Chapter Fifty-Eight: Suspicion

Song Xirui’s heart stirred, and she immediately said, "As his humble wife, how could I know? But judging by my husband's demeanor, it seems you already have a clear idea in mind?"

"Naturally. As for who will make the list and who will fail, though I wouldn't say I know everything, I certainly know eight or nine out of ten," Su Yun replied leisurely.

Hearing this, Song Xirui’s gaze paused, and she slightly lowered her brow. "I wonder... which individuals is my husband referring to?"

"Who else could it be? Zhao Xuan, Feng Kongming, Xu Kuo..." Su Yun spoke halfway before suddenly swallowing his words. Catching sight of Song Xirui's eyes, which were filled with curiosity, a sudden shock rippled through his heart.

He had let it slip!

Things having reached this point, Su Yun swallowed hard. "Y-You, why are you asking about this?"

How on earth had the conversation drifted to this topic? Could this woman have orchestrated it on purpose?

A trace of vigilance inevitably crossed his eyes.

Song Xirui clenched her hands lightly inside her sleeves, yet her face showed surprise. "It was you, my husband, who brought it up. Why are you blaming me now?"

It seemed Su Yun harbored deep wariness toward her; asking like this made her somewhat afraid of alerting the enemy.

Fortunately, Su Yun did not press the matter to the end and simply left her with a single phrase.

"Alright, alright, it's getting late. I must be leaving."

With that, he hurried away.

Song Xirui watched his retreating figure, her expression gradually growing gloomy.

***

Study.

Su Yun sat in his chair for a good half-hour, trying hard to recall whether he had said anything improper just now. After turning it over in his mind, a ring of cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

It was over; he had actually spoken half the names.

Song Xirui's face surfaced in his mind once again.

He couldn't help pondering: as a daughter of a distinguished family, could Song Xirui's deep devotion to him stem from nothing more than admiration for his scholarship and unwavering affection?

Yet human hearts were made of flesh and blood after all.

What if Song Xirui were to emulate Xi Shi and employ a beauty trap?

Guards can be kept against anyone, but a thief within the household is hardest to prevent.

No, he had to find someone to keep an eye on her.

"Shi Jiu," Su Yun called toward the door.

Shi Jiu immediately answered and stepped inside.

Su Yun instructed, "Listen carefully, find someone sharp to keep watch on the young madam. The moment anything seems amiss, report back to me immediately. Do you understand?"

"Understood, Young Master."

Though Shi Jiu had no idea why the young master wanted to keep tabs on the young madam, he dared not disobey.

***

Night fell.

Another nocturnal thief arrived unannounced.

Amidst the darkness, Xiao Yunci's lightly teasing voice sounded, "Madam, your courtyard has already been targeted. Are you aware of this, Madam?"

He was growing increasingly fluent in calling her "Madam."

If an uninformed listener were to overhear him, they would think Song Xirui was truly his wife.

Song Xirui emitted a leisurely yawn, rolling her eyes silently in the dark before slowly rising. Familiar with the routine, she lit a candle and said to Xiao Yunci, "It is a pity that person failed to discover the General. Otherwise, if Su Yun were to burst in, what would the General do?"

Xiao Yunci narrowed his eyes slightly, a faint frown touching his brow. "Madam's words are quite amusing. If my cover were blown, I would merely bear the reputation of a fickle and romantic man. But how would Madam manage to conduct herself?"

As he spoke, his dark eyes carried a trace of a smile as he looked at Song Xirui.

Unexpectedly, Song Xirui adopted a reckless attitude of utter abandon. "Manage? Either I get thrown into a pig cage by my family, go jump in a river, or hang myself from a beam. There are plenty of methods; surely one of them will suit me. What does the General say?"

Her expression of complete indifference left Xiao Yunci momentarily speechless.

After choking back a response for a long while, he slowly smiled and said, "If it truly comes to that, I swear with my life to snatch Madam away."

Song Xirui slanted a look at him, her watery eyes seemingly conveying two words: *I don't believe it.*

Neither of them lingered on the banter, and after exchanging a few lighthearted remarks, they moved on to business.

Song Xirui relayed the names Su Yun had blurted out while drunk to Xiao Yunci.

"That is how it stands. He only named three before realizing his slip of the tongue and cutting himself off. Having people watch me means he must sense something is amiss. To be so slow in realizing it—he truly is a blockhead."

She made no effort to conceal her disdain for Su Yun.

Even now, whenever she recalled how she had once been trapped by this man, Song Xirui wanted to curse herself for being blind!

This attitude put Xiao Yunci in a rather good mood, and he nodded along. "Madam speaks much truth. Su Yun is merely a toad draped in brocade—foolish, ignorant, and content with a petty, temporary peace."

Now it was Song Xirui's turn to be speechless. "You have served as a general for many years, yet this is the vulgar language you have acquired?"

Moreover, Su Yun held no grudge against him; this series of barbed insults was far harsher than her own.

Xiao Yunci admitted it without the slightest care. "I do not study the books of the sages, so naturally, I am unacquainted with many principles."

The subtext was simply that Su Yun had wasted all his sage reading in vain.

Afterward, he turned serious and said to Song Xirui, "That being the case, your husband has clearly not won the Third Prince's trust."

Song Xirui's brows knitted gently together. "Why? Could it be that these individuals are not favored protégés of the Third Prince?"

"Precisely," Xiao Yunci nodded. "Not only are they not, but they do not even count as being remotely connected. None of the people he mentioned are what the Third Prince desires. Come to think of it, it looks rather like treating your good husband as a scapegoat. To be so utterly useless—he truly is worse than a toad."

Hearing him toss out "your husband" back and forth, Song Xirui felt the veins on her forehead throb violently.

She maintained a straight face. "If that is so, won't all our aspirations come to nothing?"

Xiao Yunci replied, "Not necessarily. Once the credentials are well presented, the Third Prince will gradually come to value Su Yun. Victory or defeat is not decided in a single moment; there is no need to rush."

Only then did Song Xirui nod. After exchanging a few more words, Xiao Yunci slipped away into the night.

***

The following morning.

Su Yun and Madame Li shared breakfast together.

As for Song Xirui, she used feeling slightly unwell upon waking as an excuse to conveniently avoid them.

If she had to stare at these two people all day long, how could she possibly have any appetite?

Over recent days, Song Xirui had increased the household expenses, leading Su Yun and Madame Li to treat her somewhat better.

"Mother, this porridge tastes exceptionally good. Please have a bit more," Su Yun put on the appearance of a dutiful son. Although no outsiders were present, he still kept up the act.

The corners of Madame Li's eyes smoothed out a few wrinkles, and she promptly took another spoonful of porridge.

One had to admit, ever since Luo Yun'er had departed, her son had become much more attentive to his old mother!

Just as she was feeling pleased with herself, the old matriarch suddenly clutched her throat. Her eyes widened, her eyeballs nearly bulging out, and her entire face flushed crimson—she was clearly choking.

She broke into a frantic fit of coughing.

Sensing something was wrong, Su Yun immediately inquired, "Mother! Mother! What is wrong with you?"

He hurriedly patted Madame Li's back while the surrounding maids and pageboys crowded forward.

Ordinarily, when someone choked, drinking a bit of water to clear the throat would make most people right as rain.

Yet, whether Madame Li was afflicted by some misfortune, she simply could not stop coughing. By the end, her face had turned the color of a pig's liver!

Fortunately, a physician rushed over in time and saved her life.

The esteemed matriarch of the Top Scholar's estate had nearly choked to death on a mouthful of porridge!