"Mom, why do you have to be like that, I'm calling now, I can't always do everything instantly!" Exasperation and more than a little whining in that tone, but also stalling for time while Chen thinks what to say. A beat, then "I was finishing my scouting above the lake and then princess Qiu sent me a message and I'm going to win an easy contest she put on to find one new handmaiden and have a dance with her! That's what you wanted me to do right, I'm supposed to confront her and get the advantage and take away her shards, so I'm doing my job and you should be proud that I jumped on this opportunity!"

Chen spits all of that out in a breath, barreling right past the assorted lies. She pointedly ignores the fact that she was doing art rather than scouting, and utterly ignores the tiny voice in her head admitting that she would spend any dance melting into Qiu's arms rather than gaining an advantage. 

She has another short pause, but jumps in to interrupt before her mom can say anything about all this. "I um, to win the contest I need you to use your shard to help me find the girl before Princess Yin. She brought out a whole pack of her wolves! Can you ask the North Wind where I can find someone named Yue?"

[Not sure if Chen's Mom counts as parleying with a toxic power. I think so since she's part of the forces pushing the destiny. If so, the result is 3+5+0=8. GM's choice as to what the price of the answer is.]