After Rebirth, I Married my Archenemy - Chapter 18

Lan Yue changed her clothes, unable to stop herself from scratching her back. She had become accustomed to the soft fabrics worn by the attendants in the Fengyi Palace; now, wearing the plain garb of an ordinary palace maid felt quite uncomfortable.

With a sour expression, she ran out the door. 

“Qun Qing, I really can’t bear to see you. When I see you, I remember that I can’t even wear a hairpin, and it makes my heart ache.”

Qun Qing then took down her simple bun, letting her slightly curled long hair fall over her shoulders. She used a comb to smooth it out, and before the mirror, she styled it into a lily bun, fastening it with a pair of gold hairpins shaped like fish playing in the water.

She closed her yellow and patterned upper garment, tied on a red and white skirt, paired it with a wooden fish talisman, and draped on a silk shawl. Then she bent down to ensure her clothes were wrinkle-free.

It was the new attire of a second rank maid in the Fengyi Palace.

“Sister Qing, where do you usually make wishes for your career on New Year’s Eve?” 

Ah Meng came in to fetch water. Seeing Qun Qing dressed up, she looked enviously at her. 

“I’ll go wish for something too, hoping that I can become a second rank maid next year. People rely on their attire just as horses rely on their saddles. I never expected Sister Qing to look so beautiful when dressed up!”

“Fool, can’t you think?” Ah Jiang rolled her eyes. “It has nothing to do with her clothes; Sister Qing is pretty to begin with. Didn’t you notice? Look how fair she is! With those striking features, she’s truly beautiful. That’s called ‘the auspicious phoenix spreading its tail,’ a sign of good fortune…”

Ah Jiang abruptly stopped talking when she noticed Qun Qing’s faint smile fading away. Qun Qing turned away, thinking she had said something wrong.

With her back to them, Qun Qing covered her ears with her hand, unable to control the redness creeping up her earlobes from the praise. But her gaze in the mirror remained calm and assessing.

No one in her family had ever praised her appearance. Unlike her mother, Zhu Ying, who was a Miao woman with amber-colored eyes and a gentle, curved brow, her own eyes were dark and her gaze cold, giving her the look of someone who never seemed to rest peacefully.

When the doctor Li performed cosmetic surgery for her, he could not change the shape of her eyes. Thus, the most distinguishing feature that set her apart from “Qun Qing” was her eyes. Ah Jiang had noticed, and it was possible that others had as well.

She had heard that there were portraits of palace maids on file.

Therefore, Qun Qing was increasingly worried about her palace registration, which she did not know the whereabouts of.

Upon reaching the entrance to the Yeting, a guard stopped Qun Qing. “Fish talisman.”

Qun Qing took out her fish talisman and handed it to him.

Now, she was a second rank maid with the right to wear the fish talisman. Although it was wooden, it allowed her to move freely within the palace.

“Why has the lady come to Yeting from the East Palace’s Qingxuan Pavilion?” the guard asked her.

“I came to the Planting Bureau to ask for some flower seeds and branches. You know our good sister likes to grow flowers in the palace, right?” Qun Qing showed them her empty basket.

The news of Zheng Zhiyi growing flowers had spread widely, so when the guard heard it, he returned the fish talisman to Qun Qing. 

“So it was a command from our good sister. I apologize for the inconvenience. Please go ahead.”

Qun Qing noticed many new Imperial Guards outside the Yeting and asked, 

“Why are there so many guards outside the Yeting?”

“Oh, there’s a spy from the Southern Chu inside the Yeting. A few days ago, we caught someone pushing a vegetable cart out of the palace to send messages. The Wang Fei has ordered stricter surveillance, and no one is allowed in from the outside,” the guard said amicably. 

“The Yeting is dirty and chaotic; you shouldn’t come here personally for errands like this next time to avoid trouble.”

While Qun Qing was having the Planting Bureau staff help her with the flower seeds, she pondered the guard’s words.

She vaguely recognized the cart driver; he was someone else’s “Jue,” the lowest-ranking spy, and he certainly did not know her identity, so she was not in immediate danger.

However, the Wang Fei’s inexplicable tightening of surveillance over the Yeting made her uneasy. Given the last incident, she was uncertain whether Lu Huating was secretly investigating the spies.

She had come to the Yeting because Xu Sibu had told her that her palace registration had not been sent to the Liu Shang. She wanted to find Zhang Niangzi for help to check if her palace registration was still here. But if the Yeting was being watched so closely by Lu Huating, it would make her search much more difficult.

Unfortunately, the main entrance of the teaching hall where Zhang Niangzi lived was locked, indicating she was not at home.

Just as Qun Qing was about to leave, she clearly heard sounds of commotion from inside, which struck her as odd. She quickly stepped onto a clay pot to peer over the low wall.

“Dongzao!” She immediately recognized the little inner attendant dressed in green standing in the courtyard.

“Sister Qun Qing, you’re back?” Dongzao looked surprised as she saw Qun Qing clambering over the wall. 

“Are you looking for Zhang Niangzi? She’s not here; she was called away by Lady Chen De.”

“What are you all doing in her courtyard?”

Hearing this, several palace maids from the Yeting quickly lowered their hands and stood to the side. The dust kicked up from their earlier scuffle had not yet settled, and lying on the ground was a girl in red, her hands bound behind her back and her mouth gagged, her clothes covered in dirt and sweat, making it impossible to discern their original pattern.

“That was Zhang Niangzi’s orders,” Dongzao pointed at the girl in red and said, “This girl has been in the Yeting for over ten days, only eating and not working, crying and cursing at night, preventing others from sleeping. We tried everything, but she wouldn’t budge! We had no choice but to scare her a little; we didn’t use much force, just trying to intimidate her.”

As if in response to his words, the girl began to twist and struggle like a carp.

“Sister Qun Qing, don’t be fooled by her pitiful appearance. We’ve all had pity on her, right? She… she’s sick, and she curses at everyone,” Dongzao said angrily, lightly kicking the girl again. 

“Did she think some high-ranking official would come to save her? She’s already been demoted to the Yeting, so what kind of spring and autumn dreams is she having? She should hurry up and change her clothes to get to work!”

Qun Qing analyzed his words. 

“Whose concubine has been punished?”

“She’s the outside woman of a fifth-rank official,” Dongzao replied.

“Don’t touch her anymore.” Qun Qing winced from the pain in her elbow and changed her position, lying down. 

“You all kicked her without any consideration. If she dies later, do you want to see Zhang niangzi punished?”

Since Zhang niangzi had treated her so well, she felt it was necessary to help her eliminate potential risks.

Qun Qing glanced at the girl on the ground. She had delicate skin, and her tattered clothes couldn’t hide her graceful figure. Moreover, her clothing was not of ordinary style; it resembled the costumes of a geisha.

“She disturbs people at night and can’t rest herself. After more than ten days, how can she endure it? What is she hoping for?” Qun Qing pondered and said, 

“Is it because she feels scared and wants others’ attention on her?”

The girl, who had been flailing around like a frightened fish, finally stopped moving upon hearing this, her cheek pressed against the ground, gasping for air. Dongzao was puzzled. 

“What can she be afraid of? There are no man-eating tigers in the Yeting.”

Unexpectedly, as soon as he said this, the other Yeting palace maids looked over disapprovingly. 

“You ignorant fool, what do you know? She’s so beautiful; if she doesn’t stir up some trouble, there’s plenty to be afraid of.”

“Exactly! You’ve never seen those palace officials who bully people, or the opportunistic inner servants. Then there’s Pei Jianzuo—he doesn’t ‘favor’ you but definitely ‘favors’ us!”

Dongzao was pushed around and quickly pleaded, 

“I was wrong, sisters! What do you say we should do, Qun Qing?”

The girl lying there didn’t seem to be just any kind of beauty. Falling into Yeting was like a sheep entering a tiger’s den.

Qun Qing knew that Zhang niangzi had ways to protect her under Eunuch Pei’s watchful eyes, so she said, 

“First, let her share a room with Zhang niangzi, for three months.”

Eunuch Pei was wary of Zhang niangzi and wouldn’t dare touch her people.

“Let them share a room? Zhang niangzi will probably kill me!” Dongzao exclaimed. 

“She just scolded her this morning, nearly driving her to death.”

“Just say it was my idea.” Qun Qing then turned to the girl and said, 

“Hey, miss, this is the safest place in Yeting. If you keep disturbing people’s sleep and get kicked out, you’ll really be left waiting for death.”

Before Dong Zao could react, Qun Qing nimbly jumped down and dusted off her sleeves.

Even if Lady Zhang wanted to hit her, it would be impossible now.

On their way back, Lan Yue met up with Qun Qing.

Lan Yue said, “That Xu Sibu looks down on others, and she’s quite proud. She manages the palace records and is busy serving the ladies. She doesn’t think much of us palace maids. If you want to get close to her, it might take some time.”

According to Qun Qing’s plan, she and Lan Yue would split up, with Lan Yue going to find Xu Sibu to confirm if her palace record was in the Bureau of Imperial Affairs.

“It’s okay; I didn’t find Lady Zhang today either,” Qun Qing reassured her. 

“Buddha’s Birthday is in Winter Moon, which is still a few months away. As long as we find her in that time, we’ll be fine.”

“I was just about to mention that,” Lan Yue replied. 

“Where did you hear that the Emperor would climb a mountain to worship on Buddha’s Birthday and release palace maids?”

Qun Qing paused. 

“I heard it from someone. What? Is that not true?”

Lan Yue hesitated. 

“I haven’t heard anything about climbing a mountain.”

Wait a minute; that didn’t match with her previous life.

Qun Qing felt a bit flustered. 

“So how will the Emperor celebrate Buddha’s Birthday this year?”

Lan Yue said, 

“The envoy from Liuli Kingdom has been here for a while and seems quite satisfied. They’re supposed to send the Buddha’s relic to Chang’an next month. The Emperor has ordered it to be placed in the Southern Zen Temple’s stupa. There should be some kind of ceremony.”

Qun Qing couldn’t help but be stunned.

She clearly remembered that in her past life, the matter of welcoming the Buddha’s relic was proposed by the Crown Prince, but it failed to materialize due to Prince Yan’s opposition.

The reason for the opposition was simple: there were shortages in the military. Prince Yan’s subordinates hadn’t been paid for three months, like hungry wolves with red eyes, so how could they agree to let the Crown Prince spend money on extravagant ceremonies? The two argued fiercely, and in the end, Emperor Chenming and Empress Ma compromised, performing a ritual in the palace while expelling many palace maids to settle the matter.

Such significant matters could change, unless Prince Yan had been born under a lucky star or had changed his temperament!

“Will they still release palace maids?” Qun Qing asked.

“I don’t know about that.”

“Isn’t Prince Yan firmly opposed to welcoming the Buddha’s relic?” Qun Qing couldn’t help but ask.

“It’s strange; they opposed it before, but now the entire Yan residence is strongly in favor,” Lan Yue replied. 

“But that doesn’t matter; I heard Prince Yan is about to be sent away from Chang’an.”

Qun Qing froze again.

What? Prince Yan was leaving Chang’an?

As the sun set, Lin Yujia, dressed in a deep green official robe and holding a jade tablet, walked out from the towering Zicheng Hall and into the grove.

Qun Qing asked him directly, 

“Is Prince Yan being reported because of what happened in the West Market?”

Lin Yujia was momentarily stunned. 

“Your news travels fast. Private soldiers causing trouble in the market stirred up public outrage. Yesterday, the Censorate submitted a report, and today, Minister Li, along with the Deputy Ministers of both departments and Censor Chen, all petitioned the Emperor to severely punish Prince Yan. It’s impossible for the Emperor to shield his son now.”

“The most critical point is that Minister Li mentioned the incidents from back then.” Lin Yujia clapped his jade tablet against his palm. 

“At that time, when the world was still unstable, we didn’t pursue Prince Yan. Now that it’s time for reckoning, we’re finally addressing it.”

The incidents referred to Prince Yan’s rapid advance from the northern regions to Chang’an, which had caused panic among the people due to misunderstandings about the open-city surrender. When entering the city, he couldn’t rein in his wild horses, trampling over the people and leaving them in fear.

That day, as the warning horn blew, patrons and pedestrians took up brooms and sticks, creating a tense atmosphere—this was the aftermath of those events.

Now that friction had erupted again between the prince and the common people, it cast a shadow over Chang’an.

As long as Prince Yan remained in Chang’an, that fear would not dissipate, and winning the people’s hearts would be impossible.

Qun Qing believed Emperor Chenming understood the situation well.

When he sought to seize power, he needed valiant warriors, but now he wanted peace and stability. Regardless of whether Li Huan was innocent, as long as the public sentiment remained unsettled, he would have to punish Prince Yan heavily to quell the discontent.

“Prince Yan’s residence has been retreating step by step, agreeing to welcome the Buddha’s relic, but it may not sway the Emperor’s will. I’m afraid that Prince Yan is really going to be sent to his fief in Qinghai, a desolate and remote place. This third son of the Emperor may become a useless piece on the chessboard,” Lin Yujia said as he placed a hand on her shoulder from behind. 

“But everything is at stake. The Celestial is preparing to have someone ambush on the road, waiting for Li Huan to be assassinated. Qun Qing, your brother’s revenge will be avenged!”

Qun Qing pinched her leg through her dress, confirming that this rebirth wasn’t just a dream.

It was all happening too fast. Everything in this life was developing too quickly.

Would things proceed this smoothly?

If Prince Yan was annihilated by the Crown Prince while still weak, then what? Once the Crown Prince ascended to the throne, the revival of Southern Chu wouldn’t be a dream anymore?

Crown Prince Zhao must be useless; there was no hope of relying on him. Qun Qing quickly calmed down and murmured, 

“Lu Huating…”

“What did you say?”

“I said that there’s an Advisor by Li Huan’s side. He controls the common people’s trust in the city and won’t easily give it up,” Qun Qing whispered. 

“I think this matter is not simple; he won’t let Prince Yan leave.”

“Just an Advisori, not a concern,” Lin Yujia replied. 

“Last time you said it was convenient to get close to the Crown Prince at Zheng Liang Di’s palace; that was a lucky coincidence.”

“What do you want to do?” Qun Qing asked, on guard.

Lin Yujia said, “Before the Celestial issues a decree, he will discuss it in advance with the Crown Prince. As long as you know how many days he plans to send him away—ten days or twenty days—you can deduce whether he will go by land or water…”

Lin Yujia wanted her to get information about Prince Yan’s impending departure from the Crown Prince, making it easier for spies to ambush on the road.

Qun Qing widened her eyes and looked at him. 

“But I’m just a palace maid! Not to mention Zheng Liang Di has already lost favor; I just offended the Crown Prince and almost got kicked out of the palace. Does the Celestial think a palace maid can do this?”

Perhaps realizing the task was indeed difficult, Lin Yujia took out a cool little porcelain vial from his sleeve and placed it in Qun Qing’s palm. 

“This is an odorless and tasteless sleeping potion. I heard Li Yan has a habit of drinking at night and doesn’t like crowds, keeping only a small eunuch by his side. When Li Yan stays overnight at Zheng Liang Di’s palace, you just need to serve him wine in the inner chamber, adding the drug to his drink. Once he falls asleep, send the small eunuch away and secretly look at the documents by his side.”

Qun Qing wanted to pull her hand back, but Lin Yujia tightened his grip on the vial. 

“Prince Yan has a blood feud with the Chu Kingdom. This is a great opportunity, and the Master has ordered that there must be no mistakes. You need to decide whether to take this vial of medicine or drink poison to end your life!”

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