Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Lin Qing stepped out of the prison cell; dawn had just begun to break. Calculating the time, it was only about half an hour before the next shift. She decided to find a breakfast stall with Meng Jie, ordering two bowls of hot noodle soup. They sat at a low table set up by the roadside, leisurely eating.

It was early spring, still cold, and the steaming bowls of noodles finally warmed them up. Meng Jie smacked his lips and said, "Boss, no matter how hard we work, why are we still so poor?"

Lin Qing empathized deeply. "The capital's prices are too high, especially housing. Just look at the small courtyard I live in—it costs me one hundred and fifty taels for five rooms. I’ve been saving for years."

"You’ve accomplished a lot over the years. What about...," Meng Jie leaned in and pointed to the sky, "the emperor’s rewards? Didn’t he give you anything?"

"I have, quite a bit," Lin Qing replied with a helpless sigh. The emperor's rewards weren’t antiques, jewels, or rare paintings but sometimes gold bars. Once, she received such a gold bar, but it bore imperial seals underneath.

Her master had explained these were imperial gifts—allowed for use but forbidden to be sold, or else the penalty would be death. So, she dared not touch them and kept them at her master’s residence.

After so many years, she still lived off her salary; it wasn’t that her employer was stingy.

But Meng Jie’s future should be better. She was the deputy commissioner, serving the emperor directly, while Meng Jie was a soldier of the Heavenly Lu Guard. His rewards came through the guard’s accounts, so the money he received was directly usable.

Thinking about it, she might as well join the Heavenly Lu Guard.

Lin Qing looked at Meng Jie longingly, suddenly feeling a bit envious.

Meng Jie shivered under her gaze and instinctively took a step back, disdainfully saying, "You look like a heartbroken woman scorned by a faithless lover."

Lin Qing rolled her eyes. "Get lost!"

Meng Jie chuckled, cracked his neck with popping sounds. "Boss, I’m going to take some leave. It’s been a whole night. I need to catch up on some sleep."

Lin Qing agreed. "Alright, I’ll help you clock in later at the Heavenly Lu Division."

Meng Jie admired her. "Aren’t you going to rest?"

Lin Qing looked even more pitiful. "I have to go to the Yude Garden for more training!"

Meng Jie was speechless.

After Meng Jie left, Lin Qing leisurely entered the palace. After clocking in, she went to Yude Garden and found a quiet spot. She grabbed a sword from the weapon rack and began practicing sword flourishes.

By now, the morning was bright. The young princes and princesses had just finished their morning reading and changed into training clothes, rushing out to practice martial arts.

The youngest were only seven or eight years old, starting with horse stances. The eldest were about her age and already performed a set of fist techniques quite skillfully.

One youth stood out the most: with rosy lips, white teeth, and proud brows. Most striking was the golden lock he wore on his chest, engraved with a four-clawed golden dragon.

Lin Qing did not know him personally, but she recognized the golden lock—it was a gift from the late emperor to Prince Kang, who had passed it to his heir, Li Hongjin.

In the book, this young man was Lin Junrou’s devoted admirer. Lin Junrou declared that East would never go West, and she never touched tea, only water.

Seeing him, Lin Qing immediately tried to detour to avoid him, but Li Hongjin had already spotted her.

“You! Why run away when you see me, the prince?”

Lin Qing had no choice but to stop. “I respectfully greet Prince Kang.”

Li Hongjin lifted his chin and snorted. “You’re Lin Qing?”

“Indeed, I am,” she replied.

“I heard rumors that the young lady of the Yongning Marquis family is an illegitimate child?”

“Your Highness, you misunderstand. I was merely doing my duty investigating a case. It just so happened that someone caught spreading false rumors against me was involved. The young lady of Yongning Marquis is known for her kindness. If she were here, she would surely speak up for me.”

Her words left Li Hongjin flushed with anger. If he spoke against Lin Qing, he would be trampling on Lin Junrou’s so-called kindness.

Lin Junrou was the apple of his eye—he could not tolerate any damage to her reputation.

Recalling how Lin Junrou had seemed ready to faint in tears the afternoon before, Li Hongjin’s gaze grew even fiercer. “Today, the guard assigned to spar with me is sick. You’ll do.”

Fists are blind; accidents during sparring were common. Even if someone died, it was nothing. If Lin Qing died, his sister Junrou would surely be delighted.

Lin Qing waved her hand, trying to refuse. “This isn’t appropriate...”

Li Hongjin gave no chance for refusal. He clenched his fist and charged, and if one looked closely, a hidden blade was visible between his knuckles.

Lin Qing narrowed her eyes. Li Hongjin intended to kill her and had known she would come to Yude Garden today.

But yesterday, the private room door was shut, guarded by soldiers. The punishment from Li Mingxiao was a spur-of-the-moment decision, known only to those present.

Li Mingxiao wouldn’t harm her. Rui Wang wouldn’t kill her by proxy through Li Hongjin. Lin Hongqiu was a fool. That left only Lin Junrou.

When she first read the book, she had felt its values were twisted. The true daughter of the family was sent to the countryside and abused by the Liu family. Surviving was already difficult. After finally reaching the Yongning Marquis residence, she did nothing but was constantly targeted and framed, ultimately dying tragically.

What had the true daughter done wrong? Living in the countryside, not understanding the rules of the noble family, was she doomed to be a foil to Lin Junrou?

Lin Junrou had occupied the true daughter’s place for over a decade, finally rising by stepping on the bones and blood of the true daughter. Was she really as delicate and kind as she appeared? Or was her cruelty and selfishness simply wrapped in a veneer called kindness?

Like the death of Lady Wang...

Lin Qing slightly turned her head, dodging Li Hongjin’s seemingly precise but actually flawed attack.

Her skills were forged from real battles with corpses. She feared neither Li Hongjin nor even the protagonist Li Chenxuan.

A few breaths later, Li Hongjin lay sprawled on the ground, his face swollen like a pig’s, the blade he had hidden dropped beside him.

Lin Qing’s speed was too fast, leaving only afterimages. By the time others reacted, Li Hongjin was already defeated, and the dangerous weapon lay on the ground.

Half an hour later, they were brought to the imperial study, standing in a dejected line.

Li Mingxiao slammed the memorial on the table with a sharp clap, staring at them expressionlessly. “You really bring me shame.”

Lin Qing and Li Hongjin lowered their heads even further.

Li Mingxiao looked at Li Hongjin’s swollen face, veins bulging on his forehead. “Li Hongjin, you need not come to the palace for three months. Reflect well at home.”

Li Hongjin, fearless of everything except Li Mingxiao’s stern face since childhood, trembled all over. “Your Majesty, this is not my fault. It’s just that...”

Li Mingxiao sipped tea calmly. “Five months.”

Li Hongjin shut his mouth and was escorted back to the Kang Prince’s mansion.

Only Li Mingxiao and Lin Qing remained in the imperial study.