Following yesterday’s torrential downpour, the grass and trees in the courtyard appeared exceptionally lush and vibrant.
Zhe Qing had changed into a moon-white dress, standing in the courtyard with an air of authority and presence that none of the sheltered maidens of the Xiao household could ever hope to match.
Luo Tang smiled brightly at her, the outer corners of her eyes curving downward slightly as she stepped closer, fixing her gaze upon the skin of the other woman’s face, which gleamed under the daylight.
“You know, you look rather cute when you’re like this, seemingly angry, yet not quite angry at all,” Luo Tang teased, raising an eyebrow. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Xiao Sese trailing after her, prompting her to ask out of curiosity, “In your era, are female cousins allowed to get this intimately tangled up in the same bed?”
Zhe Qing could only marvel silently at how this person managed to shift the blame while spouting such preposterous nonsense.
While she remained silent, Xiao Sese caught up to them and blurted out, “Prime Minister Zhe, you rudely barged into a maiden’s bedchamber and just walked out like that don’t you even have an apology to offer?”
As the elder cousin, it was naturally her duty to back up her cousin. Besides, Zhe Qing’s rise to the chancellorship had come through questionable channels, making her an object of deep contempt.
Following Xiao Sese’s remark, Zhe Qing finally shifted her gaze toward her. Compared to Luo Tang’s endearing cleverness, Xiao Sese appeared rather foolish.
Standing with her hands clasped behind her back, Zhe Qing looked at her flatly. “It is equally a matter of course for the Second Miss of the Xiao family to loiter in her cousin’s bed.”
Unjustly targeted by the barbed remark, Xiao Sese instantly dropped her expression. “I know Prime Minister Zhe has just ascended to the chancellorship and is riding high on success, but you seem to forget how despicable your Zhe family is and how many vile deeds you’ve committed.”
The two of them began bickering out of nowhere, revealing the existence of past grievances between them. Slightly hesitant, Luo Tang wanted to intervene and smooth things over, but watched instead as Zhe Qing strode away.
Puzzled, she wanted to give chase, but Xiao Sese grabbed her arm and whispered urgently, “A-Tang, don’t waste your breath on her. She’s nothing more than a fraud who trades on a stolen reputation.”
Luo Tang felt a wave of speechlessness at hearing such bias, temporarily suppressing her confusion. She couldn’t help wondering: The current Right Prime Minister is being sneered at by a little girl, where on earth has her majestic dignity gone?
“A-Tang, you don’t understand. Her grandmother surrendered a city and yielded to the enemy; she’s the descendant of a traitor,” Xiao Sese said with utter disdain.
Luo Tang was rendered speechless. “She is the Right Prime Minister, and what are you? Aren’t you afraid she’ll make things difficult for you behind the scenes?”
Xiao Sese froze slightly. Luo Tang favored her with a look that clearly communicated the word foolish, then turned and walked back to her room.
Locking the door behind her, she drew a clear line between herself and Xiao Sese. “I’m exhausted and want to take a nap. Elder Cousin, please make yourself at home.”
Watching the door slam shut, Xiao Sese looked completely bewildered. Why does my cousin seem like a completely different person? She isn’t nearly as affectionate toward me as she used to be.
She walked over and slapped her palms against the door. “Table Cousin, are you angry with me? Open the door, let me explain.”
Inside the room, Luo Tang leaned back against the daybed, couldn’t be bothered to listen to Xiao Sese’s explanations. When someone falls ill, you avoid them out of fear of contagion, but the moment they’re up and about, you come swarming back only a fool would play buddy-buddy with you.
Especially when that kind of ambiguous friendship involved sharing a bed.
After knocking for a while and receiving no response, Xiao Sese departed in dejected spirits.
Summoning her personal maid, Luo Tang held out her hand. “Where is the key to the money chest?”
Her personal maid, Lanwen, chuckled in amusement. “When did our young miss start caring about money?”
“Just hand it over, why so many questions?” Luo Tang rolled her eyes.
The Xiao household was certainly a bizarre place. The maids didn’t act like maids, the masters didn’t act like masters, her uncle didn’t act like an uncle, and her cousin crawled right into bed with her, truly a strange bunch.
From the bottom of her heart, Luo Tang felt that the entire Xiao family took advantage of the fact that the original owner’s parents had both passed away and she was forced to live under someone else’s roof.
Reluctantly, Lanwen fished out the key.
Taking it from her, Luo Tang dragged out the wooden chest from beneath the bed and popped it open. Oh, wow. It contained even fewer funds than the pitiful handful of copper coins in her own pouch.
This is bad, this is really bad. She had given away half of her gold nuggets to Zhe Qing earlier, was there some way she could scheme to get those gold nuggets back?
Luo Tang only focused on the immediate problem, paying no mind to why Lanwen had so little money on hand. The original owner might have been spineless and spineless, but she certainly wasn’t going to be!
Relying on others was never as reliable as relying on oneself.
Shoving the money chest back under the bed, Luo Tang heard approaching footsteps outside, followed by voices.
“The Dowager Elder sent me to deliver some ginseng to the young cousin. Sister Lanwen, please take it. This is a prized item preserved by the Dowager Elder herself; even the Eldest Mistress came asking for it last time, and the Dowager Elder wouldn’t part with it, yet she gave it directly to the young cousin this time.”
The speaker was the Dowager Elder’s senior maid, whose words painted a picture of the Dowager Elder holding Luo Tang in the absolute highest esteem.
Luo Tang, who possessed the shrewdness of an experienced political operator, let out a cold inner sneer. We’re all thousand-year-old foxes here, what’s the point in pretending to be innocent white rabbits?
Outside, Lanwen showered the messenger with effusive expressions of gratitude, accepted the ginseng, and escorted the visitor out of the courtyard.
Once the visitor left, Luo Tang opened the door, took the ginseng from the young maid, and unrolled the red cloth to inspect it. The ginseng root was neither too large nor too small; it counted as a decent item, though certainly not a rare treasure.
True to form, the people of the Xiao family had tongues coated in sugar and honey.
Completely untrustworthy.
Luo Tang accepted the ginseng anyway. The maid offered, “Young Miss, should this servant put it away for safekeeping?”
“I have use for it,” Luo Tang waved a hand, refusing to fall for the trick. Put it away in your keeping, only for you to swap it out with some inferior substitute later? I’d have to be an idiot to fall for that.
When Lanwen returned, the maid mentioned the exchange to her. Lanwen frowned and muttered, “Why would she want to hold onto it? She’ll just squander a fine piece of medicine.”
Lowering her head, the maid dared not utter another word.
Pushing the door open, Lanwen walked inside to find Luo Tang lounging on the bed with one leg crossed over the other, looking thoroughly carefree.
Forcing a smile, Lanwen ventured, “Young Miss, what do you plan to do with the ginseng? Better yet, leave it with this servant so it doesn’t get misplaced when you urgently need it.”
Casting a sidelong glance at her, Luo Tang replied, “So what if I keep it? Why are you repeating the same thing, is my word worth nothing around here?”
Startled by the sharp edge in her tone, Lanwen lost her nerve and dared not press the matter further.
That finally brought some quiet.
As she lay in bed mapping out her future plans, Luo Tang concluded that Zhe Qing was a useful asset, but first, she needed the Grand Commandant’s estate to spit back out all of her parents’ assets. Otherwise, if she just packed up and left empty-handed, those people would be far too happy.
Over the next two days, Xiao Sese visited every single day. Luo Tang patiently humored her, privately noting that the original owner and Xiao Sese truly shared a joined-at-the-hip dynamic, frequently cuddling up together.
After finally managing to pack Xiao Sese off, Luo Tang took the ginseng and once more sneaked stealthily out of the estate.
Zhe Qing was currently residing at her mentor’s estate the Lin residence.
By the time Luo Tang located the Lin residence, it was already noon, and she was panting heavily from the exertion. When I head back later, I’m definitely making Zhe Qing send me home in a carriage.
She tapped on the heavy front gates, and a gatekeeper peeked out. As their eyes met, Luo Tang spoke first: “I am Luo Tang of the Grand Commandant’s estate. I wish to see Prime Minister Zhe; we have an appointment.”
Whether an appointment existed or not depended entirely on how smoothly one talked.
Yet the gatekeeper believed her, stepping aside to welcome her respectfully inside.
“The Prefect is attending to the Grand Preceptor in the inner garden. You must announce yourself to the Grand Preceptor first; please wait a moment.”
The Lin residence wasn’t particularly large, seemingly built many years ago, with moss creeping up the corners of the walls. Yet the servants moved in absolute silence, and the pavilions and courtyards reflected the refined aesthetic taste of the master of the house.
After waiting for a long time outside the courtyard, Luo Tang was finally summoned inside.
Clutching the box of ginseng, Luo Tang expressed her gratitude to the servant and cautiously crossed the threshold, peeking inside.
The courtyard was deserted, but dense clusters of trees cast lush, emerald shadows, making it a delightfully cool shelter from the summer heat.
Stepping further inward, she froze. Oh? Someone is kneeling by the doorway.
Viewing the figure from behind, the spine was held rigidly straight. Tsk tsk, that’s terrible posture for kneeling, you’re supposed to hunch your back slightly, otherwise your legs ache so much.
Amused, Luo Tang strolled over, glanced down at Zhe Qing, and shoved the box of ginseng into her arms. “Here, take it. Good for your health.”
Zhe Qing instantly flushed crimson, the pale-pink blush spreading all the way up her alabaster neck.
“You, stop talking nonsense! What brings you here?” Zhe Qing feigned composure, her deep eyes swirling like a whirlpool, silently pulling Luo Tang into their depths.
Zhe Qing appeared to have been kneeling for quite some time. Though her demeanor remained poised and refined, beads of sweat dotted her forehead, and the faint redness at the outer corners of her eyes bore the lingering traces of recent emotional strain.
She attempted to return the ginseng to Luo Tang.
Locking eyes with Zhe Qing, Luo Tang noticed how her gaze first flickered with bashful, fluttering allure before smoothing out into its customary cool sharpness.
I have to admit, those eyes are stunning. After a brief moment of appreciation, Luo Tang hitched up her skirts, dropped to her knees right beside her, and announced, “I came to apologize to you. What my cousin did the other day was wrong; don’t hold it against a child.”
Averting her gaze, Zhe Qing said coldly, “I never took it to heart. You may leave.”
Kneeling side-by-side with her, Luo Tang realized that Zhe Qing’s shoulders sat noticeably higher than her own, prompting her to lean down and inspect her posture.
Ah, she has a long torso.
A smile bloomed on Luo Tang’s face as her brows curved into crescents. Maintaining a deadpan, serious expression, she looked straight ahead. “How long have you been kneeling?”
Zhe Qing remained silent.
Luo Tang offered, “If you have to kneel for an hour, I’ll keep you company. Half an hour each, how does that sound?”
“You certainly talk a lot.”
The study door creaked open, and a woman stepped out. Dressed in ink-black robes with a sharp, decisive stride, she startled Luo Tang so badly that she instinctively ducked behind Zhe Qing.
Raising her head, Zhe Qing felt a soft sigh slip from her heart. Reaching out a hand to shield the young maiden, she explained to her mentor, “Miss Luo came to see me. Please don’t hold it against her, Teacher.”
Looking down at the maiden hiding behind her, Lin Huaijin was initially displeased, but her expression soon settled into cold calm. “Was that you the other night?”
“The other night?” Luo Tang played dumb, her brain racing at lightning speed before she quickly clarified, “It was me, but I promise you, I didn’t bully her! Absolutely nothing happened between us!”
Over forty years of age, Lin Huaijin sported streaks of silver at her temples. The sharp edge in her eyes caused Luo Tang to shrink back behind Zhe Qing once more. Both women were figures accustomed to wielding supreme authority, but while Zhe Qing’s gaze was calm and coolly detached without malicious barbs, Lin Huaijin was different her presence was suffocatingly oppressive.
Connecting this to the historical accounts of later generations, was this truly the person who murdered the student she raised herself?
Hesitating for a split second, she watched Lin Huaijin turn her gaze back to Zhe Qing. “Do you know where you went wrong?”
Zhe Qing closed her eyes, her heart trembling slightly, unable to understand why her mentor would ask such a thing in front of Luo Tang. After a brief, reluctant pause, the maiden hiding behind her piped up timidly, “There’s an old saying about disciplining your children in public and reprimanding your wife in private, but you shouldn’t be chewing her out right in front of me.”
Lin Huaijin frowned. “What business is it of yours?”
Luo Tang sneered inwardly. The underlying malice in this person’s mind is truly sickening. Puzzled, she asked aloud, “What is your intention in disparaging her right in front of me?”
Zhe Qing shuddered from head to toe. The maiden nervously gripped her sleeve, speaking with righteous indignation, obviously terrified out of her wits yet stubbornly putting up a brave front.
Lin Huaijin chuckled softly. “A cowardly household like the Grand Commandant’s has actually raised a wolf. Get out.”
Scrambling to her feet, Luo Tang grabbed Zhe Qing’s arm, hastily scooped up the dropped box of ginseng from the ground, and pulled her along. “I have something to tell you.”
Nodding in agreement, Zhe Qing bowed respectfully to Lin Huaijin, turned around, and allowed Luo Tang to lead her away.
Luo Tang cast one final parting glance back at Lin Huaijin and offered a faint smile.
Once they were clear of the courtyard, Luo Tang let go of Zhe Qing’s arm, consumed by internal doubts. Yet she couldn’t blurt out the truth, if she told Zhe Qing, Your teacher is going to kill you in the future, Zhe Qing would undoubtedly think she had lost her mind.
Instead, she phrased it obliquely: “Is your teacher actually good to you?”
Confused, Zhe Qing saw the maiden’s features relax into a naive, earnest expression that bore no trace of malice. She asked, “Do you think she isn’t good to me?”
Luo Tang chuckled wryly. Biting back the unvarnished truth, she prevaricated smoothly, “Of course not! It’s just that someone as brilliant and accomplished as you, having already achieved the rank of Prime Minister at twenty-six, clearly has your own unique style of handling affairs. She shouldn’t be trying to control you like this.”
“Luo Tang, you are full of rebellious bones,” Zhe Qing remarked coldly.
Luo Tang’s eyes crinkled into smiling crescents as she feigned innocence. “Prime Minister Zhe, have you ever considered why, when she wanted to punish you, she deliberately let me walk right in?”
This wasn’t teaching a disciple; this was deliberate humiliation designed to induce extreme self-doubt. By intentionally making her lose face in front of an outsider, Lin Huaijin wanted to drive home the message that no matter how elevated and prominent Zhe Qing’s official status might be, she remained nothing more than an insignificant ant in her presence.