The empty streets, usually bustling with people, were now deserted, everyone terrified by the events at the Crown Prince's mansion. They all steered clear, afraid of passing by and incurring the displeasure of the guards, lest they be reprimanded.
Only Su Xiaoqi and Zhao Xiaohua stood facing each other.
Zhao Xiaohua, clad in a crimson cloak embroidered with white peonies and a thick cape, was not tall. Dressed so heavily, and with a golden collar intricately carved with floral patterns and adorned with pearls around her neck, she appeared somewhat bulky.
Su Xiaoqi stood opposite her, slender and graceful. Dressed in her own handmade wool sweater and down jacket, she was warm despite her fear of the cold. Outside this, she wore a sable fur vest, her hair in an elegant updo with pearl accessories, making her look noble, refined, and yet refreshingly simple.
When Zhao Xiaohua had spoken moments ago, she had suddenly moved closer. The two stood a little too near.
This made Su Xiaoqi feel quite uncomfortable. Due to their height difference, standing so close meant she could only see the top of Zhao Xiaohua's head.
Su Xiaoqi took two steps back, tilting her head slightly to look down at Zhao Xiaohua. A smile played on her lips, but it seemed insincere.
"Why, do you think you won?" Zhao Xiaohua looked at Su Xiaoqi, suddenly realizing the disparity in their build and stature. She mistook the coldness in Su Xiaoqi's eyes for disdain. Frowning displeasedly, she began to speak coldly to Su Xiaoqi.
Su Xiaoqi ignored her. She had never felt favorably towards Zhao Xiaohua, though she didn't harbor any strong animosity either. Zhao Xiaohua, after all, was intelligent. She never acted directly, always using others or manipulating them into acting. In the end, everything was disconnected from her. Thus, the two had never directly clashed.
Because of her own experiences, Su Xiaoqi couldn't develop any strong negative feelings towards Zhao Xiaohua. However, she certainly couldn't like her. What Su Xiaoqi found most difficult to accept about Zhao Xiaohua was the insecurity hidden beneath her strong ambition. While Zhao Xiaohua appeared meticulously dressed and elegantly attired, Su Xiaoqi could tell from their conversations and interactions that she lacked confidence, even to the point of insecurity. This likely stemmed from her background. After all, the Great Liang Dynasty was a place where lineage and family status mattered greatly. Her hometown, Zhaojia Village, was hardly noteworthy. Consequently, Zhao Xiaohua, having been in the capital for so long, never discussed her origins in public. When others mentioned her, they only referred to her as the adopted daughter of the Yong'an Marquisate, educated in the marquisate's style.
"Zhao Xiaohua, don't impose your thoughts on me, alright?" Su Xiaoqi smiled at her.
Zhao Xiaohua was displeased by Su Xiaoqi's remark. "Isn't it true? You all believe you could defeat the Crown Prince because of you. You appeared like divine soldiers, producing that box containing the dragon robe from somewhere... Humph, surprised how I know? Back in Zhaojia Village, when Zhao Guanggun mentioned you, I felt something was off. You hold a great secret, one that they are all unaware of."
Su Xiaoqi remained unfazed. For someone who shared similar experiences, being partially seen through was not a big deal. After all, she had no intention of hiding herself from the start. Given her journey so far, she had always been different from ordinary women. She wasn't worried about revealing a vulnerability to Zhao Xiaohua. Her attitude was one of "if it's broken, let it break." Since Zhao Xiaohua held a piece of her secret, and she held a piece of Zhao Xiaohua's, it was a stalemate.
Su Xiaoqi's nonchalant attitude further angered Zhao Xiaohua. She resented that Su Xiaoqi possessed more than her. Even more infuriating was that, knowing the truth, she couldn't reveal Su Xiaoqi's strangeness to anyone.
"You, you, you are truly shameless," Zhao Xiaohua exclaimed. She had never expected someone who appeared so noble and elegant on the surface to be so brazen. Even Zhao Xiaohua, with her village background, felt defeated by Su Xiaoqi. She threatened, "I can keep quiet, but don't think I'm the only one who sees something is wrong with you. Do you remember Kong Shan, who was executed by slow slicing? He also knew about you and mentioned you in his confession, saying you disappeared without a trace."
Unwilling to be defeated by Su Xiaoqi, Zhao Xiaohua stepped closer, lowering her voice and feigning mystery as she recounted how Kong Shan had encountered Su Xiaoqi at the Imperial Judgement Temple and her sudden disappearance. Su Xiaoqi's heart tightened. She wasn't concerned about Zhao Xiaohua knowing. However, quite a few people had seen that confession.
Su Xiaoqi feigned composure. "He was a death row inmate, someone who committed heinous crimes. Who would believe him? Besides, you really don't need to be so smug. If my secret is leaked, you certainly won't get away unscathed. I'll drag you to hell with me if I have to."
Their verbal sparring was fierce and lively. Throughout, Su Xiaoqi played with Zhao Xiaohua like a cat playing with a mouse. After a while, seeing that the time was approaching, she smiled at Zhao Xiaohua and turned to leave. Zhao Xiaohua was speechless, thinking how impolite this person was, to just leave mid-conversation. She quickly called out, "Hey, where are you going?"
Su Xiaoqi looked at this person who shared half her experiences, a kindred spirit, and smiled exuberantly. "I have important business. I won't be playing with you today."
Su Xiaoqi wasn't lying to Zhao Xiaohua. She did have important business. Earlier, she and Shen Yun had gone to Zhuque Street to check on the winter uniforms for the soldiers they had custom-ordered at Yun Nishang's shop. They had only been sidetracked by the incident at the Duan Prince's mansion, which they rushed to help resolve. Now that the matter was settled, she naturally had to return to her own affairs. However, Shen Yun could no longer accompany her. She resigned herself to going alone. Fortunately, Zhang Yu had brought the carriage when they arrived, and it was parked in an inconspicuous corner. Seeing her turn, Zhang Yu brought the carriage over.
Su Xiaoqi got into the carriage and lowered the curtain. Just then, she saw Jia Sanniang emerge from behind Zhao Xiaohua. Jia Sanniang asked, "Miss, do you want me to handle this..." Zhao Xiaohua quickly stopped her, "No need. She has an expert with her; you won't be able to handle her." Su Xiaoqi smiled wryly, thinking that Zhao Xiaohua, for all her faults, did possess self-awareness.
Upon arriving back at Nishang Ward, Yun Nishang had been waiting at the shop due to their prior arrangement. Seeing Su Xiaoqi arrive two hours late, she looked worried. Only when she saw that Su Xiaoqi was unharmed did she relax. "Oh dear, you scared me. I heard today that both the Duan Prince's and the Crown Prince's mansions had incidents, and then I heard people say you and Lord Shen were together. I was so worried. If I couldn't wait for you, I would have asked He Qiulei to find Miss Du."
Looking at Yun Nishang, who was familiar yet slightly strange, Su Xiaoqi smiled. They had met in Mianzhou City before. They had hit it off immediately, though they had little time to deepen their connection and met infrequently. After Su Xiaoqi came to the capital, they lost contact and hadn't seen each other for a long time. Now, through He Qiulei's matchmaking, this business deal had been made. As old acquaintances reunited, they got along quite well. Thus, Yun Nishang's worry for Su Xiaoqi was genuine.
Su Xiaoqi advised, "I'm fine. Don't spread the word about this matter; there's no conclusion from the authorities yet." Yun Nishang quickly replied, "I understand, I understand. We don't meddle in the affairs of those high officials. Oh right, let's go see the clothes."
As Yun Nishang spoke, she led Su Xiaoqi into the back courtyard of the shop. Entering, Su Xiaoqi was surprised to find the courtyard unusually large. With the front and back sections combined, it seemed to be at least five courtyards deep. "What a large compound!" she exclaimed. Yun Nishang smiled, "My Yun family has moved their entire household to the capital, so naturally, we had to buy a larger compound. We owe this to He Qiulei." Su Xiaoqi smiled, mentioning that the residence they lived in previously in Mao'er Hutong was also thanks to him; he truly had a knack for these things.
As they chatted, Yun Nishang opened a door. Inside, it was filled to the brim with neatly packed garments. Su Xiaoqi picked one up at random and saw they were all dark blue down jackets. The stitching was fine and the construction was thick. Feeling the material, she confirmed it was genuine duck down. She praised Yun Nishang generously, saying she was fortunate to find her as a partner, as she wouldn't have trusted anyone else with it.
"I heard from He Qiulei that you're doing this business at a loss, a hundred wen per piece. You can't even buy coarse cloth clothing for that price on the market. Only here, with such good duck down." Yun Nishang expressed disbelief. As a businesswoman, to hear someone not prioritizing profit made her re-evaluate Su Xiaoqi.
"The money will come back eventually. I took on this order purely for the sake of the soldiers guarding the borders. My husband said the northern frontier is very cold, so I wanted to do my best to keep them from freezing."