This chapter is brought to you by zhopiabee, thanks for the ko-fi! (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･
Shen Qingyao returned home with a belly full of emotions. Just as she entered the courtyard, she saw Shen Qingli standing on the veranda in a daze.
Shen Qingyao greeted her with a delighted expression and ran over with a smile, asking cheerfully, “Elder Sister, why are you free today?”
Seeing Shen Qingyao running out of breath after just a short distance, Shen Qingli hurriedly stepped forward to hold her and gently scolded her, tapping her forehead, “Walk slower, why are you running?”
Indeed, Shen Qingyao’s heart was beating a bit fast from the short run, indicating that the original owner’s heart condition was indeed very serious. She stuck out her tongue, always forgetting that she was currently a patient.
“Elder Sister, are you done with your busy schedule?”
Ever since the two sisters encountered the crucial NPC before the New Year, her Elder Sister had become very busy. There was a widespread corruption case, and Xiao Mu was assigned as the chief judge, which kept him busy for a while. Shen Qingli assisted in secret, naturally having little leisure time. It’s been almost two months now, and it seems like there’s been some progress.
“Well, things are almost done.” Shen Qingli pulled Shen Qingyao back as they walked, asking, “Did you go to see off Lu Zhao?”
She hadn’t mentioned it, but now that Shen Qingli did, Shen Qingyao remembered the embrace in front of the exam hall. She paused for a moment, blushing slightly as she nodded.
Shen Qingli’s beautiful eyes turned, thinking that it was probably not just a simple farewell. Seeing her sister’s shy appearance, she chuckled, making the girl’s face redder, and it didn’t stop until it seemed like it was going to explode.
Shen Qingli rubbed Shen Qingyao’s head and teased, “Why so shy?”
Then she looked at Shen Qingyao’s expression and felt that it wasn’t just shyness. Pausing for a moment, she asked, “When you came in earlier, you seemed not in a very good mood. Did Lu Zhao upset you?”
Listening to her Elder Sister’s increasingly dangerous tone, a small alarm went off in Shen Qingyao’s heart. She quickly shook her head, thinking, how could Lu Zhao upset her? It had to be said, although she wasn’t sure what Lu Zhao’s feelings towards her were, judging from his behavior, he was really good to her.
“No! How could he! Absolutely not!” Shen Qingyao immediately denied three times in a row, fearing that Shen Qingli wouldn’t believe her. She then exaggeratedly recounted what happened in the noodle shop this morning.
“Xiao Jing? Ninth Prince Xiao Jing?” Shen Qingli was taken aback, her face darkening.
Shen Qingyao silently observed, feeling that her Elder Sister’s attitude was somewhat subtle. Logically, Xiao Jing’s conspiracy wouldn’t be revealed until three years later. Could it be that the male and female leads had already sensed something so early?
Shen Qingyao nodded, then listened as Shen Qingli asked her, “How did you confirm that person was Ninth Prince?”
“Lu Zhao told me.”
Actually, it was the system that told her. Last time, they were so far away at Ruyi Pavilion that she couldn’t see clearly, but she had to blame Lu Zhao for it.
Shen Qingli nodded, also thinking that this was the only reasonable explanation. Ninth Prince rarely returned to the capital, and her sister almost never went out. If Lu Zhao hadn’t mentioned it, her sister wouldn’t have recognized him.
“It’s good that you recognized him early and didn’t get too involved, but you’ve offended him in a way…” Shen Qingli’s tone was somewhat worried as she advised, “Next time, try not to go out alone and be more careful.”
This attitude made Shen Qingyao even more certain that both Lu Zhao and the male and female leads must have known something about the villain! Shen Qingyao obediently nodded. When it came to staying away from the villain, she didn’t need to be told twice!
“Speaking of which, Lu Zhao is bound to have a good ranking in this year’s Imperial Examination. Do you know what his plans are after the examination?” Shen Qingli changed the subject.
Shen Qingyao was stunned, wondering, what plans?
Shen Qingli sighed softly to herself, thinking that it was normal for Yaoyao not to know. So she explained, “The current court may seem peaceful and prosperous, with flowers blooming everywhere, but the actual situation is not as optimistic. The Emperor today can be considered a wise ruler, but unfortunately, due to overwork, his health is not as good as before. The princes and nobles in the court are fighting openly and secretly, factions are forming, and the factional struggles have been going on for a long time. In fact, this dynasty is already just an empty shell.”
Shen Qingyao’s heart skipped a beat, her eyes widening not because of this news, as she already knew it from the original book, and she also knew that the Emperor would pass away in three years, sparking a succession crisis and widespread conflict. What surprised her more at this moment was how her Elder Sister spoke so frankly. For a moment, she didn’t know whether to admire her Elder Sister’s courage or her Elder Sister’s insight.
Seeing her silence, Shen Qingli thought she didn’t understand and added, “The reputation of Lu Zhao has long been established. With great reputation comes great pressure. Either he will continue to rise to the top, with various forces vying for him, or he will decline, with everyone kicking him while he’s down. Yaoyao, after the Imperial Examinations, Lu Zhao will enter the court as an official. He is taking the path of the Imperial Examination, and Duke Lu is known for his integrity and incorruptibility. The support his family can provide is limited, so his situation is not as good as it seems.”
Shen Qingli sighed and said with a bitter smile, “As you can see, the Imperial Examination has just begun, and already someone can’t sit still. Their eyes are set on you.” She was referring to the incident with Xiao Jing earlier that morning.
Shen Qingyao didn’t have as much psychological burden as her Elder Sister thought. She wasn’t the original owner of this body and couldn’t be easily shaken. She comforted Shen Qingli with a smile and whispered, “Elder sister, I understand.”
Watching Shen Qingli strategize, Shen Qingyao couldn’t help but marvel. The female lead’s halo was indeed a miraculous thing. Shen Qingli was confident and powerful, no wonder she could capture the hearts of both the male lead and Lu Zhao in the original book.
Shen Qingyao couldn’t help but speculate. During the time she spent with Lu Zhao, he always appeared so calm and accommodating in front of her, to the point where she almost forgot that he actually didn’t need someone like her, a delicate canary confined to a cage, but rather someone like her Elder Sister, who could stand by his side as an equal.
Her heart sank a bit, feeling suddenly despondent.
[Truly worthy of being the female lead, so thoughtful!] The system, oblivious to Shen Qingyao’s mood, sighed, adding fuel to the fire. [If I didn’t know for sure that she doesn’t have the system, I’d suspect she got hold of the script too!]
Shen Qingyao just twitched her lips, not saying anything.
[Host? Host?] The system didn’t hear a response and belatedly realized something was wrong with Shen Qingyao.
“It’s nothing,” Shen Qingyao replied quietly.
After a moment, she looked up. “Is Elder Sister saying all this to…”
Before she could finish, Shen Qingli interrupted her with a smile. “I should’ve known. Yaoyao has always been clever. Even if I hadn’t said much, you would have figured it out sooner or later. It’s just that knowing these things earlier allows for better planning, so we won’t be caught off guard when things go awry.”
Shen Qingli looked at Shen Qingyao, more concerned about her physical well-being.
A fragile heart indeed couldn’t withstand too much excitement. Shen Qingyao nodded in agreement.
“So Yaoyao, after the Imperial Examination, Lu Zhao might request to be stationed elsewhere, did you know?” Shen Qingli’s tone suddenly changed, asking.
“Stationed elsewhere?” Shen Qingyao couldn’t help but think of the original book again. According to the original plot, Lu Zhao went to the northern border with the Fifth Prince and her Elder Sister. Was it because of this? Her brows furrowed.
She didn’t have any objection to him being stationed elsewhere, but the three years in the northern border happened to be the time when the feelings between the male and female leads escalated the fastest. If Lu Zhao went there, wouldn’t he have to watch the male and female leads fall in love every day? How could that be okay? Wouldn’t it accelerate Lu Zhao’s blackening?
Seeing Shen Qingyao frown, Shen Qingli thought she might not want to accompany Lu Zhao on a distant journey. Upon second thought, it was understandable. Yaoyao had been frail since childhood, barely leaving the courtyard, let alone traveling to the border.
So Shen Qingli smiled and said, “It’s okay. If you don’t want to go to the Southern Frontier, just let Lu Zhao go alone, and you can stay in the capital. Wait for him to return and report back to you.”
…Shen Qingyao fell silent for a moment, unsure if her Elder Sister had too much confidence in her or in Lu Zhao. Long-distance relationships between young couples are prone to problems! How could she let Lu Zhao go alone to that place? Moreover, the Southern Frontier… wait a minute…
“The Southern Frontier?” Not the Northern Border? Shen Qingyao exclaimed.
Shen Qingli didn’t understand why Shen Qingyao suddenly became so excited, but still nodded in agreement, saying, “Yes, I heard from the Fifth Prince last time that Lu Zhao wants to request a posting to Lingnan and patrol the Southern Frontier.” The climate is better in the south, presumably considering Yaoyao’s health.
After a moment of buffering, Shen Qingyao reacted. Lu Zhao wasn’t going to the Northern Border? Xiao Mu’s army was in the north, going back there was definite. If Lu Zhao went to the Southern Frontier instead, they would be separated by a vast distance. Then there wouldn’t be the so-called ‘spectating the male and female leads fall in love’ scene. Without seeing the female lead every day, Lu Zhao wouldn’t realize his feelings for the female lead. And with her interference over time, those ambiguous thoughts would fade away, right?
She slowly smiled, feeling relieved. The Southern Frontier! How wonderful!
So she eagerly shook her head towards Shen Qingli, excitedly saying, “I want to go! I want to go to the Southern Frontier, Elder Sister!” I really want to go! Run far away with White Moonlight!
As long as they ran far enough from the main leads, his blackening would be impossible! Shen Qingyao clenched her fists, feeling like she had found a new way to prevent Lu Zhao from turning into villain!
This was something Shen Qingli hadn’t expected. She blinked, then looked at Shen Qingyao’s expectant face, as if Shen Qingyao couldn’t wait to fly to the Southern Frontier tomorrow. She couldn’t help but feel a mix of amusement and exasperation. She playfully poked Shen Qingyao’s forehead with her finger, laughing and scolding, “You little heartless thing! Going thousands of miles with Lu Zhao to the Southern Frontier, do you know how hard the journey will be? And you’re this happy? Don’t you have any reluctance to leave us?”
In her heart, she cursed Lu Zhao again. What kind of potion did he give to her little sister?
Shen Qingyao stuck out her tongue, realizing she might have been a little too pleased with herself, quickly moving closer to hug Shen Qingli’s arm, smiling sweetly and saying, “Elder Sister~ Of course, I’m reluctant~~”
Shen Qingli couldn’t stay angry seeing her sister act like this, so after a moment of pretending to be annoyed, she couldn’t help but turn her head and laugh. After laughing, she pretended to sigh, “Oh well, let’s just let Lu Zhao have his way! It’s because our Yaoyao likes him. So we’ll just have to bear with it~”
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