Before Qun Qing could react, the door behind her was pounded like a drumhead.

Physician Li said in alarm: “Liu Niang, Liu Niang!”

Wen Su and Juan Su frantically blocked him, one on each side. Juan Su said: “Old sir, the two of them have important matters to discuss!”

Wen Su: “The two of them are familiar with each other—their feelings are intense right now!”

The two spoke over each other, both equally shocked. Physician Li suddenly understood and lowered his hands. After a long while he muttered: “His looks are acceptable, but he lacks some propriety.”

Inside the door, Qun Qing was enveloped in Lu Huating’s shadow and breath. With just a slight lift of her head, she could see him intently listening to the commotion outside.

She realized she had made a mistake: since she was a Southern Chu spy, her master was even more likely to be the leader of Southern Chu spies.

Lu Huating was poisoned by Lovesickness Lure—this weakness absolutely could not be grasped by Southern Chu spies, so naturally he wouldn’t let Physician Li check his pulse.

Sure enough, after Physician Li left, Lu Huating lowered his eyes to look at her: “Since you’ve taken a physician as your master, you should also be able to diagnose. You examine me, madam.”

Qun Qing hastily declined: “My medical skills are very poor.”

Lu Huating directly rolled up his wide sleeve, extending his pale wrist adorned with sandalwood beads before her. Qun Qing had no choice but to gently push aside the sandalwood beads and place her fingers on his wrist. Just as she touched that scar, somehow, she moved them away again.

The distance was too close. Within the scent of turmeric grass, their breaths overlapped. The pulse beating beneath this cool skin actually gave Qun Qing a sensation of being burned by sparks.

She felt for a while. Indeed, apart from a slight intermittent pulse, she couldn’t discern any abnormalities: “You seem very healthy.”

Lu Huating smiled slightly: “If I didn’t die from such a troublesome poison as Lovesickness Lure, how could one sip of wine cause problems?”

Qun Qing said: “What did you taste from it?”

“Fragrant and slightly sweet. After drinking it, the entire body heats up and one’s mood becomes cheerful.” Lu Huating said. “If I’m not mistaken, it shares the same origin as Cold Food Powder, but is even more insidious than Cold Food Powder.”

This Song Wen first inflated the price of Jade Boiling Elixir, packaging it as a body-strengthening immortal elixir to lure silk merchants into regularly drinking Jade Boiling Wine. If they were ordinary people, naturally they would find it hard to resist.

Qun Qing said: “What I think is the same as the Administrator.” Seeing that it was quiet outside the door, “Since you’re not having Physician Li check your pulse, the Administrator should arrange for him earlier.”

She pulled the door open a crack when suddenly a hand from behind closed the door and swiftly bolted it.

“Doesn’t the lady know why I had Wen Su share a room with you before? It was entirely out of consideration for the lady’s reputation.” Lu Huating said.

Qun Qing understood—this person was going to pursue the matter of her deceiving Wen Su and escaping: “I didn’t expect the Administrator to be so thoughtful.”

“Since Wen Su can’t watch over you, starting today, I’ll watch you personally.” Seeing her turn around, Lu Huating tilted his head to look at her, his smile cold and mischievous. “Wasn’t it the lady who said she could sleep anywhere?”

“This chamber has complete washing facilities—the lady may go first.” After speaking, he brushed past her garment and walked into the inner room.

Beneath the veil, Qun Qing said nothing.

For her, indeed she could sleep anywhere. So-called reputation, in her heart, carried far less weight than staying alive.

Moreover, Lu Huating keeping her locked in his own chamber—first, it was to make things difficult for her; second, who knew if he wasn’t afraid of dying from poison in the middle of the night and wanted to keep someone in the chamber?

She walked behind the screen. The delicate embroidered silk screen partitioned off the washing area. On the carved wooden rack sat three gold basins filled with clean water. Hand towels, honey locust, and fragrant soap were all complete. In the wooden box was a bundle of fresh willow branches for cleaning teeth, emitting a fresh, astringent fragrance.

Qun Qing’s gaze wandered between the three gold basins—she couldn’t tell which one Lu Huating used for washing his face. This space was so tidy it seemed as if no one had ever used it. She randomly chose one, only taking her own plain handkerchief from her sleeve and dropping it into the water to dampen it, wiping clean her face and hands. After cleaning her teeth and washing her face, she came out to see only one bed in the inner room, so she sat in the round-backed chair.

Lu Huating glanced at her. Qun Qing still wore her veil and sat upright without a sound, like a ghost from storybooks.

His gaze swept past her and went to the washing area as if no one were in the room. When he came out after a while, moisture clung to him. He had already removed his hair crown, his black hair falling loose. The hair at his temples curled slightly from dampness. In this disheveled state, it instead set off his jade-like, heart-startling face.

Qun Qing was surprised that this person, like herself, only used honey locust to wash his hair. Then she saw Lu Huating had already sat on the bed and glanced at her. Seeing that Qun Qing had no intention of coming over, he unfastened his belt himself, folded it, and placed it under the pillow.

Qun Qing still didn’t move.

Lu Huating finally stood up, took a rolled bamboo mat from the corner, threw it on the floor where it unrolled, then grabbed a round pillow from the bed and tossed it onto the bamboo mat. He bent down and opened the folding screen.

Moonlight penetrated through the golden carp on the screen, blocking Qun Qing’s line of sight. Thus the bed and floor mat were separated, and the two people were separated.

Qun Qing looked at the floor mat.

Could one sleep on that? There was no blanket.

Here, Lu Huating had already lain down. Seeing the candlelight on the low table casting the veiled lady’s shadow onto the screen, a cold smile spread from his lips. If her shadow could be cast for the entire night, that would at least count as companionship.

Just as he thought this, the candle was blown out by Qun Qing, plunging the room into darkness.

Lu Huating thus closed his eyes when he suddenly heard the screen creak. Opening his eyes, he actually saw a figure circle around the screen, already holding the round pillow and walking to the bedside.

Qun Qing directly squeezed onto the bed, because she hadn’t slept on the floor for a long time. If she slept that way for a night, she would inevitably have aching muscles and bones. If she caught a cold and got sick, it would be even more troublesome. She felt the person on the bed hold his breath, quiet as if dead, with only her heartbeat pounding everywhere in her chest cavity.

The two remained in extremely silent deadlock for a while. Qun Qing felt rustling movement.

Lu Huating sat up, quickly dressed, and glanced down at her.

Qun Qing had actually loosened her long hair as well and was turned away from him. Between the overlapping black hair was a neck illuminated by moonlight.

Like a pale piece of thin paper wrapped around an artery—as if just biting down with slight force would make blood spurt out.

Cold mockery reflected in his eyes. He took his outer garment and belt. This so-called Jade Boiling Wine was what prompted such absurd and preposterous thoughts.

Probably not expecting that she would actually dare to come up, Lu Huating himself went to sleep on the floor mat. Qun Qing occupied the bed alone. Her gaze was calm, yet the bedding was full of the scent of turmeric grass. She was exhausted to the extreme, but her head was filled with slight dizziness and she couldn’t fall asleep.

Qun Qing spoke: “Did Xiao Er’lang coming to raid Eastern Eagle House—was it discussed with the Administrator?”

After a long while, Lu Huating’s clear voice came from the other side of the screen: “When I came, I sent him a letter to call him here.”

“Since Song Wen is backed by the Ministry of War, the court won’t fail to take action either.”

After another long while, Lu Huating said: “You should think about Wang Xiang instead.”

“I heard from Wen Su that the lady will soon undergo bone-setting surgery—specifically on what day?”

Qun Qing touched her face with her finger, feeling the swelling pain: “Within these two days. The timing still needs my master’s judgment.”

Lu Huating: “Forcibly setting the bones back to another’s appearance is probably dangerous. If Wang Xiang catches up, it will be too late. Why doesn’t the lady simply restore your original appearance?”

“That won’t work. The old servants in the palace mostly recognize who I am.” Qun Qing said. “Moreover, to enter the palace now, one must either become a slave or take the women’s imperial examination. The former means being oppressed by others, the latter requires time. Princess Yan once promised me an eighth-rank Wardrobe Supervisor position. I passed the examination for it. I want to reclaim it using Qun Qing’s identity.”

After a long while, Lu Huating said: “The lady is so certain the Crown Prince won’t kill you?”

“Didn’t you say that the palace registry on the Crown Prince’s desk had brand-new pages with my portrait, and when he saw it, he became furious and sent people to capture me?” Qun Qing said.

“These past few days, calming down, I’ve thought carefully: I personally saw the portrait on the palace registry—it was very crude, could barely distinguish male from female, couldn’t identify who it was. Qun Qing’s palace registry was never falsified. The palace registry delivered to the Crown Prince’s desk by the Palace Administration Bureau was the fake one. It was something done by the ‘Heaven’ within the palace to force the Crown Prince to kill me.”

“The Crown Prince is aloof and arrogant. If I’m fake, it proves he was wrong, that he misjudged—naturally he’s unwilling to admit it. He didn’t order me executed on the spot but summoned me back, which shows I still have a ten percent chance of success. If there are any additional matters, I’ll have to ask the Administrator to mediate for me.”

After finishing, she quietly waited for Lu Huating’s response. Lu Huating said half-jokingly: “Using me to run around in circles—why not abandon the Crown Prince’s sinking ship and come to Prince Yan’s mansion? In the future I’ll help the lady.”

Qun Qing was quiet for quite a while before speaking: “Lord Lu, sitting on a sinking ship, someone throws a boat, but you must bind your own hands to the bow and wait for the wind to fill the sails…”

“I’d rather jump into the water.” Lu Huating didn’t wait for her to finish before understanding her meaning.

The two of them were too similar. Since this was cooperation, completing the exchange was sufficient. Swimming still allowed for a fighting chance, but if one completely entrusted oneself to others, it would be too passive, and the stakes would be too high.

Moreover, the matter of Pure Tranquility Temple still hadn’t been clarified. Separated by the enmity of close relatives, she still couldn’t manage complete trust.

There was no more sound from Lu Huating’s side. Only then did Qun Qing remember there was one thing she had forgotten to ask.

She thought for a long time but still broke the silence: “…Do you want the blanket?”

Lu Huating pulled at the outer garment draped over him, his voice cold: “Tomorrow have the servant bring another bedding set.”

Rain beat on the river surface all night. The next day at dawn, just as the sky brightened, Xiao Jingxing rode up on horseback, removed his rain cape, and entered the inn.

The three shadow guards and Yang Li were all sitting in the hall, holding bowls and drinking sweet fermented rice wine. There were also several small dishes on the table. Xiao Jingxing said irritably: “Still eating?”

He was travel-worn with dark circles under his eyes, his hair knot full of rainwater—clearly he had worked on official business all night. Zhu Su said: “What’s wrong, Lord Xiao? Didn’t catch the person?”

Without waiting to respond, Xiao Jingxing was already taking two steps at a time up the stairs, urgently knocking on the door: “Lu Qi’lang!”

Wen Su couldn’t stop him—the door was knocked open. Xiao Jingxing froze, silently stepped back half a step, looking as if he’d seen a ghost in broad daylight. He saw a veiled lady in Lu Huating’s chamber, grasping his wrist.

“You’ve come at the right time.” Qun Qing crouched beside Lu Huating, her fingers probing his pulse, saying calmly, “Quickly check if he’s dead.”

“Young Lady Qing?” Xiao Jingxing recognized her by voice and froze again. He quickly brushed water drops from his body, straightened his hair knot, then walked into the chamber. Crouching down, he mercilessly slapped Lu Huating’s face with the back of his hand: “Get up.”

“The lady must excuse us—he’s always like this.” Xiao Jingxing said, then vigorously shook the gentleman on the floor. “Something’s happened.”

Lu Huating’s eyes immediately opened, his dark pupils looking at Xiao Jingxing for a moment before turning toward Qun Qing.

Qun Qing had already withdrawn her hand. Fortunately the veil concealed her expression. She had almost forgotten—this person didn’t wake until mid-morning. No wonder she couldn’t rouse him—it was too early.

“Young Lady Qing isn’t still worrying about that Jade Boiling Wine matter, is she?” Lu Huating glanced at his wrist, stood up and put on his outer garment, then looked at Qun Qing with a smile. “Nothing wrong—the headache even seems to have lightened.”

He immediately restrained his smile: “What happened?”

Xiao Jingxing said: “Last night when raiding Eastern Eagle House, somehow we alarmed the Xuzhou Provincial Governor. He deployed over a hundred guards and directly seized Song Wen into the Governor’s mansion, saying we overstepped our authority in investigating. If anyone should handle it, it should be Xuzhou first—there’s no reason to directly arrest someone and take them to Chang’an.”

After hearing this, Lu Huating was calm: “Local officials protect each other. Song Wen is the Ministry of War’s son-in-law—naturally some people won’t let him go to the capital. Lord Xiao, you brought too few men.”

Before Xiao Jingxing could speak, Zhu Su hurriedly ran upstairs to report: “Administrator, Wang Xiang has entered Xuzhou. We can’t stay more than a few days.”

In her sleeve, Qun Qing’s fingers tightened. She still hadn’t undergone bone-setting. This morning in the mirror, she had already seen a long-lost and unfamiliar face. Physician Li said bone-setting required one day, plus several days of quiet recovery.

Lu Huating said: “Delay him.”

Zhu Su said: “He’s come to announce the Crown Prince’s edict. The ruler’s word cannot be taken lightly—even delaying one day is a crime. I’m afraid it won’t be easy to delay.”

From beneath the veil came Qun Qing’s cold voice: “What if Wang Xiang himself can’t leave?”

Zhu Su was dumbfounded, cold sweat dripping. He turned to Lu Huating: “Young Lady Qing, this isn’t something to joke about.”

Qun Qing continued: “Does this person have any hidden ailments or weaknesses?”

“Er’lang, you and Wang Xiang passed the examinations in the same year and even rode in the same carriage when touring Chang’an on horseback. You tell us—what weaknesses does this person have?” Lu Huating asked Xiao Jingxing.

“He’s already a military examination graduate and Eastern Palace Adjutant who can kill an ox with one punch—what hidden ailment could he have?” Xiao Jingxing said. After a long while, “His greatest ailment is nasal congestion. When he passed the examination in spring, I heard him sniffling constantly. That’s all.”