Chapter 10

“Which Zhao Mingzhu?”

Zhao Mingzhu tilted her head, a droplet of water slipping from her hair and landing on the cinnabar mole between her brows. Her eyes were full of confusion.

Zhao Mingzhu was just… Zhao Mingzhu.

The urge to get closer to the man in front of her stirred again. But her foot stepped on a trailing sash, and she tumbled straight into the water. The sudden splash choked her, snapping her back to clarity. Panic from nearly drowning made her flail wildly, and once she grabbed hold of something, she clung to it for dear life.

“Cough cough… damn it… cough cough.” Who was trying to kill her?!

She was about to look for the culprit when the warm, firm texture under her hands distracted her. She held her breath and looked down—then her eyes flew wide in horror.

Lean and sculpted, with faintly defined abs. Any further down would be R-rated territory.

Zhao Mingzhu forcibly stopped herself from looking, but when she turned her head, she saw Gu Qingheng—like a jade sculpture come to life, his eyes dark as obsidian, lashes fluttering like flowing light.

Gu Qingheng: “Crown Princess, have you touched enough?”

Zhao Mingzhu suddenly felt like a shameless rogue. “Hahaha… what a mess, my apologies, truly!”

She scrambled out of the hot spring, slipping and stumbling. The early spring air was still chilly—she sneezed. Then she remembered the black-clad assassin. “Right! Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

Gu Qingheng lifted his hand, and a robe from behind the screen floated into his grasp. He draped it over Zhao Mingzhu’s head.

“No. I’m fine.”

As darkness fell over her eyes, Zhao Mingzhu began cursing herself. Was she born a lecher in this life? She’d even dared to grope Gu Qingheng!

But when she tried to recall exactly what she’d done, she couldn’t. All she knew was that the moment she saw him, she’d felt a little greedy.

Her eyes were blank. Was it because she’d gone too long without the nourishment of male beauty that she’d lost control?

That shouldn’t be happening, Zhao Mingzhu thought as she scratched her cheek. She’d been single for over twenty years and never acted like this before. Just as she was deep in thought, her eyes lit up—Gu Qingheng was already fully dressed. Aside from the slightly damp ends of his hair, there was no sign he’d just been in the water.

Compared to him, Zhao Mingzhu looked like a drowned chicken—her hair bun was loose, and her pearl hairpins had scattered.

Gu Qingheng called for Chang He, then said with a trace of resignation in his voice, “Crown Princess, if you wish to see me next time, there’s no need to sneak around.”

Zhao Mingzhu already felt guilty, and now she was even more embarrassed. Her cheeks flushed red. “Apologies. I was reckless.”

Zhao Mingzhu, oh, Zhao Mingzhu—you’ve truly embarrassed yourself beyond repair!

Soon, a female attendant arrived with fresh clothes. Zhao Mingzhu grabbed them and hurried behind the screen to change.

The attendant was visibly startled to see her, but quickly remembered that Miss Zhao was now the Crown Princess. Even bathing together wasn’t entirely inappropriate.

When Zhao Mingzhu came out, she saw Gu Qingheng and Chang He speaking in the adjacent room. She didn’t try to eavesdrop and simply headed downstairs.

Gu Qingheng listened to the fading footsteps, then turned to the window.
“Was he caught?”

Chang He hesitated. “Yes, but when he realized he couldn’t escape, he bit his tongue. He’s barely alive—no telling if we’ll get anything out of him.”

Gu Qingheng’s phoenix eyes fell on Zhao Mingzhu, who was now flitting around the courtyard—looking here and there, tossing fish food into the lotus pond like she was distributing disaster relief rations. “If he’s down to his last breath, send him off.”

Chang He nodded. “There’s one more thing. The shadow guards report that the Crown Princess has done nothing in the Eastern Palace these past few days except eat and sleep. Your Highness, should we create an opportunity to… resolve this?”

“I have my own plans,” Gu Qingheng replied, rising to his feet.

Chang He was surprised his suggestion had been rejected. He didn’t understand—His Highness had clearly intended to kill Zhao Mingzhu. Why wait now?

…

Zhao Mingzhu hummed a tune as she returned to the classroom. The moment she entered, she once again became the center of attention. She kept her expression neutral, as if nothing had happened, and sat down at her desk.

Gu Yu poked her in the back. “You again?”

“I didn’t do anything! Don’t start accusing me.” Zhao Mingzhu shook her head like a rattling drum.

Gu Yu narrowed her eyes. “I haven’t said a word yet. Why so quick to deny?”

Zhao Mingzhu rolled her eyes and pouted. “No need to ask. You all just assume that if anything bad happens in this academy, it must be my fault.”

“At least you’re self-aware.” Gu Yu put down her pen and twirled it between her fingers. “Look, the victim is here.”

Zhao Mingzhu turned around and saw Su Lu walking toward her, eyes slightly red. “Crown Princess, Miss Zhao—I know it was you who snuck into my room, wasn’t it?”

Zhao Mingzhu immediately shook her head. “When did that happen? I never went into your room.”

Su Lu knew she wouldn’t admit it. She sniffled. “Then this handkerchief must be yours, right?” She held up a white square embroidered with wisteria flowers and a single “Zhao” character beneath.

Honestly, Zhao Mingzhu couldn’t even remember what her handkerchief looked like. Maybe she’d dropped it while escaping. She glanced at it and quickly shook her head. “Not mine! And even if it is, I was clearly framed. I just got punished this morning—I’ve already turned over a new leaf.”

“Miss Su, you’re so kind. Surely you wouldn’t wrongly accuse someone, right?”

Su Lu was stunned. Zhao Mingzhu had never talked like this before. Now she was even flipping the blame?

Su Lu bit her lip. “Then where were you just now, Miss Zhao? The attendants questioned everyone—only you were missing.”

Zhao Mingzhu didn’t know how to answer. Say she was in the Observatory Pavilion? No way. That kind of setup would become the future romantic misunderstanding between the male and female leads. What if Gu Qingheng tried to win Su Lu’s favor by sacrificing her?

Zhao Mingzhu stayed silent, which in Su Lu’s eyes was as good as a confession.

Ever since entering the academy, Zhao Mingzhu had been chatting with the Crown Prince and was clearly jealous of her. She’d been targeting her nonstop!

At least the old Zhao Mingzhu had the guts to own up to her schemes. Now even that redeeming trait was gone—unforgivable!

“Miss Zhao, if you can tell me where you were and name someone who can vouch for you, I’ll believe you.”

Zhao Mingzhu was just about to start fabricating a story when a female official entered—the same one who’d brought her clothes earlier. She stepped onto the platform, her gaze sweeping across the gathered young ladies before landing on Su Lu and Zhao Mingzhu.

“A thief appeared in the academy, but has already been captured and executed. The palace suspects accomplices may still be hiding among us, so classes are suspended for three days.”

Zhao Mingzhu’s eyes lit up. Perfect timing! No need to make up a lie now.

The official hadn’t specified anything, so everyone would assume the thief was the same person.

Su Lu’s face went pale, her body swaying. How could this be? It was clearly Zhao Mingzhu! She was absolutely certain!

Zhao Mingzhu saw the tears welling in Su Lu’s eyes and sighed. “Miss Su, please believe me. I’ve truly changed.”

Su Lu turned and ran away, crying.