"Zhong Li, do you know what you're saying?" Nangong Xiaodie asked, her voice lowered as if to warn Zhong Li after hearing her out.
Zhong Li rose and bowed to Nangong Xiaodie. "Your Highness, if I didn't know what I was doing or saying, why would I come to your palace in the dead of night to disturb you so late?"
Nangong Xiaodie lowered her gaze, lost in thought. Zhong Li's words were too surprising, and she needed time to process them.
Zhong Li continued, "Does Your Highness know why the Prince Consort asked you to support Lu Yuanfeng? After all, there are many imperial consorts in the harem; you are not the only choice."
Nangong Xiaodie looked up at Zhong Li upon hearing this.
Zhong Li added, "Your Highness need not be nervous. Mo Cang has no ambitions for the throne."
"So, you're telling me about the Crown Prince's affairs. How do you plan to proceed?" Nangong Xiaodie asked.
"His Majesty is using the matters of the Ci'an Temple and the Wu family's money house to delay the Crown Prince's business. Your Highness doesn't need to do much, just help the Sixth Prince propose marriage to Hua Yao, the younger daughter of the Hua family, in front of His Majesty."
"Oh?" Nangong Xiaodie's brow furrowed with confusion. "Zhong Li, although the Sixth Prince now supports my faction, such a significant marriage... I..."
"There's no need to discuss it!" Zhong Li interrupted, explaining, "Mo Cang will persuade the Sixth Prince. Your Highness needn't worry."
Nangong Xiaodie nodded slowly and asked, "But Zhong Li, you must understand, the legitimate eldest son is not yet married, and to casually propose a marriage to a concubine's son..."
"Your Highness is a wise woman. Mo Cang and the Sixth Prince are in the same boat now, as are you. Consequently, so am I. Your Highness need not worry so much. I can give you some inside information: although Steward Wang's official position is not high, he works in the Ministry of Personnel, overseeing the imperial examinations. He has extensive connections. Nowadays, apart from a few high-ranking positions, most of the court officials are selected through the imperial examinations. If Steward Wang becomes our person now, do you think that when the time is right, even if Your Highness has not yet received the Phoenix Seal, you will lack support?"
As Zhong Li finished speaking, Nangong Xiaodie fell into deep thought. Zhong Li waited for her, her expression unchanged.
In a mere flick of a finger, Nangong Xiaodie smiled at Zhong Li, rose, and curtsied. "Then I will rely on Lord Zhong to manage future affairs."
Zhong Li knew that Nangong Xiaodie had agreed. She cupped her hands in a salute to Nangong Xiaodie and left the sleeping quarters without another word, walking briskly.
Little Tea, seeing Zhong Li leave, quickly entered. "Your Highness."
Nangong Xiaodie shot him a glare. Little Tea immediately lowered his gaze.
Nangong Xiaodie said, "I know you were acting for my own good tonight, but I must make it clear to you: from now on, if Lord Zhong comes to see me, I must meet her no matter how late it is. Do you understand?"
"This servant knows his mistake and begs Your Highness's punishment!" Little Tea, being clever, quickly knelt and admitted his fault.
Nangong Xiaodie replied, "Never mind, you may rise. Attend to my grooming."
"Is Your Highness going out?" Little Tea quickly stood up and asked.
Nangong Xiaodie said, "Little Tea, you must understand that once you enter this palace, many things are no longer up to you. Following the right master leads to a life of prosperity and wealth. Following the wrong one means the unmarked graves outside the palace are your final destination. Since you have entered my palace, you are my person. If I prosper, you will not lack; if I become a pile of rotten bones in an unmarked grave, you will only be buried with me. Do you understand?"
Little Tea shivered and quickly agreed, taking the comb from the table and rapidly styling Nangong Xiaodie's hair.
"Style it into a Fei Yun bun. His Majesty likes it."
"Yes!"
-------------------------------------
When Zhong Li exited the palace, the moon had already reached its zenith. The moonlight tonight was clear and cold, with no clouds – a perfect time for moon-gazing. However, she had no intention of admiring it. She walked quickly, eager to leave the palace and attend to other matters.
The palace gates opened, and she walked alone on Wenchang Street. Jincheng had no curfew, but at this hour, almost no businesses were open. As she was contemplating how to get to the Prince of Xian's manor, the neighing of a horse sounded from behind her. She turned her head and saw Lu Wuxie, dressed in a dark, fitted outfit, smiling at her.
"Why are you... here?" Zhong Li asked.
Lu Wuxie didn't answer immediately. Instead, he reached out and pulled her onto the horse. His broad outer cloak enveloped her tightly, warding off the chilly autumn wind that had made her feel a bit cold. Zhong Li felt as warm as if she were in a quilt.
"When I saw someone leaving the palace with His Majesty's decree going towards the harem, I thought this person must be afraid of the cold and the dark. So, I sent the waiting attendants back and stayed at the palace gate as a stone watching for my wife."
"What 'stone watching for my wife'? Don't speak nonsense. Besides, who is your wife?" Zhong Li said, blushing and giving him a coquettish glance at his teasing.
Lu Wuxie tightened his embrace around the woman, pulling her closer so she wouldn't feel the cold. "You agreed to me yesterday, and today you want to go back on your word." As he spoke, he mischievously pecked her earlobe. Seeing the small red string on her neck, he remembered how exaggerated her fingertips looked with the ring on, and how she had helplessly hung the ring on her neck afterward. "You even took my heirloom, what more do you want."
"Heirloom?" Zhong Li said, lowering her gaze to the jade thumb ring on her neck. If Lu Wuxie had told her this when she first met him, and said the item on her neck was worth an entire Prince of Xian's manor, she would have believed him. After all, she knew nothing about antiques. Now, she knew the jade thumb ring was a valuable item. But seeing the carvings, she knew it was from the Southern Yue Kingdom. She didn't believe it was an heirloom. "You're tricking me, you clearly..."
"I had someone carve this later, but this jade thumb ring is truly an ancient artifact. Do you know where I found it?" Lu Wuxie asked her.
Zhong Li shook her head.
"Do you remember when I told you about playing hide-and-seek with my mother in the secret chamber when I was a child?" Lu Wuxie asked again.
Zhong Li said, "Could it be..."
"I found this in the secret chamber. When I found it, it was placed under a pillow. It must have been frequently handled, as it was quite oily. I thought it looked good, so recently I found the best craftsman in Jincheng to carve a peony flower on it." Lu Wuxie said.
"Why a peony?" Zhong Li asked him.
Lu Wuxie closed his eyes, resting his chin on her shoulder. "The moment I was most captivated was when I was in the Prince of Xian's manor, watching a girl in a peony-patterned skirt emerge from the manor with a bundle."
"Skirt? Bundle?" Zhong Li was initially confused until she remembered that when she left the Prince of Xian's manor to live in the Dali Temple, she was dressed exactly like that.
"How much did you like me back then?" Zhong Li asked.
"Hmm..." Lu Wuxie pondered for a moment. "I don't know. I only know that I couldn't hide you anymore, and my heart felt very sad."
"Mischievous!" Zhong Li was amused by his words and turned her head to chide him playfully. Unexpectedly, Lu Wuxie's reaction was even quicker. As soon as she finished speaking, he gently parted his lips and bit her rosy lower lip.
"Mmm..."