At the third quarter of the midnight hour, the Yanyu Tower in the western part of the city suddenly caught fire. Fortunately, it was discovered in time, and there were no casualties.
When Jiu Yue heard the news, she was drinking tea in Nan Xun’s courtyard.
“What are you smiling about?” Nan Xun, sitting across from her, fanned himself and gave her a strange look. After a brief exchange of glances, he seemed to realize something and hid the lower half of his face behind his fan, asking darkly, “Did you have something to do with this?”
Jiu Yue nodded slightly.
Nan Xun clicked his tongue and poured her another cup of tea. “Making such a big move right off the bat—why so flashy?”
Jiu Yue waved her hand dismissively. “Well, all those bodies would’ve been discovered sooner or later anyway. Might as well add a little fire to the mix.”
Nan Xun shook his head. “Fine, do as you please… But you didn’t come here in the middle of the night just to brag about murder and arson, did you?”
“I’m not that bored,” Jiu Yue said, setting down her cup and leaning closer. “I just found out Prince Ping isn’t in the capital. What do you think—should I take some time off and chase him down to Qingnan to finish him off?”
Nan Xun: “…”
His pupils trembled violently. “Are you insane? Who in their right mind delivers themselves to their enemy’s doorstep? Do you even know how many experts Prince Ping has around him?”
Jiu Yue sighed in frustration. “But if I don’t eliminate him, I always feel like I’m on the back foot.”
Nan Xun tried to reason with her. “Don’t be so anxious. Prince Ping was ordered to go to Qingnan. Even if you succeed, if he dies there under mysterious circumstances, Qingnan will descend into chaos, and the Emperor will definitely suspect something… My father’s getting old. Don’t make trouble for him.”
“If you really want to kill him, you have to wait,” Nan Xun said gravely. “Especially until he returns to the capital. That’s the best place to strike.”
Jiu Yue tilted her head. “Why?”
Nan Xun snapped his fan shut and tapped her on the head. “Are you stupid? There are plenty of scapegoats in the capital! With so many princes around, you can pin it on anyone. Your boss is a great candidate—he’s done plenty of evil deeds anyway. One more won’t make a difference.”
Jiu Yue: “…”
She leaned back, eyeing Nan Xun with disdain. “Mastermind, you’re truly despicable.”
Nan Xun: “…”
He pointed at the door. “If you’re not going to listen, get out.”
“Fine, fine, I’ll listen to you. I should head back now.” Jiu Yue stood up briskly, tossing him a bone on her way out. “Next month when I get paid, I’ll take you to get gold teeth.”
Nan Xun: “…Thanks, I hate it.”
By the time Jiu Yue returned to the prince’s residence, Sima Qing had already been feeding mosquitoes in the courtyard for half an hour.
“Y-Your Highness.”
Perhaps still haunted by Nan Xun’s earlier suggestion of “pinning it on Sima Qing,” Jiu Yue felt inexplicably guilty facing him now. “Your Highness, you’re up early—uh, the sun’s not even up yet.”
Sima Qing’s expression was unreadable as he asked coolly, “Ma Dachun’s already back. I thought you weren’t coming back.”
“Haha, Your Highness is so funny.” Jiu Yue waved her hand and explained, “I just took care of Ma Dachun’s remaining men and helped a girl stay clean. That’s why I’m late.”
“Did you set that fire?” Sima Qing asked.
His tone seemed almost… light?
But given his history of sarcastic remarks, Jiu Yue couldn’t quite gauge his mood and grew uneasy.
“I did,” she answered cautiously. “Was I not supposed to?”
Was this nitpicky prince about to dock her pay?!
“No.” Sima Qing’s face finally showed emotion—a pleased smile. “That fire was very well done.”
The bigger the commotion, the easier it was for him to take control.
Jiu Yue exhaled in relief and immediately regained her confidence. “Really? Hah! I knew I was brilliant.”
She grinned smugly.
Sima Qing had a strong suspicion that if he praised her a little more, she might just climb onto his head and laugh triumphantly.
“But aren’t you celebrating too soon?” Sima Qing’s smile turned cryptic. “Seems like you’ve forgotten something.”
Jiu Yue froze.
No, she hadn’t.
Her mission was to capture Ma Dachun—done. The small fry at Yanyu Tower? Wiped out. The bodies? Disposed of. As for the fire, no innocents were hurt. The girls at Yanyu Tower were fine, just a little shaken.
Besides, Xueliu had promised to handle the aftermath.
Jiu Yue went over everything carefully before asking, puzzled, “What did I forget?”
Qiu Dongfang, standing behind Sima Qing, couldn’t hold back. “A child! You have a child! You’re a mother now!”
Jiu Yue: “…”
Her eyes widened. “…Me?”
Fifteen minutes later.
Staring at the little girl unconscious on the bed, Jiu Yue was stunned. “Why is she still here?”
Qiu Dongfang explained, “She says you’re her mother.”
Mo Jin had personally taken the other children to the authorities to find their families, but this one stubbornly insisted Jiu Yue was her mother, forcing Mo Jin to bring her back.
Hearing this, Jiu Yue immediately protested. “If she says it, does that make it true? What if she claims you’re her father tomorrow—are you just going to play along? What kind of weird kink is that?”
Qiu Dongfang: “…?”
He scowled. “It’s not like I wanted to keep the kid.”
Jiu Yue frowned and turned to Mo Jin, who shook his hands defensively. Finally, Sima Qing spoke up. “I was the one who kept her.”
“…Haha, so it’s Your Highness who has this kink.” Jiu Yue glanced meaningfully at Sima Qing.
Qiu Dongfang and Mo Jin exchanged shocked looks before lowering their heads, pretending they hadn’t heard anything.
Sima Qing’s face darkened, but when he met Jiu Yue’s innocent gaze, he was too furious to speak.
Fine. From now on, he’d have to be direct with her.
Sima Qing silently noted this lesson, adjusted his expression, and asked, “How do you know that child?”
“Oh, I saw her last time you sent me to the palace to kill a dog,” Jiu Yue replied.
Sima Qing: “…”
Another unpleasant memory.
Jiu Yue asked, “Your Highness, do you know that kid?”
Mo Jin answered for him, “That child… is Prince Ping’s daughter.”
Prince Ping…
Again with Prince Ping.
Jiu Yue frowned.
Prince Ping wasn’t in the capital, so his daughter should’ve been well cared for. Why had she been in the cold palace before, and now at Yanyu Tower?
And the girl claimed Jiu Yue was her mother… A cold dread settled in Jiu Yue’s chest.
Was the original owner’s grudge with Prince Ping a love affair gone wrong?
Damn. Was Prince Ping hunting her down to eliminate the mother and keep the child? But if he’d let his daughter end up in such a state, he clearly didn’t care much for her.
Jiu Yue was more inclined to believe Prince Ping simply couldn’t tolerate her identity as an assassin.
Prince Ping was the Emperor’s brother—far above the reach of a mere killer.
Tsk.
Jiu Yue couldn’t help but sneer. When he loved her, he slept with her and had a child. Now that he didn’t, he sent killers after her. What a scumbag.
If there were other conflicts between the original owner and Prince Ping—maybe she even had dirt on him—then Prince Ping would never let her live.
This scumbag had to go.
Jiu Yue's gaze gradually turned fierce, but her thoughts were abruptly interrupted by Qiu Dongfang's loud shout, "Jiu Yue? Jiu Yue! Are you deaf???"
Startled, Jiu Yue looked up and met Sima Qing's deep, scrutinizing eyes. She stammered, "N-no, I'm not."
The three men present, however, grew curious.
Sima Qing narrowed his eyes and asked, "What has you so lost in thought?"
Mo Jin and Qiu Dongfang silently turned their attention to her.
Then, Jiu Yue replied brightly, "I was just thinking—Prince Ping seems quite old already, so how come he doesn’t have any children?"
The two men: "..."
The "quite old" Sima Qing: "..."
