It's late at night.
Yun Shuyue lay on the couch in a side room of the Prince's mansion, making plans in her mind.
The prince is such a good person, he understands her so well, the debt can't be delayed for too long.
She could figure out what was hidden in every courtyard of the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's residence even with her eyes closed.
The pair of jade hairpins in Lady Wang's dressing box are worth at least fifty taels of silver.
They sneaked in under cover of night, took the items, and left without anyone noticing.
The sky outside the window was completely dark, and the sound of a clapper at midnight drifted from the distant alleyway, once, then twice.
Yun Shuyue propped herself up on her arms and sat up, her back aching terribly. She gritted her teeth and didn't utter a sound, slowly moving her feet off the couch.
She changed into a dark night outfit.
The courtyard was so quiet that only the chirping of insects could be heard.
Yun Shuyue shuffled along the wall to the back wall of the Prince's Mansion, where a quiet alley led to the east of the city.
She reached out and touched the blue bricks on the wall, and using a recessed crack in the bricks, she leaped up to about half her height with a light touch of her toes.
The wound on my back throbbed with pain, shooting from my spine down to my neck.
She gasped, clenched her teeth, but didn't loosen her grip. Using the momentum, she lifted herself up and pressed herself against the wall.
The moment she climbed to the top of the wall, she could see the view outside.
Two lanterns hung in mid-air, neither too high nor too low, illuminating a patch of ground at the base of the wall.
Two people were standing under the lantern.
Lin Qingdai, holding the knife, leaned against the stone steps against the wall, her posture relaxed as if she had been waiting for a long time.
Murong Xue swung her soft whip, the end of which coiled around her wrist, her eyes fixed intently on the wall.
Yun Shuyue froze in mid-air, one leg still on the wall, the other dangling, looking like a mouse that had been caught.
"The Boss of Yun."
Lin Qingdai spoke, her voice devoid of emotion, "Where are we going at this hour?"
Yun Shuyue quickly came up with three excuses: going to the toilet, stargazing, and sleepwalking.
Before she could even name one, Murong Xue's soft whip lashed out in an arc, the end of the whip gently wrapping around her dangling ankle.
"Don't run." Murong Xue grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. "If you run, I'll have to use my whip. It doesn't have eyes."
The Yun Shuyue, hangs frozen atop the wall, caught in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat.
"I..." She cleared her throat, trying to make her voice sound relaxed, "I just... couldn't sleep, so I came out for a walk."
"Taking a stroll and then climbing over the wall?"
Lin Qingdai's gaze fell on her black clothes, then on the corner of the snowman hat hidden in her arms. "Wearing this for a stroll is rather unusual."
Even with her thick skin, Yun Shuyue felt a little hot at this moment.
He opened his mouth, wanting to continue his charade, but Murong Xue had already lost patience and gently flicked the whip.
"Get down, stop dawdling, my arm is getting sore from cracking this whip."
Yun Shuyue's foot was hooked by the whip, her body swayed, and she fell directly off the wall.
Lin Qingdai reached out and grabbed her by the back of her collar, dragging her towards the main hall like Xiaoji.
"Hey, I can walk by myself!" Yun Shuyue kicked her feet on the ground.
"If you go by yourself, you're going in the wrong direction."
Lin Qingdai remained unfazed, grabbing her by the collar and taking a step forward. "The main hall is this way."
When Yun Shuyue was dragged into the main hall, she was still in a daze.
The lights made the room bright.
Su Yao deliberately changed into men's clothing, sat upright in the main seat of the main hall, and laid out a thick account book in front of her.
Xie Wanqing sat to her left, with several printed storybooks and exquisite wooden plaques in front of her.
Liu Ruyan stood to the side, holding a Shu brocade cloak in her hands.
Shen Ling'er sat in the corner, her medicine box on her lap, looking down at the prescriptions.
All four of them looked up at her at the same time.
Yun Shuyue stood in the center of the main hall and looked up at the people in the room.
For a moment, no one spoke.
The candlelight in the main hall flickered, casting a dim glow on the abacus beside Su Yao, making the metal beads gleam with a faint luster.
Yun Shuyue stared at Su Yao, who was dressed as a man.
Why are people from Mixue Ice City at the Prince's Mansion?
wrong!
No way?
She rubbed her eyes.
Could it be?
"Sit down," Su Yao said.
The Yun Shuyue remained frozen in place, not moving.
She can dress up as a man too?
At that moment, she felt like a fool.
I stayed in someone's house for several days and didn't even notice!
"Sit down." Murong Xue nudged her from behind, pushing her onto an empty low stool.
Su Yao pushed the ledger forward, towards Yun Shuyue.
"See?"
Yun Shuyue looked down and saw several large characters written on the top page of the account book.
Mixue Ice City - A Complete Record of Events.
Her gaze swept down the ledger, where rows of numbers were densely packed.
She could read, but looking at the column of silver in the ledger, she still couldn't quite grasp it.
"Twelve hundred taels..." Her voice trembled slightly, "This... so much?"
"This is just one shop in the west of the city," Su Yao said calmly, turning a page. "The shop in the east of the city hasn't opened yet, and the shop in the north is in the planning stages."
Yun Shuyue's breathing slowed down.
She looked up at Su Yao, then at Xie Wanqing, and at the soft cloak in Liu Ruyan's hand.
In her eyes, these people were all gentle, kind older sisters who would hand her ointment and leave her candied fruit.
She never imagined that the "heartless boss" she cursed every day would actually be sitting right in front of her.
"You..." Yun Shuyue's fingers dug at the fabric on her knees, "You are..."
"Yes." Su Yao nodded, making no attempt to hide her agreement.
" Mixue Ice City, it's the one we opened."
Yun Shuyue's mind raced through every curse she had uttered in the shop.
"That employer is heartless."
"A rip-off."
I'll steal from him sooner or later.
Her face flushed bright red instantly, as if she had been stripped naked on the spot, and even the tips of her ears felt hot.
With a cry of "Ouch!", he wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into, but found that there wasn't even a corner in the room where he could hide.
"What I said..."
Her voice trailed off, "No, it doesn't count, forget I said anything..."
"That's quite right." Liu Ruyan stepped forward, her voice soft and tinged with amusement. "It really is a shady business."
Yun Shuyue was stunned.
Liu Ruyan gently draped the cloak over her shoulders, her movements tender.
"For an ordinary family, they might not earn this much even in ten years."
Yun Shuyue's initial embarrassment hadn't subsided when she was added to her confusion.
"Why...?"
She asked in a low voice.
"Are you so short of money? Is the prince's illness that serious?"
"You trust me that much? If outsiders find out, His Highness will be impeached!"
[Thank you Yiming for the update reminder, 666, three points, novelist, Lanxi, and Uncle for the likes! I like it, Huacanyue's flower! Donghai's milk tea x2! Hippo's character summon!!! And thank you everyone for your love and support! May July go smoothly~~~~]
My computer kept disconnecting from the internet all afternoon. I don't know what the problem is. I'll get it fixed tomorrow. (｡•́•̀｡)