novelzi Chapter 23
Chapter 23
Qin Zheng glanced suspiciously at the prince before finally opening the rolled-up piece of paper.
There were only seven words written on it: “April seventh, Yungang Temple.”
Qin Zheng couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of her eye.
What difference did it make whether she looked at it or not?
Expressionless, she handed the paper back to the prince. “Are you playing dumb riddles with someone, Your Highness?”
The prince took a glance at the handwriting on the paper and replied in an even tone, “It’s about the power of the Lu family in Ying Prefecture.”
It took Qin Zheng a moment to realize who the “Lu family” he mentioned was.
The Lu family of Ying Prefecture, the prince’s maternal family, was a century-old prominent clan.
For many years, they had been entrenched in Ying Prefecture.
With a queen originating from their family, their clan gradually moved to Bianjing.
However, the main branch of the family still resided in Ying Prefecture.
When Rebel Prince Li Xin rebelled in Qixian and marched north towards Bianjing with his army, their departure from Bianjing coincided with the besieging of the prince’s maternal family, the grand Tutor’s Manor and the Qin State Duke’s Manor, Qin Zheng’s main family.
Ying Prefecture was south of Qixian, so the main branch of the Lu family hadn’t suffered any unforeseen circumstances yet.
Qin Zheng suddenly realized that the prince had already established contact with the Lu family?
For such important information, he... didn’t keep it from her?
The feeling of palpitations that had just subsided returned, even stronger than before.
Qin Zheng coughed lightly and asked, “When did you communicate with them, Your Highness?”
He had only received the paper and ink from the old physician the day before yesterday, and the pen had been made only yesterday.
There were no carrier pigeons in the stronghold, so how could he have received a reply from the Lu family so quickly?
The prince replied, “I requested it from Mr. Chen on the merchant ship.”
The real reason he agreed to ensure the safe arrival of Mr. Chen in Wujun wasn’t the ten taels of silver Mr. Chen offered but rather the need for someone to help deliver the letter.
That night, when they left the capital, there were only a few ships.
After the rebels searched the capital in vain, they would realize that they had escaped by water.
He had anticipated that their escape wouldn’t be smooth sailing.
By having an outsider deliver the letter, they could avoid the rebels’ scrutiny and increase their chances of success.
Qin Zheng frowned slightly, “Mr. Chen seems astute. Your Highness, entrusting him to deliver the letter to the Lu family might expose our identity?”
The prince explained, “The Lu family has various industries in Ying Prefecture and often communicates with Bianjing. Letters that might be at risk of being intercepted on the road aren’t sent to their main branch but rather to other tea houses or inns under different names to avoid suspicion.”
With that explanation, Qin Zheng understood.
The prince could simply fabricate a reason, asking Mr. Chen to deliver the letter to a tea house collecting information in Bianjing, without revealing their true identity.
Mr. Chen was a businessman, undoubtedly motivated by profit.
The martial arts the prince displayed when he speared fish on the ship were probably the only bargaining chip he could present to Mr. Chen at the time.
Mr. Chen knew that by helping him out, he could reap benefits in the future, which was why he agreed to deliver the letter sincerely instead of merely paying lip service.
However, they were on Mr. Chen’s ship at the time.
Yet the prince still asked Mr. Chen to deliver the letter, indicating that he was preparing for contingencies in case they couldn’t reach Wujun smoothly.
Thinking of this, Qin Zheng couldn’t help but admire the prince’s meticulous thinking.
He had been planning all of this since they escaped from the capital.
But the more she thought about it, the more she felt that something was off.
With the prince’s intelligence, how could the Chu Kingdom have fallen? Are we sure the original book’s plot wasn’t forcibly suppressed?
Although very puzzled, Qin Zheng still had one question unanswered: “How did the Lu family know we were at Liangyan Mountain?”
After all, when the prince wrote the letter, they were still on Mr. Chen’s ship.
Could the prince have foreseen it, knowing they would come to Liangyan Mountain?
Facing her question, the prince surprisingly seemed patient. “It wouldn’t be difficult to find out that Mr. Chen’s ship was raided in Qing Prefecture.”
Qin Zheng understood the implied meaning of this sentence.
Once the Lu family received the prince’s letter, they could easily inquire and find out that he was in Qing Prefecture.
However, Qing Prefecture was vast.
Even if the Lu family found out that Lin Yao and the others had taken back the cargo ship from the river bandits, how could they be sure that she and the prince were also at Liangyan Mountain?
The Crown prince was sitting by the stone table.
As Qin Zheng walked past him, he reached out and gently grabbed her wrist through her sleeve, but his grip was light, as if it were caught by the wind.
He let go as soon as Qin Zheng stopped, and spoke in his usual calm tone, “Didn’t I say I had something for you?”
He handed her a small, delicate wooden comb.
The comb was new, with neatly arranged teeth that were smooth and rounded at the tips.
The most eye-catching part was the carved night-blooming cereus flower on the handle, half in bloom, vivid and lifelike.
Qin Zheng took it with some surprise and examined it carefully. “It’s beautiful. Where did you buy it?”
As soon as she said this, Qin Zheng felt something was amiss.
The prince had never left the mountain. Where could he have bought a comb for her?
Thinking of him using a file to make pens in the yard yesterday, Qin Zheng suddenly looked up. “Did you make this yourself?”
The prince simply said, “Just make do with it for now. We can buy a new one later.”
Qin Zheng hurriedly flattered him, “You can’t find anything as beautiful as this in the market. Your Highness, you’re really skilled. I’ll use this one!”
In Qin Zheng’s view, although the prince had a calm demeanor, he was still a proud person.
Although he pretended not to care about the Lu family, he might still feel upset deep down.
If she praised him more, it might divert his attention.
As Qin Zheng combed her long hair with the wooden comb, she smiled inwardly, giving herself a big thumbs up.
Look at her, so gentle and understanding!
The prince watched Qin Zheng’s smiling face as she combed her hair, seemingly lost in thought:
Could a simple comb make her so happy?
After a few strokes, Qin Zheng found that the comb was indeed of good quality, with silky smooth teeth that didn’t tug at her hair at all.
She was very satisfied.
After combing her hair into a bun according to the hairstyle she had learned from Aunt Lu, Qin Zheng looked at her reflection in the water.
Perhaps because the prince had been watching her all along, Qin Zheng was unusually clumsy today.
After she finished the bun, a few strands of hair kept falling out.
She had to redo it several times, and her hands began to ache.
As her patience was wearing thin, a large hand took the wooden hairpin from her, and the prince’s usually cold voice seemed to soften slightly: “Let me do it.”
When the prince took the hairpin, his palm inadvertently brushed against the back of her hand.
After Qin Zheng withdrew her hand, she subconsciously rubbed the back of it, as if trying to erase the warm touch he left behind, so her heart wouldn’t flutter.
“Th...thank you,” she said dryly.
With one hand securing her bun, and the other holding the wooden hairpin, the prince carefully inserted it.
As he adjusted her hair, Qin Zheng felt a tingling sensation on her scalp.
To keep herself from getting distracted, she decided to focus on the reflection in the basin.
In the water, she could see not only herself but also the flowering pear tree next to the stone table, with the prince amidst it all.
However, the constant ripples caused by the wind made it difficult to see clearly, and Qin Zheng couldn’t make out her own reflection, let alone the prince’s.
But precisely because it was unclear, she felt that the moment reflected in the water seemed rather beautiful.
“All done.”
When the prince’s clear voice sounded, Qin Zheng snapped back to reality.
The wind had stopped, and the reflection in the basin became clear.
Qin Zheng looked at her reflection in the basin and touched the bun that the prince had helped her make.
It actually looked quite nice.
Afraid of him making fun of her, Qin Zheng said, “If you hadn’t been watching, I would have finished it already.”
At his words, the prince lowered his gaze to her, his dark eyes deep and mysterious. “Why does my presence affect your skill?”
Qin Zheng was crouched by the basin for a clearer view.
After the prince finished fixing her hairpin, he stood upright, leaning against the pear tree with his arms crossed, and looked down at her.
His gaze was even more penetrating.
His eyes had always been gentle yet cold, but at this moment, Qin Zheng felt as if she couldn’t move at all, except for her heart, which was beating uncontrollably.
Oh heavens, how should she answer such a question?