Volume One, Chapter 13: This Is Too Chaotic

Night had fallen, and a full moon hung high in the firmament. The Prime Minister's residence was situated on the widest street in Jingjing. The trees lining the road cast long, shadowy silhouettes, their branches perfectly still in the sweltering heat of midsummer, with the lingering warmth of the afternoon heavy in the air.

Leng Yueheng decided it was time to test the martial arts skills of her predecessor. Having transmigrated nearly a month ago, she had not yet had an opportunity to put them to the test. With a light tap of her toes, she vaulted onto the roof ridge with ease. The original owner’s training had clearly been excellent; for a moment, Leng Yueheng felt like a heroine from a wuxia novel.

She crawled cautiously onto the grey-brown hip roof to peer downward. The Prime Minister’s residence was heavily guarded; within just two hundred meters of the west courtyard wall, nearly ten guards stood watch in various hidden corners. The large character "Zhao" embroidered on their uniforms clearly signaled their allegiance.

Leng Yueheng’s destination was the courtyard of Concubine Jiang, the younger half-sister of the Prime Minister’s wife, Lady Jiang. If there was any collusion between the Prime Minister’s estate and Lady Jiang, it had to involve the concubine.

She spotted a large willow tree nearby, standing about ten meters from the wall. Its branches hung down like the disheveled hair of an old man, spread wide. Entering from this angle would keep her hidden, and once inside the foliage, she would be nearly impossible to spot. A path leading to various courtyards ran right beside the tree, making it an ideal vantage point for gathering intelligence.

Leng Yueheng moved with grace, leaping into the heart of the tree and quickly searching for a foothold. Her foot landed on a thick, dry branch—it lacked leaves, which was perfect, as it wouldn't rustle. But as she stepped down, her heart skipped a beat. The branch felt soft—and it moved. She plummeted, only to be caught in the next second by a pair of arms.

The situation was both ridiculous and mortifying. The man had one hand pressed over her mouth and the other supporting her hips. Under the threat of his gaze, she nodded slowly to indicate she would remain silent. He then released her mouth but maintained his one-armed hold.

It was Prince Ji.

She had mistaken the Prince for a wooden branch!

Leng Yueheng tried to pull away from his other hand, but the man’s eyes were deep and dangerous. His lips brushed against her earlobe as he whispered, "Don't move!"

The voice was so low it was merely a breath against her ear, yet it carried an irresistible, magnetic power. Leng Yueheng realized there was nowhere else to stand; forcing a position would cause the tree to shake and expose them. At that moment, she felt like the pagoda held in the hand of the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, her body bent at an awkward 135-degree angle, straining her lower back.

Furthermore, her sensitive hips were still firmly held by the "Heavenly King." After holding the pose for a dozen heartbeats, she shifted to adjust her posture. The wretched Prince, thinking she was trying to climb down, pulled her into his embrace and held her tight.

"Don't move if you don't want to die!" Another puff of air brushed against her neck.

Leng Yueheng decided to comply, wrapping her arms around the Prince’s neck and clinging to the thick trunk behind him. Had there been no leaves to obscure the view, an observer from above would have seen a strange scene: the Prince pressed against the trunk, she pressed against the Prince, his hand supporting her hips while the other held her waist.

The air seemed to freeze. Leng Yueheng felt an urge to vanish into the ground; she had been taken advantage of by the Prince again. Or, perhaps, she had taken advantage of him. Thinking of it that way made her feel much better.

"Does Your Highness know where Concubine Jiang’s quarters are?" she asked, breaking the tension. He surely knew that Lady Jiang and the concubine were sisters.

"Right ahead."

"Then what are we waiting for?"

"For the guards to change shifts."

Leng Yueheng’s thoughts were in chaos. She, too, had intended to wait for the shift change, but being pressed so closely against him, she could feel his heart hammering against his chest. His heavy breathing tickled her neck, making her skin crawl. Suddenly, she stiffened involuntarily—the Prince’s body had reacted, pressing firmly against her.

Time passed agonizingly slowly. They both remained rigid, peering through the gaps in the leaves, counting the seconds, afraid to move. Finally, after an incense stick's worth of time, the guards began to rotate, leaving a momentary gap in the perimeter.

Two dark figures leaped, their silhouettes tracing arcs as they touched the eaves of the main hall and landed silently behind the roof. Both Leng Yueheng and Yan Beiyuan knew the main house was undoubtedly Concubine Jiang’s bedroom; the likelihood of gathering information there was high.

Yan Beiyuan expertly pried up a tile, but they could not see inside—the roof had clearly been reinforced. They had no choice but to press their ears to the small gap.

"Concubine, when will you beg Father to call off my marriage to Prince Ji?"

"Siya, this cannot be rushed. We must first ensure the Emperor knows that the one meeting Leng Yueheng in secret is Prince Ji. Only then can your father petition the palace."

"Father is truly heartless!"

The speakers were Jiang Yike—the younger half-sister of Lady Jiang and a concubine of Prime Minister Zhao—and Zhao Siya, the daughter of Concubine Jiang. Leng Yueheng searched her memories but found little of use, save for the fact that her cousin Zhao Siya, age seventeen, had been betrothed to Prince Ji as a secondary consort and was to enter his estate after the new year.

"Don't be impatient, Siya! Although things didn't go perfectly this time, at least the General’s estate has broken off its engagement with the Leng family. If rumors of a scandal between Prince Ji and Leng Yueheng also spread, then half the work is done!"

"Do you think Prince Ji will suspect we were behind this?"

"No, our hands are clean. He will only suspect my foolish sister—your foolish aunt. As for Leng Yueheng, hmph! She is nothing but a country girl, not worth fearing." Jiang Yike laughed, her tone dripping with disdain for Leng Yueheng.

"Does Concubine understand my heart?"

"Naturally. How could that Leng girl be worthy of Master Xiao? Once you marry him, your father will surely hold us in higher regard!"

Leng Yueheng glanced at Yan Beiyuan in shock. The plot was absurd. Your fiancée has taken a fancy to my fiancé? And now, here we are... entangled in the trees together?

It was all far too chaotic.