Investigating the Enemy

In the next few days, Xiaoguo did not follow Jiang Danhe’s instructions to stay in the house. Instead, she went out as much as she could, seemingly trying to let everyone know that she was going out.

However, she was selective with the places she went to. She only went to places which were more crowded. In that way, the other party could tail her while she wouldn’t end up being alone with the stalker.

It served the purpose of finding out what the other party was up to and at the same time, she would not put herself in danger.

Yu Zhizhi was also very pleased. Based on her observations over the past few days, other than having a beautiful face, there was nothing much to rave about Qin Xiaoguo. She went out everyday and only knew how to dine and have fun. She didn’t spend much time with her family at all. Other than her looks, she was much better than Qin Xiaoguo in all other aspects.

If Xiaoguo knew what Yu Zhizhi was thinking, she would definitely laugh to death. If she didn’t go out, how could she lure the other party out? She was doing all this to find out what the other party was up to.

—-

One morning, Jiang Danhe looked at the well-dressed woman and asked helplessly, “Going out again?”

“Yes!”

Xiaoguo smiled and nodded. Then, she thought of something and said to him, “Stop investigating Yu Zhizhi. I think I know what she’s up to.”

Jiang Danhe raised his eyebrows in interest. He had yet to find out anything, but Xiaoguo already knew something. How interesting. He asked curiously, “What is she trying to do?”

“She is trying to snatch Tang Seng’s meat1 from me!”

With that, she walked out, leaving Jiang Danhe feeling confused.

She wasn’t spouting nonsense. Jiang Danhe was her Tang Seng’s meat.

Xiaoguo walked out of the house all dressed up. After a few steps, Jiang Danhe chased after her with a thick cloak in his hand.

“I’m not wearing it!” Xiaoguo struggled to get out of the way. There was a reason why she was dressed so beautifully. In the face of her love rival, she had to make sure she was dressed for the battle.

“No, put it on!”

The man, who was usually submissive to her, was very insistent at this moment. He looked like he would not let her leave until she put the cloak on.

Feeling helpless, she could only let him put it on for her.

After Jiang Danhe buttoned up the cloak, he looked at her from head to toe and nodded in satisfaction. “Go but don’t venture too far.”

“Alright…”

Xiaoguo replied and left eagerly. The earlier episode had caused a slight delay. She didn’t know if Yu Zhizhi was waiting anxiously for her. If she got frustrated and decided to stop tailing her, she would have dressed up for nothing.

“By the way, don’t go out this afternoon. The emperor is holding a banquet tonight. We have to turn up on time.”

After Jiang Danhe finished speaking, Xiaoguo stopped in surprise. “Is it finally happening?”

“Yes.” Jiang Danhe walked over to straighten her hairpin. “The Imperial Astronomers predicted that tonight is an auspicious date.”

Xiaoguo nodded to show that she understood. How troublesome. They even need an auspicious date to hold a banquet.

Being dressed in an oversized cloak, Xiaoguo walked around clumsily and aimlessly for a long time. However, the person who was supposed to be following her did not appear. Xiaoguo found it extremely strange. “Do I have to use my ultimate move?”

Just as Xiaoguo was looking around, a person appeared out of nowhere. Xiaoguo had a keen sixth sense and instinctively dodged in time. The person who suddenly jumped out of nowhere fell heavily to the ground.

Xiaoguo took a closer look. Wasn’t this the Yu Zhizhi she had been waiting for?

Hiding the smile on her face, she put on a worried expression and asked, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine. Are you okay?”

Yu Zhizhi was looking at Xiaoguo with a kind and harmless expression. Those who didn’t know better would think that she was really innocent.

Xiaoguo smiled back with a face that was more innocent and harmless than her. Since she was fine, why wasn’t she getting up yet?

Yu Zhizhi waited for a long time, but she saw that the other party had no intention of helping her up. She couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

According to the script she had imagined, Qin Xiaoguo should be helping her up enthusiastically and apologetically. Then, she would generously accept her apology. After all, if Xiaoguo had not dodged, she would not have fallen to the ground.

Then, she would make use of the information she had gathered about Xiaoguo over the past few days to get closer to her. After befriending her, she would get the chance to meet Jiang Danhe. Then she would be able to express her feelings for him. After impressing him, she would end up being with him. This was the direction of the story. Why was the first step so difficult at this moment?

However, it wasn’t a big problem. Yu Zhizhi patted the dirt off her clothes and got up. If outsiders saw this, they would definitely think that this girl was really tough. Xiaoguo was in awe of her thick skin. The situation was already so awkward, but she was able to continue with her act. How impressive!

After that, Yu Zhizhi started showing off her acting skills. Xiaoguo played along with her occasionally. It made Yu Zhizhi feel like she was almost in control, but not entirely. Things were not quite like what they seemed.

No matter what, the two of them had become friends. Of course, this was only Yu Zhizhi’s one-sided opinion. Xiaoguo was just putting on an act to go along with her.

After they parted ways, they each headed for their accommodations. Xiaoguo looked back at her and saw that Yu Zhizhi’s back view was radiating with joy. She couldn’t stop herself and laughed out loud.

This Yu Zhizhi was very naive. Xiaoguo had thought that she was a very scheming person, but if she had to say it, this Yu Zhizhi was at most a scheming and naive little girl.

All her plans were written all over her face. On the surface, it looked like Xiaoguo was just agreeing with everything Yu Zhizhi was saying, but in fact, Yu Zhizhi had unknowingly told her a lot. When the information was put together, it was not difficult to guess her ultimate goal. Of course, she was trying to win over Jiang Danhe.

During the conversation, Xiaoguo mentioned Jiang Danhe a few times. When Yu Zhizhi heard his name, an infatuated expression immediately appeared on her face. When she heard that Xiaoguo was going to introduce Jiang Danhe to her, the joy on her face was indescribable. Fortunately, she managed to hold back at the last moment. This made Xiaoguo very satisfied with her behavior.

It wouldn’t be fun if Yu Zhizhi revealed herself so quickly. At this moment, she only hoped that the other party could hold on for a while longer and not show her true colors so soon.

On the other side, Yu Zhizhi returned to her room. The first thing she did was to close the door tightly. She sat back at the table and picked up the teapot to drink. As she was a physician that was brought along by the Prime Minister’s wife, her room was big and beautifully decorated.

After gulping down the whole pot of tea, she heaved a sigh of relief.

Yu Zhizhi wiped away the moisture from her mouth happily. She could not hide the joy that she was feeling. She was now one step closer to Jiang Danhe!

She had not expected to meet him again, but now, he had suddenly appeared in front of her. She still remembered how she had secretly watched him when she was hiding by the sea. It was hard to forget the feeling of recovering what she had lost. Of course, she would never forget the woman who was holding hands with him, his wife.

At first glance, she felt very inferior. Although the other party was dressed plainly, she was very beautiful. She looked very compatible with him, unlike her, who was dark and thin and unattractive…

Knowing that she was not worthy of him, she could only watch him secretly from afar. Just catching a glance of him was enough for her.

However, the more she looked at him, the more upset she felt. She started to observe the woman beside him. Apart from her beauty, what other qualities did she have that she was able to attract such a handsome man? Yu Zhizhi wanted to find out. Otherwise, it was hard for her to admit defeat.

Seeing Xiaoguo and Xiao Zhu laughing happily by the window, this was the first time she had seen someone laugh so beautifully without caring about her image. That time, she was almost prepared to give up.

She was really prepared to call it quits, but by coincidence, it seemed that even the heavens were helping her. Suddenly, an opportunity was presented to her, and her love for him was rekindled again.

One of the physicians brought by a lady happened to fall sick. By a stroke of luck, she was chosen to replace him. Fortunately, she had been learning medicine from her father since she was young, so she could easily handle most minor ailments. The heavens were truly on her side!