At this hour, Old Luo had already left for the day, but Old Tao had the key to the armory.
"I'll inform Old Luo tomorrow," he said, unlocking the door to let Jiu Yue in. "Old Luo crafted a crescent moon blade for you based on your needs—moderate curvature, easy to carry. Come and try it."
He lit a candle, illuminating the pitch-black armory.
Jiu Yue was instantly awestruck.
Weapons! So many weapons! Even battlefield spears were among them.
Curious, Jiu Yue reached out to touch one and asked, "Does someone in the camp specialize in training with these?"
Old Tao chuckled. "Of course not. These are for training purposes—to give them experience so they won’t be caught off guard if they ever face such weapons."
Jiu Yue nodded in understanding… She’d certainly never seen an assassin lugging around a spear for a stealth kill.
The other weapons were standard fare for assassins, so Jiu Yue wasn’t particularly intrigued. She walked straight to her crescent moon blade.
The blade gleamed silver with a gentle curve, and just seeing it hanging there made her heart flutter.
Handing her dog to Old Tao, Jiu Yue eagerly took down the blade. The moment she gripped the hilt, she understood what "tailor-made" truly meant.
While she could wield ordinary blades, a woman’s hands were naturally more delicate than a man’s. The same hilt felt entirely different in her grasp compared to, say, Mo Jin’s.
But this crescent moon blade’s hilt fit her palm perfectly, designed to complement her striking posture!
Touched, Jiu Yue sniffled, then swung the blade at a practice target with unrestrained enthusiasm.
Old Tao observed her movements discreetly. As a fellow martial artist, he recognized traces of multiple styles in her technique… Had she learned so haphazardly? Could she have picked up skills from all over the place?
Due to time constraints, Jiu Yue didn’t test the blade for long. She carefully sheathed it and smiled at Old Tao.
"This blade suits me perfectly. Old Luo is truly amazing!" Jiu Yue slung the blade over her back and patted her dog. "It’s getting late—I should head back…"
Old Tao glanced at her, then handed her two more items.
"These were made from leftover materials. Old Luo said to give them to you as well."
Jiu Yue looked down and saw a pair of twin blades and a kitchen knife.
More treasures!
"Thank you!" she said sincerely before happily returning to the prince’s manor.
When she arrived at the study, however, she found servants packing things up, and Sima Qing was nowhere in sight.
Jiu Yue paused, then sought out Fu Yu. "Where’s His Highness?"
Fu Yu replied, "He went to the palace."
Jiu Yue understood—he must have taken the account books to lodge a complaint.
"And what are they packing in there?" She pointed at the study.
Fu Yu shook his head. "His Highness ordered it. He also said that once you returned, you should pack your things too—but not to bring too much useless stuff."
Jiu Yue hesitated, then checked Sima Qing’s bedroom, only to find servants packing his clothes as well.
Was this… another business trip?
Or had he run out of people to torment in the capital and decided to move his operations elsewhere?
Confused but obedient, Jiu Yue returned to her quarters and began packing.
It didn’t take long to realize she owned shockingly little.
Two sets of clothes bought in Nanxun… and then her hidden weapons.
Well, nothing useless here.
With just two bundles holding all her belongings, she slung them over her shoulder and went to show Fu Yu her new treasures.
When Sima Qing returned to the manor, he didn’t see Jiu Yue at the gate, nor did he spot her wandering inside.
He summoned Mo Jin. "Go check if she’s back in her room."
Mo Jin obeyed and hurried to Jiu Yue’s quarters.
Sima Qing then instructed Qiu Dongfang, "You should pack as well."
Qiu Dongfang nodded and dashed off to his own room.
Alone, Sima Qing walked back to the courtyard, a faint smile on his face.
The account books had been submitted. Barring any surprises, the emperor would dispatch officials to confiscate the properties within days.
With summer approaching, relief funds for drought-prone regions would soon have a source.
Prince Ping had suffered a heavy blow—now it was a matter of whether he could keep his composure…
Lost in thought, Sima Qing didn’t immediately notice the oddities in the courtyard—until he stepped inside and glimpsed two strange objects.
A sense of foreboding crept over him. He took two steps back and turned to see Jiu Yue and Fu Yu crouched on the ground, their backsides in the air.
Sima Qing: "…"
He closed his eyes briefly, then approached silently. "What are you doing?"
Jiu Yue and Fu Yu startled.
Damn it—they’d been so absorbed they hadn’t noticed Sima Qing’s return!
Exchanging glances, Jiu Yue’s eyes flashed with regret, while Fu Yu’s held guilt.
Without a word, Fu Yu dropped to the ground in apology, while Jiu Yue braced herself and shielded something behind her.
Sima Qing studied Jiu Yue’s forced smile, then glanced at Fu Yu’s bowed head. Narrowing his eyes, he deliberately avoided looking at whatever Jiu Yue was hiding.
Instead, he turned to the flowerbed beside them.
At first glance, the plants seemed undisturbed… but then something glinted in the sunlight.
Sima Qing crouched, plucked a flower, and found a needle skewering its stem.
Sima Qing: "…"
Behind him, Mo Jin’s panicked voice cut in abruptly. "Your Highness! Trouble! Jiu Yue’s gone! Her room is empty—not even a dog hair left… Oh. Wait. She’s right behind you."
Sima Qing: "…"
A sudden tightness gripped his chest.
Mo Jin used to be sharp and meticulous… until Jiu Yue came along and turned him into a nervous wreck.
Fu Yu was once steady and composed… now he was vandalizing flowers with her, devoid of all civic virtue.
His gaze settled on the troublemaker in the middle, who was grinning sheepishly, ready with excuses.
"Your Highness, it’s a misunderstanding! We were just testing the blades, and somehow your flowers… lost their heads." Jiu Yue scratched her head awkwardly. "We didn’t want to upset you, so we…"
"Pinned them back together with needles?" Sima Qing finished calmly.
Jiu Yue nodded eagerly. "Exactly!"
Beside her, Fu Yu kept tugging at her sleeve, but she ignored him.
Sima Qing stared at her, feeling the pressure in his chest intensify. If he docked her pay, would his own head be next?
Clenching his fists subtly, he reminded himself to stay composed. Then he turned to Fu Yu and said flatly, "Fu Yu, thirty taels deducted from your pay. I want this courtyard restored by the time I return."
With that, he strode inside.
Mo Jin huffed indignantly and glared at Jiu Yue. "This is all your fault!"
Jiu Yue blinked, equally annoyed, then snorted and leaped onto the roof with her bundles.
Fu Yu, still on the ground, sighed in relief and tugged Mo Jin’s sleeve. "You’re blaming the wrong person," he whispered. "I’m the one who accidentally chopped the flowers… Thank goodness Jiu Yue drew his attention, or I’d be tossed into the training camp as a punching bag by now."
Mo Jin: "…"
His expression twisted momentarily.
