Lantern Festival (1)

Inside the side room of Chen'an Residence, charcoal fires burned quietly, dispelling the chill of early spring.

Gu Jinghong finished sewing the last stitch of Xiao Chengyan's dark green robe with the torn sleeve, tied a knot clumsily as Liu Zhaowan had taught her the other day, cut it off with scissors, then picked it up to admire it for a moment before tossing it aside.

From the time she entered Zhuoyue Tower at the age of ten, her master taught her the skills of observing people's expressions and understanding their hearts, the secrets of stealth and intelligence gathering, and the martial arts skills to defeat enemies.

Gu Jinghong spent her days immersed in this world, showing no interest whatsoever in the needlework and embroidery of the women in their boudoirs, not even bothering to glance at it. Even when her own clothes were torn, it was the sisters in the brothel who would mend them for her. Those delicate tasks of threading needles and embroidering phoenixes were nothing but a foreign language to her.

Now, under Xiao Chengyan's "coercion," she had already used all her strength to sew up his sleeve, so he had no reason to complain.

With that in mind, Gu Jinghong walked to her desk and continued studying her "Southern Wind Secret Box".

Several drafts covered with intricate lines and symbols lay spread out on the long table, next to which sat the ever-unopenable Southern Wind Secret Box. Her fingertips were stained with ink, her brows furrowed as she tentatively probed the box.

In recent days, she has devoted almost all her energy to this—she is certain that the core of the mechanism of this secret box is the Linglong Technique, a lost mechanical secret technique from the extinct Nanfeng Kingdom.

The art of exquisite skill is said to be "a thousand mechanisms and a hundred tricks, life and death in a single thought".

It is no ordinary lock, but a miniature, deadly universe with a skeleton of refined gold and mithril and a soul of bizarre arrays and poisons. Its internal structure is so complex and precise that it is outrageous, like the nested and cyclical orbits of countless stars.

To open this box, one must use specific methods to find the one and only path to "harmonious resonance" among countless ever-changing divergent paths.

One wrong step can trigger the poison mechanism at best, numbing one's muscles and bones; at worst, it can unleash a soul-corroding mist, causing illusions to arise as flesh and blood dissolve, resulting in unbearable pain; if one encounters brute force or makes the ultimate mistake, the core "Exquisite Heart" will self-destruct, destroying everything in its path, turning everything to ashes.

Therefore, even if this secret box falls into the hands of others, without the guidance of a lineage, it is no different from holding a death warrant.

Gu Jinghong carefully examined the Southern Wind Secret Box, then gently and cautiously probed it with his hand. Suddenly, he spoke, "Qingwu, hand me that book, 'A Brief Account of Craftsmen's Works'."

There was a moment of silence behind me.

Gu Jinghong maintained her bent-over posture, and out of the corner of her eye, she precisely caught the figure by the screen to her side and behind her—Qingwu was wiping a celadon bottle on the curio cabinet with her head down, her movements fluid, as if she hadn't heard anything.

Gu Jinghong slowly straightened up, his voice still steady, but with a barely perceptible slight lift: "Qingwu?"

"Ah? The Grand Secretary summoned me?" Qingwu seemed to realize something at first, immediately put down the cloth, turned around and walked quickly over, her face showing just the right amount of respect and a hint of confusion. "I was lost in thought just now, please forgive me, Grand Secretary. It's because..."

"A Brief Collection of Craftsman's Works" Gu Jinghong replied.

Qingwu paused for a moment: "Secretary, the Master said..."

Gu Jinghong glanced at Qingwu and said, "I'm just studying the characteristics of this Southern Wind Secret Box. It's purely out of interest in mechanical arts. I always keep the orders of the Lord in mind."

Qingwu nodded, turned around and searched the low table by the bed, then presented the book to Gu Jinghong.

"Hmm." Gu Jinghong took the book, his gaze sweeping over Qingwu's unchanging face.

This isn't the first time.

In the past few days, she has noticed more than once that when she calls out to Qingwu, he hesitates for a moment or two, or simply doesn't hear her at all, as if there is an invisible barrier between them.

What chilled her to the bone even more was that Qingwu had been disappearing intermittently since her last disappearance.

The day before yesterday afternoon, she clearly remembered that Qingwu said he was going to the small kitchen to get some new charcoal. However, he was gone for almost half an hour. When he came back, his temples were slightly damp, and he carried a chilly smell from outside, rather than the smell of cooking fires from the small kitchen.

Yesterday evening, it was the same. She said she went to the sewing shop to check on the progress of the new clothes, but on the way back she took a long detour, and the hem of her skirt was covered with some unmelted mud and snow. That path was definitely not the one she should have taken to the sewing shop. She goes there every two or three days, for short periods of time, and her whereabouts are unknown.

Gu Jinghong unconsciously stroked "A Brief Account of Craftsmanship" in his hand, then suddenly looked up at Qingwu: "Qingwu, I've been feeling a bit tired these past few days, and I haven't been sleeping well at night. You're so close to me, have you heard me tossing and turning at night?"

Qingwu paused for a moment, then said respectfully, "Your Excellency, I have been sleeping soundly these past few days and have not heard any unusual noises. Has Your Excellency been worried about anything? Should I ask the doctor to prescribe some calming medicine?" Her answer was watertight, even showing concern, but cleverly avoided the core question of "whether she was on duty in the room."

Gu Jinghong continued, holding the book, "Sedatives aren't necessary..."

She changed the subject, showing Qingwu the spine of "A Brief Account of Craftsmanship," her tone casual as if chatting, "The spine of this 'A Brief Account of Craftsmanship' is a bit ripped. Qingwu, if you have some free time later, could you go to the storage room next to the small kitchen? I remember there's some glue and thin thread there. Could you get it and glue it back together for me?"

Qingwu's fingers moved almost imperceptibly, so fast it was like an illusion.

She looked up at Gu Jinghong in the mirror, her eyes still gentle, even carrying a hint of eagerness at being entrusted with a task: "Yes, Grand Secretary. Qingwu will go and fetch it right away. The storeroom is the third one on the left from the small kitchen. Qingwu remembers."

Gu Jinghong's heart skipped a beat—this reaction... was too deliberate!

Qingwu was eager to appear normal, even proactively revealing her location to prove her innocence, but this only exposed her true feelings.

If, as she claimed the day before yesterday, she was merely going to the small kitchen to fetch charcoal, why did she react so "actively" and "precisely" to an instruction to pick up paste along the way? She seems to be trying hard to prove that she knows the way and has no problem, which only makes her appear to be trying to cover up her mistake.

Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar face in the mirror, Gu Jinghong was instantly gripped by a chilling disappointment and a deeper sense of vigilance.

Just as her fingertips unconsciously traced the corner of the cover of "A Brief Account of Craftsmanship", a deliberately hushed conversation, carrying the chill of an early spring evening, drifted in from outside the half-open window, into the main house of Chen'an Residence.

"...Your subordinate is incompetent! When we arrived, 'Falcon' and its tail had already noticed us and were about to retreat. After only a few breaths of fighting, another group of people suddenly appeared! Dressed in black and masked, they were ruthless and coordinated perfectly, their target was 'Falcon'! A three-way battle ensued, and the scene was chaotic..." It was Changfeng's voice, filled with suppressed frustration and solemnity.

Gu Jinghong froze instantly, holding her breath. She turned slightly to the side, subtly hiding herself in the shadows of the window frame, listening intently.

"The tail was killed on the spot... 'Falcon'... took advantage of the chaos and escaped without a trace. That group of unidentified people... were definitely not ordinary martial artists; they were well-trained and retreated after a single attack. Your subordinate... failed to intercept them." Changfeng's voice paused, then became inquiring, "Your Highness, what do you think of this..."

In the shadows of the window frame, Gu Jinghong lowered her eyes, concealing her worry—it was Xie Yan! What was he doing? He let the hawk escape at the crucial moment?! Not only did he let the hawk escape, but Changfeng also discovered it!

After a moment of silence in the main room, Xiao Chengyan's icy, emotionless voice rang out: "That group of men actually managed to contend with you?"

Changfeng then said, "This subordinate is incompetent. Because His Highness instructed me not to cause too much of a commotion, I... restrained myself."

Gu Jinghong looked at the Nanfeng Secret Box in her hand, a dark glint in her eyes—the hawk had escaped, and this hot potato left with her could bring her death at any moment.

She slowly loosened her grip and looked at the Nanfeng Secret Box on the table.

Suddenly, a shadow fell upon her. Gu Jinghong looked up and saw a figure in a dark brocade robe with cloud patterns, over which was a black fox fur cloak, exuding an imposing aura. Those cold eyes held a hint of anger, and a trace of warmth? Xiao Chengyan?! How did he get in??

Gu Jinghong quickly gathered the drafts on the table, covering them with an ancient book, and subtly pushed the secret box into a hidden compartment on the table. She took a deep breath, suppressing the turbulent thoughts in her heart, and her face regained an almost indifferent calm.

Xiao Chengyan's gaze swept over Gu Jinghong, who had stood up, and lingered for a moment on her slightly tired face.

He was not unaware of her unusual quietness these past few days.

I initially thought she was deliberately distancing herself because she was still shaken from the injury she sustained while taking her pulse.

But at this moment, the ink stains left on the desk, the books hastily pressed down, and the still-present seriousness and focus in her eyes stirred something within him. Perhaps her "ignoring him" wasn't entirely due to emotion, but rather that her mind was completely captivated by something else important? What could it be?

His gaze swept over the spine of the book "A Brief Account of Craftsmen's Works," recalling how she had managed to unlock the exquisite Nanfeng Lock in her secret room when she first entered the palace... This little girl, who knows how many more skills she has up her sleeve.

"Your Highness? You scared me!" After not seeing him for many days, Gu Jinghong had forgotten what she should be like in front of Xiao Chengyan, so she blurted out.

After hearing this, Xiao Chengyan was even more convinced that the pulse diagnosis incident a few days ago had not left a shadow on Gu Jinghong, and his eyes softened a little: "Don't talk nonsense again, when did I scare you?"

Gu Jinghong stammered, "The prince always dresses so black..."

Xiao Chengyan glanced at his clothes, frowned slightly, and then his peripheral vision caught sight of his tattered dark green casual robe behind Gu Jinghong. A thought flashed through his mind, and he suddenly pointed: "That's the one I'll wear today."

Gu Jinghong looked in the direction Xiao Chengyan pointed, and there lay quietly on her bed the dark green robe that she had haphazardly patched up.

She stared at Xiao Chengyan in astonishment, then suddenly felt a little guilty. She kindly explained, "Your Highness, Jinghong's needlework skills are just average... this casual robe..."

Before Gu Jinghong could say anything more, Xiao Chengyan strode towards the bed, grabbed the casual clothes from the bed, and then spread them out to admire them.

Everyone present was stunned—this was normal?! This was extremely bad!

No one has ever seen a girl with such... astonishing needlework skills in their lifetime!

The crooked and messy stitches are haphazard and chaotic, lacking any semblance of order or method, let alone any attempt to conceal their flaws. They are practically announcing to the world the owner's "lack of attention to detail."

What's worse, the cuffs were a little too short due to poor technique, and it's unclear how they were sewn on, making them look awkward and ridiculous.

Xiao Chengyan stared at the appalling "masterpiece" for a few moments, but instead of being annoyed, a faint smile flickered in his eyes. These crooked, clumsy, and somewhat endearing stitches were, inexplicably... a bit like her.

He handed the robe to Gu Jingyuan, while naturally opening his arms: "Help me change my clothes."

Gu Jinghong couldn't believe it and asked again, "Is Your Highness sure you want to wear...this one?"

Xiao Chengyan seemed a little impatient: "Hurry up."

Gu Jinghong took off Xiao Chengyan's original casual clothes and put them on him in the dark green one. As she dressed him, she heard Xiao Chengyan say, "Today is the Lantern Festival. There is a lantern festival on the banks of the Jinlin River. It is a grand scene in the capital. You will... come with me for a trip."

While smoothing out the wrinkles in Xiao Chengyan's clothes, Gu Jinghong casually asked, "Oh, Your Highness wants to invite Jinghong?"

Xiao Chengyan's eyes flashed, a faint blush creeping up his ears, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly before he responded softly, "...Mm."

Gu Jingyuan remained focused on straightening the shortened cuff and casually replied, "Oh."

Xiao Chengyan's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly—Oh? So that's what you mean by agreeing?

As if to emphasize something, he added, "The lantern festival... was brightly lit, quite... luminous."