Just this? Easy!
By now, Chu Mingzhao’s skill at revising the script had become nothing short of masterful—effortless and swift.
At the critical moment, she quickly erased two characters and replaced them with new ones.
With a ding, the golden light on the virtual panel shimmered, and the glowing words rearranged themselves.
“Oops, slipped.”
Pei Yuan’s voice, tinged with exaggeration, sounded above her head.
With a clang, a small white porcelain dish holding jade-green bean cakes slipped straight from his hand, landing precisely in front of Pei Yan’s knees.
The delicate, translucent cakes, faintly fragrant with sweetness, rolled a few times on the ground, now covered in visible dust.
The music and chatter at the feast instantly quieted down, and the surrounding court officials and family members, who had been raising their cups and exchanging toasts, all turned their gazes toward the scene.
Everyone knew exactly what was happening.
This Seventh Prince, a formidable commander known for his rebellious streak, was publicly humiliating the Deposed Crown Prince on behalf of his own brother.
The air by the Taiye Pool seemed to freeze.
Pei Yan knelt on the biting cold stone floor, his eyes lowered, long lashes casting two dark shadows.
Inside his sleeves, his slender, well-defined fingers clenched silently, nails digging so hard they almost pierced the flesh of his palms.
He was far too familiar with this routine.
For the past half a year since his fall from grace, he’d been like a toothless stray dog, trampled on at will.
He could guess what Pei Yuan was about to say or do next—even with his eyes shut—
It would be to force him, like a dog, to crawl on the ground and lick the dust-covered cake clean.
Pei Yan bit down hard on his back molars, the metallic taste of blood filling his mouth.
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.
But the expected scene never came.
Pei Yuan didn’t even glance at the cake on the ground. Instead, he stepped over Pei Yan’s eyes and strode straight toward Chu Mingzhao, who was seated at the banquet.
“What a pity,”
Pei Yuan’s voice rang out above her, casual and lazy, with a hint of nonchalance. His tall frame leaned forward slightly, casting a shadow that blocked half of the grand hall’s brilliant lights.
“This was your favorite—osmanthus flavor. But no worries, I’ll have someone send you a fresh batch soon.”
Chu Mingzhao was startled by his sudden closeness, instinctively leaning back a little.
What’s this silly dog acting up for again?
Why get so close? Doesn’t he know men and women shouldn’t touch like this?
On the surface, Chu Mingzhao maintained the poised and aloof demeanor of a noble lady from the Chu household, partially hiding her face behind a round fan as she prepared to offer a polite brush-off.
But then she noticed Pei Yuan lowering his head even further, using the wide sleeves of his robe as cover.
A warm breath, tinged faintly with alcohol, brushed against her ear.
Then Chu Mingzhao heard a whispered phrase only the two of them could hear, spoken quickly, clearly, and precisely:
“Change the odd, keep the even!”
Her pupils instantly dilated.
Holy crap!!!
No wonder! No wonder he flashed her an “OK” hand sign earlier and winked at her so slyly!
She’d thought he was just twitching or having a spasm—turns out, he’s a fellow time traveler too!
Chu Mingzhao quickly suppressed the urge to throw her arms around him and cry tears of relief.
After all, the old emperor was still seated above, and Pei Yan was still kneeling below. One wrong move could mean losing his head.
She took a deep breath, lifting her round fan slightly to cover most of her face, revealing only a pair of shimmering, expressive eyes.
To onlookers, this was clearly the shy and delicate demeanor of a young maiden teased by her beloved’s younger brother.
In an almost imperceptible voice, she precisely delivered the second half of the phrase:
“...the symbol corresponds to the quadrant!”
The moment her words fell, a dazzling light burst from Pei Yuan’s eyes.
He struggled to contain his excitement, the corners of his mouth twitching upward uncontrollably.
If the occasion were less formal, Chu Mingzhao had no doubt this unlucky boy would have knelt before her on the spot.
Pei Yuan leaned in a little closer again, quickly lowering his voice.
“At the end of the banquet, during the lantern viewing, meet me behind the rockery on the west side of Taiye Pool! Don’t stand me up, no matter what!”
Having said that, he didn’t wait for Chu Mingzhao’s reaction. He suddenly straightened up and instantly switched back to his usual haughty Seventh Prince persona.
“Someone, clear this away. Don’t dirty Miss Chu’s dress.”
Pei Yuan loudly ordered the palace attendants, then swaggered back to his seat.
The entire act was smooth and flawless.
Chu Mingzhao’s hand gripping the fan was drenched in cold sweat, her heart pounding wildly in her chest.
Heaven has eyes!
Nearly two weeks since she crossed over, she finally met a living modern person!
She had to quickly pull him aside to discuss their next moves—after all, there’s strength in numbers.
On the other side of the hall, Pei Lin sat upright at the table, casually swirling the white jade wine cup in his hand.
Around him, the sounds of silk and bamboo instruments mingled with clinking glasses, but he seemed detached, his mind only half-present, focused on that direction.
Because of the distance and the noise in the hall, the strange words came through intermittently, unclear.
He, too, was a time traveler... a living modern person...
Taiye Pool... to discuss the next steps...
Pei Lin paused his swirling motion slightly. His smooth, jade-like face held a smile without wavering, but frost was slowly forming in his eyes.
The Seventh Prince’s earlier act, seemingly to torment Pei Yan, was actually a message to Chu Mingzhao.
When did his usually sword-wielding, woman-avoiding younger brother become so familiar with Miss Chu, who had eyes only for him?
So familiar that they were secretly exchanging words at a palace banquet, arranging a private meeting?
Pei Lin took a small sip of wine.
The wine was a sweet, mellow grape wine from the Western Regions, but as it slid down his throat, an inexplicable faint bitterness arose.
From childhood until now, Chu Mingzhao’s eyes had only ever held him.
Yet she showed no sign of dislike toward the Seventh Prince. On the contrary, she was secretly thrilled and had even agreed to meet him at Taiye Pool.
Pei Lin lowered his eyelids.
Suddenly, he felt the warmth from the brazier in the hall was burning a little too fiercely, stoking an uneasy restlessness.
And Pei Yan, kneeling on the floor, was close to losing his mind.
From the moment Pei Yuan approached Chu Mingzhao, Pei Yan felt something was terribly wrong with his body.
At first, there was just a faint, sharp sourness rising from his stomach, like accidentally swallowing an unripe green plum.
But the moment their figures intertwined and whispered secrets to each other, that faint sourness instantly ignited into a nameless, raging fire.
[Plot reload complete...]
[...Chu Mingzhao watched coldly from the sidelines, observing Pei Yan sprawled on the ground, eating his jealousy like a dog.]
Pei Yan couldn’t hear the cold, mechanical voice. All he knew was that he was on the verge of madness.
His reason told him that Chu Mingzhao and Pei Yuan were, respectively, a woman who had humiliated him and an enemy who had framed him.
No matter if they were colluding or tearing each other apart, he should watch with detached eyes, maybe even applaud.
Yet, his gaze stuck uncontrollably to Chu Mingzhao.
He watched as she shyly leaned back because of Pei Yuan’s closeness, witnessing the intimate familiarity and secret understanding between them, as if no one else existed.
