The next morning—
Ivy Shen knew that if she wanted intel from them, she’d have to get close early in the morning.
So, bright and early, she slipped a little laxative into Little Die’s breakfast. That way, she’d have the perfect excuse to help out with the morning shift.
“Sherry, you really shouldn’t… If the Crown Prince finds out, we’ll… we’ll… Ow, it hurts!” Little Die was sweating buckets, clutching her stomach, her face twisted in agony as she started twitching like a cartoon character caught in a slapstick skit.
Seeing this, Ivy quickly said, “It’s fine, we’re all sisters here! If the Crown Prince blames anyone, let him blame me. But if you don’t go and get caught, you’ll be in way more trouble.” She threatened, putting on her best mock-serious face, then added in a stage whisper: “Trust me, you do not want to see what kind of creative punishments they come up with for skipping shifts.”
“Exactly, Little Die! It’ll be a bit tougher for Sherry, but if you skip out and get caught, the punishment is way worse. Plus, the Crown Prince totally likes Sherry—he’ll listen to her, no problem. If you feel bad, just take Sherry’s night shift later.” Luna chimed in, clearly remembering the pain of diarrhea—with a shudder that made her look like she’d just relived her most embarrassing moment. "Trust me, you do NOT want to go through that again. My dignity still hasn't recovered."
Hearing this, Little Die looked at Sherry, clutching her hand with teary gratitude. “Sherry, thank you! Seriously, thank you so much!”
“No problem!” Sherry replied, then turned to Luna. “Let’s go, we’ve got work to do.” After making sure Little Die was tucked in to rest, the two headed for the Lotus Garden.
As soon as they stepped into the Lotus Garden area, they spotted Butterfly Rogue darting around, giggling nonstop. Ivy frowned at the familiar silhouette—seriously, was this guy’s performance a little too much?
But then she saw General Nee standing with Gavin Wang, and instantly understood why Butterfly Rogue was hamming it up.
“Whoa, it’s that consort from Chu!” Luna exclaimed, super excited. For her, it was a rare treat to see such a friendly consort, and she was absolutely thrilled!
“Come on, let’s go pay our respects!” Ivy flashed a little smile and led Luna forward.
“Greetings, Your Ladyship!” The two of them smiled and bowed.
“Ah, you’re here! Up, up, no need to bow.” Coco hurried over, grinning from ear to ear.
“Your Ladyship, how come you’re up so early?” Luna asked, all curiosity. Seriously, why so early?!
Coco just smiled. “We’re heading home today, so I wanted to pick a few lotuses before we leave.” She glanced at Ivy, not-so-accidentally.
Ivy smiled back. “Let us row the boat out to the center of the Lotus Garden and pick some for you—the flowers there are the prettiest!”
“Yes, yes! Let’s do it!” Coco clapped her hands, laughing exaggeratedly.
“Should we go too?” Gavin Wang asked General Nee.
“Let the ladies pick flowers. We’ll just wait here.” Adrian Night knew that, officially, Song Zhijue sent them as bodyguards, but what their real job was—only they themselves knew.
“Careful, Your Ladyship!” Luna giggled, hopping onto the boat and helping Coco aboard, holding her arm with exaggerated caution.
Ivy brought up the rear, shooting Adrian Night a quick glance before turning to row. With Gavin Wang around, it’d be tricky for Adrian to tag along!
The little boat quickly vanished into the vast Lotus Garden.
“Ooh, that lotus is gorgeous! Can you pick it for me?” Coco pointed at a flower ahead, looking at Luna.
“Of course, Your Ladyship!” Luna bent down, ready to pick the flower, but Coco slyly pulled out a silver needle and stuck it in Luna’s back. Instantly, Luna collapsed against the side of the boat, limp as a noodle, totally out cold.
“Xin’er…” As soon as Coco saw Ivy, he couldn’t help the flutter in his heart.
“What’s going on? Weren’t you supposed to stay three days? Why are you leaving today? Did something happen?” Ivy asked, a bit worried.
Coco squeezed her hand, reassuring her quickly. “It’s nothing, really! Last night, we saw a shadow flit past our sleeping quarters—probably someone sent by Song Zhijue. Chu Meng said he’s super paranoid. Plus… the visitor wasn’t a stranger, it was…”
“Who?” Ivy prompted when Coco trailed off.
“Silver Consort!” Coco said coldly.
“Silver Consort?” Ivy blinked. She’d known Song Zhijue was connected to her, but didn’t expect Silver Consort to come and go so freely in the palace. Clearly, she needed to dig deeper into her identity—and what exactly Song Zhijue’s relationship with her was!
“So yeah, we think Song Zhijue still doesn’t trust us. To keep you safe, we’ve gotta leave early. That’s why that idiot’s tagging along today.”
“Yeah, it’s better if you all leave soon. Oh, how about that thing I asked you to look into?”
Coco recapped last night’s incident with Chu Meng, then asked curiously, “Xin’er, why do you want to investigate her? Did she give you trouble?”
“No!” According to Chu Meng, the Crown Princess should be a kind person. If she really was kind, then maybe those marks on her body were a silent warning—there were dangers all around her. Otherwise, who’d dare treat the Crown Princess like that?!
Chu Xiyan—what a lovely name. She’d have to find time to talk with her properly one day!
“Xin’er, we’re really worried about you.” Coco’s eyes were full of concern. If they all left, Ivy would be left to fight alone…
“Mei, trust me, I’ll be fine. I still have all of you worrying about me! Tell them I’ll leave as soon as I finish two or three more things.” Ivy reassured her quickly.
“Not long?”
“Right, I’ll be out soon,” Ivy promised.
“Xin’er…” With that, Coco pulled her into his arms and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. “Promise me you’ll take care of yourself—not just for you, but for all of us. We’re all here, worrying about you.” His words overflowed with emotion.
[This chapter isn’t over yet~ Click next page to keep reading!]
“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” Ivy wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply, then pulled away and teased, “From now on, no more ugly woman disguises. You’re killing my mood!”
“Alright!” Coco chuckled, tapping her nose indulgently. “I bet Ice Mountain’s regretting not dressing up as a woman now!” He grinned smugly.
“General Nee, General Nee…” Gavin Wang called out to the silent general.
“Huh? What is it?” Adrian Night snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Gavin.
“General Nee, what are you thinking about?”
“Oh, I was just wondering if these lotuses could grow in Chu.” Secretly, he thought: If dressing up as a woman made it so easy to get close to Xin’er, I should’ve done it! That guy is definitely up to something in the Lotus Garden. So unfair—I should’ve thought of disguising myself!
Just like Coco predicted, Adrian Night was seriously annoyed…
A while later—
Luna woke to Coco’s voice calling her. “Huh? What happened?” She rubbed her head, confused.
“Nothing, you just nodded off for a bit. Must’ve been tired from yesterday.” Ivy smiled gently as the boat drifted to shore.
“Look, we picked so many lotuses!” Coco waved at the pile of flowers, still playing the clueless consort.
Seeing this, Ivy quickly helped her ashore. “Hope Your Ladyship likes them!”
“I love them, I really do!”
Gavin Wang smiled. “Your Ladyship, let’s go—the Crown Prince has prepared a feast for you!”
“Alright,” Coco nodded. “Could you help tidy up these flowers for me?” With that, she led Adrian Night out first. Gavin quickly waved the guards over to help. Suddenly, he remembered something, turned to Ivy, and smiled. “Miss Sherry, His Highness said you’re off duty tonight. Just go straight to Lady Lan’s place!”
“Huh? Off duty? The Crown Prince isn’t coming tonight?” Ivy asked.
“His Highness is busy tonight…” Gavin started to explain, but when he saw Ivy’s disappointed face, he added, “Miss Sherry, don’t worry—the Crown Prince isn’t avoiding you. It’s just that his master arrived today, so he has to host him. That’s all.”
“The Crown Prince’s master? He has a master? Is it someone from the academy?” Ivy feigned confusion. After all, academy teachers are called ‘masters’ too—so who was it, really?
“Haha, nope! His Highness’s master is amazing—number one in martial arts!” Gavin laughed. “Miss Sherry, I’ve got to go now.” With that, he hurried after Coco and Adrian Night.
Ivy’s expression turned icy cold. Number one in martial arts? Could it be Silver Consort, the poison master?!