Chapter 41

Si Yanmo's calculations were correct. By the time she returned from queuing at the Ministry of Revenue to make an appointment, it was already evening, and her legs ached from standing.

She returned to her room, tapping her legs, pondering how to find the murderer.

Qi Muchen was, after all, the mentor of the Divination Academy. No matter the reason, as a shaman, she had to give everyone an explanation.

"Why are you back so late?" The sudden voice startled Si Yanmo.

She didn't see Wu Guan and the others when she came in, and she was too lazy to light a candle, as it was pitch black all around.

Zhou Yanqing appeared dressed in black, looking like a guide from the underworld to the unsuspecting.

"Why do you walk so quietly?" Si Yanmo patted her heaving chest.

Seeing that she was truly frightened, Zhou Yanqing silently went to light the candles, but said aloud, "You're taking this too seriously, alright!"

"Didn't your trip to the Ministry of Revenue go smoothly today?" He sat down next to her.

"It's more than just unsuccessful!"

Si Yanmo got angry whenever the topic came up, so she simply complained to Zhou Yanqing about it all.

"My legs are sore from standing, I'm even more tired than when I'm practicing martial arts!"

“Next time you encounter something like this, you should kick it.” Zhou Yanqing stretched out her hand. “Lift your leg up.”

She obediently lifted her head, and the man took her hand and pressed it down for her with practiced and gentle strokes.

"I'll go with you tomorrow. I don't believe they'll dare to cause any more trouble."

Si Yanmo's anger subsided by half after he did that.

"No need. I just thought about it. Starting with the Ministry of Revenue is like looking for a needle in a haystack. I should go to the Ministry of Justice to look at the files first."

"What file?"

"These are the files from when the Tan Yin family was wiped out."

Si Yanmo then realized that she seemed to have forgotten to tell him about this, so she told him again what she had seen in the destiny chart.

"But no one was left alive in the case of Tan Yin."

Zhou Yanqing frowned.

This person was tried by Qin Zixiu. Although Zhou Yanqing had not yet become a disciple when the case was tried, the incident caused a sensation throughout the city. Qin Zixiu later told him about it.

When Tan Yin's family fled to Qin to hide, they were reported to the authorities. The Southern Emperor ordered Qin Zixiu to behead the entire Tan Yin family, and the Tan clan was also executed one by one as they were captured.

The fire at the Digu Temple burned for more than half a month, and for a long time, the people of Qin'an City could still smell the burning odor.

Listening to Zhou Yanqing's description, Si Yanmo felt it was absurd. An entire clan died one by one in a foreign land because of a single word, "major misfortune," without even a complete corpse.

"But if it's not someone from the Tan family, then who could it be?"

Zhou Yanqing didn't know either.

"Maybe it's a punishment from Emperor Gu?" he joked.

"If it is truly Emperor Gu's punishment, then Xiang Bu should be killed as well, to prevent him from harming others."

It also killed her.

"Alright, let's not think about these things for now."

Seeing that her face was all scrunched up like a little dumpling, Zhou Yanqing let go of her hand that was massaging her and quietly took out a box from the side.

“Here,” he turned his head away, pretending to be nonchalant, and stuffed the box into the girl’s arms, “this is for you.”

"What?"

Si Yanmo took the box and opened it with a puzzled expression.

In the dim candlelight, two oddly shaped... presumably stones, strung together with a red thread, lay in the middle of the box.

"What is this?" she asked curiously, taking it out.

"Finger bones".

"What???" Si Yanmo almost dropped what she was holding when she heard that.

"The finger bone of the first enemy soldier I killed was unique!"

As Zhou Yanqing spoke, it seemed as if a tail was wagging behind her, like a puppy finding a stick thrown by its owner and waiting for praise.

But in Si Yanmo's eyes, it turned into a kind of morbid excitement.

The candlelight was dim in the night, yet the man before her had a gleam in his eyes as he stared at a human bone, and even tried to make her like it too?!

"You mean this...is real...human bone?"

"Yes, you don't like it?" Zhou Yanqing noticed the fear in her expression.

The puppy's tail immediately drooped down.

"Why?"

Who would like human bones?

Si Yanmo was momentarily at a loss for words.

Her mind was now filled with the rumors about this man in Nandu—that he drank human blood and ate human flesh…

Can it really be true?

She was about to put the finger bone back in the box when she noticed the other person's hurt expression, so she could only comfort them, "No... I... I really like it..."

I wonder if lying will get me struck by lightning?

Her hand holding the finger bone trembled slightly. "But...where...where should I put the finger bone?"

Zhou Yanqing immediately saw through her reluctance and his face darkened. "If you don't like it, just say you don't like it. You don't like it like this."

"How could this be? This is... the first time I've ever received a gift like this."

Zhou Yanqing naturally didn't believe it; who would like something that would tremble so violently?

He and Sano spent the afternoon studying it. This finger bone was a symbol of a warrior's ability on the battlefield. What girl wouldn't like it?

But Si Yanmo just doesn't like her!

He refused to believe that he was any less capable than that social butterfly, and that he couldn't even give her a gift she liked!

Over the next two days, Zhou Yanqing delivered many strange things—such as Sak's finest dagger and Gu poison from Lanyu that was extremely rare and expensive…

Si Yanmo finally came to a conclusion—he was reminding me not to forget my place.

In his past life, Zhou Junsong would always "advice" those around him in this way, bestowing upon them many gifts, including gold, silver, jade, and all sorts of other items.

These were not favors, but rather reminders to the person to be mindful of their status; a subject is a subject, and should not presume to overstep their bounds.

Those who were still unaware of their fate mostly disappeared without a trace.

Zhou Yanqing is sending so many "threats" now, is it to remind her of their initial agreement?

They really are from the same father; their methods are almost identical.

Si Yanmo could understand. She and Zhou Yanqing had only used each other in the past. Now that she was a subject and he was the ruler, it was only natural that she should be given a warning.

Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger; his previous claims about friends are obviously unreliable.

Zhou Yanqing is already much "gentler" than Zhou Junsong.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized she should be more careful with her words and actions; she couldn't afford to be willful like before.

——

On that day, Si Yanmo was hunched over her desk amidst a mountain of documents, so much so that even a ray of light could hardly penetrate.

Before becoming a shaman, she didn't know how many things she had to deal with every day.

The Ministry of Rites wants to inquire about the monthly sacrifices, the Divination Institute wants to inquire about the allocation of talent, the Ministry of Revenue wants to inquire about the handling of students' household registration, and the Department of Justice keeps asking about Qi Muchen...

On the other hand, Zhou Yanqing is now much more relaxed with her sharing the burden, spending more time in the military camp than in the Qin Palace.

This isn't some kind of sorcerer; it's more like a sorcerer's servant!

"Ta-da!"

Just as she was in a state of utter distress, a sound came from the wooden door.

Si Yanmo climbed out from behind the folded wall and was momentarily blinded by the sunlight. She raised her hand to shield her eyes and then saw the dark figure leaning against the door frame in the sunlight.

She was about to roll her eyes and ask where the man had run off to have fun, leaving her to handle so many things alone, but then she couldn't help but recall the earlier "threat," so she suppressed it and forced a fake smile: "I didn't know Your Highness had graced us with your presence. What are your instructions?"

Zhou Yanqing didn't catch the sarcasm in her words and went forward to pull the person out. "My mother and your sister have already arrived."

"So, Your Highness, would you like me to meet Consort Qin as the Princess Consort, or as the Third Prince as a diviner?" she continued with her polite response.

Zhou Yanqing finally sensed something was wrong and frowned. "What's wrong with you? Speak properly."

Too much to do!

Si Yanmo didn't show it on her face, but she was internally ranting and raving.

She had thought Zhou Yanqing would take her to meet Consort Qin, an elder, but Zhou Yanqing pulled her into the carriage instead, saying, "Go see your sister as Si Yanmo!"

"Shouldn't we go see Consort Qin first? It wouldn't be good to keep Her Highness waiting."

Zhou Yanqing snorted, "Do you want her to take a concubine for me, or have you have a child?"

"Go see my sister!"

Zhou Yanqing had arranged a courtyard for Zhou Junsong and his wife well in advance, and specially chose the style of Nandu. After passing through the front yard where guests are received, there is a long corridor with bamboo forests. At the end, there is a pond, and after crossing the moon gate, there is the living courtyard.

Zhou Yanqing and Zhou Junsong were discussing matters in the front yard, while Si Yanmo was led into the bedroom by a servant.

As soon as the door opened, a bitter and astringent medicinal smell hit her. Si Yanmo instinctively covered her nose. "Why does it smell so strongly of medicine?"

Before anyone could reply, she heard a woman coughing from behind the screen, so she quickly went over.

Si Yunyun's pretty face was deathly pale, and she looked much thinner than before.

"What's wrong, sister?"

Si Yanmo felt heartbroken and quickly sat down next to her sister. When she saw that her sister was about to get up, she quickly reached out to help her and let her lean against her chest.

Si Yunyun's eyes widened as she watched her move with ease, and she excitedly grabbed her arm, "Mo'er, you..."

"Yes." Si Yanmo knew what she wanted to ask, nodded, and helped her sit up straight. "I can be like my sister now."

"Thank you, Digu!" Si Yunyun clasped her hands together and waved them towards the sky.

When Si Yunyun encountered bandits as a child, she was destined to be kidnapped. It was Si Yanmo who took the initiative to attract the bandits' attention, which saved her from this ordeal.

But after that, her sister became mentally disabled.

This made Si Yunyun feel guilty for many years, and she vowed to protect her younger sister.

Hearing Si Yanmo say that she has returned to normal, the weight that has been pressing on her heart for so many years has finally disappeared.

Si Yunyun suddenly felt that her illness had been mostly cured.

She excitedly pulled Si Yanmo aside and asked, "How did you recover? Is there anything that's bothering you... cough cough..."

Seeing her sister still caring for her despite being ill, Si Yanmo felt both touched and helpless. "Sister, let's not talk about this now. I'll tell you slowly later. Tell me first, what's wrong with you? Is the Third Prince treating you badly?"

“No,” Si Yunyun shook her head, “It’s just that you’re not used to the climate and water when you first arrived in Qin. Mo’er had the same thing when she first came, right? You’ve always been weak, so you must have felt even worse. It’s a pity that none of us can be by your side.”

Upon hearing this, Si Yanmo suddenly remembered that she had never experienced any acclimatization issues since arriving in Qin, and apart from before the shamanic assessment, she didn't seem to have been sick at all.

"Perhaps it's a coincidence," she said.