The two girls exchanged glances, finding their mysterious “brother-in-law’s” words rather strange no matter how they interpreted them. But at this point, they had no other choice. They could only blink their wide eyes and stare at the man before them.
Song Qingshu hadn’t expected that after time-traveling to the ancient past, he’d end up giving a pair of young girls a crash course in biology. After a moment of thought, he carefully phrased his explanation: “Faking the ‘fallen red’ is actually quite simple. Empress Pei Man has already placed white silk on the bed. All you need to do is put some blood on it.”
“But… how do we get the blood?” One of the girls flushed crimson, utterly bewildered. How could they possibly produce blood while still remaining virgins?
“Seriously?” Song Qingshu looked at them as if they were aliens. Were they really this clueless? Seeing their genuinely blank expressions, he sighed in frustration. “Give me your hands.”
After much hesitation, the two girls slowly extended their hands. Losing patience, Song Qingshu grabbed their wrists and summoned an invisible sword Qi, pricking their fingers in an instant.
“Ah—!” The sharp pain made them cry out in unison.
They instinctively tried to pull their hands back, but Song Qingshu showed no mercy, keeping a firm grip as he let the blood drip onto the white silk. Only when two crimson blossoms had formed did he finally nod in satisfaction. By then, the girls were already on the verge of tears from the pain.
‘L0litas are cute, but they’re way too delicate,’ Song Qingshu mused inwardly.
Since the trio had deliberately kept their voices low, Empress Pei Man, waiting outside the door, had heard nothing for a long time. Just as her patience was wearing thin, the sudden cries of the two girls made her rejoice. “Success!”
Yet she couldn’t help but wonder—why had their voices overlapped? The thought flickered through her mind briefly before vanishing. Years of wielding power had conditioned her to focus only on results; the details were for underlings to handle. Perhaps that dog-eunuch Xiao Xingguo had been clever enough to use both hands. But who cared about such trivialities?
Song Qingshu was about to call Empress Pei Man in for inspection when he noticed the girls’ flawless, jade-like skin and frowned. “This won’t do. You two look too… clean.”
“Being clean… is bad?” Zhao Hu’er asked blankly.
“Come on, use your brains. You’re supposed to have just been ‘favored’ by the Emperor of the Golden Serpent Camp. How could you come out looking untouched?” After a pause, he added, “Here’s what we’ll do—pinch each other’s skin until there are red marks and bruises. The more, the better.”
Once he explained, the girls understood. Following his instructions, they began pinching the exposed skin on each other’s bodies.
Song Qingshu watched for a moment before shaking his head. “Too gentle. That won’t leave any marks. My apologies.” Without waiting for their reaction, his hands darted out like lightning, striking pressure points all over their bodies.
“Ah—! Brother-in-law, it hurts~!” The girls whimpered, tears welling in their eyes, their pitiful voices trembling.
Song Qingshu’s eyebrow twitched. ‘Could you phrase that any more misleadingly?’ “If it doesn’t hurt, it won’t be convincing,” he retorted dryly.
Just then, Empress Pei Man’s voice came from outside the door. “Your Majesty, it’s getting late. You still have memorials to review.”
Recognizing her disguised impatience, Song Qingshu feigned irritation. “We are well aware.” He then quickly whispered a few final reminders to the girls.
“Your Majesty, as the ruler of the Dynasty, you bear the weight of millions of lives. Do not indulge in debauchery…” Empress Pei Man’s tone grew stern.
Realizing her limit had been reached—and having said all he needed—Song Qingshu replied, “Very well, We shall leave shortly.” Turning back to the girls, he said, “I’m going now. Take care.”
“You too, brother-in-law.” Their eyes brimmed with reluctance. Despite their earlier suspicions, compared to the Golden Serpent Camp’s monstrous men, this enigmatic brother-in-law made them feel infinitely safer.
When Song Qingshu finally emerged at a leisurely pace, Empress Pei Man shot him a glare before rushing behind the curtains. The girls’ startled cries soon followed.
A short while later, the Empress stepped out, looking pleased. “Well done, Xiao Xing,” she whispered.
“Your servant thanks Her Majesty’s praise.” Song Qingshu probed cautiously, “Does Her Majesty have any further tasks for this lowly one?”
“No. Change out of those clothes first.” Empress Pei Man smirked inwardly. ‘I’ve been more than generous—letting a eunuch enjoy the pleasures of two royal princesses. You’ve had enough fortune for a lifetime. Now, it’s time to die quietly.’
Song Qingshu sighed inwardly. Clearly, her next steps didn’t involve Xiao Xingguo. As he changed, he considered sneaking back into Taihe Hall to uncover her plans.
Once he was dressed, Empress Pei Man led him out through a side door and waved toward the shadows. “Escort Xiao Xing… ‘on his way’.”
“Yes.” A guard emerged, lantern in hand, his face expressionless. “This way, Eunuch Xing.”
Song Qingshu’s pupils contracted. Though the man looked ordinary, his light footsteps and steady breathing betrayed his martial prowess. ‘No wonder people crave power. With it comes wealth, women, and even the ability to command experts like this.’
As they ventured deeper into secluded paths, Song Qingshu feigned confusion. “Brother Guard, are we lost?”
“No. This is a shortcut,” the guard replied coldly without turning.
‘A shortcut to the Yellow Springs, more like.’
Song Qingshu sneered inwardly. Of course Empress Pei Man wouldn’t let him live after impersonating the Emperor. He had anticipated this—just not so soon.
‘”One night of ‘marital bliss’ should earn a hundred days of grace.” How ruthless women can be.’ Of course, he didn’t know that in Empress Pei Man’s eyes, he had always been just a eunuch—she believed someone else had taken his place that night.
The guard halted abruptly. “Why have we stopped?” Song Qingshu asked innocently.
“Because we’ve arrived.”
“Brother Guard jests. My quarters are still quite a distance away.” Song Qingshu feigned unease while bracing himself.
“This is where you meet your end!”
The moment the words left the guard’s lips, a blinding flash of cold steel sliced through the air toward Song Qingshu.