Gather some items

Hushiyi walked through the open door of Yinyue's study and halted at the sight of his sister in the familiar assassin garment. She finished fastening the metal clasps on her black, dull leather waist belt.

He could see the plaits running through her head, banded together with her high ponytail by a dark metal band. She looked busy, examining the small flying daggers which laid out on the table.

"Where're you going?" He asked while she continued slotting them into the holding leather bands with each in their individual sheath.

"To gather some items."

Her vague answer made Hushiyi suspect she was up to no good. Chiyin and she appeared to be in their own little world at dinner earlier. Like both were partners in crime, hiding something from him. When pressed for answers, Chiyin didn't spill any details at all, an unusual behaviour for a big mouth gossip and a know-it-all show off.

All Hushiyi could gather from the dinner table was the mention of certain medicinal herbs and she was going to get the items.

Hushiyi knew the intended recipient of those herbs. What was so damn precious about 01 that his sister had to go all out to preserve?

"I can get them," Hushiyi offered in earnest. He couldn't bear to watch her running around non-stop from the seemingly never ending troubles which started from the Black Mountains. She hasn't fully recovered from her recent war injuries.

She looked up from the table, twirling a flying dagger with her hand. "It's better you stay. Because you're better at diplomacy."

"Diplomacy?" Hushiyi tilted his head, puzzled by her words.

"Well…," she trailed off, feeling a little guilty and awkward over the mess she was about to throw to him.

Hushiyi furrowed his eyebrows, eyeing her with great suspicion. "Is there something I should know?"

Yinyue patted him on the shoulder as a consolation. Her eyes avoided his gaze, darting around the room as though looking for a quick escape.

Hushiyi took a step forward, coming closer to the table.

"What did you do?" He asked, his tone low and grave. His eyes fixed on her, making her nervous for no reason.

She wondered if he was pretending not to know. Someone from the Qisha syndicate would have reported the sinking of Huqi's ships to him. Even Chiyin knew about it.

"Oh. That. Not what I did. What I saw…well…his ships sinking in the lake of Black Mountain. A lot of commotion." She shook her head and glanced upwards to warn Hushiyi not to think twice before speaking.

Her ears pricked up at a snitching rat on the move above them. The footsteps stopped — someone was listening in. Either the Emperor's ears or someone else's.

She could purge the spies, but an even more highly skilled listener would replace them. Better to keep them around to spread disinformation.

Hushiyi took a step back and blinked at her in disbelief, stumped by how casually she mentioned a big incident as though taking her horses for a quick ride. He understood what she hinted at.

"Are you joking?"

She shook her head.

"His ships sinking?" He repeated the words with his eyebrow arching.

"Well…not exactly sinking…," she said, eyeing Hushiyi for any reaction.

"Okay…and…what exactly is it?"

Yinyue twiddled her fingers and said, "Someone burnt them. Great big fire. Horrible sight."

Her sarcasm threw him into an upheaval, a covert admission that she committed the arson. So she actually burnt them down? Did she even think before she acted so brazenly?

With a deep breath, he threw his hands upwards in exasperation before they landed on his hips, arm akimbo. "So this diplomatic thing…why do you think he would look for you?"

She smiled. "He might ask me if I saw anything. I was just passing by with my men to talk trade with certain parties in the Black Mountains. And get some rare herbs."

Yinyue doubted Huqi would try to accuse her. She had a bigger cause for complain. Those assassins in the Black Mountains after her were Huqi's men. They didn't even spare others in her service.

It wasn't his first attempt. Huqi tried to kill her many more times than she could count on her hands. And she grew tired of his killing games.

Hushiyi rubbed his temple to soothe and calm himself down. "So I have to deal with his questions for you."

"Of course, tell him I only saw an inferno engulfing his fleet. Didn't see anyone suspicious. Not from the other side of the lake."

If Huqi dared accuse her, he wouldn't get very far. She placed alibis along the way as a back up.

Hushiyi lamented the task she left him with. Huqi was the worst half sibling out of the other Grand Princes to speak any form of diplomacy with. As the only biological son of the Empress, Huqi enjoyed the added protection of the Empress and her maternal family, as well as their political supporters in the Imperial Court.

Even when they lived in the Capital's Central Palace, Hushiyi avoided him at every opportunity. Talking to the arrogant son of a prick only gave him a headache. Even thinking about Huqi made his head throb with pain.

"Besides, his attention may shift elsewhere soon," she added.

"Why?"

"How the heck would I know?" She set down the flying dagger and glanced upward to warn Hushiyi again.

Hushiyi and Yinyue exchanged looks. He mouthed the words 'spy still here'. She nodded, taking care to hide her frustration at his hearing skills. Yinyue noticed that even with his martial arts skill level, his hearing acuity hasn't improved in years.

Even her brother had his secrets. Yinyue wondered about if his poor detection skills were one of the many reasons for his demise in her first life.

"He attracted the attention of people he shouldn't attract," she continued.

Hushiyi smirked at her statement. She was setting Huqi for the fall.

"Don't tell me…"

"The Simurg killed the rest of his men in the Black Mountains. A clever person will put one and one together," she said, careful to omit details which may garner more attention from Hushiyi. Or the ears of the spy on the roof above them.

Any perceived collusion with the Xirong, especially the Simurg, would tag her as a traitor. If Huqi attracted attention to himself, then it's his problem, not hers.

"Some of those ships may ferry items meant for other areas," he said, avoiding any hint of an accusation directed at her giving the Xirong information.

She wasn't blind to this fact. Huqi would have to compensate for the losses of the sunken ships. His losses will stop him from taking any grand action against her.

"He attracted the attention of the Simurg. If he didn't, why would they act?"

And she doubted the Simurg would say a single thing about tracing the rumour back to Qisha syndicate. Especially if Ashina wanted 01 to live. And a blackmailing bastard like Ashina won't reveal much to anyone else.

"Then, if the Xirong blocked the Sita waterways, the traders have to rely on Yandi by the land route," she shrugged.

If anyone found out about what she did, she would have made far more enemies than just the grand princes. Worse if they had carried military equipment meant for the Dayan forces.