Consort of a Thousand Faces

Upon hearing all the commotion, civilians from other nearby streets also came over. After hearing what had happened, a daring hypothesis was made. “The Liu Residence was burnt to the ground without even one person escaping. Now that the Imperial Guard Army has attacked the Literary Association, it seems unlikely that this is all a coincidence.”

 

Su Xi-er didn’t interfere, allowing the civilians to gossip. Yun Ruofeng, your reputation is destined to take a blow once this rumour spreads across the entire city tomorrow.

 

Yu Xiao took his wine pot from his waist and raised his head to take a sip, watching Su Xi-er as he did so. This woman is getting stranger and stranger. Not only is she mysterious, she is also very clever.

 

Su Xi-er turned and headed back to the Literary Association once she saw that her plan was working, prompting Yu Xiao to stow away his wine pot and follow behind her.

 

“Miss, who exactly are you?” Yu Xiao was persistent.

 

“Me? Just a weak little woman who you wouldn’t have heard of before.” Su Xi-er continued towards the secret chamber as she spoke.

 

Yu Xiao closed the door properly, locked it up, and continued to follow Su Xi-er. Why is this strange woman even more familiar with the Literary Association than me?

 

Should I call her something different? At the very least, she’s not a weak little woman. She even came up with a countermeasure after knowing that my fainting medicine wouldn’t be able to stop Wei Mohai. In fact, the one who stopped Wei Mohai wasn’t me, but her! Yu Xiao started upon coming to this realisation, feeling that she wasn’t a simple character.

 

Su Xi-er entered the Etiquette Pavilion and headed towards a candle holder on the wall, turning it clockwise once. The bookshelves beside her suddenly slid apart, revealing a secret door.

 

Immediately after, she pushed a book on the second shelf, causing the door itself to open.

 

Su Xi-er walked inside without minding Yu Xiao’s confused expression. The bookshelves returned to their previous position after the two walked inside, leaving the room silent once again.

 

Once inside the candlelit chamber, Su Xi-er heard some sighs of grief. She found a large group of scholars kneeling on the floor, a mix of sorrow and anger clear on their faces.

 

One of the scholars asked Guan Xiang, who had already recovered after being knocked out, “Was Grand Tutor Liu really killed by Prince Yun?”

 

He nodded and replied, “The letter was written by Grand Tutor Liu himself. I’m certain that it was him.” After he finished talking, he glanced around and saw Su Xi-er and Yu Xiao.

 

It looks like it’s safe outside now if the two of them have returned. Guan Xiang sighed in relief and bowed with his hands folded in front of him[1] to thank Su Xi-er. However, as would be expected after being knocked out without warning, his tone wasn’t very friendly. “Miss, thank you for the help, but you are not related to the Literary Association. As for Grand Tutor Liu, I will seek justice for him.”

 

Su Xi-er replied politely, “Guan Xiang, I hope you understand that I had no choice but to knock you out previously. That said, even though I am not a scholar and unrelated to the Literary Association, I watched Grand Tutor Liu die before my eyes. He personally passed this letter to me with his final hopes, so I can’t let this matter rest. I will assist you with finding justice for Grand Tutor Liu.”

 

Everyone was shocked by her words, with even Yu Xiao frozen halfway through reaching for his wine pot.

 

After a long while, Guan Xiang kowtowed to pay his respects. “Miss, you are someone that Grand Tutor Liu trusted. Thus, the Literary Association will believe in Grand Tutor Liu, and follow your orders to seek justice for him!”

 

When the group of scholars heard this, they also kowtowed to pay their respects. “We will follow your orders, Miss.”

 

Everyone was in agreement, leaving Yu Xiao as the only one who didn’t follow suit despite having a change in his usually playful expression.

1. It may be hard to imagine so here’s an image for your reference. Take note that there may be a few variations.