Jingnan Prince Manor, Council Hall
“You couldn’t sleep and had to go out causing trouble?”
Zhao Qingchuan, still in his nightrobe, paced back and forth in the hall.
Clearly, this Prince of Jingnan had also been dragged out of bed by someone.
Zhao Qingyue stood with her head down, still wearing that set of nightclothes.
Bai Shuangshuang didn’t have the right to enter, so she could only peek in from the doorway.
It was supposed to be a serious scene, but she felt like laughing.
So even Lady Zhao had someone she feared, and could put on that pitiful little act.
“How was I supposed to know the imperial envoy would arrive so fast…”
Zhao Qingyue stuck out her tongue, all trace of her usual arrogance in front of Bai Shuangshuang gone.
“I really didn’t kill him, Dad—”
“Nonsense! Do you think I don’t know that?”
Zhao Qingchuan shot her an irritated glare, then paced back and forth a couple more times, sighing in frustration.
“But you were at the scene, the murder weapon was in your hands, and they’re insisting it was you. What now?”
Just moments ago, the two sides’ soldiers had faced off.
Thanks to being on home turf with superior numbers, they had managed to bring Zhao Qingyue and Bai Shuangshuang back safe and sound.
But was that the end? No, it was just the beginning of the trouble.
Now the other side was clamoring for punishment, giving him a headache in the middle of the night.
Even though he, Zhao Qingchuan, was at odds with the Imperial Court, he couldn’t just blatantly deal with the envoy’s entire retinue.
What kept him up even more was that the assassin hadn’t been caught…
“Dad… could it be that the Imperial Court staged this whole thing just to find an excuse to pick a fight?”
Zhao Qingyue pursed her lips, as if recalling something from the past.
“You know how ruthless they’ve always been.”
“It’s not impossible.”
Zhao Qingchuan’s brow was deeply furrowed.
Rumors had already reached his ears that the capital wanted to reduce the fiefs and planned to take back one of the three southern prefectures.
The life of a Vice Minister of Revenue in exchange for a legitimate reason to reduce fiefs—that was a deal worth making.
The assassin might very well have been sent by the Imperial Court itself.
That Vice Minister probably thought he was a favored official of His Majesty, happily heading south under the imperial envoy banner, not realizing he was already a discarded pawn on the chessboard.
A living, breathing life—sometimes it was just that worthless in the imperial court.
Bai Shuangshuang stood outside the door, listening clearly to everything inside.
She now seemed to be a special presence in the Prince’s Manor.
No one asked where she went, no one stopped her from entering anywhere.
‘Was that killer… sent by the Imperial Court?’
She repeated it in her mind, her thoughts full of that assassin’s sword techniques.
Though each move was a bit raw, she was the Senior Brother of the Qingyun Sword Sect.
How could she mistake them?
Among the people still alive from the Qingyun Sword Sect, aside from her and her Senior Sister, who else could there be?
Bai Shuangshuang’s breathing suddenly quickened.
This meant her Senior Sister was still alive, still able to teach swordsmanship, and it seemed… she had also escaped to the Great Xia Dynasty?
A flame suddenly ignited in her heart.
This was the best news she had received since her rebirth, bar none.
“Enough. I’ll discuss this with Hengyang Xiansheng. You go back and rest first.”
Zhao Qingchuan waved his hand, dismissing his daughter.
Staying here wouldn’t lead to any conclusion, and he couldn’t bear to really blame the girl.
Even if they hadn’t been caught with this handle, the other side was deliberately using a life to pick a fight—how could they guard against it?
“Oh… okay~”
Zhao Qingyue nodded, turned, and walked toward the door, her steps as light as a cat that had stolen a fish.
“Tomorrow, go study at the National Academy. Clearly you have too much free time—”
Her father’s voice drifted gloomily from behind her.
Just as she reached the doorway, Lady Zhao froze, her face falling immediately.
“Pfft—”
Someone by the door couldn’t hold it in and laughed.
Seeing Lady Zhao frustrated for the first time was oddly satisfying.
“What are you laughing at?”
Zhao Qingyue’s face darkened.
“And I just blocked a sword for you earlier. Ungrateful little stray cat!”
“Alright, alright. Little woman thanks the Princess for saving my life~”
Bai Shuangshuang bowed theatrically, her movements exaggerated like a stage performance.
Though she still wasn’t used to referring to herself as a woman, considering that Zhao Qingyue had truly shielded her earlier, she’d bear with it.
Honestly, for that one moment, it was even a little touching.
“That’s more like it~”
Zhao Qingyue’s expression improved.
She lifted her chin.
“Let’s go. Back to the room!”
The mistress and servant left the Council Hall one after another, their bickering voices fading into the distance.
“Hey, tell me—when I blocked that sword just now, was I cool or what?”
“Not bad? It would’ve been even cooler if you weren’t shaking so much.”
“Liar! When was I shaking?!”
“I dunno. Someone’s legs were trembling. I’m not naming names~”
“Then why was your hand shaking when you were clinging to my sleeve?”
“I never said I was tough. I’m just a little stray cat the Princess picked up. Being scared isn’t shameful~”
“Keep talking back and I’ll send you back to the Bai Family!”
“Go ahead~ I’ll tell everyone the Princess wet her pants from fear.”
“Bai Shuangshuang, you’re getting too cocky, huh?!”
“Sigh—Bai Shuangshuang, you’re getting too cocky, huh?”
The last line was repeated in a high-pitched, mocking voice…
Zhao Qingchuan stood at the entrance of the Council Hall, listening to the two voices fade into the distance.
A faint, ambiguous smile—part helpless, part gratified—appeared on his face.
Ever since his younger daughter had passed, he had never seen his elder daughter so happy.
He had also had that Bai Shuangshuang investigated—nothing suspicious in her background.
Well, if his daughter liked her, so be it.
The two returned to the room.
Bai Shuangshuang stretched.
She seemed to be starting to taste the sweetness of her new identity.
I’m weak, so I don’t have to take responsibility.
I suck, so I can just slack off openly.
She moved around a bit, then began looking around.
This was her first time seriously observing Zhao Qingyue’s boudoir.
Earlier, whether it was warming up or changing clothes, she had only passed through quickly.
It seemed the maid in charge hadn’t had time to tidy up yet.
The room was more… unlike a young lady’s den than she had imagined.
On the desk by the window were a few half-read leisure books.
The top one was even lying face down, pages against the desk, clearly the owner had gotten lazy while reading and left it.
On the wall hung an unfinished ink painting.
The brushwork was as childish as a beginner’s.
Yet next to it hung an ornate longsword, its scabbard embedded with jade.
On the dressing table, jars and boxes of cosmetics were scattered messily, along with a tipped-over empty wine gourd.
“This room of yours…”
Bai Shuangshuang chose her words carefully.
“It’s… quite full of life, huh~”
“If you want to say I’m messy, just say it.”
Zhao Qingyue leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, utterly unashamed.
“It’s not messy. It’s just a little…”
Bai Shuangshuang thought for a moment.
“Not very much like a proper young lady’s boudoir.”
“Have you ever seen a proper young lady’s boudoir?”
“No, but I guess it shouldn’t look like this.”
“Then there you go?”
Zhao Qingyue said with righteous indignation.
“You’ve never seen one, so how can you say mine doesn’t resemble it?”
Bai Shuangshuang opened her mouth but found no retort.
“Forget it. Call a maid to clean up later.”
“Ha? You don’t think that the maid responsible for cleaning my room is you, do you?”
“…”
Bai Shuangshuang was choked again.
She continued wandering, and then her gaze was suddenly pinned by an object near the entrance to the side chamber.
Copper-colored, round belly, three-legged, about half a person’s height.
An alchemy furnace!
“Why do you have something like this in your room?”
Bai Shuangshuang hurried over in three steps, her eyes lighting up.
“Oh—”
Zhao Qingyue followed slowly.
“Those alchemist immortals gave plenty of pill recipes in the past. Some required finished pills, so my father got me a furnace and put it in the side chamber.”
She patted the medium-sized furnace, her tone full of resentment.
“In my opinion, this piece of junk should have been thrown out long ago.”
After all, none of those damned recipes or pill formulas had ever worked.
Not as good as a little stray cat picked up on the roadside.
“Um… could I borrow it?”
Bai Shuangshuang swallowed.
She had all the ingredients, but refining medicine required an alchemy furnace.
This thing was hard to come by, and here was one ready-made.
How could she not be tempted?
She really needed this thing.
But the bad news was—Zhao Qingyue could tell.
“You know, this furnace is my most precious treasure. We’ve depended on each other for a long time. I’ve known it for ages. This thing works incredibly well.”
Someone’s face changed faster than flipping a book.
Her patting of the furnace turned into a caress.
“What I mean is—”
Zhao Qingyue looked up, her eyes full of cunning light.
“You can’t use it for free, right? You have to pay some… price?”
Bai Shuangshuang’s words got stuck in her throat.
Her lips moved slightly, and a wave of heat rushed from her neck upward.
She felt like she was about to burn up.
The maiden’s blush said more than any words.
“Zhao! Qing! Yue! Do you have any shame left?!”