Chapter 63
"Qing?... Qiu Qing!"
"Ah...ah?"
Xie Chengnan withdrew his waving fingers, his tone reproachful yet tinged with barely perceptible worry: "Why are you spacing out like that? I thought you were being haunted by a nightmare."
"...The Qixi Festival banquet is the day after tomorrow, and I'm wondering if I'll run into any trouble." She was indeed thinking about the difficult task to complete at the banquet, which wasn't exactly lying to Xie Chengnan.
"Were you lost in thought about this just now? The palace banquet was just a pretext for those in power to create a facade of peace and prosperity. The emperor's real purpose could be many things: testing stances, observing factions among court officials, uncovering secrets, or making an example of someone to scare others... any of these are possible. Everyone's every word and action that day was under surveillance..."
Seeing Lin Yi's slightly parted lips in nervousness, Xie Chengnan chuckled and said, "But you're the one who needs to be the least nervous. Although you have the dual identity of the young mistress of the Marquis's mansion and the daughter of the Imperial Physician, I have not yet inherited the title of Marquis, and Imperial Physician Qiu is different from ordinary court officials; he never gets involved in politics. You have no connection with the court, so no one will pay attention to you. So put your mind at ease. Now, go to sleep."
Although Xie Chengnan's words were not what she was truly worried about, her tense emotions gradually eased with the sound of his calm voice, settling down like a drifting ship that had reached the shore.
So Lin Yi obediently lay down on the bed, covered half of his chin with the thin blanket, and closed his eyes.
Xie Chengnan flicked his finger between her eyebrows, and then his footsteps faded into the distance.
In reality, Lin Yi always planned things out before executing them step by step. The task came too suddenly, and she hadn't even had time to come up with a rough idea. But nothing was more important than sleeping well with Xie Chengnan's breathing right now, so she decided to take it one step at a time and think about a solution tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Xueya took advantage of the darkness to knock on the door of the inn in the east of the city, which was where Zhan Xian was staying.
The former Zhan residence had long been confiscated and was now in ruins. Zhan Xian didn't want to implicate those old friends who were still willing to take her in, nor did she want to go to the accommodation Gu Shu'an had provided for her. So, she had been staying at this inn since returning to Mingzhou. She had saved some money, which could barely last for a while, but the innkeeper, who had received a favor from General Zhan years ago, refused to accept her room fee, even declaring that if Zhan Xian didn't stay, it meant he looked down on them. Zhan Xian had no choice but to temporarily suppress her desire to pay for accommodation and help out with chores such as serving dishes to the waiters and cleaning rooms after checkouts.
There weren't many customers today, so after closing time, she helped the accountant organize the ledgers.
In the flickering candlelight, the abacus beads clicked and clattered, their sound particularly clear in the silent hall. When Zhan Xian closed the last page of the ledger, the accountant paused, seemingly surprised that she had been able to meticulously check and reconcile the previously chaotic accounts in such a short time.
"Miss Zhan is indeed educated! If the master sees your skills, he should pay me my wages tomorrow." The accountant joked with a hearty laugh.
Zhan Xian's lips twitched slightly, and she was about to say something when she heard a noise outside the door. After a brief pause, there was a soft knock on the door.
Zhan Xian walked to the door, but before she could ask anything, she heard a delicate female voice from the other side of the door, "Does Miss Zhan live here?"
Zhan Xian's eyes suddenly turned cold. Although it wasn't a secret that she lived here, not many people knew about it.
Who would stay up so late at night and come to the inn specifically to look for her?
The banging on the door continued, growing more urgent with each knock, as if the person would keep banging until dawn if the door wasn't opened.
"Zhan Xian, is Miss Zhan home? Is anyone there? I've come to deliver something to her—"
The accountant looked at Zhan Xian with difficulty: "Miss Zhan, are those people outside people you know? It's late at night, we can't disturb the guests..."
"They're here to see me. You go and rest first, I'll handle it."
Before leaving, the accountant turned back to her with some concern and said, "I'm on duty today, in the side room. Call me if you need anything."
Zhan Xian took a deep breath, unlatched the door, and opened it to a gap wide enough for half a person to pass through. She glanced at the person from head to toe and said coldly, "You're looking for me?"
"Miss Zhan? Good evening. My young lady sent you some things."
"Who is your young lady?" Zhan Xian didn't let Xueya in, blocking the doorway with her foot. This little maid looked somewhat familiar, as if she had seen her somewhere before, but she couldn't remember where.
"My young lady said you'll understand once you see the contents." Xueya handed her the bundle in her arms.
Zhan Xian didn't answer at first, but her brow twitched almost imperceptibly as she asked, "What's inside?"
"Miss didn't say anything, only that she must personally deliver it to Miss Zhan tonight." As she spoke, Xueya continued to hold the bundle up.
Zhan Xian stared at the bundle for a while, seemingly assessing the dangers it contained.
Perhaps because Xueya looked too weak and harmless, Zhan Xian didn't detect the slightest hostility from her. In the end, she still took it, weighed it in her hand, and said, "Whatever is inside, please thank your young lady for me." After saying that, she closed the door.
Looking at the wooden door that was closed again, Xueya added the "You're welcome" that she hadn't had a chance to say in person.
Unsure of what was inside, Zhan Xian carefully carried the package to her temporary room before untying the knot.
Underneath was a matte satin dark red dress, with subtle gold scale trim on the shoulders and cuffs, while the collar and placket were embroidered with black flame patterns. The use of color was exquisite, more subdued than bright red, yet more vibrant than black, combining solemnity and sharpness. Zhan Xian didn't like wearing women's dresses, but she couldn't take her eyes off this dress.
"Is this for me?" Zhan Xian wondered. She unfolded the clothes, held them up to her body, and sure enough, they were her size.
The person who sent her this dress must know her preferences very well. But she couldn't think of anyone in Mingzhou City who would be willing to risk sending her a dress.
Picking up the clothes, Zhan Xian then noticed a note and an envelope at the bottom of the cloth bag.
This method of communication felt strangely familiar, reminding her of someone impossible.
"Wear this to the palace banquet"—the note contained only these five words. The handwriting looked somewhat familiar. Zhan Xian suddenly remembered something and pulled out the note that Qiu Qingye had given her at the wonton shop that day from the drawer. Upon comparison, the handwriting was different.
That's really strange...
However, if it really was sent by Qiu Qingye, she wouldn't wear it; there might be some other schemes or tricks waiting for her.
It was a twist of fate that Lin Yi didn't want to conceal his identity when sending the letter, as it was a great opportunity to change the female lead's opinion of him. However, he was worried that if he used Qiu Qingye's name, Zhan Xian might not let him see her, given her vigilance. Just as he was hesitating to write, Xie Chengnan happened to be next to him, so he disguised the original owner's handwriting as Qiu Qingye's.
Ever since she noticed the difference between her handwriting and that of the original owner, she has spent her free time copying the calligraphy models that Qiu Qingye used to practice. After a period of deliberate practice, her handwriting has become about 70-80% similar to the original owner's.
It was precisely because the handwriting was different from the previous ones that Zhan Xian did not immediately throw the clothes away after seeing the note.
Then Zhan Xian opened the letter again and read what was written on it. She became even more suspicious that it was Qiu Qingye's handwriting.
The letter was sincere and earnest, expressing a desire for peace. It also contained a hint of remorse for neglecting Zhan Xian in the past. At the end of the letter, it reminded her that the palace banquet had another purpose and that she should be careful with her words and actions.
Zhan Xian also received an invitation to this palace banquet. This was unexpected; from the court's perspective, she was a criminal. Even knowing that the Zhan family's treason case was fraught with doubt, the emperor would never admit his mistakes. The emperor wouldn't genuinely want to see her; her invitation was most likely related to the crown prince. But she genuinely wanted to sever ties with Gu Shu'an. Overturning the case herself would be extremely difficult, and she didn't want to implicate him any further…
She had originally intended to feign illness and request leave. But the letter said the palace banquet had another purpose…what purpose? Was it to test the Crown Prince? Or…was it related to the Zhan family?
Zhan Xian couldn't figure it out. That person's thoughts were never easily understood.
If it truly involves the Zhan family, she'll go even if it's a dangerous trap or a trap. Luckily, she's all alone now and has nothing to fear. Even if that person's target is indeed the Crown Prince, they won't punish the heir apparent for mere personal feelings, so going to meet them won't hurt.
Since we're going, we should have something suitable to wear...
Zhan Xian's gaze lingered on the dress, and after confirming that there was nothing wrong with the entire garment, she finally tried it on...
Lin Yi slept soundly through the night. When he opened his eyes, he looked at the warm beams of light streaming through the window and felt that without the intermittent interference of the system, his life as a villain wasn't so bad after all. At least he had a day to carefully consider his options and was sure he could come up with a perfect solution that would satisfy both sides.
She simply forgot that plans can never keep up with changes.
I had only eaten half of my breakfast when someone from the palace came to summon me.
The one who came was the personal eunuch of the Imperial Noble Consort Shu. He conveyed the Imperial Noble Consort's message that she and her nephew had not seen each other for a long time and invited Qiu Qing to come to the palace for a chat in advance.
As far as Lin Yi knew, Consort Shu was Qiu's mother's younger sister, and she genuinely cared for her niece, Qiu Qingye. Otherwise, Qiu Qingye in the original book wouldn't have been able to cover up her many misdeeds with her lowly position as a third-rank official in Qiu Baekje. With the Consort Shu's strong backing, she could have been so arrogant in chasing after the Crown Prince everywhere.
Even her marriage to Xie Chengnan was arranged through a request made to the Imperial Noble Consort.
Lin Yi had no choice but to keep the imperial concubine's invitation, so she had to temporarily put aside her half-eaten breakfast and mission plans and go to the palace with her.
It was still early, and the morning air was slightly cool. Lin Yi took the silk cloak handed to him by Xie Chengnan, nodded slightly, and followed the eunuch out of the courtyard gate.
Xie Chengnan suddenly turned to the young eunuch and asked, "Did the Imperial Concubine ever say that maids were not allowed?"
The young eunuch was very quick-witted. He paused for a moment and said, "Her Majesty only said that she invited Miss Chou to come and reminisce. She didn't say anything else. If the young mistress wants to bring a maid along, that is also permissible according to the rules."
Xie Chengnan nodded: "Let Xueya accompany you. Perhaps you and the Empress will have a good chat. We don't know when you'll be back, so you'll need someone to serve you."
Lin Yi accepted his thoughtfulness and attentiveness without complaint.
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