Chapter 2
For many days afterward, Pei Jian stayed at home doing nothing, or went to dessert shops to eat fancy little cakes.
She gave the system a serious review, "The best flavor is blueberry, strawberry is okay, and the worst is mango, it's too sweet."
System: [Isn't the point of desserts to be sweet?]
You don't understand, do you? The highest praise for a dessert is, "This dessert isn't sweet."
System: [I don't understand.]
Outside the shop, a sudden burst of noisy footsteps and the crisp metallic clang of armor clashing with weapons rang out.
Pei Jian turned her head and saw the crowd walking out in unison. She followed the crowd, put down her fork, and walked out as well.
A row of solemn guards stood on both sides of the street.
Pei Jian pulled aside the young man who was watching the commotion with him and asked, "What's going on here?"
The young man shook his head blankly and said, "I don't know either."
Did you know?
System: [The Dragon Clan has sent an envoy to negotiate.]
This is the third negotiation between the dragons and humans.
Pei Jian stood on tiptoe, reaching behind the surging crowd, and strained to peek out. [Are all dragons this tall?]
The people walking down the street, apart from the two humans leading the way, each of them looked to be two meters tall.
System: [Yes, dragons are already very tall and strong in their original form, and this remains true even after they transform.]
Pei Jian thought of something, went back to the shop, left the price of the dessert, and hurriedly rushed home.
I happened to run into my father at the door of my house, who was about to get into the carriage.
"Father," Pei Jian called out urgently before he even got close, "What are you going to do?"
Duke Peder wore a round, frameless pair of glasses, with thin gold wires hanging behind his ears. He stopped and said briefly, "There are matters to discuss in the hall."
Pei Jian guessed that they were going to negotiate with the Dragon Clan.
"May I come with you?"
Duke Pei De paused for a moment, his gaze behind his glasses scrutinizing the composed Pei Jian, as if she were merely making a casual request to "go out for dinner today."
"no."
"Zeyi wrote to me saying he wanted me to stay with him."
Ze Yi is His Majesty's only son and the original owner's childhood sweetheart. Because they are close in age, they have been close since childhood, and everyone assumes that they will become a couple in the future.
Furthermore, Ze Yi fell ill a few days ago, seemingly from a severe cold, and has been bedridden for a long time without fully recovering.
Duke Pei glanced at Pei Jian, then at the sky.
On a rare sunny day, the sunlight felt slightly burning on my skin.
It was afternoon.
"Would you like to stay for dinner with him?"
"Maybe."
Duke Peder stepped aside. “Get in the carriage. We have a lot to do today, and it would be nice to have His Highness with you for dinner.”
Pei Jian didn't waste any time, quickly jogging a few steps to get into the carriage.
Inside the car.
"I heard His Highness is ill?"
“Yes, it has been a while now,” Pei Jian said, sitting up straight and not daring to look around.
Duke Peder sighed softly and stiffly advised her, "Be careful when you talk to His Highness."
"knew."
The carriage occasionally rolled over gravel, causing a slight bump. Listening to the rumbling of the wheels, Pei Jian leaned against the carriage wall, feeling a little sleepy.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a small, shiny object.
It was a fine fountain pen, teetering precariously in Duke Pei De's pocket.
Pei Jian squinted, pretending to be asleep, and slowly stretched out his right hand. Without making a sound, he took the pen out of Duke Pei De's pocket and quickly covered it with his forearm, hiding it in the hem of his clothes.
The palace was soon reached.
Before parting ways with her, Duke Peder instructed, "The carriage is waiting at the door; you don't need to wait for me when you return."
"Okay, you go ahead with your work and take care of yourself."
Pei Jian watched Duke Pei leave, and a maid who had been waiting there bowed and stepped forward, saying, "Miss Pei, please come with me."
She nodded and followed the maid to Ze Yi's bedroom.
"Ze Yi?" Pei Jian didn't go in directly; she knocked on the door.
The door was opened from the inside.
“Ah Jane.”
Pei Jian looked at Ze Yi with a normal expression. Ze Yi was only about 1.75 meters tall. Pei Jian could easily see his face by tilting his head slightly.
Humans, looking weak and pale, are like a thin reed swaying in the wind, frail and fragile.
"Have you gotten any better after being sick for so long?" Pei Jian asked with concern.
“Yes, she’s much better now,” Ze stepped aside to let Pei Jian in, then instructed a maid, “Go and get some snacks for Miss Pei.”
Ze Yi smiled and said, "It's kind of you to come all this way to see me. I told you in my letter not to worry."
Pei Jian guiltily avoided his gaze and mumbled, "I still have to come in and take a look, so I can come with Father."
"And your father?"
Pei Jian nodded, holding a teacup in her hand, the tea inside swaying slightly with her movements.
“Oh, yes. I almost forgot they had important business to discuss today,” Ze Yi said suddenly, a helpless expression on his face. “Look at me, my memory has gotten so much worse since I got sick.”
"It's alright, you'll be fine once you've fully recovered," Pei Jian comforted him. "By the way," she casually mentioned, "Father hasn't been home much lately. Do you know what they've been doing?"
Ze Yi sat opposite Pei Jian. Seeing that there wasn't much tea left in Pei Jian's cup, he poured some more for her. "I don't know."
"All right."
Pei Jian felt a pang of regret; the people here were all incredibly tight-lipped.
Since that was the case, she went along with Ze Yi's words and chatted absentmindedly about random topics.
The system notified her: [The negotiations are almost over.]
The time has come.
She took out the pen she had hidden earlier and quietly threw it on the floor with a 'thud'.
Then she exclaimed in surprise, "How did my father's pen end up here?!"
Upon closer inspection, the performance was exceptionally clumsy. Dan Ze was in a daze, his mind preoccupied with how to conceal his illness, and he did not notice Pei Jian's unusual behavior.
"What?" Ze Yi came over upon hearing the sound and helped her pick up the pen. "This is the Duke's pen?"
Pei Jian nodded, "It probably accidentally ended up here while it was in the carriage."
"I'll have my servant send it to Duke Peder."
“No,” Pei Jian looked out the window, where layers of vibrant violets hung down, invitingly asking, “Would Your Highness like to go for a walk with me?”
Ze Yi hesitated for a moment, and just as he was about to say yes, he started coughing inappropriately.
He had actually wanted to cough for a long time, but he had been holding back because Pei Jian was there and he didn't want her to worry about him.
Pei Jian saw Ze Yi bent over, his hunched back like a trembling bow. "Your Highness, are you alright? I'll go call the doctor."
Ze Yi grabbed her slender wrist. "No need to trouble yourself, it's just a bit of a cough."
He sat down in the chair next to her, paused for a moment, and looked up at her. "Jian, would you like to go for a walk?"
Pei Jian nodded, then shook his head. "I was thinking, but since you're not going, it's the same if the servant takes the pen to Father."
Although the mission was important, Pei Jian couldn't bear to leave Ze Yi here alone at this moment.
"Go ahead," Ze Yi said, gently shaking her hand without letting go of hers. "You must be bored. Go for a walk. Come over for dinner later. Is there anything you'd like to eat?"
"Eat in a copper pot."
“Okay,” Ze Yi gently squeezed the soft flesh of Pei Jian’s palm, “Then let’s eat copper hot pot.”
Pei Jian went out with a fountain pen in his pocket.
Fearing she might get lost and take a roundabout route, Ze Yi thoughtfully called his guards to accompany her.
[Ze Yi, you're quite considerate.]
System: [Yes, he really liked the original owner of this body.]
Upon hearing this, Pei Jian sighed inwardly, feeling somewhat awkward, as if she had stolen care that didn't belong to her.
System: [Don't feel guilty, it's just a game.]
That's what they say...
The palace was not large, and the buildings were close together. About ten minutes later, Pei Jian arrived at the place where Duke Pei De held his meeting.
It is a single-story palace, used specifically for council meetings. More than a dozen columns surround the room, each carved with exquisite patterns, and each one has a different design.
A small squad of soldiers patrolled the corridor, carrying shields and swords.
Pei Jian stood not far away, pondered for a moment, and then walked towards the palace gate.
Sure enough, the two soldiers guarding the door blocked the entrance with their swords and said sternly, "Please leave."
"Um, I am Duke Pei De's daughter. My father left something with me. May I go in and get it for him?"
“No,” one of the soldiers said. “Miss Pei, you can give me the item, and I will take care of delivering it to Duke Pei.”
It was just an insignificant pen; expecting it to get into the council chamber was asking too much.
“Alright,” Pei Jian said, not wanting to waste time arguing with them, and handed the pen directly to the soldier. “Thank you for your help.”
"No."
Pei Jian reluctantly left the council hall, turning back every few steps.
However, what she didn't know was that the doors to the council chamber opened the moment she disappeared from the guards' sight.
The expressions on both sides seemed relatively peaceful.
Walking at the back, Alo, whose wrists were shackled, suddenly looked up and glanced around. There was nothing there except for their group.
but.
It tastes so familiar.
The aroma of candy and cookies.
Who just passed by here?
After delivering the pen, Pei Jian had no time to wander around and went straight back to Zeyi Palace.
When she returned home after dinner, she heard from the system about the results of the meeting that afternoon.
As expected, the two sides still failed to reach an agreement, with the dragons unwilling to relinquish the land they had already seized. This makes sense, as the dragons had no intention of fighting in the first place, and now, having been forced into battle, they were expected to return the spoils of victory.
Is there anything else?
System: [Alo is no longer in the central tower; he has been transferred to another manor.]
【Where? 】
System: [At the edge of the palace.]
Pei Jian took a breath and then relaxed. What difference did it make where A Luo was? The people here were overly cautious. It would be incredibly difficult to see him, let alone get him to willingly give him the dragon scales.
Of course, Pei Jian was not one to give up easily. Even if she had to light a candle in a storm, she would do her best. Several times, she took advantage of opportunities to enter the palace to secretly visit the manor, which was now heavily guarded.
It's no exaggeration to say that it was like an impenetrable glass wall, so strong that not even a gust of wind could get in, let alone a living person like her.
All Pei Jian can do now is wait.
Waiting for an opportunity.
Perhaps heaven heard her heart's desire, for this opportunity soon arrived.
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