Chapter 6: Rivalry

Chapter 6: Counterplot

◎Nan Xuan trailed behind Xie Zhenchuan, eager to witness firsthand how his lord would turn the tables.◎

The study window offered a direct view of the side chamber door, allowing the group to clearly observe the intruder's stealthy entrance.

Bei Ming lowered his voice, asking, "My lord, shall we go in and apprehend her?"

Seeing no response from his lord, Nan Xuan blurted out, "This is the Earl of Guangcheng's young cousin—how can we just seize her? But why is this young lady wandering around a man's courtyard in the middle of the night?"

They had seen women toss handkerchiefs, feign stumbles to fall into the lord's arms, and even deliberately jump into water. Yet, due to previous circumstances, they had never encountered anyone brazen enough to roam the lord’s courtyard late at night.

Bei Ming’s expression grew wary. "Could this truly be a honey trap from the Earl of Guangcheng, as Lord Chen suggested?"

Nan Xuan stole a glance at his lord’s face, finding Xie Zhenchuan utterly unperturbed.

He quickly added, "Such a clumsy honey trap would, of course, be beneath our lord’s notice."

Xie Zhenchuan casually interrupted their murmuring. "Let’s go. Since we’re here, we might as well see this play through."

Seeing no immediate action was required, Bei Ming discreetly vanished. Nan Xuan followed Xie Zhenchuan, preparing to observe up close how his lord would execute his counter-scheme.

Pushing open the side chamber door, they found the candle within had extinguished itself, despite the absence of a breeze. The moon, having re-emerged from behind the clouds, streamed through the open door and windows, casting a silvery-white glow.

Li Ci huddled beneath the table, clutching the taro pastry tightly, her heart pounding wildly, terrified of being discovered.

Xie Zhenchuan’s eyes narrowed slightly as he noted the half-eaten rose honey-glazed taro pastries on the porcelain plate.

Nan Xuan promptly offered, "Please wait a moment, my lord. I’ll fetch a lantern."

"I’ll accompany you."

Despite his words, Xie Zhenchuan did not move towards the door. Instead, he glided silently towards the long table where Li Ci was hidden.

Upon hearing Brother Xie Zheng’s voice, Li Ci’s tension had already begun to ease. When she heard the receding footsteps and the sounds of the door opening and closing, she finally let out a long, relieved sigh.

After waiting a while longer to ensure silence outside, Li Ci scuttled out from under the table like a small animal. As she cautiously peeked out, half her face visible, glancing around, Xie Zhenchuan had already calmly lit the table candle with a flint striker.

The candlelight and moonlight intertwined, casting a soft, warm glow that delicately outlined her figure, even illuminating her hair with a shimmering sheen.

She remained kneeling, her skirt fanned out like a flower on the floor. At this moment, she cautiously lifted her head, her eyes clear and bright, making her delicate, palm-sized face appear even more radiant and beautiful. Her pink, rose-honey lips were slightly parted in surprise. If not for the small patch of powdery pastry crust still clinging to the corner of her mouth, she would have looked even more innocent.

Xie Zhenchuan was momentarily speechless.

Suppressing the urge to brush away that bit of pastry, his voice deepened slightly as he asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I—cough, cough, cough—"

Perhaps it was the overwhelming aura of the Zhuoying Si Commander. Even dressed as a scholar, in this setting, he resembled an official poised to apprehend a notorious bandit. The startled little thief, caught in the act, choked and began coughing violently.

Xie Zhenchuan handed her an untouched cup of tea from the table, softening his tone. "I was merely surprised. Drink some water first, and speak slowly."

Li Ci still held half a taro pastry in her right hand. Switching to her left, she took the cup and drank several mouthfuls before finally uttering her first words: "Why is it plain water?"

Xie Zhenchuan had largely discerned her nature—greedy and naive. Though she possessed a beautiful face, her intellect hadn't quite caught up.

Such a pawn would be easily manipulated.

He was in no hurry to expose her, nor did he argue. Instead, he patiently explained, "Drinking tea at night can disturb one's spirit."

Seeing Li Ci trustingly drain the cup, he asked again, "What are you holding?"

The room contained some unimportant documents. The brief time she had been there would have been sufficient for her to search through them.

Li Ci feigned ignorance, clenching her right hand behind her back while raising the cup in her left hand to show him. "A cup for drinking water."

Such a petty trick was naturally beneath Xie Zhenchuan’s notice. Without another word, he retrieved the empty cup from Li Ci’s hand, his eyes fixed intently on her. "And your other hand?"

Li Ci had no choice but to bring her right hand forward, obediently opening her palm and softly confessing, "Your pastry."

Seeing the half-bitten taro pastry in her palm, Xie Zhenchuan was once again speechless.

Thinking Brother Xie Zheng was displeased with her for stealing his pastry, Li Ci guiltily defended herself, "It’s so late, and there was no one in the room. I thought it was unwanted."

Her cheeks were puffed out, the pastry crust still clinging to the corner of her mouth, and she clutched the half-eaten taro pastry in her hand.

In the heavy silence, Li Ci reluctantly placed the half-eaten pastry back onto the porcelain plate. Moonlight streamed through the window lattice into her glistening eyes, her long lashes lowered like a puppy caught misbehaving, ears drooping.

The crime scene was clear, and her testimony seemed genuine.

If he had previously considered this scheme clumsy, it now appeared rather ingenious.

A faint, ambiguous smile touched Xie Zhenchuan’s lips, and his tone grew intimate as he played along. "Ah Ci, you speak so pitifully. Could it be that the Earl of Guangcheng isn’t feeding you?"

His voice was deep and pleasant, more like fine porcelain than her name suggested—smooth as jade, delicate and clear.

The aroma of the soup wafted upward with the rising steam. Li Ci unconsciously nodded, then shook her head. "No, usually I can eat. It’s just not allowed tonight."

Xie Zhenchuan reached out, leisurely scooping half a bowl of Green Stream Soup and pushing it toward her. His tone was gentle, almost like eliciting a confession. "Why not tonight?"

The soup was still hot, but afraid he might change his mind, Li Ci quickly took a small spoonful and ate it.

If she hadn’t tasted it, it would have been one thing. But with that one sip, Li Ci realized this was no ordinary Green Stream Soup. The broth was milky white like jade, rich from fish simmering yet crisp with celery, almost instantly soothing the restlessness of her night-long hunger.

She had originally intended to tell the truth, but after tasting such deliciousness, she immediately began racking her brains for a believable lie.

Holding a bowl larger than both her fists, Li Ci blew on the steaming surface of the soup while pretending nonchalance. "Because... because I’ve gotten too fat. I should eat less at night."

To make herself more convincing, she subtly puffed out her cheeks. Unfortunately, there was still no meat on her face—only the soft baby fat of a young girl, making her appear even more endearing and adorable, compelling others to believe her lies despite themselves.

Xie Zhenchuan let out a soft laugh, almost lost in the night.

If the suspects brought before the Zhuoying Si Commander had even half her talent for bald-faced lying, the number of unjust cases in this world would be countless.

That long, powerful hand reached over again, effortlessly encircling the rim of her bowl.

"Ah..."

Li Ci watched in dismay as Xie Zhenchuan took the bowl away from her, her expression a mix of shock and distress.

To think Brother Xie Zheng had actually believed her spur-of-the-moment lie and wasn’t going to let her eat!

She couldn’t help but pinch her own cheek, wondering if she had really gained weight, when she saw Xie Zhenchuan serve her another full bowl of Green Stream Soup. Disapprovingly, he said, "Nonsense. You’re still growing. You should eat more."

Li Ci happily took it, lifting the bowl again. After slowly savoring several mouthfuls, she finally remembered to be polite. "Aren’t you going to have some, Brother Xie Zheng?"

Xie Zhenchuan smiled again. "I’m not hungry. You eat first."

Li Ci sipped her way through a full bowl of Green Stream Soup, then picked up the half-eaten taro pastry she’d bitten earlier and finished it. Finally satisfied, she put down the bowl and modestly announced, "I’m full."

That was a bowl large enough for a grown man; even the rice bowls used by the women in the Earl of Guangcheng’s residence were less than half its size.

Xie Zhenchuan raised an eyebrow and looked at her, "Are you full?"

Li Ci was actually only half-full, but she remembered she was supposed to be fasting tonight and nodded reluctantly.

Although Fangze Court was small and simply furnished, she felt a sense of freedom here. Brother Xie Zheng didn’t treat her like an invalid, nor did he restrict her from eating. More importantly, he had a keen interest in fine food, and the dishes he improved were all to her liking.

If only she could come here often to mooch meals.

Li Ci was calculating in her mind, "Brother Xie Zheng, could you help me keep today’s matter a secret and not tell anyone?"

Xie Zhenchuan found it amusing and felt the urge to tease her for the first time, "Are you referring to your visit tonight or the late-night snack you had here?"

Li Ci lowered her head and glanced at the plate. Although only one piece of honey-glazed rose taro pastry remained, something was better than nothing.

She pushed the plate toward Xie Zhenchuan, giving him a pleading look, "Don’t tell anyone about either."

If her grandmother found out, she would surely be placed under strict supervision and never allowed to visit Fangze Court again.

Xie Zhenchuan looked over. Li Ci was tilting her face up slightly, her clear, gentle eyes fixed intently on him. Her slender, fair fingers held the porcelain plate, and she wore a perfectly well-behaved look.

Only the remaining pastry lay pathetically at the edge of the plate, with the least amount of rose honey glaze, a clear testament to her "sincerity."

He responded with a faint smile, "Alright."

With Xie Zhenchuan’s promise, Li Ci finally felt relieved. "Then, Brother Xie Zheng, rest early. I’ll get out of your hair. I’ll come another day to play with you."

She waved goodbye to Xie Zhenchuan and, on her way out, spotted Nan Xuan waiting outside with a lantern, which she promptly took from him.

Nan Xuan, now lantern-less, stood there stunned. This young mistress had come late at night and practically disturbed everyone in Fangze Court, yet she had the nerve to say she "won’t disturb any further"?

He was about to complain to the young master, but when he glimpsed the bowls and plates the young mistress had used, he immediately fell silent.

She was the first to have made his young master "go along with the act" to such an extent.

"Young Master..."

Nan Xuan looked at the single remaining taro pastry and the half-finished bowl of Green Stream Soup on the table but didn’t dare ask if the young master wanted any.

Xie Zhenchuan examined the leftover scraps on the table, and the image of Li Ci munching away on the pastries like a little squirrel reappeared in his mind.

After a moment’s hesitation, he said, "Take these and have them tested for poison along with the medicine from this afternoon. Also, dig into her past thoroughly—where she’s been recently, who she’s met—and report everything down to the last detail."

"Yes."

It seemed he had almost been fooled by the young mistress’s innocent and harmless appearance. The young master was indeed shrewd.

Nan Xuan quickly grabbed a face mask and gloves, taking the items away carefully for testing.