TL: Hua
Bai Yunduan carried his third sister back to her room. Just as he was about to have the doctor examine her, Third Bai woke up with a start. Upon seeing the unfamiliar man walking towards her, her face instantly changed, and she screamed, clutching her head.
The doctor was startled and didn’t dare to approach rashly, turning to look at Bai Yunduan. “Young Master Yunduan, what do you think…”
“Third Sister, it’s me; don’t be afraid…” Bai Yunduan walked to the bedside, but seeing his sister becoming increasingly frightened, almost shrinking into the bed, he stood there helplessly.
Bai Yunzhi hugged herself, tears streaming down her face as she trembled and whispered something. Bai Yunduan listened for a few moments before understanding that she was saying “Elder Brother.” He immediately went to the door to call Bai Yunluo.
The guard pushed Bai Yunluo in and approached the bedside. Bai Yunluo asked the doctor to leave first, then leaned forward slightly, reaching out his hand towards Bai Yunzhi, and said gently, “Third Sister, Elder Brother is here.”
After a while, Bai Yunzhi timidly glanced towards the bedside. Bai Yunluo’s expression was gentle, without the slightest impatience or urging. She bit her lip, not daring to move but no longer retreating further into the bed. Seeing this, Bai Yunluo spoke softly again. Only then did she carefully move towards the edge of the bed, all the while scrutinizing Bai Yunluo’s expression.
“E-Elder… Brother…” Bai Yunzhi finally touched Bai Yunluo’s hand. The grievances of the past few days seemed like a torrential downpour, suddenly crashing down as she sobbed and threw herself into his embrace.
Seeing the two siblings finally reunited, just when they were about to offer comfort, a sudden change occurred. Bai Yunduan, standing behind them, his eyes sharp, subconsciously shouted, “Careful—”
But it was clearly too late. Before his voice fell, Bai Yunluo’s body jolted, and he looked down in disbelief at the dagger piercing his chest.
“Elder Brother!” Bai Yunduan and the guard reacted simultaneously, pulling Bai Yunluo’s wheelchair backward. As the guard rushed forward, he drew his saber and slashed at Bai Yunzhi, only to see the Third Miss Bai nimbly step back and dodge the attack.
“You’re not Third Sister!” Bai Yunduan stood in front of Bai Yunluo, glaring angrily at “Bai Yunzhi.” “Who exactly are you!”
“Bai Yunzhi” laughed, covering her face with her sleeve. When her hand fell, her true face was finally revealed. She looked at Bai Yunluo behind Bai Yunduan, her voice still Bai Yunzhi’s. “Does Elder Brother like the gift Zhi’er sent?”
“It was quite an elaborate gift.” Bai Yunluo said in a soft voice while clutching his blood-soaked chest.
Hearing him speak so calmly, the woman’s expression changed. “How is that possible! Even if this dagger didn’t kill you, the poison on the tip should have taken effect!”
Bai Yunluo watched the woman’s surprised and suspicious look. His sleeve moved slightly, and he calmly pulled out something from his chest—a pre-prepared blood pack and a piece of pig’s heart.
“You… how is it possible? You actually prepared for this!” The woman glared at Bai Yunluo, and a dagger flashed in her sleeve, fiercely attacking him.
The guard, however, swung his saber to block, forcing the woman to retreat repeatedly. But even the guard specially hired by the Bai family for Bai Yunluo shouldn’t possess such fierce strength and martial arts. The woman finally realized something was wrong, but it was too late. The guard struck her wrist with the back of his saber, deftly twirling the blade around her wrist. In the next instant, she was pinned against the bedpost, revealing her fair nape and the small mole on the edge of her left earlobe.
“Got you,” the guard said.
The woman’s face slammed against the bedpost, unable to move. She could only say viciously, “You’re from the Longhe Division?!”
The guard didn’t speak, delivering a chop to the back of the woman’s neck, knocking her unconscious. Her body went limp and fell to the ground with a “thump.”
The guard took a step back and said, “Someone!”
Two plain-clothed Longhe guards immediately entered the room, trussed up the woman, and dragged her out.
The guard flexed his wrist, raised his hand, and tore off the fake thick eyebrows and beard, revealing his true face—it was You Zong. He glanced at Bai Yunluo and said, “Go change into some clean clothes.”
Bai Yunluo cupped his hands in acknowledgment and said, “I wonder where my younger sister is at this moment?”
“Don’t worry, she’s already on her way,” You Zong said.
Hearing this, Bai Yunluo breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Bai Yunduan, who quickly pushed him around and out of the room.
“Oh dear, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind; secretly crossing the river under cover of darkness, substituting one thing for another, using the enemy’s strategy against themselves—what a play!” Pei Xiting circled the Crown Prince, his fan closing with a snap, lightly tapping the Crown Prince’s chest. “I knew your arrival to Ningzhou had a reason. You came to put on a show for your own enjoyment.”
The Crown Prince used his folding fan to deflect Pei Xiting’s, saying, “You seem to know everything.”
“I just know.” Pei Xiting lightly tapped the Crown Prince’s fan, his eyes slightly narrowed. “Those two groups who came to cause trouble today, do you know where they came from?”
The Crown Prince said, “What’s it to you?”
Pei Xiting chuckled. “Avoiding the question must mean there’s something fishy.”
The words were very familiar. The Crown Prince lowered his eyes, but unlike Pei Xiting, he didn’t rush to prove himself. He simply said, “Oh, and so what?”
Pei Xiting openly rolled his eyes, snorted softly, and turned to leave.
The Crown Prince followed, saying, “Since you’re so clear, why don’t you tell me why ‘Bai Yunzhi’ wanted to kill Bai Yunluo?”
“Because Bai Yunluo is the descendant most valued by the old Master Bai, so much so that even his leg ailment didn’t exclude him from being a candidate for the head of the family. And even if Bai Yunluo doesn’t end up as the head of the family, his position in the Bai family is almost like a ‘regent.’ Therefore, for those who want to be the next head of the family, Bai Yunluo is the strongest competitor.
However, Bai Yunluo is cautious and rarely goes out due to his leg ailment, making it difficult to attack him. So, this person made a deal with ‘Bai Yunzhi,’ allowing her to use ‘Bai Yunzhi’s’ identity to get close to Bai Yunluo and strike when he was off guard. This way, they could eliminate the threat without implicating themselves.”
As Pei Xiting spoke, he turned his head to look at the Crown Prince beside him. “Am I right?”
The Crown Prince said, “Continue.”
“Your future kid must rarely receive your praise,” Pei Xiting shook his head and then said, “As for the exchange condition, I guess this person promised that if he could succeed as the head of the family, he would provide a large amount of gold and silver to ‘Bai Yunzhi’s’ gang.”
The Crown Prince asked, “How did you come up with that?”
“I got the inspiration from the old case of the Wang family in Jiangnan. The plum blossom sleeve arrows and the gang killed people and then robbed all the valuables, didn’t they? Whether it’s for the living expenses and operation of their own internal members or for hiring some outlaws or professionals, a large sum of money is needed as support.” Pei Xiting snapped his fingers. “Do you think I’m right?”
The Crown Prince asked, “Do you really want my affirmation?”
“Not really.” Pei Xiting twirled his fan and shrugged. “Anyway, I’m just a passerby, making a casual guess. If it’s wrong, it’s wrong.”
“Congratulations, passerby, you got it right,” the Crown Prince said.
Pei Xiting smiled and then said, “Your Highness, Yuan Fang also contributed today. Shouldn’t he be credited?”
The Crown Prince said, “What are you plotting?”
“I’m willing to provide clues without asking for a reward, as long as you agree to one condition.” The Crown Prince looked at him without speaking. Pei Xiting pondered that calm face, unable to figure anything out, so he said, “You have to agree first.”
The Crown Prince said, “Are you threatening me?”
“How dare I?” Pei Xiting said. “It’s a friendly exchange.”
The Crown Prince remained noncommittal and said, “Tell me the condition first.”
“This clue was provided to me by Yuan Fang. I’m willing to give it to you; I only hope you’ll pretend you’ve never seen Yuan Fang and take care of him a little in the capital.” Pei Xiting said, “He’s hiding from creditors.”
Hearing this, the Crown Prince had already guessed what the clue was. “I thought not pursuing the matter of him stealing Po Yinlin was already a great favor. You still want me to take care of him?”
Pei Xiting couldn’t refute it, weakly arguing, “Yejing is the imperial capital. If you let Jianghu people kill each other at will, where will your noble face be?”
The Crown Prince didn’t comment, saying, “Tell me about it.”
Pei Xiting gave a thumbs-up. “You are truly the best person in the world.”
“Then what about Heying[mfn]I got very confused until I remembered this is You Zong’s courtesy name. 🤦♀️[/mfn]?” the Crown Prince asked.
Pei Xiting pondered and said, “Temporarily pushed out of the first place by you.”
The Crown Prince smiled faintly. “Not sincere at all.”
“There’s still some sincerity.” Pei Xiting retorted, taking out the portrait he had folded into a small square from his sleeve. “That mysterious employer.”
The Crown Prince looked at the portrait. “A chief clerk in the East Palace, Liao Yuan.”
Pei Xiting was taken aback. “Isn’t the chief clerk in the East Palace surnamed Lin? I saw him at the Longhe Division, a handsome and refined young man.”
Hearing this, the Crown Prince glanced at him. Pei Xiting didn’t think he had said anything wrong that warranted such a look from His Highness, nor did he understand the meaning behind it.
Just as he was about to ask, he heard the Crown Prince say, “He was a chief clerk in the East Palace during the time of Crown Prince Yuan He.”
