Scent Of Time

Chapter 45

Noble Consort Qi’s palace was just like her person: gorgeous but not too flashy. In this harem, she monopolized power along with the Empress Dowager. In addition to her family’s power, one should consider her strength.

I saw her stretch out the well-maintained jade hand and personally pour me a cup of tea gently as if I were her sister. I smiled and took the cup.

Then she said, “I’ve long wanted to chat with Ms. Hua, but unfortunately, she has always been too busy. Today, I finally got the chance.”

I put down my teacup and spoke, “I have been a bit busy these days.”

Noble Consort Qi looked at me curiously and said, “Is that so? I wonder what Miss Hua has been busy with?”

“Coincidentally, a few days ago, when catching escaped slaves, I mistakenly caught a fugitive who was related to the assassination at the banquet a few days ago, so I’ve been busy in the past few days to see what kind of information I can pry out of his mouth.” I lowered my head and replied, my face intentionally carrying a few hints of joy.

Noble Consort Qi smiled more kindly: “This is very good. You have captured the real culprit. You tortured them so that you’ll be satisfied.”

“Then I’ll borrow your good words,” I responded with a smile.

Noble Consort Qi didn’t put on a bit of a show and sat down beside me while smiling. “Ms. Hua came here once in a while. You can accompany me to talk for a while. So many people come into this palace, but it’s rare to meet someone like Miss Hua.”

I frowned slightly and spoke doubtfully, “I don’t know what’s so special about me that I deserve such generous treatment from Noble Consort?”

Noble Consort Qi covered her mouth with a handkerchief and laughed, “This is unknown to others, but I can see it. When I saw you for the first time, I felt that Ms. Hua was different from the norm. Sure enough, now you’ve been blessed by misfortune, right?”

Seeing that I still looked puzzled, she continued, “Speaking of which, my father is a frontier military general, and Miss Hua’s father is the head of the civil ministers, so if we can take care of each other in the future, this… no one in the harem will be able to cross us.”

I still need to enter the palace before you look for me to show goodwill and cooperation, right?

I lowered my head, gripped my handkerchief, and answered while looking at her in ignorance. “I don’t understand what Noble Consort is talking about.”

“How could someone as smart as Ms. Hua not know what I’m talking about?” Noble Consort Qi pounced on me with her fan. She looked like a pimp flinging a handkerchief in a brothel in a TV drama. She used the fan to cover her mouth, “How the Emperor treats you, I, a person who has experienced it, can see it clearly, and in the future, I will cooperate with Ms. Hua in …… so much matters.”

I bowed my head and did not say anything. Noble Consort Qi only thought I was shy. She did not mention this topic anymore and turned to talk about other things. Only at dusk did she let me out of the palace.

After sitting in the carriage, I no longer had a trace of a smile, keeping silence on the road to the Hua Mansion. Entering the courtyard, I saw Qian Zhi waiting for me outside. Her face was not right, and I stopped my footsteps, walked through her, and entered the house.

Sure enough, I saw a figure clad in a bucket hat; hearing my footsteps, she turned around, and it was Mu Yao. I took care of myself and sat down first, pouring myself a cup of water before speaking, “How does it feel to go over the wall? This time, it’s your turn to go over the wall to see me?”

With her outfit, she couldn’t have come in through the front door. Mu Yao approached before speaking, “Where is the person?”

“What person?” I replied, pretending not to know.

Mu Yao reached out, brushed the teacup out of my hand, and spoke, “Don’t play dumb for me. Aren’t you just waiting for me to come? Now that I’m here, can you release the person?”

I took out a handkerchief and wiped the back of my hand splashed with tea before I spoke, “Since you’re here to beg, shouldn’t you lower your stance?”

When Mu Yao heard these familiar words, her face paled, but she still spoke, “You don’t have to humiliate me like this. Since I’m here, feel free to kill me; just let the irrelevant people go.”

“Irrelevant?” I laughed and stood up, “Mu Yao, how thick is your skin to say those words?”

Mu Yao looked at me and said, “This matter was all my idea alone. You should not implicate anyone else.”

“It’s indeed a deep love, and everyone is scrambling to take the blame onto themselves.” I spoke sarcastically, “Where have you put Zhong Yelan?”

Mu Yao looked at me, her gaze filled with anger, “Wasn’t it you who snatched him away? Why bother to come and sympathize with me now?”

“I raised you to the position of side consort and took the initiative to divorce myself. What position do you still want me to retreat to?” I looked back without showing any weakness. “I always thought you were a smart person. How could you be a fool to this extent?”

“I’m foolish. It’s foolish enough to test the waters this way. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have made it possible for the bystanders to — take advantage of it.” Mu Yao closed her eyes. Her eyes seemed to be flickering with tears, “Ever since you blocked an arrow for him, he has changed. He started to care about your thoughts; he wanted to go to your courtyard but would always be discouraged. You’ve ruined everything I have; now, you even took him, the only thing I have.”

“Then you should look to yourself for the reason.” I spoke without mercy, “Besides, is he the only man in the world? Can’t you live without him? How narrow is your life?”

“I don’t have to have him. I only want to know his true feelings. So, that day on the cliff, I was waiting for him to choose. If he chose you, I would jump down, and then I would give up. If he…”

“There is no need to talk to me about these things.” I couldn’t listen to her pretentious thoughts. Are all ancient women idle every day? It’s just breaking up; why must she do a test? One could tell that she didn’t want to break up but hardened her mouth and did not admit it, harming others.

Mu Yao froze at my words momentarily before she spoke: “Then what do you want? Didn’t you call me to hear that?”

I spoke with an expressionless face, “Your test cost my elder brother’s life.”

Mu Yao stiffened. “I never thought to use this against you; it was someone who took advantage of the chaos to blend in.”

“I know, but if it weren’t for your calculations, no one else would have been able to intervene.” I interrupted her, “So you are responsible for my elder brother’s death.”

Mu Yao looked at me. Her eyes could not hide her sadness. “Then you should know how I felt earlier. You were sad for your elder brother, and I was also distressed that I could not sleep or eat for my maid Linglong. She was like a family to me. Didn’t she die because of Hua Shen? So now we both lose one life. It is considered we’re even. In the future, I will not chase after your Hua Family again.”

“No. I fell off the cliff because of your scheme. It counts as one life.” Although I knew she intended to show weakness, I did not accept this.

Mu Yao looked at me with anger. “I surveyed that cliff. There’s a pool of water below and vines and branches in the center, so there is no way to die. Besides, I never wanted you to go down there; it was a path I left for myself.”

“So what? I fell anyway.” I replied roguishly.

Mu Yao seemed angry and eventually started to speak, “So what do you want?”

“I want the real culprit behind that wave of power,” I said.

Mu Yao frowned, “How do I know ……”

“You caused trouble, so naturally, you have to clean it up. Wu Shuomo had no food to eat in my place, so you had better move fast lest he die hungry. Qian Zhi, see the guests off.”

Ignoring Mu Yao’s annoyance, I turned around and left. Whether she was interested in Wu Shuomo or not, he had done something for her, so she wouldn’t dare to act rashly. Then, let me see the so-called novel heroine’s means and aura.

I was only betting, but Mu Yao’s appearance proved my guess that the assassination at the banquet and the play on the cliff were a joint effort of Mu Yao and Wu Shuomo. The cliff’s matter was too strange and didn’t have the same style as the assassins aimed at me at the banquet; it was childish, like a woman’s scheme.

At first, I only vaguely felt something was wrong, but the moment I looked at Mu Yao at the cliff, it became clear. There was no doubt or surprise in her eyes; instead, they were like firelight in the ashes, with hope and uncertainty. Together with the man in black that Hua Rongzhou encountered at the bottom of the cliff, the conclusion was that Mu Yao and Wu Shuomo were working together. One was to get the answer while the other thought that there was a chance to take her, and finally, because of my sudden move, disrupted the whole situation.

The night after Mu Yao left, the moon was exceptionally bright. I stared blankly at the night sky, sensing that someone was near me; I said without looking back, “Are you feeling better?”

A moment later came Hua Rongzhou’s voice: “En.”

Then, the two of us fell silent together. I spoke softly, not knowing who I was talking to, “I want to kill someone.”

“I’ll help you.”

I turned around and met Hua Rongzhou’s earnest eyes, and the haze in my heart seemed to dissipate, “Aren’t you going to ask me who it is? Maybe it’s a nobleman?”

Hua Rongzhou’s gaze did not fluctuate: “If you want to kill, I will help you.”

I couldn’t help but shake my head and laugh, “Little child can’t shout to kill every day.”

“I am not a child.” Hua Rongzhou’s slightly hurried voice rang out, and a moment later, he hesitantly said, “I’ve killed people.”

I subconsciously looked at him. His eyes drooped, and his eyelashes cast a shadow on his face. He had encountered a lot of assassins when he was a government soldier, and it wasn’t surprising that he had killed people. After all, human life isn’t worth much in this society. “I know.” I casually said.

“You don’t know.” Hua Rongzhou’s voice was stiff and emotionless.

I just thought he was a child throwing a tantrum and being stubborn with me, so I let him be.