RBBPM: Chapter 9 and 10

 Characters:-

Yinzhi/ Ren Xuanzhe/Zuo : MC's friend in past life

Lin Xinlan: MC's mother's close maid

Xiao Mobei: King of Mo

Xu Wenlan: King Mo's friend

Chapter 9: Citation 

"I am not your enemy. I am the one who wants to help you." Xia Chu stared at him, her eyes sincere and gentle.

"Help me?" Yin Zhi sat down mockingly, picked up his wine glass, and drained it in one gulp.

Xia Chu was not bothered by the disdain in his eyes. She tapped her index finger on the table and spoke slowly:
"In Hangzhou, nine years ago, the Ren family was one of the most renowned families. But someone framed them, and Lord Ren was sentenced to beheading. When Lord Ren was in danger, the scholar who grew up with you since childhood pretended to be your corpse and helped you escape from the house. You fled, changed your identity and appearance, and disguised yourself as a slave to enter the kitchen of the Prime Minister's Mansion. All this was to poison Prime Minister Du, wasn’t it?"

With a sharp crack, the cup in Yin Zhi’s hand fell to the ground and shattered.

His face was full of disbelief. That was his secret—how could anyone know? How could this young master know?

"Young Master?" Su Qian'an's voice came from outside the door.

"Nothing," Xia Chu replied.

She reached out and lifted Yin Zhi’s chin, forcing him to meet her gaze. Her eyes grew fierce as she asked, word by word,
"Ren Xuanzhe, your hatred runs deep, but is poisoning Du Hanfei enough?"

"What else can I do?" Ren Xuanzhe roared in despair. "I am alone, living on the edge. Carrying monstrous hatred, burning with a desire for revenge that could destroy the world. I want to bring ruin to his entire household, but I have no means. I even tried poisoning him but failed to find the right opportunity."

"I can help you ruin him and repay your blood with their blood," Xia Chu said firmly.

Ren Xuanzhe’s expression shifted unpredictably. Since receiving the letter, waves of turmoil had shaken his mind. Now, this young master was saying he wanted to help him avenge himself.

This was Du Cheng, the current Prime Minister, powerful enough to cover the sky with one hand.

He couldn’t believe it, but he had to. If this person truly knew his secret, perhaps he really could help him take revenge. Alone and with nothing left to lose, what did he have to fear?

After thinking it through, Ren Xuanzhe made up his mind. Respectfully and humbly, he raised his hand in salute and asked,
"What can you do to help me, young master?"

Xia Chu was pleased with his understanding of the situation.

"I rented a three-story shop. The first floor will be handed over to Su Qian'an, the little brother outside."

Ren Xuanzhe nodded, waiting for her to continue.

"I will give him some weapons and accessories to sell—that will be his disguise. The second floor will be yours, and you can modify it however you like. I want you to sell news."

"Sell news?" Ren Xuanzhe frowned, puzzled.

"Yes, sell news. The Ren family once had good relations with most families in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Though you were young then, as the eldest son, you should know a lot about the family’s connections. After your family’s fall, you investigated and hid in the Prime Minister's Mansion in the capital. Presumably, your gains were considerable."

Ren Xuanzhe began to understand Xia Chu’s meaning, but still hesitated.

"I know many things, but how do you ‘sell’ news? Even if I can sell some, the world is vast—there are always things I don’t know. How do I handle that?"

Xia Chu smiled brightly—her face like a guiding light—and said,
"I’ll let the word spread that you sell information here. Naturally, people will come seeking news, perhaps endlessly. But we will only sell information once a month. The news we sell must meet three conditions:

1. The buyer must pay at least two silver taels, with the price depending on the weight of the news. If they don’t have the courage to pay, we don’t sell.

2. They must make a promise and leave a token. If they fail to fulfil their promise later, we can hold them to it.

3. We only deal with those destined to cross our path.

If you encounter something you don’t know, come ask me."

Ren Xuanzhe listened intently to Xia Chu’s plan, already imagining the wealth and influence it could bring. Millions in profit and many benefits—all backed by tokens to ensure loyalty and power. He had no doubt about Xia Chu’s abilities; if the young boy in front of him could uncover his deepest secrets, he was capable of much more.

"Childe, I have one more question."

"You may ask."

"There may be people in this world who know my name is Ren Xuanzhe, but no one can know my courtesy name."

Xia Chu was momentarily lost in thought. His face overlapped with memories from her previous life. She seemed to see the handsome boy raising his glass in a toast to the bright moon, then turning away to smile bitterly and say,
"Xia Chu, my name is Ren Xuanzhe, and my courtesy name is to be remembered by descendants but never to be spoken aloud. My father probably wanted me to inherit this habit. But now, my whole family is gone..."

"Those who knew are dead. No one in the world knows the truth."

Ren Xuanzhe saw that she would say no more, so he remained silent.

Xia Chu called Su Qian'an in, motioned for him to sit and eat together, and introduced the two men to each other.

"In the future, you will be good brothers, upstairs and downstairs. You must help and take care of each other."

They both nodded and drank together.

"After you return, find an excuse to leave the Prime Minister's Mansion tomorrow. Once outside, remove your disguise, then come to the three-story shop to meet Qian'an. Together, you’ll renovate the second and third floors. On the third floor, hollow out the middle of the surrounding walls and make it look more elegant..."

Both agreed again. Su Qian'an poured a glass of wine for Xia Chu, and they toasted.After the meal, Xia Chu let Ren Xuanzhe leave first. She and Su Qian'an sat for a while before getting up to leave.

After paying the bill, Su Qian'an went outside and saw Xia Chu waiting in the cold wind. He hurried over. "It's cold tonight. Young Master, are you heading home?"

At the beginning of summer, her face was flushed from drinking—delicate, radiant, as if she could drip water. She smiled brightly, dimming the surrounding lights with her glow. "Go back to what house? The lord will take you to visit Qinglou."

Xia Chu waved dismissively and walked off with a proud air.

As they drifted apart, the window of the private room at the Autumn Taste tavern, which was open till now, closed

"Whose son is this?" A low, heavy voice asked. The speaker’s eyelids drooped, long, graceful fingers pinching a wine glass, swirling it slowly. His long eyelashes formed a beautiful arc over his sharp features.

"Well, I don’t really know. It’s strange—who in the capital has such a clever son? With that appearance, in two years, he should be one of the Five Great Gentlemen."

"The Five Great Gentlemen?" The man raised his head, breathing deeply. His gaze was deep and detached, radiating an oppressive presence.

"No. Don’t you know the current Four Great Gentlemen of the capital? Fourth Highness Xiao Yanjun, Seventh Highness Xiao Zimu, Xu Wenlan, and the last one is you, Xiao Mubai, King of Mo."

After saying this, Xu Wenlan noticed Xiao Mubai narrowing his peach blossom eyes and hurriedly added, "In no particular order, of course."

"In this capital, is there even a noble son you don’t know?" Xiao Mubai frowned, thoughtful. 

Xu Wenlan was known for befriending talented and beautiful people. He prided himself on being suave and charming, courting many daughters of the capital's noble families and knowing most of them well. This question sparked his curiosity.

"Is that so? How could there be a boy I don’t know? Maybe I can go ask him directly." Xu Wenlan leaned closer teasingly.

Xiao Mubai considered it, "No need."

"Alright then, shall we go to Qinglou? I heard it just changed owners, and they’ve found two stunning beauties to play piano and sing..." Xu Wenlan’s face moved closer again.

"No, no," Xiao Mubai pushed him away, face full of disgust.

"Xiao Mubai, what’s wrong with you?"

With a swift motion, a chopstick grazed Xu Wenlan’s right cheek and embedded itself in the wall behind him.

Xu Wenlan touched his face, then looked at the chopsticks and quickly said, "Sorry, I didn’t mean it..."

Chapter 10: To the Green House

The night market in the capital was as bright and bustling as daytime—full of excitement.

At the beginning of summer, she and Su Qian'an walked toward the city center and saw the glowing signboard of Yixianglou, adorned with fire trees and silver flowers. The melodious sound of a phoenix flute floated through the air, blending with the night breeze.

"Young Master, do you really want to go in?" Su Qian'an asked hesitantly.

Xia Chu said nothing, hands behind her back, walking confidently inside. Su Qian'an had no choice but to follow.

As they entered, two beautiful girls approached. Xia Chu remained calm and composed, and Su Qian'an followed closely, his heroic demeanour causing the girls to hesitate.

An old woman twisted around, stepping forward with a flattering smile, "Son, are you looking for a lovely girl? Or shall I introduce you to these two, Mama?"

Xia Chu did not respond but simply ordered, "Call Li Xinlan here."

The old woman was surprised, hid her sneer, and quickly sent someone to fetch her.

Moments later, a woman of about forty hurried over.

She looked at Xia Chu cautiously and called, "Young Master Chu?"

Xia Chu nodded. Li Xinlan’s face lit up with joy, and she led Xia Chu to a private room upstairs.

They went up to the innermost room on the right side of the fourth floor. Li Xinlan stepped aside and opened the door. Su Qian'an followed Xia Chu inside. Li Xinlan instructed a young maid to prepare a pot of good Biluochun tea and bring some snacks and fruit plates, then followed them in and closed the door.

"Aunt Li," Xia Chu greeted sweetly, her eyebrows and eyes smiling.

Li Xinlan stepped forward excitedly, grabbing Xia Chu’s hand, "Master Hou sent word this afternoon that you would come tonight. I’ve been waiting."

She glanced at Su Qian'an and paused.

Xia Chu looked at Su Qian'an and said, "I will arrange a girl for you. Which one do you prefer, Huanfei or Yan Thin?"

"No, no, just keep watch outside the house," Su Qian'an said quickly, then rushed out as if afraid of being swallowed by a flood beast.

Li Xinlan watched him go out, then turned to look at Xia Chu carefully, “I’ve been in the mountains all these years. Life’s been good.”

“That’s good. You will be fourteen after the New Year—almost grown up now.”

“Aunt Li, don’t forget—I’m a girl.”

“Yes, young master.”

Xia Chu couldn’t bear to make her sad, so she gently pulled her to sit down and shifted the topic. “This building isn’t bad. I took a cursory look just now—there are quite a few rooms.”

“Yes. Twelve rooms on the first floor, ten on the second, eight on the third, and five on the fourth.”

There was a knock on the door. A servant entered with a plate of tea and fruit.

Once he left and closed the door, Xia Chu's smile faded. Her face turned serious.

“Father should’ve told you why I opened this green building.”

“Yes. The master said the young master wants to use it to gather information.”

“Mhm. So people are key. Train more careful and clever girls. Leave the inquiries to those you trust. As for spreading information—let the girls handle it subtly, through casual conversation.”

“I understand.”

“I’ve got someone who specialises in managing intelligence. I’ll bring him to meet you in a few days. From then on, he’ll deliver messages directly to you.”

Li Xinlan nodded and poured her a cup of tea.

With the formal talk over, Xia Chu visibly relaxed. She started chatting with Li Xinlan about home, asking how she’d been and how things had gone in the house. Li Xinlan answered one by one, sighing at how the baby wrapped in swaddling cloth had grown up so quickly.

Li Xinlan’s eyes turned red. Her voice choked: “If Miss were still here… she’d be so happy to see you like this.”

Xia Chu’s expression shifted slightly.

In her past life, she’d only known that her mother died saving the emperor. She never thought to look further.

This time around, her father told her the truth—the emperor had been poisoned, and her mother used her own body as a medium to detoxify him. She tapped the table with her right index finger—a habit when thinking deeply.

After a moment, she asked, “Aunt Li, do you know what kind of poison my mother was exposed to back then?”

Li Xinlan wiped her eyes and thought carefully.

“I don’t know the exact type, but the young lady once mentioned it came from the Western Regions… something she’d never seen before.”

How did a poison from the Western Regions end up in Xiao Country? Xia Chu frowned.

“The emperor didn’t investigate?”

“He did—but secretly. It concerned the emperor’s health and the stability of the state. They didn’t dare make it public. Still, they searched for a long time in secret, but found nothing—no trace at all.”

“What were the symptoms?”

“The meridians swelled and hardened… and there was vomiting blood. Miss kept vomiting… until her energy and life faded away.”

Li Xinlan’s voice trembled, and tears flowed again.

Xia Chu patted her back gently. The whole affair was far more complex than she’d imagined.

After a while, once Li Xinlan had calmed down, Xia Chu stood up and said, “I’ll keep investigating Mother’s death. Even if she was just caught in the crossfire, whoever unleashed the poison—will not go unpunished.”

Under the warm light of the glass lamp, Li Xinlan looked at Xia Chu. She was only thirteen, yet already so calm and mature. That day, the Marquis had sighed, saying Yunyi had suddenly grown up. She hadn’t believed it then, but now, she saw it was true.

“There’s danger behind all this, young master. Please be careful,” Li Xinlan said, eyes filled with concern.

Xia Chu embraced her.

“I understand. Aunt Li. Take care of yourself too.”

Li Xinlan nodded, a faint, warm smile on her lips as she turned to open the door.

Su Qian’an stood outside, tall and upright, arms crossed, feet shoulder-width apart, his face stern.

Xia Chu turned back to Li Xinlan and said, “No need to see me off. I don’t want to draw attention.”

Li Xinlan nodded and bowed respectfully.

Xia Chu gave Su Qian’an a glance—let’s go. Su Qian’an finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.

On the way back, seeing Xia Chu frowning, he asked carefully, “Young master… are you unhappy?”

“Yes. Just discovered another troublesome matter.”

Su Qian’an didn’t ask further. He knew when the young master called something ‘troublesome,’ it wasn’t something he could help with anyway.

“Tomorrow morning, go to the accounts office and give the silver to Yinzhi. Have him buy a small courtyard to live in.”

“Not living at the estate?”

“No. I don’t want anyone to know that I’m behind him. One can say the second floor was subleased to him. As for the rest, you know nothing.”

“Understood.”

The night was deep. A cold winter wind bit at her face. Xia Chu cupped her hands near her mouth and breathed out a puff of white air, then sped up her steps toward home.

She… feared the cold most of all.