āYou are related to Beiminās Imperial Household?ā
Shi Mo paused, but didnāt say anything, his eyes filled with a probing look.
Su Xi-er glanced at him. Looks like I guessed correctly. āYou have no grudge against me, yet youāve tried to kill me multiple times. Iāve heard that half-faced men only go against those who provoke them. Since we donāt even know each other, there must be another reason.ā
āContinue.ā Shi Moās gaze deepened, and his expression became solemn. Iām curious to hear how sheās going to explain.
āYouāre clearly normally in the imperial palace, yet you are very familiar with its structure. The only explanation for that is that youāve hidden around here for a long time; but no matter how well you hide yourself, you still need someone to shelter you. Perhaps you have made a deal with someone, and this person isnāt Commandery Prince Xie. The people in the palace who want to kill me and dare to do so are only limited to a few. Could it beā¦ā Su Xi-er softly chuckled before continuing. āYouāre from the Compassionate Peace Palace, am I right?ā
A smile gradually emerged in Shi Moās eyes. Sheās very smart. Even Pei Yaran, after realising my presence in the Compassionate Peace Palace for so long, cannot guess my identity. However, this woman was able to understand everything with merely a glance. Thereās only one thing that she got wrong.
āIām indeed from the Compassionate Peace Palace, but I have nothing to do with Beiminās Imperial Household. I honestly canāt bear to kill a woman as clever as you.ā Shi Mo let out a soft chuckle as he walked closer to Su Xi-er. āI feel like you know a lot about half-faced men. Then, do you know what happens to people who have seen the appearance of a half-faced man?ā
Su Xi-erās expression didnāt change. āYou said it just now ć¼ theyāre destined to meet with a calamity, and only death awaits.ā
āPerhaps death will not come, but you will become my wife.ā Shi Mo laughed, his gaze lingering on her lips. āHowever, before you become my wife, you must become a mute. Itās not too good to be eloquent.ā
Shi Moās smile deepened, emphasising the sinister and innocent appearance of his left and right side respectively. Needless to say, such an appearance was especially off-putting.
In the blink of an eye, the man in black had disappeared from Su Xi-erās sight like a gust of wind.
Su Xi-er began to lose herself in her thoughts. He has nothing to do with the Imperial Household, yet heās been hiding in the Compassionate Peace Palace. What exactly is his goal?
Su Xi-er couldnāt come up with any logical conjectures, but she was certain that he wouldnāt be making any move for the time being.
Before she could try to dig any further into it, footsteps sounded from outside the room. Wu Ling had come, and behind him was Imperial Physician Zhao.
Wu Ling was shocked by the sight that greeted him ć¼ the door was open, and a cook was lying outside the door with the shattered remains of a bowl strewn around his hand. He immediately crouched down to check if the cook was still alive.
To his relief, Wu Ling was still able to feel the cookās warm breath on his finger. āHeās still alive. Imperial Physician Zhao, you can enter the room first while I handle this.ā
As someone who had experienced much of the world, Imperial Physician Zhao was able to suppress his astonishment and nod.
However, his eyes couldnāt help but wide when he walked into the room and saw the mess.
āImperial Physician Zhao, Iām fine, but I need you to identify the poison added to the water in this pot.ā
Imperial Physician Zhao regained his composure and walked to the tableside. He lifted the lid to the pot before holding it up to a candle. The candlelight that shone to the bottom of the pot showed that the water was clear, and there was nothing suspicious about it.
Even after looking at it for a long time, Imperial Physician Zhao couldnāt discern anything. In the end, he suggested, āI have to take it back to the Imperial Physician Institute to run a deeper examination, but I may not get any results.ā
Su Xi-er nodded. āEven any tiny bit of useful information would help.ā As long as there are some clues, Iāll be able to find out who did it.