Chapter 44
Chapter 44
After finding nothing, Shengsheng dragged her dog-tired body back to the Eastern Palace.
She had planned to visit Weiqing first, but Jian Zhang informed her that her service would not be required again that day.
His manner was peculiar. His tone was so stiff that one might have thought Shengsheng had offended him.
Completely baffled, she left. With nothing else to do, she returned to Zhiyu Jiang.
Zhiyu was already asleep, and all the newly assigned servants had disappeared.
Shengsheng tucked the blanket around her, then went back to her own room.
Zhiyu had always insisted on staying there with her. Since the girl was injured, however, they had moved her elsewhere.
Shengsheng opened the door and glanced toward the window out of habit.
Her advancing foot stopped in midair.
As though unable to believe her eyes, she rubbed them.
Once she was certain that a soft, pale-yellow bundle truly occupied the nest, she crossed the room in two long strides.
Unlike usual, Pecky was not asleep. His tiny black-bead eyes regarded the fruit in the dish before him with clear disdain.
Shengsheng smiled and stroked his soft feathers.
“I have not had time to replace it today. Wait here. I will fetch you something fresh.”
After bringing fresh fruit, Shengsheng sat beside him and watched the bird eat with a posture that could only be described as elegant.
“Little ingrate,” she scolded fondly.
She did not ask where he had gone these past few days.
Fine. She was a hopeless fool who had allowed a bird to wrap her completely around his tiny claw.
***
The next morning, Shengsheng looked toward the window the moment she awoke. When she saw the pale-yellow bundle, she breathed in relief.
Good. It had not been a dream.
After washing and dressing, she went to find Weiqing.
He had risen even earlier than she had. By the time she arrived, he was already eating breakfast.
Palace servants were permitted to eat only after their masters finished. Shengsheng was no exception.
When she had first become a palace maid, her stomach had growled every day as she watched her masters dine.
Now she was used to it.
Weiqing normally teased her whenever she appeared, but today he said nothing.
Shengsheng found it strange.
Had this man changed his nature overnight?
When he was nearly finished, Weiqing set down his chopsticks. Shengsheng immediately stepped forward with tea to cleanse his palate.
“Prince Shen said yesterday that you gave him quite a surprise,” Weiqing began slowly. “What sort of surprise was it? Xiaohong never mentioned it to me.”
A surprise?
After a moment’s thought, Shengsheng guessed what he meant.
*So that is why you are angry?*
Weiqing fell silent.
He was not angry!
Too embarrassed to recount the full truth, Shengsheng polished the story a little. She briefly explained how she had used the sole of Prince Shen’s own boot to kick his backside.
Despite the improvements, Weiqing pieced together the original version through her inner voice.
He stared at her.
“You have considerable nerve.”
She had dared kick Weicen Song’s backside.
No wonder she had panicked at the mention of Weicen’s name yesterday. It was not merely the guilt of a thief after all.
Shengsheng dropped to her knees with practiced ease.
“This servant would not dare.”
She absolutely would do it again.
Weiqing closed his eyes.
“Next time, remember not to leave evidence.”
Forget it. She was beyond his control.
Shengsheng accepted the advice at once. “Yes, Your Highness.”
Jian watched the two of them in silence.
Was this truly appropriate?
Why did it feel as though she committed the crimes and his master spoiled her afterward?
No. That had to be an illusion.
His brilliant and mighty master could not possibly be a wife-doting madman.
Wait.
Why had he thought of the word *wife*?
While Jian sank into profound self-doubt, an unexpected report arrived.
“Why would Father choose to hold the Spring Banquet now?” Weiqing frowned slightly.
At the words *Spring Banquet*, Shengsheng’s hands stopped.
Every kingdom on the continent observed the Spring Banquet.
Legend held that it commemorated the people’s liberation from the Qing Dynasty’s brutal rule and the beginning of a peaceful age of renewal.
Emperors rarely left their own realms.
The Spring Banquet was the exception.
Bloodshed was forbidden during the festivities, especially in matters between nations. Any kingdom that caused trouble at the Spring Banquet would face the combined punishment of the others.
This was particularly useful when two nations maintained friendly appearances while constantly stabbing each other in the back. If one side made a hostile move during the banquet, the other gained a perfectly legitimate excuse to invade and swallow its territory.
Naturally, none of that was the important part.
The important part was that this plot was supposed to happen next month.
The original novel’s spectacular battlefield of jealousy, where two male leads and one villain fought over the heroine–why had it come early?
The servant delivering the report glanced toward the only outsider in the room: Shengsheng.
Weiqing waved one sleeve. “It does not matter.”
Only then did the servant continue.
“Prince Shen proposed it.”
Weiqing’s eyes narrowed involuntarily.
“Understood. You may withdraw.”
After the servant departed, Weiqing idly toyed with his teacup.
“Come to think of it, the Noble Consort will likely accompany the emperor of the Zhu Kingdom.”
Shengsheng jolted.
She had nearly forgotten her proper master.
The agreed six months had long since passed. She had no idea whether Fusheng Duan was angry that she had failed to return.
Perhaps he had already forgotten her.
He might even prefer her dead. Then there would be one fewer person in the world who knew his secret.
“I wonder what he will think when he discovers you here with me.”
*What else? He will launch straight into one of his furious, sarcastic performances.*
The bird inside her sleeve suddenly pecked her viciously.
Shengsheng almost cried out. She had no idea what madness had seized him, so she patted his head at random to make him stop.
“Your Highness, how did you come to know the Noble Consort?” she asked, attempting to redirect the conversation.
Weiqing refused to be distracted.
“If the Noble Consort asks me to return you, will you go with him?”
Shengsheng did not answer.
She truly had not decided.
*If I had to choose, I would return once this plot is finished and stay if it continues. The plot is my heaven and my earth!*
Weiqing rubbed his aching temple.
He could not fathom why Shengsheng was so obsessed with advancing the plot.
“Forget it. How dull.”
He took a sip of tea.
Shengsheng assumed she had escaped the question and secretly exhaled.
After moistening his throat, Weiqing continued at an unhurried pace.
“The Noble Consort and I have known each other for many years. When we met, he was not yet the way he is now.”
*I understand. He was not a woman yet.*
Shengsheng knew perfectly well that Weiqing was aware of Fusheng’s male body. She had only asked for something to say.
The dramatic story poised on Weiqing’s lips abruptly faltered.
No.
He was going to finish it.
And so Shengsheng was forced to contain her irritation while Weiqing told the long tale of how he and Fusheng first met, became companions, and eventually parted.
When it finally ended, she still could not resist commenting.
*What difference does any of that make? You will fight over the heroine in the end.*
Weiqing scoffed.
He and Fusheng shared both an alliance and a friendship. How could they possibly become enemies over a woman?