These past few days, Jin Si had been restless. Every time she saw that Jing family child, she felt an uncontrollable chill rising from the soles of her feet. She had no appetite and felt as if something was stuck in her throat. Early this morning, the weather was fine. After clearing the accumulated snow in the courtyard, the servants began their day’s work in an orderly manner.

Just as they were about to serve the meal, a servant suddenly arrived from Hongshan Court with a message: the Young Master Mu from Lingnan’s Mu family, the Young Prince Jing from the Cloud Silk fief, the Seventh Prince Zhao Che, the Eighth Prince Zhao Jue, the Thirteenth Prince Zhao Song, and the Crown Prince of the Yan Principality were all gathered in the glazed hall of Hongshan Court. The Eldest Young Master was there accompanying them, and the Third and Fifth Young Masters had already gone. They asked if the Fourth Young Master was feeling better, and if so, to join them for the festivities.

Zhuge Yue had a peculiar personality. Even within the manor, he rarely interacted with his brothers, spending his days secluded in Qingshan Court, either reading or eating snacks and fruits, showing no vigor for bold pursuits. If not for his excessive cruelty, he could be considered well-behaved. At this moment, he was lying in bed. After hearing the message, he told the servant that he was feeling unwell and would not be joining them.

Chu Qiao stood by the incense burner, gently fanning the fragrance. Hearing this, she slightly raised her eyebrows, her expression calm and silent. After a while, the food was served, and Chu Qiao followed behind the serving maid, silently withdrawing.

Jin Si glanced at her sideways, secretly taking note. Shortly after, she also found an opportunity to leave.

The glazed hall, though called a hall, was just a pavilion, located at the center of Hongshan Court on Octagonal Mountain. Below was a blue-green lake, now frozen in the depths of winter, covered in vast stretches of snow. On both sides were red and white plum forests, blooming defiantly against the cold, brilliantly eye-catching.

Beyond the plum forests was the Zhuge family’s Horse Mountain, a vast hillside planted with fine pasture grass brought from beyond the passes, especially used for raising their thoroughbred horses. This place was spacious with few people, and servants could not enter without reason, making it very secluded. Chu Qiao, being small, deftly avoided the guards and entered Horse Mountain, running up the slope without being noticed.

Jing Yue’er’s small body had its advantages and disadvantages. For instance, moving a potted plant now requires a great deal of effort.

Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly noticed a figure sneaking past the middle of the hillside. Chu Qiao carefully lowered herself, waiting until the person had left before slowly approaching. She saw a jet-black stallion tied to a pine tree on the hillside. The horse was large, with not a single mixed hair on its body, and showed no reaction when Chu Qiao approached. Chu Qiao found this strange, as such a fine horse should be wary of strangers. Looking down, she indeed found a small pile of unfinished buckwheat on the snow. Chu Qiao stood on her tiptoes, held the horse’s head, and examined it carefully for a while, slightly furrowing her brows, but ultimately paying it no further attention.

Just as she was about to leave, she turned and saw several dozen snow-white feathered arrows in the quiver on the horse’s back. Taking one out, she found the arrowhead was silvery-white, with a small, forcefully engraved character “Yan” on it.

While the masters of various households were enjoying a meal and appreciating the plum blossoms in the glazed hall, Chu Qiao ran along the secluded small path on the cliff of Octagonal Mountain, placing the pot of fire vine on the path and pouring out several small snakes from a cloth bag at her side.

“Ha! I knew it was you up to mischief!”

A shrill voice suddenly sounded. Chu Qiao turned around to see Jin Si standing behind her, looking at her smugly, saying, “Wait until I tell the Fourth Young Master. You’re dead for sure this time.”

“Is that so?” Chu Qiao tilted her head, cleverly curling the corner of her mouth, her ears twitching slightly as she heard footsteps approaching from a distance. She shook her head and said, “That’s not necessarily true.” With that, her body suddenly fell backward, flipping down along the cliff!

“Over there!” A weak childish voice sounded almost simultaneously. Before Jin Si could even cry out in surprise, she was firmly pinned to the ground by a group of large men.

Zhu Shun looked coldly at the young woman, hating her to the core, and said in a deep voice, “Jin Si, now that you’ve been caught red-handed, what else do you have to say?”

Jin Si was shocked and quickly said, “It wasn’t me, it was Jing Xinger. I was following her!”

“Nonsense! I saw you sneaking to Steward Zhu’s place to steal a pot of fire vine with my own eyes, and now you’re trying to frame someone else!”

A clear, crisp voice suddenly said. Jin Si turned to see a small girl following Zhu Shun, her appearance somehow familiar. A flash of realization hit her mind, and she immediately understood the whole plot. She shouted, “She’s in league with Jing Xinger! Steward Zhu, you can’t trust her!”

Zhu Shun, sitting in a soft chair carried by four strong men—the twenty lashes from a few days ago still left his buttocks swollen—frowned upon hearing this and lowered his voice, asking, “You say you were following Jing Xinger, but where is she now?”

“She jumped off the cliff.”

“What?” Zhu Shun immediately became furious and shouted, “Do you take me for a fool? Are you saying that the Jing girl jumped off a cliff to her death just to frame you?”

“I…”

“Preposterous!” Zhu Shun raged, “You’ve been in the manor for four or five years, and I’ve always treated you well. Your rivalry with Jin Zhu for a favor is an internal matter of Qingshan Court, why drag me into it? What are you trying to do now? Frame me in front of the young masters of various households?”

“Steward Zhu, you must believe me.”

“Guards! Beat her severely!”

Piercing screams immediately rang out. Chu Qiao, gripping a pre-prepared rope, gave it a strong pull and slipped into a small cave. Octagonal Mountain was built with black rock, and every spring, a kind of purple moss would grow on it. This moss was extremely rare; when dried and roasted, it had a unique fragrance that was elegant and calming. Over time, as the Zhuge family servants collected the moss each spring from the cliff face, they had dug out a cave tall enough for a person. Having lived in the servants’ quarters for a long time, Chu Qiao had known about this cave for a while. She pushed aside some dried grass, carefully landed on the ground, slowly retrieved the rope with its hook, and quietly waited for the crowd above to disperse.

Just then, a warm breath suddenly blew on her ear, accompanied by an amused male voice softly saying, “You little girl, how can your heart be so vicious?”

Chu Qiao was startled and quickly turned around, not forgetting to grab the hook from the rope in her haste, thrusting it fiercely toward the other’s neck.

“I’ve seen countless fierce women, but you take the crown. It’s hard to imagine you’re not even ten years old.”

The other person was agile, firmly grasping Chu Qiao’s small hand, speaking calmly and indifferently.

Chu Qiao was small and weak, pinned to the ground with one hand, but she stubbornly raised her head, immediately shocked, her brow furrowing as she said sternly, “It’s you?”

The young man also seemed surprised, examining the child carefully for a few moments before realizing and laughing, “I wondered who it was, so it’s you. How’s the medicine working?”

The newcomer had sword-like eyebrows, a high nose bridge, and eyes black as ink. Beneath his gentleness, there was an unmistakable sharpness like the edge of a blade. It was none other than today’s banquet guest—the Crown Prince of Yan Bei who was held hostage in the capital, Yan Xun.

Chu Qiao stubbornly raised her head and said coldly, “What are you doing here? What do you want?”

Yan Xun chuckled, “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

Chu Qiao’s mind raced, repeatedly calculating her chances of successfully pushing this man off the cliff in one fatal move. As she contemplated, she reached for the dagger at her waist. However, Yan Xun raised his finger and said softly, “If you don’t want to be discovered, behave yourself and don’t harbor bad intentions. Such a small child, yet so vicious.”

Chu Qiao raised an eyebrow, “Speaking of viciousness, I pale in comparison to you all. Hiding here, you’re surely not up to anything good either. We’re two of a kind, so don’t pretend to be doing me a great favor with your false kindness.”

Hearing this, Yan Xun suddenly stood up, pushed aside the grass, and called loudly above, “Who’s up there?”

Chu Qiao was greatly alarmed and wanted to stop him, but it was too late. Thinking that if she were exposed, Little Eight would surely meet with misfortune, she immediately drew her dagger and thrust it fiercely toward Yan Xun’s chest.

Yan Xun gracefully hooked his arm, firmly covering Chu Qiao’s small mouth and holding her tightly in his arms. At this moment, voices of inquiry came from above. Yan Xun poked his head out from the cave and called out, “The Crown Prince is here appreciating the plum blossoms. What are you all yelling about up there? Disperse quickly.”

Zhu Shun was carried to the edge of the cliff, and upon seeing Yan Xun, immediately lost all his arrogance. After bowing and nodding profusely, he promptly left with his people.

Yan Xun released his arms with a smile, turned to Chu Qiao, and said, “Now I’ve done you a great favor, haven’t I?”

Chu Qiao was small in stature, not even reaching Yan Xun’s shoulder as she stood before him. She tilted her ear to listen for a while, and seeing that there truly was no further movement above, she threw the hook upward in one motion. After securing it firmly, she turned her body and began to climb up.

Yan Xun narrowed his eyes as he watched her. Though her movements were quite agile, she didn’t appear to be skilled in martial arts—she could only be considered bold, meticulous, and nimble. The cave was only a little over a meter from the top. Yan Xun grabbed the rock face with both hands, exerted a slight effort, and jumped up.

Chu Qiao hid the hook and looked around to ensure safety before turning to leave. Hearing Yan Xun’s voice, she turned back and said calmly, “I don’t want to owe you any favors. When you go back, be careful with your horse.”

Yan Xun was slightly startled, but by the time he reacted, the child’s figure had already gone far. From a distance, she looked like a small dog climbing up and down the rugged path and soon disappeared.

The young Crown Prince Yan narrowed his eyes, smiled lightly, and said, “Interesting.”

The morning sun rose, the snow vast and desolate, and Octagonal Mountain, standing tall above the lake, appeared uniquely beautiful in the reflection of the sunlight.