Qingying woke Yu Yue as soon as it was dawn and they went down the mountain. Feng Ruilan declined, citing her foot injury, which was expected, so she didn't insist.
"Why are you in such a hurry to go down the mountain today, young lady?" Yu Yue asked, puzzled.
Qingying leaned against the carriage wall and yawned lazily. She had only slept for less than two hours last night, and she was exhausted.
"I'm in a hurry to go home and sleep."
"ah?"
She glanced at Yu Yue, not intending to hide it, and said, "I was assassinated last night."
"What!" Yu Yue was shocked and immediately came over to check. "Miss, are you injured somewhere? Why didn't you tell me sooner!"
"Don't worry, I'm not hurt." Qingying brushed away her fidgeting hands and reassured her, "Someone saved me, I didn't even get a scratch."
"That's good, that's good..."
"I was in a hurry to get back home to avoid that person."
Wei Huaixu said he would come back after dawn, but she didn't really want to see him at the moment. She couldn't quite explain her feelings; being around him always made her feel complicated. The person she had loved so deeply was also the one who had hurt her the most.
He used his amnesia to do so many things that hurt her in the past, and his sincere apology now won't make it seem like nothing ever happened.
Seeing the exhaustion in her eyes, Yu Yue didn't ask any more questions.
The carriage slowly drove down the mountain, and after entering the city just past 9 a.m., she asked the driver to take the carriage to Juxian Pavilion.
"Isn't Miss going back to the manor to sleep?" Yu Yue asked.
Qingying said, "Only when you're full can you sleep peacefully."
She's increasingly disliking dining at the General's Mansion. Since winter began, her monthly allowance has been decreasing, and Tongxia's trips to the main kitchen to get food every few days have been cut back. The charcoal allocated for winter isn't even enough for her for a few days.
The head maid said, "In the past, the Third Miss's monthly allowance was given according to the regulations for legitimate daughters. Now that the Second Miss has returned, we can't give the Third Miss the same amount back, that would be against the rules."
Tong Xia was so angry that her face turned red, and she even cried for a while after returning home.
Qingying understood that they would never have dared to do this without Pan's orders. But she couldn't say anything, since the share they gave was indeed in accordance with the regulations for a concubine's daughter.
Fortunately, this situation wouldn't last long, and she was too lazy to haggle over it. Anyway, she had money and could buy whatever she needed from outside.
Qingying entered Juxian Pavilion, but instead of asking for a private room, she casually found a corner in the lobby.
She had just ordered several dishes when she looked up and suddenly saw two people walking in through the door—Liu Chengfeng and a woman in plain clothes walking together, chatting and laughing.
Qingying had never seen the woman before, but her demeanor was very familiar. Looking at Liu Chengfeng's tender smile, she could roughly guess who she was.
Liu Chengfeng had said that Ayan was skilled in disguise; last year at the autumn hunt, she won first place by disguising herself as Shuoyue. At that time, Qingying had not yet had the opportunity to see her true appearance.
Now, looking at the woman beside Liu Chengfeng, her small face, though not stunningly beautiful, was far more beautiful than Shuoyue's, with willow-leaf eyebrows, phoenix eyes, and petal-shaped lips, exuding charm.
This must be what Ayan is really like.
Qingying did not go up to greet him. Her relationship with Liu Chengfeng was not harmonious at the moment, and they would not give each other a friendly look if they met.
Liu Chengfeng didn't notice her in the corner. At this moment, his attention was on Ayan. He went upstairs while talking and was led into a private room by the waiter.
Less than half an hour later, Liu Chengfeng stormed downstairs and left without looking back.
Qingying had just finished her meal. Seeing this, she suddenly stopped in a hurry to leave, ordered a pot of tea, and sat there slowly sipping her tea.
About fifteen minutes later, she saw Ayan come downstairs alone, looking somewhat depressed.
For some reason, a strange thought popped into her mind, so she asked Yu Yue to pay the money and then left Juxian Pavilion.
Sitting in the carriage, she saw from afar that Ayan had mounted a horse and was heading west of the city, so she quickly told the coachman to speed up and follow.
Before long, Ayan entered a narrow alley, where the carriage could no longer proceed, so Qingying had to get off and walk.
She walked along the alley, feeling that she was going further and further away from the main road, and she could no longer see Ayan. She thought she might have lost her way and was about to turn back when someone suddenly jumped out in front of her.
"Miss Liu? What are you doing here?" The person who came was very surprised to see her.
Qingying was taken aback. "You're the head guard of the Eastern Palace?"
Chang An bowed to her and said, "It is indeed your subordinate."
"Why aren't you staying in the East Palace? What are you doing here?"
"Uh... I'm here on orders."
It was obvious without a doubt that he was acting on Wei Huaixu's orders. Qingying wisely refrained from further questions, smiled faintly, and said, "I've accidentally gotten lost. Could Guard Chang tell me where this is?"
Chang An answered truthfully: "This is Lane 12 of West Street."
"Oh, it seems I really did go the wrong way." Qingying turned to look at Yu Yue and complained, "What kind of work are you doing? You let me wander off without even looking properly."
Yu Yue immediately understood and quickly lowered her head to admit her mistake: "This servant failed in her duty, please punish me, young lady."
"I'll settle the score with you when we get back!" With that, she turned and walked away.
After taking a few steps, he turned back and smiled at Chang An, saying, "Please, Guard Chang, do not tell His Highness about our encounter today."
"Yes." Chang An bowed to her respectfully again and said humbly, "Take care, young lady."
Qingying returned the way she came, and once out of the alley, she got into a carriage and went straight back to the General's Mansion.
Inside the carriage, Yu Yue asked, puzzled, "Why are you following that woman, young lady?"
Qingying rubbed her slightly swollen temples and said, "For some reason, I always feel that those eyes are inexplicably familiar."
"You and Miss Ayan are old acquaintances, so you will naturally feel familiar with each other."
"No, it's not..." She was certain it wasn't that kind of familiarity, but she couldn't quite put her finger on the feeling.
"Alright, let's go back to the manor first. If nothing unexpected happens, Wei Huaixu will be here soon. I need to catch up on some sleep and be well-rested before dealing with him."
Chang An is a very honest man, but his mouth is like a leaky ladle; he can't stand a few questions.
Qingying returned to the manor and finally slept soundly. When she opened her eyes again, it was already sunset.
She wore only two thin garments, with a fox-fur trimmed cloak draped over them, and sat cross-legged on the chaise longue, holding a hot water bottle. Two maids moved a small table with high legs over and set out three dishes and a soup.
Qingying ate at the table, next to a pot of burning charcoal.
Actually, this kind of laziness is against the rules, but she figured that no outsiders could see her in her own room, so she might as well do whatever made her comfortable.
Just as she was enjoying her meal, a sound came from the window lattice on the opposite side. She was startled for a moment, and then heard a rhythmic knocking sound—it was the secret signal she and Wei Huaixu used to exchange during their secret nighttime rendezvous.
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