Qingxuan Pavilion was very large, but it was also badly run-down.
Most of the flowers and trees planted in the South Garden had already withered. Fallen leaves covered the ground, and the wind blew them around.
If Qunqing had not seen it with her own eyes, she would never have imagined that her former rival, Zheng Liangdi, lived in such poor conditions.
Qunqing had not done manual work for a long time, so she was not very good at sweeping the courtyard.
Lan Yue hurriedly brought over a bucket of water and poured it onto the ground.
“You also have to clean the inside of the pavilion.”
“Yes.”
Lan Yue was Zheng Zhiyi’s maid and the same maid who had reminded Consort Zheng of the palace rules that day.
Standing under the eaves, she saw that Qunqing was being fairly obedient and gave a disdainful laugh.
“What’s the use of being clever?”
Qunqing said nothing. She simply swept the fallen leaves toward the fence of the South Garden.
There was a reason for Lan Yue’s attitude.
On the day the palace maids were selected, Qunqing had acted extremely flattering and submissive toward Zheng Zhiyi. Her behavior had left a very bad impression on the other palace maids.
Before she could understand the situation in Qingxuan Pavilion, Qunqing followed Madam Zhang’s advice—
Keep your head down.
Lan Yue entered the main hall carrying a storybook.
Zheng Zhiyi’s bedroom was a complete mess. She had made the mess herself while trying on all her clothes.
She had tried on almost every piece of clothing and was now standing barefoot in the middle of the pile of scattered garments.
“Has the Emperor summoned me?”
“The Emperor is very busy…”
“What about the Empress?”
Lan Yue could not bear to hear this anymore.
“Liangdi, you are very busy too…”
“I want to see the Emperor. I want the Emperor to give me something to do.”
Zheng Zhiyi was still only a teenage girl. In front of her trusted maid, her eyes slowly turned red.
“I can cook. I can take care of the horses. But what about Yang Fu? Has she seen the Emperor? Is Li Xuan with her?”
Lan Yue quickly hugged her.
“Liangdi, you are a Liangdi now. You don’t need to do those things!”
“What? Yang Fu is sick again?”
Zheng Zhiyi sniffed.
“I was thinking of scolding her to relieve my boredom, but she gets sick so easily. That Princess of Chu has a heart smaller than a pinhead. When will she finally get better?”
Qunqing was listening from outside.
A few words from their conversation reached her ears, and her expression suddenly froze.
Why is Zheng Zhiyi different from the one I remember?
In her previous life, the only thing Qunqing remembered was that Zheng Zhiyi often spoke without thinking. She would constantly point out Yang Fu’s weaknesses and oppose her in almost everything.
She made it so difficult for the princess to eat properly that Yang Fu often cried and wished she could get rid of Zheng Zhiyi as soon as possible.
Back then, Qunqing had worried about the princess and believed that Zheng Zhiyi was simply malicious.
That was why she had shown Zheng Zhiyi no mercy when they fought.
She had never imagined that the reason Zheng Zhiyi caused so much trouble was actually because she was lonely.
Even this noble young lady was crying.
Yet in that huge courtyard, faint sounds could still be heard—
The laughter of other palace maids.
The struggling and pleading of a young girl begging for mercy.
The other palace maids of Qingxuan Pavilion—Ameng, Ajiang, and Ruochan—were playing cards around a stone table in the North Garden.
Ruochan’s cheeks were covered with pieces of paper representing the debts she had lost.
The three of them were now preparing to clip a silver clothespin onto her nose.
Qunqing had once been a spy, so she always tried to keep a low profile whenever she moved around the palace.
But when she passed by them, she heard Ruochan crying so miserably that she stopped and turned around.
“Aren’t palace maids forbidden from playing cards?”
“Don’t worry,” A Meng said, throwing down a long card. “No one ever comes here anyway. Even if you break the palace rules, no one will see you!”
After Zheng Zhiyi was given the title of Liangdi, Crown Prince Li Xuan only visited her once. He had not set foot in Qingxuan Pavilion for half a year, making the place almost like a cold palace.
Zheng Zhiyi had no interest in managing the household, so the servants gradually became lazy and unruly as well.
Qunqing reached out and removed the clip from Ruochan’s nose. She glanced at it and smiled faintly.
“Don’t you know why she was crying so loudly? It hurts, and it will leave a scar.”
Ruochan looked at her in surprise. She seemed unable to believe that someone would interfere over such a small matter. Her eyes and nose were both red from crying.
After saying that, Qunqing turned and left.
A Meng and A Jiang stared at Qunqing’s departing figure and exchanged glances.
A Meng said, “Ruochan, someone will take your place in the future.”
They pushed Ruochan forward threateningly.
“Go!”
Qunqing was sweeping the front courtyard when Ruochan, still sobbing, threw a cloth at her feet.
“You’re responsible for cleaning the side hall too.”
After saying this, Ruochan lowered her head and stared at her toes. She tightly held the hem of her skirt and did not dare to look Qunqing in the face.
Naturally, no one noticed a lark flying down from a tree. It briefly landed on the shoulder of the blue-robed palace maid before flying away again.
“Since I have so much work to do, I probably won’t be able to return home until very late tonight. Remember to leave a lamp on for me.”
Qunqing calmly picked up the cloth. She secretly hid the wax pellet that Yun Que had given her, then walked past Ruochan, who was filled with guilt.
As the sun set and darkness fell, a meeting had just ended in Taiji Hall.
Under the dim light, the faces of the palace servants and officials coming and going were difficult to see clearly. Their status could only be roughly judged by the color of their official robes.
Qunqing stood behind a tall grove of cypress trees.
A moment later, a man wearing a light pink robe appeared beside her.
“Sixth Sister, what happened to you?”
Qunqing turned her head.
She saw a young and handsome face.
It was Lin Yujia, her childhood sweetheart who had also become a spy for Southern Chu.
Her unusual actions had, as expected, attracted the attention of the other spies in the palace.
Lin Yujia had sent her a message through a lark and asked to meet her. He had probably come to question her and demand an explanation.
“Didn’t we already have a plan?” Lin Yujia asked. “You were supposed to go to Princess Bao’an’s side and have the princess recommend you to the Six Palaces. If that didn’t work, you could return to Yeting Palace and wait for another opportunity.”
His face showed both anger and confusion.
“Who exactly is that Consort Zheng? None of us know her! She doesn’t have any of our people in her palace, so it’s extremely inconvenient to send messages.”
That was exactly what Qunqing wanted.
Inconvenience.
Lin Yujia was ambitious and always gave her difficult missions.
In her previous life, she received her first assassination mission near the end of that year.
She did not know how to assassinate anyone, but because she had been trying so hard to protect herself, she became too cautious and careful.
As a result, she was given one assassination mission after another.
In the end, she went from being a princess’s literary companion to becoming an assassin.
Qunqing did not want to become an assassin.
If Lin Yujia could still contact her easily, and she continued living that dangerous life, she might not survive even two days before dying again.
She needed a safe place where she could recover.
Fortunately, the head chef in Consort Zheng’s palace was an excellent cook, and the food there was delicious.
Qunqing thought about all this, but she showed nothing on her face.
After a long silence, she said calmly, “Tell the princess that I have my own plans.”
“Zheng Zhiyi and the princess are not on good terms. She is always secretly trying to harm the princess. You saw what happened this time. She even tried to hit her!”
“I am more useful in Zheng Zhiyi’s palace. And I also have a chance to get close to the Crown Prince.”
Lin Yujia stared at Qunqing’s profile.
That cool and reserved expression was exactly the same one that had attracted him when they were young.
A trace of guilt rose in his heart.
He had actually doubted Qunqing.
Qunqing had always been very clever. He had known that since they were children.
As a spy, she was like a sharp blade.
But anyone who used such a blade had to accept the possibility of being cut by it at any moment.
That was what troubled Lin Yujia most as her superior.
Qunqing cared too much about Princess Bao’an.
Because of this, she had become impatient and abandoned his original plan. She had even thought of infiltrating the enemy’s side as a roundabout way to help the princess.
“You mean you can control Zheng Zhiyi, secretly help the princess become the Crown Princess, and then use the Crown Prince to your advantage?”
Lin Yujia sighed.
“You’re being foolish and short-sighted! What can a bandit’s daughter possibly accomplish? She’s just an insignificant person. She isn’t worth getting involved with.”
“Besides, she has already fallen out of favor. Do you really think you can simply get close to Crown Prince Li Xuan?”
He waved his hand dismissively.
“Instead of hoping that you can get close to Li Xuan, you might as well advise Princess Bao’an to be sensible and submit to the Prince of Yan as soon as possible.”
Qunqing’s eyes flashed like a cold blade.
“If you’re in such a hurry, why don’t you go and submit to him yourself?”
Lin Yujia was left speechless.
“You always start making a fuss whenever the princess is mentioned.”
“Seeing how angry you are, you know that giving yourself to someone else is humiliating, don’t you?”
Qunqing laughed instead.
“On the day the palace fell, the Prince of Yan forced himself on the princess and even injured her.”
“Just because a woman is beautiful doesn’t mean she was born to be sacrificed or to suffer such humiliation.”
Lin Yujia’s face turned pale.
His family was distinguished, and he was well educated and considered a talented young man.
Yet for some reason, the way this woman looked at him made him feel completely humiliated.
The anger made him want to lose control.
He took a deep breath.
“The only reason you can still speak so boldly here is because I keep making excuses for you in front of the Lord. Otherwise, you would already be in serious trouble.”
“Why are you looking at me like that? Do you really think I’m reporting everything you do to the Lord?”
Qunqing was stunned.
By this time, Crown Prince Zhao had already declared himself emperor in Huai’an and established Southern Chu.
Southern Chu and Chang’an were now separated by a vast distance.
She had never expected that even though Crown Prince Zhao was so far away, he could still know about every little thing she did.
“Could there be other spies in the palace watching us and reporting to Crown Prince Zhao at any time?” she asked.
Lin Yujia looked at her.
“Don’t tell me you’re that naive? There are two ‘Heaven’ level experts in the palace. Even I don’t know who they are…”
He suddenly realized that he had said too much and immediately stopped talking.
Qunqing stared at him.
A gentle smile slowly appeared on her face.
“I thought you were in charge of all the spies in the palace. It seems that you’re not.”
Lin Yujia suddenly grabbed her hand.
When he noticed that she was trying to pull away, he tightened his grip.
“Qingqing, stop trying to trick me into telling you things.”
“You’re only here for ‘Kill’ missions. Just do your job. Don’t ask too many questions about anything at the Heaven level.”
The spy network of Southern Chu had been carefully designed and developed over several decades by a strategist named Chan Shi, who had served the Chu emperor before the fall of Chu.
The spies were divided into four strict ranks:
Heaven, Kill, Earth, and Annihilation.
The superior of each line monitored the people under them, while the lower-ranked spies did not know the identities of the superiors in the other lines.
These parallel lines formed a tightly connected network.
During the first year of Emperor Shenglin’s reign, there were as many as a hundred Southern Chu spies operating in Chang’an.
They stole military secrets and carried out acts of sabotage, making it extremely difficult for Emperor Chenming to secure the throne.
The Li family was tormented by these spies to the point of suffering constant headaches and sleepless nights.
In the end, they had no choice but to resort to violent extermination.
Anyone discovered was killed without exception.
In her previous life, Qunqing had been among the final group of Southern Chu spies to die.
By then, restoring the Chu kingdom was already hopeless.
But Chan Shi had established a strict rule for the spies:
If any spy was discovered to have betrayed Southern Chu, that spy had to be killed. Otherwise, everyone involved would be punished.
Because of this rule, the spies had no way to retreat.
They could only kill one another.
Qunqing was not afraid of Crown Prince Zhao.
Lin Yujia was not a threat to her either.
What she truly feared—and hated—was that unfathomable and ruthless strategist, Chan Shi.
In both her previous life and this life, Azure Dragon was only a “Kill” level spy.
Lin Yujia had accidentally revealed that there were two “Heaven” level spies in the palace.
That meant that besides Lin Yujia, there were two other pairs of eyes secretly watching her.
She did not know who they were.
At present, spies were being investigated throughout the palace.
Those two “Heaven” level spies were closely monitoring her every move.
If she made even the slightest move that could be interpreted as betraying Southern Chu, they could put her life in danger at any moment.
She was in trouble.
If Heaven really had any power, she would have already grabbed it by the collar and demanded an explanation.
Why didn’t you let me be reborn before I entered the palace? Huh?
Qunqing lowered her head and looked at the lines on her palm.
Her lifeline was so long.
Yet she had never imagined that for a pawn caught in this whirlpool, controlling her own destiny would be so difficult.
“Qingqing, don’t be afraid.”
Seeing that she had fallen silent, Lin Yujia pulled her into his arms.
“After we finish everything, after we restore the Chu kingdom, I’ll marry you.”
“We’ll live a good life together.”
“I don’t care that your face can’t be restored. I will never let you live in fear like this again.”
Qunqing froze.
The sadness that had just risen in her heart immediately disappeared.
She pushed Lin Yujia away.
“What did you call me here for? Hurry up and give it to me. The lamps are about to be lit.”
Once it became completely dark, the lanterns would be lit inside Taiji Hall.
All eight palace gates would be closed, and palace servants would be stationed at the entrances of the main halls.
After that, it would be impossible to leave.
Lin Yujia wrote two words in her palm:
Castor oil.
“What do you need so much castor oil for?”
Qunqing was surprised.
He wanted half a pound of castor oil—not just an ounce, but a full half pound.
“Don’t ask. Just bring it back and bury it under this tree,” Lin Yujia said.
“Castor oil is used for medicine, and the amount of medicine in the palace is recorded,” Qunqing explained. “If you want this much, you can only buy it from the Eastern or Western Market.”
“I’m a palace maid. I can’t leave the palace whenever I want. You know that, right?”
“Wouldn’t it be much easier for you to send someone outside to buy it instead of making me do it?”
Lin Yujia frowned.
“How do you know I didn’t already send someone to buy it?”
“It’s just not enough. Far from enough!”
“Besides, I’ve been very busy lately and can’t get away. You’re always so understanding. Why can’t you think about me for once?”
Seeing how irritated he was, Qunqing could not help asking, “What are you busy with?”
“Just wait.”
A flash of fanaticism appeared in Lin Yujia’s eyes.
“I’ll definitely accomplish something big within a few months.”
When Qunqing pressed him to tell her what this “big thing” was, he immediately shut his mouth.
“Qingqing, if you keep making excuses, I’ll have to assume that you have other intentions.”
Qunqing quickly composed herself.
Since she could not get any more information from him, the two parted before the palace lamps were lit.
Qunqing returned to Qingxuan Pavilion.
She immediately put the hand Lin Yujia had held into a bucket of water and scrubbed it hard.
In her previous life, she had never received any mission involving castor oil.
Perhaps her rebirth had caused changes in the outside world.
Lin Yujia had already begun to suspect her.
This mission could not be faked.
But she had to find out what Lin Yujia was planning.
It did not matter if he wanted to throw his life away. What Qunqing feared was that he would drag her down with him.
She had not forgotten that in her previous life, Lin Yujia had been betrayed by Lu Huating less than half a day after falling into his hands.
With two powerful “Heaven” level spies in the palace watching her, constantly avoiding assassination missions was not a long-term solution.
Unless she could leave the palace as soon as possible…
But she could not do it alone. Escaping the palace by herself would be extremely difficult.
The courtyard was empty, with only the sounds of insects chirping in the darkness.
Qunqing sat there for a moment.
Then she imitated the call of a bird, took an empty wax pellet from her pocket, and tossed it into the grass.
A moment later, a lark flew over and snatched it away.
It was already late at night when Qunqing returned to her quarters.
Unexpectedly, Ruochan had really left a lamp on for her.
The warm orange light shone through the window.
But then Qunqing heard Ruochan crying and begging for mercy.
Before she could even enter the room, the light suddenly went out.