A Brow-Penciled Talent with a Blade Beneath Her Skirt

At Cui Xijun's words, Cui Zhenru sprang to his feet, his gaze darkening. "What happened?"

Cui Xijun said calmly, "Someone in the estate was secretly colluding with outsiders and leaked my whereabouts. We were ambushed. Every servant and guard who went with me, including Guard Yin, died. There was something wrong with the carriage the Liu Family sent, too. If someone hadn't helped me, Father would be collecting my corpse right now."

Cui Zhenru's face turned cold as frost. A thick killing intent slowly spread from him.

Hong Ling had never seen the head of the family like this. A chill ran down her spine, and she dared not say a word.

Cui Zhenru's gaze swept over the two of them, his expression growing darker by degrees. After a moment, he asked calmly, "From the sound of it... you already have a lead?"

"When I left the estate this morning, every other carriage had been sent away. I was suspicious then. We can start there. As for the bodies on the mountain road, we'll need to send people to investigate."

Cui Zhenru studied Cui Xijun. Even after brushing against death, she remained composed, without a trace of the timidity expected of a young lady. He could not help asking, "What do you want your father to do?"

Cui Xijun met his gaze and said bluntly, "You needn't act personally. I only need one answer from you, Father: how much of the Cui Family's resources may I use?"

Cui Zhenru looked at her intently. After a moment's silence, he said, "All of them!"

Soon, Zhao Suming, the Cui Family's chief steward, and Steward Cheng from Cui Xijun's courtyard were summoned. Once they learned what had happened, both grew solemn and bowed. "Give us your orders, Miss. We will do everything we can to help."

Cui Xijun's eyes were cool as she said, "First, discreetly investigate every servant, guard, young master, and young lady involved in today's visit to Xiangguo Temple. Find out whether anyone colluded with outsiders."

"Second, find out who had the Cui Family's other carriages sent away. Bring whoever it was straight to the side hall."

"Third, send people to the mountain road at once. Retrieve those bodies and hand them over to the Grand Court of Revision in Capital City. Make them give us an explanation."

One matter after another.

Cui Xijun laid out each task with perfect clarity.

Watching her, Cui Zhenru could not help thinking, If only she had been born a son.

Once every task had been assigned, Cui Xijun turned to her father again. "Father, I suspect an Aristocratic Clan may be involved. If the evidence holds, you could petition His Majesty to tighten Capital City's security and force the other families to surrender their seats in the Inspection Bureau."

Cui Zhenru nodded. "Very well. I know what to do."

With Cui Zhenru's quiet support, the investigation into the attack near Xiangguo Temple moved forward at remarkable speed.

By evening.

Chief Steward Zhao Suming escorted a man into the side hall.

The man was Deng Shi, an assistant manager of the Cui Family stables. He had worked for the family for seven years and was responsible for assigning every carriage and horse in the estate.

Kneeling before Cui Xijun, Deng Shi still tried to defend himself. "Third Miss, please see the truth. I only assigned the carriages according to the rules. I knew nothing else."

"The night before last, someone came to see you alone while you were on duty. The next day, you sent away every other carriage in the estate, leaving only the one the Liu Family had sent."

Cui Xijun continued evenly, "That man was from the Liu Family. He gave you fifty taels of silver. Do you remember?"

Deng Shi trembled all over. His forehead struck the floor again and again, and he no longer dared raise his head.

"Third Miss, I truly didn't know! That man only wanted you to ride in his family's carriage. I thought it was some scheme to court you. How could I know there was more to it? I... next time... I'll never do it again!"

Cui Xijun did not lose her temper. She watched quietly until he finished kowtowing, then said, "Today, you helped the Liu Family set a trap for fifty taels. Tomorrow, you could sell my whereabouts—and my life—for a hundred."

She waved a hand.

Zhao Suming understood at once. Ignoring Deng Shi's sobs and pleas, he grabbed him and dragged him out.

A short while later, Steward Cheng, who had been sent to collect the bodies during the day, hurried back to report.

"The attackers' bodies... are all gone?"

Cui Xijun was rather surprised.

"Yes. It looked as though someone had cleared the scene before we arrived."

Steward Cheng lowered his head and continued, "We made discreet inquiries around Capital City. We found that, besides their connection to the Liu Family, those men also had considerable ties to the Heavy Martial Pavilion. They may well have been Martial Masters from there."

"What about Liu Zhao?"

Steward Cheng continued, "The Liu Family's Eldest Young Master had originally planned to follow behind you today and join you to burn incense. But before he reached Xiangguo Temple, he turned back and returned to Yunzhong Prefecture. Everyone at the Liu Estate says he was frightened and went back to his ancestral home to recover."

"Hmph. He ran quickly enough."

Early the next morning.

Cui Xijun changed into a plain dress, arranged her hair neatly, and took the evidence she had gathered into Cui Zhenru's study.

The Cui Family's martial arts were good for cultivating body and mind, and its members were accustomed to rising early.

Cui Zhenru was already seated behind his desk, well into the day's routine affairs.

He looked up. "Do you have an answer?"

Cui Xijun nodded slightly. "I found some things."

"Tell me."

Cui Xijun then laid out everything she had learned, piece by piece.

Cui Zhenru listened in silence before looking up. "What do you intend to do?"

"The stable manager the Liu Family bribed has confessed. The killers' bodies may have vanished, but every trace behind them points to the Liu Family. They're almost certainly involved."

Cui Xijun remained calm. "I think we've investigated far enough. Now we should use this affair to pursue other aims. Something this grave happened in Capital City. The great Aristocratic Clans ought to make some concessions to the Cui Family at the Imperial Court."

Cui Zhenru smiled. "You don't want revenge on the Liu Family?"

"I may want it, but the Liu Family is weakened, not on the verge of collapse. Even a broken boat has a few nails left in it. They won't be so easy to bring down. Besides, under the Son of Heaven's feet, the Imperial Court won't sit by while Aristocratic Clans fight in Capital City and make an ugly spectacle of it."

Cui Zhenru studied his third daughter for a long time, then sighed. "You have more cunning than your mother, and you're more like me when I was young."

"I'll leave this to you. If you need anyone, go straight to Suming. Send the invitations in the Cui Family's name. Since we won't draw swords against them, we'll strip a layer of skin off them instead. The Cui Family isn't something just anyone can put their hands on."

"Yes."

Cui Xijun turned and left the study.

Steward Cheng was waiting outside the door. When he saw her emerge, he stopped and lowered his head.

Cui Xijun looked at him, the faintest hint of a smile on her face. "Steward Cheng, prepare a visiting card. Today, I'm going to see Minister Liu at the Liu Estate."

Steward Cheng promptly agreed. "The eldest young lady and the others heard you were in danger. They wanted to visit yesterday. Would you like to see them, Third Miss?"

"After I return from the Liu Family. This matter comes first."

With that, Cui Xijun strode out as swift as the wind, looking nothing like the refined young lady famed for her poetry and prose.

News of the attack on the Cui Family's Third Miss soon spread through Capital City.

Whispers increasingly pointed toward the Liu Family, leaving them in a deeply difficult position.

The affair even drew the attention of Xiangguo Temple's State Preceptor and His Majesty himself.

To put the matter to rest, the Liu Family had no choice but to surrender a large portion of their Capital City holdings, along with two berths on the grain transport routes.

Only then did they barely check the Cui Family's pursuit of the matter and preserve a shred of their standing in Capital City.

Yet the rift between the Cui and Liu families was now certain.

Marriage between them was out of the question. If they could meet in the future without drawing swords, that alone would be remarkable.

After this affair, the Liu Family's reputation plummeted.

As the one who had directed the response, Third Miss Cui emerged with a drastically changed public image.

When His Majesty asked about the attack on the Cui Family at court, Cui Zhenru reported the facts.

After hearing him out, His Majesty praised Cui Xijun himself, calling her "a brow-penciled talent with a blade beneath her skirt."

For a time, Cui Xijun's name was on everyone's lips.

Chen Ye, the other person involved in the affair, knew nothing of these details.

As soon as he received the seven hundred taels of silver, he prepared to redeem all his remaining lifespan.