Chapter 4: A Banquet Hiding Murder

To “welcome home” his newly returned nephew, the Second Master threw a grand banquet in the garden, inviting the town’s most distinguished guests. On the surface it was a reconciliation. In truth it was to throw dust in everyone’s eyes.

Yifeng accepted, knowing full well it would not be a peaceful meal.

In the middle of the feast, the Second Master personally raised a cup of wine and brought it to him. “Nephew, you’ve suffered for ten years. Today let’s drain a cup together, uncle and nephew, and put all our past grievances behind us.”

Yifeng looked at the rippling wine, and the corner of his eye twitched. The smell was ordinary, but at the bottom of the cup, he caught a glimpse of a faint, unusual sediment.

“Second Uncle is very kind,” he said with a thin smile, taking the cup but not drinking. “It’s only that I’ve had a weak constitution since childhood and don’t take well to strong wine. Why don’t I have Little Sister bring me a light tea instead, in place of the wine?”

With that, he glanced at Rouya, who was sitting nearby.

Rouya froze, but quickly understood and stood up. “Big Brother is right. Let me go and make you some tea.”

The Second Master was panicking inside, but outwardly he had to force a smile. “Well… all right, then.”

In the end, the poisoned cup was “accidentally” knocked over by a servant clearing the table, an accident Yifeng had arranged in advance. The whole banquet seemed to pass peacefully, but anyone paying attention could see that uncle and nephew of the Xue family were each hiding a knife behind their backs.

That night, back in his room, Yifeng took a small silk handkerchief from his sleeve, still damp with a few drops of the wine he had secretly soaked up. He called in his trusted man. “Take this and have it tested. Find out what kind of poison it is, and who sold it to my second uncle.”