Chapter 823: The Deal

“Yes, I am your Nineteenth Sister, Yingluo.” Seeing the innocent expressions on the two girls’ faces, Zhao Yingluo allowed a faint smile to grace her lips. “A while ago, I secretly visited the Laundry Courtyard to check on you.”  

“Nineteenth Sister!” The two young women, having endured too much terror and torment tonight, were overwhelmed with emotion. A surge of familial warmth rushed through them, and they threw themselves into Zhao Yingluo’s embrace, sobbing uncontrollably.  

“There, there. Don’t cry anymore. From now on, your sister will protect you and make sure no one ever bullies you again.” Zhao Yingluo gently patted their delicate backs, soothing them.  

It took a while for the two girls to calm down. Suddenly, Zhao Yingluo recalled their earlier mention of a “brother-in-law,” and her brows furrowed deeply. “Why on earth are you calling that scoundrel ‘brother-in-law’?”  

“He told us himself,” the two girls replied, blinking at her in confusion. “He said he once saved your life, and you were so grateful that, after spending so much time together, feelings developed… and in the end, you gave yourself to him as repayment…”  

Zhao Yingluo’s teeth ground audibly as she shot Song Qingshu a furious glare. “Song Qingshu!”  

Song Qingshu hastily raised his hands in defense. “This is all a misunderstanding! If I hadn’t said that, how else could I have gained their trust so quickly and gotten them to follow my instructions…?”  

Zhao Yingluo’s expression darkened further. “So you used the title of ‘brother-in-law’ to deceive them and take their innocence?”  

“Uh—” Song Qingshu realized his explanations were only digging him deeper. He turned to the two girls for help. “Hu’er, Yuanyuan, hurry up and explain to your sister what really happened.”  

The two girls stared at him blankly. Zhao Hu’er pouted. “So you’re not actually our brother-in-law? You’re such a liar.”  

Zhao Yuanyuan chimed in, “Exactly! And earlier, you even said something about ‘not letting fertile water flow to outsiders’… If we’d known the truth, we wouldn’t have let you—”  

Seeing Zhao Yingluo trembling with barely restrained fury, Song Qingshu hastily cut them off. “Stop! You’re making it sound worse than it is—are you trying to get me killed? Don’t say another word. I’ll ask the questions, and you just answer, got it?”  

Without waiting for their response, he fired off his first question: “Are you both still v!rgins?”  

“Well, yes, but you—” Zhao Yuanyuan’s face flushed as she began, but Song Qingshu interrupted again. “If you are, then next question: Did I teach you to fake the ‘proof of purity’ using blood from your fingers?”  

“It was from our fingers, but you’re the one who made us do it…” Zhao Hu’er shot him a resentful look, recalling the pain.  

Song Qingshu discreetly wiped cold sweat from his brow. ‘Thank goodness I didn’t let these two explain on their own. Every other sentence sounds incriminating—I’d never be able to clear my name!’  

“Final question: Are these marks on your bodies just part of the act to deceive the Empress?”  

The two girls nodded in unison, but then, cheeks reddening, they added in small voices, “But you’re the one who made them…”  

“You two didn’t have the strength to leave marks yourselves, and time was tight. I had to step in,” Song Qingshu retorted, entirely unapologetic.  

“Alright, I get it now.” Zhao Yingluo, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, had pieced together most of the truth. She realized she had indeed misunderstood Song Qingshu—though he wasn’t entirely innocent, given how much he’d taken advantage of her sisters. “Let’s get them to safety first. We’ll deal with the rest later.” She moved to lift the two girls.  

“Wait!” Song Qingshu instinctively grabbed her wrist. “You’re just going to take them like this?”  

“What else?” Zhao Yingluo shot him a puzzled look.  

“If you do this, you’ll save them, but you’ll also alert the enemy. Rescuing the other sisters in the Laundry Courtyard will become much harder,” Song Qingshu said with a bitter smile.  

“What’s so difficult about it?” Zhao Yingluo gestured dismissively at Empress Pei Man. “Just kill this woman. No one will know our true objective. And with the Empress’s death causing such an uproar, it might even divert the Jin’s attention, making it easier to rescue the others.”  

‘That damned wench!’  

Empress Pei Man cursed inwardly but quickly spoke up. “If I die and these two girls disappear, the investigation will inevitably focus on them. Every woman in the Laundry Courtyard will be detained and interrogated. Saving the others will become even more impossible.”  

Zhao Yingluo frowned slightly, recognizing the logic in her words.  

Song Qingshu was inwardly impressed. ‘This woman instantly grasped the stakes and found the perfect argument to sway her. No wonder she rules the harem—years of palace intrigue have honed her instincts.’  

“But we can’t just let you go, can we?” Song Qingshu smiled, knowing she must have a plan to save herself. It was better to let her propose it than to suggest it himself.  

“We can make a deal,” Empress Pei Man said, her voice steadying.  

“What kind of deal?” Song Qingshu asked neutrally.  

“From your earlier conversation, you intend to rescue the Song Dynasty princesses held in the Laundry Courtyard. While your martial skills are formidable, saving one or two is feasible—but all of them? Impossible. However, with my help, it becomes achievable,” Empress Peiman said slowly.  

Zhao Yingluo was visibly tempted. “Fine. Help us rescue them, and we’ll let you go.”  

Empress Pei Man let out a soft, disdainful laugh. “I only make deals with true intellects—such as Young Master Song here.”  

Zhao Yingluo’s expression soured at the insult to her intelligence. 

Song Qingshu quickly interjected, “Very well. What does Your Majesty require from us?”  

“Now that’s how a smart negotiator speaks.” Empress Pei Man cast a sidelong glance at Zhao Yingluo. “Killing me would do you more harm than good. For the sake of your sisters, the likelihood of you choosing to kill me is practically zero. Yet if I help you, I get nothing in return. That’s hardly a fair deal.”  

“Then what do you want?” Zhao Yingluo snapped.  

“Stay in the palace for a while and help me deal with someone,” Empress Pei Man said, ignoring her and addressing Song Qingshu directly.  

“Deal.” Song Qingshu agreed without hesitation.  

Zhao Yingluo tugged at his sleeve, whispering urgently, “You agreed without even knowing the details? She could be using you as a pawn. This could go very wrong.”  

“On the contrary,” Song Qingshu shook his head, meeting Empress Pei Man’s gaze, “only by binding our interests together will she wholeheartedly assist us in the rescue. A deal should benefit both sides.”