Thirteenth Lady's Comback: Her Everyday Life as a Bystander-Chapter 293 - 5: Blame My Excellence

As the saying goes, there’s strength in numbers. After extensive investigations, Susu knew that even setting aside the matter of spies, Yue Baiyou and Bai Lili were conducting some unspeakable dealings in the dark, and it was definitely aimed at her.

Because these two people had something in common, that no matter past or present, they harbored some kind of intentions towards Hong Sheng!

After a bout of confrontation with Yue Baiyou, Susu found this lady too strange.

She couldn’t see any affection or love for Hong Sheng in her eyes; if there was anything, it was only resentment and ambition.

Moreover, the way she talked about letting go was too easy, which was not an indication of someone who loved.

If that’s the case, why did she insist on putting Susu in harm’s way? And she started plotting as soon as she arrived in Hami.

Also, in Susu’s opinion, this Miss Yue was vain and greedy, and overly clever. If she knew that an Awakening Incense Pill was worth a fortune, would she still take the Incense to make Chaotic Heart?

When Susu said a fortune, it really meant ten thousand taels of gold.

And the Awakening Incense contaminated with Inverted Golden Bell scent had already turned into poisonous fragrance, with no value except for harming others!

So Susu believed that Yue Baiyou might not even know what Awakening Incense or Chaotic Heart was, or even the value of this fragrance. She was probably just following orders.

What truly made Susu suspect the Bai Family was that Bai Lili, the only daughter of Bai Wansan, the wealthiest man in Hami.

Although merchants, the family held considerable status in Hami. Since the two young ladies of the Liu Mansion were not in the same social circle as her, it created a scenario where in the circle of noble ladies in Hami, "without tigers in the mountain, monkeys become kings."

If it weren’t for the Inverted Golden Bell, Susu wouldn’t have known there was another woman eyeing her husband besides Yue Baiyou.

It turned out that when Hong Sheng was newly promoted to Hundred Households and made a mark in Hami, the Bai Family had already hinted at a marriage alliance, but Hong Sheng declined.

Later, within two short years, as Hong Sheng became a Thousand Households, the Bai Family proposed marriage again, changing the recruitment to marrying a daughter, but Hong Sheng, loyal to Susu, refused once again.

Afterwards, the Bai Family never mentioned it again. Hong Sheng assumed they had given up, after all, the Bai Family was a reputable gentry in Hami.

Although a merchant family, they were wealthy, and Miss Bai’s appearance was quite decent—she needn’t worry about finding a match.

But contrary to Hong Sheng’s expectations, they weren’t giving up; instead, they were preparing to change strategies.

However, before Bai Lili could prepare herself, news spread that Hong Sheng was already betrothed.

Hong Sheng had no idea how insane a persistent woman could become, and an obstinate woman accustomed to getting whatever she wanted would be even crazier over things she couldn’t have.

But after witnessing Fifth Miss’s unwillingness and madness, Susu realized how terrifying a woman’s madness could be!

But this wasn’t why she suspected the Bai Family of being Tartar spies; it was because of the Awakening Incense.

In her memory, Aunt Su had Thirteenth Lady recite from the "Secret Fragrance Record," noting that the preciousness of the Awakening Incense lay in its composition, requiring eighteen precious wood fragrances, eighteen precious stone fragrances, and eighteen precious animal fragrances.

Even the Tartar Royal Family could only produce eighteen Incense Pills a year. Apart from the twelve for offering gods, the royal family only received six.

The Bai Family, wealthy as they were, were just a merchant family in Hami; how could they possibly have access to such precious things?

Bai Lili turning something so valuable into something so worthless and dangerous just out of jealousy was utterly insane.

Conversely, considering that the Awakening Incense was precious even within the Tartar Royal Family, Bai Lili’s perception of casually using it spoke volumes.

How could someone like that merely be the daughter of a merchant family like Bai?

Even the Tartar Princess wouldn’t waste precious resources so recklessly. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Remember, the Tartar Princess who married into the former dynasty’s royal family brought only three Awakening Incense Pills as her dowry.

One was given as tribute to the emperor of the previous dynasty, one for her own use, and the remaining one ended up with Aunt Su.

This was also key evidence for Su Yiliang’s speculation that Aunt Su’s ancestry was that of an Imperial Fragrance Master.

Thirteenth Lady, as a child, only smelled a few scrapings of powder from the Awakening Incense Pill.

That Incense Pill seemed to have vanished with Aunt Su’s death, for Susu hadn’t found it while organizing Aunt Su’s belongings.

Now that Awakening Incense had appeared again, and with knowledge of Chaotic Heart, how could it not shock her?

All that remained to be seen was what Yue Baiyou and Bai Lili intended to do!

Reading the letter sent by Aunt Qin, Susu found it laughable and exasperating—who would’ve thought the usually calm Hong Sheng would come up with such a simple-minded plan of having Commander Liu besiege the Bai Family for direct interrogation!

If the Bai Family were indeed spies, their status among the Tartars wouldn’t be low. Such a rash move, alarming the enemy, showed how Hong Sheng, affected by the fragrance’s poison, might have gone mad for her.

Yet, that way of thinking was utterly brainless. Sure, it was for her, but she did not want to be the cause of troubles blamed on beauty.

She quickly penned a letter for someone to deliver to Hong Sheng.

Unable to sleep night after night, wanting to return to see his wife yet forbidden by her explicit order, Hong Sheng could only pester Commander Liu daily.

He wasn’t stupid, nor did he lack card sense. After his investigations, the waters around the Bai Family were exceedingly deep, and failure to promptly gain control would have unimaginable consequences.

More importantly, he believed in Susu’s words, but who would believe Susu as he did? Clearly, no one.

Now that Susu intended to hazard herself, knowingly venturing into peril, Hong Sheng’s brain was on edge.

Even though all investigations were overcautious, the Bai Family had eluded detection by so many able individuals, weren’t they formidable?

If any link left traces, Susu’s efforts would not only have been in vain, but she’d find herself in grave danger.

Hong Sheng didn’t know whom to curse more now—Yue Baiyou and Bai Lili for recognizing a hero, or himself for being too outstanding? Damn, "rotten" peach blossoms were termed "rotten" because they always managed to leave one covered in blood...

Receiving the letter sent by his wife, Hong Sheng’s liver ached with anger. Commander Liu, that shameless old man, even got Mrs. Qin to complain to his wife—how shameless.

Besides the letter, Hong Sheng found a small sachet the size of a Dragon Eye containing the antidote to Chaotic Heart sent by his wife for emergencies.

He always had a feeling that his wife had an extraordinary background!

Thinking of those "cousins" who always tried hard to catch his attention and the "nephew" who activated his deadly sarcasm skill after becoming a Secretary, Hong Sheng almost wanted to spill three liters of blood.

They were supposed to be aloof male gods, weren’t they?

Were they comedians invited by monkeys?

However, thinking about his fairy-like wife sometimes being quite unreliable, he couldn’t resist wanting to complain a bit, "Does your entire family have to be this dramatic, really?"

Sh—what did he just say? An entire family...