After settling Jiang Xun, Jiang Yuzhou took a carriage back to the palace.
Throughout the journey, her mind was elsewhere. She muttered to herself, “According to Father, he once had a childhood sweetheart.”
“And even after all these years, Father still hasn’t forgotten her. I wonder who she is.”
Forget it, I shouldn’t worry too much about Father’s affairs. As a child, it’s not good to meddle too much.
Perhaps due to drinking too much, she felt dizzy and soon fell into a deep sleep.
When she pushed open the door to her sleeping palace, she saw Murong Yao sitting inside.
“Oh, Bixia?”
Jiang Yuzhou closed the door and entered the room. “What a rare guest. Even Guifei has come.”
“Does Bixia still have the mood to use me as a shield?”
She sat opposite Murong Yao and poured herself some tea.
Murong Yao frowned as a strong scent instantly filled his nostrils. “You’ve been drinking?”
“Yes.”
Jiang Yuzhou said, “My father isn’t ill. He’s just a lonely old man, feeling stifled.”
“He set a trap to trick me into going back, so I drank a little with him.”
Murong Yao nodded.
Jiang Yuzhou stretched and yawned. “Does Bixia have something important to discuss? If not, I need to wash up and sleep.”
“I can’t hold on any longer.”
Seeing that she had guessed his thoughts, Murong Yao brought over the medicinal soup beside him. “Take a look at this.”
Jiang Yuzhou picked up the medicine bowl and sniffed it. It felt familiar. “Is this Guifei’s medicine?”
“Is there a problem?”
Murong Yao said, “Last night, I discovered she hadn’t been drinking it, so I sent someone to investigate. I found that one of the ingredients was three times the usual amount.”
“Over time, an overdose of medicine can be fatal.”
Jiang Yuzhou added immediately, “Did you find out who did it?”
“No.”
Murong Yao said regretfully, “That person was cautious. I searched the entire pharmacy but found no trace.”
Jiang Yuzhou smirked. “Impressive. There’s such a mastermind in the palace?”
“To poison someone right under our noses.”
She turned to look at the now-cold medicinal soup and felt a chill. “But Guifei is also clever. Knowing something was wrong, she didn’t drink it.”
Murong Yao muttered to himself, “Who is it? Why would she want to harm Changning?”
Jiang Yuzhou chuckled softly. “Why would she need a reason?”
“In the palace, whoever is favored becomes the target. It’s not for anything else—just pure envy, unable to bear seeing others have what they lack.”
Hitting the nail on the head, Murong Yao lowered his head silently. “You’re so clever. It’s a pity you’re trapped in the rear palace.”
“It’s not a pity,” Jiang Yuzhou said calmly.
He glanced at Jiang Yuzhou, his eyes full of hope. “Then, what should we do?”
“Everyone has their shortcomings. Although I am the emperor, ruling over the nine provinces, I am truly lacking in this regard.”
Jiang Yuzhou’s eyes darted around, suddenly sensing something amiss. “Bixia, so you were praising me just now to ask for my help?”
“Then you should praise me less in the future. It’s not that I won’t help, but it’s exhausting.”
As she spoke, she rubbed her aching temples.
Jiang Yuzhou felt a burning gaze beside her. After a long while, she sighed helplessly.
Seeing this scene, Murong Yao instantly brightened up. “You’re my childhood friend who grew up with me—you can’t just stand by and watch me suffer, can you?”
“Besides, I trust you. Ever since you arrived, whether it’s matters of the court or the inner palace, I haven’t had a single day of worry.”
“You are my indispensable strategist.”
Jiang Yuzhou gently tapped her fingers on the table. “Bixia, rest assured, I will not betray your trust!”
Murong Yao, having received Jiang Yuzhou’s assurance, curled the corners of his lips. He knew she would have a way.
After speaking, Murong Yao returned to the Imperial Study.
Qin Feng walked in carrying a bowl of sobering soup. “Your Highness, regarding Guifei’s matter… will you help?”
Jiang Yuzhou picked up the bowl and drank it all in one go, then sprawled lazily in her chair. “I plan to stand aside and let Guifei face it herself.”
“After all, whether she’s right or wrong, Bixia will always protect her.”
Qin Feng added, “But Your Highness just promised Bixia.”
Jiang Yuzhou replied, “Didn’t you see how Bixia has lost all reason over Xiao Changning? Bixia doesn’t care for anyone else—none of the consorts in the inner palace have borne children.”
“What if this woman harbors wicked ambitions and bewitches the ruler? Wouldn’t the century-old foundation of our Beiyuan be destroyed in an instant?”
“If she truly is an innocent little rabbit, content to be a clinging vine, I could accept that.”
Qin Feng nodded, acknowledging that his mistress’s words were not without reason.
Jiang Yizhou took a sip of hot tea and continued, “As for Alan, tell her to keep a close watch. She only needs to report Xiao Changning’s every move to me.”
“Yes.”
In Weiyang Palace, Xiao Changning got up to eat dinner, then lay back down on the bed.
Though she couldn’t sleep, lying down made her body feel slightly more comfortable.
The longer she stayed in Beiyuan, the more she longed to return home.
But Nanxiao and Beiyuan were separated by thousands of miles. If she had the chance to return home in her lifetime, she would likely die without regret.
Xiao Changning’s mind was filled with images of the bustling streets on both sides of Jiangling. Back then, she would occasionally go shopping with her mother, or sometimes alone, wearing a veil to the Painted Pleasure Boats of Jiangling, dancing gracefully…
Lost in thought, she drifted drowsily into a dream.
Night watch was always tedious. Alan sat outside the sleeping palace, gazing at the sky and counting the stars.
Suddenly, a figure leaped over the palace wall and landed inside.
Alan was startled, springing to her feet and scrutinizing the dark shadow by the tree.
“Little sister.”
A familiar voice rang out. Alan smiled and trotted over, full of surprise. “Brother, why are you here?”
The person removed his veil, revealing a familiar face—Ying Qi.
The siblings’ parents had died at the hands of mountain bandits, and the two had wandered since childhood. Fortunately, they were rescued by Lu Ran.
The brother was trained to become Murong Yao’s Anwei, while the sister entered the palace as a maid.
Ying Qi took out several yellow paper-wrapped bags from his bundle, introducing them one by one. “I’m off duty today.”
“I passed by the east of the city and bought your favorite date paste cakes, as well as these hawthorn snowballs.”
Seeing the abundance of delicious treats, Alan clapped her hands excitedly. “How wonderful.”
The siblings sat side by side on the corridor, chatting and laughing. In those years, they had once thought they would starve to death, never imagining they would both be living well now.
Hearing the commotion, Xiao Changning casually draped an outer robe over herself and pushed the door open to step outside, only to see two figures sitting side by side.
“Ahem…”
Alan and Ying Qi were startled, swiftly turning around to bow in greeting. It was already midnight—had the Guifei not yet retired for the night?
Or had they disturbed her sleep?
It was said that noble ladies often had short tempers, especially those prone to waking in a foul mood. Disturbing the Guifei would likely result in a beating to death with clubs.