“I heard you were looking for me? Lian Yu mentioned me before he died—what did he… say?”

Having the accompanying palace servants withdraw, Miaoyin looked at Suzhen and slowly asked, her expression showing some curiosity.

Suzhen had already washed and was sitting properly at the table waiting. Though it was difficult now, she still maintained propriety, rising to greet her guest.

—Go find Miss Miao and tell her the Emperor mentioned her before dying, asking if she wants to know what it was.

This was what she had asked the eunuch to tell Miaoyin.

She looked at the other apologetically, “I’m sorry, Miss Miao. I deceived you. I know you no longer love Lian Yu, but you might still have some interest in what a man you once had feelings for said about you before leaving. But in truth, he didn’t.”

Miaoyin’s gaze slowly turned cold.

“Magistrate Li, such jokes go too far.”

“I apologize.” Suzhen apologized again, then changed topics, “You persuaded your father to deploy Wei Kingdom’s forces to assist Li Zhaoting, and he’s a clever man, so ultimately he still defeated Liu’s army that had rushed to the border.”

“On this point, I harbor some hostility toward Miss, but Miss once swore to resist Pei Fengji to the death and traveled far to Great Zhou to assist in bringing this villain Lian Yu to justice—this is what Feng Suzhen admires.”

Miaoyin’s expression became somewhat subtle, her eyes narrowing as she examined this person’s purpose with some amusement, only to hear her continue, “So when I had no other options, I thought of you. I haven’t had food in over a day—could you please spare me a meal?”

Miaoyin couldn’t help being slightly stunned. She had heard about this person being confined by Li Zhaoting, but hadn’t expected Li Zhaoting to also cut off her food!

If so, it could only mean Li Zhaoting was truly furious. She looked at the woman before her and spoke indifferently, “What makes you think I’ll help you? First, you won Lian Yu’s heart and shamed me. Second, I cannot disobey Zhaoting’s orders. Wouldn’t it be foolish to go against him for a woman who was once my romantic rival?”

“For no particular reason, just that I thought Miss Miao might consider how I stumbled into helping you with Pei Fengji’s matter when no one else dared take the case, and second, rival or not, you’re not a petty person. I always believed that Lian Yu not choosing you only related to his preferences and had nothing to do with our respective merits. What shame is there in that?”

“Besides, if he had chosen you for political reasons, you wouldn’t have today’s marriage with Li Zhaoting.”

Miaoyin stared at her for a long time, finally laughing, “If I refuse to help, it would seem unreasonable. But you should know that in this harem, I’ll have three thousand enemies in the future. Gu Xiluo and Wei Wulei are both formidable rivals. I cannot displease Zhaoting for you—that would be disadvantageous to me.”

“Miss Miao, this afternoon send your maid on an errand. Tell the guards and palace servants outside that Feng Suzhen pestered you, wanting you to plead with the Young Master for her. You refused, and in the struggle, you accidentally pushed me down. Since you don’t like owing people, have your maid bring medicine and hide some flatbread and water in the medicine box to sustain me for two more days.”

The woman across from her spoke in low tones.

Miaoyin’s eyes brightened, then she agreed, “Good, I’ll have my maid bring them for two days. After that, you must find your own solution.”

But Suzhen said, “One day is enough. I’ll ration it to last two days. If your maid comes too frequently, it might arouse suspicion. Since you’re helping me, I absolutely cannot put you in a difficult position.”

As Miaoyin was leaving, she suddenly turned back, “I somewhat understand now why Lian Yu liked you.”

She paused, then continued, “You’re a clever person. You understand some things very clearly—the outcome cannot be changed no matter what. Why make things difficult for yourself? Zhaoting’s intentions toward you are good too. As long as you’re willing to see physicians and accept his kindness toward the Feng family…”

“Miss Miao, there are things you don’t understand.” Suzhen knew she was referring to Lian Jie and Lian Qin’s matter and shook her head in response.

“Oh? Perhaps if you explain, we could discuss it.”

Suzhen remained silent for a long time, “In any case, thank you. Just consider me a stubborn person.”

…

Miaoyin was someone who kept her promises. That afternoon she sent over the “medicine,” and she delivered it personally.

Suzhen closed the door and quickly opened the box. Inside were two small dishes, a bowl of rice, several flatbreads, a pot of water, and a cup. Without a word, she began eating.

Miaoyin watched with a heavy heart.

She didn’t even use the cup, drinking straight from the pot spout, gulping down large mouthfuls, eating every grain of rice and vegetable, yet it still seemed insufficient. She looked at the flatbreads several times, finally carefully wrapping them with half the pot of water in a cloth.

Miaoyin stood up abruptly.

“Tomorrow I’ll try to come again and bring you more food,” she said.

Suzhen still refused, “No, Miss Miao. I don’t want to owe you favors because I probably won’t be able to repay you in this lifetime. Let’s consider this settled. If you anger the future new emperor because of this, I would feel uneasy.”

“Go back. Thank you for buying me some time.” She was also unusually straightforward, actually starting to see her guest out.

Miaoyin was stunned, finally smiled, said no more, and left.

That evening, she invited Li Zhaoting for dinner but found he had left the palace to handle military affairs and wouldn’t return until late at night. Knowing he was busy preparing for the coronation, she restrained herself and waited for the next day’s lunch, wanting to probe whether he had softened regarding Feng Suzhen’s matter or remained iron-hearted. If the former, she might be able to speak up for her.

At dinner time, she still sent her maid to the side hall, pretending to dress Suzhen’s wounds while bringing her food.

However, the next day at lunch, Li Zhaoting dined with the Wei father and sons, Director Si, Wuliang and others, continuing to discuss future capital defense arrangements. She decided to personally deliver the last meal to Suzhen. Going too many times would indeed, as the other had said, arouse suspicion.

She walked ahead with her personal maid carrying a medicine box following behind, both hurrying toward the side hall.

“Dead girl, stop right there!”

Passing through the imperial garden, they heard a sharp scolding. Two figures came running from the side. Before she could react, she heard her maid cry out behind her. Startled, she saw the box had been knocked over, spilling food everywhere.

“Miss Miao, so sorry! Playing with the maid, we didn’t bump into you, did we? Mei’er, quickly help the young lady pick things up!” A figure in goose-yellow stopped before her, voice full of apology.

She looked up—Aluo? Collecting herself slightly, she smiled at the other, “No harm—”

“Miss Miao, your medicine box is quite strange—it contains… food?!” Before she finished speaking, Mei’er was already calling out loudly, staring at the ground with a strange expression.

Her maid was called Fifteen, also formidable, about to explode when she glared fiercely. The latter bit her lip silent as Aluo frowned slightly, “Miss wouldn’t be trying to bring food to that Feng Suzhen, would you? Zhaoting once said not to let her drink or eat. Just based on that, I heard even the imperial kitchen dares not provide her with meals.”

Miaoyin’s heart sank slightly, but she smiled, “Thank you for the reminder, Miss Aluo. But we just discovered this thing here. Hearing that Zhaoting invited a group of famous physicians from the capital to serve as imperial doctors, we thought some doctor had carelessly left it behind and were going to return it to the Imperial Medical Academy. It seems unnecessary now.”

She stepped on the box and kicked it away forcefully.

Aluo watched the box being kicked away, not angry, just smiling, “Aluo thought Miss was being kind-hearted and meddling in that business. So it was like this. But regardless, we’ve disturbed Miss. As an apology, Aluo would like to invite Miss to dine in my quarters. Would Miss honor us?”

Miaoyin nodded with a smile, “Why not?”

The group returned, with Mei’er walking behind, secretly looking back. A middle-aged woman emerged from the flower bushes—Chef Xiao, to whom Mei’er gave a slight nod.

The young lady had already instructed Chef Xiao to secretly monitor the side hall’s situation. This director, being quite familiar with palace servants, easily extracted from the duty maids that Miaoyin had visited, supposedly at Feng Suzhen’s request, hoping Miss Miao would plead with Li Zhaoting for old times’ sake regarding Pei Fengji’s matter. Miaoyin refused, they quarreled, and Miaoyin slightly injured Feng Suzhen, then sent medicine afterward to show she owed nothing.

But her sending a maid with medicine again that evening caught the young lady’s attention. The young lady said that in just half a day, changing medicine seemed rather frequent…

This day, Suzhen didn’t receive Miaoyin’s meal, but she hadn’t planned on her sending food multiple times, fearing it would implicate the other. Since Miaoyin’s promised time hadn’t arrived, she felt no resentment, actually relieved. Though it was now summer, it wasn’t too hot yet, and she had saved flatbreads that wouldn’t spoil immediately. Though not filling, they could sustain her for two days.

“Magistrate Li, are you well?”

As she pondered escape methods and night fell, the little father-in-law knocked at her door, asking anxiously.

Knowing he was worried, she immediately opened the door, “I’m fine.”

At this moment, he suddenly supported her, “Magistrate Li is weak—let this servant help you inside.”

She was slightly stunned, then her heart stirred. Indeed, he quickly stuffed a paper ball into her hand.