Tianyi Restaurant.
When Yan Zheng arrived, he happened upon Yun Lang interrogating someone.
He paused, intending to step aside, but the other man scoffed and said, "Come in. It’s just as well—let the Chief Minister hear this too."
So he entered. On the floor, a trembling, half-broken man stammered through his only remaining mouth, "I—I was the one who betrayed the Bai Xiao Pavilion... A man surnamed Song came to me, offering a fortune for scraps of information the pavilion discarded... I thought those useless papers were just lying around anyway, so I agreed..."
"At first, he paid ten taels of silver for a single scrap... and he actually delivered the money... As the deals piled up, he coaxed me into trading more valuable secrets, then intelligence... The prices he offered grew higher and higher, and I grew greedier... until I couldn’t resist. That’s how I leaked the news about Chief Minister Yan’s injury... and his trip to the Western Mountain Camp... I was wrong! I admit it!"
As the man spoke, Yun Lang’s eyes flickered with shifting emotions, but his expression remained composed as he arched a brow at Yan Zheng. "Well? Anything you’d like to ask?"
Yan Zheng fixed his gaze on the man. "The man surnamed Song you mentioned—is he Song Jia, an advisor from Shuntian Prefecture?"
The man’s face paled. "How did you know?"
"Shouldn’t the question be—how did you know?" Yun Lang drawled lazily. The man immediately kowtowed. "Pavilion Master, I swear it’s the truth! That Song advisor was always careful to hide his identity, but I wasn’t a fool—I feared he’d betray me later, so I tampered with the intelligence twice. Once, he needed information urgently and met me in private without disguising himself. That’s when I confirmed who he was!"
It sounded plausible.
Yan Zheng and Yun Lang exchanged a glance, both certain the man wasn’t lying.
With a wave of Yun Lang’s hand, Shopkeeper Du entered and dragged the man away.
"Now you know why you walked into that ambush at the Western Mountain Camp, don’t you? Song Jia used Su Tingyun’s name as a cover—he was prepared for you. Really, Yan the Third, how do you manage to make enemies everywhere?" Yun Lang smirked mockingly.
Yan Zheng replied coolly, "Pavilion Master Yun is shifting blame. The poison Song Jia used—Qianji Powder—is a relic of the former Murong imperial family. Are you going to claim that has nothing to do with you?"
Yun Lang stiffened, then sneered. "So what if it does? The Murongs lost the people’s favor—plenty wanted them gone. Are you seriously pinning that on me?"
Yan Zheng’s gaze sharpened. "So the mastermind behind Song Jia is also from the former imperial family?"
Shopkeeper Du, who had just re-entered, widened his eyes—clearly struck by the accuracy of the statement.
Yun Lang stared at Yan Zheng for a long moment before chuckling. "Well played, Yan the Third. You wrung that out of me. I underestimated you."
Yan Zheng’s mind settled.
The former imperial family had only a handful of survivors: Emperor Yunning, his two elder brothers—Prince Jin and the Regent King.
With targets identified, the investigation would be much easier.
"Yan the Third, don’t say I didn’t warn you—the Yun family’s capabilities far exceed your expectations. You’d best be careful, or that little blind girl might end up a widow."
Yun Lang’s icy taunt hung in the air, but Yan Zheng merely collected his thoughts and replied evenly, "No need for your concern, Pavilion Master. I came to ask about Ayan’s condition."
Yun Lang rolled his eyes and turned to Shopkeeper Du. "Fetch the old master."
Soon, Qin Yiru shuffled in cheerfully.
The moment he saw Yan Zheng, he beamed. "You brat, you know how to please this old man—sending me the rarest herbs in the world! Excellent! By the way, I heard your little wife bought a pile of toys? What’s the point of that nonsense? Listen to me—I’ll brew you a potent tonic, and I guarantee she won’t leave the bed for days!"
Yan Zheng choked, waving a hand in refusal. "Ahem—no need, no need..."
Yun Lang, however, exploded. "What?! Yan the Third, if you dare torment—torment that little blind girl, I’ll make you regret it!"
Yan Zheng: "..."
He hadn’t even bought those things—why was he being blamed?
Qin Yiru yanked Yun Lang aside. "Enough, enough! What business is it of yours what the young couple does? Scram!"
Yun Lang still looked indignant, so Yan Zheng cut in, "Old Master, may I ask if there’s been any progress on Ayan’s condition?"
"There has, but we’re still missing one crucial item!"
"What item?"
Qin Yiru glanced at Yun Lang. "The Divine Cauldron—a sacred artifact from the Western Frontier used for refining gu poison."
"That girl Chu is afflicted with Butterfly Dream of Zhuangzi, a gu poison. To undo the poison, we must refine a counter-gu. I’m no expert, but Hongxiu is. Her condition for helping is... we must obtain the Divine Cauldron first."
Yan Zheng nodded in understanding. "Where is this cauldron now?"
"Well..." Qin Yiru looked at Yun Lang—no piece of intelligence escaped the Bai Xiao Pavilion Master.
Yun Lang, however, smiled faintly. "That’s for Chief Minister Yan to discover on his own."
The deliberate obstruction was obvious.
Yan Zheng didn’t argue. Instead, he remarked casually, "Pavilion Master Yun, before I came here, Ayan mentioned she wanted to choose you as her patron."
"Patron? That’s wonderful! The little blind girl has good taste—she knows my Bai Xiao Pavilion is wealthy and powerful—" He cut himself off, narrowing his eyes. "Wait. What kind of patron?"
Yan Zheng replied mildly, "The same kind as me."
"!?"
Yun Lang stiffened as if choking on a bone. After a long pause, he gritted his teeth. "That won’t be necessary... The Divine Cauldron is in the palace."
"The palace?"
"That old witch’s Cining Palace! After the great upheaval years ago, it ended up there as one of her prized decorations."
Yan Zheng considered this. "Pavilion Master Yun, was this cauldron ever used to treat your mother’s illness?"
Yun Lang’s eyes flashed with surprise—he hadn’t expected Yan Zheng to make the connection so quickly.
He didn’t hide it. "It was. But it didn’t work."
Qin Yiru interjected, "His mother was afflicted with a complete gu poison—different from Madam Chu’s case. Still, I say it’s worth a try. Desperate times call for desperate measures!"
Yan Zheng nodded. "One more question—how did your mother obtain the cauldron back then?"
Yun Lang spread his hands. "She stole it. Returned it after using it."
"And now?"
"That old witch guards it like a treasure. After it went missing once, she turned the capital upside down searching for it. Now it’s under constant guard—day and night. Stealing it again would be harder than scaling the heavens!" Yun Lang smirked, clearly enjoying the challenge. "But I’m sure that’s no trouble for Chief Minister Yan, is it?"
Yan Zheng knew Yun Lang was waiting to be entertained.
But if it meant curing Ayan, he didn’t mind putting on a show.
"I’ll retrieve the cauldron within seven days. The rest will be in your hands, Old Master."
Qin Yiru hastily bowed. "Of course, of course." Watching Yan Zheng leave, he clicked his tongue. "I’ll say this—your brother-in-law is impressive. Skilled yet humble. Why do you keep picking fights with him?"
Yun Lang snorted. "Is that what I’m doing?"
Qin Yiru gave him a look that plainly said, You know exactly what you’re doing.
Yun Lang fell silent for a moment before murmuring, "I must test him for Miaomiao's sake... You know her status..."
