There were three people in the room: A Meng, A Jiang, and Ruochan.
Lan Yue was Zheng Zhiyi’s maid. After entering the palace, she had been promoted to a second-class palace maid who served Zheng Zhiyi at night. Because of this, she could sleep inside the palace instead of returning to the servants’ quarters.
A bed had been placed on the floor near the door for Qunqing.
Qunqing felt her way back under the covers in the darkness. Her hand touched something damp and cold.
She lit the lamp and saw that her bedding was covered with leftover tea from the previous day.
She looked at the three girls. All of them seemed to be sleeping soundly without making a sound.
Qunqing had heard about how palace maids bullied newcomers because their own lives in the palace had been too easy. But this was the first time she had experienced it herself.
Seeing that the three of them were sleeping so peacefully, Qunqing pushed the wet blanket aside.
She grabbed the corner of the blanket from the person sleeping beside her and pulled it away.
It was Ruochan.
Her eyes were closed, but her eyelashes were trembling constantly.
Ruochan was pretending to be asleep.
When Qunqing pulled away the blanket, she remained completely still out of fear.
Then Qunqing suddenly noticed a red string tied around Ruochan’s wrist, with a peach-wood talisman hanging from it.
She was a young Daoist nun.
How desperate was Da Chen for manpower that even female Daoists under the age of fifteen were recruited as palace maids?
Such a thing would have been unimaginable in Chu.
Qunqing paused for a moment.
Then she covered Ruochan with the blanket again and took an outer garment to cover herself.
In the darkness, Ruochan suddenly grabbed her wrist.
Qunqing was startled.
Then Ruochan guided Qunqing’s hand toward her bedding.
Qunqing slowly felt something thin and cold.
A sewing needle was stuck in the bedding.
Ruochan quickly withdrew her hand.
Qunqing pulled out the needle.
If Ruochan had not warned her, the needle would have pierced her skin when she turned over.
Thinking about it, a chill traveled from her fingertips straight to her heart.
Qunqing held the thin, cold needle between her fingers and played with it.
She was not afraid of something this sharp.
When she was young, her mother had always forced her to practice embroidery, so she had been familiar with needles for many years.
She had not practiced martial arts for a long time.
She wondered if her aim had become worse.
With that thought, Qunqing looked at the needle in her hand, gathered her strength, and threw it into the darkness.
Bang!
The teapot on the shelf suddenly shattered.
Cold water and broken pieces splashed all over A Meng.
She screamed and immediately sat up, brushing the water off herself.
Then she looked at A Jiang with a pale face.
“Why didn’t you close the window? The wind must have blown the teapot down and broken it!”
A Jiang asked, “Was it me who forgot to close it, or was it you?”
“You must have forgotten! What terrible luck…”
The two girls were both angry and frightened.
They hurriedly picked up the broken pieces. Their clothes and bedding were soaked, and they could no longer sleep comfortably.
They felt guilty and also sensed that something was wrong.
But when they looked toward Ruochan, Qunqing was already lying peacefully beside her, wrapped in her outer garment like a silkworm inside a cocoon.
“This is really strange!”
A Meng rubbed her eyes.
“My eyelids keep twitching.”
Qunqing was already fast asleep.
With the two heavy burdens of restoring the kingdom and protecting the princess finally lifted from her heart, she had not slept this peacefully in many years.
The food in Consort Zheng’s palace was also delicious.
Although Li Xuan disliked Zheng Zhiyi, he never neglected her meals. Every day, he sent her cooked rice, fish, mutton, and fresh bamboo shoots.
Liu Sishan’s cooking skills were just as excellent as people said. She could prepare these ingredients in many different ways, and every dish tasted delicious.
The disdainful looks from A Meng and A Jiang did not affect Qunqing’s improved appetite.
“As expected of food from the Imperial Palace. It seems they’ve never had enough to eat.”
Qunqing stirred the rice evenly with a wooden spoon, allowing every shiny grain to soak up the rich and fragrant fish broth.
Then she took another large bite.
Yes. How had she never realized that the food was this delicious?
In the mirror, the young woman’s thin cheeks slowly became fuller. A healthy rosy color appeared on her face, making her bright, upturned eyes look even more lively.
She also grew several inches taller.
Her hair became thicker.
The dizziness, weakness, and trembling hands that had troubled her before gradually disappeared.
When she threw an embroidery needle, it could even push open a crack in a tightly closed window and wake A Meng in the middle of the night from the cold wind.
Only someone who had suffered from illness and injuries for a long time could truly understand how fortunate it was to have a healthy body.
By the tenth day, neither Lu Huating nor anyone else had come looking for her.
Qunqing thought she had safely survived the matter involving Su Run.
Another obstacle to her survival had been removed.
That evening, Qunqing opened Fang Xie’s letter.
If she remembered correctly, Fang Xie had angrily stuffed the letter into her belongings a year ago when she insisted on entering the palace.
In her previous life, she had never even opened it.
There had simply been too many attachments that made it difficult for her to face death.
But in this life, she decided to read it.
She unfolded the letter.
It was filled with instructions.
Fang Xie had written:
“Sister, I owe my life to you, and Master and I saved your life too. You owe us another life. You never take good care of yourself, so please take care of yourself.”
On the second page, he wrote:
“Sister, Master has gone south to search for news of your mother. I will stay at the pharmacy and wait for you. Once you leave the palace, the pharmacy will be your home.”
“We’ll gather herbs, make house calls, and treat patients just like we used to. Okay?”
Qunqing suddenly folded the letter because A Meng was peeking at it from behind.
Caught in the act, A Meng scoffed.
“What’s in there that’s so secret?”
“Just a letter from home.”
Qunqing neatly folded her belongings and placed the bundle at the foot of the bed.
“Are you so curious because no one from your family writes to you?”
“You!”
A Meng looked hurt and angrily walked away.
Perhaps because Fang Xie had mentioned her mother in the letter, Qunqing dreamed of her that night.
It was an unusual dream.
In the dream, Zhu Ying straightened the boiled silk threads and wound them into balls.
Qunqing held up the threads for her mother.
Her mother asked her,
“Do you want your grandfather’s lamb leg roasted or stewed? He brought it home after hunting.”
The candle flame suddenly flickered.
Then everything changed.
The peaceful atmosphere disappeared, replaced by panic.
It was the day before the country fell.
The day her mother suddenly disappeared.
Grandfather slammed his fist onto the table.
“I warned her long ago! But could I stop her?”
“In such a chaotic time, our entire family should stay together. She has never cared about any of you!”
It had been ten days since the imperial son-in-law Ling Yunyi and the military governor of Huaiyuan, Li Feng, had rescued the emperor.
The palace was celebrating because the Northern Rong troops had retreated.
The Emperor of Chu and Princess Changping had finally been able to return safely to the capital with the help of their loyal ministers.
No one expected another disaster to happen.
After driving away the Northern Rong, the Li family and the eldest princess’s husband, Ling Yunyi, finally revealed their true intentions.
During their journey back, they imprisoned the Emperor of Chu and Princess Changping and forced the emperor to abdicate in the south.
Ling Yunyi also cruelly captured Ling Yunnuo, his eleven-year-old son with Princess Changping.
He made the boy the Prince of Dai.
It was obvious that they intended to use the young prince as a puppet and allow the two families to control the government from behind the scenes.
Shi Yuming said anxiously,
“Could Princess Changping have sent a letter to Mother?”
“After all, Mother used to be her maid, and they have a deep relationship. Now that the princess is in trouble, Mother will definitely go and save her.”
“Perhaps she is already by Princess Changping’s side.”
“What good will it do for her to go?”
Grandfather choked out the words.
“Rumors are already spreading that the eldest princess has died, along with the Prince of Dai!”
Shi Yuming and Qunqing were both stunned.
They simply stood there.
Princess Changping, Yang Yi, was an extremely strong-willed woman.
The Emperor of Chu was obsessed with Taoist cultivation, while Princess Changping, as the eldest princess, handled state affairs.
She could not accept her husband’s betrayal.
She also refused to allow her young son to become a puppet controlled by others.
So she made a ruthless decision.
She set fire to the residence.
She burned the Prince of Dai to death in the woodshed.
Then she jumped into the raging river herself.
If the rumors were true and Princess Changping had really died, taking away the Li family’s greatest bargaining chip with her, then Zhu Ying would also be in great danger if she went to help the princess.
Shi Yuming and Qunqing were both young and had never experienced a rebellion before.
Shi Yuming’s sword slipped from his hand and fell to the ground with a sharp clang.
Qunqing sat alone in the empty embroidery room.
She was lost in thought.
The room was deserted.
On the table was a half-finished hair ribbon embroidered with a rabbit holding a peach.
Her mother had been making it for Qunqing’s sixteenth birthday.
Her heart ached terribly.
She could not believe that she had lost her mother.
She could not accept that her mother had left without saying a single word to them.
So, while Shi Yuming sobbed nearby, Qunqing began searching the embroidery room.
The room was normally used only by her and Zhu Ying.
The mother and daughter often whispered to each other there, away from the eyes of Grandfather and Shi Yuming.
Qunqing searched every corner.
And she actually found the ram’s-head sachet.
Inside it were the things Zhu Ying had left for her.
The poison pill called “Love’s Longing.”
The pills had been coated with snake-scale glue and sealed inside a bottle filled with water.
They looked like two golden cat’s eyes nestled together.
There was also a note written hastily in Zhu Ying’s handwriting:
“Sixth Sister, I have already made up my mind. There is no need for you to come looking for me.”
“I am leaving this medicine for you to protect yourself.”
“The most powerful poison has no antidote. The Cold Fragrance Pill can suppress it, while Yellow Fragrance and Rosemary can relieve its effects.”
“The glue has been melted into the gold. Once it is taken out of the water, it will release poisonous gas.”
“Do not take it out or use it unless absolutely necessary.”
Below the note was a long list describing the symptoms of poisoning.
It was the same information Zhu Ying had previously given Lu Huating.
…
Half-asleep, Qunqing suddenly felt something moving beneath her legs.
She had placed a bundle beneath her legs.
Inside that bundle was this deadliest poison.
Following her mother’s instructions, even breaking the seal was dangerous.
Qunqing immediately tensed and sat upright.
Her sudden movement startled the three girls around her so badly that they fell to the floor.
The half-open bundle lay on the ground.
Under the faint candlelight, three frightened faces could be seen.
There were still tear stains on Qunqing’s pale face.
But her eyes were extremely cold.
A Jiang was frightened by her expression and quickly pushed the bundle away.
“We didn’t do anything!”
“Who would want this useless junk?”
“You’ve kept this bundle beside you day and night, guarding it so carefully. Sister Lan Yue told us to check it and see if you had stolen anything from the pavilion and hidden it inside.”
As she spoke, A Jiang hurriedly stuffed the letter back into the bundle.
Qunqing checked that everything in the package was still there. It seemed A Meng had only opened it to look inside and had not taken anything. Without saying a word, Qunqing tied the package back up.
“Who are you giving that attitude to?” A Meng was furious that she had actually been so cautious with a low-ranking palace maid from the Inner Palace. She snatched the package with both hands. “Who among us hasn’t been searched? Why should you be special? Give it to me. I have to search it today!”
Suddenly, Qunqing grabbed her wrist and shoved her backward.
A Meng was caught completely off guard. The back of her head hit the floor with a heavy thud.
She froze for a moment before scrambling to her feet and pushing Qunqing.
“How dare you hit me!”
“The three of us can surely take her down. Come on!”
A Jiang also rushed forward and called to Ruochan. “Ruochan, come help! Pin her down, or I’ll beat you to death!”
Qunqing was forced down onto the cold floor. Her hands moved quickly among the several arms reaching for her. She grabbed one arm, twisted it, and forcefully shoved Ruochan onto A Meng.
The two fell together.
Qunqing quickly got back on her feet, grabbed A Jiang by the neck, and threw her onto Ruochan.
The candlestick was knocked over. The candle rolled across the floor and fell onto the bedding.
The two girls immediately forgot about fighting and screamed as they desperately tried to put out the flames.
A Meng struggled to get up, but she couldn’t.
She lay among the messy bedding and stared wide-eyed at Qunqing.
Qunqing was holding the iron bar they normally used to secure the window. It was pressed against A Meng’s neck like a sharp blade.
Everything had happened so quickly that A Meng didn’t even know when Qunqing had gotten the iron bar into her hand.
Qunqing had never seemed particularly noticeable before.
But tonight, she gave off a terrifying murderous aura.
Her expressionless face and cold eyes in the darkness made her look almost like a ghost.
After a few breaths, Qunqing slowly calmed down.
She knew something was wrong.
She also knew that these movements and skills belonged to an assassin. They should never have been seen in an ordinary palace maid.
“Do you know how many palace maids there are in Yeting Palace? Why do you think I was chosen?”
Qunqing lowered her eyes and lightly patted A Meng’s cheek.
“You… have you ever been to Yeting Palace?”
A Meng shook her head.
That was good.
At least she had never been there.
“As the lowest-ranking servants in the palace, everyone in Yeting has countless grievances to vent. Those who couldn’t endure the humiliation would have killed themselves long ago. How could the people who remain there not have some skills?”
“I fought my way up from Yeting Palace when I was a child. Everyone there knows better than to provoke me.”
Qunqing looked at the three of them.
“You three are quite brave.”
Just imagining what Yeting Palace was like made A Meng’s teeth chatter.
A Jiang had wanted to fight back, but after hearing Qunqing’s words, fear appeared on her face.
Ruochan was already crying.
“You followed Lan Yue’s rules and dared to bully me. From today onward, those rules are changed.”
Qunqing pinched A Meng’s cheek.
“Anyone who dares to break them again will have to face the rules of Yeting Palace.”
“Apologize to me.”
Her voice rose.
The three of them immediately apologized together.
Qunqing moved the iron bar away.
A Meng immediately began coughing violently. Red and purple marks from the rusty iron bar were visible around her neck, which frightened the other two girls.
Qunqing bent down and prepared to hang the iron bar back beside the window.
Then she saw A Jiang quickly crawl over and lie down on the bed that the iron bar had been pointing toward.
She pulled the blanket over herself and looked at Qunqing nervously.
Seeing this, A Meng immediately lay down beside her.
“…”
Qunqing weighed the iron bar in her hand.
It was actually quite useful.
So she placed it beside her own bed.
Qunqing pulled up her blanket and lay down.
The three girls watched her silently.
Only after seeing that she made no unusual movements for a long time did they finally dare to close their eyes.
The night became unusually quiet.
Then a soft sob broke the silence.
Ruochan’s quiet crying filled the room.
Qunqing couldn’t help opening her eyes.
“What is wrong with you now?”
Under the dim lamplight, Ruochan held up a damaged garment.
“Just now… you threw me onto the candlestick, and the sleeve of the garment that Her Majesty the Empress gave to Liangdi was burned.”
“I’ve been repairing it for five days, but now I’ve run out of thread. Tomorrow, Liangdi definitely won’t let me off.”
The golden-yellow robe was one of Zheng Zhiyi’s favorite everyday garments.
A peacock had been embroidered on the back with gold thread. When some of the peacock’s feathers came loose, Zheng Zhiyi had specially requested gold thread from the Imperial Wardrobe and given it to her maid to repair.
Everyone knew how much Zheng Zhiyi treasured this garment.
Qunqing said, “Let me see it.”
Ruochan knew that she would ultimately be blamed for the damage.
Still, she held onto a little hope and handed the garment to Qunqing.
There was a charred tear on the back of the sleeve.
Qunqing took the remaining gold thread and examined it.
Just as Ruochan had said, only three strands remained. They were not enough to repair the damaged part.
Gold thread was precious, and the Imperial Wardrobe had a fixed supply. If they requested more, it would be difficult to hide what had happened.
Besides, even if there had been enough thread, using gold thread to patch the damaged part would still look rough and ugly.
Qunqing rubbed the sleeve between her fingers.
The fabric was as thin as a cicada’s wing and made of expensive silk gauze.
She said to Ruochan, “I didn’t originally plan to help you. Do you know why?”
“Because I attacked you just now too.”
Qunqing’s voice was cold.
“Even if I was forced to attack you, I still did it.”
Ruochan lowered her head and quietly sobbed.
“I can help the weak, but I will never help someone who doesn’t know how to repay kindness.”
Qunqing pulled out the gold thread and glanced at her.
“I helped you through this trouble. How are you going to repay me?”
“From now on, you will take half of the cleaning duties.”
Ruochan quickly nodded.
“I also want you to promise that you will never betray me, even if someone forces you to.”
Ruochan was stunned.
Her face immediately turned red from embarrassment.
She nodded while wiping away her tears with her sleeve.
She felt both guilty and anxious. She had no idea how Qunqing could possibly repair the badly burned garment.
“The third thing.”
Qunqing stretched the gold thread between two fingers.
Her fingers were slender, and her thumbnail was neatly trimmed and smooth.
She pressed her fingers against the gold thread and gave it a slight pull.
It looked as though the thread had suddenly split in two.
The single thin gold thread became two even thinner threads.
Qunqing pulled out one of them and gave it another slight shake.
It split again.
The two threads between her fingers were now as thin as silk.
Gold thread was made by hammering gold into extremely thin sheets, cutting or drawing them into fine strands, and then weaving them together with other threads.
What Qunqing was doing was simply separating the gold thread back into its original strands.
Using a needle, she carefully picked out the gold threads and neatly arranged the nine silk strands she had separated.
She cut away the burned sections and threaded the needle.
Ruochan held her breath as she watched.
After a while, she looked at Qunqing in astonishment, as if she were looking at someone from another world.
Qunqing’s dark hair fell over her shoulders, framing her cold and distant face.
At first, her movements with the needle seemed slightly unfamiliar.
But she quickly regained her skill.
Her fingers moved carefully, filling the damaged areas and copying the original texture of the fabric.
Ruochan stared at the sleeve.
Her eyes widened as she watched the tear slowly disappear.
The repaired threads blended together and looked like a delicate strand of down on a peacock feather.
She hardly dared to breathe.
“The third thing.”
Qunqing handed the repaired sleeve back to her.
“Pray for my safety and good fortune from now on.”
“Wh-what?”
Ruochan was stunned.
“Aren’t you a female Daoist priest? You should know how to perform rituals, right?”
Qunqing placed the embroidered ram’s-head sachet on her pillow.
Ruochan had completely forgotten to ask how Qunqing had discovered her identity.
Seeing Qunqing’s serious expression, she realized that she wasn’t joking.
She quickly bowed.
“My lady believes in ghosts and gods? That’s wonderful!”
“This… this sachet is your talisman. I will use everything I know and pray day and night. I will make vows to protect you from disasters and bring you blessings!”
Qunqing finally nodded in satisfaction and lay down.
As a spy whose life could end at any moment, praying to the gods and Buddha was also one of Qunqing’s ways of protecting herself.
It was not wrong to call this sachet a talisman.
The sachet had been given to her by her mother.
Inside it were a belt buckle and two sword tassels—the last things left behind in this world by her grandfather and her older brother, Shi Yuming.
A Meng and A Jiang had listened carefully to their entire conversation.
When A Jiang heard this, she could no longer bear it.
She suddenly sat up, pulled a gold ingot from beneath her pillow, and said,
“Sister Qing, I call you ‘sister,’ and you really are capable.”
“Sooner or later, you’ll find out anyway.”
“A Meng and I weren’t trying to make things difficult for you. It was Bao Shu from Luanyi Pavilion who secretly gave us money and told us to teach you a lesson!”