Chapter 72

Chapter 72: Elders… Very Good!

The secretive scent of affection vanished the instant Du Yinsui entered, replaced by thick panic.

Du Yinsui glanced down at the source of this frantic aroma—Baili Ying, who reeked of utter disarray yet sat as steady as Mount Tai.

"She’s Baili Ying, whom I mentioned yesterday," Wen Junzhi told Du Yinsui with a smile. She bent to lift the girl tangled in her skirts, settling her onto a chair. After feeding Baili Ying a pastry, Wen Junzhi lightly touched her nose. "Sit properly."

Du Yinsui detected even stronger indulgence from Wen Junzhi than yesterday.

Before Du Yinsui could ponder this further, Wen Junzhi approached and grasped Jiang Wu’s hand beside her.

"You must be Jiang Wu. I was too rushed yesterday for proper introductions." Wen Junzhi pressed a palm-sized silver pistol into his hand. "As Du Yinsui’s elder, I’m yours too if you’ll allow it. Consider this a belated welcome gift. Surely you’d prefer this over jade bracelets or gold hairpins?"

Wen Junzhi attempted a matronly smile, but her flawless, ageless face made "elder" seem incongruous to Jiang Wu.

Still, elders… very good!

The compact gun pleased him, but "elder" pleased him more.

Wen Junzhi’s immediate claim to seniority eased Jiang Wu’s guard within moments.

Noticing Jiang Wu’s fading jealousy, Du Yinsui acknowledged an elder’s cunning.

Yet…

While one well of jealousy dried, another overflowed, saturating the room with increasingly acrid bitterness.

Du Yinsui sneezed violently from the pungency.

"Caught a chill? Perfect timing—the physician for your detox is here. We’ll consult him shortly." Wen Junzhi recalled yesterday’s conversation and laughed. "Ah, you mentioned something only discussable tonight? Out with it! Your mystery kept me awake."

Behind Wen Junzhi, Baili Ying jolted upright, pastry forgotten.

Hidden from view, Baili Ying frantically gestured—pointing outdoors, then ceilingward—clasping her hands pleadingly at Du Yinsui, face etched with desperation.

Wen Junzhi was no fool.

Though her metal-element powers didn’t alter her form, her heightened senses detected Baili Ying’s flurry of stifled motions.

Du Yinsui and Jiang Wu then witnessed a masterclass in composure.

As Wen Junzhi turned, Baili Ying transformed from desperate supplicant back to drowsy child, biting her pastry while crumbs tumbled down.

Wen Junzhi brushed the crumbs from Baili Ying’s clothes, wiped her mouth, and offered water with fluid, practiced ease.

Seeing her once-perceptive mentor so thoroughly hoodwinked by a fifteen-year-old, Du Yinsui snorted softly.

When Wen Junzhi glanced over questioningly, Du Yinsui kept her promise to Baili Ying. "Hungry. Need food."

"Now?" Wen Junzhi hesitated. "The physician’s en route. Shouldn’t we address the poisoning first?"

"Food now. Starving." Du Yinsui couldn’t bear watching her mentor tend to the little deceiver mid-conversation.

"Very well, a slight delay won’t hurt." Wen Junzhi summoned attendants to escort them for refreshments.

Du Yinsui turned to leave but glimpsed Baili Ying’s relieved slump behind Wen Junzhi. She turned back sharply. "We’ll dine half an hour. Then we’ll discuss last night’s matter with Teacher."

Precisely half an hour remained until the appointed time.

Baili Ying’s relief was only half-gone when a sudden gasp made her choke and cough several times. "Why are you coughing? The doctor is here, so he can check you first. At least it won’t be a wasted trip," Wen Junzhi said, busily patting Baili Ying’s back and too occupied to say more to Du Yinsui, just waving her off to go eat.

Look at her doting on that little trickster…

It was a pity Baili Ying hadn’t eaten that nine-legged mole yet. Maybe she shouldn’t have set a one-day limit; she should’ve waited until the little trickster had eaten it before exposing her…

But it was too late to think about that now.

Du Yinsui didn’t want to keep Wen Junzhi in the dark for long. The cooks at Wen Junzhi’s estate were fast and skilled, so they set up a full table quickly, even though it was last-minute.

She’d said half an hour, but with the changing smells from the nearby room, Du Yinsui ate for over three-quarters of an hour before putting down her chopsticks.

Back in Wen Junzhi’s study, Baili Ying’s presence was gone. Wen Junzhi, who’d been so quick at comforting the child earlier, now sat at the desk looking worn out. She barely lifted her eyes when the two entered, just muttering, "Wasn’t it supposed to be half an hour?"

Du Yinsui rubbed her nose and pulled Jiang Wu in front as a shield. Since Du Yinsui had a partner now, Wen Junzhi couldn’t scold her much in front of him. She downed another cup of cold tea and said to Du Yinsui, "What you wanted to tell me last night was about Baili Ying pretending to be foolish, right? You’re quite kind, waiting for her to confess herself."

"Teacher, you’re soft-hearted; you get attached to animals after a few years, let alone people. Her confessing to you is better than me snitching. But if she hadn’t spoken today, I would’ve told you. After all, I’m closer to you and always on your side," Du Yinsui said, seeing Wen Junzhi wasn’t angry. She grinned and sat Jiang Wu on the other side of the desk, pouring two cups of tea.

On her side?

Wen Junzhi pushed her empty cup toward Du Yinsui and mocked herself, "The hunter who chases geese all day gets pecked—I couldn’t tell real foolishness from fake. What a waste of…" She coughed. "What are you staring at? Pour me some tea."

Almost slipping up, Wen Junzhi avoided Jiang Wu’s gaze and used the tea request to cover it.

Du Yinsui shook her head, smiling, and refilled Wen Junzhi’s cup. "She had strong beliefs, so her acting was good. The more she cared about you, the more she feared you finding out her lies. Plus, if she hadn’t pretended to be foolish, you wouldn’t have spoiled her with hugs and comfort. Even if she didn’t want to lie, she got too used to the cozy nest you made and didn’t want to leave."

"Pfft…" Wen Junzhi spat tea onto the desk.

Shock washed over Du Yinsui.

"Did your martial arts teacher handle your culture lessons?" Wen Junzhi asked, switching words out of habit, then snapped, "Is that how you use ‘cozy nest’? Why not say ‘motherly love’!"

"Cough, cough, cough…" This time, Jiang Wu, who’d been silent, choked on his tea.

Wen Junzhi turned and saw the quiet Deposed Crown Prince of Zhao Kingdom staring at her in horror, as if she’d said something world-shattering.

"Te… Teacher…" Du Yinsui raised a timid hand. "Didn’t Baili Ying tell you? About her liking you…"

Wen Junzhi’s home was big, with the kitchen two courtyards from the study. Du Yinsui had only caught scent changes from their talk, not the words.

So the little trickster hadn’t come clean… Well, this was awkward.

After Du Yinsui spoke, the room’s three faint breaths dropped to two.

A long moment later, Wen Junzhi finally took a sharp breath and started breathing again.

Now she knew why young Jiang Wu had looked so scared.

But…

Wen Junzhi’s head buzzed.

Just then, a subordinate knocked and reported the detoxification doctor’s arrival. Wen Junzhi pretended not to have heard Du Yinsui’s earlier outrageous remarks and quickly invited the doctor in.

The poison in Du Yinsui had been administered as a standard procedure to Jin Kingdom spies before their deployment abroad. The monthly "antidote" merely delayed the poison’s effects. The true cure required expertise from medical specialists Wen Junzhi had secured from the spy camps years earlier.

The doctor checked Du Yinsui’s pulse, detected no abnormalities, and prescribed a three-day regimen of oral pills and medicated baths. After reviewing the prescription, Wen Junzhi assured Du Yinsui it was safe. Du Yinsui wasn’t the first—or even the tenth—to break free from the spy camp’s control using this formula.

Eager to dodge earlier topics, Wen Junzhi pressed Jiang Wu back into his seat and directed the doctor to prescribe Du Yinsui a treatment for uterine cold.

Observing Wen Junzhi’s evasive dithering, Du Yinsui suspected that if she’d brought Qin family members, each might have left with a personalized remedy. Without them, Wen Junzhi still found ways to avoid confrontation.

"Prince Cheng of Zhao Kingdom has few descendants. He once had three sons and a daughter, but one son and the daughter died young. The eldest was sent to the Capital and perished in a recent hunting accident. The second son… was officially recorded as the consort’s child but is actually Baili Xin’s—now Jin Kingdom’s ruler—and Prince Cheng’s son. Prince Cheng sought Jin’s power by secretly conceiving with Baili Xin, hoping for a daughter with Jin inheritance rights. Yet Baili Xin seemed fated for sons—all his children, including Prince Cheng’s, were boys. During that time, Prince Cheng suffered physical damage from intrigues in Baili Xin’s Empress’s palace. Simply put, the harem conflicts were vicious, the poisons brutal. Prince Cheng became infertile, and their grown son proved… incapable of siring heirs."

Wen Junzhi slapped a thick ledger labeled "Cheng" before Jiang Wu. "I suspect he seeks you not just to legitimize his rebellion with your lineage, but to father his descendants. After seizing power, it’s unclear whether authority would pass to you or skip directly to his grandson."

"…" Jiang Wu didn’t open the ledger but stated firmly, "I won’t go to him. He’ll have no grandson."

Wen Junzhi glanced at Du Yinsui, nodded approvingly, then flipped through other booklets on her desk. She produced a thin volume with a bull’s-head emblem. "The exile convoy that imprisoned you reached Linzhou. Prince Cheng’s men just abducted the Liu family’s women and children from the Linzhou exiles—likely to testify against the Zhao Emperor’s seizure of his daughter."

"What is…" Du Yinsui eyed the bull’s-head cover.

"That’s Agu—the one whose antidote you stole." Wen Junzhi smiled. "His early report about the antidote shortage alerted me to your whereabouts."

"What happened to the other exiles?" Jiang Wu wrestled his thoughts from the Prince Cheng quagmire.

"Agu was assigned to the Wei family group. But Kong Yan’er—the Kong family daughter—married into Linzhou’s Han family. Though not from the main branch and frail, the Han family dominates Linzhou. Soon after marrying, she took in the Wei family girl. Both are likely with the Hans now. Agu couldn’t follow." Wen Junzhi shot Du Yinsui a knowing look. "Your animal-track forging skills remain sharp here."

Du Yinsui bowed slightly. "All thanks to your teaching, mentor."

"And…" Wen Junzhi rummaged through more booklets. The secrets seemed safe to share with these two—anything to distract from that artless figure…

She shook her head, dispelling the image, and randomly pulled a booklet with a plain circle on its cover.

"Since no one requires… no one needs treatment for feigned idiocy, we can advance our plans. Delays breed complications. Agreed?" Wen Junzhi’s gaze shifted from the circle to Du Yinsui, catching her awkward, guilty glance at Jiang Wu.

"Ah… you’ve kept secrets too." Wen Junzhi chuckled.

"What ‘too’? I married him—it’s nothing like your situation." Sensing Jiang Wu’s sudden unease, Du Yinsui stood abruptly and grabbed his hand. "It’s late. Let’s rest and talk tomorrow."

Wen Junzhi: "…"

Jiang Wu: "…"

"…" Du Yinsui coughed. "I meant we’ll rest tonight and discuss tomorrow."

"Out!" Wen Junzhi jabbed a finger at the door, torn between irritation and amusement. "Before I thrash you!"