Rebirth: The flatterer prince I raised couldn't be so clingy

Hands, hands again.

Fragments of memory suddenly flashed through my mind. I had been busy all day and had finally managed to put this matter out of my mind, but this reminder brought it back to me.

Gu Qingzhi forced herself to be normal, ignoring the long, slender hand outstretched in front of her, grabbed the reins, cleared her mind of all distractions, and concentrated.

"Aren't you going to learn to ride a horse? You should at least know how to control it."

Feng Zhanye's smile froze for a moment behind him, but he quickly regained his composure.

He let out a soft chuckle, subtly loosened the reins, and placed his hand over Gu Qingzhi's.

"Sister is right. You'd better hold on tight so I don't fall."

He deliberately lowered his head to speak, whispering softly, his voice seemingly hooked, but the person in his arms still had a serious expression, having already pulled himself out of his previous awkwardness.

The boy narrowed his eyes slightly, pressing his body even closer as if he was not convinced, but Gu Qingzhi was focused on Heng Shuang and had completely ignored all external interference.

Riding a horse is not difficult to learn, and with Hengshuang being docile, Gu Qingzhi mastered the basics in just one hour. However, there are many riding skills, and it will probably take quite some time to improve.

Thinking that Feng Zhanye probably still had a lot of homework to do, she didn't want to take up any more of his time. Besides, she also had to go back and make arrangements herself, waiting for Huang Liang to come.

She stroked Hengshuang's neck hair again before leading her back to the stable.

The boy behind him seemed somewhat defeated for some reason, silently hanging his head without saying a word.

Gu Qingzhi turned around and asked him, "Aye, what's wrong?"

The boy shook his head, saying it was nothing.

Children's thoughts become increasingly difficult to fathom as they grow older. Perhaps it's their pride that makes them reluctant to reveal their innermost thoughts.

People of this age need some space of their own. Thinking back to how she used to always be so hard on herself, Gu Qingzhi simply patted his head and didn't ask any more questions.

Several days passed, and Gu Qingzhi's horsemanship showed some improvement. Counting the days, Huang Liang should be arriving soon.

As night fell and the moonlight was as clear as water, Gu Qingzhi, having just helped Granny Liu in the kitchen, walked back alone along the blue brick path.

A night breeze carried a faint, exotic fragrance.

Gu Qingzhi's heart stirred. She poured out a pill from her bosom and put it under her tongue. Without stopping, she carefully scanned her surroundings and smiled knowingly.

She held her breath as she passed through the moon gate not far away, glancing at the small sachet above the gate, swaying in the wind and almost the same color as the gate itself.

The opening line, "A refreshing breeze intoxicates, a potent poison that causes pus to drain from the internal organs," is rather unoriginal.

A small portion of the bitter shell of the pill under the tongue dissolved, naturally neutralizing the effect of the strange fragrance.

She had specifically asked Gu Fengping for this medicine that day. Although it couldn't cure poison, it wouldn't be a problem to resist certain deadly poisons for a while.

A subtle whistling sound was mixed with some kind of noise. Gu Qingzhi casually picked up a pebble from the ground, flicked it with her fingertip, and a silk thread lying across the middle of the road not far away snapped in response. Instantly, more than a dozen thin needles shot out silently from the cracks in the walls on both sides.

The silver needles had a bluish luster, clearly indicating that they were also coated with some kind of poison.

The technique of setting up hidden weapons is still far inferior to that of Nan Ke, but much better than before.

Only after all the silver needles had fallen to the ground did she step across the area, her footsteps landing on the clean stone slabs.

There were quite a few fancy things on the way back to the house, but they were more flashy than practical, and it looked like they were just giving in to her.

The flowers and plants in the yard were surprisingly fragrant at this time of year, the scent so strong it was almost cloying, making one feel dizzy.

Gu Qingzhi pondered what other tricks Huang Liang might have up his sleeve, having gone around in circles for quite a while. Although she didn't know what new tricks Huang Liang had been researching in recent years, it was always better to avoid them.

Finally back at the door, she saw something smeared on the crack. She drew Lanzhou from behind her waist, covered her mouth and nose, and slowly pushed open the door with the scabbard.

By the moonlight filtering into the room, one could vaguely see that the door frame was covered with a semi-transparent, sticky, gelatinous substance.

The moment the door opened, the substance dripped down the lintel.

The viscous venom will cause skin ulceration if it comes into contact with even a small amount.

Gu Qingzhi knew that the inside of the house was probably even more dangerous. If someone was completely unprepared, they would have died countless times at Huang Liang's hands.

Unfortunately, she knew her junior sister too well. The more ordinary something was, the more it would make people lower their guard, which was the best time for her to strike. The real setup was probably in her own room.

Rather than going inside to outwit her with her elaborate poison schemes, it's better to capture the leader first.

Setting up so many traps takes time. Huang Liang is not a half-baked assassin who sets up traps and runs away. She will definitely make adjustments based on the target's actions at all times, which means she needs a place where she can see the whole situation.

That girl must be nearby, crouching in a spot where she can clearly observe the situation and admire the results of the battle at any time.

The tallest building in the entire Prince's Mansion is the western pavilion, which is now used as a storeroom to store things that Feng Zhanye doesn't need on weekdays. Few people go there, but it overlooks the entire mansion and is upwind, making it an excellent observation point.

If it were Gu Qingzhi, she would definitely choose that place.

However, Huang Liang has always been unpredictable.

Another upwind spot is not far away.

Gu Qingzhi climbed onto the roof and headed straight for the study along the courtyard wall.

Fortunately, tonight's banquet is to thank the Grand Tutors, so I won't be studying in the library. If this little troublemaker were to accidentally knock him or any of the high-ranking officials down, it would be a huge problem.

Under the moonlight, the second floor of the library was pitch black and quiet, as if everything was normal.

However, Gu Qingzhi still sensed from the sound of the wind that a window was ajar. Following the sound, she found a short, thick wooden stick wedged between the window cracks.

Did you think she wouldn't dare destroy a single tree or blade of grass in the palace, so you did this?

That understanding wasn't thorough enough.

Gu Qingzhi narrowed her eyes, took a step back, suddenly spun around and kicked open the window, sending three poisoned arrows hurtling straight toward her face.

With a casual flick of his wrist, the poisoned arrow deflected and landed in the surrounding hay.

Immediately afterwards, countless spiders fell from the eaves.

If those spiders crawled into her clothes and bit her, she would at least be paralyzed and fall off the attic. If a few of them were highly venomous, she might die on the spot.

Unfortunately, Gu Qingzhi had already jumped into the window the moment the poisoned arrow missed, and the swarm of spiders missed their target.

Moonlight streamed through the window, and a faint gasp of cold air rose from inside. Then, a dark shadow flashed past between the bookshelves.

Gu Qingzhi dusted off the dust that had settled on her body and stood with her hands behind her back.

"Alright, you've already lost. Come out, or... are you planning to let me grab you by the collar and drag you out?"

A small head slowly peeked out from behind the bookshelf not far away, reluctantly took two steps forward, and obediently stood with its hands behind its back.

Gu Qingzhi took a breath and turned around to light the candle by the window.

Unexpectedly, a hand suddenly reached out to her and was about to pat her shoulder.

Amidst the soft rustling of the wind, Gu Qingzhi seized the mischievous hand first, turned around, twisted it, and pinned the person down.

"Ouch! That hurts! I'm sorry, let go!"

Gu Qingzhi was about to say that she knew she couldn't beat them but still provoked them when she suddenly felt an unbearable tingling on the back of her hand, as if she were being pricked by countless tiny needles.

She suddenly let go, and the dark figure chuckled, taking the opportunity to escape from her grasp.