Chapter 55 Secret Plotting

For her, waiting on Wen Qiao was even more comfortable than being inside the imperial palace.

Not to mention that Wen Qiao actually had very few matters to attend to on a daily basis; she managed her own daily living arrangements and rarely asked them to interfere. The only things they could do were chat with Wen Qiao and occasionally help her with some convenient, trivial tasks. Normally, Wen Qiao did not require them to wait on her with excessive care.

Comparatively speaking, being by Wen Qiao's side actually made the two of them feel much more relaxed.

"This maid is solely thinking of the Eldest Miss's health, yet I never expected the Eldest Miss to tease me like this. If the Eldest Miss does this again, from now on this maid will no longer care about anything the Eldest Miss does. Anyway, the more I say, the more the Eldest Miss will turn around and mock this maid for it. This maid simply refuses to do such a thing!"

When Hua Ping was relaxed in private, she was quite playful and cute. Normally, she might always put on a steady and composed demeanor, which she also found somewhat exhausting. Now, with only the two of them left in private, Wen Qiao was the only one who had the opportunity to witness this charming and naive side of her.

Seeing her looking like this, Wen Qiao could not help but laugh softly, reaching out to tap the bridge of Hua Ping's nose with a gentle smile.

Hua Ping also felt that over all these years, she had rarely seen anyone whose smile could be so healing. She could not help but laugh along with her, as if she had completely forgotten about the time Wen Qiao had just mocked her.

"Alright, those two servant girls sent over by Li Yanlan the other day seem quite dutiful to me. Tomorrow, have Yu Ling come in to tidy up the room. As for Ming Chao, tell her to take stock of the things currently in our little courtyard and see what else my good stepmother has brought along."

Wen Qiao gave her instructions softly, and then thought that constantly calling it "the little courtyard" did not sound very pleasant either. She decided to give her own courtyard a name, and when the time came to enter the palace, she would ask the Emperor to bestow a plaque with his calligraphy upon her. By then, it would hang proudly at the front entrance, and those reckless people in the Marquis's Mansion ought to know better after seeing it, which would save her a great deal of trouble.

In her past life, her small courtyard was called the "Yi Ming Courtyard." Whether it was destined by the heavens or not, she clearly did not even know a person named Xiao Minghe when she first returned and named her courtyard, yet she still chose that name. Now, thinking about it carefully, it truly made her stomach churn with disgust.

That name was no good; in this lifetime, she wanted to change it to an auspicious one.

After finally coaxing the girl Hua Ping into leaving and making sure no one was guarding outside the door, Wen Qiao scrambled up from the bed in one swift motion. She dug out the drawings she had made earlier and pulled out a single sheet from the very bottom. On it was unmistakably the likeness of a pair of earrings.

That's right, these were identical to the pair of earrings that Princess Changle had left behind back then.

She drew this blueprint precisely so she could find an outside craftsman to forge another pair to keep in her room, intended to throw people off the scent and confuse their judgment. If her guess was correct, the very first thing Xiao Minghe would do upon arriving at the Marquis's Mansion would be to speak with Wen Chongqing about this pair of earrings.

However, he would not explain it to Wen Chongqing in great detail, such as the specific purpose of the earrings. He would likely only ask Wen Chongqing to help him search for their whereabouts.

Perhaps it was inconvenient for Xiao Minghe to enter and leave her bedchamber freely, but as the master of the Marquis's Mansion, Wen Chongqing could go wherever he pleased with a single word. There was nowhere in this entire manor that he could not reach. To avoid unnecessary trouble later, Wen Qiao decided to forge a fake pair to keep on her person. If Wen Chongqing took them away when the time came, she would suffer no loss, and instead, she would get to watch these greedy people being played around in circles.

Just thinking about that scene made Wen Qiao want to laugh.

Yet she was not foolish enough to have someone forge a truly identical pair. If it reached the point of passing the fake for the real thing, what would happen if the elite cavalry army also mistook it? That would be a complete disaster.

After all, a replica was only a replica; there was a crucial mark on the original that was missing from the design, and Wen Qiao had no intention of drawing that mark on. At most, these people would only know what the earrings roughly looked like, without knowing that they actually concealed a profound mystery.

Wen Qiao had already made up her mind. Once these earrings were forged, she wouldn't hide them in the room; she would hang them directly from her ears every single day, where they would constantly be seen by others. Once people grew used to seeing them, presumably no one would find anything extraordinary about this pair of earrings.

Furthermore, Xiao Minghe likely still believed that Wen Qiao did not know the true purpose of the earrings, and Wen Qiao had no intention of exposing the fact that she knew. Therefore, she planned to wear the earrings on her ears, letting them pass as an ordinary pair.

However, what she wore would be fake. If Xiao Minghe truly found a way to trick the earrings out of her later on, Wen Qiao would simply hand him this counterfeit pair. When Xiao Minghe thought victory was within his grasp, only to discover that the elite cavalry forces refused to obey his commands when he finally tried to command them, that would truly be a sight worth seeing.

Thinking with a mischievous sense of amusement, Wen Qiao could not help but smile, her brows curving gracefully, so captivating that even in the dark night it made one want to stare at her without blinking.

Moonlight spilled through the window into Wen Qiao's room. She fished a set of night-walking garments from the very bottom of her wardrobe, slipped quietly out through the window, and headed straight toward Wen Chongqing's study.

Even if she did not know when Xiao Minghe would come to the Marquis's Mansion to discuss matters with Wen Chongqing, going early to stake out the place was far better than being caught off guard when the time came. Moreover, neither Wen Chongqing nor Xiao Minghe possessed martial arts skills, and coincidentally, she only knew some superficial, clumsy self-defense techniques, meaning they naturally wouldn't detect someone eavesdropping on them from outside.

As she walked, Wen Qiao calculated the time in her heart.

She had a premonition that she would certainly reap rewards tonight.

Sure enough, when she crept stealthily to the window of Wen Chongqing's study, the lights inside were still burning.

Usually, Wen Chongqing had nothing of importance to do, and when Wen Qiao returned that afternoon, he had even been out drinking with others. Unless something truly crucial was happening, by this hour Wen Chongqing should already be dead asleep in the tender embrace of some concubine; how could he possibly still be handling official matters in the study?

Wen Qiao steadied her center of gravity, held her breath, and hurried beneath the window of Wen Chongqing's study. Sure enough, she heard a familiar voice drifting out from within—it belonged to none other than Xiao Minghe, whom she hated to the bone.

"The pair of earrings in my cousin's possession are of utmost importance to me. If the Marquis of Yongning can help me obtain them, consider that I owe the Marquis a great favor. Once I ascend the throne, whatever the Marquis desires, I shall grant you. There is only one catch: the matter of these earrings must not be made known to Wen Qiao; otherwise, I fear she may not be willing to hand them over easily."

Just as Wen Qiao arrived, she heard Xiao Minghe discussing this matter with Wen Chongqing. Yet judging from the implication of his words, it sounded as though Xiao Minghe had already revealed the true purpose of the earrings to Wen Chongqing. However, based on Wen Qiao's understanding of Xiao Minghe, while he was cowardly and weak, his mind was exceptionally cautious; naturally, he would never disclose such a vital secret to Wen Chongqing.

What's more, if he truly told Wen Chongqing, and Wen Chongqing used the earrings to blackmail him later, wouldn't he fail to gain any advantage whatsoever?

He was no fool; he would naturally never do such a thing.

Yet if that were the case, how had he explained his persistent search for this pair of earrings to Wen Chongqing? Wen Qiao was filled with curiosity, but she dared not make any large movements, terrified of alerting the two men inside.

Before she could even finish pondering this in her mind, she heard Wen Chongqing's voice drift leisurely out from the room once again.

"Since Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince has given the command, this humble subject will naturally go through fire and water without hesitation. However, when entrusting this humble subject with this task, shouldn't Your Highness tell me what purpose those earrings serve? Otherwise, this humble subject cannot be certain whether that girl Wen Qiao knows what these earrings are meant for. In the event that she stubbornly refuses to hand them over, this humble subject will truly have nothing to say in response. Your Highness also knows that His Majesty and the Empress Dowager dote on that girl dearly; if she were to suffer any grievances under my roof, His Majesty would make me pay dearly afterward. But if this humble subject knows, this will no longer be a difficult task for Your Highness; instead, it will help Your Highness handle this matter properly. Why would Your Highness not seize such a win-win opportunity?"

Hearing this, Wen Qiao frowned slightly. She guessed that Xiao Minghe truly had not told Wen Chongqing, which was why Wen Chongqing was asking. She crouched there, wanting to listen further to see how Xiao Minghe would respond to Wen Chongqing, but silence hung within the room for a long while.

Just as she began to think she had been discovered and prepared to slip away as quickly as possible, she heard a light chuckle from Xiao Minghe inside the room, followed immediately by his voice ringing out once again.

"Uncle's words leave me somewhat perplexed. If Uncle wishes to know the purpose of these earrings, he need only ask directly; why resort to such roundabout, probing inquiries? Since Uncle wishes to know, I shall hide it no longer. To speak the truth to Uncle, this pair of earrings represents my aunt's fortune. You are also aware of the current political situation within the palace; I have no choice but to proceed with the utmost caution. Yet what undertaking does not require funds? Before my aunt passed away, she deposited a sum of silver in a money house. Although it cannot be considered an immense fortune, it is more than enough to resolve my current predicament. Therefore, I must obtain these funds. I only hope Uncle can lend me a helping hand; once my grand enterprise succeeds, I will certainly not forget Uncle's rewards."

Listening to Xiao Minghe's words, Wen Qiao did not look surprised in the least; instead, a slight smile touched her lips.

That was precisely his hypocritical visage. He spoke so pleasantly to Wen Chongqing now, but if Wen Chongqing truly helped him acquire the earrings, he would likely turn his face and deny all favors on the spot.

Rewards for Wen Chongqing? Not immediately taking Wen Chongqing's life could already be considered an act of mercy toward him.

If Wen Chongqing truly believed him, it could only mean he was far too greedy for merit and far too desperate for power.

Yet what Xiao Minghe did not know was that the Yongning Marquis's Mansion was currently struggling to keep the stove burning. Following Wen Chongqing's line of reasoning, if he actually managed to find the earrings, he might genuinely attempt to take them to a money house and try to withdraw a sum of silver.

It was a pity that Changle had left behind no silver at all, and to say that this pair of earrings represented all of Changle's worldly possessions was not technically a lie. After all, they were left behind by the late Emperor to ensure that Princess Changle could live out the rest of her days in peace and safety. It was precisely because the late Emperor feared that whichever of his other sons ascended the throne might fail to treat his most beloved daughter with kindness that he had left behind this pair of earrings.

Yet he never expected that they would ultimately catch the eye of outsiders.

If the late Emperor knew of this, he would likely be so enraged as to leap straight out of his imperial tomb.

Wen Qiao merely mused to herself in secret.

Just listening to Xiao Minghe speak through a single window made her feel nauseous enough to vomit, let alone being asked to sit face-to-face with him and exchange pleasantries.

Clearly, although Wen Chongqing did not entirely believe this explanation, since Xiao Minghe had put it that way, he had no choice but to accept it even if he doubted it. After all, he could not extract any other answer from Xiao Minghe's lips, and could only resort to investigating secretly on his own.

Yet since Xiao Minghe dared to entrust him with this task, he must have already kept the matter under wraps and had no fear of Wen Chongqing prying into it.

"So it was merely a minor matter of silver. Since His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has commanded it, this humble subject will decline no further. Being able to assist His Royal Highness is the fortune of the Yongning Marquis's Mansion, as well as the fortune of that girl Wen Qiao. The night is deep and heavy with dew, and Your Highness resides within the Eastern Palace; if you remain away from the palace too long and are discovered, once His Majesty learns of it, it will yet another troublesome affair for Your Highness. Your Highness ought to return to the palace swiftly. As for today's events, this humble subject guarantees that no third person shall ever know. Provided that Your Highness fulfills your promise when the time comes, even if you required ten or eight more pairs of earrings, this humble subject would still find a way to secure them for Your Highness."

Knowing there was no need to continue listening to the subsequent platitudes, Wen Qiao crouched low and sneaked away from the study once again.

However, just as she had taken barely two steps away from the study, her foot clipped against a stone. The rock shot far away, landing on the ground amidst the quiet night with a sound that could only be described as exceptionally crisp.

The two men inside the room instantly halted their conversation, and Wen Chongqing even stepped out of the study to see who on earth was lingering outside his door in the middle of the night.

If the conversation he had just shared with the Crown Prince was leaked to outsiders, it would spell yet another mountain of trouble for him. He was naturally unwilling to waste effort on trivialities, and if it turned out to be a servant of the household, he would simply execute them on the spot.

The moment Wen Qiao heard the clatter of the stone, she knew things had gone awry, though the current situation permitted no further hesitation.

She could only flash instantly to the opposite side, taking refuge behind a large tree and trying her utmost to conceal her figure.

Fortunately, Wen Chongqing was not overly persistent in hunting down who might be outside the door, particularly with the Crown Prince still present within.