When Chaolu received Yinzhuang’s reply, Ji Yuluo was practicing her sword skills in the courtyard. Her swordsmanship wasn’t considered great—this was Lou Panshun’s assessment—but she excelled in speed, using it as her sole advantage to defeat enemies.
Ji Yuluo’s movements were as fast as shadows. The gleaming blade sliced through the green leaves, and the leaves of the phoenix tree in the courtyard’s center fell like rain. It was less about practicing and more about venting her frustration.
As she stripped the leaves off the phoenix tree, she recalled Sheng Lanxin’s words:
“The poison—it’s not unexpected. This is an old tradition of the Eastern Depot. Both the Eastern Depot and the Jinyiwei use this poison, not just on Huo Xian. They say trust those you employ, but in the court, bound by interests, who can trust whom completely? It’s no secret, even Cuixue Tower has its own methods, right?”
“This poison acts at the end of each month. Zhao Yong will send someone with the antidote.”
“The Jinyiwei and the Eastern Depot are in the same boat, as are Huo Xian and Zhao Yong. If Zhao Yong dies, not only does Huo lose his support, but he must die with him.”
“This poison was made by Zhao Yong himself, and the formula for the antidote isn’t recorded; it’s all in Zhao Yong’s head.”
“Indeed… over the years, we’ve tried to make the antidote, but one ingredient is still missing, and it’s yet to be solved.”
The sound of the blade cutting through the air was relentless. Ji Yuluo gripped the hilt, her clothes fluttering in the wind.
As Sheng Lanxin had said, this method of balancing power through poison was not uncommon. Even Cuixue Tower used such tactics. It was even more common among the factory guards, but she had not expected it. Everyone said Huo Xian was Zhao Yong’s adopted son, so they thought he would be fearless… but they overlooked why Zhao Yong trusted him.
Therefore, from beginning to end, Huo Xian couldn’t kill Zhao Yong, which explained why he had always been stopping her.
However—
“Keeping you with Zhao Yong as bait wasn’t entirely a trick. First, he saw your eagerness for revenge and knew you’d recklessly enter the palace and likely not come out alive; it was to protect you. Secondly… seeing isn’t always believing. In this chaotic world, people’s hearts are unpredictable. How can you distinguish between black and white?”
“Miss Yuluo, if possible, in the future… Lanxin begs you to save him.”
Sheng Lanxin knelt there, looking up at her pitifully. Her eyes were filled with sorrow, as if looking at a life-saving straw, yet she remained silent.
The words were ambiguous, leaving the listener confused and frustrated. Everyone in Huo’s residence had an air of self-importance and loved to speak in riddles. Ji Yuluo was already annoyed, and Nanyue just walked right into her frustration.
She sheathed her sword, brushed the leaves off her shoulder, and asked, “Where is your master?”
Nanyue glared at her resentfully, his tone cold, “What do you need from the lord?”
Initially, Nanyue couldn’t change the way he addressed her, fearing it would be overheard by those with ill intentions. Even in private, he used to call her ‘madam’. Now, he had switched to a more formal address quickly, wishing to draw a clear line.
He felt very aggrieved. As a member of the Jinyiwei, people usually kept their distance from him. When had he ever been this wronged?
Nanyue grew more sullen.
Ji Yuluo watched him for a moment, then suddenly gave a gentle smile, “Nanyue.”
Nanyue shivered. Seeing her smile felt eerie. Perhaps dealing with Huo Xian’s unpredictable temperament had honed his sense of danger. Instinctively, he took a step back, “You… what do you want?”
Ji Yuluo spoke gently, “We martial artists value swift resolutions to our grudges. It’s no fun holding it in. If you have a grudge against me, vent it.”
As soon as she finished speaking, her sword flashed out of its sheath.
Nanyue sidestepped and drew his curved blade in response.
Ji Yuluo’s attack was so sudden that Nanyue, after his initial shock, felt a surge of excitement. He indeed harbored anger and had been looking for an outlet. Now, his opponent was provoking him first, so it was justified for him to fight back. Yet, amidst his relief, he also felt a sense of gratitude—how rare it was for someone to offer themselves as a target for his frustration…
But soon, Nanyue dismissed any such feelings. This wasn’t about letting him vent his anger; he was clearly the one being vented on!
Nanyue’s hand ached one moment, his arm hurt the next. Ji Yuluo attacked unpredictably, darting here and there, finally landing surprise blows. By the time they formally clashed, he was already unsteady.
When their blades finally locked, his wrist went numb from the shock, and before he could react, his weapon was in his opponent’s hand.
Just as he was about to pursue, he saw Huo Xian and Liyang approaching from a distance. Ji Yuluo had already landed steadily beneath the phoenix tree, holding his blade.
Nanyue angrily stepped forward, only to hear Huo Xian say, “Impressive skills. It seems you didn’t heed my earlier advice.”
Wrongly accused.
Nanyue hurriedly explained, “No, she struck first—my blade!”
Huo Xian glanced at Ji Yuluo, who was looking at him with a tilted head, silent and not intending to return the weapon. She seemed provoked yet refrained from expressing her anger openly. He said, “If you’re outmatched, what’s there to complain about?”
Nanyue, frustrated, said, “But my—”
Huo Xian nodded towards Ji Yuluo, “If you have the skill, take it back yourself.”
With that, he walked towards the main hall.
Liyang sympathetically patted Nanyue’s shoulder as he passed.
Nanyue looked at Ji Yuluo, feeling utterly wronged.
She had used skillful force; in a direct fight, Nanyue’s swordsmanship might have stood a chance. But a loss was a loss.
He had to admit, he couldn’t win.
Nanyue watched helplessly as Ji Yuluo handed his treasured blade to Chaolu, who couldn’t stop smiling. When Nanyue approached, Chaolu backed away warily, declaring righteously, “I won’t fight.”
It was like eating a bitter herb in silence; Nanyue was enraged.
Today, Liyang had come regarding the private soldiers of the Duke’s mansion. Once Ji Yuluo was seated, he spoke under Huo Xian’s direction, “Yunyang is too vast. The borderlands have too many escort agencies, making it impossible to investigate. Therefore, I had my men keep an eye on Xiao Yuanjing in secret.”
Xiao Yuanjing was meticulous in his actions, returning home directly after work each day without attending any social engagements. Liyang had thought this line of inquiry was about to be cut off. After all, a concubine from seven years ago might have severed ties long ago. But just when he was about to withdraw his men, he saw Xiao Yuanjing’s attendant meeting a strange servant in a teahouse at night.
Following this lead, the covert guards trailed the servant to Yunyang and found the escort agency, discovering that this person was the intermediary for messages between Xiao Yuanjing and his concubine.
Because Huo Xian had referred to the escort agency’s mistress as Xiao Yuanjing’s concubine when issuing the order, Liyang had assumed this to be the case.
Thus, when the shadow guard learned about the mistress meeting her lover at night, he lamented the green light on Xiao Yuanjing’s forehead. He was troubled over how to quietly pry open the woman’s mouth to find out where Xiao Cheng had taken Xiao Yuanjing to train the troops seven years ago, but he was worried about alarming her. To their surprise, luck was on their side, and they changed their approach, deciding to capture the lover instead.
It was initially a gamble, but under severe torture, they actually extracted information.
It turned out that the proprietress named Zhong Min’er was not Xiao Yuanjing’s mistress but was truly married to this man.
The shadow guard was stunned. Further questioning revealed that the Xiao family had been kind to Zhong Min’er. She was originally a servant in the Xiao residence and moved to Yunyang with them ten years ago, where she started working for them.
As for what specific tasks she was assigned, the man did not know, but precisely because of this ignorance, a rift had formed between him and Zhong Min’er.
Back when Xiao Yuanjing was still in Yunyang, the two would often meet, supposedly on official business, but they wouldn’t let him listen in. The man was unhappy about this, and when the shadow guard mistakenly thought Zhong Min’er was Xiao Yuanjing’s mistress, he was even more enraged. He had long been unhappy with his wife working for the Xiao family and thus confessed everything without much prompting.
Zhong Min’er managed a security escort agency and owned several merchant ships, all belonging to the Xiao family. She frequently transported goods for the Xiao family. The man had once secretly followed Zhong Min’er and discovered that the location was an abandoned mine to the west of Yunyang.
Liyang said, “I’ve already sent people to monitor the area secretly. It indeed harbors a large number of private soldiers, estimated to be no fewer than fifty thousand.”
The Duke of Zhenguo’s residence…
They are truly planning a rebellion!
But the puzzling thing was, unlike the foolish Emperor Shun’an, Xiao Cheng was not someone easily manipulated. Why would Zhao Yong support him? But that wasn’t the pressing issue now. Fifty thousand private soldiers could not be hidden by one person alone. The whole of Yunyang must be involved. Liyang did not dare act recklessly and could only quickly report back to Huo Xian.
Huo Xian was not surprised. This explained why the Yunyang treasury had such a large, unfillable deficit, requiring banditry to make up for it.
However, if Huo Jue had not been defeated, the court would not have sent anyone there. This border region matter might have been covered up. But man proposes, God disposes.
There was also a crucial point: the private soldiers were hidden in Yunyang, which was the prefect’s crime. Zhong Min’er, who transported supplies for the army, had no direct dealings with the Xiao family. If they were to convict, the Xiao family would use these loopholes to exonerate themselves.
If they couldn’t uproot them completely, it would only scratch the surface.
This was not what Huo Xian wanted.
Discussing such an urgent matter made Liyang parched, while Ji Yuluo stared at her cup of tea, lost in thought. Huo Xian glanced at her and asked, “What do you think?”
Ji Yuluo lifted her eyelids and said, “Lord Huo is perceptive and already has a decision in mind. Why ask me?”
Such a sharp tone. Liyang lowered his head and touched his nose.
Huo Xian raised an eyebrow and said to Liyang, “Keep monitoring them secretly. When the Xiao family makes a move, we can catch them red-handed and take them all down.”
Liyang thought this was indeed the best course of action. Sensing the tense atmosphere in the room, he quickly took his leave, bowing as he exited. As he reached the door, he heard someone inside ask, “Who upset you, Nanyue?”
At this moment, Nanyue was at the bottom of the steps. Liyang approached and heard him grumbling, “Liyang, do you think she has some dirt on our master? I’ve never seen him like this!”
Liyang shook his head, patted his shoulder, and said, “I suggest… when you have nothing to do, try to curry favor with the madam.”
The future path wouldn’t be too narrow to walk.
Nanyue was startled and asked again, but Liyang just had a mysterious expression.
Inside, Huo Xian didn’t have it easy. These past couple of days, Ji Yuluo had been wearing this ambiguous expression, as if she might smile at any moment. When he was about to ask again, she tossed a letter over to him.
Huo Xian opened it and paused slightly.
The handwriting on the letter was neat and the content was brief:
“March 3rd, Yipin Residence.”
