FID – Chapter 936

Chapter 936 – Do You Think You’ll Be Spared?

When Badou and Hongdou were sent back to the palace the next day, they were still listless.

The Empress Dowager was heartbroken, practically twitching with distress. She nearly glared two holes right through their father.

To keep the Empress Dowager from holding another grudge against him, Feng Qingbai said helplessly, “Shengsheng has weaned them.”

The Empress Dowager: “……” So that’s why the two babies are so deflated?

She had always known the twins were intelligent, but hadn’t expected them to be this perceptive.

As soon as Feng Qingbai left, the Empress Dowager immediately carried the two little ones into her private chambers and began to lecture them earnestly.

“Badou, Hongdou, imperial grandma knows you’re smart, but you must learn to hide your brilliance. Practicing moderation and knowing when to hold back is true wisdom. Only then can you avoid trouble and keep from drawing unnecessary attention.”

“Your father didn’t do this well. He was smart as a child too, but he didn’t know how to hide it. He was too sharp, too bright, so the bad people locked him up, and he almost went crazy. That’s a lesson from the past. You must learn from it and listen to imperial great-grandma.”

“Not listening to your elders will lead to losses right before your eyes, understand? Imperial Great Grandma says all this for your own good. In front of outsiders, you need to act just like normal babies. Even if you pretend to be a little dumb, it’s okay. Even if you are dumb, I will still love you just the same, alright…”

Off to the side, the old maid listened to the Empress Dowager’s long-winded speech, watching her earnestly advise two babies just over four months old. She honestly didn’t know what kind of expression to wear.

Even if the two young masters were clever and sharp from the moment they were born, could they really understand such sophisticated vocabulary?

The Empress Dowager was treating them like adults in her teachings.

And in the old maid’s eyes, these concerns seemed a bit overblown.

Who were these two young masters? They were the current emperor’s younger cousins, royal descendants of the imperial family, and the heir and young lady of the King’s Manor.

Even if they were little monsters of brilliance, who would dare say a word against them?

Besides, the two young masters were always by the Empress Dowager’s side. No one could even get a good look at them. How would anyone know how unusual they were?

Still, if the Empress Dowager enjoyed teaching them, so be it. Now, all her attention was focused on the two young ones, and she was becoming more and more like an ordinary elderly woman.

She was full of energy every day, lively and in high spirits. That was something everyone who cared for the Empress Dowager was happy to see.

After the court session was dismissed and Feng Mohan returned to the imperial study, he immediately inquired about Xue Qinglian’s current condition, then brought up Xue Zhong.

“That fox is practically about to ascend to immortality. Could he really be tricked, uncle? We know nothing about the art of Gu poison; its mysteries must run deep. I’m worried Xue Zhong will pull something unexpected in the end.” Feng Mohan didn’t look optimistic. “It’s already been over a month, and he’s still holding out. We don’t even know when his psychological defenses will break. Are you really confident about this?”

“No matter whether he’s been fooled or not, since I’ve already said I won’t see him again, he’s bound to grow anxious. And once he’s anxious, he’ll be forced to make a move. The trump cards he holds, he’ll have to play them one by one. As long as he plays them, there will come a day when he runs out,” Feng Qingbai said calmly.

Standing in this position, the game between the two sides was never simple. It wasn’t something that could be resolved overnight.

In this place, no one could indulge freely in personal grudges or desires. No one could act entirely according to their will. The higher the status, the greater the power—the less freedom one had.

Every conflict they engaged in was like an enormous game of chess, meticulously arranged. Until the very end, who could say where the deer would fall?

“Besides Xue Zhong, there’s also Shan Lai, still imprisoned in the palace’s Clan Court Prison. I haven’t interrogated her yet. Uncle, what do you plan to do with her?”

Feng Qingbai suddenly raised his eyes to look at the young man, his gaze landing steadily on Feng Mohan’s face. His eyes were deep, unreadable, so much so that it made one’s heart uneasy.

Feng Mohan couldn’t sit still. Had he unknowingly done something to upset his uncle?

“Uncle, if I’ve done something wrong, you’re welcome to tell me directly.”

Don’t look at me like that—I’m terrified!

If it was going to be a knife to the head either way, just make it quick and clean!

“Xue Qinglian was poisoned by a Gu, and even Shengsheng couldn’t diagnose it. If Shan Lai really is one of Xue Zhong’s people, do you think you could possibly be spared?” 

The atmosphere seemed to freeze instantly.

Feng Mohan could hear his own breathing—uneven and shaky.

He had been physically intimate with Shan Lai. Afterward, he had his aunt take his pulse out of suspicion. When nothing was found, he relaxed. But now, his uncle’s words made him realize; he had let his guard down far too early.

Some Gu techniques couldn’t be detected through medical diagnosis. Xue Qinglian was the perfect example.

“So there’s a very real chance that I’ve already been poisoned,” he said, after a long silence, finally finding his voice.

His eyes locked tightly on Feng Qingbai. He desperately wanted his uncle to say ‘No,’ but deep down, he knew—he was just clinging to wishful thinking.

He had been poisoned once before, at the age of two. As he grew older, the Gu worm slowly eroded his life force, causing his internal organs to fail. He still remembered that feeling of utter hopelessness.

His fists slowly clenched, and the air around him turned icy with intensity. Suddenly, he stood up and strode toward the door.

“You’re wasting your time confronting her now. Whether she admits it or not, your life is already in her hands. If you reveal your hand, you’ll only end up at a disadvantage.” The man’s words stopped him in his tracks.

“Then, are we just supposed to lie there and be slaughtered?” he said through clenched teeth. “A dignified emperor, manipulated by some tiny worm; if word of this gets out, both I and all of Nanling will become a laughingstock!”

“Whether Shan Lai knows Gu techniques or not, we still don’t know. Don’t walk right into her trap and hand her leverage against you. In everything you do, you must seize the initiative and have absolute certainty. That’s the only way to remain undefeated,” Feng Qingbai said calmly, his tone steady. “Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.”

The man’s composure finally soothed the agitation and anger in Feng Mohan’s heart. He turned back and sat down again. “Uncle, we know nothing about Gu techniques. How can we possibly seize the initiative?”

In this field, they were like children facing adults. A flick of the adult’s finger, and the child would be toyed with endlessly.

That was exactly how Feng Mohan felt now, utterly frustrated.

“Gu techniques originated in Miaojiang,” Feng Qingbai explained. “It’s said this secret art is extremely mysterious. Even within the Miao region, not everyone can practice it. Whether Shan Lai actually knows how to control gu worms still remains to be seen.”

“Then what should we do?”

Feng Qingbai tapped the tabletop with his fingertip—knock-knock. The sound echoed gently through the imperial study, rhythmic and steady, bringing an odd sense of calm.

That afternoon, Feng Mohan summoned Shan Lai for interrogation. The session was set to take place in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Before long, the imperial guards brought her in.

Feng Mohan sat in the main seat, looking down from above at the woman kneeling before him.

A month in prison had left her face pale and drained. Her already slender frame now seemed so fragile it looked like she could be blown away by the wind at any moment.