17
Dayan had fallen. Xiao Jingyao led his army into the palace, and she—she had thought about dying for her country. Truly, she had.
Her attendants had begged her to flee while she still had the chance.
But in the end, she was a step too late.
Xiao Jingyao captured her and placed her under house arrest in Anyi Palace…
Yu Shu shook her head, forcing those haunting memories out of her mind. What’s wrong with me today? Why was she suddenly thinking about her past life?
Was it because she had run into Xiao Jingyao today? Because she had finally scolded him to her heart’s content and felt too pleased with herself?
That had to be it.
Yes, that was a perfectly reasonable explanation.
Satisfied with her own reasoning, Yu Shu pushed the thoughts aside.
“Stop the carriage,” she suddenly ordered.
“What’s wrong?” Qingli looked at her with concern.
Yu Shu thought of Baiwei Zhai, which they had passed moments ago. “Turn back. I want to see if they still have any pastries left. I’ll buy some for Third Brother and Lian Sheng to try—Lian Sheng bought some the other day, and they were delicious.”
Qingli didn’t suspect anything and immediately instructed the driver to turn the carriage around.
The carriage hadn’t gone far, so it quickly returned to the entrance of Baiwei Zhai.
Yu Shu stepped down first, with Qingli following closely behind.
At this hour, Baiwei Zhai was relatively quiet, with no long lines of customers waiting for pastries. Yu Shu walked inside and asked the shop assistant what was still available.
The assistant gestured toward the remaining few pieces of mung bean cake and walnut crisps in the display case. “This is all we have left. Any later, and there would’ve been nothing at all.”
Yu Shu had tasted their mung bean cakes and walnut crisps before—she still remembered how delicious they were. Without hesitation, she said, “I’ll take all of them.”
“Got it!” The shop assistant quickly measured out the pastries and wrapped them in oil paper.
Yu Shu had Qingli pay for them, then took the neatly wrapped package and left the shop.
Once back in the carriage, she couldn’t resist unwrapping the bundle and popping a piece of walnut crisp into her mouth. The rich, buttery aroma was simply irresistible.
The walnut crisp melted in her mouth—fragrant, crunchy, and impossibly delicious. The taste hadn’t changed at all; it was just as good as she remembered.
Seeing Yu Shu reach for a second piece, Qingli couldn’t help but advise, “Princess, don’t eat too many at once. Have some tea first, or your mouth will feel dry.”
Yu Shu accepted the teacup Qingli handed her and took a few sips.
As the warm tea settled in her stomach, she suddenly felt full. She had already eaten a hearty lunch, and now, after the walnut crisp and tea, there was simply no room for a second piece.
Deciding to save the rest, she carefully wrapped up the walnut crisps to take back for Mu Liangzhe and Lian Sheng.
Before long, the carriage arrived at the guest residence. Yu Shu inquired about their whereabouts and learned that both Mu Liangzhe and Lian Sheng were present. Without hesitation, she took the mung bean cakes and walnut crisps and went to find them.
Mu Liangzhe was still wearing a sling around his arm. According to him, if he was going to pretend to be injured, he had to commit to the act. It wouldn’t do for Prime Minister Liu to check on him one day and then find him miraculously healed the next—that would be ridiculous. If he was going to do something, he was going to do it thoroughly.
Yu Shu had no objections. Instead, she simply gave him a thumbs-up—
You’re amazing. Keep up the act. Knock yourself out!
Mu Liangzhe saw Yu Shu walk in, carrying a bundle in her arms, and grinned. “Let’s see what goodies my dear Xiao Jiu brought back for me this time.”
Yu Shu placed the mung bean cakes and walnut crisps, still wrapped in oiled paper, in front of him. “They’re from Baiwei Zhai—the flavor is excellent. Try some.”
Mu Liangzhe pursed his lips, looking unimpressed. “I thought it was something special. You do know your Third Brother doesn’t like these things, right? I only like meat!”
“Fine, then don’t eat.” Without hesitation, Yu Shu snatched the pastries away. Before Mu Liangzhe could react, she had already turned and shoved the bundle into Lian Sheng’s hands. “Since he doesn’t want them, they’re all yours. I actually bought them for you in the first place.”
Lian Sheng froze, holding the package awkwardly, his hands unmoving. A faint, suspicious blush crept up his face.
“Xiao Jiu, you wound me,” Mu Liangzhe clutched his chest dramatically, wailing, “You treat Lian Sheng better than me! My heart aches—how did I end up with a sister like you?”
Yu Shu merely rolled her eyes at his theatrics. She wasn’t in the mood for his over-the-top performance. If he wanted to talk about betrayal, she had plenty of sharper blades to remind him of.
“I’m leaving.” She turned on her heel, ready to go.
“Wait a moment, I have something to tell you!” Mu Liangzhe dropped his act, sitting up straight on the couch. With a serious expression, he said, “The day after tomorrow is the birthday banquet of Princess Changping, the Great Elder Princess and the Emperor of Daxia’s aunt. You’re coming with me to offer our respects.”
The moment Yu Shu heard the words Princess Changping, her heart skipped a beat. If it was her birthday banquet, there was no doubt Xiao Jingyao would be there.
If she attended and ran into Xiao Jingyao, wouldn’t she risk exposing herself?
Absolutely not! She couldn’t afford to be found out!
Her face fell instantly. With quivering lips, she asked pitifully, “Can I not go?”
Of course, that was impossible.
Mu Liangzhe was usually a protective older brother—whenever he could shield her, he would. He never forgot to include her in the good things either.
But when it came to throwing her into the fire, he never held back.
“No, you must come with me.” Mu Liangzhe’s tone was firm, leaving no room for negotiation.
His expression was just as unyielding as it had been back in Xijiang, when Yu Shu had tried to escape—only to be caught and locked up by him with zero chance of pleading her case.
Yu Shu couldn’t help but sigh at Mu Liangzhe’s ruthlessness.
Is this really my own brother?!
“What would I even do there?” she tried one last time to wiggle out of it.
“There’s plenty you can do,” Mu Liangzhe countered smoothly. “Princess Changping is the Emperor’s own aunt. His Majesty will definitely attend her birthday banquet. If you can win her favor, you might just leave a good impression on the Emperor too. Who knows? Maybe we’ll be summoned to the palace the very next day.”
Mu Liangzhe laid out his plan, his tone decisive.
“I can’t put all my efforts into just Prime Minister Liu. Yes, he holds a high position, but at the end of the day, he is just a minister. If the Emperor chooses not to listen to him, I’ll have no way of securing an audience. But Princess Changping is different—she’s the Emperor’s elder and his only living relative. No matter what, he has to give her some respect.”
They had been in Xiadu for quite some time, yet the Emperor still hadn’t summoned them. Prime Minister Liu had promised to help, but after all this time with no progress, Mu Liangzhe had grown skeptical. It was time to explore another avenue—Princess Changping was now his new target.
“But what if she doesn’t like me?” Yu Shu countered, her unease growing.
She knew herself well. In her past life, Princess Changping had never liked her. If she saw Yu Shu’s face again—so identical to how she had looked back then—Yu Shu was certain the outcome wouldn’t be any different.
Mu Liangzhe, however, simply laughed, as if she had just told the most ridiculous joke.
“My dear sister, you are the most beautiful woman in Xijiang. No one compares to you! If Princess Changping doesn’t like you, then who would she like? You need to have more confidence in yourself.”
Yu Shu was speechless.
Confidence?
What she couldn’t tell Mu Liangzhe was that her face was precisely the problem. If she didn’t look this way, so many things would be easier.
***