Chapter 4: The Real and Fake Qiu Liyue

“Where is this?” Qiu Liyue asked, surveying the furnishings of the room. The decor looked brand new; whether it was the pearwood dressing table, the carved large bed, or even the agarwood wardrobe leaning against the left wall, there wasn't a single trace of use.

“This courtyard was newly renovated; it doesn't have a name yet,” An Xiaoman said as she pulled open the agarwood wardrobe.

A row of dresses hung inside—pale purple, light cyan, sky-blue after rain... without exception, the colors of these dresses were all extremely light. Furthermore, every single piece of clothing was a complete set, and all of them were new.

“How can there be so many new clothes? Is some noble person moving in here?” Standing beside An Xiaoman, Qiu Liyue naturally saw the scene inside the wardrobe.

“I don't know. I only brought you here because I saw someone delivering dresses to this courtyard when I entered the palace a few days ago.” As An Xiaoman spoke, she reached in, pulled out a sky-blue dress, stuffed it into Qiu Liyue's hands, and said, “Wear this one!”

“This...” Qiu Liyue hesitated slightly.

An Xiaoman said dismissively, “Otherwise, you might as well just wear that soaking wet wedding dress to the Hundred Flowers Banquet.”

“Then I'll wear this!”

In the Imperial Garden, the flowers were currently in full bloom, competing in splendor with vibrant purples and brilliant reds.

Almost all the famous noble ladies of the capital were gathered here. At this moment, they were gathered in small groups, conversing in low voices. The various young ladies of noble families were also clustered with those they were acquainted with, whispering amongst themselves.

“The Emperor arrives! Her Majesty the Empress arrives! Consort Shu arrives! Consort De arrives!”

Everyone looked up in unison. They saw the Emperor and Empress walking side by side, followed by Consort Shu and Consort De, and then several princes, dukes, and high officials.

After a round of salutations, the guests and hosts were seated.

The Emperor spoke first, “In today's grand feast, ladies need not observe formal etiquette.”

After the crowd expressed their thanks, the Empress scanned the area with a slight smile and spoke, “Then we shall follow the old rules!”

Looking at the seated Emperor, Yun Ruo’s smile deepened. She had indeed guessed correctly; he truly could not wait.

“Qiumei, go find the Eldest Miss,” Yun Ruo whispered to Qiumei, who stood behind her.

“Du Qianqian, daughter of the Prime Minister, greets the Emperor, Her Majesty the Empress, and all the lords and ladies,” Du Qianqian, dressed in a pink dress, was the first to step forward. With An Xiaoman absent, she held the most prestigious status at this moment; she was not only the daughter of Prime Minister Du but also the niece of Consort Shu, Du Ning'er. Thus, following custom, she was naturally the first of the newly arrived young ladies to introduce herself.

“Liu Huanxue, daughter of the Minister of Rites, greets the Emperor, Her Majesty the Empress, and all the lords and ladies.”

Yun Ruo signaled to Qiu Lixing at her side.

“Qiu Liyue, daughter of the Minister of Revenue, greets the Emperor, Her Majesty the Empress, and all the lords and ladies.” Qiu Lixing, dressed in a cyan dress, stepped forward gracefully.

The Empress nodded. Jinque, standing beside her, took out an exquisite sachet prepared in advance and presented it to Qiu Lixing.

“Thank you for the Empress's reward!” Qiu Lixing respectfully accepted the sachet with both hands from Jinque, the butterfly birthmark on her left wrist clearly visible.

The Emperor's gaze froze for a split second. Although he masked it extremely quickly, several perceptive officials and ladies still showed knowing expressions.

“Greetings, Uncle Emperor! Greetings, Aunt Empress!” A crisp voice interrupted everyone's wandering thoughts. Everyone followed the sound with their eyes. The insiders couldn't help but stare blankly before quickly glancing toward the Emperor, only to see that he had stood up at some unknown point.

Is it her? The Emperor looked at the woman in the sky-blue dress. Her eyes were bright and beautiful, her demeanor elegant and composed, as if she were a moon obscured by light clouds, or drifting snow swirling in a gentle breeze.

“Ahem.” The Empress cleared her throat lightly.

The standing Emperor beckoned to the An Xiaoman, whose red clothes fluttered, “Man-girl, come here. Let your Uncle look at you. Where have you been playing mischief again? You're nowhere to be seen even though the banquet has started.”

An Xiaoman curled her lip dismissively. “When was I being mischievous? I went to do something good.”

“Oh? Empress, listen to that. Even Man-girl can do something good?” The Emperor laughed, sitting back down while speaking to the Empress.

“Uncle Emperor looks down on people!” An Xiaoman waved to Qiu Liyue.

Qiu Liyue had seen the Emperor's loss of composure just now. This situation had never occurred in her previous life. The Emperor's gaze toward her was quite strange, but now was not the time to ponder that.

Qiu Liyue stepped forward slowly and bowed, “Qiu Liyue, daughter of the Minister of Revenue, greets the Emperor, Her Majesty the Empress, and all the lords and ladies.”

Qiu Liyue? Qiu Liyue??

As soon as Qiu Liyue's voice fell, the Emperor's face darkened, and the entire Imperial Garden instantly fell into silence.

The several knowing officials and ladies exchanged glances, unsure of what was happening today.

The remaining officials and ladies also suddenly lowered their heads in silence. The lively atmosphere vanished instantly; a gust of wind swirled past, bringing a sense of chill.

Qiu Jinshan's face had turned completely black.

From the moment he saw Qiu Liyue following behind An Xiaoman, Yun Ruo's expression had grown increasingly grim. After hearing Qiu Liyue's words, she felt as if struck by a bolt of lightning. No matter what, she had never imagined that Qiu Liyue would appear before the Emperor in such a manner—that she would even announce her name as Qiu Liyue?

Was this... was this still that obedient, lowly girl she had always been teaching? Where were those two dead girls, Hua Kai and Hua Luo? How could they not keep an eye on her? And Qiumei? Why didn't she stop this brat?

The Empress sighed inwardly and nodded to Jinque beside her.

Jinque approached Qiu Liyue, carrying another sachet.

Qiu Liyue naturally sensed the bizarre atmosphere, and she knew even better the reason for its appearance.

“Thank you for the Empress's reward!” Qiu Liyue also respectfully accepted the sachet. The butterfly birthmark on her left wrist caused everyone present to gasp once more.

The exact same name? The exact same birthmark? And the person looked fifty percent similar?

“Lady Qiu, your twin daughters not only look similar, but even their birthmarks are identical, and they even have the same name. Is this truly a stroke of unique ingenuity?” Her Majesty the Empress spoke slowly.

Despite her words, she understood in her heart that between the two, one must not be the real Qiu Liyue. Looking at Yun Ruo's expression, she feared the latter one was the true person.

Yun Ruo looked awkward, not knowing how to respond.

An Xiaoman caught Qiu Liyue's slight frown. Her eyes darted around, and she took two steps toward Qiu Lixing, grabbing her left hand. “Let me see. Huh? It really is the same as Liyue's.”

Just now, when Liyue was changing her dress, she had even marveled at how beautiful Qiu Liyue's birthmark was.

As she spoke, An Xiaoman reached for the birthmark. Qiu Lixing was greatly alarmed and hurriedly tried to pull her left hand back, but how could a lady who had never done a day's work have more strength than the martial-practicing An Xiaoman? She used all her strength but could not break free from An Xiaoman's grip, casting an anxious gaze toward Yun Ruo.

*Sss—* After an extremely faint sound, the birthmark on Qiu Lixing's wrist vanished without a trace.

The Imperial Garden was now terrifyingly silent.

“So it was stuck on.” As An Xiaoman spoke, she peeled off the birthmark and pressed it onto her own wrist, then shook her wrist toward the Emperor and Empress. “Look at me, is it pretty?”

Without waiting for the Emperor or Empress to speak, An Xiaoman turned to Qiu Liyue. “Liyue, yours isn't stuck on too, is it? Let me see.”

With that, An Xiaoman grabbed Qiu Liyue's left hand and fumbled around the wrist, then sighed. “Yours is real. I thought I might get another butterfly mark.” As she spoke, she gave Qiu Liyue a secret wink and walked back to her seat with a face full of pride.

“Who are you?” The Emperor stared at Qiu Lixing and suddenly asked. His voice was very calm, but this calmness felt more like the stillness before a storm—truly, the dark clouds press upon the city, threatening to destroy it.