Chapter 3: Falling into the Water Again

“Miss, you are truly beautiful!” Hua Kai said as she tucked the last ruby-encrusted gold hairpin into Qiu Liyue’s hair.

“Is that so?” Qiu Liyue looked at the woman in the bronze mirror, coated in thick layers of powder and adorned with a head full of gold hairpins and pearl ornaments. Beautiful? Every single one of these hairpins was exquisitely luxurious, but piled all together, she looked like a fool who had never seen the world.

“Yes!” Hua Kai lowered her head and said, “This red skirt of cloud-brocade matches these ruby hair ornaments perfectly; they truly shine together. However, even these cannot hide your beauty, Miss!”

Looking at Hua Kai’s insincere manner, Qiu Liyue sighed helplessly in her heart. How naive had she been in her past life to actually believe such words? This cloud-brocade was indeed high-quality material, but anyone with a bit of attention could see that the style of this skirt was meant for a married woman.

Her dear mother was certainly working hard to achieve her goals!

Ever since the day she agreed to change her name, there had been no further issues with her food or medicine for several days.

Last night, her mother had sent over this red cloud-brocade skirt, telling her to wear it today. She said that Her Majesty the Empress was hosting a Hundred Flowers Banquet in the palace today and had invited the children of high-ranking officials; naturally, she was among those invited.

A Hundred Flowers Banquet? The annual Hundred Flowers Banquet had never invited the Qiu household before. Why was the Qiu household included this time? In her past life, after the Hundred Flowers Banquet, Qiu Lixing was frequently summoned to the palace, while she was confined to her home for "instruction."

“Miss, let’s go!” Hua Luo spoke up.

Qiu Liyue nodded and followed Hua Kai and Hua Luo to the main gate of the Qiu residence, where she immediately spotted the meticulously dressed Qiu Lixing.

Qiu Lixing was wearing a cyan cloud-brocade long skirt, making her appear even more fresh, elegant, and gentle. Especially when paired with this "big red flower" (Qiu Liyue), the contrast made the latter's temperament seem to rise by another level.

“Green leaves set off the red flower. Standing beside Second Sister, Eldest Sister looks even more dazzling,” Qiu Zhen, who had come out to see them off, praised with a grin.

Qiu Liyue feigned ignorance of all this, spun around, and asked, “Mother, am I beautiful?”

“Beautiful. My Lixing is the most beautiful; no one can compare!” Yun Ruo said, looking at Qiu Liyue with a smile in her eyes. Seeing Qiu Liyue’s silence over the past two days, she had thought the girl had realized something, but seeing her today, she was as foolish as ever.

Qiu Liyue boarded the carriage with a blissful expression.

On the way, Yun Ruo did not forget to remind her two daughters of various precautions to take in the palace. Qiu Liyue set down her teacup and took the opportunity to ask the doubt in her heart, “Mother, why haven't we seen invitations to any Hundred Flowers Banquets in the past?”

Yun Ruo paused for a moment, then smiled and said, “That was because you were too young in the past. Now that you are grown, there will be plenty of such opportunities in the future.”

Though Yun Ruo said this, she sneered inwardly. What Hundred Flowers Banquet? It was really about Liyue, wasn't it? The Empress Dowager had just passed away, and they couldn't hold out much longer. However, this was good; it gave my daughter an opportunity.

Half an hour later, the group disembarked from the carriage and followed a small eunuch toward the Imperial Garden.

“Mother, I need to use the restroom!” Qiu Liyue whispered to Yun Ruo. Seeing the flash of hesitation on Yun Ruo’s face, Qiu Liyue didn't wait for her to say anything else; she hurriedly grabbed her skirts and hurried toward a side path. “Mother, you all go ahead. I will find you in a moment.”

“Hua Kai, Hua Luo, watch over Miss!” Yun Ruo commanded urgently. Had she known, she wouldn't have let her drink so much tea in the carriage.

On the roof of a palace not far from the path sat two people. One suddenly spoke, “I say, Nalan Xuan, is this the beauty you brought me to see?”

Nalan Xuan stared at the dazzlingly red Qiu Liyue, who was lifting her skirts, and said without a hint of embarrassment, “Even a horse can stumble! Ye Liuyun, don't stare at her. Look at that woman in the cyan skirt—can she be considered a beauty?” Nalan Xuan gestured for Ye Liuyun to look at Qiu Lixing.

“Barely!” Ye Liuyun watched the flash of red disappearing from sight. She was clearly a young lady, so why was she wearing a woman's skirt? Something was strange!

Seeing that Yun Ruo had not sent anyone to chase after her, Qiu Liyue slowed her pace and walked slowly along the gravel path. She didn't even know where she was going; she only knew that she couldn't appear before everyone looking like this.

Although she didn't know why Yun Ruo had intentionally dressed her this way, doing the exact opposite was certainly the right move.

“Miss, where are you going?” Hua Luo asked from behind her.

“The latrine!” Qiu Liyue replied without looking back. Suddenly, she caught sight of the shimmering water surface ahead, and a brilliant idea flashed through her mind.

Qiu Liyue walked toward the edge of the pond with an air of nonchalance. After glancing at her reflection in the water, she suddenly tugged forcefully at the bun on her head. “Hua Kai, what kind of hairstyle is this? Why does it look so ugly!”

“It can't be! Miss, you are very beautiful!” Hua Kai said, looking at Qiu Liyue cautiously. “Miss, please stop pulling. We have to see Her Majesty the Empress soon; if your hair is a mess, you will be blamed.”

“Don't even start, it's clearly because you didn't style it well!” As Qiu Liyue spoke, she pulled even harder at the coiled strands of hair.

“Miss, you can't pull! You can't!” Hua Kai and Hua Luo were struck with terror and rushed forward to grab Qiu Liyue’s hands.

The three of them instantly became a tangled mess.

A smile flashed across the corners of Qiu Liyue’s mouth; her chance to turn the tables had finally arrived! She gripped Hua Kai and Hua Luo tightly with both hands, intentionally slipped, and tumbled toward the pond.

With three successive "plops," all three fell into the water.

Nalan Xuan, who was hiding behind a tree, was about to rush out to save them, but he was held back by Ye Liuyun, who said, “The show has just begun!”

Thanks to her two years of imprisonment in Luoxia Courtyard in her past life, she had inadvertently learned how to swim. With just a few strokes of her arms, she dove to the bottom of the pond, tore off all the hairpins from her head, wiped away the thick layers of white powder from her face, and by the time she surfaced, she was already on the other side of the pond.

However, just as Qiu Liyue popped her head up, she met a face with willow-leaf eyebrows and almond eyes. The woman was also dressed in red, and her gaze flickered with a hint of surprise.

In an instant, Qiu Liyue remembered: this was An Xiaoman, the Empress's niece. She was highly skilled in martial arts and extremely arrogant, but she wasn't a bad person. In her past life, she had only met her once at a Hundred Flowers Banquet. She hadn't expected to meet her like this in this life.

“Pull me up!” Qiu Liyue reached out.

As soon as An Xiaoman pulled Qiu Liyue out of the pond, her face suddenly darkened. “You dare command me?”

Qiu Liyue let out a "pfft" of laughter at her rapid change of expression. “I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare! Look, we are both wearing red skirts. Yours looks flamboyant and gorgeous, while I ended up looking like a drowned rat. Don't be angry.”

Hearing Qiu Liyue say this, the corners of An Xiaoman's mouth couldn't help but curl up. “You are quite interesting. My name is An Xiaoman. Who are you? Why have I never seen you before? How did you fall into this Bibo Pond?”

“Qiu Liyue. This is my first time entering the palace, but...” Before Qiu Liyue could finish, she heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

“Quick, let's go! If you are seen looking like this, you'll become a laughingstock!” An Xiaoman grabbed Qiu Liyue’s hand, and with a flash, they both vanished without a trace.