can’t distinguish right from wrong. Just because he’s your master, you think his misdeeds are inconsequential?”
“In situations like this, don’t people usually ignore right and wrong and only consider their stance?” Taohua looked at him earnestly. “From my master’s perspective, he was only defending himself, truly without fault. Why are you taking the stance of those people? You have no relation to them, and they were attempting murder in the middle of the night!”
Since neither side could claim the moral or legal high ground, wasn’t it natural to side with one’s own?
Anger rose in Shen Zaiye’s heart. He closed his eyes and took two deep breaths to calm himself before staring at her and saying, “Don’t you think your relationship with your master has become somewhat inappropriate?”
“What?” Taohua was stunned. “How is it inappropriate?”
“You know him, understand him, protect him, and respect him,” Shen Zaiye said, his fists slightly clenched. “He knows you, understands you, protects you, and loves you. If that’s the case, why didn’t you two marry earlier? It would have spared me, an outsider, from having to comment on this.”
After a brief pause, Jiang Taohua’s eyes widened in surprise. She ran around Shen Zaiye, circling him three times, looking him up and down before clapping her hands and exclaiming, “My lord is jealous?”
What was with that gloating tone? Shen Zaiye sneered, “I am not.”
“You say you’re not?” Taohua pouted. “I can smell the sourness. But do you get jealous of just anyone? My master and I are teachers and students. We’ve known each other for years, so of course, we understand, protect, respect, and care for each other. But in the end, we’re just masters and disciples. By your logic, shouldn’t I marry Qingtai too?”
“Just master and disciple in the end.”
Qian Baimei sighed lightly, sitting on a nearby large rock, leaning back with his hands supporting him. He snorted softly, “You truly don’t know how fortunate you are.”
Shen Zaiye looked at him expressionlessly and asked, “She only sees you as her master. What about you?”
“What about me?” Qian Baimei glanced at him. “Of course, I only see her as my disciple. Some things are just jokes. Don’t tell me you took them seriously?”
“Jokes?” Shen Zaiye smiled. “If it were truly just jokes in your heart, you wouldn’t always look at her with those eyes.”
Men can’t deceive other men. Just as beasts instinctively sense when other beasts invade their territory, men have a similar awareness.
Qian Baimei didn’t look at him anymore. Instead, he turned to Jiang Taohua and asked, “Little one, don’t you have anything to say?”
“Huh?” Taohua blinked. “Aren’t you two arguing happily? What should I say?”
“Tell us, what position do I hold in your heart? And how do you think I feel about you?”
Taohua nodded obediently, “Master is of course my master in my heart. A teacher for a day is a father for a lifetime. In the future, I’ll be the one to arrange your funeral and mourn for you! As for how master feels about me, it must be with wholehearted devotion.”
She then turned and tugged on Shen Zaiye’s sleeve, “My lord, please don’t overthink. Master sometimes speaks without restraint, but he truly doesn’t have any feelings beyond that of master and disciple for me.”
“How can you be so sure?” Shen Zaiye narrowed his eyes.
“Because I asked him long ago,” Taohua said. “He said it himself. A little one like me is suitable to be a daughter. In this lifetime, we don’t have that kind of fate.”
“…” Shen Zaiye raised an eyebrow and glanced at Qian Baimei. The latter smiled bitterly. This was what youthful impulsiveness meant, what lifting a stone only to drop it on one’s foot meant.
Shen Zaiye’s gaze deepened, and he felt somewhat comforted. He even looked at Qian Baimei with a bit of sympathy.
What could be more tragic than unrequited love? Such an unrestrained person, who would have thought he’d end up falling for a woman? And having to be her master, watching her be with someone else, unable to attain her, tossing and turning in anguish.
Brushing off his robe, Shen Zaiye’s gaze softened. He smiled at Taohua and said, “Then it seems I misunderstood.”
“It’s good that you’re willing to listen to explanations,” Taohua shrugged. “I was afraid you’d immediately accuse me of infidelity when we got back and have me drowned in the lake. The fish would all die from shock at my beauty. That wouldn’t be good, would it?”
Shen Zaiye: “…” Could she be any more shameless?
“Let’s not talk about this anymore,” Taohua clapped her hands and pulled him to sit next to Qian Baimei. “My lord must have something to discuss with my master, right?”
“How do you know?” Shen Zaiye was slightly displeased. He hadn’t said anything when he came. How did she perceive this?
Giggling, Taohua picked up her skirt and stepped back. “I’ll give you some privacy. Take your time talking.”
“Don’t go too far,” Qian Baimei said. “This place isn’t very safe.”
“Alright,” the little one responded, skipping away until she was out of sight.
Without her, the two men became more candid. There was no need to hide anything. Shen Zaiye spoke directly, “It must be hard for you, isn’t it?”
“I don’t accept sympathy, much less mockery,” Qian Baimei snorted coldly. “After all, I watched her grow up. You came several years too late.”
“So what?” Shen Zaiye sneered. “The rest of her life belongs to me.”
The rest of her life? Qian Baimei’s eyes darkened. He said softly, “How many years do you think she has left?”
“Are you referring to the poison in her body?” Shen Zaiye pressed his lips together. “I will find a way to help her.”
How envious of those who know nothing, Qian Baimei thought bitterly. They still have hope in their hearts, completely unaware of his despair.
“Let’s set that aside for now. I came here to propose a deal,” Shen Zaiye turned to look at him. “It depends on whether you’re interested.”
“Please, go on.”
“You’ve killed numerous people within Great Wei’s borders, which will inevitably cause tension between Zhao and Wei,” Shen Zaiye said. “And you’ll likely be hunted continuously, never having a moment’s peace. If you want to return to a peaceful life where you can walk freely on the streets, why not help me kill a few people?”
This deal sounded quite fair, considering killing was as easy as cutting vegetables for him. Qian Baimei turned to look at him, “Which people?”
Shen Zaiye took a paper from his sleeve and handed it to him, saying in a low voice, “These people’s mansions are heavily guarded. Once one is killed, the others will become more vigilant, so it’s not an easy task. But I’m confident entrusting it to you.”
After carefully examining the names on the list, Qian Baimei paused briefly and looked up at the man before him. “You’re truly ruthless.”
The targets were all high-ranking officials in the Great Wei court. With the emperor currently away from the capital, wouldn’t such killings cause chaos?
“It’s merely purging the court,” Shen Zaiye said. “Are you willing to help?”
“If I help you with this, you can clear all the crimes on my name?” Qian Baimei stroked his silver hair, narrowing his eyes. “I’m sure the people of Great Wei have already marked me as a murderer.”
“That’s my responsibility. You need not worry,” Shen Zaiye said. “As long as you complete the task, I will not disappoint you.”
Waving the paper in his hand, Qian Baimei laughed, “You’re truly like a venomous snake.”
“She says the same about me,” Shen Zaiye said, displeased. “But I think I’m quite gentle.”
Yeah, right. If he’s gentle, then I must be the most compassionate disciple under Buddha! Standing up and tucking the paper into his sleeve, Qian Baimei looked at the sky and yawned, “Now is a good time for killing. I accept this task and will do it now. You’d better keep your word.”
“Good,” Shen Zaiye cupped his hands in salute. “I await good news.”
Qian Baimei left swiftly. Taohua, who had been hiding somewhere, immediately darted out, clicking her tongue, “My lord, you’re taking quite a risk. How did you know my master cared about clearing his name? He could very well not care about clearing it, since no one can do anything to him anyway.”
Shen Zaiye didn’t look at her, lowering his eyes and speaking softly, “He may be skilled in martial arts, but no one wants to be hunted every day without a moment of peace. Moreover, he often visits you. Sooner or later, his identity will be discovered, and you’ll be implicated. So no matter how you look at it, he was sure to agree.”
Taohua couldn’t see the list of people to be killed, but looking at the sky, she felt that something big was about to happen in the capital again.
(End of Chapter)