Chapter 34: Disguise

After parting ways with Zhao Zhizhi, Meng Zhenyue returned to Yuehua Courtyard. Once inside, she instructed her maid, Manzhi, who had accompanied her to the study, to have a young servant prepare a bowl of soothing soup.

Only then did Manzhi open her palm, her expression solemn and tinged with confusion. "Miss, look."

On her palm, stained with red ink paste, was the imprint of a small, spiral-shaped object resembling a curved moon.

At the sight of it, the usually composed Meng Zhenyue abruptly grabbed Manzhi’s hand and pulled it toward her eyes. She remembered it clearly: her father had a scar exactly like this on his knee. Her actions tonight were not merely to help Zhao Zhizhi escape this marriage; Meng Zhenyue had been hoping to find some evidence related to her parents.

Seeing Meng Zhenyue’s drastic change in expression, Manzhi quickly added, "It was hidden very deeply, and it smelled as if it were poisonous. I was nearly discovered by the secret guard while trying to wipe it clean after making the print."

Meng Zhenyue did not reply. She gripped the table beside her, her mind racing. This was clearly a hidden weapon, and a formidable one at that. She recalled how her father would be in such agony during the change of seasons that he could barely stand; had it not been for the medicine her mother sought out, he likely would not have survived. Why would such a powerful weapon belonging to the Marquis of Chengwu be found on her father?

The answer was becoming clear. As a loyalist to the Emperor, the Marquis of Chengwu’s duty was to eliminate threats to the throne. Prince Chen, meanwhile, had been the late Emperor’s favorite and was beloved by the people. This only served to confirm her father’s true identity.

Yet there were countless reasons one might be hunted, and since her father had lost his memory, she needed to see a portrait of Prince Chen to be certain. "Remember this, and keep it safe!"

Back in Yuehua Courtyard, Meng Zhenyue drank her soup, but her brow remained furrowed, and she could not fall asleep for a long time. Elsewhere in the Marquis’s residence, lights blazed in a certain wing, where a dozen people were busy moving, cleaning, and scrubbing, leaving no one with a peaceful night.

At dawn, after paying her respects, Meng Zhenyue arrived at this location—Boyuan Courtyard. It turned out that the Marchioness had ordered a courtyard to be prepared overnight specifically for her and Zhao Zhizhi to study embroidery under a governess. It seemed the Marquis of Chengwu had indeed set aside the marriage plans, choosing instead to exploit their value in other ways.

The Grand Princess Jingyi was the late Emperor’s youngest and most pampered sister. Though she had been raised away from the capital due to illness since childhood, she possessed an undeniable royal bearing. The embroidery workshops she established across the Great Zhou Dynasty provided a livelihood for women throughout the land. Not only did she command the two thousand elite soldiers left behind by the late Emperor and enjoy the support of his high-ranking officials, but she had also won the hearts of the people through her workshops and charitable deeds.

However, she belonged to no political faction. Every party sought to win her over, and the Marquis of Chengwu certainly hoped to use this arrangement to gain favor with Emperor Jinghe.

The governess was still speaking with the Marchioness, and as Meng Zhenyue was about to enter, a voice called out to her from behind. "Wait a moment, sister."

Recognizing the voice of Zhao Xianzhi, Meng Zhenyue felt a surge of irritation at such an early hour. She gritted her teeth for a few moments before turning around to see Zhao Xianzhi, dressed in a treasure-blue brocade robe, holding a package of chestnut cakes, while his servant carried a bag of silk threads.

Meng Zhenyue was momentarily puzzled, but when a pink-blue figure appeared behind him, she immediately understood. Seeing her turn, Zhao Xianzhi spoke with impatient eagerness. "These are chestnut cakes from the best shop in the city. Keep them for yourself. As for these silk threads, they are from my eldest brother’s storage..."

As he spoke, the person behind him stepped into view. Zhao Xianzhi paused as if noticing her for the first time, his expression conflicted for a moment before he chuckled awkwardly. "Ah, second sister is here."

"I was so focused on treating your eldest sister well to make amends that I momentarily forgot about you. Please, sister, do not hold a grudge against her."

Meng Zhenyue waited quietly for Zhao Xianzhi to finish his hypocritical display before walking directly toward Zhao Zhizhi. "What is there to mind? What belongs to the eldest sister belongs to you as well."

*No, it is not the same,* Zhao Xianzhi thought smugly. Being given something specifically for you versus being offered leftovers only when you are seen are two entirely different things. Zhizhi was a delicate and sensitive person; Meng Zhenyue would surely be loathed for this. Coupled with yesterday’s lychee pastry mountain, a thorn would surely have taken root in Zhao Zhizhi’s heart.

Indeed, Zhao Zhizhi’s cherry lips trembled, and her eyes grew moist. Seeing this, Zhao Xianzhi felt a sense of satisfaction, his heart leaping in anticipation. But the next moment, he heard:

"Eldest sister, do not listen to our older brother. He must be putting on an act!"

Zhao Xianzhi stiffened. He then watched as the tearful Zhao Zhizhi grabbed Meng Zhenyue’s hand and complained, "Eldest brother has no regard for us at all. If he truly cared, how could he not know that I love lychee pastry mountain and that you do not like chestnut cakes!"

*How, how could it be like this?* Zhao Xianzhi was bewildered. He shot a sharp look at Meng Zhenyue. What had she done?! How despicable and shameless!

Meng Zhenyue, busy wiping Zhao Zhizhi’s tears, found a moment to offer Zhao Xianzhi an imperceptible smile. She hadn’t done much—she had simply brought the lychee pastry mountain in front of Zhao Zhizhi yesterday and asked if she disliked it. When Zhao Zhizhi said she loved it, Meng Zhenyue had remarked, "How strange. I intended to buy some for you, but older brother told me you didn't like them."

Having anticipated that Zhao Xianzhi would continue his charade, Meng Zhenyue had simply mislabeled the preferences she remembered from her past life. The seeds of discord had been sown.

"It is alright. Eldest brother has his own matters to attend to; we should not rely on him too much," Meng Zhenyue said, withdrawing her gaze to comfort Zhao Zhizhi.

Zhao Xianzhi hurried to interject, "Sister, do not be angry. Perhaps it is the toxins in my body..." He intended to play the pity card, but his plan was interrupted by the Marchioness.

"Why are you all standing here?"

The three turned in unison to see the Marchioness, lightly supported by a servant, walking slowly toward them with a governess following behind. Approaching them, the Marchioness urged, "It is getting late." She then signaled for her maid to lead the governess and the two daughters into the courtyard.

After paying her respects to her mother, Zhao Zhizhi nodded at Meng Zhenyue. "I understand, eldest sister. Let us go." *She had thought perhaps her brother was merely overwhelmed by recent events, but she couldn't help but feel disappointed.*

Before turning to enter the courtyard, Meng Zhenyue glanced at the Marchioness and Zhao Xianzhi, who had no intention of following. After a moment of thought, she stepped inside.

Once they were gone, the Marchioness, clutching her handkerchief with teary apricot eyes, approached Zhao Xianzhi. Seeing her son’s gaze still fixed on the two girls, she choked back a sob and took his hand. "You... you do not need to do this. Mother has always believed in you!"

When her son had promised to prove himself in the ancestral hall that day, she hadn't taken it to heart, as she already trusted him. But seeing him endure his illness for the sake of the family's reputation in the study, and witnessing his humble, fawning demeanor toward Meng Zhenyue, had broken her heart. Now, to see him come so eagerly to deliver snacks only to be misunderstood by Zhizhi—how could she not be heartbroken?