Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 191 Triple Kill Scheme
At the beginning of the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), the wooden door of the Xianchun Embroidery Workshop in the west of the city creaked open slowly.

The embroiderer, Aqiao, exhaled a puff of white breath and slowly stepped over the threshold.

"The weather turned cool down very suddenly."

She muttered softly, raising her hand to lift the blue cloth from the embroidery frame.

An unfinished embroidery pattern of twin lotus blossoms came into view, with two light-colored creases faintly visible on the pink and white petals...

"Sister Qiao, is the nightgown that Consort Zhang requested ready? It must be delivered to the Prince's residence today, there can be no more delays..." The embroiderer Xi'er came in rubbing her eyes, only to see that Qiao had already changed the thread on the silver needle.

"That's all done. I'll deliver it myself later."

Xianchun Embroidery Workshop is most famous in the capital for its nightgowns. The designs are unique and ingenious, and the light and thin material hugs the body, perfectly outlining the soft curves of a woman. No man who sees them can help but be tempted.

The women of noble families, including those of high-ranking officials, also flocked to the area.

Without looking up, Aqiao's needle moved across the satin, bringing the lotus seedpod in the center of the flower to life. The veins of the lotus stem, however, looked more delicate and fluid than those in ordinary embroidery, demonstrating her exquisite craftsmanship...
-
At this moment, in the blacksmith shop just across the street from the embroidery workshop, blacksmith Ah Hu was intently shoeing several powerful horses with his two apprentices.

The horse owner was dressed in unusual clothes and was a Seaz merchant. He brought ten horses, all of them plump, healthy, and exceptionally handsome.

The Nassitz merchants were very impatient, ringing their copper bells and shouting loudly to urge them on.

"Hurry up, hurry up, be quick, don't mess up our important business!"

"Alright! Almost done, sir, it'll be ready soon..." Ah Hu smiled, but his hands kept pounding the iron nails.

Sparks flew and landed on the back of his hand, but he was completely unaware; the cold light in his eyes was more intense than the sparks.

After a short while, once the Siz people had left with their horses, Ah Hu quickly hung a horseshoe with the same pattern at the entrance of the blacksmith's shop.

“The target has taken the bait,” he muttered to himself.
-
On the same day, in the kitchen of Qingping Post Station, everyone was busy preparing meals.

Cook Wang Sao stood guard in front of the stove, steaming fragrant glutinous rice balls in the steamer.

The bamboo basket was slowly lifted, and a faint, sweet almond aroma wafted through the steam.

"It's ready!"

Aunt Wang deftly placed the glutinous rice balls into the food box. The oil paper inside the food box was printed with silver-gray cloud patterns, just like quietly blooming petals.

"Is this for those Xiz merchants? It smells so good! Sister Wang, can I have some?" Little Liu, who was helping in the kitchen, came over greedily, but Sister Wang gently patted the back of her hand.

"Kids shouldn't be greedy."

Aunt Wang playfully tied up several full food boxes, handed them to Xiao Liu'er, and instructed her:
"Take it to the yard quickly, don't delay, it won't be palatable if it's left too long."
-
Night falls.

As dusk settles in the capital, the streets and alleys become hazy and shadowy.

Old Chen, the night watchman, carried his clapper and slowly walked through the bluestone alley.

"The sky is dry and things are dry, be careful with the candles——"

The sound of the clapper was exceptionally clear in the quiet night, with the last note lingering for an extremely long time.

In the shadows of the corner, the coachman Xiao Shun pricked up his ears, carefully counting the sounds of the clapper.

Hidden in his coarse cotton-padded jacket was a sharp cleaver.

"Boom-thump-thump-"

Just as the clapper sounded, Old Chen suddenly stumbled and fell to the ground.

Bang!
The clapper fell to the ground and rolled into the ditch with a gurgling sound.

Xiao Shun's shadow straightened up beside him, quickly put away the throat-slitting weapon, and strode forward to check.

Once they were sure he was no longer breathing, they quickly changed into Old Chen's dark blue prison uniform and pushed him into the ditch...

In the shadows of the west gate of the post station, a guard hummed a tune as he relieved himself against the bluestone wall.

The water gurgled softly, and the gourd at his waist swayed with his movements.

Xiao Shun sniffed and pretended to be enthusiastic as he stepped forward: "Brother, are you drinking pear blossom white wine?"

“Isn’t that right? It’s brewed by the new Hu woman from the East City…” The guard, his eyes glazed with drunkenness, looked at Xiao Shun with a puzzled expression before he could finish his sentence.

"Hey, who are you...?"

"It's your grandpa!"

Before he could finish speaking, the thin blade hidden in Xiao Shun's sleeve flashed across his throat.

Before the body could fall, Xiao Shun swiftly caught him, dragged him to the wall, took out his keys from his pocket, and waved them into the darkness…

Several masked men dressed in black quickly emerged from the haystack, their sharp blades gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

"Do it!"

The iron chain clattered to the ground, and the hidden compartment beneath the haystack quietly opened...

Meanwhile, in the side rooms of the inn, the guards of the Xiz caravan, who had eaten glutinous rice balls laced with medicine, were snoring loudly.

No one knows what happened that night...

As the first rays of dawn fell upon the mottled stone pavement, a corpse lay silently in the drainage ditch of the bluestone alley, its throat severed by a thin blade.

Some acquaintances said that the deceased was Old Chen, a night watchman who had just beaten and killed his wife last month, and this was retribution.
-
The rain stopped and the sky cleared that day.

Taking advantage of the sunshine, Xiao Zhao, along with two maids, quickly spread out bamboo mats and carefully sifted out the freshly picked osmanthus flowers from this autumn to dry evenly.

Xue Sui wanted to give Xue Ji two osmanthus-filled pillows, saying they could calm her nerves, and the maids were all very excited.

Yuki leaned back on the soft chair under the eaves, instructing the maids to take out the daisies she had picked and spread them on the bamboo mat.

"Be gentle, be gentle, don't crush the flower stamens."

She spoke softly, coughing lightly twice, the silver strands at her temples particularly dazzling in the sunlight.

“It rained heavily yesterday, and the flower baskets hanging under the eaves were soaked. If they get any more wet, the flowers will all get moldy.”

"Don't worry, Aunt Xue, the sun is shining so brightly today that it will definitely warm the flowers thoroughly."

"Look what you've done to these flowers," Yuki said with a hint of reproach, but her eyes were full of laughter.

Xue Yuelou led Mingge'er through the gate of Lixiang Courtyard and couldn't help but laugh when she saw everyone busy at work.

"What a coincidence, Sixth Sister is busy right now."

Xue Sui was climbing a wooden ladder and hanging a lantern on the eaves.

Her moon-white dress billowed gently in the wind, making her look like a fairy descending to earth.

Hearing the voice, she turned around and smiled, "Mother always goes to such lengths. The Ghost Festival is in a few days. I had nothing to do, so I made a blessing lantern and prepared some mugwort sachets and lotus lanterns. Second Sister, you can take some back with you later."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony." Xue Yuelou came over with a smile and greeted Xue Ji.

Xue Sui slowly walked down the wooden stairs.

Ruyi brought out the tea stove and was so shocked when she saw her like this that she cried out.

"Young lady, be careful not to fall! Don't you all have eyes? Why are you making the young lady hang the lantern?"

Xiao Zhao chuckled to herself, "Why are you in such a hurry? I'm much more steady than you. You could fall a hundred times, but I wouldn't fall even once."

"Pah, pah, pah, you jinx!" Ruyi spat out.

Xue Sui ignored the two girls' laughter and commotion, poured the mint water into a teacup, placed it on the wooden table under the eaves, and beckoned Ming Ge'er to come over to wipe his hands and eat.

"You two are arguing, be careful not to frighten the child."

Everyone laughed.

In an instant, the courtyard was filled with the fragrance of mint water mixed with osmanthus.

Xue Yuelou watched Xue Sui busily working, his expression becoming slightly grave.

"Sixth Sister, have you heard everything?"