The Prince of Yan’s residence, a side hall.
The carved wooden windows were wide open. Outside, the lush green trees swayed gently, and a breeze carrying the fragrance of flowers drifted into the room.
Su Run gripped the armrests of the chair tightly.
The effects of the anesthetic had already worn off, and he could no longer sit comfortably. Large beads of sweat rolled down his face.
The chair Lu Huating had given him felt more like a deliberate punishment.
While Su Run shifted restlessly in his seat, making rustling sounds, Lu Huating continued writing with his pen.
A faint smell of blood lingered in the air.
Just moments ago, an assassin had hung upside down from the roof, trying to break through the window and kill Lu Huating.
Yet Lu Huating had remained completely calm, even though his back was facing the window.
The guards of the Prince of Yan’s residence immediately shot the assassin out of the window.
Lu Huating casually picked up a coin and tossed it onto the table. He glanced at the result and then pushed it aside.
“Kill him.”
Outside, the guards dealt with the assassins while the eunuchs inside hurried to clean up the bloodstains.
Su Run’s face had already turned pale.
Judging from everyone’s reactions, assassinations seemed to be an ordinary occurrence at the Prince of Yan’s residence.
Poor Qunqing.
She was only a young palace maid. How could she possibly know someone who lived every day on the edge of death?
Even in the middle of summer, Lu Huating’s face remained clean and smooth. His skin was as pale and warm as jade. He looked elegant and refined, like a beautiful jade tree, without the slightest sign of sweat or discomfort.
If one only judged him by his appearance, it would indeed be easy to be deceived.
In less than the time it took for an incense stick to burn, a thick stack of official documents had piled up in front of him.
He finished reviewing them all and gathered them with his well-defined hands.
“I’ve finished reviewing them. Doctor Su, why are you still not saying anything?”
Lu Huating smiled faintly and raised his eyes.
Su Run was certain this was the first time he had ever met the man in front of him.
Yet for some reason, he could always feel a chilling malice hidden deep within those dark eyes.
“No one told me to come here!”
Su Run quickly explained, “I heard from a colleague that Chief Secretary Lu and Censor Meng have had a long-standing feud. Since I had offended Censor Meng, I thought of seeking protection from Chief Secretary Lu.”
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend. That’s all.”
The people from the Prince of Yan’s residence had already questioned him repeatedly about his purpose.
Remembering Qunqing’s instructions, he insisted that he had come to seek Lu Huating out on his own.
He had never expected Lu Huating to be so suspicious.
“Then how did you know that Meng Guanlou would try to kill you this afternoon?”
Lu Huating glanced at him.
“Don’t blame the Prince of Yan’s residence for being suspicious. You came here this morning, and he made his move this afternoon. That is quite a coincidence.”
“But who told you about it?”
“This really was just a coincidence…”
Su Run was speechless and felt miserable.
“I truly had no idea that someone was going to make a move this afternoon.”
At that moment, the wind lifted the curtains.
A guard entered and reported,
“Chief Secretary, we searched through the rosters of the six departments, but there is no female official named Qunqing.”
Su Run froze.
When had he ever mentioned Qunqing?
No.
He had not mentioned her at all!
Then how did Lu Huating know about her?
Could this man read minds?
The next moment, Su Run realized that he had been too obvious.
When he looked at Lu Huating, the other man was staring directly at him.
His expression had completely betrayed him.
Lu Huating’s dark, thick, slightly upturned eyes were sharp as blades when he stared at someone.
He seemed to have discovered something interesting.
“The person who sent you to find me—is her name Qunqing?”
“No!”
Panic appeared in Su Run’s eyes.
“That colleague’s surname is Zhang. I don’t know the person you are talking about, Chief Secretary.”
Lu Huating smiled at him.
Before Su Run could say anything else, Lu Huating had already lost his patience.
He ordered someone to bring over the “generous gift” Su Run had brought.
Lu Huating drew his dagger and used the tip to pry open the wooden box.
Inside were several pastries.
He took them out one by one.
Then, without the slightest hesitation, he crushed each pastry between his fingers.
Su Run watched helplessly as Lu Huating crushed the pastries one after another.
His anger immediately rose.
He wondered how long it had taken Qunqing to gather those pastries.
How could this man treat them so cruelly?
Lu Huating calmly wiped his fingers with a handkerchief.
His expression revealed nothing.
In his memory, this woman had always been extremely careful with her plans.
She had sent Su Run directly to his door and even given him a generous gift.
Yet she had not left behind a single note or message.
From the perspective of a spy, it would be safest to hide in the shadows and avoid attracting the enemy’s attention.
Could it be that in the first year of the Shenglin era, she had already developed such deep feelings for this ninth-rank civil official that she was willing to risk her own life to save him?
It was difficult to say.
Lu Huating glanced at Su Run.
The look alone made Su Run feel terrified.
In that scorching summer, it was this man’s sudden illness that had eventually caused the entire Qing family to begin its gradual downfall.
It seemed that even among men who relied on a woman for their position, there were different levels.
Lu Huating saw nothing special about this one.
The tip of the dagger pried open the wooden box again, and pieces of wood fell onto the table.
Watching his movements, Su Run suddenly understood why Qunqing had told him to hide his identity.
Lu Huating was looking for someone.
…He was looking for her.
With a sharp tearing sound, Lu Huating ripped open the silk lining of the wooden box.
Hidden inside was a bright red imperial edict, no bigger than a fingernail.
Lu Huating put down the box.
“She is in Yeting Palace.”
“Who is this person?”
Kuang Su asked cautiously, glancing at the red characters at the bottom of the box.
Chief Secretary Lu had been in a terrible mood these past few days. The cold atmosphere around him made everyone afraid to speak.
He must have been angered by Meng Guanlou.
Because of the heat, Lu Huating picked up a folding fan and gently waved it against his face. He then used it to brush aside the strands of black hair at his temples.
“Legend has it that a woman named Chouzi once dreamed that she would be assassinated by a stranger twenty years in the future.”
“When she woke up, she discovered that the stranger was still only a toddler.”
“What should she do?”
A hoarse female voice came from the window.
“Find the toddler and kill him immediately.”
Su Run looked over in shock.
A female guard was feeding raw meat to a gray falcon by the window.
She was thin, and her expression was cold and matter-of-fact.
“If we don’t kill him now, are we supposed to wait for our enemy to grow up before killing him?”
The same coldness appeared in Lu Huating’s eyes.
Hearing this, the smile on his lips deepened.
“Bring another Tongbao.”
“Found one.”
Kuang Su pulled a coin from his sleeve.
“The seal-script side represents death. The auspicious beast represents life.”
“I’ll throw it.”
He tossed the coin aside.
Su Run’s pupils suddenly contracted.
Two men were holding him firmly against the chair, yet he did not even notice the pain.
He could not forget what Lu Huating had just done.
He had used a coin to determine life and death and had ordered the assassin to be killed without even questioning him.
Su Run had never imagined that Qunqing might die without ever meeting Lu Huating.
And it would happen so casually.
All because a woman named Chouzi had dreamed about it?
Drenched in sweat, he watched as Kuang Su threw the coin high into the air.
The coin spun rapidly.
Its shadow was reflected in Lu Huating’s dark eyes.
Just as the coin was about to fall, a folding fan suddenly struck it away.
The coin disappeared from sight, taking its unknown fate with it.
Lu Huating stared at the snow-white folding fan.
He remained silent for a long time.
No one could tell what he was thinking from his expression.
“I told you to bring it to me, not throw it away.”
With a clang, the coin was swept into the drawer. When Lu Huating looked up, his expression was indifferent. Just like many things in this mansion, sometimes he would joke about them, and sometimes he would suddenly lose interest.
“What you threw away doesn’t count.”
Kuang Su and Juan Su exchanged a glance, pouted, and stepped aside. The female attendant turned around and continued feeding raw meat to the gray falcon, as if they were already used to Lu Huating’s temper.
Lu Huating took two recommendation letters from the drawer.
“Is Chief Secretary Lu really going to agree to help Meng Baoshu and send her to Luanyi Pavilion?” Juan Su asked hurriedly when he saw him take out the seal of the Princess of Yan.
He did not have a good impression of Lady Meng. She had knocked on his door several times, asking to see him, but he refused to come out. She kept saying that she was a distant relative of Chief Secretary Lu who had just arrived at the palace from Longyou and wanted to request an audience.
Lu Huating did not open the door at all. He simply said that he did not know her.
Lady Meng then asked someone to deliver a recommendation letter and a broken piece of yellow jade pendant to him before leaving gracefully.
It seemed that they did know each other after all. The problem was that the person who had come to see him was hostile.
That was why Juan Su was worried.
Lu Huating did not answer. He simply pressed the blood-red seal onto the blank space.
But his mind was somewhere else.
He truly had not expected Qunqing to send Su Run to him so early.
However, the black dog blood and Meng Guanlou’s insults were things that had never happened in his previous life. He needed more time to observe the situation.
Still, he knew that Qunqing had a deep relationship with Princess Bao’an. That was why he had deliberately arranged for someone else to take her place, cutting off her escape route first.
The seal was neat and clear.
Lu Huating casually handed the recommendation letter to Juan Su.
“Tell Meng Baoshu to remember to give me what she promised.”
At that moment, Qunqing was saying goodbye to Madam Zhang.
Madam Zhang ignored her and harshly scolded a young palace maid who had made a mistake. The girl ran out crying.
Knowing that Madam Zhang actually wanted to scold her, Qunqing walked over and forced a smile.
“Madam Zhang, there are no more rats in the North Warehouse.”
Madam Zhang replied coldly, “Why are you telling me? I can’t control you anymore!”
“Please don’t be angry, Madam. I almost dragged you into this. It was all my fault.”
Qunqing carefully placed the account books and keys to the North Warehouse in front of Madam Zhang. She looked a little nervous.
“I’ve finished sorting out the account books, so I’m returning them to you.”
Looking at those things, Madam Zhang finally let out a deep sigh.
“I know your family was ruined by that Emperor of Chu. It’s understandable that you hate him and don’t want to serve his daughter. But you can’t behave like that. You spoke sarcastically to her in front of so many people! Do you know that at that moment, I was already thinking about where we would be buried?”
“Where would we be buried?” Qunqing asked curiously.
“There’s a big tree in the mass grave to the south—can you stop interrupting me?” Madam Zhang scolded.
“Even if Princess Bao’an has fallen from power, she is still far more important than you. Yet you insist on following that mountain savage… Do you really think that is a good choice?”
Madam Zhang made a walking motion with two fingers on her palm.
“Madam, they are bandits, not savages,” Qunqing reminded her quietly, forcing herself to stay calm. “Bandits have different groups, and they have their own rules and organization.”
“So you knew all along!”
Madam Zhang looked at her in surprise.
“Consort Zheng was born among bandits. How could she possibly become Empress? Consort Feng was only given her position because the emperor remembered their past relationship. She was incredibly lucky! Anyone with eyes can see that the Crown Princess will eventually become Princess Bao’an’s daughter-in-law, and then she will become the Empress. How do you expect to have a good life after that?”
That might not necessarily happen, Qunqing thought.
In her previous life, the Crown Princess’s position had partly been the result of her own schemes.
Qunqing had come to apologize and had already prepared an excuse. She never expected Madam Zhang to trust her so much that she even found an explanation for her actions.
The family confiscation Madam Zhang had mentioned was not something Qunqing herself had experienced. It belonged to the tragic life of the former palace maid named Qunqing.
Thinking of this, Qunqing took a neatly sewn and folded winter garment from the basket and handed it to Madam Zhang.
“Please ask someone to take this to my father.”
When Qunqing first replaced the palace maid, she had searched through all the traces the original Qunqing had left in her room. Among them, she found a half-finished winter garment that the girl had sewn.
The young palace maid, who had eventually died from illness, had sent winter clothes to her father every year.
Qunqing’s father, Quncang, had been convicted many years ago for speaking out against the authorities. His entire family had been forced into slavery, while he himself had been sentenced to life imprisonment and was still in prison.
When Madam Zhang saw the winter clothes, pity appeared in her eyes.
“You’ve offended Princess Bao’an. What are you going to do now?”
Qunqing could not help looking at her in confusion.
“Madam, you blame me for acting too impulsively. But I also want to ask you something.”
She paused before continuing.
“I can feel how much you’ve cared for and supported me all this time. Aren’t you afraid of offending other people?”
Madam Zhang was stunned.
Then her gaze softened, and she answered calmly, “I’ve been in Yeting Palace for twenty years. What is there for me to fear? What can that old bastard Pei Jianzuo do to me?”
“You’ve seen it yourself. Bao Shu comes from a noble family, and her real destination is the Six Palaces. She only came here to gain experience and make connections. That’s why I want to help you even more.”
“Some people are born destined for greatness. But you and I are only lowly servants. If we miss this chance to leave this place, you’ll end up like me—spending twenty years washing clothes and cleaning chamber pots until all your ambitions are gone.”
Madam Zhang sighed deeply.
“When I first started disciplining you, I was very strict. I beat you and scolded you, but you never held a grudge against me.”
“With your abilities and your character, you shouldn’t remain in the inner palace. I, Madam Zhang, don’t recommend just anyone. I’ve seen that you are different from the others. You are someone who knows how to repay kindness.”
Qunqing’s expression changed.
“Does Madam have something you want to ask of me? Just tell me.”
No matter what it was, she would find a way to make it happen.
“No, no. Don’t say that.”
Madam Zhang suddenly became shy.
“It’s just a private matter.”
“If you are fortunate enough to become a palace official someday, you must help me leave the palace. My experience is similar to yours. I entered the palace as a slave when I was a child and have never seen what the outside world is like.”
“I don’t want to end up being buried in a mass grave.”
Qunqing nodded.
Madam Zhang smiled. She tugged at her clothes and straightened her hair. There was a hint of sadness in her voice.
“It’s just a pity. There won’t be anyone to help me manage the warehouse anymore. Such a huge warehouse…”
“Qunqing!”
Qunqing had already started walking away when she heard Madam Zhang chase after her and call out loudly.
“Your temper is too wild, but remember this—you are only a servant now. You must learn to lower your head!”
“I was only joking earlier. That dream might have been too ambitious.”
“If you can’t become a palace official, then so be it. Just stay alive. That is more important!”
After saying this, Madam Zhang curtsied and lowered her head, deliberately taking on the respectful posture of a palace maid standing before someone of higher rank.
She stood there and watched Qunqing leave.
In the narrow alley between the low, dilapidated houses, the wind lifted her dark-blue dress and shawl high into the air.
Qunqing looked back through the layers of rooftops and eaves.
Her heart trembled.
In her previous life, she had been determined to die. She had never seemed to look back.
Because of that, she had failed to see that there had actually been many people along the way who had quietly protected her and watched her leave.
Only now did she realize—
Her life had been so precious.
Qunqing suppressed the heat in her eyes. She bowed deeply from across the several alleyways, her sleeves fluttering in the wind.
In this life…
Staying alive is more important.