Chapter 38: Water Flow: Deep and Shallow

Released on February 26, 2026

As Yan Yiqing had anticipated, the study was empty at that moment. Fortunately, the light from the courtyard filtered through the windows, making the view relatively clear.

She decided to hide here for a little while.

Once they dispersed, she would find an opportunity to return to the main building.

She felt no guilt whatsoever about sneaking into the study. After confirming the surroundings were safe, she leisurely walked to the official’s hat chair nearby, sat down, and drowsily dozed off.

“Sister Zhuyu, where is the Heir Apparent?” Not seeing Zhao Huairen’s figure behind Zhuyu, Zhichun tugged at her sleeve and asked.

The Heir Apparent still hadn’t returned this late?

Zhuyu’s brows furrowed slightly as she lifted the medicine package in her hand.

“Do we need to soak in this today as well?”

In the transitional season between spring and summer, even the air carried a damp stickiness. Linzhu Courtyard was like this, let alone the secluded Ancestral Hall.

The Heir Apparent had a naturally chilly constitution and needed to nurse her body on the first and fifteenth of every month. She should have been properly recuperating during the seasonal change, yet she had endured such torments for no reason. Today was the twentieth, so it wasn’t necessary by routine, but Zhuyu worried that Zhao Huairen’s body might have some issues, so she had gone out of the city early that morning to find Shijun and brought back the next month’s portion in advance.

Zhuyu nodded and headed toward the study.

Hearing the approaching footsteps, the drowsiness in Yan Yiqing’s eyes vanished instantly. With a whoosh, she darted behind the screen.

There were several maids in the courtyard.

No matter what, she couldn’t go out now.

The news of the Vice Minister of War’s incident would spread throughout Yanjing by tomorrow. The fewer people who knew she had left the mansion late at night, the better. If Zhao Huaijin discovered her, they could make a deal, and she would only have to offer some benefits at most.

But if those maids outside saw her—

Even with threats and bribes, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t let it slip later.

While Yan Yiqing’s mind raced, Zhuyu pushed the door open and entered. Having served by Zhao Huairen’s side for many years, she was very familiar with the study’s layout. Without lighting a lamp, she went straight to the elm bookshelf against the wall.

She moved two ancient books from the second shelf.

A hidden mechanism carved with cloud-thunder patterns immediately appeared before her eyes.

Placing her hands on the bronze-colored mechanism, she scrambled the intricate cloud-thunder patterns until the inner and outer designs were completely reversed. The thick stone wall automatically slid to the left, forming a secret passage wide enough for one person.

Picking up the medicine package from beside it, Zhuyu stepped into the inner chamber.

Yan Yiqing quietly hid in the shadows, watching Zhuyu’s actions closely. She couldn’t help but think to herself: Why was Zhao Huaijin so secretive in her own home, in her own courtyard?

And what was that thing Zhuyu was carrying?

It was neither big nor small, and it looked like some kind of sweet pastry or snack.

Before she could figure out these oddities, after about the time it took to drink half a cup of tea, Zhuyu emerged from the inner chamber, and the item in her hand was gone.

Zhuyu restored the mechanism and replaced the ancient books on the second shelf of the bookshelf. Just as she was about to leave the study, she suddenly stopped.

She walked toward the direction of the screen.

Holding her breath, Yan Yiqing organized her thoughts in her mind.

If there was any unusual noise in the study, the people outside would swarm in. It was best to strike first and intercept her, then discuss with Zhao Huaijin once she returned.

Her fingertips rested on the scabbard of Zhao Ye.

Her delicate brows furrowed slightly. Just as she prepared to act—

The dim study suddenly brightened. After Zhuyu lit an oil lamp and put away the fire starter, she turned and left the study.

The crisis averted, Yan Yiqing breathed a sigh of relief.

After Zhuyu left the study, the voices outside gradually quieted, and the maids seemed to return to their duties.

Her gaze fell on the window near the main building.

Flipping out from here to the main building was only about two or three zhang away.

Yan Yiqing quickly walked to the window, placed her fingers on the windowsill, but her gaze hesitated for a moment.

She had always had a premonition.

Zhao Huaijin had secrets she didn’t know about.

If it had only been baseless speculation before, seeing the mechanism in the inner chamber confirmed it for her.

Now was not the right time to probe the secrets of the inner chamber.

She should have sought another opportunity, yet inexplicably, she walked to the bookshelf.

Yan Yiqing had seen many intricate mechanisms before. Although this one was quite clever, after observing Zhuyu’s operation, replicating it step by step was effortless for her.

With a click, the thick hidden door swung open.

Her heart skipped a beat involuntarily.

Taking a deep breath, Yan Yiqing cautiously stepped into the inner chamber.

The passage was very short, only a few steps in total. A faint light appeared before her eyes. After seeing the scene clearly, the corner of Yan Yiqing’s mouth twitched slightly.

In stark contrast to the hidden wonderland she had imagined, if the study’s furnishings could be called elegant and simple, then this inner chamber was cramped and shabby.

Its length seemed even shorter than her spear.

Practicing martial arts here would at least hit her several times.

Feeling that her earlier imaginings were utterly ridiculous, Yan Yiqing pursed her lips and planned to retrace her steps, only to discover that the hidden door had closed by itself.

What the hell!?

Hadn’t Zhuyu closed the door herself earlier?

Her dark pupils trembled violently. Yan Yiqing glanced back at the empty inner chamber, which looked like a coffin no matter how she viewed it from any angle.

There was an identical mechanism, two oil lamps at the end of the passage, and nothing else—not even an extra table.

She tried turning the mechanism the same way as before.

Unfortunately, the thick stone door showed no reaction whatsoever.

…She hadn’t died on the battlefield or in repeated assassinations. Was she really going to meet her end in this inner chamber today?

Curiosity killed the cat.

It turned out to be a profound truth.

Who knew when Zhao Huaijin and Zhuyu would return? She couldn’t just sit and wait for death; she had to find a way out quickly.

With no information to go on, Yan Yiqing could only examine the three items in the room thoroughly. Unfortunately, whether scrambling the cloud-thunder patterns, aligning them symmetrically, or reversing them, the mechanism remained motionless. Clearly, this design was meant to trap anyone who intruded into the inner chamber.

It was so elaborately complex, yet there was nothing in the inner chamber.

Was this a trap set by Zhao Huaijin to lure people in?

Or perhaps she hadn’t found the real inner chamber.

Standing between the two oil lamps, Yan Yiqing pursed her lips, reached up to turn the lampshade on the left, but her fingertips suddenly paused—

Why was there the sound of flowing water?

And a faint sulfurous smell lingered at the tip of her nose.

She twisted the lampshade harder to the bottom position. Suddenly, the stone brick beneath her feet stirred.

The central stone brick sank downward.

In an instant, a downward stone staircase appeared before her.

Now she just wanted to get out… Zhao Huaijin was her nemesis; she would never probe any more of Zhao Huaijin’s secrets.

Yan Yiqing closed her eyes powerlessly.

Though she didn’t want to continue, she had no other choice at the moment, so she descended the stone steps.

Light, misty water vapor floated in the air.

The fragrance of medicinal herbs mixed with the unique scent of hot springs.

It was just a hot spring pool—why hide it so elaborately? What was so shameful about it?

After all that effort, finding nothing, Yan Yiqing clenched her fist and wanted to go back upstairs to find an exit. But then, the sound of the stone door opening came from above.

Someone else was coming?

Zhuyu, or Zhao Huaijin?

Stepping into the inner chamber and seeing that the mechanism for the stone steps was open, Zhao Huairen felt no surprise. Zhuyu was always considerate and often opened the mechanism for her in advance.

Yan Yiqing crouched and hid in the cabinet.

Her field of vision was extremely narrow; she could only see the scene in the hot spring.

Her gaze fell on the water surface floating with medicinal herbs. A hint of warmth appeared in her light brown eyes as Zhao Huairen raised her hand to remove her outer robe and slowly walked to the pool’s edge.

Her smooth black hair draped down her back.

Her plain undergarment revealed a section of wrist that was dazzlingly fair.

Damn Zhao Huaijin! She was truly fed up! After all this trouble, forced to cower in a low cabinet, and this place turned out to be just Zhao Huaijin’s secret spot for hiding a beauty.

Her jet-black lashes caught some mist as Zhao Huairen’s phoenix eyes lowered. She bent down to pick up a jade hairpin from the small table and casually coiled up her hair.

Her fingers moved slightly, gently removing the undergarment as well.

The soft rustle of clothing falling to the ground was faint.

But for some reason, Yan Yiqing heard it exceptionally clearly.

The lines of her shoulders were soft yet powerful, her long legs well-proportioned in muscle and bone, though her waist was somewhat slender.

Her toes lightly touched the spring’s surface.

The beauty entered the pool, sending ripples spreading in circles.

A flush of heat rose to Yan Yiqing’s ears, and an inexplicable sourness welled up in her heart. She silently pursed her lips.

This woman was indeed very beautiful.

Just her back view alone could shake her to the core.

But the moment she thought of that detestable Zhao Huaijin, who day and night wore a face so similar to Huairen’s, spending time with other women…

Her hands at her sides clenched unconsciously, knuckles whitening from the force. Yan Yiqing raised her eyes to her back, her fingertips curling slightly.

The view wasn’t clear through the rising mist.

Now that the mist had lightened a bit, she finally noticed something wrong.

The slightly protruding butterfly bones were exquisitely shaped, but on them—

There were whip marks, deep and shallow.

And it wasn’t just this one spot.

Her exposed arms also bore obvious old scars.

Just one glance told her these weren’t formed in a day or two.

Scars accumulated over years.

Even more than her own, perhaps.

The warm water fully soaked her skin. Cupping the water waves in her hands, Zhao Huairen turned her head and walked from the center of the hot spring pool to the edge.

Yan Yiqing’s brows knitted tightly as she cursed Zhao Huaijin nonstop in her heart. When she looked up, she froze completely.

The face engraved in her heart.

No matter when, it was as clear as ever.

Every string in her mind snapped at once. Her gaze dulled as she stared blankly at the figure by the pool.

Zhao Huaijin… was a woman?

No.

Uncontrollable joy spread through her limbs.

Her rippling peach-blossom eyes were filled with unprecedented bewilderment.

Forgetting to breathe made her chest feel stuffy. Clutching her throat, Yan Yiqing blinked, staring unblinkingly at her.

The figure she thought she could only see in dreams her whole life now stood vividly before her eyes.

She looked intently.

But her vision gradually blurred.