Chapter 8. It all depends on your ability and conscience.

Chapter 8

Two hours later.

He Hansheng finally regained consciousness. He immediately realized that his hands and legs were bound and sat up abruptly.

At this moment, Shen Suining, who was in the corner, spoke up quietly: "You have a good alcohol tolerance, you're drunk after just one bowl."

"..." He Hansheng coughed awkwardly, "I've already told you, I don't gamble, and I can't drink much either."

Shen Suining was too exhausted to complain anymore.

In the past two hours, she had tried countless ways to save herself. Now she was so tired that she didn't even want to talk. She just wanted to lie down and catch her breath.

While the two remained silent, the roosters outside crowed.

He Hansheng coughed a few times, "Then what about you?"

"I didn't expect you to be such a lightweight. When I saw you collapse, I thought Song San Niang had drugged you, so I started fighting with them, and then Song San Niang drugged me." Shen Sui Ning recounted the whole story with a sense of despair, feeling utterly stupid.

Whether it was a misunderstanding that Song San Niang had drugged her or she herself was caught off guard and drugged instead, Shen Sui Ning felt that everything she did was incredibly stupid.

Both were immersed in their own failures and fell into a brief silence.

Shen Suining sighed and sat up from the ground. "Never mind, let's go out first."

"You have a plan?"

“Hmm,” Shen Suining moved next to He Hansheng, “Lie down.”

He Hansheng did as he was told and lay down on the spot.

Shen Suining turned to the side and leaned against He Hansheng's chest, nuzzling her head against him.

“You…” He Hansheng’s body stiffened, and then he heard Shen Suining say, “Take the hairpin off my head.”

He Hansheng paused, suppressing his embarrassment, and tried to find the hairpin in Shen Suining's hair.

Fortunately, Shen Suining was dressed as a man today, and her hair was all tied up with only a hairpin in her hair. He Hansheng found it easily, bit one end with his teeth, and pulled it out.

"Okay, don't move now." Shen Suining stood up and faced He Hansheng, bending down to reach for the hairpin in his mouth.

It was still dark outside, and since both of them were blindfolded, it was inevitable that some unspeakable touching would occur when Shen Suining was looking for the hairpin. Neither of them spoke, but their heartbeats were as loud as drums, and before they knew it, their ears had turned bright red.

A moment later, Shen Suining finally found the other end of the hairpin.

The two were in a very subtle position. Shen Suining suppressed all sorts of thoughts and reminded He Hansheng, "Clench your teeth."

After saying that, she lowered her head and bit the other side of the hairpin, then turned her head forcefully to take out the hidden weapon inside the hairpin.

Shen Suining stood up, turned her head and hands to one side, opened her lips and teeth, and the hairpin knife fell into her hand, successfully cutting the rope.

When both of them were completely untied, He Hansheng saw through the only small window high up that the sky outside was beginning to brighten.

Fortunately, the small window, though a bit high, was not locked and could barely allow one person to pass through.

"It seems the only way out is to find a way to climb out from here." Shen Suining put the hairpin back into her hair, the redness at the base of her ears still lingering.

He Hansheng hummed in agreement, looked at Shen Suining, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Come here."

"What?" Shen Suining instantly became alert, and a blush instantly filled her ears.

He Hansheng awkwardly touched his nose and pointed to the window, "I'll carry you up."

"Then how will you get out?" Shen Suining asked. "I can barely squeeze through this window, you might not be able to."

“I’ll take you up first. As for how I get out,” He Hansheng paused, then laughed, “that’s entirely up to your ability and conscience.”

"Then you're finished. I'm the most heartless person."

Despite her words, Shen Suining came over and, once He Hansheng was half-squatting against the wall, she stepped on his thighs and shoulders and successfully climbed out of the window.

A short while later, there was a noise at the door, and the lock was quickly pried open.

He Hansheng looked at Shen Suining, who was standing against the light, and smiled gently.

The two left the woodshed safely.

It was still dark, and the woodshed was in a rather remote place, so there were hardly any people along the way.

The two walked one after the other, each lost in their own thoughts, creating an awkward atmosphere.

He Hansheng glanced at Shen Suining walking ahead, and hesitated before speaking, "You..."

If you dare utter a single word about what happened today, I'll kill you!

He Hansheng had barely uttered a single word when Shen Suining immediately turned around and launched a fierce threat, her ears practically dripping blood.

He Hansheng paused, seemingly a little embarrassed, and coughed lightly a few times, covering his mouth, "Then you must also keep quiet about me not being able to drink."

"I'd rather not even mention something so embarrassing," Shen Suining sneered.

The awkwardness between the two eased slightly.

He Hansheng asked, "What are you planning to do next? Go find Song Sanniang?"

"What's it to you?"

“I don’t care about you, but you’ll need money sometime in here, right?” He Hansheng said logically. “If you take me with you, I’ll provide you with funds. Isn’t that a win-win situation?”

Shen Suining stopped in her tracks, turned around and stared straight at He Hansheng. She took two steps forward and ripped the money bag off his body. "I'll tell you after I've gathered the information: you're not allowed to follow me."

"..." He Hansheng was speechless. This person was getting more and more skilled at robbing money.

...

Shen Suining arrived at Song Sanniang's residence alone.

Song San Niang had just gotten up and was doing her hair. As if she had anticipated that someone would come looking for her, no one else was left in the room.

Shen Suining walked up behind Song Sanniang and asked, "You hid Sheng Qingge?"

“Master Shen, you must accept your loss. Since you’ve lost, you can’t get involved in this mess.” Song San Niang was drawing her eyebrows in front of the bronze mirror. She wasn’t wearing a mask at the moment, and there was a huge gray mark on her right eye, almost half the size of her face.

"Did you think I came here to kill her?"

"The affairs of Shuyu Manor have nothing to do with Qianchunfang, and Song Sanniang will not concern herself with them."

Seeing that Song San Niang spoke so shrewdly, Shen Sui Ning clenched her hands and sighed, "I just want to put my parents' minds at ease, San Niang."

Song San Niang stopped what she was doing.

"Shuyu Manor was built up by my mother single-handedly. She devoted half her life to it, but now she is no longer able to manage it. I just want to find Sheng Qingge to find out the reason for what happened, so that she can rest assured." Shen Suining played the emotional card, but what she said was indeed the truth.

Song San Niang felt a pang of pity, after all, she had received kindness from Shuyu Manor when Qianchunfang was first built. Even though the old master of the manor, Madam Shuyu, had now retired, she couldn't help but think of the old friendship.

After a moment of contemplation, Song San Niang turned to Shen Sui Ning and said, "I will not let you see the person. I can only tell you that as long as you stop now and get out unscathed, Sheng Qing Ge's matter will definitely not involve Shu Yu Manor. You can go back and tell your mother."

"So, it really was the imperial court that wanted to kill Sheng Qingge?"

“Don’t ask anymore. Knowing too much is not good for you or your parents,” Song San Niang stood up. “Just remember, whether Sheng Qingge can escape this calamity or not has nothing to do with what you are worried about. As long as Shuyu Manor stays out of it, your parents can rest assured.”

...

Shen Suining arrived at the place where she had arranged to meet He Hansheng at Chunfeng Pavilion.

Her waist tag featured an apricot blossom pattern and a vermilion bird image, allowing her to visit only the South Garden, the Central Garden, and the Spring Breeze Pavilion. The Central Garden was too crowded, while the Spring Breeze Pavilion was relatively quieter, so the two chose to meet there.

Shen Suining found He Hansheng, who had also changed his wooden waist tag. He had washed up and changed his clothes and was now sitting by the window fiddling with the guqin in the room.

"Let me ask you something," Shen Suining said, closing the door. "You're from the north, right?"

"That's right." There was no need to hide it; you could tell just by the accent.

"Have you ever heard of Princess Biyue?"

He Hansheng paused, looking at Shen Suining, as if he had guessed something, "She is dead. Two months ago, she had a dispute with the prince consort at the princess's residence, resulting in the deaths of both her and her unborn child."

Shen Suining was stunned. She only knew that Sheng Qingge had an affair with Princess Biyue's husband, but she did not know that the princess had passed away two months ago.

"So, Sheng Qingge really did get herself killed because she got involved in the conflicts in the capital." Shen Suining was certain of her thoughts, and at the same time, she was glad that her mother had been cautious at the time.

“However,” Shen Suining said, sitting opposite He Hansheng with her hands on the table, “you’ve come from the north, and your purpose is to get Sheng Qingge…you wouldn’t happen to be someone sent by the imperial court, would you?”

Is this important?

Shen Suining was stumped by the question. After thinking about it carefully for a moment, she said to herself, "That's true. Even if you really are someone sent by the imperial court, our relationship is at most mutually beneficial for a period of time, with no other substantial connection."

With that thought, Shen Suining felt completely at ease, lay back by the window, and let out a long sigh.

Seeing this, He Hansheng couldn't help but ask, "What? Is your mission over?"

"I won't tell you." Shen Suining thought to herself happily. This time there wasn't much fighting and killing. She just wandered around and had fun and got things done. Apart from the cold weather, it wasn't too difficult.

He Hansheng could tell that she was relaxed, so he didn't point it out. He simply asked, "What about Sheng Qingge..."

Shen Suining turned to look at him, and He Hansheng smiled slightly: "You took my money, so you should at least tell me something to make it reasonable, right?"

"Then, shall I return the money to you?"

He Hansheng's face darkened, filled with displeasure.

Shen Suining laughed heartily.

She rested her chin on her hand. "Tell me first, how important was Sheng Qingge in the entire process of your mission?"

"Do you know what this is for?"

“Knowing her importance allows me to estimate your chances of success based on the information I have,” Shen Suining said confidently. “Of course, if you don’t want to say, that’s fine. I can only tell you that with Song San Niang and Qian Chun Fang around, it won’t be easy for you to see Sheng Qingge.”

He Hansheng fell into deep thought.

If he cannot see Sheng Qingge, he will be unable to find the whereabouts of the missing consort, and thus will find it difficult to investigate the true cause of Princess Biyue's death.

"Then... is there any other way to see him?" He Hansheng humbly asked.

“Yes,” Shen Suining replied without hesitation, “unless you can persuade Song Sanniang.”

How to persuade them?

"Hmm... As for Third Sister, trying to persuade her the way you would persuade others is definitely useless. But if you can convince her at the gambling table, maybe you can succeed."

He Hansheng: "..."

"Alright, I've told you everything I can," Shen Suining stood up and bowed to Chao He Hansheng according to the etiquette of the martial arts world. "See you again if fate allows. Farewell."

A note from the author:

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