Rain started falling in the middle of the night, its sound continuous and loud. Many people hurried back and forth along the corridor, leaving wet footprints.

The fire at the Great Xiangguo Temple’s meditation platform ended the Ullambana Festival which had been lively all day. With the ceremony’s disaster, the emperor’s anger was fierce – the Imperial Guards, Commander Wei Zhuo, the Great Xiangguo Temple, the Ministry of Works… even the Third Prince couldn’t escape His Majesty’s wrath.

Lu Chang stood under the eaves, watching rainwater drip from the roof tiles.

Drip after drip, endlessly.

A man with a grave expression stood before him, slightly bending forward to report in a low voice.

Zhou Xiuqing was dead – all their careful planning had come to nothing.

“It was our failure to handle matters properly,” the man reported the course of events, his face showing shame.

Lu Chang continued staring at the rain: “This person must have followed you for a long time before taking action. A single arrow through the heart – they were determined to kill Zhou Xiuqing. We were careless.”

He had thought their movements were sufficiently secret, but they had still fallen under someone’s watch.

This person probably wasn’t from Prince Yu or Tang Li’s side – they had no reason for such a move. Moreover, to strike so precisely, they must have tracked them for a long time, waiting for this chance to silence Zhou Xiuqing.

The true culprit was indeed someone else.

“Then what next…” the man asked.

“We’ll discuss it later.” Lu Chang shook his head and waved for the man to withdraw.

At this point, their chances of success were almost zero, and the situation was extremely bad.

He was exhausted. Turning to look at the tightly closed door, he gathered his composure and gently pushed it open.

Inside, calming incense burned in a brazier, its scent faint. Ming Shu lay quietly on the bed, still unconscious. He walked to the bedside and sat on the edge, leaning slightly toward her. His fingertips traced the contours of her face, finally brushing aside a small strand of hair before he turned to stare blankly at the floor.

With no outsiders present, he no longer needed to maintain his composed facade.

Perhaps from standing in the wind atop the platform for so long, from his brow to the back of his head throbbed with pain. He buried his face in his hands and, after a long while, let out a deep sigh.

But the person on the bed seemed to stir.

He suddenly dropped his hands and turned to look, seeing Ming Shu’s wide eyes staring at the canopy.

“Ming Shu, you’re awake?” He gathered his emotions and moved closer to the head of the bed, asking gently.

Her eyes didn’t blink, looking empty, as if trapped in a nightmare others couldn’t see.

“Are you uncomfortable anywhere?” Lu Chang asked.

They had been lucky – the final falling distance hadn’t been too high. The doctor had checked and found only superficial injuries, nothing serious. But Lu Chang worried because Ming Shu had previously injured her head, and she had lost consciousness after falling. He didn’t know if it might trigger old injuries.

Ming Shu moved slightly, trying to sit up. Lu Chang quickly helped her, placing two soft pillows behind her back to make her more comfortable.

“Ming Shu? What’s wrong?” Seeing her silence, Lu Chang reached out to brush aside the messy hair across her chest, finally gently taking her hands folded atop the blanket. “Let me get you some water first.”

But his warm palm made her withdraw her hand as if stung by a hedgehog. She seemed to wake from a deep dream, turning to look at Lu Chang.

“Brother Lu, why are you here?” She stared at him blankly, as if unable to comprehend his presence.

Lu Chang’s heart jumped violently as he asked: “Ming Shu, what did you call me?”

Brother Lu… that was what she used to call him back in Jiangning Prefecture.

Ming Shu stared at him too, her mind filled with jumbled memories, past and present mixing in confusion.

She held her head, mumbling: “No… Brother… Lu Chang…”

Chaotic scenes flew past, rapidly piecing together her lost past.

“Ming Shu?” Lu Chang saw her painful confusion and gripped her shoulders. “Does your head hurt?”

Her gaze fell on the blanket. After a moment she suddenly pushed his hands away and looked up to ask: “Weren’t you going to the capital for the imperial examinations? We had already said our goodbyes… why are you here?”

The parting scene was vivid in her mind. Ten years of happiness, ending with only that final phrase “You have distant ambitions, I have no wish to keep you. Let this tea serve as wine to send you off, after this parting we shall not meet again…”

For the rest of their lives, they should not have met again.

They should not have met…

Lu Chang’s hands froze in mid-air, suddenly not knowing how to answer this question.

She had finally remembered everything.

She asked him again: “Where is this?”

“This is Uncle Wei’s residence. You fell from the meditation platform last night and have been unconscious until now.”

“Uncle Wei…” Ming Shu didn’t care what had happened last night, still mumbling, “The residence of Commander Wei Zhuo of the Imperial Guard?”

Lu Chang nodded: “Yes.”

“This is… Bianjing?” Ming Shu’s confused gaze gradually cleared as she stared straight at Lu Chang, answering herself, “I was in danger at Cloud Flower Mountain, you saved me, I took you as my brother, followed you to the capital, became Lu Ming Shu…”

The gaps in her memory slowly connected, but she grew increasingly agitated, shaking her head more and more frantically.

“Impossible… impossible…” She suddenly gripped Lu Chang’s arm. “Tell me I’m dreaming. Taking you as my brother was a dream, following you to the capital was a dream, we didn’t meet, didn’t reunite, I’m in Jiangning County, in the Jian Family, with my father… Father said he would choose another husband for me, he promised to let me choose myself, we won’t meet again, we won’t! You’re not real! Bianjing isn’t real!”

Only if everything in Bianjing was a dream could it prove that what happened on Cloud Flower Mountain, what she had overheard, was false, and the Jian Family was still fine…

“Ming Shu, calm down.” Lu Chang couldn’t distinguish whether the boundless pain filling his chest was from her suffering or her words. If he could choose, he would rather it be as she wished – let his existence and their time supporting each other become just a dream, in exchange for her wholeness when she awoke.

However, there were no “ifs.”

Ming Shu completely ignored his consolation. She threw back the thin blanket, stepped barefoot onto the floor, and stumbled toward the door. When Lu Chang tried to support her, she shook him off. She rushed to the door and used all her strength to open it.

The scene outside fell into her eyes – a small courtyard, servants turning to look from under the corridor…

Everything was proving to her that this was not Jiangning, not the Jian Family.

She suddenly lost all strength, softly leaning against the doorframe.

Lu Chang only saw tears silently rolling from her eyes.

One by one… like tonight’s rain, falling suddenly.

Ming Shu wasn’t aware she was crying. She just asked woodenly: “Where is my father?”

Lu Chang realized for the first time that there were many things in this world beyond his power to help, like her pain. He could feel her suffering but had no way to help her…

Seeing his silence, she seemed to understand in her heart and asked: “The Jian Family… how many people died in total?”

“Thirty-seven…” Lu Chang used all his life’s strength to report this number.

Ming Shu gripped the door fiercely, her nails almost embedded in the wood.

“Thirty-seven… not one left…” She couldn’t breathe, tears falling one after another.

Everyone was dead except for her.

“Ming Shu…”

After ten years of study, gaining only literary accomplishments, Lu Chang couldn’t think of a single word to comfort her.

Any words would be pale and powerless in the face of her pain.

“Get out…” Ming Shu stood supporting herself against the door.

Lu Chang didn’t move.

“Get out!” Ming Shu emphasized. “I told you to get out!”

She didn’t want to see anyone now, didn’t want to hear anyone’s voice.

“Alright, I’ll go out.” Lu Chang stepped outside. “I’ll be right outside, call me if you need anything…”

Before he finished speaking, she slammed the door shut.

Distant servants all looked over, apparently having never seen them quarrel so seriously, all wearing extremely surprised expressions.

Lu Chang went nowhere, just standing under the corridor outside her room. No sound came from inside. After standing quietly for a moment, he walked a few steps to the side, his gaze turning to catch Ming Shu’s figure through a slightly open window.

Her hair was loose and disheveled as she stood not far from the window. The gap was narrow – he couldn’t see her face but could see the dagger he had given her in her hand.

The sharp thin blade was pointed at her left palm.

One cut would split flesh and draw blood…

But some dreams needed pain to wake from.

Ming Shu still felt she was dreaming – if only she woke up, she could see her father’s helplessly indulgent gaze again.

As the blade touched her palm, the door was violently pushed open, and Lu Chang rushed in like a madman, snatching the dagger from her hand and throwing it to the ground. Ming Shu only felt a slight stinging in her palm – though Lu Chang had grabbed the knife away, its sharp edge had still drawn a shallow cut across her palm.

Blood beaded up, making Lu Chang lose all self-control, his reason empty as he gripped Ming Shu’s shoulders fiercely: “I gave you that dagger for self-protection, to fight enemies, not to harm yourself! Ming Shu! I know you’re in pain, but… but don’t hurt yourself… I beg you… please?”

“I just… wanted to see if this was a dream. Don’t worry, I won’t seek death, I won’t…”

This wasn’t a dream – everything had cruelly happened.

Thirty-seven lives, the hatred of a massacred family – if she didn’t avenge this, how could she face her father and the others in the afterlife?

She had no right to die.

“I won’t die, I must live… live…” Ming Shu spoke and could no longer contain herself, crying uncontrollably.

Having recognized reality, she collapsed.

Lu Chang could only embrace her, letting her cry her heart out with her head buried against him.

She clutched his clothes fiercely with both hands, soaking his garments with her tears. He could only hold her with all his strength as if trying to knead her into his bones and blood.

Who knows how long she cried? Outside the room stood several people looking for him, but no one dared enter. Ming Shu cried until she had no strength left, lying softly against his chest, her eyes lifeless and half-closed. He lifted her effortlessly by the waist.

Ming Shu didn’t resist, letting him carry her to the bed and lay her down, then tuck the blanket around her.

She just lay quietly, not moving at all.

Lu Chang watched by the bed for a while, until those waiting outside could wait no longer and came to call him. Only then did he turn to leave, calling Qing Yao to come in and continue watching over her.

The people looking for Lu Chang were Commander Wei Zhuo’s men.

The fire at the Great Xiangguo Temple’s meditation platform had ended the Ullambana Festival which had been lively all day. With the ceremony’s disaster, if the Imperial Guards, Commander Wei Zhuo, the Great Xiangguo Temple, the Ministry of Works… even including Third Prince, couldn’t provide a satisfactory explanation, none could escape His Majesty’s thunderous anger.

Except for Lu Chang and Ming Shu who had been sent back to Commander Wei’s residence after being injured in their fall from the high platform, they all remained at the Great Xiangguo Temple thoroughly investigating this matter.

“All monks from the ceremony have been detained. The two monks who caused the platform fire have been personally interrogated by the Commander, with no suspicious points found yet,” the man reported directly in the corridor, describing the situation at the time.

It had already been dark, with the ceremony ritual entering its final stages. All monks sitting around the platform had to circle it nineteen times in formation, with the monks arranged in three layers. The accident occurred in the middle and innermost layers. First, the monk in the middle layer tripped on something unknown when circling Ming Shu’s side, falling onto a monk in the innermost ring, causing that monk to lose hold of his lotus lantern which flew onto the prayer flags and started the fire.

The backgrounds of these two monks had been thoroughly investigated – both had practiced at the Great Xiangguo Temple for many years, with no issues found.

It seemed like an accident.

But how could there be so many coincidences in this world? This Ullambana Festival ceremony had been a conspiracy for them from the start – they had avoided all the tricks, only to nearly die from an accident.

Lu Chang didn’t believe it.

“What about Liu Wan’er and Tang Li?”

“Tang Li was found dead in the Western meditation court, along with Xie Xi’s body. According to Song Qingzhao’s testimony, plus Constable Ying Xun’s investigation, it can be preliminarily determined she died by Xie Xi’s hand, with both perishing together. As for Liu Wan’er, she has been arrested by Constable Ying and is currently imprisoned in the Kaifeng Prefecture jail.”

“Go back and tell the Commander to interrogate Liu Wan’er first. Also, all craftsmen involved in building the meditation platform, including the Ministry of Works officials responsible for supervising construction, need to be found. I’ll… come see him again tonight.” Lu Chang ordered calmly.

After giving proper instructions, that person left. He called all the people in the courtyard and gave orders one by one. By the time he had finished arranging everything, much time had passed. Only then did he turn to return to Ming Shu’s room.

In Ming Shu’s current state, he didn’t dare leave her for a moment, but Third Prince and Commander Wei Zhuo urgently awaited his return to investigate…

He only wished he could be in two places at once.

In the room, Ming Shu had already risen.

She hadn’t lain in bed too long. After recovering from that bout of exhaustion, she had gradually revived.

“Why did you get up?” Lu Chang frowned and quickly walked to her side.

Ming Shu stood by the writing desk, lost in thought about something. Her expression no longer seemed collapsed, though her eyes were red and swollen.

Lu Chang reached out to take her hand, but she came to her senses and stepped back half a pace, making his hand fall empty.

“I’m fine.” Her tone was calm as she bowed to Lu Chang and said, “Please trouble the Assistant Governor to send the case files of the Jian Family massacre. I want to see them.”

As she spoke, she gently pressed the brass key she had been clutching onto the table and pushed it toward Lu Chang.

Lu Chang lost his words, silently staring at her.

With one “Assistant Governor,” he was no longer brother, Lu Chang.

Between them now seemed to be an unbridgeable chasm.