Chapter 102: Mutual Exchange of Needs

“Shh!” Huo immediately silenced his loudspeaker voice.

Dai Yuheng’s surprise reached its peak. Beigong? Huo? The man who used poison? Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind, and a faint smile curled at the corner of his lips.

The door to the barracks suddenly swung open, and a small head poked out, staring at him in shock. “Master, he really is still standing there!” It snarled viciously at him, “Shameless, eavesdropping on other people’s conversations!”

“I wasn’t eavesdropping; you just shouted too loudly, and a few words drifted into Dai’s ears,” Dai Yuheng replied calmly. Lifting his garment, he ascended the steps and stood before the wide-eyed sentry. “Please inform him that Imperial Secretary Dai Yuheng of the central palace respectfully requests an audience with Prince Beigong Yinghuo.”

Upon hearing this, the sentry’s eyes widened to the size of eggs, stammering, “Y-you are Dai Yuheng of the Dai household?! M-master!…”

“I heard that. No need to shout like a wild cat in heat,” Huo snapped coldly. “Please, have Master Dai come in.”

The sentry hurriedly welcomed Dai Yuheng inside. He entered with a demeanor entirely different from before, bowing slightly to Huo. “I never expected the hostage of the Beigong household to be Prince Yinghuo himself.”

“I didn’t expect the favored son of the Dai household to visit me at this late hour,” Huo said indifferently. Turning to the sentry, he ordered, “Bring that bowl of pale yellow guest tea.”

“Guest tea?” The sentry’s expression shifted slightly but dared not disobey. He nervously brought over a white porcelain bowl.

Huo took it from him, shooting him a glare that sent the man scurrying behind him in fright.

Dai Yuheng smiled gracefully and sat down poised on the floor. Huo pushed the bowl of yellowish tea toward him before finally looking up. “Please.”

Dai Yuheng nodded in thanks and just as he lifted the bowl, Huo’s gaze fixed on the left side of his cheek. A barely audible smile tugged at his lips. “I was just calling you a wild cat. Turns out Imperial Secretary Dai was really scratched by one.”

Somewhat embarrassed, Dai Yuheng cleared his throat. “Yes, wild cats in this remote region are quite fierce.” He brought the bowl close to his nose, sniffed lightly, then gently set it down.

Huo sneered, “What? Is the tea here not to your liking, Secretary?”

Dai Yuheng smiled faintly. “After hearing my advice, Your Highness will no longer harbor any ill will, correct?”

“You think I want to harm you?!” Huo’s expression immediately darkened. “Dai Yuheng, are you trying to accuse me?”

“Whether it’s an accusation or not remains to be seen.” With that, he drew out a hairpin, and as his raven-black hair tumbled down, framing his clear, bright eyes under the lamplight, he appeared strikingly handsome.

He twisted open the jade hairpin to reveal a silver needle inside. Huo’s face grew even paler.

The silver needle was dipped into the pale yellow liquid, and within a second, it changed color. Dai Yuheng smiled, holding the blackened silver needle up before Huo. “Your Highness, do you still deny the intention to harm?”

“Hmph!” Huo flicked his sleeve, tossing the bowl of tea aside. “It’s just an insect toxin, not poison. No need to make a fuss, Master Dai.”

Dai Yuheng withdrew the needle, casually gathered his hair back up, and reinserted the hairpin. He smiled, “Luckily, Your Highness did not mean me harm. Otherwise, I fear the Beigong throne would have been seized by another.”

“What did you say?” Huo’s expression changed drastically, his sharp eyes darting toward the sentry, who quickly shook his head behind him, signaling he said nothing.

“What does Secretary Dai mean by that?” Huo’s gaze grew icier.

“Nothing but goodwill,” Dai Yuheng chuckled. “Prince Yinghuo, perhaps we can cooperate.”

“Cooperate?” Confusion flickered in Huo’s eyes. “What do you want?”

“State policy and the Pearl of Ming,” Dai Yuheng replied.

Huo furrowed his brow. “The pearl can be yours, but what do I gain?”

Dai Yuheng looked him firmly in the eye. “The Beigong throne.”

Huo’s frown deepened. “Why should I trust you?”

A faint smile played on Dai Yuheng’s lips. “You will. Who could doubt the methods of the Dai household?”

Huo pressed his lips tight, gazing deeply at him.

“Yinghuo, the star that brings war and plague,” Dai Yuheng said calmly, meeting his gaze. Anger briefly flashed across Huo’s face. “From birth, you have been seen as a calamity, forever accompanied by insects and scorpions. Do you wish to live like this forever?”

“Did the old Beigong Emperor suddenly pass away because of wine and women?” Dai Yuheng’s every word struck a nerve, leaving Huo nearly breathless. “At this critical moment, the great families are eager to back a prince to the throne, yet you remain a silent, unnoticed hostage in the palace. With your talent and exceptional leadership as Prince Yinghuo, isn’t this a bit beneath you?”

The fury in Huo’s eyes slowly subsided. “Can you truly keep your promise and help me become the Beigong Emperor?”

Dai Yuheng lifted his head. “A gentleman’s word is worth a thousand pieces of gold.”

“Very well, I’ll trust you this once.”

The next day, as usual, she woke at dawn, blinking drowsily at the ceiling, momentarily disoriented. She had had a chaotic nightmare—a voice telling her that an important person had died, and then darkness engulfed everything.

No, she vaguely recalled something and suddenly sat up. Why was she sleeping in her own room?