Chapter 65: Qingyue protests, Zhixi fights back

The palace's back garden was filled with osmanthus flowers. The September breeze blew, sending tiny petals cascading down, staining the bluestone path and filling the air with a sweet fragrance. Shen Qingyue sat in the pavilion, clutching a round fan embroidered with twin lotus flowers, which Xiao Jin had sent her just yesterday. She wore a moon-white dress and a mutton-fat jade bracelet from Xiao Jin. The sunlight filtered through the petals, casting a delicate and beautiful light on her like a figure from a painting.

Yun Zhi was "invited" here by two maids. She was still wearing her gray servant's uniform. As soon as she walked outside the pavilion, she heard Shen Qingyue's gentle voice: "Sister Yun Zhi, come and sit down. I just made some Rain-Previous Longjing tea. Would you like to try it?"

Yun Zhi didn't move, standing outside the pavilion with her hands hanging down. She said calmly, "Miss Shen, I am of low status and dare not sit with you. If you have any instructions, please tell me. I will listen."

Shen Qingyue paused holding the teacup, a hint of displeasure flashed in her eyes, but she still smiled gently: "Sister, what are you talking about? You have been in the palace for so long, you are half the master, there is nothing wrong with sitting down and talking." As she spoke, she winked at the maid beside her.

The maid immediately stepped forward and tried to pull Yunzhi's arm, but Yunzhi calmly dodged. Yunzhi still lowered her head, "I dare not overstep my bounds. If you have nothing to do, I still need to clean up, so I won't disturb you from admiring the flowers."

"Cleaning?" Shen Qingyue put down her teacup, a hint of subtle harshness in her tone, "Sister is indeed diligent. But the work in the back garden can be done by the maids. How can I trouble you? After all, you...are the one the prince once held in his heart."

This seems to be a compliment, but it is actually a subtle irony - the word "once" is like a needle, deliberately reminding Yun Zhi that the person Xiao Jin loves now is her, Shen Qingyue.

Yun Zhi clenched her fingers lightly at her sides, then slowly loosened them, her voice remaining calm. "My lady, you're joking. I'm the daughter of a criminal. It's a favor from the prince that I can stay in the palace and do menial labor. As for the 'cherished one', I've never dared to think about it, nor do I deserve it."

"Not worthy?" Shen Qingyue chuckled, raised her wrist, revealing the mutton-fat jade bracelet, and said with a boastful tone, "This bracelet was given to me by the prince yesterday. He said it was a tribute from the Western Regions and there was only one in the entire capital. He also said that in the future, he would choose the good things in the palace for me first." She paused and looked at Yun Zhi, her eyes full of pride. "Sister, you have been in the palace for so long. The prince must have given you a lot of things, right? For example... jewelry, clothes?"

Yun Zhi's hand dangled at her side, her nails digging gently into her palm. Xiao Jin had never given her anything, but he had given her abortion pills and subjected her to endless humiliation. But she didn't say any of this, simply saying, "This servant has never received a reward from the prince. I see how much the prince cares for the young lady, and I'm happy for her."

"Happy for me?" Shen Qingyue leaned forward, lowering her voice a little, but loud enough for Yun Zhi to hear clearly, "Are you really happy, sister? Or... are you blaming the prince in your heart, blaming him for only having eyes for me now and forgetting you?"

Yun Zhi finally raised her head and her eyes fell on Shen Qingyue's face. Her eyes were very calm, without resentment or anger, only indifference, which made Shen Qingyue feel inexplicably uneasy.

"Miss, you worry too much." Yun Zhi's voice remained steady, but with a barely perceptible sharpness. "It's His Majesty's freedom to choose who he wants. I'm just a slave, I have no right to complain, nor do I have the right to hope. But Miss..." She paused, her eyes falling on the hem of Shen Qingyue's skirt. "Miss, you fell off the cliff that year and were saved by a master. You're so lucky. I just don't know where that master lives. I heard from the old man that there are mostly rocks under the cliff, and few places suitable for people to live. Since Miss was able to stay there safely for so long, I guess that master's residence must be a good place."

As soon as these words came out, Shen Qingyue's face changed instantly. Her fall from the cliff was fake. Where did the master come from? She was just hiding in the courtyard arranged by Prime Minister Shen. Yun Zhi's words were clearly implying that there was something wrong with her words!

Shen Qingyue's grip on the round fan tightened, nearly breaking the ribs, but she still pretended to be calm: "Sister, why are you asking this all of a sudden? That master likes quiet and doesn't want to be disturbed, so I naturally can't reveal his residence. But sister, why are you so interested in what happened to me back then?"

"Just asking casually." Yun Zhi lowered her eyes, her tone flat. "A few days ago, when I went to the back mountain to chop firewood, I saw some rare herbs at the foot of the cliff. I thought that the young lady had been there before and might know them. But now it seems that the young lady has never seen them - after all, with a master protecting her, why would the young lady go to suffer in the pile of rocks at the foot of the cliff?"

These words were like a needle, accurately piercing Shen Qingyue's sore spot. Back then, she had been hiding in the courtyard, eating and wearing the best of everything. How could she have ever been to a pile of rocks? Yun Zhi's words, while openly expressing concern, were secretly exposing her lies!

Shen Qingyue's expression darkened completely, and she could no longer feign gentleness. She stood up abruptly, her mutton-fat jade bracelet clattering against the stone table. "Yunzhi! What do you mean? Are you doubting that my fall from the cliff was fake?"

Yun Zhi still lowered her head, but her voice held a subtle chill. "Young lady, you misunderstood. I was just saying it casually. If you don't like it, I won't say it." She paused, then added, "It's just that I happened to hear from an old servant that around the time Young lady fell off the cliff, someone saw the Prime Minister's carriage heading to the villa on the outskirts of the city. I thought it might be a coincidence."

"You!" Shen Qingyue was so angry that she was shaking all over. She pointed at Yun Zhi's nose, but couldn't utter a complete sentence. She didn't expect Yun Zhi to know so much! And dared to say it in front of her!

Yun Zhi raised her head and looked directly at Shen Qingyue. The previous submissiveness was no longer in her eyes, leaving only a cold indifference: "If the young lady has nothing else to do, I will withdraw first. After all, the prince is still waiting for the young lady to go back for lunch, and I dare not delay the young lady's time."

At the mention of Xiao Jin, Shen Qingyue regained some of her composure. She took a deep breath, suppressed her anger, and smiled gently once again, though with a hint of stiffness. "Alright, Sister, go ahead and get busy. But remember, there are some things you shouldn't say. Don't upset the prince, and if you end up losing your life, it wouldn't be worth it."

This is a naked threat.

Yun Zhi didn't respond, but simply bowed and turned to walk out. Osmanthus petals fell on her gray servant's uniform, like a handful of scattered gold, making her back look particularly lonely and resolute.

Shen Qingyue stood in the pavilion, looking at Yun Zhi's back. The smile on her face completely disappeared, and her eyes were filled with cold murderous intent. She raised her hand and gestured to the dark figure in the dark - that was the assassin that Prime Minister Shen had arranged to be by her side.

The shadowy figure appeared instantly and knelt on one knee: "What do you want, young lady?"

"Go check!" Shen Qingyue's voice was as cold as ice. "Check who Yunzhi has been in contact with recently, and how she knows about the things at the foot of the cliff and the other courtyard! If she dares to ruin my plans, then..." She made a gesture of wiping her neck, and the cruelty in her eyes was not concealed at all, "Shut her up forever!"

"Yes!" The black shadow responded and instantly disappeared behind the osmanthus tree.

Shen Qingyue sat down again and picked up her teacup, only to find it had gone cold. She slammed it to the ground, the sound of shattering porcelain piercing the garden. The sweet osmanthus blossoms continued to fall, but the sweetness in her heart had long since been replaced by the panic and murderous intent brought on by Yun Zhi.

She had originally thought that Yun Zhi was just a slave with smoothed edges, unable to cause any trouble. But today, she saw that this woman was not only not broken, but was like a knife hidden in its sheath, seemingly insignificant, but able to poke her vitals inadvertently!

"Yun Zhi..." Shen Qingyue gritted her teeth, her eyes full of cruelty, "You want to fight me? You are not qualified! I won't let you destroy everything I have, never!"

As Yun Zhi walked out of the garden and around the corridor, she saw Liu Zhong's men disguised as gardeners pruning branches. The gardener quietly handed her a note with only two words on it: "Be careful."

Yun Zhi clutched the note in her palm, feeling the roughness of the paper against her fingertips. She looked up at the pavilion where Shen Qingyue was, a cold smile playing on her lips. "Shen Qingyue, you've finally revealed your true colors. The more you panic, the more you want to kill me, the more likely you are to make mistakes. This drama has only just begun, don't rush to end it."

She tucked the note into her sleeve and quickened her pace toward the west side of the courtyard. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows beneath her feet, a reflection of her current state of mind—calm on the surface, yet turbulent within, waiting for the right moment to unleash a storm.