“Naturally, we’re loyal to His Majesty!”


  Gong Yue answered quickly. Gong Jing, however, kept silent.

  Qin Shiyu, who seemed to infer something from Gong Jing’s silence, said “good” several times in a row.

  “Although General Gong and Sir Gong are father and son, but it appears that you hold different opinions.”


  Qin Shiyu voiced her feeling with a mocking smile.

  Then, she narrowed her eyes and looked at Gong Jing with a smile full of interest.

  “General Gong isn’t someone who is blindly loyal.”


  “Your Highness Ninth Princess, what do you mean by this?”


  Gong Jing asked cautiously.

  Clearly faking it, Qin Shiyu showed a perplexed expression, looked away, and muttered coyly, “Hmm — what would this princess mean by this?”


  Qin Shiyu looked at Gong Jing again and asked meaningfully, “What do you think, General Gong?”


  “.……”


  “This princess heard of General Gong’s conduct. I probed a little just now, and it’s just like the rumor says.”


  “Probed?”


  Regarding Gong Jing’s question of surprise, Qin Shiyu just smiled and didn’t explain. Meanwhile, Gong Yue and Gong Tianqing looked blankly back and forth between the two.

  What did she come here for? Listening to the conversation between the two, Xue Qilin couldn’t help but get herself involved, “Hey, the one with really long hair!”


  Qin Shiyu was taken aback for a moment, and then pointed at herself.

  “Are you referring to me?”


  “Yes, you! I don’t have time to listen to you being unnecessarily mystifying! You just insulted Little Yang. I want you to apologize at once.”


  “Oh, what if I say no?”


  Qin Shiyu’s expression is tinged with the shade of delight.

  Xue Qilin narrowed her eyes, which are already dyed gold, and declared coldly, “– you can try.”


  A majestic breath pressed heavily on Qin Shiyu, prompting her to take a step back unsteadily. Yinping immediately blocked in front of the girl and laboriously bore the pressure coming from Xue Qilin for her.

  “Princess, Young Ancestor is serious. You shouldn’t joke around anymore.”


  Yinping broke out in cold sweat from her forehead and advised helplessly.

  After saying “how dull”, Qin Shiyu puckered her lips unenthusiastically.

  “This princess wanted to stop this tragedy from unfolding, but I was one step too late.”


  According to what she said, Gong Tianyang’s death seems to have something to do with Xue Qilin. And, she appears to have known in advance that Gong Tianyang would die.

  “Your Highness Ninth Princess, you mean…… you knew what was going to happen beforehand?”


  Gong Jing asked calmly.

  Thereupon, everyone cast Qin Shiyu a puzzled look, urging her to explain. After the disturbance she just caused, their emotions started to stabilize.

  “It’s right to say “beforehand” [1]…… this princess received intelligence about that person early in the morning. After this princess received the intelligence, I hurried over at once. Therefore, you can’t blame this princess for being a step too slow. If you want to blame someone, blame the “Red Chamber” for its incompetence. Oh, but even if you want to reprimand the “Red Chamber”, there’s nothing you can do. After all, it is one of the most mysterious organizations in the world.”


  “Hey, the one with really long hair! Stop wasting my time by beating about the bush! If you have something to say, out with it!”


  Qin Shiyu’s way of speaking feels like she is making fun of others.

  She is a bit like Xia Xue in this regard. However, there is still an essential difference between the two.

  Xia Xue is just someone with a sharp tongue, who likes to tease others. But she doesn’t take pleasure in it. Qin Shiyu, on the other hand, gives off the feeling that she simply feels amused and wants to have fun at other people’s expense.

  Because of this, Xue Qilin ineffably dislikes Qin Shiyu.

  “What daring words! Xue Qilin, aren’t you afraid that I’ll punish you — and the Merak Temple by association — for the crime of lèse-majesté?”


  Qin Shiyu is smiling, yet her eyes were devoid of the shade of smile as she gazed at Xue Qilin.

  Xue Qilin gnashed her teeth from anger, but she didn’t dare to say anything, afraid that the other party is being serious.

  “That’s a good girl.”


  Qin Shiyu gave Xue Qilin an “I’m quite satisfied” smile.

  After that, she suddenly asked a question without rhyme or reason.

  “There are people who are good at medicine, but they aren’t doctors. Moreover, their medical skills are not used for treatment, but to improve an art they have mastered — do you guys know? What sort of art have such people mastered?”


  Is this gal sick in the head? Xue Qilin raised her eyebrows. The three members of the Gong Clan looked at one another.

  No one answered her question.

  However, as if she expected this, Qin Shiyu didn’t seem disappointment, and just answered her own question.

  “– poison.”


  Hearing this word, the people present widened their eyes at the same time — including Yinping.

  “Those who use poison must be good at medicine; those who want to use poison must learn medicine first. Unless they are a rookie, no one dares to study poison without understanding medicine. What do you think?”


  “Ninth Princesses means…… Mr. Tailor is a master of poison? Was Yang’er poisoned by him?”


  Gong Jing guessed this, hesitant.

  After half a beat, Xue Qilin reacted, as well. Upon understanding the Ninth Princess’s implication, she realized that the other party is alluding to Tailor being the murderer. Otherwise, she has no reason to mention “those who use poison must be good at medicine”.

  Qin Shiyu smiled meaningfully, declining to comment.

  “Xue Qilin said just now that there was a force destroying Gong Tianyang’s body, which is clearly the effect of poison. It is not impossible for a master of poison to skillfully concoct a poison that takes effect when certain conditions are met — for the victim to be poisoned after being treated by Xue Qilin.”


  Qin Shiyu slowly swept the people present with her confident gaze.

  “If I didn’t guess wrong, Xue Qilin should have spoken about Gong Tianyang’s plan of treatment, right? And Tailor should have been present at that time.”


  “As Your Highness said, Tailor was indeed present at that time.”


  Gong Jing frowned and replied without much thought.

  “Wait!” Gong Yue appears to be skeptical about this, “Why would Mr. Tailor do this? He was the doctor in charge of Yang’er in the outset!”


  “It’s simple, it was to drive a wedge between the Merak Temple and the Gong Clan!”


  Qin Shiyu replied casually, giving an unexpected answer.

  “At first, he used Gong Tianqing’s blood to treat Gong Tianyang, mending the west wall by tearing down the east wall, exchanging a life for a life — right, Sir Gong?”


  Gong Yue agreed tacitly. Then, Xue Qilin shot him a displeased look.

  “As Gong Tianqing is the Merak Temple’s Young Temple Master, the Merak Temple wouldn’t stand for her life being endangered. In this way, there would be an irreconcilable conflict between the Gong Clan and the Merak Temple. If it wasn’t for this princess’s second brother, who played a prank on you guys on a whim in order to force General Gong to yield, maybe the Gong Clan would have been already in conflict with the Merak Temple due to Gong Tianqing. As a matter of fact, Xue Qilin did break into the Gong Clan and tried to take Gong Tianqing away, right?”


  [1] – “beforehand” (一早) can also be translated as early morning