The next day, they went to the Moon Palace.
Xiao Shuang leaned on the bed, playing chess with Shufei sitting opposite her.
After playing for a while, she casually made a move, sealing off the white chess piece's last retreat.
Shufei focused on the chessboard for a moment, then made a move and smiled softly, "Your Highness, you have calculated every step, and I have lost."
Xiao Shuang looked up at the noble consort and said indifferently, "It's not because of our calculations that you lost, but because your moves were disordered, and your mind was not on the game."
Shufei was slightly startled, feeling that Xiao Shuang's words had a deeper meaning.
She then gathered the chess pieces and said softly, "I should have played with Your Highness wholeheartedly, but rumors and gossip have been rampant lately, and they have made me feel a little troubled."
"If you feel troubled, you can kill them."
Xiao Shuang spoke casually as she gathered the chess pieces.
Her tone was very plain, as if killing someone was as simple as eating or drinking.
In fact, it was exactly like that.
She was the Princess Zhao Yang of the Qi Country, and if anyone offended her, they really only had one way out.
At this moment, Princess Zhao Hua was sitting on another bed, playing with her fan listlessly.
When she heard Xiao Shuang's words, she looked at her helplessly and said, "Sister, please don't talk about killing people so casually. Be careful, as walls have ears... Moreover, the rumors and gossip that the noble consort just mentioned may be related to Jiner."
Xiao Shuang smiled faintly and asked knowingly, "Oh? What does that have to do with Jiner?"
Zhao Hua thought to herself that this was something everyone in the palace knew.
But she understood that Xiao Shuang wanted her to say it out loud and let Shufei hear it.
"If Jiner wants to find trouble for her own princess, it's fine to beat Xiao Yi. Now that she has followed Chu Shao to Qingzhou and hasn't returned to the palace even for the New Year, it's really..."
At this point, Zhao Hua paused for a moment.
Then, as if remembering something, she said coldly, "Don't just let Shufei feel cold, even I think Jiner is too mischievous and has been spoiled too much!"
Shufei's face also looked a bit unpleasant.
After all, although Xiao Jin was not her biological daughter, she had taken care of her with all her heart and effort.
Even if she was raised like a wolf cub, she was probably already grown up, but Xiao Jin's attitude towards her had always been lukewarm.
It was not enthusiastic, nor was it indifferent. The formalities on the surface were done, but it was not the attitude of treating a mother.
Thinking of this, Shufei sighed, "If Luo Mei were still here, Jiner's temperament would probably be much better. After all, it was the incident back then that caused this. Otherwise..."
Xiao Shuang suddenly spoke, interrupting Shufei's words, "There is no need to mention the past. The people that can be killed have all been killed by the imperial palace. As for those who cannot be killed, they will also die in the future."
"People will die eventually, there's no rush for now." Xiao Shuang put the last chess piece in the chess box and smiled as she spoke.
Her tone was light, but it made Shufei hear a bit of chill.
Immediately, Xiao Shuang changed the topic, "As for Jiner, she is still too naive after all. Of course, it's normal for young people to be impulsive and need more tempering."
"There's nothing wrong with going to Qingzhou for a round, and besides, there is a governor named Xu in Qingzhou, isn't there?"
Zhao Hua had heard of Governor Xu's name, and he seemed to have some talent.
However, she still frowned and asked in confusion, "Sister, but Jiner is all alone in Qingzhou. What if something unexpected happens, like encountering an assassin...?"
Xiao Shuang calmly replied, "If Jiner dies so easily, then the teachings she received from this palace over the years would have been in vain. Besides, she is not alone."
Shufei thought of the assassination case on the rainy night and suddenly understood something. She asked in surprise, "Your Highness, are you referring to that person?"
Zhao Hua had not yet understood what they were talking about, but saw Xiao Shuang nod and say, "Although this palace does not like that child and thinks that she is probably a nuisance, leaving her alive might still have some use."
At this moment, only the three of them were in the hall.
However, Shufei understood that when Xiao Shuang said "leaving her alive," it naturally meant that they would not take action against that person.
Since Xiao Shuang said she would not take action, no one in Qi country would dare to harm Chu Shao again.
...
Xiao Jin had been living in a dream-like state these few days.
Apart from occasionally interrogating the assassins locked up in the dark room, she was busy sending people to investigate Governor Xu's background.
Knowing oneself and the enemy is the key to victory in a hundred battles.
She needed to fully understand her future ally to better control him.
However, Governor Xu was truly calm.
It wasn't until after the Lantern Festival that he sent an invitation, inviting Xiao Jin to meet at Yuhua Tower.
Holding the paper that detailed Governor Xu's life, Xiao Jin suddenly felt like she was an employer interviewing a job candidate, looking at a resume.
And this resume was really detailed.
If she still couldn't figure out Governor Xu's weakness, then she would have truly wasted her exceptional investigation skills.
If she couldn't get the better of him with all this information, then she would really be wasting her extraordinary investigative abilities.
If this can't devour the other party, then she has really wasted her superb reconnaissance ability.
But currently what troubles Xiao Jin the most is not how to win over Governor Xu, but another timed bomb lurking by her side.
Since the incident in the bathhouse that day, Chu Shao, this timed bomb, has become more and more difficult to figure out.
Actually, it's not a big deal that Chu Shao discovered the true identity of the original owner's body.
After all, Chu Shao is not a normal person. It's estimated that she wouldn't care about gender fraud and such things, let alone announce it to the public.
Based on her understanding of Chu Shao, Xiao Jin believes that Chu Shao is not interested in whether she is male or female at all.
However, the fact proves that she only guessed half right.
Chu Shao's attitude seems no different from usual.
Sometimes she plays with the jade flute she found on the boat and plays a clear tune, sometimes she smiles gently.
Even Yin Zhu and Zi Ling showed their alertness towards her, but Chu Shao herself didn't care.
Instead, she smiled and asked seriously, "Are you staring at me for a reason?"
Yin Zhu and Zi Ling wanted to question Chu Shao, but when she spoke softly and gently, they didn't know what to say.
Although they understood that Chu Shao was definitely not a simple person, when they looked at her beautiful face and the shallow smile on her lips, they inexplicably felt that such a stunning person shouldn't be able to do anything bad.
If Xiao Jin knew their thoughts, she would definitely exclaim, "How naive!"
The so-called angelic face and devilish heart describe Chu Shao perfectly.
If you're easily deceived by beauty, then you've already lost.
However, Xiao Jin has been losing quite thoroughly lately.
Ever since she found out that Chu Shao probably "had her way" with someone that night, every time she sees her, she subconsciously avoids her gaze.
It's not really guilt, just feeling awkward.
Of course, this is just Xiao Jin's self-consolation. After all, she rarely felt awkward before, and never as awkward as now.
This state has lasted for a long time, but it reached its peak today.
Tonight, Xu Junshou set up a banquet at Yuhua Tower.
Regardless of emotions or reasons, Xiao Jin will definitely attend the banquet.
But if she wants to attend, she will have to bring Chu Shao along.
At this moment, Xiao Jin is sitting in the room, thinking about how to speak up. But when she lifts her head again, she finds that the other person is already standing in front of her.
Xiao Jin was stunned, then she noticed that Chu Shao was holding clothes in one hand and a mahogany box in the other.
What stunned Xiao Jin was not what Chu Shao was holding in her hands.
It was the light scarlet coat she was wearing.
Scarlet is already a color with rich texture.
At this moment, Chu Shao removed the silver-blue hairpin from her forehead, and wore a coat that resembled red plum blossoms. This made the beauty mark under hee eye more thrilling.
Xiao Jin didn't know how this plum blossom drifted into the bedroom, she just felt a little helpless.
Because her clothes were always handled by Yin Zhu and Zi Ling, but now they appeared in Chu Shao's hands.
What does this mean?
It shows that the ancients were true to their word, and beauty can deceive not only people, but also countries.
Chu Shao didn't explain much, just smiled at Xiao Jin, and then opened the mahogany box in her hand.
She took out bandages and ointment, and gently said to Xiao Jin, "Before attending the banquet, your highness should take care of her health and change the medicine first."
Her voice was pleasant, patient, and extremely gentle.
It inexplicably sounded like coaxing a child.
However, Xiao Jin was no longer a child.
She looked at the unhealed knife wound on her wrist, and some not-so-pleasant memories surged up in her heart.
She had intended to say no, but when she saw Chu Shao's smiling gaze upon her, she didn't want to brush aside her good intentions.
Besides, she had already received medicine from Chu Shao before.
Xiao Jin found many reasons for herself for no reason, even though they were not persuasive at all, but she could still convince herself.
She remained calm on the surface, but in reality, her heart was as sorrowful as a warrior clenching her fist, and nodded helplessly like giving up: "Thank you, Princess, for your kindness."
As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Jin regretted it.
Why did she... fall for beauty so easily?
But it was too late.
As soon as she finished speaking, Chu Shao squatted down, took Xiao Jin's wrist, and started applying medicine and bandages.
Perhaps due to the low nighttime temperature, Chu Shao's fingertips were not as warm as before, but rather a little cold.
The ointment was also cool as it was applied to Xiao Jin's wound, making it slightly itchy.
It felt more like being kissed by lips than touched by fingertips.
Soft and hot like being burned by fire.
Chu Shao's fingertips circled around her wrist, after applying all the ointment, she wrapped a white gauze around it.
After everything was done, Xiao Jin suddenly felt a sense of relief as if she had escaped a disaster.
Applying the medicine was like being tortured.
It not only caused her great pressure but also doubled her suffering.
Xiao Jin thought it was finally over.
However, when Chu Shao stood up and looked at the bandage on Xiao Jin's wrist, she suddenly asked in a soft voice, "Your Highness, did it hurt when I applied the medicine?"
She was stunned.
In fact, if Chu Shao hadn't asked, Xiao Jin would have almost forgotten that she had an injury on her body.
After all, the injury was not serious, and she had cut herself, so it was appropriate and not a big deal.
But when it was occasionally mentioned and someone asked if it hurt, she couldn't help but sigh.
Xiao Jin was in the world of books and couldn't tell others her true feelings.
She couldn't sigh, she could only look at Chu Shao quietly, and then disappointingly say, "Princess, I am not a man, as you should know."
Chu Shao was somewhat surprised, as if she had not expected Xiao Jin to be so clear.
Xiao Jin was about to continue, saying that they both knew the truth, so there was no need to pretend to be a loving couple when they were together.
Unexpectedly, Chu Shao looked at Xiao Jin and nodded.
Then she he frowned and asked in confusion, "I know... but so what?"
"Your Highness is not a man, but a woman, isn't that even better?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's note: Thanks to the little angels who voted for me or gave me nutrients from 23:59:47 on March 16, 2022 to 23:59:24 on March 17, 2022.
Translator's note: Waaaa... It's even better!! You know, I wouldn't have translated this book if you weren't a woman, Xiao Jin!
TO BE CONTINUE...