The next several days of river travel passed without incident, smooth and uneventful.

The esteemed Crown Grandson spent the greater part of each day inside his cabin reading, passing the time that way, and rarely came out to walk around.

Though Ling Jingshu was eager to draw close to him and align herself with him, she was cautious and made no rash move.

From what Ling Jingxian had told her, it was plain that this young Crown Grandson was cold-hearted, merciless, and ruthlessly effective — he was not someone who could be easily played. She would have to plan carefully, lest her attempt to borrow his power to exact her revenge come to nothing and instead arouse his suspicion.

Throughout those days, she kept to the cabin. Sometimes she stayed with Ling Xiao; other times she chatted idly with Ling Jingxian and Jiang Rongyue, weaving in questions about the Crown Grandson’s circumstances in a way that left no trace.

Jiang Rongyue and the Crown Grandson were distant cousins. Though they had little contact in ordinary times, what she knew of him was far more detailed than the secondhand hearsay Ling Jingxian had picked up along the way.

“…A’Yan has already told you about His Highness the Crown Grandson ordering the flogging of a palace maid and having an Eastern Palace official thrown into the imperial prison, hasn’t she!” Jiang Rongyue smiled with meaningful depth. “But there are some things one cannot judge by surface appearances alone.”

Ling Jingshu’s eyes flashed. She ventured carefully, “Is Cousin-in-Law suggesting there is more to the story beneath the surface?”

Ling Jingxian pricked up her ears with curiosity as well.

Sitting on a boat all day was genuinely tedious. Besides, there was no one else here. Jiang Rongyue generously revealed the true inside story she knew. “I only happened to catch a few words when I went to pay my respects to my cousin-uncle’s household last time…”

The cousin-uncle Jiang Rongyue referred to was none other than Duke of England Jiang Ye.

The late Empress Jiang had come from the Duke of England’s household. The Duke, who commanded great military power and held a position of immense authority, maintained close ties with the Crown Prince’s household — it was no surprise that he would be privy to its secrets.

“…According to my cousin-uncle, that palace maid had been bestowed upon the Crown Prince’s household by Her Majesty the Empress. Relying on the Empress’s backing, she openly and brazenly served as the eyes and ears of the palace within the household. His Highness the Crown Grandson deliberately found a high-sounding excuse to deal with her. Her Majesty the Empress was furious in her heart, yet there was nothing she could do.”

Jiang Rongyue’s eyes were full of admiration.

After Empress Jiang passed away from illness, the Emperor had elevated Empress Xu to preside over the six palaces. Empress Xu enjoyed both the Emperor’s favor and considerable political acumen; the rear palace had long since become her domain.

Empress Xu’s actions had grown increasingly unrestrained. Under the perfectly legitimate guise of bestowing gifts, she had sent palace maids into the households of every Imperial Prince. Each Imperial Prince knew full well these women were spies sent by Empress Xu, yet none dared refuse.

The Crown Grandson, however, was unwilling to swallow that indignity. Using an equally open and above-board method, he disposed of Empress Xu’s spy. After the palace maid took her own life, he proactively entered the palace to “make his apologies.”

And what could Empress Xu do?

She could hardly fly into a rage with the Crown Grandson over a single palace maid.

Empress Xu could only pinch her nose and swallow down that suffocating grievance.

Ling Jingxian listened with one astonishing revelation after another. “Cousin-in-Law, the way you tell it, His Highness the Crown Grandson is truly formidable!”

“That he certainly is.” A note of pride, as one who shares in his glory, colored Jiang Rongyue’s tone. Her gaze shifted, and she saw Ling Jingshu with a face full of pensive contemplation. “A’Shu, what are you thinking?”

Ling Jingshu spoke slowly. “I was thinking — Her Majesty the Empress planted informants in the various households. Surely she didn’t rely on just that one palace maid on the surface. His Highness the Crown Grandson’s actions were plainly a case of killing the chicken to frighten the monkeys. A warning to Her Majesty the Empress: if her hand reached any further into the Crown Prince’s household, it would not end with just this one palace maid.”

“I’d wager that after this, the Crown Prince’s household quietly dismissed a number of their servants.”

Jiang Rongyue: “…”

Jiang Rongyue’s gaze was full of stunned astonishment. “You are entirely correct… all of this I know only because my cousin-uncle spoke of it. You have never been to the capital, and you have never met the Crown Grandson or Her Majesty the Empress. How did you guess all that?”

Ling Jingxian’s eyes had widened involuntarily as well.

How in the world had A’Shu figured all of this out?

Ling Jingshu smiled slightly. “It isn’t that difficult to guess. One only needs to think it through carefully.”

Ling Jingxian pursed her lips. “I certainly couldn’t have guessed any of it.”

Ling Jingshu took no offense, and turned to smile at Ling Jingxian. “You heard all of this as though it were simply a story, never stopping to think deeper. Naturally you wouldn’t arrive at the same conclusion.”

The patient, indulgent look and tone — as though she were humoring a child.

She was clearly a full year older, yet whenever she found herself in front of Ling Jingshu, the one making unreasonable scenes was always her…

Ling Jingxian found she could no longer keep up any show of pique, and rather awkwardly steered the conversation elsewhere. “Cousin-in-Law, from the way you speak, could it be that the matter of the Eastern Palace official being thrown into the imperial prison also has a deeper story behind it?”

That, even Jiang Rongyue did not know the full details of. “My cousin-uncle didn’t elaborate on that. He only heard the outside rumors claiming that His Highness the Crown Grandson had contradicted and defied the Crown Prince, and dismissed it with a wave of his hand, saying: ‘A pack of ignorant fools!'”

Ling Jingxian was thoroughly bewildered, and then she glanced over at Ling Jingshu — who again wore that expression of quiet, absorbed contemplation.

“A’Shu, what have you worked out now?” Ling Jingxian couldn’t help asking.

Ling Jingshu’s brow furrowed slightly, then smoothed out just as quickly. “Since he was an Eastern Palace official, the Crown Prince would naturally want to stand by him — otherwise it would chill the hearts of all the officials who look to the Crown Prince. So His Highness the Crown Grandson stepped forward to play the villain instead. That way, the subordinate was dealt with, and yet there was no handle left for anyone to grab.”

“There’s also a chance that this particular official had long since been secretly won over by outside forces and developed divided loyalties. His Highness the Crown Grandson detected it early on, and deliberately seized on his weakness to have him thrown into prison — delivering a hidden blow to whoever was working behind the scenes, who could neither protest nor make a sound.”

Jiang Rongyue: “…”

Ling Jingxian: “…”

The two of them looked at Ling Jingshu with the exact same strange, awestruck expression.

Ling Jingshu smiled, at a loss for words. “I was only speaking offhand — I may very well be wrong. Why are you both looking at me like that?”

Jiang Rongyue was the first to speak. “I was thinking — with a mind as sharp and keen as yours, it is a true pity you were born a woman.”

Ling Jingxian also let out a long, heartfelt breath. “A’Shu, I swear I will never envy or resent you again.”

This was not the gap between a wildflower and a peony — this was the distance between a firefly and a blazing moon hanging full in the sky.

Just as they were laughing and talking, Ling Ji walked in with a smile. “What are you all chatting about? You’re having such a good time — I could hear your laughter from far away.”

Ling Jingxian was quick to laugh back. “We women have topics between us that are not for your ears.”

Ling Ji laughed. “Even without you telling me, I can guess well enough. You were all gathered together just now — it must have been His Highness the Crown Grandson you were discussing.”

In truth, it was not only the women. These past several days, the name of the Crown Grandson had been appearing with far greater frequency on the lips of Ling Daye and Sun Shi as well.

Jiang Rongyue smiled, pressing her lips together. “You came to find us on purpose — surely not just to say that.”

Ling Ji’s expression grew composed and serious. “We have been sailing these past several days. There are still three or four days of waterway before we reach Luoyang. His Highness the Crown Grandson has given orders for the ships to put in at the dock, so that fresh meat and vegetables can be purchased. I came to ask whether any of you would like to go ashore at the dock for a bit of fresh air.”

Everyone: “…”