But it lasted only a moment.
By the time Jiu Yue turned around, the maid's cold gaze abruptly shifted to one of shock, as if she had seen a ghost.
Yet the killing intent vanished.
Jiu Yue, who had been ready to strike: "?"
Realizing the situation, Jiu Yue approached her. "Do you know me?"
Thinking about it, it made sense—this maid was from Prince Ping's Mansion, and since Jiu Yue had been ordered hunted by Prince Ping, the maid naturally recognized her.
What surprised Jiu Yue, however, was the maid's attitude. The woman had even dropped her broom, showing no intention of fighting.
A flicker of suspicion crossed Jiu Yue's mind, but the maid urgently pulled her into a corner where stagnant water pooled.
The stench filled the air, and Jiu Yue's expression soured.
Yet the maid, unbothered, dipped her fingers into the filthy water and began writing on the ground: [How did you come back? Leave, quickly!]
Jiu Yue paused, then crouched beside her, surprised. "You can't speak?"
The maid hesitated, her gaze turning complex as she studied Jiu Yue before continuing: [What happened to you?]
Her demeanor made Jiu Yue lower her guard slightly. "After waking up, I forgot many things," she explained briefly.
The mute woman froze, then looked crestfallen. She reached out with her clean hand and gently touched Jiu Yue's face, her eyes filled with an indescribable sorrow.
[Then you must leave too. If Prince Ping discovers you're alive, he won’t spare you.]
Jiu Yue's eyes gleamed. "Where is he now?"
The maid wrote: [Qingnan.]
Now Jiu Yue truly believed her.
In that case, she would have to wait until Prince Ping returned to the capital before making her move.
Relaxing slightly, Jiu Yue turned her attention back to the mute woman. This wasn’t the time for reminiscing, but she still needed to ask the crucial questions.
"Xue'er's mother…" Having never been a mother herself, Jiu Yue stumbled over the words.
Before she could finish, the maid began weeping again.
Flustered, Jiu Yue quickly wiped her tears. "Hey, why are you crying?"
She couldn’t stand seeing people cry, especially when the mute woman looked as if she had suffered an unbearable injustice.
Unable to grasp the reason, Jiu Yue held back further questions, but the maid soon composed herself and shakily wrote:
[I never thought… in the end, you’d be the only one who remembers the princess’s death anniversary.]
Jiu Yue: "…"
Wait.
The princess’s death anniversary?
So Xue'er’s mother was a princess—but which one? How had she died?
The maid’s face twisted with hatred, venomous and sharp. [If not for caring for Xue’er, I would have avenged the princess by now!]
Jiu Yue pressed, "Who was your princess?"
Silent tears fell as the maid wrote: [Yan Muling.]
A flash of memory struck Jiu Yue, and she rubbed her temples, but the image vanished as quickly as it came. Frowning, she asked, "Who killed her?"
The maid clenched her jaw. [Qi Xiuyuan.]
Prince Ping’s name was Qi Xiuyuan.
…
By the time Jiu Yue hurried back to the palace, Si Shui intercepted her again.
Knowing now that Jiu Yue served Sima Qing, Si Shui didn’t immediately attack.
But given their two previous hostile encounters, Jiu Yue remained on guard, her expression dark. "Are you stopping me again today?"
Si Shui: "…No. His Highness the Regent ordered me to wait for you here."
Jiu Yue paused, gradually lowering her guard. "He sent you to fetch me?"
How generous.
Si Shui’s expression turned odd. "No, to deliver a message."
Jiu Yue: "What message?"
Si Shui said, "His Highness said, ‘If you’re not back by chenshi, expect your pay docked.’"
"…Damn it." Jiu Yue’s face fell. Did he think she was easy to bully? Running back and forth—even with her lightness skill, this was exhausting!
"What time is it now?" she sighed, asking reflexively.
Si Shui gave her a strange, pitying look. "You have one ke left."
Jiu Yue: "…"
Without hesitation, she spun around and sprinted at full speed.
She arrived at the Regent’s estate just as Sima Qing’s carriage pulled up to the gates.
Gasping for breath, Jiu Yue looked up to see Sima Qing stepping down, watching her with an amused smirk.
The very image of a ruthless taskmaster.
Instantly, Jiu Yue plastered on a sycophantic smile and scurried forward. "Your Highness has returned! Your Highness must be exhausted!"
With servants like Mo Jin attending to him, Jiu Yue had little actual work to do, but she busied herself pacing nearby, pretending to be occupied.
Sima Qing: "…"
How irritating.
"Didn’t I say you’re to guard me at all times?" he remarked idly.
Jiu Yue immediately defended herself, "Of course, Your Highness! I haven’t forgotten! I went to the palace, and that whip guy told me you ordered me back by chenshi!"
Sima Qing raised a brow. "Ah, so that’s what happened. I nearly misunderstood you."
To Jiu Yue, his words sounded like: I nearly docked your pay.
She grinned through clenched teeth. "Close call, close call."
Sima Qing finally relented. "Very well. Since you completed your task satisfactorily, I’ll grant you half a day’s rest. You may leave."
Jiu Yue bowed and vanished in an instant.
Sima Qing’s gaze lingered where she had disappeared. "Where did she go?"
Qiu Dongfang materialized at once, looking sheepish. "I lost her. She headed toward the west district."
The streets had been empty, and he hadn’t dared to follow too closely, fearing Jiu Yue would notice—but in the blink of an eye, she was gone. Qiu Dongfang was frustrated.
The west district?
Mo Jin lowered his head. "Could she have gone to the Misty Rain Pavilion?"
Qiu Dongfang considered it. "Last night, she helped a woman named Xueliu clean her room there."
Sima Qing chuckled softly. "As you said, she was just there last night."
Had she rushed back after mere hours?
Qiu Dongfang hesitated.
Mo Jin’s expression darkened. "She’s avoiding us!"
"But she still returned," Qiu Dongfang frowned. "Your Highness, what is she planning?"
Sima Qing remained unperturbed. He glanced at the half-risen sun in the distance and said lightly, "She’ll slip up eventually. If you lose her again, you’ll be demoted to the training camp’s chores."
Qiu Dongfang paled. "It won’t happen again."
Next time, he’d cling to Jiu Yue like a shadow if he had to!
Having returned from the palace in good spirits, Sima Qing waved dismissively and changed the subject. "The matter at the Misty Rain Pavilion has reached His Majesty’s ears… Now, we can move against Feng Sheng."
