AUBTN -Chapter 98 The Eve of the Flower-Viewing Banquet

“Then let’s make a plan!”

Su Hewan pulled a blank sheet of paper from the table and casually picked up a brush.

“Lord Lu, you are a close minister of the emperor. You’ll handle the defense map of Cining Palace, as well as the schedule for the imperial guards’ rotations that day—down to every quarter-hour.”

Lu Yan nodded. “Understood.”

“Overseer Shen.” Su Hewan turned to look at Shen Jue.

“The private treasury in the Empress Dowager’s palace definitely doesn’t use an ordinary lock. You’ll need to prepare lockpicking tools, or… find a master locksmith.”

Shen Jue raised an eyebrow. “The Eastern Depot has no shortage of petty thieves and scoundrels. We’ll arrange it ourselves.”

“The plan is in place.”

Lu Yan calmed down and pinpointed the biggest flaw.

“But there’s one fatal problem.”

His sharp gaze swept over Su Hewan and Yu Qing.

“The Flower-Viewing Banquet is extremely high-profile. All the attending palace maids are strictly trained attendants. As for you two, never mind how you sneak in—if your manners slip during the banquet, you won’t even have to wait for the Empress Dowager to notice. You’ll be dragged out and beaten to death on the spot.”

Silence fell over the study once again.

Although Su Hewan was well-versed in history, that was purely theoretical knowledge. To actually perform the kneeling rituals, serving tea and water, flawlessly and with perfect fluidity like an ancient palace maid… that was practically torturing her.

As for Yu Qing…

In modern times, she was the type who walked with purpose and sat however she pleased. Asking her to play the demure, obedient palace maid? The mental image was too beautiful—it was almost unbearable.

“What’s so hard about that?”

Yu Qing suddenly wiped away her tears, and her face instantly regained that mischievous expression.

“Lord Lu, have you forgotten what I studied?”

She straightened, shoulders sinking, chin slightly tucked, hands folded neatly over her lower abdomen, and took two light steps.

Reaching Lu Yan, she performed a graceful bow, her voice soft and melodic: “Your servant pays respects to Lord Lu.”

The entire set of movements flowed seamlessly, flawless in every detail.

Lu Yan was stunned.

Su Hewan was equally shocked.

Yu Qing straightened fully, proudly raising her brows. “Acting is my specialty!”

Back then, she had acted countless times as an extra, the cannon-fodder palace maid.

She never imagined it would come in handy here!

She turned to Su Hewan and patted her shoulder.

“Wanwan, for the next three days, I’ll put you through some brutal training. Trust me—if we work together properly, sneaking into the Flower-Viewing Banquet won’t be a problem. Heck, even becoming the Empress Dowager’s adopted daughter won’t be impossible.”

Su Hewan twitched at the corner of her mouth. “…That’s really unnecessary.”

Shen Jue watched the scene before him, a trace of deep thought passing over his eyes.

These two women seemed to be hiding more secrets than he had imagined.

Especially Su Hewan.

She looked fragile enough to be blown over by a gust of wind, yet the complexity in her mind was greater than all the ancient books in the room.

“Good.”

Shen Jue stood.

“Then it’s settled. Three days from now—the Flower-Viewing Banquet.”

Backyard of Yuyuan Garden.

“Wrong! Back straight! Eyes steady, don’t wander! You’re a palace maid, not Liu Laolao visiting the Grand View Garden!”

“Smile! Teeth visible but not gums—just the right three-part smile! Wanwan, that’s a fake smile—it looks like facial paralysis!”

“Lu Yan! What are you standing there for? Come help, act as the Empress Dowager! I need to feel that pressure from someone above me!”

Lu Yan, black-faced, held a embroidered spring knife, forced into the role of the Empress Dowager.

“Yu Qing, do you want to die?”

“Oh, Lord Lu, for the greater good, just make this small sacrifice!” Yu Qing grinned cheekily and moved closer.

“Come, sit right there. Eyes fierce—yes, that look like you want to cut me to pieces! Perfect!”

Lu Yan: “……”

He, the proud Commander of the Embroidered Guards, was actually playing house here with two crazy women.

He must be out of his mind!

On the other side, Su Hewan was practicing walking while balancing a book on her head, swaying unsteadily and sweating all over.

Shen Jue sat at a nearby stone table, sipping tea, and watched Su Hewan practice with obvious amusement.

“Qingqing, am I doing this right?” Su Hewan asked her best friend in disbelief.

Yu Qing raised an eyebrow: “You’re questioning your instructor!”

Su Hewan: “……”

【Help! Mom, I want to go home!】

Shen Jue, hearing Su Hewan’s silent inner scream, let the faintest trace of a smile deepen at the corners of his lips.

“Su Hewan.” he spoke suddenly.

“Huh?” Su Hewan instinctively turned her head—and the book on her head fell with a soft plop.

Flustered, she reached to catch it but slipped, pitching forward.

The anticipated pain never came.

A strong hand steadied her waist.

The faint scent of sandalwood instantly enveloped her.

When Su Hewan lifted her head, she collided with Shen Jue’s fathomless eyes.

“Be careful.”

Shen Jue’s voice was low and pleasant, carrying a subtle hint of indulgence.

“If you fall and get hurt, that doesn’t count as work injury!”

Su Hewan’s heart skipped a beat.

【Help! Is this man… flirting with me? He must be flirting with me!】

Shen Jue’s fingers stiffened slightly before he quickly withdrew his hand and casually straightened his sleeve.

“Keep practicing.”

He turned away with a cold face, yet his ears burned red as if bleeding.

This woman—utterly shameless.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

The Flower Viewing Banquet arrived as scheduled.

In the Imperial Garden, the plum blossoms were in full bloom!

Silks and satins of all colors flowed through the garden. Noble ladies from the capital, dressed in elaborate finery—some gentle and graceful, others cute and charming—subtly competed with each other.

In an inconspicuous corner, two low-ranking palace maids in pink uniforms kept their heads down, blending in with the procession carrying fruit trays.

“So many people…”

Su Hewan lowered her eyes, holding a tray of glistening grapes, her palms sweating.

“Calm, stay calm.”

Yu Qing, walking ahead with her own tray, spoke in a barely audible voice, yet with a trace of excitement.

“As long as we don’t look up, no one will notice NPCs like us. When we reach the Empress Dowager, just follow my lead and watch my eyes for instructions.”

“You’re sure?” Su Hewan asked doubtfully.

“Relax.”

Yu Qing’s lips curved into a mischievous smile.

“I’ve written the script. Today, we’re not just supporting characters—we’re stealing the show. We’ll do it so well, they’ll question reality itself!”

At that moment, a sharp announcement rang through the Imperial Garden.

“The Empress Dowager has arrived—”

The crowd fell silent, and everyone knelt down.

Su Hewan and Yu Qing quickly followed suit, keeping their heads bowed low.

It had to be said—Yu Qing really had skills.

At the break of dawn, she had already been tinkering with leftover scraps from the imperial kitchen, mixing red and green powders. Su Hewan watched in awe as Yu Qing used a scorched willow branch to outline her eyebrows and dabbed her cheeks with flower petal juice.

Lu Yan: “……”

He, the proud Commander of the Embroidered Guards, was actually playing house here with two crazy women.

He must be out of his mind!

On the other side, Su Hewan was practicing walking while balancing a book on her head, swaying unsteadily and sweating all over.

Shen Jue sat at a nearby stone table, sipping tea, and watched Su Hewan practice with obvious amusement.

“Qingqing, am I doing this right?” Su Hewan asked her best friend in disbelief.

Yu Qing raised an eyebrow: “You’re questioning your instructor!”

Su Hewan: “……”

【Help! Mom, I want to go home!】

Shen Jue, hearing Su Hewan’s silent inner scream, let the faintest trace of a smile deepen at the corners of his lips.

“Su Hewan.” he spoke suddenly.

“Huh?” Su Hewan instinctively turned her head—and the book on her head fell with a soft plop.

Flustered, she reached to catch it but slipped, pitching forward.

The anticipated pain never came.

A strong hand steadied her waist.

The faint scent of sandalwood instantly enveloped her.

When Su Hewan lifted her head, she collided with Shen Jue’s fathomless eyes.

“Be careful.”

Shen Jue’s voice was low and pleasant, carrying a subtle hint of indulgence.

“If you fall and get hurt, that doesn’t count as work injury!”

Su Hewan’s heart skipped a beat.

【Help! Is this man… flirting with me? He must be flirting with me!】

Shen Jue’s fingers stiffened slightly before he quickly withdrew his hand and casually straightened his sleeve.

“Keep practicing.”

He turned away with a cold face, yet his ears burned red as if bleeding.

This woman—utterly shameless.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

The Flower Viewing Banquet arrived as scheduled.

In the Imperial Garden, the plum blossoms were in full bloom!

Silks and satins of all colors flowed through the garden. Noble ladies from the capital, dressed in elaborate finery—some gentle and graceful, others cute and charming—subtly competed with each other.

In an inconspicuous corner, two low-ranking palace maids in pink uniforms kept their heads down, blending in with the procession carrying fruit trays.

“So many people…”

Su Hewan lowered her eyes, holding a tray of glistening grapes, her palms sweating.

“Calm, stay calm.”

Yu Qing, walking ahead with her own tray, spoke in a barely audible voice, yet with a trace of excitement.

“As long as we don’t look up, no one will notice NPCs like us. When we reach the Empress Dowager, just follow my lead and watch my eyes for instructions.”

“You’re sure?” Su Hewan asked doubtfully.

“Relax.”

Yu Qing’s lips curved into a mischievous smile.

“I’ve written the script. Today, we’re not just supporting characters—we’re stealing the show. We’ll do it so well, they’ll question reality itself!”

At that moment, a sharp announcement rang through the Imperial Garden.

“The Empress Dowager has arrived—”

The crowd fell silent, and everyone knelt down.

Su Hewan and Yu Qing quickly followed suit, keeping their heads bowed low.

It had to be said—Yu Qing really had skills.

At the break of dawn, she had already been tinkering with leftover scraps from the imperial kitchen, mixing red and green powders. Su Hewan watched in awe as Yu Qing used a scorched willow branch to outline her eyebrows and dabbed her cheeks with flower petal juice.

“Wow, this acting… if it were in modern times, it would at least win a Golden Broom Award.” Yu Qing muttered to herself.

Su Hewan, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes.

“Amateurish framing and false accusations. At this level, she wouldn’t survive even the first episode of Empresses in the Palace.”

Her gaze landed on Zhang Yan’er’s meticulously styled bun.

Though it looked perfectly smooth, under the sunlight, a tiny, almost imperceptible hollow was visible—a mark left where the hairpin had just been removed and the hair hadn’t fully sprung back.

Clearly, this was done by her own hand.

“Qingqing, go.” Su Hewan subtly nudged Yu Qing’s elbow.

“Understood!”

Yu Qing instantly went full drama mode.

Carrying a tray, she rushed forward.

“Careful, careful! Hot tea!”

Her shout successfully drew half of everyone’s attention away from Lin Wan’er.

Yu Qing steadied herself, stopping perfectly between Zhang Yan’er and Lin Wan’er.

Blinking wide-eyed, she looked at Zhang Yan’er’s skirt in mock surprise.

“Ah! Miss, why is the water stain on your dress still warm?”

Zhang Yan’er, already angry, was interrupted by the little maid and snapped back irritably: “Of course it’s hot! It was just poured! Get lost, lowly servant!”

Yu Qing, however, didn’t budge. Instead, she scratched her head in confusion, speaking loud enough for those around her to hear clearly:

“But… I saw it clearly from behind. Miss Lin’s table is at least five steps away from you. Even if water was thrown, tea traveling five steps through the air should have cooled halfway down, right? How could it still scald your dress enough to crease it? Unless…”

Yu Qing tilted her head, looking earnestly curious: “Unless the tea had legs and jumped into your arms on its own? Or… it was poured right beside you?”

At these words, a heavy silence fell.

Everyone present was sharp-minded; the sudden incident had momentarily confused them, but Yu Qing’s comment immediately made them reconsider.

Five steps away and still scorching tea?

That’s basically a high-pressure water cannon!

Zhang Yan’er’s expression stiffened, a flicker of panic in her eyes. “You… what nonsense are you spouting! Which palace are you from, daring to slander your mistress!”

At that moment, Su Hewan stepped forward with calm, measured strides.

She first performed a proper bow. Rising, her gaze was steady and piercing, locked on Zhang Yan’er.

“Miss Zhang, please calm yourself. I am not speaking frivolously, but I would not wish for you, in a moment of impatience, to wrongly accuse a good person and lose your own dignity.”

Her voice was cool and calm, carrying an inexplicable authority that commanded belief.

Raising her hand, she pointed at Zhang Yan’er’s sleeve.

“You claimed that your golden hairpin was stolen, yet it seems I just saw a flash of gold at the cuff of your right sleeve. And at the rear-right side of your bun, a few hairs are slightly disturbed. The size of that hollow seems to match perfectly with the hairpin’s shaft.”

She paused, her tone still serene, yet every word cut deep.

“If it had been stolen, there would have been pulling, and the bun would not have just one neat hollow. Unless… it was carefully removed along the hair’s natural lines.”

The crowd gasped.