Chapter 40: Striking a Deal

After pondering over what had happened and the consequences of his actions, Pei Rumo made a decision. If Bai Luochu wasn’t going to take any actions in the next three days, he had no choice but to look for her and lay out his cards.

Another day had passed and when the Empress Dowager saw that her grandniece wasn’t getting any better, she became even more haggard.

When the Emperor saw the Empress Dowager in this state, he felt extremely anxious. He gave an order during the imperial court assembly. “The Su Clan’s Young Lady has been ill for a very long time and death is imminent. As elder brothers, all of you need to put in more effort! From today onwards, you will all search for famed physicians to provide treatment to Young Lady Su!”

“This official gives his thanks to His Majesty’s divine grace in advance!” When Lord Su saw what happened, he knelt down and gave a loud kowtow as he was moved to tears.

Pei Rumo walked out of the palace and headed to his residence. He wasn’t in a hurry and was simply waiting for Bai Luochu to come and look for him. He wanted to know what was going through her mind.

As for the guard commander, he was extremely anxious. He had no other choice than to secretly monitor Bai Luochu, checking for any conspiracies.

After a few days of peace, Zi Su lost her motivation to scout for information. When she finally heard the huge news that Su Luoqing was going to die, she immediately ran into the room and whispered to Bai Luochu.

“Young Lady, Su Luoqing’s poison has yet to be neutralized and it seems like she is on the verge of death. The Empress Dowager lost a lot of weight because of this. Even the Emperor is getting anxious and ordered the imperial princes to search for divine physicians to treat Young Lady Su. Isn’t he putting them in a difficult spot? Look at how many divine physicians failed to cure her... How can the imperial princes do any better...”

Bai Luochu was in no mood to listen to the later part of the gossip. She knew that her chance had come.

This matter had already developed to an extent far beyond Bai Luochu’s expectation. She originally thought that this matter would only be known among the imperial clan and the noble clans. She never expected to hit her target with her eyes closed. All the divine physicians in the world were now drawn into the problem. This would save her a lot of time...

“Come on out. Aren’t you getting tired and anxious after staring at me for so many days? Bai Luochu looked through the window frame and spoke to the tree in the courtyard.

Of course, the guard was hiding in the tree. He might be suspicious as to why Bai Luochu was able to spot him, but he still emerged and bowed to Bai Luochu with cupped fists.

The guard was suspicious at first but he turned and vanished. He must have gone to relay the message. Bai Luochu asked Zi Su to pour a cup of tea for her and she slowly brought it to her lips. She didn’t explain anything to Zi Su either.

Before she could even finish tasting the tea, that guard returned and informed that the First Prince had called her to the study room. It was clear that he had something to discuss with her.

Bai Luochu didn’t waste time and immediately left her room.

When Pei Rumo heard that Bai Luochu wanted to make a deal with him, he was astonished. After all, all those people that had wanted to negotiate terms with him were already lying in graves. The grass growing on their graves should already be more than two meters by now...

No matter what, Bai Luochu had a special identity and there were plenty of mysteries surrounding her. It was still not time to make a move on her yet. Pei Rumo immediately asked his subordinate to invite Bai Luochu over and prepared to discuss the deal.

“Greetings to Your First Highness.” Bai Luochu still maintained her usual greeting and she made it seem as though they were of the same status. This was the least of his problems and Pei Rumo simply ignored it.

“Tell me about your so-called deal.” Pei Rumo was sipping tea in his cup while he spoke indifferently.

When Bai Luochu saw how composed the First Prince was, she was even more certain of her previous conjecture. She was right. The First Prince already knew that she was the culprit behind the poisoning.

Even though that was the case, Bai Luochu wasn’t flustered at all. She spoke casually, “Very simple. I will make a move to treat Su Luoqing. Your First Highness just has to agree to a few of my minor terms.”

“Hmph. According to what I know, you are the culprit behind everything. Shouldn’t you be treating her for free? You dare come and talk terms with me? Do you not know the meaning of shame?” Pei Rumo spoke bluntly as he wanted to infuriate Bai Luochu and make her expose her true nature.

Who would have known that Bai Luochu remained indifferent as she continued, “You can’t say that... Apart from you, no one else is suspecting me. I guess that you must have secretly followed me when I went out of the residence, right? The only way for you to find out was to place all your attention on me during the fight.”

Bai Luochu drank a mouthful of tea to moisten her lips before she continued, “If I don’t provide treatment or if Your Highness directly declares myself as the culprit, I will have to die. Su Luoqing will follow me to the underworld. However, if that happens, Your First Highness will not obtain any benefit and you might even be accused of the crime of harboring the culprit. Since you are a highly regarded prince, some of your authority will be seized but your life will not be in danger…”

“Your terms… what are they?”

Before Bai Luochu could finish, Pei Rumo interrupted her. He understood that everything Bai Luochu said was true. Earlier on, he wanted to use his words to infuriate Bai Luochu and to make her panic, allowing him to leave some leeway for negotiations. He didn’t expect that this servant girl wouldn’t falter at all, leaving him with no choice but to ask for the terms.

Bai Luochu might not be happy because she was interrupted, but she wasn’t particular about it as she was here to negotiate.

“Very simple, I will use the name of a divine physician to treat Su Luoqing. Your Highness can claim that you were the one who invited me. Your Highness will surely be rewarded by His Majesty, the Empress Dowager, and the Su Clan. You will also be able to obtain their recognition. In return, I will like Your Highness to provide me with the resources that I want. I also need sufficient medicinal ingredients and money to assist my cultivation.”

When Bai Luochu finished stating her terms, the entire study room fell into silence. A long period had elapsed and the tea had already turned cold before Pei Rumo nodded. “Deal.”

“Of course. As for the visit of this famed physician, I need some time to prepare. Two days later, I will follow the First Prince into the Su Residence to provide treatment for Young Lady Su.” After Bai Luochu finished, she simply left.

After the guard commander saw Bai Luochu leaving, he asked, “Your Highness, why did you agree to her terms so easily?”

Pei Rumo closed his eyes as though he was resting after a tiring battle. He slowly spoke up, “I am afraid that she had already considered my involvement when she planned her scheme. Right now, we are the arrow on the bow. The only thing left is for her to let go of the bowstring.”