The next morning, Hu Shi was still staying dutifully beside Old Lady He, and Yi Qing showed no sign of anything amiss.
After breakfast, as she was tidying up the bowls and chopsticks, Yi Qing saw Hu Shi chatting with Old Lady He. She lowered her voice and called Deng Xiao in the yard, "Come here. I need to talk to you."
Unexpectedly, Deng Xiao waved his hand, signaling her not to speak, and pointed at the room.
Yi Qing felt extremely frustrated.
Hadn't they agreed last night to deal with Hu Shi?
She was eager to go home.
Maybe out of guilt, Deng Xiao didn't meet her eyes and walked straight into the room.
Yi Qing wiped the water off her hands on her skirt and followed him in.
Inside the room, Hu Shi was in the middle of a passionate monologue, and Old Lady He was on the verge of tears. The sight made Yi Qing want to type "666" frantically.
"… She asked her husband for a divorce letter, told him to remarry, instructed the children to be obedient, and then resolutely left home to avenge her father."
Tsk tsk tsk. Wasn't this exactly Hu Shi's own story?
Question one: Did she really bother to tell her husband to remarry? Did he really need her advice? Would he never remarry without her?
Question two: By telling Old Lady He all this, was she really not trying to provoke Deng Xiao? Was she really not afraid that Deng Xiao would lose his temper?
Old Lady He seemed to empathize deeply. Wiping away her tears, she choked out, "Poor child. Life has been so hard on you. It's all that evil eunuch's fault, sowing discord."
See? This innocent old lady was completely led astray.
Yi Qing saw Deng Xiao's hand clench tightly inside his sleeve. She really wanted to interview him about his current feelings. She even had a bit of a perverse curiosity, wondering how Old Lady He would react if she knew the truth.
Yi Qing simply grabbed a small stool and sat down, propping her chin up and listening intently to Hu Shi's sob - story.
Whenever Hu Shi got to the emotional part, Old Lady He would shed a few tears in perfect harmony.
Every time this happened, Yi Qing couldn't help but look at Deng Xiao. Seeing his frustrated expression, she couldn't hold back her laughter.
She had to bury her face in her knees, shaking with laughter.
Old Lady He pointed at her shaking figure and said, "Look. I knew this child was as kind - hearted and soft - hearted as I am. Hey, Xiao Qing, stop crying. Storybooks are all lies."
Yi Qing was laughing like a fool.
They're all lies. So your tears are worthless, huh?
Deng Xiao knew the woman was laughing and gritted his teeth in anger. Worried that Hu Shi might detect something, he roughly grabbed Yi Qing and dragged her out, saying, "I'll take her out to calm down. I don't want her to make Mother cry even more."
"Hey, Deng Xiao," Yi Qing gasped for breath between laughs, "Are you really your mother's own son? You weren't adopted, were you?"
Deng Xiao roared, "Shut up!"
They were now far enough from the yard that he could roar without worry.
"Fine then," Yi Qing said. "I'll stop laughing. But look, it's easy for me to give myself away here. Why don't you let me go?"
"Don't even think about it," Deng Xiao said. "You're not leaving until my mother recovers."
Yi Qing said, "… Then what do you plan to do? Not deal with Hu Shi? What if it takes two or three years for your mother to fully recover? Am I supposed to stay here all that time?"
"I can't touch her. Until I'm sure what you said is true, I can't touch her. I can't gamble with my mother's life."
Yi Qing suddenly had a bad feeling because she didn't detect any hint of joking in his words.
"Deng Xiao, what do you plan to do?" Her face turned cold.
"Give me the medicine. I'll find someone to test it…"
"Don't even think about it!" Yi Qing flatly refused. "I made it very clear to you yesterday. I will never give it to you."
"You don't have a choice," Deng Xiao said like a ferocious beast finally showing its fangs, his voice filled with killing intent. "Yi Qing, don't push me."
Yi Qing looked at him, her gaze unflinching. "You can try to push me! I think I have a few bones that can withstand the test."
Deng Xiao was hesitant to act against Hu Shi. Would he really harm the only possible savior?
No, he wouldn't.
His mother was his Achilles' heel, and Yi Qing saw it clearly, so she was fearless.
"If you're like this," Deng Xiao softened his tone a bit, "it's very difficult for me."
"That's your problem," Yi Qing said. "If I were you, I'd definitely choose to believe me. At least, I have no conflict of interest with you."
"You're such a cunning woman," Deng Xiao frowned, his eyes full of suspicion.
"I'm cunning, but for you, Hu Shi is a complete villain, an enemy who wants to destroy you. So tell me, who are you going to believe? Whose side are you going to take?"
Deng Xiao clenched his fists tightly at his sides.
"If you don't know how to explain to your mother after getting rid of Hu Shi, maybe I can help."
"No need. I know how to explain it myself."
That was right. After all, deceiving Old Lady He didn't require much skill.
Yi Qing shrugged. "I was overthinking then. I have to advise you. Given Old Lady's current condition, the longer it drags on, the worse it will be for her."
Deng Xiao was silent for a long time. Finally, he seemed to have made a decision. Staring intently at Yi Qing, he said, "If you dare to lie to me, I…"
Yi Qing used her little finger to pick at her ear, clearly not taking his threat seriously.
Seeing her like this, Deng Xiao felt as if he had punched a cotton ball.
Only then did Yi Qing say, "Commander Deng, forgive me for being blunt. You're in a difficult situation now. So you have no choice but to believe me. If you choose to do so, please show me some respect. I'm more likely to be persuaded by kindness than force. When I'm in a bad mood, I might think it's not a big deal to go down together."
"You!"
If someone had told Deng Xiao before that one day he would be rendered speechless by a woman, he would never have believed it. But now, he was truly helpless against the woman in front of him.
"We'll act tonight," Yi Qing said. "I still have a bit of influence with the emperor. As long as you let me go back, I can help save your mother's life. Even if you're to be punished, it won't affect her."
Deng Xiao said, "What influence do you have with the emperor? Why should I believe you?"
"You really want to hear about my relationship with the emperor? I think you're asking for trouble."
Deng Xiao: "…"
Yi Qing continued, "Believe me or not. I don't even trust you. I'm worried you'll turn against me after using me. Commander Deng, please look at the situation clearly. You're the one asking for my help now! I miss my son, so you must act before tonight. This is my ultimatum!"
After saying this, without giving Deng Xiao a chance to speak, she turned around and left, her posture decisive and her attitude unarguable.