Because of her chance encounter and unpleasant falling out with Su Lin during the day, followed by the assassin’s visit at night, Qin Jiuye had almost forgotten the request she had made at the Protector’s Manor.
After all, judging by Qiu Ling’s reaction that day, she would be lucky if her actions didn't invite even harsher treatment.
To her surprise, the order regarding the matter she had begged of him the day before was issued the very next morning.
Despite the massive commotion at Tingfeng Hall last night, Lu Zican never showed his face. Word was that he had been subjected to some form of military discipline and wouldn't be able to get out of bed for at least a day. In his stead, a short, cold-eyed adjutant arrived early in the morning to inspect the scene and deliver the orders. There were no sesame cakes, nor a single word of idle chatter; he simply thrust the official documents, newly stamped with the government seal, into Qin Jiuye’s hands. He reminded her to prepare her luggage in advance and not to delay, as he would arrive on time the next morning to escort them out of the city.
The news that Qin Sanyou and Jin Bao could temporarily leave under official protection was a rare piece of good news in recent days. Qin Jiuye felt a sense of relief, thinking that her soaking in the rain yesterday hadn't been in vain. Yet, when she turned to face her own people, she hit a wall.
"I’m staying, of course." Qin Sanyou stood with his hands behind his back, staring out the window. Ever since Qin Jiuye had informed him of the news, he had barely moved. "Look at how beautiful the scenery in this garden is. Old Tang and I have been having such wonderful conversations. We’ve only been here a few days, and you’re already trying to drive me away?"
Qin Jiuye looked at the sparse radish seedlings beneath the window, then back at Qin Sanyou.
When the mosquitoes were a problem before, Qin Sanyou had stood in the courtyard every day with his hands on his hips, cursing the overly lush plantain tree. Tang Shenyan, thinking he was being insulted indirectly, had pulled up half of the radish seedlings in retaliation. After a massive row, the two hadn't spoken for days.
Qin Jiuye wanted to say something to her grandfather, but ultimately gave up. She turned to look at Jin Bao, who was standing nearby with his hands on his hips, gazing at the sky.
"And you..."
"If Grandpa isn't leaving, I’m certainly not leaving." Jin Bao leaned in, speaking in a low, provocative tone. "Don't think I don't know what you're plotting. If Grandpa and I are both gone, you can spend your days and nights in bliss with that pretty boy, can't you?"
Qin Jiuye stared at the large face inches from her own, her teeth grinding audibly.
"If we’re going to be in bliss, I’ll be needing a fat, lazy servant to do my chores and vent my frustrations on. If you don't want to be tortured by me every day, then get out while you still can!"
*Get out while you still can.*
Wasn't that the voice of her own heart? But there were things she couldn't say plainly. How could an old man who only knew how to run a boat and a useless youth who had barely left their village imagine the perils of the martial world or the cutthroat rules of the wealthy?
Qin Jiuye didn't want to emphasize how much courage she had mustered, how much risk she had taken, or how much trouble she had gone through to secure this order. Thus, she could only stand there, huffing and puffing, until she finally managed to squeeze out one sentence.
"Are you two leaving or not?!"
As if they had rehearsed it just for this question, the old and the young man shouted in unison:
"No! Absolutely not!"
Qin Jiuye felt a surge of fury rush to the crown of her head, threatening to burst out. she slammed the red-stamped document onto the ground, her lips trembling with rage.
"You... you simply don't know what's good for you!"
With that, she stomped to the door and shoved open the broken wooden door of the side room.
Tang Shenyan, who had been leaning against the door eavesdropping, stumbled and nearly fell on his face. He quickly straightened up, pretending nothing was wrong as he turned in a circle with his hands behind his back.
"The cakes on the dining table are gone. Old Du asked me to come and check."
Before his voice even faded, the silhouette of Old Dog Du, a cake clamped in his mouth, darted across the courtyard.
Qin Jiuye didn't speak; she was in no mood for Tang Shenyan’s nonsense. She went straight to the point.
"Tomorrow, you will help me kick these two out of this house. If they refuse, I’ll tell Juxian Pavilion about how you crouched by the wall to eavesdrop on Ma Muxing and then took money from both sides."
Juxian Pavilion was the most prestigious teahouse in the northern city. Although it also dealt in information and tea, it was entirely different from Tingfeng Hall. Its chief manager, Ma Muxing, was shrewd and capable, a man of few words whose every syllable was worth its weight in gold.
When Tang Shenyan first arrived in Jiugao years ago, he had clashed with that man at Juxian Pavilion more than a few times.
Threatened out of the blue, Tang Shenyan’s face flushed with anger.
"This is your family matter! Why are you dragging me into it?!"
Qin Jiuye showed no sign of backing down, pointing toward the copper rain swallow under the eaves of the front hall.
"Why should the rest of us waste away here with you because of the mess you made with your business?"
Tang Shenyan seemed to have been struck in a sore spot. Usually quick-witted, he found himself unable to utter a single word for a long moment, his expression turning quite grim.
Old Qin began to cough in the room again.
The anger on Tang Shenyan’s face finally softened. He prided himself on being a man of letters; these domestic squabbles and trivial matters were usually beneath his notice. But after a moment’s thought, he clearly wanted to get rid of the voracious appetites in his courtyard as well. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said:
"Fine, I’ll talk to him. You go rest somewhere else and stop fanning the flames."
Qin Sanyou was so stubborn that ten donkeys from Dingweng Village couldn't pull him back.
Qin Jiuye didn't believe Tang Shenyan could convince him, but she didn't want to say another word to her grandfather. She only wanted to leave this infuriating place as quickly as possible.
To her surprise, at dinner, Tang Shenyan appeared as if he had accomplished a great feat. As he set the table, he took the initiative to speak.
"I’ve settled it with Brother Qin. He and Jin Bao will pack their bags tonight and head back to Dingweng Village first thing tomorrow morning."
Qin Jiuye’s eyes widened in disbelief. She looked toward Qin Sanyou with suspicion.
However, Qin Sanyou didn't refute it. He actually seemed to have followed Tang Shenyan’s advice, merely pulling a disgruntled Jin Bao aside to give him some low-voiced instructions.
Qin Jiuye pulled Tang Shenyan aside and whispered, "Have you stopped selling tea and started selling soul-confusing soup? What on earth did you say to him? How did you pull it off?"
Faced with her questioning, Tang Shenyan actually looked quite pleased with himself.
He was usually pedantic and calculating, but now he felt he had grasped the secret of being "socially adept," as if a door he had never knocked on had suddenly swung open.
"I told him that this is a great opportunity for you. If he insists on sticking around, he’ll only cause trouble and ruin things."
"For me?" Qin Jiuye was still confused. "What kind of opportunity is it for me?"
"A great opportunity to latch onto the Qiu family and find a good husband!" Tang Shenyan winked at her, laughing like a clucking hen. "Actually, I saw it when you ran to the Protector’s Manor yesterday. Don't say I don't understand the ways of the world next time. I said all the things you were too embarrassed to say, and Old Qin really took it to heart. I didn't even have to say much before he decided to leave on his own..."
Qin Jiuye’s breath hitched. When she turned to look at Qin Sanyou again, she saw that he indeed wore a forced, knowing smile.
She was familiar with that expression. When she was a child and got caught doing something bad behind his back, Qin Sanyou often looked like that.
She thought of her grandfather’s previous nagging and then of Tang Shenyan’s tendency to embellish stories. She felt the world spinning before her eyes.
She specifically chose a seat far from Qin Sanyou and ate the entire meal in silence. In fact, she wasn't the only one; everyone else seemed to find the food tasteless, except for Old Dog Du, who ate with gusto, nearly licking every plate clean.
Actually, the recent meals at Tingfeng Hall had all been like this—each one more silent than the last. It was as if the foreseeable future was growing dimmer by the day.
Whether one faced the blade head-on or cowered away, the result was the same. Moreover, the closer they got to the critical moment, the less they could afford to retreat.
After much thought, Qin Jiuye finally put down her chopsticks and broke the stalemate.
"Last night’s matter cannot be left like this."
Tang Shenyan let out a soft snort, clearly thinking she was being too idealistic. His tone, however, was tinged with helplessness.
"What else can we do? Even if we know the Su family did it, where is the evidence? Su Lin is now the Qiu family’s guaranteed in-law and the rising star of Jiugao City. With just us—a bunch of nobodies and small fry—how can we accuse him? I’m afraid we’d be hauled off to the Prefect’s yamen as lunatics before we even stepped out of this door."
Tang Shenyan’s words echoed the sentiments of everyone present. A cloud of gloom settled over their faces, but Qin Jiuye was not affected by the despondent atmosphere.
"Actually, after the birthday banquet ended, I didn't think we had a chance either. But after last night, I feel differently." She paused to organize her thoughts before continuing. "If we follow our previous deduction, the assassin slipped into the accounting room to look for something and only intended to kill after being discovered. This suggests the other side might be testing us—testing our strength and how much we know. If we truly had nothing that could threaten them, why wouldn't he just kill everyone to silence us once and for all? If Su Lin believed the Qiu family would stand firmly with him from beginning to end and that he had no weaknesses, why would he be so anxious to probe Tingfeng Hall or silence us right after I visited the Protector?"
As she finished, Li Qiao took up the thread.
"Because Su Lin himself knows that his secrets are too foul. Once they see the light of day, not only will he be unable to save himself, but even the Qiu family he’s marrying into—and the backers behind him—will be unable to shield or tolerate him."
Silence fell over the table. They clearly felt there was logic in these words, but it didn't offer much practical help.
Jin Bao’s face remained slumped; he was still shaken from having the assassin step directly on his face.
"We might be a pebble that hurts their feet, but isn't it obvious who has the upper hand? Last night was so dangerous. If Old Tang and I hadn't gotten up to use the latrine, they would have succeeded. In my opinion, we should find a way to lie low for a while."
Qin Jiuye shook her head.
"Hiding is useless now. The situation has been brought into the open. Since they failed once, there will be a second and third time, each more aggressive than the last... Even if we choose to retreat, the outcome won't change."
Qin Sanyou, hunched on his hard stool, could no longer hold back.
"An arm can't wrestle with a thigh. Last time you went to such lengths to sneak into the Su Manor, what did you get in the end? With just the few of us, even if we know something, we probably won't be able to achieve anything."
With a *clatter*, Old Dog Du finally set down his soup bowl, let out a loud burp, and chimed in.
"Why not report it to the Protector? They say Lord Duanyu is from Qingshan Academy and was tempered at the Kunxu Sect. He is upright, follows orders strictly, and isn't afraid of those in power. He even dares to slam the table against Prefect Fan. Besides, he doesn't seem to like the second Miss Su. Their temperaments don't match; I could tell just by seeing them once..."
Qin Jiuye couldn't listen any longer, a strange, mocking smile appearing on her face.
"Report it to the Protector? I think he knows exactly what's going on; he just doesn't want to act."
Before yesterday, she had indeed viewed Qiu Ling as the turning point, the only straw she could grasp.
But after yesterday’s events and receiving the stamped document this morning, she had slowly begun to understand. That man was intentionally letting things take their course.
Even if he didn't care whether a village girl lived or died, given his nature—staying away from home and sleeping in a mess for days just to solve a case—how could he allow a key "witness" like her to run around alone?
In the end, she was merely a link in his elaborate design to solve the case, a means to provoke Su Lin into acting. Letting Qin Sanyou and Jin Bao go was just a bit of "sweetness" to appease a pawn. He knew she couldn't refuse, and this game would ultimately proceed toward his intended conclusion.
"Since we're talking about this, I might as well tell you one more thing." Qin Jiuye lowered her voice. "The short fellow who delivered the documents this morning mentioned in passing that the curfew will be lifted starting tonight."
Her voice was low, but Tang Shenyan’s voice rose.
"What?! Why... why would it be canceled? Won't the criminals be even more brazen than before? They'll enter my Tingfeng Hall as if it were their own home!"
Yes, if they understood this logic, how could Qiu Ling not? Moreover, she didn't believe for a second that Qiu Ling was entirely ignorant of what happened last night.
On the contrary, after she left the Protector’s Manor that day, he must have sent someone to watch her or Tingfeng Hall.
Despite their few encounters, she could feel that he didn't fully trust her. And the encounter in the rainy alley was a warning to her: no matter what predicament she fell into, she could not pin all her hopes on an outsider.
How could an assassin break into Tingfeng Hall and escape during such a strict curfew?
She had reason to believe that he was, to some extent, using her in this night attack on Tingfeng Hall.
It was just like the trick Qin Sanyou had taught her for catching eels: you couldn't tie the mouth of the bag too tight. Instead, you had to leave it loose, or the big fish wouldn't be able to enter the trap even if it followed the bait.
She, and the entirety of Tingfeng Hall, was the live bait—the bait to make the Su family lose their composure and reveal their true colors.
As the new Protector with a bright official future, he also needed to weigh the intentions and true nature of Su Lin’s insistence on the marriage. If the Su family was truly beyond saving, he not only had to investigate them but also distance himself in time to avoid implicating his own family.
He just hadn't succeeded this time. But from a certain perspective, Qiu Ling was indeed very clever. He wasn't someone who was stubborn or conceited. After the failed probe at the birthday banquet, he realized his opponent was far more cunning and cautious than imagined, so he intended to loosen the "mouth of the bag" even further.
Lifting the curfew was likely just one part of it.
She could understand his position and his methods. After all, to him, she was just a wandering doctor in a shady business, appearing selfish and crafty, and the scene of their "first meeting" at the Su Manor was hardly pleasant.
There was no mutual trust between them, just as there was an unspoken and unbridgeable chasm between the powerful and the commoners.
All of this, in the end, was simply everyone making decisions based on their own positions. Since that was the case, she would fight for more opportunities for her own people.
"We don't need to beg the Protector." Qin Jiuye’s voice carried a sense of liberation after long-held suppression. The heavy worries of the past few days vanished, replaced by a touch of spirited resolve. "But we can *use* the Protector. We can use his power to turn this matter into a conclusion that favors us."
Hearing this, Tang Shenyan instinctively shook his head.
"I think you soaked up too much rain yesterday and got water in your brain. It was hard enough for you to go and beg him once; are you really going to rush back to beg him a second time?"
He spoke too quickly and, realizing something, shot a guilty glance at Qin Sanyou, who coughed to cover his tracks and lowered his head.
This brief exchange didn't escape Qin Jiuye’s eyes; everything was already clear.
It seemed that because of the official document this morning, the fact that she had gone alone to beg Qiu Ling and ended up in a wretched state was no secret in Tingfeng Hall. On second thought, this saved her a lot of trouble.
Qin Jiuye took a deep breath. Instead of being annoyed that her embarrassing moment had been exposed, she looked even more determined. In the depths of her dark, bright eyes, a fire seemed to be burning.
"Because others don't take us seriously, should we just give up the fight and willingly let ourselves be looked down upon?"
As soon as she spoke, the entire Tingfeng Hall fell into a profound silence.
Qin Jiuye didn't know how much of that silence was filled with the same indignation she felt; she only knew it was time to ask the question.
After a long while, perhaps because the news of the curfew being lifted had some effect, Tang Shenyan was the first to break the silence.
"Life isn't easy for anyone, but doing something as foolish as a mantis trying to stop a carriage is ill-advised. Tell us then, how do you plan to use that impenetrable Lord Duanyu?"
The others nodded and looked over as well. Seeing this, Qin Jiuye lowered her voice.
"I have a plan in mind, but we need to discuss it carefully together. We don't have many pieces left to play, so every step must be cautious..."
"I’ll go."
Before she could finish, the youth beside her stood up. Instantly, everyone’s gaze fell on Li Qiao. Seeing this, he spoke again quickly, as if afraid she would refuse.
"If you're worried, you can come along."
After the experience at Baoshen Pavilion, he naturally didn't want her to actually follow.
He simply felt a sudden, inexplicable urge to volunteer his blade. This impulse momentarily overrode his logic and judgment, causing a deviation in the survival code he had always strictly followed.
He thought it was because he liked the expression she wore when she said "use Qiu Ling." It was a light, unburdened expression that defied all authority and impossibility, vowing to shatter everything with the sheer will to survive.
Qin Jiuye looked at Li Qiao, clearly unable to understand where the surging emotions in his eyes came from.
What she was talking about wasn't some sweet deal, but a thankless, grueling task. And in terms of self-interest, he was the least involved person at the table, unless...
Right, it was for the antidote. It had to be for the antidote.
Going to the Su family, snatching the sugar cakes, driving away the assassin, and volunteering now—it was all for the antidote. And she was the key to that antidote.
Having barely rationalized it this way, Qin Jiuye finally composed herself. When she spoke again, her tone had regained its calm.
"The Qiu family is a double-edged sword. Since we're taking a risk, we must plan carefully. First, we need a fresh face who can move around outside. Among us, Li Qiao and I have already shown our faces at the Su Manor. Su Lin has sharp eyes; he remembers everyone he’s seen once. Grandpa is out of the question; he’s already familiar to those nearby from delivering vegetables. Old Tang and Jin Bao were seen up close by the assassin last night, so they’ve likely been exposed too. That leaves..."
Qin Jiuye paused. Everyone’s gaze slowly drifted toward Old Dog Du.
Old Dog Du had just eaten his fill and was currently feeling the post-meal drowsiness. He didn't notice at first, only reacting after a moment.
"What are you all looking at me for?"
Qin Jiuye patted his shoulder solemnly, her tone more serious than ever before.
"Brother Du, you once told me about your dream of saving the world. Now, this heavy responsibility is about to fall on your shoulders. Are you happy?"
Old Dog Du shuddered, his fingers—missing their nails—involuntarily curling.
"This... this talk of saving the world, how can it be treated as a joke? I’m just an insignificant little shrimp in this mundane world. I’m afraid I really can't shoulder this..."
Qin Jiuye glanced at him and instantly felt that this charlatan might not be crazy at all; she wondered if his usual behavior was a cover or if there was some other secret.
She didn't pull her hand back, instead gripping his shoulder firmly.
"So what if you're a shrimp? Shrimps want to live too. Since the small fish want to eat the shrimp, the shrimp can only lure out the big fish." Qin Jiuye grabbed a handful of freshly fried soybeans from a plate and arranged them one by one on the table. "We will be the bait and force the Su family to show their true colors. We only have one chance. If we can't expose them completely in one go, they'll never give us another opportunity."
Since there was no way to hide, she would be a dutiful little shrimp.
This was the role she had always played.
Insignificant, yet stubbornly unyielding.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 聚贤楼 | Juxian Pavilion | A prestigious teahouse in the northern city. |
| 马牧星 | Ma Muxing | The chief manager of Juxian Pavilion. |
| 断玉君 | Lord Duanyu | Qiu Ling's moniker (Lord of Severed Jade). |
| 昆墟门 | Kunxu Sect | A martial arts sect where Qiu Ling trained. |
| 青重山书院 | Qingshan Academy | The academy where Qiu Ling studied. |
| 樊大人 | Prefect Fan | The local prefect/governor of the region. |
