After leaving Shengjing, they continued northward. This route was vast and sparsely populated, with postal stations becoming increasingly distant from each other. Usually, they had to travel day and night for three to five days before encountering one. The weather had become extremely cold, quite different from Beijing’s climate. When riding horses without leg protectors, the cold air seeped in through every gap in the fabric, stinging the skin like needle pricks.

What to do when no postal station was in sight? The troops needed to rest and couldn’t keep pushing on endlessly, so they set up tents in the wilderness for the night. The princes’ tents had cowhide roofs covered with thick felt, protecting them from wind and rain. The Kosha guards and imperial guards had ordinary canvas tents, which merely provided shelter but couldn’t keep out the severe cold. Therefore, they built fires that spread in winding lines against the pitch-black night, illuminating the foot of the mountains.

With shelter resolved, food became the next concern. The Kosha guards were all strong young men who, tired of eating plain steamed buns all day, went hunting as soon as they made camp. They spread out in groups of more than ten, like the Emperor on an autumn hunt—some responsible for encircling prey, others for the actual hunting. Within half an hour, they could return with a full catch. Ding Yi, having never been trained in riding and archery, didn’t team up with them. Uncomfortable eating without contributing, after attending her two masters, she went for a stroll alone. Looking here and there, she used her slingshot quite well. Aiming at birds roosting in trees at night, she fired with a “pah!” sound, bringing down a large one.

She returned, awkwardly carrying her catch, and everyone laughed when they saw her. “Little Tree has formed an unbreakable bond with birds.”

The Seventh Prince took it from her hands. “An owl! Is this thing edible?”

Indeed, she had never eaten one before, but this owl was quite large, like a chicken when placed on the ground. She hesitated, scratching her head. “I suppose so. In my village, people even eat crows. This has much more meat.” She took it back. “Give it to me, I’ll prepare it and roast it. Hey!”

Someone stood in the open space before the tent, not mingling with the crowd, quietly gazing into the distance with eyes like still water.

The crowd enthusiastically gutted their game, removing the internal organs, placing them on wooden skewers, and setting them over the fire to roast. The bonfire crackled, and the meat turned over the flames, quickly releasing a fragrant aroma. Ding Yi sniffed her owl—it had no strange smell, which was good. She happily sprinkled salt on it, added some cumin, and roasted it with great care.

The Seventh Prince sidled up next to her. When she saw him, she exclaimed, “How can a master sit on the ground? Should I spread a cloth for you?”

“It’s fine,” the Seventh Prince pointed. “The smell seems quite good.”

She grinned. “You should stick to eating roebuck. I don’t know how this will taste in the end. I wouldn’t want to make you sick. You get nauseous so easily…”

The Seventh Prince knew she was alluding to the incident with the courtesan feeding him wine with her fingernail. He glared at her fiercely. “What are you talking about? Today I want to eat this owl! Hurry up, when it’s done, tear off a leg for me.”

How big could a bird’s leg be? Ding Yi said, “You should eat the breast—there’s more meat there. It might even leave some to get stuck between your teeth.”

The Seventh Prince clicked his tongue. “You seem like such a refined person, yet you say such disgusting things!”

Ding Yi just smiled. She turned her head to look toward the grand tent, but its exterior was empty, with no sign of the Twelfth Prince. She turned back, feeling dejected, with an inexplicable emptiness in her heart. That day, she had heard him joke that combs were tokens of affection given by girls. Though he spoke without intent, she had taken it to heart. Since then, she often carried the rhinoceros horn comb with her, perhaps as a small consolation to her confused feelings of spring.

Her thoughts were in turmoil, but she couldn’t let it show. To her colleagues, to the Seventh Prince, and especially in front of the Twelfth Prince, she dared not reveal even a hint. If people discovered her feelings, what would they think? They would curse her as filthy and shameless—a man trying to seduce another man?

She felt somewhat helpless, knowing her position and that she had no right to dwell on such thoughts. But now that she couldn’t get close to him, once she returned to being Wen Ding Yi, such opportunities would never come again. She lowered her head, feeling lonely. The distance was too great—he had his brilliant life ahead. As for herself, she would first need to take care of her brothers, and when she grew older, perhaps marry a hunter or fruit farmer, settling for a life of basic subsistence.

What had started cheerfully suddenly turned gloomy. The Seventh Prince had been observing her for a while and followed her gaze. There was nothing to see; the Twelfth Prince was aloof, unlike himself, who condescended to enjoy himself among the people. Noticing that Little Tree was unhappy at not seeing him, he suddenly tasted something sour. Clearing his throat, he said, “Tree, I want to eat fish. Tomorrow, shall we go spear some in the pond?”

Ding Yi made a sound of acknowledgment. “You want to eat fish? Fish must be caught during the day, but we’ll be traveling then! Why don’t you be patient, and when we reach the postal station, have them prepare a spicy fish head for you.”

The Seventh Prince found this boring and became listless. He picked up a twig and drew on the ground. “It wouldn’t hurt to delay a little…”

“Over a hundred people stopping to wait while we catch fish?” It didn’t seem feasible. Then again, he was the master—why should she worry so much? Tilting her head, she said, “I’ll do whatever you say… Hey, the bird is ready to eat!” The meat was sizzling with oil. Blowing away some ash, she hurriedly tore off pieces of meat and handed them to him. “Try it. If it doesn’t taste good, don’t blame me.”

How could he? The Seventh Prince now had no temper with her. He took it and chewed small bites, nodding as he ate. “It’s like pigeon meat, not bad, just overcooked and tough.”

Hearing this, she tried a piece herself and smiled. “You’re right. I was careless and roasted it like a chicken.”

At this moment, Na Jin brought over rabbit and roebuck meat. The Seventh Prince picked two pieces and stuffed them into her hands, saying, “Don’t eat that anymore; it’s too tough to chew. Come eat the roebuck. See how tender they’ve roasted it.”

She thanked him for his kindness, set the owl aside, and placed a square piece of meat on her lap. Finding a flatbread from her pouch, she placed it underneath and tore the meat into thin strips, folding them carefully into the bread.

“What are you doing? Making a meat sandwich?” The Seventh Prince laughed. “You’re so thoughtful and observant, knowing how to serve your master.” Without waiting for her to speak, he directly took the bread from her.

Ding Yi sighed silently. That bread had been prepared for the Twelfth Prince. Unlike the Seventh Prince who had such leisure, the Twelfth Prince carried more responsibilities on his shoulders and had no time to come out and wander. It was strange how the Seventh Prince kept hovering around. What was the reason? If she couldn’t confront him, at least she could avoid him. She smiled and said, “Just giving the master a change of taste, so you won’t keep thinking about fish… Please sit, master. Let me check on the bird. I just hung it by the fire; I don’t want it to get overcooked.” With that, she took the meat and her pouch and went off to her small tent.

Starting afresh, she tore the meat into fine strips, wrapped them well, and quietly slipped into the Twelfth Prince’s cowhide tent. There was only him inside; Sha Tong had probably gone out to prepare food. The Twelfth Prince sat under the lamp, threading a needle by candlelight.

She was surprised. “Are you… mending clothes?”

The Twelfth Prince made a sound of agreement and gestured toward the fur coat on his knee. “Earlier when passing through the woods, it was torn by a branch, leaving a large hole.”

It was indeed inconvenient when traveling, but Sha Tong hadn’t served him properly. How could he let his master mend clothes?

She quickly went forward and took it from him. “You only needed to say the word. I know needlework too. I used to mend clothes for my master and senior apprentice-brother. Though my skills aren’t great, they’ll suffice.” She handed him the bread. “Have you eaten? Take this to fill your stomach for now.”

He said, “What about you? You’ve been busy all this time; I haven’t seen you eat. Was the owl not good?”

So he had been watching! Ding Yi became happy and smiled. “It was roasted too long, too hard to chew. The roebuck tastes better… You eat. I’m not hungry. There’s another piece of meat over there; I’ll eat later.”

She sat down with the fur coat, joining the torn edges. There was a stitching technique called hidden stitching; by pulling it this way and inserting the needle, it would leave almost no trace.

Under the lamplight, she knotted the thread and combed the needle tip against her scalp—every move exuded gentleness. Hong Ce glanced at her. Without her hat, her eyebrows and temples appeared delicate and beautiful. He began to worry. She had been serving by Old Seventh’s side all this time. If he discovered her secret, what would happen? Old Seventh’s behavior had been strange lately, guarding his food possessively. Could he have noticed something too? Probably not. With his temperament, if he liked someone, he wouldn’t be so stiff about it. He must be conflicted too; otherwise, he would have made a move already.

He hesitantly asked her, “Has the Seventh Prince said anything to you?”

She looked up with a puzzled expression. “No, everything’s fine.” After thinking for a moment, she guessed that the money return incident might have made him uncomfortable, causing him to pay closer attention to the Seventh Prince, who seemed increasingly peculiar. With a master on one side and a benefactor on the other, it was difficult to speak freely to either. Unsure of what the Twelfth Prince was asking, she probed, “What do you mean? Are you asking if the Seventh Prince has spoken ill of you?”

He paused slightly. “Not exactly… For instance, has he told you to stay away from me, or has he done anything puzzling?”

He had said puzzling things, like that day’s talk about being a secondary consort, which had frightened her greatly. Fortunately, it was just an impulsive joke, not to be taken seriously. She wouldn’t spread such talk. If she were a man, she would just laugh it off. But she was a woman and wouldn’t make such jokes about herself.

She shook her head. “Although you’re not my direct master, you’re still a prince. I’ve caused you much trouble, and the Seventh Prince has scolded me a few times for it, but that’s all. The Seventh Prince isn’t meticulous about things. I was quite afraid of him before, but now I find him quite easy to get along with.”

Hong Ce murmured, “Is that so…”

Being easy to get along with wasn’t right; Old Seventh had always been autocratic. He was different from Hong Ce, who had a privileged background and was beloved by the Empress Dowager. When the imperial sons were being titled, his full brother was only a Beile, while he was directly titled a Prince of the First Rank—an exception for an imperial son with no achievements. Because his life had been smooth sailing, he was comparatively more arrogant, ready to beat or kill after just a few disagreeable words. This was evident in the incident with the guard and the poisoned bird. If he was gentle toward someone, it meant he had taken notice. With this proximity, could something unexpected happen?

The felt covering on the tent door was lifted, and Sha Tong brought in a whole piece of meat, smiling as he said, “Ha Gang and the others hunted a deer. It must have been quite old—extraordinarily large. It took half the day to roast it. The master must be hungry; please eat while it’s hot.”

Hong Ce rose and beckoned to her. “Set aside the needlework and join me.”

Ding Yi looked up, startled. “How could your servant eat with you? I’m almost done with the mending. I’ll find something to eat later.”

Sha Tong knew how to read his master’s expressions. Seeing that his master had fallen silent, he quickly took the sewing work from Little Tree’s hands. “I’ll take care of this. You go and serve the master his meal.”

Pushed up by Sha Tong, Ding Yi went over to the low table. The Twelfth Prince had carpets laid on the ground. She smoothed her knees and offered him a cloth to wipe his hands, then knelt to the side, preparing to cut the meat. But the knife was taken by him. He leaned forward, selecting the most tender parts, cutting the meat into thin slices, and arranging them before her. Seeing her frozen in place, he asked, “Why aren’t you eating? Always serving others, and when presented with something ready, you don’t know how to partake?”

She said stiffly, “That’s exactly it… The Twelfth Prince treats your servant so well; I’m overwhelmed by the honor.”

“You’ll get used to it after being overwhelmed a few times.” He set down the knife, washed his hands, and pulled up his sleeves to pour her tea. Pushing the teacup forward, he said, “Be careful when serving the Seventh Prince. If you encounter any issues, as I’ve said before, come find me, no matter how late.”

Ding Yi nodded with meat in her mouth. “I know. Even without you saying this, I would come to trouble you. Now that you’ve reminded me again, I feel more secure.” She pointed and said, “Twelfth Prince, you should eat too. Is this sika deer meat? It’s a bit like roebuck.”

“They are indeed relatives. The sika deer is the roebuck’s maternal uncle. Roebucks are easily frightened and will faint from excessive shock. Sika deer are slightly better; at most, they’d be startled.” He smiled at her. “You’re often startled too. Too much startling, and you might become a meal on a plate. Be careful!”

Everything seemed to connect back to her. The Twelfth Prince had always been honest; when had he become so teasing? Ding Yi smiled awkwardly. “Please stop making fun of me. My mind often doesn’t work well enough; I need to be startled to understand things.”

He looked at her quietly without responding, only pointing to the corner of his mouth. “Here.”

She made a sound of surprise. “What?”

Almost without thinking, he reached over and wiped away a bit of meat from the corner of her mouth. The warmth of his finger touched her cheek, and Ding Yi immediately blushed, saying jokingly, “Ah, my eating manners are poor. The Twelfth Prince must find it amusing.” Though she spoke lightly, her heart was beating wildly. The Twelfth Prince’s attitude was increasingly difficult to understand. Although they had interacted several times and were less formal than before, he was still a master with incomparable nobility and dignity. She felt that these princes should be distant; such friendliness made her shiver all over.

As she pondered this, Hong Ce also reflected that perhaps he had gone too far, which wasn’t good. He composed his expression, slowly ate a few pieces of meat, paused briefly, and then said quietly, “According to the current itinerary, we should reach Changbai Mountain in half a month. The original plan was mid-October, but that seems impossible now. We’ve been delayed too much on the road; it will be November… After handling the case at Changbai Mountain, which will take at least ten days, by the time we reach Ningguta, it will be close to the New Year.”

Listening to this, Ding Yi’s mind gradually cleared. She had been taking things one step at a time, always thinking that the imperial estate was still far away, not realizing they would reach it in just half a month. Now her heart was filled with both anticipation and fear—anticipating a reunion with her long-lost brothers, but fearing the unknown outcome of her father’s case and whether her brothers had any chance of returning to the capital. When the time came, she would have to face it. How would she explain to the two princes? And when they learned the truth, how furious would they be? She dared not even imagine.

Hong Ce had been carefully observing her expression. Her vague demeanor deepened his suspicions. Was she headed for Changbai Mountain or Ningguta? These two harsh, cold places had always been where court officials were exiled or sent into military service. She, a girl mixed among men, following from the capital over thousands of li—could she be the daughter of some criminal official, crossing mountains and rivers to find her family?

She had too many secrets. He could ask her directly, but he repeatedly let the opportunities pass. In truth, he was also afraid—afraid that the answer would be less than satisfactory, and uncertain of how many detours they would need to take afterward.

Perhaps he should wait for her to speak first. If she trusted him enough to be honest with him, he would do everything possible to protect her. But if she continued to deceive him, it would mean his genuine feelings had been wasted, that she never wanted to open her heart to him—and that would be his greatest failure.