Chapter 15: Guessed Right

　　Chen Zhi paused for a moment. What on earth was she talking about? Discussing the Prince Regent's ability to rebel in front of his guard while in Yu Qian's harem. Her mind must be completely muddled tonight! She pulled the brocade quilt over her head, forcing herself to fall asleep. She couldn't afford to talk to Rong Quan any further.

　　The next day, two palace maids arrived at the Changle Palace. Initially, Chen Zhi didn't want to keep them, but Rong Quan informed her that they were sent by the Prince Regent to protect her. After a brief consideration, she decided to keep them. She owed the Prince Regent a favor and was waiting for an opportunity to repay it. His sending these maids was for her safety. Just by looking at them, one could tell that these two maids had received some form of training. They were clearly different from the ordinary palace servants. They were energetic, with upright postures. Their faces, without any makeup, still exuded a vibrant look.

　　The Prince Regent really took care of Yue Chen meticulously, considering every aspect. Such a considerate and sincere man, why didn't the original owner take a fancy to him? Chen Zhi propped her chin with her hand, sitting at the stone table in the back garden, lost in thought. She tried hard to recall, and then, to her dismay, she realized that she had completely forgotten what the Prince Regent looked like. If she were to meet him in the future and not recognize his face, would it seem too disrespectful? Chen Zhi furrowed her brows, a hint of worry crossing her face.

　　"Miss, this is the osmanthus - scented lotus - seed cake made by Lüzhi. Please have a taste and see how it is," Qingxi said respectfully as she walked forward.

　　Upon hearing this, Chen Zhi turned her head to look at the plate of osmanthus - scented lotus - seed cake on the stone table. The cake was beautifully shaped, blooming like a lotus flower. Its color was a delicate blend of light white and pink, and it was decorated with slightly yellow osmanthus flowers, making it almost too beautiful to eat.

　　Chen Zhi picked up one piece, brought it to her nose, and took a sniff. There was a faint, almost imperceptible fragrance. She slowly put it into her mouth. The taste was indeed good, but she couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity, as if she had eaten it a long time ago. It was really strange!

　　Qingxi carefully observed her expression. Her hands, folded in front of her abdomen, unconsciously tightened, and nail marks immediately appeared on her palms. Seeing that Yue Chen liked the cake and picked up another piece, her tightly - clenched hands relaxed slightly. A pang of bittersweetness welled up in her heart, and her eyes became slightly moist. Sensing this, she quickly lowered her head.

　　Rong Quan showed up at the right moment. He unceremoniously picked up a piece of the osmanthus - scented lotus - seed cake from the table and put it into his mouth. After chewing a few times, a look of surprise crossed his face, but he didn't spit out the chewed cake. "Yue Chen, is there something wrong with your sense of taste? This cake is clearly bitter." These days, the imperial cuisine had spoiled Rong Quan's palate. He had always had a sweet tooth, and the imperial chefs, noticing that he ate the most sweet - tasting dishes among the daily - returned meals, had tried their best to make more of them. Having consumed too much sweet food, he naturally couldn't stand anything bitter.

　　"It's called lotus - seed cake, so it's supposed to be bitter," Chen Zhi said, not bothering to argue with him. "You've eaten too much sweet food recently. Be careful of tooth decay." Chen Zhi had heard that some people, having endured too much bitterness in their childhood, craved a lot of sweet food to remind themselves only of the sweet taste. Rong Quan hadn't shared much of his past with her, and she didn't want to pry or make random assumptions.

　　Rong Quan looked at Qingxi with a bitter face and said, "Qingxi, tell Lüzhi to make something sweet next time. Bitter food really doesn't taste good."

　　Qingxi looked at Yue Chen, waiting for her to give an order.

　　"Just listen to him. Otherwise, my ears will be tortured again," Rong Quan was obsessed with sweet food. He ate it for three meals a day and never seemed to get tired of it.

　　"Yes, this servant will take her leave," Qingxi said, bowing respectfully.

　　After Qingxi walked away, Chen Zhi looked at Rong Quan, who was sitting beside her carelessly, and asked in a low voice, "You, Qingxi, and Lüzhi are all from the prince's mansion. Are you familiar with them?"

　　Rong Quan shook his head. "They're women and don't often spend time with me. I heard that their previous master wasn't the prince. They only started following him later." He didn't know much about them either. Moreover, he knew his own limitations. He wasn't very intelligent, just having decent martial arts skills. He never asked questions that didn't concern him.

　　"I feel that they treat me very well, even better than they treat you," Chen Zhi said. She couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong. These past few days, she had been observing them carefully from behind. People sent by the Prince Regent surely wouldn't harm her, but按理说, they wouldn't show such whole - hearted loyalty to a completely unfamiliar imperial concubine. Could they be Yue Chen's former personal maids? But that couldn't be right either, as everyone registered in the Yue Mansion had been killed.

　　"Is there anything wrong with that?" Rong Quan asked. This woman was really strange. Why was she being so suspicious when someone treated her well? Was she affected by the actions of the concubines in the harem? Or had she caught the emperor's paranoia?

　　Looking at Rong Quan's puzzled expression, Chen Zhi sighed inwardly. What was she talking to him for? He was such a thick - skinned man! "Nothing's wrong."

　　As the sun was setting, Chen Zhi received an imperial edict from Yu Qian in the Changle Palace. The language was so flowery and convoluted that it made her frown. Lüzhi whispered a concise paraphrase behind her.

　　Chen Zhi's face lit up as she received the edict. She could leave the palace! This was truly a delightful piece of news. Having been cooped up in the palace for so long, she could finally go out and see the outside world. When the evening meal was served, she had a great appetite and ate several more bowls.

　　Rong Quan also heard the edict. He couldn't understand why Yue Chen was so happy. The edict essentially stated that the empress, having experienced great misfortune, was to go to the Weiyun Temple, which was a hundred li away from the capital, to stay for a few days to pray for peace and drive away evil spirits. It was as if they were treating her like a demon. He had never seen anyone so happy when being labeled as possessed by evil spirits.

　　However, thinking about it, it made sense. Yue Chen had indeed changed a lot compared to before, and the change had occurred overnight. It was really hard to understand. Sometimes, when people couldn't figure things out, they would turn to the power of the divine.

　　The matter of Yue Chen leaving the palace to go to the Weiyun Temple was also pushed by Yun Lian. She felt that Yue Chen had become a completely different person, and she couldn't help but think in strange and mysterious ways. At that time, Yue Chen was clearly dead! This couldn't be false. Luo Xia had checked her breath. After the Yue Mansion was exterminated, no one had seen Yue Chen again. She couldn't have faked her death.

　　The incident with He Jieyu further proved her speculation. The Yue Chen she knew couldn't have been so calculating as to effortlessly resolve He Jieyu's elaborate scheme to frame her.

　　Since Yue Chen woke up, everything she did was evidence that she wasn't the original Yue Chen. Perhaps when Yue Chen's soul left her body, a foreign soul趁机 entered and occupied her body, thus resurrecting through Yue Chen's corpse.

　　Moreover, this foreign soul didn't seem to know what had happened to Yue Chen, which made her feel a bit relieved. If it were really Yue Chen reincarnated, the first thing she would do would be to seek revenge. She wouldn't have ignored Yun Lian during the daily greetings as if she were a stranger.

　　There was no denying that Yun Lian was a formidable character. Rising from an orphan girl to the position of imperial concubine, she truly had her own remarkable abilities. Even Chen Zhi, upon learning of this, couldn't help but admire her for guessing so accurately.