Su Wuke had never liked Wu Ciyun in the past.
The Su Family had lived in Jiangzhou for generations, and a few years ago, when he went to the capital to visit his younger sister, he caught a glimpse of Wu Ciyun.
Even back then, he felt that this youth was far too calculating for his age.
Later, when the Wu Family was wiped out, Wu Ciyun managed to escape by betraying her mentor.
This only made Su Wuke see her as even more treacherous and untrustworthy, and he looked down on her with utter contempt.
After Chu Mingyi entered the city, he humiliated Wu Ciyun in every way possible.
Su Wuke had heard about this but couldn’t be bothered to intervene.
He even gave orders that no one else should meddle in this affair, leaving only that fool of a Rui Prince’s Attendant to run around in circles.
But he never could have imagined that there was another side to what happened back then.
Wu Ciyun’s act of clinging to life was not out of cowardice, but out of a willingness to endure humiliation for the sake of raising these two orphans.
Su Wuke took a close look at the siblings, then glanced again at Wu Ciyun not far away. His feelings grew complicated.
Now, the siblings were healthy and well, while Wu Ciyun appeared frail and thin, long gone was the vibrant spirit of those days riding through the streets on horseback.
The System could see that Su Wuke’s gaze toward Wu Ciyun was full of regret, pity, and respect, clearly having imagined a whole host of dramatic events on his own.
Even if Wu Ciyun had just ordered a string of heads to be cut off and skewered like candied hawthorns, he still saw her as a gentle, resilient little white flower.
Just then, a cold wind blew in from outside, and the “delicate as a willow” Wu Ciyun couldn’t help but cough twice.
Wu Mingzhu quickly trotted over and shut the window, earnestly saying, “Big Brother, why did you open the window? Housekeeper Rong said you can’t be exposed to the wind right now.”
“It’s nothing, the room was just too stuffy, so I opened the window to let in some air.”
Wu Ciyun noticed Su Wuke staring at her and spoke up, “After the incident, I had wanted to send the two children to the Su Family, but I heard Jiangzhou hasn’t been peaceful these past years. Plus, His Majesty has been keeping a close watch, so I could only keep it secret for now. I hope General Su won’t blame me.”
“You did the right thing. Otherwise, it would have brought even more trouble. I should be the one thanking you.”
Su Wuke knew Wu Ciyun had opened the window for his sake, which only made his guilt deepen.
He thought to himself, If my actions cause her illness to worsen, wouldn’t that be a case of repaying kindness with ingratitude?
“With your health so poor, what medicine do you take daily? There’s an old physician who serves me and is quite skilled. Why not let him take a look at you?”
Wu Ciyun declined politely, “Thank you, General Su, but this is just an old ailment I’ve had for years. It’s nothing serious, and I’ll recover by spring.”
Actually, the physician Chu Mingyi sent recently had already made her suspicious.
She had no desire to invite another doctor in who might uncover her secrets and add to her troubles.
Hearing that Wu Ciyun’s illness was an old one only made Su Wuke feel more distressed and even more certain of his assumptions.
He said gently, “If you don’t mind, from now on you can call me Uncle. We’re all family, there’s no need to be so distant.”
“Uncle is absolutely right.”
Wu Ciyun readily changed her address, smiling as she said, “If Uncle is free, why not stay for a meal and spend some time with Mingzhu and Liangyu?”
Su Wuke naturally agreed at once. Seeing this, Wu Ciyun simply took the opportunity to have him take the two children outside to play in the snow. Once the three of them happily left the Study, she finally said, “A Ming, add two more braziers.”
Her constitution was cold, and she had always been sensitive to the chill.
Just now, as she went through the official documents, her hands had gone stiff from the cold.
Wu Ciyun gently rubbed her icy fingers for quite a while before they finally felt a bit warmer.
The Frost Jade Prayer Beads that Wu Mingzhu had just slipped onto her wrist felt cool to the touch.
Wu Ciyun took them off for a closer look, noting their excellent quality—clearly no ordinary trinket—then put them back on her wrist.
Anyone else would surely think this was a token of affection, or perhaps a subtle hint about her identity.
But Wu Ciyun only had one thought: if a valuable item is delivered to your door for free, why not accept it?
She had someone bring in a Fox Fur Coat.
Wrapping herself in its warmth, Wu Ciyun continued to go through the documents on her desk.
Today, she had executed all the officials Prince Rui had tried to win over.
With half the key posts in Ning Prefecture now vacant, she simply filled them all with her own people, not caring in the least whether this would anger Prince Rui.
“Is My Lady in the Study?”
The soldier who came to deliver a message asked the servant before hurrying inside, respectfully saying, “Reporting, My Lady, Wuzhou has surrendered voluntarily.”
“So soon?”
Wu Ciyun was momentarily stunned, her voice turning cold. “Explain in detail.”
“Yesterday, Cui Governor burned all the provisions sent from Ping Su. The Imperial Court’s main commander, Zuocan, believed Cui Governor was taking personal revenge, and that night used Wuzhou’s supposed disloyalty as an excuse to launch a full assault.”
“Absurd! What’s the current situation in Wuzhou?”
Wu Ciyun’s brows furrowed tightly at this.
Although she had planned to incite infighting between Zuocan and Cui Wenhua, intending to reap the benefits, she hadn’t expected Zuocan to be even more reckless than she’d thought.
“Replying to My Lady, Cui Governor had already ordered the city defenses strengthened a few days ago. Wuzhou is perfectly fine.”
Wu Ciyun paused for a moment upon hearing this, then chuckled lightly and sighed, “I truly underestimated my Senior Brother Cui.”
She had thought Cui Wenhua would remain blindly loyal to the end, so she’d planned to cut off his retreat and force him to surrender.
But now, it seemed the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Cui Wenhua had already intended to surrender, but if he did so outright, the historians of later generations would surely criticize him.
Better to be “forced to rebel” as he was today—this way, his reputation would be preserved.
Wuzhou’s reluctance to send aid was likely not due to a lack of supplies, but Cui Wenhua’s deliberate ploy.
The soldier hesitated, then added, “When Cui Governor surrendered, he had one request for My Lady.”
“What is it?”
“Cui Governor says that if Zuocan can be captured alive, he asks My Lady to hand him over for punishment.”
Wu Ciyun raised her brows at this.
“I’ve already given orders about that. Since Lord Cui brings it up again today, so be it. Go inform Assistant General Chen: if anyone in the Xiaoyu Army can capture Zuocan alive, they’ll be rewarded with a hundred gold.”
The soldier accepted the order and left.
A Ming, seeing him come out, hurried into the Study.
“My Lady, General Chu of Liang has arrived.”
“There’s never a moment’s peace around here. What’s he come for now…”
Wu Ciyun gathered her Fox Fur Coat around herself and frowned.
“Let him in.”
Today, two major events had shaken Ning Prefecture: one was the public execution of corrupt officials, which brought great satisfaction to the people; the other was Wuzhou’s voluntary surrender without a single soldier lost.
Chu Mingyi had originally thought the first matter was Prince Rui’s doing, but upon closer inquiry, he realized it was also Wu Ciyun’s handiwork.
According to the spies he’d planted in the Wu residence, the Rui Prince’s Attendant had parted ways with Wu Ciyun today because of this.
He’d wanted to recruit Wu Ciyun anyway, so he simply seized the excuse to come to the Wu residence.
The moment Wu Ciyun saw Chu Mingyi, she remembered the lock of hair he’d cut from her, and her expression grew noticeably cold.
“I wonder what brings the General here today?”
“I heard My Lady’s health has improved and that you executed the corrupt officials swiftly today, so I came to pay my respects.”
Chu Mingyi placed the cage he’d brought on the table and casually lifted the cloth covering it.
“I’ve just acquired a Han Hao Bird. It’s for your younger siblings to play with.”
A clever Flying Squirrel with big eyes was locked in the cage.
Chu Mingyi stuffed a pine nut inside, and it immediately grabbed it and began munching away.
Wu Ciyun frowned at the sound, glancing over at the “gift” Chu Mingyi had brought, and her body stiffened.
Her face went pale, and she instinctively clutched her Fox Fur Coat tighter, her voice cold.
“Thank you, General Chu, but my younger brother and sister don’t like these things. You’d better take it back.”
Chu Mingyi had only wanted to bring something novel for the children, but seeing Wu Ciyun’s strange reaction, he was taken aback and said with a puzzled look, “You’re not afraid of mice, are you?”
That day, Wu Ciyun had scolded him as a “rodent” in the snow with great vigor.
How could she now be so timid in front of a real rodent?
The System was also surprised—who would have thought that Wu Ciyun, who could behead people without blinking, would have such a weakness?
Wu Ciyun pressed her lips together, refusing to explain.
The sight of the Flying Squirrel in the cage made her feel waves of nausea, her stomach churning.
Just seeing this Flying Squirrel brought her back to when she was seven.
With not a grain of food left in the house, her family had starved for four or five days, and only the rats still rummaged through boxes at night.
She woke in the middle of the night to the sound of crunching.
By the moonlight outside, she saw her parents staring hungrily at her and her brother, chewing on half a dead rat, blood dripping from their lips.
At that moment, the way they looked at her was the way one looked at a mouse to be slaughtered.
Or rather, they had already become mice—capable of anything, so long as it filled their bellies.
Chu Mingyi tried to explain the Flying Squirrel, opening the cage and grabbing it out, then tossing it lightly in the air. “This is a Flying Squirrel, not an ordinary pest. It can fly.”
The Flying Squirrel spread its wings the moment it was airborne, escaping Chu Mingyi’s grasp and gliding straight toward Wu Ciyun.
Wu Ciyun’s expression changed dramatically.
She instinctively stood up and stepped back so forcefully she nearly knocked over her chair.
The Flying Squirrel landed right on her, darting nimbly into her Fox Fur Coat.
Wu Ciyun was startled, struggling violently as if she’d been burned.
Chu Mingyi was startled as well and rushed forward to catch the Flying Squirrel.
But Wu Ciyun was struggling so fiercely—just like a slippery fish—that he couldn’t even touch her.
He used a bit more force, and unexpectedly, he snapped the Frost Jade Prayer Beads from Wu Ciyun’s wrist.
The beads scattered all over the floor with a clatter. Wu Ciyun, afraid he’d touch something he shouldn’t, shouted angrily, “Chu Mingyi! Let go of me right now!”
“Stop moving, I’m trying to find out where it went…”
Chu Mingyi, seeing that Wu Ciyun wasn’t cooperating, had no choice but to force her down onto the desk and reach for her Fox Fur Coat.
“What are you two doing?!”
A furious shout suddenly interrupted his movements.
Su Wuke stood at the door with Wu Mingzhu and Wu Liangyu.
Seeing the scene inside, his eyes nearly popped from their sockets.
Without another word, he rushed in and pulled Chu Mingyi away.
Wu Mingzhu had made a little snowman to show Wu Ciyun, so Su Wuke brought the two children back with him.
But the moment he opened the Study door, he saw Chu Mingyi pinning Wu Ciyun down and even starting to undress her.
Remembering what Chu Mingyi had done on his second day in the city, Su Wuke felt he’d understood everything.
No wonder Chu Mingyi had been so inexplicably harsh to Wu Ciyun—it turned out this scoundrel was lusting after her and planned to do something indecent!
In a fit of rage, Su Wuke raised his fist to punch Chu Mingyi without hesitation.
Chu Mingyi dodged awkwardly and protested, “I was catching a Flying Squirrel for him!”
Su Wuke was so infuriated by this ridiculous excuse that he nearly laughed.
He drew his sword and slashed at Chu Mingyi. “Damn you! You really are a rat!”
Wu Ciyun finally broke free from Chu Mingyi.
With trembling hands, she undid her Fox Fur Coat and tossed it aside.
The big-eyed Flying Squirrel crawled out and leapt onto the table with a plop.
Wu Mingzhu blinked in surprise.
“Wow, the little mouse can fly!”
Chu Mingyi, in the midst of imitating the Qin Emperor’s Style: “……”
Su Wuke, chasing after Chu Mingyi with his sword: “……”
So he really was catching a mouse?!