"It's not that mysterious. I was just born with a certain fragrance on me. There's a kind of bird called Subei in southern Xinjiang. It can detect the scent in the area I've just passed through and track me down along the fragrance."
Yi Qing said, "Really? How come I can't smell it?"
"If you could smell it, would I have survived until now under the pursuit of my enemies?"
It seemed to make sense when she thought about it... Anyway, this whole thing was a bit miraculous.
"What are you going to do now?" Yi Qing asked again. "Stay or go back to southern Xinjiang?"
"Definitely can't go back now. I'll stay for the time being," Zisu replied. "Think of a way for me to avoid Subei's tracking."
After Yi Qing learned Zisu's real identity, she was only briefly stunned. Soon, she got used to it and treated Zisu the same as before. This made Zisu feel extremely comfortable.
Sure enough, she hadn't misjudged Yi Qing. She had imagined that Yi Qing would react like this.
"What can I do?" Yi Qing rolled her eyes. "What causes this mysterious fragrance on you? Will it disappear once you lose your virginity?"
"What's going on in your head!" Zisu snapped. "If it were that easy, would I still come back to you? There are plenty of men on the road!"
"Sister, raping a man is also a crime, isn't it?"
Zisu said, "Cut the crap and think of a way quickly. Once they catch up, let's see what you'll do!"
"What will I do? I'll just watch you fight them," Yi Qing snorted. "First, take a bath. Pour a bottle of my precious rose water into the bathtub. It'll be so fragrant that people's noses will go numb, not to mention a bird. What kind of bird is that anyway? I'm quite curious. With such a good sense of smell, I wonder if it can help find medicinal herbs..."
Zisu asked for hot water. Yi Qing went back to her room to get the rose water and poured it into the bathtub. She said heart - achingly, "A bottle of rose water costs dozens of taels of silver. I'm keeping a record. Remember to pay me back later!"
"The rose water you bought two years ago is already useless," Zisu said expressionlessly, seeing through her, and then began to quickly undress.
Yi Qing covered her eyes. "Hey, wait a minute. I haven't left yet!"
"You've seen me plenty of times before. Now that you've met Xiao Tian, you're turning your back on me?"
Yi Qing turned around and walked out.
"Wait. Where are you going?" Zisu shouted behind her.
"Going to think of a way for you," Yi Qing said impatiently.
"Wait. I still have something to tell you."
"Speak then," Yi Qing stopped but didn't turn around.
"If there's really no other way, we can try the rose water method," Zisu said. "I can't stay in the general's mansion. I plan to leave and find a place to hide. I won't take the King of Zhen with me. Please take good care of him for me. He always gets hurt because of me."
"I can't afford so much rose water. Where can you go now? Just stay here obediently. I don't believe those from southern Xinjiang would dare to break into the general's mansion."
"I can't implicate you. My identity is too special. If they put a hat of colluding with the enemy on you, how many heads do you have?" Zisu was very firm. "I can overlook myself, but I have to think about Baozi."
"If you run around and get caught, can I get out of this mess? Everyone knows you're by my side!" Yi Qing snorted. "Self - deception! Stay here obediently. I'll go out and think of a way for you."
"Yi Qing, I can't. I..."
"Shut up. I don't have time for you. Stay here obediently. I have to find a way for you and take care of the King of Zhen. I'm really destined to be a maid." Yi Qing shook her head and walked out. "Don't think too much. Even if you're a deposed crown princess of the southern Xinjiang, or even the queen of southern Xinjiang, aren't you still Zisu?"
Hey, if someone were the queen, they'd have a harem full of men. It would be so exciting.
Zisu, Zisu, you've snatched the character I've always wanted.
Just as she was about to walk out, Yi Qing remembered something and turned back to ask, "So what's your name?"
"Chen Yu'an."
"Okay," Yi Qing smiled sweetly. "My name is Yi Qing. Let's get to know each other anew today."
The sun was setting, and the sky was filled with colorful clouds. In the magnificent light, she looked back and smiled, a smile that could topple cities and kingdoms.
"If I were a man, there'd be no place for Xiao Tian," Zisu said.
"If I were a man, there'd be no place for the King of Zhen either."
"Get out!"
Yi Qing laughed and left.
So she was the crown princess. No wonder she had such a majestic aura.
Yi Qing wasn't worried about the potential danger Zisu might bring. Instead, she felt that it was quite an adventure to meet such a close friend in this otherworldly place.
The King of Zhen had been unconscious. Xiao Tian had been waiting for Yi Qing to come back for a long time. After grabbing a maid and asking, he learned that she was boiling medicine in the kitchen, so he went there.
"Why didn't you let the maid do it?"
"I have to test the medicine." There were many medicinal herbs scattered around Yi Qing. From time to time, she would pinch a bit and put it in. The air was filled with a strange smell that was hard to describe, which made Xiao Tian feel dizzy.
But Yi Qing seemed not to notice at all. She stopped, touched her chin, and said, "Maybe we should add some cloves."
The red charcoal fire illuminated her focused side - face. For a moment, Xiao Tian was so captivated that he forgot what he wanted to say.
"What do you want from me?" Yi Qing asked.
Only then did Xiao Tian come back to his senses. He cleared his throat and asked, "What are you making?"
"Boiling medicine for Zisu."
"Is she injured too?"
"It's a long story," Yi Qing said. "She's been targeted. We need to cover it up. Were you in a hurry to find me?"
Xiao Tian said, "Yes. I wanted to ask you how the King of Zhen got injured. He's a prince. This is a serious matter, and the emperor will ask about it. Moreover, he left the capital without permission. The emperor is already very angry. If there's no explanation for his return in this state, it'll be hard to get past the emperor."
Yi Qing couldn't help rolling her eyes and sneered, "Let's not beat around the bush. Why are you still beautifying him in front of me? If the King of Zhen died, the emperor would be able to rest easy."
Xiao Tian frowned and said, "The emperor is not such a person."
Tsk tsk. This tone. Didn't it sound like a cheating man defending his mistress?
It was so similar. But Yi Qing thought she was magnanimous. A good woman didn't argue with a man, so she endured it!
But the King of Zhen was really stupid. How could he run away without saying a word to the emperor?
Yi Qing thought for a while. If she wanted to get some information from Xiao Tian, she had to tell him part of the truth.
After much deliberation, she slowly said, "Zisu is from southern Xinjiang. She offended some powerful people there. She goes back every year to visit her relatives. Unexpectedly, this time, she ran into the southern Xinjiang mission to the capital. So it was a life - and - death struggle, and this is how it turned out."
Xiao Tian frowned, his thin lips tightly pressed together, with suspicion in his eyes. "The southern Xinjiang envoys coming to the capital represent southern Xinjiang. So is Zisu a fugitive from southern Xinjiang?"
"Of course not," Yi Qing said. She always took sides with her friends. Lying came easily to her. "It's a private feud."