Shen Hanzhi’s expression remained unchanged.
“Oh?”
“Does that mean I have to be searched too?”
Princess Pingyang’s eyelid twitched. She looked away.
“…Naturally, Your Highness need not be searched.”
Shen Hanzhi stood with his hands behind his back.
“Then my people don’t need to be searched either.”
Princess Pingyang took a deep breath.
“Fine. Other than that…”
Shen Hanzhi grabbed Bai Zhen’er’s hand.
“She’s been with me today. She doesn’t need to be searched either.”
Princess Pingyang clenched her fists, barely restraining herself.
“Fine!”
Bai Zhen’er cautiously said, “Then Yue’er…”
Princess Pingyang cut her off.
“Everyone else has to be searched!”
Bai Zhen’er blinked.
Ling Buzhan cleared his throat.
“Miss Liu has been with me just now. Surely she has nothing to do with the thief.”
Liu Yueti smiled brightly.
“Exactly.”
Haha, what a joke. I was literally with the thief just now!
“Hmph.”
Princess Pingyang gave a faint laugh and pointed at him.
“You have to be searched too.”
“You’re always full of tricks. Search him thoroughly.”
Ling Buzhan: “…”
Bai Zhen’er frowned and gently tugged on Shen Hanzhi’s sleeve, looking at him pleadingly.
Shen Hanzhi sighed softly.
“Miss Liu was brought here by Miss Bai. Let Miss Bai search her.”
“It would be better than having the servants handle it carelessly and disturb our honored guest.”
Princess Pingyang rolled her eyes.
“Fine.”
It probably wouldn’t be the delicate and timid cousin anyway. She might as well do the Regent a favor.
Liu Yueti had nothing suspicious on her in the first place. She secretly glanced at Ling Buzhan and suddenly had an idea.
She quietly extended her hand toward him and crooked one finger.
Ling Buzhan looked slightly surprised, but he still took advantage of his wide sleeves to secretly slip the letter into her hand.
Bai Zhen’er politely bowed.
“Then I’ll take my cousin to be searched.”
Liu Yueti tucked away the letter and followed her.
Behind them, Wei Zhao heard that everyone was going to be searched and immediately realized what was happening.
That handkerchief!
When she escaped from the Yue Lao Shrine that day, she had tied a handkerchief around her wound.
Could Shen Hanzhi have discovered this clue and planned to use the search to find her?
Her eyes shifted as she looked ahead.
Wei Zhao sneered.
So you’re planning to use me to lure away the people guarding the front courtyard…
She suddenly stepped forward and slipped the handkerchief into the male lead’s clothes.
Just you wait!
……
Inside the room, Bai Zhen’er closed the door and breathed a sigh of relief.
“Yuebao! Are you all right?”
Then she looked puzzled.
“Why is the princess looking for someone?”
Liu Yueti quickly told her what had happened, then held up the letter Ling Buzhan had given her.
“So…”
“Should we read it?”
“Read it!”
Bai Zhen’er nodded repeatedly.
“The envelope was already open anyway. Even if he finds out, he won’t know we read it.”
As she spoke, she quickly unfolded the letter, and the two girls huddled together to read it.
After finishing, they slowly turned to look at each other.
“Gasp…”
“Yuebao.”
Bai Zhen’er spoke with difficulty.
“If I understood this correctly, this letter was written by Ling Qingyun, the Prefect of Yunzhou and Ling Buzhan’s adoptive father, to Princess Pingyang.”
Liu Yueti picked up where she left off.
“He says that the Third Prince is safe and healthy, but as he grows older, he’s becoming more and more like the late Emperor, so he absolutely must not be brought to the capital…”
“Could he be talking about…”
“Ling Buzhan?”
“Gasp…”
The two sucked in a breath at the same time and hurriedly stuffed the letter back where it had been.
Bai Zhen’er looked excited.
“What a huge secret! I have to go tell my father!”
“Pretend you don’t know!”
Liu Yueti quickly grabbed her.
“Otherwise, the plot will become even more of a mess!”
“That’s true.”
Bai Zhen’er immediately understood.
“If my father decides he wants to kill him, and we still have to win him over, that’ll be troublesome.”
“You’re right! We’ll pretend we know nothing!”
A female attendant outside called out impatiently.
“Ladies, are you finished?”
“Coming!”
“Put it away, put it away!”
Liu Yueti quickly answered. She shook her hair slightly, pretending she had just finished putting her clothes back on, and walked out.
Bai Zhen’er followed her and politely bowed.
“Your Highness, there’s nothing on Yue’er.”
“Mm.”
Princess Pingyang nodded, then looked at her with considerable interest.
“We did find something rather interesting on our Young Master Xie, though.”
“Huh?”
Liu Yueti looked over at Ling Buzhan in shock, silently asking him with her eyes:
What else did you steal?
Ling Buzhan awkwardly blinked.
“Hehe, why are you so shy?”
Princess Pingyang laughed, easing the tension in the room.
“I originally arranged this Flower Appreciation Banquet so that all of you could get to know each other.”
“It’s just that Miss Bai’s handkerchief happened to be found on Young Master Xie, so I thought…”
She glanced at Shen Hanzhi with a meaningful smile.
Shen Hanzhi’s brows furrowed as he coldly looked at Ling Buzhan.
Bai Zhen’er was stunned.
“What?”
Princess Pingyang gestured for her attendant to bring over the handkerchief.
“Take a look. Is this yours?”
…It really was hers.
How did it end up on the male lead? And how did the princess find it?
Bai Zhen’er helplessly looked at Liu Yueti.
What’s going on?
Liu Yueti’s mind raced.
She immediately stepped forward and knelt.
“Mine!”
“Your Highness, there’s been a misunderstanding. That handkerchief belongs to me.”
“I was with Young Master Xie just now. I gave it to him.”
Princess Pingyang froze.
“You?”
“You’re the cousin. Where are you from?”
Liu Yueti answered quietly.
“Liuzhou.”
Princess Pingyang continued.
“What does your father or your brothers do?”
Liu Yueti blinked.
“My father is a scholar who passed the provincial examination.”
A low laugh came from somewhere nearby.
Princess Pingyang frowned and spoke meaningfully.
“Miss Liu, are you certain this handkerchief is yours? You shouldn’t make such claims carelessly.”
“There are some people you simply cannot reach for.”
Ling Buzhan’s expression shifted. He bent forward and bowed.
“The handkerchief does indeed belong to Miss Liu.”
“She accidentally dropped it earlier. I picked it up and was about to return it to her.”
Princess Pingyang took a sip of tea, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
“Is that so?”
“Of course it belongs to her.”
Shen Hanzhi suddenly spoke.
He took another handkerchief from his sleeve.
“Unfortunately, Miss Bai’s handkerchief is with me.”
“I picked it up as well and was about to return it.”
He held up a handkerchief that looked almost exactly the same.
Princess Pingyang froze.
“What?”
“You… How is it that all three of you have the same handkerchief?!”
Bai Zhen’er answered quietly,
“Best-friend matching set.”
“It’s perfectly normal.”
Liu Yueti nodded along.
Princess Pingyang was furious.
“You two!”
Shen Hanzhi said blandly,
“Why do you care what kind of handkerchief they use?”
“Does the princess’s residence lack handkerchiefs? I’ll have someone send you some later, so you won’t have to keep staring at the two handkerchiefs in their hands.”
He flicked his sleeve, clearly displeased.
Princess Pingyang was equally unhappy.
“Enough. Go do whatever you want.”
“I originally thought that if Miss Bai and Young Master Xie were meant for each other, I could arrange a marriage for you. You would make a well-matched couple…”
Shen Hanzhi gave a cold laugh.
“How interesting. The Chancellor’s daughter and a seventh-rank official are considered well matched?”
“Among the top three candidates in this year’s imperial examination, he started as a seventh-rank official. His future is limitless.”
Princess Pingyang refused to back down.
“Your own Chancellor Bai entered the Hanlin Academy as the top scholar of his year and started as a sixth-rank official.”
“How are they not a good match?”
Shen Hanzhi gave a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“Princess Pingyang certainly seems quite fond of this talented young man.”
“Why not simply take him into your princess’s residence?”
He looked toward Ling Buzhan.
“Oh, that’s right. He refused to enter the Hanlin Academy as a civil official and instead specifically requested to become the Inspector of the City, patrolling the capital on the Emperor’s behalf.”
“He must have quite some ambition.”
“If he refuses, shall I simply tie him up and bring him to you?”
Bai Zhen’er was startled and quickly tugged on his sleeve.
“That won’t do!”
Liu Yueti: “…”
My dear bestie, why are you making things worse at a time like this?!