"Xin'er, don't talk nonsense. Miss Ye's mastery of the qin is so profound; surely her poetry and songs are equally excellent." A gentle voice interrupted the woman's impending words.
Ye Lanshan turned to look at the source of the voice. Hands soft as tender shoots, skin like congealed fat, neck long as a beetle larva, teeth like gourd seeds, a cicada-like forehead and moth-like eyebrows—truly a beautiful woman. But upon closer inspection, her brows were lightly furrowed, and her eyes hid a certain scheming. She was merely a woman of the inner court, full of cunning and deep calculation.
Ye Lanshan had no interest in contending with someone like this. She had come today to probe Sun Chenbo's intentions, but before she could uncover anything, she had already stirred up so much trouble. How infuriating.
"Sister." The woman turned, stomping her foot in anger, but seeing the threat in her sister's eyes, she swallowed her words.
"Lu Qingse, what you said isn't quite right. Maybe Ye Lanshan really only knows how to play the qin?" Ding Yuming instinctively retorted upon hearing her words.
"I once heard Ye Siyu say that Miss Ye's paintings are exquisite. Why not do me a favor and paint one on the spot for us to admire?"
"No." Ye Lanshan leaned against a pillar, frowning as she pondered how to escape this place.
Lu Ranxin chimed in from the side, "See? I told you, Ye Lanshan can't do anything besides play the qin."
Instantly, the others' gazes toward Ye Lanshan gradually turned dismissive.
Seeing the crowd's reaction, Lu Qingse revealed a faint smile. *Ye Lanshan, I'll make you pay for causing Ye Siyu's death. Even if your qin playing is flawless, if you lack the other six arts, these people will still mock you.*
*But this is just the first step. I'll slowly destroy you.*
Ye Lanshan noticed the venomous, vicious look in Lu Qingse's eyes and couldn't help but shiver. She thought to herself, *I don't think I've offended this person. Why does she look at me so chillingly? Could it be that she hates me just because I refused her request and embarrassed her?*
Even so, Ye Lanshan had no intention of compromising and painting for them.
While the others recited poetry and matched couplets, Ye Lanshan sat off to the side, utterly bored.
If she was so bored, why didn't she leave? Because the Jingsu Pavilion took the Tea Flower Festival very seriously. During the event, top-tier guards were stationed to prevent anyone from entering or leaving. So she was trapped here until the tea party ended.
During this time, a few others who didn't believe Ye Lanshan could only play the qin tried to engage her in conversation, hoping to spar with her. But Ye Lanshan grew impatient, brushing them off with curt refusals, and they soon lost their patience.
Finally, the Tea Flower Festival ended. Ye Lanshan stretched lazily and prepared to leave. But the moment she took her first step, she felt her mystical power begin to fade. She frowned, confused about what was happening.
Sun Chenbo noticed Ye Lanshan's brisk steps falter and knew the drug had taken effect. He smiled with satisfaction.
"You're Ye Lanshan, right? Someone paid me to kill you." A masked black-clad figure appeared before her.
"So?" Ye Lanshan showed no surprise at the assassin's sudden appearance. After all, since arriving on this continent, she had encountered plenty of black-clad figures, so she was long accustomed to it.
"So, sorry, but you have to die today." The assassin struck a cool pose as he said this.
"Heh, I've faced countless assassins since I was young, and none have ever killed me. Do you really think you can?" Ye Lanshan pulled a talisman from her spatial storage and smiled brightly at the killer.
"Since I started my career, I've never failed. So today, you're as good as dead." The assassin was confident in his skills.
"But if you can't move, how will you kill me?" Before the assassin could act, Ye Lanshan swiftly pressed the talisman onto his shoulder.
"What is this? What kind of sorcery have you used on me?" The assassin's confidence turned to panic.
"A dead man doesn't need to know." With that, Ye Lanshan drew a dagger and sliced off the assassin's head.
If she still couldn't guess Sun Chenbo's intentions by now, she'd be a fool. But what puzzled her was why he had tried to court her earlier if he wanted her dead.
None of that mattered now. The priority was figuring out why Sun Chenbo wanted her dead.
In her spatial space, Ye Lanshan struggled to expel the poison. She hadn't expected such a peculiar toxin to exist in this place.
"Young master, we failed. An was killed by Ye Lanshan." Sun Chenbo had been waiting for good news from An, only to hear of his death.
"How is that possible? I clearly saw Ye Lanshan drink that wine. How could she still use her mystical power to kill An?" Sun Chenbo refused to believe it.
"There were no signs of a struggle. An was killed by a dagger."
"Understood. You may go." Sun Chenbo realized he couldn't kill Ye Lanshan alone, so he reported everything to Xiao Li, since both pursuing and killing Ye Lanshan had been Xiao Li's orders.
"Alright, I understand. Go back first." Xiao Li showed no shock upon hearing the news, merely dismissing Sun Chenbo calmly.
"What a hassle." Xiao Li used his influence in the palace to send assassins after Ye Lanshan. This time, both Xiao Li's men and Lu Qingse's people were involved.
Ye Lanshan had no idea what she had done to offend Lu Qingse, driving her to such relentless pursuit.
"If you can't kill Ye Lanshan this time, don't bother coming back!" Xiao Li angrily smashed his teacup.
"Don't be angry, my lord. With your profound mystical power, if you go yourself, Ye Lanshan won't escape," a concubine entered to console him.
"Patriarch, we've uncovered the assassin's motive from last time. He was directly under Sun Chenbo's orders." A subordinate reported from outside Ye Lanshan's room.
"I asked you to investigate the Sun family's intentions, not the assassin's." A cold, clear voice came from inside the room, startling the subordinate.
"Yes, I'll go investigate immediately." The man hurried off to look into the Sun family's motives.