Upon returning to the princess’s residence, a maid asked Fu Yu where to lock up Qing Yao.
How would Fu Yu know the names of all the pavilions and towers in the princess’s estate? Afraid of misspeaking and revealing herself, she said, “You decide. But remember, Qing Yao is the daughter of an official, don’t treat her too harshly.” Worried that the servants might mistreat her in private, she put on the princess’s airs and added, “If anyone’s going to torment her, it’ll be me, the princess herself.”
A flicker of mockery passed through Qing Yao’s eyes.
The maid understood and had Qing Yao taken away.
Fu Yu, still dazed, followed the maidservant through courtyards and alleys until they arrived at a waterside pavilion. Looking up, she saw a plaque inscribed with the words “Zhuo Yue Tower.” The building was three stories high, adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, spacious and imposing. Fu Yu immediately thought that if she never had to leave this illusory realm, it wouldn’t be so bad.
What was the point of working her whole life? Wasn’t it just to have a stable home and enough to eat and wear?
In her previous life, the average housing price in her city was twenty to thirty thousand per square meter, while her monthly salary was only five or six thousand. Working in a private company, she only had basic social insurance, no housing fund at all. After years of labor, she could barely afford a bay window. Her family had lived in a self-built community constructed decades earlier after land expropriation. Now, the walls were peeling, old and dilapidated. If a major earthquake struck, the place would collapse instantly.
The princess’s bedroom was on the third floor, taking up the entire level. The furnishings and decorations inside were extravagantly exquisite, as befitted a princess of the nation, even the doors and windows were inlaid with gold and silver.
Still, she knew this wasn’t truly her home. She was merely a temporary guest, forced here by circumstances. Moreover, everything in this jade realm was like a dream or a bubble, eventually, she would have to leave.
But Fu Yu had never seen such a luxurious residence before. Out of curiosity, after dismissing the maidservant, she began to explore the room.
At first, she felt uneasy, rummaging through someone else’s belongings like a petty thief, hardly the behavior of a respectable person. But Zhao Hua’s possessions were so exquisite and opulent that Fu Yu couldn’t resist. She cautiously opened a few drawers and chests that piqued her interest.
Beside the dressing table, a narrow wooden box caught her eye.
The pattern on the lid was quite unique. She held it in her hands, studying it for a moment but couldn’t decipher its meaning. She opened it and found a lacquered wooden figurine inside.
The figurine was undoubtedly the work of a master craftsman. Its features were so lifelike that Fu Yu recognized it at first glance, it was unmistakably Qing Yao!
Staring at the miniature Qing Yao figurine, Fu Yu pondered for a moment before her eyes lit up with realization. So, Zhao Hua had a secret crush on Qing Yao! And then, love turned to hatred!
Just look, she even made this little figurine to gaze upon and remember her by every day.
Fu Yu’s mind began weaving a dramatic, tragic romance: a princess, twisted by unrequited love, and the aloof, stunning daughter of an official.
Then, as if guided by some unseen force, she conceived a plan, a “love scheme.”
The first step: let her know about the love.
Building on Zhao Hua’s past actions, she would find an opportunity to let Qing Yao know that all the mistreatment she had endured was actually because Zhao Hua liked her too much but couldn’t have her.
Next, she would reinforce this “affection” every day, until even she herself believed it was real, until the act became genuine. She would make her presence felt at every turn.
As for the second step, based on her years of experience watching dramas and reading novels, it had to be executed flawlessly after mastering the first step. At the right moment, all previous expressions of affection would come to an abrupt halt, either by disappearing without a trace or by suddenly giving up in regret. By then, Qing Yao would surely have an epiphany: “Ah, so that person had long been buried deep in my heart…”
Hehehe… Fu Yu stared at the Qing Yao figurine, drooling.
Xiao Mei: [You’re drooling.]
Fu Yu hastily wiped her mouth with her sleeve and tucked the figurine into her robe, keeping it close to her chest.
Night fell quickly, the autumn chill seeping in like water. Wrapped in her blanket, Fu Yu lay in bed, unable to sleep, her mind occupied with her plan and the imprisoned Qing Yao.
Earlier that day, she had heard from the maids that Qing Yao was locked in a room in the east wing. Since Fu Yu had already given orders, she assumed Qing Yao wouldn’t be mistreated.
But after tossing and turning for what felt like ages, sleep still eluded her.
She decided to get up, lit a candle, and rested her chin in her hands, planning to zone out for a while.
Unexpectedly, she disturbed the maids.
Perhaps it was a habit from Zhao Hua’s time, the moment her room lit up, her maid appeared in the blink of an eye.
“Your Highness, can’t sleep?”
Since she was indeed wide awake, Fu Yu asked the maid to take her to see Qing Yao. This maid was the same one who had been following her all day, and Fu Yu now knew her name was Qing Li.
“Right now?” Qing Li sounded surprised.
Fu Yu had already straightened her clothes, left the room, descended the stairs, and stepped out of Zhuo Yue Tower.
“Your Highness, the east wing is this way,” Qing Li reminded her. Their princess had been acting strangely ever since capturing Qing Yao that morning. What was going on? Had years of pent-up hatred finally driven her to extremes now that she had Qing Yao in her grasp? And now, visiting the prisoner in the middle of the night, what new torment was she planning for that beauty?
Fu Yu had no idea what Qing Li was thinking, but she realized she had taken the wrong path. She asked Qing Li to lead the way to avoid further wrong turns and prevent anyone from noticing that Zhao Hua had been replaced by a different soul.
They arrived at the east wing, unlocked the door, and stepped inside.
The glow of the crystal palace lantern pierced through the darkness, illuminating the long-abandoned room. The beauty’s white robes were stained with dirt, her hair disheveled, and she was tightly bound to a vermilion pillar, looking utterly disheveled. Yet when she lifted her face, her cool, clear eyes met Fu Yu’s, impossible to ignore, she was still the same ice-and-snow fairy, ethereal and pure. The disarray did not diminish her beauty; instead, it lent her a fragile, broken elegance.
Even that night in the cave, when she had shed her usual grace and descended into chaos like a fallen immortal, she had retained a sacred aura. Now, she resembled a pristine celestial flower spattered with mud.
Fu Yu’s heart clenched. As the saying goes, “I did not kill the man, yet he died because of me.” Seeing her senior sister in such a state, all because of her original body’s actions, Fu Yu felt a pang of guilt. She wished she could immediately draw a bath for Qing Yao and comb her hair.
“Senior…” she started to say, but when Qing Yao’s cold gaze fell upon her, she quickly closed her mouth and turned to Qing Li instead. “Prepare hot water for a bath.”
Qing Li looked at Fu Yu in astonishment.
Qing Yao also glanced at her.
The maids went to prepare the bath, leaving only Fu Yu and Qing Yao in the room.
Fu Yu walked up to Qing Yao, her voice soft as if comforting a child: “Don’t be afraid, Senior Sister. I’ll help you get cleaned up in a moment.”
Worried that Qing Yao might find the princess too out of character, Fu Yu added, “Actually, there’s a reason why I’ve always opposed you before.”
Qing Yao stared steadily at her. The reason this princess had opposed her was probably known throughout the entire imperial capital, why bother explaining now?
“You must have thought it was because of my intended consort, right? Actually, that’s not the case.”
Qing Yao was somewhat surprised, not so much by the words themselves, but by the tone and attitude. How to describe it? It felt strangely familiar.
But before Fu Yu could finish speaking, the maids entered carrying a bathtub and hot water.
With no time for details, Fu Yu said, “You bathe and change first. I’ll tell you another day.” She then gave a mysterious smile.
After leaving the room and having the maid close the door, Fu Yu instructed the maid to wait outside: “Once she’s finished bathing, escort her to Zhuo Yue Tower and have her stay there tonight.”
With that, she left, completely unaware of how shocked the maids were upon hearing her instructions.
In Fu Yu’s view, it was better to have Qing Yao stay closer to her. After all, she had previously instructed that Qing Yao be treated well, yet she still ended up tied up. Since Zhuo Yue Tower had many rooms, Qing Yao could stay in any one of them.
But it never occurred to her how the maids would interpret her words.
Back in her bedchamber at Zhuo Yue Tower, Fu Yu had been waiting for some time. Glancing at the water clock on the table, she saw it was already the hour of Hai (9–11 pm).
Finally, footsteps sounded outside, it seemed Qing Yao had finished bathing and had been settled in Zhuo Yue Tower. This must be Qing Li coming to report.
Sure enough, Qing Li entered first and said respectfully, “Princess, everything has been arranged.”
Fu Yu nodded: “Good, you may rest now.”
Qing Li bowed: “As you wish.”
But instead of leaving, she stepped aside to make way.
Fu Yu wondered why she hadn’t left when several maids carried something in, heading straight for her bed. They placed the object on the bed and promptly left with practiced efficiency.
Before leaving, Qing Li smiled and offered her blessings: “May the princess enjoy her night.”
Fu Yu: “?”
After everyone had left and the door was closed, Fu Yu looked toward the bed and saw a large red bundle lying quietly there.
A bad feeling crept over her. She slowly walked to the bedside and looked, sure enough.
“Se… Senior Sister…”
The beauty wrapped up like a zongzi revealed only her delicate face.
Fu Yu felt she was as good as dead. If this were outside the Fusheng Jade, daring to humiliate the sect leader of Guiyu Sect like this, violating sect rules, disrespecting a superior, would be a death sentence.
Fu Yu hurriedly began untying the ropes around the bundle. Just as she loosened them, she heard Qing Yao’s cold voice: “I beg the princess to exercise restraint.”
Fu Yu’s hands froze on the bundle, not daring to move further. A glimpse of snow-white shoulder was already half-exposed. She suddenly realized the scene beneath the covering should not be revealed.
So she quickly retied the ropes. “A misunderstanding, purely a misunderstanding.” As she spoke, she tugged at the knot. “See, I tied it very securely, it won’t come loose.”
Qing Yao: “…”
“Wait here, I’ll find you some clothes to change into.” As she spoke, she went to Zhao Hua’s wardrobe and pulled out a garment that looked barely worn, bringing it to the bedside.
“Don’t worry, I’ll step behind the screen.” Fu Yu turned to walk toward the screen but suddenly remembered the ropes binding Qing Yao. She backtracked a few steps to the bed, not daring to look back, and reached behind her, trying to loosen Qing Yao’s bonds.
But facing away made her hands clumsy. She fumbled around the crimson quilt until she finally found the knot, tugging at it for a long time before it came loose. Damn, why had she tied it so tightly earlier?
She hurried away from the bed and went behind the screen. Fu Yu raised her hand, staring intently at it, slender and distinct with well-defined joints, feeling somewhat warm as if she had just held a heating pad. Though she had been groping through the quilt, she could still faintly sense those delicate curves, which reminded her of that night, the enchanting allure of a blooming cluster of fragrant snow blossoms.
Meanwhile, Qing Yao had hastily and swiftly wrapped the garment around herself. She normally disliked wearing others’ clothes, but given the circumstances, she had no choice but to make do.
Fu Yu stood behind the screen, lost in thought as she gazed at her own hand, completely unaware that Qing Yao had already dressed and quietly approached, slowly stepping around the screen. By the time Fu Yu noticed, Qing Yao was already behind her, a jade hairpin pressed against the side of her neck.
She froze.
The person behind her drew closer, the faint scent of fragrant snow blossoms wafting near her ear, carrying a warm, moist breath that seeped into her ear canal.
“Who are you? How did you get in?”