Forced by Lu Yu to take leave and recuperate, April passed by in a blur of leisure. At the beginning of May, the Seventh Prince arrived safely in Shengjing and voluntarily presented the military tally to Jun Anche, quickly rising to fame. At the same time, another person's reputation took an even stranger turn for the worse.
At that moment, the person in question was listening to Yin Tan's report.
"These past few days, I've heard many slanders about you on the streets," Yin Tan said. Having learned quite a bit of disguise skills from Yuan Bai, he always covered the scars on his face when appearing in public. "The neighbors all say that the people of Full Moon Tower deserved to die a thousand deaths. If not for your intercession, Your Majesty would have executed that rabble long ago."
Qian Xingzhi's leave had ended, and she had come to the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to browse through documents. She didn't take Yin Tan's words to heart. "I saved you too—does that mean you also deserve to die a thousand deaths? I don't need to think twice to know it's someone spreading rumors deliberately. Let them be."
Yin Tan looked worried. "But my lord..."
"You'll hear even more in the future," Qian Xingzhi patted his head. "Don't worry. If something happens to me, I'll make sure you're taken care of first. What good food do we have today?"
Yin Tan wasn't worried about his own situation, but since the person involved didn't care, what could he do? He recited a list of dishes and went back to cook for his master.
As soon as Yin Tan left, Yuan Mo spoke up. "At midnight tonight, my master has important matters to discuss with you, my lord."
Qian Xingzhi couldn't hold back her urge to complain. "Again at midnight? Lord Lu's habits are quite unusual."
Yuan Mo didn't dare report these words to Lu Yu; he silently swallowed and suddenly recalled what Yuan Bai had said last time: "I think the master and Qian Xingzhi have something going on."
Some thoughts, if never mentioned, might never occur to him. Yuan Mo got goosebumps. Could it really be true?
He couldn't fathom why Lu Yu hadn't killed Qian Xingzhi. Apart from constantly compromising and yielding to Qian Xingzhi, his master could still be decisive and swift when it came to others. Suspicious, very suspicious.
While Yuan Mo was silently complaining, Qian Xingzhi laughed and said, "Go tell your master that I'm deducting ten thousand taels from the three hundred thousand I owe him. That's my compensation for emotional damage from his slander."
That night, the moon rose above the treetops.
On the small table in the inner courtyard of the Qian Mansion, besides fine green tea, there were also strange pastries made by Yin Tan—unpleasant to look at but delicious to eat.
"Speak, Lord Lu," Qian Xingzhi said between bites of a butterfly-shaped pastry that looked like a turtle. "What instructions do you have?"
"The Seventh Prince is currently riding a wave of popularity. I need you to stir up His Majesty's suspicion of him. Also, the Crown Prince has been confined for so long, and the court has been calm for months. I need you to create some trouble for me."
For some reason, nowadays whenever Lu Yu heard Qian Xingzhi speak, he felt uncomfortable all over.
"Aren't you aligned with the Seventh Prince, my lord? Wanting to stir up His Majesty's suspicion of him—is that a retreat in order to advance?" Qian Xingzhi had been completely won over by Yin Tan's culinary skills these days and couldn't stop eating. "As for whether I can get the Crown Prince released, I can only do my best."
Seeing her eat so eagerly, Lu Yu couldn't help but pick up a piece as well. "Don't worry. You just need to take the lead."
"Is that all?" Qian Xingzhi wiped the crumbs from her mouth. "You could have just told Yuan Mo to pass the message. Why trouble yourself to come all the way here?"
Yes, why had he bothered to come running over in the middle of the night, climbing over walls? In the past, hadn't he always had his subordinates deliver messages?
Lu Yu looked at the person before him, who acted as if nothing was wrong, and felt a rare sense of confusion and helplessness. In the past, as the eldest young master of the Lu family, he had always been held in the palms of everyone's hands; how could he have ever tasted the bitterness of being ignored? After his family's decline, he had been alone, and the servants he had brought up looked up to him alone. Later, when he had gained a foothold, those who had avoided him before now lifted him back onto a pedestal.
But this person had repeatedly declared her admiration for him, even becoming angry when he advised her to marry and have children. He had thought Qian Xingzhi would want to see him.
But why should he care what Qian Xingzhi thought? Was it Qian Xingzhi who wanted to see him, or was it him who wanted to see Qian Xingzhi?
Lu Yu choked on the pastry in his mouth. He pretended to be calm and took a sip of tea.
Qian Xingzhi wondered if she had said something wrong. Why did the person before her have a calm but slightly strange expression, and why didn't he respond for so long?
"I just happened to pass by after finishing some business."
Qian Xingzhi understood. "I see. Last time you went out on business, you caught a chill and were almost assassinated. You should take better care of yourself and return home early."
Driving him away again? How much did Qian Xingzhi not want him to stay at the Qian Mansion? A wave of inexplicable anger rose in Lu Yu's heart.
It was she who had shamelessly flirted first, and now she was inexplicably putting on an air of distance. What, did she take him for a dog? Call him over when she wanted to play, then expect him to keep his distance when she was done?
Could it be that after meeting Liang Luming, Qian Xingzhi was planning to turn over a new leaf and become a better person?
Qian Xingzhi clearly felt Lu Yu's expression turning worse, but she didn't think she had said anything wrong.
"Is your health better?" Lu Yu asked abruptly.
"Much better, much better. Thank you for your concern, Lord Lu," Qian Xingzhi said eagerly. "I take my medicine every day. Rest assured, my lord."
Lu Yu's face darkened even more. He didn't know what he wanted to hear either—was he expecting Qian Xingzhi to tease him with "big brother" like before?
He suddenly stood up. "Yuan Bai, let's go home."
After they left, Qian Xingzhi shrugged helplessly at Yin Tan. "How strange today."
Yin Tan said with concern, "You should rest early, my lord. Yuan Qing said that this condition of yours needs careful nursing."
"You too. Next time, don't bother preparing these. Staying up late will stunt your growth." Qian Xingzhi patted Yin Tan's head, somewhat unable to bear being stared at by the child's watery eyes.
Although the Seventh Prince was riding high on popularity, he also knew when to advance and retreat. To make Jun Anche immediately suspicious, Qian Xingzhi would have to find some fault. But the Crown Prince had been confined for so long; perhaps it would be easier to get him released.
But if she spoke up to help the Crown Prince, would the Third Prince jump in anger?
Qian Xingzhi pondered for a moment, made up her mind, and went to sleep peacefully. As for that one at the Lu Mansion, he stayed up all night under the pretext of handling official business, busy and tangled up in heaven knows what.
On the fifth day of the fifth month of the forty-third year of Yong'an, a regular court session was held.
After exchanging some bland pleasantries, the court was dismissed. Qian Xingzhi took the opportunity to request an audience with Jun Anche, only to find that the Left Censor-in-Chief had also been summoned to the Imperial Study.
Fortunately, this time she had come to speak for the Crown Prince; otherwise, being lumped together with her "almost grandfather," Qian Xingzhi would have wanted to find a crack to crawl into and play dead.
"What urgent matter does Lord Qian have?" Jun Anche's gaze swept back and forth between Qian Xingzhi and Liang Shi'an, a knowing smile on his lips.
Qian Xingzhi hadn't exercised her silver tongue in a long time; without the thrilling scenes of the past, she felt a bit rusty. "Your servant has recently observed that the 'Tianshu' star in the Big Dipper has been dim and lackluster for days. This star governs the Crown Prince. Your servant fears that His Highness the Crown Prince may be unwell and has come especially to report to Your Majesty."
Left Censor-in-Chief Liang Shi'an shot a surprised glance at Qian Xingzhi. What trick was this little rascal up to? Had the Third Prince sent him to slander the Crown Prince, or was this a gesture of goodwill to curry favor with the Liang family?
Hearing Qian Xingzhi mention the Crown Prince, Jun Anche let out a long sigh. "It has indeed been many days since I last saw the Crown Prince."
Jun Anche knew better than anyone whether the Crown Prince was wronged. After all, he was his son, and the legitimate son at that. Having suppressed him for so long, it was indeed time to give him a sweetener for comfort. Recently, the Seventh Prince had been dominating; it was appropriate to release the Crown Prince and let the various factions stir things up again.
Liang Shi'an wanted to speak up for the Crown Prince, but he was afraid that if he spoke rashly, it might backfire. So he simply shut his mouth and watched Qian Xingzhi's performance.
"His Highness the Crown Prince committed a grave error, and it is only right that Your Majesty punishes him as you see fit. But health is not like other matters; Your servant believes that His Highness the Crown Prince should pay more attention to his well-being in the coming days."
"The assassination case was never conclusively decided," Jun Anche said, absolving the Crown Prince of guilt in a few words, as if the previous punishment had been a joke. "He has been confined to Changle Palace all this time and must have reflected on his mistakes. I will go see him."
Was he really that kind? Liang Shi'an was greatly shaken. At that moment, he only wanted to finish the discussion with Jun Anche as quickly as possible so he could go out and send word to the Crown Prince.
Qian Xingzhi said what needed to be said and promptly withdrew. "Your servant takes leave."
After returning to the mansion, Qian Xingzhi spent her time in the outer courtyard fiddling with the new flowers and plants that Yin Tan had grown.
"My lord, why don't you go inside and rest? You have court tomorrow," Yin Tan said, even more worried about her health than she was.
"Not yet. I'm waiting for someone," Qian Xingzhi said patiently.
Before noon, an angry guest arrived at the Qian Mansion, just as expected.
"Qian Xingzhi! What do you mean by this?"
As expected, the Third Prince had come to demand an explanation.
Hearing only the news, he wouldn't have been this furious. He had been indulging in drink with his disreputable friends at the Drunken Immortal Tavern. Someone, having gotten wind of the Crown Prince's impending release, immediately embellished the story and teased him: "Third殿下, it seems your good dog has bitten you?"
With a bit of drunken courage, the Third Prince's audacity was sky-high. He wished he could order his guards to execute Qian Xingzhi on the spot. "How dare you sell favors to the Crown Prince behind my back! What? Have you already been bought by the Liang family with a woman?"
These words were extremely unpleasant. Qian Xingzhi held back her anger and spoke gently: "Your Highness, please calm your wrath. Let your humble servant explain before you punish me."
The Third Prince, in a fit of rage, actually drew the sword from his attendant and pointed it at Qian Xingzhi. "Don't think that just because I've lost power, you can act recklessly. Even if I kill you right now, nothing will happen to me."
Qian Xingzhi's anger was at the boiling point, but she still smiled. "Why fixate only on the Crown Prince, Your Highness? The Seventh Prince now has military merits and is more popular with the people. His Majesty will not allow the court's power to lean toward one person alone. Whether I speak or not, the Crown Prince's release is only a matter of time."
The Third Prince advanced with the sword. "You're talking nonsense! Before, you told me to take advantage of the Crown Prince's confinement to pull him down. Now you've changed your tune. I should never have trusted you—"
Qian Xingzhi's head ached. "I gave advice, but months have passed. Has Your Highness succeeded in pulling the Crown Prince down?"
The Third Prince was speechless. After his trip to Nanchuan, his situation had worsened. For some reason, his information was no longer as timely as before, and the Emperor had even been keeping him at arm's length. With his intellect, where could he find an opportunity?
"Think carefully, Your Highness. Now the Crown Prince's thorn in the side is naturally the Seventh Prince. If Your Highness secretly fabricates some rumors to make them fight, they will end up both injured. Your Highness can lie low and bide your time. Wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone?"
The Third Prince's dazed mind churned with difficulty, and he found Qian Xingzhi's words reasonable. But he still snorted coldly. "If you want me to trust you, you should at least show some sincerity."
Qian Xingzhi couldn't help it and let out a frustrated laugh. "What kind of sincerity does Your Highness expect from your humble servant?"
"The task of fabricating rumors will be yours to handle. If you succeed, I will naturally reward you."