161. A Man and a Woman Alone, Conversing by Candlelight (Part One)

Xuanzhu Workshop!

As these three words fell, a "bang" rang out as Gu Yuan's hand shook, causing his teacup to drop and shatter into pieces, splashing tea onto the hem of his robe. He stared at Gu Fei, his face turning pale.

Master Gu frowned, displeasure evident on his face, ultimately feeling that a mere craftsman was rather unrefined.

Even the Left Chief Envoy had a trace of disappointment in his eyes. Originally, he had intended to win Gu Yuan over later, but seeing this now, he had no choice but to reconsider.

Gu Fei turned her head to look at him, her face showing confusion. "What is the matter with Master Gu? Why is your complexion looking so poor? Could you be feeling unwell?"

"No," Gu Yuan forced a stiff smile onto his face, looking with an inscrutable expression between Master Gu and the Left Chief Envoy, before bending down himself to pick up the shattered pieces of the teacup. "Pardon me, my mind just wandered for a moment."

Seizing the initiative, Gu Fei waved her hand toward the maid outside the hall and said, "Such menial tasks can be left to the servants, Master Gu. If you were to cut your hand and be unable to make ink for days, the loss would outweigh the gain."

Gu Yuan's movements paused. Half-bent, with his fingertips just touching a piece of porcelain, he heard Gu Fei's words. Even though anger flared in his heart, it was inappropriate to show it, so he could only chuckle dryly to ease the atmosphere.

Instead of being displeased by Gu Fei's usurping the host's role, Master Gu felt that she was reasonable and possessed the poise of a young lady from a prestigious family. The more he looked at her, the more he felt she truly lived up to being someone favored by Elder Feng. Not a single word or action of hers could be faulted. Compared to her, Gu Yuan, despite also being an ink-making master, instantly paled in comparison.

Imperceptibly, Master Gu's thoughts had been swayed by Gu Fei, and the same was true for the Left Chief Envoy.

Gu Fei understood the mindset of these people of noble birth all too well. It was better to appear generous and polite in front of them—even if slightly audacious—than to be petty and restrained.

This small incident passed, and the group began to chat idly about ink balls. No matter what topic Master Gu brought up, Gu Fei could seamlessly keep the conversation going. In terms of knowledge, Gu Yuan was simply incomparable. Consciously or unconsciously, Gu Fei guided the topic toward her own areas of expertise and managed to extract a great deal of information from Master Gu and the Left Chief Envoy regarding the upcoming selection of tribute ink.

It was not until dinnertime that the group finally paused.

Master Gu's residence had its own chef, and the meal prepared was exceptionally exquisite. Even Gu Fei, who was usually indifferent to culinary desires, partook of quite a bit. While eating, she naturally did not forget to cozy up to Master Gu. Noticing the dishes he slightly favored, she never forgot to serve him a small portion.

The meal left Master Gu beaming with joy. Coupled with the witty banter of the Left Chief Envoy, the three of them enjoyed a harmonious atmosphere, while Gu Yuan was completely left out in the cold.

After the meal, Mother Ku, who had hurried away earlier, returned holding an ink box. Gu Fei took it and presented it directly to Master Gu.

The Left Chief Envoy tried to take a peek, but Master Gu blocked him with a sweep of his sleeve. Acting like a mischievous child, Master Gu secretly opened the ink box for a private glance. Who would have thought that at just a single look, his expression would freeze, his brows furrow, and a deep, gloomy look would appear in his eyes?

The Left Chief Envoy was about to ask when, unexpectedly, Master Gu snapped the ink box shut, instructed someone to take it to the study for safekeeping, and calmly asked Gu Fei a few more questions about ink-making.

After Gu Fei answered, Master Gu had Gu Yuan answer them as well in the same manner. In the end, he neither praised nor criticized, but merely stroked the tips of his beard, smilingly said he was tired, and asked the three of them to leave first.

The three bid their farewells. The Left Chief Envoy and Gu Fei walked out together, with Gu Yuan trailing at the very back.

Back on the streets of South Market, Gu Fei was about to leave when the Left Chief Envoy grabbed her by the arm. The two bowed in farewell to Gu Yuan, and only after watching Gu Yuan walk out of sight did the Left Chief Envoy ask, "Miss Gu, would you now be willing to tell me what was inside the ink box given to Master Gu?"

Gu Fei raised an eyebrow, eyeing him with a half-smile. "What's inside the ink box is naturally ink balls."

The Left Chief Envoy shook his head, convinced that Gu Fei was stalling him. "Miss Gu, that lacks sincerity. Since you and I have an alliance first, it would be best if Miss Gu didn't hide too many things. Take today's affair, for instance—if I hadn't brought you along, how else could you have gained a convenient ' Grandpa Gu'?"

Gu Fei sneered, instantly dropping any further pretense. "In that case, should Ah Fei be moved to tears of gratitude toward Young Master Gu?"

The Left Chief Envoy shook his index finger. "No, Young Master Zuo merely feels that he cannot see through Miss Gu at this moment, leaving him feeling uneasy."

At this, he paused, then continued, "Over the past few days, Young Master Zuo has already been preparing for the ink competition against Mo Qingge. This matter is of vital importance to me and allows for not the slightest margin of error. If I don't know Miss Gu's foundation, I'd rather break our alliance and call off the competition. After all, Mo Qingge has been plaguing Young Master Zuo for more than a day or two."

Narrowing her apricot eyes, Gu Fei glanced sideways at the Left Chief Envoy. She had underestimated this man's resolve.

After a moment of silent deliberation, she stated flatly, "Since Young Master insists on knowing, then follow Ah Fei."

With that, Gu Fei signaled Mother Ku to push the wheelchair and led the Left Chief Envoy toward Xuanzhu Workshop. Xuanzhu Workshop was located right in the South Market, not far from Master Gu's residence.

Gu Fei led him into a private room, casually flipped open the ink ball catalog on the desk, pointed to the design of one of the ink balls, and motioned for the Left Chief Envoy to look for himself.

The Left Chief Envoy had seen many ink ball shops, but he had truly never seen one like Xuanzhu Workshop. He was intensely curious about the catalog Gu Fei showed him, but the moment he looked at it, his expression changed. At a single glance, he realized that the ink ball pattern on one of the pages was identical to the ink ball Gu Yuan had produced today.

He asked in startled doubt, "What is the meaning of this?"

Gu Fei let out a light scoff. "Just as Your Excellency sees it—it means exactly that."

The Left Chief Envoy was a clever man. Upon rethinking Master Gu's attitude toward Gu Yuan earlier and his loss of composure upon seeing the ink box Gu Fei presented, he had a vague suspicion in his heart, though he dared not boldly confirm it.

Seeing through his thoughts, Gu Fei stated bluntly, "It is precisely as Young Master imagines."

The Left Chief Envoy was greatly shocked. He sprang to his feet, nearly overturning the teacup on the desk. "So that ink ball of Gu Yuan's was made by you, Miss?"

Gu Fei nodded and spread her hands, confirming his words.

The Left Chief Envoy drew a sharp breath, suddenly feeling that this Gu Yuan was simply too daring. "Why didn't you expose him on the spot during the gathering just now?"

Hearing this, Gu Fei looked at the Left Chief Envoy as if he were a fool. At this point, she was too lazy to even offer an explanation.

The moment he finished speaking, the Left Chief Envoy abruptly came to his senses. He self-consciously sat back down, and before long, his attention was captured once again by the ink ball catalog. Flipping through it from cover to cover, unable to hide the excitement on his face, he patted the catalog and asked Gu Fei, "Can you make all the ink balls in this catalog?"

Gu Fei nodded once more. This time she did not conceal anything—after all, only if she possessed greater value would the Left Chief Envoy be more willing to join forces with her against Mo Qingge. "To be precise, throughout the entire Great Yin, only I can make them."

These words sounded immensely arrogant, yet as they reached the Left Chief Envoy's ears, and as he looked into Gu Fei's exceptionally clear-cut, black-and-white eyes, a strange sensation arose in his heart, as if it was only right for Gu Fei to be this way.

"Very well!" The Left Chief Envoy felt his heart surging with excitement. "I will head back right now and immediately issue an invitation for an ink competition to Mo Qingge."

"No, I still need to plan this carefully," the Left Chief Envoy muttered to himself a moment later. "To prevent anyone from meddling, no one should be allowed in or out during the days the ink is being made, and we must find a secure location..."

As he spoke, he fell deep into thought, completely forgetting where he was.

Gu Fei did not disturb him. Her mind, however, was dwelling on a completely different matter: today's Gu Yuan was truly suspicious. Moreover, she had heavily overshadowed him; he was likely hating her to the core right now. Coupled with the recent string of murdered ink-making masters—

"I have it!"

"I have it!"

Two voices rang out simultaneously. The Left Chief Envoy looked at Gu Fei and suddenly smiled. Because of this smile, his refined face became a bit more handsome. "Miss, you say your idea first."

Gu Fei shook her head. "No, Young Master, you go first."

The Left Chief Envoy didn't mind. He picked up his teacup, took a leisurely sip, and said, "How about we hold the ink competition on a painted boat, Miss?"

Such a proposal was unheard of. Gu Fei frowned in thought and said with a cryptic air, "Let's just hope the painted boat doesn't end up sinking to the bottom of the lake. I can't swim, you know."

The Left Chief Envoy shook his head. "Naturally, I will make thorough preparations."

Despite the Left Chief Envoy's assurances, Gu Fei felt that, given Mo Qingge's temperament, if he failed to win in the end, he would most likely resort to sinking the boat. However, seeing the Left Chief Envoy's utter confidence, she didn't press the matter further and instead brought up what she had been thinking about earlier: "If Ah Fei remembers correctly, Young Master Zuo's esteemed father is Lord Zuo Qing, the Censor-in-Chief of Great Jing?"

The Left Chief Envoy nodded. "Correct."

Gu Fei smiled, her expression meaningful. "Ah Fei knows that the Censor-in-Chief only censures court officials and does not meddle in matters of Great Jing's security. But what if Ah Fei guarantees that Lord Zuo will solve the case of the ink-making masters who have been murdered one after another in Great Jing over the past few days tonight? I wonder if Young Master has the confidence to persuade your esteemed father to intervene?"

The Left Chief Envoy frowned. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head and said, "It will be very difficult. To not hide it from you, Miss, my father is extremely stubborn."

In truth, Gu Fei had not really expected Zuo Qing to agree; after all, if Zuo Qing were to intervene in this matter, he might well offend other court officials. Thus, she retreated to a second option: "Then how about Ah Fei invites Young Master to have a heart-to-heart talk by candlelight tonight in my courtyard at Wuyi Lane?"

The Left Chief Envoy was momentarily stunned. He looked at Gu Fei, realizing she wasn't joking. A nocturnal tryst between a young man and an unmarried woman sounded rather romantic no matter how one thought of it. Feeling awkward, he coughed lightly, averted his gaze, the skin at the base of his ears turning slightly warm beneath his sideburns. "Miss, this is inappropriate, highly inappropriate. A lone man and woman meeting at night—if word gets out, it will harm your reputation..."

Gu Fei wore an expression of utter disdain. Flicking away a nonexistent speck of dust from her sleeve hem, she said indifferently, "Where has Young Master's mind wandered? When you come over tonight, Ah Fei would advise you to quietly bring along the bailiffs from the Censorate."

The Left Chief Envoy was utterly perplexed. Since when did a midnight chat require bringing court bailiffs along?

Gu Fei let out a cold snort, secretly holding his intellect in contempt. Compared to You Hu, this Zuo Qing's son was far inferior; he practically forced her to spell things out to understand, which was thoroughly exhausting.

Reaching out to rub her temples, she restrained her temper and was forced to explain, "If my calculations are correct, tonight, that heinous fiend will most likely make a move against Ah Fei."

The Left Chief Envoy was startled. He understood Gu Fei well enough to know she would not make unfounded claims, forcing him to take her seriously. "Are you certain?"

Gu Fei nodded. "Nine times out of ten."

The Left Chief Envoy stood up, pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back. "Alright, I'll head back right now, gather a few more men, and wait at Wuyi Lane to catch the rabbit by the stump."

Having finally talked him through it, Gu Fei nodded and added one last piece of advice out of lingering concern, "This matter must be handled in strict secrecy. Do not let outsiders find out."

The Left Chief Envoy waved his hand to indicate he understood, already striding away in a hurry. After all, Gu Fei's safety was tied to the ink competition against Mo Qingge a few days hence; he could not afford to take it lightly.

Only then did Ziyuan enter the room. Having overheard everything Gu Fei had just said, she hesitated for a long time before finally speaking, "Miss, should this servant go hire a few skilled fighters right now?"

"No," Gu Fei refused. "The men the Left Chief Envoy brings will be enough. In the courtyard, we still have You Er, Mother Ku, and Bailu. It will be fine. Tonight, I am going to catch the turtle in the jar!"