The Princess’ Shadow Guard Cannot Be Too Clever

Too Strange for a Shadow Guard

On the ninth day of the month, the streets of the capital were a little more busy than usual.

Just after midday, the streets are bustling with people as small as ants.

Despite the cold, the windows of the Hidden Moon Tower are wide open.
Murong Yan, wearing a single bun, lies motionless on the couch, her eyes slightly sore from staring out of the window for so long, as she blinks, she feels her eyelids burning a little.

She spilled the cold tea through the window, the white porcelain cups hitting the coffee table with a crisp sound, slightly ear-splitting in the silence of the tall building.

She yawned in boredom and closed her eyes when she felt a cool breeze on her cheek.

When Murong Yan opened her eyes and calmed her mind, she saw who the visitor was and spoke without alarm, “I do not remember when the Hidden Moon Tower was open for guests, allowing people to come and go as they pleased.”

The tone of her voice was indifferent, but it was impossible to tell whether she was surprised or angry, “What do you think? Miss Fugitive.”

The woman who had been dressed in nocturnal clothes a few days ago was now wearing a grey long dress with waist-length silk, her hair was a bit messy in front of her forehead, and her lean and tall figure would have been described as those of an ordinary scholar had she only glanced from the back.

The youthful shadow guard stood in front of the window and first bowed respectfully, “Your Highness, my name is Ming Qin.”

She then scratched her head as though she had no idea where to start, and her helpless figure looked a little naive in Murong Yan’s eyes, ” Today is the Chongyang Festival, so I would like to…” The volume of her voice trailed off, sounding slightly vague.

“So you climbed up to the Hidden Moon Tower?” Murong Yan exhaled lightly and raised an eyebrow, feeling only a little absurd.

“I…” Ming Qin squeaked, the countless moments of brushing with death during her missions had never caused her to panic as much as this moment.

Carefully pulling out a packet of zong leaves tied with twine from her bosom and quickly unwrapping the delicate weave, Ming Qin explained with trepidation and unease, “These are chestnut cakes from the East Market, they’re delicious, they’ve only just come out of the oven.”

She handed the zong leaves packet in her hand to Murong Yan, “This is a thank you gift for the other day.”

Looking at the two neatly arranged cakes, the small chestnut cakes were carved with simple flower patterns and had a shiny oily surface.
The rich aroma of chestnuts made them even more delicious, and the sides were decorated with a chrysanthemum flower, which was still somewhat charming.

Meeting Ming Qin’s fidgety expression, Murong Yan lowered her eyes and wordlessly gestured to the shadow guard to place the zong leaf packets on the coffee table, before turning her head to add some charcoal to the boiling water.

’

When the water was ready, Murong Yan opened the hidden compartment under the coffee table, revealing that there were jars and jars of white porcelain containing tea leaves inside, casually picking them out and then smothering the tea.

After the water has been tinted and she has made her own tea, Murong Yan picked up a chestnut cake and slowly put it into her mouth, taking a bite and tasting it.

The combination of the soft outer crust and the dense and tasty chestnut slices was perfect, sweet but not greasy, with a vague aroma of bamboo leaves.
Paired with the freshly brewed Oolong, it was a bit of a surprise even for a woman who was accustomed to the palace chef’s cooking.

In a rare moment, some warmth appeared on her face as she scrutinised the chestnut cake in her hands.

When she had finished eating and turned her head, she saw Ming Qin standing by, twiddling her fingers and cautiously observing her reaction.

After a pause, “It’s not bad.” Murong Yan gave a response.

Seeing the woman in front of her looking good, Ming Qin was relieved and couldn’t help but raise the corners of her mouth, “Li Da Niang’s cakes are the best in the capital, it’s not unusual to wait ages for them if you don’t line up early.”

Looking at the shadow guard’s proud look, the always calm Murong Yan could not help but smile, “The best in the capital is a bit exaggerated.”

Ming Qin disagreed and puffed out her chest like she wanted to prove something, “I have eaten all the delicacies in the capital, I have also eaten every single one of Li Da Niang’s cakes, if you don’t like chestnuts, I will bring green bean cakes next time, that is their signature.”

She sounded a little eager.

“This Palace thought that the shadow guards in the court were working on a daily basis.”

Looking at Ming Qin’s anxious face, Murong Yan slowly picked up the second piece of chestnut cake and spoke leisurely, “I didn’t anticipate that you would be this leisurely and still have time to eat cakes all over the capital.”

The image of the Emperor’s hawks and dogs lining up in the streets, looking for all sorts of cake shops and talking about them, made Murong Yan sip her tea and swallow the smile at the corner of her mouth.

“I…”

Not sure whether to explain to the County Princess that the shadow guards were not negligent in their duties, or to graciously admit that she did run around the capital to search for food whenever she had a day off, Ming Qin scratched her head in a dignified manner.

In an attempt to divert attention, she threw the bamboo leaves sitting on the coffee table into the fireplace to destroy them, and silently knelt down to rummage through the ashes with an iron bar.

’

Ming Qin’s sadness made the other person look a little mean, wiping her fingers carefully with a handkerchief, Murong Yan blinked, and then spoke indifferently, “As a thank you gift, it’s good.”

Lifting her head, Ming Qin’s face broke into a childish smile, “Really? That’s great! Then I’ll bring some others next time.”

Murong Yan looked at Ming Qin’s bright smile and felt a sense of wonder in her heart.

She had been in contact with many shadow guards in the palace before, and with her remarkable eyesight, she could see that even among the shadow guard unit, all of whom were highly skilled, the martial arts skills of Ming Qin, who had climbed up to the Hidden Moon Tower, were superior, but she appeared to be only twenty years old, which was a bit too young.

Even though it was obvious that the work of the shadow guards involved dirty work, Ming Qin was as strai