Lu Huating returned to the mansion and ran directly into Chen Yu blocking the gate of the Prince of Yan’s mansion. The other man glared at him fiercely.

Unable to avoid him this time, Lu Huating could only accept the detailed list and accounts from the Ministry of Rites.

After looking for quite a while, he said: “Minister Chen, the Ministry of Rites’ expenses are too high.”

Before Chen Yu could speak, he struck out the largest item: “The Zhaixing Tower left behind by the Chu state has already been completed. Have the Ministry of Works modify the exterior and convert it into a pagoda. No need to construct a new building.”

“As for the banquet, carpets, and the linings of the prayer robes—I see they can all be eliminated.”

With these few strokes of his hand, he cut expenditures. Boiled down, it was just two words: no money.

Chen Yu truly couldn’t restrain himself, pointing at his nose and cursing: “This is a proposal discussed by over ten people from the Ministry of Rites according to old precedents. How dare you scribble all over it? This is state business, not a place for you to piss and play in the mud!”

“If I manage to accomplish this, what will you do?” Lu Huating raised his eyes to look at him. The cold mockery in those black eyes was actually somewhat intimidating.

Juan Su tugged at Chen Yu’s garments: “Please calm your anger, Your Excellency. Our Chief Clerk was previously a disciple of Master Zengjia. He understands best how to conduct ceremonies and will satisfy those envoys.”

Chen Yu half-skeptically, half-breathlessly lowered his hand, then saw Lu Huating cross out another item.

Chen Yu grew anxious: “Hey, you can’t cross out that item—that’s a person!”

Lu Huating looked at the list and smiled: “I know.”

The person crossed out by the ink brush was the sixth-rank Ministry of Rites Director, Lin Yujia.

“The Prince of Yan’s mansion is remote, and the Minister is advanced in years. Why trouble yourself to make the journey personally?” Lu Huating returned the account list to him. “Next time, have this Director Lin come to my door to discuss matters with me.”

—

Sunlight illuminated the complex map on the floor. Above the ink lines, red and blue threads marked in detail the procession routes for nobles and commoners. After leaving court, Lu Huating lay with one arm as a pillow, sprawled across the desk without making a sound.

“Is he asleep or having another headache?” Zhu Su asked softly. Juan Su and Kuang Su both shook their heads.

“Someone’s coming later. Shouldn’t we clear this floor?” Chi Su looked at the colored inks spread across the ground, saying quietly, “Which of you dares wake him?”

“Move aside, watch me.” Juan Su rummaged through his pockets, found a copper coin, and tossed it beside Lu Huating’s face.

The coin fell on the desk with a crisp sound. Lu Huating suddenly awoke, his black eyes sharp. Juan Su jumped in fright, swallowing before finishing his sentence: “Chief Clerk, do you want to think about that coin lady…”

“Get out.” Lu Huating replied lightly.

Juan Su immediately led the other shadow guards in a swarm out the door. He received a chorus of complaints: “Why throw coins? Are you sick or something?”

Juan Su protested his innocence: “You don’t understand. It’s pointless explaining to you!”

Inside the room, Lu Huating rolled up the mounted silk scroll and stored it aside.

Beneath the scroll was an unused piece of rough paper. Morning light fell on the thin paper, illuminating it pure white and clear, the copper coin casting a shadow small as an autumn cicada.

Lu Huating picked up the coin. His wrist paused for a moment. The cup held paint not yet solidified. He suddenly picked up the brush, dipped it in the paint, and began sketching freely on the paper.

His brushwork was extremely casual and quick, yet very focused, with a certain unrestrained quality. As the ink spread, those several shadow guards all crowded at the window: “The Chief Clerk is painting—painting a beauty!”

Lu Huating rarely painted. The refined hobbies that noble young masters used to demonstrate elegance were nothing but useless trifles to him. Unless moved by emotion, letting himself go freely—for instance, now when his headache was unbearable, using it to transfer his feelings and vent.

The long skirt and draped silk extended upward. A bronze tally hung at the waist. The front placket and both sleeves of the upper garment were embroidered with jade flower roundels—the dress code for palace maids in charge. The snow-white inner garment had a collar button.

Besides Qun Qing, few people buttoned their collars so tightly, making the collar and jade-white neck fit almost seamlessly.

At first glance, it appeared proper and orderly. Because the neck was slender and elongated, it even seemed somewhat delicate. No one knew that within this button might be hidden poison.

The brush tip touched the collar button, dotting it vermillion red like a viper’s tongue.

“Why doesn’t this beauty have a face…” Zhu Su murmured from outside the window.

Holding the brush, Lu Huating tried to recall.

Those eyes—pupils blue-black, eye corners narrow and tilted, refined and reserved, so that when she raised her eyes to look at someone, there was an especially innocent quality.

Only the appearance from the previous life and now seemed… not quite the same. Aside from the eyes, the face shape and the positions of features all had subtle differences.

These slight differences actually made her face suddenly blur in his mind, unable to form a definite image. Lu Huating’s brush tip hung suspended and undecided. Finally, he threw down the brush. Ink splattered as he looked at the painting with an extremely ugly expression.

This person… what was going on? Even her face was fake?

“Chief Clerk, Director Lin has arrived.” Juan Su reminded him.

Lin Yujia hurried into the Prince of Yan’s mansion.

The proposal rejected by the Prince of Yan’s mansion made his carefully laid “arrangements” come to nothing. He’d been unable to sleep for several nights. Besides using his own learning to persuade this Chief Clerk Lu, there was no other way.

He’d investigated—Lu Huating came from humble origins and had no scholarly credentials.

No scholarly credentials meant he was a country bumpkin with martial skills. He himself had passed the imperial examination—what was there to fear? Thinking this, Lin Yujia’s expression steadied somewhat as he strode forward.

Until he clearly saw the green oiled-paper umbrella sitting in the slanting sun in the middle of the empty front courtyard.

The closer he got, the clearer the winter plum painted on the umbrella became. In the gradually cooling weather, he actually broke out in a cold sweat.

Wasn’t this the umbrella he’d given Qun Qing that day? How could it appear at the Prince of Yan’s mansion?

“Director Lin, is this your umbrella?” Lu Huating’s voice came from inside the pavilion, carrying a hint of doubt.

“It resembles one I lost a few days ago.” Lin Yujia recovered himself. “Don’t all oiled-paper umbrellas look about the same?”

Stepping into the side hall, the room was cooled with ice. Magnificent landscape paintings hung on the walls. Bookshelves and incense burners were arranged with extreme refinement, in no way inferior to the mansions of meritorious nobles in Chang’an.

From the corner of his eye, Lin Yujia saw the bamboo basket stuffed full of scrolls. The other party was not illiterate. His heart sank somewhat. Raising his eyes again, the person behind the desk had raven-black hair at the temples and a jade-like countenance. Lin Yujia considered himself handsome among young men, but unexpectedly this person possessed the beauty of Pan An whose thrown fruit would fill carriages. Between his brows and eyes lay extreme romantic charm.

Lu Huating’s lips carried a thin mockery. The way he looked at him made Lin Yujia feel a suppressive force, suddenly stirring anger in his heart.

“Is it the Chief Clerk’s umbrella?” Lin Yujia said. “Leaving an umbrella in the scorching sun will cause the surface to crack and painted designs to fade—inevitably wasting heaven’s gifts. Better to place it under the eaves.”

“Director Lin has misunderstood.” Lu Huating wrote a few characters. “Someone else’s discarded garbage—a friend of mine likes collecting trash. He absolutely insisted on bringing it back. Not knowing how to dispose of it, I could only place it in the courtyard. I’m not sunning it.”

Lin Yujia’s expression changed drastically.

His hands clenched into fists. He abandoned pleasantries and took blueprints from his sleeve: “Organizing large-scale ceremonies is the Ministry of Rites’ responsibility. As this concerns state affairs, please do not make things difficult for His Highness the Prince of Yan. Since the Chief Clerk is dissatisfied with the previous budget, I have brought a new proposal…”

Lu Huating picked up a scroll from the desk and tossed it to Lin Yujia.

The scroll was very heavy. Lin Yujia caught it with difficulty, but it struck his arm painfully. He looked at Lu Huating with a stern face.

“I’ve already drawn it for you.” Lu Huating said indifferently. “I called you here today to have you collect my blueprints. I have no other time to listen to your reports.”

Through gaps in the scroll, Lin Yujia glimpsed dense and detailed brushwork. Clearly there was no room for his involvement. He couldn’t control his anger: “Chief Clerk, drawing plans is the Ministry of Rites’ responsibility. Isn’t the Prince of Yan’s mansion overstepping its bounds too excessively?”

“His Majesty praised this plan in court today. Let me read it to you.” Lu Huating didn’t answer but picked up a memorial. “I believe opening the Qingxiao and Chongxuan gates to welcome the Buddha bone from the north, with military blockades south of Zhaixing Tower—this both allows the common people to observe and prevents miscellaneous persons from entering the palace city, absolutely preventing any spy from infiltrating under this pretext. An excellent idea. Urge the Ministry of Works and Ministry of Rites to implement it.”

“Director Lin, come look.” Lu Huating beckoned.

Hearing the word “spy,” amidst his anger, Lin Yujia felt a trace of icy dread. Every sentence seemed pointed, as if deliberately said for him to hear.

His feet unconsciously approached the desk, though his gaze didn’t fall on Emperor Chenming’s approval.

Lu Huating saw his face change color and followed his gaze to the painting of a beauty pressed beneath items on the desk.

Lin Yujia felt struck by a blow to the head. The lady in the painting had no face, but the clothing was clearly Qun Qing’s. How many palace maids of the rank in charge of palace affairs were there in this palace?

If the umbrella outside was coincidence, what about this painting?

His fingertips began to tremble. Could Qun Qing have secretly betrayed Nan Chu? She had deep blood enmity with the Prince of Yan—it couldn’t be her initiative.

Then there were only two possibilities: the Prince of Yan’s mansion suspected Qun Qing, or someone had set their sights on his fiancée in the bloom of youth.

Lin Yujia was also skilled in calligraphy and painting. No matter how he tried to convince himself, he felt this painting’s brushwork was tender and intimate—not like depicting a suspect, but rather like…

How could his fiancée be gazed upon by others in this way?

Instantly, Lin Yujia’s mind was overwhelmed by jealous fury. He wanted to lift the painting: “I didn’t expect Chief Clerk Lu excels at painting. This picture is vivid—could you gift it to me?”

Lu Huating grasped his wrist through his sleeve in one motion, saying with a smile: “Director Lin, are you this rude when visiting others’ homes? Casually demanding other people’s belongings.”

The two men’s strength contended. Lin Yujia’s veins throbbed as he forced out a smile. “Yes, I was rude. May I ask the Chief Clerk—who is in the painting?”

Lu Huating looked at him, the corner of his mouth lifting: “My wife.”

Lin Yujia noticed his unblinking stare observing his expression. After a long moment, he laughed absurdly: “Chief Clerk Lu jests. I know you don’t yet have a wife.”

Lu Huating then truly smiled, picking up that painting to examine it carefully before his eyes.

“I ask you,” Lu Huating’s tone lost all humor, shadows of his lashes pooling at the bottom of his eyes. “Do you want your umbrella, or do you want this painting?”

“What does the Chief Clerk mean by this?” Lin Yujia heard the threat in his words.

“In Great Chen, disloyal officials have only one road—death. Let me remind you: an umbrella can shelter you from wind and rain.” Lu Huating sneered. “If you choose this painting, I’m afraid you won’t be able to protect your official career, Director Lin.”

Lin Yujia’s face turned deathly pale.

It seemed that although the Prince of Yan’s mansion had no evidence, his identity as a spy had indeed been discovered by Lu Huating. That meant Qun Qing… had probably also been exposed. If Lu Huating submitted a memorial reporting this, they wouldn’t just lose their positions—they’d lose their lives!

But this Lu Huating coveted Qun Qing, so he hadn’t revealed it, wanting to use this to coerce…

He truly couldn’t afford any risks now. He could only save her secretly.

Lu Huating waited for a long while, hearing only footsteps rapidly departing.

He raised his eyes. Juan Su ran in: “Chief Clerk, that person, that person… he took the umbrella with him!”

“Just as well, saves me a trip to throw it out.” Lu Huating sneered coldly. “Waste.”

How could she have an engagement with such a person? Or did this waste habitually use honeyed words and flattery before his lady?

He thought coldly, casually tossing the painting paper onto the desk.

It was so light and thin. A gust of wind blew, sweeping it aside. The lady without a face in the painting, also like duckweed and fallen leaves, was easily discarded on a political enemy’s desk.

Juan Su saw Lu Huating staring at the painting for a long time and carefully picked it up: “It’s painted very well. This subordinate will help the Chief Clerk mount it.”

Lu Huating said: “Burn it.”

—

Lu Huating watched coldly as flames rose in the brazier. The sun was very strong today, shining on his pale forehead, illuminating the condensing cold sweat.

One map—from morning court—had already kept him from closing his eyes for three days. The map was finally settled, but within ten days, he still needed to obtain the Cui family’s account book…

Sharp, intermittent headaches made him find the sunlight extremely dazzling.

Lu Huating turned back toward the room. Before reaching the door, he suddenly collapsed. In his impression, this would be the beginning of losing control.

“Chief Clerk!” The four shadow guards surged forward, blocking his form. Behind them, he made not a single sound.

“Quickly, bring all the yellow sweet grass in the mansion!” Juan Su’s face turned deathly pale with fright.

Lu Huating still convulsed in silent stillness. Only one sandalwood bead fell out, bouncing several times on the ground, making hollow sounds like shattered jade.

He should have tortured her.

In the silent void, he stared fixedly at the roof beams, his eyes red with pain, pitch-black with hatred. He should have watched fresh blood flow out, soaking that blue silk skirt, so she too could experience what it felt like to be controlled by violent poison.

—

“Chief Clerk Lu didn’t come to court today.” Lan Yue said. “They say he suddenly fell ill.”

The needle in Qun Qing’s hand pricked her finger, a small pearl of blood welling up. She wiped it away with a handkerchief: “Suddenly fell ill?”

“Really, the minor eunuch from Taiji Hall told me. Someone from the Prince of Yan’s mansion came early in the morning to request leave. The Crown Prince heard and granted three days’ leave.”

Qun Qing set down her needle and thread, looking toward the window. She didn’t know if it was the sunlight by the window that was too intense, but heat continuously seeped from her temples.

Lu Huating’s was no ordinary illness.

As long as he retained even a bit of consciousness, he absolutely couldn’t use “sudden illness” as an excuse to request leave, lest it provoke speculation. He must have been completely unconscious. His subordinates didn’t know what to do and could only request leave on his behalf.

Yellow sweet grass was rarely used to make fragrant beads. The fact that Lu Huating’s sachet contained yellow sweet grass was already strange. By forcing him to attend early court without rest, she wanted precisely to verify this matter: judging from today, like the Crown Prince, she’d forced his Yearning Inducer poison to flare up urgently.

She was certain—Lu Huating’s body also carried the Yearning Inducer poison.

People poisoned with Yearning Inducer ordinarily lacked energy and suffered continuous headaches. The Crown Prince, being poisoned, could gather medicinal ingredients from famous physicians across the four seas to treat the Eastern Palace. Lu Huating certainly didn’t have such resources, yet normally showed no signs of illness. How did he manage it?

She had once recorded in her notes that Lu Huating slept until past noon every day, only able to work half a day—presumably using indolence as an excuse to conceal the fact of his poisoning.

Thinking to this point, Qun Qing broke out in cold sweat, unable to help but admire this person’s tenacious endurance.

The poison wasn’t administered by her, nor was it a remnant from the previous life. Before they ever met, he was already poisoned. But she didn’t know who the poisoner was, which was why in the previous life, when she confessed on her deathbed to giving the Prince of Yan “Yearning Inducer,” his expression suddenly became so hateful…

Understanding all this, the anxiety hanging in Qun Qing’s heart actually settled.

Since Lu Huating knew she would use Yearning Inducer, he must, like the Crown Prince, believe she could create an antidote and want this antidote formula.

Qun Qing stood up, using a firefly-catching glass bottle to fill a bottle with Intoxicating Fragrance. Because she was too nervous, she spilled some.

She calmly wiped the bottle mouth clean and handed it to Lan Yue: “Last time in the palace I encountered the Princess Consort of Yan, she wanted to try our Western Region fragrances. This incense can relieve headaches. Help me deliver it to Juan Su at the Prince of Yan’s mansion. Oh, and the Crown Prince doesn’t like us associating with people from the Prince of Yan’s mansion—don’t let him know.”

“It’s just consorts sharing some fragrances—what’s the harm? It’s not like we’re passing secret information.” Lan Yue watched her scoop the incense, took it and left. “Don’t worry, no need to alarm His Highness over such a small matter.”

Qun Qing watched Lan Yue depart.

Lin Yujia hadn’t been eliminated yet. Lu Huating temporarily couldn’t die. First give something to alleviate his condition to show sincerity.

Mother said Yearning Inducer had no antidote, but she must pretend to know the antidote formula until she safely left the palace.

Only this way could she be certain that no matter how much Lu Huating hated her, he wouldn’t kill her. Because she possessed something he wanted.