Ling Daye had long kept his heart fixed on the Eastern Palace. When he had taken Jiang Shi as a daughter-in-law all those years ago, it was precisely because he valued her family’s ties of marriage to the Eastern Palace by kinship.

Unfortunately, Jiang Shi was only the daughter of a concubine from a branch line of the Jiang family. Although she maintained contact with the Duke of England’s household in ordinary times, her contact with the Crown Prince’s consort of the Eastern Palace was not close — and even had she wished for it to be closer, she did not have the standing to warrant it.

No one had anticipated that this sudden and calamitous misfortune would, of all things, forge a connection with the Crown Grandson — which could be counted an unexpected stroke of good fortune.

This was the grace of a life-saving debt. In the future, it would be perfectly natural and appropriate to go to the Eastern Palace to offer thanks — and to ingratiate themselves while doing so would raise no eyebrows at all.

Moreover, the Crown Prince had sustained an injury several years ago when he had led troops into battle, and his health had remained poor ever since. A great portion of the Eastern Palace’s affairs were now presided over by this very Crown Grandson.

The Crown Grandson had shown remarkable intelligence from a very young age and possessed a memory that forgot nothing. By the age of ten he had read through all four classics and the five canonical texts; by twelve, he could compose poetry and prose with ease, and was accomplished in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting without exception. After the age of twelve, he had begun managing the Eastern Palace’s affairs on the Crown Prince’s behalf. Sharp-minded and deep in thought, decisive in action, he had surpassed even the Crown Prince of years past.

The Emperor doted on his youngest son, Prince Yan, yet held this legitimate eldest grandson in even greater and special regard. With the Crown Prince in poor health, the position of heir apparent had naturally attracted the covetous eyes of others. Yet because the Crown Grandson was so exceptionally favored by the Emperor, no one could so much as shake the Crown Prince’s standing as the heir.

At the thought of having a chance to appear before the Crown Grandson, Ling Daye’s heart swelled with joy. The dread and apprehension that had gripped him all through the night suddenly lifted and brightened.

Ling Daye’s buoyant mood was plain to see.

Without needing to expend much effort, Ling Jingshu could easily guess what Ling Daye was so pleased about. A quiet stirring moved through her heart.

Perhaps — this was also an exceptional opportunity for her.

To deal with the Lu Family. To deal with Empress Xu, who held absolute dominion over the rear palace, and with Princess Changping — it was simply impossible to accomplish any of this through her own strength alone. But if she could borrow the power of the Eastern Palace, everything became possible…

In her previous life she had been far away in Jizhou, and knew little of the affairs in the capital. Yet even she had heard of the change of succession that had shaken the entire Dazhou dynasty.

After the Crown Grandson’s wedding, there had been no children yet. Just then, a great drought struck Shanxi, followed by a plague of locusts — corpses lay strewn across the land. The entire court was thrown into alarm. The Crown Grandson went out of the capital in the Crown Prince’s stead to inspect the disaster relief. En route, he was assassinated by attackers of unknown origin. The Crown Prince, upon hearing the devastating news, immediately coughed up blood and collapsed into a grave illness from which he never recovered.

The Emperor, heartbroken at the loss of his beloved eldest grandson, flew into a tremendous imperial fury. A thorough investigation was launched into the assassination, and it ultimately traced back to Prince An and Prince Kang. In a fit of rage, the Emperor placed both imperial princes under house arrest within their own residences.

The Crown Prince’s health deteriorated day by day. Empress Xu seized the opportunity to win over court officials and build momentum behind Prince Yan’s claim. The Emperor had always doted on his youngest son. Unable to withstand the constant whispers in his ear, he at last entertained thoughts of changing the heir.

The bloodshed and intrigue of that process was impossible for anyone to fully recount. Ling Jingshu, who had been imprisoned in the Lu household, could never have known the full details. The only thing she knew clearly was who the final victor had been — Empress Xu and her son.

Prince Yan became the heir apparent and ascended to the throne as Emperor. After Empress Xu became Empress Dowager Xu, she secretly dispatched an imperial edict to the Lu household. That edict became Ling Jingshu’s death warrant…

She wanted vengeance, and aligning herself with this Crown Grandson seemed to be the best possible choice.

The prerequisite, of course, was that the Crown Grandson not die as young as he had in her previous life.

After returning to her cabin, she first lit the candelabra.

Bai Yu helped Ling Jingshu remove the bloodstained dress and change into a fresh, clean one. The long hair that had fallen loose down her back was combed into a simple bun.

“As for these blood-stained clothes, this servant will put them away for now. Later, I’ll quietly take them to the kitchen and burn them.” Bai Yu said softly.

Ling Jingshu’s gaze held a complex expression. She gave a soft sound of acknowledgment. After a long pause, she said quietly, “Bai Yu — I killed someone tonight… You saw it with your own eyes. Does it make you afraid of me?”

Bai Yu answered without a moment’s hesitation. “How could it? This servant only regrets being positioned too far away at the time, and having no dagger in hand — otherwise, there would have been no need for Young Miss to do it herself.”

Warmth stirred in Ling Jingshu’s heart.

Bai Yu then sighed softly with worry. “What this servant worries about now is — if this matter were to spread, it would damage Young Miss’s reputation. When it comes to arranging a marriage in the future, it would not sound well…”

Who would dare take a woman who had killed someone as a daughter-in-law?

“As for me, that hardly matters,” Ling Jingshu said lightly, letting the words fall with an air of indifference. “I have no plans to marry.”

Bai Yu: “…”

Bai Yu tried earnestly to persuade her. “Young Miss, this sort of thinking simply will not do. A woman must eventually marry and bear children…”

A knock at the door interrupted Bai Yu. “It’s me. Open the door.”

It was Ling Ji!

Bai Yu hurried to open the door. Ling Ji stepped inside and gently set something down on the table. “A’Shu, this belongs to you.”

It was her dagger!

The blood had been thoroughly rinsed from it, leaving it spotlessly clean.

Ling Jingshu pressed her lips together and said softly, “Cousin…”

“What happened tonight — I have already given the order that no one is to speak of it.” Ling Ji cut her off swiftly. “As for the Eastern Palace guards, Commander Wang has also issued a strict order forbidding anyone from mentioning what occurred tonight. I will not tell Father or the others about this either. So there is nothing for you to worry about.”

No one will ever know that you killed a bandit tonight.

Ling Jingshu was somewhat surprised — but what she felt above all was moved and grateful. “Cousin, thank you.”

Yet Ling Ji let out a sigh, his face heavy with shame. “If there is any thanks to be given, it is our whole family that should be thanking you. If not for you, those bandits would certainly have killed us all before leaving.”

And yet we stood by and watched you walk away with those villains.

Looking at the guilt etched across Ling Ji’s face, warmth rose in Ling Jingshu’s heart.

In her previous life, she and this cousin had never been close — there had been no real bond between them to speak of. Yet after just a few days of contact in this life, genuine sibling affection had begun to grow.

“Cousin need not reproach himself,” Ling Jingshu’s tone lightened as well. “If it had been you in my position, you would certainly have made the same choice I did. Fortunately, His Highness the Crown Grandson arrived in time to rescue us, and we are all safe and unharmed.”

Ling Ji also managed a small smile, sighing with feeling. “Indeed! I have never in my life experienced a night so harrowing and fraught with peril. It is something I will never forget for the rest of my days.”

He paused, then continued, “A good many guards were wounded in this incident, and more than half the boatmen are injured as well. It is clear this water route is far from peaceful. It would be best to travel back to the capital together with His Highness the Crown Grandson. Not only could we make use of some additional hands, but the journey would be considerably safer.”

The bandit attack in the night had been truly terrifying to the bone.

He could only feel at ease traveling back to the capital alongside the Crown Grandson.

Ling Jingshu had also been quietly thinking about how to approach this Crown Grandson, and hearing this, she smiled and agreed readily, “Cousin has thought it through very thoroughly. What you say makes perfect sense.”

While they were still talking, Ling Xiao arrived as well, now changed into fresh clothes.

Ling Jingshu immediately tucked the dagger away and placed it back beneath her pillow.

The corner of Ling Ji’s mouth gave a faint twitch. He wanted to say “a weapon this dangerous would be better kept in a box, not under the pillow” — but then he reconsidered: the world was unpredictable, and who could have known that tonight of all nights they would encounter bandits, making that very dagger so necessary?

And so Ling Ji quietly held his tongue.

Perhaps, going forward, he ought to quietly acquire a sharp dagger for his own self-defense as well.