She had a dream. In it, she clearly recalled what she had seen and heard that night at the Huayan Pavilion... Naturally, she also thought of the Minister of War she had seen at that time, as well as several other people beside him who seemed familiar but she couldn't quite remember for the moment.
She always felt there was something fishy going on, as if they were secretly plotting something.
When she woke up again, she was already determined to visit the Huayan Pavilion once more to investigate this matter.
The evening glow of the setting sun shone through the window lattice and landed on the plate of crystal - clear hawthorn cakes on the table.
She stared blankly at them for a couple of seconds, then got up, walked over, picked up a piece and popped it into her mouth.
It was chewy on the tongue, slightly cold, dispelling a great deal of the restlessness in her heart. It was sweet and sour, and the taste was wonderful.
She ate several more pieces in a row and was caught red - handed by Zhuque, who had just come in.
Cheng Xiran was like a cat that had stolen food. She quickly let go of the cake and walked aside, which made Zhuque laugh. "Don't worry, Miss. Guard Zuo has sent a lot. It'll last you ten days or half a month."
"Stay away from him in the future. People from the Prince's Mansion are not someone we can get close to," Cheng Xiran said, pouting.
Zhuque changed the subject and told her about meeting Gu Yuanqing on the street today. Gu Yuanqing hadn't returned to his post but instead stayed in the capital. Now that his injury had fully healed, from Zhuque's description, it seemed that he was doing quite well.
He couldn't be living without support. So who was he relying on?
However, he didn't pose much of a threat to her at the moment, so Cheng Xiran didn't take it too seriously and just listened as a bit of gossip.
Just as she was lost in thought, a shrill voice came to her ears.
"Now everyone in the capital knows that the eldest daughter of the Cheng family refuses to go home and instead lives in an inn."
Sun Yanyan, dressed in gorgeous clothes, walked in without any greeting, rather abruptly.
Zhuque came to her senses, bowed to her, then served her to sit down and poured her a new cup of tea.
Cheng Xiran raised her eyebrows indifferently. "I got tired of living at home, so I came out for a couple of days. What, do they have an issue with that?"
"I heard your newspaper hasn't been updated in the past few days..." Sun Yanyan said with a faint smile. "You don't know. Now you've become a big figure. The slightest move of yours is watched by countless pairs of eyes."
Cheng Xiran didn't beat around the bush with her. She had already caught the hidden meaning in Sun Yanyan's words, so she asked directly, "Did Father send you here to invite me back home?"
Seeing Sun Yanyan nod, the corner of her mouth twitched and she said indifferently, "My father has always been like this. Coming to pick up his own daughter home seems like some sneaky business. He has to send someone else."
Even she herself noticed that she was being a bit sharp - tongued today.
Sun Yanyan wasn't annoyed. She just asked, "Does the Prime Minister really treat you as his daughter?"
The two stared at each other, then burst into laughter.
"I know. I'll go back in a couple of days. Also, please tell him when you get back that I won't cause any trouble, nor will I tell others how he has neglected me all these years, let alone his countless crimes. Just tell him to live as he pleases and not be affected by me."
As she said this, she started eating the hawthorn cakes again, one after another.
Sun Yanyan inappropriately changed the subject. "What's going on between you and the Prince? Why is everyone saying that the two of you are just putting on a show?"
Cheng Xiran's heart skipped a beat, then she nodded slightly and said, "They're right. The Prince and I are just like that. There's nothing to deny."
Sun Yanyan studied her for a while, as if she had noticed something, and then patiently advised, "The Prince is a man worthy of trust. At least if you're with him, you won't be bullied."
She didn't need that stinky man, Helian Duo.
Seeing Cheng Xiran remaining silent, Sun Yanyan didn't say anything else. Instead, she started talking about her own glorious deeds, like how much the Prime Minister of the Cheng family valued her and how miserable Liu and her precious daughter, Cheng Zhiyue, were.
While Sun Yanyan talked, Cheng Xiran was lost in her own thoughts. The two of them didn't interfere with each other.
Not long after, Sun Yanyan felt bored and left dejectedly.
Cheng Xiran felt that her ears were finally at peace.
After having a light dinner, she couldn't sit still in the inn. She left a message for Zhuque but didn't tell her the reason, for fear that she would worry and not let her go.
This was a rare opportunity for her to prove herself. How could she let it slip away?
After a simple disguise and deliberately making herself look ugly, Cheng Xiran finally left the inn with peace of mind.
She managed to sneak into the Huayan Pavilion again.
She came here early on purpose, just to stake out and see if the Minister of War would come tonight.
Actually, she was just taking a chance. She didn't really expect to find out anything.
She waited silently in a corner for quite a while. Finally, she saw the person she was waiting for.
The Minister of War was looking around furtively. While being greeted by the madam and walking up to the second floor, he also eyed a courtesan walking towards him gracefully from a distance.
Their behavior was very intimate. It didn't seem like they had just known each other for a few days. Moreover, she seemed to have seen this woman that night. Maybe she had already become the Minister of War's woman. So Cheng Xiran quickly abandoned the idea of getting more details from her.
She still hadn't figured out the madam's character. And since she wasn't familiar with her, even if she offered a lot of money, it would be useless. The madam might very well sell her out later.
So what could she do?
In a moment of foolishness, Cheng Xiran had the idea of eavesdropping. So she followed the crowd and crept up to the second floor. All the way up, she walked towards that room according to her memory.
As she got closer and closer, her heart began to panic for no reason.
"We've been cooperating for so long, but you, Minister, still have such wild ambitions and always have so many demands. Do you think my master is easy to bully?"
Cheng Xiran covered her mouth. But the next second, for some reason, the door suddenly opened. While she was still in shock, she was suddenly grabbed and pulled back.
"What are you running around for?"
A faint fragrance filled her nostrils. It was Ruoyue.
At the same time, she could clearly feel that the door behind her had opened and a burning gaze was falling on her.
"Don't turn around," Ruoyue whispered and led her to her room in the backyard downstairs.
After entering the room, the fear in Cheng Xiran's heart still hadn't dissipated. She always felt that she had been discovered.
"Thank you, Miss Ruoyue."
Ruoyue nodded at her and then started making tea herself.
"Why did you suddenly start paying attention to them?"