After finishing speaking, Li Shuchen lowered his head voluntarily, making it easier for her to give him a reward.
However, Qi Huan, whose mind was solely focused on earning money and points, began to ask him, "How do I contact Xiu Yuan?"
"Mingyu Tea House."
Qi Huan nodded and let out an "Oh," as she heard the distant sound of the night watchman. She gave Li Shuchen a gentle push, saying, "You should head home now. Remember, early to bed, early to rise."
Li Shuchen pointed to his lips.
Understanding his gesture, she gave him a long, lingering kiss.
When little Li became visibly excited, she quickly scrambled off, diving under the covers with only her small head peeking out. She said softly, "Alright then? Shu, go home now, and don't stay up late, okay?"
"Mm. Sweet dreams."
Li Shuchen blew out the candle for her, so she wouldn't have to get up and risk catching a chill.
In the darkness, Li Shuchen suppressed the pain of his cold poison and left the room, not forgetting to close the door behind him.
Before leaving, he turned back once more to look at the simple, unadorned room.
His most precious treasure was here.
It needed to be protected carefully.
Even though she had a life-saving space, he still couldn't help but worry.
Apart from the two "menial maids" responsible for cleaning Qinghuan Court, he had also deployed additional guards to protect her secretly from the shadows.
Not long after he left, Qi Huan drifted into a sweet dream. In her dream, there were vast seas of books and the pleasant sound of people reading aloud.
She floated above it all, lying on a pile of shining silver, listening to the sound of points being added to her account.
Suddenly, she was awakened by the sound of fighting outside.
Qi Huan was dazed for a moment before her eyes gradually regained their clarity. She got up from the bed, opened the door, and called out to the courtyard, "Let him in."
The guards hesitated for a moment before replying, "...Yes."
A flash of surprise crossed Ximen Ye's eyes. This cousin of convenience was quite bold.
He sauntered in with the confident gait of a lion, self-assured and smug as he entered the room.
Qi Huan met his gaze without flinching, "I have two things to tell you, and you're not allowed to interrupt, okay?"
"Not okay."
"A man shouldn't say 'not okay.'"
"...Fine."
"First, I can help you conceal the fact that your tuberculosis is fake and that you're actually an assassin. I know you want to say that you could silence me by cutting out my tongue or severing the tendons in my hands."
"But I've already told a friend about this. If anything happens to me, he will expose you."
Qi Huan was gambling, betting that he wouldn't want the Song family to know about these things.
"Are you threatening me?"
Ximen Ye raised an eyebrow, once again displaying his talkative nature by vividly describing to her 108 ways to die for those who dared to threaten him.
Finally, he poured himself a cup of cold tea to soothe his throat.
Qi Huan sat across from him and asked indifferently, "So? Are you willing to be threatened by me?"
"...I am."
Ximen Ye put down the teacup and complained, "This tastes awful."
The unpleasant tea flowed down his throat and into his heart, steeping it in bitterness and astringency.
A Che was his only friend, the only light in his dark times.
He couldn't let his friend's final wish go unfulfilled.
He had been pretending for so many years; he couldn't let it all fall apart now.
Ximen Ye lifted his eyelids, his smile not reaching his eyes, "Speak, little cousin. What do you want from me?"
"Give up on assassinating Li Shuchen."
Ximen Ye snorted, laughing bitterly, "You want me to give up on ten thousand taels of gold?"
"Have you received the bounty yet?"
"Of course. The Misty Rain Pavilion always collects payment before carrying out a job."
"Oh." Qi Huan nodded, then asked, "Did the client specify a time frame for killing Li Shuchen?"
"No."
"Well, that makes it easy then. You can tell the client that Li Shuchen isn't easy to kill and that you need to wait. ...Wait until a hundred years later when Li Shuchen dies of old age. You'll have fulfilled the client's request – for Li Shuchen to die."
Ximen Ye looked at her with admiration, "When it comes to being ruthless, I'm no match for you."
"The feeling is mutual," Qi Huan replied modestly.
"......"
Ximen Ye lounged lazily by the round table, casting a casual glance at her, "What's the second thing you wanted to tell me?"
"Just a moment."
Qi Huan went back to her room and retrieved a gold ingot, placing it on the table with a resounding thud, declaring boldly, "I want to hire you."
Picking up the gold ingot and weighing it casually in his hand, Ximen Ye sneered, "I'm not that cheap."
"Family discount, cousin."
Seeing that he remained unmoved, Qi Huan had no choice but to go back to her room and bring out the remaining gold ingots. These were still part of the thank-you gift Li Yuanxiu had given her in Yunzhou.
There were ten ingots in total, worth a hundred taels.
She said dejectedly, "This is really all I have. If you don't want it, I'll go hire someone else, maybe find an organization with a better price-to-performance ratio."
"What does 'price-to-performance ratio' mean?"
"I charge for explanations."
"......"
In the face of money, curiosity became unimportant.
Ximen Ye half-closed his eyes, pondering for a moment, then pushed the gold ingots back to her, "Find a way to send these gold ingots to the Song family. Once you've done that, I'll agree to your request."
He knew that the Song family had spent all their wealth trying to find cures and medicines for him. What's worse, not a single member of the Song family knew how to be flexible. He had tried various ways to send them money, but they—
They handed over the silver they found to the government office, asking them to find the rightful owner, only for it to be pocketed by the Prefect of the Capital. This forced him to go through the trouble of stealing it back.
The generous gifts he sent through others were not only returned but the messengers were also scolded harshly. He had to go warn those people not to hold grudges.
...
In short, the Song family could be called upright and incorruptible if you put it nicely, or stubborn and foolish if you didn't.
At first, he was only kind to the Song family because of A Che's last wish, but later he became addicted to the familial affection they gave him.
They always loved to chat with him over the wall about trivial matters.
It was annoying and boring at first, but became addictive over time.
He even slowly started to become talkative himself.
Ximen Ye's fingers tapped rhythmically on the table as he instructed Qi Huan, "Find a way to make them accept it without feeling guilty, and don't hurt their dignity."
"Cousin, you really value family ties."
After flattering him, Qi Huan praised herself, "I'm your family too, you know, cousin."
She kept calling him cousin, which made Ximen Ye snort coldly, "Speak, cousin. Who do you want me to kill for you?"
Qi Huan quickly shook her head, "I don't want to kill anyone. I just want to ask some questions."
"Have you heard of Gu Ziling, the Venomous Hand?"
"I'd like you to help me ask her if there really is no antidote for the 'Unsolvable' poison? How was this poison developed?"
"Troublesome."
Ximen Ye brandished his dagger, casually toying with it while speaking in a nonchalant tone: "We're assassins, not the Imperial Secret Police."
"So you can't do it?"
...Ximen Ye's face darkened, a rare occurrence: "I can."
"However, thanks to you, I can't leave the Song Family for long periods. I'll assign this task to my subordinates."
"That's fine," Qi Huan yawned.
Seeing this, Ximen Ye tactfully stood up and was about to leave when he suddenly paused: "What's your relationship with Li Shuchen?"
"If you're a minor nuisance, then he's a major one. Countless people in the capital want him dead. You'd better not get involved with him, or if you implicate the Song Family, I'll flay you alive."
Faced with his probing gaze, Qi Huan had to explain: "He's my boyfriend. The Song Family is also my family, and I'll protect it too."
"What does 'boyfriend' mean?"
"...A male friend."
"Oh, since you said you'd also protect the Song Family, I suppose I could reluctantly be your boyfriend too."
