Female Consort (GL)

Once everyone had left, Ying Chun shut the courtyard gate and turned around, her tone laced with disapproval. "Miss, His Majesty has instructed you to reflect in solitude. Interacting with outsiders so frequently... isn't appropriate, is it?"

Especially when the person in question was the very cause of the princess angering His Majesty.

Li Qingwu didn't respond, only casting her a faint glance.

Though the veil obscured her face, her gaze, even through the thin fabric, carried a certain intensity that made Ying Chun feel a sense of pressure.

She was surprised.

Wasn't it rumored that this princess was gentle and weak?

Still, she was a first-rank princess, after all. Such presence was not entirely unexpected.

With this thought, Ying Chun lowered her head respectfully, murmuring that she had only made a casual remark.

Li Qingwu withdrew her gaze, her response unrelated to the previous comment. Her voice was soft, different from the tone she had used earlier when Qiu Che had returned to retrieve the jade pendant. "Why was Young Master Qiu here? Did you find out?"

Ying Chun hesitated. "I heard he had a quarrel with his father and came here to stay temporarily."

Is that so?

Li Qingwu pondered this and nodded slightly.

Noticing Ying Chun's hesitation, she snapped out of her thoughts, turned toward the house, and spoke softly, "Don't worry. We only talked. He won't know who I am."

"Besides, as long as you don't speak of it, no one will know we met."

Ying Chun fell silent, lowering her head once more.

But in her heart, she thought: They were here on His Majesty's orders to monitor the princess. Reporting everything was their duty. How could they not say anything?

Meanwhile, at the Prime Minister's residence.

"How has the Eldest Princess been recently?"

Yu Zheng, a subordinate counselor seated below, lightly fanned himself and hesitated. "Our informant reported that His Majesty's anger has not yet subsided. The princess is currently at Gan Yu Temple outside the city, praying for blessings."

Wu Rusheng, seated at the head of the table, sifted through the stack of memorials before him, not noticing Yu Zheng's expression. Stroking his beard, he chuckled. "It seems our emperor is truly angry this time. What about the rumors I instructed you to spread?"

Yu Zheng sneered, "As expected, that fool from the Qiu family rushed to discuss the matter with his son as soon as he received the news. But I heard the two didn't part on good terms."

He paused, a hint of intrigue in his tone. "As for the newly crowned top scholar, he's been exiled from the capital by his father and hasn't been seen for days. If he doesn't accomplish something soon, I fear His Majesty will lose faith in him."

After all, the emperor had personally chosen him for the honor.

But given his Qiu family origins, His Majesty's patience was unlikely to last long.

Wu Rusheng raised an eyebrow in surprise. "What, he's still unwilling to marry the princess?"

Yu Zheng shook his head. "That, I'm not sure of. But he certainly didn't agree to Qiu Chudong's proposal."

Wu Rusheng's gray beard quivered as his lips curled into a frosty smile. "Doesn't he wonder how the news of the princess's punishment, kept so tightly under wraps, happened to reach his ears?"

"No wonder the Qiu family has fallen so far. Turns out, they have such a foolish descendant."

The two men exchanged a glance and laughed together.

Wu Rusheng took a sip of tea, his smile fading. Just as he was about to speak, his expression darkened as his eyes fell on a memorial.

"Who submitted this?"

Scanning the signature, he saw the name written in an elegant script: Qiu Che.

"…It's him?"

Yu Zheng, folding his fan, looked puzzled at Wu Rusheng's expression. "Sir, what's the matter?"

Wu Rusheng's face turned grim as he rolled the memorial into a tube and tossed it over. "Take a look."

Yu Zheng caught it and scanned the contents. His face changed dramatically. "This... this was written by the new top scholar?"

"Does he think being favored by the princess will guarantee him everything?"

Wu Rusheng sipped his tea, chuckling. "At least he was smart enough to submit a memorial before being banished from the capital. Just as Yi Qi praised him the other day, saying he has some intelligence... but only some."

Yu Zheng handed the memorial back. "What do you plan to do, sir?"

Wu Rusheng sneered. "A mere fledgling, daring to challenge centuries-old laws? Arrogant."

"Don't worry."

He picked up the memorial, then tossed it into a nearby waste bin. "This won't ever reach His Majesty."

Yu Zheng understood immediately and bowed. "You are wise, sir."

"By the way," Wu Rusheng recalled something and asked nonchalantly, "Since that Qiu boy has left the capital, where is he now?"

Yu Zheng hesitated slightly. "Sir, I was just about to mention this… Qiu Che has gone to Gan Yu Temple, where Princess Lehe is staying."

"…"

"The memorial was formally submitted under your supervision as well."

Wu Rusheng: "…"

In the Jingyang Palace Imperial Study.

"Your Majesty, it's time to select tonight's companion."

Li Shi set down his brush and glanced at the green name plaques presented by a young eunuch. He closed his eyes in visible weariness.

Turning his gaze to the calligraphy he had just completed, he suddenly asked, "How is the princess today?"

There were only two princesses in the palace, but the one the emperor referred to so specifically could only be Princess Lehe.

Fuzi immediately understood. Signaling the young eunuch to step back, he leaned forward and whispered a few words into the emperor's ear.

Li Shi paused slightly. "Qiu Che? What is he doing there?"

Fuzi continued explaining in a low voice.

Li Shi tapped the desk rhythmically, pondering. "If his father punished him, a report should have been filed… Has he submitted any memorials in recent days?"

Fuzi shook his head.

Li Shi's expression darkened.

After a moment of silence, he exhaled deeply. "Forget it."

He shouldn't have expected this inexperienced youth to deliver any surprises.

Li Shi waved his hand. "Keep an eye on Lehe... As for the rest, let her be."

"Yes." Fuzi hesitated, then ventured, "Your Majesty's concern for the princess shows that the punishment is not intended as true censure. She will come to understand eventually. Since the Eldest Princess is absent, why not visit Consort Xian's palace to see how Prince Pingyi is faring?"

The furrow in Li Shi's brow gradually smoothed. After a moment of thought, he stood up. "Prepare to head to Yaohua Palace."

At midnight, the sound of tiles shifting broke the stillness.

Qiu Che, lying on the bed in a side room, abruptly opened her eyes.

She rose, threw on an autumn jacket, grabbed a firewood stick, and opened the door, calling sharply, "Who's there?"

No matter where she was, Qiu Che always remained vigilant—a habit she had developed in her previous life.

For ten years in office, she had made many allies but just as many enemies. Assassination attempts were nothing new, but she had never been fazed.

The Great Xia dynasty had fragile foundations. Over the years, internal factions fought incessantly, and the court's tangled power dynamics bred chaos.

As someone at the heart of it all, facing covert attacks was an inevitability.

But she never imagined that the only successful attempt on her life would come from someone she hadn't guarded against—Yun Yan.

A maid who had been with her for over a decade, Yun Yan's sudden betrayal had not only led to her imprisonment but had also left her to die.

The brutal lesson was unforgettable. From then on, she never let anyone stand watch while she slept. Her courtyard was always empty, save for herself.

It was also why, upon her rebirth, she immediately sent Yun Yan away.

That decision was already a generous concession, given the years they had spent together.

Things she hadn't realized in her previous life became crystal clear upon her rebirth. Though Yun Yan had changed little, Qiu Che now saw the greed and scheming in her eyes.

The realization obliterated the last shred of fondness Qiu Che had for the maid who had accompanied her in her youth.

But in her current life, she had only just begun her career in the court. She hadn't even started attending court sessions yet, knew few officials, and hadn't made any enemies.

Yun Yan had been removed from her side early on—

So who could it be, coming for her in the dead of night?

Outside, the darkness was silent for a moment before a voice emerged from the direction of the courtyard wall.

"…It's me."

Qiu Che recognized the familiar tone, noting it lacked any malice.

She hesitated, then lit a candle and brought it out. Raising the flame toward the voice, she illuminated the intruder's face—

And was astonished. "What are you doing here?"

Still adjusting her wide-brimmed hat, wearing the same palace dress as days before, the visitor could only be Li Qingwu.

Qiu Che suspected she had delayed speaking earlier because she was busy straightening her hat.

Li Qingwu's hand rested on the brim as she softly asked, "May I sit and talk?"

Qiu Che noticed the blade of grass still clinging to Li Qingwu's delicate fingers and fell silent.

She had suspected the woman might be Princess Lehe, but this behavior made her doubt it.

The Li Qingwu she knew was always poised and proper, a celebrated lady of grace in the capital.

Could someone like that really climb over walls in the middle of the night?

Li Qingwu adjusted her skirt and sat down. After carefully confirming that her face couldn't be seen clearly, she finally spoke with difficulty. "I apologize for disturbing your rest, Young Master Qiu."

Only then did she realize Qiu Che had stepped out wearing only a thin inner garment, her hair loose, exuding a relaxed elegance in the moonlight.

Through the faint veil, Li Qingwu's heartbeat quickened.

Was it her imagination, or did Qiu Che seem especially refined tonight?

PS. The characters thought Qiu Che was a man, which is why they referred to her as 'he' instead of 'she.