Chapter 24: Whispers of Treachery

The sun hung low over the Bai estate, casting long golden shadows across the courtyard. Bai Yue moved with careful deliberation, her senses on high alert as she made her way toward the storeroom. Each step felt heavier than the last, weighed down by the fragments of truth she had uncovered.

If the noble guest in the west wing was sick—or worse, being poisoned—it could mean only one thing: the second mistress was playing a dangerous game.

Bai Yue pushed open the storeroom door and stepped inside, inhaling the familiar scent of dried herbs and parchment. She sat down at her worktable, running her fingers over the pages of medicinal notes. Her mind raced through possibilities. What kind of poison could have been used? Was it a slow-acting one, meant to weaken the guest over time? Or something more immediate, designed to incapacitate him before he could act?

Before she could dive deeper into her thoughts, a shadow fell over her desk.

"You're thinking too hard again."

Bai Yue looked up to find Weishan standing in the doorway, arms crossed, his dark robes flowing around him like an extension of the evening shadows. His expression was unreadable, but there was something sharp in his gaze—something that told her he knew exactly what she was up to.

She sighed. "I don't have the luxury of not thinking, Weishan."

He stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "There's a difference between thinking and obsessing."

Bai Yue rolled her eyes. "If I don't figure this out, it might be too late."

Weishan leaned against the shelf, watching her intently. "And what will you do if you find out the truth? Confront the second mistress? Demand answers?"

Bai Yue hesitated, his words striking closer to the truth than she wanted to admit. "I'll figure that out when the time comes."

Weishan smirked, pushing off the shelf and stepping closer. "You're playing with fire, Bai Yue. You should know by now that people like the second mistress don't take kindly to curiosity."

Bai Yue met his gaze, unflinching. "Then it's a good thing I'm not afraid of her."

He chuckled, the sound low and almost… approving. "You're brave. I'll give you that."

Bai Yue arched a brow. "And you're still here. Why?"

Weishan's smirk faded, replaced by something more serious. "Because you're in deeper than you think."

Bai Yue sighed, leaning back in her chair. "If you know something, Weishan, tell me now."

He studied her for a moment before speaking, his voice quieter than before. "The second mistress isn't just trying to gain favor with the Imperial Court. She's securing something—something powerful. And she won't let anyone get in her way."

Bai Yue frowned. "What do you mean?"

Weishan's jaw tightened. "I've been tracking certain… movements around the estate. There have been shipments coming and going under the cover of night, supplies that don't appear on any of the Bai family's records."

Bai Yue's heart pounded. "And you think it's connected to the sick guest?"

He nodded. "It's more than just an alliance, Bai Yue. It's a transaction. And if the second mistress succeeds, it could shift the balance of power in the capital."

Bai Yue felt a shiver run down her spine. She had always known the Bai family harbored secrets, but this was far more dangerous than she had imagined.

Weishan stepped even closer, his hand resting lightly on the edge of her desk. "You should stay out of this."

Bai Yue met his gaze, her voice firm. "I can't."

His fingers traced the wood, his expression darkening. "Then I won't be able to stop what's coming."

Before Bai Yue could respond, a sudden commotion outside the storeroom made them both freeze. Voices—loud, angry—echoed through the corridors. Bai Yue quickly stood, exchanging a glance with Weishan.

"Stay here," he murmured, moving toward the door.

Bai Yue grabbed his sleeve. "Wait. If it's about the guest, I need to hear it."

Weishan hesitated for a fraction of a second before nodding. Together, they slipped out into the hallway, keeping to the shadows as they approached the main courtyard.

There, under the flickering lanterns, the second mistress stood, her expression a mix of fury and frustration. Before her, one of the guards knelt, his head bowed low in submission.

"You let him escape?" the second mistress hissed, her voice sharp and venomous.

Bai Yue's heart clenched. Escape?

The guard trembled. "Forgive me, mistress. We searched everywhere—he's gone."

Gone.

Bai Yue exchanged a look with Weishan. This meant only one thing—the guest in the west wing had vanished.

The second mistress's lips curled in anger. "Find him. If the Bai family suffers because of your incompetence, you'll wish you'd never been born."

The guard bowed even lower before scrambling away.

Bai Yue barely breathed as the second mistress turned sharply and disappeared back into the house, her silk robes trailing behind her like a storm.

Once she was gone, Bai Yue whispered to Weishan, "We need to find him before they do."

Weishan's lips pressed into a thin line. "That might be exactly what he wants."

Bai Yue swallowed hard. "Then we'd better not disappoint him."

Without another word, they disappeared into the shadows of the estate, the weight of an unfolding mystery pressing heavily on their shoulders.

Later that night, Bai Yue sat by her window, the cool night air brushing against her face as she tried to piece together everything that had happened.

The envoy had escaped. That meant he knew something—or worse, he had seen something. If the second mistress was willing to go to such lengths to keep him hidden, it meant the stakes were far higher than Bai Yue had initially believed.

And then there was Weishan.

He had become more than just a shadow trailing behind her. He was involved in ways she couldn't yet understand, and despite her frustration with him, she couldn't deny the uneasy comfort his presence brought.

A soft knock on her window startled her out of her thoughts.

She turned to see Weishan leaning against the frame, his expression unreadable. "You're thinking too much again," he said softly.

Bai Yue sighed. "You keep saying that."

He smirked. "And you keep ignoring me."

She crossed her arms. "What now?"

Weishan stepped inside, his movements fluid and deliberate. "We start looking. But we do it carefully."

Bai Yue nodded. "Agreed."

As he turned to leave, his fingers brushed against hers lightly, sending a jolt through her skin. "Don't go sneaking off alone again, Bai Yue," he murmured. "I won't be so forgiving next time."

Bai Yue's heart pounded as she watched him disappear into the night.

The game had changed. And she was no longer playing it alone.