Lu Yu suppressed a laugh. As if she didn't know his family's wealth? He didn't know what scheme she was brewing, but he'd play along: "Of course not."
Qian Xingzhi pretended to be disappointed: "What a pity. I heard the Lu family is fabulously wealthy, but it seems even you can't compare to our Governor here."
The Governor struggled to contain himself, trying to steer the conversation back: "Lord Qian, are you feeling guilty? Why beat around the bush?"
Qian Xingzhi ignored him again, laughing with Wei Yang and the General Who Pacifies the South, utterly audacious: "I wonder how much our Governor has embezzled? Spill the details so we have something to aim for, right?"
The entire room was stunned. Everyone thought Qian Xingzhi was insane. Even the Governor didn't know how to vent his fury.
People were strange: if you were docile and kind, everyone dared to bully you; if you were a bizarre lunatic, they'd think twice before messing with you.
The Governor slammed the table, looking like he wanted to arrest her on the spot: "What do you mean by that!"
After stewing for a long time, all he could muster was that one line. Qian Xingzhi knew she'd scared him temporarily: "Exactly what I said. Your Excellency wanted to see my skills? I just did a reading for you."
She made a show of counting on her fingers, then put on a worried face: "Oh dear, Saturn recently crossed over the North Star. Nanchuan belongs to Earth, Suzhou lies in the North—this indicates trouble for a subject. Your Excellency, you must be careful."
Qian Xingzhi delivered this nonsense with such gravity that the other four exchanged bewildered glances. Only the parties involved could barely hold back laughter. Perhaps there were genuine talents in the Astronomical Bureau, but Qian Xingzhi had none—just a silver tongue, which ironically fit many incompetent superiors.
The Governor forced himself to calm down, not wanting to lose face, though his volume dropped considerably: "Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Lord Qian, I think you've scared yourself silly."
Seeing his beard tremble as his lips twitched, Qian Xingzhi said meaningfully, "Believe it and it exists; don't believe and it doesn't. I've given you a hint; take your time pondering."
The Governor wanted nothing more than to chop her head off. He salvaged the situation: "I see you're all talk, Lord Qian. Better worry about the karma from your own mouth!"
Having successfully diverted attention from the Third Prince, Qian Xingzhi cheerfully accepted the weak threat: "Your Excellency's concern honors me."
With the conversation dead, the banquet ended on a sour note. At dawn the next day, the southbound caravan set off again in full force.
Though Qian Xingzhi sympathized with Nanchuan, she couldn't even guarantee her own safety, let alone save that land. But the closer she got, the more she felt a strange nervousness, like a traveler approaching home.
Qian Xingzhi gazed from her carriage into the distance. Even from afar, she could see the sprawling mountains, her heart rising and falling with the terrain.
"Chengxin Temple..."
An unfamiliar male voice suddenly rang in her mind. Darkness flickered before her eyes, and shards of memory stabbed into her ears like ice picks.
*
A steep, treacherous mountain path wound upward. Yan Zhaoshuang was dragged along by the man in front of her, running desperately. The clawing vegetation flashed past the corners of her eyes. Her breathing grew heavier, a rusty taste rising in her throat.
"Father... Father... Slow down..."
"Can't stop! Shuang'er, no matter what, never stop..."
They ran halfway up the mountain when the man she called father suddenly halted. He heard another sound.
He turned around—a face identical to Qian Xingzhi's father. He crouched anxiously, cupping Yan Zhaoshuang's face: "Run! Go to Chengxin Temple! Once inside, you know what to do!"
Her eyes couldn't hold back the tears. Yan Zhaoshuang knew this was her only choice.
She was only ten. Too cruel to face such things repeatedly. So he pulled her into his arms: "Father will come back for you, I promise. Shuang'er, run forward. Never look back."
Yan Zhaoshuang had only taken a few steps when she heard the clash of blades behind her. But she ran without hesitation, deeper into the forest.
Before the wind and trees swallowed all sound, she heard a voice.
"His Highness said he still has a girl with him..."