Chapter 110: Grandpa, I Beg You on My Knees

On the left, a matter of menstruation; on the right, another matter of menstruation—a thunderclap on a clear day, or rather, an unstoppable series of thunderclaps. Elder Lord Guan was caught completely off guard, his expression turning vividly charred on the outside yet tender within.

Fang Rulai suddenly felt as if her spirits had cleared completely.

“Grandfather—” she called out, her voice deliberately sweetened to surpass even Sister Zhiling’s highest standard by four notches.

After calling, she clearly saw the elder’s temple throb violently three times.

“Please,” she smiled the sweetest smile she had ever mustered in her life, then delivered a sharp jab with her words, “I’m begging you, oh, oh, oh—”

She curled her index and middle fingers, imitating the pose of kneeling, sliding them forward across the table. When she said “oh,” her lips nearly puckered into the shape of a blooming flower.

Then, snap—the two darts shot precisely, grazing the skin over her finger joints before embedding themselves in the tabletop.

Fang Rulai immediately straightened up, stopped all motion, and quickly composed her expression into that of a proper young lady.

Elder Lord Guan had initially intended to scold her for speaking so unabashedly and without reserve, but seeing this sudden change, he nearly burst into laughter. This girl’s shamelessness in adapting to the situation was truly unmatched!

“Cough, cough,” he feigned a cough to suppress his amusement, shooting her a disdainful glance. “Speak. Why have you gone silent? Aren’t you fearless and outspoken about everything?”

Fang Rulai glanced knowingly at the two darts and shook her head—no, she was afraid now, and dared not say a word.

Though she remained silent, anyone could read the meaning in her eyes.

Strangely, Elder Lord Guan felt his previously irritated ears now more at ease. He reached out, cupped his palm, drew in, and the darts returned to his hand on their own.

“Fear makes things easier to discuss,” he said, fingers deftly spinning the two darts like flowers in rotation.

Fang Rulai swallowed hard, sitting even straighter.

Elder Lord Guan nodded with satisfaction and spoke coolly, “It seems you understand your current position well enough. So, tell me—how do you think I should deal with that distant relative, Shi Bilian, who came seeking family?”

Fang Rulai pressed her lips firmly together and shook her head like a rattle drum, resolute in silence. She wasn’t on his side, and he hadn’t offered any benefits. She wouldn’t help him!

Elder Lord Guan showed interest in her occasional bursts of backbone. “I promised you’d be safely returned to that brat once this is over. But you must know, there are many ways to achieve ‘safe.’”

Fang Rulai shook her head again. “Grandfather, you can’t treat the young generation like this.”

At that moment, Elder Lord Guan’s smile resembled that of Guan Shiyin when scheming, “I heard you love braised pork. Later, I’ll have someone prepare a pot for you. Whether you like it or not, you must eat it all. After one pot, I’ll starve you for three days, giving only water, no grain. On the fourth day, another pot. Starve three days, then another pot…”

Fang Rulai’s stomach tightened and she gagged. That old man was definitely retaliating for her earlier disgusting remark about menstruation. Just hearing it made her feel her appetite would be ruined—and if he truly carried it out...

She quickly raised one hand. “I have only one condition!”

Elder Lord Guan looked at her with a bemused expression. “You think you have the right to negotiate with me?”

Fang Rulai cast a glance at the darts spinning faster in his hand. “Whether I have the right or not, why not decide after hearing my proposal?”

“You mean I should listen first, then decide whether to grant your condition?” Elder Lord Guan was taken aback; the darts stopped spinning. “You’re that confident in your method?”

Fang Rulai smiled arrogantly. “Grandfather, didn’t you come to me only after failing to devise a foolproof plan yourself?”

She was willing to live carefree and carefree, but that didn’t mean her brain, evolved thousands of years beyond these ancient people, was empty. In her previous life, she had endured the ruthless battleground of the workplace. When it came to sowing discord and setting traps, every professional with two years of experience had mastered at least ten tricks, if not one. Now, facing a far less mentally developed ancient novice, if she lost, wouldn’t she be disgracing all reborn heroines?

“Even if Shi Bilian’s identity is true, there are two possibilities. One: it is genuinely true. Two: it was deliberately fabricated.”

“How can something be deliberately fabricated as true?”

“Someone, like you, has noticed my abilities but cannot confirm them, so they sent Shi Bilian to test me. We’ve kept her close, treating her kindly but never letting down our guard. Along the way, she never contacted outsiders. She can’t be oblivious to my abilities; so her silence means either she never intended harm, or her backers are patient, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.”

“So you sent her here to me. If she’s on your side, she’ll help you find me. If not, she’ll seize the opportunity to secretly contact her backers.” Elder Lord Guan finished the thought for her. “This tactic isn’t clever. If there is a backer, they must have guessed this. But I, the Guan family, can’t wait for you and these backers to play their game. Yi He is still imprisoned, and I don’t want him contacting the Crown Prince’s faction again. For me, this distant relative pretending to seek kin must leave the Guan estate soon.”

Fang Rulai nodded. “Of course. If she truly seeks family, once Shi Lingyun’s death is revealed, she’ll seek revenge, putting Guan Yi He’s life at greater risk. If she has other motives, how could you dismiss her so easily?”

Her eyes sparkled. “First, she can’t die. Her arrival caused too much stir. If news of her death spreads, it would alarm the authorities—and the Crown Prince would use this as an official pretext to investigate. Then, Grandfather, you’d be the first to be taken down. Second, she can’t be locked up like me. The fewer who know in places like this, the less risk of exposure. But you want her gone quickly, so the best way is for her to leave willingly and promise never to return. Yet she can’t leave easily, as surely someone is watching outside.”

A flicker of admiration crossed Elder Lord Guan’s eyes. Despite being locked in an isolated place with no contact to the outside world, she analyzed every faction’s moves and their hidden meanings with such clarity. This girl was somewhat worthy of that brat.

Fang Rulai, however, had no time to ponder his thoughts. Her mind raced to solve Elder Lord Guan’s problem while achieving her own goals. Shi Bilian must leave soon, but before that, she needed to create opportunities for her own departure.

“May I ask, Grandfather, how did you cover up Shi Lingyun’s death?”

“Sudden smallpox outbreak—currently unable to see visitors.”

“Hm, better than a trip or some trivial excuse. If necessary, you can claim sudden smallpox caused death, permanently ending any chance of recognition. Not a bad move. But Shi Bilian would insist on seeing him personally, claiming she wanted to care for her cousin. You, Grandfather, replied that as a guest from afar, she must settle in first, and after consulting Shi Lingyun’s wishes, you would decide. Am I right?”

Elder Lord Guan’s eyes shone with greater approval. Fang Rulai had hit the mark.

She clenched her right hand into a fist and struck her left palm. “That makes things simple. Tomorrow morning, why not send Shi Bilian out to offer incense and prayers for her cousin?”

“Will she agree? Didn’t she come here with a purpose to stay no matter what?”

“You can assure her that if she prays for blessings, she’ll be allowed to visit her cousin.”

Elder Lord Guan fell into deep thought. “That’s easy to say, but what next? How will she get out? The Crown Prince’s guards have the Guan estate tightly sealed. If she has backers, they must be the Crown Prince’s men. How could the guards allow a spy to leave?”

“That depends on where you arrange Shi Bilian to pray,” Fang Rulai smiled mysteriously.

Elder Lord Guan quickly caught on. “The Qitian Taoist Temple.”

“Exactly, the Qitian Taoist Temple,” Fang Rulai smiled slyly like a cunning fox. “If she’s connected to the temple, the outside guards will have to loosen their grip and let her leave. If her backers are the Crown Prince’s men, he can ensure she transmits messages from Ping City accurately without anyone noticing. If she truly is Shi Lingyun’s niece, the Crown Prince will use her trip as a chance to reveal that Shi Lingyun died at Guan Yi He’s hands, and then openly retaliate against the Guan estate under official authority.”

Elder Lord Guan slammed the table. “Retaliate against the Guan estate? Are you advising me or the Crown Prince? Or planning to escape while we fight?”

“Don’t rush, Grandfather. There’s more,” Fang Rulai gestured to calm him. “The key part is yet to come.”

Elder Lord Guan glared at her. “Don’t try any tricks!”

Fang Rulai made a face of disdain inside but kept a polite smile. “Whatever the Crown Prince’s moves, they’ll happen after Shi Bilian reaches the temple. Considering the distance between the temple inside and outside the city, a round trip would take at least half a day.”

“Half a day,” she tapped the table. “If the Crown Prince leaves the palace to go to the temple, do you think the Second Prince won’t seize the chance to return and seize power? If the Crown Prince wants to prevent the Second Prince from taking the palace, he’ll arrange for Shi Bilian to be received inside. But the Second Prince won’t let them meet. When the two factions clash, you can quietly seize the opportunity to kill and silence witnesses, reaping benefits like a fisherman in troubled waters, isn’t that easy?”

A sudden clarity lit Elder Lord Guan’s face. Of course—the factions used his family for their schemes, but he never thought to use their conflict to his own advantage.

“Agreed. I approve of this plan. Now, tell me your condition. But let me be clear: I won’t let you go, nor will I help you pass any messages.”

Fang Rulai shook her head. “Those things are impossible, and I won’t waste this hard-won condition on them.”

“Then what do you want?”

Fang Rulai suddenly grinned wide. “Menstrual cloth. I only want menstrual cloth.”

——— Aside ———

Dear Immortal Zengfengzhu, I must say, sending me eight fresh flowers on a day like today fills me with complex emotions...

By the way, those are roses, not carnations, right?

Preview 111: A letter stained with aunt’s blood, and thousands of troops come to meet.