Ever since the incident with the Puppet Technique, Su Su had known he was deep and cunning. Unsure whether he was testing her or just making casual conversation, she quickly adjusted her expression and looked up at him.
"I am quite nervous. I'm afraid I might accidentally kill you and get Grandmother implicated."
Tantai Jin watched her for a while. The girl's clear black-and-white eyes met his openly, indeed showing no concern for the commotion outside.
He released her hand and asked Nian Bai Yu standing guard outside, "Have they been captured?"
Nian Bai Yu replied, "Your Majesty, they have been apprehended."
A cold smile curved Tantai Jin's lips, his eyes gleaming ominously.
Though anxious inside, Su Su dared not show it on her face.
Tantai Jin glanced back at her before heading out to interrogate the prisoner.
The curved jade said, "Don't panic, young mistress. It's possible they didn't capture Lord Pang."
Su Su nodded.
Pacing around the hall twice, she realized there was truly nothing she could do.
With Grandmother in Tantai Jin's hands, she couldn't take any risks. If the captured person wasn't Pang Yi Zhi, her rash intervention might only endanger him further.
Su Su eventually returned to Chengqian Hall, pulled up the quilt, and closed her eyes to feign sleep.
About two hours later, a strong smell of blood filled the air.
Her eyes snapped open to find someone standing before her.
She met Tantai Jin's pitch-black eyes staring intently at her, his hands completely covered in blood.
He remarked ambiguously, "You sleep quite soundly. Not worried at all?"
Su Su noticed the excitement in his eyes and the blood staining his robe.
Reaching out to touch her face, he smiled and asked, "Want to know what that person said?"
Su Su sat up and swatted his hand away. "Couldn't you have washed your hands before returning?"
Tantai Jin froze in surprise.
Rising without responding to his question, Su Su walked to the hall entrance and told the eunuch on duty, "Fetch a basin of clean water."
Uncertain of her status but seeing the Emperor didn't object, the eunuch hurried to comply.
Soon water was brought.
Wringing out a silk handkerchief, Su Su said to Tantai Jin, "Your hand."
Pursing his lips, he watched her, and she saw confusion in his eyes. Without wasting words, she took his blood-stained hand and carefully wiped it clean.
The malice on Tantai Jin's face faded into bewilderment as he watched her dark hair, his breathing slowing.
The girl washed meticulously, cleaning the blood from his hand before guiding both their hands into the water.
Soaking in warm water felt comforting in winter.
Her long lashes lowered as she complained, "Don't touch people with bloody hands. It's impolite, and no one would appreciate it."
Tantai Jin's fingers twitched slightly.
Su Su inwardly sneered, Feeling embarrassed now?
Outwardly maintaining composure, she dried his fingers with a clean handkerchief.
Looking up, she asked, "What were you going to tell me earlier?"
Tantai Jin withdrew his hand. "Nothing."
"Oh, then I'm going back to sleep." She pulled up the quilt again, leaving only her pinkish-white face visible.
After a moment, she opened her eyes and asked, "Can I visit Grandmother tomorrow?"
Her large, moist eyes reminded Tantai Jin of the little pink rabbit at dusk.
The words "You can" lingered on his lips, but he tensed, recalling her endless tricks. He said, "You may go when you learn to behave."
Pouting with disinterest, she turned over, facing away from him.Tantai Jin stared at the back of her head, dazedly glancing at his own hand.
Su Su rarely showed him any kindness, so his first instinct was to suspect some scheme. Yet after thinking for a long while, all he could recall was the gentle warmth of her fingertips.
The bedchamber fell into sudden silence.
Su Su breathed an inward sigh of relief. To sell the act completely, she didn't dare look at Tantai Jin's current expression.
She asked the curved jade, "Is that all Lord Pang's blood on him?"
The curved jade replied, "Little master, I think he was testing you."
Su Su: "I thought so too. Good thing I reacted quickly. Did I give anything away just now?"
Curved jade: "No, it was very natural. Not a hint of nervousness or curiosity."
Su Su: "That's good."
The curved jade paused before saying slowly, "I felt... he seemed quite pleased just now."
Su Su remained silent, though the corners of her mouth curved upward slightly.
She gripped the Soul-Extinguishing Pearl Tears, their temperature so intense it felt like they would burn her.
She drifted into fitful sleep in the latter half of the night. As dawn approached, she sensed someone watching her, but when she opened her eyes the chamber was empty - Tantai Jin had already left.
The earlier sensation seemed like an illusion.
Not knowing where the tiger had escaped to, Su Su was about to leave when a yellow-clad dancer and green-clad dancer suddenly materialized in the Chenggian Hall.
The yellow-clad dancer looked pale, supported by the green-clad one.
The familiar scene immediately sharpened Su Su's focus. She lowered her voice: "Lord Pang!"
The yellow-clad dancer looked up - it was indeed Pang Yi Zhi.
The dancer's attire was far more alluring than a palace maid's, and Su Su could feel Pang Yi Zhi's extreme embarrassment. He glanced at Su Su twice before quickly turning away, his ears reddening dramatically.
The "green-clad woman" supporting him spoke: "Third Miss Ye, were you frightened?"
Her voice emerged deep and low, clearly that of a man.
Though this man's disguise was far more successful than Lord Pang's, appearing with a graceful, curvaceous figure.
Su Su thought this was likely one of the Hidden Dragon Guards Pang Yi Zhi had mentioned.
Such secret guards were difficult to train - most were skilled in martial arts and poisons, and this Hidden Dragon Guard before her probably also knew disguise techniques.
They had entered invisibly - the Hidden Dragon Guards' capabilities were indeed not to be underestimated.
Thinking of this, Su Su's eyes dimmed. If Xiao Lin were alive and had Hidden Dragon Guards at his command, he might not have lost to Tantai Jin.
Su Su asked: "Why are you here? Last night the palace reported assassins - did Tantai Jin discover you?"
Pang Yi Zhi realized this wasn't the time for embarrassment and said: "I don't know how Tantai Jin learned our people were in the palace. With so many dancers and musicians from Zhou Kingdom, the Hidden Dragon Guards shouldn't have been discovered. Fortunately, before we came, Taoist Master Ji gave us a spiritual artifact that can conceal our presence."
He opened his hand, revealing a beautiful silver ring.
No wonder they could briefly turn invisible - relying on this, Pang Yi Zhi and the green-clad guard had avoided detection.
"Are you injured?" Su Su asked Pang Yi Zhi.
Pang Yi Zhi shook his head, though his expression turned grave: "But the other Hidden Dragon Guards were exposed. The palace is now tightly sealed - we can't get out."
So the blood on Tantai Jin last night was from other Hidden Dragon Guards.
The secret guards were loyal - they would never betray Lord Pang. With the silver ring, Lord Pang wouldn't be discovered for now, but how to escape was indeed a problem.Pang Yi Zhi said, "Before we came in, we agreed with the other Hidden Dragon Guards that if we didn't come out within five days, they would find a way to assist us. As long as the guards at the Zhou Kingdom's palace are somewhat lax by then, we can figure out a way to escape. Third Miss Ye, we need your help."
"Aren't you afraid I'll reveal this?"
Pang Yi Zhi was taken aback for a moment and whispered, "I know you won't."
Not only did he know, but even Uncle Ji and the deceased Prince Xuan knew, which was why they had turned to Su Su for help when they were at their wits' end.
Su Su was surprised by their unconditional trust in her, feeling a warmth in her heart.
She asked, "How many days are left until the five-day deadline?"
Pang Yi Zhi replied, "Three days."
Su Su thought for a moment and said, "Alright, at this time three days from now, I'll find a way to create chaos in Chengqian Hall. The Night Shadow Guard stationed there will all rush over then. Can you avoid the ordinary palace guards?"
The man in green said, "No problem, thank you, miss."
Su Su pondered and couldn't help but ask Pang Yi Zhi, "Has Ye Bingshang agreed to leave with you?"
Pang Yi Zhi was startled, then nodded: "She agreed, but something went wrong this time. The area outside her palace is heavily guarded, so we can't take her with us now."
Su Su hadn't expected Ye Bingshang to consent. She thought to herself, had she been judging others too harshly?
"Lord Pang, you must be careful in the palace these next few days."
Su Su pushed open the window. A silver ring flashed, and the man in green took Pang Yi Zhi away.
Pang Yi Zhi couldn't help looking back. The man in green asked, "My lord?"
Pang Yi Zhi shook his head: "It's nothing."
He had many questions he wanted to ask - like why Su Su was living in Chengqian Hall, and whether Tantai Jin had been treating her poorly?
But his position didn't permit him to do so.
He had messed up this operation, and now even needed a vulnerable young woman to cover for them.
An indescribable sorrow suddenly welled up in Pang Yi Zhi's heart.
Thinking of the pitiful Ye Bingshang, he gritted his teeth. It didn't matter - they would return when they had the chance. Whether it was the eldest Miss Ye or the third miss, they would eventually both be able to leave.
After meeting Pang Yi Zhi, Su Su understood that Tantai Jin had indeed been bluffing last night.
As Pang Yi Zhi had said, the palace had indeed been heavily guarded these past two days. Sometimes when Su Su walked outside, the curved jade would report to her about people hidden in the shadows.
"Behind the eaves, there's a group of people with bows and arrows. You've seen those arrows before, miss - they're the same ones that made you lose consciousness last time."
Su Su asked, "Is it Ruoshui?"
"Yes."
Last time, Su Su had lost consciousness after being shot in the shoulder with Ruoshui, falling victim to the Puppet Technique.
The Yiyue tribe were indeed masters of weapons and poison techniques. The ancient Gods had possessed the Ruoshui River for tens of thousands of years but never thought of using Ruoshui for anything.
Yet after Ruoshui flowed into the mortal world, mortals learned to use it as a weapon to carry the Puppet Technique in just a thousand years.
Fortunately, Tantai Jin didn't have much Ruoshui in his possession, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable.
After walking around for a while, Su Su discovered that Pang Yi Zhi and his companions were indeed in a precarious situation.
Tantai Jin was a madman who would kill anyone he caught. Since they had alerted him, Tantai Jin wouldn't rest until he found them.
There was one reason why Pang Yi Zhi and his men had managed to catch their breath and hide.
Another incident had occurred in the palace -
It was said that the Eighth Prince of Zhou Kingdom wasn't dead.
The common people had begun supporting the Eighth Prince to become emperor.Tantai Jin's hold on the imperial throne was unstable. Having spent fourteen years as a hostage in Great Xia, few truly respected him. The mere emergence of an Eighth Prince was enough to stir unrest among the populace, yet his ruthless methods left few daring to voice dissent.
However, the existence of the Eighth Prince remained a latent threat.
These past few days, Tantai Jin had not only been hunting down Pang Yi Zhi and his associates but also searching both inside and outside the palace to locate and eliminate the Eighth Prince.
He often returned very late, by which time Su Su was already asleep.
Though she had come to serve as his maid, Su Su had done nothing at all, and he had not commented on it.
For the past two days, Su Su had been pondering one question: How could she attract all the Night Shadow Guards on the third night?
Before she could think too deeply, the third day had already arrived.
The last sliver of daylight faded from the horizon.
Su Su rolled up her sleeves and headed to the imperial kitchen.
The curved jade asked in confusion, "What are you going to do, little master?"
Su Su smiled and replied, "Cook for Tantai Jin."
"You know how to cook?"
Su Su shook her head.
"Then why..."
"Precisely because I don’t know how, that’s why I’m making it for him."
"What if he refuses to eat it?"
Su Su pulled out the Soul-Extinguishing Pearl Tears.
The pearl tears had grown exceptionally bright, as if a pool of water flowed within. It seemed that with just a little more effort, they could transform into nine nails.
The curved jade stared at it in shock. "When did this change happen?"
Su Su said, "A few nights ago."
The curved jade recalled what had happened that night—it seemed the little master had wiped the blood from Tantai Jin’s hands. It noted that these past few days, Tantai Jin had returned without any bloodstains on him.
Its heartbeat quickened faintly.
Su Su picked up a chili pepper and said, "So, he will eat it."
In the Zhaohua Hall, Tantai Jin was having an old Taoist priest track the Eighth Prince’s whereabouts when he suddenly remembered something and casually asked the old eunuch, "Where is she?"
The old eunuch knew exactly whom the Emperor was referring to.
Over the past few days, he had had people monitor the young woman in the Chengqian Palace. Though she was given considerable freedom, he was always waiting for her betrayal or escape, frequently demanding reports on her movements.
"The young lady has gone to the imperial kitchen," the old eunuch replied.
"What is she doing there?"
The old eunuch paused, uncertain. "It seems... she is preparing Your Majesty’s evening meal."
Tantai Jin thought he had misheard. He turned abruptly and said, "What did you say?"
Unable to gauge the Emperor’s mood, the old eunuch repeated his words uneasily.
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