The Cannon Fodder Supporting Female Character is Still Alive Today - Chapter 30
Chapter 30: Covert Plot (4)
“What are Miss Bai and You Ruo talking about?”
Luo Qi lowered her gaze, her eyes fixed on Bai Yao and You Ruo’s clasped hands, and replied, “It should be Yao Yao’s hometown dialect.”
Lie Ruyang nodded, then looked even more confused: “Ah? Miss Bai’s hometown dialect?”
Isn’t Miss Yun Niao’s hometown here? Where did a hometown dialect come from?
Meanwhile, the conversation between the two happy-to-reunite “sisters” continued on the other side.
You Ruo said, “When did you cross over?”
Bai Yao replied, “Just over a month ago!”
You Ruo said, “I’ve been here for many years!”
Bai Yao said, “That’s tough!”
Then You Ruo said, “Transmigrating into an empty historical world is so confusing!”
At the same time, Bai Yao exclaimed, “Transmigrating into a book is so thrilling!”
You Ruo looked puzzled: “Transmigrating into a book?”
Bai Yao was confused: “Empty historical world?”
“?”
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The two fell into a moment of silence.
You Ruo asked, “This is a book?”
Bai Yao said, “You didn’t know?”
“Oh my God!” Quickly pulling Bai Yao a few steps aside, You Ruo whispered, “Then tell me quickly, who am I paired with in the book?”
Bai Yao lowered her voice and truthfully said, “…Actually, according to the book, you should already be dead.”
You Ruo: “?”
“That’s a long story, but I’m more curious…” Bai Yao asked, “How did you recognize me?”
She was still in the guise of A Song.
But You Ruo said, “This appearance of yours must have been done by Yang Yang. I heard Qin Dexuan mention earlier that you were with Young Master Qi An. Just now, I saw Young Master Qi An embracing someone who looked roughly the same size as a girl, so I took a bold guess.”
Bai Yao quickly glanced at Luo Qi and asked, “You recognize Luo Qi too?”
“Yes,” You Ruo said. “She’s considered a celebrity in the jianghu of Shiyu, after all.”
You Ruo whispered, “Actually, I heard people say she’s especially handsome, and I once thought about shipping her and my brother…”
Bai Yao: “Ah???”
You Ruo sighed helplessly, “But then I found out she’s actually a girl, so I gave up. I still prefer to see my brother date other handsome guys.”
Bai Yao: “…A grateful heart.”
You Ruo: “?”
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While Bai Yao and You Ruo were recognizing each other, Youze on the other side had already dragged out all the Shuiyan people in the fortress.
The leader knelt on the ground, his face grim as he looked at the suddenly appearing Youze.
Youze said, “You’ve finished causing trouble on your own territory, and now you bring a bunch of people to cause chaos in Shiyu. Are you afraid one head isn’t enough to lose?”
In the original book, this group of Shuiyan people had already committed crimes in Shuiyan and were fugitives, but they snuck into Shiyu. It was only after a long period and making a big commotion that Youze discovered them.
But why was everything so much earlier this time?
Bai Yao asked You Ruo, “How did you find them?”
You Ruo asked, “Do you know about Aunt Qin and Master Gui An?”
Guessing that “Aunt Qin” referred to Qin Shu, Bai Yao nodded: “Master Gui An mentioned it.”
You Ruo’s expression dimmed slightly: “A while ago, Aunt Qin received a letter and learned about Master Gui An. Aunt Qin asked my brother to come here on her behalf to burn some offerings for Master Gui An. But we entered the palace first after arriving in Shiyu.”
So that was it.
You Ruo then smiled, “You’re amazing, making two princes run around in circles.”
Bai Yao said, “I almost got myself killed several times. So, you guys happened to be right behind us?”
You Ruo said, “Yes. When we arrived at Guiming Mountain, you had just left. Not long after we descended the mountain, we ran into a few Shuiyan people on the road. We followed them all the way and found this fortress.”
Bai Yao nodded and then asked, “But how did you manage to summon these soldiers?”
No matter how good the relationship between Shuiyan and Shiyu was, You Ruo was still a princess from another country.
You Ruo smiled at the question, pulling out a wooden token from her sleeve: “I can do it with this.”
The token simply had the three large characters “Pass Order” (Tongxing Ling) written on it, followed by four smaller characters: “Help when needed.” (You mang jiu bang).
Looking at the familiar, crude workmanship, Bai Yao fell silent for a moment.
Qin Mang.
How much do you love making crafts?
Bai Yao looked closer, noticing a line of time marked at the bottom.
Bai Yao asked, “Does this token have an expiration date?”
You Ruo said, “Yes, I won it by playing Five-in-a-Row. It expires in fifteen days, so I have to hurry up and use it.”
Alright.
229
The two wanted to continue chatting, but a hand reached out, blocking the space between them.
Luo Qi said, “Si Qingyu might be returning soon.”
Bai Yao let go of You Ruo’s hand and stepped back to Luo Qi’s side, saying, “Let’s hide a bit.”
You Ruo winked at Bai Yao, glanced up at Luo Qi, and whispered, “It’s fine, don’t worry. I’ve already handled everything for you.”
Just then, there was another commotion in the crowd. Gu Sanmei squeezed out from the side. Looking at the soldiers on the field, he ran up to Zhou Fang and Hu Jiu, anxiously asking them what was going on.
Seeing the Shuiyan people being dragged out, and realizing that the disaster of the day was caused by those people, Hu Jiu, who had almost been manipulated by the Shuiyan people earlier, kept his face grim and remained silent. Zhou Fang also frowned tightly.
Bai Yao asked You Ruo, “How do you plan to deal with them?”
According to the original plot, some people in the fortress became soldiers, but the leaders were all executed on the spot.
Although Bai Yao didn’t consider herself a saint and couldn’t save everyone, seeing Gu Sanmei again now made her somewhat worried.
You Ruo thought for a moment and said, “Actually, I haven’t decided yet. My brother and I only came to catch those Shuiyan people.”
You Ruo asked in a low voice, “Are these bandits good or bad?”
Since Bai Yao transmigrated into a book, she should know these people’s backgrounds.
Good or bad.
That was truly hard to say.
In earlier years, these bandits of Black Cloud Fortress had genuinely risen to prominence by robbing money and oppressing the common people. But under Zhou Fang’s leadership, Black Cloud Fortress had indeed made many changes.
As Bai Yao was pondering, Zhou Fang suddenly turned and walked toward You Ruo.
Stopping in front of You Ruo, Zhou Fang looked at the young girl, who was clearly younger than himself. He lifted his blue gown and immediately knelt down.
Youze, who had been worried that Zhou Fang intended to harm You Ruo, followed closely behind, but he paused when he saw Zhou Fang’s action.
You Ruo was also startled by the man’s sudden movement.
Zhou Fang bowed his head, his posture humble but his voice deep and resolute: “I am Zhou Fang, the Master of Black Cloud Fortress. All major and minor affairs in this fortress were put into practice through my mouth and hands. The people below only followed blindly out of fear of me.”
Zhou Fang continued, “The people in this fortress are merely villagers and commoners. Without my deliberate incitement, they would not have become what they are today. Even the other masters in this fortress followed my instructions. Therefore, the current crimes are all due to me, Zhou Fang, alone…”
“Where did all this nonsense come from?”
Interrupting Zhou Fang, Hu Jiu walked over, swinging his axes.
Luo Qi raised her hand to shield Bai Yao, and Youze on the side also raised his fan to block Hu Jiu.
Hu Jiu glared at Youze, then threw the two large axes in his hands onto the ground. He stepped forward toward Zhou Fang and said, “You tried to poison me a few days ago to take over as the sole leader. Now you’re acting out some brotherly devotion?”
Zhou Fang trembled at the words, raising his head to look at Hu Jiu.
Hu Jiu said, “Don’t think I didn’t see through you just because Si Qingyu helped you. Your heart is malicious! I just couldn’t stand you a little, but you wanted to poison me?”
Zhou Fang said, “I have the antidote; I wouldn’t let you die.”
“You’re lying!”
Hu Jiu was about to argue more, but Gu Sanmei ran up and stopped him. “He’s not! The First Master is telling the truth!”
Hu Jiu said, “What do you know, you…”
But Gu Sanmei shouted, “I know the First Master wanted to poison you!”
Hu Jiu: “Huh?”
Gu Sanmei said, “I helped the First Master put the poison in your stuff…”
Hu Jiu was enraged: “Gu Sanmei?!”
Although their personalities were vastly different, they had always gotten along well. He never expected Gu Sanmei to help Zhou Fang harm him at a crucial moment.
Hu Jiu was furious. He was about to turn around to find his axes, but he had thrown them too far away. Hu Jiu simply raised his hands into fists.
Seeing Hu Jiu’s reaction, Gu Sanmei quickly covered his head with his hands and said, “We saw you were completely taken in by those strange outsiders and wanted you to calm down!”
“To calm down, you wanted to poison me?!”
Gu Sanmei shouted as he ran, “The First Master and I already discussed it! We just wanted to knock you out for a while so we could take the chance to drive out all those Shuiyan people!”
Gu Sanmei said, “We were afraid you wouldn’t agree! Look now, aren’t we in trouble because of them!”
Hu Jiu paused his action. Looking at the Shuiyan people kneeling on the ground, he was momentarily speechless.
The scene fell silent. After a while, Hu Jiu angrily turned and walked up to You Ruo. He pulled up his clothes and knelt beside Zhou Fang.
Hu Jiu said to You Ruo, “Although I don’t know what you, a little girl, are here for, if you really want to kill someone, just kill me, Hu Jiu.”
Hu Jiu pointed to Zhou Fang beside him and said, “Killing a weakling like him is pointless. If you kill me, I’m worth several of him.”
Everyone: “…”
Wait, is that how you calculate who to kill?
Zhou Fang wasn’t upset by Hu Jiu’s words, but instead lowered his eyes and bowed his head to the ground again, saying, “You see, with his intelligence, he definitely needs me to operate things behind the scenes, or he won’t amount to anything great. I am the main culprit.”
Hearing Zhou Fang say this, Hu Jiu naturally refused to accept it.
Following that, the two surprisingly began to argue sentence by sentence.
Bai Yao looked at the two men, one burly and one slender, on the ground, and lightly patted her head, which was about to short-circuit.
News of the day: Shocking! Two brothers did this to compete for a death spot!
230
Watching the two men argue back and forth, Youze finally made an annoyed “Tsk” sound.
Bai Yao looked up, catching Youze’s impatient expression, and felt that something bad was about to happen.
According to his Male Second Lead persona, he was probably considering just using his fan to cleave both of them to death.
Bai Yao guessed correctly. Youze did have that thought, but before he could act on it, You Ruo interrupted him.
With the two men kneeling before her, You Ruo suddenly raised her hands and started applauding.
While applauding, You Ruo covered her mouth, deeply moved. Bai Yao heard her softly exclaim, “Ab-absolutely beautiful love.”
?
Excuse me, was the supporting character’s line accidentally given to the wrong person again?
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You Ruo raised her hand to wipe the tears of emotion from the corner of her eye and said, “I never expected to witness such a beautiful CP relationship with my own eyes today.”
Hu Jiu: ?
Zhou Fang: ?
You Ruo smiled and stepped forward, placing her hands on Hu Jiu’s and Zhou Fang’s shoulders. She said, “I declare you two are locked, and I swallow the key.”
The utterly confused crowd: “?”
In the midst of the confusion, Luo Qi asked Bai Yao, “Yao Yao, what does ‘locked’ mean? Is it also your dialect?”
Bai Yao: “…Yes.”
Bai Yao attempted to explain: “It means, it means their relationship is very good. By locking the relationship, they will always have a good relationship…”
Generally understanding, Luo Qi nodded thoughtfully, “Mm.”
After a brief silence, Luo Qi lowered her gaze, reaching out from beneath her sleeve to hook Bai Yao’s pinky finger. After thinking for a moment, Luo Qi said, “Then, we are locked too.”
Bai Yao: “!!!”
Carefully recalling You Ruo’s words just now, Luo Qi looked at Bai Yao and curved her lips into a smile: “I swallow the key?”
232
A long, long time ago, there was a little girl named Bai Yao.
Little girl Bai Yao had skin like snow and a pretty face, and she wore an exquisite and beautiful little heart lock on her chest.
Contrary to other locks, that heart lock was open and needed the world’s only large gold key to be locked.
The little girl’s mother told her that if she ever met someone she loved, she should give the key to that person and let them lock the heart lock.
In this way, the heart lock would form an unbreakable bond between the two, ensuring they would love each other forever.
If the two wanted to break up in the future, they would need to open the heart lock again so that the bond could be eliminated, allowing them to go their separate ways.
Then, one day, little girl Bai Yao met another little girl named Luo Qi.
Initially, the two girls were just good friends. However, one day, Luo Qi snatched Bai Yao’s lock and, without permission, took out the large gold key and locked the heart lock.
Little girl Bai Yao was anxious but also felt that little girl Luo Qi was very beautiful and had a lovely personality. Even if she was locked with her, she wasn’t at a disadvantage.
Anyway, if things didn’t work out, she could still secretly unlock it.
But what she didn’t expect was that after using the key, little girl Luo Qi actually planned to swallow the large gold key directly.
“Yao Yao, this way, you can only be with me forever!”
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Actress Bai Yao raised her hand and called cut: “Director! The gold key is poisonous, you can’t swallow it!”
Director: “It’s fake, made of candy. Feel free to swallow.”
Actress Bai Yao raised a query: “Screenwriter! This plot is illogical!”
Screenwriter: “It happened naturally. A match made in heaven. Keep acting.”
Actress Bai Yao raised a request: “Cinematography! I feel the current lighting is not suitab…”
Cinematography: “OK, lighting fixed. Why are you backing out? Didn’t you yourself ask to be locked with her in the first volume, chapter two?”
Actress Bai Yao: “…But I remember I was originally straig…”
Director + Screenwriter + Cinematography: “Then why don’t you protest directly to the female lead?”
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Bai Yao snapped back to reality, meeting Luo Qi’s star-like eyes filled with a gentle smile.
One year, Bai Yao had gone with the film crew to shoot outside.
In the vast grasslands, far from the elevated buildings, the night brought boundless darkness, with a galaxy stretching across the sky.
That sight was strikingly beautiful.
But now, looking into these eyes before her, Bai Yao suddenly recalled the amazement of those nights but felt they were merely ordinary compared to this.
Licking her somewhat dry lips, Bai Yao said, “Luo Qi, you…”
Sensing the hesitation in Bai Yao’s words, Luo Qi’s eyebrows slightly curved, conveying a trace of disappointment amidst her confusion: “Hmm?”
Bai Yao immediately changed her mind: “…Go ahead and swallow it.”
Luo Qi smiled again at her words. Her hand beneath her sleeve unfolded, and she completely wrapped Bai Yao’s hand in her own. She said, “Okay.”
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It’s just verbally locking a bond. It’s not a big deal.
She didn’t specify what was being locked. Luo Qi probably just meant locking their friendship.
Bai Yao secretly looked up at the smiling Luo Qi.
Besides, being locked with such a wonderful person, I’m the one benefiting, right?
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On the other side, with You Ruo inexplicably resting her hands on their shoulders, Zhou Fang asked confusedly, “Does Miss mean to lock us up and take us back…?”
“No, no,” You Ruo waved her hand and earnestly said, “The world is full of hardships, and people are talkative. But you two… must persevere!”
You Ruo raised her hand to encourage them: “Never give up!”
Not quite understanding You Ruo’s meaning, Zhou Fang tentatively asked, “Is Miss saying that you will let us go?”
“Let you go, let you go!”
You Ruo turned her head to Youze and said, “Brother, the people in this fortress aren’t entirely bad guys. Can you spare them?”
Youze’s gaze swept over Hu Jiu and Zhou Fang. He said, “Alright, I’ll write a letter and send it to the palace to ensure their lives are spared.”
Hearing Youze say this, Zhou Fang lowered his head and let out a deep sigh of relief.
You Ruo then waved to them, “You two, get up now.”
Hu Jiu immediately stood up.
Zhou Fang was frail, and kneeling for so long made his legs ache.
Hu Jiu glanced at him. Although his face still looked terrible, he reached out and pulled Zhou Fang up.
Gu Sanmei then ran over, bent down, and patted the dust off Hu Jiu’s and Zhou Fang’s knees.
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Seeing the situation settle down, the official walked up to You Ruo and Youze and said, “Then I shall escort these Shuiyan people back to the prison.”
The soldiers then retreated together, leaving Youze and You Ruo, who prepared to have dinner in the fortress.
While preparing the meal, Luo Qi was called away to chop firewood again, and Lie Ruyang went out for a stroll and refused to return.
Bai Yao took the opportunity to pull You Ruo aside to talk.
Bai Yao recounted You Ruo’s cause of death in the book, causing You Ruo to click her tongue in amazement.
You Ruo said, “Wow, thankfully I didn’t listen to the former Empress and promptly clung to my brother’s thigh.”
Then You Ruo also explained the changes in the Shuiyan plot to Bai Yao.
You Ruo had transmigrated when the original You Ruo was sixteen. Unlike Bai Yao, You Ruo’s name before transmigrating was Li Youruo, and the original You Ruo’s appearance and figure were very similar to hers before transmigrating.
You Ruo arrived precisely in the year the original You Ruo was about to poison Youze.
But the moment You Ruo saw Youze, she developed a great liking for her handsome and formidable brother.
Then, adhering to the idea of needing to cling to a powerful figure in an unfamiliar world, and faced with the obviously scheming former Empress and her seemingly male-lead brother, You Ruo decisively chose Youze.
Although Youze didn’t understand why his sister, who had always been distant, suddenly became close to him, over time, he found that he didn’t dislike this long-lost affection at all; in fact, he rather liked it.
Subsequently, losing You Ruo’s help, the truly desperate former Empress directly ordered her palace servants to poison Youze. However, You Ruo smelled something wrong and traced it back.
When the truth came to light, the Emperor of Shuiyan was enraged and demoted the Empress to the Cold Palace, making her the former Empress.
Afterward, You Ruo was looked after by Qin Shu.
As for the reason You Ruo could detect various scents, it was because before transmigrating, You Ruo’s mother’s family was a prominent Chinese medicine family, and her father’s family owned a famous perfume brand.
You Ruo had been sensitive to smells since childhood, and with her family’s intentional training, she possessed a “super sense of smell.”
You Ruo said, “After transmigrating, I feel like my nose has become even sharper. Maybe it’s a bonus gift from the transmigration.”
Bai Yao exclaimed, “That’s great.”
Looking at Bai Yao, who was disguised as a man, You Ruo said, “Why don’t you take off that mask? Talking to you like this always makes me want to laugh.”
Bai Yao said, “I’m doing this to deceive Si Qingyu. She might have sent messages to Qin Wufang and General Yun. I’m afraid they’ll find me.”
You Ruo said, “I guessed that.”
You Ruo smiled, “As soon as I heard you telling Qin Wufang to call you ‘daddy,’ I knew you must have transmigrated, just like me. I guess you want to escape this world’s identity and live with your own name.”
Bai Yao said, “More or less. After all, my identity is… a bit awkward. Technically, like you, I should have been a dead person.”
You Ruo was stunned. “Who wanted to kill you?”
Bai Yao honestly replied, “General Yun.”
You Ruo was confused: “Why? Isn’t he the original owner’s father?”
Bai Yao said, “That’s a much more complex story.”
After briefly explaining the general circumstances to You Ruo, Bai Yao said, “That’s why I was scared half to death the day I transmigrated. It took a lot of effort to escape from the General’s residence.”
“So that’s how it is.”
You Ruo said, “That’s why you don’t want Qin Wufang to find you. Don’t worry, Qin Wufang definitely won’t find you.”
Bai Yao asked, “How so?”
You Ruo said, “Last night, my brother intercepted the black eagle carrying Si Qingyu’s letter. In the note, she said you fell into the river and reminded Qin Wufang not to tell General Yun about you yet. She also provided Qin Wufang with the defense layout of Black Cloud Fortress today, telling him to attack tonight. But I used her handwriting to alter it.”
You Ruo said, “I told Qin Wufang that the fortress defenses are very strong these days and to come back in three days.”
Bai Yao gave a thumbs-up: “Sister! Multi-talented! Resourceful!”
You Ruo smiled proudly, then said, “I can also help you write a letter telling the General’s residence that you are truly dead.”
Bai Yao said, “Great! Thank you, sister!”
Doing this would completely set her on a path to a better future.
As long as the people in the General’s residence believed Yun Niao was dead, she wouldn’t have to worry about being captured by those looking for her.
You Ruo was a doer. She immediately had someone bring paper and a pen and started writing.
While writing, You Ruo asked Bai Yao, “What’s the plot of this book? Tell me about it.”
Bai Yao then recounted the general plot of the book up until now to You Ruo. Afterward, she said, “Actually, I can’t be sure about the later plot because the story is already very different.”
“That’s great,” You Ruo said after a brief thought. “It’s a good thing it can be changed. Otherwise, wouldn’t you and I have been miserable?”
Bai Yao also nodded, expressing complete agreement.
Fortunately, there was no unavoidable chain of cause and effect in her transmigration. Although the plot was messed up, at least she could save her life.
While they were talking, You Ruo finished writing the letter and immediately called a few remaining soldiers to send it out.
238
Having dealt with a major issue, the two paused their conversation to drink tea and soothe their throats. Suddenly, someone pushed the door open and walked in.
Bai Yao thought it was Luo Qi, and she turned around with a smile, but the smile froze when she saw the person who entered.
The person looked deeply at Bai Yao, then stepped up to the table and first bowed to You Ruo.
It was Si Qingyu.
Bai Yao turned her body, closed her mouth, and sat bolt upright.
But after bowing, Si Qingyu turned her gaze back to her.
Seeing this, You Ruo tried to cover up: “This is a little mute from the dance troupe. I found him interesting and brought him in for a few sips of tea…”
“Princess You Ruo,” Si Qingyu said, “was my black eagle intercepted by you?”
You Ruo: “I don’t know what you are talking about…”
Si Qingyu said, “The feathers on the black eagle’s body had broken edges. I presume His Highness Youze doesn’t particularly like eagles; his actions were quite rough.”
You Ruo: “…I-I apologize.”
Si Qingyu said, “It’s fine.”
Then Si Qingyu stopped talking and turned to leave.
Watching her back, Bai Yao finally let out a small sigh of relief.
But before she could fully exhale, Si Qingyu paused at the doorway and said, “I underestimated you before.”
Bai Yao was momentarily stunned, then heard Si Qingyu say, “Miss Yun Niao. Your strategy is also very good.”
Bai Yao: “…”
Help.
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Seeing Si Qingyu about to step out the door, Bai Yao hurriedly said, “Si Qingyu, wait!”
Let us review one more time.
Fate must be held in one’s own hands.
Bai Yao quickly stepped forward and said to Si Qingyu, “Can I make a deal with you?”
240
Si Qingyu led Bai Yao to an empty space behind the house and said, “What deal do you want to make with me?”
Bai Yao said, “I’ll tell you something crucially important to you, and then you help me keep my identity secret and tell others that Yun Niao is dead. Is that acceptable?”
Si Qingyu countered, “What is this important matter for me?”
Bai Yao looked at Si Qingyu. Having made up her mind, she said, “Si Qingyu, are you in love with Princess Le Zhao…”
Before she could finish, Si Qingyu lunged forward, covering Bai Yao’s mouth with a look of extreme astonishment.
She seemed utterly shocked. Then, a look of fierce resolve flashed in Si Qingyu’s eyes. She flipped her hand and drew a dagger, pressing it against Bai Yao’s throat.
“How do you know? Who told you? Are you… trying to threaten me with this?”
Bai Yao froze, terrified that Si Qingyu might actually kill her in her panic.
Bai Yao said, “I’m not trying to threaten you! …Can you please not ask me multiple questions at once?”
Si Qingyu stared intently at Bai Yao, then slightly eased the pressure on her hand but kept the dagger at her throat. “Answer me.”
Bai Yao said, “I can divine! I divined it!”
Seeing Si Qingyu frown in confusion, clearly not believing her, Bai Yao quickly continued, “That time at Guiming Mountain, I knew you were coming to suppress the rebellion in advance, so I took the people on the mountain to hide. This time, I also calculated that you were lying to me, which is why I played a trick.”
Bai Yao said, “None of this is a coincidence. It’s all because I can divine!”
Si Qingyu said, “You are the General’s daughter. How can you divine?”
Bai Yao said, “Because I was possessed! The night my mother died, I was possessed by a ghost. When the ghost left later, I found that I suddenly gained the ‘Heavenly Eye’ and could divine!”
Si Qingyu looked at Bai Yao skeptically.
Bai Yao said, “Otherwise, how could a weak woman like me be so lucky to survive until now? It’s all because I can divine, so I’ve escaped every danger!”
Si Qingyu scoffed, “Then how were you caught in this fortress?”
Bai Yao: “…Even horses trip, and people make divination errors…”
Seemingly curious about what Bai Yao could come up with, Si Qingyu withdrew her dagger and said, “Then, if you want to make a deal with me, do you want to divine danger for me?”
Bai Yao said, “Not for you, but for Princess Le Zhao.”
Seeing Si Qingyu’s expression turn serious, Bai Yao said, “In a few days, at the Qingxia Festival, Princess Le Zhao will face a calamity. If you can go back and protect her, you might be able to save her in time.”
In the original book, Princess Le Zhao encountered an assassin during the Qingxia parade and was stabbed and injured. That wound became a chronic ailment later, and one of the causes of the Princess’s death in the future.
But Si Qingyu said, “How do I know if your words are true or false, or…”
Murderous intent flickered in Si Qingyu’s eyes, “That calamity was planned by you and someone else.”
Am I really that formidable in your eyes?
Bai Yao said, “…Si Qingyu, maybe you should go wash your eyes first.”
Si Qingyu: “?”
Bai Yao said, “Look at me. If I truly had that kind of capability, I wouldn’t need to risk my life to keep you silent.”
Hearing Bai Yao’s words, Si Qingyu remembered her act of jumping into the river and frowned.
After a long silence, Si Qingyu said, “Why are you unwilling to return to the General’s residence?”
If she truly was just longing for freedom, as she had claimed earlier, why would she take the risk of jumping into the river, gambling with her life?
After a quick thought, Bai Yao simply told the truth: “Because if I go back, I will die.”
241
After hearing Bai Yao explain the general reason, Si Qingyu fell silent for a moment.
Looking at her inscrutable face, Bai Yao asked, “So, do you agree or not…”
Before the question was finished, hurried footsteps came from behind. Bai Yao turned her head and saw Luo Qi running toward her.
Seeing Si Qingyu standing opposite, Luo Qi pulled Bai Yao back into her arms, separating her from Si Qingyu.
Bai Yao leaned against Luo Qi’s chest, noticing that she seemed to have run very quickly, slightly out of breath.
Bai Yao thought Luo Qi was worried that Si Qingyu was trying to trouble her, so she comforted her, “Luo Qi, don’t worry. Si Qingyu didn’t…”
Luo Qi still frowned at Si Qingyu and said to Bai Yao, “Lie Ruyang asked me to find you. She said soldiers have arrived.”
“?”
Didn’t the soldiers just leave?
Bai Yao asked confusedly, “Are they back to pick up You Ruo so soon?”
“Not the same group,” Luo Qi said. “The leader is someone you and I both recognize. It’s Qin Wu.”
Bai Yao was confused.
Qin Wu? Who is that…
Damn it.
Why did Qin Wufang come?!
242
Bai Yao sat in You Ruo’s room, drinking tea with her head down.
Lie Ruyang and Luo Qi were also in the room. The few of them drank tea, preoccupied with their own thoughts, and kept silent.
Lie Ruyang continuously drank tea, secretly praying that You Ruo wouldn’t talk to her.
You Ruo was curious about how Qin Wufang would see through the false message.
Bai Yao felt that her identity was about to be exposed and was anxious.
Luo Qi, unaware of Bai Yao’s thoughts, was informed by Lie Ruyang that Qin Wu’s real name was Qin Wufang, the Third Prince of Shiyu. Luo Qi simply assumed Bai Yao was angry about Qin Wu’s previous concealment of his identity and was hiding in the room because she didn’t want to see him.
As the room fell quiet, they could hear constant voices from outside the fortress. It sounded like soldiers were calling out people from every room and checking them one by one.
Bai Yao knew clearly that they were probably looking for her.
Before long, the soldiers checking the rooms knocked on You Ruo’s door.
You Ruo said, “Stop knocking. The Princess of Shuiyan is sleeping in here.”
The knocking paused. A soldier said, “We are here by order of General Yun to find the young lady of the General’s residence. We apologize for the inconvenience, Princess, but please open the door.”
Bai Yao was startled. So the news had already reached the General’s residence.
And they had specifically sent people to look for her.
You Ruo said, “How can you big men enter the room where a young girl is sleeping?”
The soldier: “…”
After a brief moment of quiet, they heard the soldier say, “Ah, Miss Si, you’ve arrived at the perfect time. Please check this room for us.”
Bai Yao: “…”
Oh, dear.
Bai Yao quietly smoothed her clothes, preparing to be dragged out, but then she heard Si Qingyu say, “I just entered Princess You Ruo’s room. There is no one else, no need to check.”
?!
It seems the deal was successful!
Just as Bai Yao, having successfully reversed her fate, was about to rejoice, another set of footsteps sounded outside the door.
Then a deep male voice asked, “Why is this room not being checked?”
243
Qin Wufang walked from the courtyard entrance, standing beneath the eaves and looking up at the tightly closed door.
Si Qingyu said, “This is Princess You Ruo’s room. I checked just now, and the Princess is alone.”
Qin Wufang did not answer Si Qingyu but instead spoke to the door, “Does Princess You Ruo not want to come out and see me?”
You Ruo said, “I don’t want to see you. I just want to sleep.”
Qin Wufang said, “I thought the Princess would want to discuss calligraphy with me.”
You Ruo: “…No, I don’t.”
During the stalemate, another voice came from outside the door.
“Why is the Third Prince here?”
Qin Wufang turned around, watching Youze walk toward him.
Qin Wufang said, “This mountain fortress has long been causing trouble in the Lingnan region. I intended to bring troops to suppress the bandits early on. I just didn’t expect to be preceded by His Highness King Ze and Princess You Ruo.”
The voice sounded like a gentle, breezy exchange of pleasantries, even carrying a hint of a smile, yet it made Bai Yao’s back feel cold.
Qin Wufang was able to place Si Qingyu in Black Cloud Fortress, suggesting he had been watching it for a long time and put in a great deal of effort.
In the original book, although Youze happened to come to capture the Shuiyan people, the main force that broke the fortress was always Qin Wufang.
The credit for suppressing the bandits naturally went to Qin Wufang in the end.
But with the plot change, Youze and You Ruo had forcefully taken one of Qin Wufang’s four great accomplishments for themselves.
Bai Yao counted on her fingers. Including the Guiming Mountain incident, Qin Wufang had been deprived of two major merits in a row…
Who could remain calm and composed after such a continuous streak of bad luck?
But Youze was a person who never followed convention and generally disdained pleasantries.
Youze immediately said, “That’s a pity. Next time, the Third Prince should run faster.”
As a male supporting character, please, for your own sake, try to be more mindful of your words.
Told off by Youze, Qin Wufang was not angry. Instead, he chuckled and said, “Thank you for the reminder.”
With that, he turned and stepped away, seemingly intending to leave.
But before taking a step, with his back to Si Qingyu, Qin Wufang asked one more time, “Is there truly no one else in this room?”
Si Qingyu’s throat tightened, but she still said, “No.”
His narrow eyes lowered, his eyelashes concealing his blue-green pupils. Qin Wufang said, “Good.”
With that word “good,” he stepped forward, his moon-white robe fluttering slightly in the wind, drifting away.
244
Half an hour later, Qin Wufang led his troops out of Black Cloud Fortress.
Si Qingyu also left with him.
About half a mile out of Black Cloud Fortress, Qin Wufang was on horseback and said to Si Qingyu beside him, “You still remember that you once saved my life.”
Si Qingyu was startled and replied, “I remember.”
Qin Wufang looked sideways at Si Qingyu and said, “So this time, I’ll follow your lead.”
Spurring his horse forward, Qin Wufang left a final remark: “If there is a next time, I will not spare you.”
Clutching the reins in her hand, Si Qingyu said, “This subordinate understands.”
245
In Black Cloud Fortress, with Si Qingyu and Qin Wufang gone, Bai Yao removed her mask and returned to her original appearance.
Gu Sanmei was first shocked to see Bai Yao alive, then laughed and scolded her, saying she was truly bold.
Lie Ruyang also retrieved A Song from under the bed and brought him…
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