Meanwhile, in the Grand Prince's residence, Chiyin stumbled into Hushiyi's guest room, neatly tripping over the doorsill.
That damn she-monster, he cursed at Yinyue.
He recalled the smug smile peeping out of Yinyue's mask when she ordered her guards to pursue him.
And she shot at him! That heartless wench!
Hushiyi looked up from reading a report at his desk, greeted by the sight of a panting Chiyin dragging his feet to the nearest chair.
Before he could ask, Chiyin flopped down on the wooden chair and leaned onto the back of the chair for support, closing his eyes for a momentary rest. He felt a burning heat from the relentless chase. His throat parched from the chase in arid air. Dots of sweat dotted his forehead and brow.
The weight of exhaustion made his body floppy. His tensed up muscles cramped and sour from the prolonged chase. He heaved, drawing air into his burning lungs. If he didn't grab a seat sooner, his legs might have buckled beneath him.
Hushiyi had a bad feeling when he noticed Chiyin's pale face and chapped lips.
Chiyin's trembling finger pointed at the empty cups sitting in the tea tray on the table. The aroma of the warm tea wafted up to his nostrils, a comforting contrast to the arid dusty air out in the cold which he endured.
"W-water…," Chiyin gasped, his voice hoarse and strained as he struggled to form coherent words. His exhaled breath billowed out in misty tendrils against the cool air of the room.
Hushiyi quickly poured a cup of warm tea and handed it to him. Steam from the cup rose like curling mists against the sunlight streaming through the window.
"Well, what happened?" He asked.
Chiyin's eyes remained close, while he gulped down the tea so fast that he choked. The tea rolled down his parched throat, burning a fiery trail down to his stomach. A few coughs wracked his weary frame, his chest already heaving with the effort of drawing breath.
"P-pour me another," Chiyin gasped, his voice hoarse from exhaustion. Hushiyi grabbed the teapot from the small charcoal warmer and refilled the cup in Chiyin's trembling hands.
"What the hell happened?" Hushiyi asked, his voice low and urgent, creating a tension in the room.
Chiyin snapped open his eyes and glared with a fury Hushiyi had never seen before. "Y-you happened to me."
"How's that my fault?"
"I didn't kill those women in cold blood." Chiyin's words came in a harsh rasping whisper, while stroking his own chest, trying to calm the frantic beat of his heart, which felt as though it might burst from his chest at any moment.
"Not the time to joke," Hushiyi said, his tone serious as he leaned in closer, his eyes searching Chiyin's face for answers. "Did something happen to our plan?"
"Y-Yinyue happened!" Chiyin retorted, then he threw an odd look at Hushiyi.
At the mention of her name, panic crept into Hushiyi's mind, drowning out all other thoughts other than how to explain the situation to his younger sister. Damn Chiyin. Hushiyi started pacing around with his chest tightening at the prospect of her face if she interrogated him.
The air in the room suddenly felt heavy, as if the four corners of the room were closing in on him. Hushiyi's legs weakened, causing him to stumble backwards, only to be caught by Chiyin's hand in time.
If the plan continued smoothly, he might have a perfect cover up to blame wild animals.
Chiyin shook his head. "She'll protect you no matter what happens."
His reassurance gave Hushiyi no comfort.
Hushiyi knew Yinyue would cover for him. The problem was where she laid the blame and how she would respond to others involved in the matter. Her responses were often extreme enough for her Killing God reputation to shine through — not a good name to have in the Capital.
He has no doubt that those three women's families will suffer from her fury. The three women were the Empress's spies. Yinyue hated the Empress more than he did. What Hushiyi worried about was that their Emperor-father may step in if Yinyue went overboard with revenge.
Their Emperor-father was no doting father, like his predecessors. Ruthlessness flowed in their bloodline and ancestry - brother killing brother, father killing son or son killing father. The Emperor had no qualms in killing his own children if they threaten his authority.
"You haven't seen her when she's furious," Hushiyi replied. And the mistakes she would make out of anger, he recounted the pattern of her past actions.
Yinyue burnt down a total of five officials' residence down, torched over ten bandits' hideouts burning them alive, razed City of Luoran to the ground and the latest news from Hushiyi's scouts — she sunk Huqi's ships by setting fire to them. Things burn in her fury.
If Hushiyi didn't clean up the aftermath, the next time a large fire started, others may point a finger at her.
He could only thank his lucky stars that Yinyue was too far from Huangcheng. She kept grudges, like an accountant, biding her time to calculate any scores.
If the Emperor summoned her into Huangcheng the next time, he had little doubt that those officials' residences will go up in flames, together with her political standing in the Capital.
Chiyin pointed to the slash tear on his shoulder sleeve, distracting Hushiyi from his thoughts. "I did. She shot three arrows at me… and sent three of her guards to chase. I don't think she did it for fun."
Hushiyi stared at the optimistic look on Chiyin's face in disbelief. He clutched his head while Chiyin rambled on about how she spotted him hiding in the trees. Their uncle still didn't know the meaning of her reaction.
It was a final warning about stretching her patience. Next time, it may be flaming arrows.
"She could've killed me, but I think it's a deliberate miss."
Hushiyi rolled his eyes.
"Did you dodge?"
Chiyin scrunched his face up. "Of course!"
Hushiyi shook his head, feeling sorry for Chiyin's naiveness, but he couldn't find the energy to explain further.
"You better let me know what else you did," Hushiyi said.
"Tested a powder to attract wild beasts," Chiyin said.
Hushiyi widened his eyes and smack his forehead. "Let me guess, it didn't go so well because most of the BIG predators are still in hibernation."
Nothing good came out from his uncle's random experiments. Chiyin never considered the other factors like environment or even the animal behaviors, only trying powders or potions at a whim. All because he thought it was a good idea to.
All Hushiyi wanted was a carriage overturned and falling off a ravine. It didn't matter how long before others found the bodies. Months were even better, given that the signs of the wounds would have disappeared as the corpses decomposed.
What he got was a big stink over what should have been an easy job.
"It created a stench."
"And?" Hushiyi asked, waiting for more bad news.
"Well, some nosy villagers went to investigate, but that's when Yinyue arrived."
Hushiyi felt faint at his reply. Chiyin didn't make things better, he only made things worse. Now villagers are involved. He regretted asking Chiyin for help.