Another transaction

As the night quietly passed, Gu Jinning lay restless in bed, tossing and turning all night. She felt that the late summer was neither too hot nor too cold, and it was even more unbearable than the height of summer. She couldn't help but feel depressed and stayed in her room, unwilling to move.

"cousin!"

Quan Zichu's loud voice pierced through the courtyard and reached Gu Jinning's ears.

"Cousin, I've come to visit you."

Quan Zichu rushed into the house, beaming with joy, clearly showing that his physical and emotional wounds had healed.

Gu Jinning got up dejectedly, moved to the soft couch under the window and half-reclined, waving to Quan Zichu who was still looking around for someone, "Here."

Quan Zichu plopped down opposite her, carrying a bamboo basket of food in his hand.

"Knowing you're bored from being confined, I specially bought the best pastries from Baiweizhai to satisfy your cravings."

Gu Jinning waved her hand, signaling Qinglian to step down from guarding the gate, and asked, "Are you healed?"

Quan Zichu completely forgot her fear at the time and replied cheerfully, "That little injury has long since healed. How about you, cousin?"

"It's alright, but life is boring."

Gu Jinning poked at the food basket, but had no appetite for the food.

Quan Zichu laid out the food and said, "You'll find it interesting soon enough."

"Hmm?" Gu Jinning had a bad feeling.

"In a few days, the academy will begin its annual graduation examinations. His Majesty has decreed that anyone who misses the exams for three consecutive years must have a thousand books confiscated from the Hanlin Academy and take make-up exams until they pass. Otherwise, they will be severely punished. Cousin, this is your third year already; you can't miss the exams again."

Gu Jinning got a headache just thinking about the assessment and complained, "I'm not going. I'm just a girl, not aiming to be the top scholar, what's the point of learning so much? My head will explode."

"But other young ladies are taking the exam, so you should at least show your face. For women, passing one of the three subjects is enough to pass. If you're not good at academics, then you can take the martial arts exam."

Ever since Quan Zichu learned that Gu Jinning had broken into the prison to save people, he had become even more adoring of Gu Jinning, and his eyes shone with admiration when he looked at her.

Gu Jinning rolled her eyes, thinking to herself that this kid must have been scared out of his wits, always grinning like an idiot.

"By the way, I heard that this year's martial arts exam is in archery, and His Highness Prince Jin is the examiner."

Gu Jinning, who had just straightened up, slumped down again. "That's it, I can't even cheat anymore."

"Oh, cousin, don't be so pessimistic."

Quan Zichu kept nagging in Gu Jinning's ear, constantly encouraging her to give it a try.

Gu Jinning was thoroughly annoyed by his words. Overwhelmed with gratitude, she said she was persuaded by his words and sent him away under the pretext of reviewing her lessons.

Gu Jinning had no interest in reading classical texts; she was preoccupied with figuring out how to break off Xiao Heng'an's marriage.

She couldn't understand it. She had paved the way, and Ji Lin was quite cunning, so why couldn't she win over Xiao Heng'an?

Qinglian cautiously reminded her, "Princess, is it possible that the problem doesn't lie with Ji Lin?"

Gu Jinning said firmly, "Impossible!"

Xiao Heng'an clearly has feelings for Ji Lin; his eyes don't lie.

After much deliberation, Gu Jinning decided to help Ji Lin one more time.

Inside the Lotus Courtyard of the Prince Jin's Mansion, Ji Lin was also looking at the mirror with a troubled expression. What should she do to keep Xiao Heng'an in check and become the true mistress of the Prince Jin's Mansion?

Guifang entered the room, holding a letter in her hand, and softly called out, "Miss, the servant at the door brought this, saying it's a letter for you."

Ji Lin took the letter, glanced at it, and her expression changed drastically. She hurriedly put the letter into her sleeve, looked around, and asked, "Who sent this?"

Guifang shook her head. "He's a stranger, I don't recognize him. What's wrong?"

Ji Lin shook her head, trying to remain calm. Her mind was racing, and after a long struggle, she finally stood up and said, "Wet nurse, I'm going out for a bit."

Guifang noticed that she looked unwell and knew that something was wrong, something that couldn't be said openly. So she tacitly kept quiet and only told her to come back soon.

"How about I have Chu Lang chase after the carriage for you?"

Ji Lin did not refuse, so Gui Fang called Chu Lang to prepare the car and instructed him to take good care of Ji Lin.

Chu Lang was quick-witted and guessed that Ji Lin's sudden departure from the mansion must be for some reason, so he readily agreed and got to work.

The carriage stopped in front of Baiweizhai.

Ji Lin used the excuse of preparing food to tell Chu Lang to wait in the car, and went into Baiweizhai on her own.

Baiweizhai is the most luxurious restaurant in Kyoto. Its interior is magnificent and resplendent, with towering halls and intersecting staircases that support layers of elegant private rooms, each exquisite and unique.

As soon as Ji Lin entered, someone led her upstairs and directly into a side room on the third floor.

The door creaked shut, and Ji Lin shuddered in shock, her legs feeling as heavy as if they weighed a ton, unable to move.

"Miss, please come in."

A polite invitation came from behind the lake-blue gauze curtain.

Ji Lin dared not go in, but had no choice but to bite the bullet and go in.

Behind the gauze curtain, a table laden with sumptuous food was laid out. Xiao Liao sat in the main seat and gestured for her to sit down.

Ji Lin suddenly knelt down and bowed with trembling hands, "Ji Lin greets Your Highness, the Prince of Qin."

Xiao Liao bent down and placed his hand on hers, then smiled and said, "Miss, don't be afraid. I invited you here to get to know you better."

Xiao Liao was notorious for his absolute power, so how could Ji Lin not be afraid?

"Your Highness is too kind. I am a woman who rarely goes out. How could I dare to associate myself with such an important person as you?"

Ji Lin remained kneeling on the ground, her voice trembling as she spoke.

Xiao Liao leaned back in his chair, scrutinizing her with the air of a superior. His imposing presence made Ji Lin lower her head further and further.

Xiao Liao said, "I invited you here today to ask about someone. You should know the 'Hundred-Faced Young Man,' right?"

The Dali Temple has determined that the handwriting on the note found in Ji Lin's room is the same as the handwriting on the note left by the Hundred-Faced Young Man. All existing handwriting in the city has been compared, and none are identical.

Ji Lin became the only breakthrough point.

Ji Lin was afraid that Xiao Liao would group her with the ever-changing young man, so she quickly told him the whole story.

“Your Highness, my deal with the Hundred-Faced Young Man was merely to secure a place in the Prince of Jin’s residence and save my life. As for where he came from or what he did, that is none of my concern. Please do not tell the Prince of Jin about this.”

Xiao Liao reassured him, "Don't be afraid. Your deal with the Hundred-Faced Young Man is your private matter, and I have no right to interfere. Right now, you are the only one who can contact the Hundred-Faced Young Man. I hope you can lure him out and help me solve the case."

Ji Lin thought to herself, "This cunning young man is always a hidden danger. If the King of Qin could capture him and bring him to justice, wouldn't the world be at peace?"

However, she had already offended the ever-changing young man and had been retaliated against. If she tried to scheme against him again and failed, she might end up getting herself into trouble. She needed to come up with a foolproof plan.

Ji Lin said, "I am willing to help Your Highness solve the case, but I have a grudge against him because of the reward. He has threatened me many times to pay the reward, so I am afraid he will not easily believe me."

Xiao Liao asked, "How much is the fee?"

Ji Lin replied, "Three thousand taels of silver. My whole family was raided, where would I get so much money? I had no other choice but to keep delaying payment."

Xiao Liao said, "That's easy. I'll give you three thousand taels of silver. You can arrange to meet him again."

Ji Lin shook her head. "He is extremely cautious, only going to the manor to retrieve things, and he is unpredictable in his actions, never revealing his whereabouts. If Your Highness cannot set up surveillance at the Prince of Jin's manor in real time and wait for him to come to you, it will be difficult to catch him."

Xiao Liao had witnessed the versatile young man's abilities firsthand, and the Prince of Jin's residence was not a place one could enter and leave at will. Therefore, Xiao Liao devised a compromise.

He gave Ji Lin three thousand five hundred taels of silver, instructing her to pay the ever-changing young actor his usual fee, and to spend an additional five taels to hire him for his services. He planned to then deploy his forces to arrest people, ensuring a complete sweep.

This plan suited Ji Lin perfectly, and she immediately agreed to cooperate with Xiao Liao.

That night, the sky was full of stars, the crescent moon was faintly visible, and the doors and windows moved slightly.

Gu Jinning, dressed in black and masked, appeared silently in Ji Lin's room.

"Miss, it's time to collect my payment."

She was dressed as a boy and strolled leisurely around the house, as if she were visiting relatives.

The room was pitch black, save for the scattered slivers of light filtering through the window paper, offering a glimmer of illumination. Gu Jinning leaned against...

Ji Lin emerged from the darkness and handed Gu Jinning a stack of silver notes.

"This is the agreed-upon payment. I originally wanted to give you silver, but I had too much silver and couldn't bring it in, so I could only exchange it for silver notes."

Gu Jinning lit a lamp, checked the silver notes one by one to confirm they were genuine, stuffed them into her bosom, and got up to leave, saying, "Alright, our transaction is completely over, we owe each other nothing."

Ji Lin grabbed her sleeve to stop her from leaving, and said aggrievedly, "But I haven't won the favor of Prince Jin yet."

Gu Jinning said, "Is that so? So what? Our deal is already over."

Ji Lin gritted her teeth, took out five hundred taels of silver notes, and pleaded, "Help me one more time. Whether I succeed or fail, I will never bother you again."

Gu Jinning took out the silver note and smelled it. "Pay first, then do it?"

Ji Lin nodded solemnly.

Gu Jinning reluctantly clicked her tongue and sat back down, saying, "Alright. Since you're so sincere, I'll help you one more time."

The night was silent, and Ji Lin could clearly hear the sound of her own heartbeat, so chaotic and helpless.

"Thank you." She tried to remain calm and asked, "How can I help?"

Gu Jinning said, "The academy will hold its annual assessment the day after tomorrow, and Prince Jin will be the chief examiner for the martial arts test. You should go with him and stand out in front of all the students, winning their applause. Are you worried about not attracting Prince Jin's attention?"

Upon hearing the word "academy," Ji Lin became even more nervous, her clenched palms becoming sweaty.

"But I don't know martial arts."

Gu Jinning said, "That's why I'm going disguised as you. I used to follow Prince Jin to learn archery under your identity, and then I can demonstrate what he taught me to everyone. Wouldn't that show how deep your love is? When the princess sees this, she'll be even more eager to break off the engagement. It's killing two birds with one stone."

Ji Lin thought this plan would kill two birds with one stone, so she readily agreed and said she would follow his arrangements.

Gu Jinning left satisfied, and on the way, she found Chu Lang and told him that the matter was settled, and asked him to leave the Prince of Jin's mansion under the pretext of returning to his hometown to visit relatives.

Ji Lin was worried that her meeting with the Prince of Qin would become known, and Chu Lang's departure from the manor conveniently fulfilled her wish, so she readily agreed. The steward and the other servants, however, got along very well with Chu Lang and were reluctant to part with him, urging him to return soon.

On the day of the assessment, Gu Jinning arrived at Ji Lin's room early, knocked her unconscious, and considerately stuffed her into the closet. There was no other way; being unconscious was safer.

Gu Jinning, disguised as Ji Lin, lay in wait outside Xiao Heng'an's courtyard. As soon as she saw Xiao Heng'an come out, she lifted her skirt and went up to him, calling him "cousin" in a sweet voice.

"Cousin, are you leaving the manor?"

Xiao Heng'an glanced at her first, then stopped and asked, "Would you like to go to the academy's assessment today?"

Gu Jinning thought to herself that the sun must have risen in the west. Xiao Heng'an's initiative saved her a lot of talking. She smiled shyly and asked timidly, "Is it okay?"

Xiao Heng'an said, "We won't miss you. Let's go together."

Gu Jinning quickly thanked him and followed.

Not knowing that Miss was going, Song Hui had only prepared one carriage and was about to prepare another. Xiao Heng'an stopped him and said, "No need to trouble yourself, Miss, you can ride with me."

Gu Jinning was deeply moved. Who said Xiao Heng'an was heartless towards Ji Lin? He's actually quite good at showing goodwill.

She happily followed Xiao Heng'an into the carriage. She wanted to sit opposite him to be reserved, but Xiao Heng'an patted the seat next to him, gesturing for her to sit there.

Gu Jinning was more than happy to oblige, and immediately maintained her elegant smile as she sat down next to him.

Song Hui lowered the bamboo curtain, thinking to himself, "It seems His Highness has been deeply hurt by the Princess this time. Otherwise, why would he suddenly become so close to Miss Biao?"

The carriage swayed gently. Gu Jinning sat upright with her hands folded on her lap, her head bowed and brows furrowed, her demeanor proper and dignified.

Xiao Heng'an just stared at her, silent, yet it seemed as if he had said a thousand words. His gaze was unreadable, like the scorching sun, making Gu Jinning restless and wishing she could confess everything.

After a long silence, Xiao Heng'an said, "When we enter the academy later, don't wander off. Stay close to me."