Chapter 192: Double Messenger

Lian Yue materialized in front of Yuwen Lingxi with the sheer swiftness of a gust of wind. It was only when she stood directly before him that she realized how abruptly she had acted.

Yuwen Lingxi watched Lian Yue, who stood awkwardly beside the desk. Though mildly surprised at how she had known he was downstairs—especially given the frantic rush with which she had arrived—he was even more curious as to why she remained standing there in silence.

After waiting for a long time without hearing a single word from her lips, and observing her distressed expression, he took the initiative to speak. "If you have something to discuss, please, take a seat."

Lian Yue grinned sheepishly and finally sat down. Hesitating for a moment, she retrieved a thick stack of letters tightly clutched in her hand, placed them on the desk, and slid them forward. "This... could you possibly do me a favor?"

Curious, Yuwen Lingxi reached out to pick up the bundle of papers, intending to open them, but Lian Yue quickly pressed her hand down over them. "You cannot look at these. They are not for you."

Guessing the truth, Yuwen Lingxi yielded to the pressure of her hand and placed the letters back on the desk, a distinct, bright glimmer flashing in his eyes.

In truth, Lian Yue was still experiencing inner turmoil. After all, the person sitting right before her was technically her nominal fiancé, and asking him to deliver a letter to another man was certainly somewhat inappropriate. Yet, she truly had no other choice left, did she?

Things had already reached this juncture. If she were to back down now, she would despise herself. That was simply not the style of Yue Lian Yue.

Drawing a deep breath, Lian Yue spoke rapidly, "I heard from Sister Chai that An Ming is currently recovering at the medicine elder's place. These letters are for him. Could I trouble you to pass them along on my behalf?"

Now that it was out in the open, there was no need to feel embarrassed. Lian Yue kept a close watch on Yuwen Lingxi's reaction, but seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she inwardly breathed a sigh of relief and added, "Let me state this clearly beforehand: you are under no circumstances allowed to read these letters!"

Under Lian Yue's watchful gaze, Yuwen Lingxi nodded. As for what he was actually thinking, that was an entirely different matter. Yuwen Lingxi might not look, but An Ming certainly could.

Right now, Yuwen Lingxi felt a genuine sense of gratitude toward Chai Mengqing. He had never expected her to pave the way with such a brilliant idea. If he failed to make proper use of such a wonderful opportunity, he would truly be doing a disservice to Chai Mengqing's thoughtful intentions.

Little did Yuwen Lingxi know that this was merely an excuse Chai Mengqing had fabricated to dismiss Lian Yue so she could enjoy a peaceful sleep; Lian Yue, however, had taken it completely to heart.

"It is not impossible for me to help you with this favor, but you must agree to a condition."

"What condition? Speak." Lian Yue was already growing impatient, though she retained a shred of reason. Conditions could not be agreed to casually. What if she gave her consent first, only for him to demand that she marry him? That was something she could never agree to, no matter what.

"Rest assured, my request is not excessive. I only ask that we try to be friends, and that you stop avoiding me the way you used to." This was one of Yuwen Lingxi's primary objectives. The first step to drawing closer to Lian Yue was to diminish her tendency to flee from him.

"Just that? Good! I agree!" Hearing this, Lian Yue let out a genuine, unburdened sigh of relief. Given the established relationship between their two families, she could not afford to completely sever ties with Yuwen Lingxi, especially since her older brothers would have been in grave danger during her recent ordeal if not for his intervention.

The only reasons Lian Yue had continuously avoided him were the awkwardness of their special relationship and the fact that Yuwen Lingxi had never once taken the initiative to speak with her. Consequently, their relationship had remained awkwardly suspended somewhere between strangers and friends.

If possible, Lian Yue truly desired to be friends with Yuwen Lingxi.

"Then... right now?" Lian Yue cast a glance at the letters resting on the desk, her meaning crystal clear.

An amused smile touched the corners of Yuwen Lingxi's heart. Was this a disguised form of eviction? He did not even need to guess; the expression on Lian Yue's face spoke volumes.

Since he had agreed to help, he might as well see it through to the end. In any case, there would be plenty of opportunities to see Lian Yue in the future, and a few moments more or less made no difference. With graceful movements, he rose from his seat to attend to this so-called "important business."

Lian Yue watched Yuwen Lingxi's figure vanish from sight, feeling an extraordinary sense of lightness in her chest. Glancing up toward the fifth floor, she instructed a maid nearby to pass a message to Duoli, paying no mind to Yaoyao, who was still fast asleep upstairs.

Now that her own task was accomplished and her mood was quite pleasant, Lian Yue had not forgotten the promise she had made to Qiao Ke a couple of days prior. It was time to enter the palace and rescue another deeply suffering friend.

This marked her second time entering the palace, so Lian Yue no longer held much curiosity for this gilded cage. She rendezvoused with Qiao Ke at the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility, paid her respects to the Empress Dowager, and was subsequently detained by the Empress Dowager for a lengthy conversation.

It was only after much effort that she managed to escape and head straight for her destination.

As Lian Yue stepped into the palace quarters currently inhabited by Qiao Zhi and beheld his dejected silhouette in the grand hall, a wave of sympathy stirred within her.

She grew increasingly convinced that the imperial court was simply unsuited for a wanderer like Qiao Zhi. How could someone who was usually so full of vibrant energy wilt so completely the moment he set foot in this place?

There was a reason for Qiao Zhi's current state. Ever since Qiao Ke informed him of the news regarding An Ming, Qiao Zhi had realized that he truly had wronged his imperial father this time.

Over the past two days, watching his father's condition deteriorate with each passing day, Qiao Zhi shouldered all the blame himself, and his heart naturally offered him no peace.

Thus, despite being a person of keen vigilance, he failed to notice the arrival of Lian Yue and Qiao Ke.

Lian Yue and Qiao Ke exchanged glances, a shared streak of mischief flashing in both of their eyes. Walking on tiptoe, they crept closer, and simultaneously, one large and one small pair of hands slammed ruthlessly down onto Qiao Zhi's shoulders.

"Crack!" Qiao Zhi was jolted straight out of his brooding thoughts. He jerked his head around to stare at the two heads that had suddenly appeared before him. Catching sight of Lian Yue in particular, it took him a moment to process the scene, leaving him temporarily speechless.

"What? Did you turn into a fool?"

Lian Yue gave him another light smack, prompting Qiao Zhi to finally snap back to his senses. He asked in astonishment, "Why are you here?"

"I came to rescue you, of course! Ke'er told me you were locked up in the palace and couldn't get out, so I came. Don't tell me you intend to live inside this place for the rest of your life?"

Lian Yue shot Qiao Zhi a sideways glance before beginning to appraise the palace chambers. Judging by the furnishings, Qiao Zhi hardly looked like someone out of favor. Why had Ke'er painted such a desolate picture for her?

It seemed that this time, she had been thoroughly hoodwinked by a five-year-old child.

"Are you leaving or not? If you aren't, I am heading out of the palace first. This world behind courtyard walls is truly not for me; despite all the glittering gold and jade, it feels bone-chillingly cold no matter where you walk."

Over the years, there was probably hardly any corner of the entire imperial palace that had not been tainted by the dead. Qiao Zhi had long since grown weary of such an environment.

Deep down, Qiao Zhi was deeply moved that Lian Yue had personally made a trip to the palace on his behalf. Under normal circumstances, he would have bantered and joked with her before leaving the palace in her company. But now, with his imperial father gravely ill, the timing was entirely inappropriate for him to depart.

"I must remain behind to look after my father. Once his health improves, I will leave."

Lian Yue had already heard rumors from the Empress Dowager about the Retired Emperor falling ill. Observing that the Empress Dowager remained in the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility with her demeanor entirely unchanged, Lian Yue had assumed the Retired Emperor was merely suffering from some minor ailment, perhaps a touch of a cold or a headache.

However, seeing the heavy expression on Qiao Zhi's face, a lingering intuition told her that the Retired Emperor's illness this time was likely severe.

A son caring for his father was only natural. Besides, she had already done what she set out to do, and since she had successfully entered the palace, a little extra time mattered very little. She might as well stay here and keep Qiao Zhi company for a while.

After all, in a palace as vast as this, apart from servants and palace maids, he had no one else to converse with. When she thought about it, it was quite pathetic.

Qiao Ke remained obediently to the side, though his eyes darted continually toward Qiao Zhi while he calculated inwardly whether his Sixth Uncle would reward him with a few extra banknotes for executing such a brilliant scheme.

Sensing Lian Yue's intentions, another wave of disappointment washed over Qiao Zhi. Such an exceptional maiden—why could she not be his?

Unwilling to sit in silence any longer, Qiao Zhi took the initiative to ask, "How is he?"

"He was injured and needs to recuperate at Medicine King Mountain for the time being." Lian Yue naturally knew to whom Qiao Zhi was referring.

For some inexplicable reason, even though she was the one who had brought it up, upon hearing Lian Yue answer without even asking whom he meant, Qiao Zhi could not suppress the trace of sour jealousy in his voice. "Yuwen Lingxi is injured? How is it that I knew nothing of this?"