Why? The Crown Prince skimmed a full two million taels, and now not only do I have to clean up the mess in Nanchuan for him, I might even have to dip into my own private coffers! This is outrageous!"
Qian Xingzhi sat dryly listening to the Third Prince pour out his grievances, but her mind began to replay the details of the memory.
From any angle, the original owner was indeed a refugee from Nanchuan. Yet her behavior didn't at all resemble that of an eighteen-year-old girl from a humble background, and she had even managed to encounter the Third Prince so opportunely. Could she really have some unfathomable skill? And what exactly was her purpose?
Would the Third Prince truly ascend the throne in two years?
Qian Xingzhi looked hesitantly at the man rambling before her, already imagining the hellish scene if he really did ascend—herself being denounced by the people as the number one running dog. In just a few years, the Third Prince would push the Nansheng Kingdom to its doom, and her head would be hung on the city wall by the rebel army.
"In my view, what's there to save in that impoverished backwater of Nanchuan? Let them fend for themselves!"
A fire flared up in Qian Xingzhi's heart, but she could only suppress it. "Your Highness, His Majesty didn't believe my explanation; he was using it to warn you. If you don't atone for your mistakes with merit, I'm afraid His Majesty will punish you both together."
The Third Prince vented for a while and finally calmed down. "Hmph... I know that, of course."
Qian Xingzhi could spout nonsense effortlessly. "His Majesty has been harsh on the Crown Prince lately; it seems the Nanchuan affair weighs heavily on his mind. If Your Highness can stabilize the disaster situation now, you will surely win more of his favor. Then I will secretly stir things up to ensure Your Highness gains the people's support."
The Third Prince increasingly felt that dragging Qian Xingzhi out as a scapegoat during the morning court had been a good idea. Could those words—'If you let me assist you, Heaven will surely protect you'—not be a lie after all?
"Hmph, what use is popular support? In the end, it's still Father's decision."
Qian Xingzhi closed her eyes in exasperation. Communicating with the Third Prince took twice the brainpower.
"Your Highness will soon depart for Nanchuan; you must have many matters to arrange. I won't disturb you any longer."
The Third Prince only sneered twice. "Qian Xingzhi, I called you here still about the three hundred thousand taels."
Qian Xingzhi's heart skipped a beat. "I haven't been in the capital for three full months yet. By the time Your Highness returns, I will present the three hundred thousand taels."
Seeing the Third Prince quite satisfied with her obedience, Qian Xingzhi seized the moment to slip away.
At this moment, she desperately needed to escape the identity of Director of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. She just wanted to be the original Qian Xingzhi again—free and happy, even if she had to worry about projects and research.
Qian Xingzhi disguised herself as Miss Zhixing again. The three servants in the mansion usually stayed in the outer courtyard, so she had never been seen leaving in women's clothing. Even if she were caught, she could fudge it.
Who would care when the Qian mansion gained a 'cousin'?
Qian Xingzhi wandered aimlessly through the streets. Near dusk, Shengjing's streets were still thronged with people. She randomly picked a trinket shop, trying on hairpins and bead strings, enjoying a brief moment of happiness.
Until the night grew as dark as ink and the pedestrians gradually dispersed, Qian Xingzhi still didn't want to return home. The world stretched vast and boundless, with no place for her to belong.
She drifted like a walking corpse, not caring about time. Turning a corner, the main gate of a large house diagonally opposite suddenly opened. The person stood with their back to the light, so Qian Xingzhi couldn't see their face clearly. She continued sauntering, only realizing after a moment.
Oh no! This is the Lu Mansion!! She had been wondering—this family had such a big courtyard, must be influential!!!
The person at the gate was none other than Lu Yu.
Qian Xingzhi's hands and feet moved faster than her brain. She turned around, ready to sprint away, then thought that would be like covering up a theft—too suspicious. So she immediately froze, hesitated, and turned back.
Lu Yu had indeed seen her face.
"Qian Xingzhi...?"
It was the first time Qian Xingzhi heard Lu Yu speak so hesitantly, and she even detected a hint of panic.
So desperate to flee. Qian Xingzhi was flooded with regret. Though she had prepared early—telling Lu Yu she had 'a cousin keeping her company'—now that Lu Yu had actually seen her in women's clothing, she felt an indescribable shame and nervousness.
She thinned her voice, trying to package herself as a shy, pitiful, ignorant weak woman. "Lord Lu."
Qian Xingzhi seemed to see Lu Yu's shadow on the steps quiver three times under the oil lamp, and she added at the right moment, "Lord Qian is my cousin."
Lu Yu let out a long sigh. For a moment, he really thought he had seen a ghost. Now he finally found his normal tone. "I see. May I ask the young lady's name? It's getting late; you should return home soon, or Lord Qian will worry."
"My name is Zhixing." Qian Xingzhi felt terribly awkward, but she wanted to cover up her almost-fleeing blunder. "I came specifically to find you, my lord."
"For what reason?"
Qian Xingzhi was grateful that Lu Yu was like a block of wood, not warmly inviting her inside—otherwise, she would have wanted to crawl into a hole. "My cousin... he's been down ever since he returned from the Third Prince's residence today. He didn't even eat dinner."
Lu Yu was stunned. He began to ponder whether Qian Xingzhi was gloomy because of the morning court scare, or because the Third Prince demanded money, or because the Third Prince demanded her body. Qian Xingzhi really was miserable—a treacherous minister with a demonic master, a uniquely desolate fate.
Seeing Lu Yu silent, Qian Xingzhi hurried to finish her lines and slip away. "I often hear my cousin praise you for your kindness, my lord, and you are colleagues with my cousin, so I thought... I wanted to beg for your help. I was too abrupt. I'll return home now."
Lu Yu called her back. "Wait. Tell Qian Xingzhi that when it truly comes to the worst, I will help. Yuan Bai, escort Miss Zhixing back to the mansion."
Qian Xingzhi had to admit she was slightly moved.
That slight move was soon squeezed out by embarrassment. Because Lu Yu happened to be going out, and now he was going out of his way to see her home—she had to share a carriage with him.
Fortunately, Lu Yu apparently thought it inappropriate to share a pitch-dark carriage with a maiden, so he mounted a horse and took Yuan Bai's place.
Yuan Bai vanished in an instant.
The journey was silent. Alighting from the carriage, Qian Xingzhi thanked him. "My lord, for offering your help, I am deeply grateful. Please take care on your way."
In the dim night, the rider in white remained silent for a long time. Only the evening breeze toyed with his hair ribbon, unsettling Qian Xingzhi's heart.
"No need to thank me. It's a matter of mutual benefit."
With that, he rode off, the hoofbeats gradually fading into the end of the long street. Mutual benefit? Qian Xingzhi felt she must have missed something.
After such an absurd few hours, Qian Xingzhi's taut nerves finally relaxed.
She fell asleep quickly that night.
*
The candlelight was faint. Qian Xingzhi knelt by the bedside, her heart aching. The room was too oppressive and dark, as if the night could devour her and the candlelight in the next second.