Su Qing surveyed the surroundings, understanding the significance of the preparations Ye Qingyu had made.
She said with a chuckle, "You've certainly prepared thoroughly, Sister Ye! It seems you weren't just in a rush to see me because you missed me, but because there's something else important on your mind. I see you've cleared out all the maids and guards. I wouldn't believe for a second that you'd go to such lengths just for a simple chat."
Hearing this, Ye Qingyu didn't feel the slightest bit of embarrassment. She nodded with a beaming smile and said, "You're right, Sister, but also wrong. I do miss you, of course, but there is indeed something important to discuss, so you've only guessed half right. As for the guards and maids, I did ask them to leave on purpose... After all, the things we're about to discuss cannot be overheard by just anyone. Who knows? It might be a matter of losing one's head. Besides, even if it weren't a capital offense, I wouldn't want others around when I'm with you. This is a rare opportunity to have you all to myself!"
Su Qing could naturally distinguish which of Ye Qingyu's words were jokes and which were the truth. She didn't assume the other woman had romantic feelings for her based on that speech.
Su Qing understood Ye Qingyu's feelings toward her quite well... There was a bit of everything in there, but likely no romance. Especially after the princess learned that Su Qing was actually an 'immortal,' it was even less likely for such feelings to exist. The reason she still made such jokes was partly her personality and partly just playing along with Su Qing's own teasing.
Of course, Su Qing couldn't know Ye Qingyu's true thoughts for certain; the above was mostly her own speculation.
Su Qing pulled back her wandering thoughts and gave a light laugh. "Alright, let's leave the jokes there and get to business. You invited me to your mansion so early in the morning instead of going straight to Juxiang Tower because I won't be the only one there, right? Once we're there, certain things will be harder to say, so you brought me here early to discuss them beforehand?"
Ye Qingyu nodded slightly upon hearing Su Qing's words. "As expected of you, Sister. You're incredibly sharp."
Su Qing wasn't surprised and simply nodded, waiting for her to continue.
Ye Qingyu poured two cups of tea, handed one to Su Qing, and then spoke again.
"You're right, Sister. For the banquet at Juxiang Tower, I haven't just invited you, but several others as well. The reason I didn't tell you directly a few days ago... was because it wasn't convenient to say due to certain reasons, so I didn't have my guard relay the message. After all, that guard of mine... well, he's often watched when he goes out. I was worried the wrong people might find out, so I took a bit of a detour."
"I see. It seems my guess wasn't far off?" Su Qing nodded and took a sip of tea. "So, who else did you invite? And what is the purpose of inviting them? Since you've invited them and me, it surely can't be a simple banquet. If it were, there would be no need to involve me, let alone make it this complicated."
Although Su Qing felt the woman was overcomplicating a simple matter, she didn't bother to criticize her. In Ye Qingyu's eyes, this was the safer way to operate. Even if Su Qing pointed it out, she would likely keep doing things her way, so there was no point.
Ye Qingyu smiled and said, "They are people I've persuaded over this period to work with me... Although most of them are people I trust, for the sake of safety, I hope you can take a look at them, Sister."
"You're counting on me to help you distinguish who is sincere and who is faking?" Su Qing tilted her head and asked.
Ye Qingyu shook her head. "Of course not... I know your rules, Sister. I only hope you can help me see if there are any demons among them. If there really is an informant among them... then that is simply my own oversight."
"If there really is an informant... you'll be in quite a bit of trouble," Su Qing said, raising an eyebrow. "Isn't this a bit too dangerous?"
"Don't worry, Sister... those people don't know my true goal. Until I am absolutely certain of their intentions, it's impossible for me to tell them..." Ye Qingyu shook her head. "I'm not stupid; I won't gamble with my life. After all, what I'm planning is high treason. If it were truly known, my head would roll."
Ye Qingyu was not a reckless person. If she were, she wouldn't be so careful about everything, nor would she have invited Su Qing.
Su Qing looked at her, and after a moment of silence, she nodded. "Fine. Since you know what you're doing, I won't say more. I can help you with this. However, as I said before..."
"I know, Sister. There's a limit to what you can do. I have no intention of making you go against the will of One-Leaf Bodhisattva. I just need you to be there to oversee things," Ye Qingyu said with a smile.
Su Qing nodded helplessly. "Mm... alright. If a demon has indeed snuck in... I'll find a way to deal with them quietly for you."
"Then I thank you, Sister." Seeing Su Qing agree, Ye Qingyu quickly expressed her gratitude.
Su Qing gave a soft huff and took another sip of tea. "Don't thank me. We're in a partnership... I'm still waiting for you to become the Queen!"
"I will work hard for it," Ye Qingyu nodded. "That throne... I am determined to have it."
Seeing Ye Qingyu's confident expression, Su Qing said nothing more, only nodding her head.
"Mm. Aside from that, is there anything else?"
"Anything else? Naturally, there is..." Ye Qingyu confirmed.
"Speak then. What else do you need help with?" Su Qing asked calmly.
Ye Qingyu smiled. "It's actually not too much trouble... I just hope you can prepare some healing medicine for me."
"Mm, that's certainly not a problem. I can prepare it once I return. But you'll have to tell me exactly what kind you need..." Su Qing agreed without hesitation.
Ye Qingyu was delighted and slowly began to describe her requirements.
And so, time slipped away bit by bit.
Before long, the business talk was essentially finished.
After concluding the important matters, the two began to chat about other things. Neither Ye Qingyu nor Su Qing were particularly untalkative, so they had plenty to discuss when they were together. As they talked, time continued to pass.
In what felt like a blur, it was nearly time to head to Juxiang Tower.
Ye Qingyu stood up and said to Su Qing, "Sister, the time is about right. Shall we head to Juxiang Tower? We can chat more on the way."
"Mm, no problem... we'll chat on the way." Su Qing had no objections. It was just a way to pass the time anyway; there was no need to finish everything right now.
Ye Qingyu smiled and followed Su Qing out of the mansion. They boarded the carriage and headed toward Juxiang Tower.
The carriage moved at a steady pace and soon arrived at the entrance of Juxiang Tower.
As one of the best restaurants in Xingyang City, Juxiang Tower's business was as thriving as ever today, with a constant stream of influential people coming and going. However, even in such a busy state, the manager immediately dropped what he was doing and rushed to the Commandery Princess the moment he saw her arrive.
"The private room I asked you to prepare—how is it?" the Princess asked coolly.
The manager nodded quickly. "How could I not prepare what you ordered, Princess? The room has been ready for a long time. Rest assured, the specifications are exactly the same as before."
The manager dared not neglect the Princess's orders in the slightest. The room she requested had been prepared long ago, just waiting for her arrival.
The Princess nodded with satisfaction. "Mm, good. You've improved since last time. There will be many guests today. When they arrive, remember to bring them to the room. Also... you know what to do."
The Princess didn't elaborate, but the manager wore an expression of clear understanding.
"I understand perfectly... Rest assured, Princess, I certainly won't neglect those guests." The manager nodded repeatedly in assurance.
The Princess nodded, then went upstairs to the private room with Su Qing.
The room was beautifully decorated and quite elegant, which was pleasing to the eye.
"This is quite nice! This manager is fairly reliable," Su Qing said, breaking the silence with a casual topic.
Ye Qingyu nodded. "If he weren't reliable, I wouldn't let him work here."
With the silence broken, the two chatted as they had before, while waiting for the other guests to arrive.
After a short wait, the first guest appeared.
Once guests began to arrive, Su Qing and Ye Qingyu shifted the direction of their conversation, drawing the guests into the fold.
Time passed, and soon all the guests had arrived.
With everyone present, it was naturally time to eat. However, while it was called a meal, it was actually more about discussing affairs.
As the host, Commandery Princess Ye Qingyu talked incessantly throughout the process, discussing many things with the others and rarely stopping. In contrast, Su Qing was exceptionally quiet. While Ye Qingyu discussed business, Su Qing almost never spoke.
Most of the time, she just sat there eating, observing the state of the others.
On one hand, she really had no interest in participating in these conversations, nor could she really join in. On the other hand, since she had promised the Princess she would check for demons, she naturally had to do her job.
And it was a good thing she looked, because she actually found something.
Originally, she had thought the Princess was being overly cautious and worrying too much. But in the end, she discovered that the Princess's worries weren't for nothing, because there really was a demon hidden among them.
It had to be said that this demon's disguise was excellent. Among those of the same realm, it was definitely top-tier; most other demons would find it hard to see through, and might even mistake her for a mortal. If even demons couldn't see her true form, mortals certainly stood no chance.
Unfortunately, such a fine disguise was useless before Su Qing.
Her strength was simply too far beyond the demon's. Before Su Qing, a disguise of this level was no different from being naked.
'There really is a demon mixed in... It seems the Princess's caution isn't a bad thing,' Su Qing thought, withdrawing her gaze from the demon and letting it fall on the Princess.
The Princess seemed to sense Su Qing's gaze and instinctively turned to look at her, curious if she needed something.
Su Qing couldn't tell the Princess about the demon right now, so she just smiled and pointed to the wine pot beside her, asking her to pass it over.
Though confused, the Princess handed the pot to Su Qing, while wondering what Su Qing's intention was. Was she trying to warn her?
The Princess didn't know, and now wasn't the time to ask, so she could only find an opportunity to ask later.
Su Qing withdrew her gaze and looked at the demon again.
'However, although this creature is a demon, I'm not yet sure of its true thoughts and plans...' Su Qing stroked her chin, thinking to herself. 'Demons can be good or bad; it would be a pity to kill it by mistake. Moreover, if I can get this creature to sincerely submit, it would definitely be a good thing. After all, I am bound by the rules of the Heavenly Court and cannot personally intervene in many places, but these demons aren't... When I can't act, I can let this demon do the work.'
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