"The Qiankun Needle was made by Shuangbai herself," Pei Xuan said. "It has a mechanism inside, and the needle is as thin as a cow's hair. It is usually hidden in the sleeve. When it is pulled out, it is silent and hits the mark every time."

"It's well-made and makes a very good concealed weapon for self-defense." Jiang Wan looked up in surprise and asked, "Why would Your Highness give this to Qingwu?"

"Qingwu doesn't know martial arts. Although there are many people with high martial arts skills around her, she is bound to be careless at times."

Pei Xuan toyed with the box in one hand, speaking casually.

“Even someone as meticulous as Madam Jiang was ambushed at the Grand Secretary’s residence last time. If she had had this item then, she could have protected herself.”

He pushed the wooden box open, revealing the mechanism inside.

"Half of them are ordinary silver needles, and the other half are poisoned. Be careful when using them so as not to hurt yourself. Let me demonstrate."

Pei Xuan reached out and turned her shoulder, then wrapped his other arm around her waist, extending the hidden weapon in front of her as he explained it in a low voice.

The two were standing very close together.

Warm breath brushed against her ear, carrying a faint scent of pine and bamboo, and Jiang Wan stiffened slightly.

"Madam Jiang, please concentrate."

Pei Xuan's voice rang in my ears, tinged with a hint of amusement.

"You must learn it first before you can teach Qingwu."

Jiang Wan frowned, sensing a hint of mockery in his tone.

Just then, Zhuque and Shuangbai finished their study in the outer room, and Shuangbai lifted the curtain and entered the tea room.

"Your Highness, we..."

Seeing the two people's backs, he froze again.

What... is Madam Jiang doing with His Highness?

From this angle, it looks like she's being held intimately in front of His Highness.

That's far too ambiguous.

But in the next instant, Pei Xuan slowly put away the hidden weapon, his expression returning to calm, revealing nothing.

Shuangbai wondered if he was overthinking things. He scratched his head and said, "Your Highness, we're done here. You can leave now."

Zhuque also stood beside Jiang Wan and bid farewell to the two of them.

As she passed the table, Shuangbai suddenly stopped and said with a grin, "I had a very pleasant chat with Sister Zhuque today. May I take these drawings with me and study them further when I get back?"

Zhuque nodded perfunctorily; she was quite annoyed by Shuangbai's nagging for so long.

I just want to get rid of this chatterbox as soon as possible.

"Huh?"

Shuangbai was tidying up the drawings on the table when she suddenly paused. "What's this?"

Zhuque, with her sharp eyes, snatched it back: "I can't give this to you."

Those were the drawings made by the Pavilion Master. She must have accidentally mixed them up with the other drawings earlier.

Shuangbai, however, had already picked up the blueprints and was looking at them, her tone surprised: "I didn't expect Sister Zhuque to be interested in witchcraft?"

Zhuque frowned: "You could tell?"

Shuangbai chuckled: "I was born in Youzhou. My mother is a native of Miao territory, so she has known these things since I was a child."

He returned the blueprints to Zhuque, raising an eyebrow as he did so.

"If there's anything you don't understand, sister, just come and ask me. You know where to find me."

Zhuque glared at him, but a thoughtful look appeared in her eyes.