Volume One, Chapter 13: The Assassin

Qin Songting could now swagger through the imperial court, and aside from his own abilities, he had Wang Jing to thank for it.

It had not been easy for Wang Jing to rise from a nameless little eunuch with no backing to Chief Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

He had to speak one way to men and another to ghosts; he had to be patient, and even more importantly, ruthless. Otherwise, someone would replace him at any moment.

After living through most of his life, Wang Jing had reached the point where everyone who saw him bowed respectfully and called him Lord Wang, never Eunuch Wang.

The difference was only one word, yet it marked a world of distinction in status and position.

“There are so many people here. Godfather, you should stop scolding me.”

Once he had finished pouring the wine, Qin Songting murmured those words. Wang Jing laughed.

“When have I ever seen you care about saving face? Enough. I won’t lecture you today.”

Wang Jing had drunk quite a lot, and his entire face was flushed an alarming red.

Qin Songting waved a hand, signaling the two dancing girls to help Wang Jing to the private room next door to rest.

The banquet had been arranged by a wealthy merchant, who hoped to persuade Wang Jing to award him the contract for supplying the building materials needed to renovate the palace.

The merchant had a few connections. Only after winning over people in the Directorate of Palace Affairs had he managed to invite Wang Jing here.

Moreover, officials from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue were present as well.

Qin Songting was the sole exception. Wang Jing had brought him purely to lend the gathering some weight.

Everyone knew that Lord Qin, the Chief Judicial Officer, was Wang Jing’s godson. The mere mention of that relationship was enough to command respect.

With Wang Jing gone, Qin Songting was now the highest-ranking person in the room.

The wealthy merchant hesitated, unsure whether he should step forward to offer him a toast. Everyone said that the Chief Judicial Officer was difficult to deal with.

“Manager Lin, you’re holding that wine. Are you planning to toast Lord Qin?”

Deng Bin, seated nearby, understood at once and spoke up.

It was Deng Bin who had helped Manager Lin establish contact with the Directorate of Palace Affairs. He had accepted no small amount of money from the merchant, so naturally he intended to help him as much as he could.

After all, once the deal was completed, he would receive a generous share of the profits.

Qin Songting sat in the seat of honor, peeling a tangerine. He neither drank nor touched the food.

While everyone else was half drunk, he remained exceptionally clearheaded.

“Lord Qin, allow me to offer you a toast.”

After Deng Bin spoke, Manager Lin stepped forward and raised his cup.

The man seated there had not uttered a single word. Only after he finished peeling the tangerine did he pause.

“Didn’t Lord Deng tell you that the palace being repaired this time is the Hall of Cultivating Nature?”

At those words, the color drained from Manager Lin’s face.

The Hall of Cultivating Nature was a palace His Majesty had specifically ordered built for the Crown Prince.

The purpose was to place the Crown Prince’s residence closer to the emperor, making it convenient for father and son to speak with one another.

The emperor had few children. At present, he had only one heir, a sickly Crown Prince, and naturally valued him greatly.

“Aren’t you afraid that if the Hall of Cultivating Nature collapses one day, His Majesty will exterminate your entire clan?”

Qin Songting braced both hands against the table and ate the tangerine one segment at a time.

Judging by his appearance, anyone who did not know better might have thought he had simply dropped by on a whim for a leisurely stroll.

His sardonic gaze swept across the room. Everyone present felt that what he said made perfect sense.

If something happened to the Hall of Cultivating Nature, not one of them would escape.

Manager Lin was rendered speechless. Then he watched as the officials who had been exchanging toasts with him moments earlier rose one after another and left.

Before long, only Qin Songting, Manager Lin, and Deng Bin remained.

After finishing the tangerine, Qin Songting wiped his fingers clean with a spotless handkerchief and rose to his feet.

Deng Bin caught the meaningful look Qin Songting cast in his direction.

When Qin Songting stepped out of the Apricot Blossom Pavilion, he immediately saw the carriage waiting beside the alley.

His gaze darkened as he walked toward it.

At that moment, the carriage curtain was lifted, revealing Wang Jing’s slightly drunken face.

“Drove them all away?”

Wang Jing’s voice was somewhat thin and shrill, unpleasant to hear. But all eunuchs spoke that way, and Qin Songting had long since grown accustomed to it.

“Lord Wang wanted to make this money, but the matter concerns the Crown Prince and cannot be handled carelessly. If anything goes wrong, Eunuch Ma, your sworn enemy, certainly won’t let you off.”

Qin Songting’s words were not without reason, so Wang Jing did not argue.

“I’m old and muddleheaded.”

He sighed, then narrowed his eyes at Qin Songting.

“Thank goodness for you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even know how I died.”

“Since Lord Wang has always supported me so generously, I naturally must devote myself entirely to serving you.”

Qin Songting curved his lips in a faint smile.

Wang Jing nodded in satisfaction. After exchanging a few more words, he raised a hand and dismissed Qin Songting.

The curtain fell again, and the carriage headed toward Wang Jing’s small residence outside the palace.

Qin Songting stood where he was, his expression calm and giving nothing away.

Bai Lin emerged from the shadows and said quietly, “I’ve already warned the merchant. He won’t say a word.”

Wang Jing had taken the man’s money without doing what he had promised. Now that the matter had fallen through, there was even less chance he would return it.

After all, once something entered Wang Jing’s mouth, there was no possibility of his spitting it back out.

All those dirty deeds carried out in secret had to be handled by Qin Songting.

He gave a quiet acknowledgment and turned to leave. Bai Lin followed behind him and continued, “While investigating Deng Bin, I discovered something interesting.”

“He has taken a fancy to the young cousin, and Fifth Madam wants to give her to him as a concubine.”

At those words, another expression finally appeared on Qin Songting’s slightly impatient face.

“Send Song Xianwan to him as a concubine?”

Was Fifth Madam really being so brazen? Was she not afraid that Grandmother Qin would fight her to the death?

Bai Lin understood what Qin Songting meant and lowered his voice.

“The day before you returned to the marquis’s residence, the household held a spring banquet. The young cousin and Sixth Miss both fell into the water.”

“Fifth Madam originally intended to ruin the young cousin’s chastity, then use that as an excuse to give her to Deng Bin as a concubine.”

Deng Bin was lecherous, but his official position was not low. If the matter succeeded through Fifth Madam’s arrangements, he would also promote Fifth Master.

It would both make the old madam abandon her efforts to match the Second Young Master with the young cousin and help Fifth Master rise in rank. It was indeed a clever scheme.

Listening to Bai Lin, Qin Songting folded his arms and gave a mocking laugh.

“So my little cousin still has some brains after all.”

“Deng Bin’s hands aren’t clean either.”

At Qin Songting’s remark, Bai Lin nodded.

“Starting with him will indeed make it easy to trace where that money went.”

“Investigate it slowly. I rather want to see how my little cousin performs in this drama.”

The money had already vanished, and by the time they found it, it would probably all have been divided up. He might as well watch how Song Xianwan chose to strike back.

After all, this was a magnificent show he had paid fifty thousand taels of silver to see.

Bai Lin listened with some helplessness. He had known that once he brought the matter up, his master would take an interest.

Qin Songting was the sort of man who never minded making a spectacle even larger.

At that moment, in Begonia Court, Song Xianwan suddenly opened her eyes where she lay on the bed.

For some reason, she felt inexplicably uneasy.

Could some evil spirit have set its sights on her?

She sighed and was about to lie back down when she caught a glint of cold light in the bronze mirror on her dressing table.

The instant a keen sword thrust toward her, she swiftly drew a dagger from beneath her pillow.

With a sharp clang, blade struck blade.

Half kneeling on the bed, Song Xianwan let her dagger slide along the assassin’s sword before driving it toward his throat.

Her gaze was fierce, and the way she turned the dagger made it obvious that she knew how to fight.

“Tell me. Who sent you?”