The Black-Clad Figure from the Border?

"You are..." Zhou Yao was a bit dazed, taken aback by this sudden show of friendliness.

"Right, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Sun Yuan. We met before at the border."

He said this with a grin, but when Zhou Yao met his eyes, she understood in an instant. Those assassins she'd encountered when she first left Chang'an—he was likely one of them!

"Then you..." Zhou Yao still couldn't figure out why the young General Sun acted so familiar with her.

"How I recognized you, you mean?" He let his smile fade, staring straight at Zhou Yao. "In the dead of night, in such a remote spot, and a woman at that—how could I forget?"

"Once you've caught your breath, go back. I'll pretend I never saw you."

As soon as he left, Zhou Yao's thoughts became even more tangled. If the Sun family manor was planning to ally with the Crown Prince, then why had the young General Sun intercepted the Crown Prince's men at the border? The evidence she'd found back then had probably been left there by him.

Combining that with the situation at the time, Zhou Yao found it easy to guess that Qi Yanhan had also played an important role in all of it.

The palace banquet was only a few days away. Over the past several days, tailors and embroiderers had been coming to the manor one after another to take measurements. Word had it that this embroidered gown had been ordered from thirty embroiderers working through the night, all using gold thread and the finest fabrics.

Whether this was a show for someone outside, well, they were all in the same boat now.

She didn't bother examining the embroidery on the gown further. Instead, she gathered up the baskets from her room and headed out, carrying them to the Nine Kilns to pack up the remaining porcelain she'd made before.

After days of steady selling, her stockpile of porcelain was finally almost gone, and her craftsmanship was gradually improving.

The little stall's business was getting better and better, and her profits grew day by day. Occasionally, some talkative common folk would say to Zhou Yao, "Ever since these cheap porcelain wares appeared, everyday household items have improved for us ordinary folks—good quality and low price."

This kind of recognition always strengthened Zhou Yao's resolve to benefit the common people through commerce. Today, when she counted the copper coins in her money box, she was astonished to find that, without realizing it, she had saved up enough to repay the silver she owed Qi Yanhan.

Once she paid back the copper coins, she could soon begin work on replicating the colored glaze she'd seen in the Western Regions. And when that time came, she could use the glassware to strike it rich overnight.

Duyun leaped down from the rooftop, grabbed the fabric of Zhou Yao's sleeve, and started running, speaking hurriedly: "The Crown Prince suddenly sent men to the manor, saying they're here to apprehend the true culprit hiding in the Qi residence who stirred up the young masters' quarrel that night. The master ordered me to take you out to lie low for a while."

"And him?" Zhou Yao asked with a frown.

"The Chancellor has a plan to handle it. Don't worry." Duyun replied.

The noise from the front of the manor faintly reached the back courtyard. Zhou Yao wasn't worried, after all, no matter how much outsiders investigated, nothing would trace back to her.

She freed her sleeve from Duyun's grip, and said impatiently, "I'll go take a look."

Just as Zhou Yao turned and lifted her skirts, her vision went dark, and the corridor that had just been lit by lanterns disappeared from sight.

"Forgive me."

He had been ordered by his master earlier that no matter what happened tonight, the Ninth Princess was not to go to the front hall. Too many eyes and ears there, especially with Crown Prince partisans involved.

Duyun knew some of the stakes, but he still felt his master was making a fuss over nothing—after all, this matter had nothing to do with their branch of the family.

He settled Zhou Yao in a side hall not far from the Qi Manor, then turned and left. What he failed to notice was that someone in the shadows had been watching their every move.

—

Zhou Yao never expected that when she woke again, her surroundings would be completely different. The walls were a combination of black and gold, footsteps came from outside at all hours, and wind chimes unique to the palace hung here and there.

Everything reminded Zhou Yao that she was now in the palace. The attendants outside seemed to be a different batch from the ones who'd served when she'd lived here before.

Or perhaps this was a place she'd never visited. The palace boasted no fewer than three hundred halls and chambers, many of them unused and never stepped foot in. Counting the days, today was the day for the palace banquet, but surely this wasn't the way she was supposed to arrive.

Before Zhou Yao could even turn over and get out of bed, she heard several sets of footsteps approaching from outside the hall, noticeably disorderly. Only when the footsteps stopped at the door did she hear the visitor speak.

"Greetings to the Ninth Princess. This servant has come to congratulate the princess."

Confusion flickered in Zhou Yao's eyes. First she mysteriously ends up in the palace, and now a eunuch is spouting nonsense about congratulations.

She straightened her robes, stood up, and pushed open the door. Unimpressed by the row of kneeling servants and eunuchs, she looked at the leading eunuch and asked, "Congratulate me for what? If you can't give me a proper reason, I won't let it go lightly."

"Your Highness jests. It's just that the Crown Prince, thinking fondly of the bond between you siblings and noting that it's been quite a while since you've seen each other, sent us to invite you over." The eunuch spoke with a fake smile, his horsetail whisk swaying as his body shifted.

This was clearly a hostile gesture—if Zhou Yao so much as showed the slightest reluctance, they'd likely make a move immediately. Frowning in distaste, her expression darkening, Zhou Yao said, "Where is my royal brother now? Please lead the way, Eunuch."

If only she had real power, she wouldn't be pushed around like this in the palace.

Hearing her answer, the eunuch nodded in satisfaction, seemingly pleased with her compliance. "You're too kind, Princess. Please, follow me this way."

As she walked with the eunuch, the scenery of the palace shifted around them.

Looking at the layered, intricate patterns on the architecture, Zhou Yao had a rough idea of where she was.

—The Crown Prince's residence.

She'd fainted yesterday, but why had she woken up in the Crown Prince's residence? Could it be that Qi Yanhan's negotiations with the Crown Prince's men had gone poorly, and they'd resorted to force?

But that shouldn't be. She'd been taken out early by Duyun yesterday... Duyun.

Could Duyun have colluded with the Crown Prince's faction, struck secretly yesterday, and used her as leverage to coerce Qi Yanhan into doing their bidding?

Thinking more carefully, that didn't add up either. Duyun was personally trained by Qi Yanhan; without his master's orders, how could he act on his own?

Zhou Yao kept walking, her gaze lowered, quickly weighing the pros and cons in her mind. In just a moment of distraction, she was led into the inner hall by the cluster of eunuchs and maids.

Today's Crown Prince hadn't been groomed as heir from childhood by the Emperor. Zhou Yu had originally been the most unremarkable among the princes. The previous Crown Prince had been the current Empress's son, but he'd died young under unclear circumstances.

After his death, the position of Crown Prince remained vacant for a long time. In the year before Zhou Yao's betrothal, Zhou Yu won merit on the frontier and secretly gained support from the old Qi family faction, which earned him his current position.

By the time Zhou Yao snapped back to attention, she had already been brought by the maids and eunuchs to the front hall.

This was where the Crown Prince usually received ministers. Being brought here made Zhou Yao feel somewhat uneasy—she truly disliked this royal brother of hers, whose eyes were full of scheming.

The decorations inside the hall were visibly expensive, with black and gold dominating most of the view.

Though the Crown Prince's residence didn't match the main hall in solemnity, the manpower and wealth invested in it were beyond comparison to ordinary palaces. The moment Zhou Yao stepped through the threshold, she saw the Crown Prince seated in the main chair.

Zhou Yao forced a smile at the corner of her mouth, stepped forward quickly, and bowed her head: "Your sister Zhou Yao pays respects to the Crown Prince."

"No need for such formalities, little sister. Rise." Zhou Yu said the words, but his gaze swept to the eunuchs behind Zhou Yao.

No one in the hall moved a muscle; there was no intention at all of letting Zhou Yao get up from the ground.

He lazily toyed with the cup in his hand and said, "I've heard recently that my little sister has encountered quite a few rare objects from the Western Regions over the past while. As it happens, the governor of Suzhou recently presented me with several Buddhist scriptures and a copy of 'Norms for Women.' Since my sister has been married for some time now without producing an heir, which hardly befits the imperial dignity, I'll have the servants bring them to you later. Memorize them well."

He stressed the last two words heavily. Zhou Yao had once agreed to help Qi Yanhan secretly investigate the governor of Suzhou's embezzlement, and Qi Yanhan had never mentioned it again. She hadn't expected the embezzlement case to be tied to the Crown Prince.

Now the Crown Prince sending her 'Norms for Women' was a side-handed warning—she should remember her place as a married woman and not overstep her bounds.

"For my royal brother to spare a thought for his little sister amid such a busy schedule, I'm deeply grateful. I'll accept these norms, and when I have the chance, I'll be sure to study them well... as you wish."

Zhou Yao gritted her teeth, forcing a smile as she complied. The ache in her calves from kneeling was a constant reminder of the Crown Prince's hypocrisy before her.

"Given my current relationship with Yanhan, if you stay quietly in the Qi residence, I naturally won't make trouble for you. When the banquet starts, I hope you don't lose your composure. The servants will show you to the side hall to change clothes. But if..."

Zhou Yu gave her a sinister once-over, then continued, "...it wouldn't be a big deal if a wife of the Qi family were to disappear."

Zhou Yao's eyelids twitched involuntarily. She pulled the corners of her mouth into a forced smile.

Bowing again, she said, "My royal brother speaks too harshly. How could your little sister possibly oppose you? There must be some misunderstanding here. If not for my royal brother's words to His Majesty, I wouldn't have such a good life today."

"Your little sister hasn't yet had the chance to congratulate my royal brother on finally getting what you wished for." Zhou Yao hastily bowed and said, "I'll keep everything my royal brother said firmly in mind."

"Good, as long as you know. You may go." The Crown Prince ordered the servants to take Zhou Yao away, just as he'd said—he wouldn't trouble her. By the time Zhou Yao regained her composure, she'd already been led off by the eunuch.

"Your Highness, this way." The eunuch led Zhou Yao to the side hall with a fake smile. Though polite, Zhou Yao found it utterly insincere.

There were plenty of precious ornaments in the palace, and given her current status, what she could get wouldn't be too shabby. Though her arrival in the palace today was somewhat unexpected, it wasn't hard to see the Crown Prince's lavish hand in the decorations.

This trip wasn't entirely useless, though—at the very least, she could see that Qi Yanhan and the Crown Prince actually had quite a bit of private connection, and she could even vaguely infer some of the relationship between them.

The sound of palace instruments began to drift over faintly. Given the current situation, the various officials would be entering the palace one after another, and then it would be a procession of tedious rites and formalities. Zhou Yao really didn't want to go. In past years, such palace banquets had never required her presence.

It wasn't so much a family feast as it was court matters being discussed in a different venue.

Since an incident had occurred at the Qi residence yesterday, Zhou Yao's top priority was to find Qi Yanhan and question him about what had happened, while also informing him that the Crown Prince knew she was a spy. Still, there were lingering doubts in her mind that she hadn't worked through.

The eunuch beside the Crown Prince had already withdrawn, leaving Zhou Yao to head to the main hall alone.

Passing through this corridor and two more halls ahead would bring her to the front hall, but Zhou Yao didn't head that way. In the corner of the palace opposite, two young palace maids were whispering to each other. Not paying them much attention, Zhou Yao walked straight toward the front hall, yet she couldn't help catching a few snippets of their conversation.

"Did you hear? This time the Grand Commandant, Lady Gu, has come to the palace with her whole family. This is the first time we've seen that!"

Another maid said, "Right? If we're lucky and get a few kind words in front of the lady, we can get quite a few rewards. She's far more generous than many of the palace consorts."

"Tsk," the first maid quickly elbowed her, scanning the surroundings with a sharp glance, and said, "You dare say such things? If you don't want to die, that's your business, but I'd like to keep my life."

Grand Commandant Gu... Zhou Yao searched her memory. She didn't have much of an impression, only vaguely recalling that the Gu family was very wealthy, but exactly how wealthy, she'd never heard anyone say.

Not far ahead, Zhou Yao could see the general layout of the palace banquet. Those invited were all high-ranking officials and notable figures of Chang'an. Though a Crown Prince had been chosen, that didn't stop the crowd from pursuing power and the undercurrents flowing beneath the surface.

Giving the seating arrangement a quick glance, Zhou Yao prepared to find a corner as she usually did. But before she could sit, she was stopped by a palace attendant.

The man wore a smile plastered on his face and said in a soft, effeminate tone, "Your Highness, your status is no longer what it used to be, so it wouldn't be appropriate to sit here." He extended his hand, indicating a general direction. "Please, take the seat of honor."

Zhou Yao glanced over. The seat was in the upper section of the entire banquet.

Aside from the imperial offspring and the harem relatives, the seat next to Chancellor Qi was indeed suitable for the Chancellor's wife. It was just that she'd grown used to the corners, and being suddenly given such attention felt strange.

Once all the invited guests had mostly arrived, the Emperor emerged from behind a folding screen, surrounded by servants. Everyone bowed in greeting, but Zhou Yao knew Qi Yanhan still hadn't come.

The other invited elders of the Qi family had all arrived, and His Majesty was already seated. Even if something had happened at the residence yesterday, he shouldn't be committing such a grave breach of etiquette today.

Unlike the noisy front court moments before, it was now quiet. In the silence where even a dropped pin could be heard, she could clearly make out her own heartbeat. Zhou Yao was so nervous that a thin layer of sweat formed on her palms.

The hall wasn't particularly hot, yet at this moment Zhou Yao found it hard to sit still. Before she even heard the words to rise, the Emperor's steady voice came.

"Yao'er's husband still hasn't arrived. Is he so unimpressed with this palace banquet?"

The sudden question made Zhou Yao's heart clench. She hadn't expected her father to suddenly ask about Qi Yanhan, catching her completely off guard...