Shu Mingye smiled, all calm and dangerous charm, and leaned forward to press a kiss to her forehead. Then with fingers that seemed reluctant, he loosened his hold on her waist.
"Alright. Try not to break the palace wall again."
"It was an accident."
He raised one brow. "It wasn't a small accident."
Linyue cleared her throat and quickly wriggled out of his arms before he changed his mind and decided she should sit on his lap for ten more scrolls. "I'll be going now."
"Don't run," Shu Mingye called lazily as she reached the door. "You'll make the guards nervous."
She didn't run, but she walked very fast. She had to escape before he found an excuse to call her back and say something ridiculous like Actually, I missed you. Come back and sit.
As she strode down the long hallway, rows of guards and maidservants bowed politely. Like she was royalty. Which, technically, she was. But it still felt strange.
One guard greeted her, "Good morning, Madam."
Linyue froze mid-step. Madam?
She gave him a stiff nod and kept walking.
Another maid bowed so deeply Linyue thought she might knock her head on the floor.
That smug man must've said something to his people. She let out a deep sigh and muttered under her breath, "I should've just stayed in the scroll pile."
She hadn't even set foot on the palace training ground when a blur of bright robes and wild hair came barreling toward her.
"Sister Linyue!"
Before she could react, Song Meiyu crashed into her arms with full force.
"I missed you!" Song Meiyu wailed.
Linyue caught her. She hugged her back with a small smile. "So," she said calmly, "how many things have been burned or broken this time?"
Song Meiyu gasped loudly. "I didn't break anything! It was Brother Yuying!"
A dry voice from behind them muttered, "It was an accident."
He Yuying walked over, dragging his feet. His sleeves were rolled up, and his expression said he had zero regrets about whatever "accident" happened.
As always, Shen Zhenyu followed behind them, quiet and steady. He looked tired. Very tired. And when Linyue raised an eyebrow at him, he simply sighed in a way that said, "I am surrounded by children."
Linyue turned back to her chaos squad. "Alright. Did you train well?"
Song Meiyu puffed out her cheeks in protest. "Brother Zhenyu wouldn't let us off! He said if we slacked even once, we'd be demoted to vegetable chopping duty."
"That doesn't sound so bad," He Yuying said. "At least I can eat while chopping."
"We can't even bring snacks!" Song Meiyu wailed, clutching her own hair in despair.
"You already brought snacks into sword training," He Yuying said flatly. "You were holding a peach and a sword at the same time."
"I was multitasking!" Song Meiyu shot back.
Linyue couldn't help it. A soft laugh escaped her lips. These three… even in the middle of a training ground, surrounded by sharp weapons and strict routines, they were still exactly the same. Chaotic, loud, and somehow comforting.
"Oh right!" Song Meiyu suddenly straightened, her eyes lighting up. "I already told Master Yin Xue everything we found out. She said we are amazing. We are the first ones to ever discover that method."
Linyue nodded, a quiet relief blooming in her chest. Slowly but surely, they were making progress. The group was together. The sick were healing. And even if there were more mysteries to solve, for just a moment, things felt lighter. They could finally relax. Though, judging by the way He Yuying was trying to sneak a bun out of his sleeve, maybe not too much.
Song Meiyu saw it and immediately made her move. She turned to Shen Zhenyu with the biggest, most sparkling eyes she could manage. "Brother Zhenyu," she said sweetly, "now that Sister Linyue is here, can we take a little break? Please?"
He Yuying nodded rapidly in support.
Shen Zhenyu gave them both a long stare. Then with a resigned sigh, he nodded, "Alright."
Song Meiyu threw her hands up in victory. "Yes! Let's go to your chamber, Sister Linyue!"
And just like that, the whole group started walking toward Linyue's chamber.
As soon as they stepped into the hallway, Song Meiyu leaned close and her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. "Sister Linyue, how is it? Did anything happen?"
Linyue didn't need to ask what that meant. Song Meiyu's eyes were twinkling with way too much interest. "Not much," Linyue said, keeping her face calm. "I've been reading books and scrolls about arrays these days."
Song Meiyu pouted. "Just that? Didn't you do anything… fun? Or exciting?"
Linyue gave her the most serious, innocent look she could muster. "Well," she said, "reading can be fun too."
Song Meiyu was not giving up. She narrowed her eyes. "You're hiding something, I can feel it. I can smell romance in the air."
"You're probably just smelling Brother Yuying's bun," Linyue replied casually.
He Yuying looked down at his hand. "…I am holding a meat bun."
"Exactly," Linyue nodded once.
Song Meiyu gasped. "Don't change the subject!"
Linyue said nothing, but the very faint curve of her lips was enough to make Song Meiyu's eyes go wide with delight. That smile said everything.
Song Meiyu's eyes lit up, but before she could throw more suspicious questions, they reached Linyue's chamber. Once the door closed behind them, everyone seemed to move at the same time. One by one, they dropped into the chairs around the table.
Song Meiyu didn't waste a second. She leaned forward, lowered her voice and whispered, "Sister Linyue, actually… there's something I haven't told you yet."
Linyue raised an eyebrow, instantly alert. "What is it?"
Song Meiyu glanced left, then right and said, "Master Yin Xue told me… someone from the Imperial Palace contacted Luyan two days ago and asked for her presence."
Linyue's expression sharpened. "Why? Was she finally arrested for experimenting on prisoners again?"
Song Meiyu gasped. "No! This is serious!" She leaned in even closer, now basically talking into Linyue's sleeve. "It's a secret. It seems… the emperor is sick. Really sick. And his symptoms are exactly like the ones we saw here."
Linyue sat up straighter. "The same?"
Song Meiyu nodded. "Exactly the same and none of the imperial physicians can treat it."
Linyue frowned. Her fingers tapped lightly on the table. "And?"
Song Meiyu's eyes darted around as if the walls themselves might be listening. Then she whispered, "Luyan is famous for medicine, right? Xuanyi Pavilion's reputation is known across the land. So Prince Lu said his father received a message from the imperial palace asking for experts to help treat the emperor."
Linyue's eyes narrowed slightly. "And Master Yin Xue?"
"She refused," Song Meiyu said proudly, as if she had done it herself. "After hearing what happened thirteen years ago from me, she said she won't go near that place. She simply said she didn't have the ability to treat it."
For a moment, Linyue stayed silent. Her face gave nothing away, her thoughts hidden as her fingers stilled. Then she asked, "Could it be a coincidence? Some other disease with similar symptoms?"
"That's what I said!" Song Meiyu slapped the table hard. He Yuying jumped and hugged his bun protectively. "But then," Song Meiyu continued, "I asked Prince Lu for more details. He said the Crown Prince got sick today too."
That made everyone sit up a little straighter.
"They already sent some physicians from Luyan to the Imperial Palace," Song Meiyu went on. "But it'll take time for them to arrive. Master Yin Xue says she's still sure it's the same sickness we saw here."
Linyue leaned back in her chair, her brows furrowed in thought. "If she's right," she said quietly, "then something's really wrong."
He Yuying, completely unbothered, took a large bite of his bun. "You think?" he said with a mouthful.
Song Meiyu folded her arms. "I smell trouble."
He Yuying pointed at her lazily. "You also smelled romance earlier."
"That was accurate too!" Song Meiyu huffed, puffing her cheeks.
Shen Zhenyu, as usual, gave a long, quiet sigh.
Linyue tapped her fingers on the table, her face serious. "It can't be… the emperor drank his own poison?"
Song Meiyu nodded quickly. "Exactly! That's what I thought too."
But then Shen Zhenyu's calm voice cut through the room. "Linyue, do you think there's a chance Shu Mingye is behind this?"