Chapter 20: Concealing Poison Within the Body

Inside a private room at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.

"Both of them entering the Purple Palace?"

Upon hearing this, Min Ming’s eyelids twitched, and her peach-blossom eyes filled with panic. Min Ning bit her lip, murmuring a strained, "Yes." Her sister, a refined courtesan of the pavilion, felt a wave of dizziness, her face draining of all color.

"And he... he also possesses Grandfather’s fist manual," Min Ning added, her voice hesitant.

Min Ming slowly regained her composure, looking at Min Ning with a complex expression. "Min Ning, do you truly intend to... surrender yourself to him?"

Min Ning bit her lip again. "Sister, I don't want to either... but if I don't, if I don't get close to him, he will target you. By then, both of us sisters will have fallen into his clutches."

Min Ming said bitterly, "Ning’er, but you aren't really... you’re only disguised as a man."

Hearing this, Min Ning forced a wry smile. "Exactly, which is why I must take the initiative to approach him and hold his attention, to play along with him. Otherwise, if he were to use force... we would have no room for maneuver at all."

Min Ming understood all too well. Chen Yi was interested in both of them, but he had a particular fixation on her younger sister. Min Ning knew this too; she hoped to draw all of Chen Yi’s attention to herself. This would not only provide a safeguard for them both, but by appearing to submit willingly, she could prevent him from finding a pretext to cause them trouble.

Even knowing this, Min Ming could not bring herself to accept it. Watching her sister’s resolute determination, her eyes stung, and she raised her sleeve to hide her face, nearly bursting into tears.

"Sister, don't worry. I will take care of myself." Min Ning stepped forward and gently embraced her sister’s shoulders.

"Ning’er..." Min Ming didn't know what to say. After a long silence, she trembled, "...do not destroy yourself."

Min Ning nodded slightly, her spirited eyes cast downward, filled with a lingering, inescapable sorrow.

Shortly after, Min Ning left the Hundred Flowers Pavilion. Min Ming did not rise to leave the room; instead, she turned her head toward the shadows of the chamber.

"Granny Qingmei, come out."

A stooped old woman with hair as white as frost slowly emerged from the shadows. She had been in the room for who knows how long, yet Min Ning, an officer of the Eastern Depot, had never sensed her presence.

"What a display of sisterly affection," the old woman remarked eerily.

Min Ming felt a bone-chilling cold. "You previously asked someone to tell the Master that the Thousand-man Commander of the Western Depot wanted to cooperate with the Wuyong Pavilion?" the old woman asked for confirmation.

Min Ming gave a slight nod. She would never forget that day.

"Now that Xue Youge is dead and Elder Lin has no one else to use, it is a certainty that he will become the Acting Superintendent," the old woman said, casting her gaze toward Min Ming. "Tell him that the Wuyong Pavilion is interested in forming an alliance with Commander Chen."

This outcome did not surprise Min Ming. Even if Chen Yi had not become the Acting Superintendent, the Wuyong Pavilion would never pass up the chance to rope in a Thousand-man Commander of the Western Depot.

"Then... Granny, what should we prepare as a gift of alliance?" Min Ming asked.

When the Wuyong Pavilion formed alliances with those of status, they always carefully prepared a gift. This gift was often a mix of favor and threat—meant to cultivate the relationship, exert pressure, and serve as a pledge of loyalty.

As she spoke, the old woman stared at her intently. Min Ming felt a sudden chill.

"Miss Min, you are the premier courtesan of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion. Over the last decade, the Wuyong Pavilion has spent vast sums of silver to groom you and make you famous throughout the capital. You once swore before me that even if you were to become a beast of burden in your next life, you would repay the Pavilion’s kindness." The old woman spoke slowly. "Doesn't he want you to be his concubine? Then go to him and let him claim you."

Min Ming began to tremble violently. Over the years, she had delivered hundreds of pieces of intelligence, large and small, for the Wuyong Pavilion. She had contributed tirelessly, yet she never imagined the Pavilion would use her so thoroughly. The "gift" for the Western Depot Commander... was herself.

The old woman spoke as if disposing of an object: "If he wants to keep you as a concubine, you must neither fully agree nor fully refuse. Once you become his concubine, he will eventually grow tired of you. You only need to let him claim you, serving him three or four times every half-month. That is the best way to manipulate a man’s heart, and he will keep coming back to you."

The more Min Ming heard, the more terrified she became. She dared not speak.

The old woman paced the room, seemingly contemplating on behalf of her master. "Miss Min, the Master values this Commander and wants him to serve the Wuyong Pavilion. When you find the opportunity, poison him. Use the 'Sanyang Qi-Dissipating Paste.' It is a chronic poison; if he does not take the antidote regularly, he will eventually lose his martial arts and suffer severed meridians."

Min Ming shook like a leaf. "But... how am I to administer this? In his tea or soup? A martial artist like him... how could he not be cautious?"

The old woman sneered. "Poison is best administered when a man is completely off-guard. As a woman of the pleasure houses, do you not know when a man is most vulnerable?"

Min Ming hung her head and murmured, "Naturally... at the moment of ultimate pleasure."

Suddenly, she realized what was being asked of her. "Granny, you mean for me to..." Her voice shattered, and she could not finish the sentence.

The old woman closed her eyes indifferently. "To harbor the poison within your own body."

***

The Lin Estate.

An old man sat in meditation on a cushion, dressed in Taoist robes and holding a horsetail whisk. His eyes were half-closed, and his withered, aged appearance made him look like a monk who had attained the Tao.

Elder Lin turned his head and said in a clear voice, "Yan'er, add some incense."

Lin Yan emerged and added the incense. "Father, I still don't understand why you care so much about that Chen Yi."

Elder Lin did not answer directly, only saying, "The Empress Dowager is summoning him today."

Summoned by the Empress Dowager? Lin Yan was startled. "Father, why would she suddenly summon him? After all, he is only a Thousand-man Commander of the Western Depot."

Although the Empress Dowager was currently presiding over the court, she rarely summoned officials privately. Even when she did, it was usually the senior ministers of the Cabinet, not a fifth-rank official like Chen Yi.

"Not only is the Empress Dowager summoning him, but a month ago, you granted him the position of a Hundred-man Commander. No matter how much you value him, it defies reason. Is there something special about him?" As the second son of the Lin family, Lin Yan usually associated with high-ranking ministers and knew little of martial men like Chen Yi.

Elder Lin looked straight ahead and said, "Do you know what happened that day?"

"What happened?"

"The estate servants caught an unidentified young man in the capital. After a careful interrogation, they discovered he claimed to be a descendant of the Chen clan of the Jin State." Elder Lin said coolly, "This young man is named Chen Yi, courtesy name Zunming."

"The Jin State’s Chen clan?" Lin Yan gasped.

The states of Jin and Yu had always been enemies, with more wars than peace between them. The Chen clan of Jin and the An clan of Yu were blood feuds.

"After the Jin State’s Chen clan conquered Luoyong City, they slaughtered every man, woman, and child within it, including the main branch of the An clan, who enjoyed high positions and generous salaries in the capital. How could the Empress Dowager forget such a deep blood feud?"

Listening to Elder Lin, Lin Yan couldn't help but speculate, "Father, are you saying the Empress Dowager intends to use him to take revenge on the Jin State’s Chen clan? But there are so many people surnamed Chen in the world—is he truly one of them?"

Elder Lin sneered and shook his whisk. "Yan'er, it doesn't matter if he is. As long as the Empress Dowager believes he is, then he is."