Chapter 32: One Monkey, One Way to Tie

Dongfang Jibai dragged the only survivor away and handed him over to Chu Er for interrogation.

Chu Er’s personality was completely different from Bai Yi’s. Bai Yi was meticulous and well-suited to staying by his side. Chu Er, however, was a different story; he had never read a word of the sages and was entirely unconventional. If not for Dongfang Jibai keeping him in check, the number of people on the underworld’s hit list seeking Chu Er’s life would stretch until next year.

At the estate, Dongfang Jibai donned a skin mask, reverting to the appearance of an ordinary passerby. He tossed the Northern Di tribesman to Chu Er.

"Interrogate him. Find out who among the court officials is the 'Magpie'."

The youth was handsome and delicate in appearance, yet seven daggers of various shapes were tucked into his waistband. He grinned, revealing two small fangs. "A new toy?"

He loved doing this above all else. His master had insisted on him returning to farm, and he had been bored to death these past few days! The tenant farmers would look for him for the most trivial matters; he had long been wanting to do something else.

"Don't kill him."

Chu Er’s eyes lit up. "Master, how about... I go catch the Magpie myself?"

"Do you even know who the Magpie is?" Dongfang Jibai raised an eyebrow.

"I don't, but I can ask them one by one. Whoever refuses to tell the truth, I’ll just chop them down."

Ji Ci pouted. *'Chop, chop, chop—there aren't many ministers in court to begin with. If you kill them all, whoever becomes emperor next will be in for a stroke of bad luck!'*

"Go interrogate him first. Once you find any clues, return to the capital and guard the General's Mansion. Anyone who poses a threat to the mansion, cut them down," Dongfang Jibai said, flicking his finger against the youth’s forehead. "Remember, leave no traces."

Dongfang Jibai lived up to his reputation as a master. He knew his subordinates inside and out. Each monkey had its own leash, and every monkey was obedient.

Chu Er beamed, his face lighting up with the happiest smile he had shown in half a month. "Understood! I’ll go right now. I will definitely protect the General's Mansion."

Watching Chu Er happily dragging the captive away, Ji Ci couldn't help but sigh. This wasn't a bodyguard; he was clearly a large dog, the kind that would wag its tail for a bone.

Dongfang Jibai shook his head and walked to the study to write a letter to Bai Yi. In the letter, he instructed that 'Dongfang Jibai' must be kept alive for at least another year—as long as he didn't die—and sent along some life-prolonging pills via a gyrfalcon to ensure the double's survival. At the end of the letter, he wrote: [Call Chu Si back immediately.]

Among Dongfang Jibai's guards, each possessed unique talents. Chu San was not skilled in martial arts but was clever and had always been managing the family's businesses abroad; half of the Dongfang family's wealth in recent years had been earned by him. Chu Si was simple-minded but possessed immense strength and a straightforward nature; he had the added benefit of being patient and extremely obedient.

As the gyrfalcon flew away, Dongfang Jibai had just reached the courtyard when he saw Zhao Qiaofeng running toward him in a rage. He immediately turned to head back to the study.

"Cousin, stop!"

Zhao Qiaofeng ran up to Dongfang Jibai and glared at him indignantly. "Are you avoiding me?" She had run over with teary eyes, her hairpins crooked, and as she spoke, more golden tears were about to fall.

"I'm not avoiding you." Dongfang Jibai felt a headache coming on and rubbed his temples. "What is it now?"

His cousin had been a crybaby since childhood, as if she were made of water. She could cry for half an hour after tripping during martial arts practice, yet she possessed incredible perseverance, finishing the entire sword routine while sobbing.

Asking this was a mistake; Zhao Qiaofeng’s pearl-like tears fell to the ground like a broken string of beads.

Ji Ci, munching on a pastry, trotted over to watch the spectacle. After staring at Zhao Qiaofeng for a moment, she offered a diagnosis: *'Lacrimal incontinence. She doesn't want to cry, but she simply can't help it.'*

Dongfang Jibai looked down at the little fox. The little creature knew quite a bit. Since the fox diagnosed it as an illness, he softened his tone for once and asked, "What's wrong? Didn't I give you money to go buy some clothes? Why are you running over here crying early in the morning? Have you been wronged?"

The comfort only made Zhao Qiaofeng cry harder. She threw herself into Dongfang Jibai's arms, sobbing, "Cousin, Wang Feng insists on marrying me. He says I saw his body, so he's going to cling to me for the rest of his life."

Dongfang Jibai’s hands clenched. He knew it was Wang Feng’s doing! "I'll go deal with him in a moment. Stop crying."

Zhao Qiaofeng’s tears flowed like a breached river. "He said the brother's debt must be paid by the sister. He said since you enslaved him for ten years, you have to compensate him with me."

Zhao Qiaofeng wiped her snot and tears onto Dongfang Jibai’s shoulder. Dongfang Jibai frowned deeply. Why did it feel like his cousin had become so unkempt after coming out here?

Ji Ci scooted closer to the pair, her eyes full of gossip. *'Then you should just marry him. Anyway, if you return to the capital this time, you'll encounter Xiao Yunjian, and if you meet him, you'll be in terrible trouble.'*

*'Xiao Yunjian is a wall-climber; he'll sneak into your house every day and stay in your boudoir at night—he's much worse than Wang Feng.'*

*'Wang Feng is all talk; if you actually let him stay in your boudoir, he wouldn't dare.'*

*'However, Wang Feng dies very early in the book. They spent a fortune to kill him just to make Dongfang Jibai lose his right-hand man. Wang Feng should have died during the last assassination attempt, and you wouldn't have met him either. This variable must be you.'*

Ji Ci chattered away at their feet, nodding as she spoke.

Dongfang Jibai’s eyes darkened. If his cousin was the variable, then perhaps Wang Feng could live, and she could too. As long as she didn't encounter Xiao Yunjian, she would be safe.

Dongfang Jibai pulled out a less-than-clean handkerchief from somewhere, wiped his shoulder, and then wiped the tears from Zhao Qiaofeng’s face. "Stop crying. I’ll write to Mother later. If she agrees to let you choose your own husband, I'll help you see if Wang Feng is suitable."

"What if Aunt doesn't agree?" Zhao Qiaofeng asked anxiously.

"If she doesn't, I will send you back to the capital to wait for marriage according to her wishes. You are eighteen now; if you don't marry, people will start saying the Dongfang family is coveting your inheritance."

Dongfang Jibai tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. He had grown up with his cousin, and they had even been nursed by the same mother; their bond was no less than that of twins. Now that she was to be married, he felt a strange sense of reluctance.

Over the years, there had been no shortage of suitors in Jiangnan, but every time, he had sent the twelfth guard to investigate their family backgrounds—three generations back—more rigorously than a government background check. The sons of those families either had concubines at a young age or already had children from mistresses. Others even had seven or eight concubines. Every time he received such reports, Dongfang Jibai would have Chu San destroy their businesses. How could those scoundrels dare to covet his cousin?

Zhao Susu loved her niece and didn't want her to marry too early; she had hoped her son would become a high-ranking official so he could support her. Who would have thought that as his rank increased, the wealthy merchants in Jiangnan wouldn't even dare to propose? This resulted in Zhao Qiaofeng remaining unmarried at eighteen.

The Dongfang family wasn't worried; they were wealthy enough to simply recruit a son-in-law to live in their house.