From the moment Tao Chuyi and the others stumbled upon that illicit rendezvous to the time Dali Temple arrived to make arrests, barely an hour had passed. In such a short span, Miss Yan had transformed from a vibrant young woman full of life into a withered corpse. Everyone who heard the news was horrified.
Even more frightening was the cause of Miss Yan’s death, which matched Miss You’s exactly: a tree sprouting from inside her body.
Miss Yan hadn’t been dead long, so the tree hadn’t yet bloomed with red flowers, but her corpse was rotting far faster than a normal body would. The more gruesome the corpse, the more vigorously the tree had grown.
With both family heads dead, suspicion shifted to the sole beneficiary, Eldest Young Master Lu. Dali Temple “invited” Young Master Lu to the yamen for questioning that very night and held him in custody the entire evening.
If Nangong Yunshang hadn’t held her back, Tao Chuyi would have charged to the yamen all through the night. Only through persistent coaxing did Nangong Yunshang manage to keep her until dawn.
Tao Siqing had personally taken charge of the case, but a full night of interrogation yielded no confession. Eldest Young Master Lu steadfastly maintained his innocence, insisting he hadn’t harmed the two young ladies.
“Greetings, Your Highness the Princess!”
Tao Siqing heard the news and hurried out to meet them.
Nangong Yunshang gave a slight nod. “Any progress?”
Tao Siqing sighed. “Not yet.”
At present, Eldest Young Master Lu was the prime suspect. He had been entangled in ambiguous flirtations with both young ladies, and the three had recently clashed over imperial merchant rights. At a glance, the killer had to be one of the trio.
The case was too bizarre and had already sparked wild rumors in the streets—tales of ghosts and spirits that were best not allowed to spread. They needed to uncover the truth swiftly.
Thus, Nangong Yunshang declared, “If he won’t talk, Dali Temple must have ways to make him.”
“Yes, I understand,” Tao Siqing replied.
He bowed respectfully, then promptly issued orders to his subordinates.
Tao Chuyi grew bored waiting around and began tugging at Nangong Yunshang’s sleeve.
“Sister, let’s head back to the mansion.”
“What, you don’t want to investigate anymore?”
“Chuyi is sleepy.”
As if on cue, she let out a yawn.
In her little world, there was only eating, sleeping, and playing. Her interest in the case had been little more than a passing novelty—the sight of a tree growing from a person had seemed fascinating at first, but now that the thrill had worn off, so had her curiosity.
Nangong Yunshang had no counter for that. After giving her instructions, she took Tao Chuyi back to the Princess Mansion.
Perhaps she really was tired. The moment they entered the room, Tao Chuyi flopped onto the bed, shoes flying in every direction, not even bothering to remove her outer robe.
Nangong Yunshang sat on the edge of the bed and gently touched her cheek. “I told you to go to bed early last night, but you wouldn’t. Now you’re exhausted today—your sleep schedule is completely upside down.”
Tao Chuyi lay there, but her eyes remained open. She gazed at Nangong Yunshang with a gleeful smile, as if she’d just thought of something amusing.
“Sister, do you know? Today at Qu River Temple, I saw Miss Yan and Young Master Lu doing naughty things.”
Sensing the conversation veering into dangerous territory, Nangong Yunshang was quick as a flash. She clamped a hand over Tao Chuyi’s mouth to stop her.
Tao Chuyi let out a muffled protest, then suddenly bit down on the intruding hand.
Nangong Yunshang yelped in surprise and yanked her hand back. “Be good, or I’ll ignore you.”
To sell the threat, she turned away pointedly, presenting her back to Chuyi.
Tao Chuyi shot upright at once and hugged her from behind.
“Chuyi will be good. Sister, don’t be mad.”
The moment Nangong Yunshang let her guard down, Tao Chuyi’s eyes darted mischievously. She swooped in and planted a quick peck on her cheek, then froze in place, maintaining the hug.
“Tao Chuyi!”
Nangong Yunshang had been cheekily kissed again. Flushed with a mix of anger and embarrassment, she didn’t know what to do with the culprit before her, so her face only grew redder, like a ripened fruit—half from fury.
Undeterred by the warning signs, Tao Chuyi clung tighter and dragged Nangong Yunshang toward the bed. Their combined weight shifted backward, and they tumbled down together.
“They get to do naughty things, so I want to do naughty things with Sister too.”
Nangong Yunshang was no match for her. In a few deft moves, their clothes came apart. Fortunately, Tao Chuyi had no idea what came next; she simply clung to her, inseparable.
Now Sister was hers.
Tao Chuyi thought smugly. What a clever one she was.
Seeing no further action, Nangong Yunshang’s racing heart finally slowed. She didn’t dare move or speak, lest Chuyi had more tricks up her sleeve.
After a long stillness, with her body starting to go numb under the weight, Nangong Yunshang pleaded, “Chuyi, Chuyi, let’s talk about something. Let me go first, okay?”
“No.”
Nangong Yunshang persisted. “Sister won’t run away.”
Tao Chuyi looked up, meeting her earnest gaze. She tilted her head, considered, then swiftly sealed Nangong Yunshang’s acupoint.
“Tao Chuyi!”
Nangong Yunshang cried out urgently. Now she truly couldn’t move.
They were married, yes, and she did like Chuyi—but she still had her reservations.
Ignoring the tempting form before her, Tao Chuyi darted off, only to return with a brush in hand.
She grinned dopily, the brush dripping ink. Sister’s body was perfect for painting.
“What are you doing? Chuyi, release me now!”
Under Nangong Yunshang’s horrified stare, Tao Chuyi set brush to skin, wielding it with flourish to create her masterpiece.
In the latter half of the night, the servants on night watch in the Princess Mansion were utterly baffled. Their princess suddenly demanded a bath, while the Prince Consort knelt in the room, forbidden from rising before dawn. The bed bore evidence of her mischief: ink spots and a still-wet brush.
Zishan glanced at the bed, then at the Prince Consort, arms crossed over her chest with keen interest.
“Prince Consort, this servant has to call you out—you can’t be so rough and reckless.”
Tao Chuyi looked up blankly. “Huh?”
Zishan cleared her throat. “Well, you have to be gentle with your lady, cherish her like fragile jade.”
No matter how she explained, it didn’t get through. Zishan gave up and bustled off to prepare for cleaning the room.
Tao Chuyi knelt until sleepiness overtook her. Her head bobbed, then she toppled to the floor and dozed off.
When Nangong Yunshang returned from her bath and changed clothes, she found Tao Chuyi sprawled on the ground. Alarmed, she rushed over and helped her up.
“Chuyi? Wake up.”
After several calls with no response, just as Nangong Yunshang was about to summon an imperial physician, Zishan couldn’t stand by any longer.
“Your Highness the Princess, the Prince Consort is fine—just asleep.”
Nangong Yunshang exhaled in relief, coughed awkwardly, and had the servants carry Tao Chuyi to the bed.
Booted out, Zishan bumped straight into Yinghong. She scratched the back of her head, unsure where to put her hands.
“Oh, you’re here too.”
Yinghong shot her a glare, as if calling her a blockhead.
“Her Highness the Princess is bathing—should I not be?”
“Fair point.”
Zishan grinned ingratiatingly. “Say, what’s really going on with the Princess and the Prince Consort? The Princess clearly likes her, yet she punishes her. But then she feels sorry for her too.”
“You wouldn’t understand. People in love are always anxious and insecure.”
As Yinghong walked away, Zishan hurried after her. The room behind them went dark, and the chaotic night finally settled into quiet.
The next day, before Tao Chuyi could apologize to Nangong Yunshang, men from Dali Temple arrived to interrupt.
They reported that Eldest Young Master Lu had died in the interrogation room overnight, his corpse in the exact same state as the two young ladies.
Nangong Yunshang was shocked too. All three dead—did that mean the killer was someone else?
“Have they figured out why trees grew from their bodies?”
The guard replied, “Your Highness the Princess, after the coroner and imperial physicians consulted ancient texts together, we’ve determined it was an ancient poison from the Southern Frontier called the Parasitic Tree. It starts as a tiny seed, ingested through food, then slowly takes root and sprouts inside the body. The moment the tree bursts out is when the victim succumbs.”
The Southern Frontier again.
“So, the killer can’t be found?”
The guard fell silent, the answer obvious.
At that moment, Tao Chuyi piped up. She’d been covertly watching the princess’s expression and saw no anger before sidling closer.
“Sister, I was wrong. I’ll never be naughty again.”
Nangong Yunshang shot her an exasperated glare. “Go back and copy books.”
“Oh.”
Tao Chuyi accepted her punishment—who could blame her for being mischievous?
“Sister, who ended up with the imperial merchant rights?”
Nangong Yunshang didn’t know either, so she asked the guard. In the end, the Lu Family still won, but with Eldest Young Master Lu gone, Second Young Master Lu had to step up.
The family head had changed, and the ultimate winner was this Second Young Master Lu.
Nangong Yunshang added casually, “Are Second Young Master Lu and his elder brother full brothers?”
“No, Your Highness the Princess—they share different mothers.”
Nangong Yunshang nodded. That made his suspicion even greater.
“Has Temple Minister Tao been watching Second Young Master Lu?”
The guard looked surprised. “Your Highness the Princess, you and the minister had the same thought. He’s already sent guards to keep an eye on Second Young Master Lu.”
“I only thought of it because the Prince Consort asked…”
Mid-sentence, Nangong Yunshang turned and met the eyes of a certain clueless someone.
It was almost like the tacit understanding between father and daughter.
Over the next few days, Tao Chuyi behaved impeccably—copying books when told, sleeping when told, no more nonsense.
She was on her best behavior for one reason: she’d heard the Emperor was heading to Jiangnan, and Sister would surely go. Chuyi wanted to tag along.
Nangong Yunshang had planned to bring her anyway. Seeing the earnest efforts to please, though, she couldn’t resist teasing.
“I’ll bring you—what can you even do there?”
“I can keep Sister company and play with you! I can protect Sister!”
Tao Chuyi pledged solemnly.
After three or five days of this, Nangong Yunshang relented and agreed to take her.
“Yay!”
Tao Chuyi spun in delighted circles around the courtyard, announcing to everyone she met that she was off to Jiangnan for fun.
“Xichan, I want to bring all my toys! And snacks too—oh, and clothes, and the jade pendant!”
The incessant chatter buzzed in Nangong Yunshang’s ear, giving her a throbbing headache.
“We’re just going to have fun, not moving house,” she said. “There’ll be plenty of food and everything else we need when we get there.”
While the others frolicked about, Zishan hurried into the back courtyard and reported the resolution of the Parasitic Tree case in full detail.
Dali Temple had trailed Second Young Master Lu for several days and finally caught him dealing with a wanderer from the Southern Frontier. They had planned to swoop in and nab them all, but the Southern Frontier wanderer proved cunning and elusive. In the end, they only managed to capture Second Young Master Lu.
According to his confession, he had known for a long time about Eldest Young Master’s affair with the two young ladies. Eldest Young Master was a lecher, while he himself lusted after wealth. And so, he obtained poison from the wanderer and exploited his older brother’s dalliances with the two ladies to infect them with the Parasitic Tree, one after the other.
He had learned of Miss Yan’s jealousy and used it to spur her into harming Miss You. He also knew that his older brother felt no real affection for Miss Yan—he was simply taking advantage of her—so he manipulated Eldest Young Master Lu into killing Miss Yan. Finally, by eliminating his older brother, he would become the sole head of the Lu Family, with the Imperial Merchant rights falling squarely into his hands.
His plan had originally been airtight, with no easy way to suspect him. But his one oversight was that the case had stirred up a massive uproar, drawing the scrutiny of the Princess and Prince Consort. Under such a rigorous investigation, he had nowhere left to hide.
Nangong Yunshang hadn’t expected it to turn out to be a serial murder case, with different culprits for each killing.
“Sister, Sister! Help me pick out my clothes!”
Tao Chuyi abandoned the maids and dashed over to her sister.
“They have no eye for clothes anyway.”
Nangong Yunshang chuckled and shook her head. “All right, I’m coming.”
