Chapter 31 The Too Clever Bird

Chapter 31 The Too Clever Bird

The Regent's study has been unusually quiet lately.

Since Liu Changqing's head fell to the ground and the hidden cancer was removed, the atmosphere in the mansion seemed to have relaxed.

But for Tangli, this quiet was more like the calm before the storm.

In the afternoon, sunlight streamed through the window and fell on the rosewood desk.

Pei Yunjing did not review the memorials.

He held in his hand the black dagger that had once severed Liu Changqing's head, his fingertips casually stroking the cold blade.

He was reviewing the situation.

As a regent who had fought his way up in the arena of power struggles, Pei Yunjing never believed in coincidences.

One coincidence is luck, two coincidences are fate, but what about three?

The bumblebee stung Granny Liu.

A flock of crows drenched Consort Lin.

Among dozens of people, Da Bai precisely tackled Liu Changqing and chewed up the boot that contained the defense map.

If the first two incidents could be explained by the woman having some special perfume that attracted bees and butterflies, then the matter at hand is far too suspicious.

It was a boot.

Apart from Liu Changqing himself, no one knew that something was hidden inside.

Big White is a tiger, not a hunting dog responsible for searching. Why would it suddenly be interested in a smelly boot?

Unless... someone told it.

Pei Yunjing's gaze pierced through the dust floating in the air and landed on the soft couch not far away.

Tang Li was sitting cross-legged, holding a piece of dried meat, teasing the gyrfalcon "Lightning" that had just flown back.

“Li—”

Lightning proudly raised its head, and before it could even hand the letter tube on its leg to Pei Yunjing, it hopped in front of Tang Li.

【Gurgle! I'm exhausted!】

Lightning, flapping its wings, complained incessantly in Tangli's mind:

[That old, lazy general in the north is so long-winded! He wrote eight pages for a letter! It's so heavy! And the clasp on that letterbox is rusty, it's pinching my foot! Please help me untie it!]

It stretched its paws out in front of the pear tree, looking like a big shot.

Tangli subconsciously reached out, but instead of checking the mailbox's seal like most people would, she avoided the rusty buckle and skillfully used her fingernail to pry it open, instantly freeing it from its confinement.

"Phew... Okay, okay, be good, eat your meat."

Tangli stuffed the dried meat into its mouth and then rubbed its eagle head.

[That feels good! This woman is really savvy!] Lightning swallowed the jerky with satisfaction.

This scene appears warm and harmonious.

But in Pei Yunjing's eyes, it made his pupils shrink slightly.

He saw it clearly—

The mailbox's latch was in a very hidden location, and it was stuck because of rust. If it were someone else, they would definitely have to fiddle with it for a long time.

But Tang Li didn't even glance at it, as if...

It was as if the eagle itself was telling her, "My foot hurts, the clasp is here, help me untie it."

"Tangli".

A deep, unreadable voice suddenly rang out.

Tangli was happily petting the eagle when she heard this, and her hand trembled, almost plucking a feather from Lightning.

She looked up and met Pei Yunjing's unfathomable eyes, and her heart skipped a beat for no reason.

"Your Highness? What's wrong?"

Pei Yunjing remained silent.

He slowly rose from behind his desk, carrying the black dagger, and walked step by step to her.

A huge shadow fell.

He bent down, the tip of his knife gently lifting a strand of Tang Li's hair. His tone was languid, yet it carried a chilling undercurrent:

"I have been thinking about something."

"Liu Changqing hid the map in his boot, and even my secret guards couldn't find it. How did Da Bai know?"

Tang Li's heart clenched, and cold sweat instantly seeped from her palms.

They've arrived.

This suspicious madman finally had his doubts.

She tried to remain calm and blinked: "This... is it because Big White has a sensitive nose? Aren't cats and dogs all sensitive to smells?"

"Yeah?"

Pei Yunjing chuckled softly, the blade sliding down her hair until it stopped beside her slender neck, where he could even feel the coolness of the metal.

"And what about just now?"

He pointed to the gyrfalcon standing to the side, its head tilted to the side:

"Lightning hasn't even spoken yet, and you already know its foot hurts? You already know how to unbutton that rusty button?"

Pei Yunjing leaned down, his handsome face close to Tang Li's, his eyes locked on her pupils, not missing a single subtle change in her expression.

He asked the question that could have killed Tang Li:

"Tangli, tell me the truth."

"Do you... understand animal language?"

boom--!

These words were like a thunderclap, exploding in Tang Li's ears.

In this feudal and superstitious ancient era, if someone was discovered to be able to understand animal language, there were only two possible outcomes:

They will either be worshipped as goddesses (the chances are extremely small) or burned to death as demons (the chances are extremely high).

Especially for patients like Pei Yunjing who suffer from advanced paranoia.

If he knew that she could not only understand but also control animals, and that she had been pretending to be stupid to deceive him...

He would absolutely not hesitate to kill her to eliminate any future trouble.

To admit it is to die.

In that life-or-death moment, Tang Li's brain was working at lightning speed.

Her face turned pale instantly (she was genuinely frightened), but her eyes didn't flinch; instead, they revealed an absurd sense of "Are you kidding me?"

"Beast language?"

Tang Li's eyes widened as if she had heard something unbelievable.

She extended a finger and gently pushed away the knife at her neck, then burst out laughing.

"Your Highness, are you alright?"

Pei Yunjing frowned, clearly not expecting her to react this way.

Tang Li stood up, patted her skirt, and looked at him with a helpless expression:

"If I really understood animal language, what would happen? I would have asked the rats in this mansion where the previous dynasty's treasury was buried long ago, instead of having to go through the wretchedness of digging up those bits of gold in the middle of the night?"

She pointed to Lightning, who was eating meat, and made up a story with a straight face:

"As for what happened just now, that's because I've raised them for a long time and become skilled with them. Just like a dog owner knows that when a dog wags its tail, it's happy, and when it tucks its tail, it's scared. I serve these two masters every day. If I didn't even have this much sense, I would have been pecked to death by them long ago."

At this point, Tang Li mustered her courage and looked at Pei Yunjing with a slightly teasing gaze:

"Your Highness, have you been reviewing too many official documents lately and are you too tired? Or..."

She leaned closer and whispered:

"Have you been reading too many of those folk tales like 'The Domineering Prince Falls in Love with the Enchantress' from the streets? You actually believe in such supernatural and bizarre things?"

Pei Yunjing: "..."

Storybook?

Also, "The Domineering Prince Falls in Love with a Demoness"?

Pei Yunjing was instantly shattered by her sharp rebuke.

Looking at Tang Li's open and honest eyes, which even seemed to show some concern for the mentally challenged, his doubts, though not completely dispelled, began to waver somewhat.

really.

If there were truly anyone in this world who understood animal language, they would be a demon, not a human.

In the past few days, she had been by my side, and apart from being greedy, fond of food, and a little clever, she had not shown any strange or demonic qualities.

More importantly, her aura was clean, which was a calming agent for him.

"Quick-witted and eloquent."

Pei Yunjing snorted coldly, sheathed his sword, and the killing intent in his eyes temporarily subsided.

But he didn't completely believe it.

As regent, he only believed in evidence, or...

Truth that cannot be lied about.

"Since you love reading storybooks so much..."

Pei Yunjing turned around and walked to the wine cabinet, poured a glass of wine that was scarlet in color and emitted a strange fragrance.

He returned with the wine glass, handed it to Tang Li, and a dangerous smile curled at the corner of his lips:

"Then I will reward you with a cup of wine. Drink it and calm your nerves."

Tang Li looked at the glass of wine and felt a chill run down her spine.

This is definitely not a good thing.

But Pei Yunjing was staring at her, his eyes clearly saying: If you don't drink, you have something to hide.

"Thank you... for the reward, Your Highness."

Tang Li tremblingly accepted the wine glass.

Just then, a small, emerald-green bamboo viper that had been coiled on the inside of her wrist, where she wore a bracelet, suddenly issued a frantic warning in her mind:

[Hiss! Don't drink it! Don't drink it!]

This is a "truth serum" from the Western Regions! The taste is terrifying! Drinking it will make you an idiot! You'll be able to rattle off how many times you've wet the bed in your life!

Truth serum?!

Tangli almost dropped the cup because her hand slipped.

You, Pei Yunjing!

They tried to scare me with a knife earlier, and now they're resorting to biological attacks?

If she drinks this wine, won't all her secrets be exposed?

Absolutely do not drink it!

But you absolutely must not not drink it!