I traveled back to the Southern Song Dynasty and was actually outmaneuvered by Yue Fei.

On the first day of the fifth lunar month, Lin'an was hit by another heavy rain.

At this time, Shen Qingci had been living in the Prince of Puan's mansion for more than half a month.

Her daily life was very regular. She would get up at dawn to help Aunt Li in the kitchen pick vegetables and start the fire. In the afternoon, she would embroider and read books in the house. Occasionally, she would go to the study in the main courtyard to help Zhao Bozong grind ink.

However, Shen Qingci never entered Zhao Bozong's study for more than half an hour.

They never asked where Miss Qin went or why she sometimes returned late at night.

She made herself so quiet that she was almost transparent.

But Qin Keqing could see clearly that this woman had been counting down the days.

Every day, she would tie a knot in her sewing kit with a small scrap of cloth. Qin Keqing counted, and there were already nineteen knots.

Perhaps she wasn't counting the days, but rather how many days she had left in this palace.

On the second day of the fifth lunar month, Shen Qingci cautiously knocked on Qin Keqing's door.

"Miss Qin, I'd like to go out for a walk and buy some needles and thread. Would you accompany me?"

Shen Qingci stood at the door of Qin Keqing's room, a small cloth bag slung over her arm, her posture reserved but not awkward.

"If Miss Qin has time, please take me there. Liu An is out on business today, Chun Tao is serving Consort Zhang, and I don't know many of the other people in the mansion."

Qin Keqing looked at Shen Qingci at the door for a moment, then put down her pen and said, "Okay."

The two left the mansion through a side gate and walked west along the Imperial Street.

Shen Qingci's steps are much more steady now than when she first came to Lin'an. She has gradually figured out the layout of the Prince's Mansion, the division of labor among the servants, and which alleys in Lin'an are truly dead ends.

She seemed to have put in some effort to make herself as inconspicuous as possible while living here.

Shen Qingci didn't say much along the way, only occasionally glancing up at the shops she passed. Her gaze lingered on the "Xiuzhou Zongzi" sign for a moment, but she didn't say anything.

When the two arrived at the embroidery shop, Shen Qingci picked out a few strands of silk thread and a small piece of plain silk.

The shopkeeper spoke to her in the Lin'an dialect, and she picked up the words more smoothly than she had in the first few days. When she got to the third sentence, she added a Xiuzhou accent at the end, then quickly stopped and gave Qin Keqing a forced smile.

As she walked out of the shop, Shen Qingci suddenly stopped.

"Miss Qin, may I ask you something?"

Qin Keqing turned her head to look at her.

"When you first came to the Prince's Mansion, His Highness said you were from Zhenjiang and worked at Shunhe Tea Shop."

Shen Qingci's voice was somewhat hesitant, "But I have seen your handwriting. The page of the account book that you helped His Highness copy was on the desk."

I saw it by chance while grinding ink; it was tiny, regular script, in the style of Chu Suiliang—something no Zhenjiang herbal medicine merchant's daughter could write.

Qin Keqing looked at her.

Shen Qingci's eyes were calm, without any probing or hostility, only a sincere desire to confirm something.

"I won't ask any more questions," Shen Qingci lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting the strap of the cloth bag. "I just want to figure out one thing: in this palace, is everyone except me doing important things for His Highness?"

Qin Keqing remained silent for a moment.

She didn't answer directly, but only said softly, "Miss Shen is also helping His Highness with important matters."

Shen Qingci looked up at her.

"You've given him someone to talk to in this palace, reminding him that he was once the young man from Xiuzhou in the old house, not just a name on Yue Shaobao's list."

Qin Keqing spoke in a relaxed tone, and the smile on her face always gave people a warm and comfortable feeling, as if she were talking about something very ordinary, "This is an important matter."

Shen Qingci's eyes lit up.

She lowered her head, dabbed at the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, and then smiled—the first genuine smile she had ever given since entering the mansion.

It wasn't the kind of polite smile you give when you bow, but rather a smile that lingered after the corners of your mouth turned up, a mix of embarrassment and relief.

"Thank you, Miss Qin."

"You're welcome." Qin Keqing picked up the bamboo basket. "Let's go. There's a shop up ahead that sells nice rouge. Aunt Li mentioned wanting to buy some."

The two continued walking forward, and when they reached the entrance of the pharmacy, Qin Keqing stopped.

Several burlap sacks were placed in front of the pharmacy, their openings open, revealing the medicinal herbs inside.

Qin Keqing bent down and looked through them, picked up a dry leaf, rubbed it between her fingers, and then put it back.

"It's fritillaria cirrhosa."

"What's wrong with Fritillaria cirrhosa?" Shen Qingci asked.

"Sichuan fritillary bulb is 30% more expensive than Zhejiang fritillary bulb. Unscrupulous merchants often mix Zhejiang fritillary bulb with Sichuan fritillary bulb to sell. Laymen cannot tell the difference between the two herbs, but their medicinal effects are much worse."

"To stop a cough and clear phlegm, you need to determine whether it's a dry cough or a wet cough; using the wrong medicine can actually worsen it." Qin Keqing patted the powder off her hands. "Some pharmacies in Zhenjiang do the same thing."

Shen Qingci looked at her, her eyes revealing something new.

As the daughter of a medicinal herb merchant from Zhenjiang, she naturally recognized medicinal herbs; Qin Keqing's tone was as if she were chatting about something mundane, and she believed it without a doubt.

When the two returned to the Prince's Mansion, it was nearly dusk. Shen Qingci was very happy and seemed to be in a much better mood. She carried the embroidery back to the side courtyard, while Qin Keqing carried a bamboo basket and walked towards the main courtyard.

As she passed the study, she heard voices coming from inside.

It was Zhao Bozong's voice: "Brother, Qingci is doing well in the manor. Go back and tell Mother to rest assured."

Then came Zhao Bogui's voice, which rang out after a moment: "Bo Cong, what exactly do you plan to do about that verbal engagement with the Shen family in Xiuzhou?"

Qin Keqing did not stop.

She carried the bamboo basket past the study door, her steps as light as usual, only her eyelids drooped slightly, concealing all her expressions.

The fifth day of the fifth lunar month is the Dragon Boat Festival.

Dragon boat races were held on the canal in Lin'an City, and the brothels and theaters in the west of the city were covered with mugwort and calamus, with the aroma of realgar wine permeating the streets.

Zhao Gou held a banquet in the palace, and Zhao Bocong was brought into the palace by the eunuchs early in the morning.

Qin Keqing did not go to the dock.

She knew that Li Bao wouldn't send a boat today. On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, the river was occupied by dragon boats, and all cargo ships at the docks were suspended. This was the only day in Lin'an City when there was no need to transmit intelligence.

Today, she changed into clean clothes and went out of the palace with Shen Qingci to watch the dragon boat races on the canal.

When the two returned, Zhao Bocong had already returned from the palace and was sitting at his desk reading a letter sent by Manager Wang from Xiuzhou.

The letter said that Manager Wang had settled down in Xiuzhou and that Zhao Bogui had helped him rent a shop and reopen a small tea shop.

"Your Highness." Qin Keqing placed the bamboo basket on the table, took out a zongzi (sticky rice dumpling), peeled off the reed leaves, and placed it in front of Zhao Bozong. "Happy Dragon Boat Festival."

Shen Qingci knew the two had something to talk about, so she made an excuse to go back to her room.

Zhao Bozong nodded, took the zongzi, and took a bite. "Miss Qin, please sit down."

Qin Keqing sat down, took out the written note from her sleeve, placed it on the table, and pushed it over.

"Your Highness, there are two things I need to tell you about Zhenjiang. First, I confirmed at the dock that Li Bao's ship did not arrive today, but the shipping schedule for the first ten days of the month is as scheduled. The second thing—"

She paused, looked up into Zhao Bozong's eyes, and said, "Qin Hui has already obtained the secret order to move Zhenjiang. Zheng Gangzhong's transfer order will be officially issued before the tenth of May."

Eight warships, their target Li Baozang's cargo ship hidden in the reed marshes of Jiaoshan.

Zhao Bozong put down the zongzi, his expression unchanged, but the hand holding the chopsticks had stopped.

How did you know?