My heart is heavy with unease. "Your Highness! My daughter, Xuzhi, is dead!"...
Qin Weixi looked up at Jiang Yuanjun. Although she had already known this before returning to the capital, her father from the Luo family had told her, "Little daughter, this journey may be fraught with unknown dangers. The current emperor may allow you to enter the imperial family. He has repeatedly sent letters to Jiangnan in the past. I think the current emperor intends for you to marry into the royal family. Little daughter, you and your brother should make plans as soon as possible."
Jiang Yuanjun suddenly stood up, but before she could speak, Emperor Kang Le had already thrust a blade at her.
Qin Weixi and Luo Ling exchanged glances, their understanding unspoken. She rose and curtsied, speaking before Jiang Yuanjun, "Thanks to Your Majesty's favor, this humble woman already has..."
Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Yuanfu suddenly interrupted her: "Eighth Sister, do you already have someone you like?"
Qin Weixi turned to look at her. On the day of Liang Lang's coming-of-age ceremony, her brother had only attended briefly before being summoned to the palace. Today, the Emperor asked her brother how old she was and whether she had been betrothed during her years in Jiangnan. Later, her brother told her that if the Emperor and Empress asked about her marriage in the palace, she should temporarily deflect the matter to Luo Yuan. He had already informed Luo Yuan in advance, and Luo Yuan did not mind at all, considering it a trivial matter.
Emperor Kangxi looked at her and smiled kindly, "Xing'er, fallen leaves return to their roots; it's always good to return to your hometown someday. Besides, your brother is in the capital." He summoned Chen Guiyi, who was guarding outside the palace gate, and asked him, "Have the people from the Imperial Observatory arrived yet?"
In the imperial family, marriages, from the emperor down to princes, princesses, and grandsons, all required the officials of the Imperial Observatory to analyze the birth dates and times.
“Father, you mustn’t,” Jiang Yuanjun said, stopping him. “I have no intention of doing this. My eighth sister will have to return to Jiangnan one day.”
"Your Highness! My daughter, Xuzhi, is dead!" Emperor Kang Le shouted coldly.
Qin Weixi suddenly raised his head, and the others present were also startled by his words, all looking up at Jiang Yuanjun. Jiang Yuanjun was in a daze, and Luo Ling shook his head slightly to signal him. He came back to his senses and casually looked at the others, just in time to meet those bright eyes.
He suddenly recalled that day at Shuiyun Tower, under the small bridge and by the flowing water, when she chatted happily with the old man on the boat. He also remembered how she handled the Li family girl's rude remarks with ease.
That expression clearly belonged to his seventh sister, whose soul had perished in the river years ago, leaving no trace. Yet, upon closer inspection, it was unmistakably the likeness of Luo Xiaoxing. A lump formed in his throat, and he looked away from Qin Weixi's face, turning his gaze towards the direction where Emperor Kang Le was seated. Emperor Kang Le immediately gestured for Chen Guiyi to invite the Imperial Observatory to the palace.
Qin Weixi's heart was extremely cold. Whether it was ten years ago or ten years later, the one who looked down on all living beings from within this gate of ten thousand layers could exert the power of life and death in his hands to the extreme with just a word.
She looked up and suddenly met a pair of calm, deep eyes. Chu Yening was looking at her, his eyes seeming to shimmer with starlight. She then looked at Jiang Yuanjun, whose face was ashen. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Luo Ling about to get up, but Tao Qingyun stopped her and handed her a cup of tea.
Jiang Yuanjun suddenly said, "Father, then...?"
She turned to Emperor Kang Le first and said with utmost solemnity, "Your Majesty, I have no intention of marrying into the royal family."
Suddenly, Tao Qingyun chuckled and said loudly, "I have long admired Eighth Sister." He looked at everyone, then fixed his gaze on his aunt's shocked face, and said with some helplessness, "But I don't want to get married yet, Aunt, what do you suggest?"
Luo Ling choked on her water and started coughing.
Chu Yening, holding a wine cup, lost his balance and smashed it onto Tao Qingyun's brocade boots. Tao Qingyun jumped up abruptly, but couldn't dodge the obvious "hidden weapon," and looked down at Chu Yening.
Jiang Yuanjun was also somewhat surprised. Qin Weixi was similarly surprised.
Chu Yening had been watching her closely. She noticed that she slightly raised her head, first looking at Luo Ling, whose face was tense, and then at Tao Qingyun. After a short while, a mischievous smile appeared on her face.
Qin Weixi tilted her head slightly to look at Tao Qingyun and blinked.
Tao Qingyun noticed her little gesture and winked back. Qin Weixi smiled faintly, then looked up and met Chu Yening's gaze.
Tao Qingyun said calmly, "Sigh, young ladies are easily embarrassed. I think we shouldn't eat at this banquet today."
Jiang Yuanfu suddenly stood up and said with a smile, "Mother, you've always been worried about my eldest cousin's marriage. Look, it turns out he's here waiting for you."
Empress Tao took a deep breath and asked, "Qingyun, is this really true?"
Tao Qingyun looked at the two of them and scoffed lightly: "I never said that Eighth Sister must be in love with me. It's just that Grandmother Zhao once said something like, 'Seventh Sister is not suitable to enter the royal family. If that day comes, she will be like a bird flying over the palace wall.' Seventh Sister is like that, and so is Eighth Sister."
Emperor Kang Le was silent for a moment, then looked at Qin Weixi and said with a kind smile, "It was my uncle who did not consider things carefully today." He then glared at Tao Qingyun and said to everyone, "Let's end the banquet here today. The Dragon Boat Festival is coming soon, which is also the Empress Dowager's birthday. This year, you should go to Xiaguang Peak to visit her."
Chen Guiyi was about to step forward to help him, but he waved his hand and slowly walked out of Kunning Palace alone.
Outside Kunning Palace, the six walked a short distance in silence. Suddenly, Jiang Yuanjun bypassed them and said decisively to Qin Weixi, who was in front, "Eighth Sister, don't worry."
The group paused, and Chu Yening, who was behind, suddenly remembered the Liang brothers he had seen outside the Imperial Garden that day. He chuckled softly, but there was a hint of coldness in his voice.
Jiang Yuanjun glanced at him, then quickly looked away.
Qin Weixi said, "Fifth Brother, I didn't even think about it."
Jiang Yuanjun remained silent, only nodding. When he looked up at her again, his gaze seemed to hold a hint of inquiry.
"Seventh Sister".
Qin Weixi was startled, but then she heard him say again, "Eighth Sister, do you miss Seventh Sister?"
Footsteps suddenly sounded behind her. A moment later, Chen Guiyi, the Emperor's chief attendant, came forward with a box in his hand. Upon seeing Qin Weixi, he said respectfully, "Miss Luo, this is the Empress's calming incense. You forgot to take it with you. The Empress was worried that Qingpai's legs wouldn't be able to keep up, so she sent this servant."
Qin Weixi smiled and accepted it, saying, "Thank you."
Just as she was about to take it, she glanced up and saw Chen Guiyi looking her over. The brief stare made her feel uneasy for some reason.
That look was the same as the one she had seen Chen Guiyi when Empress Tao first summoned her to the palace after the incident at the Star Gazing Tower. He had stared at her in the same way then, with a look of inquiry.
She took a half-step back, and Chu Yening suddenly stood in front of her, like a mountain appearing before her, blocking her view of the surging waves and the ferocious flood rushing towards her. Then, in the quiet darkness, he turned and looked at her with his dark eyes: "What's wrong?"
She turned her gaze back to Chen Guiyi behind him, only to see that he had already lowered his head, half-bent over, and supported the box with his hands above his head. She said, "It's nothing."
Chu Yening took the box first, and Qin Weixi's face returned to calm as she smiled and said, "Thank you, Eunuch Chen."
Qin Weixi turned to look at Jiang Yuanjun, pondered for a moment, and then smiled calmly, "I did."
The group continued walking forward, but Chu Yening slowed down. Jiang Yuanjun, who was ahead, glanced back at him, and knowingly, the two of them tacitly fell behind the others.
Jiang Yuanjun asked in a low voice, "Do you have something to say to me?"
Chu Yening remained calm and composed: "It's nothing, I just remembered that I overheard the Liang brothers talking the other day. The youngest Liang brother said that the Chu family and the Tao family were both good matches for the Luo family, but he didn't mention the Jiang family. That surprised me a bit."
He raised an eyebrow, looking at the lonely and aloof figure in front of him, and asked Jiang Yuanjun, "Tell me, who can protect her now?"
Jiang Yuanjun followed his gaze and quickly smiled, "Ye Ning, in these past ten years, I have never felt that this deep and unfathomable palace is not a cage. I once had great ambitions, but now, standing between heaven and earth, how many people in the former dynasty and even the harem are truly flesh and blood? You and I both saw this ten years ago, and I only felt sorry for them."
“Ye Ning, everything in this world has a cause and effect. But if the cause is not there, how can the effect be produced? Ye Ning, Grandfather is right, the human heart in this world is often more terrifying than ghosts and monsters.”
When they returned to the Luo residence, a curfew had already been imposed in the city.
Luo Ling said, "It's good that Qingyun is protecting you. He's your third brother, so naturally he has to protect his younger sister." When she asked about her injuries, her usual gentleness was gone, replaced by a solemn expression: "Little sister, your brother said that once we return to the capital, I'll take care of everything."
"Does my brother still treat me like a child?" She looked at Luo Ling and smiled gently.
But brother, you have done enough for me and for the Qin family.
She asked again, "Brother, is there still no news of Mu Tong?"
Luo Ling shook her head: "We can only search discreetly and wait a little longer; he will definitely reappear. Since you've just returned to the capital, Zijin should stay here for the time being. Tell everyone that he's Pu Niang's goddaughter. As for the Prince Jing that Qingyun mentioned that day, I've already sent Luo Yuan to investigate. And about Ye Ning and the others' assassination attempt, I feel like something's not quite right."
"Brother, do you think that the people who attacked them that day weren't there to seek revenge on Uncle Chu?" Qin Weixi asked.
Luo Lingdao said, "It's hard to say. Brother just feels that Ye Ning has a lot on his mind this time he came back."
The faint sound of opera could be heard outside the carriage. Qin Weixi lifted a corner of the curtain and looked through the window in the moonlight. The Snow Pavilion was brightly lit and bustling with activity today.
Luo Ling looked at it with her and said, "After Gao Jian died that day, the Crown Prince secretly sent people to infiltrate Wo Xue Pavilion. A Jun absolutely forbade me to get involved in this matter. He said that since he was the one who met Gao Jian that day, he would handle the matter entirely."
Qin Weixi listened quietly, then lowered the carriage curtain and said, "Brother, do you have the secret letter from that person that day? May I take a look?"
Luo Ling replied without hesitation, "Of course."
After returning to the manor, Luo Yuan quickly retrieved the secret letters from his study. The two intended to part ways at Tingyu Pavilion. Just as Luo Ling was about to leave, Qin Weixi called out to him, "Brother, wait a moment."
Luo Ling was puzzled, but she waited quietly in place.
Before long, Qin Weixi came running out carrying two pairs of black boots in his arms: "I was afraid they would be too small, so I made another pair that are a little bigger. Brother, take them back and try them on, will they fit? This time, Pu Niang won't be helping me."
Luo Ling chuckled, took the two pairs of black boots, her clear, bright eyes full of laughter: "They're both good, they both fit perfectly. I was wondering what you've been busy with lately, little sister. These things are taken care of by the servants in the manor."
Qin Weixi recalled his mother mending clothes by the window on snowy winter days and smiled, "That's different. I'll make a summer shirt for my brother when I have some free time. I also made a pair of shoes for Grandmother Zhao, and I'll take them to the mountain for her birthday."
Luo Ling just kept smiling. Qin Weixi knew he wasn't good with words, so she ran back to the door and waved to him, saying, "Brother, get some rest. Don't stay up late studying!"
Back at Tingyuxuan, she laid out the secret letters on her desk and carefully read them by the light of the oil lamp. Finally, she slumped back against the support behind her, her eyes filled with despair.
At dawn, Qin Weixi was awakened from her dream. Pu Niang, who was outside, heard the noise and prepared a hot cloth to wash her face and lit some specially made incense for her. But she could no longer sleep soundly. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Chen Daban's eyes scrutinizing her.
She got off the bed, sat barefoot in front of the bronze mirror, and began rummaging through chests and cabinets.
Feng Hua walked in and asked with a puzzled look, "Miss, what are you looking for?"
She asked, "Have you seen the gold hairpins we bought when we went shopping a few days ago?"
Feng Hua thought for a moment and said, "Ah! I locked it in the box. Miss, wait a moment, I'll get it right away."
Pu Niang entered carrying food and brushed past Feng Hua: "It's still early, Miss, aren't you going to sleep?"
Qin Weixi nodded: "Puniang, please do my makeup. I'm going to the library to read for a while."
Just then, Feng Hua came in carrying a box: "Miss, it's all here."
Qin Weixi took the box and opened it. As Pu Niang helped her with her makeup, she asked worriedly, "Did something happen when you entered the palace yesterday?"
Qin Weixi looked at Pu Niang in the bronze mirror and smiled, "Nothing's wrong, I just wanted to pick out a hairpin that I like."
The Jingning Marquis's Residence.
Left Censor-in-Chief Zheng Shi sent a basket of seasonal flower crabs and a bamboo basket of Fugong bayberries from Zhangzhou through an old servant. Zheng Shi and Chu Lanze were old acquaintances. When Jiuqu arrived to report this, Chu Yening was just about to leave.
Jiuqu said, "My lord, you rarely eat crabs, but now that it's getting hot, you can't resist letting them out."
Chu Yening looked at the two baskets of fresh produce, and both master and servant fell silent.
A short while later, he said, "I need to go to the Luo residence. I'll put these two baskets on the horse." He thought for a moment, then added, "I'll take the Sudden Wind with me."
Jiuqu hesitated, then said, "My lord, won't you keep some? These were sent by an old friend of the master. If word gets out, it won't be good."
However, Chu Yening had already mounted his horse, seemingly oblivious. In the blink of an eye, Jiuqu noticed a short dagger had appeared in his hand; with a flash of cold light, it flew straight towards an old locust tree across the street. A howl immediately came from behind the tree.
Jiuqu: "..."
The streets were bustling with people, a lively scene. Chu Yening gradually slowed his brisk pace, while Zhou Feng sat obediently in a wicker basket beside him, panting heavily. A boy of about twelve or thirteen, dressed in a dark-colored, belted long robe, with a red ribbon tied in his hair that danced in the wind, occasionally called out his wares loudly from the street. Chu Yening glanced at him intently. As a result, the horse's speed unconsciously decreased even further.
He heard the boy say to the little girl next to him, "Good little sister, let me peel two frozen oranges for you first, you can eat them. Later, after we sell this basket, I'll buy you some big meat buns, and then we'll go home. We'll also buy some for Mom and Dad."
Frozen oranges?
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