Stealing the beams and replacing the pillars

The summer night sky is sparkling with stars, and the night breeze, carrying the heat of the day, feels stuffy against the skin.

Soon, dark clouds filled the sky, silently obscuring the countless stars. The wind rose, and the cicadas began to sing loudly.

When Qinglian brought the cold treats back to the prison, she saw Gu Jinning leaning against the door frame, silently looking into the dark corridor of the cell, kicking the ground absently with her feet.

The cicada pod rolled in the corner, while the broken-winged cicada continued to chirp and twitter everywhere.

"Princess, please try the teahouse's newest snowflake jelly."

Qinglian walked past her, placed the snowflake powder on the table, and squatted down to clean up the cicada pods.

"Qinglian, my talks with him have fallen apart," Gu Jinning said listlessly.

Qinglian hummed in response.

Gu Jinning then knew that she had run into Xiao Heng'an when she returned, and asked, "What did he say?"

Qinglian replied, "Your Highness said that the weather has been hot lately, and you must be feeling bored while confined in prison. Cicada and cricket fighting to relieve your fatigue is harmless, so please do as you please."

Gu Jinning pouted and sat back down on the couch, looking dejected. "He made me angry, and now you're the ones who have to coax me."

Qinglian brought over the snowflake powder and handed over a celadon spoon, smiling as she asked, "You knew His Highness wouldn't easily break off the engagement, so why are you angry?"

Gu Jinning took the spoon, forcefully poked it into the powder, and retaliated by scooping up a large spoonful.

“I’m not angry that he won’t call off the engagement. I’m angry that after more than ten years of friendship, he categorizes me as someone who’s greedy for wealth and power. He doesn’t understand me at all.”

She chewed the snowflake powder angrily, muttering to herself.

Rumors circulated throughout Kyoto that she was trying to annul her engagement in order to become the Crown Prince.

Even her grandfather advised her to listen to fate and not to make a fuss, saying that the Gu family was not what it used to be and there was no need to fight anymore.

She insisted on fighting. Not for power or fame, but for pride and freedom.

She doesn't want any of these titles: the eldest daughter of the Gu family, a princess, the crown princess, the empress, or a royal consort. She only wants to travel the world and live as she pleases.

If the fake death medicine hadn't failed, she would now be a renowned female knight-errant in the martial arts world.

It was all the fault of that quack doctor who sold fake medicine, causing her to get beaten up for nothing and ruining her plans. Even though she had prepared blood packs and pads beforehand, and her bones weren't injured, it still hurt a lot.

Gu Jinning felt sorry for her bottom, so she poked around in the snowflake powder with her spoon until it turned into porridge. Still not satisfied, she then poked at the ice cubes, acting like a complete child.

Qinglian raised her sleeve to cover the smile on her lips, and asked, "Respected heroine, I have completed the task you assigned. Shall we continue?"

Gu Jinning replied resentfully, "I will do it, I must do it. If he refuses to break off the engagement, I will find another way to win him over."

“Then—” Qinglian pointed to the skylight, reminding her, “It’s late.”

Gu Jinning then realized that she had been fiddling with things for a long time and it was already time to take action.

"Walk!"

Gu Jinning dropped the popsicle stick, opened the skylight, and climbed out.

Because of the hot weather and the damp and stuffy prison cell, the jailer specially changed the narrow skylight into a large window so that Gu Jinning could cool off.

It was the dead of night, dark clouds rolled across the sky, a strong wind blew, and leaves fluttered in the wind. Every household had their doors and windows tightly shut, and everyone had turned off their lights and gone to sleep.

On the dark road, Gu Jinning galloped wildly on her horse.

Boom—

Thunder roared, and large raindrops, like broken strings, pelted down, quickly forming a curtain of rain that fiercely washed over the scorching earth.

Gu Jinning turned into an alley, got into a pre-arranged carriage, and drove away.

The carriage traveled through the rain and eventually turned into a lane with blue-tiled roofs and stopped.

Wearing a straw raincoat, Gu Jinning jumped out of the carriage, climbed over the red and white high wall, and slipped into a courtyard with practiced ease.

A young servant boy, about ten years old, with a handsome appearance, named Chu Lang, was already waiting under the eaves.

"here."

He saw the person coming and bounced around waving.

Gu Jinning turned into the corridor, tossed the raincoat to him, and stepped into the house.

Chu Lang followed closely behind and went in to report, "The doctor examined me and everything is normal. The Prince's mansion is short-handed, so they only assigned me to guard this courtyard, which makes things easier for us."

"Hey, I'll keep watch for you tonight, you can leave now."

When Xiao Heng'an was granted a mansion, he left the capital to go on a military campaign. The Prince of Jin's mansion remained idle, with only a few servants responsible for cleaning and tidying up on a daily basis.

Chu Lang was planted by Gu Jinning a few days ago. He works efficiently, but he talks a lot.

"Shut up."

Gu Jinning snapped at him and headed straight for the bed in the inner room, still angry about being rejected.

On the bed lay a young woman, her face pale and sallow from the suffering of many days in prison, her features thin, but her eyes and brows revealed her delicate beauty.

"Ji Lin?"

Gu Jinning looked down at the person on the bed, curled her lips, took out a pill and put it into Ji Lin's mouth, then pinched her jaw to let the pill slide down her throat. She then jumped onto the bed and started to take off her clothes.

This cousin, whom Xiao Heng'an protected with his military merits, is the only remaining bloodline of the Ji family, and tonight she will be quietly replaced.

Chu Lang followed, and Gu Jinning scolded him, "Stay away, don't you have any sense of propriety?"

"Oh my, you scared me! Did you eat explosives?"

Chu Lang took a few steps back, patted his chest fearfully, pointed to the bed curtains, and beckoned them down, saying in a low, resentful voice, "I was just covering your bed."

"I didn't want to come, but you forced me to. Knowing that men and women are different, you should have sent Qinglian instead."

He paced out of the inner room, muttering to himself like a complaining woman.

"Shut up, you talk too much."

While they were chatting away, Gu Jinning and Ji Lin had already changed their clothes and she called out, "Okay, come here."

Chu Lang reluctantly moved in, having already put on his raincoat.

Gu Jinning put one arm around Ji Lin and pushed him towards her, saying, "Leave him to Qinglian. The carriage is waiting in the alley on the west side."

"Ouch, be careful."

Chu Lang hurriedly caught it and accused Gu Jinning of not knowing how to cherish women.

Gu Jinning glared at him, and Chu Lang quickly shut up, picked up Ji Lin and left the house. In the blink of an eye, they were out of the courtyard and disappeared into the rain.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Chu Lang returned to the courtyard, soaking wet.

"Oh, that Qinglian is too stubborn. She insisted that the raincoat didn't belong to the manor and that I couldn't wear it back, making me soaked to the bone."

He wrung out the water from his clothes and went into the inner room to argue, but when he saw the person lying on the bed, he realized that the person he had just seen off looked exactly like the one he had just seen off. His eyes lit up instantly.

"Wow, your skills are truly amazing!"

Gu Jinning slowly opened her eyes, weakly propped herself up, and picked up a bronze mirror with her right hand to examine herself.

"It's alright, but the eyebrows are a bit light. I'll touch them up tomorrow."

Gu Jinning's lips parted, and a soft, flowing voice poured out, which, combined with her slender, beautiful face, gave her a delicate, graceful beauty.

Ji Lin was brought in unconscious. Chu Lang had never heard Ji Lin speak before, but he felt that it must be the voice of the person in front of him, and he couldn't help but admire Gu Jin Ning's secret technique.

He changed his previous complaints and instead flattered me with a grin, "Master, when will you teach me this skill from our sect?"

Gu Jinning tossed the bronze mirror into his hand and said in a routine manner, "What's the rush? I'll teach you after I've dealt with this matter."

"Alright!" Chu Lang suddenly became energetic and happily went to guard the gate.

Midnight had passed, but the thunder and rain showed no signs of abating; in fact, they seemed to be intensifying. The rain had perfectly washed away all traces of their coming and going.

Gu Jinning lay on the bed and went over Ji Lin's life story.

The Ji family was originally a small, ordinary family in the city. They lived a relatively comfortable life among the lower classes, thanks to the fact that the Ji family matriarch worked for the Empress Dowager.

Later, Ji Qiongyu, the youngest daughter of Ji Mu, gained the favor of the late emperor and was awarded the title of Consort Shu for her merit in giving birth to Xiao Heng'an. The Ji family rose to become a new noble family in the capital.

Consort Shu's elder brother, Ji Qiongming, therefore considered himself superior to others. He was greedy, violent, and arrogant, accumulating countless riches over more than a decade. He offended many court officials and was eventually denounced. His entire family was investigated and their property confiscated. The men were beheaded and the women were sold into slavery, which can be considered a fitting punishment.

Xiao Heng'an had lived in a mountain villa outside the capital since childhood and had no contact with the Ji family. When he learned of the Ji family's misfortune, he only commented with two words: "They deserved it."

He had no intention of saving anyone from the Ji family.

Ji Lin was seventeen years old. She had been raised in the inner chambers since childhood and never left the house. She followed the traditional virtues of obedience to men and women. Among the noble ladies of the capital, she was not outstanding, but she was somewhat clever.

She somehow got wind of the situation and found a versatile young man who could resolve all problems. She offered him a large sum of money, hoping to free her from slavery and allow her to settle down in the Prince of Jin's mansion.

Gu Jinning rolled over, thankful that Ji Lin had found her in time, giving her hope from the despair of the fake death medicine failing and the inability to annul the engagement.

She made a deal with Ji Lin under the guise of a versatile young man, with the condition that Ji Lin would have complete control over her arrangements.

Ji Lin readily agreed in order to get close to Xiao Heng'an.

Later, a will from Ji's mother successfully summoned Xiao Heng'an back to the capital ahead of schedule.

Xiao Heng'an staged this scene today in order to repay the kindness of his mother.

Gu Jinning was secretly pleased with herself; everything was under control.

She would replace Ji Lin, bewitch Xiao Heng'an, and persuade him to break off his engagement and marry Ji Lin. With her engagement broken off, Ji Lin would be able to secure a foothold in the Prince of Jin's residence, achieving a win-win situation.

After reviewing the situation, Gu Jinning nodded in satisfaction. "Very good, go to sleep!"

With a wave of her hand, the candles on the stage flickered and went out.

In the vast palace, only the main courtyard flickered with a faint light. Xiao Heng'an was deep in a rattan chair, staring blankly at the flickering candlelight.

Two young soldiers, Song Ming and Song Hui, were waiting outside the door.

"Everyone says that Princess Jin Ning is a spoiled brat who is violent and domineering. Judging from Your Highness's expression, it is probably true."

Song Ming shook the rain off his arms, moved a few steps to Song Hui's side to avoid the rain, and muttered to himself.

Song Hui nodded and whispered, "That's right. Princess Jin Ning is a well-known tyrant in the capital. Even the Emperor has to give her some leeway. Our Highness is probably doomed."

Song Hui leaned close to Song Ming's ear, a smirk playing on his lips, "I heard that His Highness was kicked out by the Princess."

Song Ming nudged him, signaling him to tone it down.

Song Hui immediately stood up straight, suppressing his laughter, but unable to hold back his吐槽 (tu cao, a Chinese internet slang term for sarcastic or critical comments), he added, "It's true, Vice General Yang saw it with his own eyes."

The two of them imagined Xiao Heng'an being humiliated and couldn't hold back any longer. They covered their mouths and laughed, completely unaware that Xiao Heng'an was already standing behind them.

"What's so funny?"

Xiao Heng'an's words were gloomy, and the two men instantly turned pale and stood up straight.

"N-nothing," Song Hui managed to squeeze out a few words.

Xiao Heng'an glanced at them with disdain and ordered the two of them, "Making noise in the middle of the night, go and be punished."

The two complained incessantly, their voices barely audible compared to the sound of the rain, so how could they be considered noisy?