Lin Qinghe left You Rong's chambers and returned to her own room, suddenly remembering something of utmost importance.
If she wanted to help You Rong, she first had to expose the spies Duan Guifei had planted in the Eastern Palace. Otherwise, every single one of her actions, no matter how trivial, would be reported directly to Duan Guifei.
Lin Qinghe pondered for a moment, narrowing her suspicions down to Zhu Hong.
Zhu Hong had always been closest to her, responsible for her daily meals and living arrangements, and therefore spent the most time with her.
Just two days prior, after she had woken up and sent Zhu Hong away, Duan Guifei's people had arrived with swords. Such precise timing of their arrival could only mean someone had tipped them off.
Lin Qinghe's eyes narrowed slightly.
To catch a cheating spouse, one needed evidence; to catch a thief, one needed the stolen goods. She currently lacked concrete proof, making it difficult to make any rash judgments. It seemed she needed to devise a plan to make Zhu Hong reveal herself, to catch her red-handed.
For Zhu Hong to leak information again, it would have to be about something related to You Rong…
Lin Qinghe thought long and hard but couldn't come up with any situation involving You Rong that could cause trouble. After all, she was eager to please You Rong right now; how could she possibly stir up trouble involving him?
Yet, it *had* to be related to You Rong…
With no other options, Lin Qinghe resorted to a drastic measure: she decided to go to You Rong's chambers herself and spend the night there, just the two of them.
Duan Guifei currently didn't trust her much and would undoubtedly have people watching her closely. If Zhu Hong were the spy, she would surely report any ambiguous situation to Duan Guifei.
At night.
Lin Qinghe deliberately called for Zhu Hong to deliver a bowl of ginseng soup to the entrance of You Rong's chambers. After receiving it, she waved Zhu Hong away and said, "That's all. I will attend to Crown Prince You Rong tonight. You can all go back and rest."
Zhu Hong's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Sister Qinghe, can you manage attending to Crown Prince You Rong alone at night? Perhaps I could stay with you?"
"What is there that I can't manage? You all may leave now."
Lin Qinghe feigned impatience and, without waiting to see if Zhu Hong and the others retreated, pushed open the chamber door and entered.
Closing the door, Lin Qinghe turned to face You Rong's cold gaze.
You Rong, wearing inner garments, sat before the couch, his brows furrowed in displeasure. He had clearly retired for the night and had been disturbed by her entrance.
You Rong: "Why have you come in?"
Lin Qinghe's eyes darted about, and she gave a nervous, dry laugh. "Heh heh… That, Crown Prince, I brought you some ginseng soup to nourish your body…"
"Leave it, and get out."
"This…" Lin Qinghe braced herself and said, "Crown Prince, I will be attending to you tonight. If you need anything, just command me."
Her words caused You Rong to clench the fist by his side. He spoke each word through gritted teeth, "This Crown Prince does not need it. Get out!"
Lin Qinghe felt a headache coming on. She assumed You Rong detested her and didn't want to be in the same room, failing to notice his unusual demeanor.
"Crown Prince, I will truly only serve you tonight. As soon as dawn breaks, I will leave immediately! And I promise not to come to your chambers at night anymore, alright?" Lin Qinghe negotiated with You Rong helplessly.
Little did she know, You Rong's face grew increasingly grim. If one looked closely, his earlobes were faintly red. He gritted his teeth and cursed, "Shameless!"
With that, he flicked his sleeve and, full of anger, stormed towards the door to leave.
Seeing this, Lin Qinghe darted forward, spreading her arms to block the entrance. She urgently explained, "Crown Prince! I am staying in your chambers tonight to investigate something. Duan Guifei has placed others here besides me. I need to find them to facilitate my future actions and lift your confinement…"
Noticing You Rong pause, Lin Qinghe quickly continued her explanation. "I know you detest me, but please bear with me for one night. I will, I will…" Lin Qinghe glanced at the couch inside the chamber. "I will just rest my eyes on the couch and promise not to make any noise to disturb your rest!"
You Rong's expression turned somewhat strange. "You are staying in this Crown Prince's chambers tonight solely to find Duan Guifei's other spies?"
Lin Qinghe nodded vigorously, fearing that if she was a second too slow, You Rong wouldn't believe her.
Then You Rong fell silent again.
Lin Qinghe felt a chill run down her spine, completely unable to fathom You Rong's thoughts. She tentatively asked in a low voice, "Crown Prince, Crown Prince… perhaps I could sleep on the floor by the farthest door? That way, you won't see me, and you won't be bothered. Is that acceptable?"
You Rong looked up, his gaze dark and unreadable, and glanced at Lin Qinghe. He let out a cold snort, his face grim, and turned back to the couch.
Lin Qinghe stood frozen, utterly bewildered.
What did You Rong mean by this? Was he agreeing or not?
"Crown Prince, I…"
Before Lin Qinghe could finish speaking, You Rong's cold voice cut her off, "If you make even the slightest sound, you will be thrown out immediately!"
Lin Qinghe quickly shut her mouth, not daring to speak further.
However, Lin Qinghe's gaze doubtfully flicked towards the couch not far away, then down towards the doorway. After a moment's hesitation, she lay down on the couch.
After all, You Rong hadn't agreed to her last proposal, nor had he forbidden her from sleeping on the couch. She wasn't foolish; if she could choose the couch, who would want to sleep on the floor?
Lying on the couch, Lin Qinghe inwardly congratulated herself. Fortunately, she had been clever enough to bring an extra cloak, which now served as her blanket.
Lin Qinghe closed her eyes, mentally planning how to catch Zhu Hong's slip-up the next day. With her chaotic thoughts swirling, she unknowingly drifted off to sleep.
As Lin Qinghe's breathing gradually deepened, You Rong, who had kept his eyes closed, opened them. He turned his head, his lips pressed into a thin line, and gazed through the hanging bed curtains at the person sleeping soundly on the couch.
Just now, he had actually thought Lin Qinghe was going to…
You Rong snorted, turned his back, and closed his eyes again, forcing himself to cast away all the nonsensical thoughts from his mind.
Inside the chambers, fortunately, no one else was present, and only a few candles were lit. Otherwise, one could clearly see the faint blush on You Rong's face.
The night passed quietly. As dawn broke outside the window.
Lin Qinghe, who had slept soundly, opened her eyes. She turned her head and saw that You Rong had already risen and was sitting upright at his desk.
Lin Qinghe blinked in surprise, her thoughts instantly returning. She quickly got up from the couch and curtsied, "Your servant greets Crown Prince. You are up very early today."
Lin Qinghe did not suspect her eyesight; You Rong's expression immediately turned unpleasant.
Lin Qinghe, knowing the situation, didn't want to be a nuisance. She said, "Um… Crown Prince, your servant will go out and call someone to help you with your ablutions!"
With that, she beat a hasty retreat from You Rong's chambers.
Outside the chamber door, as expected, she encountered Zhu Hong.
Upon seeing her, Zhu Hong curtsied and feigned surprise, asking, "Sister Qinghe, you were… serving Crown Prince in his chambers all night?"