Li Xuan said, “Speaking of this, do you feel that Third Brother is righteous, and I cannot compare?”

When Li Xuan spoke of Li Huan, it wasn’t with deep hatred and disgust, but seemed to contain complex emotions, even vaguely tinged with something like envy.

The night was deep and heavy. Qun Qing had been somewhat drowsy, but at the mention of Prince Yan, she immediately became alert. “Your Highness, anyone who experiences the pain of losing their mother cannot forgive Prince Yan. Moreover… the servant knows what happened afterward—after Empress Yuan passed away, His Majesty made Prince Yan’s mother the Empress, who is now Her Majesty the Empress. It would not be excessive for Your Highness to detest Prince Yan in any way.”

She never missed any opportunity to slander Prince Yan.

“That’s not all,” Li Xuan said lightly. “When I suffered torment, Father Emperor promised Third Brother the position of Crown Prince.”

As soon as these words fell, his expression changed slightly, realizing he had said too much. “This matter is in the past—don’t let it leak out.”

“This servant understands.” Qun Qing paused. “Your Highness says Prince Yan is righteous because Prince Yan, not being the legitimate eldest son, doesn’t have to bear responsibilities, so he can act as he pleases. If Your Highness hadn’t had restrictions since childhood, surely you could also have been the person you wanted to be.”

Li Xuan had just finished reviewing the memorial in his hand. The sandalwood incense made one’s heart calm and peaceful. He only felt that her voice was as cool as night dew, like autumn wind passing through his hair, and even the cricket sounds outside the window became clearer.

“Go to sleep,” Li Xuan put down the document, his tone unusually gentle.

Qun Qing went to bed late at night. When dawn broke, she was awakened by commotion in the courtyard and hurriedly dressed before coming to the front yard.

Shouxi was surrounded by Lan Yue and several others who were denouncing him. Upon seeing her arrive, he pleaded, “Miss Qing, say a word on this slave’s behalf!”

Only then did Qun Qing notice the wooden box he held in his hands. “What is this?”

Shouxi gestured for her to open the box. Inside was a seed larger than a broad bean, emerald green in color.

“This is a ‘Udumbara’ seed from the Kingdom of Liuli, gifted by the envoy. Legend has it this flower blooms in eighteen days and has a very long flowering period. It emits wonderful fragrance and breaks through defilement to stop evil. His Highness has ordered that the Consort plant this flower in the flower garden, carefully nurture it to make it bloom, and present it to Biquan Palace during the Birthday of the Ancient Buddha of Burning Lamps, to demonstrate that the Consort has affinity with Buddha.”

Isn’t this a good thing? Qun Qing turned toward Lan Yue, who looked aggrieved. “If it were only given to us, that would be fine, but ask him! That Liuli envoy simultaneously gifted one to Princess Bao’an as well. Besides the seed, she also received Buddhist scriptures and jewels—several boxes worth. This is clearly bullying us.”

Shouxi said helplessly to Qun Qing, “Originally everything was negotiated well, but Princess Bao’an suddenly sent a letter to the envoy. One of the envoys clamored to see the Princess, but because the Princess is confined and cannot meet visitors, who knows what she wrote in that letter—he became hostile toward the Consort’s side and insisted that the Consort present flowers to participate in the Burning Lamp Buddha Birthday ceremony.”

A-Meng said strangely, “Princess Bao’an is confined with guards all around—how did she get a letter out?”

“She’s a princess from the previous dynasty with connections everywhere—how would we know if some of those guards aren’t her people?” A-Jiang said coolly with folded arms.

Qun Qing asked, “Is that troublemaking envoy named Atinye?”

“It’s him.” Shouxi frowned. “This person is making his second diplomatic mission to Zhongzhou. His first mission was during the previous dynasty. Apparently Princess Bao’an left an unforgettable impression on him—she’s an old acquaintance of his.”

Qun Qing finally recalled who Atinye was.

When Yang Fu was young, she had indeed received envoys from the Kingdom of Liuli. This Atinye was one of them. He was infatuated with Yang Fu’s beauty and said before leaving that he would return as an envoy again.

Princess Bao’an… In this lifetime, she had withdrawn from the Princess’s life. This name felt somewhat unfamiliar to Qun Qing, except for the threads of pain on her face that reminded her of past entanglements.

Having finished the “Cold Frost Rain Dew” medicine, her face had begun to ache faintly again these past days. Doctor Li had once said that the bones he had pushed back would slowly return to their original state before she turned twenty when her bones would be set. If she didn’t use medicine to suppress it, this process would be painfully difficult to endure.

This was the path she had chosen in her youthful arrogance—she could only endure it herself.

Qun Qing took the wooden box. “Besides planting this seed, did His Highness have any other instructions?”

It seemed Yang Fu’s days of confinement were not going well—she had actually made a risky move, sending a letter to the Liuli envoy at this critical juncture, violating regulations.

She had long known that Princess Bao’an’s influence still remained and wouldn’t so easily let Zheng Zhiyi, a lowborn young woman, succeed in ascending to that highest position.

Shouxi sighed and quietly reminded her, “Miss Qing must hurry—this Burning Lamp Buddha Birthday is at the end of the month. This is the Kingdom of Liuli’s sacred flower. If petals fall or leaves yellow at the Consort’s place, there will be material for others to make an issue of it.”

“Growing one flower means having Buddha affinity? In the end, they decide. And yet Her Majesty the Empress firmly believes in such things.” Lan Yue’s teeth itched with hatred. “What if there’s no Buddha affinity? With this reputation, does it mean our Consort can’t become Crown Princess?”

“Lan Yue, go dig a hole and plant it.” Qun Qing handed the box to Lan Yue. “Hasn’t the Princess already planted hers? Since we’re pressed for time, we shouldn’t lag behind.”

Lan Yue could only stomp her foot and go. Shouxi was slightly surprised. “Has Miss already thought of a response?”

Qun Qing answered frankly, “Not yet. But what use is making a commotion here? Since the other party has made a move, we might as well go with the flow and see what they really want to do.”

For three consecutive days, when Qun Qing was dressing her hair, Lan Yue would squeeze into the side hall, clasp her hands together, and mutter words at the sheep-head sachet Qun Qing kept in a high place.

“What are you doing?” Qun Qing’s hand stopped mid-air while arranging her hair bun.

“I’m learning from you, making a wish for that damned seed to sprout quickly!” Lan Yue called urgently. “Ruo Chan, come quick, help me make a wish.”

“I only make wishes for Elder Sister…” Ruo Chan looked rather reluctant, but shrunk her neck when Lan Yue yelled at her. “Aren’t the affairs of Qingxuan Pavilion important?”

Ruo Chan could only tremblingly pick up her homemade whisk and begin her ritual.

Qun Qing looked at that sheep-head sachet, feeling utterly absurd. This was a relic from her father and brothers—if it was going to bless anyone, it should bless her. How could it bless Lan Yue?

Three days after the Udumbara seed was buried, there was no movement whatsoever. The palace servants of Qingxuan Pavilion, along with Zheng Zhiyi, all stood before the flower garden. Qun Qing made a quick decision. “Dig it up and take a look.”

“Maybe we should just forget it and wait a few more days—as long as it blooms within eighteen days, right?” Lan Yue hummed nervously. “What if the shovel breaks it? That would be a loss outweighing the gain.”

A young eunuch had already dug the seed out by hand and carefully placed it on a plain handkerchief in Qun Qing’s palm.

Qun Qing wiped it clean bit by bit. The seed was bright and hard, still in its fresh green appearance from when it was first in the box. “If it blooms in eighteen days, its growth should be very fast. If it were an ordinary seed, after being watered and buried in soil for several days, even if not sprouting, it should at least swell somewhat. It shouldn’t remain completely unchanged.”

“This is a flower from the Western Regions—what if it’s just different and grows wildly in the final days?” Lan Yue became anxious. She had anticipated this flower might have problems, but hadn’t expected they couldn’t even plant it successfully.

“Since you’re worried, let’s confirm once more.” Qun Qing called over the young eunuch. “I see you’re thin and light—can you climb walls?”

As soon as these words fell, everyone looked at her in surprise.

“This slave, this slave can…”

Qun Qing seemed completely oblivious to those surprised looks. “I’ll distract the Jinwu Guards. You climb the wall into Luanyi Pavilion and see—since they were planted one after the other, has Princess Bao’an’s side sprouted yet?”

Half an hour later, the young eunuch returned with not-so-good news. He gestured with his thumb and index finger. “Their Udumbara has already grown this high, about like a bean sprout.”

Qun Qing remained silent. Everyone’s hearts were anguished and uneasy. Qingxuan Pavilion particularly couldn’t grow anything—what would they present at the Burning Lamp Buddha Birthday?

Zheng Zhiyi panicked, taking the seed to examine it and shaking it. “Is this cursed? Why won’t it grow in our flower garden? No, it must be that dog-shit envoy causing trouble, deliberately making things difficult for me!”

Lan Yue covered her mouth. The young eunuch continued, “Oh yes, Miss Qing, Consort, on my way back I discovered something: the bricks on the outer wall of our South Garden are loose, and there are some muddy footprints on top.”

“What does this mean?” Lan Yue asked blankly.

Zheng Zhiyi said, “Fool, it means someone has also climbed over our wall these past days. It rained a few days ago and the ground was muddy, so footprints were left on the bricks.”

Speaking thus, she darkened her face. “They dare climb the Eastern Palace walls? Have craftsmen raise the walls and place broken porcelain pieces on top—don’t let thieves enter the halls!”

“Consort, wait.” Hearing this, Qun Qing’s eyes flickered. “If the Consort trusts this servant, I believe we should not set up defenses yet.”

“Then what does Miss Qing say we should do?” Zheng Zhiyi looked toward her.

“Don’t raise the walls, but have people guard them, acting as if we don’t know someone came.” Qun Qing said, “Lan Yue, go dig up a shorter bean sprout and transplant it to the Udumbara’s location.”

Lan Yue had given the Udumbara a separate plot, surrounding it with small wooden sticks forming a protective cage against insects and flies—truly careful nurturing. Now to replace it with a bean sprout naturally made her heart anxious.

But reason told her that what Qun Qing said always had its own logic, so she could only comply.

Qun Qing took the hard seed, her expression calm. “As for this Udumbara, bury it elsewhere in the flower garden. Since it may have problems, we’ll make two-handed preparations.”

“What two-handed preparations?” Zheng Zhiyi asked.

“Ruo Chan, Lan Yue mentioned before that you know silk flower-making—could you show me?” Qun Qing followed Ruo Chan into the storeroom and saw her take out a silk lotus flower made previously. Though dusty, it couldn’t hide its vivid and fresh colors.

Qun Qing couldn’t help but take it, touching it with her hand. The flower petal tips were wrapped firmly and solidly, making it both flower-like in appearance yet gleaming with silk satin luster.

“Had I known you had this skill, we needn’t have had the Consort plant flowers.” Qun Qing smiled.

Hearing this, Ruo Chan’s face reddened further, but she was also very pleased by the praise. “Does Elder Sister want me to make a silk flower—a Udumbara? These silk flowers look like real flowers from afar. Since we’ll be standing quite far from the envoy at the Burning Lamp Buddha Birthday, it could serve in an emergency.”

Qun Qing nodded and asked, “Can you finish within eighteen days?”

“I can, I can… but Elder Sister,” Ruo Chan looked troubled, “I’ve never seen a Udumbara—I don’t know what it looks like.”

Qun Qing was startled.

She had forgotten this point. This Udumbara was a flower from the Western Regions—none of the palace servants of Great Chen had ever seen it. She herself had only caught a glimpse in texts, vaguely remembering it was white, similar in size to an epiphyllum but different.

But as for details, it was indeed a blur—she couldn’t remember clearly.

“First prepare the silk threads and copper wire for silk flower-making. Choose jade-white for the silk thread, and wait for my news.” Qun Qing said.

One of Li Xuan’s cold-weather cloaks had been left at Qingxuan Pavilion. A young eunuch brought the message. Qun Qing tidied and folded it neatly, placing it on a gold tray to send to the Eastern Palace.

The hall doors were tightly closed, and from within came faint sounds of Li Xuan arguing with his advisors.

“Just give it to this slave, Miss Qing.” Shouxi took the gold tray and sighed to Qun Qing. “They’re arguing again about that Siye Tower matter.”

Hearing it was related to Siye Tower, Qun Qing pricked up her ears. “Eunuch, what matter is that?”

“It’s about that common woman who rolled on the nail board to lodge a complaint.” Shouxi said, “The matter is growing bigger. Some displaced people are lingering around Siye Tower. His Highness has no choice but to go there.”

Qun Qing’s fingers clenched in her sleeves, feeling sharp pain. Rolling on the nail board was an extreme form of petitioning the throne. The petitioner had to hold the complaint document and walk barefoot across a sharp-pointed board to show they had absolutely no intent to make false accusations.

Those who rolled on nail boards to petition must have had no other recourse and suffered tremendous injustice.

Qun Qing suddenly felt less resistant to the Siye Tower mission. “Will His Highness go today?”

“The Three Judicial Offices are still trying the case. His Highness plans to inspect around Siye Tower tonight to pacify the common people, but it’s dangerous outside the palace. Those advisors are unwilling to take risks and need to prepare defenses.” Shouxi said, “Miss Qing, remember to have Qingxuan Pavilion prepare some food tonight for His Highness to fill his stomach.”

“Yes.” Qun Qing replied.

She returned to Qingxuan Pavilion, just running into Ministry of Rites officials finishing their discussions. Four or five civil officials walked over conversing. Qun Qing stepped aside to let them pass first.

In her field of vision, under one person’s wide sleeve, a wrist was concealed with a string of dark sandalwood prayer beads.

She looked up.

Lu Huating brushed past her, lifting her scattered hair and shawl. His whispered words dissipated in the air: “Today at three-quarters past the Hour of the Rooster, the items are in the stone cave.”

Qun Qing was startled. She didn’t know why he chose tonight of all times—the Crown Prince was also going to Siye Tower, making it quite risky for her. She said, “I have night duty…”

That group of civil officials had already passed by like the wind. Lu Huating turned his head to look at her, deliberately tilting his ear, his upturned dark eyes full of innocence, as if to say “What did you say? I didn’t hear clearly.”

Qun Qing’s skirt hem flicked as she turned and walked away.

When no one was around, she found a cloth bundle from deep in the stone cave. Returning to the hall and locking the door, Qun Qing carefully examined it. Inside the bundle were several sets of clothing and jewelry, a fish tally from Prince Yan’s mansion, and the temporary palace exit permit she had requested.

Holding a piece of paper, Qun Qing’s eyes reflected the skylight as she studied this permit with extreme concentration.

On top were celestial stems and earthly branches representing dates, in the middle were drawn talismanic symbols, and below were eight seal characters of unclear meaning.

When she asked Lu Huating for a permit, she also wanted to study it to see if she could find patterns and forge one.

Now it seemed those eight seal characters should correspond in detail to specific information like place names, gender, and time limits. If even one didn’t match, it would reveal flaws. But besides Lu Huating and the Finance Ministry, no one knew how this cipher system corresponded.

Qun Qing temporarily abandoned the idea of forgery. She removed her hairpins and ornaments, changing into a set of short palace attire that revealed no rank.

Before leaving, Qun Qing made a final check of all of Qingxuan Pavilion, seeing Lan Yue still sitting on a small stool worrying over the unsprouted Udumbara.

Somehow, Qun Qing’s mind flashed to that wrist wearing sandalwood prayer beads. She suddenly thought—Lu Huating had been a Buddhist disciple and had private relations with Master Zengjia. Master Zengjia was originally a famous monk from the Kingdom of Liuli, so surely he must have seen Udumbara flowers?

Thinking this, Qun Qing ran back to the South Garden, reaching out with uneven breath: “Dig up that seed and give it to me.”

Lan Yue looked astonished. The seed that had been buried for less than a day was dug up again and handed to Qun Qing’s palm.

Qun Qing wrapped the seed carefully and placed it in her bundle. She said to Lan Yue, “I need to leave the palace to find a florist outside to examine this seed. The road is long and difficult. If His Highness comes early, say I was summoned by the Bureau of Palace Attendants and will return later.”

Lan Yue immediately approved: “Don’t worry, I know what to say. Hurry and check that seed—it’s killing us with anxiety!”

Qun Qing left the palace gate with the fish tally of a Prince Yan’s mansion guard. The bustling city of Chang’an appeared before her eyes again. The sky darkened like ink-colored gauze draping over the coming and going common people. The cool autumn wind blew on her face but triggered waves of pain in her cheeks. Qun Qing touched her face and immediately moved her hand away.

Perhaps because the Crown Prince was leaving the palace today, the city’s defenses were extremely strict. Qun Qing hadn’t walked two steps before encountering guards checking permits.

Qun Qing handed her permit to them. The man looked it over twice and waved his hand. “Go ahead. But young miss, your permit is for today—after midnight you’ll need a new one.”

Qun Qing nodded outwardly while sneering inwardly. As she had expected, her permit was temporary. Lu Huating truly wouldn’t give her any advantage. But since she was out, she naturally needed to attend to her own business first.

She put away the permit and walked quickly toward Yangbing District.