In the palace, Prince Jin received the scriptures sent from his manor.
"Lu Zhaoling said these are to be sent to the Imperial Study?"
Qing Feng nodded. "That is what she said, Your Highness."
"She has adapted to her role as the prospective Princess Consort quite well." Prince Jin's expression was unreadable.
That girl was bold, and her skin was thick enough for it. As soon as the marriage was decreed, she had entered the gates of the Prince's manor with total ease, even ordering his men to run errands and deliver items for her. She showed neither shyness nor restraint.
"Your Highness, yesterday the manor of County Princess Changning sent over a stack of scriptures. It is said she invited the young misses of various noble houses to copy them with sincere hearts,
intending to place them before the Retired Emperor's altar to pray for his soul. Second Miss Lu went as well, but she took her copies with her when she finished. Could this be it?"
Qing Feng looked at the rolled-up paper in Prince Jin's hand.
"This should be the one."
Prince Jin was in no hurry to unfurl it.
"Does Second Miss Lu truly know how to write?" Qing Feng's mind began to race with possibilities. "If she had actually finished the scriptures, she could have just let County Princess Changning send them into the palace together.
Why go through the extra step of passing them to Your Highness? Unless... she either can't write at all or her handwriting is hideous, and she was afraid of being exposed and ridiculed.
"But if she copied them and didn't send them, she wouldn't be able to hide it once the County Princess informed the Emperor. So, perhaps Second Miss Lu found herself at a dead end and thought of this method handing them to you so you could find a way to cover for her?"
After all, if something was to be presented before the Emperor, Second Miss Lu had no one else to turn to for help. Her father, Lu Ming, wasn't even qualified to show his face before the Emperor. Who else could she look for besides the Prince?
The more Qing Feng thought about it, the more he felt this was the case.
"While Second Miss Lu might have a bit of cleverness, her life in the Capital will only get harder from here. Does she expect Your Highness to solve every little problem for her?"
Qing Feng lowered his voice as he reached this point, feeling that Lu Zhaoling was being overbearing and useless. If this continued, wouldn't his Prince be worked to death?
Prince Jin raised the scroll and gave him a sharp tap on the head.
"I think the only one who is stupid is you."
"Huh?" Qing Feng looked dazed.
"You think she can't write?" Prince Jin spoke as he unfurled the paper.
Could someone who saved his life, earned Physician Fu's endless praise, and personally crafted the Retired Emperor's spirit tablet be unable to write?
However, as the paper opened and the characters came into view, Prince Jin's gaze narrowed, his attention instantly captured.
It was a copy of the Heart Sutra.
The characters were rounded and full, yet the strokes were elegant and free. This specific style of calligraphy was perfectly suited for the Heart Sutra. Some people's writing was too cursive, others too sharp, and some too weak; their versions of the sutra often felt discordant.
Noble young misses usually practiced the Hairpin Small Script, but their practice was often overly delicate and refined, lacking a certain grandeur.
Yet, Lu Zhaoling's copy gave one a distinct feeling upon first glance the Heart Sutra was meant to look like this.
Furthermore, every character on the page was identical in size, and every column was perfectly aligned, without a single stroke out of place.
"Second Miss Lu copied this?" Qing Feng's eyes widened in shock.
Not only could she write, but her calligraphy was this exceptional?
Prince Jin, however, discovered a hidden detail within the paper. He held the paper higher, positioning it against the light. As the daylight filtered through the sheet, he saw faint lines traced beneath the orderly characters.
He narrowed his eyes to see more clearly.
Beneath the scriptures were actually runes.
However, he couldn't identify what kind of talismans they were.
"She certainly is daring!"
Hiding secret runes beneath the scriptures what was she trying to do?!
And she wanted him to send this to the Emperor, ensuring he saw it? If the Emperor caught someone secretly delivering talismans to him, he might just have their head.
Was Lu Zhaoling trying to get him killed?
The moment that thought flashed through Prince Jin's mind, he shook it off. If she truly wanted him dead, she wouldn't have gone through this much trouble. She could have simply let him die by the Retired Emperor's bedside instead of saving him.
So, was she targeting the Emperor?
"Did the person who delivered this say what kind of runes are drawn inside?" Prince Jin asked.
Qing Feng was stunned. "Runes? What runes?"
"You can't see the runes drawn in the faint patterns beneath the text?" Prince Jin gestured.
Qing Feng leaned in and studied it for a long while. "No, Highness. It's just the paper County Princess Changning usually uses; there are some watermarks on it."
"Look closer!" Prince Jin said sternly.
Qing Feng felt bewildered. Had the Prince's illness affected his eyes? Was his vision blurry? He took the scriptures and looked very seriously for a good while.
"Your Highness, there really is nothing." After speaking, he asked worriedly, "Your Highness, are your eyes uncomfortable? Are they dry, or perhaps your vision is blurry? Is there a mist?"
Prince Jin looked at the obvious hidden runes, then looked back at Qing Feng, and fell silent.
It couldn't be that he was the only one who could see them, could it?
Lu Zhaoling hadn't explained it clearly either. Should he send these scriptures to the Imperial Study now?
Should he... trust her?
***
In the Imperial Study, the Emperor was rubbing his temples.
The news from outside had reached his ears. These past few days, he had ordered his men to keep a close watch on every corner of the Capital; during the period of national mourning, there could be no room for error.
The Princess Royal had been in the palace accompanying the Empress Dowager for the past two days. Yesterday morning, she had mentioned that Changning was taking her friends to copy scriptures.
Now, news of that event had reached him, but the rumors were somewhat outrageous.
"Simply preposterous! Those people must truly be bored to death, spreading rumors about a young girl's embarrassing mishap like wildfire."
The Emperor didn't actually want to dwell on such trivial matters. In fact, the rumor reaching him was arguably an affront to his imperial dignity.
However, the scriptures copied by Changning and the others were now sitting right there on his imperial desk.
The Emperor intended to ignore it, but for some reason, every time he looked at that stack of papers, his mind couldn't help but recall the girl's embarrassing incident!
He felt a sense of distaste he couldn't quite place. This was a holy scripture, after all! With those rumors spreading, it felt... tainted.
"Your Majesty, that... that specific copy was not sent into the palace," the attendant whispered.
The Emperor's eyes kept darting toward the stack of scriptures, yet his hands remained still. How could the attendant not know what he was thinking?
"Am I such a petty man?" The Emperor glared at him.
He wouldn't admit that he simply didn't want to touch the scriptures! He had heard that the young miss had gripped the scriptures with both hands and then... tucked them behind her...
Ugh.
The Emperor felt like he was going mad. Why did he keep thinking about it?! It was making him feel unrefined and improper!
"Is Changning with the Empress Dowager now?" the Emperor asked again.
The attendant bowed. "Yes."
The Emperor had a bit of a headache. He knew County Princess Changning's intention; she was waiting in the palace for a result, wanting to see if he would follow through on his promise to send the scriptures to the Retired Emperor's altar.
But if he was to send them, he had to look them over first. Otherwise, he couldn't be at ease. Who knew what those girls had written?
"You look through them," the Emperor commanded, waving the attendant over.
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