Chapter 33: The Mystery of the Clay Figurine

Cui Wangshu stared at Jiang Chenbi, who kept her eyes downcast. Her expression seemed somewhat unnatural—not quite anger, but more like a restless irritation.

Cui Wangshu frowned. Could it be that Jiang Chenbi did not want others to know about their relationship?

Little did she know that Jiang Chenbi’s mind was entirely occupied with the scene Ying Lan had witnessed. As someone close to Jiang Chenbi, Ying Lan naturally knew about their status as the Twin-Born Daughters.

Jiang Chenbi did not care about anyone’s opinions, nor had she ever intended to tell Cui Wangshu about their connection.

But there was always the chance of the unexpected. She feared that if her identity was exposed before Cui Wangshu fell in love with her, she would have no bargaining chips left.

She had concealed her identity and used such despicable means to obtain this affection precisely because she knew that, with Cui Wangshu’s personality, no such relationship would exist between them otherwise.

When it came to Cui Wangshu, Jiang Chenbi never made unprepared plans; she had naturally considered the worst-case scenario.

So, the moment their relationship was discovered, Jiang Chenbi felt a surge of unease. She worried that the matter would reach Qian Yuan’s ears. With his personality, he would undoubtedly tell Cui Wangshu, and then she might not even get a chance to explain.

In Jiang Chenbi’s view, they had been separated since birth, and that faint blood tie was merely proof of their fated entanglement.

What arrived before the joy of recognizing Cui Wangshu’s identity was the sound of her own heart stirring.

She did not care about ethics or morality, so she naturally believed that as long as Cui Wangshu truly fell in love with her, those ethical shackles could be disregarded.

At that point, she would at least have the qualification to fight for this relationship.

After a long silence, Jiang Chenbi finally spoke. “I was just… angry that my weak moment had been seen by a subordinate.”

The reason sounded odd but plausible. Cui Wangshu, with her mind devoid of romantic notions, could not think of any deeper implications. Considering that Jiang Chenbi was the master of a palace after all, she believed it.

Thinking she truly minded, Cui Wangshu said earnestly, “I was also caught up in the moment then. How about… how about you tie me up instead?”

At that moment, a very faint laugh came from across the table.

Cui Wangshu stared dazedly at the genuine smile that bloomed between Jiang Chenbi’s brows, like the first rays of sun on morning snow. Though it vanished quickly, Cui Wangshu had seen it clearly.

Her eyelashes trembled. “You…”

She had seen Jiang Chenbi smile many times—cold smirks, deliberately flamboyant grins, playful smirks when teasing her intentionally. None of those reached her eyes; they were mere performances to set the mood.

Caught off guard by her real smile, Cui Wangshu heard only the unbalanced thumping of her own heart in her ears.

She had never realized how beautiful Jiang Chenbi looked when she smiled.

Jiang Chenbi raised her gaze to Cui Wangshu and winked her right eye at her. “Doesn’t Little Cui think too little of me? I’m not so incompetent as to fail to manage my own subordinates.”

Cui Wangshu snapped back to reality and realized she had said something meaningless. She could not help but smile too.

Jiang Chenbi stood up, patted her shoulder, and said lightly, “Alright, Little Cui, go handle your official duties. We’ll meet again if fate allows.”

Both had their own matters to attend to, and this meeting had been mere chance. Cui Wangshu rose, paused at the door, and turned back to Jiang Chenbi. “When will you return to the capital?”

Jiang Chenbi’s lips curved in a smile. “No fixed return date. We’ll meet again if fate allows.” Perhaps they would never meet again.

Cui Wangshu furrowed her brows slightly but still left.

As she stepped out, she saw Ji Yunwei and Ying Lan standing at opposite ends of the corridor, glaring at each other, neither yielding. Cui Wangshu walked to Ji Yunwei’s side and asked, “How did it go?”

Ji Yunwei withdrew her glare from Ying Lan. “Minister, let’s talk back in the room. We shouldn’t let just anyone overhear.” With that, she rolled her eyes at Ying Lan.

Ying Lan snorted coldly and slammed the door shut with a “bang.”

Cui Wangshu looked at their tense standoff and shook her head helplessly.

Back in the room, Ji Yunwei’s expression turned serious. “That clay figurine was tampered with beforehand. There’s an extremely fine needle hidden in the pupil of the figurine. It’s unclear if it’s coated with a hallucinogenic drug, but after all, many people heard Yelu Narqi’s screams that night.”

“When I examined the body, I found a needle mark on Yelu Narqi’s left middle finger. I hadn’t figured out how such an awkward angle could have been pricked, but the shape of the needle mark confirms she was stabbed by the needle in the clay figurine.”

With that, Ji Yunwei took out a handkerchief-wrapped item from her palm and unfolded it, revealing the needle she had extracted from the clay figurine.

Cui Wangshu narrowed her eyes. “Tomorrow morning, bring the people to the yamen office for questioning.”

Ji Yunwei nodded; that was exactly what she thought.

The sound of the night watchman’s call drifted in from outside—it was already the hour of the tiger. Cui Wangshu said, “Get some rest. We’ll discuss it tomorrow morning.”

Ji Yunwei nodded and returned to her room. The night passed uneventfully.

The next morning.

Cui Wangshu stood downstairs while Ji Yunwei negotiated with the innkeeper. Cui Wangshu looked up at the left side room on the upper floor; the door was tightly shut.

Cui Wangshu frowned. “Have the two young ladies in the left side room gotten up this morning?”

The innkeeper paused. “The two ladies left the inn at the hour of the rabbit.”

Cui Wangshu hummed in acknowledgment and said no more. Ji Yunwei kept her eyes down respectfully and escorted the innkeeper back to the yamen office.

The innkeeper had no given name and was the third in her family, so everyone called her Feng Sanniang. She had never married and had run the Great Wind Inn by herself for many years.

Feng Sanniang looked nervous. “Officials, the yamen people already asked before. I’ve told everything I know.”

Cui Wangshu sat leisurely below the hall, eyes closed in repose. Ji Yunwei sat above in the hall, clad in red official robes, her expression stern.

“This official asks, and you need only answer carefully.”

“Yes…”

Ji Yunwei frowned. “This official asks you, what is the deal with the clay figurine in your upper left room?”

Feng Sanniang panicked. “This… the upper left room houses esteemed guests. Tongzhou is famous for its clay figurines, and the ones in the upper rooms are specially blessed at the temple to ward off evil and provide protection.”

Ji Yunwei glared and bellowed, “Why would a fine inn need clay figurines to ward off evil? Has something happened at the inn? Or have you done something like murder for profit and are feeling guilty?”

Startled by the outburst, Feng Sanniang kowtowed frantically. “Great official, I’m innocent! I’ve always been honest and never done anything wrong!”

Ji Yunwei snorted coldly. “Still daring to quibble? This official sees that you eyed the Kang Kingdom envoy’s wealth and used the clay figurine to murder for profit!”

Feng Sanniang grew frantic. “I really didn’t, sir! Please discern the truth!”

Ji Yunwei suddenly calmed, her tone rapid and even. “Then how do you explain the needle hole in your clay figurine’s pupil?”

Feng Sanniang’s face changed abruptly, and she hesitated. “This…”

Ji Yunwei scowled fiercely, slammed the gavel on the table, and shouted, “Still not confessing? Men, drag this Feng Sanniang away and give her eighty strokes!”

As the bailiffs moved to drag her, Feng Sanniang hurriedly cried, “I’ll talk! I’ll talk!”

Ji Yunwei raised her hand to halt the bailiffs, then said in a normal voice, “Tell everything you know truthfully. Any more concealment, and this official will serve you severe punishment.”

After this scare, Feng Sanniang steadied herself, still shaken, and spilled the whole story.

According to Feng Sanniang, three months prior, a young woman had stayed in the upper left room and given her a gold ingot to swap the room’s clay figurine with one she brought.

Having run the inn for years without saving even a few gold ingots, Feng Sanniang naturally agreed. She had inspected it carefully at the time and found nothing amiss, so she put it out of her mind.

Only after the Kang Kingdom envoy died in that room, his heart gouged out by the clay figurine’s sword, did she realize the trouble she was in. But with the yamen watching outside, she could not dispose of the figurine.

Ji Yunwei’s anger flared. “Why didn’t you mention this when the yamen questioned you before?”

Feng Sanniang wept bitterly, pounding the ground, her face full of regret. “I didn’t know something like this would happen. I was afraid I’d be blamed if I said. If only I hadn’t taken that gold ingot—it’s ruined me!”

Ji Yunwei took a breath. “Do you remember the woman’s appearance?”

Feng Sanniang shook her head vigorously. “The lady wore a white veil over her face; I never saw it. I only remember her delicate brows and eyes—she must have been a beauty.”

Feng Sanniang frowned, as if recalling something. “Wait, she somewhat resembled that white-clad lady from yesterday, but the one who gave me the gold ingot wore red robes.”

Cui Wangshu’s eyes snapped open, staring fixedly at Feng Sanniang.

Ji Yunwei paused, glanced at Cui Wangshu’s icy expression, and hurriedly said, “Men, take her to the portrait artist to have a likeness drawn.”

After Feng Sanniang left, Ji Yunwei cleared her throat lightly. “Minister, I still need to question the guests who stayed that night. You…”

Cui Wangshu nodded. “You’ve worked hard, Vice Minister.”

Ji Yunwei gave an awkward laugh and vanished in an instant.

Cui Wangshu gazed out the door. The weather was clear and sunny, but her heart felt as cold as if plunged into an ice cave. Recalling Jiang Chenbi’s odd expression last night when the Kang Kingdom envoy’s murder came up, Cui Wangshu’s face grew even colder.

The Great Wind Inn had originally thrived as the first to combine clay figurines with lodging, and with its long history, business boomed. But after the incident, trade dwindled.

In recent years, various inns had sprung up vying for customers, but the best and largest in Tongzhou City was still Yunxiao Tower, which had grown from a small inn into a full restaurant.

Downstairs, there was a drinking area with dancing girls, and the furnishings inside were all top-quality. Many officials and nobles hosted guests there.

Lai Niang carried a package of freshly bought, steaming sheep liver noodle soup, her brows lifted in delight as she headed up to Yunxiao Tower.

Opening the door, Lai Niang smiled and said, “Xiao Yue, look what I bought for y—”

Her words cut off as her face drained of color at some terrifying sight. She knelt hastily, her voice trembling. “P-Palace… Palace Lord.”

Jiang Chenbi held a little girl of about five in her arms, her expression gentle as she offered a bowl of milk with a smile. “How about a little more?”

Lai Niang stared fearfully at the milk, wanting to rush forward, but Ying Lan’s sword grazed her neck, forcing her to kneel in place.

Jiang Chenbi smiled warmly as she set down the milk. “Ying Lan, put the sword away. What if you scare the child?”

Then she kissed Xiao Yue’s cheek and said tenderly, “Does Xiao Yue like big sister?”

Xiao Yue pursed her lips, glancing worriedly at Lai Niang, but said shyly, “Sister is pretty. Xiao Yue likes her.”

Jiang Chenbi’s eyes curved. “Big sister likes Xiao Yue too. Big sister and your mom have more to talk about. How about Ying Lan-sister takes you to buy treats?”

Xiao Yue was sensible enough to understand the situation and nodded. “Okay.”

After Ying Lan led Xiao Yue away, Jiang Chenbi’s face darkened as she rose from the stool and approached the kneeling Lai Niang.

Lai Niang prostrated herself on the ground, not daring to look up. Her trembling shoulders betrayed her terror.

“Get up.”

“This subordinate dares not!”

Jiang Chenbi’s tone turned icy, each word deliberate—the prelude to an outburst. “I said, get. Up!”