Ji Junjiao gave a slight nod.
“What brings you here, Miss?”
With a smile, Qin Buwen presented the book she had prepared.
“My Lord, Qingyue and I visited a bookshop today. When I saw this volume, I thought of you and wanted to give it to you.”
Sometimes even Qin Buwen had to admire the sheer thickness of her own skin.
She had spent Ji Junjiao’s money to buy a book… and was now presenting it to him as a gift.
Anyone else would have been so embarrassed they wished the ground would swallow them whole.
But Qin Buwen was Qin Buwen.
In the entire capital, there wasn’t a single person with a thicker skin than hers.
So even now, she spoke with complete sincerity.
Ji Junjiao glanced at the book she held out and actually froze for a moment.
Accepting it with both hands, he said in surprise, “Master Gong Xishan’s authentic calligraphy?”
Qin Buwen smiled.
“Yes. A few days ago, I noticed that your brushwork resembles Master Gong Xishan’s, so I took the liberty of buying it.”
“Thank you, Miss.”
Ji Junjiao nodded in thanks.
Silence settled between them once again.
Ji Junjiao had spent his entire life being the very model of a gentleman. Every time he was around Qin Buwen, he couldn’t help recalling the awkward incident from that morning.
“…Is there anything else, Miss?”
The dismissal in his words couldn’t have been clearer.
Qin Buwen heard it perfectly well, but pretended not to.
Still smiling, she asked, “My Lord, what would you like for dinner tonight? I’ve learned a few new dishes these past few days and wanted to cook them for you.”
“There’s no need.”
Ji Junjiao declined at once.
“I have business outside the residence tonight. I won’t be dining here.”
A flicker of emotion flashed through Qin Buwen’s eyes before she quickly lowered her gaze to conceal it.
She had gotten the answer she wanted.
There was no reason to stay any longer.
“Oh… in that case, I’ll take my leave.”
She bowed politely before turning to leave.
“Changqing.”
Ji Junjiao spoke calmly.
In the blink of an eye, Changqing appeared and dropped to one knee.
“Your subordinate is here.”
“Keep an eye on her.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
…
After returning to her room, Qin Buwen took out the letter she had hidden away.
So Ji Junjiao really was planning to visit the Prince of Chang’an’s residence tonight.
That meant she needed to deliver the letter before he arrived.
Outside, she heard Changqing and Qingyue talking.
“Lord Changqing? What brings you here?”
“His Lordship is concerned for the young lady’s safety, so he ordered me to stand guard here.”
Concerned for her safety?
He was obviously here to keep her under surveillance.
Qin Buwen smiled to herself.
She picked up the cosmetics on her dressing table and dusted her lips with powder until they looked pale.
Then she soaked a cloth in warm water and pressed it against her forehead for a while.
Only then did she open the door, coughing every few steps.
Changqing stood outside with his sword in his arms while Qingyue chatted beside him.
The moment Qingyue saw Qin Buwen’s complexion, she frowned.
“Miss! What’s wrong? Why are you so pale?”
Her exclamation caught Changqing’s attention, and he turned to look as well.
Qin Buwen forced a weak smile and waved dismissively.
“I think… I’ve caught a chill.”
Qingyue immediately reached out to feel her forehead.
“Oh no! You’re running a fever!”
She looked panicked.
“Miss, wait here! I’ll fetch the Imperial Physician!”
Qin Buwen shook her head.
“There’s no need. I just want to rest for a while. Qingyue, don’t call me for dinner tonight.”
Qingyue still looked worried.
Qin Buwen smiled reassuringly.
“I’m really fine. A good sleep and a little sweating should be enough.”
“…All right. But if you feel worse, you have to tell me.”
Changqing’s only responsibility was watching Qin Buwen, so he had no objection.
After giving her instructions, Qin Buwen coughed a few more times before closing the door.
The “frail and delicate” Qin Buwen immediately opened the window the instant the door shut, masking the noise with her coughing.
She spread out the bedding, stuffed several pieces of clothing underneath to resemble a sleeping figure, and lowered the bed curtains.
Once everything was ready, she vaulted silently out the window.
Ever since the tendons in her left hand had been severed years ago, Qin Buwen had never used martial arts again.
Now that she had a brand-new body, she was still getting used to moving like this.
A few swift leaps later, she arrived at the place she knew better than anywhere else—
The Prince of Chang’an’s Residence.
For a moment, countless emotions welled up inside her.
Back then, when Qin Buwen first came to Chang’an from her fief in Xunyang, the late emperor had built this residence for her.
Its magnificence rivaled even the Taihe Hall of the imperial palace.
The estate had been filled with unimaginable treasures, rare jewels, and exotic beasts.
In the main hall had stood an eight-foot coral tree so magnificent that even the emperor himself had never seen another like it.
Many court officials had repeatedly impeached her for extravagance and excessive luxury.
Without exception, every accusation had been dismissed.
The Prince of Chang’an, Qin Buwen, had truly held power over the entire realm.
Now, looking at the desolate and silent estate before her, even the massive ginkgo tree in the center of the courtyard—so wide it took three people to encircle its trunk—seemed unbearably lonely.
Qin Buwen stood there, lost in thought.
When the wall falls, everyone gives it another push. When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter.
She let out a self-mocking laugh before making her way effortlessly to the study.
The doors had been sealed by official order.
She slipped in through the window instead and walked to the desk, quietly tucking the letter into a stack of books.
With that done, she intended to leave immediately.
But then she noticed something lying on the desk.
A letter.
Qin Buwen frowned.
Since when had there been another letter on her desk?
Just then, she heard the front gates of the Prince of Chang’an’s Residence opening.
Ji Junjiao had arrived.
There was no time to linger.
She slipped the letter into her sleeve, seized an opportunity, and quietly escaped.
…
At the Situ Residence.
Ming’an stood before the man seated at the head of the hall and reported respectfully,
“My Lord, the letter has already been placed on the desk inside the Prince of Chang’an’s Residence.”
“Mm. You may leave.”
Ming’an remained where he was.
“What is it?”
The man’s voice was gentle and clear.
Still bowing, Ming’an hesitated.
“My Lord… Prince of Chang’an…”
The instant he noticed the change in his master’s expression, he hurriedly corrected himself.
“Miss Qin… Miss Qin’s body… there is still no trace of it.”
The man lowered his eyes, concealing every emotion.
“Keep looking.”
His voice was as cold as ice.
Ming’an opened his mouth as though he wanted to say something.
After a long silence, however, he merely lowered his head.
“Yes, My Lord.”
His master had never been rational when it came to Prince Chang’an.
…
Back in her room, Qin Buwen quietly closed the window.
She took the unopened letter from her sleeve and, without the slightest hesitation, broke the seal.
The moment she saw the handwriting, her pupils contracted violently.
“Yan Tang…”
Her thoughts were instantly dragged back many years.
She had been too lazy to review official documents herself, so she had dumped the entire pile onto Yan Tang.
Yan Tang had always indulged her.
Smiling, he accepted the documents, spent several days copying her handwriting, and eventually mastered it perfectly.
After that, most of the documents supposedly reviewed by Qin Buwen had actually been handled by him.
The handwriting on this letter…
It was identical to hers.
Not a single stroke was different.
This letter had clearly been written by Yan Tang, imitating her handwriting.
Her heartbeat quickened.
Even her breathing became uneven.
Back then, knowing what fate awaited her, she had refused to let the two people closest to her die alongside her.
So she had found an excuse to send them both away.
Which meant…
Yan Tang hadn’t died.
Yan Tang was still alive!?