Everything in the room seemed to fall under some strange spell of time and space, frozen in viscous stillness.

Tie Ci’s fingers stopped moving.

In an instant, she lowered her eyelashes, her long lashes concealing her expression, preventing anyone from glimpsing the surging waves beneath.

In an instant, summer was tranquil and beautiful—cicadas chirped in the tall trees, lotus leaves danced on the pond, golden carp in the pool swam in pairs, and colorful mandarin ducks glided beneath the floating duckweed.

In the distance, students’ laughter rang clear and bright.

It drifted over the green gauze windows on the breeze.

Rong Wei held the spoon in his mouth, leaning down and tilting his head slightly, trying to peer up at Ye Shiba’s expression from below.

Moved? Shaken? Or perhaps stirred?

Before he could study it thoroughly and formulate various targeted strategies accordingly, Tie Ci had already raised her head. To his disappointment, her eyes were completely clear and bright. She raised her hand to tap his cheek and laughed, saying, “Dimple!”

Rong Wei’s cheek tingled, and he involuntarily released the spoon.

Tie Ci quickly caught it, ladled a spoonful of porridge, and said, “It seems my porridge isn’t very tasty, to make you so angry that you’d bite the spoon in protest.”

Sometimes she called him Brother Rong, sometimes Teacher. Hearing this form of address, Rong Wei sighed inwardly but smiled outwardly, saying, “Compared to mine, it’s indeed not very tasty.”

Tie Ci raised an eyebrow to look at him.

“But compared to everyone else in the world except me, yours is the most delicious.”

Tie Ci thought: Here we go again.

Is this what they call relentless flirtation?

She glanced at Rong Wei, who was eating porridge with his eyes slightly closed. When most men flirt, their expressions often become lecherous, looking more and more sleazy the longer you look. However, this one was naturally gifted with excellent expression management. Even when flirting, he maintained a clear and bright demeanor—not affected, not overdone, with slightly smiling lips that formed a subtle, barely visible dimple.

It made one instantly impulsive, wanting to drown in it.

Her gaze swept over and returned just as clearly and naturally, as if she truly was just a student receiving praise from a teacher—accepting it completely, grateful and appreciative, but not taking it to heart.

“Thank you for the praise, Teacher.”

She seemed to hear a faint sigh, but when she raised her eyes again, she faced that same purely enchanting face.

After that, neither spoke. When the bowl of porridge was finished, Tie Ci felt Rong Wei’s forehead, saw that his fever had broken, felt relieved, and stood up saying she needed to go to class.

However, Rong Wei got up, walked to the door and pulled the bell rope. A servant boy from the teaching quarters came running upstairs, asking what instructions he had.

“Go request leave for Ye Shiba. Say that I fell ill last night, Ye Shiba cared for me all night, and needs to catch up on sleep during the day, so won’t be going to lectures.”

The servant boy took the order and left. Tie Ci thought: Great, Rong Wei is a prominent figure. Once this spreads, tomorrow the female students will be ready to put me in a sack.

“Does Teacher want me to be blocked and beaten up by the academy’s female students?”

Rong Wei turned around and winked at her, “You’ll have to get used to it eventually.”

Tie Ci was just thinking she couldn’t talk to him—every sentence contained hidden meanings and impropriety—when she saw him sniff and say in surprise, “So sour. Did you knock over the vinegar bottle while cooking porridge?”

“There’s no way…” Tie Ci said half the sentence before understanding that this master of verbal tactics was at it again. She chuckled and, not taking his bait, waved her hand and said, “Since you’ve requested leave for me, I’ll go back to sleep. Since Teacher has servants here, just call the servants if you need anything.”

She had thought Rong Wei would surely cling and make a fuss, but who knew he would lazily lie back on the bed, saying nothing and just waving his hand. Tie Ci felt like she’d received a great pardon and fled in panic.

Rong Wei lay on the bed, listening to her thumping footsteps going downstairs, slightly more hurried than usual. The corners of his lips curved up slightly, his elbows pillowed under his head.

He said softly, “Scared, are you… being scared is exactly right.”

…

Afraid of encountering those few who would pester her with questions when she returned, Tie Ci simply went to eat breakfast and only leisurely returned to the dormitory when class time came.

She lifted the curtain and slightly turned sideways, waiting for the heat and masculine scent that had filled the room overnight to dissipate before entering, when suddenly a finger took over the curtain and lifted it.

Rong Pu stood at the doorway.

Tie Ci was very afraid he would open his mouth and ask, “Where did you go last night?”

She wasn’t afraid of answering, but would find such questions very boring, and arguing with people was also exhausting.

Fortunately, Rong Pu was always clearheaded and never overstepped his bounds. He only stepped aside to let her in, saying, “I’ve prepared calming tea for you.”

Looking around, Tie Ci saw that even the window curtains had been covered with a layer of black fine gauze. This was something Rong Pu had installed not long after moving in to live here. At the time she had thought it unnecessary, but now it seemed this was prepared for her occasional truancy and daytime napping?

Tie Ci sincerely sighed, “You are truly considerate and meticulous. Whichever young lady marries you in the future will be truly blessed.”

The smile at the corners of Rong Pu’s mouth had barely formed before it dissipated. After a moment of silence, he said faintly, “Others might not necessarily have such good fortune.”

Tie Ci walked toward her own couch while removing her outer robe and tossing it beside the bed. Sitting down and slowly rolling up her sleeves, she laughed, saying, “I am honored.”

Rong Pu stepped back.

Tie Ci was usually approachable, but once she became arrogant and referred to herself in imperial terms, that noble and dignified aura would silently pervade the space, making those around her feel solemn and unable to approach.

Tie Ci braced her arms on the edge of the couch and asked him, “Are you unwell again today? Didn’t go to class? This room is messy and not suitable for your recuperation. Go to the Dean’s quarters and rest properly.”

The Dean was from the Rong family, though he didn’t manage teaching but handled the academy’s financial and personnel matters.

Rong Pu looked at her, wanting to say: If this place is too squalid for me to sleep well, can you sleep well? Then thinking of the Crown Princess’s childhood experiences he had heard about, he felt such a question would be pointless.

Speaking of being pampered and spoiled, the Crown Princess really couldn’t claim that.

He stepped back and said, “This subject takes his leave.”

After he left, Tie Ci immediately fell asleep. In her drowsiness, she vaguely heard Dan Shuang’s footsteps standing guard outside the courtyard, and slept even more peacefully.

This sleep was so deep she didn’t even dream. When she heard voices outside, she rolled up the black curtain and discovered it was nearly dark outside.

It should be the time for the end of classes and evening meal.

Someone outside said, “Eh, this is… Teacher Rong? Teacher Rong, what are you doing here? Why are you even carrying bedding…”

Tie Ci felt this wasn’t good and suddenly sat up. Lifting the curtain, Rong Wei stood at the doorway with servants carrying bedding behind him, and several students from the neighboring quarters poking their heads around curiously.

Tie Ci took a deep breath.

Looking at Dan Ye’s bed across the way, then at Rong Pu’s bed in the row, thinking about how she never removed her outer clothes at night, she sighed inwardly.

They could make up a table for mahjong now.

Speak of Dan Ye and Dan Ye appears. The crowd was suddenly pushed apart forcefully, and Dan Ye stuck his head in, “Hey, what are you all crowding around here for? Eh, Rong Wei, what are you doing here?”

He never addressed Rong Wei as Teacher. At this moment, he was about to push away the servant carrying bedding.

Rong Wei raised his hand to support the servant, but said to Tie Ci, “Eighteen, you said this morning you wanted to take care of me. Yet you didn’t help me move my luggage over, so I had to come myself. Why don’t you hurry and help support your master?”

Dan Ye: “What! Ye Shiba, you agreed to let him move here?!”

Rong Pu: “Teacher, your teaching quarters have much better furnishings and accommodations than our dormitory. Living there would be better for recuperation. If you need someone to care for you, we can arrange for servants to take turns caring for you?”

Rong Wei ignored them all, only smiling as he looked at Tie Ci. Tie Ci stepped forward, grabbed his arm, and laughed, saying, “Teacher, alright, I know you’re blaming me for not caring for you properly. Why bother coming to scold me in person? I’ll escort you back right now!” She then forcefully twisted Rong Wei’s shoulder and pushed him outward.

Rong Wei didn’t struggle, following her force and turning halfway around, taking the opportunity to lean near her ear and whisper, “I can’t stay in those teaching quarters anymore.”

Tie Ci paused slightly.

“You heard what Old Yao said earlier. He mentioned strange sounds all night, but we weren’t in the room all night. After you left, I checked the room and found it had been searched through. Now that I’m injured, if that person comes again…”

Tie Ci suddenly said, “Do you have a fever again?”

Accidentally touching his wrist, it was burning hot.

Rong Wei gave a low “mm” and whispered, “Right now I can’t handle too many assassins…”

Tie Ci turned her hand and spun him around again, facing into the room.

The corners of Rong Wei’s lips curved up.

The others were shocked.

But then Tie Ci immediately discovered a problem: “There are no bed spaces left in the room.”

“Simple.” Rong Wei turned to Cui Shi nearby and said, “I just applied for you to return to your original quarters. Go back.”

Tie Ci fell silent.

She wasn’t happy about driving others away, but this person Cui Shi, it was better he not stay in the dormitory.

Cui Shi’s face went white. He had previously gotten along poorly with those in his quarters and was constantly beaten, which forced him to transfer here. If he went back now, what good could come of it?

“I…”

Rong Wei said cheerfully, “Don’t want to go back?”

Cui Shi nodded vigorously, “I… I can sleep on a makeshift bed, I’ll give my bed to you…”

“How could that work? Wouldn’t that be a teacher bullying you?” Rong Wei smiled and patted his shoulder, slightly lowering his head to look into his eyes. “If you don’t want to go back, that’s fine. Let’s discuss that arrow on the martial arts field that day.”

Cui Shi’s face instantly lost all color. He stepped back abruptly, saying in panic, “I… I’ll clear the bed space for you right away…”

He hurriedly rushed to his bed, rolled up his bedding carelessly, hastily packed up, and left in a rush. Everyone watched his departure with complex expressions, but no one spoke to try to keep him.

Tie Ci said softly, “The arrow on the martial arts field?”

Was she referring to when Cui Shi deliberately missed his target that day?

But that didn’t seem worth such panic.

“That last cold arrow that day was shot at you,” Rong Wei said softly. “When dust and smoke filled the air so thick you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face, how did the opponent accurately determine your position? Do you remember where everyone was standing at that time?”

Tie Ci thought back. There were three people nearby then: Wei Xuan, Hu Yin… and one person she hadn’t paid attention to at the time, but thinking back now, according to the order of positions then, Cui Shi should have been right in that vicinity.

“Such a person can’t be allowed to stay in your quarters.” The servant had already made up Rong Wei’s bed. He flopped onto it boneless, laughing, “No need to thank me.”

Tie Ci chuckled. When you have many lice, you stop feeling the itch. Let him sleep wherever he wants.

Rong Wei contentedly hugged his blanket and rolled around on the bed, secretly throwing the hand warmer hidden in his sleeve into the corner of the bed.

Phew… that was scalding hot just now!

…

After Rong Wei settled in, Tie Ci went out to have Dan Shuang prepare some thin porridge. She happened to encounter Chi Xue returning travel-worn.

The master and two servants sat down in a secluded corner by Fragrant Lake. Chi Xue opened the case she carried with her, revealing sheets of blueprints inside, some new, some old, a thick stack.

“Had the light-skilled experts from Zhuque Guard escort me back to the capital. The blueprints were sealed in the Ministry of War’s arsenal. I used quite a few connections to secretly retrieve them. Fortunately, they were all archived old maps and defense plans, so they won’t be discovered missing for a while.”

Tie Ci calculated the time, opened several maps, and flipped through the old books she had brought from the library that night. She opened all the pages with marked illustrations, folded them in sequence, and slowly pieced them together following the line contours. Gradually, a map with various annotations appeared before the three of them.

Tie Ci compared it with the defense maps Chi Xue had brought, finally tapping one of them, “Defense deployment map of all camps in the capital, fourth month of the twenty-sixth year of Yongzheng.”

Though the two maps looked different, careful examination revealed that all the marked places corresponded to that year’s defense deployment map. For instance, a blackened area corresponded to the cavalry camp among the three great camps of that year, and a white horse with markings in the illustration corresponded to the capital’s largest horse farm of that year, which specifically supplied horses to the cavalry camp. A place marked with lines corresponded to the armory, while a place representing a river with many dots marked the location of the original artillery camp’s supply depot.

In other words, this book contained an important military defense map of the capital from that year. As long as one opened it using the agreed-upon method, one could obtain this extremely important military map from that time. The entire capital would be laid bare before the enemy.

The fourth month of the twenty-sixth year of Yongzheng was precisely when the princes were about to rebel, and when He Zi had just arrived in the capital.

The dots and marks in this book were all made with that Purple Lightning Blue Frost ink—Lady He’s handiwork.

Tie Ci opened the passage she had copied down that day.

“…fall…cliff…wild goose…three…left…arsenal…chou…three…martial…hour…defense…change…thousand…handle…under…ground…time…”

When she had looked at it then, based on her intuition developed from reading various documents, her first feeling was that this concerned military intelligence, so she immediately stopped deciphering it.

Now, comparing it with the maps retrieved from the Ministry of War and the documents from that time, she read: “Luoyan Cliff underground left martial arsenal three thousand handles, change guard at the third quarter of the chou hour.”

That year, the artillery camp’s firearms arsenal was indeed at Luoyan Cliff’s underground left martial arsenal, containing three thousand pieces.

Military maps and intelligence.

Was Lady He a spy?!