Do not lean against the west railing to lock in the clear autumn

Chapter 70

Zi Nuo looked at me in surprise, and I said coldly, "Zi Ling is a princess, but she's not much different from us."

Zi Nuo gave a knowing, bitter smile, but then said something that shocked me: "Sister, I want to go to the Golden Sparrow Kingdom with the young prince."

I could hardly believe what I was hearing, and asked hesitantly, "Did the young prince send you along?"

Zi Nuo shook her head and said, "The young prince didn't say. I wanted to go myself, but I haven't told him yet."

I flatly refused: "No, knowing full well the dangers of this journey, and that the emperor might do something along the way, how can you take such a risk?"

“Sister,” Zi Nuo looked at me with a determined expression, “I’m definitely going this time. I need to figure out some things that are very important to me.”

I looked at Zinuo with suspicion. The Zinuo I knew lately was someone I didn't recognize. He insisted on going to the inn where the Jinque Kingdom's envoys were staying, and now, knowing the danger, he still wanted to go to Jinque Kingdom. I didn't know what had happened between Zinuo and Jinque Kingdom. He'd always been by my side; was there something I didn't know? Or had he helped Shen Haoyu with some documents and discovered some secret he wanted to uncover? But what kind of secret would be worth risking his life for?

Zi Nuo gave me a gentle hug, her eyes earnest: "Sister, don't worry, I will definitely come back safely. Perhaps our lives will be different after this trip."

I couldn't ignore the eagerness in Zinuo's eyes. I simply couldn't bring myself to refuse what Zinuo so desperately wanted to do. Just as I tried to accompany him to the inn even when I didn't understand, I could only grit my teeth and agree now, even knowing he was going to face danger. I didn't want to see the disappointment in Zinuo's eyes. He had always been a smart and sensible child, always knowing his limits.

October 22nd was the day the Golden Sparrow envoys would depart for their homeland, and also the day Princess Ziling and Shen Haoyu would set off. The night before their departure, Shen Haoyu unexpectedly came to see me. I was quite surprised to see him, because it was already very late, and I had already sent Zi Nuo back to rest.

"Where's the xiao I gave you?" Shen Haoyu asked. I was a little confused, but I still took the xiao out of the cabinet. To be honest, I rarely played this xiao. It was usually just for decoration. I preferred to play the bamboo xiao that Song Zhixuan made for me. It seemed to suit my status better.

Shen Haoyu took the flute, stroked it for a while, and said softly, "You don't know the secret of this flute, do you?"

Does this flute hold any secrets? I truly had no idea.

Seeing my confused expression, Shen Haoyu smiled self-deprecatingly: "You don't even care about the things I gave you."

I lowered my head guiltily, not daring to look at his face, and whispered, "It was given to me by the young prince. I've been keeping it like an offering, and I haven't dared to touch it too much, for fear of accidentally breaking it."

Shen Haoyu looked at me amusedly, placed the flute in front of me, and with a slight flick of his index finger, a burst of silver light shot out and disappeared in the blink of an eye. I looked in the direction from which the silver light had come and saw a few points of light shimmering on the pillar. I got up and walked to the pillar, where I saw five silver needles neatly nailed. Surprised, I struggled to pull the silver needles out of the pillar and carefully presented them to Shen Haoyu.

Shen Haoyu carefully placed the silver needles one by one into the jade flute, and asked with a smile, "Do you understand now?"

I nodded in surprise. It turns out that this jade flute is not only beautiful, but also very useful. I never thought it could be used as a hidden weapon!

Shen Haoyu pointed to the small white jade ring that could be hung with silk tassels and said, "This is the mechanism. When I saw that your martial arts skills were weak, I asked my master to make this flute for you. It can be used for self-defense. There will definitely be dangers on my way to Jinque Kingdom. You should also be careful in the Prince Qing's mansion."

Looking at the white jade flute, I was so moved that I didn't know what to say. I just stammered, "Young Prince."

Shen Haoyu added, "This flute can only hold thirty needles, and five are fired each time, so you only have six chances. Be careful when you encounter danger."

I nodded obediently, but in my heart I was thinking, since there are so few of them, could we increase their power? For example, could we apply some poison? Even if it doesn't hit a vital spot, it could still trap the person in poison.

Thinking about this, I shivered slightly. When did I become like this?

Shen Haoyu glanced out the window. It wasn't a full moon, but the moonlight was still quite bright, clearly reflecting the carved latticework of the window onto the ground. "Would you like to come sit on the roof with me?" Shen Haoyu asked.

Although I didn't quite understand why this young prince had recently taken to going up to the rooftop to enjoy the view at night, I still agreed, as I had something to ask him. After leaving the room, Shen Haoyu lightly leaped onto the roof, and I had no choice but to follow.

After we sat down side by side, I told him what I was worried about: "Your Highness, Zi Nuo insists on going to the Golden Sparrow Kingdom. Please take care of him and make sure nothing goes wrong."

Shen Haoyu smiled and said, "Although Zinuo is young, he is more capable than you. Don't worry, if I can come back alive, Zinuo will definitely be able to as well."

After thinking for a moment, I still spoke up and said, "Please be careful, Your Highness. Your status is precious, and many people rely on you." My life is tied to his; his journey is fraught with danger, and my life hangs by a thread.

Shen Haoyu chuckled softly, his expression strikingly similar to someone else's, causing me to momentarily lose my focus. When did Shen Haoyu acquire such an expression?

For a moment, neither of us spoke. Shen Haoyu would occasionally smile and glance at me, and there seemed to be an unknown aura surrounding us, making me feel somewhat uncomfortable. As the moon began to move westward, I had to say, "Young Prince, it's getting late. You should rest early. You'll have to get up early tomorrow, and the journey will be tiring."

Shen Haoyu shook his head: "Such a quiet night is probably not coming for a long time, so let's savor it a little longer tonight."

A moment later, Shen Haoyu took off another waist token from his body and handed it to me: "During this period, none of the people you know in the Prince's mansion are here. If anything happens, take this waist token to the Third Prince. Perhaps he can help you."

I looked at him in surprise, but he smiled faintly and said, "I may have made some mistakes before, but don't worry, the Third Prince should help you. However, if you want to leave the palace, you should change into men's clothing for safety."

I nervously accepted the waist token, feeling very uneasy. Was something about to happen at the Prince Qing's mansion? Would Shen Zexuan really be able to help the Prince Qing's mansion then?

Perhaps sensing my concern, Shen Haoyu explained, "There may be some unresolved issues between the Third Prince and me, but for now, the Prince Qing's Mansion and the Third Prince are still on each other's side."

I felt relieved and put the waist token into my pocket, wondering if Shen Tingxuan would help me if Emperor Youjing made a move. I looked up and saw Shen Haoyu staring intently at the moon, showing no intention of going back to sleep. I sighed inwardly, suppressed a yawn, and stayed on the roof.

In a daze, I could only hear the noise of people outside. I raised my hand to rub my still-dazed head and struggled to sit up. My neck was a little sore. I got dressed and went out. It was still dark, but people were already coming and going outside. I washed my face with cold water, took the jade flute that Shen Haoyu had given me, and headed towards Zinuo's room.

A backpack was already on Zinuo's table. I had modified it from a hiking backpack and asked Yinyan to sew it for me. I went over and helped Zinuo put the backpack on his shoulder. It looked a bit out of place with his light blue outfit, which made me want to laugh.

Seeing my expression, Zinuo tore off the bag and put it back on the table, saying angrily, "I'm not carrying this anymore. I'll just wrap it in cloth like they do."

I quickly stopped laughing, put the two shoulder straps together, and let him carry it on one shoulder. It finally looked more presentable and much more carefree. Zinuo looked at himself in the mirror and then fell silent.

I had Zinuo sit down in the room, then ran to the kitchen to get breakfast so we could eat together. It's embarrassing to admit, but for so many years, Zinuo has almost always been the one to get breakfast and wait for me, since he always gets up earlier than me. After breakfast, I took out the jade flute, showed Zinuo how to use it, and then put it in his hand.

When I demonstrated it to Zinuo, her face showed the same surprise I had back then, but it quickly turned into inexplicable indifference. I was very puzzled, but then I heard Zinuo ask, "Wasn't this the little prince's gift to you last year?"

I see. I laughed and said, "Didn't the young prince complain that my martial arts were bad? You're right, that time in Yaoshan, you all had weapons, but I was the only one without, and I didn't say anything."

Zi Nuo gave me a strange look, but still put the flute into his backpack.

Seeing that we had almost finished packing, Zinuo and I went to Shen Haoyu's place, but Shen Haoyu wasn't there. Yinyan came out and told us that Shen Haoyu had gone to bid farewell to the Princess and asked us to wait outside the gate.

The sky was already beginning to lighten, with patches of red glow appearing in the east. Twenty guards in blue robes stood waiting at the entrance. This was another batch of guards that Prince Qing had trained for Shen Haoyu, following the "Yu Guard." Most of the Yu Guard members had been sent out to do things I had never heard of, but I knew that they had always maintained close ties with Shen Haoyu in secret.

Shen Haoyu finally emerged, followed by Zhao Ming and three others. Shen Haoyu was still dressed in his purple robes. Seeing me, he smiled slightly, and I smiled back. Shen Haoyu mounted his horse, and the guards followed suit. As soon as Zi Nuo moved, I quickly pulled him back, urgently saying, "Be careful on the road!"

Zi Nuo nodded to me: "Sister, take care of yourself too." With that, she mounted her horse and chased after Shen Haoyu. Watching that group gradually disappear in the direction of the palace, my heart slowly felt empty.

They were to go to the palace to meet Princess Ziling's entourage, and then walk with the envoys of the Golden Sparrow Kingdom through the Vermilion Bird Avenue and out the South Gate, heading south towards the Golden Sparrow Kingdom.

With a sudden thought, I turned around and entered the Prince Qing's mansion.