By the day of departure, Xiao Ze seemed like a completely different person. The pampered young noble who once looked like he’d never known hardship had turned into an ordinary young man with darkened skin.

A bamboo hat concealed most of his features. He wore a coarse, straight-collared cloth robe and even deliberately altered the way he walked. Unless someone knew him extremely well, it would be hard to recognize him at a glance.

After rendezvousing with the escort caravan, they set off.

The escorts rode on horseback and arranged a carriage for Qin Jiu and Xiao Ze. They also deliberately pulled along another cart to serve as “goods” under protection. The group left Yaoqing County quietly. They were only briefly inspect at the city gate, with soldiers holding portraits and searching for a couple in their thirties who were said to have murdered someone in the neighboring Jiangyu County and fled in fear of punishment. Seeing that Qin Jiu and Xiao Ze didn’t match the ages, the soldiers quickly let them pass.

Once they were out of the county, Qin Jiu remained tense, afraid that Xiao Ze’s enemies might come after them. Fortunately, their luck seemed decent, and the journey went fairly smoothly.

Still, the road was far from peaceful.

As written in the novel, the former emperor had grown muddleheaded and autocratic in his later years, and from then on the Great Qi dynasty had been in steady decline.

The current emperor had once been confined for several years due to the former emperor’s suspicions, which had ruined his health. He often lacked energy. Though he possessed great ambition, he was still unable to reverse the decay of the dynasty. Matters were especially bad in the provinces—corruption was rampant, and roaming bandits ran wild.

Along the way, they encountered two groups of refugees fleeing south from the Huaibei region alone. Thankfully, with the escort caravan protecting them, they avoided a lot of trouble.

For Qin Jiu, however, the greatest trouble was the nightmare that refused to leave her.

Every night she dreamed the same dream: she was running desperately through the snow, only to be pierced through the heart by an arrow in the end.

After waking from yet another nightmare, Qin Jiu sat blankly against the bed, her face utterly vacant.

Cold sweat had soaked through her undergarment, leaving it clammy and stuck to her skin.

Everything in the dream was painfully clear. She could even sense that she was about to die, yet no matter how she ran, she could never escape that ending.

This could no longer be explained by “thinking about it during the day and dreaming about it at night.”

“Why?”

Qin Jiu murmured to herself.

Could it be because of the original owner’s resentment? She was unwilling to die like that, so she wanted her to turn the tables in her stead?

Bang!

Qin Jiu’s heart jolted violently, as if someone unseen were answering her from the dark.

“No way!”

On the verge of tears, Qin Jiu felt utterly helpless. Did she really have to go to that cursed marquis’s residence and fight the heavens, fight fate, and fight the female lead?

She collapsed back onto the bed in despair, unable to fall asleep again.

And so, early the next morning, Xiao Ze saw the little girl leave her room looking dispirited, climbing and sitting inside the carriage in a daze.

She didn’t say a word the whole way, simply staring off into space.

One moment she frowned, the next she clenched her fists, then she bit her lip, looking as if she were about to cry. Her expressions shifted endlessly, utterly dramatic.

Xiao Ze, sitting beside her, found it extremely entertaining.

Bored, he casually picked up a crisp persimmon from the fruit tray and popped it straight into her mouth.

Qin Jiu opened her mouth on instinct and took a bite, then held the crisp persimmon in both hands and ate it blankly.

After she finished the persimmon, Xiao Ze stuffed a piece of pastry into her hands. Qin Jiu seemed half-awake, half-asleep, her expression dazed as she continued eating.

Xiao Ze suspected that even if he put a chili pepper into her hand, she would still shove it into her mouth without question.

Raising an eyebrow, Xiao Ze asked on a whim, “Little girl, what are you thinking about?”

“Whether I should acknowledge my family.”

Qin Jiu answered offhandedly. Only after the words left her mouth did she realize she had actually spoken her thoughts aloud, her small mouth falling open in surprise.

Words once spoken were like water once spilled—there was no taking them back. Since she’d already said it, Qin Jiu could only bury her head in the sand and give up resisting, telling herself that they would soon go their separate ways anyway, so there was nothing to worry about!

That’s right!

Thinking this, Qin Jiu took a fierce bite of the fried rice cake in her hand. The crispy snack let out a sharp crunch as she bit into it.

Huh? Still a little stunned, Qin Jiu lowered her head and stared at the fried rice cake in her hand. Strange, how had she ended up holding this?

Her foolish look made Xiao Ze laugh. His smile was gentle, like a breeze brushing across the face.

Qin Jiu silently glanced at him, quickly finished the rice cake in two or three bites, then reached out for a second piece.

She had made up her mind.

She was going back to the Marquis of Zhongyi’s residence.

Rather than being tormented by nightmares every night, she might as well return to the main storyline. Once she went through the plot, she could open a small shop and live in peace.

Munching on the fried rice cake, Qin Jiu’s mind raced.

At this point in time, Qin Xin should already be engaged to the Second Prince.

The old marquis passed away in the second year after Qin Xin was brought back to the marquis’s residence. The original owner’s biological parents died in exile, so the title was inherited by the legitimate second son, Qin Zhun.

After observing mourning for three years, when the Qin family returned to court, they were already far removed from the center of power.

In the capital where nobles were as numerous as clouds, the new marquis Qin Zhun, held a middling post and remained frustrated and unfulfilled.

That was, until the Second Prince sought Qin Xin’s hand in marriage.

The current emperor had seven sons. The eldest, born of the empress, had died young. Of the remaining princes, only the Sixth Prince was a legitimate son, but he was still very young. The Second Prince was born of a Noble Consort, and as the saying went, a son rose with his mother’s status. Aside from the Sixth Prince, the Second Prince was the most honored.

In recent years, the emperor’s health had grown worse and worse, and the court had long been thrown into chaos over whether to establish the legitimate heir or the eldest.

Because of this marriage, Qin Zhun was bound to the Second Prince’s faction.

If she were to step forward and tell the Qin family that Qin Xin was actually just the wet nurse’s child, what would happen?

It was certain that Qin Xin’s status would no longer be suitable for the Second Prince. Once Qin Xin was gone, the bond between the Qin family and the Second Prince would no longer be secure.

In front of personal gain, even blood ties had to give way.

At that point, she herself would instead fall into a disadvantageous position.

Even if she wanted to go back and live as a carefree nobody, she still had to turn passivity into initiative. She had no desire to be reduced to ashes under the overwhelming aura of the female lead!

Therefore, she needed an opportunity.

While Qin Jiu was racking her brains over this for several days, the group arrived at Qingyun County in Longzhou.

The line to enter the city was long, so the head escort sent someone to inquire about the situation.

Then they queued up, waiting.

“This little county is really troublesome!”

A sweet, delicate female voice sounded from not far behind them.

“Sister Qin Xin, I don’t want to line up with these filthy commoners. You must have a way, right?”

“Before we set out, I saw Cousin give you a token.”

Upon hearing the name “Qin Xin”, Qin Jiu’s shoulders stiffened. She instinctively followed the voice and looked over.

Five or six people away from Qin Jiu’s carriage, four or five young lords and ladies sat astride tall horses. They were around fourteen or fifteen years old, dressed in bright, luxurious clothes, spirited and high-spirited, standing in stark contrast to the ordinary townsfolk around them.

Having only read the novel, Qin Jiu didn’t know which of them was Qin Xin. But it went without saying that Qin Xin, who possessed memories of her previous life, would certainly recognize the original owner’s appearance.

Qin Jiu quickly drew her head back and hid inside the carriage, with only one thought ringing in her mind:

Why was Qin Xin here?!

Xiao Ze lifted his brows and glanced at the group as well, a glint of interest flashing through his eyes.

Interesting!

Who exactly is this little girl hiding from?

Only after those people entered the city did Qin Jiu finally let out a breath. Now was absolutely not the right time to let the female lead discover her!

“Boss.”

At that moment, the escort who had gone to inquire about the situation returned and reported to the head escort, “His Majesty arrived at the Jianglin Traveling Palace three days ago. It’s said he may conduct an incognito inspection in the coming days, so entry and exit from the city has been very strict lately…”

Sitting in the carriage, Qin Jiu stopped paying attention to the rest of the report. Her focus was entirely caught by the four words “Jianglin Traveling Palace.”

Over the past two days, she had been desperately trying to recall the plot of the novel. Though she only remembered thirty or forty percent of it in fragments, she distinctly remembered that the Jianglin Traveling Palace was a very important location in the early part of the story.

No wonder Qin Xin was here!

“Big brother,” Qin Jiu said, her eyes lighting up as she smiled brightly at Xiao Ze sitting opposite her. “Let’s stay here a few more days. We might run into His Majesty traveling incognito. That’s how it always goes in operas.”

When she smiled like this, light shimmered in her almond-shaped eyes, and her thin little face gained a touch of liveliness.

Xiao Ze stroked his chin and said gently, “Since my little sister enjoys a bit of excitement, there’s no harm in staying a few more days.” As he spoke, he leaned half his face out of the carriage window and called to Head Escort Xu, “Head Escort Xu, let’s stay here a little longer.”

Such a harmless request was readily agreed to by Head Escort Xu.

After waiting nearly an hour, it was finally their turn. The guards checked their travel permits, asked about their identities, and then let them into the city.

Qin Jiu had been worried that something might be amiss with the permits. Now she could finally relax, thinking to herself: that hundred taels of silver was money well spent!

After entering the city, they found an inn to stay at. Early the next morning, Qin Jiu went out alone.

Her destination was Qingjing Temple, on the outskirts of Qingyun County.

Qingjing Temple sat atop Qingjing Mountain and enjoyed thriving incense offerings.

It was now the golden ninth month of autumn. The weather was clear and crisp, and the maple forest was one of Qingjing Temple’s greatest sights. Red leaves glowed against frosty skies, breathtaking beyond words. Every day, countless pilgrims came to burn incense and admire the scenery.

For three days in a row, Qin Jiu went to Qingjing Temple, each time staying until the sun set before returning. On the third day, the moment she entered the temple, she sensed something subtly different—security within Qingjing Temple had tightened.

Not only were there more monks and novice monks, there were also more “pilgrims” with brisk movements, straight backs, and disciplined gaits. Even the Mahavira Hall, which usually allowed pilgrims to come and go freely, had been closed. The monks explained that it needed repairs and would reopen in the afternoon.

Qin Jiu was delighted. She had waited long enough!

She couldn’t remember whether the original text mentioned a specific day, and even if it did, she wouldn’t recall it anyway. All she could do was come day after day, waiting like a hunter by a tree stump.

At last, her efforts hadn’t been in vain.

By now, she had practically explored all of Qingjing Temple and was thoroughly familiar with its layout. Without hesitation, she headed straight for the place where the plot was supposed to unfold: Mirror Lake.

Mirror Lake lay behind the temple, close to the maple forest, and many visitors passed through while admiring the autumn leaves.

Qin Jiu waited patiently, just like any ordinary tourist, admiring the maples and the lake as she strolled slowly along the shore.

“What a worthwhile trip today.”

“The maple forest at Qingjing Temple truly deserves to be called the finest under heaven.”

…

Two pilgrims chatted as they passed by Qin Jiu.

She froze for a moment, suddenly realizing she had overlooked something.

Qin Jiu quickly stopped a young novice monk who was passing by and asked with a smile, “Little Master, I’ve heard that viewing the maple leaves from Mirror Lake is especially beautiful, but it’s so crowded here. Are there any other good places to see the maples?”

The novice monk looked only five or six years old. He performed a Buddhist salute and replied in a soft, childlike voice, “Female benefactor, if you pass through the maple forest, there is a small Mirror Lake. Few people usually go there. If you wish to admire the maple leaves, you may go there instead.”

Qin Jiu’s eyes lit up. Putting on a delighted expression, she asked, “Little Master, could you take me there for a walk?”

The novice immediately agreed: “This way, female benefactor, please.”

The straight-line distance to Small Mirror Lake wasn’t far, but the paths through the maple forest forked in many directions. With the novice leading the way, Qin Jiu didn’t make any wrong turns.

“Female benefactor, Small Mirror Lake is just ahead—”

“Ah—!”

Before the novice could finish speaking, a sharp cry suddenly rang out from the direction of Small Mirror Lake. The voice was clearly from a child.

Qin Jiu’s heart skipped a beat.

Had she come too late?!

She quickened her steps and rushed out of the maple forest.