Chapter 52: Learned Your Lesson?

The girl swallowed hard, her voice tense. “N-No, none.”

Jiang Chenbi’s gaze swept up and down her body, the smile on her face sending an inexplicable chill down the girl’s back. She hooked her lips and said, “Is that so? Do you know why I killed them?”

“Because… they weren’t loyal enough?” The girl didn’t dare look at Jiang Chenbi and guessed softly.

Jiang Chenbi furrowed her brows lightly and hummed. “Yes, they actually hesitated.”

The girl seized the opportunity and professed her loyalty. “Palace Lord, I pledge my life to you. I’d go through fire and water without hesitation.”

“Pfft—”

A woman’s light laugh came from above. The girl looked up in a daze as Jiang Chenbi rose from her high seat and descended with leisurely steps.

Standing before the girl, Jiang Chenbi gripped her chin, forcing her to look up. Her gaze lingered on the girl’s face for a long time before she said gently, “Even if I asked you to die right now, would you be willing, my good child…?”

The girl froze, her breaths filled with the alluring fragrance from the woman’s body. Her eyes firm, she replied, “Yes.”

Jiang Chenbi hooked her lips and leaned close to the girl’s ear, her voice seductive. “Then… prove it to me.”

A ruthless glint flashed in the girl’s eyes. She turned her head, drew Ying Lan’s sword from her waist, and pressed it against her neck. Jiang Chenbi watched her movements coldly.

The blade pressed against her neck, drawing a cut.

A pale, dazzling hand grasped the hilt.

The girl stared blankly at Jiang Chenbi, confusion in her eyes. Jiang Chenbi curved her eyes into a smile, took the sword away, and said, “Don’t dirty Ying Lan’s sword.”

The girl was stunned by her words, but she was already committed. She pursed her lips, seemingly pondering another way.

Irritation flashed in Jiang Chenbi’s eyes. She shot a glance at Ying Lan, and in the next second, Ying Lan expressionlessly crushed the Mother Gu in her hand. The girl’s shocked expression was swallowed by the swarm of insects.

A waste of time, idiot.

Ying Lan lowered her gaze, knowing none of these people met her standards.

“Next time, pick people with sharper eyes. I want smart ones, not idiots,” Jiang Chenbi said coolly, glancing at Ying Lan.

Ying Lan pursed her lips. “Yes.”

Jiang Chenbi was eclectic in her hiring but her demands were almost inhuman. She wanted absolute loyalty but not blind obedience. She craved total control yet demanded her people not be too compliant.

She enjoyed the thrill of the chase.

Jiang Chenbi glanced around and asked, “What about the previous ones? Are there no more?”

She had been away from Luozhou for years, so naturally, they had been saving them up for her return.

Ying Lan knew Jiang Chenbi was bored.

“There are. Should I bring them for the Palace Lord to review?”

Jiang Chenbi looked down at the dry grass by her feet, then lifted her head to scrutinize Ying Lan. “Any smart ones?”

Ying Lan thought of that flash of red on the training ground a year ago and frowned. “One.”

But she was… indescribable.

Jiang Chenbi stepped onto the stairs with a scoff. “Bring her over for a look.”

Jiang Chenbi sat in her high seat, toying with the string of Qingjin Haiyan in her hand. The cool touch eased some of her irritation.

Almost as soon as the woman was brought to the training ground, Jiang Chenbi’s lips curved up at the sight of that figure.

The woman was dressed in red, her eyes as alluring as silk as she stared at Jiang Chenbi. Unlike the others, she showed no fear. Her makeup and hair were impeccable, her waist soft and supple.

“What’s your name?” Jiang Chenbi asked with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

The woman was bold and sauntered up to Jiang Chenbi, her voice soft and coquettish. “This slave has no name. What would the Palace Lord like to call me?”

Ying Lan frowned at her demeanor—this was the subordinate who gave her the most headaches.

Jiang Chenbi tilted her head, dodging the woman’s attempted kiss. The interest in her eyes turned to warning as she smiled. “I like smart people, but I don’t like small tricks in front of me.”

The woman still smiled charmingly and retreated tactfully. “This slave adores the Palace Lord and couldn’t help drawing close.”

Jiang Chenbi raised her hand, her fingertip sliding over the woman’s face. She narrowed her eyes and said, “You’ll be called… Liu Yao.”

The woman curtsied gracefully, neither humble nor arrogant, and said in a soft, charming voice, “Thank you, Palace Lord.”

Ying Lan handed over the white jade vial at the right moment. Jiang Chenbi took it and held it before Liu Yao’s eyes, saying lowly, “This is Soul-Seizing Powder, freshly made yesterday. It hasn’t been tested yet.”

Liu Yao took the Soul-Seizing Powder, her fingers brushing Jiang Chenbi’s intentionally. Jiang Chenbi frowned slightly.

“Does the Palace Lord bear to use this slave for testing?” Liu Yao bit her lip, her gaze soft and alluring.

Jiang Chenbi’s lips curved up as she smiled. “It’s precisely because I can’t bear to that I want to kill you… so you’ll stay by my side forever.”

Liu Yao feigned distress and took a step forward, slowly kneeling by Jiang Chenbi’s legs. Her hand caressed the tip of Jiang Chenbi’s shoe. When she looked up, tears welled in her eyes. “But this slave can’t bear to leave the Palace Lord. Yet… your orders are heaven’s will to this slave.”

With that, she moved to open the white jade vial.

Jiang Chenbi watched her with interest. Liu Yao dawdled forever without drinking the Soul-Seizing Powder. Instead, she coughed, dropping the vial to the ground. The powder spilled everywhere.

Liu Yao looked self-reproachful and stared at the vial helplessly. “Ah…”

Jiang Chenbi chuckled lightly, bent down, and suddenly gripped her neck. Her voice was coldly amused. “Lick it clean.”

Liu Yao’s breath was cut off, her face turning red. Meeting the genuine killing intent in Jiang Chenbi’s eyes, her body trembled, fear surging in her gaze.

Laughter bubbled from Jiang Chenbi’s throat, excitement filling her eyes. She tightened her grip, lifting Liu Yao off the ground. She leaned down slightly, lifted her eyelids, and stared at her with seductive eyes like silk.

Satisfied with the terror in her eyes, Jiang Chenbi suddenly released her, stood, and pulled away. Coolly, she said, “Learned your lesson?”

Liu Yao collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. Disbelief flashed in her eyes. She looked up at Jiang Chenbi and saw the cold indifference there—she had seen through her ploy from the start.

Jiang Chenbi smiled and mimicked her coquettish voice. “What? Did I scare you?”

Liu Yao dropped the act and straightened her expression. “Thank you for the lesson, Palace Lord.”

Jiang Chenbi glanced at her lightly, her smile fading into coldness. “Report to the inner cabinet tomorrow.”

There, someone would retrain her clumsy acting.

Liu Yao kowtowed hurriedly. “Yes.”

After Jiang Chenbi left, Ying Lan kicked the still-kneeling Liu Yao. Frowning, she said, “Get up already?”

Liu Yao rose, pursed her lips, and stared at Ying Lan. Suddenly, she yanked Ying Lan close and planted a kiss on her cheek, laughing. “Thank you, Ying Protector.”

With that, Liu Yao swayed her hips and left. Ying Lan furiously wiped her face, fire in her eyes—this damned woman, flirting with her again!

She had known the Palace Lord would take a liking to Liu Yao. The woman had ability and brains. Though untrained systematically, she was indeed moldable talent.

But Ying Lan really didn’t want to work with her in the inner cabinet—her personality was too frivolous!

…

Luoyang County.

Cui Wangshu gazed indifferently at the receded Luo River, Chen Quan standing uneasily beside her.

Her eyes swept over him without emotion. Cui Wangshu sneered. “Do you know the consequences of betraying the Cui Family?”

Chen Quan swallowed hard, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and stammered, “Minister… I…”

Cui Wangshu turned, staring coldly at him. “If you weren’t already incapable of betraying again, do you know what I’d do?”

Chen Quan gritted his teeth. “You… you’d kill me.”

Cui Wangshu narrowed her eyes. “Good that you know.”

If not for the Gu poison Jiang Chenbi had planted in him, with Cui Wangshu’s temperament, the moment she learned Chen Quan was Jiang Chenbi’s man, he would have been dead.

Pawns could be replaced; betrayers could not be kept.

“Tell me about the situation here these past two months.”

Chen Quan hurriedly said, “The local officials in Luoyang are all under control. No one will dare say anything when the time comes.”

“I’ve already surveyed it. As the Xuanji Strategy said, there’s a weak mudflat downstream on the Luo River. The water there is too swift, and swamps isolate both sides, so it’s been blocked. Now that the flood season has passed, the mudflat is exposed—perfect for the work.”

The Capital City neighbored Luozhou. Once the mudflat downstream was diverted, come flood season, it would rush straight into the Capital City.

Per the Xuanji Strategy, if successful, the Luo River would merge with the main channel of the Yellow Springs beneath the Imperial City. When the flood hit, the moat outside the Capital City would surge. Launch a coup then, and the land routes inside would be blocked, water routes perilous—almost no chance of escape.

Cui Wangshu hummed faintly. “In three days, the water control blueprints will arrive in Luozhou. I’ve arranged the manpower.”

She paused, then stared straight at Chen Quan, her tone laced with warning. “I don’t need to remind you what to do this time, right?”

Chen Quan nodded repeatedly. “Rest assured, Minister. No one will notice the direction of the work.”

They’d work on the water control and diversion blueprints together—hiding in plain sight, impossible to detect.

Cui Wangshu said no more. Back then, Jiang Chenbi hadn’t discarded Chen Quan because, before entering the Ministry of Personnel, he had handled river works along the Yongzhou waterfront. Diversion was the same principle.

Out of the Capital City’s sight early, with experience in river channels, Chen Quan was indeed the best choice.

A guard approached and whispered in Cui Wangshu’s ear. Her expression remained impassive as she acknowledged faintly.

On the carriage leaving Luoyang, Cui Wangshu closed her eyes to rest and said, “Have someone watch Chen Quan. Report any unusual movements to me.”

“Yes.”

The guard had just reported that Wang Xian had arrived in Luozhou.

With the Luo River diversion and Myriad Nations Conference arranged, Cui Wangshu planned to take Wang Xian to Qingcang Mountain.

Luoyang was the smallest county in Luozhou, far from the central city but very close to Qingcang Mountain… very close?

Cui Wangshu suddenly frowned as the thought struck her.

Jiang Chenbi had been on Qingcang Mountain for years, with the Luo River at its foot. Had she planned the diversion from the start? That Xuanji Strategy—was it no accident, but something she sought deliberately?

The more she thought, the more suspicious it seemed. The Imperial Mausoleum affair reeked of oddity everywhere.

Cui Wangshu hadn’t dwelled on it before, too busy with one thing after another. But now, recalling, on dumpling-making day, Jiang Chenbi had said she planned to enter the Cold Palace anyway.

Why enter the Cold Palace? Just to escape Li Cong’s sight?

How convenient that beneath the Cold Palace’s dry well was the Qianshang Imperial Mausoleum, and Jiang Chenbi had “coincidentally” brought healing herbs—not to mention gunpowder.

Cui Wangshu narrowed her eyes. Too many coincidences ceased to be coincidences.

If from the beginning, Jiang Chenbi had placed Yellow Path Palace on Qingcang Mountain for the Luo River, then she must have decided on the Xuanji Strategy before marrying Li Cong. Everything afterward was in her plan.

Even the mausoleum.

Once suspicion arose, past details connected. Cui Wangshu chuckled lightly, appreciation and interest sliding through her eyes.

It seemed her beloved was far more scheming than she had realized.