Chapter 8

Qin Xin could never forget that humiliating life from her previous lifetime.

Ever since her rebirth, she had remembered that day at every waking moment—the day Qin Jiu was brought before her.

From that day on, she was no longer a noble young lady of a marquis household.

She became the daughter of a criminal.

It was Qin Jiu who ruined her entire life!

During the first few years after her rebirth, Qin Xin would still wake from nightmares at night, terrified of that day’s arrival.

She could never forget Qin Jiu’s face.

It was etched into her bones and heart.

The waiter quickly cleaned up the mess on the floor. Qin Xin, absentminded, watched as the young lady at the neighboring table sat back down. She was still facing away from her, gently dabbing the soup stains from her shoulder with a handkerchief. Her movements were small, and she never turned her face around again.

“Xin’er?” Noticing her unusual expression, the Second Prince, Gu Jing, asked, “What’s wrong?”

Qin Xin forced a smile and said, “I was startled just now. Fortunately, that young lady wasn’t hurt. If a whole plate of soup had spilled onto someone, just thinking about it feels scalding.”

“Xin’er, you…” Gu Jing curved his lips in a light smile and shook his head, a trace of helplessness and indulgent affection in his expression.

His Xin’er was always this gentle and kind.

“You’re always so considerate toward others. When will you show some consideration to your fiancé as well?” Gu Jing gazed at her intently, his long, affectionate eyes seeming to reflect only her.

A faint blush spread across Qin Xin’s cheeks, yet her heart grew even more uneasy.

It had not been easy for her to obtain everything she had now. She would not allow anyone to destroy it!

In her previous life, Qin Jiu had taken everything from her. In this life, was Qin Jiu going to stand in her way again?!

Qin Xin lowered her long lashes, her eyes flickering between light and shadow.

The waiter brought the dishes one after another. The cooking at Zuifeng Tower was indeed excellent, but Qin Xin ate absentmindedly throughout the meal.

She kept glancing toward that table, yet never again caught sight of the girl’s face. From her back alone, she could only judge that the girl was about thirteen or fourteen years old.

Could it really be “her”?

When the two at the neighboring table finished their meal and went downstairs, Qin Xin grew anxious. She wanted to suggest to Gu Jing that they should leave as well, but when the words reached her lips, she felt that urging him so abruptly would seem too deliberate.

Thinking quickly, Qin Xin pointed to the table where Qin Jiu had been sitting and said, “Second Young Master, did you notice that the young gentleman just now looked somewhat familiar?”

“Familiar?” Gu Jing hadn’t paid attention.

“He seemed somewhat similar to the Third Young Master of Prince Duan’s residence.” As she said this, Qin Xin’s hesitant expression was perfectly timed.

Gu Jing hadn’t paid attention to Xiao Ze earlier, but now that he thought back carefully, he became thoughtful. That young man in blue did seem slightly similar to Prince Duan’s third son.

Prince Duan, Gu Xiao, was a feudal prince stationed in the northern territories, guarding several provinces. He was also the Emperor’s imperial uncle and commanded heavy military forces.

Without an imperial summons, a feudal prince was not permitted to enter the capital. Gu Jing had only seen Prince Duan a handful of times.

Nine years ago, at the Emperor’s 30th birthday celebration, Prince Duan had brought along his heir and two sons to the capital.

At that time, the Emperor had instructed his younger brother, Prince Su, to host the three brothers. Gu Jing had only seen Prince Duan’s third son, Gu Zezhi, from a distance on occasions such as in the Imperial Study or at palace banquets.

Back then, Gu Zezhi was only ten years old. Now he should be nineteen, and his appearance would naturally have changed somewhat from his childhood.

A flicker passed through Gu Jing’s eyes. He immediately stood up and hurried to the window to look down, but the two had already gone far away. All he could see from a distance were their backs.

“Xin’er, did you see clearly?” Gu Jing turned and asked Qin Xin.

Qin Xin shook her head. “I only caught a glimpse when they were going down the stairs just now. Perhaps I was mistaken.”

Gu Jing’s right hand unconsciously gripped the window frame. His gaze deepened as his thoughts raced.

In recent years, the Prince Duan’s residence had been rife with undercurrents, all stemming from the struggle between legitimate and illegitimate sons.

Princess Consort Duan had difficulty bearing children. Even after twenty years of marriage, she had not given birth to a legitimate son. Pressed by circumstances, Prince Duan named his eldest son by a concubine as heir apparent when he was thirty-five. Unexpectedly, the following year, the Princess Consort became pregnant and, like “a pearl from an old clam,” gave birth to a legitimate son for Prince Duan—Gu Zezhi.

Thus, the situation in Prince Duan’s household became somewhat awkward.

The heir apparent had committed no fault; even Prince Duan could not simply depose him without cause. Moreover, Gu Zezhi was still young—put bluntly, whether he would even live to adulthood was uncertain.

At the beginning of this year, Gu Jing had accidentally overheard the Emperor mention to his chief eunuch that Gu Zezhi should be summoned to the capital to study. The Emperor had even said that once Gu Zezhi arrived, he would test him, and if he proved capable, it would be proper for the legitimate son to inherit the title.

Upon hearing this, Gu Jing had secretly written to Prince Duan’s heir apparent, revealing the news as a gesture of goodwill.

Gu Jing frowned slightly, his thin lips pressed together.

Qin Xin studied his expression and offered a suggestion. “Should we send someone to follow them and take a look?”

Gu Jing refused without hesitation. “That would be inappropriate.”

If that man really was Gu Zezhi, then it meant Prince Duan’s heir had not taken action. That heir was perhaps too soft-hearted—not someone fit to accomplish great things…

He needed to think carefully about who would be the more suitable ally.

Gu Jing’s response was exactly what Qin Xin had expected. So she changed the subject. “Second Young Master, my jade pendant is missing. The one Grandmother specially went to Huangjue Temple to pray for before I left the capital.”

Gu Jing looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

Qin Xin blinked at him and continued, “It was still there just now, but after someone bumped into me, it disappeared. Perhaps it was stolen.”

Her words were ambiguous, yet Gu Jing immediately understood.

It wouldn’t be difficult to find out whether that person was truly Gu Zezhi. They only needed an excuse to inspect travel permits.

The two exchanged a knowing look.

After a moment’s thought, Gu Jing continued, “The public order in Qingyun County is truly terrible. Dongshun, take my token and make a trip to the county yamen.”

Dongshun, Gu Jing’s personal young eunuch, understood his master’s intentions well. At the command, he immediately accepted the order and hurried to the county office with Gu Jing’s token.

Thus, the magistrate of Qingyun County learned that the Second Prince’s fiancée had lost a jade pendant within his jurisdiction.

The magistrate panicked at once.

Ever since the imperial entourage had arrived at the Jianglin Palace, he, as a local official, had been living in constant fear of making a mistake and losing his official hat. And now, something had indeed gone wrong!

Eager to make amends, the magistrate immediately declared that he would dispatch constables to search for the thief.

“Magistrate Zhang,” Dongshun said in his sharp voice, “His Highness does not wish to disturb the people over a mere jade pendant.”

Magistrate Zhang understood at once and quickly replied, “Then this official will have it investigated in secret.”

Having completed his task, Dongshun took his leave. Magistrate Zhang promptly summoned the head constable to give instructions and ordered the runners to begin their investigation.

Dongshun had provided very limited clues. He only said that the jade pendant thief was not a local and was very young. There were no other details—not even a portrait.

This gave the constables a terrible headache. In the end, they decided to focus on the inns and question each guest one by one.

Before long, constables could be seen charging about through the streets and alleys of Qingyun County.

Inside a teahouse by the street, Qin Jiu’s expression darkened as she watched the constables going back and forth outside.

She stopped a passing tea server and asked with a smile, “What’s happening outside? Why is it so noisy?”

“The officers are checking outsiders,” the tea boy replied smoothly, clearly having already answered the same question from several customers. “His Majesty is currently at the Jianglin Palace. Nothing can be allowed to go wrong.”

In the tea boy’s view, the constables were cracking down on petty criminals and maintaining order. That was naturally a good thing.

Qin Jiu feigned curiosity, “Did they conduct inspections a few days ago as well?”

“They checked once before His Majesty arrived,” the tea boy answered readily. “Guest, would you like anything else?”

Qin Jiu ordered another plate of fried melon seeds, handed the boy two copper coins, and dismissed him.

From him, she learned one important detail: inspections like this were not routine. They had only conducted one round before the Emperor’s arrival.

So today’s search was very likely unusual, and it just so happened to occur right after her chance encounter with Qin Xin.

Most likely, this was aimed at her!

Back at Zuifeng Tower, Qin Jiu had already noticed Qin Xin’s gaze drifting toward her from time to time. After leaving, she had not returned directly to the inn. Instead, she pulled Xiao Ze along to this teahouse to sit and observe the situation.

Just her luck—bad omens always came true!

She had only just shown her face in front of Empress Wei. This was absolutely not a good time for the female lead to discover her.

Should she flee overnight? Leave Qingyun County first and worry about the rest later?

She considered it carefully but ultimately rejected the idea.

Clearly, Qin Xin had not yet confirmed her identity. Otherwise, it wouldn’t merely be constables conducting inspections. If she ran now, she would only put herself at a disadvantage.

Resting her left cheek in her hand and cracking melon seeds with her right, Qin Jiu grew more troubled the more she thought about it. Before she knew it, she had finished the small plate.

She raised her hand to call for another plate when Xiao Ze, who had been leisurely sipping his tea, spoke gently, “Need help?”

His calm and composed demeanor suggested he was well aware that Qin Jiu’s trouble was no small matter.

Qin Jiu shot him a lazy sideways glance, “Since when were you so kind-hearted?”

Xiao Ze smiled faintly, like a warm spring breeze sweeping across the earth, “Mutual benefit.”

He changed seats and moved to sit beside Qin Jiu, curling his index finger at her. His eyes, dark as black jade, were especially clear and bright.

Qin Jiu cooperatively leaned her head closer.

Soon, her eyes lit up.