In the original story, there was this event: The Crown Prince’s faction suffered a severe blow, and the feelings between the male and female leads deepened rapidly.
As for poor Pei Xie, he was injured during this incident.
Zhu Xingxu racked her brain, finally remembering a bit.
The location seemed to be Zhenguo Temple…
But what exactly happened…
She couldn’t recall. Thinking longer, her head began to throb faintly.
Zhu Xingxu decided to give her brain a rest and let things unfold naturally.
It seemed that, aside from Pei Xie being injured, there were no other casualties.
…So tragic.
If she had been present, she would have tried to help him.
Then, another thought came to her.
If she could take the Vermilion Bird jade plaque during the chaos…
Her heart began pounding wildly at the idea.
Who would have thought that the daughter of the Minister of Revenue could steal something from a Daoist temple?
In moments of confusion, some items could be damaged or go missing, right?
This wasn’t the modern era; there were no cameras. Who could find out?
The more she thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.
However, before the event even began, she needed to plan carefully how to climb and get it.
She rose and headed toward Sanqing Hall.
Pei Xie was no longer in his place, but Madam Xu was still waiting for her.
Zhu Xingxu approached, and Madam Xu’s expression softened considerably.
“The Third Prince said he forgives you. Don’t cause trouble again, understand?”
Zhu Xingxu: “…Understood.”
Was Pei Xie saying random things?
Madam Xu gave her some more reminders and then returned to her room for a nap.
Zhu Xingxu turned her gaze back to Sanqing Hall.
By mid-afternoon, more people had arrived at the temple.
In the inner courtyard, incense rose in waves, drifting into the air, carrying the wishes and hopes of mortals.
Zhu Xingxu stepped over the high threshold of Sanqing Hall, entering carefully.
By now, the mats before the Three Purities were filled with kneeling worshippers.
Many more were still lining up outside, waiting.
She pretended to be strolling and walked to the left side of the hall to get a view of the statues.
On the left was Lingbao Tianzun, partially blocking the central Primordial Celestial Venerable.
She tried to move further around to the back but was stopped.
“Devotee, the rear area is restricted.”
Zhu Xingxu had no choice but to return.
Next, she tried the right side to see if she could reach behind.
However, her suspicious movements quickly drew the attention of other Taoist priests.
Seeing her attempting to move to the back again, they politely asked her to leave.
“Only those with sincere devotion are allowed inside. Others, please step aside.”
The priests’ sharp eyes watched her closely; she could only leave.
It was too crowded during the day to observe freely.
She decided to come back at night.
At night, when everything was quiet,
Zhu Xingxu listened carefully to the sounds outside, confirming that Zhenguo Temple was silent, before she began her preparations.
She didn’t have black clothing, so she found a piece of black cloth in her room to wrap herself.
Then she removed her earrings, bracelets, and other accessories, placing them under her pillow.
You couldn’t commit mischief while wearing these.
What if the clinking woke someone?
She first opened the door slightly, observing the situation carefully.
Outside, only the rustle of leaves in the night wind could be heard.
Normally, she might have been afraid of ghosts.
But this was a Daoist temple, what ghost would dare come here?
Zhu Xingxu quietly stepped out, closing the door gently behind her.
The room she stayed in was made of top-quality wood and materials.
Closing the door silently laid the foundation for her exit.
Only a few temple lamps were lit, and the buildings blended into the darkness, indistinct.
Using her memory from the day, she slowly made her way to Sanqing Hall.
The main doors were closed, and no priests were nearby.
She looked at the lock: a large, heavy lock secured the door.
Seriously… What could be inside worth stealing that required such a big lock?
She tried opening it but failed.
She walked around, looking for any other entry points.
All doors and windows were tightly shut.
Zhu Xingxu grew frustrated, moving under the eaves to think of a strategy.
If she couldn’t scout the terrain at night, there would be no way to get in during the day.
If chaos erupted later and she couldn’t take the plaque quickly, she would surely be discovered.
After thinking for a long time, no good idea came to mind.
Gradually, a black shadow appeared in the area she was watching.
She realized in time and quickly hid behind a nearby tree.
The figure became clear—it looked like a devoted resident of the temple.
However, the person was somewhat unattractive.
A broad forehead, small eyes, large nose.
Far from Pei Xie’s looks.
The person approached the main doors of Sanqing Hall and examined the lock.
Was he trying to enter?
Could he be after the Vermilion Bird jade plaque?
Zhu Xingxu held her breath, eyes fixed.
He took a key from his sleeve, placed it steadily into the lock, and turned it—the crisp click echoed through the courtyard.
Even Zhu Xingxu jumped in surprise.
So loud! Almost like an alarm.
The man seemed startled too, looking around nervously.
Sure enough, several priests ran over from another direction.
“Who is there?”
These priests, probably trained daily, arrived at the main gate in a flash.
The man pulled the key out and fled without looking back.
The priests saw the fleeting figure; one stayed to relock the main door, while the others gave chase.
Zhu Xingxu watched, furious.
Why take the key! Why relock the door!
However, it was too late to act tonight.
Zhu Xingxu hurried back to the side room, closed the door, and hid the black cloth.
She lay back on the bed, thinking about how to get Madam Xu to stay another night.
But the next day, before she could approach Madam Xu, Zhenguo Temple was sealed off.
The previous night, the Crown Princess had also stayed at the temple.
Someone leaked the information, and there was an assassination attempt on the Crown Princess.
Luckily, she had not been sleeping at that time and went outside to look at the moon.
The victim was her personal maid.
Wait… wasn’t it supposed to be that no one was injured?
Why did a maid die?
Zhu Xingxu was puzzled and a little scared.
Madam Xu was terrified as well, wanting to leave.
But Fifth Prince Pei Xie personally announced that the assassin was still in the temple and that no one could enter or leave.
The Crown Prince, upon hearing this, came in full force but was also stopped outside.
Pei Hua stood on the temple steps, angrily shouting, “I am the Crown Prince! Do you think I would harm the Crown Princess?”
Third Prince Pei Yan smiled faintly, though the smile did not reach his eyes.
“Crown Prince, I hope you will not make things difficult for us.”
He then presented an imperial edict.
“The emperor said that I and my fifth brother are fully responsible for this matter.”
Pei Hua sneered, “Who’s to say you and your fifth brother aren’t the ones who tried to kill my wife?”
Pei Yan was prepared.
“Our suspicions have already been cleared under the supervision of the Chancellor and the Minister of Justice. Are you now questioning them?”
Pei Hua had not expected this and snorted coldly, then resorted to a ploy of feigned grief.
Raising his brow, his eyes glistened as he pleaded, fully acting as a deeply loving husband.
“Third Prince, the one who was attacked is my Crown Princess. Let me in. I am very worried about her.”
Pei Yan watched silently.
Without the Crown Prince’s two concubines and three maidservants, he might have believed him.
“Brother, we will find the assassin as quickly as possible and ensure the elder sister-in-law’s safety.”
Seeing that Pei Yan was unmoved, Pei Hua gritted his teeth.
But with the edict in his hand, continuing to oppose would mean defying the emperor.
Helpless, he had to retreat.
Pei Yan turned and entered the temple.
Because of the assassin, and with noblewomen and madams present, the temple master gathered everyone in a side hall.
“Everyone will stay here for now. For safety, it is best not to wander around.”
The master always wore that faint, smiling expression, then left.
The side hall was spacious, accommodating many people.
Madam Xu took Zhu Xingxu to pay respects to the Crown Princess.
The Crown Princess was petite, her shoulders only reaching Zhu Xingxu’s.
She appeared about the same age.
Sitting on the main seat, she did not seem afraid.
Madam Xu bowed. “Your Highness, the eldest legitimate daughter of my household, Zhu Xingxu, has come to pay respects.”
Zhu Xingxu bowed.
The Crown Princess looked at them with wide eyes. “Rise.”
Madam Xu exchanged a few words with the Crown Princess, then guided Zhu Xingxu to sit beside her.
Behind them, others were waiting to pay respects.
Among them was the female lead, Ji Chiying!
Her household brought two girls along.
The other appeared to be a character from the original story, named Ji Qingqing.
Seeing her, Zhu Xingxu recalled.
Ji Qingqing was her biological younger sister, the original story’s second female lead.
In the original, Ji Chiying had been framed and lived among commoners.
This year, the Ji family had retrieved her.
Ji Qingqing, originally the sole daughter of the household, was unwilling to accept a suddenly reappearing elder sister.
Early on, Ji Qingqing competed with Ji Chiying for their parents’ favor and monthly allowance; later, she competed for the male lead—the Third Prince.
Regarding their parents, the Ji family favored Ji Qingqing.
But with the Third Prince, Ji Chiying was always the best.
Despite this, the two endured heartache until nearly the ending before reconciling, with Ji Chiying eventually becoming Empress.
Regarding this situation, Zhu Xingxu simply thought: enjoy the spectacle.
She only needed to find the other four items to return to the modern era.
The people and affairs here were not her concern.
Thinking of the items, she recalled the waist plaque… indeed a problem.
From whom could she get it…?
Pei Xie’s figure appeared in her mind.
Him… seems feasible. When he died later, she could just take it.
If asked, she could say she didn’t know where it went.
Perfect! Zhu Xingxu almost applauded herself.
But that was still far off; she still needed to consider how to obtain the Vermilion Bird jade plaque.
The Ji family finished paying respects and sat nearby.
Ji Qingqing, as usual, coquetted with their mother, twisting her waist to push Ji Chiying aside.
Ji Chiying did not get angry, wandering elsewhere to sit and daydream.
Zhu Xingxu withdrew her gaze.
With so many people here, how could she sneak out at night?
She glanced outside; the side hall was already surrounded by constables from the Ministry of Justice, with Imperial Guards patrolling intermittently.
Even if she escaped by luck, what about these guards?
Well-trained and strategically positioned, they would surely detect her.
Zhu Xingxu did not wish to remain in the side hall for now and decided to visit Sanqing Hall again.
Just as she was about to rise, Madam Xu tried to stop her. “There are assassins outside; it’s safer not to go.”
Zhu Xingxu replied, “Precisely because there are assassins, I want to pray in Sanqing Hall to help catch them quickly.”
She tried to look like a devoted worshipper.
Madam Xu frowned, glancing outside.
With constables and Imperial Guards here, nothing should happen.
“Then go ahead.” This wasn’t her daughter; there was no need to oppose her.
When leaving, Zhu Xingxu discreetly slipped some silver to the guards at the door, finally getting permission to go.
Once outside, she did not wander and entered Sanqing Hall directly.
Unlike the previous day, the hall was quiet and empty.
She knelt, pretending to worship while surveying her surroundings for a way to climb.
To stay longer, she bowed repeatedly, performing ten full prostrations.
A familiar low voice sounded behind her.
“Unexpectedly, Miss Zhu is so devout.”