Chapter 59 Her Identity Was Almost Exposed! They called her "Qingqing." ...
When things get busy, it's only a blink of an eye. On the day of the banquet at the palace, Huangfu Feng, as if he had foresight, summoned Jin Shiyu to Ziwei City early and also sent a separate carriage to pick up Jin Suiqing.
When Jin Suiqing entered the palace and arrived at Yaoguang Hall, the banquet was already prepared, and the palace maids were already preparing to welcome the guests to their seats. Upon seeing Jin Suiqing arrive, they led her to a seat at the back, right next to the railing, hidden by half a floral screen, a place that ordinary people would not usually notice.
The palace maid didn't pay much attention to her, led her to a seat, and then left.
Jin Suiqing didn't care. Before the banquet started, she disregarded etiquette, sat cross-legged on the cushion, turned around, and looked at the night view of Jiuzhou Pond outside the railing.
Huangfu Ying attached great importance to this return banquet, making it much more grand than the previous Red Thread Festival.
A dragon hangs in the sky, adorned with colorful flags, while fireworks erupt from its spine; floating islands are set up in Jiuzhou Pond, planted with flowering trees, and lanterns are hung on the trees, mingling with the fireworks to illuminate the water's surface, creating a scene of heaven and earth.
Following the music, she looked up to observe the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Dharma Bell on the ceiling of Yaoguang Hall, which started up, jingling and emitting a loud and expansive sound.
As expected, it was designed and manufactured by several generations of craftsmen from the Magic Machinery Sect. The sound was not harsh. The white bird was suspended in the air, and a pair of red phoenixes flapped their wings and floated in the air, seemingly using magnetic force to suspend them. No matter how Jin Suiqing looked at it, he could not find any trace of connection.
Jin Suiqing was so engrossed in watching that he wanted to immediately take out his notebook, climb up the caisson ceiling, and survey it. It took him a long time to suppress this impulse, and he was already feeling a bit listless.
Soon, a palace maid brought over a bowl of almond tofu. Jin Suiqing asked in confusion, "I didn't want it, so who brought this?"
The palace maid said, "The princess saw that you were feeling down, so she specially brought this to you."
Jin Suiqing had not yet figured out Huangfu Feng's identity and was filled with doubt. She told the palace maid to put it down and did not eat it.
A little while later, the palace maid came again and brought a bowl of warm sweet potato soup. Jin Suiqing found it strange. Why did Huangfu Feng want to change the flavor and bring her another bowl of almond tofu after she didn't eat the first bowl?
The palace maid said, "This bowl was sent to me by Young Master Jin. He also told you that this is a nourishing food and should be consumed before meals; the banquet tonight will last for quite a while, so please have it to tide you over, and remember to drink less fruit syrup."
Jin Suiqing: ? Why does this sound so familiar?
The events in the study were still vivid in her mind. Jin Suiqing's cheeks flushed red with anger and embarrassment. She pushed away the warm potato soup and didn't touch it.
A short while later, a palace maid brought over another serving of lychee-flavored rice wine pastry. Before she could introduce it, Jin Suiqing asked, "Who sent this this time?"
The palace maid smiled and said, "It's Miss Yin, the daughter of the Marquis of Huai'an. She said these lychees are fresh and delicious, so she specially selected a portion for you to try."
This is edible.
Just as Jin Suiqing was about to pick up a spoon to scoop out a spoonful of flaky pastry, the palace maid came again with a smile. This time, she was carrying a flaky mountain that was even bigger than the tray. She said, "Miss Jin, this was sent by His Highness the Crown Prince. He told you to eat it quickly so it doesn't melt."
She absolutely couldn't eat that; she found it disgusting.
Jin Suiqing was speechless. Looking at the desserts piled up on the table, she thought for a moment and then decided to eat the cheese in large bites. She ate very quickly.
Jin Suiqing knew that if she didn't eat quickly, she wouldn't get a single bite.
Sure enough, as expected, the palace maid came again, squatting down beside Jin Suiqing with a troubled expression, and said awkwardly, "Miss Jin, these untouched sweets must all be taken away from you."
Jin Suiqing understood. "Oh, you can keep it."
Seeing that she was accepting it well, the maid didn't need to say the words she had prepared in advance to coax her. She said in surprise, "Aren't you going to ask who wants to take your things?"
“I won’t ask,” Jin Suiqing finished her cheese in one big gulp and placed the empty bowl on the maid’s tray. “I know who it is, Jin Shiyu, right?”
The palace maid gave a dry laugh, and Jin Suiqing continued, "Could you please give me a bowl of chicken soup and a chicken leg?"
The palace maid was slightly shocked. She quickly took the tray and left, and then quickly brought the chicken soup to Jin Suiqing.
Jin Suiqing didn't stand on ceremony and asked the palace maid for a dish of chili oil before starting to gnaw on a chicken leg. She was just there to freeload, so she didn't care about anything else; her main priority was to get full.
Her seat was hidden behind the decorative screen, so the small talk in the front row didn't bother her. She didn't even notice Huangfu Ying's arrival, just listening halfway through.
It was nothing more than the princess suffering hardships abroad, reminiscing about Princess Qingyang, then having the court officials introduce her, accompanied by male and female servants dancing, music, and clinking cups—that was all the banquet was about.
Despite the seemingly harmonious banquet, undercurrents were surging. The Crown Prince and the Princess, who had recently returned to the capital, were secretly vying for power, with the young master of the Jin family providing assistance, making it a truly dangerous affair.
Jin Suiqing had no interest in this kind of competition. After eating and drinking her fill, she circled the flower screen and slipped away through the passageway used by the palace maids to serve the dishes.
Being an outsider is great; no one cares if you leave early.
She asked the eunuch for some paper, a few pairs of wooden chopsticks, and a sulfur lamp. She found a place where she could hide and observe the White Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Bell in Yaoguang Hall, sat down on the ground, inserted the chopsticks into the sulfur lamp, heated them until they were carbonized, and began to trace the clock face.
After sketching the external outline, she tried to deduce the internal structure of the clock. She drew carefully, the dim light of the sulfur lamp shining on her face, her eyes shining. She could see nothing but the drawing.
She didn't notice the person who appeared behind her at all.
Huangfu Li also looked at it carefully, but he wasn't looking at the pictures; he was looking at the people.
The battle with Huangfu Feng was exhausting, so Huangfu Li excused himself from the table, not wanting to reveal his distress and vulnerability, and found a secluded spot to get some fresh air.
Unexpectedly, they encountered Jin Suiqing.
Compared to the troublesome Huangfu Feng, Huangfu Li still preferred his former silly younger sister. He had intended to sneak over and tease her, but unexpectedly caught her secretly drawing.
He watched as Jin Suiqing focused intently on drawing and writing on the blueprints. He held a blackened wooden chopstick in his hand. The tool was as rough as it could possibly be, yet he used it skillfully without tearing the thin paper. Although the lines were broken, the curves were extremely beautiful, even better than those old fogies from the Magic Machinery Sect.
Huangfu Li's heart skipped a beat. His gaze swept over Jin Suiqing's right hand. There was a thick callus under the nail bed of her middle finger, which was not something a lazy fool should have.
How come he didn't notice this before?
Huangfu Li felt his blood burning, surging and churning in his chest. He couldn't help but recall the woman in the Star Gazing Tower who looked remarkably like Jin Suiqing.
He remembered that Jin Shiyu's report was that although the person had escaped, it was certain that the person was not Jin Suiqing.
Huangfu Li didn't believe it, but he didn't take her seriously either.
So what if it is, and so what if it isn't?
He saw through Jin Suiqing's lack of ambition. As long as she could not leave the capital, she would only be able to turn around in his hands. Huangfu Li was certain that with Jin Shiyu around, he could easily control Jin Suiqing.
That was in the past. What about now?
She was no longer a princess, she had no connection with the Jin family, and she regained her freedom. The leverage he was so proud of was now useless.
Huangfu Li looked at her hands as she drew, and pondered further...
From the agreement at Zhanxing Tower to Zhufeng's disappearance after selling off a large number of blueprints on the black market, these key time points seem to coincide perfectly with the exposure of Jin Suiqing's identity.
To be even bolder, what if "Golden Shards Green" became "Chasing the Wind"?
Huangfu Li was startled by this conjecture and took a step back, stepping on the crumpled piece of paper that Jin Suiqing had shoved into a ball. Jin Suiqing turned her head warily, "Who?"
Huangfu Li laughed inwardly, his phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, he kicked away the crumpled paper at his feet, knelt on one knee in front of Jin Suiqing, and said softly, "Sister Suiqing, it's me."
Jin Suiqing was both surprised and frightened, and she sat down on the blueprint with a thud.
What's Huangfu Li doing here!
Huangfu Li approached Jin Suiqing with a somewhat submissive posture, his gaze lingering on her face, revealing an infatuated look as if he were looking at a favorite toy: "What are you doing, Suiqing? What are you drawing? How is it? I love watching it, can I see it?"
Jin Suiqing shuffled back, rubbing the paper with his hands to smudge the drawing, and forced himself to remain calm, saying, "Your Highness, I found the banquet too stuffy, so I came out for some fresh air. It's just a random drawing, nothing special."
"Let me see it," Huangfu Li insisted.
Jin Suiqing gritted her teeth, determined not to let Huangfu Li see the blueprints. She decisively pulled the paper out from under her buttocks and deliberately made a huge movement, forcefully knocking over the sulfur lamp.
Sulfur-covered gold dust drifted out, instantly igniting the blueprint in her hand. Jin Suiqing feigned fear and threw the fireball at Huangfu Li.
Huangfu Li was not angry. He got up and stepped aside, letting the blue drawings fall to the ground. He watched as the flames, glowing with blue light, burned all the remaining sketches to ashes.
What a masterful attempt to cover up the crime!
The commotion attracted the attention of the palace maids, who instinctively blurted out "I'm going to do something," but Huangfu Li glanced at them, put his index finger to his lips, and shushed them.
Huangfu Li laughed heartily: "Whoever shouts that, I'll rip out the tongues of their entire family."
The palace maid was frightened and could only use a basin full of water to extinguish the fire. The grayish-black ashes floated on the water's surface, slowly flowing towards Jin Suiqing's feet. She tried to dodge, but couldn't move.
Huangfu Li put his arm around Jin Suiqing's shoulder and pressed her firmly to the spot.
He kept glancing at Jin Suiqing's profile, his gaze traveling downwards until it locked onto the back of her neck. The hairs on the back of Jin Suiqing's neck stood on end, fuzzy and downy. Huangfu Li was reminded of the first time he saw Jin Suiqing as a child.
She's adorable, Jin Suiqing has always been adorable.
How come he didn't notice?
Huangfu Li leaned closer to Jin Suiqing and whispered, "How did the Crown Prince do? Did he help Suiqing?"
Jin Suiqing forced a smile and replied, "I don't understand. I clearly have nothing that requires Your Highness's help."
"Really not?" Huangfu Li glanced at her sideways. "Could it be that Sister Suiqing wants to alarm His Majesty?"
"Alright, I'll help Sister Suiqing again," he said, and then he pulled Jin Suiqing toward the main hall. Jin Suiqing struggled in fear, "Your Highness, please let me go!"
Huangfu Lifu seemed not to hear, and continued walking forward while holding the person. "Let me think, what should I say to the Empress Dowager later?" Huangfu Lifu pretended to be troubled. "Should I say that Sister Suiqing secretly learned a good skill in mechanical painting; or should I say that Jin Guizhong may have already passed on the blueprints of the super sulfur combustion engine to an unexpected person?"
Jin Suiqing struggled to say, "Your Highness, I was really just drawing it for fun. That...that magical lamp was just so beautiful, I wanted to try drawing it..."
Huangfu Li turned around and smiled faintly, "I want my sister to see it for me, why burn it?"
"I didn't mean to."
Huangfu Li tilted his head and sneered, "A fire in Yaoguang Palace is a serious matter. Since Sister Suiqing did not do it on purpose, I will earnestly plead for Sister Suiqing in front of the Empress Dowager."
That damn bastard Huangfu Li!
Jin Suiqing was so anxious that she clung to the railing, thinking that she might as well jump into Jiuzhou Pond and swim. Just as she was trying to put her plan into practice and climb up the railing with both hands and feet, a calm female voice suddenly came from around the corner.
“Brother Crown Prince, please don’t make things difficult for her.” Huangfu Feng said with a smile, “The competition at the National Academy was really not exciting enough. I want to have another competition with Qingqing and ask her to draw a picture.”
This time, Jin Suiqing heard it very clearly.
Huangfu Feng called her "Qingqing".
Author's Note: If both the number of favorites and the amount of nutrient solution collected exceed 1,000, I'll add an extra chapter.
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