When Qu Wanyue came into this world, she was already in the princess's palace. She was a dancer, orphaned and making a living by dancing. Several years ago, Princess Ninth passed through the capital, and Qu Wanyue was being bullied. The princess took pity on her and bought her, making her her maid. Qu Wanyue took care of the princess's daily life and also taught her some dances.
That day, the princess suddenly wanted to go shopping, and Qu Wanyue accompanied her. When they went to buy clothes, they happened to run into Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou. The princess made a sarcastic remark, which was retorted by Yu Hanjiang.
At that moment, Qu Wanyue had just turned around to buy sweets for the princess and was not by her side. When she returned, she saw Ninth Princess with a dark face, angrily saying, "I want to go to Jiangzhou too!"
Qu Wanyue was confused. But as the princess's maid, she could only follow the princess.
On the way, she heard Ninth Princess scolding Captain Yu for being blind and ungrateful, and only then did she realize that Captain Yu was also going to Jiangzhou.
It seemed that the crime scene was in Jiangzhou. Qu Wanyue followed the princess to Jiangzhou with peace of mind. It wasn't until she saw Long Sen at the gate of the palace that she confirmed her suspicions.
***
After Yu Hanjiang, Xiao Lou, and Mo Xuemin entered the Prince's residence, they had a servant announce to the Eighth Prince that they were the Prefect of Jiangzhou. Yu Hanjiang visited.
When the steward in charge of receiving the three men heard that he was the newly arrived prefect, he immediately led them to a side hall to settle them down, poured them tea, and then turned to inform the prince.
A moment later, a middle-aged man strode into the side hall.
The three met the legendary Eighth Prince for the first time —a tall and robust middle-aged man in his forties, dressed in brocade robes that accentuated his handsome features.
Yu Hanjiang and the other two immediately bowed and greeted the prince.
The prince smiled and said, "No need for formalities." He looked at Yu Hanjiang, his eyes full of admiration: "This must be Lord Yu, right? His Majesty often mentions you in his letters, and I have also heard some of your remarkable achievements. You became the top scholar at the age of 19, and within a few years you were promoted to Prefect of Jiangzhou. Lord Yu is truly a young and promising man!"
"Your Highness is too kind." Yu Hanjiang brought Xiao Lou and Mo Xuemin to the prince and introduced them, "This is my wife, Xiao Lou, and this is Prefect Mo. I brought them with me to congratulate Your Highness on your birthday."
After saying this, he presented the prince with the prepared congratulatory gift, a painting and calligraphy by a famous artist brought from the capital. As an honest official, he couldn't afford to buy anything too expensive, but having heard that the prince liked calligraphy and paintings, he brought a piece from his own collection.
The prince had his attendants accept the gifts and said with a smile, "Lord Yu, you are too kind. You must have had a long journey. I should have hosted a banquet for you, but unfortunately, I have been very busy with the affairs of the palace these past few days and have been unable to find the time. I will definitely invite you to visit my residence again in a few days."
Prince Eighth had no airs of royalty whatsoever; he was very polite to Yu Hanjiang, and his smile appeared very kind.
That smile reminded Yu Hanjiang of the emperor sitting on the dragon throne in Kyoto, who also wore a beaming smile, revealing neither joy nor anger. Indeed, those who survive the power struggles within the royal family are all shrewd and calculating.
Yu Hanjiang lowered his voice and began to speak seriously: "Your Highness, His Majesty has a few words to ask me to convey."
Eighth Prince understood and said, "Lord Yu, please come with me to the study for a chat. As for your wife and advisor..." He turned to the maid beside him and said, "Caiyue, take your wife and advisor for a stroll in the garden and give these two distinguished guests a proper welcome."
Caiyue responded and turned to leave with Xiao Lou and Mo Xuemin.
Yu Hanjiang followed the prince to the study, took out a sealed letter from his bosom, and respectfully handed it to him with both hands: "This confidential letter is entrusted by His Majesty to be delivered to Your Highness."
"Oh? A secret letter?" Prince Eighth immediately took the letter from Yu Hanjiang. After opening it, his brows furrowed slightly. He didn't know what the letter mentioned, but his expression became somewhat serious.
His gaze swept quickly over the letter before he put it away. He smiled slightly and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Lord Yu. I haven't been back to the capital for four whole years, and it's time for me to return and visit."
Next, the prince politely inquired about the emperor's condition, expressing his concern as the emperor's uncle. It was unclear whether this was genuine concern or merely a show for Yu Hanjiang. He didn't mention a word about court affairs or important court decisions; it seemed the rumors about him being a carefree prince who didn't concern himself with politics were true.
***
Meanwhile, Xiao Lou and Mo Xuemin were admiring the flowers at the Prince's Mansion with their maids.
The Zhenjiang Prince's Mansion is incredibly large. The entire mansion is tranquil, with pavilions, towers, and shady trees. The flower beds are arranged in a well-organized manner, and the garden is meticulously planned. There are also some hidden feng shui arrangements, which are obviously specially designed.
Mo Xuemin, who studied design, couldn't help but whisper in Xiao Lou's ear when he saw the courtyard: "The planning and design of this courtyard is very reasonable. It must have cost a lot of money to build. It's almost comparable to our city's People's Park."
Xiao Lou also felt that walking in the courtyard was a beautiful experience, making her feel relaxed and happy.
In the middle of the courtyard was a huge lotus pond. It was early autumn, and the pond was full of lotus flowers. Walking along the cobblestone path by the pond, you could smell the fragrance of the lotus flowers. There were stone tables and benches by the lotus pond. With a gentle breeze on their faces, Xiao Lou and Mo Xuemin simply sat down to admire the flowers. The maid thoughtfully brought them several plates of washed fruit.
Just then, a slender woman with a white veil covering her face passed by the lotus pond. Beside her was Liu Qiao, whose hair was tied in a neat ponytail. Liu Qiao was also carrying a...
He was carrying a medicine basket.
Xiao Lou and Liu Qiao exchanged a glance, understanding each other perfectly – it seems the woman beside Liu Qiao is the Fourth Miss.
Despite being the daughter of a prince, her attire was extremely simple and elegant. She wore a white dress with only simple silver patterns as embellishments. Her hair was adorned with no ornate hairpins, only a wooden hairpin.
A white veil covered most of her face, revealing only her eyes and eyebrows.
She glanced in Xiao Lou's direction. Her eyes were clear and bright, and her arched eyebrows gave her a delicate and beautiful air. She was clearly a pretty girl, so she wondered why Xiao Lou always covered her face with a veil.
Liu Qiao followed the fourth young lady and walked away quickly.
Since Miss Xiao has Liu Qiao on her side, there's no need to worry about missing any clues. Xiao Lou trusts Liu Qiao completely.
The Prince's mansion is too big; we need to familiarize ourselves with its layout first.
Xiao Lou had an idea and suddenly said, "I need to use the restroom. Could you please show me the way, Miss Caiyue?"
"Yes, Madam, this way please." The maid immediately led Xiao Lou to the backyard.
The Prince's mansion's toilets were built in a very hidden place, so the maid couldn't possibly follow Xiao Lou inside. After giving directions, she waited outside. Xiao Lou used Invisibility Cloak at the corner, put on speed shoes, and used that time to quickly circle around the mansion.
The Prince of Zhenjiang's mansion was simply too large; he had limited time and only explored the backyard.
There were courtyards to the east, west, south, and north of the backyard, each with a very literary name, serving as the residences of the ladies and young women. In the most secluded corner was a small Buddhist hall, where Xiao Lou saw a dignified-looking girl chanting sutras while striking a wooden fish drum —this was clearly Qi Yiyao, the eldest daughter of the royal family.
Long Sen once mentioned that the young lady was detached from worldly desires, loved reading Buddhist scriptures, and would often go to the Buddhist Hall alone to copy scriptures and recite Buddhist sutras in her spare time. Xiao Lou noticed that the girl had her eyes closed, and her expression was extremely calm, as if everything in the world was irrelevant to her.
She was engaged to the eldest son of the Lin family. The eldest son of the Lin family was a womanizer who frequented brothels every day. It was unclear whether she was kept in seclusion and had never heard of it, or whether she was completely indifferent to her fiancé.
Xiao Lou was very puzzled.
This young lady is only 20 years old. At the prime of her life, it's strange that she spends her days hiding in the Buddhist Hall chanting Buddhist scriptures.
Just then, a beautiful woman dressed in gorgeous clothes walked over and said, " A-Yao, today is your father's birthday. Why are you still chanting scriptures here? Go back and change your clothes and dress up properly."
Qi Yiyao paused slightly while striking the wooden fish, and said calmly, "My father's birthday is always so lively with so many guests. It doesn't matter whether I attend or not."
Upon hearing this, the woman's expression changed: "What kind of talk is this? You are the eldest daughter of the Prince's mansion. How can you not attend the Prince's birthday banquet? Your three younger sisters will all be attending tonight's banquet, and the young master of the Lin family will also be coming. Listen to your mother, go and change your clothes properly, so that your sisters won't be outdone."
After she finished speaking, she grabbed her daughter's wrist and forcibly dragged her away.
Qi Yiyao left with her mother, her face expressionless.
Not far away, Miss Four and Liu Qiao passed by the Buddhist Hall and also witnessed this scene.
Liu Qiao asked in confusion, "Doesn't Miss like lively places?"
The fourth young lady's gentle voice came over: "Yes, my sister was sickly since she was a child. She had a serious illness and almost died. Father went to a temple outside Jiangzhou City to ask for a protective amulet and asked the nun to raise her until she was ten years old before bringing her home. She grew up in the temple. After returning to the palace, she also asked Father to build a Buddhist Hall. She would go to the Buddhist Hall to copy scriptures when she was free. She didn't talk to us much."
Liu Qiao asked curiously, "Then how did she get engaged to the eldest son of the Lin family?"
The fourth young lady shook her head and said, "We, as children, can only obey our parents' orders."
Liu Qiao was trying to find out information, while Xiao Lou, worried that his disappearance would be discovered, quickly left the Buddhist Hall.
The maid waited for a long time. When she saw Madam Yu come out, she asked worriedly, "Why did Madam take so long?"
Xiao Lou smiled slightly and said, "I probably ate something bad this morning and I'm not feeling well."
When he followed the maid back to the lotus pond, Old Mo, who had gone to check the front yard, had just returned, and the two exchanged a glance.
Before the incident, the available clues were limited. Xiao Lou only saw the Fourth Miss and the Eldest Miss in the backyard. He did not see the Second Miss, Shuan Junzhu, or the Third Miss, who had a boyish personality and loved martial arts.
Old Mo said in a low voice, "I saw that the Lin family also came, including that young master Lin."
Just then, Yu Hanjiang and the prince came out of the study, and Xiao Lou and Mo Xuemin went to greet them.
The prince was very busy today, with many distinguished guests. He took the initiative to say that he had to leave for a moment and asked his attendant to take them to a side hall to settle in. The three men tactfully took their leave, turned around and went to the side hall to sit down, waiting for the banquet to begin.
Soon, Shao Qingge also came in, bringing several boxes of congratulatory gifts.
As the wealthiest family in Great Qi State, the Shao family's congratulatory gift was undoubtedly among the most prestigious of all the guests.
Today, Shao Qingge was dressed in a magnificent silk robe, exuding an air of nobility. After entering the side hall, he saw Yu Hanjiang, Xiao Lou, and Mo Xuemin, and immediately came over to put on an act: "Lord Yu, what a coincidence, we meet again."
Yu Hanjiang had no choice but to play along: "Young Master Shao, it is indeed a coincidence."
Shao Qingge sat down next to Yu Hanjiang with a smile, covering his face with a fan, pretending to reminisce with Lord Yu, but actually lowering his voice to say, "I just saw someone at the door."
Yu Hanjiang asked, "Who?"
Shao Qingge said: Qu Wan
moon."
Yu Hanjiang paused for a moment, then finally breathed a sigh of relief. Their team was missing only Qu Wanyue, and now that Teacher Qu had arrived at the Zhenjiang Prince's Mansion, everyone was together. The main event should be about to begin.
Yu Hanjiang lowered his voice and asked, "What is her identity?"
Shao Qingge said gloatingly, "She dressed up as a man and became a handsome young master. When Long Sen saw his wife dressed as a man, his jaw almost dropped, and his mouth was so big it could swallow a duck egg."
Yu Hanjiang: "......"
When will CEO Shao get rid of this gloating habit?
Yu Hanjiang asked seriously, "Is it disguising yourself as a man, or have you actually become a man?"
Shao Qingge laughed and said, "She's probably just pretending. Her identity in this world is still that of a woman, so she's dressed as a man for convenience. There's another woman with her, also dressed as a man, with delicate skin. I don't know who she is."
As they were talking, Qu Wanyue, dressed in men's clothing, and a handsome "young man" walked into the side hall side by side.
The two found an empty seat and sat down, drinking their tea in silence.
Qu Wanyue met Yu Hanjiang's gaze and nodded slightly at him.
Xiao Lou also spotted Qu Wanyue, and then saw another person sitting next to her. The person looked very familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before... Xiao Lou thought carefully, and realized that this was the princess he and Yu Hanjiang had met when they were shopping in Kyoto.
Xiao Lou chuckled softly and whispered in Yu Hanjiang's ear, " Princess Ninth, she wouldn't be coming to see you, would she?"
Rumor has it that Princess Ninth harbored resentment towards Yu Hanjiang for initially declining the Former Emperor's arranged marriage. However, Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou have been married for four years now. As a princess, she has many talented young men vying for her hand in marriage; surely she wouldn't still be hung up on this?
Princess, you've come all the way to Jiangzhou, just to cause trouble? If that's the case, then the princess isn't just willful, she's mentally unstable. Xiao Lou feels things aren't that simple.
Worried that Xiao Lou might overthink it, Yu Hanjiang immediately explained, "I'm really not familiar with her. We've only exchanged no more than five sentences. Don't overthink it. Her coming here is probably related to the plot."
Xiao Lou smiled and said, "Of course I believe you. Besides, I also think that the princess's visit to Jiangzhou is not simply to cause trouble for us. The show is about to begin, let's wait and see."
****