“No, that’s not it,” Cheng Guan insisted, staring at Su Yihan. “Miss Su, you don’t need to deliberately twist my words.
“Miss Su, you’re clever. If you wanted to do something wicked, no one could ever expose you.”
Su Yihan smiled faintly. “Mr. Cheng, I don’t understand what you mean. I’m just a weak girl with no strength to tie a chicken.”
Cheng Guan laughed, a wild glint in his eyes. “You just haven’t been pushed to that limit yet. Miss Su, do you want to learn? Want to learn the art of poison?”
His voice floated softly, carrying a strange seduction:
“Oh, little master of the Imperial Prison, save me, and I will help you…”
Cheng Guan’s execution was overseen by Su Jin. His head was displayed at the gate of the imperial city.
Even in death, his eyes remained open, staring blankly at the passersby.
Compared with usual executions, where curious onlookers would crowd around the victim, this time no one dared approach the city gate. Those eerie green eyes gave an oppressive chill that made the skin crawl.
With the case concluded, Su Yihan lay in the courtyard for two days.
After Kong Wenlang’s name was cleared, he visited the Su residence two days later to offer gifts in gratitude.
Su Jin confiscated the presents:
“This is my duty as the commander. There’s no need for lavish gifts. Since you’ve come, let’s have lunch together.”
Kong Wenlang was flustered and quickly shook his head. “N-no… I… I still… I should return first!”
Su Jin slapped him on the shoulder, frowning at his hesitation.
“A man of barely twenty, and you’re still so timid? You should properly practice courage.”
It was true; only someone as fearless as Wang You would have had the courage, even at such a young age, to follow him on investigations and witness corpses.
In fact, the person Kong Wenlang truly owed thanks to wasn’t Su Jin—but Wang You. Yet since Wang You refused to reveal herself, he couldn’t tell Kong Wenlang.
The slap was heavy enough to sting, and Kong Wenlang gritted his teeth, suppressing a cry:
“Yes… my lord is right…”
Su Jin sighed. The road to cultivating courage was long and arduous.
Still, Kong Wenlang insisted on offering gifts, so Su Jin allowed him to leave two small items behind:
One was a fragrant sachet to calm the mind and aid sleep, the other a sweet pastry made with wormwood.
Su Jin had Di Yuanshin deliver them to Su Yihan.
“Miss, is the pastry tasty?” Tao Chun asked, her eyes sparkling.
The pastries were shaped like delicate little rabbits, soft and glutinous, with a faint aroma of wormwood in the air.
Su Yihan immediately understood and glanced at her.
“If you’re craving it, just eat.”
They really did taste good. Su Yihan ate two more, which Di Yuanshin noticed and reported to Su Jin.
Being cautious, Su Yihan inspected the sachet’s ingredients to ensure there were no issues before placing it under her pillow.
Cheng Guan’s head had finally been taken down. Peace returned to the capital, life resuming its normal rhythm.
Shen Yu returned to the capital, having solved the Han family case. Though he said elaborate celebrations weren’t necessary, Yun Li still prepared a grand welcoming banquet.
Naturally, the Su family received an invitation.
“Wang You, will you attend the banquet?” Su Jin asked quietly, concerned for her health.
“Yes,” Su Yihan replied lightly with a smile. “Father, Doctor Song recommends regular outings to relax.”
“Good, good.” Su Jin nodded and instructed that Doctor Song be invited.
This time she couldn’t faint at the banquet like before.
News of Su Yihan attending spread, and a separate meal was prepared just for her.
Doctor Song Jian was not only Su Yihan’s personal physician but also her mentor.
He had studied under the Divine Physician Gu and was the ninth-generation successor. For unknown reasons, he was later expelled from the Divine Physician School.
Because of huge medical fees, he became Su Yihan’s personal doctor. Noticing her extraordinary talent, he studied her condition while teaching her medicine.
Song Jian arrived, muttering angrily:
“This little weakling won’t die anytime soon, yet comes to bother me every day. Can’t a man have any private time?”
Di Yuanshin looked helpless. “Doctor Song, what could you be busy with, sitting in the courtyard reading plays all day?”
“Not just reading plays!” Song Jian shot a glare at him. “I’ve been studying recipes lately!”
Song Jian was an elderly man with graying hair, well preserved. At sixty, he still had a thick head of hair, though white strands threatened to explode in all directions.
Masters were often unkempt, unwilling to buy themselves proper clothes, wearing ragged, patched garments. Su Jin had tried to buy him clothes before but was always refused:
“No need for clothes. If you insist, give me money instead!”
Greedy, miserly, and grumbling—such was Song Jian.
“Speak, little weakling. Where are you off to now?”
“Master,” Su Yihan said calmly, knowing him well.
“A banquet with many delicacies.”
Song Jian immediately corrected himself: “When do we leave?”
Accompanied by Song Jian, she prepared and set off in a sedan chair with Su Jin.
Su Yihan wore a smoky blue long dress, exuding a refined, ethereal aura. Her clear eyes scanned the surroundings, and her lips curved in a gentle smile.
A truly beautiful young woman.
Those around her were awestruck, yet also sighed in regret: she had inherited Madam Su’s breathtaking beauty. If not for her weak constitution, many matchmakers would have already trampled the Su residence’s gates.
Yun Li’s eyes also reflected astonishment. “Yi Han is here as well. Please be seated.”
Su Yihan bowed slightly and took her seat.
As the daughter of the Northern Guard commander, her place was toward the front among noble ladies.
By coincidence, Shen Xinyao was seated two seats away.
Upon seeing Su Yihan’s beauty, Shen Xinyao quietly clenched her handkerchief. She had inherited her mother’s stunning looks, ranking third among the top ten beauties.
Su Yihan, who rarely left home and usually wore a straw hat, had shocked everyone with her appearance beneath it.
Shen Yu sat beside Yun Li, a smile playing at his lips.
Song Jian followed close to Su Yihan, gritting his teeth:
“You little weakling, you tricked me!”
He had expected many delicacies, yet the food at her table was plain, lacking any appetite appeal.
Su Yihan smiled faintly. “Master, with your skill, you should know how to enjoy food quietly, right?”
Flattery was the little weakling’s specialty. After a while, Song Jian hummed in agreement:
“Of course!”
He had slipped away unnoticed, and Tao Chun searched for him but couldn’t find him, muttering:
“Doctor Song’s movements are so mysterious…”