Leaving Pingkang District, her ears finally became quiet.

Borrowing the light from a lantern hanging at a night market wonton stall, Lu Huating examined the ledger.

The ledger was quite thin—only several dozen pages. He looked at each page for a while, his gaze lingering especially long on one particular page, yet his expression remained impassive.

After reading through everything, he closed the ledger and returned it to Qun Qing.

Seemingly seeing Qun Qing’s surprised expression, Lu Huating raised a smile. “Isn’t this what Miss Qing wanted?”

It was what she wanted, but his giving it so readily made her alert. “Is there something wrong with this ledger? Why doesn’t the Chief Administrator want it?”

“These pages are the true ledger that the lute musician Chun Niang transcribed before her death,” Lu Huating said. “Cui Zhu must have kept that true ledger very secure, such that Chun Niang couldn’t take it away and could only memorize the contents and write down this transcription. But this transcription doesn’t have Cui Zhu’s seal or stamp. He can completely deny it, and the Three Judicial Offices cannot convict him.”

Qun Qing flipped through it. Indeed, it was Chun Niang’s transcription—no wonder it was only a few pages. She quietly folded the corner of the page Lu Huating had stared at, disappointment spreading in her heart. “So this ledger is actually useless?”

It was hard to imagine that after today’s entire bustle, this was the result.

“Of course it’s useful,” Lu Huating said. “I need to obtain the true ledger on Cui Zhu’s person. This transcription is for verification—what matches this transcription is the true ledger; otherwise, it’s fake.”

“How does the Chief Administrator plan to obtain it?” Qun Qing probed. “Even pillow companion like Chun Niang couldn’t get it—that will take considerable effort.”

Lu Huating said, “I just need Miss Qing to come one more time.”

Qun Qing froze, then smiled coldly.

It seemed her performance was good enough that Lu Huating wanted to extend their cooperation. If there was still opportunity, she wouldn’t be stingy with risk. Borrowing her strength, who the true ledger ultimately ended up with was still uncertain.

“Then next time I’ll plan it,” Qun Qing said as they walked. Lu Huating looked at her. She glanced at him. “That Cui Zhu seems interested in me—we can use that.”

Lu Huating’s eyes slightly condensed.

So she was perfectly clear. Perhaps Qun Qing had a detached face devoid of scheming—her saying such things so casually somehow made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

“So Miss today deliberately looked at Cui Zhu that way?” His tone revealed neither pleasure nor anger.

Qun Qing said, “Just imitating other flower girls’ mannerisms.”

She had the instinct to improvise on the spot. She didn’t even know if she learned it accurately—thinking about it now, she still felt some lingering fear.

Cool wind carried the calls and fragrances from night food stalls. Qun Qing finally felt hungry. An old man had set up a stove selling water chestnuts. The steaming hot water chestnuts emitted a clear fragrance—this was Qun Qing’s favorite food as a child, but she needed to hurry back to the palace.

Lu Huating saw her look several times and bought a basket of water chestnuts. “Causing Miss to not eat dinner fully is my fault. Eat some.”

Seeing him sit down with a sweep of his robe, apparently intending to sit and dine, Qun Qing said, “I need to go back.”

Lu Huating wiped the table on his own. “When Miss came, she deliberately came right on time, but when leaving, she wants to leave early.”

“The Chief Administrator deliberately wants to drag me past midnight so the permit expires and I can’t return—then there won’t be a next time either,” Qun Qing said coldly.

“I have a way to let you return,” Lu Huating said, his gaze touching the steaming water chestnuts in the basket. “If Miss trusts me, eating one will still be in time.”

Since he guaranteed it this way, Qun Qing sat opposite and picked up a water chestnut. But she peeled it extremely slowly, little by little removing the skin, sweat even seeping from her forehead.

Lu Huating watched for a while, then took one out and held it before her eyes. Placing both hands on the water chestnut’s two corners, he pressed hard, pushed with his finger joints, and pushed out snow-white water chestnut flesh. “Peel it like this.”

The night wind was refreshingly cool, swaying the lantern. Qun Qing looked at the water chestnut in his hand, feeling tonight was absurd. She took another and peeled it open using the same method. “Does the Chief Administrator often eat water chestnuts?”

“There are many by the water.” Seeing she had learned, Lu Huating’s expression remained normal as he placed the flesh in his mouth.

Qun Qing’s piece hadn’t reached her mouth yet when she suddenly heard the sharp voice of a eunuch clearing the way, followed by gongs sounding, coming from behind her neck. “The Crown Prince returns to the palace—commoners make way! The Crown Prince returns to the palace—commoners make way!”

Qun Qing grabbed the basket of water chestnuts and wanted to leave. Lu Huating gripped the basket. “I said you can return, so you can return. Finish eating before leaving.”

“I’ll eat when I return.”

“They’ll be cold when you return.” Lu Huating’s bright dark eyes looked at her, like a noble gentleman persuading a friend to drink wine, showing particular insistence. “Miss, while they’re hot, eat a bite—the taste is different.”

Qun Qing bit into a water chestnut. The hot, clear fragrance exploded in her mouth. Swallowing it down, her five organs and six bowels all became soothed.

Li Xuan’s white egret carriage banners and tassels fluttered as it slowly advanced. The midnight bell “dong—” echoed distantly from Chengtian Gate. A bright dragon dance lantern suddenly burst from East Market, rolling cheerfully before their eyes. Drum and music sounds rose as fireworks shot up from all sides. Shouxi hastily called, “Stop, stop, stop!”

So today was the ninth—East Market’s nighttime closing had a lantern dance performance. The Crown Prince’s carriage had no choice but to stop, first letting this enormous dancing dragon fly past.

The multicolored spectacle blocked the Eastern Palace’s procession, instead letting a dull gray ox cart transporting spices to the palace get ahead. It left an instant before the dragon dance—now it alone occupied the empty avenue, rushing toward the palace gate.

Qun Qing lifted a corner of the ox cart’s coarse cloth curtain.

Earlier after she ate the water chestnuts, Lu Huating called to the young eunuch driving the cart. She jumped onto the ox cart when people weren’t paying attention.

In her eyes flashed a lively dragon dance lantern, masked performers dancing, that chaotic spectacle of fish and dragons receding into the distance.

She had prepared the fish tally to enter the palace gate. There was one other worry—the guards at the gate were very slow. Once the dragon dance passed, if Li Xuan’s carriage caught up, they might collide at the gate.

To prevent this, she had just used all her strength to throw a needle at the corner of Li Xuan’s carriage, creating a bit of chaos.

Just after throwing it, she saw Lu Huating’s figure appear in the road, blocking Li Xuan’s carriage.

Qun Qing hastily lowered the curtain. The ox cart entered the palace gate.

“Your Highness, Chief Administrator Lu is blocking the way, wanting to speak with you.” Shouxi was somewhat displeased. Lu Huating always acted willfully, but publicly stopping the Crown Prince’s white egret carriage was too disrespectful.

Due to fatigue, Li Xuan propped up his head with eyes tightly closed. Hearing this, he said, “Let him speak.”

Lu Huating lifted the carriage curtain and apologized to Li Xuan. Suddenly they heard a sound—the carved carriage window suddenly shattered in one corner. Both were startled. Shouxi was so frightened he thought someone was attempting assassination, but Li Xuan raised his hand. “Don’t panic. It may be a flying stone splashed by the dragon dance.”

Lu Huating’s gaze moved upward. How could it be a flying stone? Embedded in the carriage frame was clearly a gleaming needle.

Qun Qing indeed didn’t trust him.

He calmly pulled out the needle and asked, “How were the results of Your Highness’s investigation of public sentiment today?”

“The common people have grievances and collective indignation. I’ve sent people to pacify them.” Li Xuan opened his long phoenix eyes. “Yunming seems to have wine fragrance on him—just coming from Siye Tower as well?”

Lu Huating bowed formally before speaking seriously. “The Cui family dug pit rooms and, under the pretext of exchanging permits, confined good family girls from among refugees and subjected them to all manner of abuse, forcing decent women into prostitution. Their evil is overwhelming, crimes piled upon crimes. Has Your Highness considered dealing with the Cui family?”

“If common people are harmed, naturally severe punishment is warranted.” Li Xuan laughed coldly. “You testing me like this—it’s as if I would shield the Cui family.”

Lu Huating said, “The Cui family is about to marry into the Meng family. Minister Meng is after all the Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor, sharing common cause with the Eastern Palace.”

“The Meng family is the Meng family. I am myself. Ruler and minister are different—ministers are below the ruler.” Li Xuan said, “As Crown Prince, I have my own judgment and don’t need you to speculate. You may go.”

“With Your Highness’s words, this subject is reassured.” Lu Huating took leave of Li Xuan.

The curtain lowered. Shouxi said, “How baffling.”

“Not strange.” Fatigue triggered a headache. Li Xuan frowned, pressing his temples. “Lu Huating is going to move against the Cui family and came to test my intentions.”

“Then, will Your Highness stop him?”

“If their evil is overwhelming, why stop it? But Shouxi,” Li Xuan said mockingly, “in this matter, whether commoners are wronged isn’t important. Lu Huating’s dispute with the Meng family isn’t important. Even I am not important—only His Majesty’s intentions are important. If His Majesty wants to protect the Cui family, I’ll help them reduce their crimes. If His Majesty thinks they should be punished, I’ll go with the flow. Only by sitting in that highest position can I have my own thoughts.”

“This slave is instructed…” Shouxi said.

The white egret carriage traveled again through the night. Li Xuan felt fatigue surge up. “Go to Qingxuan Pavilion—someone is still waiting there.”

The four small dishes at Qingxuan Pavilion were hastily presented.

Qun Qing had just returned, only having time to take out the plain fan from her sleeve. “Ruo Chan, make a silk flower according to this.”

The rouge-painted flower on that fan was lively, seemingly able to burn one’s vision. She handed it to Ruo Chan and never looked at it again, changing clothes to return to the hall for duty.

Li Xuan touched the late-night snack with jade chopsticks. Perhaps due to fatigue, he had no appetite. He looked at Qun Qing under the lamplight. “Will you have some too?”

Li Xuan had absolutely no idea they had just brushed past each other. Qun Qing only felt everything outside the palace was like a dream. “This servant has eaten.”

“Is there nothing you want to eat?” Li Xuan said. “What would you like to eat?”

Qun Qing said, “This servant would like to eat water chestnuts.”

Li Xuan’s expression paused, somewhat deflated, and he didn’t mention it again. “There are no water chestnuts in the palace.”

Night had grown deep, crickets chirping long. Lu Huating carried his outer robe back to the inner hall. Juan Su and the others had already gone to sleep.

Perhaps because it had been too lively earlier, in the darkness he suddenly felt the surroundings were surprisingly desolate.

Lu Huating still held that ice-cold embroidery needle in his hand. Under the lamplight, he bent and folded it forcefully, trying to break it. But this needle was ice-cold and hard, refusing to comply. He had to give up, pulling open a drawer and coldly tossing the needle lightly onto Qun Qing’s earlier handkerchief.

Vaguely, he smelled the fragrance of Floating Crabapple Reflecting Snow. That scent had originally been absorbed into the outer robe he gave Qun Qing. He picked it up, long lashes condensing cold frost.

By the window was still half a pot of wine. He picked it up and silently drank it all, then decisively threw the outer robe into the brazier, letting it burn completely where no one could see.