Second Madam Liu had just stepped into the courtyard when a maid told her that Bai Jinzhi had collapsed onto her bed and fallen asleep immediately upon returning, not even having time to change her clothes.

Liu Shi lifted the Xiang imperial bamboo curtains with her delicate hands, walked around the screen and sky-blue plain silk bed curtains to enter the inner chamber, where she saw Lu Ninghuan and Seventh Miss Bai Jinse.

Bai Jinse quickly bowed to Liu Shi: “Second Aunt!”

“What’s wrong with Jinzhi? Is she ill?” Liu Shi looked with worried eyes at Bai Jinzhi, who was lying unconscious on the bed.

Lu Ninghuan heard the voice, put away the pillow used for taking pulse, stood up and bowed: “In response to Second Madam, Fourth Miss is just exhausted from sleep! It’s nothing serious!”

Tomorrow was the day Lu Ninghuan would enter the palace to administer acupuncture to the Emperor, so today, Lu Ninghuan happened to be resting at the Bai mansion.

Earlier, when Bai Jinse heard that Bai Jinzhi had collapsed unconscious on her bed upon returning to the mansion, she was so frightened that she immediately summoned Lu Ninghuan and sent someone to fetch Physician Hong, who had returned to the Bai family.

“Miss Lu, please go rest! I’ll take care of Jinzhi!” Liu Shi looked at Lu Ninghuan. “Miss Lu has to enter the palace early tomorrow morning, so you should rest early!”

Lu Ninghuan nodded, bowed, and took her leave.

Bai Jinse didn’t stay to disturb Bai Jinzhi’s rest, saying she would go inform Physician Hong so he wouldn’t make a wasted trip.

Liu Shi sat by the bedside and tucked the thin quilt around Bai Jinzhi, then had someone bring a cloth to wipe Bai Jinzhi’s face and dirty hands to make her sleep more comfortably.

Having traveled day and night, Bai Jinzhi was already extremely exhausted. Though she vaguely sensed someone wiping her face, she was too tired to open her eyes.

Liu Shi lowered the plain silk gauze bed curtains hanging from the bronze hooks, stood up, and came out from above, unable to help worrying: “What happened to exhaust Xiao Si like this?”

“I heard Fourth Miss went straight to the Crown Prince’s mansion upon returning to the capital. It should be that everything is finished and she relaxed, otherwise she wouldn’t have fallen asleep without having time to pay her respects to you!” Qing Shu supported Liu Shi’s hand and said softly.

“Hah!” Liu Shi said cheerfully, “Whether she pays respects to me or not doesn’t matter. I’m just afraid something urgent happened in Shouyang! But you’re right… Everything should be finished!”

Liu Shi stepped out of the courtyard and instructed Qing Lan, who was following beside her: “Go tell the kitchen to stew pigeon soup over low heat. As soon as Fourth Miss wakes up, serve her fine noodles in pigeon soup!”

“Yes!” Qing Lan responded and turned toward the kitchen.

The next day, near noon, Bai Jinzhi finally opened her eyes with soreness throughout her body. After being jolted on horseback for a day and night, Bai Jinzhi felt like she was falling apart.

“Fourth Sister! You’re awake!” Bai Jinse was lying by the bedside, laughing as she watched Bai Jinzhi grimace while opening her eyes. “Aunt Lu said you must have ridden fast horses for a day and night, and when you woke up, you’d be sore all over! Aunt Lu had someone prepare a medicinal bath for you… she said soaking in it would make you feel better.”

“What would Fourth Sister like to eat? I’ll have the small kitchen prepare it!” Bai Jinse asked.

Bai Jinzhi thought for a moment and smacked her lips: “Sunflower seeds!”

Bai Jinzhi had to be helped up by two maids. Separated by a screen, Bai Jinse sat outside the screen telling Bai Jinzhi about what had happened in the capital during these days, while Bai Jinzhi soaked in the medicinal bath and indeed felt much more comfortable.

“Although Princess Nandu Liu Ruofu was unwilling to marry Prince Liang, her reputation had already been ruined, so she could only grit her teeth and accept it!” Seventh Miss Bai Jinse chatted about the excitement in the capital while peeling sunflower seed kernels for Bai Jinzhi. “There’s also Fourth Miss Chu from the Minister of Revenue’s family. The day before yesterday, she went to attend a flower banquet and somehow fell from a pleasure boat into the lake. Although she was later rescued by her brother, everyone present saw it. She lost face and went home crying.”

Fourth Miss Chu from the Minister of Revenue’s family – Bai Jinzhi remembered that at the poetry competition at Yanque Tower, this Miss Chu had called Lu Yuanpeng a lapdog.

Heh… truly, no deed goes unreported when the time has not yet come.

Bai Jinse finished peeling a plate of sunflower seed kernels and brought them in to Bai Jinzhi: “By the time, Aunt Lu should be coming back soon. I’ll go to the gate to welcome Aunt.”

Bai Jinzhi looked at the sunflower seed kernels Bai Jinse had peeled for her, her heart full of warmth.

·

Bai Jinse stood at the gate of Duke Zhenguo’s mansion and saw an elm wood carriage with green围布 carved with the Bai family emblem slowly approaching, knowing it was Lu Ninghuan returning.

As usual, after the carriage stopped steadily, she stepped forward to welcome Lu Ninghuan.

Although Bai Jinse was young, she knew that the more respectfully she, the Seventh Miss of the Bai mansion, treated Lu Ninghuan, the more outsiders would believe that the Grand Princess truly valued Lu Ninghuan and regarded her as a substitute for Aunt Bai Suqiu.

Therefore, the more careful she had to be with such subtle details.

She raised her hand to help Lu Ninghuan down from the carriage, but surprisingly discovered that Lu Ninghuan’s palm was covered in slippery sweat. She looked up at Lu Ninghuan, whose complexion appeared normal, but noticed that Lu Ninghuan was not wearing the plain gauze clothing she had worn when leaving: “Aunt?”

Lu Ninghuan’s hands kept trembling. She tightly gripped Bai Jinse’s small hand and asked with feigned nonchalance: “Has Fourth Miss awakened?”

Bai Jinse saw the guard standing by the carriage from the corner of her eye and showed the pure, innocent smile of a child: “She’s awake! As soon as she woke up, she complained of soreness all over. Who told her to ride horses for so long?”

Lu Ninghuan nodded and turned to bow to the guard standing by the carriage: “Thank you, Imperial Guard brother, for escorting me back to the mansion!”

Hearing this, Bai Jinse looked toward the guard.

The guard bowed deeply: “Having delivered Miss Lu safely, this humble one takes his leave!”

Seeing the guard mount his horse and leave, Lu Ninghuan forced herself to grip Bai Jinse’s hand as they entered the Bai mansion. Just after passing the shadow wall, she nearly fell.

“Aunt!” Bai Jinse’s voice was extremely low as she hurried to support Lu Ninghuan, pressing her lips together silently as they walked toward the inner courtyard.

Lu Ninghuan’s heartbeat was as heavy as muffled thunder. Today, after entering the palace and administering acupuncture to the Emperor, she had knocked over a tea cup. A palace maid took her to change clothes, and she unexpectedly encountered the Empress meeting secretly with General Fu. The Empress wanted General Fu to support Prince Xin’s return to the capital to force the palace and seize the throne, but General Fu had not yet agreed.

But having stumbled upon such a secret, how could the Empress allow someone who knew the secret to live?

That maid was cleaved alive by the guard with one sword stroke. Lu Ninghuan sensed the involuntary trembling in the room and could only desperately force herself to remain calm while changing clothes.

She knew she definitely couldn’t escape by hiding, so it was better to pretend she knew nothing and loudly call for the maid to bring the sachet from her old clothes.

Lu Ninghuan’s voice startled the guard and the Empress. She heard the door opening, and with her back to the screen while tying her clothes, she said: “Bring me my sachet!”

The Empress calmly picked up Lu Ninghuan’s sachet that was placed in the outer room, walked around the screen, and handed it to Lu Ninghuan.

Lu Ninghuan turned around to see a delicate, boneless, slender hand holding the sachet. Looking up to see it was the Empress, she calmly took the sachet and bowed respectfully to pay her respects.