Dai Li had Bi Po and Nian Xia prepare a few items.
A sheet of mulberry bark paper, a small stove, and two citrons, also known as lemons.
The bedroom already had the small stove and mulberry bark paper; they only needed to go to the kitchen to fetch the lemons.
Bi Po immediately went to the kitchen.
It was just two lemons, no need for a basket. Bi Po took them and headed back. On her return journey, she happened to meet Qin Yanzhou.
The young man was dressed in white, with the wide sleeves of his robe tied back at the arms. A long sword hung at his waist, and he was steaming with heat, having just returned from his morning exercises.
Seeing Bi Po, Qin Yanzhou initially showed no reaction, but when he noticed the lemons in her hand, his steps faltered.
"Where are you taking those citrons?" Qin Yanzhou asked proactively.
Bi Po was pleasantly surprised. Since the young master's return, he hardly communicated with anyone other than his mother, speaking very little ordinarily. For him to initiate conversation now was quite rare.
"The mistress ordered me to prepare them, saying only that they are useful," Bi Po replied, not knowing their purpose herself.
The two walked back to the main courtyard together. As they reached the moon gate, Qin Yanzhou saw the two figures sitting side by side in the courtyard.
After Dai Li routinely exchanged a few words with her son, she heard him ask, "Mother, what are you preparing all these things for?"
Dai Li did not hide it from him. "Recently, some deceptive tricks from the jianghu have appeared in the city, and many people have been misled by them. I happened to discuss this with the Marquis today, so I thought I'd explain the details of this trick to him."
Qin Yanzhou nodded. "I see."
Dai Li had Qin Shaozong slice the lemons on the newly brought-out small table and then crush them to extract the juice. When he finished, she picked up a wolf-hair brush, dipped it in some of the juice, and wrote the character "Qin" on the mulberry bark paper.
She used "ink" that was colorless, so after Dai Li finished writing and the paper dried, it showed no abnormality, appearing as if it were still just a plain sheet of paper.
Dai Li asked Nian Xia, "Is the stove hot?"
It had been prepared earlier. Nian Xia nodded. "It's already heated."
It was an ordinary small stove used for boiling tea. Now, only charcoal was burning inside, with no pottery kettle placed atop it. Dai Li pressed the mulberry bark paper in her hand against the side of the stove wall.
Immediately, something miraculous occurred. Amidst the exclamations of Nian Xia and Bi Po, the previously blank paper began to change.
A brownish character appeared on it, exactly matching the "Qin" character Dai Li had just written.
The two maids couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.
"It's exactly as Embroiderer Su described before!"
"This... if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I truly would have thought it a divine miracle! How utterly mysterious!"
Dai Li smiled. "What's so mysterious about it? It's just a minor chemical reaction."
Lemons contain many sugar-like substances and organic acids. When heated, these substances undergo a dehydration and carbonization reaction, hence the vivid color change.
The incident began with the cook seeing writing appear on paper. The cook was preparing a meal at the time, likely near a stove or fire.
Then, Nian Xia mentioned that Embroiderer Su witnessed a "miracle" at a noodle stall, and she said that paper had blown near the stall's stove. Whether noodle soup is heated or not makes a world of difference in taste, and a vendor running a business would surely know this, so there was also a heat source there.
Furthermore, there was the matter Qin Shaozong had just mentioned about the military patrol. The patrol saw the "miracle" at a blacksmith's shop, and a blacksmith's forge also satisfies the condition of having a heat source.
Putting these incidents together, finding this common overlapping factor and then deducing the process wasn't difficult.
Dai Li privately believed that among the first group of people who encountered the "miracle"—the cook, the noodle stall vendor, and the blacksmith—there must have been some individuals with ulterior motives mixed in. After all, while this trick isn't overly complicated, revealing all the writing isn't entirely without its specific requirements.
She didn't mention the latter part because it was unnecessary. The man beside her was profoundly shrewd, deep as a ten-thousand-fathom ocean trench. She didn't believe he couldn't figure it out.
Qin Shaozong only glanced at the paper before shifting his gaze to Dai Li, looking at her deeply. "My lady is erudite and talented. I am utterly impressed."
Those brown eyes were too deep, like an unfathomable sea, with volcanoes churning fiery magma in its abyss. Though hidden in the depths, they were strikingly conspicuous and searing, leaving one at a loss.
Dai Li averted her eyes and urged him to get back to work. "Since you now understand the trick behind it, you should hurry and attend to your duties. Don't forget what you promised me earlier once you're done."
Even when silent, his presence was overwhelmingly strong. Simply sitting there, he was always difficult to ignore.
"Accompany me outside the residence to unravel this scheme," Qin Shaozong said instead.
Dai Li was taken aback. "Me too?"
"You proposed the strategy. What's wrong with observing it together? We'll go by carriage; you won't have to walk much," Qin Shaozong said.
She had been cooped up in the courtyard every day. A few more days, and this lazy fox would probably know exactly how many tiles were in the yard.
Having stayed in for several days, Dai Li did feel a stir of restlessness upon hearing this. She looked at her son beside her. "Zhou Zhou, would you like to wear a mask and come with me?"
Not his original ghost mask, but several masks Dai Li later had Nian Xia buy. Some covered half the face, others the full face, kept for unforeseen needs.
Since returning that day, her son hadn't left the residence. Even when traveling by carriage, he wore a mask and spent very little time on the streets. Even if enemies had tracked them to Guoyun County, they likely wouldn't have noticed.
Qin Yanzhou, however, shook his head in refusal. "Mother, I'll wait for you in the residence."
Dai Li hesitated. "Really not going?"
Qin Yanzhou still shook his head.
Dai Li had no choice but to relent, her mind turning over what Qin Shaozong had said earlier about the residence not being entirely safe and suggesting she accompany him to the military camp. As the commander-in-chief, especially after shooting Fan Tianshi's son and with war imminent, it was impossible for him to remain in the county for long. He would likely set off for the camp immediately after dealing with the nursery rhyme matter.
That meant, at the latest by this afternoon, she would be able to see Nalan Zhi.
"Alright then, Zhou Zhou, stay here. Mama will bring you back a souvenir," Dai Li said with a smile.
A carriage departed from the Qin residence, heading towards the busiest market in Guoyun County. Just then, the sound of clattering hooves approached.
Qin Shaozong, riding on horseback, turned his head at the noise. He saw a group of riders hurrying in their direction, and the one leading them was none other than Nangong Xiong.
"Qin Changgeng, you certainly have a leisurely and refined mood," Nangong Xiong said, his expression grim.
Recently, nursery rhymes had been spreading throughout the county. The latter line, "The one in green, dull and dim, easily fooled and incompetent, meets a wretched end in the finale," made Nangong Xiong's anger boil.
Even though he knew it was likely the work of schemers, being the esteemed Governor of Qingzhou and having people point fingers calling him stupid and foolish—how could he not be furious! What made him see red with rage was that after the nursery rhymes and "miracles" spread, his ally had remained completely silent, offering no response whatsoever.
What, was that scoundrel Qin Shaozong secretly gloating?
If the mountain won't come to me, I'll go to the mountain. Nangong Xiong had intended to have a good talk with his ally, preferably to find a solution. But when everything was ready, scouts reported that Qin Shaozong had returned to the city.
Nangong Xiong was so angry he overturned a table on the spot. Thanks to the strenuous persuasion of his strategist Zhang Mingdian, he managed to suppress his fury somewhat.
Fine! He was going to arrest someone in the city, and today he would surely demand an explanation from Qin Changgeng!
Now that he had rushed to the mansion, he saw Qin Changgeng on horseback, and there was also a carriage beside him that seemed to be carrying female passengers.
As for how he knew they were female passengers, Nangong Xiong had sharp eyes. When the carriage left the mansion, he caught a glimpse of the curtain inside being slightly lifted by the wind, revealing a small piece of apricot - colored clothes of the person in the carriage.
This realization was quite a shock and, like adding fuel to the fire, made Nangong Xiong extremely angry.
Good heavens! While he was getting anxious over there and considering Qin Changgeng's situation, holding back from causing trouble, who would have thought that this guy was not only not worried but also had the mood to take a beauty out for a stroll!
This made him can't help but have deep doubts. Was Qin Changgeng, this ally, really reliable?
Qin Changgeng knew why he had come. "Nangong, don't be in a hurry. I'm going to solve the matter that concerns both of us this time."
Nangong Xiong was slightly stunned. His full - blown anger turned into suspicion, and his eyes wandered between Qin Changgeng and the carriage.
Solve the matter that concerns both of us?
It sounded quite reasonable, but why was there a young lady with him? Could this woman be the great beauty that Qin Changgeng had been hiding like a treasure? This made him a bit curious...
"Really?" Nangong Xiong asked.
Qin Changgeng said slowly, "Seeing is believing. Whether it's true or not, come and take a look and you'll know."
Nangong Xiong thought that made sense, so he suppressed his anger again.
So the two teams merged into one and went towards the bustling downtown area together. The Chen hour had passed, and it was now the Si hour. People had just finished their breakfast and were going about their activities, strolling around, doing business, or having fun. It was extremely lively.
Previously, soldiers had been sent on fast horses to make arrangements at the teahouse. Now that Daili's carriage arrived, they didn't even need to ask if there was a private room upstairs. They could just go up.
Daili, wearing a veil hat, got off the carriage, and Qin Changgeng went into the teahouse with her. As soon as they entered, Daili heard someone telling a story in the teahouse.
It was a middle - aged man in a blue robe and a headscarf. He held a folding fan in his hand, and there was a tea cup, some fruits, and a few copper coins on the table in front of him.
At this moment, the man in the blue robe was telling the story with great enthusiasm. "But on that day, the sky was clear and cloudless. It was a rare fine day. The east - side family was hosting a feast to celebrate the 100 - day birthday of their baby, and the west - side family was celebrating their new move. Just as everyone was in a happy mood, suddenly, a strong wind blew, and several pieces of paper fluttered down from the sky..."
Qin Changgeng gave a look to Hu Bao behind him. The latter understood and fixed his eyes on the storyteller in the teahouse.
Daili went up to the pre - arranged private room on the second floor.
The private room was clean and tidy. The tables and chairs were elegant. There was a vase with delicate flowers in the corner, and there was also a carved hummingbird bronze incense burner on the small table.
The private room faced the street. Looking out of the open window, one could see the bustling and prosperous scene of carriages and people.
"Madam, stay in the private room and watch the show. Don't run around." Qin Changgeng asked the tea servant to serve tea and then left a few personal guards.
Daili sat by the window. "Okay, go ahead."
When Qin Changgeng came downstairs again, the storyteller was no longer in the teahouse. The man coldly averted his eyes.
Just as the water in the clay pot was boiling, Daili heard the sound of gongs "clanging" on the street outside the window.
Hu Bao shouted, "Folks, there has been a so - called 'heavenly book' swindle in the city recently. The mastermind is trying to spread rumors with it. I hope you folks won't be used by those with ulterior motives and get deceived."
The sound of the gong was already eye - catching. Whether it was the vendors doing business or the pedestrians bargaining with the merchants, they all paid attention to it. Coupled with what Hu Bao said later, it instantly attracted the people around like a whirlpool.
So people gradually gathered there, and soon a circle was formed.
People in the circle were whispering to each other.
"That man is equipped with a sword and there are many guards beside him. It seems that he is most likely from the government."
"The matter of the 'heavenly book' has been making a lot of noise. Now the government says it's a swindle, but I don't think so. How could it be a swindle? There was no one holding a pen at that time, and the words on the paper appeared out of thin air. If it's not a 'heavenly book', what else could it be?"
"In my opinion, it's probably the government trying to calm things down and just finding an excuse. Anyway, I still believe it. After all, it's a 'heavenly book'. The 'heavenly book' says..."
Qin Changgeng and Nangong Xiong were standing in the circle.
Seeing more and more people gathering, and Hu Bao still repeating what he had said before, Nangong Xiong immediately got anxious. "Is that all? What's the use of just shouting!"
"Don't be impatient. Just watch." Qin Changgeng said with a smile, folding his arms.
After shouting three times in a row, Hu Bao then changed his words and said, "Words alone are not enough. Now I'll reveal this swindle to you folks. Please watch carefully!"
The whispering around suddenly died down.
There were still the simple four items: a piece of paper, a few lemons, a writing brush, and a small stove.
Hu Bao publicly dipped the writing brush in lemon juice and used it as ink to write. After the writing was dried, there was no trace on the paper. "Just now I wrote the four characters 'Good harvest of all grains'. Now, watch carefully."
Not only the surrounding crowd but also Nangong Xiong couldn't help but step forward to see how the words would appear on the empty paper.
Everyone was looking at Hu Bao, except Qin Changgeng.
The man standing in the crowd looked up at this moment, facing the sunlight. He looked at the second - floor window of the teahouse beside him and accurately found the open window.
Daili had taken off her veil hat. At this time, she was looking out of the window, and her eyes met those of the man who suddenly looked up below.
She saw him curl his thin lips. His brown pupils were bathed in the bright and warm sunlight, unexpectedly showing a bit of gentleness that was out of place with his usual self. At this moment, the overbearingness on him seemed to fade a bit in the sunlight.
But when Daili regained her composure and looked again, there was no gentleness at all. His eyes were as hot as ever, as if there was a magma with astonishing heat flowing in his eyes, which could devour all of her flesh and bones.
Daili pursed her lips, suspecting that the look she had just seen was an illusion. Before she could think more, the people below suddenly let out a burst of exclamations.
"There are words! It's 'Good harvest of all grains'. It's really 'Good harvest of all grains'!"
"My goodness! A miracle has descended. Kneel down quickly!"
"Kneel your head off! This is a swindle. The soldier just said he wrote 'Good harvest of all grains' on the paper, and now the same words have appeared. What else could it be but a swindle!"
"Yes, that's right. So - called 'heavenly book' is all fake. We've been deceived."
...
Nangong Xiong was stunned. If he didn't have to consider the face of the prefect, he would have rushed forward, grabbed Hu Bao and asked him all sorts of questions, and then asked him to demonstrate again.
Obviously, Hu Bao didn't just do it once. Later, he even asked the common people for their names and wrote them on the paper one by one.
When their names appeared exactly as they were, the common people around completely believed it.
There was no such thing as a 'heavenly book'. It was really just a swindle. How hateful! They had been deceived so badly before!
At this moment, Hu Bao took the opportunity to bring up the matter of the nursery rhyme and warned the commoners around that, just like the heavenly book, the nursery rhyme was the work of someone with ulterior motives. Children in the family were not allowed to spread it anymore.
Those who violated this rule would be fined fifty coins for the first offense, one hundred coins for the second offense. If there was a third offense, they would be imprisoned and spend a few days in jail.
The onlookers nodded repeatedly and all agreed.
After this "performance", Hu Bao led his men to the next bustling area and continued their tour around the county as planned.
As the crowd gradually dispersed, Daili still sat by the window, feeling the cool breeze carry the noise of the mortal world into the room.
Suddenly, that feeling of being watched returned. At first, Daili thought it was Qin Shaozong again. She looked down and saw that Qin Shaozong was talking to Nangong Xiong at the moment.
It wasn't him.
Daili looked around.
This teahouse was located beside a crossroads, with clear views in all four directions. Daili saw the restaurant across the street and the bookstore not far away.
The restaurant had three floors, and each floor had rooms with windows. Some windows were open, while others were completely closed. There were fewer open windows in the bookstore, with only two on the third floor.
On the street, the gradually dispersing pedestrians were all chatting animatedly about what had just happened, and only a very small number were looking around.
Strange. Could it have been just her imagination...
"Madam."
Suddenly, a deep male voice sounded in her ear, and Daili was so startled that she jumped. Before she could jump up from the soft chair by the window, a strong arm encircled her waist.
Just as Daili turned around, she almost bumped into his arms, and her nose hit his chin.
Her eyes immediately turned red. Just as she was about to reach out to cover her nose, a large dark hand moved faster than her. The calloused fingertips touched the bridge of her nose, gently pinched it, and then rubbed the tip of her nose.
"It's not crooked. It's still very delicate."
Daili angrily slapped his hand with a "pop". "Qin Changgeng, can't you make some noise when you walk?"
The slap she gave was quite loud, but it was completely painless to the thick - skinned man. He immediately laughed and said, "How could I not make any noise? It's just that madam was too focused just now. When you're fully concentrated, you're as timid as a rabbit."
Just as Daili was about to speak, she saw him stretch out his long arm and close the window behind her.
Daili's eyebrows twitched.
Almost at the same moment when the window closed with a "click", he leaned over her.
The sudden kiss was very forceful. Daili was trapped on the soft seat. He was in front of her, and his strong arms were on both sides of her. She could only tilt her head back and bear it.
It started with the soft tongues, passionately entangled, from the outside to the inside, and then back to hook her lips and tongue.
The scorching breath swept over like a tidal wave, and the strong masculine aura engulfed her. Daili's mouth and nose were filled with his presence.
Daili was almost crazy. She didn't know what she had done to trigger his nerves. Everything was fine when they left the mansion, but now he was pinning her down in the private room and acting so aggressively.
Her whole mouth was occupied. Daili trembled constantly, and her moans were swallowed by him. This raging wildfire was getting more and more intense. A wisp of silver thread slid down from the corner of her mouth and fell, leaving an amorous spot on the man's black robe.
The long arm that had been encircling her waist slowly tightened. That large hand with distinct knuckles slid along her waistline to the back. Through the not - very - thick summer clothes, it rubbed her waist gently and then more forcefully.
Daili trembled even more. A tingling sensation spread from the base of her spine, making her waist go completely limp, and it seemed as if all her strength was being drained from her waist.
Just when Daili thought she might be taken advantage of right here, the man who was pinning her down backed away.
Qin Shaozong was breathing heavily. There was an impatient scarlet in his eyes, and his gaze was fixed on her without a blink, as if he wanted to devour her.
He raised his hand, and his rough fingertips stroked the corner of her lips, wiping away the faint amorous watermark. "What were you looking at outside just now, madam?"
Daili's chest was also rising and falling violently. He asked, but her head was buzzing, and she couldn't answer at all. She just stared at him blankly.
Qin Shaozong laughed. He leaned forward again. This time, he just gently touched her red lips and then backed away. "Where did your soul go?"
Daili reached out to push him. It took her a long time to say, "It's nothing. Have you finished your business, my lord? I want to go shopping and buy some things."
"What do you want to buy?" he asked.
Daili said, "I want to buy gifts."
In her previous job, she sometimes had to go on short business trips, which usually lasted for one or two days. Every time she went on a business trip, she would entrust her son, Zhou Zhou, to a retired couple of professors in the neighborhood to take care of him for a couple of days.
And every time she came back from a business trip, she would bring a small gift for her son. Sometimes it was a local specialty, and sometimes it was a small toy, so that he wouldn't resist her business trips so much.
Although her son had grown up and might not care about small things anymore, Daili still wanted to bring back those long - gone memories.
As she was thinking about what to buy, she didn't notice that the man in front of her was smiling more and more widely.
"Buy gifts? That's great."