Chapter 284 Upstairs

Chapter 284: Upstairs

In that corner stood several young girls, but Honored Consort Yu's gaze was fixed on only one person.

She was draped in a wide cloak; with the night fallen and the colorful lanterns reflecting, the color of the cloak was indistinguishable, but the fur trim around the hood was snow-white.

Qiu Heng had also come.

From a distance, Honored Consort Yu looked at that somewhat blurry face, a storm rose in her heart.

Was she not gravely ill? How could she have recovered just like that?

Others might not know, but she knew all too well that Qiu Heng's illness was not real—it was poison.

Yes, owing to limited circumstances, the dose of poison in that cup of tea was not large.

But precisely because the dose was insufficient, the poisoned person would suffer for several more days, slowly draining away their life until they died.

So why was Qiu Heng still alive?

Honored Consort Yu's hand gripping the railing unconsciously tightened as she thought of the news Qing Feng had once conveyed to her.

That Nanny Su from the prime minister's residence, who was sold to a brothel, said that Qiu Heng was not human and could communicate with ghosts and gods.

At the time, she thought it was ridiculous, but now thinking back, it made her uneasy.

Communicating with ghosts and gods was surely nonsense, but for such a young girl to repeatedly cheated death was, in any case, unusual.

Honored Consort Yu wasn't the type to agonize over doubts. Deciding Qiu Heng was suspicious, she immediately ordered a eunuch to summon her.

When the eunuch came over, Qiu Heng was speaking with Princess Rongning.

"Greetings, Princess Rongning and County Princess Suiyun."

The two nodded in return.

"County Princess Suiyun has not entered the palace for a long time. Her Grace the Honored Consort Yu has been thinking of you and specially summons you to meet her."

"I'll go over for a bit," Qiu Heng said to Princess Rongning, then followed the eunuch.

"Your subject Qiu Heng pays respects to Your Majesty and Her Grace the Honored Consort."

Emperor Jingping, who had been gazing at the lion dance in front of the building, shifted his gaze to Qiu Heng.

The young girl wore a stone-blue cloak; two fluffy snowball-like pom-poms from the hood hung loosely in front of her. Her small, palm-sized face, set off by the lights, seemed like alabaster jade, so white it was almost translucent.

Emperor Jingping couldn't help but think of the phrase "beauty like jade."

He quickly realized he had been silent too long and covered his awkwardness with hearty laughter: "Hehe, it's been some time since I last saw County Princess Suiyun. I heard you were ill; are you fully recovered now?"

Strange, he had once been stirred by this girl's unconventional behavior, but when he discovered she was particularly troublesome and prone to causing incidents, those feelings immediately dissipated. Yet now he found this face strangely alluring.

Perhaps it was the novelty of seeing her in the guise of a delicate, sickly beauty.

"Thanks to Your Majesty's concern, I have fully recovered, except I get colder more easily than before."

"That's normal after a serious illness. You should eat more warming and nourishing foods and take good care of yourself."

"Your Majesty, I haven't seen County Princess Suiyun for many days; I'd like a word with her."

"Oh, go ahead, go ahead." Emperor Jingping walked to the side and began to watch the sword-swallowing and fire-spitting performances below.

"I haven't seen you for months, County Princess Suiyun; you've slimmed down."

Qiu Heng smiled with curved lips: "Illness comes like a thunderbolt; recovering is already lucky. Losing a little weight is normal."

Honored Consort Yu tilted her head slightly, studying the girl's flawless smile.

Could Qiu Heng have sensed that the tea was poisoned?

Logically, she shouldn't have. Both the imperial physicians and the renowned doctors outside diagnosed it as acute indigestion. Qiu Heng didn't understand medicine, so it was unlikely she would doubt the doctors' words.

But this girl had a sharp mind; perhaps she had some suspicion...

"I, on the other hand, feel that County Princess Suiyun has even more charm despite being thinner."

"Your Grace overpraises me. I am of humble quality, nothing compared to Your Grace's brilliance." Qiu Heng hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Is Your Grace still interested in straw weaving? While convalescing, I was bored and came up with a new straw-weaving design—"

Honored Consort Yu's eyebrows rose slightly; the wariness in her eyes vanished, replaced by a captivating radiance: "That would be wonderful. In a few days, I'll summon County Princess Suiyun to the palace to keep me company at court."

Still thinking about entering the palace to teach her straw weaving—it seemed she didn't suspect anything. But she must not be careless with this girl; she needed to patiently wait for another opportunity to act.

Honored Consort Yu was confident that such an opportunity would not keep her waiting long, for who was in charge of the harem if not her?

Qiu Heng, Qiu Heng, you asked for this.

"I'm glad Your Grace likes it," Qiu Heng curled her lips in a smile.

By voluntarily offering to enter the palace, Honored Consort Yu probably wouldn't waste any more time on her tonight.

As Qiu Heng expected, after ending the topic of visiting the palace another day, Honored Consort Yu smiled: "On such a rare festive occasion, I won't disturb County Princess Suiyun's enjoyment of the lanterns."

"Your subject will take her leave."

Qiu Heng gave a slight curtsy, stepped back a few steps, then turned and walked toward Princess Rongning. Along the way, she casually pulled up her hood; her smooth forehead disappeared under the hood, and even her brows and eyes were cast in shadow, only her straight nose and pale lips were visible to others' view.

Princess Rongning also wore a hood. Unlike Qiu Heng's stone-blue cloak that blended with the night, her cloak was silver-white, flowing like a patch of bright moonlight amid the myriad lanterns connecting to the starry sky, eye-catching.

"A Heng, you're back." Princess Rongning, wearing her hood, had eyes as deep as a pond, as if she had returned to that time in a foreign land when she vowed to join forces with Qiu Heng to kill the King of Xijiang.

The girl approaching had a calmer air and more composed steps. When she drew near, she reached out and took her hand and said, "Yes, I'm back."

As their hands clasped, fireworks burst open in the night sky, and a cheer erupted from below.

Princess Rongning looked down: "So lively. Back then, sitting in the carriage heading toward Western Jiang, I thought I would never see the excitement again of the Capital's Lantern Festival."

Qiu Heng leaned on the railing; her stone-blue cloak touched her good friend's silver-white cloak beside her.

They were so close, just like the two hearts that had never drifted apart after barely surviving the dangers of Western Jiang. Even though in others' eyes they were seen together occasionally, their meetings were not frequent.

"I actually really enjoy the excitement," Qiu Heng said softly.

Below, the crowds were thick and lively; such liveliness provided the perfect cover and opportunity.

Unlike Princess Rongning and Qiu Heng, who stood in a corner of Lehua Tower softly chatting, eventually going unnoticed, the women of the imperial clan and high-born ladies qualified to ascend the tower mostly gathered in small groups, finding spots with good views to admire the lanterns and scenery.

The Imperial Street during the Lantern Festival was indeed beautiful, not only with dazzling displays of lanterns and eye-catching skill displays, but also, from the elevated vantage point, one could see pairs of lovers—some secretly holding hands, thinking no one noticed, others gazing into each other's eyes, expressing their feelings.

For the noble ladies who spent most of their time in boudoirs, this kind of passionate, unrestrained young love from the common streets was even more enchanting than the lights and fireworks.

Amid these whispers and laughs, two figures walked downstairs.

Every corner of Lehua Tower had guards stationed, ensuring no blind spots. At the entrance downstairs, guards stood on either side, all with upright postures.

These were all the Imperial Guards of the Palace Command, while the Imperial Street's patrol guards also included the Imperial City Bureau.

After the journey to Western Jiang, almost every guard defending Lehua Tower recognized Princess Rongning's face. "Your Highness, do you wish to go downstairs?"