Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 832: A Flustered and Angry Interrogation

“Wife, what are you doing?” 

The only person behind him at this moment was Gebi. Song Qingshu remained calm and composed, confident that he could dodge her blade the moment she struck. However, he wanted to understand her motives, so he hesitated and did not act.  

“Wife?” Gebi let out a light laugh, her voice laced with mockery. “After acting for so long, do you really think you’re my husband now?”  

Song Qingshu’s heart sank. His voice turned bitter. “So you’ve known all along.”  

Seeing that he didn’t deny it, Gebi’s expression grew complicated. “Who are you, really?”  

Song Qingshu sighed. There was no point in hiding it anymore. He reached up to remove the mask from his face, but Gebi snapped, “Don’t move!” The dagger at his throat pressed in tighter.  

“Didn’t you ask who I am? I was just going to take off the mask,” Song Qingshu said with a wry smile.  

“You stay still. I’ll do it.” Having witnessed his skills before, Gebi knew how formidable his martial arts were and didn’t dare let her guard down.  

Song Qingshu shrugged, signaling his compliance. “By the way, how did you see through me?”  

“Earlier in the carriage, you caught the assassin’s dagger with two fingers. My husband wasn’t that skilled in martial arts,” Gebi replied as she felt along his face for the edges of the mask.  

“I see. No wonder you’ve been acting strange ever since.” Song Qingshu inwardly cursed himself for being so sharp-witted in daily life yet suddenly making such a foolish mistake here.  

By now, Gebi had already peeled off his mask. When she saw his true face, she froze momentarily. “It really is you!”  

Song Qingshu raised an eyebrow. “You guessed it was me?”  

Gebi’s cheeks flushed slightly. “I didn’t know at first. But after realizing my husband was an imposter, I recalled how you suddenly barged into his room before. I figured you might have forgotten to wear your mask that time in your carelessness.”  

“Madam is truly sharp-witted. To deduce the truth from such a small clue—I’m impressed!” Song Qingshu praised sincerely.  

“No amount of sweet talk will help you now. Tell me, what happened to our Wogula?” Gebi demanded, her face tense as she awaited his answer.  

Song Qingshu sighed softly. “Since Madam has already guessed, why ask again?”  

The color drained from Gebi’s beautiful face, and her body trembled. “I want to hear it from you.”  

“He’s dead.” Song Qingshu’s words struck Gebi’s heart like a heavy hammer.  

For a moment, it felt as if all the strength had left her body. It took her a long time to recover before she finally spoke in a cold voice, “Who killed him?”  

“If I said it wasn’t me, would you believe me?” Song Qingshu gave a bitter laugh.  

“No!” Gebi bit her lip hard.  

“I knew you wouldn’t. Fortunately, I came prepared. Inside my clothes is a blood-written letter—your husband’s final words. Read it, and you’ll understand.” Song Qingshu was secretly relieved. Thankfully, Tang Kuo Bian had the foresight to leave this letter behind; otherwise, he’d never be able to clear his name.  

“Don’t try any tricks!” Gebi pressed the dagger harder against his neck, suspecting he was trying to distract her so he could escape.  

“I’m not playing games. You’ll see for yourself.” Song Qingshu raised his hands to show he had no ulterior motives.  

Unable to resist her longing for her husband’s last words, Gebi kept the dagger at his throat with one hand while the other reached into his clothes to search. After a moment, she indeed pulled out a blood-stained letter.  

Her hands trembling, Gebi unfolded the letter. As she read line after line, her expression shifted repeatedly, and soon her vision blurred with tears. She recognized her husband’s handwriting immediately, and the letter contained coded phrases only the two of them knew—impossible for an outsider to fake. In it, Tang Kuo Bian poured out his reluctance to part, his guilt toward her, and his entrusting of his sworn brother Song Qingshu to protect and care for her in his stead…  

When she reached the final words—“Wogula’s last testament”—Gebi broke down into uncontrollable sobs.  

“Madam, please accept my condolences,” Song Qingshu said gently.  

“Who killed him?!” As if snapping back to reality, Gebi suddenly raised her head, the dagger still pressed against him.  

“I can tell you the murderer’s name, but I hope Madam will agree to one thing first,” Song Qingshu replied.  

“Speak!” Gebi sneered inwardly, assuming he would beg for her forgiveness and plead for his life.  

But Song Qingshu’s answer took her by surprise: “I’ve been planning to avenge Brother Tang Kuo all this time, but the culprit’s power is immense, and I don’t yet have a foolproof strategy. From our time together, I’ve learned that despite your delicate appearance, Madam is actually a strong and intelligent woman. So I ask that after learning his identity, you refrain from acting rashly and alerting the enemy, lest our plans for vengeance be ruined.”  

Gebi’s expression shifted slightly. After a long silence, she finally said, “Fine. I agree.”  

Only then did Song Qingshu utter three words: “Prince Hailing.”  

“It really was him!” Gebi gritted her teeth, her eyes burning with fury.  

Song Qingshu quickly reminded her, “Madam, don’t forget your promise. I’ve nearly gained his trust now. I swear to you—I will make Wanyan Liang suffer eternal damnation to avenge Brother Tang Kuo.”  

“So that’s why you’ve been getting close to him lately—to avenge Wogula?” Gebi’s expression softened slightly.  

Song Qingshu had other motives for approaching Wanyan Liang, but he wasn’t foolish enough to mention them now. He simply nodded. “Yes.”  

Hearing his answer, Gebi fell silent, and the pressure of the dagger against his neck lessened.  

Song Qingshu smiled wryly. “Does Madam plan to keep holding a knife to my throat forever?”  

Instead of withdrawing the dagger, Gebi pressed it even tighter. “Hmph! I can overlook your role in Wogula’s death. You promised to protect me and avenge him, so I can even understand you temporarily impersonating him. But you—”  

Her cheeks suddenly flushed crimson, and she bit her lip, glaring at him fiercely. “Why did you take advantage of my vulnerability and… and defile me?!”  

The memory of that night’s tenderness and passion sent a ripple of warmth through Song Qingshu’s heart, but he quickly snapped back to reality. He knew that a single wrong answer here could spell disaster.  

Though Tang Kuo Bian had “gifted” Gebi to him on his deathbed, such words were merely symbolic. Gebi was her own person, a noblewoman of the Jin Dynasty. If she refused, how could Tang Kuo Bian’s words alone bind her?  

“No answer?” Gebi’s face burned with humiliation and anger as she recalled how passionately she had responded to him that night, deceived into believing he was her husband.

This is 1/10 FSM sponsored chapter release from Davros.