Princess Jiahe's composure vanished completely, replaced by incredulous shock and a hint of suppressed anger. Li Rong and the others were dumbfounded and speechless.
A glint flashed in Zhao Mingwei's eyes, then he lowered his gaze to conceal his deep apprehension.
Looking at Xin Jiuwei's upright back and the powerful verses, Xu Jingshu's eyes revealed sincere admiration and a hint of barely perceptible worry.
Xin Jiuwei put down her pen, her expression calm, as if she had only done a trivial matter. She nodded slightly: "I've made a fool of myself; Your Highness, please forgive my blunder."
Just then, out of the corner of her eye, Xin Jiuwei inadvertently glanced at the moon gate connecting the warm pavilion to the outer corridor.
A middle-aged man in a dark blue steward's uniform, seemingly directing a maid to add charcoal, was whispering to a servant. He raised his hand, as if to pat the servant's shoulder. In that instant, a tiny, fox-shaped marking flashed clearly in the winter sunlight streaming through the windowpane on the inside of his sleeve!
Xin Jiuwei's heart skipped a beat! Her pupils contracted instantly!
Qi Huaiyu! Blood Hawk!
The mark has reappeared, and this time it's in Princess Jiahe's plum garden! What does this mean? Has the Second Prince Xiao Zhuo gained control of this plum garden, or rather, has Qi Huaiyu's influence infiltrated the princess's inner circle?
A chill, more intense than the ice and snow in the garden, crept silently up Xin Jiuwei's back. This seemingly elegant plum blossom poetry gathering had instantly transformed into a den of wolves and tigers!
"Miss Xin, what a talented poet! It's truly an eye-opener!" Zhao Mingwei's voice rang out at the right moment, filled with exaggerated praise, breaking the eerie silence in the pavilion and drawing everyone's attention back. "Your Highness, don't you agree?"
Princess Jiahe barely suppressed her displeasure and forced a smile: "Hmm...it's alright." She clearly didn't want to talk about the matter anymore, and instead said, "Let's begin the feast. Please take your seats and try the plum blossom wine specially brewed by my Plum Garden."
The atmosphere at the poetry gathering became lively again amidst the clinking of glasses, but beneath this liveliness, undercurrents surged even more fiercely. Xin Jiuwei became the center of attention, showered with compliments, some genuine, some feigned, and tests, some overt, some subtle. She handled them flawlessly, but her mind was already focused on the blood hawk mark and the enormous conspiracy hidden behind it.
Halfway through the banquet, Xu Jingshu found an opportunity to quietly approach Xin Jiuwei. Under the guise of pouring wine, she whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Miss Xin, being too sharp-tongued is easy to break. This capital city... is too treacherous. That steward just now... his surname is Qian, he's an old hand from the Princess's residence." She stopped short of revealing her intentions, her eyes filled with a kind reminder.
Xin Jiuwei felt a slight chill in her heart, looked at Xu Jingshu, and said in a low voice, "Thank you for your guidance, Miss Xu." This daughter of the Qingliu Imperial Censor did not seem to be as taciturn as she appeared.
As they left the plum garden, dusk was approaching. The setting sun, like blood, cast long shadows of plum tree branches onto the snow-covered ground, resembling menacing ghosts. Xin Jiuwei sat in the carriage returning to the Prince's mansion, closing her eyes to rest. The poetic talent displayed in the plum garden, the reappearance of the blood hawk mark, Xu Jingshu's reminder… all the events of the day swirled in her mind like a revolving lantern.
The waters of the capital were indeed unfathomable. Xiao Xun, however, remained bedridden, her breath fading. She seemed to stand alone on a vast, thin sheet of ice, threatening to collapse at any moment, surrounded by bottomless pools and lurking beasts.
Back in the secluded courtyard of the Prince's mansion, the main house remained tightly shut, its doors and windows heavy with the smell of medicine. Liu Ya greeted her, whispering, "Miss is back. Your Highness... is the same as always today."
Xin Jiuwei nodded, her gaze fixed on the tightly closed door. Deep within her weary eyes lay a gravity and resolve even more profound than the twilight of the capital. She needed speed, clearer leads. Qi Huaiyu… and that Manager Qian… they had to be found out as soon as possible!
After returning from the plum garden, Xin Jiuwei's mood was as if covered by a layer of frost.
The fleeting blood-red hawk mark on the cuff of Qian, the steward of Princess Jiahe's residence, was like a viper's forked tongue, constantly reminding her of the deep collusion between Qi Huaiyu, that viper, and the Second Prince Xiao Zhuo's power, and the vast reach of their influence. Under the "protection" of the Prince's residence, things seemed safe, but in reality, every step was fraught with danger.
She was no longer content to passively wait for news from Xin Kui. Using fragments of information from the Qingliu network secretly passed on by Xu Jingshu (although Xu's father was in a difficult situation, his former students and officials were still around), combined with Xin Kui's own long-established network of informants in the capital, Xin Jiuwei precisely pointed the finger of her investigation at Manager Qian, who had appeared at the Plum Garden.
The clues, like scattered beads, were meticulously pieced together by Xin Jiuwei's calm mind. Manager Qian had been frequently visiting several inconspicuous pawnshops and pharmacies in the west of the city in recent months, his movements shrouded in mystery. One of these pharmacies, named "Jishetang," appeared ordinary, yet its accounts showed several inexplicable minor discrepancies. Even more intriguing was a report from one of Xin Kui's skilled undercover agents: three nights ago, Manager Qian had driven alone to a quiet, deserted temple on the outskirts of the city—Hantan Temple.
Hantan Temple?
Xin Jiuwei immediately recalled that Xin Kui had mentioned before that when tracking the follower with the blood hawk mark on his cuff, the vague clues also pointed to the vicinity of Hantan Temple! Could that be a secret contact point for Qi Huaiyu or his accomplices?
This thought, like a stone thrown into stagnant water, stirred up ripples. Xin Jiuwei made a decisive decision: she had to personally investigate Hantan Temple! She reported to Liu Ya under the pretext of "seeking blessings for His Highness from a high-ranking monk at an ancient temple." Although Liu Ya looked worried and mentioned the unrest outside the city, seeing Xin Jiuwei's resolute attitude and her use of the pretext of praying for His Highness, he had no choice but to agree. He repeatedly urged her to be careful and insisted on arranging two skilled guards from the Prince's residence to "accompany and protect" her. Xin Jiuwei knew this was surveillance, but she couldn't care less at the moment.
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