Chapter 6: IQ

The west courtyard served as the kitchen of the Inner Castle. Seven or eight men and women stood in the yard. Zhu’er was shouting at them loudly. Ke’er called over a child who was watching the commotion, asked a few questions, and understood the cause of the matter.

When Su Tang regained consciousness, a joyful and surprised Zhu’er specifically sent someone to the county town to buy a piece of Wen’s secret deer jerky. Wen’s secret deer jerky was very famous; it was made from snow deer from the Black Forest and smoked with various precious medicinal herbs. It was highly nourishing for the body and tasted excellent, making it a favorite among the big lords in the county. Of course, the price was ridiculously expensive. If Su Tang had not just recovered from a serious illness, Zhu’er would never have been willing to buy such a luxury.

However, right after the secret deer jerky was placed in the cellar of the back kitchen, it vanished in the blink of an eye. A servant found several fragrant bones in a pile of weeds outside the yard. They smelled exactly like the secret deer jerky; it was obvious that someone had stolen and eaten it.

Zhu’er was furious. When Su Tang was sick, she could have played dumb and ignored those who stole things, but now that Su Tang had recovered and the operations of the Inner Castle were returning to normal, she could not tolerate anyone daring to do such a thing!

Ke’er, having learned the reason, was also upset and kept muttering beside Su Tang.

Su Tang frowned. Three or four servants holding wooden sticks stood around, staring hungrily at the suspects. It seemed Zhu’er intended to investigate this to the very end.

He understood Zhu’er’s thoughts. On one hand, she wanted to vent her anger; on the other, she wanted to use this incident to reorganize the order of life in the Inner Castle, killing a chicken to warn the monkeys.

However, while Ke’er had been pretending to be tough earlier, the current Zhu’er was being tough blindly. Even if she cursed them for a whole day, she might not find the thief. Moreover, if such a big commotion ended without a result, it would leave a bad impression. On the surface, the servants would be terrified of Zhu’er, but behind her back, they would not take her seriously—just as he had accidentally heard the maids discussing him with disdain.

Why?

Because he was foolish, because he was stupid, and because his heart was too soft and easy to fool.

Not all kindness received a corresponding reward; otherwise, the world would be very simple and beautiful.

Su Tang walked forward slowly. Zhu’er, who was shouting, only then noticed Su Tang and hurried over, her voice becoming softer: “Young Master, why did you come?” There was a hint of helplessness in Zhu’er’s eyes because she could predict what Su Tang would say: Oh, it’s just a piece of deer jerky, why be so angry? Just let it go, let it go…

In the past, whenever someone in the castle made a mistake, Su Tang would always come forward to plead for them if he found out, preventing the planks she raised high from ever landing.

Su Tang’s gaze swept over the men and women. Seeing Su Tang appear, although their expressions remained terrified, some joy appeared in their eyes. Out of habit, they believed that after the Young Master said a few words, they would be fine. No matter how arrogant Zhu’er’s temper was, she would not dare to hurt Young Master Su’s face.

“As for you, play a little game with me first. If you can make me happy, this matter ends here. Do you hear me?”

“We hear you.”

“We hear you, Young Master.”

The men and women no longer hid their joy. It was exactly as they expected. The servants standing around gave bitter smiles and looked at Zhu’er. Zhu’er sighed softly and said nothing.

“Close your eyes and carefully feel the sensation of the breeze blowing past you…” Su Tang said softly: “Do you feel it? Good, slowly open your eyes, look at me, and raise your hands just like I am doing. Yes… just like that… a fragrance is drifting in the wind, it smells very good and makes you feel comfortable… you will feel your bodies becoming lighter and lighter…”

Although the men and women did not know what Su Tang was doing, whether they were guilty or innocent, they all followed his words very seriously. If they could make Su Tang happy, they would escape a huge problem. It was just a little game; they could endure it.

Su Tang’s tone was very gentle. After about five minutes of verbal guidance, he noticed that the eyes of the men and women had become somewhat vacant, so he began the next step: “Clouds like cotton are swirling around your right hands… the clouds are playful and warm… you will feel more and more comfortable, and a bit sleepy… your eyes are slowly closing… Now, those of you who have eaten the deer jerky, slowly lower your right hand just like I am doing…” Su Tang was very careful with his wording, avoiding any stimulating language. If he had said “those who stole the jerky,” it likely would have triggered their alertness and ruined everything.

Su Tang lowered his hand, and two men followed suit. However, they were not clear about what they were doing; their eyes were blurred, and their eyelids slowly drooped.

Zhu’er had been watching silently from the side. She felt wronged in her heart, but regardless of whether Su Tang’s decision was right or wrong, she had to execute it unconditionally. Trying to force a change—regardless of the result—would first betray the final wish of Lady Su and Su Tang’s kindness toward her.

Finally, Su Tang suddenly turned the topic to the people who had eaten the jerky. Zhu’er was stunned, then looked up and saw the two men had lowered their hands, mimicking Su Tang.

What… what on earth happened?! She had been shouting for so long and not one of these fellows had admitted it; they had all denied it in every possible way. The Young Master just played a strange game with them, and then they admitted it?

In fact, Su Tang’s verbal guidance had no effect on Zhu’er, Ke’er, or the onlookers. Closing eyes, opening them, and raising hands were all linguistic triggers Su Tang required the suspects to perform, each with a latent meaning. The onlookers did not receive the triggers, so their subconscious minds naturally did not follow the guidance.

Therefore, Zhu’er, who was isolated from the process, could not understand why those two men would voluntarily confess.

“They are the ones who stole it.” Su Tang smiled at Zhu’er: “Zhu’er, I leave them to you.” After saying this, he turned and walked out of the yard.

Zhu’er stared blankly at Su Tang’s back for a long time before reacting. Her momentum suddenly surged as she shouted: “Tie them up!”

The servants, who had been waiting for a long time, pounced like wolves and tigers, kicking the two men to the ground. They woke up from their trance as they were tackled, screaming while struggling.

“Miss Zhu’er, what is this for…”

“What happened? Stop… I didn’t do anything…”

Over there, Su Tang had already walked out of the yard with Ke’er. Ke’er’s eyes were full of stars as she murmured: “Young Master, you are so amazing…”

“You only just realized?” Su Tang reached out and pinched Ke’er’s small cheek.

“But… Young Master, how did you know it was them?” Ke’er asked.

“They didn’t pass my test,” Su Tang said: “I can only blame their IQ for being too low; it’s probably not even eighty.”

“IQ?” Ke’er had never heard this word.

“It means how smart you are.” Su Tang could only give this simplified explanation; a serious one would be too troublesome.

“Young Master, what is my IQ?” Ke’er became curious.

“Your IQ?” Su Tang looked at Ke’er seriously, his smile becoming somewhat mischievous. Strictly speaking, Ke’er was a little beauty in the making, with big eyes, long eyelashes, white skin, and good development. There was only one point that didn’t fit Su Tang’s aesthetic: Ke’er’s lips were too small, almost described as cherry lips. Su Tang smiled strangely because he thought of certain images: “I have to test you before I know.”

“Test? Okay!” Ke’er had no suspicions and nodded.

Su Tang held out a finger and said with a grin: “Put it in your mouth and suck.”

How could Ke’er understand Su Tang’s mischievous thoughts? She obediently took Su Tang’s finger into her mouth and sucked hard.

Su Tang struggled to hold back his laughter and pretended to be disappointed. He slowly pulled his finger out and shook his head: “Your IQ… is not even fifty.”

“How can that be?” Ke’er was even more disappointed. She quickly grabbed Su Tang’s hand and cried: “Young Master, I didn’t use enough strength just now, it doesn’t count, it doesn’t count! Test me again!”

This time, Ke’er used all her strength, her cheeks turning bright red from the effort. Su Tang was laughing inwardly; if it were something else, the feeling would certainly be exhilarating… Yes, he should train Ke’er early. She should become a happy and blissful little landlord, shouldn’t she?

“It’s no use,” Su Tang shook his head again: “This time it’s not even thirty.”

“Huh?” Ke’er opened her mouth. When she was little, the Lady had praised her for being clever, and Sister Zhu’er had also said she was quick-witted. How could her IQ be under thirty? She was even lower than those two villains. Ke’er felt sad.

A mist covered Ke’er’s eyes, and Su Tang finally burst into laughter: “Haha, I was just teasing you, Ke’er. Your IQ is over two hundred; it’s even higher than mine.”

“Really?” Ke’er’s sadness immediately turned to joy. This was more like it.

Just then, Zhu’er quickly chased after them from the yard. After all, she had followed Su Tang for over a decade and often handled affairs inside and outside the castle, so her experience was much stronger than Ke’er’s. She noticed that the Young Master seemed different after his illness.

“Young Master, how did you make them confess just now? They are regretting it now,” Zhu’er called out.

“I know, I know!” Ke’er said: “It’s because their IQ is too low, so they didn’t pass Young Master’s test.”

“IQ? What is that?” Zhu’er was stunned.

“It means how smart you are!” Ke’er beamed: “Sister Zhu’er, do you know what my IQ is?”

“How much?”

“I’m over two hundred! Ask Young Master if you don’t believe me!” Ke’er said, shaking her head and sounding very proud.

“Why wouldn’t I believe it? Ke’er is the smartest,” Zhu’er smiled, her tone sounding a bit perfunctory. Then she turned her gaze back to Su Tang. There were too many chores to handle in Little Forest Castle now; she had no time to chat with Ke’er, nor was she interested in something like IQ: “Young Master, they keep claiming they are innocent. What should we do?”

“It’s simple,” Su Tang said indifferently: “Tell them to cut open their bellies to prove their innocence. If I have wronged them, I can pay with my life. If there is deer jerky in their bellies, then they deserve it.” The subconscious cannot lie; since they followed the command to lower their right hands, they must have stolen and eaten it. Su Tang was absolutely certain.

“Ah…” Zhu’er was shocked and stared blankly at Su Tang. To suggest cutting open a belly so casually—was this still the Young Master?! Of course, Zhu’er also knew he wouldn’t actually do it. As long as Su Tang’s words were conveyed, those two would collapse on their own. The problem was that Su Tang’s attitude gave her a feeling of strangeness.