The hand holding the hairpin trembled slightly.
Xiao Yu crouched in front of Li Yuanhao and pressed the sharp end of the hairpin against the man’s throat.
Bai Zhi didn’t urge him.
Instead, she continued her one-sided conversation with Li Yuanhao.
“After you die, I’ll tie you together with Granny Sun.”
“Then I’ll tie a couple of big rocks to both of you and throw you into the pond.”
“That way, the two of you can be ghost husband and wife.”
“If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll even become a real couple in your next life.”
As she spoke, she smiled again.
There was even a hint of amusement in her expression.
“You two seem to have so much in common.”
“If I help make that happen, wouldn’t that count as arranging a wonderful marriage?”
She stood up, found a red cord in a cabinet, and tied it around Li Yuanhao’s wrist.
“In a moment, I’ll tie the other end to Granny Sun’s wrist.”
“No need to thank me.”
“Mmmph! Mmmph!”
“Do it, Xiao Yu.”
Bai Zhi stood and grabbed another section of bed curtain to wrap Granny Sun’s corpse.
The pond was right outside their room.
Once they were finished, they could simply throw the bodies in.
“Ah Yu… perhaps I should do it instead.”
Xiao Zelan couldn’t bear to let his younger brother carry out the killing.
“No, Imperial Brother.”
“This man deserves to die.”
“Killing him is carrying out justice on Heaven’s behalf.”
Xiao Yu tightened his grip.
The hairpin slowly pierced the skin of Li Yuanhao’s neck.
“Mmph… mmm…”
Sweat covered Xiao Yu’s face.
The tip of the hairpin wasn’t particularly sharp.
Without enough force, it simply wouldn’t go in.
At that moment, he could feel the resistance of flesh and bone.
Standing nearby, Bai Zhi’s brows were almost knotted together.
She had killed zombies.
She had killed people.
But this slow, agonizing method was a first even for her.
Then—
Pfft.
The hairpin finally pierced through.
Bai Zhi reacted instantly, pressing the bed curtain against the wound.
Li Yuanhao’s body began convulsing.
Xiao Yu yanked the hairpin out.
Blood sprayed onto the cloth.
A few moments later, Li Yuanhao stopped moving.
“Let’s go.”
“We need to move the bodies.”
The two wrapped Li Yuanhao’s corpse in another section of curtain cloth.
Suddenly, Bai Zhi thought of something.
“There aren’t any shadow guards in this estate, are there?”
Xiao Yu blinked.
“Huh?”
“What shadow guards?”
“You know…”
“The kind that appear and disappear without a trace.”
“The kind that hide in trees all day.”
Xiao Yu stared at her as if she’d lost her mind.
“The trees outside are completely bare.”
“Where exactly would someone hide?”
“And I’ve never seen any shadow guards.”
Bai Zhi turned toward Xiao Zelan.
“What about those expert guards who can fly across rooftops?”
“The ones dressed entirely in black.”
“Wearing masks.”
“Never showing their real faces.”
Xiao Zelan shook his head.
“There are martial arts experts capable of extraordinary feats.”
“But they’re very rare.”
“As for the Crown Prince…”
“He certainly didn’t have any shadow guards like the ones you’re describing.”
Xiao Yu rolled his eyes.
“And even if those people existed, why would they waste them spying on us?”
Bai Zhi paused.
“…Good point.”
Neither of them dared waste any more time.
Making two trips, they carried the bodies to the pond.
Then they dragged over two large rocks.
After tightly binding both corpses to the stones, they pushed everything into the water.
The rocks splashed into the pond.
The bodies followed.
Within moments, everything sank beneath the surface.
The two then returned to the room and carefully wiped away every trace of blood.
The dirty water was dumped into the pond as well.
By the time they finished, dawn was nearly breaking.
Both Bai Zhi and Xiao Yu were exhausted.
“You sleep with your Imperial Brother tonight.”
“I want to sleep alone.”
After saying that, Bai Zhi went to sleep on the couch.
Xiao Yu climbed into bed beside Xiao Zelan.
Xiao Zelan squeezed his brother’s hand.
“Don’t be afraid, Ah Yu.”
“I’m not afraid, Imperial Brother.”
His eyes grew damp.
He rubbed them fiercely.
Soon all three of them sank into deep sleep.
Bai Zhi woke up groggily.
She still needed to collect the daily vegetable delivery from the side gate.
When she opened the door, she discovered it had snowed.
And not lightly, either.
A thin blanket of snow already covered the ground.
Rubbing her hands together, she returned to the room and dug a padded cotton vest out of her dowry chest.
After putting it on, she walked to the pond.
Sure enough.
A thin layer of ice had already formed on the surface.
Bai Zhi grinned.
Heaven is helping me.
Cheerfully, she headed toward the side gate.
The old vegetable supplier had indeed brought ribs.
Not many—just three rib sections.
There were also four or five large soup bones.
Bai Zhi thanked him and handed over another small piece of silver.
“Bring me a chicken tomorrow.”
“If there’s money left over, buy some dried vegetables.”
The old man agreed and departed.
Bai Zhi carried the basket into the kitchen.
With Granny Sun gone, there was no need to lock up the food anymore.
She simply placed everything on a high shelf and covered it.
She lit both stoves.
One for boiling eggs.
One for heating water.
Breakfast would be simple today.
Boiled eggs.
After tossing another stick of firewood into the stove, she left the kitchen and headed toward Granny Sun’s room.
To Bai Zhi, the lock was purely decorative.
Without even touching it, the metal clasp fell apart.
She searched the room thoroughly.
In the end, she found only a little over ten taels of silver.
The bulk of Granny Sun’s savings had probably already been sent elsewhere.
Bai Zhi wasn’t disappointed.
Money was money.
She pocketed it all.
Then she uncovered Granny Sun’s hidden stash:
Eggs.
Rice.
Flour.
Cooking oil.
And a large kettle.
Not as much as she’d hoped.
But better than nothing.
There was also half a basket of charcoal sitting outside the door.
She would move it later.
After relocking the room, she returned to the kitchen.
The eggs were already done.
Carrying both the kettle and the eggs, she headed back.
“Everything all right outside?” Xiao Zelan asked.
“Of course.”
“What could possibly be wrong?”
Xiao Zelan relaxed.
For some reason, Bai Zhi’s calm confidence always put him at ease.
Xiao Yu was still asleep.
Bai Zhi glanced at the green number floating overhead.
64
It hadn’t changed.
Apparently the previous night’s events hadn’t frightened him enough to affect his life value.
She quickly peeled an egg and stuffed it into her mouth before drinking a bowl of hot water.
“I’m going back to sleep.”
“If you get hungry, eat some eggs.”
“All right.”
“Sleep well.”
Bai Zhi returned to bed.
She fell asleep almost immediately.
When she woke again, it was already afternoon.
Xiao Yu was gone.
“Where’s Xiao Yu?”
Xiao Zelan set down his brush.
“Cooking.”
Bai Zhi walked over.
“What are you writing?”
“Book titles.”
“When you go to the study later, use this list.”
“These books are useful for scholars.”
“They’ll sell more easily.”
“Sounds good.”
She noticed half a basket of charcoal in the corner.
Xiao Yu must have moved it over from Granny Sun’s room.
After putting on her vest, Bai Zhi headed to the kitchen.
The snow was still falling.
In fact, it seemed to be getting heavier.
Inside, she found Xiao Yu wearing a thick cloak with a fur collar.
He looked wonderfully warm.
“What are you making?”
“Porridge.”
“And heating up the leftover buns.”
“Good.”
“I’ll stew the ribs.”
Bai Zhi chopped the ribs into small pieces and cut two potatoes into chunks.
The ribs were fresh.
Even so, she blanched them first.
It was already late in the day.
A simple stew would do.
While the ribs simmered, she and Xiao Yu found a large basket and began collecting books according to Xiao Zelan’s list.
The basket became so heavy that Xiao Yu couldn’t carry it.
In the end, they had to carry it together.
By the time they finished, night had fallen.
Dinner was finally ready.
Millet porridge.
Reheated steamed buns.
And a huge basin of braised ribs with potatoes that looked irresistibly delicious.
The ribs had been caramelized with sugar before stewing.
Soy sauce had been added for color.
After nearly two hours of cooking, the dish was fragrant, glossy, and mouthwatering.
“Imperial Sister-in-law!”
“Your ribs are incredible!”
“I never liked eating meat on bones before!”
“And the potatoes absorbed all the flavor too!”
“Imperial Sister-in-law, you’re amazing!”
Ding!
Your personal praise machine, Xiao Yu, has gone online.
Bai Zhi: “…”