Chapter 37

The next day, the autumn sunlight was just right. Though the weather was chilly, a few slants of sun still brought a touch of warmth.

The Xie residence was lively early in the morning; everyone was cleaning and cooking, and from the kitchen came wave after wave of the aroma of meat buns. Ye Rui knew at once that Lin Aunt had made the char siu buns she liked. Thinking back, during the period when she was recuperating, all of her meals had been taken care of by Lin Aunt, and Lin Aunt had already figured out all her food preferences.

A few times after that, Ye Rui had even gone to the kitchen on purpose to thank Lin Aunt and praise how delicious her cooking was, leaving Lin Aunt beaming with joy. From then on, every meal included something Ye Rui liked, and whenever Ye Rui went out, she would always bring Lin Aunt some small gift. In that way, their relationship naturally grew closer.

In her previous life, Ye Rui had lacked maternal love. She had always longed for an elder who could care for and spoil her like that; someone she could also draw close to and look after in return. Now, Lin Aunt seemed to be the embodiment of that longing.

If there was any servant in the residence she was closest to, it would definitely be Lin Aunt, who managed the kitchen.

The char siu buns had thin skins and plenty of filling, and they tasted wonderful. Only after Ye Rui had eaten her fill did she head to Xie Tinglan’s study. Xie Tinglan had also not come out for breakfast today; she was said to have slept badly last night and was still asleep at breakfast time. By the time Ye Rui went to her study, Ri Xi had just carried in the hot congee and chicken soup.

When Ye Rui knocked and went in, the rich scent of chicken soup spread through the room, and even though she had just eaten, she found herself a little hungry again.

Hu Tu: [You really can eat.]

Ye Rui: [...I practice martial arts every day. What’s wrong with eating a lot?]

Hu Tu: [Fine. Actually, I came to tell you about a side quest. We can talk later.]

Ye Rui: [You’re becoming more and more considerate. You even know this isn’t the right time to talk.]

Hu Tu: [No, I just happen to be going to expel the electronic waste in my body.]

Ye Rui: [What does that mean?]

Hu Tu: [In human terms, it means I’m going to take a dump.]

Ye Rui: [...]

Grinding her teeth and forcing back the urge to laugh in exasperation, Ye Rui managed to keep her expression calm as she walked to the desk.

Xie Tinglan was quietly eating her congee. When she saw Ye Rui come in, she simply said, “Sit,” and said nothing else. Several braziers were still burning in the room, making it warm and toasty. Xie Tinglan was wrapped in a heavy black fur cloak, her hair casually tied back, giving her a lazy, slightly disheveled air.

Xie Tinglan had not gone to court today. It was said the emperor had fallen ill yesterday and had suspended court for three days, so Xie Tinglan had taken the opportunity to rest as well and had not gone to court or to the central yamen. However, someone had still come from the central yamen today; after Ri Xi handed over the official documents, that person left.

Ye Rui could not help but marvel that even working from home was this efficient. Xie Tinglan truly was formidable.

Ye Rui sat in her usual spot for practicing calligraphy and said, “Are you going to ask me about my deal with Mu Xue?”

Xie Tinglan kept eating her congee. Only after swallowing a mouthful did she answer, “What did she ask you to do?”

Ye Rui was not surprised that Xie Tinglan would ask. After all, yesterday she had only been thinking about venting her grievances and had not been in the mood to talk about it.

“She wants me to accompany her to Youlan City for three days.”

Xie Tinglan stopped eating and turned to look at Ye Rui, her eyes full of confusion. “That’s all?”

“That’s all.”

Ye Rui nodded firmly, though she was still a little uncertain. “Do you know what she’s going to Youlan City for?”

Xie Tinglan frowned and took a couple more mouthfuls before speaking. “I helped her obtain several merchant licenses in Youlan City before. I assume she’s going there to handle the opening arrangements.”

Even if Mu Xue went, she probably wouldn’t appear in public; she would most likely just check the procedures and the accounts behind the scenes. Besides, she traveled in secret and had no enemies in Youlan City, and with her martial arts, this trip should be safe enough.

What Xie Tinglan could not make sense of was why that scheming woman would give Ye Rui such a huge freebie.

Was there really no trick to it?

“What else did she say?”

Xie Tinglan never trusted Mu Xue. How could that money-grubbing woman possibly be so easy to talk to?

“She said she wants to be friends with me; that’s the discount.”

Ye Rui did not mention the other option in the deal, the thirty thousand taels. It wasn’t that she especially wanted to go to Youlan City with Mu Xue; it was that she felt that if something could be settled in a few days, there was no need to spend that much silver.

Thirty thousand taels would be enough to run the entire Xie residence for at least half a year. Whether Xie Tinglan could afford it or not was one thing, but Ye Rui felt that going to Youlan City with Mu Xue was the more cost-effective choice.

“Be friends?”

Xie Tinglan’s voice dropped. After a cold laugh, she continued eating her congee. Her brows lifted slightly as she said with a smile, “What is she plotting?”

“Who cares what she’s plotting? Anyway, it’s only for a few days, and I made three conditions with her.”

Saying this, Ye Rui felt that she was actually quite clever. She had cut off Mu Xue’s escape routes first, so nothing she didn’t want to cooperate with would happen on this trip to Youlan City.

“What three conditions?”

Xie Tinglan found this amusing. Ye Rui lifted three fingers, and Xie Tinglan’s gaze fell on her long, elegant, jointed hand. The corners of her lips curved slightly.

“I told her I wouldn’t leave the Xie residence, wouldn’t sell my body, and wouldn’t do anything like murder and robbery.”

As Ye Rui spoke, she folded her fingers down one by one. Only then did Xie Tinglan look away. After two beats, she said, “Mm. You’re fairly clever.”

“I may not like her, but she’s from the jianghu. She still has a sense of honor. Since she agreed to it, she won’t go back on her word.”

Xie Tinglan paused, then added, “As for murder and robbery, you needn’t worry. She may be overbearing in business, but not so much that she’d do something this utterly wicked.”

At that point, Ye Rui had so many questions she nearly choked on her own saliva. She was far too tempted by Xie Tinglan’s scallop and fish-slice congee and ginseng chicken soup; even smelling it was hard to endure.

Xie Tinglan noticed it too. Whenever she looked at Ye Rui, Ye Rui’s gaze would keep drifting toward the food in front of her. Xie Tinglan beckoned with a hand, and Ye Rui leaned over. Then Xie Tinglan held the spoon to her lips, supporting it from below with one hand, and said gently, “Eat.”

Ye Rui froze. She looked up at the smile at the corner of Xie Tinglan’s lips, then down at the fish-slice congee with its tempting aroma; there was even a translucent slice of fish in the spoon.

“I... I’m not hungry! I just ate!”

Ye Rui was about to push the spoon back, but just as she lifted her hand, Xie Tinglan said, “Lin Aunt made too much for me. Help me eat some.”

“Th-then I’ll do it myself.”

Ye Rui’s injuries had healed, so feeding her like this was really unnecessary, wasn’t it? She reached out to take the spoon, but then remembered it had already been used by Xie Tinglan and lowered her hand again. After thinking it over, maybe she should just refuse?

“Do you mind that I used it?”

Xie Tinglan withdrew her hand with some disappointment. Ye Rui immediately said, “I don’t mind!”

After saying that, Ye Rui felt a little embarrassed. Why did she seem so eager to use the spoon Xie Tinglan had used?

Ye Rui took the spoon, closed her red lips around the edge, and ate a mouthful. The fresh, savory flavor lingered on her tongue, satisfying and somehow making her happy.

“Eat more.”

Xie Tinglan pushed the congee toward her. Ye Rui didn’t dare eat too much; after a few mouthfuls, she pushed it back to Xie Tinglan.

Xie Tinglan took it back in satisfaction and slowly continued eating. Watching Xie Tinglan’s lips and tongue touch the spoon made Ye Rui blush all over.

Actually, she could have gone to the kitchen and gotten another set of utensils. But she hadn’t done that because... she also quite enjoyed this unspoken ambiguity.

“I heard from Li Yun that if you fail to complete a deal for her, she’ll turn you into a human pig. Is that true?”

Xie Tinglan gave a soft laugh. Setting down her spoon, she pulled the porcelain soup cup toward herself. “That happened before, yes. But those people didn’t just fail to do what she asked; they also showed her disrespect. Ending up as human pigs was their own fault.”

Ye Rui shivered and asked again, “So she doesn’t do that to everyone who goes back on their word?”

“No. But... those who break their word can’t escape death either way.”

Ye Rui’s heart trembled; inwardly she thought, This world really is full of people you can’t afford to provoke.

“You don’t need to be afraid. If anything goes wrong, my Xie residence can still keep you safe.”

Xie Tinglan gave Ye Rui a very firm guarantee. Unexpectedly, Ye Rui answered with equal certainty, “Don’t worry; what could possibly go wrong with me?”

Xie Tinglan said nothing else, and Ye Rui thought about it before asking the question she was most curious about. “What exactly is the grudge between you and her?”

It was such a deep grievance that Mu Xue would rather not tell Xie Tinglan where the Longevity Grass and Yama Flower were; that was no different from taking Xie Tinglan’s life.

At that, a shadow of darkness flashed through Xie Tinglan’s eyes. She closed those beautiful eyes as if unwilling to face something, and finally let out a soft sigh.

“I used a scheme to kill someone very close to her.”

Ye Rui stiffened all over. Her mouth twitched, and for a moment she didn’t know what to say. Suddenly, she felt it would have been better if she hadn’t asked. At least then things wouldn’t be so awkward now.

“That person was an obstacle to me. In the end, even after she learned the truth, she still believed that person’s life should have been left to her to decide, not me.”

Xie Tinglan did not go into detail, but Ye Rui roughly understood where their resentment came from. That person must have been very important to Mu Xue; that was why she still held a grudge against Xie Tinglan to this day.

“How did you two... meet in the first place?”

Ye Rui was still curious. How had someone as carefree as Mu Xue, a person of the jianghu, become entangled with this lone wolf of the court? Could it have been because of Wuming?

“I can’t say too much about that. It involves too much. If there’s a chance in the future, I’ll tell you then.”

Xie Tinglan looked somewhat gloomy. Ye Rui didn’t dare ask further and just kept watching her drink soup with eager eyes. But after half the soup was gone, Xie Tinglan let Ye Rui take it over and finish it. Ye Rui could be considered to have gotten a good meal by association.

“If nothing unexpected happens on this trip to Youlan City, it should not be dangerous. There is only one thing you must remember.”

Xie Tinglan knew it was almost time for Ye Rui’s martial practice, and did not intend to keep her any longer. Before she left, however, she still decided to give her one last instruction.

“What is it?”

Ye Rui listened attentively, the furrow between her brows deepening.

“Don’t interact with her too much, and don’t drink any alcohol... she is extremely fond of women.”

Xie Tinglan spoke very seriously, but Ye Rui’s eyes were full of barely concealed amusement. In the end, she burst out laughing. “Got it.”

Seeing that, Xie Tinglan also smiled. “If you won’t share cloud-and-rain with me, but will with someone else, I won’t let you off.”

The moment she said that, Ye Rui could no longer laugh. Her ears burned hot. Even though there was a desk between them, those words felt as though they had been spoken right beside her ear.

“I’m not talking to you anymore. All you ever say are beastly things.”

Ye Rui turned to leave at once, but Xie Tinglan couldn’t help laughing as she said, “I remember every word you’ve said, including when you said that even if I was that Xie wolf...”

She stopped there. The silence from that night was still lingeringly ambiguous, while today’s silence was full of teasing implication.

Ye Rui’s ears only grew hotter.

Why had she said something like that back then?! She wasn’t talking to this woman anymore!

**

Although there had been a little interruption in the morning, it did not affect Ye Rui arriving on time at Xie Tinglan’s room at noon to practice calligraphy. By now, the characters Xie Tinglan taught her had become increasingly profound, and she would also give her several rubbings of fine writings by Great Yan scholars and literati for her to copy.

However, Ye Rui had been deeply influenced by Xie Tinglan. No matter how she copied them, there was still always a shadow of Xie Tinglan’s handwriting in her own. These days even Ri Xi said so; Ye Rui’s writing looked the most like Xie Tinglan’s, and sometimes even she could not tell them apart.

After finishing the copybook today, Ye Rui started reading Jianghu Records again. Since she now knew the book was about Gong Yinzhi, she had also looked up the author’s name, but there was no information about the author at all in the book.

“Who wrote Jianghu Records?”

Ye Rui thought that if the author of Jianghu Records was Gong Yinzhi herself, then she ought to have written down more of the Luo family’s misdeeds.

“Huan Jing.”

Xie Tinglan spoke two words, and Ye Rui was surprised. She had never imagined it would be Huan Jing, who seemed to have nothing to do with it at all.

“Huan Jing was picked up by Yinzhi from a pack of wolves. At that time she was already a ten-year-old child, living like a wolf herself; she ate raw meat, drank fresh blood, and couldn’t speak, only howl.”

Ye Rui listened with complete absorption and suddenly thought of the character Lian Nichang. It was indeed somewhat similar.

“Later, Yinzhi taught her to read and write and raised her. This Jianghu Records was written while Huan Jing was practicing her writing; she wrote it after hearing about Yinzhi’s experiences.”

Ye Rui nodded, thinking so that’s how it was. No wonder when Gong Yinzhi was coming, Huan Jing was happier than anyone else; it seemed Gong Yinzhi was to her someone like a mother, and also like an older sister.

Xie Tinglan looked somewhat busy, so Ye Rui did not keep asking and continued reading Jianghu Records.

Gong Yinzhi witnessed an assassination attempt, and when she saw the person being assassinated was a woman, she acted without hesitation. The person she saved that day was Xie Tinglan; fortunately, because of Gong Yinzhi’s appearance, Xie Tinglan kept her life, while all of her guards died in that assassination attempt.

After saving Xie Tinglan, Gong Yinzhi even helped her recover from her injuries. It was only through their conversation that she learned Xie Tinglan was the next candidate for Prime Minister. It was people vying for the position of Prime Minister who wanted to eliminate Xie Tinglan before everything settled.

The two got along remarkably well. After Gong Yinzhi mentioned the practice of keeping young men and women as pets for pleasure, Xie Tinglan promised she would definitely wipe out that corrupt trend. She was also true to her word; once she successfully took office as Prime Minister, she began purging the court. The common people all said Xie Tinglan was cruel by nature and had killed many loyal and good officials, but only Gong Yinzhi knew that seven or eight out of ten of those people were officials involved in keeping such pets.

Grateful for what Xie Tinglan had done, Gong Yinzhi specially came to thank her in person. Xie Tinglan also brought up the matter of establishing an assassin organization. She handed over the young men and women she had rescued from the homes of those officials to Gong Yinzhi.

Looking at the boys and girls before her, who were only twelve or thirteen years old, Gong Yinzhi realized only then that these officials were not merely fond of women; they were also fond of men.

Among them was the oldest, a fifteen-year-old girl named Xi. Because of her fierce temperament, she refused to submit to those officials’ brutal oppression and was beaten so badly that her whole body was covered in injuries. It took more than a month of Xie Tinglan’s care before she was pulled back from the gates of death.

That person was called Xi.

The book described Xi as having skin split open from the beatings, her body covered in blood and grime, thin to the bone, almost tortured beyond recognition. Fortunately, she was saved by Xie Tinglan and nursed for over a month before she finally came back to life and even put on a little weight.

There was also the youngest child, named Yue, who was eight years old and trusted no one. She always carried a knife and would attack anyone who came near. At first, she even stabbed Xie Tinglan. Later, when she realized Xie Tinglan had truly come to save her, she no longer treated her as an enemy.

After that, Gong Yinzhi took all of them under her wing, and Xie Tinglan provided the funding for their daily expenses; thus, Wuming was established.

Ye Rui was just about to keep reading when Ri Xi knocked and came in. She gave Ye Rui a strange look, then said, “Ye Rui, this is a letter sent by the courtyard steward of Rain and Mist Pavilion. It’s for you.”

Xie Tinglan lazily glanced at Ye Rui. Ye Rui took the letter and asked, “Did the steward leave any other words?”

Ri Xi pressed her lips together and looked at Xie Tinglan before speaking somewhat awkwardly, “She said... on the day you set out, you have to... wash up and wait for Mu Xue.”

Xie Tinglan: “?!”

Ye Rui: “...”

Mu-surnamed, if you want to kill me, just say so!!

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Author’s note: [dog head][dog head][yellow heart][yellow heart]

Mu Xue, the great beauty: I just want to see Xie Tinglan angry to death! [dog head]