How Did You Do It
When Li Yanhao was mentioned, Su Li and Bailu exchanged a smile.
Su Li took off the mask from her face, restoring her original appearance. Bailu watched in amazement and quickly praised, "This disguise technique is truly ingenious."
"Tomorrow, wrap the prepared men's clothes for me. I’m going to Wutong Academy in disguise, so I’ll change and disguise myself at the Suzhai Pavilion before heading there," Su Li said.
Bailu noted everything down and finally said, "Madam, about your teaching at Wutong Academy, won’t you tell Young Master Yuan Ling? He studies there, so if you’re around, he can be looked after."
Su Li thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I’d better not tell Ling’er. If he knows I’m a senior student at the academy, he might rely on me and slack off in his studies, which wouldn’t be good for him."
"Understood. I’ll prepare it right away," Bailu said, then left.
Not long after Bailu left, Xiao Zetian returned. He closed the door behind him, strode over, and scooped Su Li into his arms with a smile. "Little thing! I didn’t expect my lady to be so impressive—just a few words and that White Skin Five willingly made the mask. You know, he’s usually very proud of his disguise skills and only agreed to make one mask after much persuasion."
"Oh? I think Mr. Bai is quite generous," Su Li blinked.
"He’s generous to you," Xiao Zetian said, a bit jealous as he hugged Su Li tighter. "Just to get one more mask from White Skin Five, the top beauty of the Xiao family’s secret guards, Peony, once used a beauty trap on him, but he stubbornly refused to make another mask. Look at you—just a few words, and White Skin Five was willing to make a mask happily. Ah Li, how did you do it? How did you get such a stubborn White Skin Five to listen to you?"
Su Li leaned against Xiao Zetian’s chest and thought for a moment. "I don’t think Mr. Bai is that stubborn; he just has a sense of pride."
"Pride?" Xiao Zetian frowned, looking at Su Li with some confusion.
"Exactly! Anyone truly skilled has a deep sense of pride. For example, White Skin Five is a master of a unique disguise technique, so naturally, he’s very proud. But he’s also a wanderer with low status, which sharply contrasts with his pride. For people like him, forcing them only fuels their pride, making them unwilling to serve you willingly." Su Li paused and continued, "In essence, White Skin Five and I are similar—we’re both artisans. He masters disguise, and I master cooking; fundamentally, it’s the same. Imagine if someone bossed me around to cook or forced me to give up my secret recipes—though I might comply to protect myself, I’d still feel resentful inside. White Skin Five is the same."
"Earlier, I treated White Skin Five with respect and appreciation as a fellow artisan. I sincerely respected him. He probably sensed my respect and sincerity, which made him genuinely willing to make the mask for me."
Su Li paused, looked up at Xiao Zetian, and said, "Sometimes, relying on power alone isn’t enough. You have to be sincere with people, empathize with their feelings, and exchange sincerity for sincerity to win their hearts."
"Husband, if you truly want to make good use of White Skin Five’s skills, try to understand and respect him. Only then will he be willing to work for you. This is what they mean by, ‘A warrior dies for a confidant.’"
"A warrior dies for a confidant..." Xiao Zetian murmured Su Li’s words repeatedly, chewing over them and feeling the profound meaning deepening.