"Of course you need treatment."
Bai Yuji slipped a blood-preserving Gu pill into his mouth. "But your body reacted in too many strange ways after taking the medicine yesterday. You'd better be careful from now on. For the next few days, let's stick to conservative treatment and just replenish your blood and vital energy. We can't give you too much yang energy."
"I can live without the yang energy. What about kisses?"
"..."
Bai Yuji shot him a look. "If you're not getting any yang energy, what do you need kisses for?"
Qin Muye was a little annoyed. "You said you wouldn't make me break character. Are you going back on your word?"
Bai Yuji hurriedly tried to smooth things over. "Isn't this all because you keep letting your imagination run wild? What if you can't sleep again tonight? Get your strength back first..."
"So once I'm feeling better, I can get kisses whenever I want?"
"Is that all you ever think about?"
"Am I not allowed to think about it?"
"We'll see when the time comes!"
Bai Yuji quickly stood up. "Remember to drink the medicine on the table. Dinner's almost ready, so go wash up."
With that,
she ignored Qin Muye's protests and fled the room.
But as soon as she stepped outside, she ran straight into Qin Yanying.
"Yuji, is Muye awake?"
"He just woke up!"
"Is he all right?"
"He's fine!"
Bai Yuji asked curiously, "Auntie, why is your face so red?"
Qin Yanying burst out laughing. "I just heard some good news. How could I not be blushing? Hey, Yuji, why's your face so red too? Did you hear some good news as well?"
Bai Yuji touched her face. Sure enough, it felt a little hot.
It was all that little rascal's fault.
Yesterday he'd said all sorts of strange things, and today he'd been teasing her with those cloying words again.
"The room's stuffy."
She made up an excuse, then quickly asked, "Auntie, what's the good news?"
Qin Yanying grabbed her and pulled her into the room. "You know about that mysterious puppet master from yesterday, right?"
"I do!"
Qin Muye put down his medicine bowl and answered before she could. "That guy's incredible. You can tell at a glance he's an expert. What happened to him?"
Qin Yanying said excitedly, "I heard that just a little while ago, that puppet found its way to the Imperial Princess Mansion. It's already become an official of the mansion."
"Hm?"
Qin Muye was puzzled. "What does the Imperial Princess gaining a powerful official have to do with us? The Imperial Princess isn't close to the Qin Family, is she?"
"You're thinking too small! You lack vision!"
Qin Yanying grinned from ear to ear. "Think about it. There are so many of us in the Qin Family. Why are you and I the only ones in the Capital?"
It was a sensitive question. Qin Yanying admired the emperor, and bringing certain things up would hurt her feelings.
Qin Muye hesitated, but after thinking it over, he still answered in a low voice, "Aren't we hostages?"
"Bullshit!"
Qin Yanying glared at him. "That's just what His Majesty tells our old Qin Family's political enemies to put them at ease. Your father and His Majesty are closer than brothers. Why would he be wary of the Qin Family?"
Qin Muye: "..."
No!
I didn't ask before because I didn't want to hurt your feelings.
But whoa, you really think that?
He was utterly dumbfounded. Knowing that arguing would only earn him a scolding, he could only ask, "Then what do you say it's for?"
Qin Yanying looked at him as if he were beyond help. "Didn't I just tell you? It's to put our old Qin Family's political enemies at ease. You've lived in the Capital all these years, yet you don't have an ounce of political sense. But how can your ears be bad too?"
Qin Muye: "..."
The corner of Bai Yuji's mouth twitched. She hadn't expected Qin Muye to be like this in Qin Yanying's eyes.
She couldn't help asking, "So, Auntie, what does this have to do with the Imperial Princess?"
Qin Yanying was beaming. "Of course it has something to do with her! Why haven't we returned all these years? Because the civil and military officials at court are all caught up in the false prosperity of Ten Thousand Demons Coming to Court, too drunk on it to wake up!
"Now in the Capital, everyone wants to keep using demons to control demons, then lie back and enjoy the rewards.
"Anyone who disagrees gets sent away. The Imperial Princess is the only exception!
"If the Imperial Princess succeeds, how far can the Qin Family's return to the Capital really be?"
Qin Muye grimaced. "Auntie, have you ever considered that the Imperial Princess is allowed to stay in the Capital because His Majesty feels guilty toward his first empress, so he turns a blind eye?
"And the Imperial Princess only dislikes the Demon Race because her birth mother's death was connected to them.
"Think about it. The Imperial Princess may be hard-line toward the Demon Race, but she hasn't actually done anything."
"I don't care. It's a good thing either way."
Qin Yanying stubbornly stuck out her neck. "Besides, that puppet said right at the entrance to the Imperial Princess Mansion that it was joining her to fight the Demon Race. How can that not prove anything?"
Qin Muye: "???"
Holy shit!
I didn't say that!
The puppet had only said, "Imperial Princess, I'm with you from now on." Even its so-called ambitions had only been vaguely mentioned. Then it went into the mansion to chat and mooch off their secret techniques.
What the hell was this "joining the Imperial Princess Mansion to fight the Demon Race"?
He couldn't help asking, "Auntie, who did you hear that from?"
Qin Yanying replied as if it were obvious, "Everyone in the Capital's talking about it. Who do you think I heard it from?"
Qin Muye: "..."
That fast?
It hadn't even been half an hour, and the whole Capital already knew?
Someone was definitely spreading rumors on purpose.
But were these rumors targeting the Imperial Princess? Or targeting him, the puppet master?
Or both?
They'd offended the Crown Prince yesterday. Could that brat Li Zhixuan be stirring up trouble on purpose?
Qin Yanying laughed heartily. "It's about time someone did this. They're always thinking about how to win over and divide people, while the soldiers on the front lines are practically rusting in bed! Look at our Southwest. We haven't used a single barbarian general or demon soldier, and we've still kept the barbarians over there under our thumb. And don't even get me started on Nanzhao..."
Qin Muye was startled and hurriedly cut her off. "Auntie!"
Qin Yanying was clearly worked up and didn't pay him any mind. "Nanzhao used to be our Great Gan's dog, didn't it? Its nobles all studied the culture of the Central Plains. But then it insisted on colluding with the Demon Race and invading our borders. And what happened? Its kingdom was wiped out! Serves it right!"
Qin Muye: "..."
Bai Yuji: "..."
Qin Yanying asked curiously, "Niece-in-law, why's your face gone pale again?"
Qin Muye quickly said, "Yuji helped me prepare a new medicine just now and tested the formula herself. She's probably feeling unwell."
Qin Yanying tenderly stroked Bai Yuji's cheek. "Poor girl. You've been through so much! When you marry into the Qin Family, we'll be sure to repay you properly!"
Bai Yuji took several deep breaths and managed to force out a smile. "I'll repay the Qin Family too!"
"Why are you saying 'the Qin Family'? From then on, you'll be one of us."
"..."
"We've been so busy celebrating that I'm starving! I'll go hurry the kitchen along. Muye, get up too!"
Qin Yanying hummed a tune as she left.
Bai Yuji was left standing there, her body trembling uncontrollably.
Qin Muye was dumbstruck. "Yuji, you..."
Bai Yuji said nothing. She picked up the medicine bowl and, without looking back, walked out.
As she went,
the rapid, ragged breathing of her fury was clearly audible.
Qin Muye: "..."
Family has no price tag.
Auntie goes straight for the kill?
He suspected Qin Yanying had been a game designer in her previous life.
One sentence, and she'd patched the bug that sometimes let him win Bai Yuji over.
What a disaster!
Night.
Ghost Market.
The Buddha statue in the tavern's back courtyard.
As the formation twisted, Bai Yuji entered Nanzhao's secret chamber once again.
The moment He Xifeng saw her, she panicked. "Princess, why do you look so awful?"
"It's nothing!"
Bai Yuji wearily waved her hand. "Great Elder, what did you summon me here for today?"
He Xifeng said excitedly, "That madwoman sent word. She says she's arranged a new plan for us, and we can put it into action in a few days."
"Hm? Why is that madwoman being so proactive this time?"
"This... This old woman doesn't know!"
He Xifeng thought for a moment. "But that woman looked rosy-cheeked. She's probably found herself a man. Perhaps the puppet she paid such a high price for..."
Bai Yuji shook her head. "She spent four thousand spirit stones on it. That can't be it. But that's not important. What's this new plan she mentioned?"
He Xifeng grinned until all the wrinkles on her face bunched together. She was clearly thrilled. "The third son of Yayu's mate is pregnant. The couple will arrive in the Capital a few days early. The female will eat little boys and girls to nourish the fetus, while the male will seek out the Fortune Bead to pray for the fetus's blessing.
"Yayu is notorious across the Northern States, yet holds the title of earl in Great Gan.
"If Qin Yanying can be riled up into killing Yayu's unborn grandchild, the Demon Official will inevitably demand an explanation from the emperor. To the various foreign states, both the Demon Official and the Qin Family are a menace.
"No matter the outcome, it will benefit the alliance of the states.
"As long as this credit can be attributed to Your Highness, you'll surely gain unrivaled prestige.
"That madwoman said she's already prepared the little boys and girls and the Fortune Bead for us. Officially, she'll have nothing to do with it.
"Then we just need to leak the news to Qin Yanying. Your Highness only has to fan the flames a little, and it'll be done!"
Bai Yuji: "???"
Her eyes widened.
Little boys and girls?
The Fortune Bead?
Before you continue