Stepping into the Game

The widow of the Zhou Clan could not help looking the young man up and down, her gaze edged with appraising interest. "How would you find them?"

"It isn't difficult." Chen Ye sounded quite composed. "Just take me out of here, madam, and I'll explain everything in full."

The widow did not answer immediately.

She studied the young man standing ramrod straight before her. Locked in the Feng Family's dungeon, he had not thought to beg for mercy, but had started bargaining with her instead.

"You don't really want to find the killer. You want to stay alive, don't you?"

"Even ants beg for their lives, let alone people," Chen Ye said frankly. "Naturally, I want to survive. So do you, madam. If this succeeds, your position in the household will be all the more secure."

"And if it fails?"

"Then I simply die." There was not a trace of fear on Chen Ye's face. His voice was calm, as though he were discussing something that had nothing to do with him. "As for you, madam, even if you make a mistake in your desperation to find your husband's killer, the household will only consider it human nature."

At these words, the widow studied the young man anew, weighing her options.

After a moment, a faint smile rose to her lips.

"You're very clever."

She hesitated no longer. Summoning a nearby guard, she said briskly, "Let him out. I'm taking him to see the family head."

The guard froze, looking troubled. "Young madam, this... this is against the rules. His origins are unknown, and he's a serious criminal suspect. If the real killer escapes, I won't be able to escape blame either."

"He has important evidence," she interrupted, her gaze sharp. "I don't trust anyone in this household. I'll watch him myself."

The guard still hesitated. "Madam, this..."

Before he could finish, the widow swung a backhanded slap at him.

Smack!

Despite being a martial master, the guard was knocked to the ground by that slap and could not get up for a time.

He instinctively covered his face, his eyes filled with terror. His mouth opened, but he could not even force out a plea for mercy. He merely knelt on the ground, not daring to raise his head.

"A mere servant—who gave you the nerve to question your mistress's decision?" The widow's slender brows rose sharply. Fury filled her face, and even a hint of murderous intent entered her eyes.

"How were you doing your duty when the Third Young Master was alive? Now his bones have yet to grow cold, his killer has yet to be found, and you're already afraid of taking responsibility? If you let the killer escape, can you bear that responsibility?"

The guard hurriedly prostrated himself, his voice trembling. "I wouldn't dare... I wouldn't dare..."

"I'm taking him with me now." The widow looked away from him, her manner decisive.

"Yes."

This time, no one dared show the slightest defiance.

The cell door opened, and Chen Ye walked out.

Without another word, she turned and strode away.

Chen Ye glanced back at Zuo Dongxi.

Zuo Dongxi leaned listlessly against the wall, a bitter smile on his face. He realized that all his efforts had amounted to sewing another man's wedding robes.

Chen Ye said nothing more. He merely gave an almost imperceptible nod before following her.

Watching this from another cell, Su Guang's eyes flickered thoughtfully.

Chen Ye followed the widow out of the dungeon.

After so long in the darkness, the sudden light stabbed his eyes. He instinctively raised a hand to shield them.

Only after a while did his eyes gradually adjust.

It was only then that he truly saw what the widow looked like.

She appeared to be in her twenties, with an exquisite nose and vermilion lips, almond eyes beneath slender, willow-tip brows, and skin so delicate a breath might break it. She was unmistakably a beauty from an aristocratic clan, yet she carried herself with a frosty chill.

Two older women and two guards stood watch outside the dungeon. As soon as they emerged, the four bowed in greeting.

The widow walked on without a word.

The group entered the main hall of the back courtyard where she lived.

Chen Ye cast a quick glance around and found its style entirely different from that of Capital City.

A landscape painting hung in the center of the hall, with a long altar table beneath it.

A vase stood on the eastern end of the altar table, and a bronze mirror on the western end.

Half of a square eight-person table was tucked beneath the altar table, while the other half jutted out.

A grand armchair stood on either side.

It was distinctly southern in style.

She took the seat of honor and waved the attendants away.

Once the door closed, she lifted a cup of tea and took a sip. She said nothing, but her gaze remained fixed on Chen Ye.

Chen Ye was in no hurry either. He stood with his hands respectfully lowered and waited patiently.

After a long while, she set down her teacup. "Tell me, what do you plan to do next?"

Chen Ye lowered his gaze to the patterns in the bluestone floor, weighing his words. A moment later, he looked up. "Next, you need only do one thing, madam: let word of everything you heard and saw today spread exactly as it happened."

Her slender brows drew together, clearly somewhat doubtful.

"It seems simple, but many details will need to be arranged one by one," Chen Ye continued.

"The news must slip out inadvertently through your servants, or through someone bribing them to talk."

"Why arrange it that way?"

"Because only then will the other party believe it."

A glimmer of understanding gradually entered her eyes. She nodded. "Go on."

Chen Ye said, "Once the news has laid enough groundwork, release another piece of information tonight. Say that I have a teacup and other important physical evidence. Summon the household's apothecary and make a show of seeking his advice."

"After that, lock me up and post guards. All you need to do is wait."

She toyed thoughtfully with her teacup, then a knowing smile rose to her lips. "You're stepping into the game yourself, using your own life as bait."

Chen Ye offered a timely compliment. "You're perceptive indeed, madam. You saw through my paltry little trick at a glance."

She ignored his flattery.

She placed the teacup on the table, its base making a soft, crisp clink against the surface.

"If we're really going to do this, we must act quickly. We can't let the family head intervene."

She paused, then looked up at Chen Ye. "But why would the mere mention of a teacup make them come?"

"The Third Young Master was poisoned. There are only so many ways to administer poison, and a teacup easily brings them to mind. We just need to bluff him."

After hearing him out, she stared at him for a moment, then rose and called outside, "Have Uncle Guan come here."

Soon, a middle-aged man in black training clothes hurried over. He pushed open the door, glanced at Chen Ye first, then bowed to her. "Madam, you sent for me?"

She lifted her chin and said decisively, "Sorry for the trouble, Uncle Guan, but lock him in a guest room and have a few of your trusted people guard him. Remember, choose people with middling skills. Don't make it too conspicuous."

"This old servant understands."

The corners of Chen Ye's mouth lifted slightly.

Now, he had a seventy to eighty percent chance of getting out of this.