It seemed the Third Prince was into both men and women.
Such a shocking piece of news, and besides Lu Yu, Qian Xingzhi had no one else to share it with. She was utterly bursting to talk.
"They say the inner palace is heavily guarded—how did the Third Prince manage to get involved with Noble Lady Xia?" Qian Xingzhi's thirst for knowledge was written all over her face as she stared at Lu Yu, making him extremely uncomfortable. "How did they meet and come to know each other, and how were they willing to risk their heads for this?"
"How would I know..." Lu Yu avoided Qian Xingzhi's gaze.
Qian Xingzhi nudged his arm with the back of her hand. "Hadn't there been no imperial children born for a long time before the Tenth Princess? Didn the Emperor suspect anything?"
"Why would he suspect anything for no reason? The Emperor was too delighted to do so..."
Lu Yu closed his eyes helplessly. Why was he letting himself be drawn into this conversation with Qian Xingzhi?
Qian Xingzhi pressed on. "Big brother, how do you think we can use this? Could it be that others have noticed it too..."
"Qian Xingzhi," Lu Yu finally couldn't help but interrupt her, "you'd better worry about yourself first. You're going to be very busy from now on."
Qian Xingzhi was about to ask Lu Yu if he had a new plan to start, when suddenly the world spun around her. She lost all strength, couldn't even support herself against the table, and slid from the chair to the floor.
Lu Yu hurried to support her, only to find she had already fainted.
She had been so lively and active these past days that he had somewhat forgotten about her physical condition. He shouted frantically at Yuan Bai, "Go get—"
No, this wasn't like Nanchuan; they were in the Lu Mansion. He couldn't just call in any doctor. So Lu Yu gritted his teeth and changed his order: "Go drag Yuan Qing over here."
It had been a long time since she'd been hit by a flashback, and Qian Xingzhi was caught off guard.
*
Yan Zhaoshuang had been settled into the Qian Mansion for a couple of days. With the New Year approaching, she didn't need to worry immediately about the treacherous politics of the court.
Never before had she been so close to her enemy. The fear of the future hadn't yet taken hold—at least for now, she could immerse herself in a moment of joy.
She would destroy the Third Prince step by step: his reputation, his status, his family—nothing would be left.
It was the first time she would spend the New Year in a foreign land. Yan Zhaoshuang felt that Shengjing's winter was much colder than Nanchuan's, biting straight into her heart.
After a few days, the discomfort in her chest grew stronger, and only then did Yan Zhaoshuang realize something was wrong.
Anxiously, she went to see a well-known doctor on the outskirts of Shengjing.
"There's nothing I can do," was his verdict. Why was heaven always so cruel to her?
Yan Zhaoshuang didn't remember how she returned to the mansion.
A sharp pain struck, and she collapsed to her knees, cold sweat pouring down her forehead. Perhaps the torment of both body and mind had already driven her to the edge of sanity.
She knocked her head against the blank wall.
"Bodhisattva, please, let me live a few more years. Bodhisattva, please, let me live a few more years..."
There was nothing before her eyes. Where were gods and Buddhas?
Yan Zhaoshuang remembered that night at the new temple in the city, when she had prayed helplessly: "Please, please, please..."
The days full of hope hadn't lasted long before Yan Zhaoshuang fell gravely ill. She didn't dare tell her attendants, so naturally no one cared for her.
As she kept delaying, she began to cough up blood. On one silent night, she sank deeper and deeper into sleep.
But this time, perhaps the Bodhisattva had finally answered her prayers.
*
Yuan Qing looked grave as he took Qian Xingzhi's pulse.
Lu Yu's face was as dark as thunder. It was the same every time! Every doctor who examined Qian Xingzhi wore that expression of doom. He couldn't understand how someone who cracked jokes all day could be terminally ill and beyond saving.
He didn't like losing control of things, and even more, he hated feeling powerless in the face of life and death.
"Lord Qian's current condition seems more like a nightmare; there should be no immediate danger. But her constitution is indeed much weaker..." Yuan Qing glanced up and saw Lu Yu's grim face, and in his panic, he swallowed back the words "she doesn't look like she'll live long." He amended, "She needs careful nursing."
Lu Yu didn't care about the details. "I don't care what method you use, you have to treat her well."
Yuan Qing had never seen Lu Yu so anxious. He quickly agreed: "I'll do my best. I'll go prepare the medicine for Lord Qian. But..."
Lu Yu was already irritable and had no patience for Yuan Qing's hesitation. "Spit it out."
"When I was keeping watch at the teahouse, I seemed to have seen Lord Qian before... But at that time, Lord Qian appeared to be... a woman, claiming to be a maidservant of the Qian Mansion."
The teahouse attendant Zhu Qing was none other than Yuan Qing himself. This matter had been weighing on his mind ever since he first saw Qian Xingzhi. But if he hadn't taken her pulse first, he felt his master might have strangled him.
Lu Yu sighed: "I've already checked. That woman was just Qian Xingzhi in disguise. She... she plays the part perfectly."
Yuan Qing felt something was off, but since his master had spoken, he had no evidence to question it. He hurried out to look up prescriptions and prepare the medicine.
"Master..." Yuan Bai had been silently observing everything and couldn't help speaking up. "Are you afraid that Qian Xingzhi's poor health will disrupt the plan?"
Lu Yu's mind involuntarily recalled Yuan Bai's nonsense from that night.
"I think you and Qian Xingzhi have something going on."
The thought stuck in his mind and refused to leave. Lu Yu said irritably, "Of course, it's only for the plan. What else could it be? Brotherhood? Yuan Bai, was the last punishment not enough? You've been getting more out of line lately."
Yuan Bai was about to reply when he saw Qian Xingzhi wake up. She must have heard every word of that exchange. For some reason, he felt guilty on his master's behalf.
He saw it, and so did Lu Yu. Not knowing how to cover it up, he signaled Yuan Bai to leave with a look, then sat on the edge of the bed. "Do you feel better?"
Qian Xingzhi had indeed heard everything. But she didn't care about being used or not. "Just a momentary thing. I've made you worry again, big brother."