Chapter 34: Master

Lai Niang did not dare to anger Jiang Chenbi and hurriedly stood up, but she still did not dare to look at Jiang Chenbi, keeping her eyelashes lowered.

“Lift your head and look at me.” Jiang Chenbi softened her voice.

Lai Niang bit her lip, her eyes already welling up with tears. She carefully glanced at Jiang Chenbi’s expression and was shocked in her heart. The Palace Lord… her eyes were red?

Jiang Chenbi took a deep breath and suppressed her tears. She suddenly pulled the woman into her arms and hugged her tightly.

Burying her head on Lai Niang’s shoulder, she choked out, “You’ve suffered.”

Lai Niang’s tears burst forth in an instant. She wrapped her arms around Jiang Chenbi’s waist and cried out in agony, as if she wanted to release all the grievances of the past five years.

Jiang Chenbi said nothing and let her vent. She gently patted Lai Niang’s back to soothe her emotions, but the tears she had just suppressed welled up again.

After an unknown amount of time, Lai Niang finally calmed down. Thinking of the snot and tears she had smeared on Jiang Chenbi’s luxurious clothes, she felt a pang of guilt.

Jiang Chenbi lifted her hand to wipe the tear stains from Lai Niang’s face. Her tone held no blame, only self-reproach for not having found Lai Niang all these years. “Why didn’t you come to me?”

Lai Niang had been one of the earliest people by Jiang Chenbi’s side, the one she valued the most. Their bond was deep, like both teacher and friend. Five years ago, Lai Niang had taken on a mission from Prince Sui. After completing it, she vanished without a trace, and Jiang Chenbi had been searching for her ever since.

The moment she saw Xiao Yue at Yunxiao Tower, Jiang Chenbi wished she could immediately take a knife and chop off Prince Sui’s head.

Lai Niang fell silent for a long time, her gaze dimming. “I broke the rules and had no face to face the Palace Lord. I got pregnant with Xiao Yue and grew attached to this mortal world…”

Yellow Path Palace had a strict rule: anyone who developed feelings during a mission would be executed without mercy. Once, someone had fallen in love with their target during a mission and betrayed Jiang Chenbi, nearly destroying the fledgling Yellow Path Palace.

Jiang Chenbi always enforced the rules strictly, and those who crossed the line met with no good end. Lai Niang did not dare to take the risk and chose to disappear. This time, she had only returned because she heard that Yellow Path Palace’s main forces were no longer in Tongzhou. Her longing for home had driven her to take the risk.

A flicker of hurt passed through Jiang Chenbi’s eyes. “In your heart, am I such a cold-blooded and heartless person?”

Lai Niang: “…”

Jiang Chenbi’s brows furrowed slightly. “We’ve known each other for so many years. Do you really not trust me like this?”

Lai Niang finally sighed. “I don’t distrust you…”

“The mission was one I assigned you, and there were reasons for it. How could I judge without distinguishing right from wrong? Or did you really fall in love with that Prince Sui?” Jiang Chenbi narrowed her eyes.

Lai Niang gave a bitter smile and shook her head. “I’m not that foolish. I just… got older. After unexpectedly getting pregnant with Xiao Yue, I felt tired. I just wanted to live a normal life.”

Jiang Chenbi curved her lips. “If you had just talked to me back then, how could I have borne to kill you? You wouldn’t have had to wander outside for so many years.”

Jiang Chenbi poured Lai Niang a cup of wine and picked up her own cup. “Come back to Luozhou with me, alright? Old Qian is also in Luozhou. You and your daughter won’t have to suffer anymore.”

Lai Niang froze, hesitating for a moment before picking up her cup. “Alright.”

Jiang Chenbi’s eyes curved in a smile.

Seeing Lai Niang drink the wine, Jiang Chenbi stood up and walked to the window. She touched the windowsill, her tone turning cold. “You shouldn’t have left me.”

As she spoke, the wine cup fell to the floor with a dull thud.

After a long while, Jiang Chenbi turned around. She gently closed Lai Niang’s still-open eyes, her fingertips feeling the woman’s gradually cooling body temperature. A gentle smile played on her face. “Lai Niang, we’re going back to Luozhou.”

Jiang Chenbi opened the door. Ying Lan stood there holding the seemingly asleep Xiao Yue. Jiang Chenbi’s eyes showed no emotion. “Clean it up.”

Ying Lan lowered her gaze. “Yes.”

Jiang Chenbi leaned gently on the reclining chair, her gaze fixed unblinkingly on Ying Lan. “Will you leave me?”

A chill crept up Ying Lan’s back. She lowered her eyes and said, “The Palace Lord gave me a second life. This subordinate’s life belongs to the Palace Lord.”

Jiang Chenbi curved her lips. “Such a good girl.”

Ying Lan pressed her lips together and continued handling the two bodies.

Jiang Chenbi sighed. “Ying Lan, I miss A Wan.”

Ying Lan’s eyes flickered, her voice hoarse. “She belongs to you. You can see her whenever you want.”

Jiang Chenbi’s gaze fell lingeringly on Ying Lan. “But I also want to kiss her, to have her.”

Ying Lan forced a smile, trying to keep her expression natural. “This subordinate only knows she is Cui Family’s child. As for the rest, this subordinate is too foolish.”

Jiang Chenbi sat up from the reclining chair, crossing her long legs. She curved her lips and beckoned. “Good child, come here.”

Ying Lan set aside what she was doing and hurried over, kneeling down and looking up at Jiang Chenbi. “Master.”

Jiang Chenbi smiled brightly and touched Ying Lan’s face as if rewarding a child, her tone gentle and coaxing as she drew out her words. “Ah—”

Ying Lan’s eyelashes trembled lightly as she opened her mouth and swallowed the Gu Worm that Jiang Chenbi fed her.

A satisfied smile tugged at Jiang Chenbi’s lips. She lifted Ying Lan’s chin and carefully examined her face, sighing. “How can you be so obedient?”

“Go on, don’t leave a single trace.”

Ying Lan hurriedly stood up, her back already soaked with cold sweat.

“Bring that sheep liver dish over. Is it really that good?”

Jiang Chenbi unwrapped it and took a bite, sighing. “It really is quite good. Lai Niang’s taste is as reliable as ever. Later, let’s buy some fresh ones to eat on the road. This one’s gone cold.”

“Yes.”

…

In the government posthouse where she was staying, Cui Wangshu’s expression was grave as she stared at the divination chips on the table that she had sent for. She had been sitting there for a long time without moving.

Earlier, Ji Yunwei had sent someone to report that one person in the Kang Kingdom delegation had hanged themselves without warning. It was highly likely they were the killer’s inside contact.

No issues had been detected during the initial interrogation, showing how strong their mental fortitude was. Yet now they had suddenly taken their own life.

The sudden death of a delegation member made her think of Gu Poison.

She believed in Jiang Chenbi.

The secrets of this matter ran too deep; she shouldn’t have divined it.

But three months ago, before they had met, she didn’t dare to gamble on that one percent possibility, not even one in ten thousand.

Cui Wangshu took a deep breath and picked up the divination chips. She had barely finished calculating when the backlash of forcibly piercing heaven’s secrets struck.

Her head throbbed as if it would split open. She endured the bloody taste surging in her throat and placed the final chip.

Her hands trembled from the pain, but her deathly pale face was even more alarming. Her back was soaked with sweat, and a surge rose in her throat. She spat out a mouthful of blood onto the divination chips on the table.

She carefully interpreted the chips, her face ashen. She fought the suffocating sensation in her throat, breathing rapidly.

With a “crash,”

Cui Wangshu swept her long arm forcefully across the table, sending all the divination chips scattering to the floor.

With a trembling wrist, she wiped the blood from the corner of her lips and left the posthouse with unsteady steps.

But when she stood at the entrance of the posthouse, looking at the endless stream of people on the street, their faces all so unfamiliar, Cui Wangshu felt her mind go blank.

Tongzhou was vast, the world was vast—where could she find Jiang Chenbi?

Struggle and doubt flashed in Cui Wangshu’s eyes. Had she calculated wrong?

Who under heaven was more proficient in divination chip techniques than Minister Cui?

She had never been wrong before. This time, she had even burned her lifespan to divine the result, yet she herself refused to believe it.

Cui Wangshu took a deep breath, turned, and strode back into the posthouse. Even Ji Yunwei, who had come from afar to find her, noticed something was off and called out, but Cui Wangshu did not hear.

Back in the room, Cui Wangshu knelt on the ground, picked up the divination chips beside her, held them in her hands, and kowtowed heavily three times on the floor.

Recalculating.

One placement, one kowtow; one calculation, three prostrations.

Sweat mixed with blood dripped onto the floor, drying over time.

Finally…

A relieved smile appeared on Cui Wangshu’s face. Exhausted in body and mind, her vision went black, and she collapsed to the ground.

Fortunately, she had calculated wrong…

Ji Yunwei knocked on the door for a long time with no response. She frowned and waited outside for a while, then heard a heavy thud from inside.

Ji Yunwei said urgently, “Minister, are you alright?”

No answer.

“I’m coming in!”

Ji Yunwei pushed open the door and saw Cui Wangshu lying in a pool of blood, with freshly calculated divination chips laid out beneath her.

Ji Yunwei’s eyes widened. She rushed over. “Minister! Minister! Someone, come quickly!”

…

The sun had set, and the afterglow shone through the window onto the bed. The woman lying on the bed had a deathly pale face and bloodless lips. Ji Yunwei sat beside her, her expression serious as she watched Cui Wangshu, who was still frowning in her coma.

“Sigh—” The sigh seemed to come from the depths of her bones.

Love was truly something that could bring life or death. Even someone as composed and rational as Minister Cui would lose her reason for the sake of “love,” disregarding her own body.

Ji Yunwei didn’t know what had happened between the two, but from what she had seen in the past two days, this Minister was clearly deeply in love without realizing it.

“Cough cough…”

A faint cough came from the bed. Ji Yunwei hurriedly brought over a cup of water, wanting to help her up but hesitating.

Cui Wangshu sat up and took the teacup from Ji Yunwei’s hands. Lowering her eyes, she said, “Thank you for your trouble.”

Ji Yunwei pressed her lips. “It’s nothing… Minister, you…”

Cui Wangshu looked up, a faint smile curving her lips. “Hm?”

The setting sun reflected in her ink-black pupils, giving her a divine, ethereal chill. Ji Yunwei was momentarily dazed by her beauty and stammered, “Th-the physician said you shouldn’t do this. It’s too harmful to your body.”

Ji Yunwei didn’t know much about divination chip techniques, but she had heard her master say that there was a kind of divination chip technique that consumed one’s lifespan as the price. As long as it had happened, it could be divined.

Cui Wangshu chuckled lightly, stood up, and set down the teacup. “It’s fine. I don’t mind these things.”

Ji Yunwei frowned, not knowing how to persuade her, and muttered softly, “If you don’t take care of your body, how can you grow old together with her?”

Cui Wangshu paused and said, “Tell me about the case. Do you have any leads?”

Ji Yunwei said, “We had someone draw a portrait. I don’t think it looks like that lady from yesterday. Feng Sanniang must have misidentified her.”

Cui Wangshu’s lips curved up. “I know. It’s not her.”

“Go to Yunxiao Tower and find a woman from Kang Kingdom, dressed in red, with an injury on her right leg. Hurry, Ji Shaoqing, don’t let her escape.”

Ji Yunwei’s eyes widened. Was that what the Minister had been divining just now?

Since the Minister had spoken, Ji Yunwei didn’t dare delay. Even though she couldn’t believe it, something she had no clues about, the Minister had actually divined it.

After Ji Yunwei left, Cui Wangshu took the divination chips from the table into her hands. The blood had seeped into the wood and couldn’t be wiped away, but she still carefully wiped them with a cloth.

Looking at the divination chips in her hand, the faint worry between Cui Wangshu’s brows gradually dissipated, like clouds parting to reveal the sun.

Fortunately, it wasn’t you. Otherwise, with the vastness of heaven and earth, where would I find you? And how could I clear your name?

“Knock knock—”

Cui Wangshu set down the divination chips and looked toward the door. “Come in.”

“Minister, this is the medicine prescribed by the physician.”

Cui Wangshu nodded. “Put it on the table.”

The maid lowered her head and said, “The Ancha Shi heard you fainted and rushed over immediately. They are now in the main hall. Should this servant go inform them now?”

Cui Wangshu said, “No need. Go tell the Ancha Shi that I’ll change clothes and come right away.”