Jiang Yunshu had no idea how it happened. She hadn’t agreed, yet Xie Lin had already carried her to the rocking chair beneath the courtyard tree.
"W-Wait… I didn’t agree…"
Xie Lin’s breath brushed against Jiang Yunshu’s earlobe, sending a tingling sensation through her. "This servant heard Your Highness hum in acknowledgment."
Jiang Yunshu: "N-No, I didn’t…"
But it was too late to protest now. In the past, Jiang Yunshu had felt ashamed facing Xie Lin when he was impeccably dressed. Today, she lay on the rocking chair in the courtyard, equally proper in her attire.
The wide folds of her skirt concealed everything beneath the night sky.
Yet the faintest sounds seemed unbearably loud in the silence of the night.
Jiang Yunshu knew that after nightfall, palace servants were forbidden from wandering, so no one would come to the courtyard now.
But the open, exposed feeling of being under the vast sky made every hair on her body stand on end. In her heightened tension, every sensation became unbearably acute—her own heartbeat thundered in her ears, amplified many times over.
She couldn’t even tell whether the sounds she heard were loud or soft.
After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, when Xie Lin first allowed her to speak and guess the person’s identity, she was momentarily dazed before understanding.
"I… I won’t guess anymore… Let’s go back inside…"
Xie Lin: "No."
Her elder sister’s eight personal maids—she knew them all well. Yet her mind was a blank haze now. She bit her lip, thinking hard, before finally recalling the first name.
Afraid their voices might be overheard, Jiang Yunshu pressed close to Xie Lin’s ear and whispered it.
Xie Lin chuckled softly. "Wrong."
"Your Highness, think carefully. You may guess again after another cup of tea."
Jiang Yunshu tried to focus, but how could she?
The trees that had yet to bloom during the day had, at some point, unfurled their buds. The cool night breeze carried their intoxicating fragrance.
She inhaled deeply, feeling the scent seep into the very core of her being.
The second time, she guessed wrong again.
The third, the fourth… Jiang Yunshu wanted to cry. Why was her luck so terrible today?
Out of eight maids, she hadn’t guessed a single one correctly.
"I—I won’t guess anymore." Jiang Yunshu wanted to flee, but the rocking chair barely fit one person. Xie Lin’s grip on her waist pinned her down, leaving her no escape.
Her heart pounded with anxiety—this chair meant for one might collapse under their weight.
If it broke, how would she explain it to the servants tomorrow?
Instinctively, she lifted her arms and wrapped them around Xie Lin’s neck, hoping to lessen the burden on the chair.
The delicate fabric of her sleeves slid down, revealing arms as fair as polished jade, glowing faintly in the night.
Xie Lin’s breathing suddenly faltered. In one swift motion, he lifted Jiang Yunshu into his arms.
She gasped, barely stifling a cry as she bit down hard on her lip.
"Your Highness, guess again."
Jiang Yunshu named the fifth maid.
Xie Lin didn’t hesitate. "Wrong."
The sixth.
"Wrong."
The seventh.
"Wrong."
Jiang Yunshu was furious. How could her luck be this abysmal?
Seven guesses, and not a single correct answer—the spy must be the eighth maid.
"Stop, stop! I already know!" She wanted to sink her teeth into Xie Lin’s pale neck in frustration, but one glance at his indifferent expression made her hesitate…
Xie Lin’s voice was merciless. "When did this servant ever say the spy was among Jiang Zhaohua’s eight maids?"
Jiang Yunshu froze.
She thought back carefully—Xie Lin had never said such a thing. From start to finish, she had misunderstood!
The spy wasn’t among Jiang Zhaohua’s maids? Then it must be among the servants Duan’s mother had bought.
"But… but I don’t even know the names of the maids Duan’s mother brought in…"
Xie Lin’s voice was devilish. "Then that is Your Highness’s own problem to solve."
A tender petal, carried by the night wind, spiraled down and landed on Jiang Yunshu’s lips.
Her tongue flicked out instinctively, catching the petal between her lips… It tasted faintly bitter, yet slightly sweet.
