The Grand Kitchen.
The elite chefs, renowned for their culinary skills, were bustling around in a fervent whirlwind of activity.
Suddenly, the steward rushed in with an urgent expression, announcing that the nu needed to be changed.
The head chef looked bewildered. "Changing the nu now? What does the Princess want to eat?"
The steward closed his eyes and began rattling off dish nas: "Roast suckling pig, roasted lamb, roasted rabbit, grilled fish, roasted eggplant, roasted chicken, roasted... figure the rest out yourself."
The head chef put his hands on his hips and glared at him. "Are you joking? Our Princess is a cultivated soul. Would she eat things like roast suckling pig and roasted rabbit?"
The Princess’s banquet had to embody elegance, with dish nas derived from poetic verses. Roast suckling pig—what kind of nonsense was that?
The steward thought for a mont. "Then... Fiery Fla Black Gold, Buddha Fire Treasure, Hidden Moonlight, Dragon Leaping Volcano. Wait, what about roasted eggplant and roasted chicken? Ah, got it—’Lovers’ Affection’ and ’Phoenix Ascending to Heaven!’"
The head chef: "..."
In the small garden.
ng Qianqian was seated at the table of the Zhou Family and Lin Family. Bao Shu was sound asleep in Madam Lin’s arms.
Madam Zhou stared enviously. "Have you held her long enough? It’s my turn."
Madam Lin shifted slightly to the side. "Not even close."
Madam Zhou fud silently.
Ugh, no matter what, she always lost to her!
ng Qianqian sat with Lin Xiaoru to her left and Zhou Nanyan to her right.
Zhou Nanyan watched Princess Wanping, who was seated in the upper-left section of the gathering with Liu Qingyun, and suspiciously asked, "Sister ng, don’t you think sothing feels off?"
ng Qianqian popped a marinated peanut into her mouth and asked, "What feels off?"
Zhou Nanyan replied, "It’s Princess Wanping. Don’t you think she’s being far too kind to your mother-in-law?"
ng Qianqian nodded. "I do."
"Then why—" Zhou Nanyan glanced at Princess Wanping, who was personally attending to Liu Qingyun. "Why would you make space for her? Aren’t you worried she has an ulterior motive?"
Lin Xiaoru overheard and also looked over at the pair.
ng Qianqian shrugged. "She’s a Princess. It’s not like I can stop her."
Zhou Nanyan muttered, "You just don’t want to stop her, do you?"
ng Qianqian laughed.
Indeed, she wished for nothing more than Princess Wanping to entertain Liu Qingyun—otherwise, how else would she get the chance to move about freely?
Zhou Nanyan sighed. "Sister ng, you should be more mindful. She’s practically stealing your man right in front of you. If we’d known she had such intentions, we wouldn’t have co today. Speaking of which, Sister ng, has there been any... movent with your belly?"
ng Qianqian’s smile froze.
Uh... why did the conversation turn to this?
She forced a smile. "I... drank too much tea. I need to excuse myself."
Zhou Nanyan offered, "I’ll accompany you with Sister Lin."
Lin Xiaoru had no objections.
ng Qianqian quickly waved her hands. "No need, no need."
Zhou Nanyan and Lin Xiaoru looked puzzled as they stared at her.
ng Qianqian kept a straight face as she explained, "Why don’t you two help keep an eye on Princess Wanping instead? I’m worried she might try sothing else to curry favor with my mother-in-law."
Zhou Nanyan agreed thoughtfully—helping Sister ng ward off a rival seed more critical.
ng Qianqian bid farewell to Madam Lin and Madam Zhou.
Madam Lin, still holding Bao Shu, smiled and said, "Go ahead. We’ll watch the child, and moreover, your mother-in-law is here, too."
"Alright." ng Qianqian set off.
She first approached one of the maids from the Princess Mansion, who offered to lead her.
ng Qianqian said, "Just tell the way."
The maid replied, "Exit the garden, head east, and cross a handrail corridor. You’ll find it there."
Of course, ng Qianqian wasn’t going to relieve herself—she was looking for Chen Long.
But in such a vast Princess Mansion, where could Chen Long be?
She had originally thought Princess Wanping might show him off as a display but instead realized that this Princess was genuinely utilizing Chen Long as a Hidden Guard.
ng Qianqian searched for a while without success. Standing on a scenic arch bridge crafted from white marble, she paused to reflect. "Where else haven’t I checked?"
"What are you doing here?"
A familiar voice ca from the other side of the bridge.
ng Qianqian’s eyes lit up. She turned toward the speaker. "Brother!"
Chen Long, as always, wore his dark brocade robes, accompanied by a conical hat atop his head and the heavy sword strapped to his back.
Upon hearing ng Qianqian call him "brother," he responded coldly, "I never agreed to be your brother."
"Brother, I’ve been searching for you all day!"
Agree or not, you’re my brother.
With an energetic bounce to her steps, ng Qianqian descended from the bridge, beaming at him. "It’s been over a month—did you miss Little Nine?"
Chen Long’s gaze flickered.
His reaction to "Little Nine" proved that he hadn’t suffered amnesia. At least he hadn’t forgotten her.
Heaven knew how terrified she had been that soone had wiped his mory, causing him to forget his true family and recognize a foe as kin.
Things seed to be more complicated than that.
Keeping her expression neutral, ng Qianqian pressed on, "Brother, I heard Yin Hu... our master ntion you, saying you’re the strongest among the Twelve Guards. Why, then, did you beco Pri Minister Xun’s adopted son?"
Chen Long retorted icily, "What does that have to do with you?"
ng Qianqian replied, "I’m also one of the Twelve Guards, so of course it concerns ."
Chen Long stared at the distant sky. "The Twelve Guards no longer exist in this world."
ng Qianqian pondered for a mont before suggesting, "Are you leveraging Pri Minister Xun’s resources to investigate the Chu Family’s case? King Chu was the Supre Emperor’s bloodline, and the Chu Family fell victim to the Crown Prince. Now that I’ve revealed the truth to you, there’s no need for you to stay with Pri Minister Xun."
Without responding, Chen Long brushed past her.
ng Qianqian turned and chased after him. "Why must you stay by Pri Minister Xun’s side?"
Chen Long replied, "I told you—it’s none of your business."
ng Qianqian blocked his path, her gaze steady as she looked up at him. "Fine, let’s change the question. Who are you really? I’m not asking about your Twelve Guards identity; I an who you were before you beca one—your family."
Chen Long t her gaze, and for a fleeting mont, sothing flickered in his eyes.
But it vanished quickly. He turned his head, avoided her inquiry, and walked away.
ng Qianqian watched him retreating, his figure growing smaller with each step. She reached into her long sleeve and retrieved a bone flute, lifting it to her lips to play.
The lody was soothing and ethereal, like a whisper in the twilight, the first rays of morning, the bond of blood shared in companionship, and the clash of blades in catastrophic turmoil.
Chen Long froze.
He clenched his fists and suddenly activated his Qinggong, leaving behind only a blur.
In the blink of an eye, he had seized the bone flute from her.
"Where did this co from?"
"I won’t tell you."
"I’m asking about the song."
"I won’t tell you that either."
ng Qianqian turned her head away, gazing at the heavens.
Chen Long scrutinized her with suspicion. "Why are you investigating ?"
Clearing her throat, ng Qianqian declared confidently, "As fellow mbers of the Twelve Guards, I’ll answer that. The Crown Prince managed to destroy the Chu Family because he had an inside agent. I suspect there’s a traitor among us. To identify the traitor, I need to investigate everyone’s background, including their reasons for becoming one of the Twelve Guards."
Chen Long: "For my sister."
ng Qianqian: "Your sister is—"
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